Category: The Nation – Nigeria

The Osun State Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Dr Tosin Odeyemi, has quit his party and dumped the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Mr Taofeek Adeleke, ahead of the August 15 election.

Odeyemi, speaking with THE NATION on Sunday, hinged his decision to quit the party on the national crisis rocking it.

He disclosed that when he dropped the letter of his resignation on Friday, his action triggered other executives of the party to dump the party.

He said, ‘It is true that I have quit the NNPP after six years tenure. The reason for dumping the party is because of the protracted crisis facing the party at the National level.

‘I dropped my resignation letter on Friday and following that the deputy National Women leader, Hon. Solape Olatunbosun, the Zonal Secretary (Southwest), Hon. Olalekan Fabayo, Deputy State Secretary, Adegbaju Celestinah, Welfare Secretary, Akinfala IfeOluwa, Ife/Ijesa Senatorial Chairman, Prophet Peter O. Blessed, and State deputy Women leader, Mrs Oladosu, all tendered their resignation letters to their respective ward Chairmen.’

While responding to a question on backing the guber candidate of NNPP, Odeyemi said, ‘We are not backing him for the guber seat. He should hold himself. The party has become a carcass of its own following our exit.

He disclosed that he has been appointed as the Acting Chairman of Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), in Osun State with immediate effect.

He said his appointment was contained in a letter signed by the National Chairman, Barr. Samuel M. Memeh, and dated 17th July, 2026.

Odeyemi described his move to DLA as part of efforts to reposition the party and strengthen its grassroots presence ahead of future political engagements in Osun State.

‘I accept this responsibility with humility and a deep sense of duty. Our immediate task is to bring every genuine member together, ensure discipline, and make the DLA a credible alternative for the people of Osun who are yearning for purposeful leadership,’ Odeyemi stated.

Following what they dubbed a strategic move to cobble together a super opposition coalition for the 2027 elections, particularly for the presidential election, former vice president Atiku Abubakar and other political heavyweights took over the African Democratic Congress (ADC) last July, about a year ago. The party had acquired the reputation of being available for hire for stranded politicians desperately needing an ad hoc political organisation to actualise their ambitions. But by that singular and obviously clumsy acquisition, the Alhaji Atiku-led political group set off a chain reaction of legal entanglements that have been difficult, if not impossible, to unsnarl. Last July, the previously Ralph Nwosu-led leadership of the ADC resigned and was replaced by a hastily composed leadership inspired by the former vice president and led principally by former senate president David Mark and former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola.

But the legal entanglements, which were alien to its mercantilist history, never went away since the suits began last year. Founded in 2005 as Alliance for Democratic Change, but quickly renamed before formal registration, it has produced a slew of fringe presidential candidates beginning with Pat Utomi in 2007. Others were Peter Uchenna Nwaogu, a reverend, who contested in 2011; Mani Ibrahim Ahmad, 2015; Obadiah Mailafia, 2019; and Dumebi Kachikwu, 2023. Except for Mr Kachikwu, the other candidates maintained only superficial and strictly commercial interests in the party. In its first two chequered decades, the party was neither controversial nor remarkable; it was in fact more fickle and mercenary than anything else. Since last year, however, but obviously not by design, it has become deeply embroiled in legal and political controversies as a result of the ineptitude and imperiousness of its current leadership.

Using the artifices of deft political propaganda and invocation of persecution complex, both Alhaji Atiku and Mr Mark, a retired army general, have painted the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as tyrannical. They have also inspired a series of political, legal and social media bluffs designed to browbeat the ruling party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into acquiescing to their often risible and exaggerated demands. They also painted a national deputy chairman of the party, Nafiu Bala Gombe, as a lackey of the ruling party for disputing the leadership of the party with Mr Mark. Soon after, they summed up President Bola Tinubu as the inspiration behind a welter of plots to derail and weaken the opposition. Then they accused INEC of being suborned to execute the APC agenda, and tried to muscle the new INEC chairman, Joash Amupitan, out of office for controversially executing a Court of Appeal judgement that ordered the delisting of the ADC leadership.

