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Suspect to face charges after shooting scare at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Mustapha USMAN
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Suspect to face charges after shooting scare at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

THE suspected gunman who stormed a security checkpoint and opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, April 25, will face federal charges on Monday, as investigators continue probing the motive behind the attack.

The attack on Saturday night forced the evacuation of the United States President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump from the event.

The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, was arrested after he allegedly charged security at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., where the annual high-profile media dinner was underway.

Reports indicate that the suspect was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives before he was intercepted by the United States Secret Service.

Reacting to the development, Washington D.C. interim police chief, Jeffrey Carroll, said officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect after he broke through the checkpoint.

“As he ran through that checkpoint, members of law enforcement from the United States Secret Service intercepted that individual,” Caroll said.

He added that the suspect was not hit by gunfire and appeared to be acting alone. “It does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman,” he added.

On her part, the United States Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Allen would face two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on federal officers, using a dangerous weapon. She said he would be formally charged on Monday.

During the attack, Secret Service agents quickly rushed Trump and his wife out of the ballroom, while senior administration officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, were also escorted to safety.

According to reports, guests and journalists were ordered to remain inside the ballroom under lockdown as security operatives secured the premises.

Trump shares suspect images, reacts

Meanwhile, shortly after the incident, Trump posted both photographs and a video of the suspected gunman on social media.

One of the images showed a shirtless man lying on the ground with his hands restrained behind his back as Secret Service officers stood around him.

The blurry video also captured a man rushing past security personnel at a checkpoint. Some officers were seen quickly pursuing him.

Speaking later from the White House, Trump described the attack as shocking and said the event was meant to celebrate freedom of speech.

Trump said a Secret Service officer was shot at close range but was protected by his bulletproof vest.

The president initially pushed for the dinner to continue after the suspect was apprehended, writing on Truth Social that he had recommended authorities should “let the show go on,” but security agencies insisted the event be suspended.

He also announced that the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days.

Authorities said investigations were ongoing, while the motive behind the attack remained unclear.

The incident came less than two years after Trump survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.

At the rally, then-candidate Trump was struck in the upper right ear after gunman Thomas Crooks fired from a nearby rooftop.

One rally attendee was killed and two others were critically injured before Secret Service snipers shot the attacker dead.

Speaking further after Saturday’s incident, Trump linked the latest attack to those earlier attempts, saying people who make the biggest impact often become targets.

“I’ve studied assassinations, and I must tell you, the most impactful people, the people that do the most…the people that make the biggest impact, they’re the ones that they go after,” he said.

He described the suspect as “a very sick person” and said federal agents were executing search warrants at his California apartment.

Saturday’s shooting adds to the past assassination attempts on United States officials, particularly the 1981 shooting of former President Ronald Reagan.

Reagan was shot outside the same Washington Hilton after delivering a speech.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots as Reagan walked toward his limousine.

One bullet ricocheted off the presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest, while others wounded his press secretary James Brady, a Secret Service agent, and a Washington police officer.

Nigeria and Insecurity: When Prayer is an Affront

Editorial
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Nigeria and Insecurity: When Prayer is an Affront

By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

My ill-fated country, those you have affronted

with them you must be equalized by sharing the same affront.

Those you have denied

human rights,

Allowed to stand before you but never invited in –

with all of them you must be equalized by sharing the same affront

Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali (Song Offerings) 108 (1910)

NIGERIA is a country of pious people and sacred cows. On Fridays, its mosques are filled with prayer and Tafsir. On Sundays, the churches take over with song offerings and evocative homilies.

The illegitimate child of the ménage à trois between George Taubman Goldie, his employee, Frederick Lugard, and their shared mistress, Flora Shaw, it was a matter of fate that the country would live in interminably fruitless search of prayer and miracle.

Written in 1959 by Lillian Jane Williams and scored by Frances Benda, Nigeria’s first national anthem was ultimately a failed effort at inventing a civic prayer to expiate for the original sin that afflicted the country’s birth. Its third stanza ended in an invocation to the “God of all creation” to “grant this our one request” and “help us to build a nation where no man is oppressed.” It was as if this prayer forgot that the country had women too, not to mention children.

Under this prayerful invocation, Nigeria raced through a pogrom, a civil war, and four coups (including an unsuccessful one) in its first 20 years of Independence, accounting for the killing of three of its first four Heads of State and three of its first four heads of government. As a prayer, it did not seem to hold God’s attention.

Rather than investigate or address why the prayer appeared to have suffered derailment on its way upstairs, the country sought replacement therapy. In 1978, it retired that anthem in favour of another one.

Invented by committee, the fate of this second anthem was sealed at birth when it was arranged by the Police Band. Like its predecessor, it prays to the “God of creation” to help us “to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.” Launched into a transition and bridled under austerity, this second anthem became a totem to treason; and song offering for a succession of military usurpers whose primary vocation was to sow constitutional instability and sunder the nation.

