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By Gloria Ikibah

In a major milestone for indigenous African and scholarship and media leadership, the global open-science discovery network ScienceOpen has officially appointed Dr. Max Nwabueze Amuchie as an Expert Member and Peer Reviewer in Social and Behavioural Sciences.

In an email conveying the appointment on Tuesday, ScienceOpen stated that the decision was based on Dr. Amuchie’s extensive publication history verified through his Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) profile.
Dr. Amuchie, the CEO and Theorist-In-Chief of Sundiata Post Media Ltd and Lead Researcher for the Sundiata Post Intelligence Unit (SPIU), joins an elite global cohort of international scholars tasked with evaluating, validating, and shaping scientific, governance, and policy literature on the world stage.

This international elevation comes on the heels of Dr. Amuchie’s extensive work in developing groundbreaking, macro-theoretical frameworks designed to analyse complex geopolitical realities in the Global South. He is the architect of The Insecurity Triad framework for African security analysis, The Trinity of State Decay (TSD) theory, and the Decoupling Sovereignty Index (DSI)—original, quantitative, and analytical instruments used for understanding, categorising, and measuring conflict, structural degradation, and functional sovereignty.

To anchor these frameworks in global academia, Dr. Amuchie’s research works have already been widely published and archived across premier scholarly platforms. His papers and data indices are preserved in world-class open-science repositories including Harvard Dataverse and Zenodo. Furthermore, his output is accessible on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) and Mendeley—the latter owned by Elsevier, the world’s largest corporate academic publishing house. His research footprints also extend to the Social Science Open Access Repository (SSOAR), operated by GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences in Germany, as well as Figshare. In addition, his papers are available on major global scholarly networks such as ResearchGate and Academia.edu, and are actively indexed on Google Scholar.

Commenting on his appointment by ScienceOpen, Amuchie emphasised that the recognition represents a significant step forward for the Global South intellectual sovereignty.
“For too long, the Global South has been treated primarily as a subject of external geopolitical analysis rather than a creator of macro-theoretical blueprints,” Amuchie said. “This elevation on a premier open-science platform like ScienceOpen provides an unassailable global platform to validate indigenous African and Global South research. It ensures that our original frameworks—born out of rigorous field observations and deep academic inquiry—are recognised as primary tools for understanding state structures worldwide.”

Amuchie is a seasoned professional in the Nigerian media landscape, having served as a Member of the Editorial Board and later Abuja Bureau Chief at BusinessDay; held senior editorial positions at ThisDay, and served as Managing Editor at Leadership newspapers. He was also the CEO and Editor-in-Chief at Truetales Publications Ltd. He is an alumnus of the University of Calabar and the University of Lagos. He also maintains The Sunday Stew, a highly regarded weekly syndicated column exploring faith, character, and the structural forces shaping contemporary society.

As an official Peer Reviewer on ScienceOpen, Amuchie’s vetting powers will bridge the gap between high-velocity media dissemination and rigorous, citable academic indexing. This appointment establishes a formidable foundation for the Sundiata Post Intelligence Unit (SPIU) as it continues to pioneer data-driven, sovereign policy analysis across Africa and the wider Global South.

Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with its primary technical and editorial operations hub in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, ScienceOpen is a leading independent open-science discovery network and research platform. Founded on the principles of Open Access, the platform democratises knowledge by breaking down academic paywalls so that researchers, policymakers, and journalists can freely share and critique global research.

ScienceOpen operates an innovative, transparent post-publication peer review system. It aggregates a massive, interconnected global database of over 85 million research records and articles. To maintain absolute academic integrity, only scholars who meet strict criteria—including a verified track record of published, peer-reviewed scientific literature linked to their international ORCID ID—are appointed as Expert Members and Peer Reviewers. These experts possess the formal authority to critique manuscripts, evaluate new analytical theories, and curate specialised research collections that shape validated scientific and policy data on the world stage.

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By Gloria Ikibah

The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has slammed a N10 million in general damages against the Federal Republic of Nigeria over the physical assault, unlawful arrest, and seizure of property belonging to a journalist with Independent Newspaper by name Jide Oyekunle.

