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Amnesty International Country Director says notorious bandit leader Mai Jikka blocks the Funtua–Tsafe highway almost daily, yet it’s 45 minutes drive and 32 security checkpoints South East

A post which has gone viral on Facebook, X and Instagram, attributed to Sanusi Isa, Country Director of Amnesty International, Nigeria, said no terror leader was as ruthless as
Mai Jikka.

Isa wrote: “No terror leader is as ruthless as Mai Jikka. Apart from having a wide stock of automatic machine guns, he also owned a large stock of bombs.

“Many of Mai Jikka’s victims narrate his atrocities. Whenever his gang stopped commuter vehicles, he ensured that all those who identified as Hausa by tribe a picked out and slaughered instantly while those who identify as Fulani are spared and given token “for transport.

Isa Sanusi

“Last week, he amputated a man from Tsafe with axe. He is described as Shekau of Zamfara. Mai Jikka is mainly based at Mayanchi with at least 50 fighters always at his beck and call. Mai Jikka is estimated to be between 23–24 and made it clear to his victims that he is on a “vengence mission against Hausa people.”

“He finances his operations through ransom from kidnapping. From time to time, he uses his TikTok page to display his arms and stash of cash. In the areas where Mai Jikka operates, parents try to protect their female children from rape by sending them to sleep in other villages or towns, far away from Mai Jikka’s ruthless operations.

“Mai Jikka is the only one out of many of such ruthless gang leaders operating across Zamfara, Sokoto, and parts of Kebbi state.

“These are ruthless savages, terrorists and jihadists who are bent on destroying Nigeria. Unfortunately, the government is not doing enough to obliterate these bandits.”

—Sanusi Isa.

But it is a different ball game in the South East, where an average commuter will reportedly encounter not less than 32 security checkpoints on a 45-minute drive from Onitsha to Enugu.

1. Army Gate Onitsha

2. Nkwelle Junction

3. Awkuzu Junction Army

4. Awkuzu Junction FRSC

5. Dunukofia LG hqts Police

6. Enugwu-Ukwu Junction Police

7. Amawbia Junction Police

8. Unizik Junction Army

9. Mopol base Awka Junction Police

10. Prince and Princess hostel front army

11. Amansea boundary Police

12. Ugwuoba boundary Police

13. Ugwuoba bridge police team

14. Ugwuoba Junction Army

15. Ugwuoba Junction NDLEA

16. Ugwuoba Junction FRSC

17. Ugwuoba Central Army

18. Oji River Junction Army 1

19. Oji River Junction Army 2

20. Ezeagu Express Army

21. Near Nkwo Ezeagu Police

22. Near tiles factory Police

23. Umumba Ndiuno Express Police 1

24. Umumba Ndiuno Express Police 2

25. 9th Mile Checkpoint

26. Nsude Express (approach to Ninth Mile) Police

27. Ngwo Express Army

28. Ngwo Express anti-terror squad

29. Onyeama Hill (near refuse dump) Army

30 Onyeama Hill (near coal mine), Army

31. Abakpa Interchange Police

32. Abakpa Junction FRSC.   

Popular US cleric, Bishop T.D. Jakes hands over church leadership to daughter and son-in-law

Famous American preacher and founder of The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas, Bishop T.D. Jakes has announced that he is stepping down from leading the megachurch, handing over the reins to his daughter, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts, and her husband, Pastor Toure Roberts.

The announcement was made during a Sunday morning service on April 27, 2025, about five months after Jakes suffered a massive heart attack while preaching.

Addressing the congregation, Jakes said his recent health scare played a major role in his decision to transition leadership.

“You have been faithful to God, and you have been faithful to me,” Jakes told the church. “And I’m so grateful. I cannot afford, especially after November, to risk something happening to me and you, the sheep without a shepherd.”

The leadership transition is set to officially take place in July.

Sarah Jakes Roberts, speaking after her father’s announcement, expressed her deep appreciation.

“I’m grateful, I’m honored, as your daughter,” she said. “I’m so happy you’re going to get some rest.”

Meanwhile, in an interview with Craig Melvin on NBC’s TODAY show, Jakes recounted the moment he suffered the heart attack. He explained that he had not experienced the typical symptoms associated with cardiac arrest and only realised the severity of his condition after being taken to the hospital.

“I didn’t really realise what was happening to me onstage until I got to the hospital in an ambulance and fussing that it happened onstage, by the way, because I didn’t want it to happen,” he said. “And the doctor leaned over my ear and said, ‘You had a massive heart attack.’”

Jakes said that he had felt none of the usual warning signs.

“No numbness, no sharp pain, no anything. I just kind of drifted off to sleep. I didn’t know what it was, but I almost died,” he recalled. “(The doctor) said five minutes later, I’d have been dead on arrival. The right side of my heart had completely stopped getting blood at all.”

T.D. Jakes founded The Potter’s House in 1996, building it into one of the most influential churches in the United States. His transition marks a significant generational shift in leadership, with Sarah and Toure Roberts now poised to guide the congregation into its next chapter.

Adenuga, politicians and lessons in loyalty

By Suyi Ayodele

Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise”, Proverbs 6:6.

The business colossus and owner of Globacom, the nation’s giant telecommunication outfit, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr (GCON), is 72 years old today.

In celebrating the giant man of means on his birthday, I have decided to use the ‘thesis’ written about him 12 years ago as a link between the character of the man the entire world has been celebrating in the last two weeks and the characters of the locusts God, in His infinite wisdom, sent to oversee our affairs as a nation.

