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Xenophobia: What Buhari must do to avoid violence against Nigerians in Ghana – HURIWA

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The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has raised alarm over possible xenophobic attack on Nigerians in Ghana, following series of kidnapping cases and organised crimes implicating the country’s nationale.

This was as the rights group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene to forestall the occurrence of such xenophobic and targeted violence against Nigerians in Ghana.

It explained that political and media establishments of Ghana have begun systematic stereotyping of Nigerians as kidnappers and dangerous criminals.

In a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and National Media Affairs Director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA said, “Our attention was called to the developments in Ghana by some good spirited Nigerians and Ghanaian who expressed worry that there could be imminent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians going by the extent of one-sided stereotyping by the media and top level political office holders in Ghana which graphically depict Nigerians as criminals and kidnappers.

“We have it on record that even the current President of Ghana has participated in spreading hate messages against Nigerians by spreading the misconception that Nigerians are kidnappers.”

HURIWA reminded Nigerian government that the “extensive xenophobic violence in South Africa targeting non-South African black Africans by black South Africans in which over three dozen Nigerians have died started just like small rumors and then promoted in the South African black media in which foreigners who are blacks are classified as drug dealers and criminals.”

“When the early warnings came from South Africa about possible xenophobic attacks in which Nigerians were the principal targets, the Nigerian government overlooked these grave warnings but waited until dozens of Nigerians are butchered on the streets of South Africa before the Nigerian government made some kind of statements but has not adopted any measures to stop it.

“Even as we speak, Nigerians in South Africa lives at their own risks due to the expanding frontiers of xenophobic violence against black foreigners living in South Africa even as the South African Police and government have failed to curb the menace.

“The president should personally intervene to forestall the occurrence of such xenophobia and targeted violence against Nigerians because even the political and media establishments of Ghana have begun systematic stereotyping of Nigerians as kidnappers and dangerous criminals.

“The consequences of these daily and consistent doses of stereotyping of Nigerians as criminals is that ordinary Ghanaian may embrace mob justice and go after thousands of other Nigerians living and doing legitimate businesses in Ghana.

“This is a save our souls appeal to the Nigerian president to act decisively and immediately without any further delay to hold bilateral dialogues with the political authorities in Ghana to ask them to use legal and right based means to stop the local media of Ghana from spreading hate messages and xenophobia against members of the Nigerian community in Ghana because crimes and criminality have no national boundaries nor are crimes committed exclusively by certain nationalities to the exclusion of their hosts if such nationalities reside outside their native domains.”

HURIWA stated that the government must bear in mind that it was not long that a dispute between the Ghanaian government and Nigerian business practitioners over exorbitant amount of investments demanded from Nigerians was settled.

“This warning sign has become very urgent and the Nigerian government and ECOWAS must do all within their powers to stop any land of xenophic attack from ever happening,” it added.

HURIWA recalled that few days back, the media of Ghana were awash with series of crime stories in which Nigerians were listed as masterminds just as specifically, only yesterday, a Nigerian was listed as suspected to be the leader of the gang that abducted two Canadian women earlier in June.

Also, three Nigerians have been arrested by Ghanaian authorities in connection to the recent abduction of two Canadian women. Lauren Tilley and 20-year-old Bailey Chitty who were abducted in Kumasi while returning to their hostel from a youth development programme on June 4, 2019, Ghana media reports.

Both women regained their freedom on Wednesday, June 12 after a rescue operation launched by security operatives, according to Ghana’s Information Minister, Kojo Nkrumah.

While speaking during a press conference on Wednesday, Nkrumah said authorities arrested five Ghanaians and three Nigerians during the rescue operation.

He said, “At 1900 hours, a first arrest was made, by 21:15 hours, one of the persons who is an accomplice directly involved in this incident was also arrested by the joint team running this operation”.

“A local Ghanaian contact who was providing harboring for the kidnappers was apprehended around 20:45 hours leading to the arrest of the other accomplices”.

“The holding place of the victims was subsequently surrounded just before 5 am this morning and by 5:15 am; a joint team had breached the premises with the hopes of rescuing the girls.

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Tinubu in Benue, Visits Yelwata Attacks Victims in Hospital

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President Bola Tinubu has visited surviving victims of last Friday’s brutal attack in Yelewata community in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

Tinubu visited the State following the attack, which left over 59 people dead and several others injured.

The President went straight to the hospital after arriving at the Tactical Air Command, Nigerian Air Force Base, Makurdi, at about 12:58 pm on Wednesday.

He later left the hospital for the new Banquet Hall of the Benue State Government House, where he is expected to meet with major stakeholders in the state in view of the violent attacks that have led to the loss of lives.

Tinubu is expected to meet with families of victims, displaced and injured persons, and community leaders directly impacted by the violence.

The meeting with the stakeholders is part of a broader effort to find a lasting solution to the crisis that has affected parts of the state, especially rural communities.

Expected at the meeting are key national and state-level figures, including the state governor, Hyacinth Alia; governors from across the country, particularly from the North-Central states; the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.

Also expected to attend are service chiefs, key members of the National Assembly, leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and other prominent individuals, especially those representing affected communities in Benue.

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Abuja River Park Estate: Ghanaian Investors Drag IGP, EFCC, Others to Court

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A group of Ghanaian investors behind the development of the high-profile River Park Estate in Abuja have dragged Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and other top security officials to the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged harassment, violation of fundamental human rights, and suppression of a completed police investigation report.

