society
ENDSARS: Fresh stench from Sanwo-Olu’s mass grave (1) Tunde Odesola
ENDSARS: Fresh stench from Sanwo-Olu’s mass grave (1)
Tunde Odesola
It was the saddest night of October 2020. Nobody spoke except the shovels in their hands, heaping sand on slain bodies, bones and blood in a shallow mass grave. Secretly, they buried a great number of unnamed, unfortunate citizens in the still of the night. One, two, three…20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, and more and more corpses. Did the Fulani-Oyo War kill that much?
After the indecent burial, the undertakers left for home, wiping sweat off their dirty brows, their heavy boots stained with blood-red earth. Compunction is not a function of their heart.
Theirs was a cycle of tragedy, the victims. They suffered while alive, died horrible deaths, and were dumped in a mass grave by the caring Lagos State Government.
On your mark, get set, go! A sprinter and a marathoner set out on a race around the earth. The sprinter shoots forward like a bullet and is gone out of sight. Unperturbed, the marathoner gets off the block – slow, steady and sure-footed.
Bullets don’t fly forever. But the wind does. After the trigger clicks, bullets soon lose their speed, poison and they drop flat. But the wind, silent and unseen, goes on and on and on like forever.
The sprinter-marathoner and bullet-wind metaphors are my picturalisation of falsehood and truth. Many a time when falsehood bolts out on a race, truth is in bed, snoring. Truth, never in a hurry, effusing its fragrance, is certain to overpower the odour of falsehood in the long run.
Another metaphor. Thunder and lightning! Both are energies: one is sound, the other is light. Falsehood rumbles like thunder, heard far and near. Truth is silent like lightning, its light travels 670 million mph in contrast to thunder’s sound which travels 768 mph. Like lightning, truth kills its adversaries, but thunder is impotent like falsehood – all sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Who goes there? Friend or foe? I’m a friend; a friend to truth. I’m an enemy of falsehood, injustice and wickedness. But I’m not an enemy of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the little BOSs of Lagos, crouching behind the real BOSS, who departed Bourdillion to live on the Rock in Abuja. I’m an honest friend of the governor and the godfather. And, I’m here ready to defend the little BOSs against unhealable ENDSARS activities, activists and victims.
It’s sad the enemies of Sanwo-Olu won’t allow him to ‘drink water and keep cup’ since the bitter 2023 governorship election in Lagos State. It’s sad the ghosts of ENDSARS victims mowed down by government forces in various parts of Lagos won’t just rest in peace. It’s sad the legs of the corpses won’t stay buried in the grave, they just keep sticking out, pointing accusing toes at Abuja who sent out the messengers of death, and the little boss who did the dirty job of giving a descent burial to the wretched souls.
I’ll defend Sanwo-Olu. Yes, I’ll. What did the protesters expect when they laid siege to the city, and disrupted buying and stealing? Sorry, I mean, selling. Did they think they were in Ghana, the Benin Republic, US or UK? Didn’t they know that he, who said, “The dog and baboon would be soaked in blood,” was in power? Didn’t they know that the man who asked mourning Akure people to show proof that herdsmen killed their daughter, was eyeing the ultimate prize? Did they expect the government to fold its hands and watch political investments go down in ruin?
I’ll tell some truth. After jackboots cracked skulls, twisted ribs and broke limbs at the Lekki tollgate, a fidgety Sanwo-Olu washed his hands off the dastardly act, telling Nigerians he didn’t know who deployed soldiers to ambush the protesting youths. In a ThisDay story, Sanwo-Olu said, “I don’t know how the officers got it all wrong because the instruction we gave was that the police won’t be out until 10–10:30pm when all citizens should have gotten to their homes. This is totally against what we stand for.”
More words spew forth from his mouth, “The army does not report to me, I have reported the matter to the highest command in the military. It’s not something we are going to gloss over. A judicial panel will be set up to investigate it. I have escalated it to the highest level of the military.”
The BOSS of BOSs, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, during a visit to Sanwo-Olu, said, “If he (Sanwo-Olu) didn’t order the attack, who ordered the attack? That’s all I needed from him.”
But the Nigerian Army shot down the defence of Sanwo-Olu, saying the governor invited the military. The Army’s response wasn’t done in a hurry, like most of the actions of Sanwo-Olu. It took one week of measured silence for the Army to respond to Sanwo-Olu.