The ‘thesis’ was written by no other person than the maverick retired General and Military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), when Dr. Adenuga turned 60 on April 29, 2013. We shall come to that presently.

The essence of this piece goes beyond celebrating Dr. Adenuga. His life, his character and his attitudes as espoused in the IBB’s thesis of 2013 are referenced here to draw the attention of our ‘ruiners’ and rulers alike to the fact that what is lacking in our polity is character. And not just character, but good character.

The last one week has been very instructive in the history of Nigeria as our politicians set the agenda for the 2027 general elections. Nigeria, we all know by now, is a cruise. We elected, or we were told that we elected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a term of four years, with a proviso for renewal after the first four years. Unfortunately for us, and to the damnation of good governance, President Tinubu had hardly taken the oath of office on May 29, 2023, when the race for his second term began.

Thus, the President and his acolytes have spent the last 23 months plotting and ‘strategising’ for the second term ambition. This is one of the reasons why the government has not been able to address any of the litanies of problems confronting us as a people. Rather, President Tinubu, who in recent times has turned out to be a ‘visiting president’ with France as his preferred base, has engaged in all manners of arm-twisting to get everybody on board of his rudderless ship as he ‘consolidates’ his hold on the political landscape.

With the recent gale of defections that hit the half-dead opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last week, it is crystal clear, even to the blind that the nation is on its path to a one-party State.

The beauty of the defections of the opposition key figures to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is the fact that when the looming calamity of a one-party State in the hands of Tinubu hits, no one will be spared; not the defectors nor the one-leg-in-one-leg-out PDP leaders, like the one who boasted that he would remain in the PDP but work for its downfall from within. Sadder enough, not those APC men and women who today are hailing President Tinubu as the “master strategist”, would escape the ruination!

A few hours after Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State defected to the APC last week with the entire PDP structures in the state, I got a call from an elderly fellow, who was worried about the character of our political leaders. The old fella expressed disgust that former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who was also the vice-presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election, could defect to the APC. He asked: “What is Okowa looking for again?” My interlocutor was equally disturbed that the political class was inadvertently making a dictator of President Tinubu. He asked again: “What is wrong with our politicians?”

While I did not answer the old man’s queries on Okowa or other issues he raised, I nevertheless have no doubt in my mind about what the problems are with our politicians. Someone, long ago told me that “betrayal is the bedrock of our politics.” He could be right, and he could also be wrong.

But I think that the major flaw is in the character of the political class. Beyond the issue of lack of clear-cut ideological orientation, the major fallacy of the show of shame going on in the name of everyone trying to get on board the ship of the ruling party is pure character deficiency.

While one also has no doubts that the present administration, in its desperate bid to retain power in 2027, would spare nothing, including harassing the opposition to buckle, IBB illustrates what makes a good man in his ‘thesis’ to Dr. Adenuga Jr. at his 60th birthday anniversary in 2013.

Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr. (GCON), I daresay, is a book, a voluminous book and a reader’s delight. He should be studied; he should be read. Our politicians need a lot to learn from the personality of the man many of his associates call the Great Guru (GG) or Mr. Chairman.

It is worthy of note that whatever Mr. Chairman has achieved today, and will also add as he ages, was not dropped on his laps like meteors discharged from the cosmic forces. No! Dr. Adenuga’s character, especially the ethos of an Omoluabi, the Yoruba measurement of good character and upbringing, played vital roles in projecting the business icon to this enviable height.

The first of that Omoluabi ethos is Adenuga’s fidelity to friendship. The man who holds the title of Apesin of Ijebuland has demonstrated that in many ways. But the one that comes easily to mind is his encounter with the monstrous government of retired General Olusegun Obasanjo in late 2005.

For whatever reason, Obasanjo, who then harboured an undisclosed animosity against IBB and was engaged in a battle of trust with his then Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, decided to vent his anger on the common friend of the duo, Adenuga.

When the Ijebu man would not play ball, Obasanjo decided to go after him with the government’s attack dog, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Adenuga’s home then at the highbrow Oko Awo Close, Victoria Island, Lagos, was violated by EFCC operatives. The man remained undeterred. He held on to his known dictum of owning Globacom ‘bullet, powder and barrel’.

When the harassment was becoming unbearable, rather than betray his friends, Adenuga decided to discomfort himself. While Obasanjo was assembling another ‘army of invasion’ in Aso Rock Villa to ship Mr. Chairman to detention, the man decided to surprise everyone. Abandoning the comfort of his home and the growth of his business concerns, Adenuga shipped out of the country on self-exile. He first landed in Accra, Ghana, and then later to Paris, France. For good 18 months, Adenuga remained in exile and did not return to Nigeria until Obasanjo completed his second term and a new President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, took over.

Eighteen months of absence of the ownership in the life of a business like we have in the Mike Adenuga Group means a lot. Anything could have happened. And a lot indeed happened while the man was away. On his return, and in one of the meetings with his top aides, Dr. Adenuga acknowledged that a lot had taken place in his business. Thus, in his reaction to one of the issues that arose, he intoned: “My absence for 18 months has corrupted all of you. Now that I am back, all that nonsense will stop!” (The Guru’s Memorable Quotes, 2nd Edition- an in-house cartoon-led magazine).

