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Pope Leo XIV to move into long-forsaken papal apartment

By Nicolas Senèze

Where will Pope Leo XIV live? According to the Italian press, he is expected to move into the traditional papal apartment on the first floor of the Apostolic Palace. The space, sealed after Pope Francis’s death, was formally reopened in Leo’s presence at noon on May 11, following the Regina Caeli prayer.

Because the apartment remained inaccessible, the new pope delivered the prayer from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica—rather than from the window of the Apostolic Palace’s top floor, as every pope has done since 1958.

Before Leo XIV can move in, however, renovations will be needed. The apartment hasn’t seen serious updates since 2005, after the death of John Paul II. Back then, workers spent three months upgrading outdated electrical systems (still running on 125 volts at the time), redoing the plumbing, modernizing the air conditioning and kitchen, and—most notably—building a library to house the 20,000-volume collection of Joseph Ratzinger.

Signs of decay

Following Benedict XVI’s resignation, Francis famously declined to live in the papal apartment. Concerned it was too isolating—“spacious but not luxurious,” he once said—he chose instead to stay in Suite 201 at the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse, where new popes are housed after a conclave. Francis used the Apostolic Palace only for the Sunday Angelus.

Now, after two decades without upgrades and 12 years without a resident, the 10-room apartment is in rough shape. Weeds reportedly grow on the rooftop terrace, water has seeped through the ceilings, and pieces of decorative stone molding are at risk of falling.

In the meantime, Pope Leo can’t stay at Santa Marta either. Suite 201 was sealed after Francis’ death and would also need touch-ups after more than a decade of continuous use.

A temporary return to the old office

For now, the new pope has returned to the apartment he occupied while serving at the Dicastery for Bishops, located in the Palace of the Holy Office. Each morning, he walks from there across Bernini’s colonnade-lined street to his former office—but not before stopping at the Augustinian curia, his religious order’s headquarters, to celebrate morning prayer and Mass with the community.

Will this former Augustinian superior be comfortable in what Francis once called “an upside-down funnel”?

“People enter it drop by drop, and me—without people—I just can’t live,” Francis said in a 2014 interview with Jesuit journals. “I need to live my life with others.”

Pope Leo, who on Sunday morning celebrated Mass at the tomb of St. Peter alongside the new head of the Augustinians, whose community also serves at St. Peter’s, will have to find his own way to inhabit the official papal residence, occupied by his predecessors since 1870.

Credit: Catholic News

Breaking!!! JAMB admits responsibility, Registrar weeps, apologises for UTME errors

  • 379,997 candidates to retake 2025 UTME as JAMB

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has admitted responsibility for the mass failure that trailed the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.

JAMB registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, fought tears at a press conference on Wednesday, while admitting to the ugly development.

“I apologise for the trauma caused the candidates,” Oloyede said tearfully during a press conference in Abuja, he said

Prof. Oloyede also announced that about 379,997 candidates in the just concluded 2025 examination would retake the examination.

This followed widespread complaints of technical glitches, unusually low scores, and alleged irregularities in the just-concluded UTME.

Prof. Oloyede, who wept profusely, intermittently wiping his face with a handkerchief, said he took full responsibility for the negligence of its staff, revealing that 65 centres in Lagos and 92 centres in Owerri Zone covering the five states in the South East, would rewrite the exam

Insecurity: Our Senators and the Impotent Groom, By Funke Egbemode

The new bride was inside the hut, waiting for her man to unwrap what he paid for. But the groom chose to stay with his friends, cracking jokes and drinking palm wine. By the time the third gourd of wine lay on its side, even the friends of the groom became worried. They reminded him of the serious assignment waiting for him on the other side of the door. You know what this groom said? “I can thread 200 needles in the dark.” His friends laughed mockingly and told him he had only one needle to thread that night, and this needle was waiting for him in his chambers.

That was the scene that came to my mind when I heard that the Nigerian Senate had once again approved that we hold another security summit to talk about why our land is flowing with blood and gore. Unless we talk about it one more time, according to almost all the Senators who agreed to the summit – save for Adamu Aliero (Kebbi) and Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia).

Now, here’s what the convocation of blood will discover, like Mungo Park.

Herders are grabbing farmers’ land.
That farmers are killing herders.
Heads of children are being split open.
Bellies of pregnant women are being cut open with marauder’s knives.
Helpless old men are being shot in the presence of their grandchildren.
Nigerians are afraid to travel by road.
Commercial buses are being hijacked and passengers are abducted for ransom.
The kidnap-for-ransom trade is now a thriving billionaire sector of the economy.
Boko Haram now has a sibling called Lakurawa.
Even Senators are afraid to go anywhere, including their hometowns.
Parents’ fears have altered the founding fathers’ vision for the NYSC.
Southerners are suspicious of Northerners.
The youth are leaving Nigeria in droves.
Farms are now overgrown with weeds after farmers were massacred while doing an honest day’s job.

Pray, which of all of the above do Nigeria and its leaders need a summit to discover?

