Blessing Ugbe was a happy 14-year-old girl until some herdsmen invaded some farmlands in her village in Keana Local Government Area, Nasarawa State in 2018, shooting anyone in sight and destroying the farmlands.
By the time the dust raised by the invasion settled, Blessing’s 49-year-old father Ugbe Iornonge, her mother Mamakor and her eldest brother Kenneth lay dead.
Also dispatched into early graves were her immediate elder sisters, Mary and Esther, who until their gruesome death were pupils of Science Secondary School Lafia.
Providence had saved Blessing from the cruel fate that befell her parents and siblings on the bloody day as they had asked to stay back and keep watch over the home.
With her parents dead and buried the reality of a new life, that of a lonely, hapless and helpless teenager, dawned on her, and she prayed for God’s mercy.
It was as if her prayers were answered when a few days later, one of her father’s relatives, Monday Ukuma, a farmer and trader, took her to Agbakuma village in Obi Local Government Area of the state, where he was resident. But her joy of a new life evaporated like smoke shortly after she arrived at Agbakuma.
The young, fragile and frightful young girl soon became an object of sexual abuse for 42-year-old Aondona Akaa, also a victim of herdsmen/farmers clashes, who had relocated from Benue state and taken refuge in her new found guardian’s home. It did not take long before the man, who she now refers to as her husband, impregnated her.
Although Aondona Akaa, who she later discovered was her beneficiary’s friend, had warned her against revealing what transpired between them, the situation became increasingly unbearable until she was left with no option but to let the cat out of the bag.
Rather than sympathise with the hapless teenager, her guardian was said to have arranged for a medical examination to confirm her pregnancy, after which he allegedly forced her to marry his friend.
Left with no choice in the circumstance, Blessing was compelled to do the bidding of his beneficiary, getting married to Akaa and giving birth to a baby boy sometime in 2019.
It turned out that a few months later, her guardian Ukuma died in an auto crash on Makurdi Road, marking the beginning of another round of trouble.
In May 2020, Akaa, the father of Blessing’s child, who could no longer cope with his responsibilities as a husband and father because his friend, Ukuma, who had been his pillar was no more, bolted from the village and has since remained incommunicado, worsening Blessing’s pains and sorrow.
Now aged 16, Blessing, who had since relocated from Obi LGA to Makurdi Road in Lafia, hawks fruits for her survival as well as the survival of her little boy.
Recalling how cruel fate had been to her in a conversation with our correspondent, Blessing said: “After my father, mother and siblings were all wiped out by herdsmen and I was taken away to Obi by my father’s relation, we had a small room in the house where Akaa stayed.
“He had equally been displaced by herdsmen and all his relations were killed in Benue State. His three children and wife were also killed during the attack in Benue.
“One day when everybody had gone out, he invited me into his room and said, ‘Do you know that you are a very beautiful girl?’ I said yes.
He then went to a nearby shop and bought some biscuits and clothes for me.
“Initially, I was happy for the gift he brought for me because I did not understand what he meant. He opened the biscuit for me and insisted that I should come close to him. As I was eating, he started touching my breasts and I was like, ‘Uncle, what are you doing?’
“But he continued to press, and before I knew it, he had slept with me against my wish. I was in pains for days with blood rushing out. But he warned me not to reveal what happened to anyone.
“I started crying, but he insisted that I should not tell anybody about it. He also promised that he would take me to the hospital for treatment.
“About one week later, he did same thing again and it continued until one month after, I did not understand what was happening to me. I later discovered that I was pregnant.
“One day, I decided to open up to Mr Monday (Ukuma) who I was staying with. He asked his wife to examine me, and we went to a pharmacy where a test that was carried out showed that I was pregnant. That was when I revealed everything to them, because I had stopped going to school since the death of my parents.
“Mr Monday forced me into marrying his friend, Aondona Akaa, who had also been displaced by herdsmen in Benue. I didn’t know him from anywhere and I had not been to his village in Benue.
“I was there with them and Akaa became my husband. I later gave birth to a baby boy.
“A few months after I was delivered of the baby, Monday, with whom I lived and was the breadwinner of the family, providing for me and my husband who had nothing, having lost all his people in Benue and was starting a fresh family with me, died in an accident.
“His death marked the beginning of big trouble for me as my husband disappeared a few months after, and up till now, I don’t know his whereabouts. Neither do I know his place in Benue, because he never took me there.
“Life became unbearable for me and the family Monday left behind, so I decided to leave the village for Lafia where I started doing menial jobs in a restaurant to take care of my little boy.
“I was working in one restaurant along Shamdan Road and my salary was N7000 a month. The work was too stressful for me, so I complained to the Madam that I could not continue with it and she accepted.
“I started selling cooked corn, but getting fresh corn now is difficult. I have resorted to selling oranges in the park.
“My late parents promised to give me the best of education within their reach before their unfortunate demise.
“My biggest challenge now is that I cannot trace the roots of the father of my son. But I hope and pray that God will touch his heart wherever he is to come back to us.”
On the occasion of his second anniversary as the Vice Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof Suleiman Bala Mohammed spoke with LINUS OOTA on the journey so far and his efforts to transform the university into world class standard.
You recently introduced the whistle blowing policy in the university. How well has it worked so far?
The whistle blowing policy is one of our overall agenda. It falls under the context of trying to fight unethical conduct on the campus because we observed that there were lots of unethical conduct going on among the staff and students. We don’t have so much worry about students, because they appear to be powerless. Once a student engages in exams malpractice you can bring him/her before the committee, and if found guilty, we can expel them.
But for staff it is a bit difficult. For lecturers who lecture through proxy and there are those who mark exams through proxies while some don’t even submit results on time. What we have done is to look out for such lecturers and non-academic staff. We must be ethical and must do our jobs properly. If we don’t, the victims are the students and the general public and they should have the courage to complain. It is a policy that was launched with the aim of exposing our teaching and non-teaching colleagues who are unethical in what they do.
Has it yielded any result?
Fantastic results! In fact, we have seen results that are very impressive. One, I like to say that it has already been able to serve as a deterrent. The mere fact that we launched that policy has made a lot of our colleagues to retract from what they were doing, and I have evidence all over. People have come here to thank me for what I have done.
Number two, from the dedicated ones, we are able to receive quite a number of complaints and we have been able to track some of them and found them to be genuine. They are now at various levels of investigation. We will investigate them and those found culpable will be put through the disciplinary process.
Do you have the specific number of culprits?
I don’t have the number, because it is Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics that is handling it. But approximately, about five or six are under investigation.
Recently you constituted two committees; one for the Faculty of Engineering and the other for the College of Medicine. How far with the two committees?
So far, so good. The committees are actually not meant to submit any final reports. We are actually supposed to be working with them until we admit students in October, 2021. It is a committee that is supposed to assess what we are doing and submit reports. They have submitted their first report, which actually dealt with the schedule we submitted to them and their overall observations about our regulatory agencies. We have got those reports and we are working with them.
Our plan is that the committee is made up of experts—professors as well as practitioners—and we are supposed to be working with them based on what we have in place. They will make their own observations and contributions so that by the time we set or we begin these programmes, they will be among the best in the country.
We have received one observation, which is very good. They told us that Edo State University has one of the best faculties of engineering and medicine, and I have sent a delegation comprising the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academics, the Registrar and the Dean of Engineering to go and observe it, and they said it is marvelous. We are going to pick some of the best practices there.
So, are the faculties taking-off in 2021?
Yes, they are taking off by 2021. We have done a schedule, where we hope that between now to the end of the year, w are going to advertise and recruit staff. We are also going to work on the take-off sites, and by early next year, we will invite the NUC (Nigerian Universities Commission) to come and do visitation. Once they visit, hopefully they will give us the go ahead so that JAMB can include them in the brochure for next year’s admission, and we will admit by October, 2021.
How many people do you intend to recruit?
There is usually what we call BMIS (Basic Minimum Standard) that NUC normally put in place, which deals with the number of staff, equipment, library materials and so on per department. We are actually guided by that. In addition to that, we are also guided by the professional body for engineering, which is COREN. For Medicine, it is Medical and Dental Council. The two have to come and do our accreditation and we are working closely with them. In fact, in our steering committees, we had representation from these two professional bodies.
From experience in other state owned and private universities, they would admit students into the college of medicine and by the time they get to 300 level, they switched them to other disciplines related to Medicine. What is the guarantee that such will not be the case in this university?
Incidentally, I had that kind of experience at University of Abuja where I came from. At the University of Abuja, we set up the College of Medicine. We were very ambitious. We also set up faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Engineering. Four at the same time! And we ran into the problem of funding and facilities, and the students wanted to demonstrate on the Abuja-Lokoja highway. It caused a lot damages. The federal government had to intervene and they assisted us in solving the problems.
And the problems we also had, we cannot fund the students in other universities because there is a limited number that every college of medicine can accommodate. So the option we had was to distribute them. Of course, we had candidates who will tell you I have been admitted into MBBS and I won’t do any other thing except MBBS. Of course, they have the right to ensure justice.
In our own case, we are thinking not of that. We have done our planning in terms of staffing. We are able to work with the government and we have the approval of the government and that of our visitors. In fact, when the conference of Nigeria Alumni Association went for a meeting, what they said is that they are going to give 100% support to ensure that our programmes in engineering and medicine take off. So we have that support and we don’t have any issue with recruitment of staff.
The other one is the issue of building. For engineering, our site is in Gudi. A complete school structure was handed over to us. The state government built that structure for the disabled, but they have handed over the structure to us. So what we require in that place is simply to realign the structure to meet the need of engineering and make additional workshops. So we have a good structure for engineering.
For medicine, we have awarded the contract for the construction of the first phase of the college of medicine. Meanwhile, we have identified a new site for the faculty of environment. So we want to use the old site for the faculty of environment as the take-off site for the faculty of medicine. So we are going to sort the issue of staffing, we are going to sort the issue of facilities and we are going to sort the issue of books. We believe that we are good to go. We are going to have this inspection early in the year 2021 and we can now have approval to start.
The state government has just given directives that tertiary institutions in the state should resume. How prepared are you?
We are prepared. We have been working with the state government, first as a team with all the tertiary institutions in the state. We are also working together with the ministry to ensure that there is safe resumption. In the course of our working together, we discussed with the government on the need to assist the institutions to get the health protocol facilities required by the task force of the state and the federal government. We have worked with the government and I want to report that they have given us that assistance.
Government has also taken up the responsibility of fumigation or disinfection of the environment. They have also taken the responsibility of training our health staff and others on the health protocol. That is why virtually all the tertiary institutions in the state have announced the dates for their resumption. College of Education Akwanga, the polytechnic and College of Agricultur, have announced their dates of resumption.