Two decades into its life, it was evident that the second anthem did not cut much ice with the Heavens either as the country’s problems seemed to multiply in direct proportion to the frequency of its rendition. The response was a multiplicity of prayer projects to save Nigeria. Indeed, Nigeria’s second military ruler and its first four-star army General, Yakubu Gowon, retired to a ministry known as “Nigeria Prays”.

It was, however, Nigeria’s largest Christian denomination, the Catholic Church, which gave full vent to the enterprise of praying for Nigeria. Five days after the military annulled the outcome of the June 12 1993 elections and as the country laboured under existential uncertainty, On 27 June 1993, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria launched the “Prayer for Nigeria in Distress” as their unique contribution to Nigeria’s search for sovereign safe harbour.

This “prayer” confesses on behalf of Nigerians that “[W]e are sorry for all the sins We have committed and for the good deeds We failed to do”, but pleads with the Almighty to “keep us safe from the punishments we deserve”, without giving any compelling reasons why He should. It admits that “we are weighed down not only by uncertainties, but also by moral, economic and political problems”, begs Him to “be merciful to us your people”, and, with shameless lack of self-awareness, asks Him to “spare this Nation Nigeria from chaos, anarchy and doom.”

This prayer is at once a summary of the Nigerian condition and a brutal piece of self-indictment. Its authors clearly understood that the natural logic of the Nigeria’s trajectory is “chaos, anarchy and doom”. What is not clear is why they believed that the way to spare the country these consequences was through a ritual of gratuitous weekly prayer incantations.

Thirty three years of this ritual have not made much dent on the natural logic of Nigeria’s sovereign misadventure. During that period, lots of Catholic priests and bishops have – with full knowledge – blessed politicians who rigged elections and collected car gifts and cathedrals procured with stolen public funds. Nigeria’s sacred cows continue to receive their benedictions from pious men who offer prayers to save the country from the doom to which their acts logically condemn it.

As if goaded by a clan of shamans, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu disinterred the first anthem in 2024 – 45 years after it was first retired. He has since then turned the country into a gaggle of “prayer warriors”.

Most recently, Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, has called for “divine intervention” to save the country from insecurity. As the last Ramadan season entered its final furlong, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, “called on Muslims and Christians in the state to intensify prayers against rising  insecurity issues.”

Not to be outdone, Benue State Governor – a Catholic Priest – preaches “sustained prayers” as the answer to insecurity in his state.

When he was Governor of Zamfara State in 2022, Bello Matawalle funded 97 clerics to Saudi Arabia “to go and pray for a stoppage of banditry” in order to “diversify strategies to restore peace and security in the state.” Today, as Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, his tried and tested playbook bears remarkable fruit for a country affronted!

But the real prayer for Nigeria was arguably written four years before the Amalgamation that begat it in 1914 and over ten thousands kilometres away, in a collection of chants by Bengali mystic, Rabindranath Tagore, published under the title “Gitanjali.”

The tale of Tagore, India and Nigeria makes for a most unlikely coincidence. Tagore was born in 1861, the same year in which the British possessed Lagos. He died in 1941, just six years before the British project in India ended in that most bloody Partition, the same year in which the Nigerian Regiment helped to restore the Emperor in Ethiopia. From Tagore’s India, the British exported many things to Nigeria, including the Criminal Code, the Verandah, and Frederick Lugard.

It is, therefore, not at all un-natural that Tagore’s prayer for Nigeria was also made in India. Among his collection in Gitanjali, Tagore pens a trilogy of patriotic songs: Gitanjali 106 calls attention to the perils of social exclusion; 107 acknowledges India’s vast under-class of social exclusion in the caste system; and 108 predicts a terrible reckoning:

Day after day, you have avoided human touch

Showing your contempt for the deity that dwells in man.

One day, the Creator’s ruthless fury

will make you sit by famine’s doorway

and share with others what there is to eat and drink.

With all of them you’ll have to be equalized by sharing the same affront.

These excluded were the people whom another of India’s celebrated founders, Mohandas Gandhi, called the “Harijans” or “God’s people.” It is no accident that Nigeria’s encounter with its reckoning appears to be happening “in God’s name”.

In the north-east, a Jihadist onslaught proclaims a Caliphate in God’s name.

In the north-west, the killers of Deborah claimed they did it in God’s name.

In the south-east, adherents of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, claim to be the children of “Chukwu Okike Abiama”, which translates into “God of all Creation” in Nigeria’s relay of national anthems.

All this grasping for the Almighty reflects the reality that the Nigerian State has never cared nor existed for its underclass. It has only ever treated them as both sub-human and expendable.

As the country prepares for another milestone in its romance with sovereign organized crime in 2027, the authors of this script must pray that Nigeria’s excluded and expended do not decide to ask for what is duly theirs. For if they could, they will present the country for the first time with a proposition for which there are not enough prayers or bullets.

For Nigeria, they are Tagore’s prayer in the fourth stanza of Gitanjali 108 answered:

Whoever you fling to a lower level will bind you to that level.

Whoever you keep behind your back is only dragging you backwards.

Whoever you keep occluded,

Hidden in ignorance-darkness,

is shaping a chasm between you and your welfare.

