
AUGUST 26, 2025
AUGUST 26, 2025
Kazeem Badmus
NO less than 17,000 people have lost their lives to insecurity in Nigeria since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, OSUN DEFENDER gathered.
According to a data from Armed Conflict Loca on & Event Data (ACLED), a total of 18,079 persons were killed and 8,043 were abducted between May 29, 2023, and May 2, 2025.
The insecurity ravaging the country, par cularly in the Northern region, is well documented with security experts, civil society organisa ons, as well as interna onal organisa ons, who have con nuously called for a holis c approach to tackling the menace.
In the last two years, Nigerians have been facing daily a acks from armed groups and bandits, with the government failing to protect the lives and property of ci zens.
According to the data, Benue State tops the list of people killed with over 6,000, while over 4,000 people have also been killed in Borno.
Also, those killed in Zamafa and Katsina within that period are over 4,000.
Some of the killings in Benue State included the Yelewata Massacre, where over 200 people, including internally displaced persons, women, and children, were killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
Also in June, a ackers killed 14 people in the Ankpali community, Apa Local Government Area of the state. In the same month, suspected Fulani mili as a acked Naka village, killing 11 people in the process.
In Plateau State, gunmen have wreaked havoc on communi es in the state with thousands of people now late due to the deadly a acks
In June, gunmen killed 58 residents in Riyom Local Government Area with another 27 farmers killed in another a ack in Bindi-Jebbu, Tahoss community, Riyom Local Gov-
ernment Area.
In April, 52 people were killed with nearly 2,000 others displaced when gunmen a acked six villages in Bokkos district of the North Central state.
The same scenario is playing out in Zamfara State, where residents are living in fear of a ack.
On August 23, 2025, bandits killed over 60 peo-
ple in five communi es in Bukkuyum and Anka local government areas, including Kurfa Danya, Kurfa Magaji, Rafin Gero, Tungar Isa, and Barayar Zaki.
Also, in August, bandits a acked Nasarawa Mai Fara in Tsafe and Yar Katsina in Bungudu local government areas, killing 27 people over a N40 mil-
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Yusuf Oketola
RESIDENTS of Osun and Ondo states have expressed displeasure
over the deplorable state of federal roads in the two states, calling for urgent government interven on.
In Osun, users of the Ilesa–Akure Expressway par cularly lamented the Osu/ Iwaraja corridor, de-
scribing it as a nightmare for motorists.
Speaking with newsmen on Sunday at Iloko Junc on—one of the worst-hit por ons of the road—a resident, Samson Adeoye, said the Federal Road Maintenance Agency had at different mes patched bad spots, but such interven ons provided only temporary relief.
“With what we are experiencing now, only complete removal and replacement of the asphalt can solve the problem. The road stretches from Ile-Ife to
Osu, Ilesa and Iwaraja, linking Osun and Ondo states. Between March and June this year, several serious accidents were recorded between Iloko Junc on and the Road Safety office along the expressway,” Adeoye said.
A transporter, Sulaiman Ishola, who has plied the road for 10 years, said the last major reconstruc on was done before the 2015 elec ons. He described the ongoing expansion works from Ilekki, Ilesa, as “too li le compared
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2025
•Continued from front page
lion levy.
In Katsina last week, bandits a acked worshippers at Unguwar Mantau community mosque in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina
State with over 30 now confirmed dead.
Speaking on the insecurity in the country, the African Democra c Congress (ADC) urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately declare a state
of emergency in Zamfara and Katsina States following what it described as the “total collapse of Nigeria’s security architecture.”
The party also berated governors elected on
the pla orm of the Peoples Democra c Party for holding a poli cal meeting in Zamfara State, describing the move as insensi ve in the wake of recent killings.
In a statement on
Kazeem Badmus
THE Na onal Secretary of the African Democra c Congress (ADC), Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said Nigeria is passing through a season of hardship and uncertainty under the current leadership, noting that there is a need to rise above par sanship and chart a new course.
