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The genocide in Benue

By Suyi Ayodele

I am naturally hemophobic; I run from blood. But I had to encourage myself to watch the videos of the killings in Yelwata town in Benue State on Friday night. The killings, which the locals said started around 10.45 pm on Friday, lasted till 2.00 am on Saturday without any help coming the way of the helpless dwellers who were killed in their hundreds!

Benue is on the path to ‘genocidal annihilation’. You may have to pardon the specious tautology in this sentence. It is deliberate, and at the same time, the best way to convey the issues in today’s piece. This is necessary so that no one will be left in doubt about what we are talking about.

When a man feels the full impact of the percussion at the dance arena, he shows it by the folding of the two fists. My fists are folded today because in our very eyes, an ethnic group is on its way to extinction! Sadly enough, we appear helpless, or, to put it in its proper perspective: we are deliberately helpless to help the situation.

At the rate we are going, unless by deus ex machina, or the government wakes up from its deliberate slumber and acts, the entire Benue may go into extinction. Yet the people of Benue committed no crime. Sorry, I just remember, they are simply guilty of being Nigerians; minority Nigerians who are treated by those in power as expendable and dispensable entities! What is happening in Benue State is pure genocide, an annihilation in its raw form! This is completely sad!

The “Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (Sixth Edition)”, defines the verb, ‘annihilate’ to mean: “Destroy largely or completely; blot out of existence.” When used figuratively, the same dictionary says the word means “Reduce to insignificance or powerlessness; silence or humiliate completely” (Pg 85).

The American historian and Professor of Eastern European Studies at Stanford University, California, USA, Norman Naimark, in a November 15, 2011, interview conducted by the British writer and editor, Alec Ash, spoke extensively about genocide. The dictionary under reference here defines ‘genocide as “The (attempted) deliberate and systematic extermination of an ethnic or national group” (Pg1092).

In the interview, Naimark posits that “Genocide isn’t the preserve of fanatics and racist thugs- it’s part of human nature.” And when asked to define genocide, he responds by saying: “I don’t think there is a “correct” definition of genocide. At the same time, the most useful way to think about it is to start with the December 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”

Then he goes ahead to state the provisions of Article Two of the 1948 UN Convention in relation to the definition of genocide to mean “acts intended to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, racial, ethnical, national, or religious group, as such”. Citing his 2010 book, “Stalin’s Genocide”, Naimark says that “social and political groups should be included in the definition” of genocide.

Naimark elaborates on how genocide happens and how it is often denied. He says the scourge could return anytime since “it’s part of human nature” and then recommends “the best books to read about it”. The books include: “Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland” by Christopher Browing” (February 28, 2017), “The Years of Extermination” by Saul Friedlander (April 1, 2008); “Bloodlands” by Timothy Snyder (October 12, 2010); “Blood and Soil” by Ben Kerman (September 25, 2007) and “A Problem from Hell” by Samantha Power (May 6, 2003).

One of the books, which Naimark did not recommend in his seminal interview is the one written by the anthropologist, Alexander Laban Hinton with the title: “It Can Happen Here: White Power and the Rising Threat of Genocide in the U.S.” (June 8, 2021). The book, according to its synopsis, captures the demonstration by the white supremacists shortly after Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election.

In It Can Happen Here…., Hinton argued that “there is a real risk of violent atrocities happening in the United States.” Here is the synopsis of the book: “A renowned expert on genocide argues that there is a real risk of violent atrocities happening in the United States. If many people were shocked by Donald Trump’s 2016 election, many more were stunned when, months later, white supremacists took to the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, chanting “Blood and Soil” and “Jews will not replace us!”

“Like Trump, the Charlottesville marchers were dismissed as aberrations—crazed extremists who did not represent the real US. It Can Happen Here demonstrates that, rather than being exceptional, such white power extremism and the violent atrocities linked to it are a part of American history. And, alarmingly, they remain a very real threat to the US today. Alexander Hinton explains how murky politics, structural racism, the promotion of American exceptionalism, and a belief that the US has, have achieved a color-blind society; have diverted attention from the deep roots of white supremacist violence in the US’s brutal past.”

