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Fmr. Kogi Gov Yahaya Bello Gets Court’s Permission To Perform 2026 Lesser Hajj

January 29, 2026

By Ayodele Oni

Request by a former governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to travel to Saudi Arabia to pray against the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has been granted by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

The Court said that the former Governor should go to Saudi Arabia to perform the 2026 lesser Hajj in the holy Land.

Justice Emeka Nwite while granting the permission on Thursday, ordered that the travelling passport of the former governor, which has been in the custody of the court be released to him temporarily.

The former Governor is currently standing trial before the court in alleged misappropriation of funds brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

His application for permission to travel to Saudi for supplication filed on January 20, supported by a 24-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Yahaya Bello himself was moved by his lead counsel Mr Joseph Daudu, SAN.

The Counsel informed the court that the request was to enable the defendant travel to the Holy Land in Saudi Arabia to observe the lesser Hajj during the month of Ramadan

Daudu informed the court that Yahaya Bello had not gone to the holy land for over eight years and said that there is the need for him to go now to pray to God to deliver him from the charges preferred against him by the EFCC.

Responding to the application, the lead prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN told the court that, the prosecution will not oppose the request for the defendant to travel to the holy land for the lesser Hajj, but will not concede any of the dates set aside for his trial by the courts.

In a short ruling on the application, Justice Emeka Nwite granted the request for the release of Yahaya Bello’s international passport deposited with the Registrar of the court to enable him travel to the holy land for the Ramadan lesser Hajj.

According to the judge, “I have listened to the submissions of counsel in this matter and am minded to grant the application.

“Consequently, the court granted the request, approving the release of the passport from March 13, 2026 for a period of 10 days and thereafter adjourned till Friday, January 30 for the continuation of the examination of the seventh prosecution witness (PW7).

“Nnamdi Kanu Said Sit-at-Home Order Was Wrong When I Visited Him” – Soludo

The Source

January 29, 2026

Governor Charles Soludo and Nnamdi Kanu — File Pix: L-R: Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo and Nnamdi Kanu.

By Charles Igbo

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has said that the jailed leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi is unhappy about the sit-at-home order imposed on Igbo land. Kanu, he said, told him the order was wrong.

In 2021, the leadership of IPOB had imposed the order in protest against the detention and prosecution of Kanu. IPOB, also, felt it could use the sit-at-home order to pressurize the Federal Government into releasing Kanu. But it backfired. For, instead of having the desired effect, the order turned the zone upside down. It crushed the zone, its economy, and wrought violence and death and rivers of blood on the people.

Till date, the zone has not recovered from that order. Nothing is the same. Criminal gangs, hiding under the umbrella of IPOB, have given the zone no breathing space.

But while not a few people blame Kanu for what the order has wrought on the zone, Soludo said Kanu was unhappy with it when he visited the IPOB leader at his detention centre at the Department of State Services, Abuja, DSS.

Soludo disclosed this when he addressed the Press on Wednesday in Awka, Anambra State, over the one week temporary closure of the Onitsha Main Market for the traders’ continous shutting down of the Market every Monday in obedience to the sit-at-home order.

He told the Press of Kanu’s stand on the order:

“I visited Kanu (in detention) and he was unhappy about it. I confronted him with the question (sit at home order) and he told me it was wrong.

“We later met with the stakeholders, constituted the Justice Peace Committee which was headed by Professor Chidi Odinkalu and they have submitted their report and we have been implementing it.”

Soludo, also, blamed some unnamed individuals outside the State for being responsible for the sit-at-home order.

His words: “We also discovered that the people outside are the ones fueling it and we have held town hall meetings to tell them they are killing the homeland.

“You cannot distort the growth of people and education, the same people you said you are fighting for.

“We announced amnesty programme and 15,400 youths came out and we have rehabilitated them. We are working to give young people a life and other people are there working to give them pain.

“The rest of the world cannot adjust to our own calendar. We cannot operate a four-day economy and hope to compete with people operating six days of the week. So we must stop. This is not because of fear of insecurity because we have over 150 security personnel working in the main market only.

“The cost is much and not as a result of loss in taxes because Onitsha generates pittance. I’m talking about the larger economy, which is more on the traders themselves. Monday is the most important day of the week and if we continue, our economy will continue to come down. We can’t train our children in a school system that runs four days a week.