My imaginative mind keeps telling me that all this call for security summit up and down is because someone dug out a file of past summits and saw the budget, the eye-popping approved sums of gigantic proportions and how it transformed some people’s lives and lifestyle.

Right. Try and picture the number of planning committees and subcommittees. There will be contractors and subcontractors. Every committee will have secretary and secretariats. Tens of millions will be spent on branding, printing and documents. At the end of the day, there will be communique and media noise. Don’t even start to imagine the photo ops and spot interviews and analysis of who said what and why.

Gradually, the noise will die down. The hype will be replaced with stuff like “the 2025 security summit and a delegate as the NSS” etc.

Oh sorry, I forgot to add that many of the killers would also attend with a few of their sponsors sitting regally at the high table, pontificating shamelessly, godlessly. Anyway, everybody will eventually go home, the looter with their loots and the victims to their tragedies. The killers will return and kill more, then the analysis will start all over again. Those who made money will up their lifestyle with the loot and the bereaved will continue to mourn in fear.

Blood money is blood money. A ritualist is a ritualist even if he speaks Queen’s English or dines with kings.

However, the Senators, politicians and leaders who want to hold new series of talk shops should answer these questions:

How many times did you hold security summits to fix the insecurity in your estate?
How many conferences did you hold to secure your old parents in the village?
How many people did you hold meetings with before you decided that your children were better off in the UK than Nigeria?

See, when these people want to fix a problem, they do it. Our leaders know how to end insecurity but are afraid to end it. The question is, who are they afraid of?

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

The billions I found in Nollywood, By Funke Egbemode

I interviewed Yinka Quadri and Taiwo Hassan (Ogogo) on the same day. I still remember the red Peugeot 505 they drove to the Onipetesi office of The Punch that evening. Yes, they honoured this reporter and I interviewed them in the office at Onipetesi. I was a regular at Tunji Bamisigbin’s and Ralph Nwadike’s offices. It was a productive hunting ground for me to catch both budding and made actors. It was there I was first drawn to Funsho Adeolu because of the Adegeye in his name. Oga Bello Adebayo Salami, I interviewed in Ebute Metta and Jide Kosoko I interviewed in his office around Jibowu.

Unforgettable experience was my session with Sola Sobowale in her office off Allen Avenue, Ikeja. We sat on the floor, swigged gists and laughed loudly. Beautiful soul, that one, in and out. We spoke for a long time until mummy duty called when the twins returned from school. I spent many days on the Ikorodu set of Checkmate. That was where I forged a bond with Amaka Igwe. (Then she was Amaka Isaac-Ene), Ngozi Nwosu and Uncle K, Kunle Bantefa. But the hard work that goes into each movie, each series we sit back to enjoy on DStv, Netflix, YouTube, Prime and the cinemas is huge. Forget the glamour. The sweat, tears and focus it requires to become a face or voice in Nollywood is unquantifiable.

I will never forget the few hours I spent on the set of one of Amaka Igwe’s movies, somewhere in Ogudu GRA and the way Norbert Young wowed me that day. Nobody, no other actor has left such a mark on my 20-something year old mind then like he did. In one of his scenes, he was required to cry and he produced the right amount of tears each time the director shouted “Action.” Then “Cut” and Norbert Young wiped his eyes, returned to the people he was sitting with and they continued their gist, laughing and joking. The Director would then call for another take and Norbert would tear up again, cry so convincingly I wanted to go console him. One minute later, he was back to his gisting session, jokes and laughs. They had many many retakes of that scene, even this reporter was exhausted in her chair. But Norbert Young didn’t run out of tears or miss his lines.

Read Also: Nigerians are undermining the power of Nollywood Zambian High Commissioner to Nigeria

In those days, I enjoyed my time on location because it helped me understand the beat more, see how movies were put together and I could do two interviews in one day and book four for later. There were no phones then, remember?

My date with Pete Edochie is a full book. Olu Jacobs? We are a blessed country. Ah, I must not forget the biggest interview of all (for me). Chief Hubert Ogunde in his Ososa village in Ogun state. Weeks after that, the old man went the way of all mortals. So, is this a peep into the book What Funke Egbemode Did Before She Became Editor? I’m shaking my head, not exactly. I’m just in a collaboration mood and mode.

Nollywood has come a long way and as I watched the 11th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA), my sad heart lifted and told me, “It’s not over for the Nigerian economy.” Nollywood has shown that everything that Nigeria needs to be great is in Nigeria. All we need to do is to keep the thick grabbing fingers of politicians and civil servants away from it.

All those encounters with the veterans I started this piece with happened more than 30 years ago. I saw the boyish look of Funsho Adeolu in an old flick and I said to myself, “This is the story of Nollywood.” The boys are now men. As I watched Femi Adebayo on stage with his well-deserved award for the beautiful Seven Doors, many happy thoughts flooded my mind. I remember T’oluwa Nile, Rattlesnake, Saworo Ide. I remember Aye and J’ayesimi, Taxi Driver, Owo Lagba etc.

