₦airaland Forum

WASHINGTON — Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter Tyler Robinson was living with a transgender partner who was in the process of transitioning from a male to a female, a law enforcement source confirmed to The Post Saturday.

That individual, who has yet to be identified by the authorities, is now fully cooperating with the FBI on its investigation into the fatal shooting of the conservative activist, the source added. The relationship was first reported by Fox News’ Brooke Singman.

Text messages and other communications that the transgender individual traded with Robinson, 22, helped the feds nab the accused assassin.

Federal and state authorities revealed during a Friday news conference that a roommate was cooperating with their investigation.

The roommate had shared communications from a contact named “Tyler” on Discord that described bullet casings similar to those found at the scene and discussed the “need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point.“

Police vehicle at the apartment complex of Tyler Robinson, suspected of killing Charlie Kirk.
Police vehicles seen at the apartment complex where Tyler Robinson lives. AFP via Getty Images
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The messages provided evidence for authorities to seek an aggravated murder charge against Robinson on Friday — the only one that carries the death penalty.

Kirk, 31, was struck in the neck by a single bullet shortly after being posed a question on his “American Comeback” college speaking tour about transgender mass shooters.

“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” asked attendee Hunter Kozak.

“Too many,” Kirk responded.

“Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” Kozak followed up.

“Counting or not counting gang violence?” the Turning Point USA founder sought to clarify.

Kirk was shot immediately after and transported to a hospital where he underwent surgery. He was later pronounced dead.

“People have obviously pointed out the irony that I was — that the point I’m trying to make is how peaceful the left was right before he got shot,” Kozak said in a clip posted Thursday on social media. “And that only makes sense if we stay peaceful.”

Though he grew up in a largely conservative Mormon family, Robinson was not registered with either major political party and appeared to have become infatuated by the far left in recent years, according to the authorities.

“It’s very clear to us and to the investigators that this was a person who was deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox told The Wall Street Journal in a brief interview published Friday.

Cox also revealed that a recent family dinner had showcased Robinson’s newfound beliefs, as he and a relative got into it over Kirk’s viewpoints and how each “didn’t like” the 31-year-old conservative activist.

Robinson also discussed in messages with the roommate how he allegedly etched messages onto bullets.

Casings found at Utah Valley University where Kirk was shot bore inscriptions, with one stating, ”Hey fascist! catch!”

The bullets were fired from an imported .30-06-caliber Mauser bolt-action rifle that investigators found wrapped in a towel in a wooded area.

“Messages from contact Tyler also mention that he had changed outfits,” according to Robinson’s affidavit that detailed the Discord discussions.

The social networking platform said in a statement Friday that there was “no evidence that the suspect planned this incident or promoted violence on Discord.”

“The messages referenced in recent reporting about planning details do not appear to be Discord messages,” the company added.

“These were communications between the suspect’s roommate and a friend after the shooting, where the roommate was recounting the contents of a note the suspect had left elsewhere.

“We have removed the suspect’s account for violating our off-platform behavior policy.”

Robinson turned himself in to the authorities after speaking with a youth minister and being confronted by his own father, a former sheriff’s deputy, about the shooting, law enforcement sources said.

The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has announced that the federal government will reclaim idle silos across Nigeria due to massive post-harvest losses currently estimated at $10 billion annually.

This was disclosed in a statement via the Minister’s official Facebook page on Friday.

According to Kyari, a committee will be constituted to review contractual clauses and performance, and “any silos left idle will be reclaimed while defaulters of the contract face sanctions.”

He stressed that it is unfortunate that some concessionaires have abandoned their silo facilities, highlighting that going forward, strict compliance will be enforced.

FG’s Move to Revive Silo Concession Programme

According to the statement, the Minister on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting with the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) led by its Director General, Dr. Jobson Oseodian Ewalefoh, alongside the Commission’s Head of Legal, Director of Contract and Compliance, and other management staff.

The meeting focused on reviewing the performance of Nigeria’s silo concession programme, which was earlier introduced to address the government’s inability to optimally utilise its silo complexes due to funding and operational constraints.

On his part, the ICRC DG, Dr. Ewalefoh, emphasised that only private companies with real operational needs for silos should retain them.

He warned that “abandoned silos would be retrieved by the Federal Government,” adding that some concessionaires have failed to remit required returns to government coffers.
“A new committee will be established to review contractual clauses, assess performance, and set clear intervals for evaluation,” the statement partly reads.

Senator Kyari highlighted the urgent need to revive silo storage facilities as a pathway to reducing Nigeria’s massive post-harvest losses, “currently estimated at $10 billion annually.”

“Storage facilities are essential to our food security drive, as they directly address wastage and ensure year-round availability of staple crops,” he added.

The Minister added that the Ministry, working with ICRC, will intensify oversight, enforce compliance, and ensure that only competent private operators manage silo facilities, in alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR’s agricultural transformation agenda aimed at ensuring national food security.

