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Why we demolished Alaba International Market – Lagos govt
Why we demolished Alaba International Market – Lagos govt
The Lagos State Government says recent demolition of distressed buildings in Alaba International Market in Ojo Local Council was neither a witch-hunt nor intended to acquire the land but done to protect lives.
Mr Gbolahan Oki, General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, (LABSCA) said this on Saturday during an on-the-spot assessment of the demolition site.
Oki visited the market amid heavy downpour alongside his counterpart in Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authourity (LASPPPA), Mr Kehinde Osinaike, and the seven-man committee set up by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the aftermath of the demolition exercise.
They were led on the trip by Mr Oluwole Sotire, Permanent Secretary of their parent parastatal, the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that South-East traders in the market, led by Imo Governor, Mr Hope Uzodimma, met with Gov. Sanwo-Olu of Lagos to put to rest allegations of tribal bias behind the demolition exercise.
During the on the spot assessment, Oki explained that the demolition was simply to enforce building regulations and laws, to prevent building collapse.
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According to him, most of the demolished buildings were without permits, and necessary documentations needed by the state government were also ignored.
“All we are after is that the lives of traders and other Nigerians are extremely important to the Lagos State Government.
“I have seen people painting buildings that are delapidated, that are not good, it is not painting that makes a building new. Our lives are more important,” he said.
Oki urged owners of distressed buildings marked for demolition to remove them within two weeks, to prevent disaster, or else government would move in to take action.
“My mandate is to remove anything that is dilapidated, that is harmful to the people that even owns it,” he said.
The General Manager said Sanwo-Olu set up the seven-man committee to look into the demolition without causing disaffection among the traders at Alaba International Market.
He said LASBCA officials were usually prevented from enforcing laws by people who failed to get building plan approvals or those who did illegal conversion of their properties.
NAN reports that the LASBCA boss waded through flash floods to issue stop work order on a contractor on site from the Ojo Local Government, for amicable resolution of all issues.
He assured protesters carrying placards that government had their interests covered with the appointment of additional 17-man sub-committee compromising their market leadership, for quicker resolution of issues.
Oki explained why distressed buildings were being demolished and the need for some of the traders to do regularisation.
He said this was because of issues of land grabbers selling one land to several people as well as the need to correct haphazard development.
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Earlier, the general manager and his team had a meeting with leadership of the Alaba International Market traders at LASBCA head office at Ikeja GRA, before they all embarked on the trip to the market.
During the meeting, the market leaders who are members of the seven-man technical committee set up by to look into the issues of demolition in Alaba International Market discussed the way forward.
The LASBCA boss explained processes and procedures guiding laws on physical developments and what must be done to comply with regulation.
He said that there was no ethnic colouration to the decisions of government, whose only motive was to prevent building collapse, to ensure safety of lives of the traders and other Nigerians.
Mr Chris Maduka, Secretary to the seven-man Technical Committee on Alaba International Demolition, commended action of the government to sanitise the market.
Maduka said it had brought them closer and was in the best interest of everybody, to save traders from touts extorting them with various conflicting taxes and illegal levies.
During the on-the-spot assessment to the market, Maduka appealed for cooperation and understanding of the traders affected by the demolition exercise.
He said that taking to protest or violence would defeat the purpose for which Sanwo-Olu set up the Committee.
Some of the affected traders carrying placards with various inscriptions at the market pleaded with Sanwo-Olu to fast track the assignment of the committee to restore thier means of livelihood.
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Why men should marry a second wife after 25 years — Morayo Afolabi-Brown’s husband
Why men should marry a second wife after 25 years — Morayo Afolabi-Brown’s husband
Nigerian lawyer and businessman Olufemi (Femi) Afolabi-Brown has sparked widespread reactions after explaining why he believes men who intend to practise polygamy should wait about 25 years after marrying their first wife before taking a second spouse.
Afolabi-Brown, who is married to media personality Morayo Afolabi-Brown, shared his views during an episode of The Brown Couch Podcast, where he discussed marriage, family dynamics and what he considers the ideal structure for a successful polygamous home.
According to him, one of the major causes of rivalry in polygamous families is marrying another wife too soon after the first. He argued that spacing the marriages by about 25 years would create a generational gap between the children, thereby reducing competition and conflict within the family.
He explained that a man who marries his first wife at the age of 25 should ideally wait until around the age of 50 before taking a second wife.
“Your first wife ought to be a lot older than your second wife. You can marry your second partner at age 50 if you first marry one at age 25.
“So the first child’s children become like the older brothers, uncles and aunts to the younger ones. They are not of the same generation, so there will never be rivalry between them,” he said.