You must be equalized with all of them by sharing the same affront.

A lawyer and a teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu

2027: Opposition parties push for single presidential candidate, demand INEC chairman’s sack

Mustapha USMAN
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2027: Opposition parties push for single presidential candidate, demand INEC chairman’s sack

LEADERS of major opposition political parties in Nigeria have resolved to work towards presenting a single presidential candidate for the 2027 general election as part of efforts to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The resolution was announced on Saturday, April 25, at the end of the National Summit of Opposition Political Party Leaders held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, where key opposition figures gathered to discuss coalition-building and preparations ahead of the next presidential election.

Among those present were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra, Rivers, Kano and Osun state governors, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Rauf Aregbesola, respectively.

Former Senate President David Mark, former Minister of Information, Jerry Gana, former presidential candidate Pat Utomi, and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde were also among prominent Nigerians at the summit.

Speaking at the summit, factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Saminu Turaki, said the opposition had agreed to rally behind one presidential candidate in order to “rescue the nation.”

“We will work towards fielding only one presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, that will be agreed upon by all opposition parties, in order to rescue our nation and the suffering masses,” Taraki said.

The decision was later formalised in the “Ibadan Declaration,” a communiqué signed by chairmen of participating opposition parties and released by the Turaki’s PDP official handle.

In the communiqué, the coalition accused the APC of pursuing anti-democratic policies and attempting to impose President Bola Tinubu as the sole presidential candidate in 2027.

“That we shall resist all machinations by the APC to foist a one-party state on Nigeria and fight for the survival of multi-party democracy in our country,” part of the communique read.

The opposition leaders vowed that despite the ruling party’s ‘manoeuvrings’, they would contest the 2027 presidential and other elections.

“That despite the onslaughts and manoeuvrings of the ruling party, the APC to impose President Bola Tinubu as the sole presidential candidate in 2027; we shall field candidates and contest the 2027 presidential and other elections,” the communiqué stated.

Opposition leaders demand INEC’s chairman resignation

Similarly, the summit called for the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, accusing him of bias and partisanship in favour of the APC.

According to the opposition leaders, Nigerians had lost confidence in the INEC chairman’s neutrality and his continued stay in office could trigger widespread political crisis.

“That the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, having shown bias and partisanship in favour of the ruling APC, should not conduct the 2027 general elections as Nigerians across board have lost confidence in him and his capacity to guarantee the required neutrality to deliver free, fair, transparent and credible elections. His continuous stay in office is vexatious and capable of triggering wide spread crisis in our nation,” they stated.

They further asked the National Assembly to immediately review the Electoral Act 2026 and remove provisions they claimed threatened the credibility and integrity of elections and contradicted constitutional provisions.

The coalition criticised recently released INEC 2027 polls guidelines, describing them as deliberate obstacles designed to frustrate opposition parties, and demanded an extension of the deadline for party primaries until the end of July 2026.

The group also called for the release of politicians detained or harassed over bailable offences, insisting that such actions undermined democratic participation and inclusivity.

Makinde warns against one-party system

Earlier at the summit, the Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde warned against one-party domination, invoking the memory of the violent political crisis known as “Operation Wetie,” which rocked the old Western Region in the 1960s.

“Operation Wetie started from here. This is the same Wild Wild West,” Makinde said.

“Back in 1950, this city hosted a conversation that helped shape Nigeria’s constitutional future. Those discussions were not perfect but necessary. They were driven by a recognition that the structure of the nation was a deliberately built, protected and well necessary debated. In many ways, this gathering carries the same responsibility.

“There are open efforts to consolidate legislative control under one party. At the same time, opposition parties are increasingly entangled in internal crises and legal battles that raise serious questions about their ability to function effectively,” he added.

He said democracy would lose its essence when opposition parties become ineffective and warned against allowing the country’s democratic space to shrink.

“This meeting is not a gang up against one man. And it’s not about individual ambition to be president; it is about the collective ambition of the Nigerian people to have a democracy that is properly defined,” he said.

Nigeria leads as global malaria deaths rise to 610,000

Mustapha USMAN
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Nigeria leads as global malaria deaths rise to 610,000

THE World Health Organization has raised concerns over the continued spike in global malaria cases and deaths, warning that Nigeria remains one of the most burdened countries.

The WHO also revealed that malaria killed an estimated 610,000 people globally in 2024.

Commemorating the World Malaria Day 2026 on April 25, the WHO launched its new campaign, themed: “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must.”

It described the new campaign as a call to accelerate efforts toward ending malaria despite growing challenges such as drug resistance, funding gaps, and climate-related disruptions.

“Science is advancing faster than ever. For the first time, ending malaria in our lifetime is a real possibility. New vaccines, treatments, malaria control tools and pioneering technologies – including genetic modification of mosquitoes and long-acting injectables – are in development.

“Already, 25 countries are rolling out malaria vaccines to protect 10 million children a year. Next-generation mosquito nets now make up 84 per cent of all new nets distributed. Nationally led programmes are driving change. The possibility has never been greater,” the WHO said in a statement.

