Politics
Insecurity: The horrifying discoveries in South East forests
Insecurity: The horrifying discoveries in South East forests
INSECURITY– Hard to narrate ugly and shocking discoveries that are being made in many forests and bushes occupied by criminal elements that have been terrorizing the people of the South East region in the last three years.
These chilly discoveries include decapitated human corpses, shallow graves, and abandoned vehicles of all types, belonging to kidnapped victims who were either killed or released and their vehicles seized.
Some of these things were uncovered during raids by security operatives in the forests occupied by killer Fulani bandits and the dreaded unknown gunmen, two killer groups that have been holding the region hostage, killing, kidnapping, maiming, and destabilizing the social and economic life of the people.
Southeast Governors must check what goes on in forests and bushes in their states.
A cross-section of residents of the region agreed that forests and bushes in their areas are no safer, haven occupied by criminal elements and turned into places for torture, killing, maiming, rape, shrines, and all manners of evil activities. They called on the five governors of the zone to take it as an emergency task to sanitize forests and bushes in their states by raiding and clearing them and turning them into useful places.
Shocking discovery around Lokpanta cattle market is an eye-opener
The announcement made by Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, of the barbaric discovery of 50 decomposing and 20 headless bodies around the Lokpanta Cattle Market in the Umunneochi council area of Abia State, was an eye opener and the tip of the iceberg of what could be found in many other forests and bushes in the zone going by the atrocities meted out to residents and visitors to the area in the last two to three years.
A raid in forests and thick bushes in communities Nnewi and Ihiala council areas of Anambra will surely be more shocking. Forests in Enugu, Ebonyi, and particularly in Imo communities, and other parts of Abia will reveal more shocking discoveries.
Revealing what was discovered around Lokpanta Cattle market, in Abia state, Governor Alex Otti noted with regret that the vicinity of the market had turned into a den for criminal atrocities.
Otti insisted that the government would not go back on the decision to sanitize the market and make it a daily market and non-residential. He vowed that no inch of the state would be allowed to serve as a breeding ground for criminals. He warned that anybody opposed to his government’s efforts to sanitize the Lokpanta cattle market must be a criminal or an accomplice.
“We have installed electronic equipment that tells us what is happening in every part of the state. A few weeks ago, we found that a lot of ransom that was paid for kidnapping ended up somewhere around Umunneochi, and we decided to raid the place. During the raid, we made shocking discoveries.
“In less than 48 hours, we recovered over 50 dead bodies around the cattle market in Umunneochi. We recovered over 20 decomposing headless bodies- men, women, and children. We recovered so many skeletons of people killed.
“We also discovered that gun running, prostitution and so many evil things were happening in the market. So, we realized that the first thing to be done is to secure the market. We went in and brought down many brothels, and we felt that the market, just like any other market, should be a day market that starts in the morning and closes in the evening”.
Continuing, Otti said: “We have started fencing the market even though it will cost a lot of fortunes. We also want to make it a general market, not just for cattle alone. There will be sections for provisions, foodstuffs, electronics, and others.
“We also feel that those people hibernating in the market should go and live in the communities. We want to have a peaceful environment around Umunneochi and other parts of the state. Anybody not supporting this move must be a criminal, and there is no place for criminals anymore in Abia”, he warned
Discoveries by soldiers on Southeast Operation Udoka
Also raiding criminal hideouts in the region, soldiers on Operation Udoka, at Ugbakwa community in Nkanu East council of Enugu State, apprehended one Chimezie Chukwu (aka Biggi), said to have escaped during the Jos prison break and also said to be a known drug peddler, gunrunner and specialist in armed robbery.
They recovered from him items such as mobile phones and mobile phone batteries; a Moniepoint POS and ATM card, packs of substances suspected to be cannabis, and some cash. Also, in camps at Ogbunka, Orumba South council area, which security operatives said had been abandoned by the criminals, they recovered three abandoned vehicles, two Toyota Highlander jeeps and one Mercedes Benz ML350 jeep.
Cattle dealers kick against plans to sanitize, make Lokpanta market a daily market
The people residing inside the Cattle Market, who are of Northern extraction, some of them cattle dealers, have rejected the eviction order by Abia Government. Their spokesperson, Mallam Buba Abdullahi Kedemure, said the plan to fence the market situated on 80 hectares of land “will not work”.
