News

OPINION: Mass Murder On River Niger[Monday Lines]

Published

1 year ago

December 2, 2024

By Lasisi Olagunju

“As of today, the combined efforts of NEMA, Kogi State Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross have recovered 54 bodies. Unfortunately, there was no manifest for the boat, which makes it difficult to confirm the exact number of passengers. The journey took place at night, and none of the passengers had life jackets.” The Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Kogi State, Justin Uwazuruonye, told the above to newsmen on Saturday. He was speaking about last Friday’s boat accident involving about 200 women and labourers.

A folk poet says, “The young goat fled the slaughterers/ He took shelter among the butchers./ The couscous fled those who sprinkle sauce over it,/ It took shelter among those who eat it.” People who were running away from hunger and poverty in one place ended up buying death on the waterways at another end. That is what happened to the casualties of that accident, who were women on their way to a market in Niger State. Their boat sank into River Niger with all in it. Nigeria is still searching for the remains of many.

Like Wole Soyinka’s metal on concrete, reports of that accident on the Niger jarred the heart. We still do not know the exact number of those who sank with that sepulchral boat. What we know is that all of the dead had no names – they are just a number, nameless. People who have names – big names – don’t travel in deathly canoes; they don’t paddle coffins to their places of trade.

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Overcrowded boats are cemeteries in motion. Two hundred people crammed into a creaky bowl of wood is mass murder – or mass suicide. Many of the boats are old and decrepit; they are very well-known disasters waiting to happen. Yet, people pay to use them because they are the only affordable means of transportation available to those who use them.

We may not trust the authorities in big things, but in ‘small’ talks like how to save ourselves from recalcitrant death, we must listen. The Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) recently rolled out a safety protocol. Obey them. They say do not be lured into boarding wooden boats whose expiry dates are in the last century. They say do not travel on water without life vests. They say the flip side of not wearing life vests is wearing aprons of death.

Murderers are not just felons with swords and daggers. Operators of boats without care are killers. They maximize profit and overload boats. They use corner-corner creek routes and compromise safety; they offend the law and dodge regulators; they break rules and avoid water marshals. They run faster than their destinies and collide with tragedy. They mass-kill the helpless who trust them with their lives.

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How do we say enough is enough? Can we appeal to the big men from that axis of tragedy to intervene with their money? Is it not possible for the rich to replace every aged wooden boat with modern watercraft that won’t crack and perish under the weight of struggling children, women and labourers? Can the powerful channel monies currently being spent on buying wheelbarrows into buying life jackets for every household that must travel on water? Can radio and television stations in these areas and in other places mount a campaign against suicidal cruises on the waterways? Can we make this avoidable accident the very last on our waterways?

No one wants to die. The hundreds who have perished in boat accidents this year alone in that axis wanted to live. Over 100 died in October in Mokwa, Niger State; more than 40 died somewhere in Zamfara State in September. The latest casualties were on their way to farm work or to buy and sell in a market. They were looking for what to eat. May we not run from the house of hunger to the house of stupid death. May the souls of the dead Rest In Peace. May the living learn from the dead.

News

NAF Launches Attack On Terrorists In Borno

Published

6 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

The Nigerian Air Force, NAF, operating as part of the joint task force of Operation Hadin Kai, has carried out a coordinated air interdiction at AbbagaJiri in the Timbuktu Triangle, Borno State.

According to Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information of NAF, the air strikes successfully paved the way for ground troops.

He explained that the operation was based on actionable intelligence from multiple sources, which confirmed the presence of terrorists, their structures, and concealed logistics facilities in the area.

Ejodame stated that NAF air assets were deployed in integrated surveillance and precision strike roles to target identified threats.

The operation aimed to degrade terrorist capabilities, deny them sanctuary, and shape the battlefield for ground forces, all while strictly adhering to rules of engagement and protecting civilians.

He added, “The Identified terrorist structures were decisively engaged and destroyed, denying the terrorists freedom of action, while a follow-up engagement neutralised armed elements observed converging on the location.”

“Subsequent advances by ground troops into the area confirmed the effectiveness of the air strikes and validated the success of the joint air–land operation.”

