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
A Nation Betrayed: How NASS Budget Padding Exposes Tinubu’s Complicity and the Rot in Nigeria’s Leadership. By George Omagbemi Sylvester
A Nation Betrayed: How NASS Budget Padding Exposes Tinubu’s Complicity and the Rot in Nigeria’s Leadership.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester
In a disturbing revelation that should outrage every patriotic Nigerian, civic-tech organization BudgIT has uncovered a monumental financial scandal in the 2025 budget, one that shatters every illusion of fiscal responsibility under the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration. According to BudgIT’s damning analysis, the National Assembly padded the 2025 Appropriation Act by inserting 11,122 projects worth a staggering ₦6.93 trillion, projects not proposed by any Ministries, Departments or Agencies (MDAs), but smuggled in by lawmakers.
This is not a clerical oversight, but a calculated and treacherous move. More importantly, this raises one inescapable question: Why did President Bola Tinubu sign this fraudulent budget into law if he was genuinely against it? The answer is simple, brutal and damning: because he is part of the collaboration. This is not just corruption, it is institutional betrayal. It is the final confirmation that the war in Nigeria is not between political parties but between the corrupt elite and the suffering Nigerian masses.
The Anatomy of Budget Padding
Let us first understand the scale of this treachery. The 2025 national budget, totalling ₦28.7 trillion, now has nearly 25% padded content, courtesy of lawmakers’ “constituency projects.” These are not national priorities or economically strategic programs. These are politically motivated insertions designed to enrich contractors linked to lawmakers, reward political loyalty and in some cases, simply launder money.
BudgIT revealed that several of these projects are duplicated, vague, inflated or outrightly useless, such as the procurement of hundreds of boreholes and solar streetlights in areas that do not even have roads, schools or hospitals. These are not investments; they are tools of financial cannibalism.
A similar trend happened in previous years, but never on this scale. In 2021, former President Buhari complained that the National Assembly inserted over 1,000 projects worth ₦150 billion. Now, under Tinubu, that figure has ballooned to ₦6.93 trillion; which is nearly forty-six times higher. This is not reform. This is regression at gunpoint.
Tinubu’s Silence is Complicity
To sign such a budget, fully aware of its fraudulent padding, is not a mistake, this is an endorsement. President Tinubu, known for his political astuteness and Machiavellian tactics, cannot claim ignorance. BudgIT’s report was based on public records. If civic groups could uncover this, then surely the Office of the President, with all its resources, was also aware.
Yet, Tinubu raised no alarm. He signed it into law. Why?
Because the padding was politically convenient. This budget is not just a fiscal document, it is a loyalty purchase agreement. As the APC seeks to consolidate power ahead of 2027, especially in light of its underwhelming performance, it is using state resources to bribe lawmakers across party lines. These padded projects are political IOUs for securing second-term endorsements and collapsing opposition platforms.
This is not democratic governance. This is budgetary banditry, orchestrated under the guise of legislative “oversight.”
The Cost to the People
While the so-called leaders gorge themselves on fake projects and fraudulent allocations, ordinary Nigerians are gasping for breath. Inflation is above 33%, food inflation is at 40%, unemployment remains sky-high and naira continues to hemorrhage value, trading at nearly ₦1,500 to the dollar. Meanwhile, the masses are told to “tighten their belts” while the political elite expands theirs.
Public infrastructure is collapsing. Schools remain underfunded, hospitals are glorified mortuaries and insecurity has become a permanent fixture. Yet ₦6.93 trillion enough to build 20 world-class universities or electrify entire regions has been carved out as a political slush fund.
Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education and former Vice President of the World Bank for Africa, once noted, “The problem with Nigeria is not lack of resources. It is the deliberate theft of the commonwealth by a few.” That is exactly what this budget represents: a theft of historic proportions, blessed by the presidency, executed by lawmakers and paid for by the blood and sweat of ordinary Nigerians.
