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Army Deserter, 4 Others Arrested For Armed Robbery/Kidnapping In Anambra

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Operatives of Anambra State Police Command have arrested an army deserter and four others suspected to be members of a notorious armed robbery and kidnapping syndicate.

 

The suspects include: Dominic Oraz ‘M’ (38), who allegedly confessed to have deserted his formation in the Nigerian Army, Michael Nwobodo ‘M’ (30), Eze Friday ‘M’ (29), Uche Okolo ‘M’ (23) and Chinedu Gilbert ‘M’ (29).

 

They were arrested in a swift operation on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, following a report that a victim was abducted on his farmland at Isiagu, Awka, and later released after ransom was paid.

 

A statement on Thursday by the Command’s Spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed that police operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad Awkuzu, stormed the hideout of the suspects at Notoko, Awka, which led to the arrest of the suspects.

“Exhibits recovered from the suspects include: 6 (six) automatic pump-action guns, 63 (sixty-three) rounds of live cartridges, one microscope, 5 (five) machetes, one military cap, 2 (two) police teargas canisters, Handcuffs, A robber’s rocket launcher, criminal charms, 3 (three) Motorola walkie-talkies, One jack knife, One power bank and Cash sum of ₦26,000.00 (Twenty-Six Thousand Naira) only.

 

“During interrogation, one of the suspects, Dominic Oraz, confessed to having deserted the Nigerian Army in November 2024,” Ikenga said.

 

He added that necessary enquiries have commenced with the authority to guide police action and prosecution of other suspects.

 

Meanwhile, the State Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, has commended the operatives for their gallantry.

He urged residents to remain law-abiding and vigilant and to continue to report suspicious activities to the police for prompt action.

Our Children’s Anthem

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By Ayo Oyoze Baje

 

 

Quote:

 

“We are the children of the poor

Born without our mothers’ consent

Tortured without a protest

Buried without a name”

 

-Ayo Oyoze Baje ( poem of the same title, published by the Nigerian Herald, July 1988 )

 

When we blame our youths for the escalating wave of sundry crimes such as armed robbery, kidnapping for ransom, rape and terrorism we hardly ask ourselves if we, as their parents, guardians and elders have been there for them, or playing our parts. Yet, the pertinent questions remain: Do the perpetrators of these heinous crimes appear from Planet Mars or Jupiter? Don’t they have parents, teachers, pastors or Imams as their guiding moral compass? Have the governments (local, state and federal) acted as the father-figure to provide for their welfare and protect them against social and food insecurity as aptly enshrined in Section 14,Sub section 2(b) of the 1999 Constitution,(as amended)? The answer is obvious.

 

 

These were similar questions yours truly raised through an article titled: ‘ What type of future are we leaving for our children?’ as severally published on October 12, 2017. But has the sordid situation improved as at this day? Not at all. It has worsened, as parents groan with the highest inflation ever characterized by soaring costs of food items, electricity tariff, rent, and school fees all triggered by the sudden removal of fuel subsidy back in May 2023. Yet, while some 133 million citizens grapple with the survival mode, the children of the rich political helmsmen live large; openly displaying their frivolous lifestyle to satisfy their epicurean taste as if they were elected along with their parents into office. As if that was not insulting enough, turning our democracy into oligarchy, recently the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC came out proposing to increase the pay packages of the Lord’s of the Manor by over 100%! Outrageous, is it not? Of course, it is like adding salt to the people’s injury.

 

 

In response, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC has described it as “insensitive, unjust and inequitable”.On his part, renowned human rights advocate and lawyer, Femi Falana has raised alarm over it, warning that the economic situation is in dire straits and the RMAFC, which is making the proposal for the second time in two years ought to have considered giving a listening ear to the cries of the long-suffering, marginalized masses. In fact, methinks, this should be a moment for sober reflection.

What we need is leadership by example- a selfless service to the people. Now is the time for them to make the much needed sacrifice, instead of turning our democratic culture to that of plutocracy, which is a government of the rich, by the rich and to reward the supporters of the political pilots. Indeed, they should borrow a fresh leaf from some past political leaders of some other countries such as Italy and Uruguay, when their nations were faced with harsh economic situation as we currently battle with.

 

 

It would be recalled that between 2010 and 2015 when

President Jose Mujica ( now of blessed memory) piloted the affairs of Uruguay he shunned the luxurious house that the Uruguayan state provided for its leaders. He opted instead to stay at his wife’s farmhouse, off a dirt road outside the capital, Montevideo.