Insight into Concession Programme
According to the statement, out of the 17 silo complexes concessioned to five private companies, only Flour Mills of Nigeria, which operates three silo complexes under three separate Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), has met all conditions and is performing optimally.

“Many concessionaires defaulted on their payment obligations, with only Flour Mills consistently meeting performance and financial conditions,” the statement added.

The Ministry’s review process revealed that several concessionaires failed to put silo facilities into optimal operating condition despite earlier agreements, highlighting that there is little or no progress in some facilities, with reported cases of vandalism and perimeter fence collapse in locations such as Ikorodu and Ogoja.

Backstory

The Nigerian government had, in 2022, revealed its plan to lease and earn N18 billion from the process.

This was disclosed by the then-Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar.

Abubakar disclosed that the FG planned to concession 19 silos to enable private sector participation in food storage for farm produce.

CoronaVirusPro:
Hello,

Please dig deeper. The He few language has been eating for over a thousand years. It was established by a Tussian.

Do you know in current Hebrew, a person from Eastern Europe can decode a “little” without being Jewish? The identity was stolen and wrapped around native European languages.

Did you research the revised bible o talked about? A revision made Israel a place. It was the name of a person prior to revision.

Let’s even go outside that. Fony believe anything I tell you. Read about the Harvard ancestral DNA research. It had a code name but in a club and can’t remember. But you will find through Google.

It pointed to the native Middle Easterner. Why the current Jews never submit themselves for such test.

Look at the whole scriptural description. Bible or Quran. Go into any reach, you will always find them the word “brown, dark, curly hair”. Those are not Europeans.

Let me amaze you again. Do you know the current Europeans that call themselves Jews cannot pronounce all Jewish sounds.

They are Europeans. They cannot pronounce the “Ha” sound which dwells in Aramaic and Hebrew. You surprised. While they cannot pronounce never pronounce Hamas correctly!

Please! Don’t belie anything I told you. If you do your research and find conflicts, we can address together.

CoronaVirusPro:
Your point is watery.


The red Indians were the natives. The Europeans massacred them before exporting Africans there. No way Blacks can claim it as ancestral land.

In a deep five, not even Columbus discovered America. It is well scripted in his books that same Indians told him some darker toned people have been there.

Don’t believe diluted history, get to basics. These history’s you will find if you search.

Let me amaze you one last time. Do you know the Jewish Talmud’s was written in Aramaic before being translated to Hebrew?

Never believe anything I tell you. Find it.

CoronaVirusPro:
Russians, Germany and the rest of Eastern Europe.

I cannot type for long it’s a Friday, but I want you to research this fact.

The Hebrew language was extinct for over a thousand years and scriptural parts were only use for prayers.


A Russian man reinvented the modern day Hebrew.

Same Russian man who Google will tell you is a Jewish name, had a Russian name before he changed it to make it sound Jewish.

Isreal was the name of a person. A particular revision of the Bible revised it to be a place.

Don’t believe all I said and don’t jump into conclusion. Take time to research before you respond. Grok can support your research.

CoronaVirusPro:
Hypocrisy

Blacks cannot claim ancestry to United Kingdom but Europeans can claim ancestry to Palestine.

These imperialist never cease to amaze. They have no shame even when they contradict themselves.

helinues:
Okay so she wants to die because of her children. Who will now look after them?

helinues:
Divorce him.snd move on with your life or what's the rambling for?

Tosin, the wife of Olorunleke Ojo, Super Eagles goalkeeper, has taken to social media to accuse him and his alleged mistress Precious Daniels of endangering her life and that of their children.

In a recent Facebook post, Tosin lamented that her marriage has become a source of intense pain.

She alleged that Precious has been providing Ojo with “charms” intended to cause harm to her and their two children.

Tosin pleaded to be left in peace, adding that she does not stand in the way of her husband’s relationship with Precious.

She claimed that the situation has become life-threatening, drawing a parallel to other women and children who have “lost their lives to the same situation”.

“If anything happen to me or my children, please hold my husband Olorunleke Ojo and his side chick Precious Daniels responsible. Have been through a lot lately but it’s unfortunate that the man I once suffered with just want me and my children to be in danger for his own selfish interest,” she wrote.

“His side chick has been giving him different charms home for me and my children, so many women and children have lost their lives to same situation. My life and that of my children is now in the hand of Leke and Precious.

“My family and the public should hold them both responsible if anything happens, a lot is going on now. My tears will fight you Leke if anything happen to me and my children, you have done more that enough to me.

“Am not stopping you from your decision to follow Precious Daniels but pls free me and my children in peace. If you succeed in killing me, at least you will rest but my spirit will hunt you.”

Ojo, who was Nigeria’s third-choice goalkeeper at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals, however, responded to the allegations in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

The former Eyinmba goalkeeper described his wife’s allegations as “grave, false, and malicious”.

“The truth is that the problems in our marriage began long before now. Despite this, I consistently sought reconciliation. I supported my wife financially, giving her money for business, paying her a salary monthly, and ensuring she and our children were never left in want. I provided a monthly upkeep of $250,000 in addition to covering rent, school fees, and medical bills. Evidence of these payments is attached,” he wrote.