I remember the humble beginning of the Nigerian entertainment industry. Many didn’t give it a chance. They talked and looked down on it. But here we are, on the way to fantastic greatness already doing enviable exploits and, wait for it, all on its own. Nollywood is successful all by itself.

Our music, our movies are our exports, our ambassadors by themselves.

Or is there any other sector of the Nigerian economy that started small, weathered the storm of piracy, no funding, low funding, then grew, expanded, became a national pride like our music and movie industries? I must have missed it.

How many states that produced these hardworking actors have film villages that we can reference? But Ibrahim Chatta and Kunle Afolayan pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and built two. Just like Aliko Dangote did what successive Nigerian governments could not do for decades—a working refinery—Nollywood employs thousands of Nigerians.

As manufacturers and internationals leave Nigeria in droves, our entertainment industry is growing roots and bringing in the sheaves in tons. It is touching many sectors that once refused to touch it with a barge pole. The industry that we sneered and hissed at is increasingly looking like our bailout. Or you think a Youth Corper can just walk into Kunle Afolayan’s movie school like he’s doing the academy a favour today? No, he would have to follow due process because it is a profitable, focused corporate entity.

When Funke Akindele hit the N1bn mark with Everybody Loves Jennifer in 2024 and Mo Abudu’s Wedding Party shook the charts, who saw them coming?

While American filmmakers are leaving for Canada and UK locations, Nigerian veteran actors are building film villages that are also resorts for us to save on flight tickets to Europe and Dubai and enjoy our breathtaking natural landscapes. Donald Trump in all his troublesome trumping is seeing Hollywood as deserving of attention, shouldn’t that tell us it is time to rev up our support for this reliable joy-giving sector of the economy?

This is our tangible alternative to oil. This is the only evidence that we can actually diversify the economy, earn “hard currency,” attract foreign investors without setting up dozens of committees or organizing summits. We will just pray for those who keep running around the world looking for foreign investors that the Lord will open their eyes to what is already in the pockets of their trousers.

Retired general reveals chilling details of plane crash that killed Nigeria’s ex-army chief

By Popoola Ademola

A former General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army, Danjuma Ali-Keffi, has asked President Bola Tinubu to investigate the death of former Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru, in a plane crash, which he linked to terror financiers in the country.

He also petitioned the president over his “illegal arrest”, detention and compulsory retirement from service for allegedly exposing how top officials were involved in terror financing during the administration of former President Mohammadu Buhari.

In an interview with ThisDay newspaper published on Monday, Mr Ali-Keffi said Mr Attahiru, under whom he served as GOC, and 11 other military officers, died in a “suspicious” military crash in Kaduna on 21 May 2021.

The tragic incident involved a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) plane which crashed near the Kaduna International Airport, amid adverse weather conditions.

Mr Attahiru was going to Zaria for a passing-out parade of army recruits.

Mr Ali-Keffi said the investigation of the crash was swept under the carpet, as the full report of the investigation was not made known.

He said the late army chief developed a strategy to end terrorism in the North, part of which was an infiltration of terror groups and the instigation of crisis among terror leaders, which resulted in the killing of the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, by a rival terror group, Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP).

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Shekau was killed in a fight between his group and ISWAP.

“Let me put it succinctly, late General Attahiru showed strong commitment to end the insurgency ravaging the northern parts of the country,” Mr Ali-Keffi said.

He explained that a crucial aspect of the strategy involved disrupting the oxygen supply to terrorism, targeting both funding and logistics, while actively pursuing the terror financiers.

Mr Ali-Keffi, initially scheduled to receive the late army chief as GOC before the plane crash, pointed to significant deviations in the plans for Mr Attahiru’s trip.

These included an unexpected change in travel time, a switch in aircraft, a shift in the landing airport from a military airstrip to the Kaduna International Airport, the landing occurring in turbulent and stormy weather, and a preceding ear-shattering explosion before the crash.

He highlighted the absence of a crater or impact at the crash site, emphasising that the passengers’ bodies were ejected and burnt before the aircraft descended, strongly suggesting an “explosion.”

He said, “The Operation Service Wide (OSW), a presidential task force, which I was commanding at the time of Late General Attahiru’s headship of the Nigerian Army, had as its primary mandate to dismantle the terrorism financing network in order to aid the fight against terrorism and insurgency.

“Late General Attahiru appointed me as GOC 1 Div (whilst still being the Commander of OSW) to enable me to effectively discharge the task (OSW). It is important to note that OSW was not just an investigative outfit but also carried out covert operations to capture, or kill insurgents’ leaders and key fighters in the field; destroy insurgent camps and facilities, as well support the military and other security agencies’ operations.

“Furthermore, having command of 1 Div served as cover for me to carry out the task (OSW) without attracting unnecessary attention or making people aware of the existence of the outfit (OSW).

“About 2100 hrs on Thursday 20 May 2021, I spoke on the phone with the Chief of Staff (COS) to the late COAS regarding their impending trip to Kaduna the following day (21 May 2021). I had earlier spoken with General Attahiru on the same issue. We ended our conversation on the note that the late COAS and entourage would come by flight at about 1000 hrs the following day.

