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Making yourself happy in these trying times 

Posted on by admin50

By Ayo Baje

Quote:

” If you don’t make yourself happy, nobody else can”

– Janet Jackson ( Iconic American musician )

My dear blessed brothers, sisters and ever-faithful friends, relax your mind! Yes, I am fully aware that the harsh economic situation is telling on most of us, brought about of course, by government’s anti-people policies, which unfortunately they keep defending. Yet, several businesses are not thriving. The high costs of transportation, electricity tariff, school fees and rents are simply asphyxiating.

The purchasing power of the average customer is abysmally low but relax your mind all the same. Breathe in divine favour, mercy, grace, inner peace and prosperity. And breathe out all forms of negativity, including all your fears, your worries, anxiety and doubts.Remember, that most of the troubling issues you worried about ten years ago,ten months,weeks and days ago did not consume you.

Yes, you are an overcomer, a victor above all forms of challenges. Worry not! We are lucky to be alive, hale and hearty, are we not? Yes, we are. When you listen to the breaking news items virtually every morning what dominates the media space are all manner of horrifying news items. Many people – -including innocent children and defenceless women –

were brutally killed over the past 24 hours by bandits, Boko Haram terrorists, heartless herdsmen, or they went to their early graves through road accidents, hunger and poverty. Some, who can no longer bear the excruciating economic situation have attempted to commit suicide. But we are still alive, not because we are wiser or stronger than all those who have died but by the special grace of God.

That reminds me of the Swedish proverb which states that: ” Worries give a small thing a large shadow”. That is absolutely true. Instead of allowing negative forces of darkness such as anxiety, ,doubts and don’ts to dominate your mind develop a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA).It all begins with your mindset. According to the world renowned author of motivational bestsellers,Norman Vincent Pearl we have both the sub-conscious and conscious minds. While what we think about, dream of, desire, wish for are like seeds sown into the sub-conscious mind which is like a fertile field, the decisions and actions we eventually take are controlled by the conscious mind.

So, we should be careful what we wish for. That explains why during my motivational lectures I caution my students against going to bed with evil thoughts of any fellow human being. Always have an average of eight, peaceful hours of quality sleep. You need it. You deserve it. Wake up every morning to make yourself happy because the morning shows the day.

According to experts on human psychology, being happy has numerous positive effects on both physical and mental health. The facilitating factor of happiness can strengthen your immune system, drastically reduce stress, improve the health of your heart and potentially increase your lifespan. Also, with regards to our biosystems, “the chemicals that make us feel happy are primarily dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. These are neurotransmitters and hormones that play a role in regulating mood, pleasure, and overall well-being. They are often released in response to certain activities, social interactions, or even thoughts.” You should therefore, understand why you should make yourself happy.

But the best way to start is to have a personal relationship with God, your Creator. Praise Him because only He knows the plans for our lives. Be grateful for all His blessings on your life. As the popular gospel song goes, “count your blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done”. Focus on what you are blessed with rather than the things you do not have. The bitter truth is that you do not need some of them. What matters is the protection of your life with happiness and peace of mind.

I recall, how during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war in 1967 as one of the students of Ochaja Secondary School, Ochaja then in Kabba Province in the Northern Region were directed by the Missionary teachers to go back home at the middle of a term. The directive came about because a Biafran military jet landed on the football pitch of the nearby Teachers College. And while on our way back home, one of the students from another College, Government Secondary School, Dekina got hit by a stray bullet at Lokoja. But to God be the glory that he survived it.

As we currently battle with this trying time, learn to be prudent with your resources. Engage in more than one business venture to generate multiple sources of income. Plan your activities according to the priorities. Focus on your areas of core competence, to hone your talents and skills. And reach out to those who truly share in your vision. As Sam Walton stated: ” Individuals don’t win but teams do”.

If you have done your best and things do not work out as expected, do not blame yourself. Reach out to your Destiny Helpers. There is no shame in asking for help, when in serious need. That is so far you do not make it a regular habit. As the Holy Bible states:

“Ask and it shall be given unto you Seek and you shall find

Knock and the doors will be opened unto you” ( Mathew Chapter 7 verses 7-8. ).

What are the first letters of the lines? ASK! Interesting, is it not? Of course, it is.