The social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), who visited the town hours after the killings, posted some videos that would touch the devil itself if he were to watch them! How in 2025 such horror could be visited on a people without a corresponding response from the State beats one’s imagination. How the perpetrators of such genocide could escape without any causality is a deeper low in the history of our security alertness!

For goodness’ sake, those who carried out the acts were no spirits. They did not appear suddenly in Yelwata and disappeared just like that! No. They travelled from somewhere to Yelwata. They used a means of transportation. Someone coordinated the attacks using a telecommunication device. Where were the security agencies in all this? Where were the top Army brass who said that they had relocated to Benue? Where is the efficiency of our intelligence agencies? How come nobody spotted the assailants; how come nobody had an idea of the attack before it happened?

And when the terrorists first attacked the police post in Yelwata, who got the signal at the Benue State Police Command Headquarters? Or are we to believe that when the killer squad showed up at the Yelwata Police Station, the men on duty simply disappeared and reported the incident to no one? Granted, the locals praised the efforts of the police during the attack, what happened to reinforcement? Why did help not come?

Watching the videos posted by VDM, my mind went back to Alexander Hinton again and his postulation on “how murky politics, structural racism…have diverted attention from the deep roots of white supremacist violence in the US’s brutal past.” Why is the Nigerian State playing the ostrich at the expense of the lives of the people? Why is the State deliberately impotent?

The more I consider the Benue killings and other killings of the minority tribes in the Middle-Belt zone of Nigeria, the more I am tempted to believe that there is a deliberate effort at exterminating some tribes so that the bigger ones can live! It is no news that Benue State has been under the siege of the Fulani herdsmen for a long time. It did not start today. But it is more prominent today, or rather, it became more pronounced during the eight years of the locusts that the lethargic General Muhammadu Buhari spent in Aso Rock.

Under the reign of the stark retired General, Benue buried their people in their hundreds. All the President-do-nothing did then was to laugh off the fact that his Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, refused to relocate to Benue as he ordered. Buhari departed Makurdi to Abuja and he did nothing to the IGP.

Then President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came with his Renewed Hope mantra. But the present situations in Benue, and most states of the North-Central, North-East and North-West, are nothing but hopelessness! States in the other southern states are just a bit better as the killings are not as pronounced as what we have up North.

In that single attack on Yelwata, over 200 people were killed. The videos show the charred bodies of people killed in their sleep. Children were burnt to ashes. And to underscore that what the attackers intended was annihilation, the store houses where grains and other food items were kept were completely razed! You may therefore want to ask what is the mission of the attackers if not to ensure that the people of Yelwata go into extinction?

How do we explain that after killing the people; after sending their children to their early graves, the attackers went for the food storage of the people? What is that if it is not to ensure that the survivors are starved to death afterwards?

And the best response from the government is the same colourless press statement reiterating the President’s directive to security chiefs to implement his earlier directive to bring lasting peace and security to Benue State, and a call on the governor of the state to convene “reconciliation meetings and dialogue among the warring parties to end the incessant bloodshed and bring lasting peace and harmonious coexistence between farmers, herders, and communities.”

President Tinubu and those in charge of our security architecture must stop the pretence game. And they must stop now! The Nigerian State must wake up from its deliberate impotency on this Benue matter! What is happening in Benue is not about “Political and community leaders in Benue State”, who act ‘irresponsibly’ and make “inflammatory utterances”. It is about the deliberate intention of the killers to completely erase their victims from the surface of the earth! It is only in a war situation that people are killed, and their means of livelihood burnt. Benue is not at war, at least the conventional way.

What happened in Yelwata on Friday night to Saturday morning was and is beyond mere communal clash. It was a calculated and well-coordinated action. That is how genocide happens; that is how annihilation takes place. It must be deliberate, it must be systematic, and it must be total, with the State playing the ostrich! Yelwata lost over 200 souls in less than five hours. Many have not been accounted for. That is pure genocide; complete annihilation to achieve an end! Those who doubt these assertions should read “The Armenians of Aintab: The Economics of Genocide in an Ottoman Province (April 13, 2021) by Umit Kurt.”