Malaria remains a life-threatening disease transmitted through the bites of infected female anopheles mosquitoes, and is most common in tropical countries.

Symptoms include fever, headache and chills, but severe cases can lead to breathing difficulties, seizures, organ failure and death if not treated quickly.

Infants, children under five, pregnant women, travellers, and people living with HIV/AIDS are considered most at risk.

The global health body noted that since 2000, malaria interventions had helped avert 2.3 billion cases and 14 million deaths, insisting that ending malaria within a generation “is now possible if urgent action is taken.”

It said 47 countries had been certified malaria-free, including two countries in 2024 and three more in 2025, while 37 others reported fewer than 1,000 malaria cases in 2024.

It also noted that between 2000 and 2024, malaria-endemic countries dropped from 108 to 80.

It urged governments and development partners to sustain funding, strengthen country-led programmes, accelerate innovation, and empower communities.

According to the WHO’s World Malaria Report 2025, there were an estimated 282 million malaria cases globally in 2024, representing an increase of about nine million cases compared to 2023, while deaths rose slightly from 598,000 in 2023 to 610,000 in 2024.

The WHO African Region recorded the heaviest burden, accounting for 95 per cent of global malaria cases. It logged 265 million infections, and 95 per cent of all deaths attributable to the disease, translating to about 579,000 fatalities.

Children under five years accounted for about 75 per cent of all malaria deaths in the region.

The agency said Nigeria contributed the highest share of malaria deaths in Africa, accounting for 31.9 per cent of all deaths in the region, followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo with 11.7 per cent, and Niger with 6.1 per cent.

The global health body said despite years of progress, malaria elimination efforts were facing fresh threats.

For instance, artemisinin partial resistance, which threatens the effectiveness of the main malaria treatment, was confirmed in four African countries, Eritrea, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania, while insecticide resistance to pyrethroids, commonly used in mosquito nets, has been confirmed in 48 out of 53 reporting countries.

WHO also warned that diagnostic failures linked to pfhrp2 gene deletions were spreading, making some rapid diagnostic tests ineffective, while the invasive mosquito species Anopheles stephensi, known for thriving in urban areas and resisting insecticides, was expanding across Africa.

A major concern highlighted in the report is inadequate funding. The WHO said only $3.9 billion was available for malaria response in 2024, less than half of the $9.3 billion target for 2025, leaving a projected shortfall of $5.4 billion.

It added that recent cuts in global health aid disrupted surveillance systems, healthcare delivery, and malaria prevention campaigns, especially in vulnerable countries.

The WHO stressed that malaria is preventable and curable through the use of mosquito nets, repellents, preventive medicines, vaccines, and prompt treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies.

Nigeria urges citizens to close shops as Ghana summons S’Africa envoy over xenophobic attacks

Mustapha USMAN
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Nigeria urges citizens to close shops as Ghana summons S’Africa envoy over xenophobic attacks

THE Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has issued a fresh safety alert to Nigerians living in South Africa following renewed anti-foreigner protests that have turned violent in parts of the country.

This was as Ghana summoned South African senior official over attacks on its citizens.

In a statement on Friday, April 24, NiDCOM said demonstrations in East London, Cape Town, Durban and parts of KwaZulu-Natal had escalated into violence, with reports of looting, destruction of property and injuries.

The commission disclosed that intelligence from the Nigerian Consulate General in Johannesburg showed that more protests were being planned in Gauteng Province between April 27 and 29, as demonstrators continue to pressure the South African government over the presence of foreign nationals.

“In response, NiDCOM advises all Nigerian citizens to avoid confrontation with protesters, refrain from engaging with demonstration groups, and monitor local media for real-time safety updates.

“Nigerian nationals are also urged to remain law-abiding at all times,” the commission said.

It further advised Nigerian business owners to temporarily shut down their shops, especially on Freedom Day, April 27, and possibly on April 28 and 29, warning that foreign-owned businesses were often targeted during such unrest.

NiDCOM said that the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, was engaging with South African authorities over the situation.

This latest warning came a few weeks after attacks on foreigners by some South African groups over the coronation of a traditional leader by Nigeria’s Igbo community in East London.

On Thursday, April 23, several viral videos reportedly showed groups of South Africans assaulting foreign nationals as they demanded that they leave the country.

In one of the videos, a group confronted a Ghanaian man, questioning why he had moved to South Africa.

“This thing of you guys moving from one country to the other, its no longer working,” a lady said on behalf of the group.

“We don’t want these African people anymore. We’re tired of seeing African migrants moving all over the world, refusing to fix your own countries. Now, we’re making it very clear to you guys: we don’t want you here. We want you to fix your countries,” she added.

A man in the same clip challenged the legality of the Ghanaian’s documents, accused him of fraud and warned other foreigners to leave before they were targeted.

Another video showed a man being assaulted after he was mistaken for a foreigner, while a separate clip captured a South African man complaining that foreigners were “sleeping comfortably” while locals struggled.

