US VISA DROP BOX NO LONGER AVAILABLE IN NIGERIA
US VISA DROP BOX NO LONGER AVAILABLE IN NIGERIA The drop box visa processing option is no longer available for US visa applicants in Nigeria, marking a significant shift in the visa renewal process. Sources confirm that the service, which previously allowed eligible applicants to renew their visas without an in-person interview, has been quietly removed from the appointment booking system. While the US Embassy in Nigeria has yet to issue an official statement on the change, applicants attempting to schedule visa renewals have reported that the drop box feature is no longer an option on the appointment booking platform. Applicants who spok stated that they have not been able to access the platform suggesting that it may have been removed. However, sources confirm the feature may have been removed as a slew of executive orders from Donald Trump started to impact the world. This development is coming amid a backlog of visa applications, with many applicants waiting months to secure drop box appointments before this removal. Some even reported waiting nearly a year to get a physical appointment, adding to the frustration of an already tedious process. This change comes at a time when many applicants had already been struggling with long wait times—some as long as a year—to secure an in-person visa appointment. As of January, dropbox appointment slots were unavailable in Lagos, pushing many applicants to seek alternatives in Abuja. Now, with the complete removal of the drop box feature, all applicants will have to go through in-person interviews, returning to the process that was in place before 2020. What you should know The drop box (Interview Waiver) program in Nigeria was initially introduced to ease the visa renewal process by allowing certain applicants to submit their documents without attending an in-person interview at the US Embassy or Consulate. To qualify, applicants had to meet specific criteria, including: Having a prior US visa that expired within the last 24 months. The previous visa must have been issued in Nigeria as a full-validity, multiple-entry visa.Applying for the same visa classification as the prior approved visa. No record of overstaying, working without authorization, or having criminal convictions in the US. In August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Department of State expanded eligibility, allowing those whose visas expired within 48 months to apply through the drop box system. This measure aimed to streamline visa renewals and reduce in-person interactions amid pandemic restrictions. However, the drop box service in Nigeria has faced previous suspensions. In 2018, during Donald Trump’s first administration, the US government removed the option, citing concerns over visa overstays by Nigerian travellers. At the time, the US mission mandated in-person interviews for all applicants, leading to longer processing times and delays in securing visa appointments. With the recent removal of the drop box feature, Nigerians applying for US visas will now revert to full in-person interviews, adding to the already extended wait times for visa appointments. This policy shift may significantly impact business travelers, students, and frequent visitors who previously relied on the drop box system for faster renewals.
WORRIES OVER RISING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA
WORRIES OVER RISING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA Within the past few weeks, domestic violence worsened in many Nigerian homes, with horrible scenes recorded across the country. According to a 2019 survey by the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics, 30% of Nigerian women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence, while a shocking 68% have encountered emotional, economic, or sexual abuse. The figure is undoubtedly under-reported, as survivors often face various barriers to seeking help, including cultural stigmas, fear of retribution, and a lack of trust in the legal system. Between 2019 and 2024, several reports of physical violence left countless individuals, particularly women and children either traumatised or dead. The pathetic case of popular Nigerian gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, who reportedly lost her life in April 2022 due to alleged domestic violence is still fresh in the minds of many Nigerians. Recently, the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja convicted and sentenced a man, Akinwale Akinlabi, to 12 years imprisonment for killing his wife, Cecilia Tope Akinlabi. Most times, these incidents are caused by trivial issues that should not have escaped the bedroom discussion. Concerning the Lagos