Capturing that singular incident, IBB, in his 2013 tribute to Adenuga at his Diamond birthday celebration wrote: “Mike, truly you epitomize hard-work, perseverance, doggedness, humility, diligence and patriotism. The fact that you treasure the virtue of true friendship and loyalty to any cause you believe in, gives you the cutting edge. I am eternally grateful for all the troubles you had to go through because of me in the hands of a regime that tried to derail our friendship and relationship.”

The smiling General also added these lines: “Even when you came under severe pressure by that same regime which I helped to nurture, to blackmail me in order to hang me, you remained eternally loyal and steadfast. Only a businessman of character, sound upbringing and virtue could choose friendship instead of his economic empire. Only a man of dependable poise, with an open mind and fear of God, would choose to sustain an age-long friendship instead of sacrificing the same on the altar of avarice, greed and economic interest.”

What are the lessons for the Hallelujah orchestra echoing the Tinubu-threatened-us-with-EFCC slogan to justify the mass defections of PDP and other political parties’ members to the APC in droves?

One, Adenuga could have succumbed and played along with his kinsman, Obasanjo, an Egba man. The Ijebu business icon could have placed premium on the economic gains that the enormous government patronage would have accrued to him by betraying IBB or Atiku. But he chose to be noble. He chose to stay committed to friendship and good conscience.

Rather than betray his friends, he decided to suffer the ignominy of an exile for committing no crime. He abandoned his fame, his wealth, his comfort and family and left Nigeria. He literally swallowed fire so that his friends could drink water!

Beyond that, he risked the government coming after his businesses. He was not ignorant of what the Nigerian Government did to the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola’s business concerns. Adenuga never lost sight of the fact that such a fate could also befall him. But he allowed his character to come into play.

He realised that there would be a tomorrow. He opted for self-discomfort. Today, the entire world is celebrating him for who he is and what he stands for. His character delineation is loyalty! He did not shift base; he did not jump ship.

This is what the Nigerian political class which has copiously proven to be lacking in grit and mettle ought to learn. This is why it is possible for a man who contested to be vice-president in an election his party scored over six million votes, to jump ship at the slightest appearance of EFCC uniform by his gate! Ever wonder why our politics has not gone beyond this level of bread-and-akara dinner? Check the characters of those we call leaders, people without scruple!

Further in his 2013 ‘thesis on Adenuga, former President Babangida posited again: “Such tribulations are prices we have to pay for true friendship. Your ability to remain focused in the face of pressure coupled with your capacity to identify and nurture talents is the reason why you are MIKE ADENUGA. There can never be another MIKE ADENUGA of your orientation.”

This is another chapter of Adenuga, the Book, which the Nigerian political elite must read. Even those among them who claim to be offspring of the legend, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, are not better off. They, like the Avatar, Awolowo, once said, “Are like a bird of passage that lacks the quality of permanence”, as they keep jumping from one political party to the other! One politician once told me that “the hunger of four years is not a small matter!” Really! So, if we all belong to one political party, who will call out the government for not doing the right thing?

IBB said of Adenuga: “…your capacity to identify and nurture talents is the reason why you are MIKE ADENUGA. There can never be another MIKE ADENUGA of your orientation.” How true is this assertion? Yes, it is true that it is only God that is incomparable. When we take the discussion down to our situation and the improvements that individuals have brought to play in Nigeria, Dr. Mike Adenuga stands out! Will there be another Mike Adenuga Jr.? No doubt, not in this generation!

Mr. Chairman’s tenacity of purpose, “capacity to identify and nurture talents” and his ability to “remain calm, collected and unassuming, with an élan that is symbolic of humility and training, despite many achievements’, especially “when others are losing their heads as a result of unethical conduct and greed”, as penned by IBB 12 years ago, are indeed some of the virtues that stand Dr. Adenuga out in the Nigerian “society whose moral fibre has ebbed considerably.”

And in closing that chapter of the ‘thesis’, IBB, again, expressed gratitude by saying, “I remain grateful for being a true friend indeed.” How I wish that when the time comes and we are to write about these characters dotting our political landscape, we shall be bold to say they are indeed the friends of the people of Nigeria!

In closing this piece and as the world gathers today to celebrate one of the gifts of God to this generation, I wish Dr. Michael Adeniyi Agbolade Ishola Adenuga (GCON), The Book, The Great Guru, many happy returns at 72!

Agba yin a dale, Sir.

The views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of Law & Society Magazine.

Former Girlfriend of Alleged Killer of LASU Graduate Speaks: He was extremely toxic so I broke up with him

A former girlfriend of Tolani, also known as Dian, the alleged killer of Lagos State University graduate Adijat Adisa, has revealed she ended their relationship due to his toxic behaviour.

The ex-girlfriend, who chose not to reveal her name in a WhatsApp chat with Vanguard, said she dated Dian (Tolani) when she was younger and couldn’t speak up at the time when she he raped her.

She further revealed that when she saw the video interview of the deceased’s mother calling for justice, she felt sad and hoped he would be caught. She added that, according to her source, Dian (Tolani) is currently not in Nigeria.

In her words, while speaking to our correspondent, she said, “I know him very well because we dated for a while, but I broke up with him because he was extremely toxic.

“I don’t know how true it is that he killed the young lady, but I know he’s toxic. This case has been trending on TikTok since March. I even sent it to a few friends who knew us when we were together. Right now, Tolani is not in Nigeria.