In our case, we are having a challenge with the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). We are hopeful that this strike will end very soon. They are meeting soon and we hope that they will find a common ground. I am sure the pressure is on both ASUU and the Federal Government. Our students have been at home for a very long time now. Once the strike is suspended, we will call the Senate meeting to look at the calendar. We have to amend it.
Looking at your five-point agenda for this institution and considering that you have three years left, which of them have you achieved to the letter?
Well, there are supposed to be ongoing projects which we were supposed to achieve at the end of the first year. Some of them are not something we can conclude, but we have set the machinery in motion. For example, we want to build a university system. Building a university system, you have to have a system which is guided by the rule of law. Being guided by the rule of law means that the regulations that are so stated are the ones that will guide the relationship between all the staff of the university.
We also said the system has to be based on accountability and transparency. In building that kind of system, it is not something you can say will be done at the end of one or two years. Our expectation is that over time, we will be able to have a university where people can say if you come to Keffi, your ward, I’m sure, can go to class based on timetable, take his/her lectures, write exams based on timetable, if he/she deserves accommodation, he/she will easily get accommodation, and if you graduate from Nasarawa State University and come to collect your transcript, you will just go online and get it.
In other words, we want to see a system that is guided by rules and regulations and there is some openness in what we are doing. This is one of the core tasks that I set for myself. We have been working on it and it is really work in progress. My expectation is that we will keep improving until the time it becomes so obvious to the public.
Another issue is on ICT. You cannot build a 21st Century university without having an effective ICT unit. It is work in progress. I want to place our appreciation to TETFUND who gave us a new befitting ICT block. We have an ICT block that can sit about one thousand
The Chief Executive Officer of Jumia Nigeria Massimiliano Spalazzi was barely a month in office when the business world was ravaged by the Coronavirus pandemic. Appointed in January to head the Africa’s largest e-commerce giant, Spalazzi, in this interview with select journalists, spoke about the challenges facing the business world. TAJUDEEN ADEBANJOwas there.
BUSINESSES are facing some challenges at this time due to the pandemic that has hit the global space. In Nigeria, there is currently a recession. Do these pose any challenge for e-commerce operations in the country?
I think we need to split the macroeconomics and what is happening online. So, I’m clear of the view that the situation is hard for many businesses. But at the same time, the penetration of e-commerce in the country is actually increasing by the day. So I would say that the key impact of the current recession on e-commerce is probably a slower growth which is contrary to what was forecasted. Not to cut numbers but I recently read an article about the penetration and the increase of mobile subscriptions in the country, which means that more subscribers are actually using phones to engage Jumia platform. It’s a really powerful moment and potential for growth for brands to come from offline to online. So answering your question, it is a tough time. But e-commerce is growing and that is probably why more brands and vendors are dealing online now.
There has been a record of low patronage from brick and mortar stores. Do you think e-commerce has an impact on this?
For us, it is more like a change. We can’t say that things are not fast actually but rather maybe a change in what people have been buying. So right now, online, they are buying foodstuff like rice which is very scarce in the market and we offer some great deals on the platform. I would admit that the amount of excitement that there was last year, for example, the need to acquire devices e.g. laptops, phones, TVs, is not as profound. Nevertheless, the platform has been consistently growing. Jumia is putting in good work with local vendors, offering them more engagements for the goods and services they offer.
How are the vendors reacting to these changes? Has there been an increase in sales?
There is inflation in the market, but at the same time, it is a moment in the year where consumers are coming on board because of the festivities. We’ve done Black Friday and now Christmas sales. Vendors who understand this also understand the potential of e-commerce. Let’s keep in mind that this year has been very important for brands because we did see a shift in their interest and much more focus on what’s happening online and in the e-commerce sector. Every brand started doing their marketing and commercial e-commerce strategy and started thinking with Jumia on how to achieve this strategy. But then they understand that the highest number of consumers are actually ready to buy during this period. Vendors understand the importance of giving the right prices and offerings to the consumers. So I would say, to a fault sometimes, of course, you have to adjust the price and understand the trend and also understand that volumes will make a difference, which is what’s happening now with Christmas sales. They maintained the prices and people have been really happy about it.
There’s this transition of moving an offline business online. Do you encourage vendors to trade on Jumia platform?
Absolutely, this has been a trend that started in March and kept going throughout the year. There’s the first part of this trend where we simply endorsed vendors for regular online selling on Jumia. They understood that wow this is actually what’s happening, there’s an increased growth of digitalization happening both for the consumers and vendors. I noticed that quite a number of vendors were selling essential goods and day to day needs—groceries and the likes.
It was also discovered that some vendors and also most of the big brands did not have a strong online presence. They started shifting to e-commerce faster in the second half of the year. Presently, we have wonderful conversations with brands thinking about what we can offer next year. Some of the examples to make you understand how fast this is going and how we are adapting to the consumer needs of our vendors now is a kind of offer we are giving not only in our prices but also their official needs which brands are responsible for, like good quality products which is really appreciated by customers, thus creating engagement and as a result, all parties are very happy.
Is there something you’ll like to share on e-commerce?
Yeah, what we’ve seen at least this year has been how relevant and important e-commerce was in serving the population during these tough times. We’ve seen many different situations happen from COVID-19 which obliged people to be locked down and having to purchase their goods in a safe way. On the other side, as a result of the fostering of local businesses online, they can make more sales now because of less dependency on the dollar. I think all of these have been happening in an advanced system, which is good for Jumia, and is still happening online. What we saw also was that people wanted to start using Jumia Pay. They found a lot of safety in it because of our push towards contactless payment with Jumia Pay and ensuring that these customers use it. I think we’ve experienced a tough year, absolutely, but a very relevant year where e-commerce, I’d say helped it.
How did Black Friday improve your sales, considering that people waited for the big moment to shop for themselves, their families, friends at the best prices?
People have been waiting even more than before for this year’s event and they have been really engaging with Jumia these last months. What did change though is the kind of products that were being bought; the kind of good and services within the past months and this year in general as a result of how COVID has impacted everyone’s life and people started to buy much more essential goods and day to day needs, and this has reflected in the kind of goods they were looking for when shopping during the Black Friday campaign.
We saw how Jumia exceeded and created adoption with customers and vendors and as a result of this, more vendors began engaging much more with our platform. They’ve seen the strength of users buying online and they wanted to partner with Jumia and build their presence online. And Black Friday has been an enhancer and an enabler for this strength.
So I’d say that the trend didn’t change but the nature of products changed. We sold much more essentials and day to day goods, for example fashion, beauty, groceries. Of course, you have to use your phones, TVs and laptops. But there’s practically more attention on this site and brands understood this and came onboard offering the right things which customers can experience.
This takes us to the question: was there any need to reduce or increase discounts during this Black Friday?
I think in general, Jumia has vendors that are selling on their platform and prices are changing every day because vendors are changing prices every day. This is the same across all months. However, what we do ensure that for the Black Friday specials there are certain things and certain goods and certain services which we discussed with the vendors for long. We started this conversation in the first half of the year.
We make sure these goods are secured and actually in the warehouse where we can offer customers JumiaExpress(faster delivery) and we keep the prices at the same level throughout the whole campaign. So, typically, the flash sales, the treasure hunt; the biggest viewers will find and keep those prices. But in general of course, Jumia is a reflection of the economy. As a result of the pandemic, vendors are changing prices.
How did this affect consumers’ reaction?
I think the top deals, we call them the anchor deals, the deals that we think are the biggest ones, they kept to their pricing during the event. So, actually, we saw customers engaging with their brands more, finding the offers on Jumia very interesting even more than usual, because the context we actually described exceeded their expectations while on the other side, we were trying to keep to the schedule offering discounts for our Christmas campaign, which is ongoing right now.
A coalition under the aegis of the Yoruba Appraisal Forum (YAF) yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari, governors of the Southwest states and service chiefs to prevent the second wave of the #EndSARS protests being planned by some youths across the country.
The group spoke at a news conference in Lagos. YAF National Coordinator Adeshina Animashaun added that the forum had already begun the mobilisation of all its members across Yorubaland to frustrate the protest.
YAF also petitioned National Security Adviser Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Monguno, Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Adamu, Department of State Services Director-General Yusuf Bichi, Minister of Defence Gen. Bashir Magashi , Minister of Police Affairs Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi and Minister of the Interior Rauf Aregbesola.
It described plans of fresh #EndSARS protests as “most irresponsible and grossly unpatriotic”.
YAF enjoined police and other security agencies to “act immediately and waste no more time in mopping up the weapons still illegally in the hands of some of these hoodlums masquerading as youths under the aegis of the #EndSARS protests. All the culprits must be arrested now and prosecuted”.
The group also urged “the police and other security agencies to immediately move against these planners of another #EndSARS protests to stop the fresh carnage they are planning for Nigeria”.
YAF warned those planning the second #EndSARS protests to steer clear of the Southwest.
The Forum also disclosed that it had already declared those behind another #EndSARS protests persona non grata throughout Yorubaland and Southwest.
YAF national coordinator said, “It has come to our notice that those behind the fresh plan for a fresh #EndSARS protest have a more sinister objective of destabilising the Nigerian nation for the selfish political end of their sponsors and paymasters.
“Intelligence reports at our disposal have indicated that the masterminds of this devilish plan are bent on throwing Nigeria into total chaos to hasten the collapse of governments at both the state and Federal levels to enable them to execute their evil plans for the hapless Nigerian people.
“They are planning to take advantage of the absence of police and other security personnel in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, following the violence that attended the October #EndSARS protests, to wreak further havoc throughout the country once again.
“We’re aware that many of these so called youths and #EndSARS protesters are still in possession of the arms and ammunition they carted away when they attacked and burnt police stations and even killed policemen last October. Their continued possession of these guns has continued to embolden them in their devilish activities and their current plan for another round of #EndSARS protests so that they can have the opportunity to use these stolen weapons to perpetrate further evil, further looting and killing of more innocent people.
“This is most irresponsible and unpatriotic! The police authorities and other security agencies must act now and waste no time in mopping mop up these weapons still illegally in the hands of these hoodlums. Their sponsored action, we have discovered, is what some renegade political contractors, jobbers and rascals are planning to capitalise on under the guise of youth action to feather their own devilish political nest.”
Animashaun added: “We, therefore, urge Nigerians, government and security agencies to disregard the disguised antics and plans of these shameless and unpatriotic youths, who lack the due respect for democracy, by taking the appropriate actions against them to nip their evil plans in the bud.
“On our own part as YAF members, we won’t hesitate to mobilise all our members across Yorubalnd to confront those planning another wave of #EndSARS protests in any part of the South-West.