incident, the prosecution’s first witness, identified as Inspector Jumai Adonduwa, told the court that before her death, the deceased reported her husband to the police for domestic violence following a heated argument about N100 demanded by her husband. Some of the cases recorded in January 2025 are highly worrisome and are raising the curiosity of Nigerians. Man chops off wife’s wrist with cutlass in Enugu On January 26, 2025, a 33-year-old man identified as Sunday Echege was arrested by operatives of the Enugu State Police Command for severing the left wrist of his wife, Chinonso Echege. Preliminary investigations conducted by the command revealed that the suspect, who confessed to the crime, claimed he acted out of suspicion that his wife was involved in extramarital affairs. Reports said the couple earlier had a misunderstanding where the suspect set all the victim’s dress ablaze, leading to a partial separation but they reunited after one year. The chairman of Nsukka Local Government Area of the state Hon Jude Chinedu Asogwa KSJI, who visited the victim at Ketochukwu hospital Nsukka vowed that Justice would be served accordingly. He vowed that “gender-based violence has no place in our society”, telling the family that the state governor, Peter Ndubisi Mba was interested in the case and requested the immediate transfer of the victim to Parklane Hospital in Enugu for further medical care. The suspect has been arraigned and remanded at the Enugu Correctional Centre. Man bathes wife with boiling oil Prior to the Enugu incident, one Kazeem Sholola was arrested in Ogun State for pouring hot oil on his wife, Mutiat Sholola, and stabbing her in the head during a domestic dispute. Sholola, a resident of the Ring Road Community in Owode Egba, Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area, was reportedly assaulted in a fit of anger following a misunderstanding with his wife. According to a statement by the Ogun State Police Command, the suspect, “in uncontrollable anger over a misunderstanding, poured hot oil on his wife and also stabbed her in the head”. Man sets wife ablaze in Anambra A housewife identified as Mrs Chioma Nwaka recently lost her life after being set ablaze by her middle-aged husband, Obiozor Nwaka, over suspected infidelity. The incident happened on January 20 at Eziezekwe village in Abagana, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State but the victim died in a nearby hospital after 24 hours. The husband, who went to the Abagana Divisional Police Station to report the incident and presented himself to the police, was arrested and detained at the facility. The victim was captured in a viral video footage circulating on social media, scampering for…
2027 REALIGNMENT: ATIKU, OBI, KWANKWASO GET ROLES
2027 REALIGNMENT; ATIKU, OBI, KWANKWASO, EL-RUFAI GET ROLES The 2027 general elections are about two years away and the realignment of forces to dislodge the All Progressives Congress (APC) from power, especially at the federal level appears to be on the upswing. In another development, a former top member of the APC, Alhaji Salihu Lukman, speaks of similar efforts gathering steam. Lukman, a former Deputy National Chairman of the APC (North), in an interview monitored on Arise News, elaborates on his scheme, saying key opposition figures in the country have a role to play as they have to jettison their presidential aspirations ahead of the 2027 and provide leadership for a new political party to confront the APC. He urges former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who flew the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential flag in the 2023 elections, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, in the elections, Mr Peter Obi, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, standard bearer, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, to prioritize party building over personal ambitions. Lukman, who has since quit the APC, also extends the advice to former party members and opposition figures, including Mr Rotimi Amaechi, a former governor of Rivers State but later served as Transportation Minister under the Buhari administration; El-Rufai; Dr. Kayode Fayemi, a former governor of Ekiti State, and Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, a former governor of Sokoto State. According to Lukman, who was also one-time Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum, if these leaders set aside personal ambitions, it will prevent the imposition of candidates in 2027 and foster a stronger political alternative. Excerpts: You have been a key member of the APC, now you are saying Nigeria needs better leaders. What are your grievances? What do you think is wrong with the APC