₦airaland Forum

Premium Times: "Validating our findings from a TWO-YEAR investigation, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has disowned the certificate Mr Nnaji claimed to obtain from the institution in July 1985."

FALSE. The earliest recorded contact between a media house and authorities at the UNN on the Uche Nnaji matter was by People's Gazette, in December 2023. Proof of the contact is in a December 21, 2023 letter, where UNN Registrar, Dr. Ngozi Nnebedum, confirmed to People's Gazette that Geoffrey Uche Nnaji indeed graduated from the university.
Let's do the maths.

From December 2023 to December 2025 is two years. We are still in October. That is, two months short of two years from December 2023. When, therefore, did Premium Times' "two-year investigation" really begin?

FACT: The timeline of when Premium Times wrote Vice chancellor Simon Ortuanya (September 29, 2025), when the VC responded (October 2, 2025), and when Premium Times published the "exclusive" (October 5, 2025), if properly calculated, is seven days.

How an investigation that lasted less than seven days turned into two years in the estimation of Premium Times remains a puzzle.

Meanwhile, VC Ortuanya, who categorically told Premium Times in a letter that "from every available information from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, we are unable to confirm that (Geoffrey Uche Nnaji) graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in July 1985, as there are NO records of his completion of study" has now produced this letter purportedly from the same Uche Nnaji and dated January 3, 1986.

Curiosly, this application wasn't signed, suggesting it may have been the handiwork of a clever forger!

VC Ortuanya would make us believe Uche Nnaji appeared as a student in 1981, disappeared therafter, only to reappear in 1986! This Geoffrey Uche Nnaji too much!

https://thenewcitizen.ng/still-on-ortuanyagate/

*Asks him, associates to float or join political party

A Federal high court sitting in Abuja on Monday declared as illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional the bid by Prof. Pat Utomi and some of his associates to form a shadow government in the country.

The court held that Utomi and his associates cannot hide behind the pillar of the rights of association to criticise the government to engage in unlawful activities.

Delivering judgement in a suit instituted by the Department of State Services (DSS) challenging the bid by Utomi and some associates of his to form a shadiw government, Justice James Omotosho declared the move as null, void and unconstitutional.

Instead, said the judge, Utomi and his associates should form or join a political party to run for office or to provide constructive opposition.

The judge further held that the association Utomi registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government (BTCSG), for the purpose of sponsoring his shadow government is ultra vires.

On the question of the suit by the DSS violated the fundamental human rights of the defendants, Justice Omotosho held that the action of the defendant is dangerous and non justifiable. He stressed that fundamental rights are not absolute but have limitations.

He commended the DSS for filing the suit and held among others, that it was within the right of the DSS to take steps to prevent acts capable of threatening the nation's internal security

Shortly after Utomi, in May, launched what he called the Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government (BTCSG), which he called a "national emergency response," the DSS approached the Federal High Court to determine the constitutionality of shadow government in a presidential system of government.

In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025, the DSS held that the "shadow government" being championed by Prof. Utomi, not only is alien to the Nigerian Constitution, but capable of causing anarchy and destabilizing Nigeria.

The DSS further contended that with a democratically-elected presidential government in place, any "shadow government as being promoted by Utomi or anybody, could incite, "trigger political unrest, cause intergroup tensions, and embolden other unlawful actors or separatist entities to replicate similar parallel arrangements, all of which pose a grave threat to national security.”

The secret police, whose constitutional mandate is to oversee internal security, prayed the curt to declare the purported “shadow government” or”‘shadow cabinet” being planned by Utomi and his associates as unconstitutional, arguing that it "amounts to an attempt to create a parallel authority not recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

The DSS further sought a declaration that “under Sections 1(1), 1(2) and 14(2)(a) of the Constitution, the establishment or operation of any governmental authority or structure outside the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). is unconstitutional, null, and void.”

In addition, the secret police asked the court to issue an order of perpetual injunction, restraining Utomi, his agents and associates “from further taking any steps towards the establishment or operation of a ‘shadow government,’ ‘shadow cabinet’ or any similar entity not recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).”

https://thenewcitizen.ng/dss-wins-as-court-declares-utomis-shadow-government-unconstitutional/

Indications are rife that the Department of State Services (DSS) arrested Kaduna-based social media activist, Abubakar Muhammad, popularly known as Sultan, based on intelligence that he was allegedly planning to kidnap one businessman (name withheld).

A top security source told our correspondent that Sultan was arrested on Saturday in Rigachikun, Igabi Local Government Area, following a complaint that he was planning to kidnap the complainant using social media as a decoy.

According to the source, Muhammad allegedly created fake accounts with the handles @OZugwai40986 on X (formerly Twitter) and @Zugwai75 on Instagram, which he used to threaten the complainant and demand payment through a crypto wallet and a Point of Sales (POS) account.

At a point, added the source, the influencer began to give the complainant several venues to meet him, failing which he threatened to "expose and deal with" the complainant.

The complainant, out of concern for his safety and that of his family said Sultan, in trying to use several other pseudo social media accounts to get his attention, eventually lured him to an undisclosed location. The move triggered suspicion of a kidnap attempt, promoting the businessman to formally write the DSS.

The source disclosed that Sultan deleted the accounts he used to lure the complainant when he realised the DSS was closing in on him, but DSS cyber experts recovered them from his phone.

He added that investigators found digital footprints, payment evidence and conversations linking him directly to the alleged attempted kidnap, which will be presented in court "in the next few days."

Lawmaker representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Obi Aguocha, has praised the Director General, Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Adeola Ajayi, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Chief Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), for timeously intervening in the medical case of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

The federal lawmaker, who spoke Thursday in Abuja, expressed satisfaction that, following his formal appeal to the DSS boss, Kanu was relocated to a secure medical facility and is being treated in accordance with the recommendations of his doctors.

The lawmaker dismissed reports that Kanu wasn't receiving adequate medical attention, disclosing that he was personally monitoring the welfare of the detained separatist leader. Aguocha is Kanu's Rep in the House of Representatives.

The lawmaker commended what he described as the prompt response and humane disposition of the DSS boss and the AGF, saying their action was an affirmation of leadership, compassion, and respect for human rights.

“This matter is not solely political or legal. It is fundamentally about human dignity, the sanctity of life, and the supremacy of the rule of law. I commend the DSS and the Attorney General for showing responsibility and empathy,” stated the lawmaker.

Reasserting his broader vision, Hon. Aguocha "stressed the importance of adopting a political solution that upholds justice while fostering reconciliation, peace, and stability across the Southeast."

By Lewis Chukwuma

Arguably the poster-boy of Nigeria’s activism ecosystem, online publisher of SaharaReporters and rambunctious politician, Omoyele Sowore, has probably earned his epaulets, tracking his nimble interventions and a wide swathe of comic escapades he has scripted in the last two decades, often laced with quaint rhetorical violence.

But has the fire-eating activist derailed currently? Has he weaponized freedom of expression! Though he has never publicly claimed to be a candidate for sainthood awaiting final Papal proclamation, Sowore would appear to have goofed in his recent unfortunate and curious virulent attack on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. On his "X" handle page on August 25, 2025, Sowore had spawned a storm by calling out President Tinubu as a criminal.

In consequence, the Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday initiated legal action against Omoyele Sowore for allegedly making false claim against the person of President Bola Tinubu by referring to him as a criminal. The suit filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja, trailed refusal of the defendants to pull down the said false and misleading message, as requested by the DSS.

It could be recalled that earlier the security agency had threatened legal action against X, formerly known as Twitter and Facebook, for offering their platforms to Sowore, who in a post called the Nigerian President a "criminal." In the separate letters to the social media platforms, the DSS had requested that the false statement against the president be pulled down or it would initiate legal action.
Defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, include; Sowore, Meta (Facebook) Incorp and X Incorp. In the five-count charge, the DSS is alleging that Sowore, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2019 and 2023, and convener of the #RevolutionNow protest against the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, contravened the provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024.

Following the filing of the charge, Sowore is expected to be arraigned soon. One of the five-count charges read: "That you, Omoyele Sowore, adult, male on or about the 25th day of August, 2025, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did use your official X handle page, @Yele Sowore, to send out a message/tweet as:
"THIS CRIMINAL @ OFFICIAL PBAT ACTUALLY WENT TO BRAZIL TO STATE THAT THERE IS NO MORE CORRUPTION UNDER HIS REGIME IN NIGERIA. WHAT AUDACITY TO LIE SHAMELESSLY!," which you know the said message to be false but posted it for the purpose of causing a breakdown of law and order in the country, especially among individuals, who hold divergent views on the personality of the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.

However, in a counter-suit, Sowore also took the DSS, social media giant Meta (owners of Facebook), and X Corp (formerly Twitter) to the Federal High Court in Abuja over what he described as a coordinated attempt to silence him and suppress free speech in Nigeria.

According to a statement issued by his lead counsel, Tope Temokun, on Tuesday Sowore filed two fundamental human rights enforcement suits, challenging what his legal team called “unconstitutional censorship” and attempts by state agencies to influence global tech platforms to restrict citizens’ speech. Temokun stressed that the suits were not just about Sowore personally but about the principle of free expression for all Nigerians. It is interesting that Sowore is now seeking refuge in the same judicial system he has, time and again, labelled "corrupt." There's literally no judge in Nigeria that Sowore has not denigrated, including past and serving judicial officers at the highest level. Well, that is a matter for another day.

Three instances, for the purpose of this analysis, illustrate that unlimited free speech doesn’t exist - even in well-known liberal democracies.

Freedom of expression is not absolute and must be balanced against other fundamental rights. Such include the right to privacy, honor, and reputation. Making speeches that incites hatred, constitutes libel or slander, or causes serious offense may not be protected under freedom of expression. Nothing perhaps better conveys the weight of the consequences of freedom of expression than in the small East African country called Rwanda. Under the guise of freedom of expression, in April 1994, a seemingly harmless broadcast by one person was made on radio. This broadcast triggered the start of 100 days of genocide that left more than one million people dead.

Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. For instance, you can't, banking on freedom of expression, say something that will cause other people harm- or kill them. One can't, for instance, under the guise of freedom of expression, barge into a crowded hall and yell "Fire!" In the same vein, one cannot under the guise of exercising his or her freedom of expression scream "I have a bomb" on an airplane.

Worried by the need to balance freedom of expression with hate speech the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in May 2019, said, it was the duty of all to keep "hate speech from escalating into something more dangerous, particularly incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, which is prohibited under international law."

Something remarkable recently happened in the n the UK that granted us independence. In the wake of the shooting to death in the US of President Trump's supporter, Charlie Kirk, President-elect of Oxford University Student Union, George Abaraonye, made a post on a Whatsapp chat group mocking Kirk's death. He also reportedly made a similar post on Instagram. Posted Abaronye, "Charlie Kirk got shot loool" - an elongated version of the phrase 'lol' which means 'laughing out loud'. The post appeared to welcome the incident. Upon realizing the backlash his comment on the shooting which - by the way- happened thousands of miles away in the US generated, Abaronye quickly deleted the post and apologized. The school authorities would have none of that. Oxford University insists Abaronye will be punished, saying free speech cannot and will not come at the expense of violence, intimidation or hate.

In a statement posted on X late on Thursday, the Oxford Union said it "unequivocally condemns the reported words and sentiments" expressed by Mr. Abaraonye, who was elected as the society's new president in June.

It is interesting to note that, even though Kirk was killed in faraway America, comments by a student in the UK were still considered offensive. The implications is that in the UK, as in everywhere, sometimes free speech has consequences.

In the US, in September 2022, Uju Anya, an associate professor of applied linguistics at Carnegie Mellon University, tweeted that the reign of Queen Elizabeth II was a period of suffering and colonization for many, a sentiment she also extended to the wealth amassed by individuals like Jeff Bezos.

"I heard the chief monarch of a thieving, raping genocidal empire is finally dying. May her pain be excruciating," she tweeted. Bezos responded to Anya's tweet, which led to widespread public discussion and support for Anya from a large community of faculty and students.

Interestingly, without informing Anya, Twitter pulled down her tweet. It would be interesting to know why Twitter quickly pulled down Professor Anya's tweet on Queen Elizabeth, the late Head of State of the United Kingdom, but has failed to pull down Sowore's post on Tinubu, the sitting President of Nigeria.