Ghana summons top South Africa official

The incidents prompted Ghana to summon South Africa’s acting High Commissioner to Accra, Thando Dalamba, over what it described as “acts of intimidation and harassment” against Ghanaians and other African migrants.

Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the victim in the viral video was legally resident in South Africa and condemned the public harassment.

“Such conduct undermines the dignity and rights of law-abiding citizens,” the ministry said.

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, described the videos as ‘xenophobic’ and said he had spoken with South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Ronald Lamola, who promised a full investigation and expressed sympathy for the victims.

Rising tensions

Meanwhile, residents of Mthatha in Eastern Cape Province are expected to hold fresh protests over concerns about the presence of foreign nationals and limited job opportunities for locals.

The protests have been linked to anti-immigrant groups such as Operation Dudula, and March on March, which accuse migrants of causing worsening unemployment, crime and drug abuse in South Africa.

Earlier this week, March on March led demonstrations in Durban, where participants were seen in viral clips attacking a man they believed was an undocumented foreigner.

South African authorities have since condemned the attacks.

Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said no individual or group had the authority to take immigration enforcement into their own hands.

He also warned that attacks on migrants threatened South Africa’s constitutional order.

“The Ministry of Police wishes to advise the members of the public that acts of xenophobia, violence, looting, or intimidation will not be tolerated under any circumstances. The #SAPS has been instructed to act decisively and without hesitation in addressing these incidents,” he said.

The ministry added that all those found participating in or inciting xenophobic violence would be identified, arrested and prosecuted.

A Million Ways To Hurt Women

Editorial
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A Million Ways To Hurt Women

By Olufunke Baruwa

THERE are shocking stories and then there are disturbing stories. The recent CNN investigation into what has been chillingly described as an online “rape academy”

straddles both. It is not just a story of depravity. It is a story of digital, social, and cultural systems working in quiet collusion to harm women on a scale that is both industrial and intimate.

According to the investigation, a site with tens of millions of visits, reportedly over 62 million in a single month, hosts communities of men who share not just explicit content, but strategies: how to drug women, how to violate them while unconscious, how to record the act, and how to distribute it.

This is not happening in the shadows of the dark web. It is happening in plain sight and that is the point.

At the heart of these horrors is a fundamental truth: the erosion of consent as a moral boundary. The men on these platforms do not see unconsciousness as a barrier. They see it as an opportunity. They do not interpret silence as absence of consent; rather, they redefine it as permission.

When men gather in spaces where rape is normalised, discussed, and even celebrated, they begin to internalise a different moral framework, one in which women’s bodies are objects, not agents. And once that shift occurs, the line between fantasy and action collapses. The digital world does not just reflect violence; it produces it in astronomical numbers.

A Global Pattern and Digital Architecture of Violence

For years, we have spoken about violence against women as though it were episodic—something that happens in dark alleys, in moments of individual moral failure. But what this investigation reveals is something far more sinister: the systematisation of sexual violence.

These platforms operate like any other online community. They reward participation, normalise behaviour and create belonging. Badges, rankings, and validation loops turn acts of violence into social currency. Men are not merely consuming content; they are learning from one another. They are teaching, improving techniques and building a culture.

And culture, once entrenched, is far harder to dismantle than any individual criminal act. This is the terrifying evolution of misogyny in the digital age: it is no longer just expressed, it is organised, networked, and optimised.

It would be comforting to believe that these are isolated incidents or aberrations in otherwise functional societies. But the evidence suggests otherwise. From France to the United Kingdom, from Nigeria to the United States, stories of drug-facilitated sexual assault, image-based abuse, and online exploitation continue to surface with disturbing regularity.

The CNN investigation is not an outlier. It is a window into a global ecosystem where technology enables anonymity, communities reinforce deviance and weak accountability allows it to flourish. Even more troubling is the scale. Sixty-two million visits is not a fringe statistic. It is a mass phenomenon.

It raises an uncomfortable question: How many men are participating in, consuming, or silently tolerating this violence against women and girls?

When Home Becomes the Crime Scene

If the online world reveals the scale, real-life cases reveal the depth of this violence. Consider the case of Gisèle Pelicot. For nearly a decade, her husband, Dominique Pelicot, drugged her repeatedly and invited dozens of men to rape her while she lay unconscious in her own bed. He filmed the assaults. He catalogued them. He shared them. She was raped at least 92 times by over 70 men and she did not know.

When she finally discovered the truth through police evidence, not memory, her world collapsed in a way that language can barely contain. She later described the experience as “unbearable.” This was not a stranger in a dark alley. This was her husband. Her home. Her life.

And he was not alone. Dozens of men participated, men with families, jobs, and social standing. Some claimed they believed it was consensual. Others did not bother to ask. What unites them is not ignorance. It is entitlement.

For generations, women have been told to be careful: Do not walk alone at night.

Watch your drink. Dress decent. Trust your instincts. But what happens when the danger is not outside but inside? Inside homes, marriages and trusted relationships.