that you are asking all the critics and opponents of the administration to come together and push the same party out of power?What is wrong with the APC is what is wrong with Nigeria in my view, and I think the view of most Nigerians is that our democracy should give something much better than what we have today. I am not making any new proposals. If you have been following the debate during the merger negotiations that produced the APC, all these arguments have been raised about the kind of leadership a political party should have and what is required for a party to really position itself to direct elected representatives to meet the expectations of citizens. If we argue that APC has failed, the failure of APC is largely due to its inability to meet a number of some of those criteria. Yes, I was a member of the NWC of the APC, I was part and parcel of the APC from formation to possibly the present day but that does not disqualify some of us from highlighting some of the limitations of the APC and I think in terms of the problem of democracy, what was first the problem of Nigeria with PDP that led to the defeat of PDP in 2015? The major issue is that there was no competition within the party. The culture of imposition has taken over the party so much so that it is predictable anybody who has close relationship with Abuja, with the Presidency can pick ticket at any level of the party without bothering to contract relationships with other members of the party, and I think that those were some of the issues that we used to campaign against the PDP and made the APC popular and Nigerians trusted us and believed that we were capable of producing a party that could drive the process of changing Nigeria which was the campaign mantra in 2015. Unfortunately,…
POLITICAL ACTIVIST THREATENS TO SUE GOV SOLUDO OVER INSECURITY
POLITICAL ACTIVIST THREATENS TO SUE GOV. SOLUDO OVER INSECURITY A political activist and the Head Mission of Leadership & Accountability Initiative, Hon. Nwazuluahu Henry Shield has decried growing insecurity in Anambra State, threatening to take the state governor Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo to court over inability to protect the people of the state. The South East state has witnessed a rising wave in the spate of killings and kidnappings in recent times. In October, gunmen launched an attack in Nibo, a community in Awka South Local Government Area of the State, killing at least ten persons. The incident occurred during the Nibo Community’s celebration of the Onwa Asaa, a traditional festival. Also, last year three brothers from the same mother fell victims to the relentless cult violent attacks in Awka, the Anambra State capital, with latest of them identified as Nonso, who eas killed in broad daylight in November near Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku, Awka. According to a close family source, Nonso’s killing is linked to the murder of his younger brother, Buchi, three months ago around Mac Don Eatery’s axis. Their eldest brother had also met a brutal end in a previous attack and the tragic loss has left their mother childless. Also in November, heavily armed gunmen stormed the Abatete community in Idemili North Local Government Area, targeting security personnel attached to the town’s President-General. At the end of the attack, at least five persons were killed with the President General of the community fatally injured. Ebonesie Community comprising 6 different villages has not known peace since Soludo became Governor. Indigenes of the communities can not return home for fear of being kidnapped or murdered. Troubled by these, Henry Shield in a letter to the Anambra state Commissioner for Finance under the FoI Act, demanding details of security vote allocation in the state from March 2022 when governor Soludo came to power. In the letter dated January 15, 2025 the Leadership and Accountability Initiative made the following requests, “The total amount allocated as security votes to Governor Soludo since his inauguration in 2022, broken down by year, and month, from March 2022 to date. “The breakdown of how these funds have been allocated, including the dates and amounts of each disbursement. “Any related documents, records, or correspondences as to any special security-related Federal Government Intervention(s) and allocation(s), the amounts, and their dates of disbursement.” He said failure by the state government to respond appropriately within the stipulated timeline will attract a legal action against the state government and the governor. According to him, the governor has failed in his constitutional mandate of promoting the security and welfare of Anambra people and is not fit to remain in office.