“About 0630 hrs the following morning, I called the COS to the late COAS to confirm if their travel plan was as we discussed the night before, as I needed to make arrangements for the Mosque that the COAS would attend Jummu’at (Friday) prayers.

“The COS informed me that there was a change of plan. He said after we finished speaking last night, they received a message that the late COAS was to attend a meeting either at the Honourable Minister of Defence (HMOD) office or at the Presidential Villa at about 1000 hrs on Friday 21 May 2021 and that the late COAS was to attend in person and not send a representative.

“It is important to note that the late COAS’ trip to Kaduna was part of his visit to Zaria to attend the Passing Out Parade at the Depot NA slated for Saturday, 22 May 2021.

“It is worth noting that the movement of service chiefs out of station (Abuja) is with the prior knowledge of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the Honourable Minister of Defence (HMOD), and the presidency.

“So, why was a meeting scheduled for about the same time that the late COAS was to have departed for (or arrived) Kaduna and why the insistence that he (COAS) should not be represented?

“In any case, the COS informed me that in view of the meeting, they would depart the Flag House (official residence of the COAS) at about 1530 hrs (after attending the meeting and also after the Jummu’ at prayers) for the airport.

“They expected to arrive at the airport at about 1600 hrs, board the aircraft at about 1610 – 1615 hrs and depart for Kaduna. At about 1600 hrs, I was informed that they had arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Airport. I then set off from the Stallion House (official residence of the GOC) with my entourage in a convoy and arrived at the Air Force Base at about 1615 hrs.

“For reasons that I cannot understand till today, the flight was delayed for over an hour and did not take off until 1730 hrs or thereabout. The reason for the delay, as I was informed, was that there was an issue with the aircraft that was initially assigned for the mission (to convey the COAS and his entourage) and that it had to be changed.”

Mr Ali-Keffi said they had received information that there would be heavy rainfall accompanied by a storm.

“Meantime, there was a meteorological alert that Kaduna airspace was going to experience heavy rainfall accompanied by storm (wind shear) and it was advised. Already, the cloud had formed in Kaduna, which was visible to us at the airport.

“As a matter of fact, the cloud was so thick, which was indicative of a massive storm. I began to nurse doubts about the flight. At some point, I voiced my doubts to Air Commodore Iyamu and Air Commodore Ilo, who were with me to receive the COAS.

“I even suggested that they should advise Abuja of weather conditions with a view to having the flight cancelled. At that point, I was informed that the aircraft was airborne (at about 1745 hrs). I became concerned as to whether the aircraft would be able to land at the airport in such a heavy rainfall, storm (the rain had started falling then).

“Thus, I was not surprised when Air Commodore Ilo informed me that we had to go to the Civil (International Airport) as the NAF runway was not long enough to enable the aircraft to land under the atrocious weather conditions. We then set off for the International Airport but at a snail’s speed due to the heavy rainfall, which was accompanied by shale (ice particles).”

He continued, “When we got to the vicinity of the airport, there was a thunderous sound, which I thought was the sound of thunder. We had earlier cited what I believed was the aircraft descending to land on the runway. When we turned the bend to enter the tarmac, the thought on my mind was that the aircraft had touched down and was taxing to the parking area.

“I couldn’t see any aircraft on the runway. I frantically looked around and by the far side of the runway, there was a fireball. It was the aircraft conveying General Attahiru! We got out of the vehicles, crossed the runway and approached the burning aircraft. Firefighters were on hand to put out the blaze. At some point, we had to pull back due to the fear of exploding cylinders.

“We later recovered the corpses of the 10 passengers on board the ill-fated plane far from where the plane wreckage was. Apparently, their bodies, which were on fire, were flung from the aircraft before it came down (already in flames). Furthermore, the aircraft (or what was left of it), at least what I could recollect, was on a relatively flat grassland.

“There was no crater. This was indicative of a mid-air explosion. So, what caused the aircraft to explode? I wonder what the Air Safety and Accident Investigation Bureau report says about the incident.”

He further queried, “Was the flight deliberately delayed in order to be caught up in the rainstorm? Was the aircraft sabotaged, which caused it to explode mid-air? Was the explosion caused by explosives? Was a bomb planted in the aircraft or contained in a parcel, which a passenger unknowingly (or knowingly) carried?

Arrested, detained and retired

In an earlier story by Daily Trust extracted from the interview and published on Sunday, Mr Ali-Keffi said he was arrested, detained and retired compulsorily from the army during the Buhari administration.

He said he headed the Presidential Investigative Taskforce set up by Mr Buhari, which exposed how top officials, a top banker and top military brass were involved in terror financing.

He said the revelation resulted in his illegal arrest and 64 days of detention in solitary confinement, where he slept on the floor with consequent health implications.

According to him, while he was in prison, the former president did nothing to rescue him.

His petition to President Tinubu reads; “I was the president of the Board of Inquiry (BOI) with members/secretary drawn from the NCS, NIS, SSS, NIA, ONSA, NFIU as well as from the Police.