 

The president and his wife worked the land themselves, growing flowers. They had only two cars.This austere lifestyle – and the fact that Mujica donated about 90% of his monthly salary, equivalent to $12,000 (£7,500), to charity – led him to be labelled the “poorest president in the world”.

 

In a similar vein, it was reported in May 2021 that Italy’s Prime Minister known as ‘Super Mario’ waived his entire £100,000 salary to ‘show solidarity with his nation hit by recession’. Leadership by example was what the two men with the sweet milk of human kindness demonstrated, when their two countries were caught in the web of economic recession, not an obscene lifestyle.

 

 

It is the best of times for our own political leaders- from the local government chairmen, through the lawmakers at all levels to the state governors and the federal executive

to climb down from their high horses of ego tripping to wear the tattered shoes of the common man and do the needful. Lest we forget the World Bank, International Monetary Fund,IMF and the Economist Magazine published in the United Kingdom,UK warned

back in 2010 that the humongous salaries of our politicians in office ranked amongst the highest in the world then while the people stew in persisting, preventable poverty. Unfortunately, their words of admonition fell on stone – deaf ears.

 

 

Let us for a moment consider the mind-boggling and humungous sums of public funds serially siphoned to feather the nests of members of the political class ever since independence in 1960.Couldn’t that have facilitated in providing quality education, sustainable food security, sound healthcare delivery and the enabling infrastructural environment to provide mass employment for the youths?

 

 

Another source of serious concern is the inability of some state governments to pay the minimum wage, up till the moment, as agreed.

We should recall that President Bola Tinubu signed the new minimum wage into law on July 29, 2024, after meeting with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.Yet, in spite of the monthly allocations from the Federation Account and their Internally Generated Revenue,IGR some civil servants and their dependants are left in misery.

 

 

Indeed, one’s increasing fear about the nature and texture of the future the current crop of Nigeria’s political leaders is bequeathing to our rudderless youths is predicated on the prevailing poverty and hunger in the land. Consider the scary scenario where instilling the Fear Factor on a hapless, hungry citizenry through well calculated punitive measures are meted out on the voices of courage and truth who dare criticize government’s policies? What do we make of the sudden swerve of defections, especially by some state governors who are afraid of being investigated for one case of corruption or the other all in the bid to hang on to political power come the next election? All these, in addition to the evils of vote trading- selling and buying -are antithetical to democratic norms

 

 

Our leaders should be worried about the moral lessons they are teaching our children, who have to grow up daily in hunger and misery, in a thorny, political jungle where might is right. What we need is the deployment of our best brains including eggheads on the economy to come up with pro-people policies with the enabling environment for businesses to thrive. We have abundant natural resources to get Nigerians out of the ignoble pit of poverty with the right leadership policies driving the economy. Not the time for the poor to tighten their belts to keep satisfying the insatiable political elite, as the RMAFC wants done with increased pay packages.

PSC TO MIGRATE TO PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS) AS ARGUNGU DECLARES STAFF TRAINING OPEN, SAYS, APER IS OBSOLETE AND DEFECTIVE

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By Ebinum Samuel

 

 

The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd mni, today, Wednesday, 27th August 2025, declared open a two-day training programme for staff of the Commission on the newly introduced public service performance appraisal system.

 

This is on the heels of the Commission’s migration from the old system -Annual Performance Evaluation Reports, APER, to a more practical and efficient system -Performance Management System, PMC.

 

DIG Argungu said the previous evaluation system was obsolete and and grossly defective in the assessment of public servants. He noted that the new system will obviously eliminate these deficiencies which he said include deception in the assessment.

 

The PSC Chairman explained that the APER system of assessment in the Public Service is riddled with loopholes for manipulation which encourages favouritism and which he said had undermined competence and exelcellence in the Public Service.

 

He called on the PSC Staff attending the training programme to pay attention to details and ask questions where they need clarification adding that the Commission takes the training very serious and will not condone any report of laxity. He extended the Commission’s thanks to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for sending her staff to conduct the training programme.

 

DIG Argungu said the Commission will continue to strive to improve its work force and push for excellence in the day to day operations of its staff.

 

The Director, Human Resource Management of the Commission, Aminu Malumfashi in his welcome message said the old APER system of staff evaluation was limited in scope as it was majorly “focused on end of year reporting, paper based and had failed to capture the continuous contributions, challenges and Developmental needs of staff throughout the year “.