Reacting, then spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Major Osoba Olaniyi, in a statement, said the Lagos State Government invited it to the tollgate to enforce a curfew. “The decision to call in the police was taken by the Lagos State Government after a 24-hour curfew was imposed…The situation was fast degenerating into anarchy. It was at this point that LASG requested for the military to intervene in order to restore normalcy.”
After the rebuttal by the Army, the state government, in a volte-face, said the governor never denied calling in the Army. But he also never admitted to inviting them at all! So, who’s shifty here? Why make the Army look as if they came into the fray uninvited? That doesn’t show a chief executive with balls. That was cheap.
A Senior Special Assistant to Sanwo-Olu on New Media, Mr Jubril Gawat, later said, “Mr Governor never denied this. They were supposed to come after the curfew.”
When the truth got lost between the Army and the state government over who invited soldiers to Lekki, Nigerians would be foolish to believe the wolf cry by both institutions that no life was lost at Lekki.
I won’t taint Governor Sanwo-Olu with a bloody brush. I won’t allow uncouth youths and misdirected activists to malign him. So, I’ll charge the governor to release the Justice Doris Okuwobi panel report on the ENDSARS riots in Lagos. Since the panel was established in the interest of the masses, and the panellists were paid with taxpayers’ money, I advise the husband of Ibijoke to release the report and shame the devil. I’ll defend Sanwo-Olu and stand by him.
Before the governor heeds my advice, let me give a sneak preview of the report.
A leaked report published by Al Jazeera on November 16, 2021, titled, “Panel of inquiry finds Nigerian Army culpable in Lekki ‘massacre’,” said the Nigerian Army was culpable of shooting and killing unarmed citizens protesting police brutality at Lekki.
The report was the findings by the Justice Doris Okuwobi panel established by the state government to look into the ENDSARS crisis and proffer recommendations.
Quoting the report, Al Jazeera said, “At the Lekki Toll Gate, officers of the Nigerian Army shot, injured and killed unarmed, hapless and defenceless protesters, without provocation of justification, while they were waiving the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem and the manner of assault and killing, could in context be described as a massacre.”
There was light at the toll gate before the soldiers moved in. There were surveillance cameras, too. When the soldiers from 81 Division left their barracks on Victoria Island and neared Waterloo, the lights and cameras went off. In the total darkness, light sparked from gun muzzles, faces contorted in horror, and guns sparkled. The government didn’t deny lights and cameras were switched off.
Who switched off the lights? And the cameras? Why switch off the lights and the cameras? America recorded the killing of Osama bin Laden and showed it to the world. I’ve seen videos of the Biafra War, Sudan War, Falkland Island War etc. Why switch off the lights and cameras just to quell a civilian riot? Then, where’s the video of the cleaning up of the Lekki tollgate after the beat stopped for many of the innocent and peaceful rioters? What’s the content of the camera recovered by a former Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, at the toll gate?
* To be continued.
Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com
Facebook: @Tunde Odesola
Twitter: @Tunde_Odesola
The Real Terrorists Wear Agbada: Tinubu Doctrine of Economic Terrorism
By George Omagbemi Sylvester
In a nation as bruised and battered as Nigeria, silence is complicity. Since 2015, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has orchestrated one of the most disastrous chapters in our democratic history. Under the current leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the country is not just experiencing misgovernance, it is under siege by a form of political and economic terrorism perpetrated by those sworn to protect it.
This is not hyperbole. It is a data-backed, morally urgent diagnosis of Nigeria’s grim descent into state-enabled poverty, repression and collapse. The defenders and enablers of this administration, whether in government, media, religious institutions or the business elite are not innocent. They are co-conspirators in the slow suffocation of over 200 million people.
A Nation in Freefall
When the APC assumed power in 2015, Nigerians hoped for a clean break from corruption, economic decay and insecurity. Instead, what they got was worse than a broken promise; they got betrayal on a national scale.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), over 133 million Nigerians are now trapped in multidimensional poverty. This staggering figure includes lack of access to education, healthcare, clean water and decent living conditions. In less than a decade, the APC has presided over the largest expansion of poverty in Nigeria’s history.