Someone should tell Mr. President that the Yelwata attack is not just “the latest news of wanton killings in Benue State: that “is very depressing”, as penned by Bayo Onanuga in his ‘State House Press Statement.’ It is a deliberate attempt to wipe out a whole ethnic nationality. Yes, like the president said, “Enough is now enough”, but it must go beyond the rhetoric. The people of Benue need reassurance of the sanctity of their lives in the nation called Nigeria. They need hope that being in the minority is not a ticket to early graves.

They need someone to ignite in them a new sense of belonging; more so, they need solid protection from the State. The attacks on them are too graphic, they are too systematic for the agencies that call themselves intelligence agencies not to know about them and arrest the situations. The government has buried its head in the sound for too long. The echoing of the bazookas used in killing the people should be loud enough for the ostrich to know that the danger it is pretending not to recognise is real!

This is the time to stop “murky politics.” The people must not be sacrificed on the altar of politics and power games. Rivers State did not witness any killing, but President Tinubu declared a state of emergency there. What happened in Rivers State governed by an opposition party governor is nothing compared to the killings in Benue where the ruling President’s party has its governor.

Not a single soul was killed in Rivers State before President Tinubu sent all the democratic structures there packing! But in Benue, Plateau, Borno, Zamfara and other troubled States of the North, Nigerians are killed in their thousands, and the president is reducing the entire genocide to a mere ‘State House Press Statement’. The President should listen to himself talk occasionally. He should know that both the slave and the freeborn passed through the same process!

I close here with the timeless advice by Alexander Laban Hinton in that 2011 interview to wit: “… If societies stayed out of wars, protected the rights of groups of “others” through the rule of law, refused to tolerate racism and extreme nationalism and maintained democratic checks and balances on their political elites, one could imagine a world without genocide.” Only leaders with the right attitudes to governance can achieve this!

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

The abduction of Kogi rice/okpa vendor

By Tribune Editorial Board

There are disturbing indications that insecurity in the country, especially kidnapping for ransom, has assumed a frightening and senseless dimension. It would appear that kidnappers no longer profile their potential victims to ensure that they have ransom to pay before abducting them. Ordinary Nigerians and indeed citizens at the lowest rung of the socioeconomic ladder have suddenly become targets of attack by kidnappers. This is a really worrying angle to the heightening insecurity in the land.

Just a few days ago, suspected kidnappers reportedly abducted a 20-year-old petty trader, Ajuma Simon, a native of Ukpotume, a village close to Ugwolawo in Odolu/ Igalamela Local Government Area of Kogi State, and demanded a huge sum of money. She neither ran into the kidnappers’ ambush, nor was she abducted in a vehicle on the highway in company of other victims: the gunmen reportedly invaded her house around 1 a.m. and whisked her away. This is rather strange because her profile does not fit into that of the regular victims of kidnappers, especially those who are specifically targeted by the outlaws. The victim reportedly hawks cooked rice and okpa, a rather affordable local delicacy, for a living! If the criminals truly invaded the young woman’s house in the very dark hours of the morning, then they must have discovered something about her and her socioeconomic status. Yet they still went ahead to abduct her, given the type of information they supposedly had about her. The rumour doing the rounds in the community that she had just collected a “contribution” does not take anything away from the fact that Ajuma is an unusual victim of kidnappers who reportedly stormed an okpa vendor’s house in their numbers in the wee hours of the morning to kidnap her for ransom!