“I even advised her to step away from work temporarily for her safety and that of our children. Despite my repeated invitations to my wife to spend time with me while I was away, she consistently declined.

“I longed for her company and for us to build our marital bond, but each time I invited her, she gave excuses. Yet, during that same period, she travelled frequently to other states for work and personal engagements without hesitation.”

In the lengthy response, the 30-year-old footballer who plies his trade with Al-Merrikh Sporting Club, a Sudanese professional football club based in the city of Omdurman, lamented that his wife had caused him “considerable harm, damaging my reputation, career, and peace of mind”.

“It is malicious and unfounded to allege that I use charms, or that I seek to harm my wife and children,” it reads in part.

“These accusations are not only damaging but dangerous, as they expose me and even third parties to ridicule, suspicion, and public hostility.

“I appeal to the public not to frustrate me further by spreading or believing unverified allegations. I am a father, a son, and a human being who has done his best to act responsibly in the face of painful circumstances.

“If my wife has any grievances, social media is not a court of law. Instead of posting defamatory statements, slander, and libel, she can take up her complaints before a court of competent jurisdiction with proof. Theatrics and falsehoods in the public space only destroy the children’s future and further damage what little peace remains.”

Tosin and Ojo married in 2016 and share two children.

The fragile truce between the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the $20bn Dangote Petroleum Refinery has collapsed, igniting a fierce industrial dispute that threatens fuel supply stability and tests the Federal Government’s ability to enforce labour agreements.

The confrontation follows allegations by NUPENG that the Dangote Group reneged on a Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this week, under which the refinery agreed to allow tanker drivers and other workers to freely unionise.

On Thursday, NUPENG’s National President, Williams Akporeha, accused Sayyu Aliu Dantata, a cousin of Aliko Dangote and key player in the refinery’s trucking operations, of defying the resolution reached on September 9 at the Department of State Services headquarters in Abuja.

The meeting, mediated by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, affirmed the rights of Petroleum Tanker Drivers under NUPENG to unionise. Representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, DSS, and other agencies witnessed the signing of the MoU.

But Akporeha alleged that within 48 hours, Dantata ordered drivers to strip NUPENG stickers from their vehicles and forcefully enter the refinery in violation of union loading procedures.

“Alhaji Sayyu Aliu Dantata flew over them several times with his helicopter and then called the navy of the Federal Republic to come over ostensibly to crush the union officials. Our members are waiting for him and his agents to run them over,” Akporeha said in a statement.

The union condemned what it described as Dantata’s “impunity” and warned the Federal Government not to allow security agencies funded by taxpayers to be used against workers.

“His wealth cannot make him above the law. Security agents should not allow an individual to ride roughshod even while not observing terms of agreement reached in meetings in which they themselves facilitated,” Akporeha added.

NUPENG’s leadership placed members on “red alert” for the possible resumption of a nationwide strike, suspended earlier in the week when the MoU was signed. The union also called on the NLC, TUC, civil society organisations, and international labour allies to rise in solidarity.

On Thursday evening, NUPENG’s General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, alleged that the Dangote management was planning to use towing trucks to remove vehicles used by the union to block non-compliant trucks. In response, NUPENG reportedly reinforced its blockade at the refinery gates.

The dispute

The row began when NUPENG accused the refinery of attempting to bar drivers of its 4,000 compressed natural gas trucks from joining any union, describing the move as an affront to freedom of association guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution and international labour conventions.

The refinery’s scheme to deploy CNG trucks for fuel distribution, earlier scheduled for August, was delayed due to logistics issues in China but is expected to commence before year-end. NUPENG alleged that the refinery’s management and MRS, owned by Dantata, compelled drivers to sign undertakings not to join oil and gas unions.

The situation escalated into a strike on September 8, shutting down depots and filling stations across the country. But after government intervention, both sides signed the MoU, prompting NUPENG to suspend the strike.

Marketers react

Fuel marketers, under the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, urged all parties to respect the truce, to avoid an industrial action that may arise due to such disagreements.

PETROAN’s President, Billy Gillis-Harry, said attempts to renege on the agreement were “not in good taste.”

“All parties should adhere to the terms and spirit of the MoU signed.

Related NewsEdo teenager rejects prostitution after Mali trafficking scamUnion membership voluntary, not compulsory – Dangote RefineryNo official notice on Nigerians’ deportation to Ghana – FG

PETROAN expresses gratitude to the government and President Bola Tinubu for the swift intervention to save our nation from imminent scarcity,” he said.

Also, the Nigeria Labour Congress said Dangote refinery’s actions amounted to a “gross violation” of the agreement. NLC’s acting General Secretary Benson Upah told The PUNCH:

“We usually take decisions when agreements are violated. But note, the decision to take action rests with the appropriate organs of the Congress.” An NLC executive, speaking anonymously, accused the refinery of treating Nigerian institutions with contempt, claiming its representatives once argued that the refinery was “not in Nigeria” despite benefitting from tax waivers, concessions, and foreign exchange support.

