THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced the return of $132,362.43 and ₦78,566,324.81 to American, Spanish, and Swiss nationals defrauded by Nigerians.
In a statement by the EFCC, the commission disclosed that its chairman, Ola Olukoyede, handed over the funds on Friday, February 20, at the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja.
The commission said that the handover reflected its commitment to combating economic and financial crimes while ensuring restitution for fraud victims.
The acting Spain ambassador to Nigeria, Maria Higon Velasco, received $1,300 along with evidence of ₦30 million already transferred to the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria for onward delivery to a victim, Maria Del Rosario San Jose.
Vehicles and real estate were also handed over to Spain, the United States, and Swiss citizens.
“Handed over in addition to money are vehicles and real estate to citizens of Spain, the United States of America and Switzerland. Acting Ambassador of Spain to Nigeria, Maria Higon Velasco received the sum of $1,300 and evidence of N30 million already transferred to the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria for onward transmission to a victim, Maria Del Rosario San Jose.
“Florent Geel, Senior Political Officer, First Secretary, Embassy of Switzerland received $100,011.43 on behalf of a victim, Chantai Helene Lavancy, formerly known as Chantai Helene Maeder. Charles Smith, Legal Attache, Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, embassy of the United States received the sum of $7,344; N7,963,483.35, and Bitcoin cryptocurrency valued at $4,470.00 on behalf of the United States Embassy in Nigeria for onward transmission to a victim, Maria Jesus Brockell.
“Also received by Smith was Mercedes Benz E550 4Matic Chasis No: WDDHF9AB6AA111112, Mercedes Benz C450 AMG with Chasis No: WDD20J0641F282467, and one residential bungalow, located at 17/19 Seaman Street, Unguwar Maigero, Kaduna, Kaduna State on behalf of the United States Embassy in Nigeria for onward transmission to the crime victim.
Smith also received $7,527 on behalf of the United States Embassy in Nigeria for onward transmission to a victim, Michael Smith.
He also received $11,710.00 on behalf of the United States Embassy in Nigeria for onward transmission to another victim, Cheryle Williams; and N32,639,358.11 on behalf of the Embassy in Nigeria for onward transmission to a victim by the name Marva Marrow.
In her remarks, Swiss ambassador, Ambassador Velasco expressed her gratitude, while Geel, on behalf of the Swiss government, thanked the Nigerian government and the EFCC for the recovery and restitution.
The ICIRreported that the EFCC in December 2024 apprehended a suspected internet fraudster, Osang Otukpa, accused of scamming 139 Australians for $8 million.
Otukpa was arrested at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, upon arrival from the US on December 6, 2024.
According to a statement issued by the EFCC’s head of media and publicity, Otukpa allegedly operated under five aliases—Ford Thompson, Oscar Tyler, Michael Haye, Jose Vitto, and Kristin Davidson—to defraud the victims.
The ICIR also reported that a 37-year-old Nigerian, Abiola Kayode, was extradited from Ghana to the United States to face allegations of orchestrating a business email compromise scheme that defrauded businesses in Nebraska and other states of over $6 million between 2015 and 2016.
In 2024, the ICIRhighlighted five financial scams, among which was investment scams, which Otukpa had defrauded his victims with.
THE Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced a seven-hour power outage in some parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In a statement issued on Friday, February 21, TCN’s general manager of public affairs, Ndidi Mbah, said the affected areas will experience a blackout on Saturday, February 22, and Sunday, February 23, 2025, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm each day.
She attributed the action to scheduled annual preventive maintenance on two transformers.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria informs the public that its maintenance crew will conduct annual preventive maintenance on the 2x100MVA, TR3 & TR4 transformers at the Apo 132/33kV Transmission Substation in Abuja,” the statement read.
“The planned power interruptions are unavoidable, as Abuja DisCo will be unable to receive bulk power supply from the transformers during the maintenance period. Power supply will be restored to the affected areas upon completion of the maintenance exercise.”
Mbah explained that on Saturday, February 22, the power disruptions will affect the National Hospital, G2 Injection Station, Garki, Area 1, and Asokoro for seven hours.
According to the statement, areas including Apo legislative quarters, Apo resettlement, Gudu, Apo mechanic, and surrounding areas will also experience a seven-hour power outage.
Mbah explained that the interruption is necessary as Abuja Electricity Distribution Company will be unable to receive bulk power supply from the affected transformers during maintenance. The transmission company also apologised for any inconvenience caused to the affected customers during this scheduled maintenance time.