 

According to him ” the Performance Management System (PMS) on the other hand represents a transformational shift as it is not only an annual exercise but a continuous interactive process that engages supervisors and subordinates throughout the year.

 

Mr. Malumfashi said it emphasises a clear goal-setting, regular feedback, Performance tracking and documentation, capacity building and merit-based recognition and accountability”.

 

He said the purpose of the training is to equip the staff with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to understand and implement the Performance Management System in their daily work.

 

“PMS is not just a technical framework -it is a culture shift, it is about aligning individual Performance with organizational goals, ensuring fairness and transparency in evaluations and ultimately improving service delivery to the Nigerian people whom we serve” he explained.

 

Some of the topics for the programme are; Understanding MDAs Performance Management System (MPMS), Job Objectives Setting, Key Result Areas.(KRAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) and Dynamics of Cascading MDAs Deliverables to All levels of Accountability (Hands On).

Newswatch Editors Faced Abacha’s Wrath Over David Mark Interview, Memoir Reveals

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A rare interview granted to Newswatch magazine by Brig.Gen. David Mark landed the publication’s directors in hot water with the late Gen. Sani Abacha, according to Yakubu Mohammed, former Executive Editor of the now-defunct magazine. Mohammed recounts the experience in his recently published memoir, “Beyond Expectations.”

 

Following Abacha’s ousting of the Ernest Shonekan-led Interim National Government (ING) in 1993, Mohammed writes that Abacha moved to remove perceived loyalists of former head of state Ibrahim Babangida from key military positions, including Gen. Aliu Gusau and Brig.-Gen. David Mark.

 

Mark, feeling betrayed, decided to expose Abacha’s true motives in an interview with then Newswatch editor-in-chief, Dan Agbese, while in London.

Mark revealed that Abacha’s claim of removing the ING to pave the way for M.K.O. Abiola’s presidency or fresh elections was a deception.

 

According to Mark, the plan was to hold a constitutional conference to draft a new constitution, an idea conceived by Gen. Oladipo Diya, Abacha’s second-in-command.

 

Mark believed Abacha intended to remain in power for at least five years before transforming into a civilian president.

 

The publication of the interview on April 11, 1994, triggered a manhunt for the Newswatch editors by the State Security Service (SSS).

 

Mohammed detailed his experience of being identified and apprehended in Lokoja, Kogi State, while attempting to meet with the military governor. He also recounted the arrests of Dan Agbese and Ray Ekpu.

 

Mohammed described the harsh conditions of their detention, with the three editors confined to a single cell with a single bed and constant light.

 

He noted that intervention from media colleagues, the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, the Guild of Editors, and elder statesmen, including Adamu Ciroma, eventually led to their release after gaining Abacha’s attention.

 

—NAN

Katsina: Bandits abduct family of 3, kill vigilante during attack

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Residents of the Sabuwar Unguwa area in Katsina city were thrown into panic after suspected bandits invaded the community in the early hours of Monday, August 25, 2025.

 

The armed men, who stormed the neighborhood around 3:00 a.m., reportedly fired several gunshots into the air to scare residents before carrying out the abduction.

 

According to reports, the assailants killed a vigilante member who tried to resist the attack before whisking away one Anas Ahmed, his wife, Halimatu, and their daughter.

 

Local journalist Bakatsine confirmed the incident on Tuesday, describing it as yet another tragic reminder of the growing insecurity in Katsina and other parts of northern Nigeria.

“Yesterday night, bandits attacked Sabuwar Unguwa area, behind NAK Steel company in Katsina city. One VGN member was k!lled, and a young family was abducted from their home. What we once heard from afar is now at our doorstep,” he wrote.

I’ve never eaten in my life – 17-year-old reveals

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By Ebinum Samuel

 

A 17-year-old girl named Emma has gone viral on TikTok after bravely opening up about her battle with Gastroparesis, a rare medical condition that has left her without a functional stomach since birth.

 

In a video shared in July under the username @emmakok, which began trending on Monday, Emma revealed that she has never eaten a proper meal in her life. Instead, she relies entirely on feeding tubes to survive.

 

Speaking candidly about her condition, Emma explained that she is unable to consume even basic meals, making her daily life very different from that of most teenagers.