I WAS FORCED TO DECLARE FINITIRI WINNER – DISMISSED ADAMAWA REC
I WAS FORCED TO DECLARE FINITIRI WINNER – DISMISSED ADAMAWA REC INSISTS The dismissed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, has alleged that he was pressured to declare Governor Ahmadu Fintiri the winner of the controversial 2023 governorship election, despite possessing evidence that the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani, rightfully won. Speaking in Bauchi on Saturday in an interview with select journalists, Yunusa-Ari accused both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and the Election Tribunal of deliberately ignoring evidence of widespread irregularities. According to him, he and other officials were pressured to declare Fintiri the winner under threats to their security. Swearing by the Holy Qur’an, he insisted that he acted in good faith and followed electoral guidelines. He also accused INEC’s ICT head in Adamawa, Bala Aji, of compromising the election, alleging that Aji handed over 20,000 sensitive election documents to Governor Fintiri. He further claimed that the documents were found in a private house linked to the governor, where top government officials were allegedly manipulating them. Yunusa-Ari also alleged that Aji distributed BVAS machines and bribed INEC staff with foreign currency on election day, calling it a blatant abuse of office. He lamented that his reports exposing those violations were ignored by INEC headquarters. He said, “The dismissal is not my problem. The civil service is governed by civil service rules, procedures, and services. “In law, there is what we call the golden rule of natural justice which says that you must be heard. Even God will never punish anybody without sending the messages, the prophets, and the scriptures. “The refusal of INEC to collect my letters and then the tribunal said they are not using my evidence. Even as an ordinary judge, what do you say to that?” He asked Ari insisted that he had substantial evidence to support his position but was never invited to present his case. He displayed documents he claimed were authentic result sheets, along with letters he sent to INEC. “They should have acted immediately, but my report was swept under the carpet. This is one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life,” he stated. He decried being denied a fair hearing, claiming INEC and the Tribunal dismissed all his evidence. Dismissing allegations of receiving a N2 billion bribe, Yunusa-Ari said he is consulting his family on his next steps, stating that the media trial has severely damaged his reputation. Mr. Yunusa-Ari was suspended on April 17, 2023, after unilaterally declaring Aisha Binani, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship rerun election while collation was still in progress. His announcement was widely condemned as illegal, prompting the INEC to swiftly nullify the declaration. He was later arraigned before the Adamawa State High Court on charges of unprofessional conduct. Earlier this year, his attempt to halt court proceedings was dismissed for lacking merit.
APC CHIEFTAIN TO BUHARI – YOUR TENURE WITNESSED MONUMENTAL CORRUPTION, INSECURITY
APC CHIEFTAIN TO BUHARI -YOUR TENURE WITNESSED MONUMENTAL CORRUPTION, INSECURITY A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Josef Onoh, has said that former President Mohamadu Buhari’s eight years in office were characterised by monumental corruption and insecurity. Onoh stated this in a statement issued on Friday while responding to Buharis’ claim that Nigeria experienced significant improvements in its security and economy under his tenure. The former President stated that he inherited a bad economy and security challenges from the Peoples Democratic Party, which was in government for 16 years. Buhari, however, asserted that his government’s strategies successfully tackled these challenges, curbing terrorism and economic hardship. Responding to Buhari’s comments, Onoh said the country experienced economic collapse, monumental corruption and insecurity under his watch. Onoh asserted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration is suffering from the consequences of Buhari’s mismanagement of the economy during his eight years in office. The statement read, “Nigerians today accuse Tinubu’s administration of being the worst they have met without knowing that the President chose to be silent and carry his cross alone without shouting or calling names. “He continues to navigate the economic minefields the Buhari administration left behind after they failed to frustrate him from becoming the president. “Under Buhari’s watch, the North East. North Central, South East, South West couldn’t go to sleep in peace. When you assumed office on May 29, 2015, the cumulative number of people killed in Nigeria, according to the NST, was 34,972. But from the day you assumed