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One year on Tinubu’s watch, rule of law, justice sector reform yearn for change
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On 24 April, Nigeria’s Senate President Godswill Akpabio, during the National Summit on Justice 2024 held in Abuja, recalled his frustrations in trying to secure the release of a serving senator from detention.
Konbowei Benso, who represents Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, was remanded in prison in March by a judge in Abuja after the lawmaker was arraigned for alleged forgery.
“The senator (Mr Benson) was there (in prison) for many days. If I have an opportunity, I will use this case as part of our (justice sector) reform. The rich also cry if Nigeria fails to reform its justice system,” Mr Akpabio, who was a minister and governor of oil-rich Akwa Ibom State, said.
Mr Benson, despite his privileged status, spent about a week in detention because of his inability to immediately meet his bail conditions. The process is difficult owing to the bottlenecks in Nigeria’s criminal justice system. The result of this is that Nigeria’s detention facilities are filled with many indigent defendants awaiting trial with no respite in sight.
Mr Akpabio’s lamentation, limited in scope as it was, signals that all is not well with Nigeria’s justice system.
President Bola Tinubu took office on 29 May as Nigeria’s fifth democratically-elected president since the return of civil rule in 1999, after running a campaign promising to uphold the rule of law and human rights.
“We will ensure that our nation’s legal framework is appropriate for the type of society we seek to build – a society that is fair and which provides enforceable rights to all Nigerians,” his manifesto read in part.
It further pledged that a Tinubu government “will operate on the premise that the rule of law is paramount” without giving details of how to make a difference in a country with a long history of egregious human rights violations under successive military and civilian administrations.
Inefficient justice system
Now a year in the saddle, the Tinubu-led government falters in upholding human rights and the rule of law in Nigeria.
While the problem of “long delays in hearing” and determination of cases is caused by multiple factors across the justice system, “poor coordination among the different actors in the sector and lack of effective legal aid to help the poor access justice” remain as major obstacles to a functional justice system, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Maikyau, said at the recent justice summit in Abuja.
Mr Tinubu and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) acknowledged in their separate remarks at the summit that many Nigerians lack access to justice.
CJN Olukayode Ariwoola
“Access to justice remains a distant reality for far too many Nigerians,” Mr Ariwoola said.
Undoubtedly, Nigeria has made progress with the enactment of legislations such as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, the Nigeria Correctional Service Acts 2019, and the Nigerian Police Act 2020, but “there are still challenges ahead in achieving a justice system that works in the interest of Nigerians,” Mr Maikyau, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), noted.
Like former Nigerian presidents who pledged to transform the country’s justice system for better service delivery, Mr Tinubu’s promise to deliver a legal framework “appropriate for the type of society we seek to build – a society that is fair and which provides enforceable rights to all Nigerians,” cannot be said to have started after one year in office as president.
“The present challenge is to translate these statements of commitment to tangible outcomes for all Nigerians…every aspect of the infrastructure of our justice system requires fundamental rethinking and retooling,” Mr Maikyau said.
Rule of law still tottering
The Tinubu administration, through the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, tried to cut off from the poor human rights profile of the past administration of then-President Muhammadu Buhari, by terminating treasonable felony charges it filed against civil rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher, Omoyele Sowore.
But by that time, Mr Tinubu’s democratic credentials had already been called into question.
His administration’s arbitrary arrests of former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele, the chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, were early indicators of what was ahead.
In breach of the provision of section 35 of Nigeria’s constitution, the pair were detained for months by the State Security Service (SSS) in Abuja.
Subsequent events also showed that the administration has yet to adopt the rule of law as a non-negotiable policy.
On his watch in the last year, law enforcement agencies and the military routinely engage in arbitrary arrests, detention and torture of civilians and in extreme cases, extrajudicial killings, while the courts are clogged with thousands of cases with less than a thousand judges adjudicating on them.
Riding on an amended Cybercrime Act, under the Tinubu administration, at least eight Nigerian journalists have been arrested and jailed, the US-based Committee to Protection Journalists (CPJ) said. CPJ, a nonprofit organisation, promotes press freedom across the globe.
The figure for the total number of press freedom violations by state actors is even higher, according to the Press Attack Tracker of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development. There have been 37 such incidents since Mr Tinubu assumed office with 23 of them happening in the last five months.
Two recent incidents highlight that there has been no improvement in press freedom in the country.
Segun Olatunji and Daniel Ojukwu, both Lagos-based journalists in southwestern Nigeria, were abducted by state authorities – military and police, respectively – over reports they authored.
