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Keffi Prison Break: Authorities Blame Death Row Inmates

Published

7 months ago

August 13, 2025

Eric

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has lamented significant challenges in managing the country’s 3,845 death row inmates, describing the current system as flawed and unsustainable.

Assistant Controller General Cyrus Lekatile presented these concerns on Tuesday during the third public hearing of the Independent Investigative Panel on Alleged Corruption, Abuse of Power, Torture, and Other Inhumane Treatment by the NCoS in Abuja.

Lekatile, representing the Deputy Controller General of Corrections Operations, revealed that out of the total number of death row inmates, 81 are female. He identified extreme overcrowding, financial limitations, and the psychological strain of indefinite detention as core issues affecting these prisoners.

He stated, “The high number of inmates on death row contributes significantly to the overcrowding, making it difficult to provide adequate care and rehabilitation programmes.”

He further explained that the uncertainty surrounding the inmates’ fate is a persistent problem, noting, “Inmates on death row often experience prolonged periods of uncertainty. It takes time to determine such appeals. Most times, it takes time also for them to access the prerogative of mercy or clemency.”

Despite assertions by the NCoS about ongoing rehabilitation initiatives, Lekatile admitted that death row inmates are typically excluded from these programmes.

“This class of inmates are generally excluded from benefiting from these programmes. That is the spirit behind that. But this is the position, and this same position can be altered depending on the review of all of these laws and policies,” he said.

The Assistant Controller General also highlighted rising tensions within correctional facilities, fueled by inmates’ demands and misunderstandings.

“They insist that their own ration should be above the other inmates’ ration. Unfortunately, the government only recognises one person’s single ration principle. It poses a security threat to the custodial centre superintendent,” he warned.

The hearing also shed light on the stagnation of the execution process in Nigeria. Although capital punishment is legally sanctioned, political reluctance at the highest levels has resulted in a de facto moratorium.

Lekatile explained, “Governors and, in fact, the president are responsible for signing death warrants, but many of them are reluctant to do so, leading to what is called a de facto moratorium.”

Lekatile further called for reforms in the capital punishment system and urged for a review of related laws as well as increased funding for correctional services.

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Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

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Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

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DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.