office, the death figure rose to 98,083 as of May 16, 2023. “Under your watch as President, 98,083 were killed in 12 years; 27,311 persons were killed in your first term in office; 35,800 were killed between 2019 and May 2023. “Let me remind General Buhari that Nigeria has never witnessed the level of insecurity witnessed under his administration, not even during the Civil War. Let me refresh your memory with figures of Nigerians killed under your watch: In 2015, 5556; In 2016, 5763l; In 2017, 4618; In 2018, 6565; In 2019, 8340. In 2020, 9694; In 2021, 10575; In 2022, 9079; In 2023, 2921 totalling 63,111. “You rode on the mantra of change but ended up changing Nigeria for the worst, and after you failed, you turned around to blame PDP your continuous self-assessment begs certain questions: could this stance be a political pretence or stem from a genuine insensitivity which has been your trade mark.” Onoh said under the Buhari administration, Nigeria was ranked high in the Global Terrorism Index and was ranked low in the Global Peace Index. He added, “In 2019, under your watch, Nigeria was ranked 3rd below Afghanistan and Iraq out of 138 countries in the Global Terrorism Index and was said to be the 14th most fragile in the world and the 9th in Africa, according to the Fragile States Index. Unsurprisingly, in the same year, our country was also ranked 148th out of 163 countries in the Global Peace Index, far below former war-ravaged countries like Sierra Leone (52), Liberia (59) and Rwanda (79). “Under your watch, attacks and reprisal attacks continued in states like Kaduna with accusations of ethnic cleansing and mismanagement of religious and cultural diversity today. Tinubu’s administration has brought peace to southern Kaduna. “Your insensitivity and ineffectiveness of your security chiefs were part of the reason for the spread of insecurity that allowed these groups to operate with impunity while you displayed ‘the failure or unwillingness while in authority to address these and other non-state actors and to secure ungoverned spaces, which cumulatively allowed the violence to mutate.” The APC chieftain also stated that the former president failed to handle the economy and insecurity, which affected the country’s attraction for foreign direct…
TENSION IN OGONI AS OIL EXPLORATION MEETING ENDS ABRUPTLY
TENSION IN OGONI AS OIL EXPLORATION MEETING ENDS ABRUPTLY There was tension in Bori, the traditional headquarters of Ogoni land, on Saturday, as a planned congress to discuss the resumption of oil exploration in the region ended abruptly due to poor organization and rising tempers among attendees.Naija News reports that President Bola Tinubu had, during a meeting with Ogoni leaders in Abuja over two weeks ago, urged them to consult their people on the planned resumption of oil exploration in the area and report back to him with their input. In response, a congress was scheduled to be held at the Peace and Freedom Centre in Bori, Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State, bringing together Ogoni people from the four local government areas (Khana, Gokana, Tai, and Eleme). By 1 PM, the scheduled start time, the hall was already filled to capacity, with hundreds more gathering outside. Due to the overwhelming crowd, organizers were forced to move the meeting to an open field to accommodate more participants. Among those present were: Senator Barry Mpigo (representing Rivers South-East), Chief Victor Giadom, Deputy National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ledum Mitee, former President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ignatius Kattey, Co-Chairman of the Ogoni Dialogue Committee The meeting, which eventually started around 2 PM, lasted less than an hour. After brief remarks from leaders—including Mitee and Kattey, who explained the purpose of the meeting—Senator Mpigo urged Ogonis to unite and embrace peace. However, shortly after, VIPs quickly left the venue, leaving youths frustrated and angry over what they perceived as a poorly organized and non-inclusive consultation process. According to The PUNCH, frustrated by the abrupt end of the congress, some angry youths began protesting, displaying placards with inscriptions demanding transparency in the consultation process. A youth leader from Khana LGA, identified as Emma, criticized the arrangement, stating: “How can they call Ogoni people from four LGAs for the first meeting in one small place and expect to achieve results? It is not possible because many people will want to speak. “The best thing they would have done is to begin the discussion from the kingdoms or the LGAs before calling an enlarged congress to harmonize the views.” The abrupt and chaotic end of the meeting has raised concerns about whether genuine consultations will be held before decisions on oil exploration resumption in Ogoni land are finalized.