The campaigns and bluffs seemed to work, especially in the early months following the untidy acquisition of the ADC, a party framed as the so-called mega opposition coalition. Though the Tinubu presidency never recoiled at the vicious campaigns, administration officials were at a time consternated by the threats from the coalition. The INEC chairman, alarmed by the opposition guns trained at him for delisting the ADC leadership following a Court of Appeal ruling, also panicked and quickly relisted the party’s leadership last April citing a Supreme Court ruling he had yet to get a copy of. But the cornucopia of legal cases against the coalition was taking its toll, and life seemed to be ebbing out of the previously promising coalition party. Indeed, shortly after party leaders ignored court ruling not to organise its congresses, but went ahead last March to peremptorily appoint committees for those purposes, other opposition leaders, principally Peter Obi, simply migrated to other parties. They had had enough of the denudation, and had started to suspect the intentions of the party’s leadership, starting with Alhaji Atiku.

As if to present INEC and the entire country a fait accompli, ADC leaders proceeded last April to organise their convention, thereby building something on nothing, and daring anyone, including INEC and the courts, to call them to order. They would not be dictated to, they seemed to say sternly. Having become accustomed to bluffing, they had even begun to enjoy making and serving them hot. But in that same April, a Federal High Court in Abuja headed by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik picked up the gauntlet and pronounced against them, barring INEC from recognising their congresses on the grounds that they lacked their party’s constitutional backing to appoint committees from the national headquarters to supervise the congresses. Still confident that they could appeal to public sentiments on the matter, and that they could secure public backing for their cause and instigate loathing against the government, they marched on to the Court of Appeal Court to win reliefs. But, again, they came to grief as the appellate court dismissed their petition last Monday and affirmed the judgement of the lower court which pulled the carpet from under their feet.

They have now headed to the Supreme Court, and are hoping that Justice Abba Mohammed’s dissenting judgement anchored on the non-justiceability of a party’s internal affairs would eventually win the day and the argument for them as well as confer legitimacy on the David Mark-led executives’ decisions to abridge their party’s constitution and sideline elected state executives whose tenures were yet to expire. It is not clear how far any court, let alone the Supreme Court, could turn a blind eye to serial constitutional infractions within parties, but ADC leaders and their now terribly depleted and considerably weakened party seem to think that untested magic would help them leap over legal certainties. Even in a game of poker, there is a limit to bluffing. But ADC leaders who have tons of suits to contend with have reposed their hope and trust in magic. It would, however, be interesting to watch the Supreme Court resolve the issue of whether elected state executives with unfinished tenures could be waved aside by their party’s national headquarters in preference for arbitrarily appointed committees.

The very first hint of legal trouble last year afforded ADC leaders the golden chance to review their party’s structure, reexamine their methods, and refine the leadership takeover they had so ineptly engineered. At that stage, the trouble confronting them was both manageable to the party apparatchik and amenable to redress. Inexplicably, however, and perhaps because they are unused to founding and running political organisations, they chose to look for and find scapegoats in the ruling party and President Tinubu. They were adamant about the source of their trouble, despite all indications to the contrary, and regarded the court cases as nothing but mere manifestations of the ruling party’s political chicaneries. Consequently, their course of action was dictated by that mistaken belief, and their foolish resolve became more unshakeable and impregnable to every sensible argument offered to help them look in a different direction. To them, the ruling party and president were bent on foreclosing the political opposition, and intent on fostering a dictatorship through a one-party system. Having now finally bluffed themselves into a mess, they have demonstrated no inclination whatsoever for any sensible resolution other than to make both the courts and INEC bow to their wishes. But any kind of resolution may now be impossible, thus presenting a dilemma to the country’s judicial system and becoming a pain in the neck of the ruling party.

The ADC’s chances at the next polls will now be much slimmer than they had envisaged because of their clumsy responses to the skewed circumstances of their surrogate birth. They held out much hope for a win or at least a great showing in 2027 when Mr Obi and his crowd milled around them. Now, they are flustered and increasingly skeptical. Unable to manage the dissensions in their previous parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and incompetent to retain the vociferous social media militants that thronged Mr Obi and followed him everywhere, whether it make sense or not, ADC leaders have reconciled themselves to plodding along alone, diminished, bowed, and frustrated. It is approximately one month to the beginnings of the presidential campaigns, and though they have produced an untenable presidential ticket, they are still hobbled by court cases that seem unresolvable in both the short and long term. It is a tribute to the staying power of Alhaji Atiku that riding a lame and blind horse has not yet constrained him to act despondently.

England have beaten France 6-4 in the third place playoff of the ongoing World Cup.

The Three Lions started the game exceptionally scoring four goals in the first half, two from Bukayo Saka, and one each from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa.