Aregbesola equally stated that the ADC will priori se the well-being of Nigerians if given the opportunity.
The former Minister of Interior stated this on Saturday in Lagos while receiving defectors from the Peoples Democra c Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Labour0 Party (LP) into the party, said ADC places youth and women in high posi ons.
The decampees included former Chairmen of Lagos PDP, Chief Muritala Ashorobi, Captain Tunji Shelley, PDP Vice Chairman (Lagos Central), Tai Benedict, Chief Niyi Adams, former Lagos PDP Youth Leader, among others.
The former governor of Osun State added that the people are the centre of poli cs and governance, warning that any government that fails to make their welfare and well-being the basis will lose relevance.
He said, “The people are the centre of poli cs and the government. Any government, whether, democra c, military, authoritarian, monarchical, or by whatever defini on, that does not make their welfare and wellbeing the basis of governance, will soon lose relevance and die.
“There is a limit to which the people can be squeezed and pushed before something eventually gives.”
Aregbesola added that Nigeria’s future lies in giving voice and power to the youth, adding that ADC’s cons tu on boldly affirms the place of youth and women in leadership.
He said, “ADC cons tu on boldly affirms the place of youth and women in leadership. This is not tokenism, but a recogni on that Nigeria’s future lies in giving voice, space, and power to those who have long been underrepresented.
“The ADC’s constu on allocates 35% representa on each for women and youth. Since these demographics overlap, their combined representa on will be no less than 50%. This structure makes the ADC “unques onably, the party of the youth”.
“We are equally commi ed to inter-
nal democracy where every member’s voice ma ers and every vote counts. We are not a party owned or financed by one individual, but a collec ve of patrio c ci zens coming together as equals to salvage a na on fast sliding into a precipice.”
Aregbesola advised the defectors to focus on the task ahead and shun unproduc ve engagement.
“The task before us is clear: we must rescue this beau ful country from the path of destruc on and build a new Nigeria—a na on our children will be proud to inherit.
“I appeal to us all to diligently face our task of building the party from bo om up and sell our ideas to the people. We should avoid the distracon of nonproduc ve engagement of debates and strife with the agents of the dying dinosaurs”, he added.
Sunday by its Na onal Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC condemned the PDP governors for “grinning for the camera in full ceremonial robes” during their gathering in Zamfara on Saturday, barely days a er scores of ci zens were massacred in the state.
“Instead of rallying around their beleaguered colleague to help
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to the magnitude of the challenge.”
“FRSC officers even filled some bad porons earlier this year to prevent accidents, but that can’t solve the problem. Beyond mere clearing, we need a total overhaul of the road. The patching by FERMA only lasts about three months before the spots go bad again.
The bad por ons also give robbers and kidnappers an advantage since vehicles must slow down there,” Akinleye lamented.
But the Osun State Commissioner for Informa on, Kolapo Alimi, said the state was already assis ng in repairing some federal roads but urged Abuja to take full responsibility.
“We are involved in the repair of some FG roads in Osun. On that par cular road, I want to urge the Federal
FORMER Vice President A ku Abubakar has disclosed that he is more interested in a be er Nigeria than being a President at all costs.
A ku stated this over the weekend in Lagos during the decamping of stakeholders and members of the PDP, Labour Party, and others to the African Democra c Congress (ADC).
Represented by Prof. Ola Olateju, a professor of Poli cal Science at the Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, A ku said the ADC remained a movement, whose chances remained very bright.
“A ku Abubakar’s plan is to build a be er Nigeria. So, it’s not about him being the president.
It’s about having a better government, a good government, that will be able to deliver for Nigerians.
“It’s not a personal thing for him and that’s why some of us are with him. It’s not about A ku must be president at all, no.
“It’s about we need
a change in this country and that is why many of us are moving from one party to another, including the NGOs, going to ADC.
“ADC, to us, is not a poli cal party. It is a movement, a movement of the Nigerians for a be er Nigeria,” Abubakar said.
stop the orgy of killings, they chose to stage a poli cal rally at the scene of mass murder, even if it meant trampling on the memory of the vic ms,” the statement read.