“For Dangote to turn around and violate it is a slap on the nation. Where then is the refinery located—what we might as well call the ‘Dangote Republic’? That is treasonous,” the official said.

FG’s dilemma

The Ministry of Labour confirmed that it had not received a formal complaint. The Director of Trade Unions at the ministry, Amos Falonipe, said, “We haven’t heard anything from NUPENG, and we also haven’t seen any report indicating that Dangote is reneging. If there are any, we would invite them to find out what happened and take appropriate action.”

The government has been criticised for failing to enforce agreements in which its officials acted as guarantors. Analysts warn that if Dangote can openly defy a government-brokered deal, industrial peace and state authority could be undermined.

Dangote refinery responds

In a detailed rejoinder dated September 11, 2025, the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery dismissed NUPENG’s allegations as “wholly inaccurate” and reaffirmed its commitment to labour rights and national development. The refinery said trade union membership is a voluntary right and denied compelling drivers to renounce affiliation.

“Assertions that drivers are compelled to waive union rights are categorically false. Allegations of union suppression are unfounded and appear to be part of a broader narrative aimed at discrediting private sector progress,” the statement read.

Dangote insisted its CNG truck initiative will create more than 60,000 direct jobs with pay and benefits well above national standards, including pensions, insurance, housing loans, and medical cover. “Far from threatening livelihoods, this initiative is expected to create over 60,000 direct jobs and many more indirectly. We launched about 4,000 CNG trucks and created jobs. Dangote did not take anybody’s job.”

The refinery rejected accusations of monopolistic practices, noting that over 30 refinery licences had been issued to other investors, with competitors like BUA and Waltersmith building plants. “Historically, Dangote Group’s investments have fostered healthy competition, as evidenced in the cement industry. Our crude oil refinery has brought down the AGO price in the last year by over 30 per cent.”

The company said it had no plans to raise fuel prices, stressing its investments had stabilised domestic supply, curbed smuggling, and reduced arbitrary shortages. The refinery claimed it maintains cordial ties with unions, providing office space and allowing dues collection. It accused NUPENG of resorting to “economic sabotage, coercion, or blackmail under the guise of labour activism.”

As of Thursday, NUPENG warned that it might resume industrial action on September 15 if the refinery fails to comply with the MoU. Such action could cripple fuel distribution nationwide, leading to scarcity and price hikes.

Observers say the dispute now represents more than a tussle between a union and an employer; it is a test of Nigeria’s labour laws, industrial governance, and the Federal Government’s authority over powerful private conglomerates.

For ordinary Nigerians, however, the immediate concern remains the same: whether the face-off between Dangote Refinery and oil workers will once again trigger the long-dreaded fuel scarcity.

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has given a detailed account of how he was abducted and robbed in Bucharest, Romania, when he visited that country recently to attend the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, FITS, one of the world’s largest theatre festivals.

Soyinka made this known in an exclusive interview with TheNEWS/ on Tuesday, September 9 in Lagos.

At that fiesta, which Soyinka attended on the invitation of the President of General Assembly of UNESCO, Amb. Simona-Mirela Miculescu, he, as the Guest of Honour, was to receive a star on the Walk of Fame award.

But, no sooner had he landed in Bucharest at 12:10 am in high spirits, in anticipation of the festival where he was to be honoured and feted by fellow writers than things turned awry.

Soyinka said he and the party which was supposed to pick him missed each other at the airport.

“I was to stay overnight in Bucharest and then take a five-mile drive to Sibiu. And so we missed each other somehow. As the airport was emptying, I headed for the taxi ride,” Soyinka said.

He then took an official taxi to Novotel, a hotel in Bucharest, where he was supposed to spend the night before leaving for Sibiu, venue of the festival the next morning.

But instead the driver, who apparently belonged to a criminal gang, took Soyinka to a dingy place devoid of humans, where he robbed him through a POS machine, after forcing him to reveal his PIN.

“So I got into the taxi and the man drove and drove and finally we got to a spot. It was now close to 1 o’clock in the dead of the night. And I thought we were in the hotel. Then he brought out his POS. A conversation took place (I narrate all of that in the book).

“Anyway, the bottom line is that I was in effect abducted, robbed and deposited in this strange place. I had to enter it without seeing the POS because this man kept hiding it. He was insisting ‘enter your pin, enter your pin.’

“That drama lasted inside the taxi between 25 and 30 minutes. I was deliberately entering the wrong pin, playing for time, hoping people would come out maybe from the hotel or be strolling around. It was one of those times when everybody refused to come out. Completely bare where I was. No sign.

“I didn’t discover it wasn’t a hotel until I finally got down. I was still playing for time, hoping somebody would come out of the hotel, maybe smoking cigarette, even a street worker or whatever. So, it became a battle of wills inside the car, which approached violence – he wondering who I was, what I was and I playing for time, hoping somebody would come along.

