Author: Law Mefor

For a while now, there has been a heated debate in Nigeria regarding the creation of state police. The majority of Nigerians think state police is a good idea whose time has come, but they are extremely concerned that the avaricious and power-hungry state governors, who have a famous predilection for using brutal force against both real and imagined opponents, will abuse it. Before discussing how to put safeguards in place to prevent governors from going too far, there is a much more infuriating question that has not gotten the attention it deserves: is it better to leave Nigerians defenceless…

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Senator Abdul Ningi’s exposé of the national assembly’s budget padding has generated a lot of excitement and activity. His protest smacks more of a violation of “honour among thieves” principle and a betrayal of confidence. Put differently, robbers won’t steal from one another, and this adage implies that criminals uphold a moral code of honour by not committing any unlawful acts against their fellow criminals. Recently, there was a report of a kidnapping victim who paid his ransom with fake money, and the kidnappers saying to him, “God will judge you.” “Honour among thieves” is a phrase suggesting trustworthiness within…

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Opposition politicians are sometimes able to admit the truth and provide unflattering praise. Yes, the Prof Chukwuma Soludo administration is doing remarkably well. Even the opposition in Anambra State concurs. The opposition leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chris Ngige, gave the glowing appraisal during the governor’s second anniversary in Awka. His words: “We are here to celebrate a governor who has shown prudence in the management of Anambra State resources in his two years in office. We have seen his projects, and they are on the ground. He is also constructing…

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The rapprochement of the Economic Commission of West African States, ECOWAS, with the three countries that recently quit the regional body namely, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, is such a welcome development. But many more rivers to cross before the conflict in the 15-member sub-continental body will be over. Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hardly took over as the ECOWAS chairman before he was greeted by the military coup in Niger and later by the exit of the three countries. The validity of Tinubu’s election as President of Nigeria was still at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) at that…

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The National Assembly just passed the Bill to increase the retirement age of National Assembly civil servants to 65 years or 40 years of service, whichever comes first. The existing law prescribes 60 years of age or 35 years of service for retirement. This happened despite the stiff opposition mounted by some lawmakers who kicked against the bill, saying that special treatment should not be given to national assembly staff. Specifically, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, senator representing Abia South, and Senator Ali Ndume said there is no difference between a civil servant in the national assembly and a federal ministry. They…

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The Need For Judicial Pronouncement on the Alleged Veto/OVERRIDING of GOVERNOR FUBARA’S Assent to Four Bills Albert Venn Dicey, (popularly known as A. V. Dicey) taught law at the University of Oxford (1882-1909), he is credited as the proponent of the RULE OF LAW. One of the cardinal tenents of the Rule of Law is that government power must be used in accordance with the law rather than the arbitrary wills of officials. It is in conformity with the Rule of Law that the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) has recently instituted a lawsuit at the…

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Despite formidable obstacles, Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s Master Plan for a new Anambra has begun to document numerous victories. Since its founding on August 27, 1991, Anambra State has tried to prosper under minimum government. It was not until the Anambra Vision 2070, chaired by Professor Chukwuma Soludo, that the state was projected into a sustainable and respectable future worthy of it. It was clear that Anambra required a major reset by the time Soludo assumed office as governor. And the governor had figured out exactly how to go about it evident in his comprehensive manifesto while running for governor in…

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A few days ago, Ndigbo came under fire from Professor Usman Yusuf, the former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), for their perceived lack of interest in the ongoing nationally spreading hunger protests and strikes. He said: “I honestly don’t know why the South East is quiet, uncharacteristically quiet. But the President needs to find out.” Normally, one would disregard and deny additional visibility to a professor whose only contribution to national progress is Fulani supremacism for such an insulting and inflammatory tirade. However, it is a professor who has shaped the opinion of his divide and…

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Victor Hugo, a renowned philosopher, famously said, “No force on earth can stop an idea whose time has come”. An idea that has reached its prime is known as a zeitgeist or spirit of the times. The moment that yields to its utility as demanded by historical necessity is when the idea or concept—a “spirit,” if you prefer—is appropriately received. This is a momentous historical occasion for Nigeria and its people. This famous quote is perfect for discussing the possibility of state police being established nationwide by the state governments. Because security is local, every federating unit in a federal…

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President Bola Tinubu recently declared that he should be included in the Guinness Book of Records for having the guts to remove fuel subsidy on his first day in office—something that no other Nigerian president has ever done. Yes, he does deserve a spot like that, but sadly, it’s not for the wrong reason. The damage Tinubu has done to the country’s economy is comparable to chopping off a person’s legs without giving them anesthesia or providing drugs to prevent inevitable infections. And in a short while, Nigeria’s economy will fully fit Venezuela’s collapsed economy in all its ramifications unless…