“Henceforth, we have declared such persons and groups persona non-grata in the entire Yoruba nation. They and their cohorts must, henceforth, not be seen anywhere in our beloved South-West homeland.
“If they refuse to take this our modest advice to desist from their devilish plans and activities in Yorubaland, they should be prepared to face sanctions and consequences as we will no longer fold our hands and allow them and their collaborators to further destroy the economic and social well-being of our people under the guise of expressing grievances against the government.”
The omens are not good with the increasing rate of insecurity nationwide. In this analysis, YUSUF ALLI, MANAGING EDITOR, NORTHERN OPERATION examines why Nigeria is on the edge – contending with Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast, bandits in the Northwest, kidnappers and sundry criminals everywhere else. Additional reports form BISI OLANIYI (South-south Bureau Chief); RASAQ IBRAHIM (Ado-Ekiti); MIKE ODIEGWU (Port Harcourt) and OSAGIE OTABOR (Akure).
In the beginning
Smarting from the abduction of 276 school girls by Boko Haram from Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, on the night of 14-15 April 2014, it was easier for Nigerians to buy into the security agenda of Muhammadu Buhari, who was presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the 2015 presidential election.
Buhari overstretched himself to reassure a depressed nation that he will secure the country. In his inaugural speech, he said: “Boko Haram is not only the security issue bedeviling our country. The spate of kidnappings, armed robberies, herdsmen/farmers clashes, cattle rustlings all help to add to the general air of insecurity in our land.
“We are going to erect and maintain an efficient, disciplined people – friendly and well – compensated security forces within overall security architecture.”
The APC campaign machinery had branded former President Goodluck Jonathan a ‘clueless’ leader to underscore his inability to tackle the myriad of challenges confronting Nigeria – especially insecurity.
The situation today
After being in the saddle for five years, it is becoming crystal clear to the president and his team that managing the security architecture of a nation is not a tea-party. Armed with his experience as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) in 1982 when he overran some Maitatsine fundamentalists and chased them to Chad, Buhari was optimistic of easily tackling Nigeria’s security problems.
But the paradigm has changed. Tactics have become more sophisticated and criminals more hi-tech than the military, the police and other security agencies.
Capturing the mood of the country, the Sultan of Sokoto and President of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, said: “We have security problems in the country. Bandits now go into people’s houses to kidnap and not on the highway anymore. In the last couple of days, they are going into institutions. In Zaria, they went to ABU and the polytechnic and took away people,” he said.
The Sultan said that in the Northwest, in particular, people can’t sleep with their eyes closed and lamented that even on Wednesday, a village was razed down in Sokoto but people don’t hear about such incidents.
“The insecurity in the North is so high that people are afraid of travelling from Funtua (Katsina State) to Zaria (Kaduna State); a journey of about 48 or 50 miles. This is not to talk of from Sokoto to Abuja or Kano,” he said.
The Buhari administration has had more than a fair share of security problems with the frontiers now extended to farmers-herders conflicts and banditry in states like Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Benue, Kaduna, Plateau, Ekiti, and others. No state is immune to security stress but the magnitude differs from state to state.
According to data compiled from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a Washington D.C-based non-profit organization, there have been 47,000 deaths from ‘all’ actors, (Boko Haram, armed ‘bandits’ and ‘criminals’) from 2015 up to 31 January 2020).
But killings by the insurgents have assumed more dangerous proportion than any security threat. On February 19, 2018 at 5:30 pm, 110 schoolgirls aged 11–19 years old were kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents from Government Girls’ Science and Technical College (GGSTC) in Dapchi.
Research by BBC Monitoring claimed that at least 967 people were killed by Boko Haram attacks in 2017, while 910 deaths were recorded in the previous year (2016). In its 2019 report, Amnesty International reported that Boko Haram carried out 31 attacks that resulted in at least 378 civilian deaths.
The group also killed at least 16 abducted civilians. It also reported that at least 96 people were killed in violent clashes between farmers’ and herders’ communities while not less than 570 people lost their lives, probably to banditry, in five states in the Northwest Nigeria during the same period.
Kidnapping has also become the norm with the nation recording a leap from a skeletal rate in 2003 to a jumbo level. ENACT, which is funded by the European Union, stated: “Niger Delta states – notably Delta, Edo and Abia – have long been the epicentre of kidnapping in the country. In the past three years, Kaduna has also become a hotspot.
According to a Nigeria-based security company Bulwark Intelligence, based on incidents reported in the local media from January 2018 to September 2018, states that recorded the highest numbers of incidents include Kaduna, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Zamfara, and Katsina.
“According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), using data from law enforcement agencies of member states, 277 kidnappings were reported in Nigeria in 2007; 309 in 2008; 703 in 2009; 738 in 2010; 600 in 2012; and 574 in 2013. No data were provided for 2011. In 2015, the Nigeria Police Force reported 886 kidnappings. About 630 people were reportedly abducted between May 2016 and May 2017.
A report by Quartz Africa said: “Nigeria has one of the world’s highest rates of kidnap-for-ransom cases. Other countries high up on the list included Venezuela, Mexico, Yemen, Syria, the Philippines, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.”
Also, a recent investigation by Daily Trust indicated that 1,570 people were abducted in 11 months in this year alone. The kidnappers were said to have demanded N6.9billion but the victims could only pay N311million.
The worst violence was the massacre by Boko Haram of 48 rice farmers in Zabarmari, a few kilometres away from Maiduguri, Borno State capital.
Problems hindering fight against insecurity
A major setback is low or poor defence budget. Over the years, Nigeria had failed to prioritize funding of its defence because of its stable democracy. A World Bank report claimed that between 1999 and 2007, the nation’s defence budget was between $0.49b and $0.97billion. It was the same challenge Nigeria faced between 1985 and 1999 during the administrations of ex-President Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan, Gen. Sani Abacha and Gen. Abubakar Abdulsalami. From $1.09b in 1985, defence budget shrunk as low as $0,1b in some years,
According to findings, there had been a steady increase in challenges without corresponding funding. The World Bank report gave a breakdown of the nation’s defence budget in recent years as follow
2018 ($2.04b) a 26.02% increase from 2017;
2017 was $1.62B, a 5.92% decline from 2016.
2016 was $1.72B, a 16.57% decline from 2015.
2015 was $2.07B, a 12.39% decline from 2014.
A military source said: “With low defence budget, it means we have been experiencing depletion of armaments, coping with overused hardware and we became bare-handed over a long period.
“By the time multiple security challenges confronted the country, recession has made us vulnerable and we could no longer replenish our stock. Also, some hardware we ought to have acquired over the years became expensive and hard to get at the press of a button. And because of the crises at hand, we spend more on logistics than the equipment we need.”
Recourse to ad-hoc/ stop-gap operations
To tackle the security problems, over 40 operations were launched by the Army, Air Force and Navy. But the ad-hoc or stop-gap operations have overstretched all formations and affected coordination. A source said the measures had proved more costly than expected.
Although it was gathered that the stop-gap tactics were designed to get all the armed forces involved, the success rate has been low because of constant change of guards. Some of these operations include the oldest launched in July 2015 called Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Operation RATTLE SNAKE, Operation RUWAN WUTA I,II,III, Operation LAST HOLD(North-East); Operations SHARAN DAJI, HADARIN DAJI, HARBIN KUNAMA, DOKAJI,KARAMIN GORO and ACCORD(North-West); Operations HARBIN KUNAMA, SAFE HAVEN, NUTCRACKER, CAT RACE and WHIRL STROKE in North-Central, Operations PYTHON DANCE I, ATILOGWU, EGWU EKE(Python Dance II)in the South-East; DELTA SAFE, IBAKA among others in the South-South. For the South West, there were Operation Python Dance III and Operation 777.
President Muhammadu Buhari
But during a weekly briefing, the Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, said the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies “have continued their major operations across the country with dynamism”.
He said: “The gallant troops made contact with the terrorists and effectively engaged and dominated them with According to him, in the North West, troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI and other subsidiary operations have sustained their operations progressively.”
Lack of continuity
In 2014, the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan floated some counter-terrorism policies including ,a multi-layer communication structure for implementing National Counter-Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST), which were later abandoned. Also, towards the tail end of his government, Jonathan engaged some foreign mercenaries to assist in curtailing Boko Haram. Despite the success of the mercenaries, the Buhari administration discontinued the policy and disengaged the foreign fighters.
PR Nigeria, which was an undercover propaganda machinery of the military during the Jonathan era gave some insights into how the mercenaries came about. It said: “During the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria had covertly brought in ‘military-technical advisers’ suspected to be mercenaries from South Africa and the former Soviet Union to take on Boko Haram ahead of the national election in 2015.
“Several regional security, defence and diplomatic sources were aware of the development at the time – including a tacit confirmation by President Jonathan that two companies were providing “trainers and technicians” to help Nigerian forces.
“Speaking to PRNigeria under the condition of anonymity, one of the facilitators of the “soldiers of fortune” bemoaned the humiliation, persecution and prosecution of foreign mercenaries along with their Nigerian counterparts who participated in the operation after the emergence of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: “Some of our covert operations and activities of operatives in Nigeria including incurred casualties were exposed as working for mercenaries. Imagine that even highly classified and coded transactions for operational purposes were exposed as corruption.”
While noting that some of their payments for operations executed are still outstanding, he said, “It’s easier to confirm what we did because we were able to recover dozens of towns from Boko Haram from at least three states in Northeast at the time. This is an open secret.”
Rivalry among military chiefs
There has been suppressed intra and inter-agency feuds within the nation’s armed forces which at a point affected the consolidation of the gains against Boko Haram and other criminal elements. The rivalry bordered on refusal to share intelligence, solo military manoeuvres, each head of the defence arms seeking the attention of the President and Commander-In-Chief, ambition to become Chief of Defence Staff and taking credit for any successful operation.
But President Buhari and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin succeeded in addressing the cold war to a large extent. In February, Olonisakin was more forthcoming when he said: “There is no doubt that our security forces require synergy and effective collaboration to succeed in the discharge of the onerous task of securing the nation.
“The required synergy transcends the three services of the armed forces to the paramilitary and even NGOs and other stakeholders in our various theatre of operation. This synergy is essential and vital to achieving our common objective of securing Nigeria.
“It will also help in formulating policies and assist the armed forces in its operations. Therefore, you must all display maturity and jettison all the hindrances to synergy and cooperation, such as ego and rivalry.”