 

She said, “Hi, my name is Emma. I am 17 and I have a chronic illness called Gastroparesis. Gastroparesis simply means my stomach is paralyzed, it doesn’t work. Because my stomach is paralyzed, it can’t digest any food. Which also means I’m not able to eat any food

Cleaner on N30,000 salary returns N4.8m mistakenly credited to her account

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    In an inspiring act of honesty, Faiza Abdulkadir, a cleaner in Maiduguri, Borno State, has returned ₦4.8 million that was mistakenly credited to her bank account.   Despite earning just ₦30,000 monthly, Faiza chose integrity over temptation. Speaking to newsmen, she explained that her decision was guided by the fear of God and a commitment to doing what is right.   “The money does not belong to me. I returned it to have a peace of mind, and avoid God’s punishment on the day of judgement,” she said.   Faiza revealed that she spent three days completing the bank process before she finally sent back the money to the owner.   “I was restless throughout these three days. In fact, I couldn’t eat well throughout the process, until the day I finally transferred the money to the owner,” she told News Central during an interview.   Banks officials and residents in her area described Faiza as a very honest woman that survived on N30,000 salary from a health care center work.   “We were not surprised, because of her discipline and the way she is training her children. She has very good values and lives a modest life with her five children,” one of her neighbors said.   One of the bank staff said the exceptional qualities displayed by Faiza has surprised many people in the bank.   “Despite her condition, this woman chooses to fear God and do the right thing.   “I witnessed a case in this bank when money was mistakenly transferred into a customer’s account, he withdrew the money and spent it. “He put the bank staff in serious trouble. Police were involved in the case but still the money has not been recovered,” he said.    

PSC Receives Presidential Delegation, Demands Mandate Protection And Adequate Funding.. says it is prepared to take Government Renewed Hope to the next level

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By Ebinum Samuel

 

 

The Police Service Commission today, Monday, 25th August 2025, received a Presidential delegation led by Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head, Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit.

 

Ms. Usman led a strong delegation on an engagement Meeting with the leadership of the Commission to identify areas of support required for effective service delivery by the Commission.

 

According to PSC spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, the Chairman of the Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd mni, who led the Commission’s team, told the visitors that the Commission is presently faced with the twin problems of inadequate funding and unending and surreptitious attempt to hijack its mandate.

 

The Chairman noted that the Commission is grossly underfunded and incapable of effectively and efficiently executing its constitutional mandate of Police recruitment, promotion and discipline, adding that this anomaly is also worsened by a struggle by different and divergent interests to hijack its mandate and dilute its efficiency and effectiveness.

DIG Argungu said the Commission is committed to leverage on it’s established Policy of accountability and Transparency, to herald a Police Force ready and prepared for the 21st Century policing.

 

He mentioned inadequacy of staff returns from the Nigeria Police Force, institutional conflicts, limited nationwide presence, inadequate funding and public trust deficit as some of the areas of support the Commission requires from the visiting team.

 

According to him, “one of the key problems the Police Service Commission is facing is unnecessary interference into its Constitutional and statutory mandate” adding that the Central Result Delivery Coordination Unit should assist the Commission fence off these interlopers and ensure that the Commission is allowed to do its work.

 

The PSC Chairman complained on the envelope budgetary system which ” creates a ceiling in the budgeting process thereby limiting funding to the core Functions of the Commission.

 

DIG Argungu recommended “an independent budgeting system for the Commission that gives it the ability to submit its budget directly to the Presidency noting that ” the PSC act of 2001 Section 15(1) mandates the Commission to submit its estimate of expenditure and income during the next succeeding year, not later than 30th September in each year to the President.”

Responding, the leader of the visiting delegation, Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman pledged to work to ensure that the Commission is allowed to execute its constitutional mandate. “We will look at your mandate and will ensure you are allowed to do your work. We will de-bottleneck the problems and we will have a PSC that stands alone and not an attachment of any Ministry.

 

She said the objective of the working visit “is to strengthen the collaboration between the Police Service Commission (PSC) and the Ministry of Police Affairs and clarify the role of PSC in the achievement of the Presidential Area on Strengthening National Security for peace and Prosperity”.

 

The PSC team at the Meeting included Justice Paul Adamu Galumje, JSC retired, Honourable Commissioner representing the Judiciary, DIG Taiwo Lakanu rtd fdc, Honourable Commissioner representing the Police and Chief Onyemuchi Nnamani, Secretary to the Commission

Drug kingpin, 5 others in NDLEA custody over arrest of 3 Nigerians in Saudi Arabia

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By Ebinum Samuel

Face multiple charges for trafficking illicit substances to Jeddah as Marwa engages Saudi counterpart on the innocence of detained pilgrims

 

A 55-year-old drug kingpin Mohammed Ali Abubakar alias Bello Karama and five members of a syndicate operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) Kano have been taken into custody by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following the discovery that they are behind the shipment of illicit substances for which three innocent Nigerians who went on lesser hajj pilgrimage to the holy land were being detained in Jeddah for alleged drug trafficking.