“I’m concerned because you gave me the mandate to be your Chief Servant. If not, what do I lose? I can as well shutdown and use my Mondays to sleep too.

“Some politicians are involved and they think it’s politics. It is not about politics, it is about security, the interest and future of our state. It is about our prosperity, it is about our security, it is about the poor people who must go out before they can feed.

“For now, we will not name the politicians who are sponsoring them. At least for now, but very soon we will name them. They are doing this because they think they can score political points by sponsoring this.

“This economic sabotage must not continue. In 2022 and 2023 we were busy strategizing on how we would deal with the insecurity in our land. In 2024 and 2025, we used it to launch onslaught on criminals, and today I can say that Anambra is the safest state. Even if our enemies do not agree, they will count us among the safest states in Nigeria. This 2026 is for fighting sit at home. It is either they open their shops or we revoke their ownership.”

Kano Govt. Urges Deputy Gov. To Resign Honourably

Suleiman Anyalewechi

January 29, 2026

L-R: Kano State Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo and Governor Abba Yusuf

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Kano State Government has urged the State Deputy Governor, Comrade Aminu Abdulssalam Gwarzo, to immediately consider resigning his position.

The call is coming against the backdrop of the refusal of the Deputy Governor to defect from the New Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP to the All Progressives Congress, APC, alongside Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf.

The Source reports that Governor Yusuf, against strident opposition from his political godfather Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, had, on Monday January 26, 2026, officially joined forces with the All Progressive Congress, APC.

The defection was preceded by his resignation from the NNPP on Friday January 23 , alongside some State and National Assembly Members , Local Government officials, Members of the State Executive Council and other Government appointees.

However, the Deputy Governor led the pack of other Government officials who rejected the move to a new political abode, preferring, instead, to pledge allegiance to the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement Senator Kwankwaso .

But speaking during a live programme on Muhasa Radio, the State Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Waiya, expressed serious concern over the prospect of political disagreement at the highest level of Governance in the State.

According to him, much as the Deputy Governor has the inalienable right to make political preferences, such should not be done at the detriment of the State .

He emphasized that a political divergence at the level of Governor and Deputy Governor has the dangerous potential to undermine trust and effective governance, more so going by the fact that the number two is also the Commissioner for Higher Education in the State .

Waiya noted that given the stance of the Deputy Governor, it will be more expedient for him to follow in the footsteps of some Commissioners who have exited their positions in Government on account of their disagreement with the defection option.

He emphasized the importance of the existence of a synergy and shared ideology to good governance in any system, noting that problems of monumental proportion could surface in the face of perceived conflict of interests.

“What we are hoping for, just as some Commissioners who felt uncomfortable, and have resigned, is that the Deputy Governor should also take an honourable path if he is no longer on the same political page with the Governor.

“If you sit in an Executive Council meeting where issues bordering on how to move the state forward are being deliberated on, and suddenly there is this suspicion about where such discussions may end up, then there is a serious concern. Whether we like it or not, governance revolves around trust and shared values.

“People are entitled to have aspirations, including that of becoming the Governor. In fact, there is nothing wrong with nursing ambition, but if interests conflict as regards the direction of Government, the most honourable path to follow is to resign and pursue your goals without hiderance”, Waiya stated

The Commissioner, however, stressed that the choice to either voluntarily leave the Government or not, in the present circumstances, remains exclusively that of the Deputy Governor.

But according to the Commissioner, the best available option to the Deputy Governor is to vacate his office and face his future political alignments without obstruction.

Although he did not disclose the next move by the Government, there are, however, strong indications that the impeachment option may be considered, should the Deputy Governor continue to cling to his office.

AFCON 2025: CAF Fines Senegal $715,000, Suspends Coach Two Players

Akinwale Kasali

January 29, 2026

By Akinwale Kasali

The Patrice Motsepe-led Confederation of African Football, CAF, is not leaving any stone unturned in the melee that happened at the final of 2025 African Cup of Nations, AFCON, between the Atlas Lions of Morocco and the Teranga Lions of Senegal, that led to chaos and brought disrepute to the game.