Lack of cooperation from neighbouring countries
Nigeria and its neighbours have been part of a strong Multi-National Joint Task Force to “checkmate banditry activities and to facilitate free movement”. The reality is that the neighbours have been patching their military collaboration with each nation striving to defend its sovereignty. In a blog post, Ambassador John Campbell of the Council on Foreign Relations in the United States wrote: “Further, the report finds that participating countries are reluctant to cede command over their own troops to the MNJTF, planning is poorly coordinated, and there is a shortage of funding.
“Participating countries often have different political goals. For example, Crisis Group suggests that the Nigerian government sees the MNJTF as a fig leaf to cover the Chadian military’s operations within Nigerian territory.
“Further, civilian oversight is weak and poorly funded. To that end, Crisis Group recommends enhanced intelligence coordination, establishing clearer lines of authority, and improving the human rights posture. Those participating in the MNJTF should approach the AU and the EU for increased funding.”
What next?
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) still believes the solution to Boko Haram insurgency and other security challenges is collaborating with neighbouring countries and state police. Only the Southwest has introduced a pseudo-security apparatchik without the support of the Federal Government. But with the surge in insecurity, Nigeria may soon decentralize its security network.
Chairman of the NGF, Dr. Kayode Fayemi said: “I personally, as a security scholar, can see that our military is overwhelmed. Our military is no longer in a position to single-handedly tackle this menace effectively.
“It is not a criticism of our military, there can even be a coalition that will include our neighbouring countries who are probably more experienced in fighting an asymmetrical war. It will not be a loss of our pride as a country if that were to happen. This is certainly something that we, as your colleagues and brothers, will put before Mr. President.”
If things were tough battling insurgents who invade from outside Nigerian territory, the challenge is even worse now in the aftermath of the EndSARS protests that witnessed the killing of policemen and destruction of over 200 police stations across the country.
Today, police presence across the country is a pale shadow of what obtained in the recent past. In interviews with officers and rank and file, there has been a dramatic collapse in morale.
To make matter worse, in a state like Edo close to 2,000 convicts were freed in jailbreaks that occurred during the protests. Many of the inmates are still at large, wreaking havoc on hapless members of the public.
There is also the issue of the centralised control of the police which has resulted in growing frustration on the part of state governors who are ostensibly are chief security officers of their states.
Explaining the situation, Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai recently said: “We (governors) are all frustrated. I am frustrated in my state; many governors are frustrated in their states; we are called chief security officers only in name; we have no control over the army and the police. We are almost helpless. We don’t have a say in police operations, yet we fund some of their operations in our states.
“Some of us have more influence than others, but to a large extent, you ask the commissioner of police to do something and he has to clear with the Inspector-General of Police; this is the reality.
“We are not in control of the police, I don’t determine who gets posted to my state as Commissioner of Police and if I give him directives, he can decide to flout the directives. So, we are all frustrated.”
How politics, criminality heighten insecurity in Edo
Edo, a hitherto relatively-peaceful state, has been in the eye of the storm in the last few months over insecurity, leading to loss of lives of many innocent persons and destruction of valuable property.
Politics and criminality have heightened insecurity in the South-south state, with sophisticated arms and ammunition now in the hands of hoodlums, who are currently terrorising residents across the 18 local government areas, with Benin, the state capital, and its environs, being the worst hit.
During the campaigns and the September 19 Governorship Election in Edo State, it was an open secret that politicians gave guns to thugs to assist them to dominate the electioneering and have upper hands during the poll, which was “won” by Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
While the campaigns and the bloody election were ongoing, guns from political thugs were booming across the state, thereby heightening tension, with panicky residents running for cover, to avoid being hit by stray bullets.
With the crucial election over and the winner announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), politicians found it extremely difficult to withdraw the arms, ammunition and other dangerous weapons from the thugs, which they later started using for armed robbery, kidnapping and cultism, with members of rival cult groups openly brandishing guns in Edo, in supremacy battles.
Shortly after the September 19 election in Edo State came the nationwide peaceful #EndSARS protests, which were later hijacked by violent hoodlums, who shot guns sporadically into the air, without being confronted by security operatives, leading to lawlessness.
On October 19, the hoodlums that hijacked the peaceful #EndSARS protests opted for criminality by looting and razing seven police stations in Edo State, carting away large cache of arms, ammunition, police uniforms and other valuables, while also burning vehicles, including police patrol vans, parked at the police stations, thereby leading to total breakdown of law and order.
The AK-47 rifles, other weapons and ammunition stolen from the invaded and burnt police stations were mostly used by the hoodlums to attack the Maximum Correctional Centre (White House) on Sapele Road and Oko Medium Correctional Centre on Airport Road, both in Benin, freeing 1,993 inmates, including many condemned/hardened criminals, who immediately returned to crime.
While speaking on the increase in criminal activities in Edo, the state’s Commissioner of Police, Babatunde Kokumo, said that officers and men of the command were working within existing limitations to restore normalcy to the state, while assuring that all the criminals would soon be arrested and prosecuted, to serve as a deterrent to others.
Kokumo said: “Is there any magic that we can do without vehicles, without arms and ammunition? How do you expect things to be normal where almost 2,000 inmates escaped?
“Just imagine what it means that three police stations along Sokponba Road, Benin were destroyed and burnt, patrol vehicles were destroyed in many other parts of Edo State. All the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and other police officers and men in the seven burnt police stations now operate from the state police headquarters (in GRA, Benin).
“The peaceful #EndSARS protests were hijacked by hoodlums. The protests took a violent turn in Edo State, with inmates of the two correctional centres in Benin City set free. So, what do you expect?
“Some of the escapees have been sending threat messages to policemen, who investigated and prosecuted them. One of the escapees, who was convicted for murder, went that same day (October 19 this year) and he killed the prosecution witness in his village, but he was immediately rearrested.
“Everybody must be part of the restoration of sanity to Edo State. People who know the escapees should avail us information about them. I am assuring you that we are not sleeping, but with what has happened to the police in Edo State, some of these hitches are expected, but we are not sleeping and we will continue to work.”
Edo Police Commissioner also urged residents of the South-south state not to panic, but to go about their lawful businesses, while assuring them of adequate protection of lives and property.
Kokumo stressed that police officers and men of the command were trying their best, in spite of the challenges.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, later during his working visit to Edo State, while addressing police officers and men at the state headquarters in Benin, after inspecting the seven looted and razed police stations in the state, asked policemen not to leave the public space open for criminals to take charge, while directing them to occupy everywhere.
In order to restore the confidence of Edo residents in the security agencies, members of the Joint Security Taskforce in the state are now storming the notorious Upper Sokponba axis of Benin and other hot spots in Edo, leading to the arrest of suspected kidnappers, cultists, armed robbers and other criminals terrorising the state. The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Anthony Omozoje, who is leading the Special Joint Security Taskforce in Edo, assured the state’s governor, Godwin Obaseki, that the South-south state would soon be rid of criminals, for the residents to sleep with their two eyes closed.
He also gave an assurance that he and the personnel of the taskforce would halt the sudden rise in criminal activities in Edo State and support the efforts to re-arrest the 1,993 fleeing inmates of the two correctional centres in Benin.
Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Sa’ad Abubaka
The GOC, who also met with heads of security agencies in Edo, stated that there was the need for synergy among them, so as to bring down the crime rate in the state.
Maj.-Gen. Omozoje said: “Troops of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, are on clearance operation at the hideouts of suspected kidnappers, cultists, armed robbers and other criminal elements. The taskforce is focused on ensuring a reduction in crime in Edo State.”
The GOC, who is closely working with the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG), Zone 5, Benin, Sholla David, and the Commander, 4 Brigade in the Edo State capital, Brig.-Gen. U.M. Bello, urged Edo residents to provide the taskforce with useful information on criminals in their midst, while assuring that identities of the informants would be adequately protected.
The security agencies and their personnel need to be alive to their responsibilities, especially with Christmas and New Year celebrations fast approaching, thereby ensuring the safety of lives and property of residents.
Prior to the EndSARS protest, security agencies and the Rivers State Government had intensified their efforts to tackle common security challenges, such as kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery, rape, murder, among others.
But the violence, which occurred following the hijack of the protest by hoodlums identified by security agencies as members of the Indigeneous Peoples of Biafra introduced a different dimension to the security issues in Rivers.
The hoodlums destroyed all the police stations, including an Area Command in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state. They burnt over 50 vehicles, including an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), killed four policemen and six soldiers. They also burnt courts and privately owned hospitals in the area.
Fear gripped most residents in the state when the government confirmed that the hoodlums looted 50 AK47 rifles from the soldiers and the police. Though the military commenced an operation to recover the rifles and arrest the hoodlums, there have been pockets of criminal activities across the state.
Security agencies have been battling with the menace of pirates along some major waterways in the state. Major operating routes of the hoodlums are the Port-Harcourt-Bonny waterways, Bile in Degema and some waterways in Andoni Local Government Area of the state.
Recently, pirates killed one person and abducted two others during an attack on a passenger boat along the Bonny waterways. A source, who narrated the frequent attacks on commercial boats by sea robbers, said: ” A new boat with new engine was hijacked at Isaka area, that is the latest mode of crime on waterways, when they see new boats with new engine, they attack it and offload the passengers at the creek; so as usual, the passengers were dropped at the creek while the hoodlums whisked away two people believed to be rich among them.
“The reoccurrence of pirates attack has been a source of concern; we are no longer safe and the saddest thing is that nothing is being done by relevant authorities to stop this menace.
“On Sunday, November 29, 2020, pirates also attacked passengers at Owokiri/Opopo Riser, and whisked away one person. These hoodlums are known. They are highly connected with top contractors working with multinational oil companies in the state but nobody seems to care.”
The source said one of the suspects had been arrested and urges security agencies to intensify surveillance in the coastal communities.
But the Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, said the police were taking drastic actions to contain the wave of attacks on waterways.
Omoni: “We have only five gunboats in the state to cover the coastal communities. We are utilizing them judiciously to cover such areas but we need the cooperation of the communities to achieve optimum security.
“We need information from them and the earlier they share the information with the police, the better for us, security of the waterways should not be a one-way traffic; it needs adequate collaboration between the police and the communities to fight such menace.”
Rivers has also been dealing with its fair share of cultism. The police in partnership with local vigilant group have been confronting cultists, who often engage in supremacy battles, causing panic in some suburbs of the capital city such as Mile 1, Mile 3, Diobu, Borokiri, popularly called Town and other areas.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, recently imposed a 24-hour two-week curfew around the Okoro-Nu-Odu flyover in Rumuokoro, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area following upsurge cult violence.
The governor also warned that government would deal appropriately with anyone disturbing the peace and security of the state
Wike explained that the Rivers State Government was seriously disturbed by the recent upsurge of cult activities, related violence and killings around the affected areas.