A Nation Held Hostage
The fundamental betrayal here is not just the money. It is the normalization of impunity. Nigeria has become a hostage state where lawmakers legislate for themselves, the executive protects the corrupt and the judiciary often dances to the tune of power. The 2025 budget saga is not just another scandal, it is a window into how deeply broken the Nigerian state has become.
Even worse is the sheer arrogance with which this fraud is being executed. No lawmaker has denied BudgIT’s report. No investigation has been ordered. The Presidency has remained silent and the APC, whose manifesto once promised “fiscal discipline,” has said nothing.
Silence is not just death anymore, it is endorsement. Every day this padded budget stands unchallenged, democracy dies a little more.
Calls for Action
This cannot be allowed to stand. Civil society must rise. Journalists must demand answers. Every Nigerian must understand that this is not politics this is plunder. The 2025 budget must be reviewed, the padded projects must be removed and those responsible must face prosecution.
Section 81(1) of the Nigerian Constitution empowers the President to prepare and lay before the National Assembly an annual budget. However, it also states in Section 80(4) that “no moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund other than in the manner prescribed by the National Assembly.” This legal ambiguity has been weaponized by both the legislature and the executive to enrich themselves while the nation bleeds.
This is where the people must draw the line. Budget padding is not just bad governance, it is treason against the Nigerian people. Those who participate in it, approve it or benefit from it must be named, shamed and prosecuted.
Final Thoughts: Time for a Revolution of Accountability
The time for timid reform is over. Nigeria needs a revolution not of guns, but of accountability, transparency and civic outrage. If the President will not fight corruption, then the people must. If lawmakers will not serve the people, they must be voted out even if it means starting from scratch.
History will not be kind to the collaborators of this budget. And neither should we.
As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” The 2025 budget scandal matters. It is a defining moment in the fight for Nigeria’s soul. And we must not remain silent.
One Voice, One Future: Youth Power for a New Nigeria
By George Omagbemi Sylvester
In the history of nations, there always comes a defining moment when the youth must rise to rescue their future from the grip of complacency, corruption and systemic decay. That moment, for Nigeria, is now. The clarion call is no longer a whisper in the dark, it is a deafening roar echoing across the cities and villages, the streets and campuses and the diaspora. 2027 is not just another election year; it is a generation’s opportunity to reclaim its destiny.
Nigeria, once hailed as the Giant of Africa, is now crawling under the weight of failed leadership, nepotism, economic collapse and insecurity. Over 70% of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 35, this is not a mere statistic; it is a superpower waiting to be activated. Yet, for decades, the same recycled leadership has ruled the country like a private estate, while the youth are sidelined, patronized or pacified with empty slogans.
The Reality: A Nation Betrayed
The facts are brutal and undeniable. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), as of the fourth quarter of 2024, youth unemployment stood at 42.5%, one of the highest rates globally. Thousands of graduates are turned out yearly into a job market that has nothing to offer them. Our educational institutions are underfunded, with lecturers going on endless strikes, while billions of naira are siphoned into the offshore accounts of corrupt politicians.
The World Bank states that over 40% of Nigerians live below the poverty line, with youth bearing the brunt of the economic despair. The same youth are used during elections as pawns, thugs, online propagandists and cheerleaders for politicians who have never and will never fight for their future.
We must say: “Enough is Enough.”
The Power of Youth: A Sleeping Giant
Across Africa, the story is changing. Youth-led movements are challenging old orders and shaking the foundations of outdated governance systems.
In Uganda, Bobi Wine, a musician turned politician, galvanized millions of youth to challenge President Museveni’s long-standing dictatorship. While he didn’t win the election, he ignited a flame of hope. In Sudan, youth were at the center of the 2019 revolution that ousted the 30-year regime of Omar al-Bashir.
As Nelson Mandela once said, “Youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.” But as things stand in Nigeria, tomorrow never seems to come, unless we seize it.