“Power supply will be restored once the maintenance exercise is completed. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause the affected electricity customers,” the company said.
In a separate development, TCN said as part of its transmission expansion programme, it has officially commissioned a new 100MVA power transformer at the 132/33kV in Osogbo substation-Osun state.
TCN explained that the new transformer boosts the substation’s capacity from 180MVA to 280MVA and enhances bulk power supply to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) customers within the Osogbo township.
TCN noted that the 100MVA power transformer project is part of nationwide initiatives, undertaken in collaboration with the World Bank.
The ICIRreported that the TCN said 128 transmission towers were destroyed by vandals in 2024, raising concern over recurrent epileptic power supply in the country.
The transmission company also said it spent about N8.8 billion to repair and put into adequate use the vandalised transmission towers within the year.
LABOUR Party (LP) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) have pulled out from the Osun State local government election held today, Saturday, February 21.
The LP chairman in the state, Adebayo Bello, announced the party’s decision on Friday.
Addressing reporters in Osogbo, Bello cited inadequate security arrangements by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) for the peaceful conduct of the poll.
He urged OSSIEC to postpone the exercise for one or two months to allow for adequate preparations, emphasising that the postponement would also provide time to resolve the legal issues surrounding the exercise.
Similarly, the APM chairman in the state, Adewale Adebayo, announced the party’s decision to withdraw from the election.
He noted that when he attempted to submit the official withdrawal letter at the OSSIEC office on Thursday, no commission official was available to receive it.
“We want to confirm that we are not participating in the illegal local government election, slated for Saturday. We are very disappointed that all OSSIEC staff, including its chairman, have absconded from their headquarters since Wednesday,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Government has dismissed the Nigeria Police Force’s (NPF) security advisory urging the suspension of the election.
The ICIR reports that the NPF had on Friday called for the poll’s suspension based on what it described as credible intelligence it obtained.
In a statement issued by the Force public relations officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, the police said their intelligence indicated a high likelihood of violence and significant security threats should the election is conducted.
However, in a counter statement dismissing the police’s advisory, the state government stated that the grounds for rejecting the advice were based on the rule of law and aversion to police partisanship.
The state government said in the statement signed late Friday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, that it had reviewed the advisory and concluded that it was biased, partisan and in contravention of democratic tenets.
The state government also accused the police of pursuing partisan interests rather than obeying court orders and working for the rule of law.
The ICIRreported that there were gunshots in the state as supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clashed following the attempted reinstatement of sacked council chairpersons in the state on Monday, February 17. The ensuing melee led to the death of seven people, including a former local government chairman of Irewole Local Government Area, Aderemi Abbas.
The crisis followed a disagreement between the state Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, over the interpretation of the Appeal Court’s ruling on the chairpersons who were elected on the APC platform but sacked by the Federal High Court in 2022.
The ICIRreported on Sunday that Adeleke raised the alarm over a plot by Oyetola, a former governor of the state, to reinstate the sacked chairpersons. The APC in the state confirmed the plot, which turned out to claim the lives of seven people the following day.
Though the Federal Government through the Attorney-General of the Federation, instructed the state to suspend the conduct of the LG poll, the state governor ignored the order.
THE Nigerian stock market value appreciated by N195.93 billion in the just concluded week as a bullish trend prevailed amid a mixed sentiment expressed by investors due to changes in key macroeconomic indicators.
The policy shift involved the rebased Consumer Price Index (CPI) data that significantly dropped headline inflation figures from 34.80 per cent to 24.48 per cent.
It also includes the retaining of benchmark interest rate and all other parameters for the first time in more than two years by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Analysts had also anticipated that investors would closely monitor further corporate earnings releases and dividend declarations.
During the week’s trading sessions, these key events provided direction for investors as they assessed the potential impact on their portfolios and expressed mixed sentiments on the floor of the Nigeria Exchange Limited (NGX).
At the end of the week’s trading, the market capitalisation rose by 0.29 per cent to N67.61 trillion on Friday, February 21, from the N67.42 trillion it opened with on Monday, February 17.
The appreciation of the market capitalisation left investors with an N195.93 billion gain despite the cancellation of 166.95 million units of ordinary shares of Dangote Cement during the week.
According to the NGX, with the cancellation, the total issued and fully paid-up shares of Dangote Cement have now decreased from 17,040,507,405 to 16,873,559,252 ordinary shares.
However, the All-Share Index (ASI) similarly rose by 0.41 per cent to close at 108,497.40 basis points from 108,053.95 basis points.
While the ASI and market capitalisation appreciated, all other market statistics, including deals, volume, and value of traded stocks, closed in the red.