The abduction of a cooked rice vendor, a woman barely surviving, is reflective of the sad state of affairs in the country. This is strange and ominous as it implies that even the poor are not exempted from dastardly attacks by criminals. And it may well be that people risk abduction if they dare to walk on the streets! Has the security situation in the country deteriorated so much that hoodlums target just any person, regardless of the very slim probability of achieving their ignoble objective of extorting money from the victim’s family and members of their social circle? Where, for instance, will an okpa vendor or her family get ransom money to pay kidnappers whose demands are usually outrageous? If she had money, would she be hawking rice and okpa, literally carrying a tray on her head, in the first place? Again, the truth is that in all probability, the “contribution” money she got is a small sum, the kind that people in her social class can muster. Yes, ultimately, there could be negotiation with her abductors, but the kind of negotiation that would make the criminals to settle for what is patently a peanut may risk the life of the victim.

Ajuma is definitely of the poorest class in society and to expect her to produce ransom money in millions is cruel and unfeeling. And the belief in some quarters that the motivation for the abduction may not be money seems to have been more or less erased by the kidnappers’ alleged demand for a huge ransom. It is, however, hoped that security operatives will soon unravel the seeming mystery. In any case, whatever the motives of the kidnappers are, this terrible situation was created by the government which failed to protect Ajuma and many other citizens, even though the raison d’être of government is the security and welfare of the citizenry. The government should address insecurity, especially now that everyone is literally a potential victim of the kidnappers prowling all over the place.

This kind of news is bad for Nigeria. The government cannot be pursuing foreign direct investment while at the same time doing very little to address the pervasive insecurity in the country. Unfortunately, some of this bad news is reported in the foreign media, sometimes even ahead of the local media. And it is needless saying that no one would want to invest in an unsafe environment. Certainly, the veritable threat to lives and properties in the country is assuming a frightening dimension. That is inimical to both the security and welfare of the citizenry and the health of the domestic economy. All stakeholders, with the government taking lead, are called upon to up their ante and alter the perilous status quo.

More importantly, there is a need for changes in the official approach to maintaining security as the current one is obviously suboptimal. The security architecture that permits the burgeoning acts of terrorism, banditry and other criminal activities surely needs tweaking, or it will be business as usual. Again, a security architecture that excludes the subnational governments in whose domains criminal activities take place from the matrix of critical elements that should improve security is fundamentally flawed. Governments at the lower levels should be adequately resourced and empowered to truly maintain law and order within their jurisdictions. Ownership and control of the police at subnational levels are long overdue. This is not novel as it operates in certain civilised climes from which operational lessons can be drawn. Nigerians are uninterested in which tiers of government are in charge of security; all they desire is safety of life and property, which can be easily achieved through a coordinated interplay of efforts and strategies among the three tiers of government.

A situation where the ordinary Nigerian who is contending with hunger cannot walk free on the streets or sleep with his/her two eyes closed for fear of kidnappers is unprecedented. It smacks of double jeopardy, which no responsible government should subject its citizens to. We urge that pragmatic official actions be swiftly taken not just to rescue Ajuma Simon from her abductors but also to stymie the recurrence of this dangerous trajectory of insecurity in the country.

Abuse of Court Process: Activists condemn federal government’s filing of same charges at Federal High Court and FCT High Court against Senator Natasha

Did you know that the Federal Government filed similar charges in two different courts against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senator representing Kogi Central?

Rights activists who have condemned the federal government for aligning with Senate President Godswill Akpabio to persecute Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan are questioning the rationale for this abuse of the court process.

On Monday, the Federal High Court in Abuja rejected the Federal Government’s request to issue an arrest warrant against the suspended senator over her failure to appear in court for arraignment in an alleged defamation suit.

Hearing in the action filed at the FCT High Court comes up for hearing on Thursday.

Justice Muhammed Umar, who presided at the Monday hearing, delivered his ruling after the federal government’s counsel, David Kaswe, informed the court that the charge had been served on her lawyer earlier that morning in the courtroom.

However, Justice Umar stated that, since the senator had not previously been served with the charge or a hearing notice, it was inconceivable for her to have appeared in court.

On that basis, he refused the prosecution’s application for a bench warrant.

The Federal Government’s counsel, however, argued that Akpoti-Uduaghan should have been aware of her arraignment since her legal counsel had been served.