This was disclosed at a press conference addressed by the Agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi along with the Director of Assets and Financial Investigation, Dr. Abdul Ibrahim and Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Theresa Asuquo, at the NDLEA National Headquarters in Abuja on Monday 25th August 2025.

Explaining how the syndicate implicated three unsuspecting pilgrims in drug trafficking allegations in Saudi, the NDLEA said following receipt of complaints by its Chairman/Chief Executive, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) from three Nigerian families over the detention of their family members in Saudi Arabia after the completion of their lesser hajj pilgrimage on an allegation of trafficking in illicit substances into Saudi Arabia, an investigation was launched to unravel what happened.

The Agency said the three Nigerians detained in Saudi: Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi; Mrs. Abdullahi Bahijja Aminu; and Mr. Abdulhamid Saddiq boarded an Ethiopian Airline flight ET940 which departed Kano on 6th August 2025 to Jeddah enroute Addis-Ababa were unfortunate to be tagged with six additional bags not belonging to them, three of which were found to contain illicit drugs.

“Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi while embarking on this flight, only checked in one luggage weighing 9 kilograms on the 6th day of August, 2025 which incidentally did not arrive with her to her destination. Her husband was only informed of the arrival of their luggage on 16th August, a day before the date of their departure from Jeddah which was to be on the 17th day of August, 2025. Following this allegation, she was detained in Jeddah and is still in detention till date. The case of the other two persons followed the same pattern and were reported to the Agency shortly after Maryam Hussain’s complaint”, the Agency stated.

It revealed its swift investigation revealed that “the bags containing illicit drug substances intercepted in Saudi Arabia were checked in against the complainants’ names by members of a criminal syndicate operating in Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport without the knowledge of the three complainants.

“All the bags were traced to one Ali Abubakar Mohammed (aka Bello Karama), the leader of the syndicate who checked them into the Ethiopian Airline on the 6th day of August 2025, the same day the three complainants travelled on board the same airline from Kano enroute Addis-Ababa to Jeddah. It is interesting to note that the said Ali Abubakar Mohammed who also travelled to Jeddah on the same date boarded Egypt Air rather than Ethiopian Airline where he checked in his contaminated bags.

“The bags were tagged and checked in by members of staff of Skyway Aviation Handling Company who are also members of the criminal syndicate, to the names of the three complainants secretly and without their knowledge or consent. The bags illegally tagged against the complainants’ names are the ones intercepted in Saudi Arabia and found to contain the illicit drug substances.

“For the above reasons, the three complainants were arrested and detained for crimes they had no knowledge of. In the light of the forgoing, and the evidence gathered by the Agency in the course of our investigation, it is clear that Mrs. Maryam Abdullahi and two others who are being detained in Saudi are victims of circumstance, implicated by the activities of a criminal syndicate operating at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport.”

The Agency said six members of the syndicate are already in its custody with four already charged to court awaiting arraignment including Ali Abubakar Mohammed (aka Bello Karama); Abdulbasit Adamu, Murtala Akande Olalekan and Celestina Emmanuel Yayock. “They have all made confessional statements. While Ali had admitted bringing in seven luggage, Celestina confessed checking in two of them for a fee of N100,000 and another suspect Jazuli Kabir who checked in two other bags admitted collecting N100,000 for the dirty job, while Ali travelled with the other three bags on Egypt Air. We have the receipts for the transfer of N200,000 from Ali to Celestina who in turn transferred N100,000 to Jazuli.”

It said based on the outcome of its investigations it is spearheading a dialogue with the authority of the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC) in Saudi Arabia to see that the three innocent Nigerians are exonerated.

“As a result, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency is presently on his way to attend an International Drug Conference which will be attended by a delegation from the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC), who he intends to meet one on one, to present our findings and seek the cooperation of our Saudi counterparts in ensuring that Mrs. Maryam Hussain Abdullahi, and the two others who remain stranded in the Kingdom, get the justice they deserve. If required, the CCEO is also prepared to travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia personally to pursue this matter to its conclusion”, Babafemi stated while assuring that Nigeria will never abandon its citizens, especially when the facts clearly show that they are victims of criminal conspiracies.

The Agency assured the public of its commitment to fight the scourge of substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the country adding that “while there are no sacred cows in our enforcement duties which can be attested to by the number of high-profile arrests, seizures, convictions and forfeitures recorded, it will not support the innocent being punished for crimes they did not commit.”