Even Prof. Anya's school, Carnegie Mellon, joined the fray by releasing a statement condemning her tweets. The ivory tower described her tweets as “offensive and objectionable." Stressed the school, "We do not condone the offensive and objectionable messages posted by Uju Anya today on her personal social media account. Freedom of expression is core to the mission of higher education; however, the views she shared absolutely do not represent the values of the institution, nor the standards of discourse we seek to foster."

In another case that is likely to stretch the freedom of expression to its limit, just this week, US President Donald Trump sued the New York Times, four of its reporters, and publisher Penguin Random House for at least $15 billion over alleged defamation and libel. Trump’s suit cites a series of New York Times articles, an editorial prior to the 2024 presidential election, which said he was unfit for office, and a 2024 book published by Penguin titled “Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success”.

“Defendants maliciously published the Book and the Articles knowing that these publications were filled with repugnant distortions and fabrications about President Trump,” Trump’s lawyers said in the filing lodged in the U.S. District Court, Middle District Florida, on Monday, September 15, 2025. The publications have harmed Trump’s business and personal reputation, thereby causing massive economic damage to his brand value and significant damage to his future financial prospects, Trump’s lawyers said in the filing.

“The harm to the value of TMTG (Trump Media and Technology Group) stock is one example of how the Defendants’ defamation has injured President Trump,” said his lawyers, citing “a precipitous decline in the stock price.”

“Today, I have the Great Honor of bringing a $15 Billion Defamation and Libel Lawsuit against The New York Times. The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear and defame me for far too long, and that stops NOW.” Trump said earlier on Monday in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. There is more.

Like Trump, Tinubu, aside being a politician and Nigeria's president, is an accomplished businessman and is believed to have business interests spanning several countries.

In the same US, in response to the threats to peace and security that arise from violent extremism, many states have adopted legislation to counter extremism and/or terrorism.

These laws aim to stem violence resulting from extremist beliefs and counter the
underlying ideology. In other words, Americans have come to realize that people cannot be allowed to hide behind the pillar of freedom of expression to promote religious extremism.

From the jungles of Guyana in the late 1980s where self-styled Reverend Jim Jones of the notorious Peoples Temple died alongside nearly 1000 cult members, to Osama bin Laden, instances abound where people have exploited freedom of expression to violently change the world.

Back home in Nigeria, through the lens of Boko Haram, we have witnessed and are still witnessing the harm that can become the lot of a nation when people are allowed to hide behind the pillar of freedom of expression to say anything they deem fit
We also are witnesses to the consequences of allowing people like Nnamdi Kanu and Simon Ekpa run their mouths. After all, aren't they entitled to enjoy their freedom of expression? That Finland, a first world country that is over 8,500 km away from Nigeria, waived Ekpa 's freedom of expression and convicted him, shows that such freedoms have consequences.
Specifically, the the court said Ekpa exploited his extensive following on social media between August 2021 and November 2024 to promote violence and encourage unrest in the Southeast. In other words, his freedom of expression became a tool to unleash terror.

For context, democracy would lose its defining egalitarianism if it foreclosed the free expression of viewpoints by its adherents - including often seeming unreasonable perspectives by forces that seek to diminish and divide. But there is a caveat. Absolute freedom exists only in Utopia, certainly not in the real world. It should never be wielded like a cudgel. What played out from last week speaks to the consequence of pushing the much-touted freedom of expression to the extreme. As always, there are consequence. Both in Nigeria and abroad.

Despite democracy’s leniency, those that, in contrast, enlist intellectual pretensions to push often illogical, flawed, antagonistic positions that misinform, diminish and obfuscate certainly deserve to be confronted and faulted.
The DSS is Nigeria's primary domestic intelligence agency, which plays a critical role in national security and intelligence gathering. Its main responsibilities are within Nigeria and include counter-intelligence, medical intelligence, economic intelligence, internal security, counter-terrorism, and surveillance as well as investigating some other types of serious crimes against the state.
It is also charged with the protection of senior government officials, particularly the president, vice president, state governors and visiting heads of state and governments with their respective families. In effect, any threat to the president - physical or psychological - as in this case, requires a specific action by the agency. To act otherwise would be shirking its responsibility, putting the President- and Nigeria- at risk. This is the line the DSS is towing, albeit, in a civil manner.
By its operational mandate, the DSS could easily have chosen to move roughshod against mischief and crises entrepreneurs who have wrongly opted to game the agency’s civility. But instructively, the DSS, under the administration of the new Director-General, Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, is towing a different engagement strategy with those who misalign with its objectives.

Plucky Funke Egbemode, a former president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, recently aptly captured the persona of the DSS boss: “This new Sheriff is a thoroughbred secret cop who rose through the ranks, not a politician or political appointee who got lucky.”

For good measure she added: “Ajayi started as a rookie, and after three decades-plus of service, he’s here determined to restore the dignity of the service. The mask must stay on and the masquerade must stay in the grove unless there is reason for it to visit the people.” In effect, this ‘masquerade’ visits people or organisations for specific reasons - assuredly not picnics.

Certainly, the matter between Sowore and the DSS is no picnic!

*Chukwuma wrote from Jos

https://thenewcitizen.ng/as-dss-confronts-sowores-scorched-earth-strategy/

The Department of State Services (DSS) has officially requested that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, immediately shut down the Facebook account of activist and journalist Omoyele Sowore.

The DSS claims that a post Sowore made on August 26, 2025, is a threat to national security, defamatory, and breaks several Nigerian laws.


​According to a letter dated September 7, 2025, signed by Uwem Davies, Sowore's post caused "online and offline tension" by "disparaging and ridiculing" the President.

In the post, which is still available on the platform, Sowore accuses President Tinubu of "lying shamelessly" about the end of corruption under his administration.

​The DSS's notice to Meta also alleges that the post contains misinformation and hate speech. It states the content is an attempt to "discredit/disparage the President" and create "a serious threat to national security."

To support these claims, the DSS cites several Nigerian laws it believes Sowore's post violates, including:
​Section 51 of the Criminal Code Act, which prohibits publishing false information.

​Sections 19, 22, and 24 of the Cyber Crimes Act 2025, which prohibit spreading fake news, posting offensive content, and making statements meant to incite ethnic or religious hatred.

​Section 2(3) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as the government alleges the post amounts to domestic terrorism.

​The letter gives Meta a clear deadline, stating that if the company fails to comply within 24 hours, the government will be forced to "take far-reaching, sweeping and across-the-board measures."

This suggests that the government is prepared to take significant action against Meta if its demand isn't met.

​The notice was sent to Meta’s legal and press departments. As of now, Meta has not yet responded to the Nigerian government's request.

By Joe Igbokwe

I got to know Sowore through my good friend Mr Peter Claver. Both of them graduated from the University of Lagos. We have been friends for years and we have reasoned together and interacted for years. However I was stunned into disbelief and in total shock when he called a sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria a criminal. I advised him to withdraw the shameful scurrilous drivels and apologize to the President. Up till now he has not found the need to apologize to the President and Nigerians who elected him as president.

PBAT is not his mate. The President is an international Chattered Accountant, international scholar in the best tradition, former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Former Governor of Nigeria’s economic nerve center called Lagos State for eight years, and now the President of Nigeria, the biggest, the most populated country in Africa and the most endowed. Nobody body living or dead in Nigeria has touched lives across Nigeria the way PBAT has done in the past 30 years.

Apart from being the President of UNILAG Student Union I have not recorded any significant progress since he left Akoka apart from Aluta Continua business and life on the streets. These activities are getting diminished everyday and does not make sense to people like us again.

When you call a President we all elected a criminal it is at once telling us that more 200 million Nigerians are criminals. This is unacceptable. It is unbelievable .It is a joke taken to a frightening dimension. It is kindergarten and at best horrible. I have asked you as a friend to retract this nonsensical effusions and openly apologize to the President and Nigeria. This is our irredeemable minimum demand. Let the world know I have advised Sowore as a friend. Dazzol.

The Department of State Security Services (DSS) has formally requested that X Corp. ban or deactivate the account of activist and politician Omoyele Sowore, alleging that a recent post by him constitutes a threat to national security and violates Nigerian law.

​In a letter sent to the Chairman and CEO of X Corp. at their Bastrop County, Texas, headquarters, the DSS claimed that a tweet from Sowore’s verified account, @YeleSowore, on August 25, 2025, was “disparaging and ridiculing” to President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

​The tweet in question, which was posted at 11:38 PM local time, reads: “This criminal @officialABAT actually went to Brazil to state that there is NO MORE corruption under his regime in Nigeria. What audacity to lie shamelessly!”

​According to the DSS’s communication, the post is “misleading,” “incitement to violence,” and “hate speech” that could cause “serious harm.”

They asserts that the tweet has already led to widespread condemnation and protests by the President’s supporters, creating political tension and posing a threat to the country’s national security.

​The letter also cites several Nigerian laws that it claims the tweet violates, including provisions from the Criminal Code Act, the Cyber Crimes Act of 2025, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.

The DSS argues that these laws prohibit the publication of false information, the spread of fake news, and the instigation of hatred, with both the author and the platform being held liable.

​They contends that the tweet is an act of “domestic terrorism” that aims to “discredit/disparage the President… within the Comity of Nations to damage the image of Nigeria.” The letter demands the “immediate and urgent ban/deactivation” of Sowore’s X account.

​As at the time of this report, X Corp. has not publicly commented on the Nigerian government’s request.

https://thereporterspen.com/nigerian-secret-police-seek-to-ban-sowores-x-account/

*Files fresh charge against suspected gunrunner arrested with Seven M16 Rifles


The Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday arraigned nine individuals before a Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged complicity in recent killings in Benue and Plateau states.


The nine, named as defendants in six separate charges took turn to enter their pleas to the allegations raised against them, including unlawful possession and dealing in firearms, assisting in terrorism activities, among others.

Those arraigned are Terkende Ashuwa (46 years) and Amos Alede (44 years) names in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/448/2025; Haruna Adamu (26) and Muhammed Abdullahi (48) in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/449/2025, and Halima Haliru Usman (32) in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/450/2025.

Others are Timna Manjo (46) and Nanbol Tali (75 years) in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/451/2025, Danjuma Antu (62) in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/452/2025 and Silas Iduh Oloche, named in a six-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/453/2025.

Out of the nine, only Manjo pleaded guilty to two out of the four counts contained in the charge on which he was arraigned with Tali.

Manjo pleaded guilty to counts one and three on the charge sheet.

The counts, two which Manjo pleaded guilty, are:

*That you, Timnan Manjo of First Baptist Church, Mangu LGA, Plateau State and Nanbol Tali of Cocin LCC, Heipang, Barkin ladi LGA, Plateau State, Adults, males, sometime between July and August, 2025, at Barkin Ladin LGA, Plateau State, without licence, did engage in buying and selling of two locally fabricated AK47 rifles at the rate of N3,000,000, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 9 of Firearms Act 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) of the same Act.

*That you, Timnan Manjo of First Baptist Church, Mangu LGA, Plateau State, adult, male, sometime in July, 2025, at Mangu LGA, Plateau State, without licence, did engage in buying of three long-range Revolver Rifles at the rate of N60,000 each, from one Chomo, for resell, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 9 of Firearms Act 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) of the same Act.

Ashuwa of Ukpam village and Alede of Akawe Tokula Polytechnic (both of Guma Local Government Area of Benue State are alleged, in a three-count charge, to have, in July , attended at Couch Bar, Daudu village, a meeting in connection with acts of terrorism.

They also accused of
"knowingly solicit or render support by receiving material assistance of locally-made guns and AK47 rifle from one Alhaji Uba for the commissioning of acts of terrorism to wit: causing destruction to private property resulting in an economic loss of 12 cattle in Ukpam age, Benue State."

Adamu of Kasono village and Abdullahi of Jangar Gare village, both in Awe Local Government Area, Nasarawa State are, in a four-count charge, said to have, on June 13 "participated in a meeting alongside Musa Beniyon, Bako Malowa, Ibrahim Tunga, Azara Ahmlnadu, Legu Musa, Adamu Yale, Boddi Ayuba and Pyeure Damina among others, which in your knowledge is concerned and connected to the commissioning of acts of terrorism and killings in Abinsi and Yelwata Villages, Guma LGA, Benue State."