The judge, in response, dismissed this argument, stating that serving the charge on her legal counsel was not sufficient to presume the senator’s awareness of the arraignment.

Following the court’s ruling, the prosecution applied for substituted service of the charge through her counsel, Johnson Usman.

The application was granted, and the court subsequently scheduled her arraignment for June 30.

The charge was filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the Federal Government.

In the criminal charge, which names Senator Akpoti-Uduagahn as the sole defendant, the FG accused her of making defamatory statements during a live television broadcast.

The charge, which names Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello as the nominal complainants, alleges that Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Bello of conspiring with Akpabio to orchestrate her assassination outside Abuja and framing it as a mob or local attack.

According to the Federal Government, these allegations were made during a live broadcast on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.

The FG argues that Akpoti-Uduaghan knowingly or recklessly made these imputations, fully aware that they could harm the reputation of the individuals involved.

She is alleged to have said, “Let’s ask the Senate President, why in the first instance did he withdraw my security, if not to make me vulnerable to attacks? He then emphasised that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi. What is important to me is to stay alive, because dead men tell no tales. Who is going to get justice for me?”

The charge also cites her statements during the programme, “That you, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on or about the 3rd day of April 2025, during the same Politics Today programme on Channels Television in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, made the following imputation concerning Yahaya Adoza Bello, former Governor of Kogi State.

“It was part of the meeting, the discussions that Akpabio had with Yahaya Bello that night, to eliminate me. When he met with him, he then emphasised that I should be killed, but I should be killed in Kogi.’
“You knew or had reason to believe that such imputations would harm the reputation of Yahaya Adoza Bello, former Governor of Kogi State.”

The senator is also accused of making defamatory statements about Senate President Akpabio during a telephone conversation with Sandra C. Duru in Abuja on 27 March 2025.

The Federal Government contends that Akpoti-Uduaghan knew or ought to have known that this claim would harm the reputation of Akpabio.

Also, the Senate President, Bello, and four others have been listed as witnesses for the trial.

CJN says, “I look forward to when we’d no longer count the number of women in leadership, as Lagos and Kano lead in appointment of female judicial officers

  • Commends Nyako’s leadership as president of International Association of Women Judges

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has revealed that Lagos and Kano states have taken the lead in the appointment of women judges and magistrates.

Asserting that she is looking forward to a time when “we’d no longer count the number of women in leadership”, the CJN in her address at the just concluded 25th biennial conference of the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJIN) said: “It was noted that while states like Lagos and Kno are now in the forefront and in fact female dominated in terms of appoinments, quite a few states are still lagging behind.”

In addition, Her Lordship said, “No doubt, Nigeria has come a long way, but there is still much work to be done. The journey towards achieving true parity and inclusivity across the country may take some time, but it is certainly achievable.”

“Women have been exceptionally blessed by God with innate skills and the ability to multitask, which can enhance and support nation-building. It is therefore important to recognize the imperative of women in policy making and to strive to ensure their inclusivity in the promotion of policies that are gender sensitive and which provide greater access to justice.”

While acknowledging that the President of the Court of Appeal is a woman, Justice Kekere-Ekun, who is also the second female to serve as Chief Justice of Nigeria, said: “We currently have 20 female heads of courts across Nigeria. This is a remarkable feat but it is not yet Uhuru.

“There are states with only two female judges amongst 15 to 20 male judges. We therefore continue to strive for gender parity, not because we are women but because we are deserving nd qualified.

“That is why we must work harder, be more diligent, show skill and strive for excellence as female judges. We have no excuse to but to excel at what we do to encourage more female participation and appointments. We say kudos to Lagos and Kano states for leading the charge. I look foward to a time when we shall no longer have to count the number of women in leadership positions.

“We…appreciate our own Hon. Justice Binta Nyako for a job well done as the International President of IAWJ from 2023 -2025; for flying our flag high and for successfully handing over to the current President from Morocco.”

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Alumni Association backs appointment of new VC

The Alumni Association of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University has weighed in on the ongoing process to appoint a new Vice Chancellor of the university.