He said: “Again, we wish to warn that community leaders that allow cultism and related activities to thrive unabated in their communities would be treated as collaborators to the resulting crimes and dealt with accordingly.
“We urge all citizens to be part of the efforts to curb cultism in the state by reporting any suspicious cult activity, including gatherings and initiations in or around their neighbourhoods to the security agencies for immediate action.”
Kidnapping and murder have also posed serious challenge to security agencies in the state. Though there has been decrease in the number of kidnap cases in the state, that cannot be said of gunmen’s killings in suspected cases of assassination.
Unknown gunmen recently shot and killed an engineer from Agana in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Michael Ebirien-Agana.
The police also recently launched a manhunt for the gunmen, who kidnapped and murdered a former Rivers State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Ebenezer Kalabo Amah. Amah was whisked away by unknown gunmen, who laid ambush at his residence on Precious Chukwu Street in Woji, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, and was found dead the next day.
There has also been an ongoing war between security agencies and IPOB members. The police recently linked the attack on the Christian Universal Church International belonging to the father of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to IPOB. But IPOB has denied involvement in the incident.
Hoodlums numbering about five sneaked into the Christian Universal Church International on 25 Azikiwe Street Mile 3 Diobu, on a Saturday night and detonated explosives suspected to be dynamites.
How insecurity worsen in Ondo
The aftermath of the ENDSARS protest brought another nightmare to residents of Akure and environs as armed robbery, kidnapping and other crimes assumed a sickening dimension. Absence of policemen in the street worsened the situation as the carnage caused during the ENDSARS protest led to the burning and looting of over eight police divisions across the state.
Towns where Police Divisions and stations were attacked were Okitipupa, Akure, Ondo town and Ore. Two policemen were killed in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area and Ondo town, Ondo West Local Government Area. One of the policemen was mobbed while the other one was burnt alive inside his car.
Absence of police patrol in the street and highways in Ondo led to series of kidnappings, armed robbery and outright killing in Akure and other parts of the state. Several persons, including traders, have been abducted along the Akure-Owo-Bénin highway and the Akoko area. Traders and local government workers abducted last month were made to part with N5m.
Within Akure metropolis, three persons were shot dead while others lost valuables to various armed robbery attacks.
Among the many robbery and kidnap victims were Deputy Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Ayodele Oladimeji, Speaker of Ondo State Youth Parliament, Smith Ikumapayi, HRH Oba Isreal Adeusi, who was shot dead; wife of the Chief of Staff to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Sade Ale, amongst others.
Worried by the spate of incessant robbery attacks, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu announced restriction in the operation of commercial motorcycle riders also known as Okada within the hours of 6am and 6pm.
Akeredolu warned that the motorcycle of any Okada rider found flouting his directive would be impounded.
He also placed a ban on all vehicles with unauthorised tinted glasses from plying the roads. He said any of such vehicles without a duly certified permit issued by a relevant security agency would be impounded.
Akeredolu also promised to provide all necessary support in terms of both human and logistics aids to security agencies to ensure the safety of residents. He also urged all security agencies to come out and confront what he described as abhorrent development, saying security reports at his disposal deserved serious attention.
At a meeting with leaders of the Okada riders, Special Adviser to Governor Akeredolu on Special Duties, Dr. Doyin Odebowale, urged them to obey the directives as it would help government fish out the criminals among them.
Odebowale stated that many of the robbery incidences were linked to motorcycle riders.
Ondo Commissioner of Police, Salami Bolaji, said the meeting was organised to seek the cooperation because of rise in crime rates, especially the use of Okada.
“We want them to assist us on information to help us to arrest those using Okada to rob or kidnap. We believe the criminals are not Okada riders. It is for the peace and tranquility in Ondo.
The killing of Oba Adeusi however jolted security agencies to action, including the Ondo State Security Network, known as the Amotekun Corps, to increase patrol on the highway and take the fight to the criminals’ den.
Ondo Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Eweka Edenabu, said the state of insecurity in the state would not be unconnected to the #ENDSARS protest and the recently held governorship election.
“Those two factors contributed to the insecurity but we have put in place lots of measure. We have beefed up security around national assets across the state. We also deploy our men for intelligence gathering.
“All our operational vehicles have been deployed to all parts of the state. Security has been beefed up on the highway. We are doing constant patrolling of the highway. All the black spots in the state are being raided. We will ensure a crime-free Yuletide celebration in Ondo State.”
The Ondo Amotekun Corps, which launched the Operation Clean Up last Tuesday, said over 20 suspects were arrested within two days. Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, said the Operation Clean Up was meant to rid all nooks and crannies of the state of all criminal elements.
Ekiti caught in the throes of insecurity
For the people of Ekiti State, the last six months have been tough as crimes of different dimensions, such as killings, armed robbery and kidnapping, have become a reoccurring decimal in the state.
The state, which was hitherto known for its peaceful atmosphere, with maximum protection of lives and property, is now a hellhole for travellers and residents alike, many of whom have suffered in the hands of bandits, killers, kidnappers and perpetrators of other forms of crimes.
The deteriorating situation of security in the state has instilled palpable fear in the residents with both the rich and the poor now finding it difficult to sleep with two eyes closed.
The spate of kidnapping in the state has made people to become security conscious and mindful about where when, and how to travel, as highways have become den of kidnappers and killers. Igbara Odo- Ikere, Aramoko-Erio-Efon, Efon-Iwaraja, Akure-Ikere, Ado-Ijan, Ise-Ikere routes are now firestorms for kidnappers.
The growing crime wave in the state has become a thing of concern not only to the residents of the state but to visitors and even those using the state as transit route to their various destinations. Ekiti State shares boundary with four states, namely; Osun, Ondo, Kogi and Kwara.
In the last few months, no fewer than 10 people have been gruesomely murdered in the state while many were kidnapped by suspected herdsmen.
On January 4, a retired principal, Mr. Femi Ayeni, was gunned down by some gunmen in Emure-Ekiti, the headquarters of Emure Local Government Area of Ekiti State. The incident occurred at about 10:30pm at his residence located along Ise-Ekiti road in the community.
On April 27, between Governor Kayode Fayemi’s hometown, Isan-Ekiti and Iludun Ekiti, herdsmen killed a councillor with Ilejemeje Council Area and abducted the Ekiti State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Folorunso Olabode, with a woman, Mrs. Taiwo Bosede on their way to Iye-Ekiti.
The abductees were later released somewhere in Kwara after spending nine days in kidnappers’ den after paying an undisclosed sum of money as ransom.
On September 15, unknown gunmen shot dead a Director in Ekiti State Local Government Commission, Mr. David Jejelowo, in his house at Igirigiri area of Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
Barely two days after, a retired United States of America’s Major Jide Ijadare, was kidnapped in his palm oil-producing factory located along Ijan Ekiti-Ise-Ekiti road in Ijan-Ekiti, Gbonyin Council Area of Ekiti State. In the process, one person was shot dead.
On October 3, a pastor working for All Christian, Mr. Kayode Ogunleye, was gunned down in a forest along Aramoko-Ijero Road in Ekiti State. Ogunleye, who was also a farmer, had gone to his farm to harvest plantain when the incident happened.
Two weeks later, a 62 -year -old security guard with the Federal University of Oye Ekiti, Mr. Matthew Malik, went to his farm and never returned. He was murdered by some hired assassins on his farm at Oye Ekiti in the Oye Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
On November 4, tragedy struck Dalimore area of Ado Ekiti, the state capital, when a young trader, Mr. Olanrewaju Oladapo, was shot dead by unknown gunmen. The incident occurred around 9.45pm when the assailants trailed the deceased to his house behind Jone-Jane Hospital in Ado metropolis where he was ambushed and killed at the main entrance.
On November 27, gunmen kidnapped a Chinese expatriate working with the Civil Engineering Construction Company of Nigeria Ltd handling the construction of the new Ado-Iyin road. The victim’s police orderly was shot dead in the ensuing fracas.
The expatriate, who spent four days in the kidnappers’ den, was later released along Ado-Ilawe road after a whopping sum of N100m was paid as ransom.
A day earlier, the Presiding Pastor of Solution Baptist Church, Ikere-Ekiti, Rev’d Johnson Oladimeji, was shot dead in his car along Igbara Odo-Ikere road on his way from Osun State to Ekiti State.
To stem the tide of insecurity, Governor Fayemi has inaugurated a joint patrol comprising operatives of the military, Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. The taskforce operates on 24hrs, moving across the 16 local government areas of the state; patrolling not just for visibility policing but to also raid black spots.
Emmanuel Eni, aka Blackman in European Kitchen, is a Nigerian poet and multi-media artist based in Germany. He speaks with Prof. FRANK UGIOMOH on his professional practice in Europe, #ENDSARS protest in Nigeria and more.
CAN you compare studio pedagogy in art institutions in Nigeria and the London institution you attended, considering that Nigeria’s studio pedagogy is conservative and remains so up till now?
Studios pedagogy are alike, though I must say that Nigerian studio pedagogy is more solid, challenging and motivational in the sense that you are trained with the most serious and important skills and academics to make you a successful artist.
How do you combine the mechanical dimensions of art with the literary and performance aspects?
I have united all aspects of art which I practise under my discovered “Contemporary Barock Art” which has poetry and philosophy as the meeting point in my skill and inspiration in sculpture, painting, installation art, performance and music.
Your responsiveness to wanton conflicts and their consequences regarding safety has become an identity for you. You must have followed the #ENDSARS protests in Nigeria recently. What is your take on the protests?
ENDSARS is a movement of dis-satisfied Nigerians.Until the government on Nigeria gives reasonable remedies to these demands there will be more intense agitation and civil strife. Endsars is also flames from the burning questions and which in some major quarters in Nigeria and their stringent call for restructuring of the nation.
As a Nigerian in the diaspora, what is your take on lousy governance complaints and the suggestions to ease them, which the youth in Nigeria presented to the government and the suppression and carnage that followed?
A country with a suppressed people cannot have a government that survives if suppression remains.It is best when the government makes brave moves to bring all bad eggs in government to justice by showing them the book. Nigerians want to see punishment for looters and very many such scape-goats.
The Japanese Kamikaze projected a preference for their fatherland’s defence, protection, and sanctity, identified with the slogan “living for something and dying for something.” Do you think that such a commitment to Nigeria is realisable in Nigerian youths?
Living and dying for motherland is a kind of mindset that an opportunistic agitating leader might mis-use. This is the bedrock of most reclusive like socialist and communistic governments. Democracy must be liberal and the citizens like their leaders must grow a liberal mindset of responsibly advancing the nation, without Kamikatze doctrines on both sides.
What does the protest tell about the Nigerian youths today considering their organisational ability during the protests?
