The priest said the incident occurred while he was returning to his diocese in a commercial vehicle after attending an ordination ceremony.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

An Anglican priest attached to the Ogbaru Diocese in Anambra State, Rev. Tochukwu Agina, has narrated how naval officers brutalised him at a military checkpoint along Atani Road in Anambra State.

The priest said the incident occurred while he was returning to his diocese in a commercial vehicle after attending an ordination ceremony.

According to him, trouble began when the vehicle arrived at the naval checkpoint at Atani, where officers were said to be extorting money from motorists.

He said the officers became suspicious when they noticed him holding his phone and assumed he may have been recording their activities.

Despite proving that he had not taken any photographs or videos of them, Rev. Agina said he was ordered out of the vehicle and brutally assaulted by the officers, including hitting his scrotum with a stick.

Narrating his ordeal, the priest said, “After ordination, I was going back home inside a commercial vehicle. When we got to the Naval checkpoint along Atani road, the soldier was collecting money from one of the vehicles in front of us.

“After which, he came to our own and saw me holding my phone and my bag. He asked if I was making a call, and I said I was not making a call. He asked to search my phone and see whether I took any pictures.

“I opened my phone and showed him that I did not take any pictures. My phone was on WhatsApp.

“He then ordered me to alight, which I obeyed and came down from the vehicle and asked for their senior officer there.”

Rev. Agina further alleged that while explaining the situation to a senior officer at the checkpoint, another officer intervened violently, took permission from the senior officer, and brutally assaulted him for no justification.

“The intelligent officer there called me. I went to him, and I was explaining what happened between the soldier and me when another soldier came out from inside and pushed me,” the priest said.

The priest said, “I told him that he should not touch me; then he asked for permission from the intelligent officer, and the officer granted him the permission, and he started brutalising me, slapping me and beating me up, and hitting me with a stick.

“He hit my scrotum, my legs, and eventually poured me water with soap before he burst my head, and they later took me to their clinic for treatment.”

The priest said he was assaulted despite the fact that he was dressed in his priestly regalia and wearing his clerical collar.

SaharaReporters gathered that following the incident, the Anglican Diocese of Ogbaru has written an open letter to the Naval authorities, demanding accountability and justice for the priest.

However, the diocese alleged that efforts were being made to “sweep this barbaric act of its officers under the carpet.”

On that backdrop, a case of violation of the priest’s fundamental human rights has been filed at the Anambra State High Court in Onitsha.

SaharaReporters gathered that on Monday at the High Court of Anambra State, Onitsha Judicial Division, a suit seeking the enforcement of the priest’s fundamental human rights was argued before the court.

A source familiar with the matter said that the case was led by senior advocates, Ejike Ezenwa (SAN) and Ben Osaka (SAN), alongside their team of lawyers.

According to the lead counsel, the alleged assault goes beyond a personal violation and constitutes “an assault on the Christian faith.”

The lawyer noted that “an innocent Priest in his priestly attire would be brutalized in the public glare, dehumanized without any form of restraint from the senior naval officers at the checkpoint.”

The court granted a motion for substituted service as prayed by counsel to the applicant and adjourned the matter to January for hearing.

However, the Nigerian Navy has yet to publicly respond to the allegations at the time of filing this report.

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday night held a high‑profile meeting with leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in a last‑minute effort to avert a planned nationwide protest by the union over worsening insecurity in the country.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

The meeting, held at the State House, Abuja, commenced at about 11:27 pm and drew key stakeholders, including NLC President, Joe Ajaero; the governor of Imo State and chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma; the governor of Kebbi State, Nasir Idris, and Minister of Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.

Naija News understands that the proposed protest is connected to broader labour discontent, including the rising tide of insecurity, unresolved agreements with the Federal Government, the increasing cost of living, and the adverse impact of insecurity on workers’ productivity, safety, and livelihoods.

The NLC has highlighted the deaths of countless members, as well as teachers, farmers, miners and other artisans, attributing the losses to escalating insecurity and perceived government inaction.

In its communications, the union has framed the planned demonstration as a civic action rather than merely a labour issue. It said the mobilisation is intended to draw public attention and pressure authorities to prioritise security and governance reforms.

The protest is scheduled for today.

Alwan Hassan, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has claimed that 95 percent of ministers who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari should be in prison over alleged corruption.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

Hassan made the allegation on Tuesday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Asked about growing scrutiny of officials who served under Buhari, Hassan said: “95 per cent of the ministers under Buhari should be in jail by now.”

He added: “There has never been a time when ministers got free hands without supervision like Buhari’s eight years in office.”

Hassan said Buhari had once warned his ministers to keep their documents ready for future accountability.

He said: “You’ve heard what people are saying; the former president even told them to keep their documents ready because there will come a day when they’ll be asked to explain themselves; maybe he has seen what they are doing.”

The APC chieftain alleged that corruption was widespread during Buhari’s tenure from 2015 to 2023, adding that a small number of officials were not involved in wrongdoing.

Hassan said: “Those good men around those years are the 5 per cent; there are a few good people, very few good men around.”

He attributed the alleged abuse to lack of oversight, describing Buhari’s administration as a “free-for-all”.

Hassan said: “There has never been a time when government budgets were 100 per cent released without interference by the presidency like Buhari’s time; ministers were given free rein; they did what they wanted.

“Everyone was his own cabal; if you got the chance to meet Buhari and explain things, you became a cabal. The nation was at peace; people were doing what they wanted; if you were appointed under Buhari, your job was largely abdicated to you; there was no supervision.”

Hassan made comparisons of Buhari’s era with the current administration of President Bola Tinubu.

He said: “This government is hands-on; if you’re talking about government finance, it’s Asiwaju; everyone knows this. Contractors like me are still shouting about unpaid sums; he is careful; he knows his priorities; it is not business as usual.”