The Association spoke through a press release titled, “Alumni Association’s Stand on the Appointment of the Next Vice Chancellor”, signed by its National Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Goodluck Adaku Nwankpa.

The full text of the statement reads:

The Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Alumni Association, a broad and inclusive body of graduates from our distinguished institution, wishes to clearly reaffirm its patriotic and unbiased stance on the ongoing process of appointing the next Vice Chancellor of our great university.

As an association committed to the progress, unity, and long-term vision of the institution, we reiterate that our collective interest lies in seeing the emergence of the most competent, credible, and visionary leader—irrespective of personal affiliations or sentiments.

While we recognize and appreciate the contributions of the current Acting Vice Chancellor, we are also conscious of the fact that capacity, competence, and commitment are not limited to one individual.

We acknowledge the right of every alumnus to hold and express personal preferences. However, the Alumni Association as a body maintains a non-partisan posture and will not be drawn into acts that suggest favoritism or factional alignment.

Let it be unequivocally stated that the Alumni Association has no intention whatsoever to sponsor, partner with, or endorse any group or individual engaging in demonstrations, protests, or any form of coercive advocacy in allegiance to any aspirant. Such actions do not reflect the values of intellectual maturity, democratic engagement, and institutional integrity that we uphold.

We trust in the wisdom, discernment, and leadership of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Anambra State, who, guided by the founding principles of the university and the voice of the majority, will steer the process with fairness and foresight.

Whoever emerges through due process shall enjoy the full support and cooperation of the Alumni Association. Our commitment remains to the advancement of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University and the broader educational development of Anambra State.

Signed,
Mrs. Goodluck Adaku Nwankpa
National Public Relations Officer
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Alumni Association

Stop saying “case laws”

  • Don’t Be a Chatbot Lawyer

By Chinua Asuzu

It’s “caselaw,” or “case law”, not “case laws,” no matter how many cases you’re discussing.

“Caselaw” is a mass noun and shouldn’t be pluralized. It’s not a count noun.

“Caselaw” means the “law to be found in the collection of reported cases that form all or part of the body of law within a jurisdiction.” Black’s Law Dictionary

The word “caselaws” and the phrase “case laws” are not only bad English but also bad law.

Even Microsoft Word winces at “caselaws.”

If you mean “cases”, then say “cases.”

Don’t Be a Chatbot Lawyer

The phrase “chatbot lawyer” is a neologism coined by Eugene Volokh to denote “a lawyer who relies on a chatbot such as ChatGPT to generate briefs and other legal documents.” Bryan A. Garner, ‘Will “chatbot lawyer” make it into Black’s Law Dictionary?’ 1 June 2023, abajournal.com.

Large language models like ChatGPT have revolutionized legal research and writing. With a few carefully framed prompts, you can generate draft articles, blogs, briefs, contracts, and pleadings. But when you fail to cross-check, drastically edit, and adapt AI-generated drafts, or you begin to rely on AI to carry out your legal analysis, you’re a chatbot lawyer.

Every good lawyer knows that legal research and writing demand acumen, discernment, insight, judgment, and sagacity. None of these can be automated. Your AI aides don’t read cases; they predict text. They don’t weigh authority; they mimic patterns. And they shouldn’t usurp your obligation to apply the law to specific facts with intellectual rigor. Besides, they’re in the habit of hallucinating: generating false, fabricated, misleading, and nonexistent cases, data, maxims, principles, rules, and statutes.

Treat your AI aide (ChatGPT, etc.) as a research assistant, but remember to crosscheck and confirm whatever it generates–cases, rules, statutes, etc.—and do so in the original sources. Never use your AI aide to bypass the hard work of reading authorities, identifying legal issues, or crafting persuasive arguments. Read the cases yourself. Trace the reasoning yourself. Test the logic yourself. Make the judgment yourself.

The practice of law is the disciplined application of the human mind to legal problems. A chatbot can imitate the form of legal writing, but not its substance.