Sometimes people ask me the question: ” Mister Baje, you are looking younger and happier than your age mates, please tell me the secrets” Some of the answers have been illuminated as stated above. I do things that make me happy, without harming fellow human beings. Good enough, I have written some motivational songs. I can draw, paint and create cartoons. I have done that for several media groups including the then Daily Times newspapers, particularly for the Politics page and Lagos Weekend on Mondays and Friday, respectively. So, you should watch comedy strips, attend comedy and social events to take your mind off tension. Either read through my ‘Koko Komedy’ tips on Facebook or motivate yourself by following me on TikTok @ayobaje14.

In addition, stay away from toxic people.Do not start your day with arguments, quarrels, insults because the spiritual secret is that when good things want to happen to us through the angels, the demons of destruction use the negative forces to keep them away, only for those involved to regret their actions later when it is too late.

As a promoter of human nutrition through my ‘Food for Health’ blog on Facebook and TikTok I humbly suggest that you go for food items that boost the hormones that make you happy and eat them on regular basis. These include dark chocolate, bananas, chicken breast, avocado, oily fish such as sardines, salmon and markerel. Eat dark green vegetables such as efo and ugu, also eggs and pop corn.

All said, the current hardship is but a passing phase, more like the cumulous clouds behind which the sun remains to smile at us. Smile back too. Instead of blaming the government for all our woes, key into available opportunities like the Green Money Project aimed at encouraging farming for youths. As Jackson has rightly admonished, make yourself happy as no one else can.

IPOB opposes federal government’s ranching proposal, accusing it of ‘land grabbing’.

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The Indigenous People of Biafra, has condemned the announcement by President Bola Tinubu, proposing the establishment of cattle ranches in Abuja, the ancestral homeland of the Gbagi people and other states across the country.

The pro-Biafran group said the move is nothing but Ruga repackaged and a sinister land-grabbing strategy cloaked in government policy.

In a press statement released on Tuesday, IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, said it is a shame that in the 21st century, the Federal Government is prioritising cow colonies over education, security, and innovation.

Powerful said what began as the “need for grazing” centuries ago led to the total subjugation of proud territories, adding, “the rise of alien emirates, and the transformation of indigenous owners of the land into strangers in their ancestral homes. Abuja is about to witness the same fate if this madness is not stopped.”

The statement read in part, “President Tinubu unaware that no sensible country in the world keeps cattle around its capital city?

“Let him point to any major city—from Nairobi to New Delhi, São Paulo to Seoul—where cattle are granted permanent settlements around central governance zones.

“This absurdity is uniquely Nigerian, and disgracefully so.”

While saying that the land around Abuja belongs to the Gbagi people, Powerful said, “To dispossess them by executive fiat is an unforgivable act of aggression and cultural genocide.”

He added, “Today, the Gbagi are being pushed to the margins; tomorrow, there will be an Emir of Abuja. And in 60 years—just like what befell the Hausas—the Gbagi will be footnotes in history, reduced to relics of their own heritage.

“Let it be known that IPOB shall resist any attempt—direct or indirect—to impose this toxic expansionist agenda anywhere in Biafraland. No inch of our territory will be given for herder settlements, cattle corridors, or so-called ranching. Our forests, our villages, our farmlands are sacred to us—not bargaining chips in a federal contract of death.

“Let them be transported by rail, just as is done in civilised societies. That’s how a serious nation handles its livestock economy—not by slaughtering indigenous peoples and seizing their homes under the guise of ranching.”

According to him, no progressive nation erects ranches next to homes, schools, and marketplaces. The fact that this administration cannot comprehend this basic logic is a reflection of its failure, not ours.

“IPOB stands with the Gbagi people and every other indigenous nationality facing existential threats from Fulani neo-colonial conquest dressed up as national policy. Our diversity must be respected, our cultures preserved, and our ancestral lands protected. Let the killings in the name of cows stop. Let the bloodletting cease. Let Nigeria choose reason over ruin,” the statement added.

US apprehends eight Iranian army sniper and Hezbollah-linked terror suspect in ICE raid

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An Iranian army sniper and a suspected terrorist with ties to Hezbollah are among illegal migrants living in the US who have been arrested by ICE.

 

Ribvar Karimi, who served as an Iranian Army sniper from 2018 to 2021, was arrested in rural Alabama, where he has been living with his American wife.

When ICE agents found him in the town of Locust Fork Sunday, he had an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card, DHS claimed.

 

Karimi entered the country legally on a K-1 visa, for foreigners engaged to be married to Americans, in October under the Biden administration.

 

He married his bride, Morgan Gardener, in January this year. However, Karimi failed to adjust his status, making his presence in the US illegal.