The party said the PDP governors’ ac on, coupled with the Federal Government’s alleged indifference, reflected the poli cal class’s insensi vity to the plight of ordinary Nigerians.
Government to live up to its responsibility and fix it,” Alimi said.
Envisaging the next stage of reforms
Similarly, residents of communi es along the Akure–Ado Eki Expressway in Ondo State appealed to both federal and state governments to expedite the ongoing reconstruc on of the road.
The project, which commenced towards the end of the Muhammadu Buhari administra on, has dragged on for years, worsening traffic conges on and making life difficult for residents. Before the project started, the road had become a death trap, with criminals exploi ng its poor state to kidnap travellers for ransom.
During a recent inspec on, Minister of Works, David Umahi, announced that the Akure–Ita-Ogbolu–Iju–Ado road would be redesigned and rebuilt with concrete.
But residents say the delay is unbearable. A na ve of the Iju community, Olamide Babalayo, urged the government to hasten the project.
“The last me I drove home was terrible. We commend the FG for taking ac on, but they should expedite the work. People in the community are suffering, especially during this rainy season,” he said.
A commercial driver, Kunle, stressed the road’s economic importance, saying transporters were spending excessively on vehicle repairs.
“The road is vital for business between Ondo and Eki states. The government should complete it on me so economic ac vi es can flow be er,” he said.
IN 1983, it is enchanted that Chief Obafemi Awolowo, having been maneuvered out of that year’s presiden al elec on, took a pause and outlined a clear path towards the rebuilding of the polity in Nigeria towards achieving economic stability, sustainability, and in the process make life in quote more abundant. Chief Obafemi Awolowo looked at the ques on of how the thesis, the synthesis, and the an -thesis could be fused into a progressive advance, which looked at the me and as of now a realis c way out of the crisis. Finding a way out of the crisis is of fundamental importance; otherwise, a new and be er society will not be born.
As of that me and as of today the country is in a clear crisis. There is not only a crisis of expecta on, but there is a crisis of disillusionment as well. What we are seeing today is a movement of fusion of desperate actors trying to form a union in order to navigate the way out of the dysfunc on, which connues to hinder our progress. Re-echoing 1983, the na onal secretary of the infigorated African Democra c Congress, which is now forming a cri cal mass as the Forum for an alterna ve perspec ve, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbe-
“What is needed now is a Nigerian version of the historic compromise. This is clearly the position of both Awolowo in 1983 and Aregbesola at the weekend”
shola, had cause to observe that Nigeria is on the brink of collapse if urgent poli cal interven on is not taken to address insecurity,
hunger, and poor governance.
The backdrop to the statement of the Na onal Secretary was when he received a crosssec on of new entrants into the ADC, predominantly from the PDP and the Labour Party. What is significant about all this is that these people are key players who have a basis in the words in Lagos State. In addi on, with increasing par cipa on in the ongoing con nuous voter registra on drive, it is clear that the new movement is firing up a lot of poten al first- me voters who are coming out in appreciable numbers to register in the hope that they will be able to affect the course of events.
clear reminder that Nigeria is not in isola on came at the conference of the Nigerian Bar Associa on (NBA) in Enugu this week, from the leader of South Africa’s main opposi on, the Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema. Malema made it clear that Nigeria’s poli cal economy and its direc on were of great and fundamental importance to the African con nent. He also made it clear that, in view of what is going on around the world today, Nigeria and the Republic of South Africa must act in unison to dictate a clear progressive path for the development of Africa.
Malema is right. Which is why all the a empts being made today in Nigeria to build a formidable and clear posterity is important. A lot of what is going on today in places like Uganda, Eswa ni, and so forth, is profoundly disturbing. We have moved away in Africa from the great dreams of the independence movements, which were supposed to have heralded a new dawn, a new form of a new way of doing things, and to have posi oned Africa as the last and the most invigora ng froner.