Following this development, CAF has hit the Senegalese Football Federation, Coach Pape Thiaw, and Two Players, Chiekh Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr with heavy sanctions.

This is Following disciplinary breaches during the #AFCON2025 tournament, despite emerging as champions of the competition.

CAF handed Senegal’s head coach, Pape Thiaw, a Five-Match Suspension and imposed a USD $100,000 fine on him for misconduct.

Two Senegalese players, Cheikh Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr, were also punished, each receiving a two-match suspension from official CAF competitions for unsporting behaviour towards match officials.

In addition, the Senegal Football Federation (FSF) was fined heavily on multiple counts.

CAF imposed a USD $300,000 fine for the improper conduct of Senegalese supporters, while another USD $300,000 fine was levied for the unsporting conduct of players and technical staff.

The Federation was further fined USD $15,000 for misconduct of the National Team after Five Senegal players were cautioned during the tournament.

In total, Senegal was fined USD $715,000.

Despite the penalties, Senegal remain the biggest winners of the tournament financially, receiving USD $10 million as prize money for winning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

CAF has reiterated its zero-tolerance stance on misconduct, stressing that discipline and respect for match officials remain non-negotiable across African football.

House Of Reps Directs NBC To Determine Owner Of New Oil Field, Eba, As Ondo Faults Ownership Claim By Ogun

Ayodele Oni

January 29, 2026

By Ayodele Oni

Designation of Ogun as an oil producing state is being threatened following claim by the neighbouring Ondo state that the oil rich community falls under its jurisdiction.

A statement by Kayode Akinmade, the Special Adviser Media to Governor Dapo Abiodun had stated that Ogun state has joined the oil producing states in the country as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the commencement of commercial oil drilling at Tongeji Island in Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.

However, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Ilaje and Ese-Odo, Donald Ojogo, maintained that the territory falls within the Mahin Kingdom in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, noting that the kingdom, originally known as the Mahin country, existed long before the colonial era.

Moving a motion on the floor of the house, Ojogo stated that “The House is concerned that all infrastructure—roads, hospitals, schools and other social amenities—were/are provided for by the then Ondo province/Ondo government up to date,”

The lawmaker stressed that Eba Island clearly falls within Ondo State, arguing that geography and historical administration support this position.

“The House is concerned that Eba Island, for instance, firmly falls within the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.

“The geographic coordinates align with officially recognised national and international mapping systems and such cannot be altered by opinion or speculation.”

He also pointed out that the area had long been administered by Ondo State without objection.

“We are also concerned that Eba Island has, for decades, been administered as part of the Atijere Forest Reserve under Ondo State Government authority without any formal protest or legal challenge from Ogun State,” Ojogo added.

On oil exploration in the area, he said the location of the oil field further reinforced Ondo State’s claim.

“The location of the oil field (Ago Balogun community) otherwise known as the Eba oil field falls within Ago Balogun Community—customarily, historically and traditionally governed under Atijere Kingdom in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State which further reinforces the fact that the original inhabitants of Eba Island are the Ilaje sub ethnic group of the Yoruba ethnic nationality.

Ojogo lamented that despite the absence of any legal backing, claims linking the area to Ogun State were gaining traction.

“Without any legal instrument, no judgment of any competent court, no National Boundary Commission determination, and no constitutional instrument designating Eba Island or the Eba oil field as part of Ogun State; media opinions and publications have twisted historical facts by insinuating that they belong to Ogun State,” he said.

According to him, the situation has created avoidable tension and threatens peace in the area.

The motion received overwhelming support from lawmakers, after which the House mandated its Committee on Special Duties to urge the National Boundary Commission to “urgently put in place measures to determine the status of the area.”

We Will Soon Resolve The Long-standing Kano Emirship Tussle – Govt

Suleiman Anyalewechi

January 29, 2026

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Kano State Government on Thursday, January 29, 2026, assured that the long drawn battle for the soul of the Kano Emirate throne will soon be amicably resolved.

The Source reports that the revered ancient Kano Emirate was on Thursday May 23, 2024, thrown into an unprecedented crisis following the dethronement of the 15th Emir, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, and the reinstatement of Mohammed Sanusi II, as the 16th Emir by Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf.