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The argument over whether Nigerians should be allowed by law to carry weapons for self-defence is returning and gaining traction in light of the terrifyingly high levels of insecurity in the nation, especially kidnapping. When the notion was recently put to the Chief of Army Staff, he soberly rejected it. Nigeria’s chief of army staff(COAS), Taoreed Lagbaja, thought that there would be anarchy if Nigerians were allowed to carry firearms. “I do not support that. I think that is a call for anarchy,” said COAS Lagbaja during a TV programme recently. Also, previous Inspectors General Police (IGPs) had similarly firmly…

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This Tuesday, in Abuja, the Save Democracy Group – West Africa (SDG-WA) and the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought (TAS) held a policy dialogue. They expressed alarm about the shortcomings of democracy, especially in West Africa, the continent where the majority of Black people live, as seen by the military’s increasing reentry into governance. The departure of three founding members of ECOWAS served as the impetus for the shared policy dialogue under reference. The partnering NGOs said that they will establish a West African Democracy Observatory (WADO) to track the sub-region’s political and governance health by keeping an…

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The Fulani socio-cultural organisation in Nigeria, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, established the “Nomad vigilante group” in Nassarawa state on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. The Miyetti Allah’s national president, Bello Bodejo, stated that the security group will support law enforcement in their efforts to battle criminal activity within the state. He added that 1,144 Fulani youths who were chosen from different communities within the state’s 13 LGAs comprise the vigilante organisation. The ethnic vigilante group received tacit official approval by the presence of the commissioner of Police for Nasarawa state CP Umar Nadada represented by Assistant Commissioner of Police Operation, ACP…

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Three influential opposition figures have hinted at the coming of a mega party that will challenge the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 general election. These are Prof. Pat Utomi of the Labour Party, a former governor of Kano State and the presidential candidate of the NNPP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president of Nigeria and PDP candidate in the last two presidential elections. For Nigeria’s democracy to flourish and become functional once again, the need for a mega opposition party has become very critical. The other seventeen political parties, many of which are…

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A democracy without opposition is like making an omelet without breaking eggs; or, a bird flying with one wing or one clapping with one hand. Yet, the fact is there is no opposition in the nation’s so-called democracy. Opposition political parties simply exist as platforms for power grabbers to contest and capture power and there it ends till another election season comes. It should be declared right away that the opposition political parties may soon not have enough time to do the needful to be able to successfully run and win the 2027 General Election. The gaps and flaws found…

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I wrote a piece highlighting the constitutional order that was being challenged in Anambra state when the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, decided to call out Governor Chukwuma Soludo in the media. The much-respected royal father made a very poor decision with that one. It was an unprovoked fight with all gloves off. I feared that Soludo, who is the executive governor of Anambra state and a sub-sovereign in Nigeria, would use his maximum powers. Under a presidential democracy, in which there are only three arms of government, the law is very clear on the powers of the…

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The Nigerian nation is a confused state. The protection of people’s lives and property as well as their welfare are the two main reasons that governments are in place everywhere in the globe. Any additional justification is incidental rather than central. This implies that any nation with a government that is unable to guarantee the safety of people and their property is doing a poor job of fulfilling its basic obligations. Nigeria has been woefully inefficient in protecting its citizens and their property for decades, not to mention the incapacity of the country’s successive governments to ensure the fundamental well-being…

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Since taking office on March 17, 2022, Governor Chukwuma Soludo has encountered difficulties establishing peace and order in Anambra state. When Soludo took office as Anambra State’s fifth governor, the state was in disarray, much like many parts of the South East. In general, people constituted law unto themselves, traded where they pleased, constructed where they pleased, and behaved as they pleased. Unknown gunmen (UGM) were running amok in the state. Not even the esteemed traditional institutions escaped the damage. The Code of Conduct for Anambra State Traditional Rulers, which was adopted during the administration of Peter Obi, revised under…

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The battle against the hydra-headed monster known as corruption has primarily been political since the establishment of Nigeria’s two primary anti-corruption agencies. President after President has used these main agencies as a weapon against those who are thought to be opponents of the president or the ruling party. A national chairman of the ruling party once said: “If you enter the ruling party all your sins are forgiven.” After President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office on May 29, 2023, Nigerians have been observing the two anti-corruption agencies’ dance moves. Every President’s body language has always been observed by these agencies,…

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This Friday, African Independent Television (AIT) aired two opposing press statements of the Nigeria Police and the Army regarding the Netizens’ 2024 slogan, “No Gree for Anybody.” The Police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi issued a warning, stating that the slogan might cause the nation’s law and order to collapse.  He said, “We have been informed from our intelligence that this slogan is coming from a revolutionary sector that may likely cause problems across the country.” On the other hand, the Army took up the slogan and used it to exhort Nigerians to rise against the banditry and terrorism that are destroying…