A total turnover of 2.001 billion shares worth N49.486 billion in 70,853 deals was traded during the week by investors on the floor of the exchange, in contrast to a total of 2.414 billion shares valued at N55.512 billion that exchanged hands in 80,988 deals.
Further analysis of the week’s trading activity showed that on the sectoral front, mixed reactions were witnessed as three indices rose relative to three others that declined.
The consumer goods index saw the highest increase by 6.55 per cent to 1,846.47 basis points from 1,732.99 basis points. This was followed by the insurance index’s 0.62 per cent rise to 744.27 basis points from 739.67 basis points. And the industrial index rose by 0.05 per cent to 3,638.55 basis points from 3,636.85 basis points.
In contrast, the banking index saw the highest decline by -3.42 per cent to 1,200.20 basis points from 1,242.75 basis points. The oil and gas followed with a -2.87 per cent decline to 2,546.46 basis points from 2,621.62 basis points, while the commodity index fell by -0.47 per cent to 1,008.43 basis points from 1,013.18 basis points.
But among the top-performing stocks of the week was BUA Food, whose share price appreciated by N44.50 to close at N418.00, and Dangote Sugar Refinery, whose share price rose by N5.40 to close at N41.40.
Other top gainers were Abbey Mortgage Bank whose share price rose by 50 kobo to close at N3.60, Smart Products Nigeria (by 0.04 kobo to 0.30 kobo), and Sovereign Trust Insurance (by 0.14 kobo to N1.32)
“The equities market demonstrated resilience over the week, recording a 0.41 per cent gain despite investors’ concerns regarding the latest inflation report.
“The positive sentiment reflects investors optimism as they assess the potential impact of the inflationary pressure on monetary policy and corporate earnings,” GTI research analysts said.
Measured by volume, the financial services industry led the activity chart with 1.199 billion shares valued at N26.325 billion traded in 30,527 deals and contributed 59.91 per cent and 53.20 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value, respectively.
The agriculture industry followed with 234.002 million shares worth N1.683 billion in 3,191 deals, while the consumer goods industry recorded a turnover of 173.829 million shares worth N7.150 billion in 8,903 deals.
According to analysts at Cowry Asset Management, the sustained bullish trend was “driven by investors taking positions for portfolio rebalancing, prompted by pressured sell-offs across various counters and shaped by expectations and outcomes of the newly rebased CPI report and MPC decisions, where the policy committee unanimously decided to pause rate hikes.”
Anticipating how trading activity would fare in the coming week, the analysts at GTI Research said, “Investors will be eager to see if this momentum carries over into the coming week.”
On their part, Cowry Asset Management analysts added, “We anticipate mixed market sentiment in the coming week as investors await further corporate earnings releases and dividend declarations. Additionally, market participants will closely analyse the recently published macroeconomic data on the rebased CPI and the rate hike pause by the CBN to assess their impact on investment portfolios.
“However, we expect a flow of funds into the equities space as investors seek better investment opportunities, particularly in the near term. Investors are advised to remain vigilant, focusing on stocks with strong fundamentals to make informed investment decisions.”
IT was a rainy Friday morning, last August when The ICIR crew met Emmanuel Ogwuche popularly known as ‘Emma Police’ while performing his duty as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) at a rehabilitation home for drug survivors in Abuja.
Sharp and smart, he greeted and ushered the ICIR team into the building with a pleasant smile.
“My name is Emmanuel Ogwuche, popularly known as Emma Police. What can I do for you?” he asked.
That was the beginning of a long conversation that took us through the life of a young man whose use of drugs drastically changed the trajectory of his life.
Emma was born in the 80’s into a family of eight including his parents. His father was a security man, and his mother was a market trader.
He started his nursery and primary education at a private school in Kaduna, he wasn’t doing well academically, this led to a change in school.
“I started school but in my family, I can say my brain was not ready for school; that was how everything started going bad in my life. When they moved me to a government school in Kaduna, my mates laughed at me. My parents occasionally beat me so whenever I left home and got to my school gate, I would pull my uniforms and put in the bag and follow all these ‘bad boys'”, he said in an emotional-laden voice.
To avoid school, Emma started picking cans for sale to recyclers and was introduced to drug at that stage.
‘My entry into the world of hard drugs’
After avoiding school because he could not cope with academic rigours, Emma joined a group of young boys in his community and was introduced to hard drugs.
Within a short while he started smoking ‘solution gum’ and later graduated to ‘Indian hemp.’