“The Board of Inquiry, which largely conducted its work as an investigative body, was tasked to investigate circumstances surrounding the illegal smuggling of petroleum products contained in 168 oil tankers into Benin Republic through a single smuggling route in Ilesa Barbara in Kwara State.

“The BOI went further to uncover 295 oil tankers that conveyed Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and the major smugglers identified.”

The BOI, according to him, made relevant discoveries about the relationship between the smuggling racket, the terrorism besetting the North-east, and the banditry/kidnapping for ransom which was at its formative stage in the North-west and parts of North-central geo-political zones.

He said the involvement of illegal mineral mining in the North-west and North-central regions, coupled with extensive money laundering, primarily designated for ongoing counter-terrorism/insurgency operations in the Northern regions of the country.

He added, “A syndicate, which had an extensive network in the country as well as being affiliated to international criminal network, was as the centre of moving finances for terrorism for other criminal activities stated above.

“The most worrisome aspect was that some of the individuals involved in terrorism financing of Boko Haram terrorists and who were also involved in procurement and movement of arms and ammunition for BH (Boko Haram) and other criminal organisations had links with the military.

“It was thus apparent that terrorism and insurgency in the North-east, North-west and North-central were a criminal enterprise and were largely undertaken with profit rather than any ideology, as the primary motive.

“Thus, we, at the BOI arrived at the obvious conclusion that progress cannot be achieved except the financiers, collaborators, supporters and the leadership of the terrorists and insurgents groups are identified and the network dismantled.”

He further stated in the petition that recommendations on the findings were made and submitted to the presidency, which led to the successful infiltration of the leadership of terror groups in the North-east, which culminated in their decimation.

Asserting that key terrorism financiers were linked to the individuals convicted for terror financing in UAE, Mr Ali-Keffi said trouble started when the Task Force became “victims of unfair attacks” including starvation of funding for its operations.

“This substantiates the argument that some powerful persons in and outside government as well as from the military were uncomfortable with the task force and specifically my humble self as commander,” he said.

Mr Ali-Keffi sought reward for the pains and injuries inflicted on him during his incarceration and the approval of personal security for his safety.

Mum traumatised after discovering Son actually skipped college despite her years of sacrifice

A heart-wrenching moment has gone viral on TikTok after a Nigerian mother learned that her son, for whom she had sacrificed so much, never enrolled in college despite years of her hard work to fund his education.

The emotional video, shared by TikTok user @joyplaceme, has struck a nerve with thousands online, revealing the quiet pain and betrayal felt by many parents who give everything for their children’s future—only to be blindsided.

According to the narration in the video, the woman—who didn’t have the privilege of receiving much formal education herself—had committed her life to ensuring her son would have a better shot at life.

She reportedly worked multiple jobs, day and night, enduring physical exhaustion and financial hardship so that she could afford his tuition and other academic needs.

But her dreams were shattered when she discovered, on what she believed would be his graduation day, that her son had never enrolled in college at all.

She arrived at the campus expecting to witness his graduation, only to be told he was not a student. Overwhelmed with disbelief and sorrow, she broke down crying in public, her anguish captured in the now-viral clip.

Caption That Sparked Empathy

The video was captioned:

“She said she did everything to help her son go to college, working night and day to pay for his school fees. She was looking forward to attending her son’s graduation—only to find out that he never even enrolled.”

Social Media Users React With Outrage and Sympathy

The clip prompted an outpouring of reactions from TikTok users, many of whom shared similar personal stories or voiced their heartbreak over the incident:

  • @TX-Transplant77 commented: “That’s a different kind of betrayal.”
  • @Kasongo shared a similar experience: “My brother did the same to my mom. She let him go and focused on us girls. Now all four of us have graduated and are married. Mom is happy. My brother? Still the same after 38 years.”
  • @moyosoremashaun remarked: “A daughter would never do her mama like that.”
  • @Velma revealed: “I used some of my retirement savings to pay my son’s tuition. After two years he said he didn’t want college and told me, ‘I didn’t ask you to pay for nothing.’ He works in a warehouse now. I no longer give him a dime.”

This heartbreaking story highlights the emotional and financial burdens many parents carry for the sake of their children’s education. It also raises important questions about accountability, honesty, and the weight of parental expectations in today’s society.

While the reasons behind the son’s deception remain unclear, the emotional toll on his mother is painfully evident and for many, a reminder that trust and communication within families are as important as financial support.

gists9ja.com

Court rules there was no privacy breach, rebukes Senator Natasha for posting Kogi Gov’s aide’s house on social media

Hon. Justice Slyvanius Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday, rebuked the suspended Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, for wrongful usage of her X (formerly Twitter) account.

Justice Slyvanius Oriji, delivering the judgement in an enforcement of fundamental rights suit filed by Ali Bello, the Chief of Staff to Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State, against the suspended Senator, held that such conduct should not be from a person of her status.