“We dated back then, which is why I once posted him on my WhatsApp status, but that was a long time ago. I texted one of my friends who isn’t in Nigeria and is also Dian’s (Tolani’s) best friend. According to him, Tolani hasn’t said anything, but he’s not in Nigeria, so obviously, they’re together, and he’s hiding him. I just stayed calm.

“The case is very serious. I pray they catch him. Because he’s currently on the run, and he has turned off all his handles. They should catch him honestly because I am a victim of rape from him. I was young and couldn’t say a word to anyone.”

A source also revealed that the suspect is the son of her former school proprietress at Standard Children School, located in the Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos State. The source added that the suspect’s Facebook name is “Ancestor Diane Funds”, which may suggest his involvement in internet fraud, commonly known as “Yahoo Yahoo”.

Continuing, she added, “The mother used to be our proprietress when both her children attended the school. But after they graduated, I started seeing her selling foodstuffs. Diane used to be very humble back then, until I started noticing his lavish lifestyle on Facebook.”

The story began trending after an interview with the mother of the deceased, who called on the Lagos State Police to seek justice for the alleged killing of her daughter.

In a video interview with Punch, Adisa alleged that her daughter was killed and used for ritual purposes by her boyfriend.

She said she had single-handedly raised Adijat from primary school through university and the completion of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.

The mother of two explained that her daughter had been dating a man identified as Dian, whom she had met only once. Adisa said she became suspicious after seeing scars on her daughter’s body and advised her to end the relationship.

According to her, Adijat failed to show up at work on February 26. Later that day, Dian called to say they had a misunderstanding and that Adijat had fainted at his house.

She said the case was reported to the police after her daughter was confirmed dead. The police allegedly found charms in the suspect’s house.

“When I met him, I told my daughter I didn’t like him and asked her to stop seeing him. She told me he is from Igbira. I said I don’t like those people,” Adisa said.

“One morning, her boss called to say Adijat didn’t show up at work. I tried calling her several times, but her number wasn’t going through. I began to panic.

“The guy she was dating also called to say he had been trying to reach her but couldn’t. Later that evening, he called again and said she had fainted after a disagreement at his house. He asked me to come to his house in Abule Egba.

“When I got there, his father confirmed that my daughter was dead. We went to Meiran Police Station to report the case.

“My daughter went to his house on February 26, and he killed her that same day. The police took photos of charms found at his home. We have pictures showing how he hacked my daughter’s face. The mortuary also confirmed scars on her head and hands.

“I don’t know if he’s a Yahoo boy, because my daughter never told me what he did for a living. She only said he graduated from Lagos State Polytechnic, once worked at Stanbic Bank, and now owns a boutique in Agege and a pure water factory.”

Adisa added that some of his family members tried to suppress the case at the Meiran Police Station, prompting her to transfer it to Panti. She called on Nigerians to support her demand for justice, stating that her daughter’s blood was found in a bucket.

When contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident and said the suspect is still at large.

“It’s clear the boy committed the offence, but he is still at large. We don’t arrest by proxy, so we can’t arrest his family members. However, we are making efforts to find and arrest him,” Hundeyin said.

Establishing an independent population record by Southeast for comparison with the National Population Commission (NPC) data

Press Release

The issue of underrepresentation of Ndi Igbo in federal appointments has long been a contentious matter, with concerns escalating over the composition of the National Population Commission (NPC). Given the critical role this commission plays in census activities, determining population figures that directly affect resource allocation, political representation, and developmental funding, the lack of fair Igbo inclusion raises serious questions about the credibility and accuracy of census data regarding the Southeast. This discrepancy has led to justified concerns about the population figures that would be declared for the Southeast.

Otu Oka-Iwu Abuja strongly advocates for a proactive approach and advices that the Southeast should conduct its own census and maintain independent records, allowing for an objective comparison against NPC declared figures. This measure is necessary to safeguard the region’s political and economic interests and ensure that national population data does not become a tool for marginalization.

The power to conduct a population census in Nigeria is exclusively vested in the federal government through the National Population Commission (NPC) by virtue of Section 213(4) and Second Schedule, Item 8 of the Exclusive Legislative List of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette No. 2 (2009) and the National Population Commission Act (Cap N67, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004) establishing the National Population Commission (NPC) as the only body authorized to conduct population and housing censuses in Nigeria.

However, given the challenges of none inclusion of Ndi Igbo in the recent composition of NPC, Otu Oka-Iwu Abuja advocates that the Southeast should establish its own independent regional census initiative to verify and maintain accurate records of its population. This can be achieved by the formation of an Independent Igbo Census Bureau (ICB) and a collaboration with Town Unions and Local Governments to conduct sample based audits in Igbo states.
By doing this, the Southeast will be applying a global best practice and initiative to ensure the accuracy of population data from the NPC. Several countries and regions have implemented independent population audits alongside official government censuses. India, with its vast population, has developed independent verification mechanisms to cross-check official census data where census accuracy is disputed. Kenya has faced challenges with census accuracy, particularly in marginalized regions. In the United States’, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a Post-Enumeration Survey (PES) to assess the accuracy of official census results. This survey identifies undercounts and overcounts, ensuring that population figures are not manipulated for political purposes.

In South Africa, a dual census methodology, where independent audits are conducted alongside government led censuses have been employed to ensure that population figures reflect reality. State led demographic initiatives have also been conducted by Lagos State under the Household Enumeration Project although for urban planning and development projections. The State Population Mapping is also an initiative geared towards tracking the demographic shifts and assess infrastructure needs in Kaduna State.