Emma Police as a drug addict on the streets of Kaduna.Emma after his rehabilitation and joining the workforce in his church.
According to him, his foray into drugs prevented him from furthering his education as all his other siblings graduated successfully.
Not wanting to be left out, he told his father he wanted to learn how to make furniture.
After completing his training as a furniture maker, he proceeded to join the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The journey into the Nigeria Police Force
In January 2000, Emma started his police training in Kaduna. However, instead of learning police rules and tactics, his attention was on illicit drug use.
“I started using heroin, inside the police college; that’s where I found the substance,” he stated.
Emma police at the Police College, Kaduna.
Off to Lagos
After Emma successfully graduated from the police college he was posted to Lagos, to start his career as a policeman. His expectations were very high but he was shocked to discover something unique about Lagos.
“I didn’t know that Lagos State is the centre of crack and cocaine,” he stated in bewilderment.
Emma, who was posted to Area F in Ikeja, opposite police college area command, stopped using heroine for a short period, but on one sunny afternoon in his third month at the station, he was sent on an operation with some of his colleagues, and the unthinkable happened.
During the operation, he said they seized a consignment of cocaine and instead of declaring it at the station to his superiors, he hid it and started using it.
“I became worse after taking it but then I was still working until I got myself into trouble in Lagos Sate.
“I was the orderly to one Supol, who was the OC in charge of works, at force headquarters, Obalende, Lagos.”
“I was locked up for days at Alagbon police station before one of my uncles intervened and I was freed and transferred back to Kaduna State.”
Life back to zero in Kaduna
After his ordeal in Lagos, Emma gladly arrived in Kaduna, his old base, and quickly reunited with his old friends.
He continued his drug abuse and was transferred to Kafanchan LGA.
In Kafanchan, Emma could not get drugs to buy. This means regular commute to kaduna to get the substance.
Fired from the police
His use of illicit drugs got to the attention of the Force and Emma said he was sacked.
On leaving the police, he reunited with his old friends and continued his journey with drug abuse.
Emma as a police officer
He eventually got involved with activities that are on opposite side of the law, which included picking pockets.
According to him, whenever he was arrested, his former colleagues in the police, always found a way to free him and he became a police informant.
He would later move to Keffi where he said a became a junkie.
“I came back to Keffi and became a junkie and no more a user, a crack (cocaine) user. Anything I hustled for through stealing was just to smoke crack,” he said.
“There is a difference between a junkie and a user because the users are those who claim they have money. They come, buy, smoke and go, but me, I couldn’t control it; I stole to smoke. I could’t control it, but with the help of experts, I am free now,” he explained.
Emma Police as a junkie on the streets of Kaduna
Bereavement
As a result of Emma’s lifestyle and the troubles that came with it, his mother was frustrated to the point of death. Shortly after her burial, the father died too.
“I was in Black Street – an infamous area in Kaduna – smoking when my mother died; we went for the burial and when we came back, my father too died. I lost my father in the process of this journey of taking drugs,” a sober Emma said.
His parents death made his other siblings to cut him off.
Road to transformation
On one particular afternoon, while searching for drugs as usual, Emma met a woman named Gloria who promised to help him after he begged her for help.
After speaking with Gloria, he resolved to stop, but his resolution lasted for only two weeks.
“I was good for that two weeks until I returned to the streets and it became worse,” Emma said, but Gloria kept encoruaging him to stop, “she kept telling me that I should stop taking drugs.”
One day she informed him that someone who could help him would be visiting Kaduna for a programme.
A life-changing encounter
The person in question was Saadatu Adamu, a mental health counsellor and founder of Secure-D-Future International Initiative (SDF).
“Before I met Saadatu, I was a living dead. If you saw me, you would know that I was not just a user, I was a junkie. I could stay for a year and six months without bathing.”
“She asked if I was determined, and she said she would help to rehabilitate me.”
After the encounter with Adamu, Emma was taken to the Redeemed Christian God Church of God (RCCG) Drug Abuse Ministry (CADAM) for rehabilitation for one year.
Saadatu Adamu of SDF
According to him, he became good and returned to Kaduna but after staying without a job for two months, he returned to the dreaded Black street in Kaduna.
While on Black Street, he met a drug baron who advised him to start selling drugs, a request he gladly accepted until he met an encounter with a customer reintroduced him to taking drugs.
“I met a girl, [where] I went to deliver drugs to her in a hotel. She was a big girl. She said I should smoke crack worth N20,000 that she would pay, but I refused.
“Rather, I asked her to give me the money which she did but said if I won’t smoke the crack, I should give her back her money.