Inflation is now at 33.69% as of April 2025, while food inflation soars at over 40%, making even basic meals unaffordable for the average family. The naira has crumbled to ₦1,500 to the dollar, leaving importers, businesses and households in economic quicksand. Meanwhile, the federal government continues to spend lavishly ₦10 billion on solar panels for the presidential villa, ₦15 billion to renovate the vice president’s residence and millions on globe-trotting trips while citizens sleep hungry.
If this is not a coordinated attack on the livelihood and dignity of Nigerians, what is?
Political Terrorism by Other Means
Terrorism is often defined as the use of violence and coercion for political purposes. But what do you call it when government policies systematically impoverish citizens, suppress dissent, rig elections, ignore rule of law and promote a culture of impunity?
Welcome to Nigeria under APC rule.
From the reckless removal of fuel subsidies without a safety net to the bungled naira redesign policy that froze the informal economy, every major policy has left behind a trail of economic destruction. These actions are not mistakes and they are calculated and the impact is nothing short of terroristic in scope and effect.
The late Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said it best:
“What is happening in Nigeria is not normal governance. It is a form of political and economic warfare against the Nigerian people.”
This war is being waged through budgets, policies/silence and it is killing more dreams than bullets ever could.
Tinubu’s Regime: A Travesty of Leadership
President Tinubu’s emergence in the 2023 election remains deeply controversial. His victory was marred by irregularities, voter suppression and delayed results. Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, noted that the elections were “deeply flawed” and did not meet the expectations of democratic transparency.
Since taking office, Tinubu has failed to provide a coherent plan to rescue the nation. Instead, his administration has prioritized cosmetic reforms, excessive foreign trips and elite comfort. The gap between presidential promises and lived realities has widened into an abyss.
Worse still, the president’s known past remains a source of global embarrassment. In 2024, a U.S. District Court ordered the release of FBI and DEA files linked to alleged drug trafficking associations from Tinubu’s Chicago days. These revelations further erode Nigeria’s image on the global stage and deepen the moral crisis at the heart of our democracy.
Defenders of Tyranny: Collaborators in Oppression
Those who continue to defend this administration, despite overwhelming evidence of failure are not neutral. They are enablers of oppression, cheerleaders of chaos and prophets of poverty. Whether they wear agbadas in parliament, cassocks in churches, or camouflage in barracks, their silence or worse, their praise is a betrayal of the Nigerian people.
As Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, once said:
“The worst form of oppression is when the oppressed become defenders of their oppressors.”
This psychological capture is perhaps the most dangerous legacy of the APC regime. They’ve normalized suffering, glamorized theft and demonized dissent.
Corruption as Policy, Poverty as Tool
The Auditor-General’s reports between 2015 and 2023 exposed over ₦20 trillion in unaccounted government expenditure. Yet no high-profile prosecutions or convictions followed. The Tinubu government continues to reward failure with appointments and punishes accountability with persecution.
Security agencies have been weaponized. The EFCC and DSS are used not to fight corruption, but to silence whistleblowers and opposition figures. Journalists are harassed, civic spaces are shrinking, and protests are brutally suppressed. This is not governance. It is dictatorship by stealth.
The Diaspora Question: Are We Not Nigerians?
Here lies an even deeper insult: If this government can allocate ₦10 billion for solar panels and billions more for luxury projects, why can’t they pass a bill to allow diaspora voting? Why must nearly 20 million Nigerians in the diaspora doctors, engineers, scholars, entrepreneurs remain disenfranchised?
Are we not Nigerians? Do we not send home over $23 billion annually in remittances? Don’t we have the same constitutional rights as those forced to vote under duress and propaganda?
Our exclusion is deliberate. It is political. It is unjust.
It is easier for the APC to manipulate domestic voting populations than to engage a diaspora community that is educated, exposed and uncompromising. By shutting us out, they silence voices that cannot be bought or bullied.
This is not democracy. It is strategic disenfranchisement.
A Global Embarrassment
Under the APC, Nigeria’s stature has plummeted globally. Once the “Giant of Africa,” Nigeria is now mocked for its leadership dysfunction. In 2024, Transparency International ranked Nigeria 150th out of 180 countries in its Corruption Perceptions Index. The World Bank’s Human Capital Index shows Nigeria near the bottom, as children suffer malnutrition and graduates flee the country in droves.
Meanwhile, the brain drain continues. Doctors, engineers, academics and everyone with a shred of hope is finding the exit door. The APC is not just losing the future, it is chasing it away.
As Prof. P.L.O. Lumumba warned:
“Any nation that entrusts criminals with leadership must prepare for the funeral of its democracy.”