Speaking on the mission, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, said, “The success of the mission reflects the NAF’s resolve to dominate the air domain in support of joint operations.”

Aneke further emphasized that the operation highlighted the service’s commitment to providing precise and decisive air power in support of ground forces.

In his words, “We will continue to deny terrorists freedom of movement, sanctuary, and logistics wherever they seek to hide. Air operations will remain relentless and intelligence-driven.”

“Our operations are carefully planned and intelligence-led, ensuring maximum effect on hostile elements while safeguarding innocent civilians.”

“The Nigerian Air Force will sustain pressure until terrorist networks are completely dismantled.”

He further noted that the operation showcased NAF’s aggressive stance, precision employment of airpower, and dedication to sustained joint operations.

Aneke added that such missions play a crucial role in enabling ground troops to maintain momentum and deliver decisive outcomes against terrorist networks threatening lives, property, and Nigeria’s national security.

News

Lagos Parks To Close For Maintenance – State Govt

Published

6 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

The Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency, LASPARK, has announced that all public parks under its management across the state will be temporarily closed for routine maintenance and upgrades.

In a statement released on January 9 and shared via its official platforms early Saturday, LASPARK said, “All parks under our management will be closed to the public from January 12 to January 31, 2026.

“This follows increased visitor activity during the recent festive season.”

The agency listed several popular recreational spots that will be affected, including “Ndubisi Kanu Park, Alausa JJT Park, Dr. Finnih Abayomi Park in Oregun, and all other LASPARK-managed parks across Lagos State.”

News

PAP Sends Additional 34 Foreign Post-graduate Scholarship Beneficiaries To UK Varsities

Published

21 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has deployed an additional 34 foreign post-graduate scholarship beneficiaries to various universities in the United Kingdom for the 2025-2026 academic year.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Warri by Mr Igoniko Oduma, Special Assistant on Media to Dr. Dennis Otuaro, the Administrator, PAP.

According to the statement, the scholars’ programmes include data science, fintech analytics, cyber security, international energy law and policy, construction project management, public health, agri-food technology, electrical and petroleum engineering, among others.

The statement added that more foreign post-graduate scholars will be sent to UK universities in the current academic session.

“In December 2025, nine students, who were the first set of offshore post-graduate scholarship developments by the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, for the 2024-2025 academic year, graduated from their various programmes in UK universities.

“Otuaro has deployed over 9000 students to universities within and outside Nigeria for different industry-relevant programmes since he assumed office in March 2024,” the statement partly reads.

Speaking at the pre-departure orientation programme for the scholars at the PAP headquarters in Abuja, on Thursday, Otuaro said that the large-scale deployment was aimed at making the Niger Delta a knowledge-driven region.

He said that his leadership reinvigorated the programme to give it a new momentum in service delivery to the people of the region based on the mandate of President Bola Tinubu.

Otuaro said, “We are sending all of you for post-graduate studies in various universities in the United Kingdom.

“The PAP now has a new momentum and direction because of the repositioning and broad reforms that we carried out in line with the mandate of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.

“The objective behind the huge scholarships deployment is to ensure that we develop the needed human capital to transform the Niger Delta and generate knowledge-wealth.

“We want to develop relevant manpower in critical disciplines for our region and by extension, the country, because you are expected to contribute your quota to national development after successful graduation.”

The PAP boss, who was represented at the event by his Technical Assistant, Mr Edgar Biu, advised the scholars to study hard to achieve academic excellence in their various fields of research.

According to him, the scholars have an obligation to justify the Federal Government’s investment in their education and future.

He reiterated his warning that beneficiaries should not take for granted the opportunity to further their academic pursuits in the interest of the Niger Delta and indeed the country.

Otuaro expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his “enormous interest and support for the Programme”, particularly the approval of an upward review of the programme’s budget from N65billion to N150billion.

He also expressed gratitude to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his impeccable guidance and supervision of the programme’s initiatives.

Otuaro, therefore, cautioned the scholars to obey their host country’s laws and the rules and regulations of their various institutions, stressing that they are ambassadors of Nigeria, the Niger Delta and their communities and families.

Highpoint of the orientation programme was the presentation of laptops to the scholars to help them in their studies.