Today, a lot of what is going on on the African con nent is a betrayal of the dreams of independence. In places like Uganda, the United States of America, for example, is virtually
emptying its prisons of its most terrifying set of inmates and expec ng Africa to find them aboard. This is u erly ridiculous and it should not have happened, and it happened basically because the African naons have largely lost their way. All manner of mineral deals have been done with all manner of countries like Russia, China, the United States, and so forth, in which the benefit to Africa in the long term is, to put it politely, ques onable.
“Malema has a clear point. We must now look at how to intertwine the Republic of South Africa and Nigeria to build a ripple effect across the en re con nent. These two countries have the human capital and they also have the resources to dictate the territory of ac on right across Africa.
“A good start is for the two countries to be pivotal in making the free trade agreement, AfCFTA, work. This must be the star ng point to make Africa work for Africans. All the encumbrances we have at the moment, duplica on, customs problems, limi ng the free flow of not just trade but more importantly, the free flow of intellectual property and cri cal thinking, must be dismantled.
“We must go back to the dreams of the early 1960s, having the capacity to weave together the economies of scale, to bring hundreds of millions of its people out of despondency, use Africa’s resources
for Africa, pu ng money into research and development, and help to go back to the days of glory. Africa was once great, the Africa of Mansa Musa, the Africa of the Zimbabwe ruins, the Benin bronze, and so many other things.
“We have deliberately carried Malema’s speech in full on the back page in order for those who missed it on television and in other mediums to go into it and be inspired. We must also call upon our teeming leaders to make a clarion call to their representa ves to follow the thinking process of people like Malema and the new progressives being born across the con nent and make Africa work for Africans.”
“This development suggests that the ADC is gaining momentum, par cularly among young people in Lagos State. The party’s ability to a ract key players from other par es and inspire firstme voters to register could be a significant factor in its future success”, the Na onal Secretary’s emphasis on nurturing and educa ng these new entrants highlights the importance of building a strong founda on for the party’s growth and development.
What is needed now is a Nigerian version of the historic compromise. This is clearly the posion of both Awolowo in 1983 and Aregbesola at the weekend. There must be a clear compromise of divergent views, wedded to the need for the na on to start afresh, to build a momentum that will be based on irreversible change. That momentum will be largely based on the posi on of social democracy, that the country must build a model that will be based on making sure that hundreds of thousands, millions of people are con nuously pulled out of poverty, and that the structures of the state will be constructed in such a way that it will be of benefit to the overwhelming majority and their families, and not for the benefit of a privileged of a pampered few.
It’s of great irony that the President of the Federa on is at the moment on a state visit to Brazil. The Nigerian delega on accompanying the president should look around them and observe the path-breaking social structures created under the rule of the president’s government of the Workers Party led by President Lula Da Silver. What they learn will be instruc ve, and this is all we should be aiming at in Nigeria, a society built on fairness, delivering the dividends of democracy.
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“The call for a ‘historic compromise’ suggests a need for a broad-based agreement among Nigerians to drive meaningful change. The reference to Awolowo’s vision and Aregbesola’s recent statement implies a desire to build on past progressive ideas. The emphasis on social democracy and poverty reduc on highlights the importance of priori zing the needs of the majority. The statement encourages opmism and strategic ac on to seize the current opportunity for change, ci ng the Chinese adage that ‘out of danger comes opportunity’.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2025 VOL. 20 NO 38 www.osundefender.com, email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com
SOUTH Africa’s firebrand opposi on leader and President of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema, has said Africa’s future is dependent on poli cal, economic decisions in Nigeria and South Africa. He, therefore, called for deeper economic collabora on between Nigeria and South Africa on the unity and industrialisa on of its two biggest economies.
He also cau oned the African con nent against loans from the Bre on Woods ins tu ons and others, warning that such moves can undermine Africa.
According to the outspoken South African, such loans, which he described as “a debt trap”, can mortgage the future of the con nent
“The debt trap of Africa to our foreign colonisers must be stopped and that begins by regula ng these loans that our leaders commit future genera ons to because they will not be there when the colonisers come to collect it,” he said
The EFF leader also restated his party’s radical vision of a borderless Africa with one currency, one parliament, and one military command. He urged Africans to reclaim their land, resources, and des ny from imperialist control.