The controversial arrangement has since led to a plethora of Court actions by the camps of Emir Bayero and Emir Sanusi with both laying claim to being the rightful occupant of the royal stool.

While the lingering squabble for the ultimate control of the Emirate stool is awaiting adjudication by the Supreme Court of the country, the two contenders are presently maintaining parallel palaces.

While Emir Sanusi who has been enjoying the backing of the State Government holds court at the Kofar Kudu main palace, Emir Bayero, the eldest son of the 14th Emir, late Ado Bayero, who, also, is believed to have the support of the Federal Government resides at the Nasarawa mini palace.

But at a media briefing on Thursday, the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, assured that efforts are underway to bring the leadership tussle to an amicable end.

This is as he reaffirmed Government’s unflinching commitment towards ensuring the restoration of lasting peace and stability in the state.

According to him, the Kano State Government has put machineries in place for the purpose of meaningfully engaging all stakeholders, and major parties in the royal face off.

Although, he did not give details of the peace efforts, however, there have been insinuations suggesting that Emir Bayero may be sacrificed.

In fact, not a few keen observers fear that the Emirship tussle may have formed part of the bargaining chips for the recent defection of Governor Yusuf to the APC.

For the records, Governor Yusuf is not only a member of the Kano Royal Family, but a close relation of Emir Sanusi.

Speculations are rife that the Federal Government-backed, and Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje-installed Emir Bayero may be placated with an alternative, leaving Emir Sanusi with his life-long ambition of being the Emir of Kano.

OPINION: Yusuf’s Red Cap on Tinubu’s Red Carpet

The Source

January 29, 2026

By Azu Ishiekwene

After months of dallying and endless speculations, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State finally broke ranks with Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, his in-law, mentor and political godfather.

Yusuf had been in Kwankwaso’s shadow for nearly two-and-a-half decades, serving in various roles, including an executiveportfolio as commissioner in Kano State, until 2023, when Kwankwaso nominated him as governor over more prominent and visible aspirants.

Yusuf followed his godfather, Kwankwaso, from PDP to APC, then back to PDP, then to NNPP. It has been a tried-and-tested companionship – the type that only politicians can toss aside and still recover from the shock in little or no time.

The road to manhood

On Monday, January 26, Yusuf returned to the vomit both he and his godfather had skirted when the outgoing Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, another long-term ally who had earlier dribbled Kwankwaso, and dumped the red cap.

Since winning his disputed election victory in a Supreme Court verdict in January 2024 – a verdict that overturned the tribunal and Appeal Court rulings – followers, admirers, and instigators began whispering to the governor to drop the feeding bottle and stand on his own feet.

In hindsight, it must have been a make-or-break decision for Yusuf, popularly known as ‘Abba Gida-Gida.’ A Catch-22! But finally, he crossed the Rubicon, breaking free from what many had considered his in-law’s third term in the Kano Government House.

Echoes of Rome

In what sounded like the echoes of ancient Rome, Kwankwaso declared January 23, the day Yusuf defected, the World Day of Betrayal.If Kano were Rome, would Yusuf be the new Julius Caesar and Kwankwaso its Pompey? Like Caesar, the governor has defied warnings not to cross the Rubicon River, which in ancient Rome was the ultimate act of war.

Yet with the winds of power in Yusuf’s sails and Kwankwaso, in his Pompey’s winter, the governor has chosen the most vulnerable moment to strike.

Uneasy calm

Surprisingly, Kano is quiet – for now. The fanatical Kwankwasiyya Movement – a red-capped brigade for whom Kwankwaso is a cult figure and his red cap an emblem of loyalty, seems to have taken Yusuf’s treachery like they took Ganduje’s – biding time with uneasy calm.

In the shark-infested world of politics, self-survival is the first law. What’s in it for me? Is there a pathway to a second term, especially with rumours that Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin is interested? Or is safe passage guaranteed for me? The elite settle themselves first, and only afterwards are the followers’ interests negotiated.

What next, Kano?

What next? Kano often defies gravity. Its politics issophisticated, dangerously contrarian, yet consequential. That explains why Aminu Kano’s NEPU defeated the pro-establishment NPC,and why PRP consistently beat NPN.In 2003, Ibrahim Shekerau’s ANPP defeated Kwankwaso’s nationally dominant PDP, only for Kano to birth a red-cap movement that is fanatical even without a cause, eight years later. Now, with the possible realignment of Yusuf, Ganduje, and Shekerau on one side against Kwankwaso on the other, the die is cast.