Nigerian youths are more sensible than in the past. They have forfeited the unwittingly corrupt and vain nature of some the older generation and seem to be talking in a united tone and voice.
Recall the famous allegory of an Andrew checking out of Nigeria in the 1980s? Can that scenario be accountable for your diaspora status?
No, I was never an Andrew, I just had and still have a lot of desire to carry my body as well and as far as my mind, doing all in my might to spread African civilisation to the world and learn more about the entire world and mankind.
What unique attraction made you relocate to Germany, especially in the regions of Berlin and Munich?
Thinking of it, it is rather where my work finds me at the particular time, as much as it keeps me pleasantly entangled, progressive and busy.
The word success is relative. However paint a picture of your stay in Germany so far.
That’s a good one. Well, I will leave that to you. An eye sees not itself but by reflection.
You studied art in Nigeria and at the London’s Royal Academy of Art. How did these institutions impact your career as an artist?
Being in these universities reading art was like incubating an already hatched egg. The strong drive and divine inspiration and hunger for ground breaking inspiration was like a deep fire in my heart and mind, which showed later in the over three decades of my art career as an iconoclast of uncommon proportions. As a poet and philosopher whose art is feeding all branches of the creative tree, ultimately with philosophy and poetry as underlying root of my sculptures, paintings, installations and performance; thus, creating some unique and patented discoveries, like my “New light paintings art”. And for instance, “Basic metric scale for art products, (BMSFAP) is a scale which ascertains the price of a work of a given art and “Contemporary Barock” Art, the amalgamation of every form of art.
I am happy to be listed in Forbes and IMDB in 2020, under the category of most successful, most popular, amongst others ratings. These are made possible by decades of a hunger for ground breaking inspiration.
As a writer and performer, I sort to outline the differences and similarities of culture; and in the creator of “Israel and Palestine installation”, another of my works in iconography which is my first, I express the “mother” and key example of dis-harmony and that of war-fare whose characteristics reflect in many different wars worldwide.
Apart from these so-called iconic works of mine, there is also more to enjoy from my one million works on paper stretched over 30 years, such as 1200 sculptures in Terra cotta, re-enforced concrete, fibre glass and bronze and over 300 framed paintings on canvas including some of “The New light paintings art”.
One of my iconic works includes “Junking of the Elephant” (a live destruction of a 30-ton heavy elephant sculpture I made from reinforced concrete, as an ecological statement). There is also “Emmanuel Eni water for nature preservation” (an art, music, fashion and charity work) and “Death of the Curator” Installation (de-mystifying and debunking art curatorial practice) which toured many European museums.
Some of my publications include: “Masquaradeundressing” Poems collection, Cpn Publishers England, “Universes of Water” poems, “Death of the curator” Drama, “Kindonkind” Poems on Duality, “Fallandstand” Poems.
In 2006, you featured at the Dak’art biennale with an installation entitled Israel and Palestine, which became comprehensible when you performed it. In that installation, you alluded to the “wanton cruelty in conflicts.” Can you provide more enlightenment on this piece, looking at its metaphorical scheme or approach?
Israel and Palestine wars and conflict is the key war example that can apply as example with many characteristics in common as in their wars. In my installation, the concrete visual presence of the colossal dynamite contraption wall is to confront the viewer and bring them face to face with happenings of the war, instead of the safe distance of the news from Television and radio.
Another work you created “The Death of the Curator (2005) showed at Leipzig’s Museum of Ethnography. I am concerned about the curatorial strategy. Why a contemporary work of art on display in an ethnographic museum? Has it to do with its context and content, and what does the work address?
The installation Death of The curator is not a clinical death. Rather it is the critic with pros and cons of The curating Art practice. Museum being described as a play for housing and displaying art, it fitted in as much as in other museums. For the fact that the museum has vast collection of African Art taken away at the colonial period is timely as to the position or question about how the installed art came into the museum, and also a question of what will come into the museum when the curator is dead.
While few residents claimed the man used a heavy object to hit Esther on the head, others claimed she was given a punch on the head.
Representatives of the Gender Response Initiatives (GRI), established by the governor’s wife, Mrs. Gloria Diri, have visited the scene.
Deputy Coordinator of GRI Dise Ogbise, a lawyer, described the situation as unfortunate. She called for more advocacies to end domestic violence and violence against the girl-child.
Police spokesman Asinim Butswat said the suspect has been arrested and investigation is on.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Makurdi, Benue State, has arraigned Monday Segun for alleged bank account fraud, obtaining money by false pretence, conspiracy and online scam.
Segun landed in trouble, following a petition that he and others at large were defrauding people using different online tricks.
The suspect said he would usually open accounts with several banks, using different names, which he would then sell with the ATM card to other fraudsters. He has sold five of such accounts at N25,000 each.
His ‘not guilty’ plea prompted prosecution lawyer, Mary Onoja, to ask the court for a trial date and to remand him in correctional centre pending his trial.
The defence lawyer made an oral application for his bail.
Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon admitted the accused to a bail of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum. If employed, the surety must present a letter of employment, showing current grade level and last promotion, and if self-employed, must show evidence of three years tax payment.
The surety must also submit two recent passport photographs, residential and office address, which must be verified by the court and confirmed by the EFCC.
Justice Olajuwon adjourned the case till tomorrow and ordered the suspect to be remanded in correctional centre pending the perfection of his bail conditions.
Flight activities into the Ibadan Airport in the last decade have remained on a low scale. Besides the operator running shuttle flights into the aerodrome, experts are wondering why airlines are not attracted to the airports, KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR reports.
Nigeria has about 28 airports. Twenty-three of them, including the Ibadan Airport, are managed by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Statistics from aviation regulatory authority reveals that only three of them are viable. Except the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja; and Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Rivers State, none of the other airports has sufficient revenue to cover the cost of operations alone.
In the South, Ibadan Airport in three years made N349.2 million in generated revenue and collected N244.9 million. The expenditure amounted to N1.39 billion with a deficit of N1.14 billion.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says for an airport to be viable and self-sustaining, it must have at least five million passengers annually.
Ibadan Airport does not fit into this bill. Only Lagos and Abuja airports could boast of at least five million passengers annually.
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, declared recently that many of the airports are not just underdeveloped, but grossly underutilised.
The Ibadan Airport, which offers a gateway to the oldest city in Nigeria,was commissioned in 1982. The airport is home to one terminal and an impressive 2,400-metre-long runway.
Besides its impressive facilities profile, the airport remains largely underutilised as Overland Airways is the only carrier operating scheduled flights into the terminal connecting passengers between Ibadan to Abuja and a return flight between Abuja and Ibadan.
Though carriers, including Arik Air and Associated Aviation had operated flights into the airport in the past, operations into the airport are becoming a subject of intense concern for passengers who complain of perceived high fares on the route.
The General Manager, Public Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) , Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, said the authority was discussing with the Oyo State government on how to drive activities for Ibadan Airport. She said the government is exploring ways to attract more airlines into the airport.
But, the former Chief Executive Officer , Associated Aviation , Mr Alexander Nwuba , the carrier that opened flights into the airport many years ago, said operators need to understand how the airport works before deploying their aircraft into it for profitable operations.
He said airlines need the right aircraft strategy and passenger demand to drive operations into Ibadan Airport.
Nwuba said though air fares is a key determinant in driving passenger traffic into any airport, operators need to understand route dynamics before plugging into air transport business.
He said:” You have to understand how to operate into that airport. Remember Ibadan Airport is very close to Lagos. I operated on that route for many years along with Makurdi and also re-opened it and Minna Airport.
“The destination for most Ibadan passengers is Abuja not Ilorin, because it is accessible by road. But, there could be traffic on the Lagos / Ibadan route if interested airlines utilise the right aircraft or strategy, because some passengers do not want to take the risk of being on the roads that are not safe.
“Another key factor affecting Ibadan Airport is the question of demand. There must be demand for air services; it is this drive for demand that would enable airlines make money on the route. It is clear demand for air services into the airport is limited. It is not absolutely about the air fare structure or regime, because fares do not have to be low due to volumes. People do not understand this business.”
Also speaking, Corporate Communications Manager, Arik Air, Mr Adebanji Ola, said the carrier will return to the route to consolidate operations.
He said Ibadan Airport, which Arik Air connected to Abuja, is one of its major routes saying the carrier will return to the route in a few days.
Ola said the carrier only suspended operations into Ibadan Airport due to the COVID -19 shocks on its operations.
He said:” Arik Air has not abandoned Ibadan Airport. We will restart flight operations into the airport in a few days. We only suspended flights on the Ibadan / Abuja route due to the Corona Virus pandemic.
“There was a time we combined flights on that route with Ilorin into Abuja. But, due to limited equipment we altered the rotation and will now operate between Ibadan and Abuja.”
The Head of Strategy, Zenith Travel and former Head of Marketing, Capital Airlines, Mr Olumide Ohunayo, said Ibadan Airport is not attractive to passenger because of a lot of issues related to schedules.
He said with a lone operator in Ibadan Airport fares will remain high on the Ibadan- Abuja routes because the airport only operate visual flight rules as any operations into the airport above 6.00 pm will cost airlines more because of the state of runway facilities that does not permit night flights.
Ohunayo said to make Ibadan Airport attractive, airlines need to deploy smaller propeller aircraft as deploying bigger jets on the route will not be profitable.
He said Ibadan Airport as a secondary terminal require partnership between the state government, FAAN and airlines to creating activity around the airport.
The expert said: “Ibadan Airport is not a big airport per se , but I think FAAN is yet to adjust to the realities of modern day marketing of airports. The airport has proximity airports including Akure and Ilorin Airports and the main hub Lagos Airport. These airports are not too far and actually competing with Ibadan Airport.
“From the triangular routes that we have Lagos , Abuja and Port Harcourt, I think it is only Abuja that is left for Ibadan passengers are travel to by air. They will prefer to connect other cities by road, because they are close. Other factors affecting huge traffic into Ibadan Airport include issues about time constrain, the difficulty of getting to the airport , possible flight delay and traffic issues, which will encourage people to connect Lagos by road to fly to other destinations, these are the considerations that are affecting the Ibadan air market route.
“The major attraction at the airport is the Abuja route and the only operator on that route is offering high fares. With a lone operator on a route what do you expect, the fare will be high.
“Fares on the Ibadan/ Abuja route is killing and passengers are complaining, with only a few passengers ready to pay. Such an arrangement will discourage passengers on that route.”
He said Ibadan Airport lack basic aeronautical facilities as the runway light only permits visual flights. Ohunayo said after 6pm operators are not favourable disposed to operate flights because they have to pay extra charges for the runway air field lightening to be switch on.