 

In Minnesota, agents nabbed Mehran Makari Saheli, 56, a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with admitted connections to Hezbollah, according to the Department of Homeland Security today.

He already had a conviction for felon in possession of a firearm and served 15 months in prison.

 

Despite being ordered out of the country by a judge on June 28, 2022, he evaded authorities.

 

Both men are now in ICE custody pending removal.

 

Karimi’s American wife insists he loves America and is a proud immigrant.

 

‘This man loves America, the first purchase he made when he got here was an American Flag,’ Morgan Gardner told a local station.

 

‘If he was here on bad intentions, he wouldn’t have done that, he wouldn’t be willing to walk around with a flag, knowing he could get deported and sent back to a country where he could be killed for that.’

 

She is seven months pregnant with their first child and fears she’ll have to give birth alone.

 

Also arrested over the weekend was Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, who had been ordered to leave the US 12 years ago by an immigration judge.

 

 

He had also been convicted of threatening a law enforcement officer and being an alien in possession of a firearm.

 

Eidivand entered through the southern border in June 2012, DHS said, and he was arrested in Tempe, Arizona Sunday.

 

Armed with a 9mm pistol when ICE agents caught up to him, Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad was arrested in Texas.

 

After entering the US on a student visa in 2016, Sepehrian was arrested a year later in the Houston area for choking a family member.

 

 

His wife was able to get a restraining order against him after he threatened her and her family back in Iran.

US arrest Iranian army sniper and Hezbollah-linked�

 

 

US arrest Iranian army sniper and Hezbollah-linked�

Man arrested for turning his home to an abattoir in Lagos

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Officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Environment have detained a man for illegally turning a residential building in the state’s Iju neighbourhood into an abattoir.

 

According to a statement issued on Monday, June 23, by Tokunbo Wahab, the state commissioner for environment and water resources, the suspect converted his home on Alfred Williams Street in Iju Station into a slaughterhouse after the Oko Oba Abattoir in Agege was shut down.

 

The Oko-Oba Abattoir market was closed indefinitely by the Lagos state government on June 20 due to unsanitary and dangerous practices of its vendors.

 

Wahab said the illegal operation of the abattoir, which was allegedly conducted in unsanitary conditions, put the community members who had raised the alarm in danger.

 

In a post on his X (Twitter), Wahab said that the suspect had been arrested and the property had been sealed.

 

“Following reports from a concerned citizen, our enforcement team has taken immediate action at No. 12, Alfred Williams Street in Iju Station. The property owner had illegally converted his residence into an abattoir following the closure of the Oko Oba Abattoir, endangering the entire neighbourhood through unhygienic practices and profiting from this reckless operation.

 

The suspect is now in custody, and the premises have been sealed. This swift response demonstrates our zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of environmental violations, whether in designated facilities or residential areas.”

 

He encouraged locals to keep reporting unlawful activity via the appropriate channels and praised them for their alertness.

 

“To all Lagosians, your vigilance makes our work possible. Continue reporting illegal activities via designated means,” he added.

 

 

Tragedy as sex worker is killed by client weeks after welcoming twin babies in South Africa

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    A s3x worker who gave birth to twins a month ago, was m8rdered by a man believed to be her client in the Verulam CBD, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.   The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, June 22, 2025.   Members of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) were called out to Ireland Street after receiving reports that a female had been stabbed.   On arrival at approximately 19:42, Reaction Officers discovered the woman’s lifeless body at the Ndwedwe Taxi Rank. She sustained a stab wound to her back. According to witnesses, the woman is a known drug user and s3x worker. She allegedly entered the bush between the Ndwedwe Taxi Rank & the R102 with a man who requested her services. Other drug users and vagrants heard her call for assistance before they noticed her exiting the bush. She thereafter collapsed. The suspect was pursuing her but fled when he saw members of the public.   Her boyfriend confirmed her identity and informed the officers that the deceased was a mother of one-month-old twins.

One Nigeria: The examples of Bamigboye, Asika, others

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As the first governor of Kwara State, Brigadier David Laisi Bamigboye began the process of reconciliation in 1967 long before the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon made the ‘No Victor, No Vanquished’ proclamation at the formal end of the civil war on 15 January 1970.

 

Bamigboye, then a 27-year-old Major, had as wife, Mrs. Chinyere Beatrice Bamigboye (nee Asagwara), from Uzoagba, near Owerri, in the newly created East Central State (ECS). They met in Zaria and got married in Lagos in February 1965.