France mounted a spirited second-half comeback, with captain Kylian Mbappé scoring twice and providing an assist for Bradley Barcola to reduce the deficit.

England scored their fifth goal after Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka completed his hattrick after converting a penalty in the 87th minute.

Les Blues did not give up as they got another goal in extra time, with a goal by Ousmane Dembele before England’s Bellingham finished off the game with a cool finish.

Despite France’s defeat, Mbappé finished the tournament as the leading scorer with 10 goals, strengthening his claim for the Golden Boot. The France captain also became the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer.

England also completed their best ever World Cup finish, since winning it 1966.

Argentina will face Spain tomorrow in the final of the 2026 World Cup.

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, has alleged that some opposition figures seeking the state’s top office are motivated by personal interests rather than public service.

Adeola made the remarks during a meeting with the Council of Iyalajes and Babaalajes (market leaders) in Remoland at his senatorial office in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area.

He also responded to claims by former Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello that he failed to refund campaign expenses she allegedly incurred after he emerged as the APC’s consensus governorship candidate.

Describing the allegation as ‘insulting’, Adeola said he believed Obasanjo-Bello’s actions reflected personal considerations rather than commitment to the party or the state.

‘Asking me to refund you or pay back what you have expended on this electioneering campaign is insulting to me. You left the party not because it wronged you, but because you were offered money. You are not a party person. Your intention is driven by personal interest and not the interest of Ogun State,’ he said.

The APC candidate said he had reached out to Obasanjo-Bello during his reconciliation efforts within the party because he believed she was committed to Ogun State’s development.

He further alleged that after leaving the APC, she aligned with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu.

Adeola also dismissed the legal challenge to his emergence as the APC governorship candidate, alleging that it was politically motivated.

According to him, politicians who defected from the APC after May 10, 2026, are not eligible to contest the 2027 governorship election, citing what he described as existing legal provisions and court decisions.

‘We all know when these people left the APC for the PDP. By law, anyone who crossed over after May 10, 2026, is only wasting his or her time. We are waiting for them,’ he said.

The senator also questioned the PDP’s organisational strength in Ogun State, arguing that the party remained affected by internal leadership disputes.

Earlier, the Council of Iyalajes and Babaalajes in Remoland, led by its President, Chief (Mrs.) Olufunke Oyelaja endorsed Adeola’s governorship bid.

The market leaders expressed confidence in his candidacy, citing his support for traders through the construction of modern markets and empowerment initiatives for market women across the state.

The meeting formed part of Adeola’s ongoing consultations with stakeholders ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election.

The Disability Inclusion Forum at the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, has intensified calls for the formal domestication of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018, and the swift approval of a draft institutional Disability Inclusion Policy to eliminate barriers facing students and staff with disabilities.

The Forum, established in 2023, argues that while the university maintains a Disability Unit, full implementation of the national law and the proposed policy is essential to guarantee accessible infrastructure, equal opportunities, and the right of persons with disabilities to learn, work, and thrive without hindrance.

Dr. Valda Itunu Martins, a staff member with a disability and founder of the Forum, who has been at the forefront of the advocacy, expressed optimism about the university’s potential to lead in inclusion.

Speaking after addressing the matter with the Vice-Chancellor during the inaugural lecture of Professor Yakubu Danasabe Mohammed, another professor with a disability, Martins highlighted persistent challenges.

‘Many buildings within the university lack accessible infrastructure, making it difficult for students with disabilities to move around freely, access lecture halls, and participate fully in academic life.

‘These barriers discourage prospective students from accepting admission and prevent them from achieving their full potential. Staff with disabilities also face unnecessary obstacles in performing their duties,’ she said.

The Forum, working with other stakeholders, disclosed that it has already developed a comprehensive draft Disability Inclusion Policy but lamented that the document is yet to be presented to the University Council for consideration and formal adoption.

Martins, on behalf of the Forum, appealed directly to the Vice-Chancellor, stressing that domesticating the 2018 Disability Act, signed into law on February 17, 2019, and approving the institutional policy would provide a robust framework for accessibility, inclusion, and equal rights.

FUT Minna’s Disability Inclusion Initiative stems from a clear vision of a truly inclusive campus environment as advocates believe that without urgent action, the university risks falling short of both national legal standards and its own aspirations for excellence.

With the understanding and support of the Vice-Chancellor, University Management, and the Council, members of the Forum said they remain hopeful that meaningful progress will be made pointing that they envision FUT Minna becoming a model institution where every student and staff member, regardless of disability, can participate and excel with dignity.