“Nonsense!” a Kwankwaso confidant said. “Should Kano act to type in the 2027 gubernatorial elections, then Yusuf’s defection might well nail his political coffin. The assumption that being in the ruling party is a sure bet might turn out to be fatalistic, not just for him but for many governors who have defected.”

Read my cap

Almost instant upon his defection, it is being announced that Yusuf has the automatic APC governorship ticket to run in next year’s election. He had the right of first refusal to the NNPP ticket before he bolted. And he still has his red cap on.

Already, a blend of the red cap with the Tinubu trademark has emerged. Is Yusuf coming along with Kwankwaso to the APC? No one should be surprised if this happens despite the hue and cry about betrayal. Politicians hardly mean what they say.

What lies ahead promises to be both fascinating and intriguing.

Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the book, Writing for Media and Monetising It.

Gov Soludo Threatens To Revoke Onitsha Main Market

The Source

January 29, 2026

By Charles Igbo

“I can revoke that market, pay compensation to people who have private structures there, and use it for even an annex of Agunechemba Security if I like.”

An angry, and ready-to-fight Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has threatened to revoke the Main Market Onitsha if the traders in the biggest market in West Africa keep “misbehaving”.

The Governor had, temporarily, he said, closed down the market over the insistence of the traders to shutdown the market every Monday in obedience of the sit-at-home order imposed on the people of the South-east by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB.

IPOB had, in 2021, imposed a weekly Monday sit-at-home order on the people to pressurize the Federal Government into releasing its Leader, Nnamdi Kanu, from detention.

However, that sit-at-home order made no impact on Kanu’s status. If anything, it brought woes, violence, death, blood, poverty, to the people of the South-east.

After months of advice and consultations, IPOB, on the orders of Kanu, decided to let go of the order. But it continued with the now jailed and estranged-from IPOB Simon Ekpa.

While the kanu-led IPOB obeyed him and, at least, restricted the order to only when Kanu was to appear in Court, the Ekpa Group, known as Autopilots, continued with the enforcement of sit-at-home order, stretching it to days, atimes, and succeeded in bringing the economy of the region to its knees.

While in a couple of South-east States the order is no longer as effective as it used to be, it is however, still very effective in Anambra State, especially in the State’s commercial cities of Onitsha and Nnewi. No market. No school. No banking activities.

Penultimate week, Governor Soludo signed an executive order banning the sit-at-home order in the State and threatened to deal with those still observing it. He asked traders to go to market.

However, on Monday, the Governor noticed that in disobedience to his order, the Onitsha Main Market was under lock and key. Traders still stuck to the sit-at-home order. In reaction, Soludo temporarily closed down the market for an initial one week. And on Tuesday when the traders went to the Market, facing them were locked gates, hundreds of security personnel, and more.

Not a few people, including IPOB, some civil society groups and even individuals have condemned the Governor’s action, asking where he got the authority to close down the market and people’s businesses.

But on Wednesday, the Governor, at a Press Conference, gave a comprehensive response where he explained why he closed down the market. He said the every- Monday sit-at-home was a deliberate sabotage against the State and its people. He said it has denied the State of revenue, destroyed the civil service by forcing civil servants to work for only four times a week instead of five times, and schools from being in session for only four days a week, instead of five days. He said very soon, he would make the names of those sponsoring the illegal order public.

He insisted on the temporary closure of the Onitsha Main Market, and threatened to revoke the market and allocate the sprawling area to the State Security outfit, Agunechemba.

Soludo: “This 2026 is for fighting sit at home. It is either they open their shops or we revoke their ownership.

“If it gets to this point, we will ask them to come and show us their documents of ownership of the shops and I will personally scrutinize it myself. Most of those documents, we know how they came about.

“For those shouting ‘show me the law where you can close our shops’, I want to say that they should be ready when I show them the law that empowers me to revoke that market and use it for whatever is better for the State. I can revoke that market, pay compensation to people who have private structures there and use it for even an annex of Agunechemba Security if I like.”