“And then you can imagine all sorts of imagination in my head. Why had he dropped me in this particular place? Was it a gang-infested area? Let’s just say it was a weird and not very comfortable kind of situation.

“Eventually, that night, anyway, I got to the hotel. I was picked up by a car and taken to Sibiu,” Soyinka said, recounting the melodrama which he rightly described as surreal.

“Even as I am speaking to you now, there is a certain aspect of that misadventure which I find very difficult to believe. Unreal. There is something surreal about it,” Soyinka lamented.

Though according to him, the festival organisers were shocked and the police did all they could to nab the criminal, he didn’t get to hear about what happened afterwards.

Soyinka said he was expecting that they would bring the felon to him for confrontation. But they seemed more concerned with just dousing the whole event as much as possible.

“And then there was this dangerous melodrama hanging over the whole place. So, I watched as they were trying to handle it. There were some certain aspects that bothered me tremendously and which I have set out in the next edition of Intervention Series, which Bookcraft is going to publish very soon.”

Soyinka said though he is pained, it is not about him but the whole notion of crime and punishment not just against the individual but against the community.

“For me, it was not just me as an individual who has been assaulted and really threatened. It was the whole community. I haven’t bothered to look closely at my account to see whether the money has been refunded,” Soyinka noted, adding that the issue was more than the money stolen.

“This is the least aspect of it. Not that I like to lose money. But for me it’s much smaller.”

Soyinka also said there were sufficient clues in the narrative to show that it wasn’t just this individual but there was a network under an official taxi ride, a network which obviously preys on innocent visitors.

“So the affair is not concluded. I have written about it to get it off my chest. But it’s a very fundamental issue,” Soyinka maintained.

Wickedlywicked:
You are very right Genius since both countries are on the same level economically. Make una dey use una head even if it’s once annually na🙏
So you think the largest economy in the world would be affected because it spends that amount annually? Please be using that thing once in a while, It’s not there for decoration.

Dotherightthing:
Ollle

There is no free lunch in life.

Nigerian government does have money for subsidies. How can you be borrowing money to pay subsidy

Rebelutionary:
Nawao you created a thread which you did not even read...hian...then you jumped to give commentary that is incongruous from from what the news piece posited!

Some of you sef...just so you can cast aspersions on your country?

It is well with you!

Israel carried out an attack targeting Hamas leadership in Qatar on Tuesday, two Israeli sources told CNN, in what appeared to be the first known Israeli military strike against the militant group in the Gulf nation.

One of the sources, a senior Israeli official, said among those targeted was Hamas’ chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya.

“We are awaiting the results of the strike,” the official said.

The Qatari foreign ministry’s spokesperson Majed Al Ansari called the attack “cowardly” and “criminal assault” that constitutes a “blatant violation of international laws and norms.”

“While strongly condemning this attack, the State of Qatar emphasizes that it will not tolerate this reckless and irresponsible Israeli behavior,” Al Ansari said on X.

A senior Hamas official confirmed to CNN that the group’s negotiators were targeted in Doha.

One of the Israeli sources who spoke to CNN said the United States was informed ahead of the strike on Qatar. CNN has reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment.

Qatar is one of the US’ closest allies in the Middle East and home to the Al Udeid Air Base, the biggest American military facility in the region. A key security partner of Washington, it was designated a Major Non-NATO Ally in 2022.

Al Udeid came under Iranian attack this year after the US struck nuclear facilities in Iran during Israel’s June campaign.

Following Tuesday’s strike, the US embassy in Qatar instituted a shelter-in-place order for its facilities in the country, it said in a post on X.

“We have seen reports of missile strikes occurring in Doha. The US Embassy has instituted a shelter-in-place order for their facilities. US citizens are advised to shelter-in-place,” it said.

Shortly after the explosion in Qatar, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement saying it had targeted “senior leadership” of Hamas with “a precise strike” in a joint operation with the Shin Bet security agency. The statement didn’t specify where the operation was carried out, but suggested that it was outside Gaza.

“For years, these members of the Hamas leadership have led the terrorist organization’s operations, are directly responsible for the brutal October 7th massacre, and have been orchestrating and managing the war against the State of Israel.”

On Monday, Khalil Al-Hayya met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Doha.

Jashub:
I think by doing this people are gradually eradicating the leading of the Holy Spirit in church sermons. But it is well . May God deliver us from modernism

🇳🇬SHARE OF GSM INTERNET SUBSCRIBERS, JULY 2025

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🔵9mobile — 2%

#Statisense
[NCC]

Festus Ogun, a human rights lawyer, has instituted a legal action against Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, for blocking him on the microblogging platform, X.

In a suit filed before the federal high court in Lagos, Ogun said the governor’s decision to block him on X was “wrongful, unconstitutional, arbitrary and constitutes a gross violation” of his fundamental rights to freedom of expression and freedom from discrimination on the basis of political opinion.