Receive deliverance from automation bias—the blind reliance on artificial intelligence.

[Video] Man allegedly violates 6-year-old girl in a religious place in Abia

A man who is yet to be identified allegedly violated a six-year-old girl within the premises of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Aba, Abia State.

Anastasia Uchenna Odochi, a journalist, confirmed the incident in a Facebook post over the weekend after visiting the minor.

According to her, the victim is currently receiving medical treatment in a pharmacy as her mother can’t afford to take her to a hospital due to lack of funds. 

Mrs Odochi further disclosed that the victim’s mother, who sells roasted corn in front of the church, has been told to leave the spot following the incident. 

“She is a mother of FOUR kids. It’s not enough that you defiled her daughter; you have disrupted her only source of income. Jesus. Dear Abia First Lady, Priscilla Otti, Churches are shielding pedophiles,” she wrote.  

Meanwhile, in a video posted by the journalist, the victim narrated how the suspect lured her into his house within the church and defiled her. 

Man allegedly r3pes 6-year-old girl in Abia church (video)
Man allegedly r3pes 6-year-old girl in Abia church (video)
Man allegedly r3pes 6-year-old girl in Abia church (video)

Air Peace summoned by FCCPC over flight cancellations, unpaid refunds

On account of numerous complaints from passengers regarding non-refunded ticket fares, even in cases where the airline cancelled scheduled flights, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has invited the management of Air Peace Limited.

FCCPC in a formal notice dated June 3, 2025, ordered Air Peace to appear at its Abuja headquarters on Monday, June 23, 2025, to address growing public outcry and allegations of consumer rights violations.

A statement issued by the Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, disclosed the directive on Monday in Abuja.

Ijagwu stated that the airline’s actions contravene Sections 130(1)(a) and (b), and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, which guarantee consumers the right to prompt refunds when bookings or reservations are not honoured due to a service provider’s failure.

He explained that the summons was issued pursuant to Sections 32 and 33 of the Act, requiring Air Peace to provide specific documentary evidence. This includes a complaint log of refund-related issues over the past 12 months, records of all processed refunds to date, a list of all cancelled flights on all routes within the same period, and measures taken to alleviate hardship caused to affected passengers.

The statement read: “The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has summoned the management of Air Peace Limited over a deluge of consumer complaints from across the country relating to the non-refund of ticket fares, even in instances where the airline had cancelled its flight operations.

“These actions potentially contravene Sections 130(1)(a) and (b), and 130(2)(b) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, which expressly guarantee consumers the right to timely refunds where advance bookings, reservations, or orders are unfulfilled due to a service provider’s failure. This provision enshrines the principle of fair dealing and safeguards consumers against unfair, unjust, or unreasonable practices by service providers.

“In a formal summons dated June 13, 2025, the Commission, invoking Sections 32 and 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018, requires Air Peace to appear before the Commission at its Abuja Headquarters on Monday, June 23, 2025.

“Specifically, Section 33(3) of the FCCPA mandates compliance, and failure attracts severe sanctions, including fines or imprisonment.”

Although not mentioned in the statement, the summons comes days after Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Air Peace officials were embroiled in a dispute over the alleged extortion of Nigerian passengers.

The situation escalated when the senator reportedly missed a flight, which he claimed was due to racketeering by airline officials. While Air Peace asserted that Oshiomhole arrived at the airport late, the senator maintained that he, along with other angry passengers, witnessed staff boarding passengers who arrived later.

Oshiomhole said that around 20 to 30 other passengers faced similar treatment, with airline staff allegedly demanding an additional N109,100 to reschedule them to an 8:30 am flight.

Kenya’s deputy police chief steps down as blogger’s death investigated

Kenya’s deputy police chief stepped aside on Monday as investigations into the death of a blogger while in custody continue.

The death of Albert Ojwang, who was accused of defaming Deputy Inspector General Eliud Langat, sparked days of protests in Nairobi. Several demonstrators were injured and properties were destroyed.