Messrs Olatunji and Ojukwu were ferried from Lagos to Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and held at separate times for almost two weeks before they regained their freedoms owing to sustained pressure from journalists and civil society organisations.
Mr Olatunji who worked at an online news outlet, FirstNews, was abducted by soldiers from his home in Lagos before he was handcuffed, blindfolded and thrown into the dungeon in Abuja.
Although Mr Olatunji has since resigned from FirstNews following the newspaper’s retraction of the offensive article which was against President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Gestapo manner his rights were trampled upon reminds Nigerians of the jackboot era of military dictatorship.
Upon his release, he described the military as operating like bandits who abduct people from their homes only to dump the captives on a road after payment of ransom.
As Nigeria was preparing to join the rest of the world in commemorating the International Press Freedom Day on 4 May, Mr Ojukwu was abducted by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector General of Police. He was detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti in Lagos for some days before he was flown to Abuja.
For a couple of days, the whereabouts of Mr Ojukwu who works at the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) were unknown.
Fisayo Soyombo, founder of FIJ, an online newspaper, in a series of social media posts, said Mr Ojukwu was abducted by the police in breach of his fundamental rights as a journalist.
“Just so nobody is in doubt, what has happened to FIJ Nigeria reporter Ojukwu Justin Daniel is an abduction and not an arrest,” Mr Soyombo, an award-winning Investigative journalist, wrote.
Mr Soyombo said the “police cannot be acting like bandits” in a stable democracy where journalists’ responsibilities have statutory backing.
But the police have insisted they acted right after releasing Mr Ojukwu from a nine-day detention on 10 May. The police said their action was “lawful”, saying it was backed by a warrant of arrest from a magistrate court. The explanation has attracted similar condemnation from many Nigerians on X.
The Cybercrimes Act on which the police based their crackdown on journalists was amended recently by the National Assembly, expunging some of the provisions aimed at stifling Nigeria’s media space.
A major aspect of the law, section 24 which codifies the crime of “cyberstalking,” has been deployed relentlessly to hound journalists and human rights activists.
Before the amendments of the legislation last February, Section 24 criminalised the use of a computer in sending messages considered “grossly offensive, pornographic or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character.”
Despite the amendments, Omoyele Sowore, a pro-democracy activist and former presidential candidate, said the police have continued to use the law to harass and cower journalists and human rights campaigners in Nigeria. .
Acknowledging the abuses that might have occurred in the application of Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act, a veteran journalist and human rights advocate, Richard Akinnola, referenced the arrest of Chioma Okoli by the police on account of reviewing a product on social media.
He recalled President Tinubu’s somewhat cordial relationship with the human rights community during the latter’s days as governor of Lagos.
Mr Akinnola, however, noted that the president cannot be absolved of the recent clampdown on journalist Olatunji by the Defence Intelligence Agency.
Nigeria ranks among the worst in press freedom
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in its latest World Press Freedom Index ranked Nigeria as one of the most dangerous West African countries for journalists.
RSF is a global nonprofit organisation that defends the rights of people to have access to free and reliable information.
Data on the 2024 World Press Freedom Index by RSF ranks Nigeria 112th out of 180 countries where journalists are routinely monitored, attacked and arbitrarily arrested.
The 2024 ranking is an improvement over the 123rd place Nigeria occupied in 2023, but the RSF maintained that the “level of governmental interference in the news media in Nigeria is significant.” Major indices of the ranking were based on political, legislative, economic, social and security issues.
“It can involve pressure, harassment of journalists and media outlets, and even censorship. This interference is even stronger during electoral campaigns. Addressing political issues in a balanced way can also be difficult, depending on the media outlet’s owner. To a large extent, government officials have a say in the appointment and dismissal of media officials, whether in the public or private sector,” RFS said in the report.
Despite the pervading atmosphere of harassment and gross rights violations of journalists, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Fagbemi, told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva that “Nigeria remains one of the safest countries for journalists to ply their trade.”
Presenting the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Nigeria in Geneva, Switzerland in January, Mr Fagbemi cited the Nigerian constitution which empowers journalists to hold the government accountable to the people, saying journalists go about their duties with any form of intimidation. The UPR is a unique mechanism of the Human Rights Council that calls for each UN Member State to undergo a peer review of its human rights records every four and a half years.
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Public sector unions under the aegis of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, have directed all federal, state and local government employees, including staff of ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, nationwide, to begin a three-day warning strike from midnight today over the failure of the government to address their demands.
