City Crime

Towards Hitch-Free Poll In Anambra

Published

5 years ago

November 5, 2021

Barring unforeseen negative circumstances, the indigenes and residents of Anambra State will, tomorrow, November 6, turn out in their number from every nook and cranny of the state to elect a new governor that will take over from the incumbent, Willie Obiano, whose second tenure expires on March 17, 2022.
The off-season election has been generating so much anxiety among the people of the South-East following the wanton destruction of lives and property in that region by heartless and criminal elements in recent times. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been spasmodically named in connection with the orgy of violence, particularly because of its professed undertaking to make certain that the November 6 election does not hold.
In one of the most uncertain elections in Nigeria’s history, 18 candidates are lobbying the hearts and votes of the Anambra people. As a bargaining chip, IPOB has vowed that unless its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is released from detention unconditionally, on or before November 4, the entire South-East will be on lockdown from November 5 (a day before the Anambra governorship election).
Kanu is being tried on an amended seven-count charge of alleged treason, secession and terrorism for which he had pleaded “not guilty”; and the trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja has been adjourned to November 10, 2021, when his lawyers will be expected to raise objections to the charges.
IPOB has also warned the people of Anambra to remain indoors throughout the sit-at-home order for their safety. It is pertinent to note that the organisation has been enforcing the Monday sit-at-home directive in the South-East with ferocious venom since it became public knowledge that Kanu had been arrested by the Federal Government.
Although the body has denied directing a boycott of the governorship election in a statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the proscribed group is too clever by half as it reiterated its warning on lockdown if Kanu was not released from custody. “For the sake of clarity, what we said was that the entire Biafraland would be locked down from November 5 to November 10, 2021, if the Federal Government failed to release our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, unconditionally”, he said.
INEC had expressed concerns about the Anambra gubernatorial election and warned against the constitutional crisis that might engulf the state if the situation persisted. Its chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, affirmed the fears during a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Abuja recently. Recall that last May, the INEC office in Awka was attacked wherein non-sensitive materials and vehicles were wrecked.
Both the voters and the candidates are in a panic. The buildup is so unseemly that even contestants cannot openly campaign or make “empty or substantive” promises to voters. Some candidates held election campaigns in faraway Lagos, hoping that the information would spread more than 407 kilometres to reach people in Akwa and other areas. This is the dark atmosphere in the most important political and economic capital of the South-East.
Regardless, INEC has restated its commitment to go on with the election as scheduled. The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, has ordered a major overhaul of the security landscape in Anambra ahead of the election. Consequently, 34,587 police personnel, including two DIGs, five AIGs, 14 Commissioners of Police, 31 Deputy Commissioners of Police, 48 Assistant Commissioners of Police as well as three helicopters have been deployed to the state to ensure adequate security for the conduct of the poll.
It is worth noting that at this critical moment, the impact of IPOB cannot be quelled, because the group’s problem is pervasive in the South-East for the past few years, trying to discredit governance and authority in the whole area. This group of agitators, hastily proscribed as terrorists by the Federal Government, has consistently carried out violent protests in the entire region against Kanu’s incarceration. Hence, for peace to reign, the Federal Government should dialogue with the group to ensure a smooth election.
This ill wind will blow no one any good. A militarised Election Day by IPOB or the state is inharmonious with free and fair election and public interest. The tense atmosphere will only benefit dubious politicians, waiting to use the apathy of voters to seize the whole process and impose an unpopular candidate on the state. It has also set dangerous priorities for the entire region. IPOB and Anambra should not succumb to this hushed attempt to set the country back.
Contrary to the blanket iron-fit approach of the Biafran group and its probable effect on the election, the body should subject its campaign for a fair deal for the Igbo Nation and Nnamdi Kanu within the Nigerian corporate existence to the judicial process for peace sake. Bloodletting and crude aggression are neither in the interest of the group nor of the region at large.
Also, IPOB and its supporters should be more cautious and trust the judiciary, because it is the last hope of the ordinary person. The continued siege of the people they vowed to defend has been socially and economically counterproductive, and the political turn of events is waiting to destroy their beleaguered fortunes for the worst.
Without a doubt, the Anambra election is a test case for the 2023 general election. This should not be a matter of life and death. It must be free, fair and credible, and the results must reflect the will of the people. Therefore, every effort must be made to ensure its success. Citizens must ensure that they come out to vote or live with the consequences.
Voters must exercise their privileges freely and fearlessly without intimidation. Politicians, their agents and supporters must maintain order and peace during the election. We believe that if all parties concerned follow the rules, the election will be successful. Most importantly, let the INEC ensure that the votes count.

City Crime

When Custody Becomes a Death Sentence

Published

2 months ago

September 25, 2026

The Tide

Quote: “The moment the state takes a citizen into custody, it assumes a sacred duty to protect that life. Suspicion may justify arrest, but it can never justify neglect, abuse or death.”