Adamu and Abdullahi are also accused of "knowingly conceal information about planned acts of terrorism and killings in Abinsi and Yelwata Villages, Guma LGA, Benue State between 13th and 14th June, 2025 , which you know to be of material assistance in apprehending and preventing the commissioning of acts of terrorism, but failed to disclose the information to any law enforcement or security officer."

Mrs. Umar of Unguwan Boka, Faskari LGA, Katsina State, is alleged, in a four-count charge, to have on July 7 at Barkin Ladi LGA and Jos North LGA of Plateau State, attempted to render support for the commission of acts of terrorism by providing material assistance and transportation of 302 rounds of AK-47 rifle live ammunitions.

She is also said to have, on the same date, had in her possession 302 rounds of AK-47 rifle five ammunitions.

In a four-count charge, Manjo of First Baptist Church, Mangu LGA and Tali of Cocin LCC, Heipang, Barkin Ladi LGA, both of Plateau State, are said to have sometime in August 9 at Barkin Ladin LGA, Plateau State, had in their possession a locally fabricated AK-47 rifle without a license.

Manjo is, in count three, accused of engaging in the buying of three long-range revolver rifles at the rate of N60,000) each, from one Chomo, for resell.

He was also said to have engaged in buying of two locally-fabricated AK-47 rifles at the rate of N300,000 from one Vom, which he allegedly "resold to an unidentified Reverend at the rate 400,000."

In a five-count charge, Antu of Jos North, Plateau State is alleged to have, "sometime on 27th June, 2025, along Kabong Primary School, Jos North LGA, Plateau State, without licence, did have in your possession three live rounds of 9mm ammunition, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(1) of Firearms Act 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) of the same Act."

He is also alleged to have "sometime on 27th June, 2025, along Kabong Primary School, Jos North LGA, Plateau State, knowingly render material support for the commission of acts of terrorism in Plateau.State, by transporting two locally fabricated pistols firearms capable of discharging 9mm ammunition calibre, three live rounds of 9mm ammunition and one five round of 8mm ammunition and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 13 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022."

After the defendants pleaded to the charges, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered that they should be remanded in DSS' custody and be granted access to their lawyers.

As it relates to the charges involving Ashuwa, Alede and Halima Umar, Justice Nwite adjourned till October 2 for trial.

He adjourned the charge involving Adamu & Abdullahi to October 9 for the commencement of trial, while the charges involving Manjo, Tali, Antu and Oloche till October 17 for trial.

Also on Wednesday, the DSS filed a fresh five-count charge against suspected gunrunner, allegedly arrested with seven M16 assault rifles - Huzaifa Ahamad Haruna (aka Huzaifa Dogo).

Some counts in the charge reads:

*That you, Huzaifa Ahamad Haruna (aka Huzaifa Dogo) of Dogo village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area (LGA), Plateau State, Adult, male, sometime on 30% August, 2025, at Barkin Ladi LGA and Mangu LGA of Plateau State, did knowingly render support for the commission of acts of terrorism by providing material assistance for and transportation of seven M-16 assault rifles with serial numbers:0700422; 24006914; 00513011; 07000135; 24007165; 07000417; and 07000822, as well as seven empty magazines in a green coloured Opel Vectra vehicle with Reg No: BSA-732-AE (Plateau), and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 13 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

That you, Huzaifa Ahamad Haruna of Dogo village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area (LGA), Plateau State, adult, male, sometime in March, 2025, at Barkin Ladi LGA of Plateau State, did knowingly render support for the commission of acts of terrorism by providing material assistance for and transportation of five M-16 assault rifles from Dogo Village, Barkin Ladi LGA to one Wakili Julde in Wase LGA, Plateau State, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 13 (1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr Bayo Ojulari, has broken his silence on social media reports that Adegboyega Fasasi and Usman Shugaba, Chief Security Officer (CSO) and Chief Personal Security Officer (CPSO) respectively to President Bola Tinubu accepted a $1.5 million bribe from him to facilitate access to the President.

The NNPCL boss described the report as "false, ludicrous, malicious, and existing only in the imagination of the authors of the gibberish."
Speaking to select journalists Monday in Abuja, Ojulari said he was "scandalized and at the same time amused by the report" which he said was the handiwork of "those who do not mean well for Nigeria."

Said the GCEO, "My initial reaction when i sighted the report was that of disbelief. Not only are the allegations wicked, wild and spurious, they were clearly the handiwork who do not mean well for Nigeria.
"It is clear that the authors do not understand what $1.5 million is. It is a calculated smear campaign intended to mislead the public and cast doubt on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited's leadership," he stated.

"It is important to emphasize that the sensational claims attributed to anonymous sources have not been supported by any shred of evidence. As NNPCL GCEO, I, Bayo Ojulari do not need the permission of security details to contact Mr. President whenever I so desire.

He continued, "My consolation is that the blog or website that published the fake news has a long history of publishing stories that exist only in their imagination. They are not known for publishing credible reports."

On if he would take legal action on the publishers, Ojulari said he was still speaking with his lawyers.

"I am speaking with my lawyers, and we are exploring the options before us. Clearly, Nigeria is a country with laws. You can't just go around, hiding under the pillar of freedom of speech, and writing fiction. No! There has to be consequences for such actions," he said.

SaharaReporters had on Sunday published a story purporting that Ojulari paid $1.5 million in bribes to two security aides of President Tinubu to grant him access to the president.

By Zagazola Makama

The fragile peace in Kaduna State is once again under severe threat as banditry resurfaces along critical highways and rural communities, reviving old concerns over the sincerity and effectiveness of the state government’s amnesty programme.

The killing of Musa Kachallah, a repentant bandit leader who had renounced crime and embraced peace, has once again drawn attention to the uncertain security condition in Kaduna State.

Kachallah, once feared across parts of Chikun Local Government Area, had turned his back on violence, committing himself to community reconciliation. Respected by villagers in Tsohon Gaya for his peace efforts, he became a visible symbol of transformation. His assassination on Aug. 3, however, shattered that image and reignited fears that peace in Kaduna may only be skin-deep.

According to security and community sources, the killing was as calculated as it was cruel. At about 1023 hours on the fateful day, a group of bandits arrived at Kachallah’s residence disguised as friendly visitors. In keeping with local tradition, he welcomed them, offering food and pleasantries. But when night fell, their intentions became clear. At about 1145 hours, sporadic gunshots erupted, sending commotion across the settlement. By the time security personnel arrived, the assailants had disappeared into the surrounding bush.

Among those present during the attack was Shayibu Madugo, a known associate of another bandit figure, Gurgu. One of the assailants, identified as Mallau, was also injured and is reportedly receiving treatment at a secret medical location. Kachallah’s remains were laid to rest the following morning at 1005 hours on Aug. 4, in line with Islamic rites.

The killing goes beyond one man’s death. For months, Kachallah had worked to dissuade youths from taking up arms, urging them to abandon kidnapping and cattle rustling. Residents say he was genuine in his repentance, often standing as a mediator in local disputes.
Now, his silencing has not only discouraged others who might have considered laying down their weapons but also emboldened hardline factions opposed to peace.

It is believed that the killing has inspired retaliatory violence from bandit groups, especially those who perceive the state’s amnesty as insincere or biased. Already, since the killing, security reports indicated that bandits have intensified activities around Chikun, Kauru, Giwa, Makarfi on the Zaria–Kano highway, and Kajuru Local Government Areas and most recently the Abuja–Kaduna road, where a journalist was kidnapped on Friday. Already the authorities have stepped up daily patrol efforts at the Rigasa station line amid suspected security threats.

The resurgence of these pockets of attacks threatens the steady peace that was recorded within the past months in Kaduna, a once epicentre of kidnapping-for-ransom in Nigeria.

Despite these troubling developments, many security stakeholders and residents accuse the state government of complacency. Governor Uba Sani’s much-publicised “Kaduna Model” of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration has been described as a charade, lacking structure, transparency, and credibility.

Unlike amnesty programmes in other volatile regions, Kaduna’s initiative has been criticised for its lack of coordination, strategic framework, absence of community participation, and failure to provide genuine rehabilitation for repentant fighters. While the governor publicly received “repentant bandits” earlier this year and promised international-standard reintegration, there is little on the ground to suggest any concrete plan.

Security sources note that there were no individual risk assessments to differentiate hardened commanders from coerced foot soldiers. No verifiable rehabilitation or livelihood programmes were implemented. No sustainable monitoring structure was set up to ensure compliance. Worst of it, no disarmament programmes was set up to receive arms from the bandits, in most cases, they come without their weapons and go back to their enclaves after every engagement. The programme appeared to have been driven by political optics rather than strategic intent. The killing of Kachallah has now exposed these gaps, with many bandits perceiving the process as betrayal rather than reconciliation.

On the ground, it is the Nigerian Army troops under 1 Division, NAF, the Police with critical support from the DSS that have held the line in places like Birnin Gwari and Chikun, and other part of the state, neutralizing armed groups and securing major corridors. But the military alone cannot guarantee lasting peace without political leadership and state-level initiatives.

Police formations, for instance, remain under-equipped, with most of their patrol vehicles grounded. Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) are unavailable, leaving major entry points into Kaduna unprotected. Despite persistent requests, the state government has not provided critical logistics to complement security operations.

Multiple sources allege that Governor Uba Sani rarely convenes security meetings or reads situation reports. Unlike his counterparts in North Western Niger, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi or Borno in the North East, who are known for prioritising security and directly engaging with security agencies, Sani is accused of disengagement and indifference.

According to the sources, the governor hardly picks calls, responds to urgent messages, or visits attack scenes or victims and their families. His most visible involvement in security matters has been receiving rescued victims handed over by the Office of the National Security Adviser, a role seen more as ceremonial than operational. Besides, Governor Uba Sani mostly operates his state from Abuja.

This disconnect has widened the gap between the state government and frontline security agencies. It has also eroded public trust, leaving rural communities to question whether the state truly has a strategy for peace.

Kaduna’s worsening security point to the collapse of the so-called amnesty programme and the absence of strong political leadership. The failure to build a credible framework for dialogue, reintegration, and rehabilitation has emboldened bandits who now see the state as weak and divided.

The bitter reality is that, while the military and other security agencies continues to make sacrifices to hold the line, the Kaduna State Government has failed to complement these efforts. Peace is fragile, and with bandits regaining confidence, the state risks sliding back into the dark years of mass abductions and rural terror.

The assassination has reopened old wounds. It has exposed once more that peace in the state rests not on a solid foundation, but on fragile promises and the overstretched efforts of security forces.

Unless the state government takes security issues beyond rhetoric by complementing security agencies to stamp out banditry, the region could again descend into unchecked violence.

The question is no longer whether the government’s amnesty will work, but whether Governor Uba Sani truly cares enough to take ownership of the security in his state.

Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad Region

By Rekpene Bassey

In a rare moment of good news in Nigeria’s long war against extremism, the Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed the arrest of Abubakar Abba, the elusive and feared leader of the Mahmuda terror group. Captured alive in a quiet but meticulously planned operation in Wawa, Niger State, Abba’s arrest was the culmination of weeks of human intelligence gathering, electronic surveillance, and delicate coordination with local communities. Not a single shot was fired.

At 33, Abba is a study in the modern trajectory of West African militancy. Born in Daura, Katsina State, he entered jihadist circles as a teenager, selling tapes of radical clerics, including Boko Haram’s founder Mohammed Yusuf. From a peddler of propaganda, he became a battlefield commander, earning his stripes in Boko Haram’s violent campaigns before splintering off to lead the Mahmuda faction. His rise illustrates a pattern seen across the Sahel: ideological indoctrination morphing into battlefield leadership, with survival hinging on adaptability to changing security pressures.

The Mahmuda group itself is no ragtag gang. Emerging in the mid-2010s after a leadership rift in Boko Haram, it carved out a niche as a hybrid insurgent-criminal network. Its fighters alternated between ideological attacks and purely economic kidnappings-for-ransom. Their operational footprint centered on the dense forests around Kainji National Park, a region notorious for harbouring militant camps, but their reach extended into rural Kwara and deep into Niger State. The terrain; rugged, remote, and dotted with unmonitored routes into Benin and Niger; offered perfect cover.