Ali Bello had on May 21, 2024 instituted the suit, marked: FCT/HC/CV/2574/2024, against Natasha as sole respondent, alleging breach of privacy among others.

Bello through his counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, sought for eight reliefs among which are respect for his dignity and right to own and acquire property as enshrined in Sections 34(1), 35(1), 37, 43 and 44(1) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).

The applicant further complained of the publication of the pictures of his house and address on the Senator’s X handle @Natashaakpoti on March 15, 2024 against the provisions of Section 37 of the Constitution.

Bello claimed further that the respondent alleged in her social media post that he lodged former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, in the house he is living with his family when EFCC was looking for him.

He added that the embattled lawmaker equally alleged that the house, which he lives in Abuja, belonged to the former governor whom they call ‘White Lion of Kogi’

Bello, therefore, sought a billion general damages and compensation.

Delivering judgement in the suit, Justice Oriji said, “Before I go further, the point must be made that it is improper, reprehensible and unconscionable for a distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to post the picture of the applicant’s house and the house address on her x social media page on the unfounded belief that the property belonged to Yahaya Bello, former Governor of Kogi State.

“Such conduct must be and is hereby deprecated by the Court.”

He noted that there were three issues to resolve in the suit.

One was “whether the publication on Natasha’s X-handle violated the applicant’s fundamental right to privacy under Section 37 of the Constitution.

“Whether her petition to the Inspector General of Police on the ownership of the said property violated the applicant’s right.

“And whether the applicant is entitled to the reliefs sought.”

The judge held that, publicity as the applicant claimed, cannot be given to a house that is already in the public space, which can be seen by everyone.

“In the same vein, the post observed in the respondent’s ex-social media page would not be considered highly offensive to an objectively reasonable person,” he said.

The judge held that the EFCC operatives did not invade Bello’s privacy at No. 1 Dala Hills, Maitama, Abuja, to look for the ex-governor following Natasha’s alleged claim that the ex-governor lodged in the apartment on her social media handle.

Oriji held that Natasha failed to establish her claim of the true ownership of the property stated in her tweets, which she allegedly claimed belonged to former Governor Yahaya Bello and that it was one of the properties in which EFCC obtained an interim order of forfeiture.

“Respondent failed to establish her claim that the said property contained in Exhibit AB 2 was one of the properties in respect of which the EFCC obtained an interim order of forfeiture.

“She also failed to establish her assertion that she had information that Yahaya Bello was in the said property at the time he was wanted by the EFCC.

“There is nothing before the court to show that the property belongs or belonged to Yahaya Bello, the former Governor of Kogi State.

“In the absence of any contrary proof by the respondent, the court accepts the applicant’s assertion that he is the owner of the property, that he lives there with his family, moreover at the visit to the locus in quo, the Court confirmed that the applicant lived in the property with his family.

‘”From all that I have said, the court agrees with the submission of the learned senior counsel for the applicant, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, that the respondent did not have any justification to make the publication or post on her X social media page, which she admitted meant that the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello was hiding at No 1 Dala Hills Maitama,” the judge said.

On the issue of the respondent’s publication, the judge held that Section 37 of the Constitution provides both the privacy of citizens, their homes among others.

“It appears to me that the right to privacy is not one of the fundamental rights which the courts are regularly called upon to advocate.

“It is correct that the applicant, like all other citizens, is entitled to the fundamental right guaranteed by Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

“Therefore, the applicant is entitled to this relief, which is a general declaration.”

”The parties shall bear their costs” Justice Oriji declared.

Our NNPC, actually their NNPC, can queue behind defectors, By Ikeddy Isiguzo

One cannot muster enough anger to protest the defiance with which whoever gets the apex opportunity to serve Nigeria annexes the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL. Before the voices of dissent arise, it is important to say that one of the ways in a public company authenticates that it is public is the strong efforts it makes to be accountable.

Some would jump up again to shout that NNPCL accounts to the President, and that it is a “private company”. If that is the situation, it merely confirms what has been sheer speculations for a long time – that NNPCL accounts to itself, and to only those who are part of the secrecy on which it runs.

It is their NNPCL. They are offended when we wonder what NNPCL does and for who.

Details of what happen at NNPCL are scandalous-prone and easily lend themselves to rumours. The attitude is to ignore the public. The latest leadership changes at NNPCL have been followed by announcements of arrests, investigations, and billions of Dollars that could have been misappropriated.

The government’s attitude is consistent. The public could shout all it wants and keep quiet when it gets tired.

What matters to the President today is how he becomes President again in 2027. NNPCL is not important to that project in the contexts that we see Nigeria. How many opposition members join the President’s 2027 campaigns is more important than a Warri refinery that cost almost $700 million, working only for a couple of weeks. It would be imprudent too to raise refinery matters before the President when he is celebrating his conquests of the opposition.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is not saying anything about the investigations except information that the public gets through anonymous sources. Are investigations going on? Silence is deemed the best answer for Nigerians on whose behalf government officials hold office. How deep are the holes that we are filling at NNPCL?