 

In a pleasant Divine arrangement, the Administrator of ECS, Ajie Ukpabi Asika’s wife, Chinyere, (nee Ejiogu), also hailed from Owerri (Egbu). It did not take long for the two First Ladies to bond, carrying their husbands along in the process.

 

Bamigboye, having attended school in Zaria, a town that melted tribes and tongues together, was totally detribalised. With an Igbo wife, he was meticulous in choosing those that worked with him. AbdulGaniyu Abdulrazaq and James Mejabi had Zaria links.

 

Abdulrazaq was appointed Commissioner, while Mejabi became a Permanent Secretary. The former spoke fluent Igbo having attended schools in Onitsha and Buguma respectively. (His son, AbdulRahman, is the present Governor of Kwara State). The senior Abdulrazaq’s wife was born in Aba. Two commissioners, Isa Obaro and Joseph Ogbeha bore middle names – Abonyi and Anene – that sounded Igbo.

 

Three years after the war, Bamigboye and Asika worked out an exchange programme between their states. The best 10 pupils from the East at the end of the June 1973 Common Entrance examinations gained scholarship to study in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. The best 10 from that state moved to Enugu, capital of the then ECS. Asika had enjoyed full scholarship at the University of California, Los Angeles, United States of America.

 

Five boys – Chinaka Obasi (architect, who later earned the traditional title of Oshinanwata Dim-na-Nume), Ikechukwu Aporo Emesobum (engineer and former Abia State Commissioner for Works), Godwin Abugu (who died in the Dana Air tragedy as Dr. Ike Abugu in 2012), Udensi Okoli (who joined the Nigeria Customs Service) and Chuks Nwosu (who died as a medical student of the University of Benin in 1982) – were moved to Government Secondary School, Ilorin.

 

Five girls – Amechi Obasi, Helen Mbamalu, Felicia Attah, Francisca Ndulue and Cecilia Chidomem – became fresh students of Queen Elizabeth Secondary School, Ilorin. The Bamigboye received the 10 Easterners at Government House, Ilorin.

 

The two Chinyeres were so close and brought their husbands together through state visits. They had a lot in common. Their wedding was in 1965. Chinyere Asika was born in June 1939, Chinyere Bamigboye died in June 2025. Ajie Asika was born in June 1936 and died in September 2004. Bamigboye died in September 2018. Both women died in Lagos, just like the former governor.

 

When the Bamigboye got married in Lagos, the chairman of the wedding reception was General Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi, who later became the Head of State. The wedding invitation RSVP was signed by Capt. Ignatius Obeya, whose wife, Angelina, hailed from Owerri.

 

Mrs. Bamigboye and her husband visited Uzoagba regularly and two of her brothers, also joined the Army. Boniface Asagwara (N/2402) passed out from the Nigerian Defence Academy in 1970 and retired as a Major. Lawrence Asagwara (N/7414) enlisted much later and left the Army as a Lt. Colonel.

 

Mrs. Bamigboye died in her husband’s Ikeja home recently. I got in touch with her first son, Kola. He said: ‘She was very generous and hard-working. Her Igbo name is Chinyere, just like the Administrator of East Central State, Ajie Asika’s wife. They were extremely close as they shared a lot in common’.

 

Kola recalled how her parents met. ‘They met in Zaria where she was living with her family and working as a teacher, while he was in the Army as a Captain. As you are aware, Kaduna is a melting pot for Nigerians from all walks of life’, he said.

 

Kola has five siblings – Femi, Funmi, Bukky, Victor and Emmanuel. I wanted to know if they followed their father’s footsteps by marrying from outside Yoruba land. ‘Oh, we didn’t cross the River Niger well enough’, was his response.

 

However, the younger Bamigboye is a pan-Nigerian. ‘Having come from a diverse background, with a Yoruba father and an Igbo mother, moreso as an Army kid who went to military schools, this significantly shaped my multi-ethnic perspective of Nigeria as a unified entity’, he said.

 

The Chinyeres also had another Igbo sister married to one of the governor’s during the Gowon era. Jumai Nwachukwu got married to Col. Musa Usman, who was governor of North Eastern State. The Air Force officer was born in Enugu and Jumai’s brother, Ike Nwachukwu, was also a military officer. Their Ovim, Isuikwuato dad married a Katsina woman.

 

The senior Bamigboye’s younger brother, Theophilus, also served in the Army and became military governor in two different states – Bauchi and Osun.