SIX MILLION PEOPLE COULD DIE FROM HIV/AIDS IF US ENDS FUNDING – UN
SIX MILLION PEOPLE COULD DIE FROM HIV/AIDS IF US ENDS FUNDING – UN The United Nations AIDS agency, UNAIDS, on Friday said more than six million people could die from HIV and AIDS in the next four years if US President Donald Trump’s administration pulls its global funding for programmes. The Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, Christine Stegling, while addressing reporters in Geneva said although a waiver was placed on HIV/AIDS programmes in last month’s US foreign aid funding freeze, many concerns remained about the future of treatment programmes. “There is a lot of confusion, especially on the community level, how the waiver will be implemented. We’re seeing a lot of disruption of delivery of treatment services,” Stegling said. DAILY POST reports that Trump put hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of foreign aid donations on hold for 90 days upon taking office on January 20. However, in the following days, the US State Department issued a waiver on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, the world’s leading HIV initiative, for life-saving humanitarian assistance. While welcoming the waiver, Stegling stressed the situation remains chaotic. Amid a broader decline of funding, Stegling warned there would be a 400% increase in AIDS deaths if PEPFAR financial support is not re-authorized between 2025 and 2029. “That’s 6.3 million people, 6.3 million AIDS-related deaths that will occur in future…Any penny, any cut, any pause, will matter for all of us. “In Ethiopia, we have 5,000 public health worker contracts that are funded by U.S. assistance. And all of these have been terminated,” she said, urging UN member states to step in. She also highlighted that community clinics were facing the biggest interruption as they are entirely dependent on US government funding. She expressed concern that some people may not come forward for treatment, which could in turn increase new HIV infections.
HOW EX-PRESIDENT BUHARI FUNDED EBUBE-AGU THROUGH UZODINMA, UMAHI TO KILL SOUTHEAST RESIDENTS – UK, US GROUPS ALLEGE
HOW EX-PRESIDENT, BUHARI FUNDED EBUBE-AGU THROUGH UZODINMA, UMAHI TO KILLSOUTH-EAST RESIDENTS –US, UK GROUPS ALLEGE A special investigative report by some research groups in the United States, the United Kingdom and Nigeria has revealed how former President Muhammadu Buhari allegedly used the Ebube Agu security outfit to harass and kill thousands of innocent Igbo residents and push for a radical Islamic agenda in the South-East region. The report was published as a collaborative effort of the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), the Ekwenche Research Institute, Chicago, Illinois, USA, the Global Igbo Leaders Coalition (GIL), United Kingdom, and the Rising Sun Charities Organisation, Newark-New Jersey, USA. The organisations noted that the “Ebube-Agu Security arrangement” was also a channel through which illicit small arms and light weapons were proliferated in the region, adding that the Imo and Eboniy state governments were particularly culpable in the implementation of the Jihadist Fulani and Islamic agenda. The report was signed by researchers including; Emeka Umeagbalasi for Intersociety; Ositadinma Agu for Ekwenche Research Institute, Chicago, USA; Prof Justin Akujieze, Board Chairman, Ekwenche Institute; Nze Amadiebube Mbama for Global Igbo Leaders Coalition, Georgia, USA, and Bridget Okafor, Rising Sun Charities Organisation, UK. The report stated that the remote reasons behind the rising and proliferation of more than 20 armed killer entities in Igbo Land, especially South-East and Igbo parts of the South-South Nigeria since 2015 and January 2021 (when escalations and proliferations heightened) was traced to “Buhari’s bent on laying siege, conquering and enslaving the Igbo Land, her defenceless populations and properties for purposes of radical Islamism and politics of hate, segregation and exclusion.” According to the report titled, “Who is killing who outside the law in Igbo land”, the worst affected states include Imo and Ebonyi states, followed by Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Rivers and Delta states. The report said, “By early 2016, the Buhari’s Government allegedly initiated secret Islamic conquest movements of the Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and other Jihadists; assembled from within and outside Nigeria and armed with AK-47s. “This was the beginning of “political and religious” insecurity and proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons (SALWs) in Igbo Land. The Islamic conquest movements were also strongly suspected to have been heavily aided and protected by the Nigerian military formations during which forests, bushes and farmlands of South-South, South-East, Middle-Belt and Christian parts of the South-West were invaded, seized and occupied. “Findings by Intersociety later showed that over 700 communal locations including forests, bushes and farmlands across the South-East and Igbo parts of Rivers, Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Nasarrawa, Kogi and Benue States have been seized and occupied by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and other Government assembled Jihadists as at 