There are deaths that shock the conscience not merely because lives have been lost, but because of the circumstances in which those lives were entrusted to the state. The reported deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Minna, Niger State, an incident which occurred on September 17, 2026, belongs to this troubling category. The victims were reportedly arrested during enforcement operations against suspected illegal mining activities. Whatever offence they may have been suspected of committing, they remained citizens entitled to the protection of the law. They were suspects, not condemned criminals. Their detention therefore placed a corresponding responsibility on the authorities to safeguard their lives and dignity.

The Federal Government has since ordered a comprehensive investigation, while the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, constituted a 10-member independent committee to establish what happened, including the circumstances of the arrests, detention and deaths. Twenty NSCDC officers, in addition to the Niger State Commandant, have been suspended pending the investigation. Initially, the NSCDC indicated that a suspected disease outbreak might have been responsible for the deaths. However, survivors and relatives have made disturbing allegations concerning overcrowding, poor ventilation and the treatment of detainees. Reuters reported survivor accounts alleging that nearly 70 people were held in a very small cell and that an unidentified substance was sprayed inside. These accounts remain allegations and must be tested against medical and forensic evidence.

That is precisely why the investigation must be independent, transparent and exhaustive. Nigeria cannot afford a situation in which a tragedy of this magnitude is explained away by speculation, administrative statements or convenient assumptions. The families of the deceased deserve the truth, not conjecture. There is also a fundamental legal principle at stake. The fight against illegal mining is legitimate and necessary. Illegal mining can damage the environment, threaten communities, undermine public revenue and expose workers to dangerous conditions. Government therefore, has every right to enforce mining laws and apprehend those suspected of violating them. But enforcement must itself remain within the ambit of the law. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has correctly stated that the fact that the detainees were suspected of illegal mining did not remove their right to life, dignity and humane treatment.

He directed investigators to examine the conditions of detention, the number of people held in the facility, medical attention provided and the events preceding the deaths. He also stated that if evidence establishes that officials contributed to the deaths through abuse or negligence, those responsible should face prosecution. This is the proper standard. Government cannot fight illegality by creating another form of illegality. The tragedy also raises questions about detention management in our security institutions. If dozens of detainees were indeed confined in conditions incapable of providing adequate ventilation, sanitation, water, food and medical attention, then the matter goes beyond one unfortunate incident. It would point to institutional weaknesses requiring urgent correction.

Every security agency entrusted with human beings must have clear procedures for intake, identification, medical screening, monitoring, separation of vulnerable detainees, emergency response and access to medical care. These are not luxuries. They are basic requirements of responsible custody. The alleged presence of teenagers among the detainees makes the matter even more sensitive. Reports have indicated that some of those arrested were between 14 and 18 years old. If confirmed, their treatment should receive particular scrutiny because children and adolescents in state custody require special safeguards. The government has already taken an important administrative step by suspending officers and establishing an independent panel. But suspension is not justice. Nor should public anger substitute for due process. The investigation must identify exactly who was arrested, why they were arrested, where they were detained, how many people were held together, what happened inside the facility, what medical intervention was provided and what caused each death.

The investigation must also preserve evidence and give surviving detainees an opportunity to speak without intimidation. The Federal Government has directed that records and material evidence be preserved and made available to investigators. The committee has two weeks to complete its work and submit its report. Beyond determining individual responsibility, government should use the tragedy to strengthen custodial standards across all security agencies. A citizen should not disappear into government custody and emerge only as a corpse requiring explanations. The lesson is simple but profound: the power to arrest is not the power to destroy. The state may restrain a person’s liberty according to law, but it cannot suspend that person’s humanity. Nigeria must continue to confront illegal mining. It must also confront every abuse of official power that undermines public confidence in the institutions established to protect citizens.

More importantly, this tragedy should provoke a serious national conversation about what happens after an arrest. Too often, public attention focuses on the moment suspects are paraded before cameras, while little is said about what happens to them afterwards. Arrest is only the beginning of a legal process, not the end of it. Detainees must be properly documented, medically examined and held in facilities that meet acceptable standards. Their families should not have to search desperately for information about their whereabouts, while officers entrusted with their custody remain the only source of information. Where death occurs in custody, the burden of explanation cannot be shifted to grieving relatives. The state must account for the circumstances surrounding every death and demonstrate that reasonable measures were taken to preserve life.

Let it be told that accountability should not begin only when a tragedy attracts national outrage; it should be built into the daily operations of every security agency. Regular inspection of detention facilities, independent monitoring, proper staffing, functional medical arrangements, accurate custody registers and prompt reporting of emergencies can prevent avoidable deaths. Officers must equally understand that lawful enforcement and humane treatment are not opposing principles. Indeed, the credibility of government is strengthened when those who enforce the law are themselves demonstrably bound by it. If the investigation establishes wrongdoing, negligence or abuse, appropriate sanctions should follow; if alternative causes are established, those findings should also be made public. What Nigerians need is not a predetermined narrative, but credible facts, transparent accountability and reforms capable of ensuring that no family again loses a loved one under circumstances that remain unexplained.

