Amnesty International is calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria to take action against mob violence by enacting anti-mob violence laws.

The human rights organisation’s Country Director, Isa Sanusi, made this plea in their report, “Instantly Killed: How Law Enforcement Failures Exacerbate Nigeria’s Wave of Mob Violence,” presented on Monday in Abuja.

Sanusi emphasised the need for these laws to combat the growing trend of jungle justice in Nigeria.

According to Amnesty International, between January 2012 and August 2023, at least 555 people fell victim to mob violence in 363 documented incidents, character1sed by killings, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment.

“Mob violence has spread with impunity in Nigeria over the past decade.

“The surge in mob violence, including against women and children, has sparked nationwide calls for justice from victims, their families, and human rights advocates.

“Law enforcement failures have exacerbated the problem, highlighting the need for effective legislation.”

“To address this issue, Amnesty International recommends that the Nigerian government should take concrete steps to prevent mob violence, protect victims, and hold perpetrators accountable.”

He said addressing this includes enforcing existing laws, providing training for law enforcement, and promoting community-based initiatives to prevent violence

Barring any last-minute changes, President Bola Tinubu is set to swear in seven new ministers tomorrow (Monday), marking a significant development in his administration’s restructuring efforts.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this on his verified X handle on Sunday.

The new ministers, who were cleared by the Senate last week, will assume critical roles in various sectors under the President Tinubu-led administration after their inauguration.

The newly appointed ministers include Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi as Minister of Labour and Employment, and Bianca Odinaka Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Other appointees are Dr. Jumoke Oduwole as Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment (Trade and Investment), Idi Mukhtar Maiha as Minister of Livestock Development, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata as Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, and Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad as Minister of State for Education.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will swear in the new seven ministers tomorrow Monday. The Ministers are: Dr Nentawe Yilwatda – Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi – Minister of Labour & Employment; Bianca Odinaka Odumegwu-Ojukwu – Minister of State Foreign Affairs.

“Others are Dr Jumoke Oduwole – Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment (Trade and Investment), Idi Mukhtar Maiha – Minister of Livestock Development; Yusuf Abdullahi Ata – Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development and Dr Suwaiba Said Ahmad – Minister of State Education.

“The Senate cleared the ministers last week.”

This cabinet reshuffle comes amids months of growing calls from Nigerians for change and the need to put energy into the government.

President Tinubu’s administration has been working to address the country’s challenges, and these new appointments, according to Presidency officials, are expected to bring fresh perspectives and expertise to their respective ministries.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has sued the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged threat to arrest, detain and prosecute him after his tenure as governor.

Sanwo-Olu, through his lawyer, Darlington Ozurumba, filed the fundamental right enforcement suit before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of a Federal High Court in Abuja.

When the matter was called for mention on Tuesday, Ozurumba informed the court that he had withdrawn the earlier originating summons filed and replaced it with a new one.

The lawyer said the anti-graft agency had been duly served with the latest court documents.

However, EFCC’s counsel, Hadiza Afegbua, said she was yet to see the documents.

Besides, the proof of service of the processes was not in the court file and Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until Nov. 11 for further mention.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the originating summons, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/773/2024 dated and filed on June 6, the governor raised seven questions and sought 11 reliefs.

Sanwo-Olu sought a declaration that under and by virtue of the provisions of Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, “the plaintiff, as a citizen of Nigeria, is entitled to right to private and family life as a minimum guarantee encapsulated under the Constitution of the Republic of Nigeria, 1999 before, during and after occupation of public office created by the Constitution.”

He wants the court to declare that under and by virtue of the provisions of Sections 43 and 44(1) of the 1999 Constitution, he is entitled to acquire, own, operate and manage both moveable and immovable property.

This, he said, include bank accounts, as a minimum guarantee encapsulated under the constitution either before, during and after leaving public office of governor of a state.

He also wants the court to declare that upon community reading of the provisions of Sections 35(1) & (4) and 41(1) of the constitution, the threat of his investigation, arrest and detention by the EFCC  during his tenure of office as governor is illegal.

 He also said that the plan to arrest him was unconstitutional and a flagrant violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty and freedom of movement as guaranteed under Sections 35(1) & (4) and 41(1) of the Constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 ( as amended).

The governor prayed the court to declare that the incessant harassment, threat of arrest and detention, against him upon the EFCC’s instigation by his political adversaries based on false and politically motivated allegation of corruption is a misuse of executive powers and abuse of public office.

He further wants the court to declare it as an unwarranted Interference with his fundamental right to personal liberty, freedom of movement, fair hearing and equal protection of the law as guaranteed by the constitution and the Africa Charter on Human & Peoples’ Rights, CAP A9 LFN 2004.

Sanwo-Olu, therefore, sought an order restraining the EFCC from harassing, intimidating, arresting, detaining, interrogating or prosecuting him in connection with his tenure as the governor of Lagos State.