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The businessman maintained that when children from different wives belong to separate generations, they are more likely to see one another as extended family rather than direct competitors for attention, inheritance or parental affection.
Afolabi-Brown further argued that taking another wife only a few years into a marriage often creates unnecessary tension that can destabilise the home.
“If you marry your first wife in the first year of your marriage and then marry your second wife in the third year, your home will be the centre of chaos. You cannot escape it,” he said.
He also stressed that couples should first establish a shared purpose before considering polygamy, saying such alignment often takes several years to achieve.
According to him, many marriages require at least a decade for both partners to fully align their vision, values and long-term goals.
“Before a husband and wife can consolidate in purpose, it may take 10 years.
“Once they identify that purpose and both of them have keyed into it, if the man goes to marry a second wife because of the purpose, the first wife will overlook it,” he added.
The comments have generated mixed reactions on social media, with some Nigerians agreeing that a wider age gap between wives and children could minimise rivalry in polygamous homes, while others argued that harmony in marriage depends more on mutual respect, fairness, communication and responsible leadership than the timing of additional marriages.
In Nigeria, polygamy is recognised under customary and Islamic law but is not permitted under statutory marriages conducted under the Marriage Act. Family experts have consistently maintained that successful polygamous families rely on trust, financial responsibility, effective communication and equitable treatment of spouses and children.
The remarks have also reignited conversations about modern marriage, family values and the realities of polygamous marriages in contemporary Nigerian society.
Why men should marry a second wife after 25 years — Morayo Afolabi-Brown’s husband
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Nnamdi Kanu Accused of Recruiting Igbo Youths from Prison to Fuel Violence – Uwazuruike
Nnamdi Kanu Accused of Recruiting Igbo Youths from Prison to Fuel Violence – Uwazuruike
Founder of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has leveled a heavy accusation against the incarcerated leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, claiming he is directing deadly violent activities from his prison cell. Uwazuruike alleged that Kanu, who is serving a life sentence for terrorism at the Sokoto Custodial Centre, has continued to actively recruit impressionable Igbo youths from inside the facility, and that this ongoing recruitment pipeline directly drives the rising body count of young people across the Southeast region. The MASSOB founder, who has consistently advocated for a non-violent approach to the Biafran agitation, expressed deep concern that young men are being deceived into violence that ultimately costs them their lives.
In a widely circulated video broadcast on YouTube, the MASSOB founder expressed deep worry over the situation. He urgently appealed to prominent Southeastern leaders and the leadership of the apex pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, to intervene immediately. He urged them to form a high-powered delegation to travel to the Sokoto prison facility to confront Kanu with a strict warning to stop pulling young men into fatal operations. Uwazuruike emphasized that the time for silence had passed and that Igbo leaders must take a stand against the continued loss of youth to a violent struggle that he believes is being orchestrated from behind prison walls.
Expressing his frustration, Uwazuruike said: “I hate violence, and anyone who knows me will agree that I do not have anything to do with violence. How can someone who was sentenced to prison remain there and be recruiting our youth to go into violence? He has been sentenced, he should remain in prison and serve his jail term in peace and not recruiting more people into violence. Everyday, our young men are killed because they are being deceived into engaging in violence by Nnamdi Kanu, who is recruiting them from prison.” His emotional appeal highlighted the growing frustration among some separatist veterans who feel that the movement has been hijacked by violent elements that are leading young people to their deaths without any clear path to victory.
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He further pushed for a paradigm shift toward peace and rehabilitation, drawing a sharp contrast with how the federal government handles armed actors in northern parts of the country. “In the north, we hear things like repentant terrorists and bandits, and federal government spend money to reintegrate them into society, so why can’t we have repentant IPOB members here? Why can’t the people who have been in violence renounce it and come out and seek amnesty, so that the federal government can rehabilitate them?” Uwazuruike lamented. He questioned why young Igbo men must be initiated deeper into violence instead of being given the opportunity to embrace amnesty and reintegration, as is being done with repentant terrorists and bandits in other parts of Nigeria.
The strong remarks from the MASSOB pioneer follow an increase in alarming video clips emerging on various social media platforms. These videos feature numerous masked, armed individuals asserting their allegiance to Kanu and identifying themselves as functional wings of IPOB. Filmed deep within thick forests and unidentified locations across the region, the militants can be heard chanting solidarity anthems for Kanu while threatening a massive wave of armed unrest in the Southeast if the federal authorities fail to release him. The emergence of these videos has heightened concerns about the militarization of the separatist movement and the potential for large-scale violence in the region.