The Forum further pledged continued engagement with university authorities to ensure the draft policy receives the attention it deserves at the Council level.

Residents of Iku Quarters in Ikare Akoko, within the Akoko North East Local Government of Ondo State, protested on Sunday over the deplorable condition of the roads leading to the community.

The aggrieved residents explained that the poor state of the road has caused untold hardship, including avoidable accidents and loss of life.

The protesters displayed placards with messages such as: ‘Mr Governor, We Are Dying. Our People Can No Longer Go To Farm Due To Bad Road’; ‘Awara/Ikare-Akoko Stadium Road Has Become A Death Trap. ‘We Need Urgent Government Intervention,’ and ‘We Say No To Bad Road Network in Iku Community,’ among several others.

Speaking during the protest, the community’s traditional ruler, Chief Mukaila Bello, said the deplorable condition of the roads has made it difficult for farmers to convey their produce to market for business and economic gain.

Bello also said the road, which has completely broken down, has become a terrible nightmare for motorists and residents who travel the route to their workplaces daily.

He decried the terrible state of the road, noting that it had worsened with deep potholes and erosion and had become impassable due to long years of neglect.

‘For years, these roads have been neglected and riddled with deep potholes, severe erosion, and impassable sections that have turned what should be accessible roads into death traps,’ Bello said.

He revealed that, ‘Sadly, every downpour worsens the situation yearly, and access to homes and businesses has also become a daily struggle for the residents of our community in Iku.

‘Businesses are suffering, transportation costs have been jacked up, emergency vehicles find it difficult to reach residents, and the fear of accidents grows every day.’

Bello, the Oniku of Iku, pleaded with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to intervene on the Awara Water Work/Ikare-Akoko Stadium road in the community.

He also called on the National Assembly members representing the region and the political leaders who are indigenes of the community to help repair the community’s bad roads.

‘We appeal to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Chairman of Akoko North East Local Government, our Ministers, Senator Jide Ipinsagba, Hon. Ife Ehindero, our traditional rulers, political leaders, and all stakeholders to urgently come to the aid of Iku Quarters.’

President of Iku Elite, Mr Adiamo Usman, said the residents need government attention to address their long-standing request.

Usman noted that the community had been voting overwhelmingly in elections and contributing their own quota to the state’s development.

According to him, government intervention would serve the interests of safety, economic survival, and the well-being of the community and its environs.

He stressed that the residents of the Iku quarters are not asking for luxury but for safety, adding that they are demanding motorable roads that will allow them to live, work, and raise their families with dignity.

‘We believe that responsive leadership is measured by its willingness to listen to the cries of the people. We also remain hopeful that our leaders will hear our cry and act without delay.

‘Let this appeal not be ignored. The time to act is now, and our people deserve better,’ Usman said.

The Junior Chamber International (JCI) Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ikeja Local Government to deepen collaboration on youth development and promote the ideals of Human Duties Day through sustained community engagement.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at the local government Secretariat, the Executive Vice President of JCI Nigeria, Ambassador Idara Michael, said the partnership was informed by the local government’s consistent commitment to youth empowerment and leadership development over the years.

She explained that although JCI is non-partisan, the organisation actively engages with institutions and policymakers to drive positive social change.

‘Although we are not partisan, we are not quiet. We are in the rooms where it matters and having conversations where it matters. Ikeja Local Government, in particular, has been intentional about youth development in partnership with our organisation over the past couple of years, and this year we have seen that commitment in action,’ she said.

Michael noted that the collaboration is part of activities marking Human Duties Day, which is commemorated annually on July 10 and seeks to encourage citizens to embrace their responsibilities alongside their rights.

She disclosed that under the agreement, both organisations would implement programmes every July 10 centred on the seven pillars of Human Duties, including preserving life, sustaining community and promoting responsible citizenship.

Responding, the Executive Chairman of Ikeja Local Government, Comrade Akeem Olalekan Dauda (AKOD), commended JCI Nigeria for its unwavering commitment to youth development and nation-building.

Dauda reaffirmed the council’s readiness to partner with JCI and other credible youth-focused organisations to advance sustainable development and improve the well-being of residents.

‘We are ready to provide the necessary platform for JCI and other youth organisations that genuinely have the people’s interests and welfare at heart. The government cannot do it alone. We need the support of non-governmental organisations and institutions to achieve sustainable development and improve our people’s livelihoods,’ Dauda said.