The Lagos-based lawyer asked the court to declare that Sanwo-Olu’s action was unlawful given his position as a democratically elected public official who operates official social media handles.

The lawyer is also asking the court to compel the Lagos governor to issue a public apology to him, to be published on Sanwo-Olu’s verified X account, for the “gross violation” of his rights, as well as the “emotional trauma and mental distress” the action had caused him.

“A DECLARATION that, as a democratically-elected public office holder in Nigeria, the Respondent (@jidesanwoolu)’s blocking of the Applicant (@mrfestusogun), a citizen of Nigeria and resident of Lagos State, on X (formerly “Twitter”) is wrongful, unconstitutional, arbitrary and constitutes a gross violation of the Applicant’s fundamental right to freedom of expression,” the suit reads.

“A DECLARATION that the Respondent’s blocking of the Applicant on X. owing to the Applicant’s political opinion and criticism of the Respondent, is wrongful, unconstitutional, arbitrary and constitutes a gross violation of Applicant’s fundamental right to freedom from discrimination on the basis of political opinion.

“AN ORDER mandating/directing the Respondent to immediately unblock the Applicant’s X account (@mrfestusogun).

“AN ORDER OF PERPETUAL INJUNCTION restraining the Respondent, his agents, privies or any other person or entity acting through or on his behalf, from further blocking the Applicant on X or any other social media platform wherein the Respondent operates official social media handles.

“A PUBLIC APOLOGY to the Applicant, by the Respondent, published on his X (formerly “Twitter”) handle (@jidesanwoolu) for the gross violation of the Applicant’s fundamental rights to freedom of expression and its associated emotional trauma and mental distress; not later than 7 days after judgment.”

The lawyer said he noticed that in 2021, Sanwo-Olu via his official X handle blocked him on the platform owing to “constructive criticisms of his policies and demand for accountability in respect of the October 2020 #EndSARS Massacre that was perpetrated under his watch”.

There is a banner suspended in front of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office at Ikeja, Lagos, raising awareness about voter card registration, with the image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the logo of Youth Professionals for Tinubu (YP4T) and the PA General Duty to the President as sponsors.

A source, who didn’t want to be named, shared this with FIJ on Thursday as he visited the office to resolve an issue. The observer expressed concerns over the banner’s non-adherence to INEC’s non-partisan stance and its implications on the commission’s independence.

The banner, which was a voter’s card registration entreaty to the public, had the bold image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu superimposed on the right side, and the Young Professionals for Tinubu (YP4T) association etched on it as its sponsor, in conjunction with INEC.

“Powered By: PAGD (PA General Duty To the President)” was written on the banner, alongside a message about the ongoing nationwide voters’ registration.

“I don’t think such should be allowed around that office, because INEC is an independent body. It makes no sense, and I think it should be removed,” the visitor at INEC’s office said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is tasked with registering political parties, monitoring campaigns and organising and supervising elections around the federation.

INEC is established as a neutral organisation, and autonomy, which is described as the organisation’s duty to “carry out all its functions independently, free from external control and influence”, is foremost in its published official values.

INEC professes statutory neutrality as stipulated in Section 153 & Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, and allowing partisan materials in its office could compromise or appear to compromise that neutrality.

INEC also has a Voter Education and Publicity Department which is supposed to take on the full responsibility of conducting awareness programmes, and it is its duty to provide neutral and civic focused voter education.

FIJ called Sam Olumekun, the INEC commissioner in Lagos, and sent text messages on Thursday. There was no response at press time.

Ahead of the 2027 elections, campaign rhetoric has gained momentum online, often in subliminal forms. This has garnered reactions from citizens, who are often unimpressed with the premature and sometimes manipulative tactics employed by political parties to secure supporters.

Toruibestate:
I travelled from Suleja to Kontagora in Niger State and it's like travelling from Abuja to Lagos or Abuja to my Bayelsa..

Niger State alone is like 3 Countries put together.


It has LGAs bigger than half of South East.
Only Mashegu LGA is larger than Anambra, Lagos and Imo States put together talk more of Borgu LGA.


@General Ditari.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has deducted a total of N235.6 billion between January and July 2025 from the Frontier Exploration Fund (FEF), in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), according to the company’s financial documents.

The deductions represent 30 per cent of Profit Sharing Contract (PSC) proceeds earmarked for exploration in frontier basins across the country, predominantly in the North, including the Chad Basin, Benue Trough, Anambra Basin, and other untapped hydrocarbon-rich areas.

The fund, designed to diversify the nation’s oil production away from the Niger Delta, despite climate commitments, has remained contentious over priorities, transparency and long-term strategy.

In May, NNPCL announced that oil drilling would resume in the northern region by June. Its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, said operations were scheduled to restart at the Kolmani field, which cut across Bauchi and Gombe states.

Ojulari, who was appointed in April and described by the Presidency as the right choice to overhaul the state oil company, had told the BBC Hausa Service that exploration in the North remained a top priority under the PIA framework.