Tensions within the separatist movement have been boiling over for some time. Reports indicate that Kanu recently issued directives from detention to dissolve the powerful Directorate of State (DOS), which had long served as the administrative core of IPOB. Alongside stripping his closest confidants and allies of their administrative powers, Kanu reportedly initiated a new governance structure. He is also alleged to have launched a recruitment drive for 100 individuals under a secretive initiative tagged the “100-man-project,” though the definitive operational mandate and duties of these specific recruits remain highly ambiguous. The restructuring has created confusion and division within the movement, with some members loyal to Kanu and others opposing what they view as overreach from a detained leader.
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In a significant development that has thrown the separatist movement into deeper turmoil, the proscribed IPOB announced the indefinite suspension of the Office of its Leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and the position of the Director of Radio Biafra. The decision followed a full-house meeting of the IPOB Directorate on June 17, 2026, where the leadership reviewed intelligence reports concerning communications from Nnamdi Kanu within Sokoto prison. The leadership organ clarified that IPOB was “formed and nurtured by a group of Biafrans in the Diaspora (not by any singular individual)” and emphasized that no single individual has the authority to dissolve the Directorate of State, which remains the apex leadership structure. This marked a dramatic escalation in the internal power struggle within IPOB.
The group stated that it acted after becoming “mindful that certain unguarded communications from Sokoto prison to those in Biafraland has caused unnecessary arrests and death of IPOB family members.” The leadership expressed concern that Kanu’s communications were being intercepted by security agencies and were leading to the targeting and killing of IPOB members. The statement noted that the suspension will “prevent unchecked actions, reckless assumption of authority and unguarded utterances from resulting in the reckless arrests, torture and needless death of Biafran youths.” It declared that any criminal activity carried out in the name of the suspended office will no longer be blamed on the group, adding that “IPOB shall hence forward not be held accountable for actions of individuals or group of Individuals not holding any active position within IPOB.”
In a counter move, Nnamdi Kanu has rejected the suspension, declaring that the dissolution of the 3rd Administration is constitutionally valid and binding on all IPOB structures worldwide. Through his spokesperson, Emma Powerful, Kanu insisted that the power to appoint, suspend, or dismiss principal officers vests exclusively in the leader of IPOB, citing the group’s Code of Conduct. The statement emphasized that “the same authority that appoints possesses the authority to remove.” Kanu further argued that none of the members of the dissolved 3rd Administration are founding members of IPOB, and they occupied their offices solely by virtue of appointments made under his authority, which he maintains gives him the sole power to remove them.
The IPOB leader has inaugurated a 4th Administration of the DOS, appointing US-based Mazi Chris Nwaogu as the new Head of the Directorate, while the Chika Edoziem-led faction insists its suspension of Kanu is valid. The conflicting claims have deepened the leadership dispute within IPOB, with both factions asserting legitimacy and authority over the organisation’s affairs. This internal rift has significantly weakened the separatist movement and raised questions about its future direction and cohesion.
The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was convicted on all seven charges he faced on November 19, 2025, including terrorism, treason, and involvement with an outlawed movement. Justice James Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment on multiple counts, with the sentences to run concurrently effective from November 20, 2025. The judge noted that Kanu had made a series of broadcasts to incite violence and killings as part of his campaign for a separate Biafran state. The decision to relocate him to the Sokoto Custodial Centre has also attracted criticism from Igbo leaders and youth groups who have expressed concern over his safety in the volatile region.
Nnamdi Kanu Accused of Recruiting Igbo Youths from Prison to Fuel Violence – Uwazuruike
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DSS Arrests Seven Boko Haram, ISWAP Commanders Returning from Hajj
DSS Arrests Seven Boko Haram, ISWAP Commanders Returning from Hajj
Nigeria’s security operatives have arrested seven suspected senior commanders of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) after they returned from the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, in what officials have described as a major counter-terrorism breakthrough. The suspects were apprehended last Thursday at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport in Katsina State shortly after landing from Mecca, and were immediately transferred to the Department of State Services (DSS) for interrogation and further investigation. The arrest operation, which unfolded at the airport’s arrival terminal, has been hailed as a significant victory in Nigeria’s ongoing battle against terrorism and a testament to the effectiveness of the government’s new digital identity integration system.
Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed the development on Friday shortly after President Bola Tinubu signed the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act, 2026, into law at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. According to the minister, the arrests highlight the impact of the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms in identity management and national security coordination. He emphasized that the success of the operation demonstrates how technology and inter-agency collaboration can be leveraged to enhance national security and protect citizens from terrorist threats. Tunji-Ojo explained that the country previously operated a weak and disconnected data system, making intelligence gathering and threat detection difficult across multiple agencies. “We inherited a fragmented identity management system where government databases operated independently. Today, our immigration database is fully integrated with NIMC and linked to Interpol’s 24-hour security network,” he stated. He recalled that the Senate President had previously raised alarm over how terrorists managed to go on pilgrimage, questioning how they crossed Nigeria’s borders without detection.