Kedemure said asking them to live outside the cattle market, which they have occupied since 2005, translates to telling them to leave Abia State as it was not practicable for the 15,000 members of the Northern community to live among the natives.
“If the government will fence the market, demolish our houses, urge us to go and live in the neighbouring villages, it means the government has automatically chased us away from Abia State,” he claimed.
Also, a statement signed by 14 market leaders and cattle traders, including the chairman, Alhaji Saleh Algare, and the secretary, Auwal Hamma, said “It is unjust, unfair and ungodly for anyone to prevent any Nigerian, irrespective of tribe and religious affiliation from staying in any part they desire to stay in Nigeria”.
Peter Obi supports the Abia Govt to sanitize the market
The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 Elections, Peter Obi described the discovery of decomposing corpses as “bone-chilling” and “extremely cruel”.
Obi said the discovery “reflects how insecure our environment has been” and “unearths how insecurity has continued to ravage many parts of the country, taking innocent lives and killing the economy”.
He commended Governor Otti, for taking a “bold step” against insecurity in the state and recalled facing a similar situation in 2013 as the Governor of Anambra State.
Obi said that the security of lives and property remains the primary duty of any government.
“We must prioritize security. “We cannot continue to allow our people to live in fear and uncertainty”.
We support Government plan- Environmental Rights Group
Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development, FENRAD, a leading human and environmental rights advocacy group, supports the Government’s plan and calls for proper investigation of anyone opposed to the move to fence the Lokpanta Cattle Market. The Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nwafor, said no responsible government folds its arms while any part of its territory is converted into a breeding ground for criminals.
“What an infamy that the market built to promote cattle and foodstuff enterprise was turned into a den of hostage takers who run a kidnapping and abduction industry that has thrived for decades now. FENRAD is aware of the gruesome activities of these faceless gangs which have been extended from Lokpanta and Umunneochi to Ihube, Uturu, Okigwe, and Isuikwuato axis. The fact that the killings and decapitation happened and were not reported, neither by the traders nor market occupants, only leaves much to be desired”, the group said.
The Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, Anambra State also supports the plan of Abia State Government. The chairman, Comrade Vincent Ezekwueme, CLO commended Governor Alex Oti for the effort that led to the shocking discoveries around the Umuezechi/Lokpanta cattle market.
Umunneochi community, and stakeholders back the Government to sanitize the market
The immediate past member who represented the Umunneochi state constituency at the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Okey Igwe, said the revelation by the Governor, though shocking and pathetic, was not new to some stakeholders.
“To some people, it is just coming to light but we have lived with this terror for a long time. But hopefully, this is the start of the lasting solution to the menace. I don’t think the Governor of the state will be playing a game with a serious issue like this. I have seen some of the pictures. I don’t think anybody should lecture me on the reality of the situation. If anybody is in denial that we have been besieged, I don’t know why.
“People who were kidnapped lost their lives in the process. A senior police officer in Isuochi was kidnapped and later killed. The former Prelate of the Methodist Church was also kidnapped in this same area. So, I don’t think anybody should be in denial of this. It shouldn’t be a tribal thing. I rather think what should matter to all is how to bring a lasting solution to the menace. Our people have been through this horror, and I hope we are beginning to get respite.
“If the measures by the state government are considered the solution to this security threat, it should be supported by all because anybody could be a victim. So, I don’t think the move is to witch-haunt anybody.
“It’s a security policy, and if the Government suspects that the cattle market has been hijacked by some elements, fencing it and making it a day market, I think, makes sense. I don’t think the original intention was to make it a residential market. People should go to the market and return to their houses afterward. I don’t think the market should be a residential area”.
Prince Ikedi Ezekwesili, also a former lawmaker, said that movement around Umunneochi had become a nightmare following a spike in criminality in the area. He said that the number of casualties as disclosed by the Governor should not be argued considering the atrocious activities of bandits and kidnappers on the prowl in the area spanning to Isuochi/Ihube/Aku forest.
“It is quite a disturbing revelation. It was a common knowledge. When our women went to the farm they would return with very gory experiences of having met decomposing bodies or skeletons or documents of kidnap victims.
Politics
Pro-Tinubu Group Demands Sack of Badaru, Other Ministers Who Lost Polling Units in Bye-Elections
Pro-Tinubu Group Demands Sack of Badaru, Other Ministers Who Lost Polling Units in Bye-Elections
The Asiwaju Network has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately disengage underperforming ministers who failed to deliver their polling units and wards during the just-concluded bye-elections.