“The government is on track with prospects for oil in the North,” he had stated. While results remained elusive, including the one billion barrel oil reserves declared to have been discovered in the basin, over $3 billion has reportedly been spent on oil search in the northern region over the past two decades, as successive governments pursue frontier exploration despite criticism from civil society and environmental groups.

With the PIA now in effect, a dedicated statutory fund, estimated at about $400 million yearly is legally designed to finance such activities.
Figures show that in January, NNPC deducted $8.16 million and N9.73 billion, translating to a total naira equivalent of N22.2 billion.

In February, the deduction rose to $17.59 million and N5.8 billion, bringing the monthly equivalent to N31.7 billion. March saw further increases, with $18.66 million and N10.47 billion deducted, totalling N38.3 billion.

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In April, deductions peaked at $28.51 million and N17.71 billion, resulting in the highest single-month equivalent of N61.4 billion within the period.

May reflected a sharp adjustment, as the company recorded $1.88 million and N33.58 billion in deductions. The equivalent stood at N36.5 billion, showing that domestic currency accounted for the bulk of that month’s transfers.

In June, deductions stood at $24.17 million and N499.1 million, totalling N38.7 billion. By July, deductions fell dramatically to $3.99 million and N732.9 million, with a combined equivalent of N6.8 billion.

The cumulative figure of N235.6 billion in just seven months highlights the speed and intensity of allocations to frontier exploration compared with other statutory funds under the PIA.

In comparison with host-community allocations for oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had said in June that the region received N98 billion and about $150 million as their three per cent share of the Host Communities Development Fund (HCDF), a total naira equivalent of N328.2 billion in the last four years.

By contrast, with FEF receiving N235.6 billion in only seven months, the host-community fund is just N92.6 billion larger despite spanning four years, while on a monthly average, FEF allocations of N33.7 billion outpaced host-community receipts of N6.8 billion by nearly five times, which is about 392 per cent increase.

Four years ago, when the PIA was passed, analysts, especially from the Nigerian Delta region, had said the funding imbalance suggests a strong policy tilt towards opening new oil frontiers rather than addressing the development needs of host communities where oil production has historically caused environmental degradation and social disruption.

A new political campaign culture is creeping over Nigeria’s electoral process. It is the increasing weaponization of the real and perceived transgressions of fully independent, grown children of politicians as a basis to undermine the moral standing of the politicians. And this cuts across the familiar political divides.

Chatter over the politically motivated demonisation of the children of prominent politicians resurfaced this week after photos of Peter Obi’s son, Oseloka Obi, with his alleged gay partner were circulated on social media.

In an August 20 statement, Obi’s spokesperson, Valentine Obienyem, dismissed the photos as “fake” and described the accompanying claims as “false.”

However, Oseloka’s own statement on August 21 appeared, at least in part, to contradict Obienyem’s dismissal. “The truth is simple: Peter Obi’s son appears in photos with his friends and colleagues, nothing more,” Oseloka said, acknowledging that the photos were indeed his. “If people wish to invent otherwise, I hope they sleep soundly knowing they are spreading lies.”

He said he is a filmmaker who portrays a diverse cast of characters representing races, genders, and s3xual orientation different from his. In other words, although the photos are authentic, they were taken in the course of his filmic work where he played roles portraying gay characters.

However, although Oseloka is the focus of outsized attention now, the unfair searchlight on his sexuality was provoked by an equally false and malicious attack on the sexuality of a fictitious son (or, in some posts, sons) of Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s spokesperson.

Some Nigerian social media users alleged that Onanuga had a son by the name of Adekunle Onanuga who was a gay drug addict in the US. But an April 3 fact-check by a news site revealed that Onanugu does not even have a son.

“The Onanugas have only one child, a daughter named Tobiloba, who got married at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), City of David, Trinity Towers, Victoria Island, in December 2024,” it said.

I had called attention to this dangerous trend in a July 4, 2022, social media post titled “Peter Obi: Visiting the ‘Sin’ of the Son on the Father” after an earlier widely shared social media post of Oseloka’s alleged photo draped with the colors of the defunct Biafran flag while stepping on the Nigerian flag emerged and became grist in the mill of Peter Obi’s political opponents.

“But even if he were Obi’s son (he isn’t), is it fair to hold Obi responsible for the opinions and choices of his adult son who is at least 30 years old?” I wrote.

The same is true of Obi’s political opponents, such as Bayo Onanuga (even though it has turned out he isn’t even the father of the man he was said to be the father of).

Adult children, unlike minors, act on their own accord, which makes any fallout their responsibility, not their politician parent’s. There are countless examples of scandal-prone children of otherwise decent people.

As I asked in the 2022 post regarding the false accusation against Obi’s son, are pastors or imams to blame if their grown children become atheists? Should atheist parents be held accountable when their children embrace religion?

What about puritanical parents whose offspring grow up to be libertines or s3xual nonconformists? Or political progressives whose children turn into hardline conservatives, and the reverse?

Every adult is entitled to opinions and convictions that stand apart from their parents’ and go beyond the limits of their upbringing.