He assured the organisation of the council’s continued commitment to creating opportunities that would empower young people and strengthen community development initiatives across Ikeja.

Also speaking, the Supervisor for Youth and Sports, Adenuga Ayotunde, praised Dauda for his unwavering support for youth empowerment, noting that the chairman’s administration has initiated several youth-centred programmes to help young people realise their aspirations.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has raised the alarm over the recent approval of import licences for petroleum products, saying the move is worsening price volatility and putting unnecessary pressure on the naira.

IPMAN National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, shared this in a voice note released to Energy Correspondents in Abuja.

He was responding to the current state of the country’s downstream petroleum sector.

Ukadike said independent marketers had studied the situation closely, including price volatility, the import licence regime, and the sale of petroleum products in dollars.

The spokesman called on the Federal Government to look into the matter transparently through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), which he described as the industry regulator.

According to him, the recent import licences, meant to serve as a check on domestically refined petroleum products, are not achieving the results expected by independent marketers.

He said marketers were shocked that some of the companies granted import licences were pegging their prices at around N1,350 per litre, a figure he said was far higher than what the Dangote Refinery sells to marketers.

Ukadike questioned the rationale behind the licences, noting that if the goal of the NMDPRA and the Federal Government was to checkmate the domestic price of petroleum products, then bringing in imported products of questionable quality and higher prices defeated that purpose.

‘What is the essence of issuing this price? This will create a lot of tension in society,’ he said, adding that price volatility was deepening and directly affecting independent marketers, who now do not know which way to turn.

He further explained that landing costs for imported petroleum products were about 20 per cent higher than those charged by the Dangote refinery, which, in his view, makes the import arrangement counterproductive. He argued that importing fuel at a higher cost than locally available fuel puts unnecessary pressure on Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves and the naira.

Ukadike linked this pressure to the recent rise in the dollar to about N1,400, which he said, in turn, was affecting the pump price of petroleum products across the country.

He called on the Federal Government to sit down with the presidential committee on the downstream sector to examine the challenges facing the Dangote refinery and to ensure it continues to receive support to produce enough petroleum products for the country, in naira.

He noted that the one major gain Nigeria has recorded from local refining is a continuous, uninterrupted supply of petroleum products, something the country struggled with in the past when it depended heavily on imports.

‘If we have a continuous, uninterrupted supply, our problem is pricing. Is it not better to sit down and see how this issue can be controlled than to sign unnecessary import licences that will further inflate the price of petroleum products in our country?’ he asked.

Ukadike called for stronger support for local refining capacity, including government-owned refineries alongside Dangote Refinery, describing this as necessary for the country’s energy security. He said Nigeria should prioritise its own refining capacity rather than depend on imports.

‘Nigerians are suffering. This is a time to call for national unity, a time to call for one Nigeria, a time to call for support for our industrialists and our refiners,’ he said.

He added that Nigeria could also explore exporting finished petroleum products as an additional source of foreign exchange, once local supply is sufficient for domestic consumption.

Ukadike recalled the difficulties of the era when Nigeria depended solely on imported petroleum products, noting that the country sometimes experienced fuel scarcity for two to three weeks at a stretch.

He said that since the Dangote local refinery began operations, such scarcity has become a thing of the past.

He therefore urged the Federal Government to look inward and support the domestic refining of petroleum products to guarantee energy security, ensure a sufficient local supply, and generate additional foreign exchange earnings for the country through exports.

King Sunny Ade it was who sang, years back, that no matter what you do, you can never impress your sworn enemy (ka ra’le sile, ka r’oko sile, ka wa gbe fun ko fe ko gba, ko fe ko gba ko ni fe teni). Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey more or less reinforced this in ‘Ketekete’.

When people see an elephant and they say it seems they saw ‘something’, you should know where they are coming from.

I promised to return to Oriire fully this week and deliberately chose to begin the piece from the perspective of those who cannot stomach the reality of the fact that the country’s military, in concert with several other security agents, eventually succeeded in bringing the captives out of their 56-day captivity.

Oriire here simply refers to the 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers who were abducted on May 15, after gunmen invaded Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele; Primary School, Esiele; and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School, all in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

As I always say, I rarely want to jump into debates on certain issues for obvious reasons. In a democracy, there will always be room for opposition. And opposition will always be opposition. It nurtures the system. But one should worry when a boxer is hitting another below the belt in the ring.