What happens when the person who is supposed to protect you is the one orchestrating your violation? The case of Gisèle Pelicot shatters the illusion that safety can be achieved through vigilance alone. You cannot guard against what you cannot imagine. You cannot defend yourself against a betrayal you do not see coming.

This is the cruel paradox of gender-based violence: women are asked to be responsible for preventing crimes that are entirely outside their control.

The Role of Platforms and Policy Failure

There is another layer to this story, one that cannot be ignored: the role of platforms and regulators. How do communities like this exist, grow, and thrive without intervention?

The answer lies in a toxic mix of platform negligence, weak enforcement of content moderation, jurisdictional loopholes and a persistent underestimation of gender-based violence as a serious crime. For too long, online abuse has been treated as a secondary issue, less urgent than terrorism, less visible than financial crime, less politically costly than other forms of harm.

But what we are witnessing now is the consequence of that neglect. When you fail to regulate spaces that normalise violence, you are not neutral. You are complicit.

If there is any light in this darkness, it is the courage of survivors like Gisèle Pelicot, who chose to waive her anonymity and face her attackers in open court. In doing so, she made a radical demand: that the shame of rape should no longer belong to the victim, but to the perpetrators.

This is not just symbolic. It is transformative. Because silence protects systems. Visibility disrupts them. Her story has sparked outrage, yes, but also reflection. It forces societies to confront uncomfortable truths about masculinity, power, and the normalisation of violence.

A Million Ways, One System

Women are harmed in homes, at work and on the streets. In physical and digital spaces. By strangers and by those they love. But beneath these many forms of violence lies a single, unifying system: a world that still, fundamentally, does not value women’s autonomy as it should.

Until that changes, until consent is non-negotiable, until accountability is real, until platforms are forced to act, and until societies confront the cultures they have allowed to fester, these stories will continue. And each one will feel like an aberration. But they are not. They are the pattern.

The question is no longer whether women are safe. They are not. The question is whether we are willing to confront the uncomfortable truth of why. And more importantly, what we are prepared to do about it.

To curb this horrific trend, governments, technology platforms, and societies must move decisively to criminalise and aggressively prosecute digital sexual violence, enforce stricter platform accountability and content moderation, invest in survivor-centred justice systems, and fundamentally challenge the cultural norms that enable men to dehumanise and violate women with impunity.

The world will remain a dangerous place for women and girls until men see women as humans with agency and voice and those who profit astronomically from digital technology begin to hold their platforms accountable to womanity

Wike appoints third retiring FCTA director as aide 

Mustapha USMAN
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Wike appoints third retiring FCTA director as aide 

THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has appointed another retiring Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) official, Musa Idris, as his Senior Special Assistant on Procurement.

The appointment takes immediate effect and follows Idris’ retirement from the civil service on Friday, April 24, 2026.

Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the minister, Lere Olayinka, announced the appointment in a statement on Friday.

According to Olayinka, Idris is a seasoned public servant with over 30 years of experience in administration, finance, and public sector procurement management.

Before his retirement, Idris served as Director of Procurement in the FCTA, a position he assumed in July 2021.

“He rose to the position of Director, Common Services (Procurement) in August 2019 and was later redeployed to the Department of Procurement as Director FCT Procurement in July 2021, where he played critical roles in overseeing procurement processes and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

“Over the years, Idris has gained extensive experience across key administrative and procurement functions, contributing to institutional efficiency and service delivery,” he said.

The latest appointment adds to a growing pattern of Wike retaining retiring senior FCTA officials as political aides immediately after their exit from the civil service.

In January 2026, the minister appointed a retiring FCTA official, Musa Daura, as Senior Special Assistant on Protocol Matters, with the appointment taking effect shortly after his retirement from service on January 24.

Daura, who served as Director of the FCT Protocol Department, had spent more than three decades in protocol and administrative roles within the FCTA.

His appointment came barely a month after Wike also named retired Director of the Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, as Senior Special Assistant on Development Control and Planning in December 2025.

Galadima had served as director of the Development Control Department from 2016 to 2025 and was appointed shortly after leaving office.

Building a greener, safer future: why local action matters now

Editorial
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Building a greener, safer future: why local action matters now

By Abubakar  ABDULMUSAWWIR

In recent years, conversations around insecurity, poverty, and environmental degradation have dominated public discourse in Nigeria, particularly in the North-East. While these issues are often discussed separately, the reality on the ground tells a different story, one where they are deeply interconnected. To truly address them, we must adopt solutions that are holistic, community-driven, and sustainable.

It is precisely this gap that Make Yobe Green and Safe (MYGS) seeks to fill.

Yobe State, like many parts of the North-East, faces enormous challenges. Years of insecurity have disrupted livelihoods, weakened institutions, and displaced communities. Poverty remains widespread, and many young people struggle to find meaningful employment. Environmental issues such as deforestation, desertification, and poor waste management further compound these difficulties. In such a context, the need for innovative, grassroots solutions cannot be overstated.

One important lesson from working within communities is that the environment can serve as an entry point for transformation. One of our flagship initiatives is plastic waste recycling. Across our communities, plastic waste is a common sight, littering streets, clogging drainage systems and contributing to pollution. However, we see waste not as a problem, but as an opportunity.