The Governor also disclosed that in the next two weeks he will start a recertification. A lot of people want shops in that market, so if you are not ready to open shops, go elsewhere. We will revoke your shops and give it to people who are willing to open.”

Following is, in part, what a defiant Soludo at a Press Conference.

“I want to say that the Monday sit at home is deliberate economic sabotage and would not be allowed to continue. Throughout the yuletide the market was open from Monday down to Saturday and in most cases opened on Sundays too.

“For people who say the Monday decision is because of insecurity, why were there no incidences when traders opened all through the week? Now that normal businesses have commenced, they have started their Monday sabotage. They go for meetings on Monday, go to the stadium to exercise and they do not fear insecurity.

“Why is their target Nnewi and Onitsha? The majority of those doing it are not from Anambra. As I drove to Onitsha on Monday, all markets were open. In most cases there was street trading and it was even difficult for us to meander our way. Other markets were open and I drove through Ochanja, but the major target is Onitsha Main Market. When we got there, it was not open. We think this is deliberate and it has to end.

“I visited Kanu and he was unhappy about it. I confronted him with the question (sit at home order) and he told me it was wrong. We later met with the stakeholders, constituted the Justice Peace Committee which was headed by Prof. Chidi Odinkalu and they have submitted their report and we have been implementing it.

“We also discovered that the people outside are the ones fueling it and we have held town hall meetings to tell them they are killing the homeland. You cannot distort the growth of people and education, the same people you said you are fighting for.

“We announced amnesty programme and 15,400 youths came out and we have rehabilitated them. We are working to give young people a life and other people are there working to give them pain.

“The rest of the world cannot adjust to our own calendar, we cannot operate a four-day economy and hope to compete with people operating six days of the week. So we must stop. This is not because of fear of insecurity because we have over 150 security personnel working in the main market only.

“I’m concerned because you gave me the mandate to be your Chief Servant. If not, what do I lose? I can as well shutdown and use my Mondays to sleep too.

“If it gets to this point, we will ask them to come and show us their documents of ownership of the shops, and I will personally scrutinize it myself. Most of those documents, we know how they came about.

“For those shouting ‘show me the law where you can close our shops’, I want to say that they should be ready when I show it to them. I will also show them the law that empowers me to revoke that market and use it for whatever is better for the state. I can revoke that market, pay compensation to people who have private structures there and use it for even an annex of Agunechemba Security if I like.

“I hope that push will not come to shove, but in the next two weeks, we will start recertification. A lot of people want shops in that market, so if you are not ready to open shops, go elsewhere. We will revoke your shops and give it to people who are willing to open.”

For the records, Soludo has threatened to close 12 other markets. And yes, Kanu, by the way, has been jailed for life by a Federal High Court, Abuja Division, and is serving his time in Sokoto.

Nigerians Condemn Police Brutal Crackdown On Lagosians Protesting Demolition Of Their Homes

James Orji

January 29, 2026

Rights groups, activists and social media users have condemned the Lagos State Police Command and the Lagos State Government over the arrest and the use of force on residents who protested the demolition of their homes across parts of the state on Wednesday.

The condemnation followed the police’s deployment of tear gas to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who converged in Ikeja to protest what they described as their displacement without adequate compensation or relocation.

The protesters, drawn from Makoko, Oworonshoki, Owode-Onirin, Oko Baba and other communities, carried placards bearing inscriptions such as: “A megacity cannot be built on the bones and blood of the poor,” “Urban poor is not a crime,” “Stop killing us,” “Justice for Owode-Onirin traders,” and “Lagos is not for the rich alone.” They also chanted solidarity songs.

The protest began in the morning and gathered momentum at the Ikeja Under Bridge, where demonstrators converged before marching towards the Lagos State House of Assembly in Alausa.

So This Happened (EP 367) reviews: Lekki landlady drags tenant to court over expired rent

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At different points, the protesters demanded proper relocation plans if the government was determined to demolish their homes, as well as compensation for residents who reportedly lost their lives during previous demolitions.

On arrival at the Assembly gate, the demonstrators were stopped by the Commissioner of Police, Moshood Jimoh, who informed them that they would not be allowed access into the legislative complex.

The police chief’s stance drew resistance from the protest leaders, who insisted they would not leave unless granted entry to engage directly with the lawmakers.