He said:” Such additional charges will not encourage airlines to operate into such airports. The state government has not looked at Ibadan Airport as an economic tool it could use to develop the state. The State Government should look beyond giving out hand out to FAAN to get the airport running, it should look at partnering with some airlines by buying some seats off the carrier to encourage more people to start flying into Ibadan.
“The state government could look at buying may be ten to 12 seats on a middle range aircraft. With such partnership in place it will encourage more airlines to operate into the airport. Any airline that enjoys such partnership for over a year will be encourage keeping flights consistent and starting looking at flights from Lagos into Ibadan and expand flights into other airports from Ibadan.
“I think airlines with smaller aircraft will embrace such a deal, it is a thin route, only suitable for airlines with turbo propeller aircraft. Only State Government can assist such initiative to develop their domain. Even neighbouring states will be encouraged to buy into such initiative.”
Many passengers are unhappy over limited flights into Ibadan Airport either into Lagos, Ilorin or Abuja forcing them to connect Lagos Airport to fly into other routes.
Experts say introduction of rail service between Lagos and Ibadan may not bode well for passenger operations into the airport as travel lets will utilize the newly introduced multi modal network to connect both cities.
Speaking in an interview , Ibadan Airport Manager, Mrs Aiyenuro Tegha, said the aerodrome is not idle because some carriers , including Arik Sir which operated the Ibadan / Abuja route before the outset of COVID -19 pandemic in March 2020 will soon resume operations on the route.
She said AZMAN Air and Max Air were planning to commence flight operations from Ibadan Airport.
Tegha said: “Already AZMAN Air is discussing with Oyo State government to commence operations on the Ibadan / Kano route. The airline is consolidating its partnership and the results will soon manifest positively. Even, Max Air too is discussing with the airport authority and the State Government. Max Air is also planning to commence operations from Ibadan to Port Harcourt and Owerri.
“AZMAN Air is contemplating operations into the Southsouth.”
The Ibadan Airport Manager said the airport has adequate facilities to accommodate as many airlines willing to do business at the aerodrome.
She said the Oyo State government is partnering with FAAN to upgrade the airport to international status for Hajj operations as well as cargo operations.
Ibadan
Ibadan is one of the most populous cities in the country. The British colonial government assumed control of the city in 1893. After the railway arrived from Lagos(1901), the line was extended northward to Kano (1912), thus ensuring the city’s continuing economic importance.
The economic activities of Ibadan include agriculture, commerce, handicrafts, manufacturing, and service industries.
For the spouses of policemen who were murdered by the hoodlums who hijacked the peaceful protest targeted at ending police brutality, it is a case of who feels it knows it. Life for them will never be the same again with the loss of their heartthrobs in very gruesome circumstances. And now armed with #TIMETOSOROSOKETOO and #TIMETOSPEAKUPTOO, officers of Nigeria Police Force are resolute about speaking up for their rights rather than die in squalor, frustration, fears and tears. TAIWO ALIMI writes on a system that is making monsters of otherwise friendly individuals.
Wives of policemen murdered by hoodlums relive ugly experiences
…as Force members clamour for reforms, say we’re tired of living in squalor, frustration, fears and tears
Mrs. Feranmi Oladele could not place her feeling on the morning of October 20, 2020. It was all shrouded in apprehension, premonition and fear. Nevertheless, she warned her police husband not to report to station.
“That morning when he told me he was ready for work, I told him not to go. I was having a bad feeling due to the reports of unrest and commotion in the country,” she said.
She begged CPL (Corporal) Rotimi Oladele to stay at home with them but her husband of four years reminded her that most of the time, her fears hardly ever translate into reality. Reluctantly, she prayed for him and bid him farewell.
It later turned out that it was the last time she and their two children would see the breadwinner. CPL Oladele was gruesomely murdered by hoodlums who stormed the Iwo Road Ibadan Police Station, torched it and killed two desk officers, including CPL Oladele.
“I was told that they razed the station, and when my husband and his colleagues fled the station on motorcycle, they were stopped and dragged off. He was beaten to near death and set on fire,” she said.
Dregs of shadowy ashes and skeletal residue were the only proof Mrs Oladele had to show his children that their father would not be coming home again.
•Widow and son of CPL Oladele, Feranmi in mourning
She was overtaken with grief when The Nation got to their Sango-Ibadan residence. She had been crying for many days. Her eyes were red and swollen. She was inconsolable as she held her baby tightly to her bosom. Ephraim, CPL Oladele’s look-alike three-year-old son, raced round the living room-occasionally coming around to pat her mother to stop crying, the only way a child knows. But much as she tried, the tears would not stop rolling down her cheeks. She soon gave up the idea to recall the incident that turned her life into broken pieces.
She said: “I started feeling that something was wrong when he did not call me. He usually calls at 11 am. My fears heightened when I did not hear from him by evening, so I started calling family members to check on him.
“My siblings came to my house later that day to take me out and then delivered the news to me. At first, they said his two legs were broken and later said he had been murdered.
“I insisted that I wanted to see his corpse and they took me to a spot where I saw ashes and remains. They said, ‘That is your husband.’”
The grieving young widow with two children-a toddler (three-year-old) and a baby (16-day-old) painted a picture of a loving husband and father; a kind hearted man who loved his job and was willing to sacrifice for his youthful family.
To better understand the fallen hero, the reporter looked around the modest living room. It was neat and clean. The furniture looked new and well lay out on a tiled floor.
Ephraim looked well fed and happy. It would take time for him to understand that his police father who kept food on their table day and night and showered him with gifts would no longer be there for them.
Mrs Oladele cried of shattered dream and hope. “He was my world. I am an orphan. He was my mother and father and to my children too. He promised to pay for a shop for me next year, but that is all gone. My husband died a horrific death.”
IGP Adamu
In Alakia-Ibadan, I met with father of the late Sergeant Ademola Adegoke, who was also killed by hoodlums who came in a blaze of fire to maim, kill and loot.
The first son of the five children, Pa Adegoke was in mourning and could not speak much. He uttered few words, shaking his head intermittently in the struggle to say something. “I can’t allow you come in because of Ademola’s mother. She has not taken it well and we are trying to shield her from people. It will remind her of her late son.
“Ademola is my first son. It is a tragedy and we are in sorrow.”
He described his son as a devoted family man and a good police officer. “He wanted the best for all and I don’t know that anybody could wish him such gruesome death. No amount of interview or talk will bring my son back,” said Pa Adegoke to usher the reporter out of his home.
Inspector Peter Abegunde was murdered some kilometres away on the outskirts of Ibadan- Ojoo on October 21, 2020. He was caught in another mob attack on a police station. The place was set on fire and while he was trying to escape from the inferno, he ran into the irate mob in search of blood.
The widow of inspector Abegunde, Sergeant Silifat, narrated the incident that claimed the life of the father of her children.
She said: “I went to the scene the following day and saw somebody’s burnt remains but I could not recognise the person. They said he was burnt. I could not imagine that those bits and pieces was my husband. It was later that the DPO confirmed that hoodlums killed him and burnt his body.”
Inspector Abegunde left behind four children, among them a set of twin teenage girls who said they were yet to come to terms with the death of their loving father.
“My father was a kind and easy going person,” said Taiwo. “He said he wanted to get to the top of his profession.”
The twins and their siblings are distraught. They are calling for justice to bring them closure and rest the ghost of their father. “We need justice,” added Kehinde.
Late(Col) Rotimi
The Anambra State Police Command suffered similar bereavement as the height of horror was meted out to one of the murdered officers, Inspector John Oche. The father of three was beheaded in cold blood and his head paraded on a stake.
A top officer of the Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the story, saying: “I want to say that every police officer is touched by this action. For a colleague, a father and husband to be beheaded on duty is the height of callousness.”
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr John Abang, said four of its officers were killed, eleven police stations and over 20 vehicles including patrol and exhibit vehicles and an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), were set ablaze.
According to the CP, police officers who lost their lives during the attacks included the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Osumenyi Division, CSP Akpan Joseph; ASP Agu Michael; the station officer, PC Udegbunam Sunday Celestine and Inspector Oche, who, he corroborated, was beheaded.
In nearby Abia State, three policemen were reportedly murdered. On Monday, October 19, a policeman was killed, while the following day, Inspectors Oliver Igbani and Frank Okoye were executed in Aba.
Sadly, like in other states, all the bodies were burnt beyond recognition, sparking widespread outrage among their wives and family members.
‘It would have been better if they left corpse for us,’ said widow of the late Igbani. She explained that her husband was on duty at a bank in Aba when hoodlums attacked the bank.
“He was beaten to death. His head and legs were cut off and his body was burnt. Only a part of his body was recovered. If after killing my husband they left the body for us, it would have been better.” Okoye left behind five children: two boys and three girls.
Okoye’s aged mother has been in shock. Her chances hang in the balance and she has been given a 50-50 odds of survival.
In Lagos State, facts have also emerged of how late Inspector Ade Aderibigbe, attached to Meiran Police Division, was killed.
Another Police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Aderibigbe was on a mission to rescue a colleague, who was said to have been shot, when he was caught in crossfire with some hoodlums. “Inspector Ade was on his way to rescue a colleague who works with the Patrol and Guide Department when he was shot. It is sad because his wife is also a police officer. Both husband and wife were serving the country diligently. Unfortunately, see how the man ended.”
“His death was tragic. He was burnt beyond recognition after he was shot. It was a gory sight,” added the officer.
His bitter and terror stricken family collected his remains and packaged it into a coffin that was buried a few days later. “He was a good man and his family could not bear not to give him a proper burial. He was good to all.”
In Ogun State, the carnage has left behind a sour Chidebere, the 22-year-old son of slain policeman Augustine Egholenwa. He was murdered by hoodlums in Atan, Sango-Ota area of the state.
Chidebere narrated the incident and the implication for the children he left behind: “Due to his work schedule, he used to come home on weekends. We lost our mother some years ago, making him the only one taking care of us. He used to send money to us. He was everything to me. His death was very painful.” Chidebere is filled with rage. He had lost his mother years back and his father had been the sole bread winner of the family until now.
The reality is that these fallen heroes were not only police officers; they were husbands, fathers, brothers and bread winners. Their deaths have thrown their families into confusion and some children into the streets, seething with rage and revenge.
The deliberate and reckless hits have been condemned in many quarters and some governors have pledged to take up the up-keep and educational responsibilities of their widows and children and overall reform of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
Beyond the massacre, however, an investigation carried out by The Nation revealed a system that is riddled with disgruntled police personnel living in fear, frustration and tears. Many police officers the reporter spoke with lamented a poor system frustrating and making a monster of them.