Giving more details on the operation, the minister said, “I’m happy to tell you that even last week, Thursday, seven of the known commanders of Boko Haram and ISWAP, at the point of coming back from Mecca, were arrested in Katsina at the airport and were handed over to the DSS.” He attributed the success to the integration of the NIMC database with the Nigeria Immigration Service and international security platforms, noting that “this is only possible because NIMC’s ID is already connected with the immigration database, and it’s already speaking to even the Interpol 24/7, and we have been able to automate this.” The minister’s comments underscore the transformative impact of digital identity reforms on Nigeria’s security architecture, suggesting that similar arrests could become more frequent as the system becomes more entrenched.
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The minister did not disclose the identities of the suspects, whether they had been on security watchlists before travelling to Saudi Arabia, how they obtained travel clearance, or whether they have been formally charged. He also did not indicate whether the suspects travelled independently or received sponsorship for the pilgrimage. The announcement has raised fresh questions about how suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders were able to obtain travel documents and leave Nigeria undetected before eventually being intercepted on their return. These unanswered questions have sparked calls for greater transparency from security agencies and a thorough investigation into how the suspects managed to navigate Nigeria’s border controls in the first instance.
The revelation comes days after allegations circulated that the Katsina State Government sponsored Hajj pilgrimages for some bandit leaders. The Katsina State Government has denied the allegations, describing them as false, baseless, and politically motivated. In a statement, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Mua’zu, said the allegation was “entirely baseless, unfounded and devoid of any factual basis,” adding that it was a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and undermine ongoing efforts to tackle insecurity in the state. The minister did not suggest that the seven suspects were among any government-sponsored pilgrims, nor did he link their arrests to the allegations against the Katsina State Government. However, the timing of the arrests has fueled public speculation and drawn attention to the broader challenges of monitoring pilgrimages and preventing terrorists from exploiting religious travel.
President Tinubu signed the NIMC Act, 2026, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja in the presence of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, NIMC Director-General Abisoye Coker-Odusote, House Leader Julius Ihonvbere, and other senior government officials. Tunji-Ojo described the new legislation as a significant reform aimed at strengthening the harmonisation of Nigeria’s identity management systems, improving the integrity of the National Identification Number (NIN) system, and enhancing collaboration among security and intelligence agencies. He noted that the Act provides a legal framework that will accelerate the integration of databases and ensure that no Nigerian citizen can obtain official documents without proper verification through the NIMC system.
The newly signed law is expected to play a major role in strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture by accelerating the harmonisation of identity databases and improving cooperation among security and government agencies. Government officials say the legislation is designed to eliminate long-standing gaps in Nigeria’s identity management system. The law is also expected to strengthen the integrity of the NIN, improve data sharing, and enhance the tracking of criminal activities including terrorism financing, identity fraud, cybercrime, and cross-border offences. Officials believe that the Act will serve as a deterrent to criminals and terrorists who have historically exploited weaknesses in the country’s identity verification processes.
The minister further explained that the integration has also improved the passport application process, noting that no Nigerian passport can now be issued without proper identity verification through the NIMC database. “When Mr President came on board, we had a disconnected system within our identity data management system. At that time, getting a passport and getting a driving permit were completely disconnected from our identity database. But today, you can’t get a Nigerian passport without pulling data from NIMC,” he stated. This reform has not only enhanced national security but has also reduced instances of identity fraud and document forgery, which were previously rampant under the disconnected system.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Senate President Akpabio welcomed the presidential assent, describing the legislation as a reflection of the National Assembly’s commitment to enacting laws that address Nigeria’s changing security and development needs. He said the Act would strengthen public confidence in the country’s identity management framework and aligns with President Tinubu’s reform agenda. Similarly, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu described the legislation as a transformative reform that would improve governance, promote accountability and support national development through a credible identity management system, noting that the previous NIMC Act of 2007 had become outdated and ill-suited to the demands of a digital age.
NIMC Director-General Abisoye Coker-Odusote said the Act represents a significant step towards building a trusted and inclusive digital identity ecosystem, reinforcing the National Identification Number as the cornerstone of identity verification in Nigeria while introducing reforms that will strengthen the country’s digital public infrastructure and improve access to government and private-sector services. The development comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to strengthen national security, improve border surveillance, and curb the movement of terror-linked individuals across the country. Security analysts have welcomed the arrests as a positive development, but many have also cautioned that technology alone cannot solve Nigeria’s security challenges without sustained investment in intelligence gathering, community policing, and addressing the root causes of extremism.
DSS Arrests Seven Boko Haram, ISWAP Commanders Returning from Hajj
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