He also prayed the court to make an order prohibiting and restraining the commission “from seizing the properties, the international passport and travel documents of the plaintiff or freezing the bank accounts of the plaintiff, his family members or in any other way to further breach the plaintiff’s fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.”

He urged the court to make an order restraining the EFCC from inviting, arresting or detaining him in connection with his tenure as governor of the state or breach his fundamental rights to personal liberty, fair hearing, private and family life, freedom of movement, acquisition of moveable and immoveable property as enshrined in the laws

In the affidavit in support of the originating summons deposed to by Martha Kanu, a litigation secretary in the law firm, the lawyer said she was informed the facts by the governor at a tele-conference meeting which she believed to be true.

She alleged that as a way of getting at the governor, the EFCC was now making surreptitious plan to arrest some of his aides and family members based on the false and spurious allegations of diversion of funds.

She said the officials of the commission were now mounting pressure on some of the aides of the governor to come and make incriminating statements against him.

Besides, Kanu alleged that the anti-graft agency was also threatening to go after some contractors handling projects for the state government.

He said the agency was compelling them to come and make statements to implicate Sanwo-Olu of corruption as part of the orchestrated contrivance to build up a trump up case against him.

According to her, in a malicious attempt to get at the plaintiff, some of the plaintiff’s political adversaries in conjunction with some of the officials of the defendant are falsely ascribing to his administration of corrupt practices which are none existent.

She alleged that the EFCC, through some of its officials, were desperately inventing false, spurious and malicious allegations against the governor in order to use same as a basis for investigating, arresting and prosecuting him after leaving office as governor.

NAN reports that Sanwo-Olu was sworn in as the Governor of Lagos State on May 29, 2019 and was re-elected and sworn in again for a second term on May 29, 2023

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga says security agencies have not been able to arrest embattled former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello because of the “complicated” nature of the case.

Onanuga was a guest on the Sunday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-economic programme aired on Channels Television.

In April, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared Bello, who was Kogi governor from May 2015 to May 2023, wanted for alleged financial crime to the tune of N80.2 billion.

The EFCC had at various times, stormed Bello’s residence in an attempt to arrest the former governor but his successor, Usman Ododo, had come to his rescue, whisking him away to his lodge.

The matter has been in court but the former governor has not appeared before the trial judge despite many adjournments.

Asked why police authorities can’t order orderlies attached to Ododo to arrest Bello, Onanuga said, “I think it’s a bit complicated. The EFCC is an agency of the Federal Government, and it wants to arrest Yahaya Bello. Yahaya Bello is hiding under the agbada (flowing robe) of the governor of Kogi State, his (Bello’s) successor, who happens to enjoy immunity.

“That’s the problem because if he (Bello) stays inside Governor Ododo’s house, the police cannot do anything because they will be violating that immunity that the man enjoys.

“It’s like a diplomat enjoying certain immunity, you cannot do anything about it. You remember in the UK when they were looking for the Wikileaks man and he went to hide in one embassy in Britain, there was nothing they (security agents) could do, they left him there. I think he later came out and they arrested him.

“It’s the same thing. Ododo enjoys immunity. Yahaya Bello is believed to be hiding there. They cannot storm the place and say they want to arrest him. That’s the problem of the EFCC, and the police cannot help the EFCC.”

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said, contrary to popular opinion, his principal, President Bola Tinubu, did not acquire a new official jet but a refurbished one.

“It’s not President Tinubu’s plane, it belongs to the people of Nigeria, it is our property,” Onanuga said on the Sunday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-economic programme aired on Channels Television.

He said some jets in the presidential fleet like a 19-year-old Boeing B737-700 purchased under ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo are all in bad condition, and their maintenance costs were outrageous. Hence, instead of spending a bogus amount of money on aircraft maintenance, the President sought the approval of the National Assembly for a refurbished jet still in good condition.

Onanuga said the refurbished Airbus A330 would save Nigeria high maintenance costs in servicing the old aircraft.

Onanuga urged Nigerians to prioritise the President’s safety, noting that the newly acquired plane is Nigeria’s property, not Tinubu’s.

The presidential spokesman said Tinubu won’t take the just-acquired jet with him when he leaves office. Onanuga said the jet would also benefit Tinubu’s successor.

Onanuga said, “The president did not buy a new jet; what he has is a refurbished jet – it has been used by somebody else before he got it but it is a much newer model than the one President Buhari used.

“The one President Buhari used was bought by President Obasanjo some 20 years ago.

“There was a time the President went to Saudi Arabia, that plane developed some problems and the President had to leave with a chartered jet to The Netherlands.”

‘Prioritise Tinubu’s Safety’

The presidential spokesman said he spoke with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, on the faulty plane and he said the maintenance costs because of the age of the plane were exorbitant hence the need for another plane.

“People should try to prioritise the safety of the president. I’m not sure anybody wishes our president to go and crash in the air. We want his safety so that he can hand over to whoever wants to take over from him,” Onanuga said.