 

Bamigboye served with the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces in the Congo. His Aide-de-Camp, Samaila Iliya, became a Major General and commanded United Nations forces in the Congo. His wife, Deborah Iliya, was Nigerian Ambassador to the Congo during the Muhammadu Buhari years. Their son, Gwani, was an Army Major.

 

Chinyere Bamigboye, like many other Igbo women married to federal officers during the war, should be remembered for her mental strength. It was not for nothing that her husband visited liberated areas. Bamigboye, was in Enugu to encourage his course mate, Yakubu Danjuma (who retired as Lt. General), to take it easy with Biafrans.

 

Love from Igboland, found Bamigboye in 1965. I doubt if it occured to his wife that if she removed the last four letters of Igbomina (Bamgboye’s dialectal unit), her hubby was Igbo.

 

Love between Uzoagba and Omu Aran (Bamgboye’s hometown). One Nation, One Love.

I Made Nigerian Artists Bold Enough to Smoke Cannabis On-Screen Terry G says

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Singer Terry G Claims He Pioneered On-Screen Cannabis Use in Nigerian Music

Nigerian singer Gabriel Oche Amanyi, popularly known as Terry G, has claimed he made a unique cultural impact on the Nigerian music scene.

According to the Free Madness crooner, his “sacrifice” paved the way for other Nigerian artists to feel confident enough to smoke cannabis publicly on screen.

Terry G, also known as The Akpako Master, stated that before he gained fame, most Nigerian musicians lacked the boldness to display such behavior in their music videos or public appearances.

He made the statement on Sunday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, writing:

“No hard feelings, it’s all love, but don’t forget—if not for my sacrifice, none of your faves would have the guts to smoke weed on screen.”

 

However, his assertion sparked skepticism online, with many users pointing out that iconic figures in Nigerian music—most notably Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti—openly smoked cannabis on screen long before Terry G’s time.

Terry G, popularly known as “The Akpako Master,” made the claim on social media on Sunday.

Posting via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, he wrote: “No hard feelings, it’s all love. But don’t forget—if not for my sacrifice, none of your faves would have the courage to smoke weed on screen.”

 

His statement sparked mixed reactions, with many users expressing skepticism. Critics were quick to highlight that legendary Nigerian artists like Afrobeat icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti had openly smoked on screen long before Terry G’s era.

Nigerian Women Expose Alleged Romance Fraud by American Man Known as J-Love

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Several Nigerian women have come forward with shocking claims against an American man popularly known as J-Love, accusing him of scamming them emotionally and financially after he was brought into the country.

 

In a now-viral video, one of the women shared her experience, revealing that she had sponsored his flight from the U.S. to Nigeria, introduced him to friends, and believed she was building a future with him. However, things quickly took a turn.

 

“There were a lot of red flags from the beginning, but again, he’s an American,” she said.

 

She explained that J-Love had allegedly charmed not just her but multiple women, pretending to be in serious relationships with them while reportedly collecting money and sensitive personal details from each.

 

“Even his flights from America to Nigeria, I was the one that paid. Plus or minus, of my own money alone, he was supposed to have at least $10,000.”

 

According to her, J-Love planned to permanently relocate to Nigeria to live with her. She admitted she had high hopes, especially because she knew someone who met their spouse online and went on to have a happy family.

 

“I felt, ah, that could happen to me too. He treated me like a queen. I used to tell people he worships me.”

 

But after settling in, his attitude reportedly changed. He allegedly became rude, verbally abusive, and even manipulative.

 

“He started yelling, telling me I’m bothering him. One day, he told me I’m broke.”

 

More disturbing was the discovery that he had stored personal and financial information — including credit card details, signatures, and account logins — on his hard drive.

 

“All my credit cards, front and back. He had my signature. He had my daddy’s signature. All the login details to my accounts.”

 

She said she later found emails on his device that hinted at child support issues and other concerning activities, suggesting he had a pattern of using women to fund his lifestyle.

 

“This guy was collecting loot and listing me as part of his things.”

 

Other women have since confirmed having similar experiences, all falling for the same sweet-talking charm that left them heartbroken and financially drained.

 

“He can sweet talk. I can’t blame any girl that fell for his trick.”

Tinubu was key player in June 12 struggle, Alake refutes Lamido’s claim

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The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has refuted claims made by a former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, regarding the roles of key political figures in the post-June 12, 1993 presidential election annulment struggle.

Speaking on Arise TV on Sunday, Alake dismissed Lamido’s narrative as “hagiography and an attempt at revisionism,” asserting that President Bola Tinubu was a central and active participant from the beginning.