By adopting elements from these global and state models, the Southeast can establish a credible, independent population audit system that ensures fair representation in national policymaking. Otu Oka-Iwu Abuja urges Southeast Governors, and lawmakers to immediately commission this initiative and safeguard the region’s demographic identity. The initiative to conduct demographic studies and population surveys will not only enhance independent data collection for regional planning, economic forecasting but will provide grounds to challenge of census discrepancies using comparative data If there are concerns about NPC’s official census figures. Southeast can use state collected data to highlight disparities and to engage the Census Tribunal for redress If the Southeast believes that NPC census figures underrepresent its true population.

Indeed, Igbo representation in NPC matters is because, the composition of the NPC significantly impacts how census data is collected and processed. If Igbo representatives are excluded or underrepresented, key decisions, such as resource allocation for census operations, methodology for data gathering, and analysis, may not sufficiently factor in the demographic realities of the Southeast. There is also the Risk of downplaying Igbo population figures because historically, there have been discrepancies in population figures allocated to the Southeast versus other regions, with suspicions that the numbers reported for Igbo states have been systematically undercounted.

Without fair representation in the NPC, there is a risk that official census results may continue to misrepresent the true population strength of the Southeast, weakening its bargaining power in national policymaking. Census data directly influences representation in legislative seats, federal allocations, and infrastructure development. If the Southeast is shortchanged in population figures, it leads to reduced political leverage, lower funding for developmental projects, and diminished electoral influence, all of which have long-term consequences for Ndi Igbo.

With independently verified census data, the Southeast can challenge discrepancies in NPC figures with factual evidence. This initiative would ensure that the Southeast is not forced to accept population statistics that may have been skewed to serve political interests. A comparative census will allow Ndi Igbo to demand for equity and defend its interests while reinforcing the need for transparency in national population reporting. Ignoring the underrepresentation of Igbo interests in the NPC risks reinforcing systemic marginalization. By conducting its own census, the Southeast will establish a credible population record that serves as an unbiased benchmark against official NPC figures.

Otu Oka-Iwu Abuja calls on Southeast Governors, lawmakers, and stakeholders to support this initiative. The time has come to take charge of the region’s demographic identity and ensure that every Igbo citizen counts, both in numbers and in national policy.

Sir Chidiebere Nwabueze Udekwe, KSC
PRESIDENT
OTU OKA-IWU ABUJA

Who knew that Pope Francis used WhatsApp to stay connected to torture survivor of Argentina’s ‘Dirty War’?

By David Culver, Abel Alvarado, Evelio Contreras and Rachel Clarke

Ana María Careaga was just 16 when she was kidnapped, stolen by the regime then running Argentina. To her mother, Esther Ballestrino de Careaga, it was as if she had vanished.

It was an event that would change not just the lives of both the women and the daughter Ana María was carrying, but the future of Argentina. And it was something a priest named Jorge Bergoglio would never forget.

It was 1977 and Argentina was under the grip of a military dictatorship following a coup the year before. Those who opposed the regime were abducted, tortured, and killed – victims of what would become known as the “Dirty War.”

There was no notification or public record of the detentions, and families had no idea what had happened to their loved ones.

By the time Ana María was seized, her brother-in-law had already disappeared. Soldiers took her to the clandestine detention center known as El Atlético, where she was tortured – even after she told her captors she was three months pregnant.

Although the extrajudicial kidnappings were becoming increasingly common, families did not speak of them — until mothers took a stand.

On April 30, 1977, a dozen or so women, each the mother of a missing child, gathered in Plaza de Mayo, the grand square in front of the Casa Rosada presidential palace in Buenos Aires. They were ordered to disperse, but instead linked arms and continued to walk slowly around the square.

Each Sunday, more women would come to join in, soon to include Esther who became one of the leaders of Las Madres de Playa de Mayo (the Mothers of Playa de Mayo.)

Esther knew Bergoglio long before he had even joined the priesthood. She had been his boss while he was a high schooler working a technical internship at a laboratory.

“He says she taught him the culture of work,” Ana María told CNN on Thursday, standing in Buenos Aires’ ornate Santa Cruz Catholic Church. “He says she sent him to get some tests done and he brought back the results very quickly.” She questioned him on his speedy work, and he revealed that the tests were coming out the same, so he merely copied them out. “She told him, ‘You have to do it right,’ and sent him to do it again,” Ana María said. It’s an account Bergoglio confirmed after he became Pope Francis, and the two stayed in touch as he joined the priesthood and rose to become a leader of Argentina’s Jesuit community.

‘The disappeared are my children’

While Ana María was detained — always chained and blindfolded, she said — her mother and other members of the movement met in a back room at the Santa Cruz Church in downtown Buenos Aires.

Ana María turned 17 while still in captivity, and she was released on September 30, 1977, by then seven months pregnant.

Within days of a medical check arranged by her mother, she left for Sweden, where she was granted asylum.

“That was the last time we saw each other,” Ana María said. “We wrote letters to each other, and in one letter she tells me that when I was kidnapped, she was like an automaton, thinking about (me) the whole time. She left in the morning and came back at night, out all day with the mothers searching, searching, searching.”

Even when her daughter was safe, Esther kept campaigning for those who had become known as the “disappeared.”

“When she returned to the plaza after I was released, the mothers asked her, ‘What are you doing here if you’ve already recovered your daughter?’” Ana María told CNN. “And she said, ‘I’m going to continue until they all appear, because all the disappeared are my children.’”