The group also urged a cabinet reshuffle to inject fresh energy and ensure that only those who can add political and governance value remain in the Federal Executive Council.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja and signed by its president, Alhaji Musa Ibrahim Dandoka, the Asiwaju Network said the results of the elections were a litmus test that exposed the political weaknesses of some ministers entrusted with strategic national assignments.
At Babura Kofar Arewa Primary School in Jigawa State, where the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar, cast his vote, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 308 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC), which managed only 112.
Badaru, a former governor of Jigawa and APC chieftain, left the venue without addressing journalists after casting his vote amid heavy security presence.
Dandoka said it was troubling that, despite his high office, the Defence Minister could not secure victory in his polling unit.
He argued that such political setbacks undermine the strength of the APC and the credibility of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope government.
“This defeat is both embarrassing and unacceptable. A minister who cannot win his polling unit cannot claim to possess the political capital required to defend the APC or promote the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda. President Tinubu must act quickly to weed out weak links in his cabinet and replace them with men and women who have proven grassroots capacity,” Dandoka stated.
The group noted that Badaru was not alone in this failure, stressing that another minister from Jigawa and one from Enugu State also lost their wards and polling units.
According to the group, these developments point to a worrying trend of disconnect between certain ministers and their political bases.
“Ministers are not merely technocrats. They are political leaders of the party in their states and zones. If they cannot hold their homes together, then they do not deserve to hold on to strategic national offices. The bye-elections have sent a clear message, and it is that some ministers have lost relevance and electoral value,” the statement reads.
The Asiwaju Network maintained that the APC’s strength lies in grassroots mobilisation, and any minister unable to inspire loyalty within his immediate constituency is a liability.
Dandoka emphasised that President Tinubu’s success in governance must be matched with political consolidation, which requires capable and electorally grounded cabinet members.
“President Tinubu has been bold with tough decisions on subsidy reforms, the economy, and security. Nigerians are beginning to see the fruits of those reforms. But he must also be bold enough to reshuffle his cabinet. A government of results cannot afford ministers who are passengers. The President needs proven drivers of the Renewed Hope vision,” Dandoka said.
The group also commended loyal APC members and supporters who defied intimidation and attempts at rigging in Jigawa and Enugu, saying their resilience was the true strength of the ruling party.
“These members stood firm when those at the top failed to inspire confidence. They turned out in their numbers to defend the APC’s relevance even when some of their supposed leaders abandoned them. These grassroots soldiers of democracy must never be taken for granted,” Dandoka added.
The Asiwaju Network further urged President Tinubu to take the bye-election results as a warning, cautioning that retaining non-performing ministers would embolden the opposition and demoralise party loyalists.
“The message from Jigawa and Enugu is clear: the APC cannot continue to reward failure. A minister who cannot secure a few streets in his ward has no business in the Federal Executive Council. Mr President must urgently rejig his cabinet or risk carrying dead weight into future electoral contests,” the coalition warned.
Reaffirming the group’s loyalty to Tinubu’s leadership, Dandoka said Nigerians expect a government that rewards competence and accountability, not excuses and political failures.
“President Tinubu has the people’s mandate. He must not allow weak ministers to drag down his vision. A decisive cabinet reshuffle now will send a strong signal that the Renewed Hope government is serious about performance, delivery, and results,” he declared.
Customs at the Crossroads: When Lawmakers Look Away and the Executive Looks Aside
By Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi
In a democracy, legislative oversight is the scalpel that cuts through deceit, inefficiency, and corruption in public institutions. It is the people’s last institutional shield against abuse of power. But what happens when that shield becomes a shelter for the very rot it is meant to expose? And what happens when the Executive arm, whose duty is to supervise its agencies, pretends not to see?
The unfolding drama between the National Assembly and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) reveals more than a policy dispute. It exposes a dangerous triangle of confusion, complicity, and economic sabotage. At stake is not only the rule of law but the survival of an economy already gasping under inflation, a weak naira, and suffocating costs of living.
