There’s a slang now utilized by Nigerians throughout social media platforms, one thing that’s each a warning and prayer. They are saying, ‘might Nigeria not occur to you’. Or, ‘let Nigeria not occur to you.’
What they imply is that Nigeria has reworked right into a mere geographical area with capability to afflict, disorient and shatter aspirations. Due to this fact, fellow residents beware. It’s an expression of anguish and frustration on the state’s repeated failure to guard life and property.
As an illustration, a whole bunch and hundreds of residents have deserted their homelands for years due to the actions of terrorists. They now reside in camps meant for internally displaced individuals (IDPs), with their unique life aspirations and destinies brutally re-arranged and distorted. Nigeria occurred to them.
Some schoolgirls had been kidnapped from their boarding home greater than a decade in the past in Chibok, Borno State. A lot of them had been forcefully acquired as intercourse slaves to lift youngsters for terrorists, not in a position to pursue their childhood dream of higher life by means of training. These of them who managed to return after years of savage dwelling within the camps of spiritual lunatics in Sambisa Forest current devalued and tortured types, misused and mentally disfigured. They’re barely helpful to themselves. One other instance of how Nigeria occurred to residents.
At present, a whole bunch and hundreds of youths are simply floating, not sure of what tomorrow could be, their yesterday and in the present day stolen and mortgaged by older generations. Some youths have spent a long time after college training and are but to hit the bottom. They survive on menial jobs and handouts. Some Nigerians are homeless and others shouldn’t have sufficient to cowl their lodging for the subsequent one yr.
Many mother and father are fighting fee of college charges for his or her wards. Others are barely in a position to feed. But, as we converse, some are gathering cash to pay ransoms to kidnappers, simply as a whole bunch and hundreds are unable to pay hospital payments and hold tempo with costs of prescribed drugs. Nigeria has occurred to residents in numerous types.
Nigeria is presently occurring to citizen Abiodun Thomas, who has been the visitor of the police since December 13, 2024, for ‘cursing’ the Inspector Normal of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Pressure PRO, Olumuyiwa Adejobi and Seyi, son of President Tinubu. She spent the final Christmas in detention in addition to the New 12 months vacation. If her bail software is just not nicely argued in the present day, she would possibly stay a visitor of the state for extra days.
She was arrested in Lagos, transferred to Abuja and swiftly arraigned on the Federal Excessive Courtroom on December 20. Based on studies, she was arrested and charged over some video recording on her social media platform, the place she allegedly rained ‘curses’ at Tinubu, the IGP and the Pressure Spokesperson. Thomas’ remarks had been stated to be supposed to “bully, threaten, harass” Egbetokun, Adejobi and Tinubu, an offence punishable underneath Part 24(2) (a) Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention and different offences (Modification Act, 2024).
Amongst Thomas’ social media friends, Nigeria has occurred to her. She had made a video, the place she thought she had exercised her freedom of free speech. However right here is the state figuring out in any other case. Whereas some attorneys argue that there could also be no offence in strange cursing, the Cybercrimes Act has offered that it is likely to be against the law to make use of the social media malevolently.
The legislation determines that the sending of indecent and grossly offensive messages by way of a pc system in addition to communication which might be false, for the aim of inflicting annoyance, inconvenience, insult or unnecessary nervousness to a different individual quantity to types of crime.
Certainly, the social media area is unfastened and really accommodating of residents’ excesses. Nevertheless, many have feared {that a} portion of the legislation conflicts with the constitutional proper of the press to always be free to demand accountability and accountability from authorities.
Regardless of a current modification, the legislation is discovered to stay nebulous and could possibly be a instrument within the arms of legislation enforcers to hamper and incriminate honest and innocent communication.
Media teams and the Editors’ guild are insisting that the cybercrimes legislation is open to misuse within the arms of politicians and their legislation enforcers who’re wired to imagine that they had been created to guard the political class alone.
Journalists have been hounded and kidnapped in areas throughout the nation for alleged cybercrime offences. Within the case of Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Basis for Investigative Journalists (FIJ), he was arrested on Might 1, 2024, in Lagos and later taken to Abuja. He had investigated a authorities contract that appeared suspicious and must have been counseled by authorities. There have been different arrests, however the police all the time have their justification.