Yet waste can also be seen as an opportunity rather than simply a problem. Through our recycling program, we have established systems where plastic waste is collected, sorted and sold. We engage young people, women and other vulnerable groups, training them on how to participate in recycling and earn an income from it. What was once discarded is now a source of livelihood. This initiative not only helps to clean our environment but also provides economic relief for many households.

Tree planting is another practical intervention with long-term benefits. Trees help combat climate change, improve air quality, and prevent desert encroachment, which remains a serious threat in northern Nigeria. Encouraging communities to plant and protect trees also fosters a stronger sense of ownership and responsibility for the environment.

Education is equally essential. Environmental awareness must go beyond slogans and become part of daily community life. Schools, religious institutions, and local organisations all have a role to play in teaching sustainable practices and promoting responsible citizenship. In regions affected by conflict, promoting values such as tolerance, dialogue and coexistence is essential. By combining green education with peace studies, we aim to build not just environmentally conscious citizens, but also responsible and peaceful members of society.

Energy poverty also deserves urgent attention. Many communities still lack reliable access to electricity, limiting economic activity and affecting quality of life. Renewable energy solutions, especially solar power, offer cleaner and more dependable alternatives. Expanding access to sustainable energy can support homes, small businesses, schools, and health services while reducing dependence on harmful energy sources.

The impact of community-driven environmental initiatives is already visible in many places. Young people who were previously idle become engaged in productive activities. Women gain new sources of income. Communities become more conscious of environmental challenges and begin taking responsibility for local solutions. Most importantly, people begin to believe that change is possible.

However, grassroots efforts often face major challenges. Drawing from experience with MYGS, funding constraints often limit the scale and reach of our programs. There is also the challenge of visibility as many impactful local initiatives go unnoticed and unsupported, despite their potential to drive meaningful change.

This is why stronger support from government agencies, private sector stakeholders, development partners, and civil society is necessary. Supporting grassroots initiatives should not be seen as charity, but as a strategic investment in peace, resilience, and long-term development. By supporting community-driven solutions, we can build resilience, create jobs and foster long-term stability

Members of the public also need to get involved.  Environmental sustainability is not the responsibility of a few; it is a collective duty. Simple actions such as proper waste disposal, participation in recycling, and tree planting can make a significant difference. When communities come together with a shared purpose, the impact can be transformative.

The challenges we face are complex, but they are not insurmountable. With the right partnerships, support and commitment, we can turn them into opportunities for growth and transformation.

The future we desire – a greener environment, a safer society, and a more prosperous people – is within reach. But it requires collective effort. It requires us to rethink our approach, invest in our communities, and support local solutions that create lasting change.

Together, we can build a Yobe that is not only green but also safe, a place where people live with dignity, harmony, and hope.

Abubakar Abdulmusawwir from MYGS, writes from Potiskum, Yobe State. He can be reached through: abubakarabdulmusawwir@gmail.com

Fate of 416 Boko Haram captives uncertain as 72-hour deadline expires

Mustapha USMAN
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Fate of 416 Boko Haram captives uncertain as 72-hour deadline expires

ANXIETY has deepened over the fate of 416 civilians abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State after the 72-hour ultimatum issued by the insurgents for the payment of ransom expired without any news of the captives’ release. 

In the reported footage, the insurgents, dressed in military camouflage and speaking in Hausa, warned that the abducted women and children would be moved to places where they might never be found again.

They also openly challenged the Nigerian government to attempt a forceful rescue, insisting they were prepared for confrontation and would not back down.

The group described the message as its “first and final warning,” stressing that once the deadline elapsed, the captives would be separated and taken to various locations.

“We are Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidwatu Wal-Jihad under Imam Abu. Today, 19th April 2026, we are issuing a new message to the Borno South Youths Alliance and to the Nigerian government, which we do not recognise as our government. This is our first and final message. We are giving you 72 hours. 

“If our demands are not met, we will move these victims, including women and children, to different locations. All of them. You have made your decision, and we have made ours. We instruct you, in the name of Allah, not to exceed the given time,” the sect said.

The group’s spokesperson added that “And take a look at them before we do so, because you may never see them again. If the government believes it can rescue them by force, you are free to try. We depend on Allah.”

As of Thursday, April 23, however, there was no official statement from the Federal Government, Borno State Government, military authorities, or security agencies confirming whether the negotiations had succeeded or the victims had been rescued.

This silence has heightened fears among residents and families of the abductees that the insurgents might have carried out their threat.

Group demands N5bn ransom

Although the terrorists did not state their exact demands in the video, reports indicated that the President of the Borno South Youths Alliance (BOSYA), Samaila Kaigama, confirmed that the insurgents demanded ₦5 billion for the victims’ release.

BOSYA has reportedly been engaging with the media and acting as an intermediary between the terrorist group and the families of the affected victims.

Kaigama said the demand was communicated through a video sent by the terrorists and described as a “final warning” during ongoing mediation efforts.