The landmark ruling in Suit No. ECW/CCJ/APP/29/25 was secured by Avocats Sans Frontières France (Lawyers Without Borders France) on June 22, 2026, under its eRIGHTS project, supported by the European Union, which focuses on defending human rights in the digital space.

Comrade Oyekunle who is currently the Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Federal Capital Territory Council, on August 1, 2024, during the coverage of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests at the Eagle Square, Abuja, was physically assaulted, unlawfully detained, his photo camera was damaged, while his mobile phone was seized by armed police officers on the order of former FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh.

The Court in agreement with Counsel to the applicant, Collins I. Maidoh-Anene, Esq., that the detention of the journalist and seizure of his mobile phone by the Nigerian police, was “excessive, unjustified, and in violation of international law”.

The ECOWAS Court subsequently found the Federal Republic of Nigeria liable for violating the applicant’s rights to freedom of expression, personal liberty, dignity, and property under the African Charter.

The Court therefore ordered the Nigerian government to pay Comrade Oyekunle the sum of N10 million in general damages.

The court found that Nigeria’s actions suppressed his live coverage, thereby breaching his right to freedom of expression under Article 9 of the African Charter.

It also ruled that the assault and detention violated his rights to personal liberty, human dignity, and freedom from degrading treatment under Articles 6 and 5, while the temporary seizure of his phone violated his right to property under Article 14.

The Court further held that Nigeria’s justification failed the test of necessity under international law, making the conduct of the security forces excessive and unlawful.

In a statement signed by the Country Director of Avocats Sans Frontières France, Barrister Angela Uwandu Uzoma-Iwuchukwu, on Tuesday, said the judgment sends a clear message that a journalist’s digital tools are extensions of the modern press and newsroom and that their arbitrary confiscation by security forces constitutes a direct assault on the public’s right to know.

She said: “The court’s pronouncement adds to the growing jurisprudence from the regional court protecting journalists and human rights defenders who document protests and public interest events.

“ASF France will continue to monitor compliance with the judgment and provide legal aid to journalists facing similar violations.

“For Avocats Sans Frontières France and the eRIGHTS project partners, this ruling strengthens legal protections for journalism in the digital age. It shields reporters from tech-based censorship and intimidation, puts security agencies on notice that targeting media practitioners during protests will attract accountability, and reaffirms the ECOWAS Court as a vital shield for civic space in the region.”

Reacting to the landmark judgment, Comrade Oyekunle, said it as a significant affirmation that journalists have the right to carry out their constitutional duties without intimidation, harassment, or attack.

According to him, democracy cannot thrive where journalists are attacked for documenting events or where citizens are punished for exercising their lawful rights.

“The decision of the ECOWAS Court is not only about me; it is about every journalist, media worker, and Nigerian citizen who believes in the right to freedom of expression, access to information, and peaceful civic participation.

“This judgment sends a clear message that security agencies and government institutions must be held accountable when they violate fundamental rights.

“Because if democracy is all about good governance, accountability, and transparency, then press freedom should not be curtailed, denied, or restricted”, he said.

Oyekunle appreciated everyone who stood by him throughout the journey, including the Nigeria Union of Journalists FCT Council, Avocats Sans Frontières France, colleagues and rights advocates, and all Nigerians who continue to defend press freedom and democratic values.

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A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed June 30 for a ruling on Omoyele Sowore’s motion seeking to vacate the order revoking his bail, as his lawyer pushed for a stay of execution while DSS counsel mounted opposition.

Omoyele Sowore’s freedom hinges on June 30.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday fixed that date for a ruling on the activist’s motion seeking to set aside the bail revocation order that landed him in Kuje Custodial Centre, according to Vanguard.

Sowore’s lawyer, Raphael Adakole, moved the motion for stay of execution before Justice Mohammed Umar, arguing that the June 16 order revoking bail and issuing a bench warrant — triggered by Sowore’s absence from court — should be set aside entirely and the status quo restored.

The application, filed June 19, leans on Sections 35(4), 36(1), and 66(a&b) of the 1999 Constitution and Sections 169 and 352 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, alongside the court’s inherent jurisdiction.

“We adopt the said reply on points of law while placing reliance on the further affidavit and urge the court to grant the application as prayed in the interest of justice,” Adakole told the court.

Justice Umar has now heard both sides. June 30 will deliver the verdict.