After his encounter with the lady in the hotel, Emma went back to living on the street and under the bridge in Kaduna before Adamu came to pick him up for rehabilitation, this was his second time rehabilitation journey.
They took him to a medical doctor in Abuja. He stayed there for a week then ran away. By this time Emma said all his legs were swollen from regular police and soldiers beating because he was always involved in petty theft to fund his drug use, again Adamu reached out and took him in for rehabilitation.
From the streets to a CSO
After his rehabilitation, instead of letting him go, Adamu decided to give Emma a job and made him the Chief Security Officer at her facility.
“When it was time to leave, she kept me to work here. That was how I started working here,” he said.
As of the time of the interview Emma was almost a year on the job.
He was able to reunite with his siblings through effort by the SDF.
“I am having a very good time with my family more than before.”
Speaking about his wife he said “She is a good woman. But I don’t blame her for leaving me.”
At the peak of his drug use, his wife left him and took the two children with her.
Emma Ogwuche
Advice
For people still battling with drug abuse, Emma said first need to have the belief that they can be free.
“When I see some of my mates now, I hide. My mates in the Police are now ASP but look at me.
“Challenges will come; temptations will always come, but you have to stand strong. You can be free!
Adamu, a mental health counsellor and founder of SDF, said she met Emma for the first time at a Christmas outreach in Kaduna.
According to her, there were over 80 people there, but she spotted Emma with his girlfriend.
“They came to us and were talking about help, but of course, I left.”
“One year later, I still got a message from that person that he needed help to get off the streets. That was how he came into our space,” she said.
“Two weeks later, he came back to SDF. We had an agreement before he came because they had told me his condition and how he was looking. So I told him he had to abandon the intake of drugs so he could get healed”.
After his rehabilitation, as he had no place to go, Adamu said they opted to give him a job to ensure stability.
“So I said okay, why don’t we reintegrate this person back into the system because we know, if we do that, it will help. We also knew he needed a life. That was how we reintegrated him back into the system, and he is working now and doing extremely well,” the SDF boss stated.
HUMAN rights lawyer and former National Human Rights Commission chairman, Chidi Odinkalu, has criticised former military president Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) for making “unverifiable claims” in his newly released autobiography, A Journey in Service.
In a post shared on Friday, February 21, along with a screenshot from Babangida’s book, Odinkalu accused the former leader of levelling allegations against individuals who are no longer alive to refute or defend themselves.
According to Odinkalu, Babangida “waited until they were all dead” before portraying himself as a ‘victim’ of their actions.
He said “Ibrahim Babangida’s book is filled with allegations against dead men and women. He waited until they were all dead and none of them could controvert him and he portrays himself as a victim of all these dead men and women.”
In the excerpt from the autobiography shared by Odinkalu, Babangida narrated events and controversies surrounding his time in office specifically with regards to the 1992 election. He mentioned Sani Abacha who later became a head of state and also MKO Abiola. Abacha and Abiola are both dead.
“Conveniently, Babangida, a committed record-keeper, could not produce any contemporaneous records, minutes, notes or other evidence to corroborate any of the serious claims and allegations he makes about these dead men and women,” Odinkalu added.
The book has as appendix, some speeches, interviews and result of the 1992 election.
The ICIR reported that for the first time after nearly 32 years, Babangida admitted during his book launch in Abuja on Thursday, February 19, that Moshood Abiola, known by his name initials – MKO – won the June 12, 1993, presidential poll, which he (Babangida) controversially annulled.
The launch doubled as fundraising for the presidential library for the former leader and raised over N12 billion in pledges and donations for the book and library.
While reviewing the book, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said Babangida dedicated a full chapter to the transition to military rule and the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, widely believed as the most credible, freest and fairest in Nigeria’s democratic history.
He wrote, “Although I am on record to have stated after the elections that Abiola may not have won, upon deeper reflection and a closer examination of all available facts, particularly the detailed election results published as an appendix to this book, there was no doubt that M.K.O. Abiola won the June 12 elections.”
Babangida, who ruled Nigeria from 1985 to 1993, often faces widespread criticism for key decisions he made during his regime, notably the annulment of the presidential poll won by Abiola and the murder of prominent journalist, Dele Giwa.
His new autobiography has sparked intense debate among political analysts and the public, with some lauding him for finally documenting his experiences in office, and others, like Odinkalu, decrying what they perceived as historical revisionism.
THE House of Representatives has rejected the proposals for the creation of 31 new states, citing their failure to meet constitutional requirements.