While the Presidency has continued to defend Tinubu’s action to purchase the refurbished Airbus A330, the move has been criticised by many Nigerians and some of his contenders in the 2023 election, who felt the President was unfeeling to the plight of poor Nigerians grappling under the weight of unprecedented food inflation, and energy prices which have quadrupled in the last one year.

The health state of the Presidential Air Fleet has been a source of concern of late. In May, a faulty presidential jet stopped Vice President Kashim Shettima from attending the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa.

Last December, a presidential aircraft, the Falcon 900B, was put up for sale, with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) asking interested persons to submit their bids for the purchase of the aircraft.

The Presidency on Saturday faulted The Guardian newspaper’s lead story of Oct. 25, which had the title: “Calls for military intervention: misery, harsh policies driving Nigerians to desperate choices.”

Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information and Strategy, said in a statement that the story “openly incited unrest against President Bola Tinubu’s administration and advocated regime change under the guise of journalism”.

He said the inflammatory headline and content deviated from responsible reporting.

“The Guardian’s agenda was unmistakable from the cover illustration to the article.

“In attempting to create a balanced veneer, the author condemns military rule while fanning the flames of military intervention,” said Onanuga.

“This was evident in the introduction to the article,” he said.

The newspaper wrote: “Nigerians were exhilarated with the return of democracy in 1999, but 25 years on, the buccaneering nature of politicians, their penchant for poor service delivery, morbid hatred for probity, accountability, and credible/transparent elections, among others, are forcing some flustered citizens to make extreme choices, including calling for military intervention.

Continuing, the newspaper said, “Deep despondency permeates every facet of the polity consequent upon soaring cost of living.

“And while the political elite splurge on fine wines and exotic automobiles amid poor service delivery, calls for regime change could become more strident in the days ahead even though military insurrection holds no solution to the country’s woes.”

The Special Adviser said the newspaper must be questioned on how it could present an argument for military intervention while superficially denouncing it “unless it harboured a deliberate agenda”.

“This latest editorial reflects a troubling trend in which the publication has persistently propagated inflammatory and negative narratives, stepping dangerously close to undermining the very fabric of responsible journalism.

“Moreover, the lead story relies heavily upon emotive language and imagery—such as an illustration of military armoured tank—to bolster its argument while neglecting to present a balanced view.

“It indulges in lampooning the current administration while ignoring positive developments in Nigeria’s economic landscape. The report lacks empirical data and fails to exhibit the journalistic rigour that the situation demands,” Onanuga stated.

He said such narratives could embolden anarchists intent on disrupting the democratic process.

“Military rule is an anachronism in modern civilisations, irrespective of its framing, due to the oppressive nature typically associated with its practice.

“Guided by its experience in 1984, when two of its journalists were jailed by the military regime for reporting the truth, The Guardian acknowledges that military rule is terrible.

“Yet, it attempts to provoke public ire against President Tinubu by suggesting he governs with less regard for citizens than military dictators once did,” said Onanuga.

He said the narrative by the newspaper neglected the hard-fought battle that birthed the country’s democracy and served only to undermine the hard-won freedoms that Nigerians were enjoying.

“Good journalism is characterised by restraint and a commitment to national interest. Media outlets must propagate responsible reporting that contributes to an informed citizenry.

“During times of political and economic crises, the media, as a force for good, should rally the public around their leaders, fostering unity and patience as reforms are introduced,” Onanuga argued.

He explained that Tinubu had consistently called for understanding and patience amid the nation’s challenges.

“The President’s plea is not a sign of weakness but an affirmation of his dedication to a brighter future for Nigeria.

“Moreover, recent policy changes have initiated a turnaround, yielding positive economic indicators.

“According to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, the revenue-to-debt service ratio has notably declined from 97 per cent in 2023 to 68 per cent in 2024.

“Nigeria’s foreign reserves rose to 39.1 billion dollars on Oct. 22, with GDP growth achieving 2.98 per cent in Q1 2024—an increase from 2.31 per cent in Q1 2023,” stated Onanuga.

He said this growth was driven by sectors beyond oil, including the financial services sector, mining, and quarrying, marking a significant shift in the country’s economic structure.

“We are now exporting more than we are importing, with trade surpluses recorded in two consecutive quarters.

“In the light of the positive developments, it is unacceptable for any publication, including The Guardian, to incite calls for military intervention based on transient difficulties.

“A more cautious and responsible approach would have better served its readers and the nation,” he said.

According to him, journalism, like democracy, thrives on fairness and objectivity, a standard he says all media outlets must uphold.

“We encourage The Guardian and similar platforms to prioritise balanced reporting that fosters dialogue and understanding rather than division and unrest.

“At this time, we need our people and the media to rally around the government as the Tinubu-led administration steers our country through this challenging period toward a better future,” Onanuga said.