To Ana María, and perhaps to the priest who’d befriended her mother, it was a reflection that “the struggle wasn’t just individual, but a collective one.”

Months after her daughter’s release, in December 1977, Esther and others met as usual at Santa Cruz when they were betrayed. Stepping out of the church, she and others were abducted.

“They had been taken to … a clandestine center for torture and extermination, and then they were thrown alive from the ‘death flights,’ which was the final solution they (the regime) boasted of having found to get rid of the bodies,” Ana María said. The “death flights” where prisoners were killed by being tossed from a plane over land or sea is now a documented horror of the Dirty War.

Many bodies were never recovered, but days after she disappeared, the remains of Esther washed up on land.

“What the Mothers say is that the sea did not want to be an accomplice and returned the bodies,” Ana María said.

Esther’s remains were unidentified though and buried in a mass grave.

Ana María did not know of her mother’s disappearance until she called to tell her of the birth of her granddaughter, the baby carried while she was detained.

“She was born on December 11, and we called on December 11, 1977, to say that she had been born, and that’s when we found out that my mom had been kidnapped three days earlier,” she said. “My mom didn’t know that she had been born safely.”

‘I did what I could’

As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio testified about Esther during a 2010 trial related to Dirty War atrocities. In an excerpt posted on YouTube by journalist Uki Goñi, he said he had known her for more than 20 years.

“It caused me great pain,” Bergoglio said of learning of her abduction. “I tried to get in touch with relatives, I wasn’t able to. They were mostly … in hiding.”

He said he had tried to speak to people who could help but had not approached the authorities. His actions or lack thereof during the Dirty War hung around him as unanswered questions, even as the Vatican dismissed allegations against him.

“I did what I could,” he told the trial. “I remember her as a great woman.”

Decades later, long after the fall of the military regime in 1983, the remains from the oceanside mass grave were identified, and found to include Esther.

Families petitioned Bergoglio to allow them to be buried not in a cemetery, but outside the Church of Santa Cruz — the last place they had walked free.

“He said it was an honor,” Ana María told us. “He remembered his friend Esther and said it was an honor and authorized it so we could, as the faithful of this church say, sow them in the last free land that their feet trod.”

To commemorate her mother and all the others who challenged the regime, April 30 is now recognized as the founding of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo.

The Vatican publicized a message then Pope Francis sent to Ana Marìa in 2018 to play on a radio show she hosts. “I very much remember your mother,” he said then. “She worked hard, she was a fighter and together with her many women who fought for justice, both because they had lost their children or simply because mothers who, seeing the drama of so many missing children, came together to fight for this as well.”

Standing just off the main altar inside Santa Cruz Church, Ana María calmly pulled out her replacement phone — her original had been recently stolen. Fortunately, her WhatsApp messages had been backed up, preserving the Pope’s words, and her memories.

She still has that recording on her phone. In it, the Pope tells her: “I’m glad you follow these footsteps of your mother and that you broadcast it to others in your radio show. So today, in a special way, I pray for mothers, I pray for you, I pray for your mother Esther, and I pray for all the men and women of good will who wish to carry forward a project of justice and fraternity among all. May God bless you all.”

Esther Ballestrino de Careaga never met her granddaughter. But Pope Francis did, spending about an hour with her last year when she visited Rome, her mother said, proudly showing a video of the two together. “He knew the whole story because my mom told him everything they had done to me, the torture, everything,” Ana María said.

As another April 30 anniversary approaches, Ana María has only memories now of her mother and the Pope.

Of her mother, she said: “I have a very vivid memory of a very loving, hard-working, and committed person. I feel she left me with many values, and she’s present in our history because disappearance generates that — disappearance is the permanent presence of an absence.”

She carries a directive from the Pope as well.

“When my daughter went to see him last year, he told her that we had to continue bearing witness,” she said. “We, right now in Argentina, are going through a very difficult time, and I say … we need to remember again.”

“Everything that happened, the 30,000 disappeared, and how the Mothers created a civilizing pact in this country, a social contract of ‘never again.’ And that’s why it’s so important to preserve memory, which was also what the Pope said: that memory had to be preserved.”

Credits: CNN

The Pope Francis I knew: Reflections from CNN’s Vatican correspondent

By Christopher Lamb

Pope Francis had a great sense of humor. When I met him once at the back of the papal plane, I cracked a joke with him that was a little bit close to the line. Luckily, he roared with laughter and told me “Sei cattivo!” (“You’re naughty!”). Every day, he used to say, he prayed the words of St. Thomas More: “Lord, give me a sense of humor.”

Francis took what he did seriously. But he never took himself too seriously.

One thing that struck me about him was his intuition and pastoral instincts. Whatever the situation, he always seemed to find the right words to say. When I met him with my family one time, my youngest child was crying.

“Whenever they see a man in white, they think I’m a doctor and about to give them some medicine!” he joked.

His ability to read people was also vital in his leadership. When he met bishops, he would get them into a circle and ask which one wanted to start speaking. It allowed him to understand the dynamics of a group, which helped him make appointments and decisions in the future.

Francis liked to make himself accessible. He would say his door was always open – but that same door also had a sign on it that read “no whining.”

There was never a dull moment covering his pontificate. As pope, he gave more media interviews than anyone else, but he never had a spokesperson or media advisers. Predicting his next move was notoriously difficult, and when it came to appointing new cardinals, no one knew in advance who he’d be choosing or when. New cardinals would talk about their phones blowing up in the middle of a Mass as people tried to contact them to tell them the news.