Langat said on Monday that he was stepping aside “in view of the ongoing investigations” into the death of Ojwang. He failed to acknowledge that he was the complainant.

“I undertake to provide any support that may be required of me during the investigations of the unfortunate incident,” Langat said in a statement.

Langat’s boss, Inspector General Douglas Kanja, previously said that investigations into Ojwang’s online activities started after Langat filed an official complaint.

Ojwang was arrested on June 6 in western Kenya and driven 400 kilometers (248 miles) to Nairobi for publishing what police said was “false information” on social media.

He was found dead two days later at the Central Police Station and police attributed his death to “hitting his head against the cell wall.” A pathology report refuted the police account. It said the deceased had “head injury, neck compression and other injuries spread all over the body that are pointing towards assault.”

The officer commanding the Central Police Station, Samson Talam, and his colleague, James Mukhwana, were arrested last week. The detectives leading the investigation requested more time to examine the case.

President William Ruto on Friday said that his government would “protect citizens from rogue police officers” and called for investigations into Ojwang’s death.

The blogger’s death came almost a year after several activists and protesters were abducted and killed by Kenyan police during finance bill protests. The demonstrations led to calls for the removal of Ruto.

Kenya has a history of police brutality. Ruto previously vowed to end brutality and extrajudicial killings.

Source: AP

Ex-Kenyan Chief Justice to public protest against police extra-judicial killings, as police teargas protesters demanding action on Benue killings

While the police in Nigeria dispersed a protest in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, on Sunday, using tear gas to break up a demonstration against a series of deadly attacks that have claimed over 100 lives in recent days, a former Chief Justice of Kenya, David Maraga has notified the police in Nairobi that he will be leading a protest against the death of Albert Omondi Ojwang, an activist who died in police custody.

Ojwang reportedly died in police custody on June 7 after his arrest from Homabay County over claims of false publication.

The murder has caused an uproar amid calls for accountability from all concerned parties.

The police officers who handled him were summoned to the IPOA offices in Nairobi to state what they knew about the death.

They spent the better part of Wednesday at the offices. Some came with lawyers while others came without any legal representation.

According to insiders, some police officers claimed Ojwang was already in critical condition when he was brought into the station.

They allege that they made efforts to save his life upon realising his deteriorating state.

In Benue State, Nigeria, the protest, held at the Wurukum roundabout, was organised in response to coordinated assaults in Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area on Friday night.

The attacks, which left more than 100 people dead, occurred less than 48 hours after 25 others were killed in Mtswenem and Akondotyough Bawa communities in Makurdi LGA.

Protesters, mostly young people dressed in black and carrying fresh leaves, gathered under the banner of the social media campaign #StopBenueKillings to demand urgent government action to halt the violence. The protest drew a large crowd and attracted the attention of security forces.

Commissioner of Police in Benue, Emenari Ifeanyi, addressed the demonstrators at the roundabout. He appealed for calm and urged the protesters not to interfere with ongoing security operations.

“I was monitoring and at the checking point for more than six hours. Tell your people to calm down, we need the support of the youth and everybody in Benue State,” he said.

“This is a phase and we are passing through it already. We have already cut the head of the snake and we will get the peace that we deserve.

“Instead of being in the bush with other security agencies, we are here. If you prolong your actions here, you’re giving opportunity for the enemies to plan. We have intelligence of their movement, and we are blocking them.”

Shortly after his remarks, police fired tear gas canisters into the crowd. Videos posted online showed demonstrators running in multiple directions, coughing and shielding their faces as smoke filled the air. A police helicopter hovered overhead, while patrol vans were stationed at various points across the area.

One protester recorded in a video said, “There are security trucks stationed at the Wurukum roundabout in Makurdi, where the #StopBenueKillings protesters are gathered, and a helicopter is hovering over them. If this energy were directed toward securing lives in the state, residents wouldn’t be protesting. Protesters have, as usual, been tear-gassed and dispersed.”

By Sunday afternoon, the area had been cleared of demonstrators, but security presence remained heavy.

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