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I saw the BBC documentary on the late Prophet TB Joshua and his Synagogue church and wasn’t surprised. I have a personal experience too. I’m not sure if this qualifies as the proverbial “case of curiosity kills the monkey.” However, I was aware that Prophet TB Joshua and his Synagogue Church had gained significant traction in Nigeria and beyond, and I, too, had noticed this. I used to watch his Emmanuel TV station a lot back then when I was bored with the sad news from Nigeria. Even if I had my doubts about the validity of his amazing miracles,…

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A pro-democracy organisation called Save Democracy Group – West Africa (SDG–WA) recently issued a press statement alerting the public to the ongoing military takeovers that have occurred in West Africa and Africa since 2020, as well as the pressing necessity to preserve democracy in the West African sub-region. In fact, since 2020, the military has overturned the governments of seven African countries: Mali, Chad, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Gabon and Guinea. A coup attempt was almost successful not so long ago in Sierra Leone, where numerous people are currently on trial for the incident and that country’s former…

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The killing of about 200 people on the Plateau on Christmas Eve has once again highlighted how helpless Nigerians have become in the face of the nation’s rising and intensifying terrorism. A national newspaper captured the tragedy thus: “Of the number, 148 were killed in Bokkos Local Government Area, 19 in Mangu Local Government Area, and 27 in Barkin Ladi. 1,290 houses were burnt down in Bokkos council, one house was razed in Mangu LGA and that of Barkin Ladi was yet to be ascertained at press time.” Nigerians need to start demanding more seriously the measures required to protect…

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When one read the statement from the so-called Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, demanding Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, to step down due to his purported incapacity to address security concerns in the state, one was taken aback. The call was ostensibly in response to Thursday night’s vicious attack in the state that claimed the lives of two police officers. May their souls rest in peace. Unidentified gunmen had ambushed Chief Chris Uba’s vehicle, a prominent figure in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Two of his security personnel were killed in the attack, and the…

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Notwithstanding the atrocities it has brought to the African nations where the military had ruled, there is still a tacit push in the West African sub-region for the return of military dictatorship. In the last couple of years, seven African countries have witnessed full military takeover, mostly in West Africa. A counter-coordinated movement is needed to upend those who are pushing for the return of military dictatorships to West Africa and to defend, uphold, and strengthen democracy in the sub-region. The countries of West Africa cannot afford to go back to the abhorrent past that the various military regimes brought…

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Nigeria has a natural role to play in stabilising West Africa, deepening democracy in the sub-region, and keeping military coups and coupists at bay. Being a medium power, Nigeria has the obligation of guiding West Africa by maintaining democracy, peace, and stability throughout the sub region. It is crucial to examine some of the strong arguments against military coups in West Africa before discussing Nigeria’s position in the region’s democracy and stability. In addition to being autocratic, military regulations subject its subjects to inhumane treatment. Approximately seven democratically led African nations -Mali, Chad, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Gabon and Niger…

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Death is never an easy visitor to accept, and Okwadike’s passing—whom I have known closely since 2001—is certainly not one of those occasions. It all began with the first annual lecture organised by the Oganiru Friends, a group of young Igbo professionals. The theme was: “Reawakening the Igbo Nation in the Nigerian Federation”. His Excellency Okwadike Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former governor of Anambra state and then President’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, gave that momentous lecture. A great deal of us only had a passing acquaintance with him from his time as the governor of Anambra state. From a distance, we…

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Abuja Daredevil Armed Robbers and I (My survival story) The previous night I had a puzzling dream. My phone slipped out of my grasp and shattered to smithereens.  I observed pieces of the phone that I had no idea existed strewn all around me, indicating that the damage was beyond repair. I awoke with a start; realising it was a bad omen and saying a quick prayer to stave off what might be approaching catastrophe. And now this, the day after. I recently wrote about how cabbing systems can be useful in combating One Chance robbers who are on the…

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For a while now, the South East has been in terrible shape. The area that was the safest and most tranquil in the nation around two years ago is now plagued with insecurity. A large portion of the blame can be attributed to the void left by the almost total absence of patriotic and selfless political leadership. Their political leaders haven’t done enough to stand up for the people of the Southeast; instead, they have taken advantage of them to establish themselves. That’s how the zone descended into anarchic and violent youth unrest that eventually took the form of what…

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A young lawyer colleague of mine at The Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts (TAS) called me in despair a few days ago during the night. In a One-Chance robbery, his sister had been taken hostage. I called up two top contacts in the police to pass the concern. One answered. Luckily, the young lady who had been robbed survived the ordeal of being thrown from the criminals’ fast-moving car. She spent days in the intensive care unit, unable to speak from shock following the near-death encounter. Some persons have died in similar experiences here in Abuja. A typical…

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