On December 6, the police slammed Dele Farotimi, activist and lawyer with a 12-count cost bordering on cybercrime offences. He was accused of deliberately transmitting communication which he knew to be false data “for the aim of inflicting breakdown of legislation and order, thereby committing an offence opposite to and punishable underneath Part 24(1)(b) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention and different offences) Act…”
Other than its affront to free speech, there may be the priority that the Cybercrimes Act is being selectively utilized to harass and intimidate strange residents. As an illustration, the minister in command of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has used the social media greater than the likes of Abiodun Thomas, to bully, threaten and harass.
Wike threatened to set fireplace to states superintended by governors of the Peoples Democratic Get together (PDP), in the event that they dared to recognise Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State. Movies of the menace had been shared throughout social media platforms and so they prompted panic and confusion throughout the PDP states.
Wike had severally bullied and harassed the Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, on the social media. The recordings are all over. Wike’s social media actions are legendary. We’re not conscious that the police have invited Wike to elucidate the countless verbal missiles he has hauled at residents throughout area and time. As a substitute, President Tinubu offers him a pat on the again.
Media managers on this authorities and their social media commentators repeatedly make mincemeat of the character of Peter Obi, the Labour Get together presidential candidate within the 2023 elections, for instance. Their day is just not fulfilled if they’d not inconvenienced, bullied and needlessly drag Obi for exercising his proper to supply alternate coverage concepts as chief of opposition.
Had been Nigeria to function a parliamentary system, Obi would have been an MP, day by day slugging it out with the federal government on the ground of the Home, demanding rationalization and suggesting completely different and bonafide opinions on behalf of greater than six million voters who believed in him.
The dexterity deployed by the police in monitoring activist Thomas, the nifty mobilisation of sources to move the suspect to Abuja in addition to her speedy arraignment are all commendable. It reveals a brand new stage of effectivity that have to be beneficial for different conditions that require similar consideration.
A Nigerian, known as Father Nonso, got here into the nation in December, to rejoice Christmas with household and pals. He was kidnapped. Based on the report, Nonso was taken on December 17, and needed to spend per week together with his hosts within the forest. Father Obimma, recognized because the Non secular Director of Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, Anambra State, who narrated the incident lamented that he needed to pay the police N1 million to rescue the colleague. Based on him, after one week, he determined to steer the rescue operation, for the reason that police informed him they lacked logistics to embark on the rescue.
Father Obimma stated; “For per week, Fr. Nonso was within the arms of kidnappers. Authorities couldn’t do something. It acquired to some extent the place I had to make use of my arsenal to rescue him. after they noticed that I used to be critical, that was when the police informed me I mustn’t fear, that they might rescue him, simply that they lacked logistics. I needed to ship N1 million to them…”
The Police Command stated it has ordered an investigation of Father Obimma’s allegations. Let the result of the investigation be made public.
Final December, a household in Ogun State was reportedly requested by the police to half with N40,000 in a case of lacking seven-year-old lady. The cash was to report the case and observe the suspected kidnappers’ cellphone. Police Spokesperson, Adejobi intervened within the matter, calling the motion of the policemen, “inhuman, apathetic and unprofessional.” He introduced that those that demanded cash had been arrested for disciplinary motion.
Extremely commendable. However the reality of the matter is whether or not there may be now common funding for the police to trace telephones and do cyber investigations on the Divisional stage? We’re not unmindful of the truth that the police by no means have sufficient sources, as there are studies of lack of writing supplies to file circumstances at most police stations.
This morning, hundreds of potential Corp members are going to scamper to log into the NYSC portal to be a part of the subsequent orientation camp. It’s a scramble as a result of there’s a backlog awaiting name up, extra like a recreation of likelihood. Some will likely be dispatched to troublesome terrains the place terrorists, bandits and unknown gunmen are in cost.
We’ve misplaced depend of the variety of Corp members who’ve spent weeks and months in kidnappers’ den. Their mother and father are sometimes deserted to undergo avoidable torture and trauma. Let the federal government be up and doing, in order that harmless Nigerians don’t undergo hurt needlessly.
We can not neglect the Corps members who had been murdered in Bauchi through the 2011 presidential elections. They had been drafted to serve their fatherland, then Nigeria occurred to them. The mother and father had been handed some token for his or her years of toil and funding.
Let the federal government and its companies trigger Nigeria to occur to residents in optimistic methods.