A Call to Conscience
This is no longer a partisan issue. It is a humanitarian emergency. We are not dealing with bad governance; we are facing organized political and economic terrorism. And those who defend this administration are accomplices in a grand national tragedy.
They are not just misguided, they are dangerous.
If Nigeria must rise again, then this regime and its supporters must be held to account. There must be an end to this impunity. There must be a reckoning.
Let the world know: Nigerians are not silent because we agree. We are silent because we are bleeding.
And when a people bleed for too long, history teaches us that something eventually breaks.
We have reached that moment. Enough is enough.
Byline: George Omagbemi Sylvester is a political commentator, diaspora advocate and writer based in South Africa. He writes extensively on democracy, leadership and African development.
Why Gen. Buratai will always remain in the minds of Nigerians-Enyioma
From………
Lance Corporal Chikere Vitus Enyioma, an admirer of the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Tukur Buratai has given reasons why Nigerians would not forget the retired Army boss in a hurry.
In a statement, Enyioma explained “I joined the Nigerian Army in 2014 with the full intention of serving my country diligently. My first posting was to 1 Division Kaduna, where I was influenced by a common belief among the junior ranks—that our generals didn’t care about us.
“However, that perception changed when Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai assumed full command and began to truly work and serve both Nigeria and the Nigerian Army.
“Later, I was transferred to Abuja and had the rare opportunity to serve directly in his office as an office orderly. I witnessed firsthand the incredible demands of serving as the Chief of Army Staff. I remember a specific week when he worked day and night without rest. During a particularly intense period of operations against insurgents, he broke down after a night of nonstop work and back-to-back high-level meetings.
“I was sent by his MA and I had to rush downstairs to get the medical representative, who administered treatment to help him recover. To my surprise, as soon as he regained his strength, he returned immediately to his desk to continue working.
“Throughout my time working in his office, I never saw him take a leave or even a break. Under his leadership, long-forgotten allowances were restored, Many non-commissioned officers were promoted or commissioned. Soldiers were given access to both military and civilian education programs—of which I was a beneficiary.
“He also expanded housing schemes and introduced mortgage opportunities for personnel. Lt. Gen. Buratai redefined what it meant to serve with commitment and vision, and every other Staff officer under him was equally busy.
“Under Buratai’s leadership, the Nigerian Army successfully reclaimed large swathes of territory previously under Boko Haram’s control in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States. Major highways like the Maiduguri-Bama and Damaturu-Maiduguri roads were reopened, allowing for the restoration of civil governance in formerly overrun regions.
“He initiated the creation of vital commands and formations to improve rapid response, including Nigerian Army Special Forces Command, Army Aviation Corps. These formations enhanced operational flexibility and strengthened counter-insurgency efforts.
“Under his tenure, the Army acquired modern armored vehicles, artillery systems, and combat drones, significantly increasing its firepower and tactical capabilities.
“Establishment of Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB). Founded in 2018 in Biu, Borno State, NAUB focuses on advancing military education and research, supporting innovation and technology in military operations.
“Buratai championed soldiers’ welfare by introducing; Housing initiatives and educational opportunities.
Enhanced healthcare services which gave birth to one of the Best hospitals in Abuja ( COMMAND AND NAOWA HOSPITAL). These improved the morale and effectiveness of the troops.
“Promotion of Civil-Military Relations: He emphasized mutual trust and understanding between the Army and civilians, strengthening nationwide collaboration and public support.
“Support for Democracy; During election periods, Buratai ensured the Nigerian Army upheld constitutional order, playing a neutral and stabilizing role in Nigeria’s democratic processes.
“Nigerian Army Farms and Ranches; established agricultural projects to boost food security for soldiers and provide alternative welfare support for their families.
“Nigerian Army Institute of Technology and Environmental Studies. He founded this institute to train soldiers in technical and environmental disciplines, supporting their post-service careers.
“Advocacy for Cultural Integration in Security; after his retirement, Buratai actively promoted using Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage to enhance national security, emphasizing that no indigenous culture supports criminality.
“Army Structural Expansion Under Buratai. New Divisions
6th Division (Amphibious)– Port Harcourt, Rivers State
8th Division – Sokoto State.