Delivering the keynote address at the 2025 Nigerian Bar Associa on (NBA) Annual General Conference in Enugu, theme: “Stand out, Stand tall”, Malema paid glowing tribute to Nigeria’s historic role in South Africa’s libera on struggle, while challenging African na ons to break free from the shackles of colonial economic dependency.
“Nigeria is not just another African country to us. It is a comrade na on that stood firmly by our side during our darkest hour when South Africa was shackled by apartheid. Nigerians sacrificed their salaries, students paid the Mandela tax, and successive governments took bold stands, including boyco ng the 1976 Olympics and 1979 Commonwealth Games. We cannot forget those who stood with us when it ma ered most.”
He recalled that Nelson Mandela, shortly a er his release from prison in 1990, made one of his first interna onal visits to Lagos and Abuja to personally thank the Nigerian people. According to Malema, that bond of solidarity, forged in sacrifice, must not remain a relic of history but should be transformed into concrete economic collabora on today.
Malema lamented that despite their enormous resources, both Nigeria and South Africa remain trapped in colonial economic arrangements where raw materials are exported cheaply to Europe, America and Asia, only to be sold back to Africans at “crazy prices” as finished goods.
“The path forward is clear: Nigeria and South Africa must industrialise together,
“Nigeria is not just another African country to us. It is a comrade nation that stood firmly by our side during our darkest hour when South Africa was shackled by apartheid”
By LAWRENCE NJOKU
amples will suffice.
“We were among the first states to fully implement financial autonomy for the judiciary in line with Sec on 121(3) of the 1999 Cons tu on (as amended). This has enhanced the efficiency, independence, and dignity of our courts.
“We have carried out a comprehensive rehabilita on and digi sa on of our courtrooms across the three senatorial zones. The High Court Complex in Enugu is equipped with e-filing, virtual hearing facilies, and an integrated case management system.
“To decongest our courts and promote alterna ve dispute resolu on, we have strengthened and expanded the Enugu Mul -Door Courthouse, making it a model in the region for commercial and family dispute se lement.
build factories together and process our resources on African soil. Imagine a joint programme where South African mining experse is combined with Nigerian oil wealth to create African-owned energy and resource conglomerates. Imagine Nigeria feeding the con nent while South African technology drives logis cs and machinery. That is the Africa we must build.”
He pointed to exis ng economic linkages, with South African companies such as MTN, Shoprite, and Mul choice already thriving in Nigeria, while Nigerian music, film, and literature have deeply influenced South African culture. But he warned that these gains are o en overshadowed by the scourge of xenophobia.
Malema condemned xenophobic attacks in South Africa as a betrayal of African unity, describing them as “a sickness born of poverty, inequality and government failure.
“Let me be unequivocal: xenophobia is an -African unity. We must educate our people that unity, not division, is the soluon to the African crisis. A Nigerian in Johannesburg or a Ghanaian in Cape Town is not a foreigner but an African contribu ng to Africa’s progress. In the same way, South African entrepreneurs must be welcomed in Lagos as partners in a shared future.”
He called for freer movement across the con nent, including visa-free travel between Nigeria and South Africa, harmonized trade policies, and con nental infrastructure that binds African economies into one integrated market.
Malema also placed Nigeria and South Africa’s partnership within a broader PanAfrican and global context. He reiterated the EFF’s solidarity with oppressed peoples globally, including in Western Sahara, Pales ne, Cuba, Hai , and the Democra c Republic of Congo.
“The struggle of South Africa against
apartheid taught us that the suffering of one oppressed people is the suffering of all oppressed people everywhere.
“Our libera on as Africans will remain incomplete if we turn a blind eye to the struggles of those who con nue to suffer under occupa on, colonialism, imperialism and economic exploita on.”