Francis wasn’t naïve, however. He was a politically savvy pope, very decisive and often stubborn. He wanted to stay true to himself and not become scripted. My enduring memory is of a very human pope who was full of surprises. He leaves big shoes to fill.

Culled from CNN

Justice has finally been served, victims of gender-based violence, can now break their silence —Ezeilo, SAN commends FCT High Court for death sentence on late Singer, Osinachi’s husband


Law teacher, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a six-year United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking Persons in Africa, Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, has hailed the judgment of the FCT High Court, which sentenced Peter Nwachukwu, husband of the late gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.

Describing Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme’s verdict as a landmark, Ezeilo, SAN, in a tweet, said the ruling will not only act as a deterrent to potential offenders but also offer hope to victims of gender-based violence.

The tweet reads:

“Justice has finally been served for the late gospel singer Osinachi, as the FCT High Court has convicted and sentenced her husband ( Peter Nwachukwu)for her tragic death in April 2022.

“This landmark ruling not only acts as a deterrent to potential offenders but also offers hope to victims of gender-based violence, encouraging them to break their silence. The mother and the twin sibling, now raising the three children who endured this traumatic experience, deserve unwavering support. Let this victory for justice catalyze change and protection for everyone.”

On 23 January 2003, an Owerri High Court presided over by Justice Njideka’s mother-in-law, Hon. Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, now a justice of the Supreme Court, sentenced seven persons, including Chief Vincent Duru, alias Otokoto and Chief Leonard Unaogu to death, for their involvement in the brutal murder of 11-year-old Ikechukwu Okoronkwo on September 19, 1996, at Otokoto Hotels, Owerri.

Also condemned to death for the same offence were Alban Ajaegbu, Sampson Nnamito, Ebenezer Egwuekwe, Rufus Anyanwu and Lawrence Eboh. In her over three-hour judgment, Justice Nwosu-Iheme described Chief Duru as “a hardened and unrepentant murderer.”

Nwosu-Iheme said she found it extremely difficult to believe the stories told by Chief Duru to the effect that Chief Unaogu and himself did not know each other before this ugly incident nor ever regarded themselves as close friends.

On 18 May 2018, however, the Supreme Court overturned the verdict.

In her lead judgment, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun held that the circumstantial evidence relied on to convict and sentence the appellant by the lower courts was not sufficient.

Husband of late gospel singer, Osinachi Nwachukwu sentenced to death by hanging

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, presided by Hon. Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme on Monday sentenced the husband of late gospel singer, Osinachi, Peter Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.

Nwachukwu was found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of the deceased (his wife) on April 8, 2022.

The judge held that the prosecution has proven the burden of proof placed on it by the law and subsequently found the defendant guilty.

Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022, by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government, on a 23-count charge.

The charge was on culpable homicide punishable with death, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children, spousal battery, among others.

In the course of the trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi, who testified as fourth prosecution and fifth prosecution witnesses, PW4 and PW5, respectively. The prosecution also tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court. The defendant testified for the defence and further called four other witnesses and tendered four exhibits in his defence.

Shortly before sentencing, the defendant’s counsel, Reginald Nwali, in his allocutus pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment.

Similarly, the prosecution counsel, Mrs Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.

Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, while he was sentenced to two years imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8,9, 12, 13, and 18.

The court sentenced him to six months imprisonment on Count 10, three years imprisonment in Count 11, while he was fined the sum of N500,000 and N200,000 respectively on Counts 6 and 7.

On 23 January 2003, an Owerri High Court presided over by Justice Njideka’s mother-in-law, Hon. Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, now a justice of the Supreme Court, sentenced seven persons, including Chief Vincent Duru, alias Otokoto and Chief Leonard Unaogu to death, for their involvement in the brutal murder of 11-year-old Ikechukwu Okoronkwo on September 19, 1996, at Otokoto Hotels, Owerri.

Also condemned to death for the same offence were Alban Ajaegbu, Sampson Nnamito, Ebenezer Egwuekwe, Rufus Anyanwu and Lawrence Eboh. In her over three-hour judgment, Justice Nwosu-Iheme described Chief Duru as “a hardened and unrepentant murderer.”

Nwosu-Iheme said she found it extremely difficult to believe the stories told by Chief Duru to the effect that Chief Unaogu and himself did not know each other before this ugly incident nor ever regarded themselves as close friends.

On 18 May 2018, however, the Supreme Court overturned the verdict.

In her lead judgment, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun held that the circumstantial evidence relied on to convict and sentence the appellant by the lower courts was not sufficient.

NAN/Vanguard Newspapers

Tributes continue to pour in for a great advocate for justice and human rights, Joseph Otteh

Many do not know that Joseph Otteh and Access To Justice (A2J ) were the first winners of the Gani Fawehinmi Award for Social Justice and Human Rights, 2010, which was instituted by the Nigerian Bar Association (NB) through its Human Rights Institute. The award was N1million and a plaque.

The initiative for the award came from the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI).

Joseph Otteh, the Convener of Access (A2J) to Justice, reportedly became ill on the night of March 27, 2025, and passed away the next day in a Lagos hospital.

Not a few have hailed the life of this activist who spent most of his life striving for a more transparent, independent, and accountable judiciary.

Otteh’s work through A2J which he founded focused on strengthening the legal system and ensuring justice for all.

With decades of experience fighting for judicial reforms, the rule of law, and human rights protections, Otteh was a well-known voice in legal advocacy.