Democracies rely on individual accountability. Expecting a politician to bear the stigma of adult children’s behavior is fundamentally unfair and impractical.

That said, a distinction must be made between adult children who live their lives quietly and independently of their parents’ political power, and those who thrust themselves brazenly into the public arena to profit from the privileges of their parents’ offices.

When politicians’ children openly leverage state resources, project political influence, and enjoy the spoils of power, they cease to be private citizens who should be left alone. By their own choices, they make themselves fair game for public scrutiny and political critique.

A prime example is Seyi Tinubu, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s son, who often comports himself as though he were Nigeria’s unelected vice president. He attends high-level government functions (he, in fact, once attended the Federal Executive Council meeting!), represents his father, issues directives in ways that suggest political authority, and flaunts access to state resources unavailable to ordinary citizens.

In effect, Seyi has blurred the line between the private sphere of being a politician’s son and the public responsibilities of elected office. In doing so, he has invited the same kind of critical gaze and accountability that his father must contend with.

Another striking instance illustrating this principle is the case of Hanan Buhari, daughter of former President Muhammadu Buhari. As I pointed out in my January 11, 2020, column titled “Hanan Buhari and Unprecedented Abuse of Presidential Powers,” she used a publicly funded presidential jet for personal purposes (trips to conduct academic-related activities) despite holding no public office or official duty that would justify such access.

As I argued, this was “straight‑up unethical, even borderline illegal,” and clearly breached long-standing precedent. Past presidential children (Obasanjo’s, Yar’Adua’s, Jonathan’s) never exploited state aircraft for private vanity trips.

By appropriating state resources for personal convenience, Hanan transformed herself from a private individual into a beneficiary of public office, and by extension, fair game for public scrutiny and critique.

Contrast this with the conduct of Senator Oluremi Tinubu’s children, who have been scrupulously shielded from public life. Whatever their views, choices, or lifestyles may be, they are not paraded as part of the machinery of state power, nor do they exploit the privileges of proximity to it. Their absence from the public political stage is precisely why they do not, and should not, attract the same kind of scrutiny.

Similarly, in sharp contrast to Hanan Buhari’s entitled appropriation of state resources, her brother, Yusuf Buhari, kept a relatively low profile throughout his father’s presidency. He didn’t insert himself into the machinery of government, didn’t strut about as though he had a mandate from the Nigerian people, and wasn’t known to exploit the privileges of his father’s office in ways that attracted public scandal.

That was why, when he suffered a ghastly motorbike accident in December 2017, I openly sympathized with him and castigated those who celebrated his tragedy in a December 28, 2017, social media post titled “Yusuf Buhari: Time for Compassion.”

In that post, I reminded readers that before Yusuf was the president’s son, he was first a human being (someone’s child, sibling, and friend) whose personal catastrophe should never have been fodder for political glee.

I called out people who reveled in his misfortune as “unfeeling wretches” and “scoundrels,” because accidents can happen to anyone, regardless of social privilege. Yusuf’s detachment from the affairs of state meant that he deserved empathy, not condemnation, in his moment of vulnerability.

These contrasts underscore the principle that when political children stay away from the trappings of power and live as ordinary citizens, they deserve privacy and compassion. But when they exploit state resources or wield influence without a mandate, they cross into the public arena and, in so doing, invite legitimate scrutiny.

But those who choose to bask in the glow of public power and benefit materially and symbolically from it cannot reasonably expect to escape the obligations of accountability that come with that exposure.

A United States judge who had a massive social media fan base because of clips of his compassion in the courtroom, Frank Caprio is dead.

A statement on Wednesday on his Instagram page, which had 3.2 million followers, said he had died aged 88 “after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer”.

It said he was “beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people.”

Known as the ‘nicest judge in the world’, Caprio was on the bench at a court in Providence, Rhode Island, for almost four decades.

He became compassionately recognised after viral videos of him handing out justice with a smile were viewed more than a billion times on social media.

The latter years of his career, which ended in 2023, were documented in the TV show Caught In Providence.

Caprio had posted a message from his hospital bed the day before his death, saying, “Unfortunately I’ve had a setback, I’m back in the hospital now, and I’m coming to you again asking you to remember me in your prayers once more.”

Caprio’s persona was at odds with fellow TV judges, who were less sympathetic and more confrontational.

In one popular clip, he dismissed a traffic ticket handed to a bartender who skipped a red light, as they were only earning less than $4 (£2.97) an hour.

Another featured him listening sympathetically to a woman whose son had been killed, before dismissing her tickets and fines, which had totalled $400 (£297).

Caprio also used his fame to speak out about inequality in the justice system.

“Almost 90% of low-income Americans are forced to battle civil issues like health care, unjust evictions, veterans benefits and, yes, even traffic violations, alone,” he said in one video.

After his death was announced, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee paid tribute to his “warmth and compassion”.

“He was more than a jurist – he was a symbol of empathy on the bench, showing us what is possible when justice is tempered with humanity,” McKee said.