2022. “These findings were also corroborated by a former Police DIG (retired in 2020) who in 2021 disclosed that “not less than 336 locations in the South-East have been occupied by Fulani Herdsmen armed with AK-47s”. “The Buhari’s Government also saw the rise of IPOB and its Self Determination agitations as a serious threat to its State Jihad Project and to counter this, the Government adopted radical approaches including funding and arming of counterfeiters using conformist political actors including top Government functionaries in Ebonyi State (under Umahi) and Imo State (under Uzodinma). “The above was to the extent that the past Government of Ebonyi State was strongly suspected to have been federally contracted to counterfeit and counter the IPOB’s Eastern Security Network (formed in Dec 2020) leading to the launch of ‘Ebubeagu Security Arrangement’ in April 2021 to counter ESN and sustain Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen terrorism in Igbo Land. “The idea behind the “Ebubeagu Security Arrangement” was later found to have been muted by Buhari Government of Nigeria using the Chairmanship of…
NOBODY SHOULD BEG TINUBU’S GOVT FOR MY RELEASE – NNAMDI KANU
NOBODY SHOULD BEG TINUBU’S GOVT FOR MY RELEASE — NNAMDI KANU Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), has made it clear that he doesn’t want anyone begging for his release from detention. According to his counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, Kanu believes he hasn’t committed any crime and therefore shouldn’t be subjected to appeals for pardon or clemency. Kanu’s warning comes after some South East leaders, including Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, called on President Bola Tinubu to release him. However, Kanu emphasises that his release should be based on the rule of law, citing a Federal High Court judgment that declared his detention unconstitutional. Instead of begging for his release, Kanu suggests that those who want to help should focus on ensuring that his case is conducted with impartiality and adherence to the rule of law. He also expresses gratitude to those working towards restoring security and tranquility in Igboland. This was contained in a statement signed by his counsel, Aloy Ejimakor on Saturday. Ejimakor, in the statement published on his social media handle, said Kanu was displeased with appeals for his release and frowned at such appeals on Friday. “During my visitation with Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu yesterday, he made it abundantly clear that while he is deeply appreciative of the efforts and the widespread calls being made by well-meaning individuals and groups to secure his release, he, however, instructed his legal team to issue the following clarifications: “The matter of releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not an act of mercy, pardon, executive clemency, or even amnesty. Instead, it should be an act of simply complying with the subsisting Federal High Court judgment that declared his detention as unconstitutional or even the extant international tribunal decisions that separately declared his detention as unlawful. Alternatively, the decision to free him from detention and discontinue his infamous prosecution can be made by simply resorting to the constitutional provisions that empower the Attorney-General of the Federation (on the directives of the President) to discontinue any prosecution. “Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is adamant that nobody should plead or beg anybody on his behalf because he has committed no crime. Self-determination which is the real issue that got twisted to suddenly become a high crime is an inalienable right guaranteed under the laws of Nigeria, the United Nations, the United Kingdom, and Kenya. Thus, the perverse and unlawful criminalisation of his exercise of this right should not unwittingly be encouraged through some misguided appeals for pardon, clemency, or mercy. Thus, releasing Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not an act of mercy or pardon but an act of abiding by rule of law. “In as much as those calling for his release are sincere, their calls for pardon or clemency may be misconstrued as a green light to the executive branch or even the courts to violate the rule of law by continuing to subject Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to a prosecution or trial that does not comport with the tenets of the Constitution and Nigeria’s treaty obligations. “Instead of begging, those desiring his release should emulate the language and tact used by Afenifere, Ohaneze, World Igbo Congress (WIC), ranking members of the National Assembly, American Military Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID), Ambassadors for Self Determination (based in America), the international community and a host of others who have made it clear that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu deserves to be released because he has committed no offence known to law. If truth be told, it is Nigeria’s executive branch which extraordinarily renditioned Mazi Nnamdi Kanu that should show contrition for resorting to extraordinary rendition which is a State crime under international law and and the common law. If any begging must be done,…