He was a Global Public Service Scholar at NYU and received a Master’s degree in law from both the University of Lagos and New York University.

He also served as a Visiting Researcher at the Danish Centre for Human Rights.

Otteh authored Fading Lights of Justice and Litigating in the Public Interest.

He contributed extensively to legal scholarship, consulting for institutions such as the British Government’s J4A Programme, the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), the Nigerian Bar Association, the European Union’s Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (RoLAC), and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ).

As a key figure in legal reforms, Otteh served on committees that shaped Nigeria’s legal framework, including the Lagos State Committee on the Review of Criminal Procedure Laws and the Committee on the Review of the Coroner Law.

Joseph Otteh contributed significantly to strengthening human rights safeguards and improving justice administration in Nigeria and through A2J he helped drive advocacy for judicial independence and accountability.

He earned accolades such as the MacArthur Foundation’s Award for Effective and Creative Institutions and more.

Okechukwu Nwanguma of RULAAC had a lot to say:

“I met Joseph Otteh at the civil liberties organization (CLO), where he was head of the legal project.

“Among his outstanding intellectual works was the publication entitled ‘Justice Denied’.

“His contributions to judicial Independence were immeasurable.

“Joseph Otteh, through his leadership at Access to Justice (AJ), significantly advanced judicial independence, integrity, and effectiveness in Nigeria. His pivotal role in reforming the Lagos State coroner’s law is particularly notable, marking a major step toward accountability regarding extrajudicial killings.

“He received an award recognition for his immense contributions.

“Otteh’s impact earned AJ the prestigious $650,000 MacArthur Foundation award in 2009, highlighting their efforts against human rights abuses. He attributed this achievement to the successful advocacy for coroner law reform, aiming to reduce extrajudicial executions by ensuring that deaths are properly investigated.

“He contributed to the efforts to address Police Brutality.

“In an interview, Otteh emphasized that police brutality is an acute issue in Nigeria, despite the country’s democratic status. He remarked on the shocking prevalence of police violence, torture, and extrajudicial killings, noting that such problems are not unique to Nigeria but are prevalent across multiple regions, particularly in countries with stable governance.

“He spoke on human rights under democracy in Nigeria.

“Otteh assessed human rights conditions post-military rule, suggesting that while some individual rights have gained better protection in Nigeria’s democracy, there remained systemic issues, particularly related to police violence and extrajudicial killings. He acknowledged the courts’ ability to provide remedies but reiterated the need for continued advocacy to ensure all rights are upheld.

“He understood the challenges and projected to the future.

“He expressed concern over the potential for political instability and military interference in governance. Despite the progress made, Otteh highlighted ongoing challenges, including the inadequacy of responses to police brutality and the increasing rate of extrajudicial killings, underscoring the need for sustained efforts to address these critical issues.

“In short, Joseph Otteh’s commitment to enhancing access to justice and safeguarding human rights remains a vital part of Nigeria’s ongoing struggle for a just society. His legacy serves as a reminder of the continuous need for advocacy and reform in the face of systemic abuses.”

Olumide Ayeni (SAN) wrote: “The profundity of the Access to Justice Programme assisted us in reforms of the administration of justice sector in Ogun State in my time as Attorney-General.”

A lawyer, Kingsley Ejiofor, wrote: “Nigeria has lost a great man! He stood for what was right and just.

“I called him Prophet Jeremiah following his Vanguard article of 20 February 2025 on the state of the Judiciary, amongst other issues he highlighted. He simply laughed it off and sent an emoji to me.

‘‘May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.”Bob Arnot wrote: “Joseph worked with us on DFID and EU-funded programmes.

“He was a modest man and an excellent colleague. Condolences to his family and friends from the Arnot family.”

Senior Programme Manager, Africa, at National Endowment for Democracy, Christopher O’Connor, wrote: “Joseph will be missed. He was a tremendous advocate for judicial reform.

“I am certain his legacy of compassion and vision for a better tomorrow will continue to inspire others.”

Prof Chidi Odinkalu wrote: “Raised in Agbor, Delta State, in the Niger Delta by a father who was a high school teacher from Imo State, Joe was one of the first two colleagues whom I engaged in the legal directorate of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) in Lagos in 1991.

“He brought tremendous integrity, intellect, and industry to the role, and had remarkable reserves of both clarity and empathy.

“Joe received his legal education at the Obafemi Awolowo University, in Ile-Ife.

“In 1999, Joe founded the group Access to Justice ‘to work towards rebuilding the institutional credibility of the Nigerian legal and justice system, restoring public faith in its institutions’.

“He approached that task with both courage and single-mindedness, doing a lot of good along the way.

“Joe epitomised the lawyer as a gentleman and professional of civic virtue.

“Unknown to most, Joe was the force & craftsman behind the current revision of Nigeria’s Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules.

“It reflects very much not merely his ability to identify problems but also his commitment to forging the relationships required to address them.

“On 28 March, Joe succumbed reportedly to complications from diabetes, leaving behind an aged mother, wife and three children.

“Thirty years ago, in 1995, Joe authored a defining study of the customary court system in the 17 states of southern Nigeria under the title: The Fading Lights of Justice.

“As an advocate, Joe did his utmost to ensure that those lights were kept aflame; to postpone the date when the future he divined would come to pass.

“That title could only have come from a man who was well ahead of his time and had the acuity to see the future.

“The heavens will be enriched by the acquisition of this incredible angel.”