The House Talks Tough
In June 2025, Nigerians saw a glimpse of legislative courage when the House of Representatives Committee thundered at Customs:
> “Nigerian Customs Service, by June 30, must not collect CISS again. You are to collect only your 4% FOB assigned by the President. Even the 7% cost of collection you currently take is illegal—it was an executive fiat of the military, not democratic law. Any attempt to continue these illegal collections will be challenged in court. The ‘I’s have it.”
The voice was firm, the ruling decisive. Nigerians expected a turning point.
But the righteous thunder of the House was quickly muffled by the Senate’s softer tone, which suggested not the enforcement of the law but a readiness to bend it.
Senate: Oversight or Escape Route?
At a Senate Customs Committee session, Senator Ade Fadahunsi admitted openly that Customs has been operating illegally since June 2023. Yet rather than demand an end to illegality, he extended a lifeline to Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi:
> “If we come back to the same source… the two houses will sit together and see to your amendment so you will not be walking on a tight rope.”
But should Adeniyi be handed a loose rope while Nigeria’s economy hangs by a thread?
Instead of accountability, the Senate Customs Committee floated adjustments that would make life easier for Customs. The nation was given hints about fraudulent insurance and freight data, but instead of sanctions, what we saw was a search for escape routes. This is not oversight—it is overlook.
Smuggling and Excuses
The Senate Committee also lamented cross-border smuggling—Nigerian goods like cement flooding Cotonou, Togo, and Ghana at cheaper prices than in Nigeria. Senator Fadahunsi blamed the Central Bank’s 2% value deposit for encouraging the practice.
But where are the Senate’s enforcement actions—compliance checks, stiffer sanctions, cross-border coordination? None. The result is predictable: smugglers prosper, reserves bleed, and ordinary Nigerians pay more for less.
A Bloated Customs Budget
The Service’s 2024 capital allocation ballooned to ₦1.1 trillion from ₦706 billion. Instead of channeling these resources into modern trade systems, Customs is expanding empires of frivolity—such as proposing a new university despite already having training facilities in Gwagwalada and Ikeja that could easily be upgraded.
Oversight is not an afterthought; it is the legislature’s constitutional duty. To see waste and illegality and yet propose amendments that would legalise them is to turn oversight into overlook.
Customs has about 16,000 staff, yet many remain poorly trained. Rather than prioritise capacity building, the Service is busy building staff estates in odd locations. How does Modakeke—an inland town with no border post—end up with massive Customs housing projects, while strategic border towns like Badagry, Idiroko, and Saki remain neglected? Is Bashir Adeniyi Comptroller-General of Customs—or Minister of Housing?
The 4% FOB Levy: A Policy Blunder
The central controversy is the Federal Government’s plan to replace existing port charges with a new 4% Free-On-Board (FOB) levy on imports.
Nigeria is an import-dependent nation. This levy will instantly hike the costs of cars, spare parts, machinery, and raw materials—crippling industries and punishing consumers.
Already, the consequences are biting:
A 2006 Toyota Corolla now costs between ₦6–9 million.
Clearing agents who once paid ₦215,000 for license renewal must now cough out ₦4 million.
New freight forwarder licenses have jumped from ₦600,000 to ₦10 million.
Customs claims the revenue is needed for its modernisation programme, anchored on a software platform called B’Odogwu. But stakeholders describe this so-called “Odogwu” as epileptic—if not comatose. Why commit trillions to a ghost programme that will be obsolete by January 2026, when the Nigerian Revenue Service is set to take over Customs collections?
Industry Raises the Alarm
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has warned that the levy will worsen inflation, disrupt supply chains, and hurt productivity.
Lucky Amiwero, President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, calls the levy “economically dangerous.” His reasoning is straightforward:
The 4% FOB levy is much higher than the 1% CISS it replaces.
Peer countries like Ghana maintain just 1%.
The new levy will fuel inflation, raise the landed costs of goods, and destabilise the naira.
He also revealed that the Customs Modernisation Act, which introduced the levy, was passed without Senate scrutiny or meaningful stakeholder consultation. He estimates that the levy could add ₦3–4 trillion annually to freight costs—burdens that will be transferred directly to consumers.
Who Is Behind the “Odogwu” Masquerade?
The haste to enforce this levy, despite its looming redundancy, raises disturbing questions. Who benefits from the “Odogwu” project draining trillions? Why the rush, when NRS will take over collections in a few months?
This masquerade must be unmasked.