DSS officials say Mahmuda’s ties to regional terror franchises in Mali and the Niger Republic made the group especially dangerous. Intelligence suggests a two-way exchange: Mahmuda provided fighters and safehouses to Sahelian jihadists, and in return received weapons, explosives, and tactical training. This relationship mirrors the operational strategies of Islamic State affiliates in Africa - networked cells, cross-border mobility, and revenue diversification through smuggling and extortion.

One of the lesser-known elements of Mahmuda’s survival strategy was its recruitment pipeline. According to security sources, the group targeted disillusioned young men in remote farming communities, often those displaced by climate-induced agricultural collapse. Recruiters offered stipends, motorbikes, and a sense of belonging. For some, ideology came later; for others, it was the first lure. What made recruitment effective was its local tailoring; preachers couched militant rhetoric in the language of community grievances, from government neglect to corruption.

Funding was equally sophisticated. While ransoms from kidnappings remained the group’s primary income, it is believed that Mahmuda also tapped into illicit gold mining profits in Zamfara, as well as cattle rustling operations stretching into Burkina Faso. Money moved through informal hawala networks, blurring the lines between criminal proceeds and ideological financing. Tracing these flows required both financial forensics and human sources embedded in trading hubs across West Africa.

This is where the DSS operation truly distinguished itself. Sources close to the mission reveal that the breakthrough came not from satellite imagery or intercepted phone calls, but from a local informant; a former group member who defected after his family was targeted in an internal dispute. His intelligence placed Abba in a safehouse near Wawa, disguised as a merchant. From there, the DSS built a low-visibility surveillance cordon, moving operatives in civilian clothes and using unmarked vehicles to avoid tipping off the group.
The arrest itself was a masterclass in restraint. At dawn, DSS operatives surrounded the safehouse. Abba, perhaps sensing the net closing, surrendered without resistance. It was important to take him alive.

A dead man can’t tell you who his financiers are or where the weapons are buried.

Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State, in his public remarks, praised the “quiet professionalism” of the DSS and credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for its “unflinching commitment” to dismantling insurgent networks. For communities long trapped in the crosshairs of violence, such praise resonated; though tempered by the reality that one arrest, however significant, is not the end of the threat.

Under the leadership of Director-General Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, the DSS has leaned heavily into intelligence-led counterterrorism. Ajayi, a career intelligence officer with a reputation for precision and reform, has prioritized inter-agency collaboration and the use of indigenous knowledge in tracking high-value targets. The Wawa operation, originally his covert operations brain child, validates a doctrine that pairs modern surveillance with traditional community intelligence networks.

But as counterterrorism analysts often warn, leadership decapitation is a double-edged sword. In some cases, removing a leader fractures a group into smaller, more unpredictable cells. DSS strategists are aware of this risk. Follow-up operations should therefore be already underway to locate Mahmuda’s deputy commanders and secure weapons stockpiles before they can regroup or retaliate.

The arrest also plays into Nigeria’s regional security calculus. With Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso in varying states of political flux, and in some cases pivoting away from Western security partnerships, Nigeria cannot afford to allow its northwest to become the next ungoverned sanctuary for jihadist groups. The Wawa operation sends a signal not only to terrorists but to regional partners: Abuja is prepared to act decisively within its borders.

For President Tinubu, this victory comes at a politically advantageous moment. His administration has pledged to overhaul Nigeria’s security architecture, and delivering visible results strengthens his position both domestically and internationally. Yet, the public will judge the administration not on isolated wins but on whether such operations produce sustained security improvements in daily life.

In Wawa and surrounding communities, there is a cautious return to normalcy. Farmers are venturing back to their fields, and traders are reopening shops. But memories of kidnappings and raids linger. The locals have seen commanders come and go. What they now want is to live without fear, every day, not just after a big arrest.

Of course DSS officials share this understanding. They are quite aware that intelligence gathered from Abba’s interrogation will be used to map Mahmuda’s financial, logistical, and recruitment networks, with a view toward dismantling the infrastructure that allowed the group to operate for so long. This is not just about catching a man, it is about breaking the system that made him possible.

In the end, the Wawa operation may be remembered not just as the day the Mahmuda leader was caught, but as a case study in the evolving face of Nigeria’s counterterrorism: rooted in the ground truth of local informants, amplified by technology, and executed with surgical precision. Whether it marks the beginning of a lasting shift, or just another chapter in an ongoing war, will depend on what follows in the months ahead. But one thing is certain. The current Director General of the State Security Service came prepared. His management team and himself seem to know their onions.

Rekpene Bassey
Security Specialist, president of the African Council on Narcotics (ACON)

A Chief magistrate court Friday in Abuja
remanded, at the Keffi Correctional Centre, a social media influencer, Ghali Isma'il, arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) for posting fake videos that President Bola Tinubu died after a serious illness.

Operatives of the secret police arrested Isma'il days after he posted the fake videos on the TikTok handle @bola_asiwaju.

Count one of the two-count charge, entitled "Publication of false news with intent to cause offence against public peace, " read: "That you, Ghali Ismail, Male, twenty-nine (29) years of Jogana village, Gezawa LGA, Kano State, on or about the 20th Day of July, 2025 and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did publish false information by uploading a video clip on your verified Tiktok handle ("bola-asiwaju" wherein you falsely claimed that you reliably confirmed from official sources that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was critically ill, having been poisoned through his meal, with intent to cause public alarm and disturb public peace.
"You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 418 of the Penal Code Act, Cap P3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Count two, "Inciting Disaffection to the Government," read: "That you, Ghali Ismail, Male, twenty-nine (29) years of Jogana village, Gezawa LGA, Kano State, on or about the 20th Day of July, 2025 and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, did publish false information by uploading a video clip on your verified Tiktok handle ("bola-asiwaju" wherein you falsely claimed that you reliably confirmed from official sources that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was critically ill, having been poisoned through his meal, with intent to bring contempt or incite feelings of disaffection against the person of the President. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 416 of the Penal Code Act, Cap P3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004."

After taking arguments by counsel to the DSS and counsel to the defendant, whose application for bail was denied, the presiding judge, Ekpeyong Iyang, ordered Ismail to be remanded in Keffi correctional centre. The mater was adjourned till August 19.

Isma'il's arraignment came a few days after a professor of journalism at Kennesaw State University in the United States, Farooq Kperogi, apologized for publishing a report that late President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha, were divorced at the time of his death.

It would be recalled that Biafrian agitator, Simon Ekpa, is currently being prosecuted by Finnish authorities for terrorism. However, Ekpa insists that his icentary posts online were merely to create "content."

Last week in Abuja, another Biafran separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu, told a federal high court that his online broadcasts which prosecutors said left to the deaths of hundreds of persons, was a joke.

In Finland, prosecutors, who are demanding a six-year prison sentence for Mr Ekpa, his separatist activities, conducted online and coordinated from Finland, may constitute terrorism under Finnish law.

Justice Samira Bature of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Maitama, on Thursday issued a stern warning to a property developer, Cecil Osakwe, and his co-defendants, including lawyer Victor Giwa, over continued attempts to evade arraignment in a criminal case filed by the Federal Government.

https://thereporterspen.com/judge-warns-property-developer-cecil-osakwe-lawyer-victor-giwa-against-evading-arraignment-in-illegal-trespass-case/

The Ohi of Okene, HRH. Dr. Isah Mamman Okatahi has stated unequivocally that the recent visit by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan,representing the good people of Kogi Central Senatorial District, has no political undertone.


The traditional ruler also affirmed that the advice he gave during the courtesy call was not political but a royal guidance rooted in justice, peace, and the collective progress of the people.


These clarifications were contained in a press statement signed by
HRH Dr Isah Mamman Okatahi, and made available to the media


He emphasized that the palace remains a symbol of cultural unity, moral guidance, and protection of the people's common good.


The statement reads in part; "It has come to public attention that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan,representing the good people of Kogi Central Senatorial District, recently paid a courtesy visit to my royal palace , as the Ohi of Okene Metropolis and Grand Patron of Abdul Aziz Memorial college Okene (AAMCO). The college is Premier Secondary School in the old Kabba Province covering parts of present-day Kogi, Edo, and Kwara States.

"Her visit, which took place while en route to a function at the historic school, which I am the grand patron of and was invited by the management of the school as a custom, was a culturally respectful gesture to the traditional authority and nothing more.

"As expected of a father to all, received her warmly and commended her on her continued gesture toward the students of the school and used the opportunity to address those present on the importance of unity, respect for constituted authority, and prioritizing the development of our people over political rivalry.

"I emphasized the need for peaceful coexistence and urged that public office holders act with dignity and responsibility as part of the steps toward restoring harmony and upholding the rule of law.

"This advice was not political, but a royal guidance rooted in justice, peace, and the collective progress of our people.
I feel compelled to clarify any public misinterpretation of this visit.

"Any insinuation that the Senator’s visit to my palace reflects shared political loyalty on my part is incorrect and unfortunate.

"It is important to reiterate that traditional rulers, especially one as revered as the Ohi of Okene, transcend partisan politics. The palace remains a symbol of cultural unity, moral guidance, and protection of the people's common good.

"So I spoke not as a politician but as a custodian of values and traditions, calling for peace, respect for the judiciary, and adherence to law and order."

By Ken Harries Esq

Since the suspension of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, by the Senator Godswill Akpabio-led 10th Senate on March 6, 2025, for gross misconduct, there has been a cacophony of voices and divergent views as to the propriety, constitutionality, and legality of the action. Natasha, on her own, has been globetrotting, preaching the gospel of innocence and alleging victimization and sexual harassment.

Senator Natasha made an infamous appearance at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Women's Assembly held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, twisting the story of her suspension. She told the women that her suspension was “Political victimization, punishment for speaking against gender-based violence,” and after her allegations of sexual harassment against the Senate President, which is a lie from the pit of hell. The sexual harassment allegations were just an afterthought and, of course, another plot to discredit the person of the Senate President. She never knew that both the media and the public knew her story, and she could not hoodwink anyone. The suspended and now convicted senator never fathomed that the proceedings of the Senate are public documents and the women at the IPU could access them to confirm her allegations. It never occurred to Natasha that she was dancing naked in the marketplace at the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Surprisingly, to date, the embattled lawmaker has not filed any case or initiated any criminal complaint touching on her much touted sexual harassment claims.

Buoyed by social media influencers and freelance lawyers, Senator Natasha approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the powers of the President of the Senate to preside over proceedings of the Senate after she had raised tantrums emboldened by her reliance on Order 10 of the Senates's standing Order. It was on the strength of the same Order 10 that she insisted she could speak from anywhere in breach of the Rules. But last week, a Federal High Court presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, finally resolved the issue, and left Natasha in the cold.

On the core issue raised in the substantive suit, the Court resolved all the questions for determination against the suspended senator. Justice Binta Nyako ruled emphatically that the Nigerian Senate has the constitutional authority to discipline its members for violating its Standing Orders. She affirmed that the action of the Senate President on February 20, 2025, in reallocating Senator Natasha’s seat was lawful and within his administrative powers under Section 6 (2) of the Rules when she attempted to speak from an unallocated seat. The Court further held, that in exercising this power, the President of the Senate did not need to consult anyone. A senator is only permitted to address the plenary from the seat formally assigned, and Natasha acted contrary to Section 6 (2) of the Rules when she attempted to speak from an unallocated seat. Her subsequent claim that the newly allocated seat didn't afford her media visibility was as infantile as it was irrelevant.

The Court, unequivocally deposed that the referral of Senator Natasha by the Senate plenary to the Senate Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee for disciplinary action was valid and appropriate, arising from her breach of the Senate Standing Orders.

The Court also upheld the application filed by Senate President Akpabio bordering on contempt. The court found that the satirical ‘apology’ posted on her official Facebook page on 27th April 2025 was a clear violation of its restraining order made on 4th April 2025, which barred all parties from making public comments on the matter.