The chairman of the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution amendment, Benjamin Kalu, revealed this on Friday, February 21, while speaking at a retreat for the panel members in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Kalu, the House deputy speaker, noted that while the proposals represented the aspirations of various regions in the country, none of them met the requirements outlined in Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution, which sets the criteria for state creation.
The ICIRreports that the committee proposed the creation of 31 additional states across Nigeria on February 6.
Kalu detailed the proposed distribution of the new states, with six allocated to the North Central, four to the North-East, five to the North-West, five to the South-East, four to the South-South, and seven to the South-West.
The ICIRexplainer highlights the multi-layered process and requirements for creating new states in Nigeria.
New deadline for resubmission
Kalu in his latest update said that the proposals must be re-submitted in full compliance with the Constitution by March 5.
He said “Although we have received 31 requests for state creation, none of these requests met the constitutional requirements for amendment. Therefore, we have since extended the submission date to the 5th of March, 2025”
While noting that the committee was reviewing 151 constitutional amendment bills, the deputy speaker added that the committee might consider extending the deadline further, depending on discussions at the retreat.
He said that the 151 constitutional amendment bills the committee was reviewing would address issues of federal structure, power devolution, local government autonomy, revenue allocation, judicial and electoral reforms, security, gender rights, and human rights.
“A proactive, cooperative approach will ensure seamless legislative processes and comprehensive legal reforms,” Kalu said.
As part of the review process, zonal and national public hearings will be held across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with sessions planned to hold in Nasarawa, Niger, Borno, Gombe, Kaduna, Sokoto, Enugu, Imo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Lagos, and Ondo states.
Kalu assured that the review process would be transparent and inclusive, emphasising the need for legislative reforms that reflect the will of the Nigerian people.
OSUN State Governor Ademola Adeleke has vowed that his administration would proceed with the local government election slated for Saturday, February 22, in the state, despite Federal Government’s warning that the exercise be suspended.
The ICIR reported the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi demanded that state government should not go ahead with the poll.
Hours after the Federal Government issued its directive, Adeleke said in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rashee, don Friday, February 21, that nothing would stop the process.
The governor said the election, to be conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC),would be held ‘unfailingly’.
The statement quoted the governor as saying this while receiving a delegation of civil society coalition members who were in the state to monitor the poll.
According to Adeleke, Osun voters are prepared to exercise their voting right, even as he expressed satisfaction with the level of preparation by the electoral body.
“I welcome you all to Osun State. Our people are prepared for elections tomorrow. They yearn to have their choices as chairmen and councillors.
“OSIEC has also done a marvellous preparatory job, according to reports at my disposal. Several political parties are participating and I believe there will be a level playing ground for all to test their popularity with the masses”, the governor said.
Reacting to controversies surrounding the exercise, Adeleke declared that “democracy is governed by the rule of law and that nobody can assume the authority of the courts.”
He advised all parties including local and national stakeholders to abide by democratic norms.
“As for me and my people, we stand by the rule of law, not illegal self-help. The election is going to hold and the outcome will fast-track development at the local level,” he added.
The Federal Government had warned that conducting a new local government poll would be invalid and unconstitutional.
This, according to the attorney-general of the federation (Fagbemi), is because the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, recently ruled that the tenure of the ‘sacked’ council chairpersons of the local government area councils was still running.
The AGF stated that his attention was drawn to Adeleke’s public outcry regarding the Court of Appeal’s judgment in Akure.
He said the judgment, delivered on February 10, 2025, in Appeal No. CA/AK/272/2022, nullified the Federal High Court’s judgment in Osogbo, given on November 25, 2022, in favour of the state government.
Fagbemi explained that the controversy surrounding the local government elections in Osun State began during the tenure of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola. He said elections were held in all local governments in the state, and the winners were sworn in.
He recalled that just before Adeleke’s swearing-in, the Federal High Court in Osogbo nullified the poll that brought the chairpersons into office.
He added that in response, Adeleke issued an executive order to remove the elected officials and replaced them with caretaker appointees shortly after assuming office.
The AGF noted that by this decision, the judgment of the Court of Appeal has, by implication, effectively restored the elected local government officials removed by the Federal High Court to their offices.
Fagbemi said the crisis in Osun State erupted when some disgruntled elements resisted the attempt by the officials to resume their positions on Monday, February, 17.
According to the AGF, Adeleke should have maintained law and order in the state rather than allowing the situation to escalate into a crisis.
The ICIR reportedthat seven people reportedly died as APC supporters and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) clashed in the state on Monday.