The suit, filed by directors of Jonah Capital Nigeria Limited and Houses for Africa Nigeria — Sir Samuel Esson Jonah, Kojo Ansah Mensah, and Victor Quainoo — along with their legal practitioner Abu Arome, also names DCP Akin Fakorede, Head of the IGP Monitoring Unit; FCT Commissioner of Police Ajao Saka Adewale; EFCC Zonal Commander Michael Wetkas; EFCC investigator Eunice Vou Dalyop; and one Kabiru Baba as respondents.

In the case numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/1130/2025, the Ghanaian businessmen are seeking ₦200 million in exemplary damages for what they describe as unlawful intimidation, repeated invitations, and an attempt to suppress an investigation report compiled by an 11-member Special Investigation Panel (SIP) previously set up by the Nigeria Police Force to probe the ownership and development dispute surrounding River Park Estate.

According to court documents, the police had concluded its investigation and submitted the SIP report to the IGP’s office, with a directive that it be reviewed by the Legal Department. However, despite several formal requests—including letters dated March 20 and April 16, 2025—neither the plaintiffs nor their legal representatives have received access to the report.

Instead, the plaintiffs allege that DCP Fakorede, whose unit previously investigated the case, initiated a fresh probe into the same issues already covered in the SIP’s findings. The investors claim Fakorede’s renewed efforts have resulted in persistent harassment, including repeated police invitations and the arrest and prolonged interrogation of Kojo Ansah Mensah by the EFCC.

In a further twist, Jonah Capital petitioned the Police Service Commission and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), urging them to intervene. A letter from the AGF’s office, dated May 16, 2025, formally requested the IGP to release the case file and final SIP report—but the police have yet to comply.

The Ghanaian High Commission in Nigeria also backed the request, with Acting High Commissioner Eddison Mensah Agbenyegah writing to the IGP on April 9, 2025, requesting certified true copies of the SIP report and offering to bear the costs. That appeal, too, has received no official response.

According to the affidavit sworn by Kojo Ansah Mensah, the dispute began in 2013 when Jonah Capital invited Paulo Homes Ltd into a joint venture to process building approvals. Under the agreement, Paulo Homes was to receive 30% of the land it secured permits for. However, the Ghanaians allege that Paulo Homes breached the terms, encroached on more land, and later accused them of forgery.

Former partners Adrian Ogunmuyiwa and John Townley-Johnson, who had previously relinquished their interests to Jonah Capital, also resurfaced with forgery allegations. These claims were part of the initial investigation handled by the SIP, which found no evidence warranting criminal charges.

Despite the SIP’s report, Paulo Homes, through its general manager Giles Azania, submitted a new petition to the IGP on April 10, 2025, demanding another investigation into the same forgery allegations. The IGP Monitoring Unit reportedly began a fresh, inconclusive investigation while continuing to withhold the earlier report.

The plaintiffs now seek a court declaration that the ongoing actions by the police and EFCC violate their constitutional rights to dignity, liberty, property, and freedom of movement, as enshrined in Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

They also seek a perpetual injunction restraining all defendants from further arresting, detaining, or harassing them over a matter they argue is purely civil in nature and best suited for the courts.

Videos and written petitions submitted to the court detail how officers of the Nigerian Police Force have allegedly prevented the Ghanaian developers from accessing their land while allowing rival developers linked to Paulo Homes to build freely on the disputed property.

Legal counsel to the plaintiffs, Adedayo Adedeji (SAN), insists that the continuous targeting of his clients amounts to double jeopardy and abuse of power, calling on the judiciary to compel law enforcement agencies to uphold the rule of law and release the investigative findings.

As the case unfolds, observers from both Nigeria and Ghana are closely watching what could become a defining moment in the legal and diplomatic handling of cross-border business disputes involving foreign investors and Nigeria’s security institutions.

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I’ll Work Against Tinubu’s Re-election in 2027 – Ex-aide Aliyu Audu

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A former Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Affairs, Aliyu Audu, ha revealed that he resigned from the administration in order to actively campaign against Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

Speaking on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Audu said his decision was driven by a matter of “principle and conscience,” as he accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

“It confirmed it on one hand, and on the other hand, it strengthened my resolve to not work for him in 2027,” Audu said, referring to Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech where the president claimed to enjoy seeing the opposition in disarray.

“I couldn’t in all honesty and in my conscience be in his government knowing I’m plotting against removal in 2027, because I will, and by God, we will remove him. Collectively, Nigerians will install a leader that will be our chosen, not his chosen. Not emilokan (my turn), but awa lokan (our turn), in fact, gbogbo wa lokan (all of us).”

He also criticised the inclusion of Nyesom Wike, a PDP member and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, in the APC-led government, questioning his loyalty and the legitimacy of such a move.

“What is Wike doing in our government? If he’s going to leave the PDP, he should leave. If we’re doing a government of national unity, you deal with the party, not individuals. The party is what we vote for — not Bola Tinubu but APC; not Atiku but PDP; not Peter Obi but Labour Party.”

Audu’s resignation letter, dated June 8, criticised the APC’s political trajectory and warned against what he described as a deliberate silencing of opposition voices. In a follow-up statement, he clarified that while he does not support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he would not lend himself “as an instrument to reduce Nigeria to a one-party State.”

“If we now begin to silence or crush opposition simply because we have the upper hand, then we are no different from the very system we once criticised under Obasanjo in 2003,” he said.

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