Justice Nyako ruled that the publication was contemptuous, deliberately ridiculing both the Senate President and the judicial process. Accordingly, the court imposed a N5 million fine payable to the Federal Government of Nigeria and directed Senator Natasha to publish a public apology within seven days in two national newspapers and on the same Facebook page where the contemptuous publication was made.

This conviction speaks volumes about the integrity deficit of the suspended senator, as her conduct has fallen short of what is expected of a senator of the Federal Republic. This has called into question her psychological acuity and ability to operate in a sane and lawful environment. In other words, the judgement of the court has exposed the convicted senator’s inability to conform to constituted authority or abide by simple rules and regulations. She was moved from a seat, and she refused to comply with the directive of the Senate President, whom she knew very well, had the power to preside over the Senate.

Again, Natasha was referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions for unruly behaviour. She ignored the invitation to appear before the committee and defend herself, but rather chose to go to the social media court to present her case. But when she was sanctioned and suspended, she ran to the Court for reprieve. Still being recalcitrant, she could not obey the simple directives of the court to cease further comments on the matter until it was determined. Natasha went to town behaving like a secondary school girl who had just been handed a new phone and proceeded to publish contemptuous material.

It is unfortunate that even being a lawyer and a lawmaker at the highest level, Senator Natasha has exuded incredible ignorance or faint understanding of the Nigerian Constitution, the principle of Separation of Powers and the Standing Orders and Rules of the Senate. Perhaps with this declaration by the court, she will take time to reflect on the provisions of sections 4, 5, 6, 60 and 101 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As amended), as well as Section 6 (2) of the Standing Orders and Rules of the Senate.

The parliament is a sacred environment for mature minds and not a zoo or a playground for developing 'content' According to Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli historian, philosopher, and author of the bestselling books "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind", "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow", and "21 Lessons for the 21st Century", “If you take 10,000 chimpanzees and cram them together into Wembley Stadium or the House of Parliament, you will get chaos. But if you take 10,000 people who have never met before, they can cooperate and create amazing things”. The Senate is an amazing institution constituted by reform-minded, stable and focused statesmen and shall never be a theatre of the absurd.

Ken Harries Esq is an Abuja based development communication Strategist

In a landmark achievement in the Nigerian Maritime sector, the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) has berthed the first wholly Nigerian-owned container vessel on Wednesday, July 2nd 2025.

The container vessel with International Maritime Organization (IMO) number 9508770 christened MV Ocean Dragon is owned by Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited has a capacity of 349 Twenty-Foot-Equivalent Units (TEUs) gives a boost to concerted investment drive geared towards reaping the cost and time saving benefits of short-sea shipping by plying in-country maritime trade routes across Nigeria and the West African sub-region and offers an efficient alternative to road transport as the Authority’s efforts at deepening multi modalism crystallize.

It is scheduled to operate across West Africa and beyond, servicing ports in Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Egypt, South Africa and others, with expressions of interest for business already being established.

According to the Managing Director/ CEO of the NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, the development shows the readiness of the agency to maximize the gains derivable from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He said, “This development is a testament to our relentless commitment towards deepening efficiencies required for maximizing our marine and blue economy potentials in line with the prompting of the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola whose tenacity of purpose culminated in the recent FEC approval of the national policy on Marine and Blue Economy”.

Speaking, the Vice President of Clarion Shipping West Africa Limited, Bernadine Eloka, said the acquisition of the Container Vessel was a bold solution to the high-risk, road-dominated movement of cargoes within Nigeria and a strategic move to deepen regional trade under the AfCFTA.


She further informed that, the Clarion Group is set to offer more efficient intra-African shipping services while opening up new business opportunities across ports in Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and beyond.

She said, “We acquired MV Ocean Dragon to offer a seamless alternative to container haulage by road. Rather than struggling to move containers from Lekki to Onitsha, Port Harcourt, or Calabar by trucks, Ocean Dragon can move up to 349 containers by sea and deliver within two days from port to port".

According to her, enforcement of the cabotage regime would encourage local investment, create jobs, and reduce Nigeria’s dependency on foreign-owned shipping lines.

Also speaking, the Managing Director (MD) of Clarion Suncity Terminal Logistics Limited, Mustafa Mohammed, said the company would take aggressive steps to compete with global giants, such as Maersk Line and MSC, by leveraging its status as Nigeria’s first indigenous shipping liner, investing in assets that directly support Nigerian exporters and importers, particularly in the landlocked regions.

According to him, the company had already secured bookings for 1,300 export containers, and is helping farmers and manufacturers to avoid losses caused by delays and lack of containers.

This development is coming on the heels of the announcement by the MD NPA Abubakar Dantsoho of fresh injection of $60 million in fresh investments towards the establishment of eco-friendly ports developments catalyzed by the Authority’s renewed orientation towards Nigerian content development.

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has commended security agencies in the state for the rescue of Justice Ebieyerin Umukoro from his abductors.

Justice Umukoro, a Judge of the state High Court, regained his freedom on Thursday evening after 12 days in the kidnappers den.

A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, informed that security men went on the trail of his abductors following a directive by Governor Diri that he be rescued unhurt.

The Bayelsa governor praised the combined effort of the security agencies, particularly men of the Department of State Services (DSS), for their unrelenting pressure on the kidnappers that eventually led to his freedom.

He said the criminals, who fled due to the pressure, would be arrested and be brought to justice.

While assuring residents of the state of their safety and security, Governor Diri restated his warning to criminally-minded individuals to steer clear of Bayelsa as his administration had invested much resources to guarantee peace and security of the state.

He also said the security agencies will continue to be supported by the administration to carry out their responsibility.

The governor called for greater support and cooperation from the people while assuring them that their security was a priority of the administration.

A civil society organization (CSO) Civil–Military Cooperation (CIMICO), has commended the Department of State Services (DSS) for arresting several suspected gunrunners, kidnappers, and for recovering several weapons in the process.

A statement by the group's coordinator, Adams Otakwu, said "recent sweeping operations by DSS operatives across the country has helped to stem the tide of criminality and averted what would have had disastrous consequences for Nigerians."

Said the group, "This week alone, DSS operatives in Gwagwalada, Abuja, arrested one Williams Bolaji with 60 rounds of 6.72mm live ammunition. Bolaji, who claimed to be an officer of one of the para-military agencies.

"We commend the DSS for using Bolaji to track and arrest another suspected gunrunner called Bello Mohammed," remarked the CSO.

Also this week, DSS officers in Ebonyi State arrested one Iloke Uchenna with 350 rounds of 9mm live ammunition. The operatives also arrested four suspected telecommunication mast vandals, who were planning to destroy some masts in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. Further applauding the DSS, Otakwu added that 'such acts of sabotage should be greatly dealt with to serve as deterrent to other miscreants'.

"Last Friday, along the Lafia-Doma road in Nasarawa State, DSS operatives arrested one Abdullahi Shehu, a suspected arms courier, with 1,009 rounds of live ammunition hidden in two bags of maize.

"In Oron, Akwa Ibom State, on June 5, DSS officers arrested four suspected members of a kidnap ring called Timico. Obed Samuel, Waribo Meshack, Simeon Blessing, and Subday Gick were said to be in Oron to kidnap. The officers recovered two AK-47 rifles, six magazines, 152 live rounds of 7.62mm bullets, and a gold colour Toyota Camry," noted the group.

"It is heartwarming that, from Gusau, Zamfara State, to Kaduna; and from Zuba, Niger State, to Eket, Akwa Ibom State, DSS operations have led to the arrest of several suspected kidnappers, gunrunners and other criminal elements.

"We may be left to imagine what would have become the lot of Nigerians had the tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition the DSS seized from these persons arrived in their intended destinations," noted the CSO, even as it encouraged the secret police to "continue doing more to make Nigeria safer."

The Department of State Service (DSS) is not interested in arresting anyone over the shadow government being proposed by a group led by the 2007 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Prof. Patrick Okedinachi Utomi, the agency's lead counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), has said.

The senior lawyer made the declaration on Wednesday shortly after filing a fresh application before the Federal High Court in Abuja for an interlocutory injunction restraining Utomi from further commenting publicly or engaging in rallies in relation to the subject of a suit pending against him over his announced plan to establish a shadow government in the country.

Kehinde, who spoke with journalists, said: "Our client is not interested in arresting anybody on this matter, having on its own accord submitted itself to the jurisdiction of the honourable court to interpret the Constitution and determine the legality or otherwise of the 'shadow government' or any other nomenclature that it may be so named.

"It must be pointed out that our client, under its current leadership, is a very civilized organization with absolute confidence in the rule of law and that is why its leadership or any of its personnel will always approach the court of law whenever it feels that there is any infraction on its statutory duties by anyone or the rights of its personnel like the case instituted against SERAP by some of its personnel, is being compromised. Let the court have the final say.

"Gentlemen, we must all ensure that constitutional democracy and the rule of law have its way in Nigeria.

"It is good that as members of the fourth estate of the realm you keep watch over the case filed against the formation of "Shadow Government" by Prof. Pat Utomi and his group.

"The civil suit, as you are aware, was filed by the State Security Service (SSS) in consonance with its statutory mandate of ensuring internal peace and avoidance of any form of insurrection and treasonable felony against the democratically elected government in the country.

"We, as counsel to the SSS have just filed an application seeking interlocutory injunction against the defendant and his group pending the determination of the substantive suit.

"The application being a public document can be obtained from the registry of the Honourable court.

He continued, "The application is premised on the fact that despite the pendency of the substantive action, the service of same on the defendant and the entry of appearance to same by his counsel, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, the defendant has continued to make inflammatory statements capable of igniting chaos in the country instead of abiding by the hallowed principle that civilized parties before the court are expected to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the substantive matter.

"What our client has submitted to the court is for the interpretation of the Constitution whether any form of government by whatever nomenclature can be formed or allowed outside the Constitution," Kehinde said.

The new application seeks mainly, "an order of interlocutory injunction, restraining the defendant/respondent (Utomi), his agents, privies, associates, servants, workers or any person acting through him from staging road shows, rallies, public lectures or any form of public gathering, newspaper publications, television programs, jingles or any other public enlightenment programme (s) aimed at sensitizing, instigating, propagating or in any way promoting the purported “shadow government/shadow cabinet" or its objectives or goals with the view to establishing the said “shadow government” pending the hearing and determination of this substantive suit."

The grounds for the application includes that, if not restrained, Utomi's proposed raliies, road shows and actions "constitute a serious threat to the public order, safety and national unity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. "

The SSS added that as the agency statutorily empowered to safeguard the internal security of the country and prevent any threats to lawful authority of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its constituent institutions, it was incumbent on it to forstal any threat to public order, safety and national unity.

It stated that before it filed the substantive suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025 Utomi had, through public statements, social media and other platforms engaged in statements and actions aimed at undermining the outcome of the case now pending before the court, and which he is aware of.

The SSS said it gathered through monitoring and intelligence reports that Utomi, who is currently out of the country and is due to return on June 6 plans "to stage road shows and rallies under the guise of freedom of speech and association in a bid to cause public discontent in furtherance of his establishment of the purported 'shadow government/shadow cabinet.'

The plaintiff added, in a supporting affidavit, that Utomi's intention "is to stage road shows and rallies that are capable of drawing a large number of Nigerians with intent that will cause huge disruption of peace, breakdown of public order, enable riots and violent protests just as the recent “End SARS” protests in 2020.

"All the planned protests, riots and agitations that will ensue, if the purported actions of the defendant/respondent are not stayed, may lead to mayhem with a potential for anarchy, toss of lives and property.

"The proposed allies, road shows and actions of the Defendant/Respondent constitutes a serious threat to the public order, safety and national unity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria."

The SSS stated that on May 26 during the fourth edition of the Topaz Lecture Series, themed “Shadow Government: A Distraction or Necessity”, hosted by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Mass Communication Class of 1988 Alumni Association, Utomi made statements, capable of undermining the pending suit.

It added that the statements, widely publicized by various national newspapers and on social media platforms, Utomi defended the creation of the purported shadow government and further stated that if the suit succeeds in favour of the SSS, himself and his group shall adopt a different name.

The SSS added that Utomi "has been served with the originating process in this suit and has entered appearance vide his Counsel Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN) since 20 May, 2025.