According to him, BOSYA had been involved in efforts to establish contact and facilitate discussions between the insurgents and relevant authorities in a bid to secure the safe release of the abducted women and children.

He said the alliance considered the matter a humanitarian emergency and urged urgent intervention from both government and weall-meaning Nigerians.

Kaigama also appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, and prominent philanthropists such as Aliko Dangote and Abdul Samad Rabiu to intervene before it became too late.

How the victims were abducted

The mass abduction followed a deadly Boko Haram attack on Ngoshe community on March 4, when suspected fighters from Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) invaded the area after first overrunning a military base.

Reports indicated that the insurgents attacked the military formation in the early hours, burnt operational vehicles, destroyed military equipment, and dispersed security personnel before moving into the community and launching attacks on civilians.

Several residents were reportedly killed during the assault, while hundreds of women and children were abducted and taken away toward the Mandara Mountains.

The attack forced hundreds of residents to flee to neighbouring Pulka town, where many displaced persons reportedly slept on roadsides and in school buildings for fear of further attacks.

The spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, Nahum Kenneth, had confirmed that civilians were killed and many others were missing.

Senate urges FG to act

The Senate on April 22 called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to secure the captives’ release.

The lawmakers’ position was prompted by a motion titled, “Urgent Need to Curb Attacks on Military Formations by Boko Haram Insurgents,” sponsored by a senator representing Borno North, Tahir Monguno, and co-sponsored by two other senators in the state, Ali Ndume and Kaka Lawan.

In its resolutions, the Senate condemned the continued Boko Haram attacks on military formations and local communities in parts of the nation.

BudgIT slams Tinubu’s fresh $516m loan, says poor loans worse than wasted revenues

Nanji Nandang VENLEY
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BudgIT slams Tinubu’s fresh $516m loan, says poor loans worse than wasted revenues

THE Chief Executive Officer of BudgIT,  Seun Onigbinde, has warned that poorly taken loans are more dangerous than wasting public revenues.

Speaking on Friday’s edition of Channels Television Morning Brief, Onigbinde criticised the processes surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s fresh $516 million loan request, arguing that weak scrutiny by the National Assembly risked mortgaging the country’s future revenues.

The ICIR reported on Thursday, April 23, that Tinubu sought the Senate approval for the loan to support the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway project.

He requested for the approval despite the current oil windfall for the Nigerian government, occasioned by the United States war in Iran and huge revenue accruing to the government’s coffers from the petrol subsidy removal.

The Federal Government had put the 2026 budget benchmark for crude at $64.85 per barrel, but Brent currently sells for $102.2 per barrel, according to data from oilprice.com.

Reacting to the development, the BudgIT CEO said on the TV programme, “No matter what interest rate, no matter the moratorium, at one point in time, you would have to pay back, and you will have to pay back with future revenue. So, you know, a poorly taken loan is so much more dangerous than wasting public revenues because you are literally averaging revenues that would come in the future at the end of the day.”

Tinubu had said the proposed facility sourced through a syndicated arrangement, led by Deutsche Bank, would finance Sections I, Phase IA and IB of the project, covering roughly 120 kilometres.

He explained that the request complied with Sections 16 and 21 of the Debt Management Office (DMO) Act governing public borrowing.

The loan request came barely 48 hours after the sack of the former Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, who, sources said, was not in support of frequent borrowings of the Tinubu administration.

Speaking further on Channels TV, Onigbinde stressed that borrowing decisions should undergo rigorous legislative and procedural checks before approval, warning that current practices fell short of expected standards.

“Before we even look at the propriety of the loan request…It’s unfortunate, I mean, to take a loan when procurement processes are not effective. And the National Assembly, there’s supposed to be the guardrail and the backstop to all of this. It’s also not standing up to its responsibility,” he added.

Onigbinde questioned the prioritisation of so-called “legacy projects,” citing ongoing infrastructure gaps across the country. He pointed to several incomplete road networks, arguing that the government should focus on finishing existing projects before embarking on new, capital-intensive ones funded by debt.

The BudgIT CEO also raised red flags over procurement practices tied to major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal and the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, noting that the absence of transparent and competitive bidding processes undermined accountability and value for money.

He further criticised the legislature for failing to act as a safeguard against executive excesses, stressing that the constitutional role of the National Assembly is to serve as a guardrail in approving borrowing plans.

“The executive can propose anything…The framers of the constitution that said that the National Assembly should approve this funding, they were wise in their own ways because they understood that the executive could even choose to be exuberant, but the National Assembly should act as the buffer on all of these issues,” he added, warning that weak oversight could deepen Nigeria’s fiscal vulnerabilities.

Onigbinde remarks come amid growing public debate over Nigeria’s debt sustainability and the transparency of large-scale infrastructure financing, as the government continues to pursue ambitious development projects funded through external borrowing.

Last month, the president requested that the National Assembly approve a N9 trillion increase to the 2026 budget, alongside fresh external borrowing totaling $6 billion to support government spending, infrastructure, and debt obligations.

  

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