According to reports, the crisis led to the death of a former chairman of the Irewole Local Government Area, Aderemi Abbas, and others.
Adeleke had raised concerns on Sunday, February 16, about a plan by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, and certain security agency heads to enforce the Appeal Court’s ruling and urged the public to hold them accountable for any violence that arose after the action.
THE launch of former military president Ibrahim Babangida’s autobiography, ‘A Journey in Service’, is generating reactions from prominent and other Nigerians.
While some knocked him for waiting for over three decades to shed light on issues such as the killing of veteran investigative journalist Dele Giwa and the annulment of the June 12, 1999, presidential election, others commended his contributions to national development and said the book would add to knowledge and support nation building.
For the first time after nearly 32 years, Babangida admitted during the book launch in Abuja on Thursday, February 19, that Moshood Abiola, fondly known by his name initials – MKO – won the poll, which he controversially annulled.
The launch doubled as fundraising for the presidential library for the former leader and raised over N12 billion in pledges and donations for the book and library.
While reviewing the book, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said Babangida dedicated a full chapter to the transition to military rule and the annulment of the June 12 election, widely believed as the most credible, freest and fairest in Nigeria’s democratic history.
He wrote: “Although I am on record to have stated after the elections that Abiola may not have won, upon deeper reflection and a closer examination of all available facts, particularly the detailed election results published as an appendix to this book, there was no doubt that M.K.O. Abiola won the June 12 elections.”
The former leader had in the past refused to admit that Abiola won the poll. Babangida in 2018 said there could have been consequences if he had allowed the election results to stand.
Reactions from political leaders
Reacting to the book launch, Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi, who also attended the event, lauded Babangida’s economic policies while noting that Nigeria had regressed since his time in power.
“IBB’s contributions to Nigeria’s economy and his strong support for entrepreneurship and private sector growth remain immeasurable. Under his leadership, Nigeria witnessed substantial growth, particularly in the financial sector. He played a key role in fostering a united and equitable Nigeria, and economic landscape, ensuring policies that strengthened national cohesion and economic development,” Obi wrote via his handle.
He also described Babangida’s admission that MKO won the June 12 election as a crucial step toward national healing and democratic growth.
Shehu Sani, a former senator, who also attended the launch, acknowledged Babangida’s role in Nigeria’s history but lamented that many activists who fought against the annulment of the June 12 election were no longer alive.
“It’s commendable that he finally recognised that MKO won the 1993 June 12 elections. Sadly, Gani, Beko, Fasheun, Chima Ubani and other activists, journalists and unionists who led the struggle and made sacrifices for its validation have passed on. Now that the truth is out 32 years after. I hope that history will be kind to him,” he wrote on his X handle.
Criticism from activists, public figures
Omoyele Sowore, a former presidential candidate and publisher of Sahara Reporters, in his X post, dismissed Babangida’s book as an attempt to shift blame for the June 12 poll annulment to the late General Sani Abacha.
He said this a few hours before the book launch.
Sowore also claimed that Babangida’s administration killed veteran investigative journalist, Dele Giwa.
While Babangida regretted annulling the presidential poll and admitted that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate MKO Abiola won the election, he denied his government’s involvement in Giwa’s death.
He wrote in his book, “The hysteria of the media did not help the investigation of the Giwa murder. As is typical of the Nigerian media, the direction was marked by an adversarial attitude towards the government, which had remained the hallmark of the Nigerian media from its colonial heyday…
“When the Obasanjo civilian administration reopened the Giwa case at the Oputa Panel on Human and Civil Rights, I expected that the police and lawyers would come forward with new evidence as to their findings on the Giwa murder over the years.
“Nothing of such happened. The Giwa, like all mysterious murders, has remained unsolved after so many years. I keep hoping it will be uncovered in our lifetime or after us. More often than not, mysterious crimes are solved long after their commission.”
Also, a human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, expressed outrage at Babangida’s continued acceptance in Nigerian political space despite his past actions.
“To die for a people devoid of memory is to be killed over and over, again and again. In a place inhabited by the conscious, IBB would not dare to show his face in public. But in the crime scene that doubles as our country, having been succeeded by even more villainous ruiners, Badamasi is installed in the seat of the statesman…”
Similarly, journalist and author Richard Akinnola, on his Facebook page, questioned the credibility of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s remarks at the event, recalling past tensions between the two former leaders.
“So, OBJ (Obasanjo) could admonish IBB to disregard critics and people with “pull him down syndrome”, the same OBJ that described IBB as a ‘fool at 70’ on August 19, 2011.”