"The defendant/respondent (Utomi) is aware of the pendency of this action before this Honourable Court as he has been served with the originating process in this suit by courier as ordered by this honourable court.

"Unless this honourable court intervenes by granting this application, the defendant/respondent’s acts may foist a fait accompli on the court.

"It is in the interest of justice, national security, and the rule of law for this honourable court to grant this application," the SSS said.

...As he's turbaned Jagaban Sabon Gari

Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Nuhu Bamali has lauded the leadership style of the immediate past Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dauda Ali Biu, urging public officers to emulate the retired road safety boss.

The Emir made the commendation at the turbaning ceremony of Biu as Jagaban Sabon Gari recently in Zaria, Kaduna State.

The Royal father, who was represented at the colourful ceremony by the Dan Barhin of Zaria and district head of Sabon Gari, Alhaji Ahmed Bashir Aminu, said the selfless public service of the retired Corps Marshal caught the attention of the emirate, hence the honour bestowed on Dauda Biu.

The royal father urged public officers to emulate the former FRSC boss whom he said rose to the peak of his career without blemish and left several legacies which officers and men of the Corps remember for good.

He advised the former FRSC boss to see his retirement as a higher call of service, saying the experience Biu garnered during his over three decades of service could be harnessed to help humanity.

The royal father described the turbaning ceremony as a gesture of appreciation for good public officers like Dauda Biu and tasked other serving public officers to emulate the former FRSC boss.

Dignitaries who graced the event include member-designate of the South-south Development Commission, Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura, All Progressives Congreaa (APC) National Vice Chairman for the North West and Chairman of the board of NESREA, Hon Garba Ahmed Datti, Satoma Borno, who represented the Shehu of Borno, Dr. BM Auta Zanna, and the Walin Biu, Alhaji Adamu Yamta, who represented the Emir of Biu.
Also present was Rear Admiral Abdul Adamu Biu (rtd), Shettiman Biu , Colonel Dan Zaria (rtd), Sarkin Yakin Biu, Rtd Maj Gen. Abdulmalik Bulama Biu, who all represented Lt Gen Tukur Buratai (rtd) for COAS and Betara of Biu
Hon Aminu Mani Dokajin Katsina, Hon Mohammed Sani Shaaban Danburam of Zazzau, Hon Aminu Dayyabu Shagali, Kaduna state Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Talban Zazzau Alhaji Muhammad Aminu, among other dignitaries.

A Response to 'Nigeria: Mounting Death Toll and Looming Humanitarian Crisis,'

By Tersoo Chiahemen

Amid Unchecked Attacks by Armed Groups'
Amnesty International has once again set off alarm bells with a sensationalist report claiming that over 10,000 people have been killed by bandits and armed groups in Northern Nigeria since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office two years ago. With dramatic headlines like “Bandits Sacked 672 Villages and Killed Over 10,000 under Tinubu,” Amnesty has managed to attract widespread media attention but very little scrutiny. And, scrutiny is what this report sorely needs.
The report purports that 6,896 people were killed in Benue and 2,630 in Plateau, representing over 98% of the deaths it attributes to the entire country. This is not just improbable—it is inflammatory and potentially dangerous. By exaggerating fatalities in two ethnically and religiously sensitive states, the report risks exacerbating tensions and deepening divisions.

This kind of data distortion is not merely sloppy, it is reckless.
Contrary to Amnesty’s inflated and unverified claims, data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a globally respected and methodologically sound organization tells a starkly different story. ACLED, which uses daily, source-based data collection methods and maintains onground presence, reports that total fatalities in Benue and
Plateau from 2023 to 2025 stand at 2,132:
- Benue: 497 (2023), 650 (2024), 155 (2025)
- Plateau: 401 (2023), 320 (2024), 109 (2025)
(Source: ACLED Data for Nigeria, 2023–2025)
These figures show a downward trend, not a bloodbath. One must ask: how did Amnesty arrive at numbers nearly five times higher than those from ACLED? What sources did it use? Were those sources independently verified? Were the deaths categorized by cause criminality, conflict, accidents, or natural causes? The report answers none of these vital questions, revealing a glaring lack of transparency and rigour.


Amnesty International was once a beacon of rigorous research and moral clarity in the fight for global human rights. But if this report is any indication, the organization has traded professionalism for propaganda. In Nigeria, Amnesty now increasingly appears ill-equipped to grasp the complexity of local dynamics. Instead of nuanced analysis, it offers politically charged headlines, armchair activism, and shallow statistics.
To suggest that the Nigerian government is “doing little beyond media statements” is a baseless smear. The Tinubu administration has deployed strategic military operations, invested in community-led security architecture, and prioritized disarmament and peacebuilding in volatile regions.
Yes, challenges persist, especially in rural and border areas, but the blanket assertion of state inaction is both inaccurate and unfair.


The question must now be asked: Is Amnesty International still committed to truth and justice in Nigeria, or has it become a tool for sensationalism and soft-power coercion? Its latest report bereft of methodological clarity, inflated in its numbers, and dangerously divisive in its conclusions demands a response not just from the Nigerian government but from the international community and Amnesty’s own leadership.
Amnesty should immediately subject this report to independent audit and publicly release its sources and methodologies. It should engage with credible data institutions like ACLED and Nigerian civil society actors to support it in doing a proper and professionally grounded job. More importantly, it must ask itself whether it still has the moral and analytical capacity to do the work it claims to champion.
Until then, we are left with a troubling truth: Amnesty’s report is not a wake-up call—it is a work of fiction. And one that does more harm than good.

*Chiahemen lives in Gboko

* bars sister in-law, threatens her arrest

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday admitted in evidence video recordings of Nnamdi Kanu, the self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), threatening some prominent Igbo leaders over their stance on his activities.

The court issued an order barring a lady said to be Kanu's sister in-law from attending all future proceedings. The court said she was in contempt, having been caught live streaming proceedings of the court, and making her followers make live comments.

In continuing his testimony on Thursday, the third prosecution witness (PW3), who was led in evidence by prosecuting lawyer, Suraj Saida (SAN), identified a video recording of an interview session Kanu had with an online platform, Sarahara Reporters.

The video, stored on a compact disc, was admitted by the court in evidence and later played.

In the video, Kanu was heard calling Nigeria a zoo, making allegations against some prominent Igbo figures and threatened to deal with them.

Kanu accused former Minister of Foreign Affairs, General Ike Nwanchukwu of killing Igbos. He accused ex-Anambra Governor, Jim Nwobodo of betraying Alex Ekweme, a fellow Igbo man

He equally accused the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023, Peter Obi of killing some Igbos and having their copses dumped in a river.

The defendant also accused ex-governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha single handedly islamising the state.

Also in the video, Kanu was heard threatening violence if his Biafra objective was not achieved.

He said if Biafra is not granted, what is happening in Somalia will be like a child's play to what will befall Nigeria, which he referred to as a zoo.

Kanu added: "If they do not give us Biafra, there will be nothing living in the zoo. Nothing will survive there.

"I do not see Biafra happening peacefully. There is no freedom out of a peaceful process," he said.

Kanu said he welcomed the attack on Enugu State's government house, adding that he will support anything that can overthrow the existing corrupt establishment.

Under cross examination by defence lawyer, Paul Erokoro (SAN), PW3 said he did not investigate the veracity of the allegations made by Kanu against the named prominent Igbo indigenes.

The witness, an operative of the DSS, said his assignment was only to ascertain from Kanu if he actually granted the interview, which he said the defendant confirmed.

The DSS officer said he was not aware that General Nwanchukwu, Nwobodo, Okorocha and Obi, whom Kanu made allegations against in the interview, were killed after the last national conference.

On her part, fair-complexioned Mrs Favour Kanu, who was in court, was barred from further entering the premises of the court in Abuja, except where she is personally involved in any other case outside her brother in-law's.

Justice James Omotosho issued the orders after holding her in contempt of the court for engaging in live broadcast and publicity of the court's proceedings on her social media platform.

The judge noted that Favour was fond of publishing live updates of court proceedings and inviting comments from her followers.

The judge said Favour's conduct was disrespectful of the institution of the court and amounted to contempt in the face of the court.

Justice Omotosho threatened to order her arrest should she persist with the contempt of court.

The judge, who ordered Favour out of the court room, noted that Thursday's was the third time she would engage in unauthorized publication of live proceedings of the court.

Justice Omotosho recalled that he had earlier had cause to bar her from three sessions of the court's sitting when she live streamed it's proceedings.

The judge said henceforth, he will send whoever engages in conduct similar to that of Favour to prison. He also warned lawyers who engage in similar conduct to desist from it.

In an earlier ruling, Justice Omotosho upheld the objection raised by Kanu's legal team to the admissibility of statements obtained from the defendant by officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the absence of his lawyers.

The judge held that the statements were not admissible on the grounds that the DSS failed to comply with the provision of Section 17(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 which he said, made it mandatory that a suspect's lawyer or any person of his/her choice must be available when he/she is to write a statement.

Justice Omotosho proceeded to mark the statements rejected and also expunged, from the court's record, the video recordings of the interview/statement writing sessions that Kanu had with DSS officials in October 2015.

Further hearing in the case has been adjourned till June 13.

By Usman Ibrahim 

In a country where the rich and powerful often behave like they are above the law, the ongoing land-grabbing scandal involving Brigadier General Ojogbane Adegbe, former Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, is not just a personal dispute but it is a chilling reflection of the rot in our system.



Here is the ugly truth: a man who once stood next to the highest office in the land is now accused of seizing a piece of land in Lugbe, Abuja: a land bought and paid for by an ordinary Nigerian, Mr. Raimi Lawal Omoye, in 2010. This was not a corner of the bush. 

This was someone’s dream; his hope of building a home for his children and his children’s children. But that dream is now under siege by a man who wore the uniform of discipline but allegedly acts like a common land predator.



According to Omoye, in 2018 he received a call from a concerned citizen that his land was being trespassed. He rushed to the scene, only to face a gang of thugs who nearly assaulted him. For safety, he backed off but the trauma lingered. It wasn’t until 2021 that he learned the shocking identity of the alleged invader: none other than Brigadier General Ojogbane Adegbe.



From that point, the injustice unfolded like a script from a crime thriller. Omoye attempted to reach the General, but his efforts were ignored. The land, originally over a hectare, was being quietly partitioned into commercial plots and sold piece by piece without the rightful owner’s consent. This isn’t just theft. It is calculated, state-backed oppression.



Adegbe didn’t just allegedly take land, he took away years of savings, emotional investment, and the foundational future of a man who followed the rules. Omoye did what every citizen is told to do; buy legally, secure your documents, follow due process. Yet, none of that protected him from a military officer with power and proximity to the corridors of influence.



This case, now in the Federal High Court in Lugbe, stinks of everything wrong with Nigeria’s land system and power structure. During the May 8, 2025 hearing, Omoye presented all his documents to prove ownership. But when it was time for cross-examination, the lawyer representing the General asked for an adjournment. Delay tactics, familiar to every Nigerian who’s ever tried to challenge the powerful in court.



The matter has now been postponed until June 5, 2027, two more years for a man who’s already waited 17 years to secure his rightful land. Injustice delayed is injustice deepened. While Omoye waits, the land continues to vanish under bulldozers and cement, parceled out in 50 by 100 plots, each plot a slap in the face of fairness.



But this is bigger than Omoye. This is about a culture of impunity that has hollowed out our institutions. A military officer, trained and paid by taxpayers to protect the country, allegedly turns around to intimidate a helpless citizen. And he does so not under the cover of night, but boldly because he knows how things work here. He understands that influence can bend rules, stall courts, and silence victims.



This is the Nigeria we’ve become: where generals allegedly grab land like war spoils, and the poor are left to beg courts for mercy. And if a man like Omoye with valid papers and documentation can be treated this way, what hope is there for thousands of Nigerians across the country facing similar land thefts but without even the resources to go to court?



This reminds us of the Magodo land crisis in Lagos, the Apo Mechanic Village evictions in Abuja, and the countless silent displacements in rural communities where “investors” arrive with bulldozers and fake titles. The powerful never build on sand—they build on stolen land, soaked in tears and silence.