The 37 deaths should therefore not become another statistic that fades from public memory after investigations and official statements. Their deaths should compel reforms that make every detention facility safer, every arrest more accountable and every public officer more conscious of the precious lives placed in government custody. For when the state takes custody of a citizen, it assumes responsibility for that citizen’s life. Custody must never become a death sentence.

By: Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi

City Crime

Renaissance Energy Pledges Stronger Partnership With RIVCHPP

Published

2 months ago

September 21, 2026

The Tide

Renaissance Africa Energy Limited has pledged to strengthen its partnership with the Rivers State Contributory Health Protection Programme (RIVCHPP), following an advocacy visit by the agency’s management to the company’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
The company’s General Manager, Health, Dr. Akinwumi Fajola, said the proposed partnership would involve the constitution of a joint team comprising representatives of Renaissance and RIVCHPP to deliberate on and develop modalities for deeper collaboration.
Fajola, who spoke during the visit, said the engagement would help strengthen the agency’s operations and advance the attainment of Universal Health Coverage in Rivers State.
He noted that the seeming bottlenecks often associated with government agencies had made some organisations and individuals sceptical about engaging with them.
According to him, the leadership style of the RIVCHPP Executive Secretary had demonstrated positive changes capable of attracting public and private-sector partners.
He stated that Renaissance Energy Limited would further strengthen its engagement with RIVCHPP, particularly in promoting health insurance within its operational areas.
Earlier, Agala described RIVCHPP as a legacy project of the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, established to ensure that Rivers residents have access to quality and affordable healthcare in line with the administration’s #Health4AllRivers vision.
She said since the agency became operational in January 2024, it had sustained awareness campaigns across the formal and informal sectors, resulting in steady growth in enrolment.
Agala disclosed that RIVCHPP had enrolled more than 160,000 residents across the state’s 23 Local Government Areas, giving them access to healthcare services.
She also said although Rivers was among the last states in the country to operationalise a health insurance agency, it had risen to 13th position in Universal Health Coverage and was recognised as the most improved state at the Federal Ministry of Health’s 2025 joint annual review meeting.
The Executive Secretary said the agency was implementing comprehensive healthcare plans covering all population groups, including vulnerable residents, to protect households from health poverty and catastrophic health expenditure.
She commended Renaissance Energy Limited for promoting health insurance in its operational areas and congratulated Fajola on his recent promotion.
The visit featured the exchange of promotional materials and souvenirs between the two organisations.

City Crime

Transport Fares To Reduce Nationwide From Oct. 1 – Pi-CNG & EV

Published

2 months ago

September 21, 2026

The Tide

The Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV) says transportation fares are expected to reduce nationwide beginning from Oct. 1.

This is contained in a Communique issued at the end of a stakeholders meeting to review their readiness and progress in implementing affordable CNG and electric vehicles transportation, in Abuja, last Thursday.

The communiqué said states are already making progress towards meeting the Federal Government’s target through the deployment of CNG and electric mobility solutions.

It said that several states had deployed CNG and electric buses, tricycles, motorcycles, conversion centres, refuelling facilities and charging infrastructure adding that commuters using supported clean mobility services in some states were already paying fares significantly lower than prevailing rates.

According to the communique, Niger State,, for instance, has procured 200 CNG buses, with 35 already operational, alongside 11 electric vehicle charging stations.

It stated that “Abia had deployed 40 electric buses and 20 charging stations, with plans to increase its fleet to 100 buses by December.

“Ogun has acquired 1,500 electric motorcycles and operates more than 20 battery-swapping stations.

“Cross River has also deployed 720 electric vehicles, including buses and motorcycles, while Delta has 13 operational conversion centres and four CNG stations, with 50 CNG buses being expected to be deployed in the state.

“Adamawa has signed an agreement for 2,000 electric tricycles, while Anambra has identified six priority transport corridors.

“Anambra is also preparing to train 1,000 youths in vehicle conversion, while Benue has trained personnel and technicians and established a conversion Centre,” the communique said.

The Executive Chairman, Pi-CNG & EV, Ismaeel Ahmed, said earlier that the engagement focused on addressing infrastructure gaps in states where CNG and electric vehicles were already available stating however that additional refuelling, charging and conversion facilities were required.

Ismaeel stated that states agreed to identify their busiest transport corridors and provide relevant data to guide the deployment of additional CNG infrastructure.

According to him, the states are expected to submit three priority interventions that can realistically be delivered in line with the Oct. 1 target.

Each state is to establish an implementation team comprising officials from the transport, energy and related sectors to work directly with Pi-CNG & EV.

The initiative would assign coordinators to facilitate implementation and monitor progress at the state level.

“Private-sector participation will also be prioritised, with investment promotion agencies expected to work towards a common framework for attracting investments into CNG and EV infrastructure.

“The engagement is to ensure that the lower operating costs of CNG and electric mobility translate into actual savings for commuters.

“The Federal and state governments are working to make affordable public transportation available to more Nigerians,” Ahmed said.

The Stakeholders Engagement which was convened by Pi-CNG & EV brought together representatives of state governments including commissioners of transport in various states.

Lady Godknows Ogbulu