He cri cised what he called the hypocrisy of interna onal jus ce, which moves swi ly against leaders in the Global South but drags its feet when crimes are committed by Western powers or their allies. Citing South Africa’s case at the Interna onal Court of Jus ce, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, he insisted that Africa must build its own legal ins tu ons to guarantee jusce.
“If the so-called interna onal community is unwilling to deliver jus ce in real me, then Africa must advance its own courts, its own tribunals, its own instruments of solidarity,” Malema declared.
The EFF leader, therefore, restated his party’s radical vision of a borderless Africa with one currency, one parliament, and one military command. He urged Africans to reclaim their land, resources, and des ny from imperialist control.
“We are not a dark con nent. How can we be dark when we have diamonds that shine among us?” he asked, drawing loud applause from the lawyers and dignitaries at the conference.
“Together, Nigeria and South Africa can lead Africa into a future where we are not beggars but giants, not divided tribes but one people. Our salva on will not come from Washington or Brussels; it lies here, in Lagos and Johannesburg, in Abuja and Pretoria, in the hands of Africans who refuse to be divided.
Law serves as conscience of the na on, says Gov Mbah
GOVERNOR of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, while declaring the event open, reminded lawyers that the law is more than a profession, as it serves as the na on’s conscience.
“Let me say this: the theme of this year’s conference, ‘Stand Out, Stand Tall,’ is a mely reminder of the responsibility we bear as lawyers and leaders. The law is not just a profession – it is the conscience of the na on. We are not only courtroom advocates; we are also defenders of truth, architects of peace, and champions of equity,” he said.
Lis ng some concrete steps by his administra on towards jus ce sector reform, the governor said, “Since assuming office, we have made jus ce sector reform a cornerstone of our governance. Just a few ex-
“Through partnership with civil society and the NBA, we have expanded access to pro bono legal services for indigent ci zens and detainees, especially in our rural areas. No one should be too poor to afford jus ce.
“We have also carried out an extensive codifica on and review of obsolete state laws to reflect modern reali es, ensure gender jus ce, and promote the ease of doing business in Enugu.
“Perhaps one of the reforms I am proudest of – we introduced real- me transcrip on for our courts. A aining Verba m Repor ng for the courts has eliminated the strain of longhand recording on judges, cut down on delays and improved produc vity,” he said
The opening ceremony was chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Dr. Sa’ad Abubakar III.
NBA calls for tough decisions to secure Nigeria’s future.
MEANWHILE, the President of the Nigerian Bar Associa on (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), has urged Nigerians, especially members of the legal profession, to embrace resilience, integrity, and tough decision-making to reposi on the country for economic growth and na onal progress.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, Osigwe drew inspira on from the city’s historical legacy as the hub of Nigeria’s coal industry and the site of the 1949 Enugu Colliery Massacre, also known as the Eva Valley shoo ng.
He recalled how unarmed miners protes ng wage arrears were gunned down on November 18, 1949, by Bri sh colonial authori es. That tragic event, he noted, became a turning point in Nigeria’s independence struggle, showing the power of collecve resilience against oppression.
“The theme of this conference is not just a slogan. It is a charge to be visible not for show, but for service; not for selfish interest, but for excellence, resilience, and integrity,” Osigwe said.
“To stand tall is to hold on to dignity even when difficult decisions must be made in the best interest of the legal profession and the na on.” He stressed that leadership in Nigeria must go beyond populism, requiring vision, competence, and courage to take decisions that may be painful in the short term but transforma ve in the long run.
“No economy ever stood tall on imported effort or mere consumerism,” Osigwe declared. “Nigeria must make serious choices to achieve sustainable growth—choices that include figh ng corrup on, reforming regula ons, inves ng in infrastructure, and embracing technological innova on.”
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OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Behind Oranmiyan Building, Gbodofon, Off Gbongan Road, Osogbo, Osun State. All correspondence to the Asst. News Editor, YUSUF OKETOLA, Telephone: 0809-301-9152. ISSN: 0794-8050. Website: www.osundefender.com Email: osundefenderbank@gmail.com, osundefenderhq@gmail.com