When people are witnesses to something and they are behaving as if it didn’t happen, especially something in the magnitude of the Oriire abductions, then there is a problem. That is no longer opposition or politics. No right-thinking Nigerian should play politics with such a sad development.

This is something involving toddlers and children, some as young as two-year-olds.

And, for 56 long days, these people were in captivity during which the children were said to have received thorough flogging, especially when they cried, a thing the abductors detested because it could give the military a clue as to where they were at any point in time.

The male captives were reportedly blindfolded, handcuffed, and chained for the better part of their captivity.

This was an incident where captors frequently forced the people to trek through uncharted paths in the dead of night, leaving them with injuries and physically strained.

An incident in which the abductees were forced to live entirely in the open forest, exposed to the sun and heavy rains. They were only barely fed and they survived on water from waterfalls.

Mercifully, the captors were magnanimous not to sexually harass the females.

Above all, this was an incident in which one of the captors, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, a Mathematics teacher, was beheaded because he refused to hand over his phone to the terrorists when they were asked to. Another abductee, Deacon John Olaleye, was also killed by the abductors.

The criminals killed the two men to pressure the government to accede to their impossible demands. And what were these demands?

They wanted N1bn cash payment; the release of some of their detained terror commanders (such as Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba); two Hilux vans and implementation of Sharia law, among the shifting demands.

Of course, no government worth its salt would accede to any of these.

And so, the government dared them. In the interim, the security agents went after some of their wives and children and warned the captors that their own families too would suffer whatever fate they meted out to their captives. The logic? No hangman wants the cap on his child’s head removed (abenilori ki fe ki won si fila lori omo oun). And it worked!

Amidst all of these, the military and police as well as other security agents involved in the rescue mission kept advancing towards the captors with the aid of sophisticated technology that really played a great role in securing freedom for the captives.

It is sad that some people would have doubts as to whether all of these were real or conjured. The extent to which we play dirty politics in this part of the world!

Lest we forget, there were also casualties among the several security operatives that participated in the rescue mission.

What might have happened, to my mind, was that the government’s (read Tinubu’s) political detractors were probably disappointed because they were denied the opportunity of reading their well-crafted graveside orations when eventually the victims die in the criminals’ dens.

Perhaps particularly surprising is the call by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on the United Nations and rights groups to probe the matter. And some people are wondering why he was not in the know of how the operation went despite being the governor. But which wise man will reveal such a secret to someone he is not sure of where he is standing?

Those who are comparing the Oriire abductions with the kidnappings in the north are either ignorant or being mischievous. The truth of the matter is that such things are alien to the south west region whereas it has almost been taken as the new norm in the north. Second, Oriire might not have happened if governors and other leaders of the south west region had been more proactive. Many people had been warning the political leaders about such large-scale abduction coming down to the region but they thought it was not going to happen until it eventually sneaked in at Oriire.

But because it is still not a thing the people were ready to condone, there was much cooperation and the security agencies were better able to identify and cut off the aspects of life that were giving the abductors oxygen.

Several times in the north, security agencies had been accused of bombing civilian targets, even in places that the state governments had declared danger zones or ‘no-go’ areas because those places have become abodes of bandits and other hardened criminals.

Not only do so-called innocent civilians supply the criminals with oxygen in the north, they also supply them women of easy virtues. So, the criminals are at home even in the course of their illicit enterprise.

I have said it before and I would not be tired of saying it; that in this entire banditry and terrorism business, the northern elites are culpable. They are guilty even if not formally charged.

I remember as far back as the mid-80s at ‘The Punch,’ newspaper, we had been talking, indeed warning about the unsustainability of the feudal or whatever system that encourages people to give birth indiscriminately without giving a thought as to how to give them sound education that can make them useful to themselves and the society in the future.

I make bold to say that it is the majority of those untrained children that are now costing Nigeria trillions, not to train again, but to even kill because they have become nuisance to themselves and innocent others.

Sometimes I have the feeling that it is guilty conscience that is making some northern leaders to want the government to treat these criminals with kid gloves. They probably feel guilty that they were the ones that didn’t give them what should have made them useful citizens but rather use religion or culture (sometimes both), to keep them down.

That also probably explains their support for rehabilitating them the moment they say they are ready to lay down their arms; a thing many Nigerians are no longer comfortable with.

So, how convenient to lay the blame of something that started 17 years ago on a three-year-old government?