As tension mounted, some lawmakers stepped outside to address the protesters, but the move was rejected, with demonstrators insisting that a dialogue could only take place within the Assembly premises.

Moments later, the standoff degenerated into chaos as police officers fired tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd.

Thick smoke engulfed the area, triggering panic and forcing protesters to flee in different directions. Several people sustained injuries, while journalists covering the protest also scrambled for safety.

A PUNCH videographer, Sulaiman Adeniyi, collapsed after inhaling tear gas fumes, while a nursing mother was seen shielding her baby as she ran to safety. One protester sustained a leg injury after being hit by a tear gas canister. Some police officers were also seen retreating from the smoke.

Defending the police action in an interview with News Central Television, shared on the station’s verified X handle, Jimoh said the protest infringed on the rights of other road users.

He alleged that protesters blocked the highway, threw pebbles at him and verbally abused him.

“Peaceful protest is allowed, but when it blocks a public highway, it becomes dangerous to lives, including those of the protesters themselves,” Jimoh said.

“I cannot allow vehicles to run over protesters under my watch. After four lawmakers addressed them and they still refused to disperse, I warned them to leave the highway. Instead, they pushed my officers, causing them to fall on their rifles.

“We used minimal force —tear gas— so millions of Nigerians who use that road could go to work.”

However, an activist, Ms Yemi Adamolekun, who was present at the protest, faulted the police account.

She said the protesters were peaceful and denied claims that they blocked the road or attacked the commissioner.

“They were calm, and at the point tear gas was fired, they were being asked to sit down so water and snacks could be shared.

“The police had already blocked the lane closest to the Assembly. These people are homeless—where exactly do you expect them to go? Saying they blocked the road is false,” she said

Adamolekun added that the confrontation could have been avoided if the protesters had been allowed into a designated area within the Assembly complex.

Also reacting, the President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Debo Adeniran, condemned the use of force in dispersing the protesters, describing it as a violation of citizens’ constitutional rights.

He said peaceful protests should be met with dialogue, not repression, and called for sanctions against officers who fired tear gas.

Similarly, the Lagos State Coordinator of the Take-It-Back Movement, Oluwatosin Adeyemi, condemned the police action in a statement.

“Rather than listen to the legitimate cries of the people, the police responded with tear gas, brutality and arrests. Several protesters were injured, including one of the protest leaders, Comrade Hassan Taiwo Soweto,” he said.

“Peaceful protest is not a crime. The use of force against unarmed residents demanding justice is unacceptable.”

The group called for the release of protesters allegedly arrested during the protest.

On social media, Nigerians also expressed outrage over the incident.

Ogedegbenge Olusegun wrote on Facebook, “Look at how the government treats citizens like criminals in their own country.”

On X, @Okoroaforlaura tweeted, “Allow them to protest. This is democracy, not dictatorship.”

Confirming the arrest of some of the protesters, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said two individuals—Taiwo Hassan and Dele Frank—were arrested for conspiracy and conduct likely to breach public peace.

She corroborated the Commissioner of Police’s claim that the protesters barricaded the road, adding that the two arrested persons would be charged in court.

She said, “As a result of these unlawful acts by the violent protesters, Taiwo Hassan (male, adult) and Dele Frank (male, adult) were subsequently arrested at the scene of the protest by the police for conspiracy and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, threatening violence and instigating disorder, inciting the public to cause a breakdown of law and order, obstruction of traffic flow, and unlawfully restraining road users from access, contrary to the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

“They are currently undergoing investigation and will be charged to court within the time limit provided by law. A white Toyota Canta vehicle with registration number Lagos LND 968 YL, fitted with multiple loudspeakers and two generator sets and allegedly used to block the highway, was intercepted and recovered as an exhibit.

“A coffin allegedly carried by the protesters to cause fear and apprehension in the minds of the public and to disturb public peace was also recovered.”

Meanwhile, the Lagos State House of Assembly denied ignoring the protesters despite being on recess.

In a statement by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Stephen Ogundipe, the Assembly said lawmakers attempted to engage the protesters, but dialogue was rejected.

“Four lawmakers were mobilised to engage the protesters in good faith. However, they insisted on forceful entry into the Assembly complex,” the statement read.