Wisdom still resides in the ancient saying that “someone is the owner of what belongs to us”. NNPCL is a perfect example of a national ownership that will remain questioned for a very long time.

Let us assume that NNPCL is Nigeria’s national oil company. The assumption would further be that it is accountable to Nigerians. It does that through audited accounts from which we gleaned that in 2023 it made a profit of N3.397 trillion. No applauses, please. Less than a week after the financial statement, in September 2024, NNPCL reportedly owed international petroleum products dealers $6.8 billion.

In the era of Presidents being Petroleum Ministers, the President is in-charge of NNPCL. He decides who serves, also at his pleasure. President Tinubu is the Minister of Petroleum Resources. Who will the Minister account to? He is Executive President, though our Constitution provides for a President. He has immunity, and something weightier than immunity, the National Assembly whose leadership excels in approving anything the President wants with dispatch.

Concerns about NNPCL are majorly muted. If NNPCL is under probe, does it affect the Minister of Petroleum Resources? Who dares probe the President? Under what Constitution would that be executed. We should also remember that it is their NNPCL.

Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Petroleum and Mr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Gas are just proxies. They cannot decide a thing on the industry without clearing with the Minister, President Tinubu. Or can they?

Who has forgotten the celebrations staged about the revamping of our refineries? Mele Kyari, then NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “I must congratulate our team for their determination and extreme belief that this company can restart this plant. This has brought the result we are seeing in collaboration with our contractors. We have proved that it is possible to restart a plant that you deliberately shut down. We have proved this.” It is possible that he knew that nobody would congratulate him. Doubts persisted about what had been done.

Of course, the President also joined in congratulating himself. He was abroad then, but took time off his busy schedule to congratulate himself on the achievements in Port Harcourt and Warri refineries. He said Kaduna was next. We should not forget that he is the Minister of Petroleum Resources.

NNPCL in a statement, on 25 January 2025 admitted, “Operations at WRPC Area 1 were intentionally curtailed to carry out necessary intervention works on select equipment, including field instruments that were impacting sustainable and steady operations. These intervention works are essential to ensure the production of specification finished and intermediate products, particularly Automotive Gas Oil and Kerosine. The routine maintenance is progressing as planned, and Area 1 will be back in operation within the next few days.”

Warri has not worked since then. Port Harcourt is working at under 50 per cent. Kyari departed with his magic, rather his magic expired before he left office.

President cum Minister of Petroleum Resources has been actively campaigning round the country, or by proxy. He has not had time to visit the monstrosities that are costing Nigeria millions of Dollars in the latest round of repairs. Should we be reminded that as the Minster of Petroleum Resources the matter is on his table. Is he still congratulating himself for last year’s magic?

Insecurity apart, the foremost challenges before the President should be to get the refineries working, curb the stealing of oil and gas assets, invest in more energy sources with the goals of earning more money to secure Nigerians, halt rising prices, reduce costs of production, create more jobs, and make food, and improved health services accessible to Nigerians at affordable prices. Increases in prices of petroleum prices trigger off increases in prices of everything, even the cost of dying.

His second term campaigns are running fairly well, perhaps, better than he expected. Can the President take a breather and look at the directionless journey of Nigeria? Can he take some time off the noise and listen to ordinary Nigerians who daily are pulling on their last string of hope?

President Tinubu has work to do. He has not started.

There must be more to Nigeria than elections, defections, 2027, second term. Only the President can tell us what is left of his Nigeria without these evaporating phases that would be gone in a matter of years.

Iisiguzo is a major commentator on minor issues.

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

Professor convicted for rigging election for Akpabio walks free instead of serving jail term

Godswill Akpabio

By Chinagorom Ugwu

Peter Ogban, the disgraced Nigerian professor convicted and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for rigging a 2019 senatorial election for the country’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has been walking free instead of serving his jail term, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report.

Many Nigerians, including journalists, erroneously think Mr Ogban has served or is still serving his jail term.

Mr Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a strong ally of President Bola Tinubu.

The Court of Appeal, Calabar, on 30 April, upheld the lower court conviction and the three-year jail term for Mr Ogban, a professor of soil science at the University of Calabar and a returning officer in the 2019 general elections in Akwa Ibom North-West District.

A State High Court in Uyo, on 25 March 2021, found Mr Ogban guilty of announcing fake election results in two local government areas—Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo—in Mr Akpabio’s favour and sentenced him to jail the same day.

Mr Ogban was taken from the courtroom in Uyo to a federal prison in Ikot Ekpene, still in Akwa Ibom, to serve his prison term.

However, the professor spent only about four months in prison as another judge, Pius Idiong of the State High Court, Ikot Ekpene, granted him bail on 12 July 2021, despite the opposition from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which prosecuted the professor.

The professor was freed on bail while pursuing his appeal against his conviction and sentence by the lower court.

The Court of Appeal judgement, which upheld Mr Ogban’s conviction and jail term, was delivered virtually.

A lawyer knowledgeable about the case told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the professor was not at the Court of Appeal courtroom when the judgement was delivered.