“New Brigades and Units:16 Brigade– Yenagoa, Bayelsa State
17 Brigade – Katsina State
63 Brigade – Delta State
2nd Brigade – Akwa Ibom State
42nd Engineering Brigade
Fort Muhammadu Buhari Forward Operating Base – Daura, Katsina State
331 Artillery Tactical Forward Operating Base – Buratai, Borno State
Forward Operating Base, Okene – Kogi StaSpecialized Institutions and Facilities.
“Nigerian Army Aviation School,
Nigerian Army War College, Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC)– Abuja
Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri – Modern military housing in Abuja
“Here is a list of some infrastructural projects constructed or initiated under Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai during his tenure as Chief of Army Staff (2015–2021). These projects span military bases, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, roads, housing, and operational commands, reflecting his strategic focus on capacity building, welfare, and professionalism.
“Army Headquarters Command Structures. Remodeling and modernization of Army Headquarters Complex in Abuja.Renovation and expansion of Command Officers’ Mess in Abuja
“New Divisions and Formations Infrastructure. 6th Division Headquarters– Port Harcourt, Rivers State (including barracks and support facilities). 8th Division Headquarters – Sokoto State (administrative blocks, housing, operational centers).
“Brigades and Units Infrastructure:
16 Brigade Complex– Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.17 Brigade Complex– Katsina State.63 Brigade Complex– Asaba, Delta State.2 Brigade Forward Operating Base (FOB) – Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State
1 Brigade Headquarters Complex – Gusau, Zamfara State.13 Brigade Complex– Calabar, Cross River State
“Specialized Institutions: Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB) – Biu, Borno State
Nigerian Army War College– Abuja
Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) – Abuja. Nigerian Army Aviation School– (location development under construction). Nigerian Army Institute of Technology and Environmental Studies – Makurdi, Benue State
“Medical Infrastructure: Renovation and expansion of 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital – Kaduna
Upgrading of Military Hospital – Port Harcourt, Establishment of new medical facilities in several divisions including Lagos, Abuja, and Maiduguri
Field hospitals were constructed in combat zones in the Northeast.
“Barracks and Residential Housing Projects; Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment, Giri – Abuja (state-of-the-art barracks and officers’ quarters)
Army Housing Estate – Kurudu, Abuja
Massive renovation and new construction of soldiers’ accommodation across all 6 geo-political zones
Construction of Forward Operating Base (FOB) Barracks– Buratai town, Borno State
“Forward Operating Bases (FOBs): FOB/171Bn Daura – Katsina State
FOB Okene – Kogi State
FOB Buratai– Borno State
Numerous FOBs in the Northeast, enhancing real-time response to insurgency.
“Army Farms and Ranches: Establishment of Nigerian Army Farms and Ranches in several divisions, providing food and economic support for troops.
“Roads and Internal Transportation; Construction of internal road networks within new barracks and cantonment
Upgrading of military access roads and connecting roads in conflict zones for logistics and troop movement
“Training and Capacity Building Centers: Modernization of Depot Nigerian Army – Zaria, Establishment of Command Science Secondary Schools in multiple states, Construction of training ranges and simulation centers across Army divisions, Renovation of military churches and mosque.
“These infrastructure projects were executed as part of Buratai’s vision to professionalize the Nigerian Army, improve troop welfare, and enhance operational readiness. They also reflect a balanced focus on education, healthcare, housing, logistics, and combat efficiency.
“Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai’s legacy is not just in what he built but in how he inspired countless soldiers, myself included, to believe in the military institution again.
“He served tirelessly, restored honor to service, and laid a strong foundation for future generations of the Nigerian Army.
“I recalled how Harvard University Boston USA became an annex of the Nigerian Army in building and shaping the intuition of military officers across the rank beyond the traditional strategic institution like the Defense College NIPSS etc. I am a beneficiary and can proudly be rated. Allah bless our legend of yesterday, today, and tomorrow”.
-
society5 months agoNAPS Presidential Aspirant Lauds Tinubu’s ₦3.5 Trillion Education Budget, Advocates for Polytechnic Investment
-
Entertainment5 months agoAliu Gafar delivers stellar performance as Esusu in Femi Adebayo’s Seven Doors
-
celebrity radar - gossips5 months agoAlbums Reviews : Saheed Osupa’s Latest Release : A 2-in-1 Musical Experience
-
society2 weeks agoOGUN INVESTS OVER ₦2.25 BILLION TO BOOST AQUACULTURE