“While investigations continue, the CCEO will like to appreciate the Hon. Min of Aviation and Aerospace Development, the Managing Director of FAAN, the AVSEC and the DSS for their collaboration on this case and for the interim measures that have been approved in MAKIA to prevent a reoccurrence of this type of situation”, he stated.

GPAAN decries vote buying that marred the recent by-elections

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By Ebinum Samuel

 

 

The Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria ( GPAAN ), the nation’s foremost organization for public affairs analysts and political commentators has raised alarm over the recurring ugly decimal of both vote selling-by some corrupt politicians and vote buying by the gullible electorate – which have become endemic in our political clime. The disturbing dimension to the electoral process marred the conduct of the recent by- elections across 12 affected states in the country.

 

 

It would be recalled that GPAAN, as led by Ayo Oyoze Baje, the National President, Lekan Sote ( Vice President ), Victor Anya ( General Secretary ) in addition to the Zonal Chapter Chairmen in Enugu, Port Harcourt, Ilorin and Abuja, FCT has remained an advocate of sustained Voter Education for the electorate since October 2022 as part of the organization ‘s matching mandate in the pursuit of good governance in Nigeria.

 

 

Sadly however, going by several media reports the nauseating menace of vote buying was recorded in Oyo, Ogun, Kaduna, Kano states and led to protests that stalled the balloting in Enugu state. It was also one of the reasons responsible for the arrests of some politicians and INEC officials apprehended by EFCC operatives in some states.

 

 

Worthy of note is that the by- elections came about due to the death and resignation of the former occupants, which prompted the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) to declare their seats vacant.

 

 

According to INEC a total of 3,553,659 registered voters were considered eligible to participate in the by-elections, distributed across 32 local government areas, 356 wards and 6,987 polling units spread across the 12 states involved in the exercise.

 

 

With regards to the incident of alleged vote buying, precisely in Ogun state two chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP were arrested with huge sums of cash allegedly for vote buying during the Remo Federal Constituency House of Representativess by-election. And in a similar vein, the African Democratic Congress,ADC candidate for Ibadan North Federal Constituency by-election, Femi Akin-Alamu

alleged that large scale vote buying characterized the election in Oyo state. In fact, there was open display of financial inducement to eligible voters in some other states, including Kano during the by-election.

 

 

Though the EFCC deployed some of its officials to track down the masterminds behind the political malfeasance, it has got worse over the election seasons. Concerned analysts such as Joseph Amaoru ( National Treasurer), Richard Inumah ( Assistant National Secretary), Sola Adesanwo ( Chairman Award Committee) and Comrade Pascal Chimezie have raised concern over the issue insisting that

it should not be allowed to continue as it is inimical to the dictates of democratic culture. The identification of the root causes of vote-buying and the frontal battle to combat such has therefore, become an imperative.

 

 

The fundamental reasons of course, include the high levels of the twin evils of corruption and poverty bedeviling the country, Nigeria. These, along with electoral violence are fratricidal factors that have undermined the people’s choice and brought forth political predators who have no allegiance to the people but exhibit crass corruption once they mount the pedestal of political power. To them is all about self aggrandizement, as they see it as a business venture through which they invest by vote selling.

 

 

These are evidenced by the disturbing increase in the price of votes now. It used to be about N2000 which later increased to N5000 but reports of the last election mentioned figures between N10,000 and N25,000 per vote. In instances of primary elections, we have seen reports of votes being bought in dollars.

 

 

What it means is that we are not practicing true democracy but plutocracy. While democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people, plutocracy is the government of the rich, by the rich with the dividends meant for the rotten rich.

 

 

As a way forward, the responsibility to stop vote buying and selling starts from the family level, through the religious and traditional institutions to the schools and the community that nurtures the people. It has become a moral burden on us all as concerned citizens to ensure that INEC adheres strictly to rules and regulations guiding the process to ensure that only the choice of the people get into positions of political power.

 

 

Furthermore, the National Assembly should do the needful through thoroughbred

electoral reforms. The least we should settle for, is for election results to be transmitted from the polling units as was promised in the 2023 elections but was aborted by glitches that have remained unexplained.

 

 

Of compelling significance also is the need for the political helmsmen to combat the challenge of persisting poverty in the land, instead of latching on it to promote vote selling and buying. The consequences would eventually be dire for both the political elite and the led majority. Prevention would therefore, be safer and cheaper than cure.