“The officials of the Nigerian prisons ought to have made sure Prof Ogban was present in the courtroom during that judgement, and they should have taken him straight to Ikot Ekpene prisons immediately after the judgement,” he said.

A lawyer, identified by Truecaller App as Eddy, a member of the Kanu G. Agabi & Associates, admitted to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the convicted professor ought to be in jail but said she did not know his exact location “at the moment.”

Richard Metong, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Correctional Service in Akwa Ibom, said he did not know if Mr Ogban was in any of the prison facilities in Akwa Ibom. He asked our reporter to give him time to run a check, but did not call back or respond to further calls from our reporter.

How jailed professor got his ‘freedom’

Clement Onwuenwunor was the INEC lawyer during the hearing of Mr Ogban’s bail application, while Kanu Agabi, SAN, represented the professor.

Mr Agabi claimed Mr Ogban had high blood pressure and tuberculosis.

According to a court document seen by PREMIUM TIMES, he pleaded with the court to grant his client bail because of ill health, while he was about to go to the Court of Appeal to challenge his conviction and sentence.

He argued that the professor may suffer injustice if he remained in prison and the Court of Appeal eventually reduced his sentence, gave him an option of a fine, or discharged and acquitted him, an argument Mr Idiong upheld in his ruling on the bail application.

According to the court document, the INEC lawyer, Mr Onwuenwunor, in his argument, said the professor’s claim that he was ill, neither qualified for an exceptional circumstance nor an unusual reason for him to be granted bail. He said what the Supreme Court has qualified as such exceptional circumstance or unusual reason is where the convict’s ailment cannot be treated in the prison and the prison authorities are unable to arrange for such treatment outside the prison facility.

Mr Idiong said in his ruling, “The Court agrees with the senior learned counsel (Agabi) that it is a possibility that the appeal may be allowed and the applicant (Ogban) discharged and acquitted.

“It is also possible that the sentence imposed on the applicant by the trial court may, at the end of the day, be reduced. At the end, the appellate court may also resolve to give the applicant an option of a fine in count 2 of the charge. And above all, the applicant may be cautioned and discharged by the appellate court.”

In addition, the judge ruled that “This court holds the view that although the applicant’s so-called health conditions and medical report cannot constitute such an exceptional circumstance, he has nonetheless made out a case to warrant being granted a temporary reprieve.”

According to a court document seen by our reporter, Mr Agabi is going to the Supreme Court to challenge the Court of Appeal’s judgement affirming Mr Ogban’s conviction and sentence for election fraud.

Another professor jailed for election fraud, but also enjoying freedom

Another professor, Ignatius Uduk, was recently jailed by a State High Court in Uyo for election fraud.

Mr Uduk, a professor of Human Kinetics in the Department of Physical and Health Education at the University of Uyo, was jailed for three years.

INEC prosecuted him on three charges: announcement of false election results, publication of false results, and perjury during the 2019 general elections in Essien Udim State Constituency, where he served as INEC’s collation and returning officer.

The professor falsified the election results to the advantage of the APC candidate, Nse Ntuen, who was then an ally of Mr Akpabio.

However, Mr Uduk was recently granted bail by a State High Court in Uyo.

Premium Times

10 remanded over rape of disabled teenager, victim gives birth

Ten men have been remanded in a correctional facility for allegedly raping a 16-year-old disabled girl in Likoro village, Kudan Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The case was presented recently before a Chief Magistrate’s Court, Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Kaduna.

According to the police First Information Report (FIR), the suspects repeatedly lured the victim into different locations and sexually assaulted her, resulting in a pregnancy.

The young girl gave birth to a baby boy four months ago.

Prosecutor Inspector Yakubu Lemu stated that the offenses violate Section 257 of the Kaduna State Penal Code.

The FIR revealed that the victim’s brother, Usman Yusuf, reported the crime on October 27, 2024, after discovering his sister’s pregnancy.

Upon questioning, she disclosed that the suspects had deceived and assaulted her multiple times.

Chief Magistrate Abubakar Lamido ordered the suspects remanded pending legal advice from the Ministry of Justice.

The case has been adjourned to May 22 for mention before being transferred to the High Court.

Speaking after the hearing, Rabi Salisu, the state Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, assured that the government would pursue the case to its conclusion.

She described the incident as “pathetic,” noting that the victim’s parents are blind and she herself has a visual impairment.

Salisu criticized the initial handling of the case by a now-retired Divisional Police Officer (DPO), who had released the suspects on bail.

She emphasized that capital offenses like rape should not warrant bail, prompting authorities to reopen the case.

The commissioner highlighted existing state laws protecting vulnerable groups, including:

The Child Protection and Social Welfare Law and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP), as well as Sex Offenders’ Registry, which publicly lists perpetrators.

The state government has pledged to provide social protection for the victim and her child, acknowledging her inability to care for the baby due to her own young age.

Salisu warned that Kaduna State has zero tolerance for abuse, especially against women, children, and persons with disabilities.

Authorities commended the police for re-arresting the suspects and reiterated their commitment to ensuring justice is served.

The Conclave

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