PUNCH Online earlier reported that a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu supported the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and was not part of the early pro-democracy resistance that followed.

Reacting, Alake, an eyewitness to many of the events, began by recounting the sequence of events that led to the June 12 crisis.

He noted that the initial shock to the nation was the suspension of election results on June 16, 1993, four days after the election.

“Everybody knew MKO Abiola was coasting home to victory,” Alake stated, recalling a moment with MKO Abiola in his Ikeja, Lagos home where Abiola was settling debts, declaring, “He didn’t want to get into the presidency with debt.”

The final blow, the total cancellation of the election results, came on June 23, plunging Nigeria into a political struggle.

According to Alake, following the annulment announcement, Tinubu “threw his hat into the ring.”

He provided a detailed account of Tinubu’s immediate involvement, including an instance where Tinubu facilitated air clearance for MKO Abiola’s aircraft to land in Katsina to commiserate with the Yar’Adua family, even as then-military President Ibrahim Babangida was also flying there.

Alake emphasised that upon MKO Abiola’s return to Lagos after the cancellation announcement, it was Tinubu he immediately contacted to “start the preparations for the onslaught against that unjustified announcement.”

Alake particularly challenged Lamido’s perceived absence in the early days of the protests.

He asserted Tinubu’s role in the foundational stages of the pro-democracy movement.

“I can tell you authoritatively because I was part and parcel of the protest, the planning and execution.

“Tinubu was one of the funders and one of the organisers, one of the planners of all the protests, June, July 23, 24, 25 of 1993 against the annulment,” Alake stated directly, underscoring Tinubu’s commitment long before the Abacha regime came to power.

The minister further recounted Tinubu’s involvement in the efforts to restore the June 12 mandate after General Sani Abacha assumed office on November 17, 1993.

Alake revealed that Tinubu escorted MKO Abiola to meet with Abacha upon the latter’s assumption of office.

“Asiwaju Tinubu was the one that escorted MKO to go and see Abacha to negotiate how Abacha would relinquish office and hand over to MKO,” Alake said, adding that he was a “living witness” to the crafting of this meeting the night before.

Falana slams FG, Benue over failure to prosecute suspects

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Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has criticised the Federal and Benue State Governments for consistently failing to prosecute suspects arrested in connection with violent attacks in Benue State.

In a statement issued under the platform of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), which he chairs, Falana, on Sunday, lamented that although hundreds of suspects have been arrested over the years for crimes ranging from illegal possession of firearms to mass killings and kidnapping, most of them are never charged.

His reaction follows President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Benue, during which he directed the Nigeria Police Force to arrest and prosecute all those involved in the latest wave of violence in the state.

However, Falana described the president’s order as potentially symbolic, pointing out that previous arrests had not led to convictions or justice for victims.

Falana also berated the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, for alleging that residents of Yelwata community provided shelter for the killers.

He described the statement as an attempt to shift blame onto victims instead of addressing the systemic failures of security and governance.

Providing a timeline of law enforcement actions, Falana stated,
“On December 30, 2024, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hassan Yabanet, announced the arrest of 273 suspects involved in capital crimes, along with the recovery of 20 firearms and 51 rounds of ammunition.

“On January 17, 2024, police spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, revealed that an illegal firearms factory had been uncovered in Benue. Two suspects—Friday Aduduakambe and Iorwashima Iornyume—were arrested, and a cache of weapons, including nine locally made pistols and one unfinished AK-47, was seized.

“On April 17, 2025, Governor Hyacinth Alia disclosed that three herdsmen were arrested over the killing of 11 people in the Otobi community, Otukpo Local Government Area. On June 19, 2025, Community Volunteer Guards apprehended three suspected kidnappers at the Otukpo motor park with ransom money collected from their victims.”

Falana further said that between January and June 2025 alone, dozens of violent crime suspects have been arrested, including 43 suspected killers in the last 10 days.

He said despite these arrests, no significant prosecutions have been reported.

“It is undoubtedly clear that the authorities have continued to treat suspected killers in Benue State like sacred cows.

“The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Benue State, Mr. Fidelis Mnyim, must take immediate steps to ensure that justice is served,” Falana added.

He stressed that the right to life, guaranteed under Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution, is meaningless unless the state acts decisively to punish those who violate it.

He warned that unless concrete action is taken, the ongoing culture of impunity will only worsen the bloodshed and erode public trust in the rule of law.