This high level of criminality began in the north in the Goodluck Jonathan era in 2009. It continued under the late President Muhammadu Buhari who spent eight years in office. Buhari, a two-time head of state and prominent northerner, even likened Boko Haram to Niger Delta militancy!

This is not true.

Niger Delta was cheated by Nigeria (including Buhari who at a time was also military head of state), whereas Boko Haram was created by the northern elite, apparently to suit their whims and caprices.

Under Buhari, so-called repentant Boko Haram members were given clothes and gift bags at ‘graduation’ ceremonies held for them whereas their victims languished in Internally Displaced Persons camps (IDPs).

It should not be lost on us that the southwest people have always done everything humanly possible to train their children. I often cite the statement I refused to forget decades after, which a senior of mine in the University of Lagos wrote in the acknowledgement part of his first degree project. After thanking his lecturers and other necessary people, he said, rather emotionally, ‘and to my parents who gladly embraced poverty to see me through university education’. That is the spirit in the region.

So, how can people who made such a huge sacrifice look by when some miscreants want to deprive them of the fruits of their labour?

The other day, a law maker from the northern part of the country was being congratulated for welcoming his 28th child. He said his target was 30. Not even Aliko Dangote has anything near that.

So, let no one compare the bandits in the north with whatever is happening down south because they are not in any way similar.

We should also not forget that a situation where some people are perceived to be behind banditry and terrorism cannot augur well for the country. Nobody wants to live with an ethnic group that people feel is still interested in forceful ethnic expansion in the 21st Century. It has implications even for cattle ranching.

It is good that the government is now adopting prosecution of the wives of the bandits who played active roles in the saga.

It is also heartwarming that some governors in the north have realised their problem and are making efforts to get their children to school. This should be sustained alongside other socio-economic measures so that the country would not continue to use the money it should have spent on development to fight bandits and terrorists.

All said, let doubting Thomases continue to sulk because of their disappointment that the melancholic denouement they had looked forward to at Oriire did not happen.

But we need to thank those who risked their lives to disappoint those who were not happy that Oriire ended the way it did.

These included personnel from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the National Counterterrorism Unit and the special task force from the Defence Headquarters, the Amotekun Corps and even the local vigilantes.

Particular mention must be made of the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major-General Chinedu Ralph Nnebeife, who led the on-the-ground military operation.

More importantly, we should rather remember, even as we celebrate this victory, the people who paid the supreme sacrifice that made the abductees’ rescue possible.

I am here talking of 28-year-old Lieutenant F.A. (Felix Ademe) Isaac and others who actively supported the operation. How can we help their dependants?

In like manner, we should always remember to commiserate with the families that lost their loved ones during the period the victims were in captivity.

Above all, as we celebrate our answered prayer on Oriire, let us not forget those who remain in captivity across our nation. We should continue to pray and fight for their safe return, too.

A suspected Boko Haram informant has allegedly confessed to spying on the movement of Nigerian troops and supplying logistics to terrorists operating in northern Borno State.

This was contained in a post shared on X by security analyst, Zagazola Makama on Friday night.

According to the post, the suspect, identified as 25-year-old Muhammad Mustapha from Monguno Local Government Area, was arrested on July 16 during a night patrol and identification exercise by troops of Operation HADIN KAI.

The operation was carried out by personnel of the 403 Amphibious Brigade/130 Battalion (Motorised), working alongside the Nigerian Borderless Logistics Corps (NBLC) and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), under Operation DESERT SANITY V.

‘During preliminary interrogation, the suspect allegedly admitted that he belonged to a Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) cell operating in the Kadia area, north of Mairari town,’ Makama wrote.

He also reportedly confessed that he was assigned by the terrorist group to monitor and gather intelligence on troops carrying out shoulder clearance operations along the Baga-Cross Kauwa Main Supply Route.

According to security sources quoted in the post, the suspect further admitted to serving as a logistics supplier and task collector for the terrorist group, helping to support insurgent activities in the Lake Chad region.

The post added that the suspect was in custody of the 403 Amphibious Brigade where further investigation and intelligence gathering were ongoing.

Military sources described the arrest as another breakthrough in efforts to dismantle the intelligence and logistics networks that support terrorist operations in the North-East.

Makama added that although the security situation across the Operation HADIN KAI theatre remains generally calm, troops have continued to maintain a high level of vigilance because of the unpredictable nature of the insurgency.