“If people know what we go through daily, they will know that we are no better than them. We are angry and frustrated too. From the ranks and file to the top cadre of the Police Force, we are suffering in silence and badly want a reform of the system. We are not your enemy,” a senior police officer, Delami, said, preferring anonymity.
One of the consequences of the #EndSARS protest hijacked by hoodlums and leading to killing, maiming and looting, is the willingness of many policemen to speak up about the corrupt system and the long awaited reform of the force.
We are also hungry and angry
ACP Delami has been in the organisation for more than 20 years. He has served in five states of Nigeria spanning the western and eastern regions. He said he was distraught with the system, adding that under the facade of obedience and patriotism is a mind running riot.
Delami said: “Don’t be deceived, there is no sense of fulfilment. I am alienated from the job, and that is the feeling of the average policeman.
“We lost a senior police officer and others in my command, and their death sent more jitters down my spine.
“You know when your neighbour’s house is on fire, you must learn how to put water on your own.
“In fact, I became tired of the job and lost hope in the leadership of the country.”
Some of the officers interviewed by The Nation grumbled about their earnings. “Police salary is not a living wage. We work without allowances. We have been pauperised by the system,” ACP Delami added.
Investigation carried out by The Nation indicated that members of the Nigeria Police Force are among the most poorly paid policemen in Africa. The hardest hits are the rank and file otherwise known as non-commissioned officers. They are moderately educated and are not as refined as the officers as all they need to be recruited into the Force is a school leaving certificate. The basic training they get is a six-month course at the four police colleges around the country.
Few of them go for refresher courses, like the commissioned officers who are mostly graduates or experienced recruits who have attended courses at home and abroad. They are more refined and dress smarter.
The non-commissioned ones better known as rank and file policemen are mostly found on the road, and they grow in lines on the job, which sometimes depends on favouritism and nepotism. The highest rank he or she can attain is Sergeant Major.
Police officers interviewed claimed that the much publicised 2018 Federal Government approved new salary package was not in use yet. Consequently, their salary is based on the 2011 Consolidated Police Salary Structure.
In accordance with the 2011 article, a police recruit earns a consolidated annual salary of N108,233.00 and a monthly consolidated salary of N9, 019.42. Out of this, N676.46 is deducted as pension annually, leaving a recruit with N8,342.96 monthly. He is the lowest paid.
This is way lower than the Nigeria minimum wage of N30,000, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Meanwhile, his counterpart in the Nigerian Army tagged ‘private’ earns N49,000, according to financialwatchngr.com.
A Police Constable on Grade Level 03 earns N43,293.80 monthly and annual salary of N519, 525.60 before pension deduction.
A Sergeant Major on Grade Level 10 takes home N62,204.88 monthly while a Sergeant Major on Grade Level 06 (step 1) receives N55.144.81 per month. These figures are cut down when pension is removed.
In the commissioned officers cadre, a Cadet Inspector on Grade Level 07 (step10) receives about N87, 135.10 per month while a Cadet Inspector on Grade Level 07 (step1) is paid N73, 231.51 monthly. It is the smallest pay for officers.
The highest ranking officer in NPF is the Inspector-General of Police (IGP). He is appointed by the President and can also be dismissed by him. He earns N711, 450 every month and N8.5 million annually.
“If you look at what the other security agencies earn, you will agree with methat we are not appreciated as the only force engaging the people every day. We do more work but get the least pay,” ACP Delami noted.
Figures obtained from the Nigeria Federal Government National Salaries, Income and wages Commission, showed a great disparity between pay packets of the police, the DSS and the army.
The Director-General of the DSS earns almost twice what the IGP takes home. The monthly take-home of the DG of DSS is N1.336 million, while a General (highest ranked officer) in the Nigeria Army is paid N1.5 million monthly, the EFCC Chairman earns the same amount of money every month.
Juxtaposing Nigeria Police salary with those of their colleagues in some African countries also shows a clear difference but for some countries. In the South African Police Service (SAPS), a sergeant earns R14, 820. This is roughly N355,680 monthly. In Nigeria, a Police Sergeant on Grade 05 (step 10), the highest level a sergeant could attain, earns N55,973.84 monthly. A police captain earns R19,131 (N459, 144) in South Africa while his counterpart in Nigeria, which is Superintendent of Police, gets a month salary of N161,478.29.
In Ghana, police salary ranges from GHS1,320 (N85,880) to GHS4, 550 (295,750) which is the highest salary of police.
‘We are afraid too’
At this point, ACP Delami was raging. Underneath the smart uniform, he said, is a law enforcer burning with anger and fear.
“In short, what we just experienced is a clear indication of the level of poverty and hopelessness in the land. And it is not just these people that are hungry and frustrated; many of us are in the same shoes.
“In-fact, the killing of policemen during the crisis was needless. I could not understand why what was supposed to be a peaceful protest suddenly snowballed into killing policemen, burning police stations and looting police properties and exhibits, because we are wearing the same shoes.”
‘We are afraid of life in retirement’
If officers of the NPF are living in penury during service, they live in wretched destitution in retirement, and this brings one to the subject of police pension.
According to Nigeria Pension Commission (NPC), “an employee is expected to contribute 8% of the sum of his basic salary, housing allowance and transport allowance. The employer however is required to contribute a minimum of 10% of the same sum.”
In practice, policemen believe that pension has made life more difficult for them in retirement. Their complaints range from non-remittance and non-payment to mismanagement and inadequacy of the pensions paid to them.
Sgt. Araoye Adeola (rtd) served his country meritoriously before retiring. He represents thousands of retired officers living in hellish conditions and has taken it upon himself to fight for his colleagues’ rights during and after service. “We are always talking about human rights. I wonder if policemen are human or they have rights too. Do people or government see us as human beings? Do we have a right to feel human or enjoy human rights too? he asked, expecting some form of answer.
By the time he resumed talking, his voice was rising. “I have started a campaign to ensure that police officers withdraw from the current pension fund,” he said, noting that the scheme managed by the Police Trust Fund (PTF) under the chairmanship of IGP Suleiman Abba (rtd) has made life a hell for retired policemen.
Adeola said: “After 35-years in service, a police officer gets N2.5 million as gratuity, and their pension stands between N8,000 and N10,000 per month for 18 years. I served for 14 good years and my entitlement was put at N1 million.
“Since 2016 when l left the force, I have not received a kobo. I have been tossed here and there by the Oyo State Command. How do you want officers to put in their best when they are hungry and angry and cannot even enjoy their labour in retirement?”
“Blood also flows in our body. We are not spirits. No standing allowance, no sitting allowance, no sleeping allowance, no working allowance, yet you want us to perform magic with the peanuts you give the police.
“A CP’s salary is not up to N1 million per month, yet the responsibilities placed on his soldiers every day are more than N20 million. You want him to perform magic? We need our rights.”
Corroborating him, ACP Delami explained that the current retirement plan of the PTF has cut down policemen’s gratuities into peanuts and there is ongoing agitation to scrap it.
He said: “The military and DSS have pulled out of the scheme and Policemen want it scraped too. A situation when you get a monthly pension of N35,000 after 35 years in service is incredulous. Meanwhile, your counterpart in the military is getting N150,000 monthly.”
Adeola’s crusade seemed to be working as hundreds of policemen and women have pulled out of the retirement scheme and more are threatening to pull out. “Since it is a voluntary contribution and it is not beneficial, it is better I pull out, collect my money now and invest it anyway I want,” he said.
PTF Chairman, IGP Abba, confirming the voluntary withdrawal, said senior officers take more than N35,000 as pension.
Abba said: “At least I know of myself. I take more than that, and that goes for many senior officers too. It is calculated on retirement benefit. It has a formula that gives more to an officer who, for instance, serves for 15 years than one that serves for five years. That is how it works.”
He said although retirees may not get their money immediately due to certain factors, most are paid within a year of leaving.
Abba said: “In collaboration with the IGP Abubakar Adamu, we have presented to the Federal Government an increase in police pension whereby it will be based on 300 percent of annual gross pay so that we can generate more, and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is working on it.
“We are positive that something good will come out of it.”
‘We have been pauperised’
Danladi (not real name) an aide to a former IGP, said policemen are unfairly treated by the system and lack the basic amenities for living and work.
He said: “There is no adequate training and retraining of men of the NPF. Our barracks are dirty and smelling and there is no adequate provision of arms and ammunition as well as riot equipment- water cannon, teargas, cane shield, respirator, bullet proof, and armoured tank. How do you expect the police of stop protesters when they cannot protect themselves?”
The Nation findings revealed that although the police authorities were to provide uniforms, shoes and other kits to policemen from the rank of Inspector downward while those in the ranks of ASP and above are to cater for themselves, in reality, Inspectors and others in lower ranks are now left to cater for their needs. It means that all cadres of policemen now buy their uniforms, shoes, and other items from their meagre salary. It is the reason why many policemen wear tattered uniform and matchless leathers.
‘We have been battered physically and psychologically’
Inspector Jibola (not real name) indicted politicians for the problems of the NPF, saying: “Policemen are puns in the hands of politicians. They are talking about state policing. The campaign is everywhere. But ask them how they treat the policemen who work with them.
“When it is convenient, they use us for their selfish political ambition, and when that is done, they forget us. They are the set of people that make officers carry their bags and treat them not better than messengers.”
He kicked against the idea of state or regional policing, insisting that a proper reform would give NPF a reason to work with dignity.
He said: “I expect a reform that will give adequate insurance cover to injured and deceased officers, a better housing scheme for retired officers, provision of modern health facilities to serve every police station, enactment of protective and stringent laws to adequately protect the police and other security men.
“Protectors must be protected and the establishment of Trust Fund to cater for the needs of the police.”
According to information, the dehumanisation of the police begins right from the police training school. Inspector Jibola, who grew from rank and file to Inspector upon obtaining his first university degree, said the hardest hits are the non-commissioned policemen who are trained in police colleges.
“Not much has changed there since I passed out. Recruits are not given any kind of human treatment. We sleep on bare floor and we are treated like animals. The only thing we learn there is how to make others suffer like they have done to us,” he said.
There are four Police Colleges in Ikeja-Lagos, Kaduna, Oji-River and Maiduguri in Borno State. Information from the Police College website requested candidates to report with bucket, broom, cutlass, cutlery, bed spread and pillow cases.
In reality, recruits are badly treated and made to pass through grave inhuman conditions which harden them.
“These are the officers you find on the roads mostly. Their self esteem has been eroded and they treat the populace no better because they are bitter inside,” ACP Delami said.
Armed with #TIMETOSOROSOKETOO, #TIMETOSPEAKUPTOO, officers of NPF are resolute about speaking up for their rights rather than die in squalor, frustration, fear and tears.