The Price Nigerians Pay
For ordinary Nigerians, this policy translates into one thing: higher prices. Cars, manufactured goods, and spare parts are spiraling beyond reach. A nation struggling with inflation, unemployment, and a weak currency cannot afford such reckless experiments.
So, while the Senate looks away, the Executive cannot look aside.
The Executive Cannot Escape Blame.
It is easy to focus on the failings of the legislature. But we must not forget: the Customs Service is an agency of the Federal Ministry of Finance, under the direct supervision of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun.
If Customs is breaking the law, wasting resources, or implementing anti-people policies, the buck stops at the Executive’s table. The Minister of Finance is Chairman of the Customs Board. To fold his hands while the Service operates in illegality is to abdicate responsibility.
History gives us a model. In 1999, the Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman, was specifically assigned to supervise Customs and report directly to the President. Meanwhile, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala focused on broader fiscal and economic policies. That division of responsibility improved accountability. Today, the absence of such an arrangement is feeding impunity.
President Tinubu and his Finance Minister must act decisively. Oversight without executive will is a dead letter.
A Call to Accountability
The truth is stark:
Customs has been operating illegally since June 2023 to the Senate’s own confession.
The 4% FOB levy will deepen inflation and worsen economic hardship.
The Ministry of Finance bears ultimate responsibility for Customs’ conduct.
Until importing and consuming, Nigerians demand accountability—of the Comptroller-General, the Senate, and above all, the Finance Ministry—this bleeding will continue.
Nigerians deserve better. They deserve a Customs Service that serves the nation, not a privileged few. They deserve a House that enforces its resolutions, not one that grandstands. They deserve a Senate that upholds the law, not one that bends it. And above all, they deserve an Executive that does not look aside while illegality thrives under its ministry.
Only public pressure can end this indulgence. If Nigerians keep silent, we will keep paying the price—in higher costs, weaker currency, and a sabotaged economy.
Citizens’ Charge: Silence is Not an Option
Fellow Nigerians, the Customs crisis is not a drama for the pages of newspapers—it is a burden on our pockets, our businesses, and our children’s future. Every illegal levy is a tax on the poor. Every abandoned oversight is an open invitation to corruption. Every silence from the Executive is an approval of impunity.
We cannot afford to fold our arms. Democracy gives us the power of voice, the duty of vigilance, and the right to demand accountability. Let us demand that:
The Senate and House of Representatives stop playing good cop, bad cop, and enforce the law without compromise.
The Ministry of Finance takes full responsibility for the Customs Service, supervising it in the interest of Nigerians, not vested interests.
The President intervenes now, before the Service crosses the dangerous line of turning illegality into policy.
History will not forgive a people who suffered in silence when their economy was bled by recklessness. Silence is complicity. The time to speak, to write, to petition, to protest, and to demand is now.
Customs must serve Nigeria—not sabotage it.
Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also the President of Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table. BoT Chairman, Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija. He is a strategic Communicator and the CEO, Masterbuilder Communications.
Email:[email protected]
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Aare Adetola Emmanuel King Congratulates Hon. Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji on Election Victory
The Chairman/CEO of Adron Group, Sir Aare Adetola Emmanuel King KOF, has congratulated Hon. Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji on her resounding victory in the just-concluded by-election for the Remo Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives.
In a goodwill message issued by him, he described the victory as “a historic moment for the Remo people, coming at a time when the constituency yearns for a leader with vision, courage, and genuine commitment to service.”
He noted that the outcome of the election was an attestation to the trust and confidence reposed in Hon. Ayoola-Elegbeji by the people, adding that her sterling qualities, integrity, accessibility, and compassion for the grassroots had endeared her to the electorate.
“The overwhelming support you garnered at the polls is proof that you are the right voice at the right time to carry the aspirations of Remo to the national stage,” he stated.
While acknowledging that the by-election followed the painful demise of the late Hon. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga (Ijaya), Aare Adetola Emmanuel King said Hon. Ayoola-Elegbeji’s emergence symbolizes the continuity of purposeful representation. He expressed confidence that she would not only sustain the legacy of her predecessor but also surpass it with new energy, innovative ideas, and progressive leadership.
The Adron Group Chairman further prayed for divine wisdom, strength, and compassion for the Member-Elect as she assumes office, expressing confidence that her tenure will usher in meaningful development, economic empowerment, and greater opportunities for the people of Remo Federal Constituency.
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