The House added that one protest leader became verbally abusive, accusing the commissioner (of police) of murder —an allegation it described as reckless and unfounded.

The state government has yet to respond to the allegations.

The Punch

Presidency Slams Atiku For Saying Tinubu’s Govt Worse Than ‘Military Dictatorship’

James Orji

January 29, 2026

The Nigerian Presidency has slammed a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar over his remark that the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu is worse than military dictatorship. It’s wrong for the former vice president to make such remark when he’s enjoying democratic freedom under the administration, which is not available under the military regime.

The Special Adviser to the President, Media and Communications, Sunday Dare made the assertion on his verified X page on Wednesday in response to Abubabar, who on Tuesday during a book presentation in Abuja, the nation’s capital berated the All Progressives Congress, APC administration of President Tinubu for adopting a military-styled leadership in the country.

The book “The Loyalist” is authored by Bolaji Abdullahi, the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

“Not even the military dictatorships before 1999 damaged our national life and consciousness in the way this administration has done,” Abubakar noted, urging the ADC “to rescue the country from what I consider the worst administration I have witnessed in nearly four decades of political life.”

Slamming the former vice president for the remark, the presidential spokesman said Abubakar was trying to distort history by comparing the Tinubu’s administration with the military era when many Nigerians were “ jailed, exiled, or killed under decrees and firing squads.”

Dare warned Abubakar to stop insulting the memory of Nigerians describing the ‘dictatorship” remark as absurd, saying the former vice president is angry because he has failed to rule the country after failing to win the presidential election four times, adding that it’s abnormal for the former number two citizen of the country to compare a democratic government with a military regime.

Dare’s Post read: “For a man who once occupied the office of Vice President under a constitutional democracy, Atiku Abubakar’s persistent inability—or refusal—to distinguish between democratic governance and military dictatorship is no longer ironic; it is alarming. His claim at the ADC event that Nigeria under Bola Ahmed Tinubu is worse than military rule was not a gaffe but a willful distortion of history and further slide into senile dementia. It insults the memory of Nigerians jailed, exiled, or killed under decrees and firing squads so that men like Atiku could enjoy today’s freedoms. To sanitize that era simply because he is now a serial electoral loser reveals a conscience corroded by desperation.

“The absurdity of Atiku’s ‘dictatorship’ narrative collapses under minimal scrutiny. In the same republic he brands tyrannical, he moves freely, convenes political meetings at will, grants interviews, and attacks the President daily—under full constitutional protection. These are liberties military regimes extinguished without hesitation. For Atiku to sit comfortably in Abuja, shielded by democratic rights, while romanticizing the “efficiency” of military rule is not dissent; it is cognitive dissonance bordering on historical vandalism.

“This is not a one-off lapse but a chronic condition. Atiku has perfected post-election grievance, recasting himself every four years as the chief mourner of his own defeats. He conveniently forgets the era when dissent meant exile or death—perhaps because he was insulated by elite privilege. By equating the economic adjustments of the Renewed Hope reforms with military repression, he exposes the truth: his only ideology is unfulfilled ambition. If he cannot rule, he would rather delegitimize the democracy that rejected him.

“One must ask whether the Waziri of Adamawa believes his own rhetoric or if this is the flailing of a man watching his relevance evaporate. To argue that a ballot-produced government is worse than one imposed by bullets is reckless and corrosive. It insults the legacy of June 12 and flirts dangerously with democratic sabotage. His constant cries of “tyranny,” even as he shops endlessly for new party platforms, only highlight his terminal hypocrisy—devotion to democratic benefits, contempt for democratic outcomes.”

The presidential aide urged Abubakar to start behaving as a statesman when making comments on the state of the nation, instead of inflammatory remarks capable of causing chaos in the country.

“At this stage, Atiku Abubakar is less an elder statesman than a cautionary tale. Having exhausted ideas and credibility, he has descended into inflammatory exaggeration, hoping chaos might succeed where voters have repeatedly said no. If he truly longs for the “order” of military rule, he should explain why he spent decades masquerading as a democrat. Nigeria has moved on. His cognitive dissonance is no longer a national issue—it is a personal implosion unfolding in public.”

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