The ICIR reported that Obasanjo, the chairman at the event, had urged Babangida to shun the book’s critics.
Akinnola, in another post, also listed all key figures involved in the June 12 annulment, who are now dead. He emphasised that Babangida’s version of annulment remained unverifiable.
Inibehe Effiong, a lawyer and activist, in a post on X, condemned the Nigerian elite for celebrating Babangida despite his role in Nigeria’s political and economic struggles.
“Nigeria is a country that demonises heroes and canonises villains. Look at the evil genius, IBB. He launched his autobiography today and tried to annul history the way he annulled June 12 election,” he wrote.
NIGERIANS have taken to social media to lambast Senate President Godwill Akpabio for ordering his fellow senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, out of the Senate Chamber.
The ICIR reported on Thursday, February 20, that Akpabio ordered Akpoti-Uduaghan to be ejected from the Senate chamber during a plenary because she disagreed with a change in her seat.
Social media users, especially on X, expressed anger after a video of the plenary session surfaced online. The video shows the Senate President attempting to silence Akpoti-Uduaghan as she questioned why her seat was changed without her consent.
Akpabio had re-assigned Akpoti-Uduaghan to a new seat because some senators from the minority parties to which she belonged had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) which has the majority of members.
The defectors had decided to change their seats from the minority wing to the area where senators in the majority sit. Consequently, there was seat re-arrangement, which Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was unaware of.
This sparked heated arguments when Akpoti-Uduaghan raised her hand to speak but was denied recognition for not addressing the chamber from her newly assigned seat.
Refusing to back down, Akpoti-Uduaghan, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), raised her voice in protest, directly confronting Akpabio.
Akpabio turned off Akpoti-Uduaghan’s microphone in an attempt to silence her while she was still making her motion. She kept speaking and Akpabio ordered the sergeant-at-arms to walk her out, but after the intervention from various lawmakers, calm was restored, and the lawmaker stood her ground.
Nigerians reaction
Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, shortly after the video surfaced, took to his Facebook page to say that Akpabio was aversed to the opposition and would not survive if he exhibited such behaviour in the South African Parliament.
Effiong argued that instead of assigning new seats to the defectors, Akpabio should have declared their seats vacant. He emphasised that the defection was illegal, making the justification for re-arranging seats invalid.
“Akpabio conveniently cited the Rules of the Senate but willfully ignored Section 68(2) of the Constitution that mandates him as Senate President to declare the defectors’ seats vacant. Having defected, they are no longer senators. They automatically lost their seats the moment they defected. Offering new seats to illegal defectors, who by the Constitution, have lost their membership, amounts to constitutional vandalism” he said.
The lawyer urged Nigerians to hold Akpabio accountable for enabling the violation of the Constitution if they genuinely cared about the country and the rule of law.
A social media user, @maybeks on X, urged Akpabio to refrain from targeting Akpoti-Uduaghan, describing her as one of the few senators who consistently prioritised public service over personal gain.
“Dear Akpabio, Natasha Akpoti is one of the few senators who has always prioritised public service over personal gain, delivering the true dividends of democracy to her constituents. Her position in NASS is of great value to Nigeria. Any action against Natasha is against many of us” the user said.
Another user, @ubando100, wrote: “Dear @Senator_Akpabio, I just want to inform you that Senator Natasha is more intelligent, brave and committed to serving for the betterment of her constituents than you.
Another user, @webtvgirl, said: “Dear Senate President Akpabio, You shall not silence Natasha Akpoti. It seems you believe Natasha is your wife or girlfriend—she is not. She is a democratically elected senator, just like you. Your repeated attempts to silence her have reached their peak today.”
@therealsimcard1 also wrote, “Senator Godswill Akpabio must be stopped. That man is not worthy to be a senator not to talk about being the Senate President. Nigerians and Kogites must protect Senator Natasha at all costs”
Meanwhile, several social media users commend Akpoti-Uduaghan for standing her ground against Akpabio.
Attack not Akpabio’s first on Akpoti-Uduaghan
During plenary In July 2024, Akpoti-Uduaghan commented on a motion without Akpabio’s consent. In his attempt to correct her, he said the Senate was not a nightclub where anybody could talk anyhow.
Akpabio bowed to pressure as he apologised to Akpoti-Uduaghan two days later for comparing her conduct in the Senate to that of a nightclub.
The ICIR reported that the Senate President’s comment caused social media outrage as Nigerians criticised him for the action and described his attitudes towards female senators as not only insulting but a denigration of the female gender and an attempt to stifle female voices.
