News
Insecurity: Nigerian Govt can’t silence justice with bullets – Kanu’s lawyer
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, the lead counsel to detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has warned the Federal Government against using military force as a substitute for dialogue in tackling agitations across the country.
Ejiofor issued the warning in a statement titled, ‘Boko Haram: An invented name and the unlearned lessons of history’, shared via X on Saturday, cautioning that no nation ever silenced a cry for justice through the barrel of a gun.
He called on the government to return to the path of engagement, empathy, and reconciliation if it truly seeks lasting peace.
The lawyer’s intervention is coming in the wake of renewed debate over the roots of Boko Haram’s insurgency and the state’s response.
Recall that former President Jonathan stirred controversy on Friday when he claimed that during his tenure, Boko Haram insurgents once nominated then-General Muhammadu Buhari to represent them in peace talks, a claim swiftly dismissed as false by Buhari’s former spokesman, Garba Shehu.
Weighing in on the recent national conversations triggered by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor’s new book, Scars, Ejiofor drew attention to remarks made at its public presentation in Abuja on Friday.
He took reference from the book review delivered by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rt. Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, who described Boko Haram as an invented name that grew into a psychological weapon of fear.
He said the bishop’s reflections highlighted how manipulation, desperation, and mismanagement of narratives often drive conflicts more than ideology itself.
According to him, Kukah’s message underscored the need for national introspection on how language and state response could deepen or defuse crises.
The lead lawyer for Nnamdi Kanu also cited interventions at the event by former President Goodluck Jonathan, who revisited his administration’s encounters with insurgency.
Ekwutosblog reports that Jonathan had revealed that intelligence reports once showed Boko Haram fighters possessing weapons more sophisticated than those of Nigerian troops.
The former Nigerian leader further contrasted the group’s violence with his personal engagement in resolving the Niger Delta crisis, noting that dialogue and rehabilitation, not force, secured peace in the region.
Drawing a parallel, Ejiofor lamented that the Federal Government failed to adopt a similar approach when peaceful agitation emerged from Nigeria’s South-East between 2015 and 2017.
“The proscription marked the beginning of an unending cycle of mistrust, violence, and alienation.
“Rather than address the underlying grievances, the government chose a blanket suppression that inadvertently legitimised the use of force where empathy was needed,” Ejiofor stated.
Former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami says Economic and Financial Crimes Commission operatives forcefully evicted him and his family from their Abuja residence despite ongoing court proceedings over the property’s forfeiture.
He described the action as unlawful and vowed to challenge it in court.
The governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, has approved a N10,000 transportation allowance as a palliative for the state workforce to cushion the effects of the increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State chapter, Kayode Martins, in a statement released on Monday, March 23, disclosed that the governor has granted the request of the union on the issue of transportation allowance.
The statement read
“Following the intervention and formal request made by the State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) earlier this morning, the state government has approved a N10,000 transportation allowance for all workers in the state.
The newly approved allowance is set to take effect from April 2026, providing much-needed relief to workers grappling with rising transportation costs amid current economic challenges.
This development comes as a direct response to sustained advocacy by the state NLC, aimed at cushioning the impact of increased living expenses on the workforce.
Further details on implementation are expected to be communicated by the relevant government authorities in due course.”
News
Former Acting Accountant-General of the Federation bags 72years imprisonment for diverting N868.46 million security funds
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, March 23, convicted and sentenced Chukwunyere Nwabuoku, former acting Accountant-General of the Federation (AGoF), to a 72-year jail term without an option of fine.
DailyTrust reports that in the judgment delivered, Justice Omotosho held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been able to prove the nine-count money laundering charge beyond reasonable doubt.
According to the judge, the defendant is hereby convicted as charged.
Justice Omotosho convicted Nwabuoku in all the nine counts and sentenced him to eight years imprisonment in each of the counts, making 72 years.
The judge, however, ordered that the counts shall run concurrently.
Justice Omotosho, who described Nwabuoku’s act of diverting funds meant for security and defence while he served as Director of Finance and Account in the Ministry of Defence as “appalling,” commended the EFCC for being detailed in its prosecution.
The judge observed that the evidence of the 9th prosecution witness that Nwabuoku voluntarily refunded part of the siphoned money of over N200 million during investigation was not controverted by the defence.
Nwabuoku served as the Director of Finance and Accounts in the Ministry of Defence between 2019 and 2021. He became acting Accountant General of the Federation in May 2022.
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