What’s worse is that these are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a system that rewards abuse and punishes honesty. Where are the regulators? Where is the Department of Development Control? Where is the Nigerian Army’s disciplinary body? Are these institutions now instruments for the privileged to weaponize against the voiceless?



If this land-grab story does not anger you, you’re not paying attention. When those in uniform break the law instead of upholding it, when they use their status to suffocate justice, they don’t just harm individuals—they weaken the very idea of society. They make lawlessness a template for the next generation.

This is not just about reclaiming one hectare in Lugbe. It is about reclaiming our sense of justice, our right to dignity, and the idea that no one no matter how highly ranked is above the law.



If General Adegbe is innocent, let the courts declare it. But if he is not, then this case must become a watershed moment. Not just for Mr. Omoye, but for every Nigerian who has ever been told, “There’s nothing you can do.”

 To this end, thie is a call for the President, FCT Minister, the highly respected heads of the Nigerian Army, Civil society organizations and every well meaning Nigerians to rise and stand up against this injustice.

By Uche Aguoru

In every generation, a few men rise not just to hold office but to define the spirit of their time.

Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu is one of such rare men. In a political terrain that often rewards expediency over principle, and noise over substance, Ben Kalu stands tall: calm, persuasive, strategic, and unshakably focused on one mission preaching and living the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

There is a certain pride a father feels when his son not only carries the family name with honor but furthers its vision with loyalty and results. President Tinubu and the APC family must be feeling that same pride seeing Ben Kalu on the national stage championing the cause, expanding the frontiers of the party, and winning hearts where once only skepticism lived.

It takes rare political courage and immense goodwill to shift the paradigm in the Southeast. a region fiercely loyal to its values and historically wary of the APC. But Ben Kalu has done what many considered impossible: he is rebranding the APC, not through propaganda, but through performance, persuasion, and presence.

Today, the APC is no longer an outsider in the Southeast. It is becoming a viable platform, a gathering point for serious-minded politicians, and a vehicle for development. This transformation did not happen in isolation. It happened because one man Ben Kalu decided that his region deserved more than opposition politics. He brought "Renewed Hope", not just as a slogan, but as a deliverable reality.

As Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, he is not just a figurehead. He is a force. Through his influence, the Southeast Development Commission has come alive, a commission positioned to channeling long overdue attention to the infrastructural and economic needs of the region.

His achievements in his Bende Federal Constituency are equally profound. Roads, health centers, youth empowerment programs, Ben Kalu’s footprint is visible, tangible, and undeniable. Yet, what is most inspiring is that he has not stopped there. He has taken the Renewed Hope gospel to every village, every gathering, every platform. He is not just advocating for Tinubu’s presidency, he is building a political culture of trust, collaboration, and results.

It is no surprise, then, that leaders across party lines are drawn to him.They see in him what Nigeria desperately needs: honesty, inclusiveness, intelligence, and the will to work.

As 2027 draws closer, and the political winds begin to stir again, one thing is already clear. Ben Kalu has become a bridge between the Southeast and the center. He has become a political fisherman, casting his net with wisdom and patience drawing in not just allies, but hope, unity, and progress.

For the APC, for President Tinubu, and most importantly for the people of Abia and the Southeast, Ben Kalu is more than a political asset. He is a leader of a new kind, grounded, gifted, and guided by purpose.

And history will remember him not just for the offices he held, but for the futures he helped build.

Bende needs more of him, Nigeria needs him but Abia needs him more.

Aguoru is a Public Affairs Analyst

*Fixes hearing for June 25

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered service of court documents on the 2007 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Patrick Okedinachi Utomi (also known as Prof. Pat Utomi) in relation to a suit pending against over his announced plan to establish a shadow government in the country.

In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/937/2025 filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) through a team of lawyers, led by Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), the Service argued that, not only is the planned shadow government an aberration, it constitutes a grave attack on the Constitution and a threat to the current democratically elected government.

On Wednesday, Justice James Omotosho granted an ex-parte motion argued by Kehinde for and order allowing service of court documents on Utomi, listed as the sole defendant, in his Lagos address by means of courier service.

The plaintiff gave Utomi's Lagos address as: No. 6 Balarabe Musa Crescent, off Samuel Manuwa Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, State.

Justice Omotosho adjourned till June 25 for hearing, before which Utomi is expected to have filed his defence.

In the suit instituted on May 13, the DSS expressed concern that such a structure, styled as a 'shadow government,' if left unchecked, may incite political unrest, cause intergroup tensions, and embolden other unlawful actors or separatist entities to replicate similar parallel arrangements, all of which pose a grave threat to national security."

The plaintiff wants the court to declare the purported "shadow government" or"'shadow cabinet" being planned by Utomi and his associates as "unconstitutional and amounts to an attempt to create a parallel authority not recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)."

The DSS is also seeking a declaration that "under Sections 1(1), 1(2) and 14(2)(a) of the Constitution, the establishment or operation of any governmental authority or structure outside the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). is unconstitutional, null, and void."

The plaintiff wants the court to issue an order of perpetual injunction, restraining Utomi, his agents and associates "from further taking any steps towards the establishment or operation of a 'shadow government,' 'shadow cabinet' or any similar entity not recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)."

Among the grounds on which the plaintiff is hinging its prayers includes that Section 1(1) of the Constitution declares its supremacy and binding force on all persons and authorities in Nigeria.

It added that Section 1(2) prohibits the governance of Nigeria or any part thereof except in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

According to the DSS, Section 14(2Xa) states that sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria, from whom government through the Constitution derives all its powers and authority.

It is contending that Utomi's proposed shadow government lacks constitutional recognition and authority, thereby contravening the aforementioned provisions.

The plaintiff further stated, in a supporting affidavit, that it is the principal domestic intelligence and security agency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, statutorily mandated to detect and prevent threats to the internal security of Nigeria, including subversive activities capable of undermining national unity, peace and constitutional order.

The DSS added that it is statutorily empowered to safeguard the internal security of Nigeria and prevent any threats to the lawful authority of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Its constituent institutions.

It states that it has monitored, "through intelligence reports and open source material, public statements and interviews granted by the defendant, Professor Patrick Utomi, in which he announced the purported establishment of what he temed a 'shadow government' or 'shadow cabinet,'comprising of several persons that make up its 'Minister.'

"The 'shadow government' or 'shadow cabinet' is an unregistered and unrecognized body claiming to operate as an alternative government. contrary to the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

"The defendant (Utomi), through public statements, social media, and other platforms, has announced the formation of this body with the intent to challenge the legitimacy of the democratically elected government of Nigeria.

"While inaugurating the 'shadow cabinet’, the defendant stated that it ls made up of the Ombudsman and Good Governance portfolio to be manned by Dele Farotimi; the policy Delivery Unit team consisting of Oghene Momoh, Cheta Nwanze, Daniel Ikuonobe, Halima Ahmed, David Okonkwo and Obi Ajuga: and the council of economic advisers.

"Based on the intelligence gathered by the plaintiff, the activities and statements made by the defendant and his associates are capable of misleading segments of the Nigerian public, weakening confidence in the legitimacy of the elected government, and fuelling public disaffection," it said.

The DSS further states that it is particularly, concerned that such a structure, styled as a 'shadow government,' if left unchecked, may incite political unrest, cause intergroup tensions, and embolden other unlawful actors or separatist entities to replicate similar parallel arrangements, all of which pose a grave threat to national security.

"The plaintiff, in the discharge of Its statutory duties, has gathered intelligence confirming that the defendant's actions pose a clear and present danger to Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.

"The defendant's actions amount to an attempt to usurp or mimic executive authority, contrary to sections 1(1), 1{2), and 14(2Xa) of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended), which exclusively vests governance in institutions duly created under the Consttution and through democratic elections.

"The Federal Government of Nigeria has made several efforts to engage the defendant to dissuade him from this unconstitutional path, including statements made by the Minister of Information, but the defendant has remained defiant.

"It is In the interest of justice, national security, and the rule of law for this honourable court to declare the existence and operations of the defendant unconstitutional and illegal," it said.

‎The trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra has continued on Wednesday with Justice James Omotosho sounding a note of warning to a member of his defence team, Aloy Ejimakor, for illegally live-streaming court proceedings and documents on social media.

The court also warned Kanu's legal team to put its house in order, saying the teams's incessant prayers for adjournments was stalling the IPOB leader's trial.
‎
‎The warnings came on a day the defence team continued with the cross examination of the government's second witness, an officer of Department of State Services (DSS) in the ongoing terrorism trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Justice Omotosho issued the caution on after Paul Erokoro (SAN), who conducted the defence's case, suddenly requested for adjournment midway into his cross-examination of the second prosecution witness.

In reaction to Erokoro's request for adjournment, prosecuting lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) expressed discomfort and raised an objection.

Awomolo reminded the court that it had, on the last date, chose to allocate sufficient time for the defence to conclude with the second prosecution witness between May 21 and 22.

He wondered why Erokoro suddenly became unwilling to continue with the witness.

Erokoro however said he decided to ask for an adjornment because the defence plans to play some video recordings which were not immediately available in court.

Ruling, Justice Omotosho agreed with Awomolo's observation that the court, on May 14, chose to clear its schedule to enable the defence conclude with the second prosecution witness.

The judge however, agreed to grant the adjornment, warning that the court will deem the defence to have closed its cross-examination of the witness should the defence team fail to conclude with the witnessbon May 22.

Earlier, the lead defence lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN) and Awomolo SAN expressed concern about the conduct of a member of the defence's legal team, Alloy Ejimakor, who they accused of being behind the misrepresentation of court's proceedings on his social media platforms.

Agabi said he got a letter from the prosecution in which it expressed concerns about some publications made on social media. He then, sought the court's opinions on the issue.

The judge pushed the issue back to him and sought his opinion and Agabi responded by saying he would apologise to the court, even though he knew nothing about the publications.

When asked to react, Awomolo confirmed that he wrote a letter on May 14 protesting the misrepresentations that were being published in the social media.

Awomolo said he learnt the court's proceedings on the case was being streamed live by some individuals, some of whom are lawyers.

The prosecuting lawyer noted that the case is a very sensitive one that should not be trivialised, adding that "it is not fair to manipulate what happened in court in the public domain."

While still addressing the court, Awomolo reached for his phone in a bid to draw the court's attention to what he said Alloy Ejimakor was doing on the social media.

He handed the phone to Agabi, pointing to a recent post he said Ejimakor made on his social media platform.

Agabi collected the phone from Awomolo and told that court that he had also read something about himself on the social media, misrepresenting happenings in the case.

Reacting, Justice Omotosho said the developments do not benefit both sides, adding "it will only delay proceedings. We should not lay emphasis on what are happening on the social media.

"Although one of our brothers has not been acting well. I have said it before, we should act professionally.

"Most of these things are gross misconduct on which you could be disbarred. It is a misconduct. I don't want to mention any name. The person knows himself. Let us act well," Justice Omotosho said.

Ejimakor, who is a member of the defence legal team, sat quietly in the courtroom as everyone spoke about his conduct.

At the resumption of cross examination on Wednesday, the second prosecution witness said he did not know whether Radio Biafra has stopped broadcasting, but that Kanu confirmed being the founder of the station.

The witness , an official of the DSS, said the agency was not being influenced by politicians or political oppontees, but that the agency is under the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).

He said he was not part of those who arrested Kanu in Kenya and rejected the suggestion by Erokoro that the DSS was involved in how the defendant was apprehended in Kenya.

The witness, who said his agency does not engage in foreign operations, said it was not part of his brief to ascertain Kanu's claim that he was kidnapped in Kenya.

He said he knew Nigeria went through colonial rule, but did not read anywhere where Nigerians who called for independence were labelled terrorists.

On whether he has ever heard of Odimegwu Ojukwu, the witness said Ojukwu was a member of the Nigerian Army, who later decided to wage war against Nigeria.

He said Biafra has never been a recognised entity anywhere in Nigeria.

The witness said there was nothing wrong in people calling for change through peaceful means, but that Kanu resorted to calling for violence and killings in his broadcasts on Radio Biafra.

He said he is not aware that the defendant called Simon Ekpa to stop what he was doing.

On whether he is aware that courts in the country have held that the arrest and detention of the defendant is illegal, the witness said he read about them online and in the newspapers.