In 2020, during the #EndSARS movement, we saw a glimpse of what a united, tech savvy and courageous Nigerian youth can achieve. For once, the world stood still as Nigerian youth organized without a central leadership structure, crowd funded, coordinated logistics, engaged in civic education and peacefully demanded justice. Despite the violent crackdown at Lekki Tollgate, the spirit of resistance lives on.
2027: The Youth Mandate
If we are serious about change, then 2027 must be our electoral revolution. Not through violence, but through strategic mobilization, political education, voter registration and active participation in the democratic process.
Let us be clear: the days of apathy are over. As the African proverb goes, “He who is not part of the solution is part of the problem.”
Youth must no longer be mere spectators or online critics; we must become candidates, campaigners, policy drafters, party leaders, election monitors and political donors. Our demographic power must translate into voting power and our voting power must produce accountable leadership.
According to INEC, less than 35% of youth eligible to vote actually did so in the 2023 elections. This is a travesty. With over 90 million Nigerians under 40, if even 50% of us vote smartly and strategically in 2027, we can turn the tide.
Towards a National Youth Alliance
What we need now is not another party, we need a movement, a coalition, a National Youth Alliance that transcends ethnicity, religion and class.
A youth amalgamation that brings together student unions, tech entrepreneurs, young professionals, artisans, artists, athletes, activists and influencers. A youth vanguard that builds structures, fields candidates, protects votes and holds leaders accountable.
We must engage in issue based politics, not stomach infrastructure or tribal loyalties. The youth must demand answers to the questions that matter:
“Why are over 10 million Nigerian children out of school?”
“Why does Nigeria remain the poverty capital of the world, according to the Brookings Institution?”
“Why is our minimum wage ₦70,000 when a bag of rice is over ₦70,000?”
“Why are lawmakers earning ₦30 million monthly while civil servants are owed arrears?”
The late Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso’s revolutionary leader, once said, “You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain amount of madness.” We need a bit of that madness, the madness to challenge the status quo, to think differently and to act boldly.
From Hashtags to Ballot Boxes
It is not enough to trend on Twitter or rant on TikTok, social media is powerful, yes I agree, but it is not a substitute for civic engagement; we need to bridge the gap between online activism and offline results.
Youths must start at the grassroots to win local government seats, state assemblies and build a pipeline of leadership that is tested and accountable. The #NotTooYoungToRun Act must not be a symbolic victory; it must be a political weapon in our hands.
Let us support credible youth candidates with our time, resources and platforms. Let us organize town hall meetings, debates and policy hackathons. Let us raise funds, build apps to track campaign promises and expose corrupt leaders.
As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said, “When we refuse to engage in politics, we end up being governed by our inferiors.”
Time for Tangible Action
It is time for each Nigerian youth to ask themselves: What am I doing today to secure my tomorrow? Are we registering to vote? Are we sensitizing our peers? Are we demanding better governance at the community level?
We must begin to think long term, beyond 2027. The goal is not just to elect a few fresh faces. The goal is to build a sustainable youth-driven democratic culture where excellence not ethnicity, becomes the metric of leadership.
Let us stop romanticizing suffering. Nigeria has the talent, the resources and the manpower to be great. What we lack is visionary leadership and that is what we must now provide.
Final Words: A Movement, not a Moment
This is a movement, not a moment. It will require sacrifice, unity and strategy. There will be obstacles, betrayals and frustrations. But we must remain focused.
As the Pan-Africanist Kwame Nkrumah declared: “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa.” Likewise, any victory in 2027 will be meaningless unless it sets off a chain reaction of liberation, innovation and transformation across all levels of Nigerian society.
So, dear patriotic Nigerian youth; RISE! This is your time… Your country needs you more than ever.
Don’t wait for change, be the change.
Together, we can make a difference.
#YouthFor2027 #NationalAllianceNow #SecureTheFuture #NigeriaDeservesBetter
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