Erokoro then tendered three judgment given in favour of Kanu by three court, which the court admitted in evidence.

The first was delivered on January 19, 2022 by the Umuahia division of the HIgh Court of Abia State; the second, delivered on October 26, 2022 by a Federal High Court in Umuahia and the third delivered on October 26, 2023 by a HIgh Court of Enugu State.

In the judgments, the courts faulted Kanu's arrest and detention and the invasion of his home in Abia State by some soldiers.

The witness said the DSS was only involved in Kanu's arrest in Lagos, adding that the defendant called for the killing of security personnel.

On Erokoro's suggestion that Kanu's call on his followers to kill security personnel who try to kill them was a self defence strategy, the witness said he is not aware of any law in Nigeria that allows anybody to kill fellow human being.

He said he was not aware that the Director General of the DSS called on Nigerians to engage in self defence.

The witness said he was aware that former Defence Minister, General Theophilus Danjuma once claimed that security personnel in the country were not neutral in the security challenge being experienced in the country.

Further hearing resumes on May 22.





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...set to empower 10 million Students in 5 years

An indigenous tech company, Bildup AI has introduced 'AI in Every Classroom' initiative to improve learning in Nigeria.

Bildup AI is an innovative artificial intelligence-powered learning tool designed to transform classrooms.

The initiative is equipping schools with personalized learning solutions that adjust to each student’s proficiency level, pace, and learning style.

Speaking on the initiative which was adopted by Adorable British College in Enugu over the weekend, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bildup AI, Chibuike Aguene said the initiative will reshape education sector in Nigeria.

"This initiative presents an extraordinary opportunity for school proprietors, state ministries of education, parents, and policymakers to unite in reshaping education across Nigeria. By embracing Bildup AI, stakeholders can help ensure that every child, regardless of background, has access to quality learning without barriers."

Aguene said that the initiative will also empower 1 million students within the next 12 months and 10 million students over the next 5 years by providing access to quality education without barriers.

"This will be delivered through personalized learning that adapts to each student's unique proficiency level, pace, and learning style Bildup AI’s First Major Adoption Adorable British College in Enugu has made history by becoming the first school to formally integrate Bildup AI into its classroom learning experience. As part of the onboarding process, Bildup AI donated tablets to the school, supporting its existing technology infrastructure to ensure students and teachers have the tools needed for a seamless transition.

"We believe Nigeria’s young minds have the potential to shape the future with groundbreaking innovations. AI gives us the opportunity to remove barriers and provide every child with equal access to quality education. To support this vision, we are committing N500 million over the next 12 months to help schools across the country integrate AI-powered learning. Additionally, we will be investing heavily in research and development to expand Bildup AI’s capabilities—ensuring it covers all subjects with greater local context and global relevance, positioning Nigeria as a model for the future of learning", he said.

The Bildup CEO further stated that by offering personalized learning experiences that adapt to each student’s needs, Bildup AI is democratizing educational excellence, ensuring that no child is left behind in the digital age.

He emphasized the significance of the innovation.

"Today marks a historic moment not just for Bildup AI and Adorable British College Enugu, but for education in Nigeria as a whole. As we witness Africa's first indigenous AI personal tutor being implemented in a Nigerian classroom, we are seeing the future of learning take shape. This partnership demonstrates that Nigeria can lead technological innovation that directly
addresses our unique educational challenges", he said.

Aguene allayed the fears in some quarters that Bildup AI is designed to replace teachers and make students lazy, explaining that it will rather support them in delivering better guidance to students.

"Bildup AI is an intelligent and adaptive AI tutor for personalized learning. For decades, educators have searched for a way to deliver truly personalized learning that caters to different student needs, but past attempts have fallen short. AI has made this possible, and Bildup AI has made it a reality. With Bildup AI, learning is tailored to each student—just like having the world’s best teacher available for every student, at any time and anywhere.

"Bildup AI will not replace teachers—it will empower them. Teachers will reclaim up to 80% of their time, enabling them to focus on mentorship, critical thinking, and deeper engagement with students. The platform provides intelligent feedback on each student, helping teachers tailor
their approach based on individual learning needs.

"For Bildup AI, this is more than just technology—it is a movement to redefine education in Nigeria and across Africa. The launch of AI-driven learning at Adorable British College Enugu is
just the beginning. With continued investment, expansion, and innovation, Nigeria has the opportunity to set a global precedent for AI-powered education", Aguene said.

A resurfaced video of Labour Party figure Pat Utomi has stirred fresh conversations, as it shows him commending the leadership qualities of President Bola Tinubu — a notable contrast to his recent stance.

Utomi, who has in recent months criticized the Tinubu administration and announced the formation of a shadow government as an alternative policy platform, described Tinubu in the video as a respected leader with foresight.

“The gentleman has my respect,” Utomi said in the clip, which is now circulating widely on social media.

In the footage, Utomi credits the transformation of Lagos State to Tinubu’s decisions as governor beginning in 1999. “What happened to Lagos was that it got a fellow called Bola Tinubu to be governor in 1999,” he said.

He revealed that after Tinubu’s election, he was invited to join the governor’s transition team, which brought together professionals from various sectors. According to Utomi, he continued to play a role in the administration’s quarterly retreats even after the cabinet was formed.

“Everything that is happening in Lagos was planned then. That is why my regard and respect for him are extraordinary,” Utomi said. He recalled a moment that shaped his opinion about Tinubu’s leadership style. “Why do I think President Bola Tinubu is a leader?” he asked rhetorically.

He cited a retreat at Akodo, where tensions between Tinubu and his then-deputy were evident. “Despite those tensions, everything was going on smoothly. The deputy was very aggressive in stating her view on things,” Utomi recounted. “There would be just quiet, and conversations will continue as if nothing… He would either ignore what she said or politely comment on it and move on. Then I said, ‘This is nice… if this fellow can manage these differences so well.’”

Utomi further described an incident at one of the retreats where, in Tinubu’s absence, some cabinet members clashed with the deputy governor. He attributed the earlier calm to Tinubu’s influence: “At the moment, it struck me that it is the aura of Bola Tinubu that is keeping this place working. That was the day he won my respect.”

He also spoke on Tinubu’s approach to choosing successors. “He had good judgment to pick a successor. Most of us disagreed. We thought he should pick somebody else… That successor turned out to do a decent job. And then, again, the next step, we saw wisdom in the choice that was made.”

The video adds nuance to Utomi’s current political posture, especially in light of recent developments, including legal action against him by the Department of State Services following his announcement of a shadow government

While Utomi continues to critique the current administration’s policies, the comments in the video offer insight into a more complex history between the two political figures.

*It is treason - Omokri

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Adeboro Adamson, has commended the Department of State Security (DSS) for challenging the legality of the shadow government proposed by a former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi. Adamson said the DSS was civil and acted within the confines of its mandate.
On his part, an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, described Utomi's shadow government as treason.

Utomi, a professor of political economy, had recently initiated what he called the "Big Tent Coalition Shadow Government", which, according to him, will be a “national emergency response” to systematically monitor government actions, identify failures, and propose alternative solutions across critical sectors.

However, speaking Sunday night on Arise TV, Adamson expressed satisfaction with the DSS for acting within the confines of its mandate and swiftly challenging in court the legality of Utomi's shadow government.

Remarked the lawyer, "DSS has a mandate, which includes the detection and prevention of subversion, terrorism, espionage, among others. If one of the mandates of the DSS is to prevent subversion, how do we situate the statement of the erudite professor that he has assembled people who will man what he tagged a shadow cabinet?
"We operate a presidential system of government. The question then should be, is this shadow government known to our Constitution? The DSS has viewed it as an act of subversion aimed at undermining a democratically-elected government.
"Some might ask why the DSS chose a civil suit over a criminal one? My answer is that the DSS has chosen to submit to the courts to determine if the actions and utterances of the reverred Professor can be situated within the confines of the Constitution," he added, stressing, "this is a civilized way of doing things."

On his part, Omokri expressed surprised that Utomi, who was an aide to President Shehu Shagari, failed to realize that presidential democracies do not have room for shadow governments by whatever form or shape.

He said, "Forming a shadow government under a presidential system of government is treason. You cannot try it in the United States. And by Section 1 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria:

"The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall not be governed, nor shall any persons or group of persons take control of the Government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.

"You do not form a shadow government in a presidential system of government because a presidential system is a republican democracy, meaning that the president is both head of state and head of government," declared Omokri.

The House of Representatives has been presented with a bill seeking to alter the 1999 Constitution to mandate rotation of the presidency and vice presidency among Nigeria's 6 geopolitical zones.

Titled "Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2025, it is sponsored by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu.

Specifically, the bill aims to foster national unity, cohesion, integration, promote fairness, and ensure equitable representation of all regions of the country.

The bill proposes an 8-year tenure for each zone, ensuring that all regions have a turn in leadership positions.

By providing constitutional backing for rotational leadership, the bill seeks to reduce regional agitations, perceptions of domination and marginalization while promoting peaceful coexistence.

Recall that the country is at the moment divided into 6 geopolitical thus: North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South, and South West.

Multiple sources at the National Assembly said that the passage of the bill will not disrupt the current presidency occupied by the South West region.

Essentially, the bill will allow the completion of the present administration by 2031 and then take off fully at its expiration.

The sources also confirmed that the bill shows predilection for the zoning of the presidency in 2031 specifically to the North East with the vice presidency going also specifically to the South East region.

The bill further stipulates that the presidency will reside in the North East for 8 years before moving to the South East for another 8 years and then goes elsewhere.

The synopsis of the debate sighted by our Correspondent further stated that the bill when passed into law will ultimately achieve national cohesion where every region will have a sense of belonging.

"Nigeria is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and culturally diverse nation comprising over 250 ethnic groups spread across six recognized geopolitical zones—North Central, North East, North West, South East, South South, and South West. Since independence, the centralisation of political power in a few regions has given rise to long-standing concerns about marginalisation, uneven representation, and imbalance in the distribution of national leadership.

"While the Federal Character Principle enshrined in Section 14(3) of the Constitution was introduced to address these imbalances and foster national unity, it has not adequately resolved the issue of equitable access to the highest executive offices. The absence of a constitutional requirement for the rotation of the offices of the President and Vice President has inadvertently perpetuated regional dominance and political exclusion.

"To strengthen national unity, deepen democratic legitimacy, promote fairness, and foster a true sense of belonging among all segments of the federation, it has become necessary to alter the Constitution to provide for a rotational presidency and vice presidency among the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. This will institutionalise equity in political leadership and ensure that no region is left behind in the governance of the nation.

"The Bill seeks to institutionalise a system of rotation of the offices of the President and Vice President among the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria for 8 years each, to ensure equitable representation, inclusiveness, and a sense of belonging among all regions of the country in the governance process.

"By providing constitutional backing for the rotational presidency and vice presidency, the Bill aims to reduce political tensions, regional agitations, and perceptions of domination or marginalisation, thereby fostering stronger bonds of unity, mutual respect, and trust across the federation.

"The Bill intends to contribute to the deepening of democracy and political stability by ensuring predictable, fair, and regionally balanced leadership transitions, which will promote peaceful coexistence, reduce electoral conflicts, and reinforce the legitimacy of elected leaders at the national level", the synopsis stated.

Speaking on the bill when it came up at the Tuesday plenary session of the House of Representatives, the sponsor and Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu said the bill will enable valuable contributions from every region of the country.

"The proposed bill would enhance inclusivity and foster unity across the federation. This will enable every part of this country to contribute to the national leadership of this country. There is no region that does not have capable people who can lead. It would increase national cohesion and national unity. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander", he said.

Similarly, the minority whip of the House, Hon. Ali Isa JC called on his colleagues to support the bill.

“We should support it. We should allow all the 6 geopolitical zones produce a President. We should even extend the rotation to governors in all the states. Every zone of the country have people that have the capacity to govern this country. The federal character specifies that there should be fairness across all the zones. I commend the bill sponsor, the Deputy Speaker for understanding that some zones are being marginalised and need to be given fair treatment. It would promote fairness", he said.

In the same vein, the member representing Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika federal constituency, Hon. Clement Jimbo said “It will cure an age-long injustice in our land, especially minority zones, that would naturally not have a chance to rule."