The council directed union officials in the federal, state and local government services to ensure total compliance with the industrial action, citing what it described as worsening economic and mental hardship being experienced by workers and other Nigerians.
Members of the JNPSNC include the Nigerian Civil Service Union (NCSU); Medical and Health Workers Union (M&HWU); Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN); and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).
Others are the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Employees (AUPCTRE); Nigeria Union of Public Service, Reportorial, Secretarial, Data Processors and Allied Workers (NUPSRAW); National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers (NUPPPPROW); and National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees (NUAEE).
Employees of federal and state government MDAs are also affected.
The warning strike followed the failure of the Federal Government to address demands contained in a letter dated September 21, 2026, to President Bola Tinubu by the national leadership of the JNPSNC.
The council explained that the action was necessary to press home its concerns over the hardship confronting workers and vulnerable Nigerians.
The council had also, on September 29, threatened a three-day warning strike should its demands for the petrol price to be cut to N500 a litre, a wage award and other measures to cushion the hardship in the country not be met or addressed by President Tinubu during his Independence Anniversary Address to the nation on October 1.
The JNPSNC leadership is disappointed that President Tinubu, in his Independence Anniversary Address, did not heed the demand for the pump price of petrol to be slashed to N500, from the current N1,400 to N2,000 per litre, depending on the location, or announce immediate measures to ameliorate the socioeconomic hardship caused by government policies.
The directive to proceed on the warning strike is contained in a circular by JNPSNC’s National Secretary (Trade Union side), Olowoyo Gbenga, dated October 1, 2026, to the national presidents and general secretaries, state chairmen and secretaries of affiliate unions to the JNPSNC, titled “Declaration of three (3) day Warning Strike; action with immediate effect”.
The circular reads: “Please, recall the position of the National leadership of Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council that if Mr President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu refuses to address our requests as contained in the letter to his exalted office (dated 21st September, 2026), the three day warning strike earlier scheduled shall commence immediately.
“Consequent upon the above, the strike shall start with effect from midnight of Friday 2nd October, 2026 to Sunday October 4th, 2026.“In the same vein, all Public Servants in the services of Federal, State and Local Governments are to join the warning strike because an injury to one is an injury to all, most especially all workers, their dependants, vulnerable and hapless Nigerians are groaning terribly under the present economic hardship.
“The economic and mental hardships are becoming unbearable and frustrating.
“The time to act and mobilise workers for the three days warning strike is now!!! Please, disseminate the information!!! Surely, there is victory for us!!!”
Expressing their frustration, one of the leaders of the JNPSNC told Vanguard newspapers: “We are deeply disappointed that the President’s Independence Anniversary address failed to address our legitimate demands for a reduction in the pump price of petrol and the introduction of concrete measures to alleviate the excruciating hardship confronting workers and other Nigerians.
“While the President acknowledged the severe suffering inflicted on citizens by government policies, it is deeply concerning that the speech offered no concrete relief or meaningful response to the urgent demands of Nigerian workers.
“In view of this failure to address these pressing concerns, our three-day warning strike will proceed as planned.”
Recall that the JNPSNC had, on September 21, written to President Tinubu, demanding that the price of petrol be slashed to N500, the immediate announcement of a wage award and the commencement of negotiations for a minimum wage of not less than N500,000 from 2027, among other demands.
In a statement on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, leaders of the JNPSNC warned that should the issues of fuel pump prices and the wage award not be addressed by September 30, especially during the Independence Anniversary Address by President Tinubu, public servants nationwide would commence a three-day warning strike beginning October 2, 2026.
The statement, issued by the National Secretary of the JNPSNC and General Secretary of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Olowoyo Gbenga, said the September 30 deadline remained sacrosanct, stressing that the concerns of Nigerian workers could no longer be ignored.
According to him: “the three critical issues requiring urgent attention are as follows: Reduction of Fuel Price to N500 per Litre. The Federal Government should take urgent steps to bring down the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to N500 per litre.“This can be achieved through the provision of an intervention fund to address landing costs and support oil and gas operators.
“It is equally important for the Federal Government to ensure the sale of crude oil to the Dangote Refinery and operators of modular refineries at appropriate terms, in order to facilitate increased domestic refining and help bring down the price of petroleum products.
“The current price of PMS, ranging from N1,450 to N2,000 and, in some locations outside major communities and cities, as high as N2,500 per litre, is unacceptable to Nigerian workers.
“The Council maintains that the economic hardship occasioned by the high cost of fuel is placing the survival of Nigerian workers, their dependants and the general populace under severe pressure, making it increasingly difficult for Nigerians to live normal and dignified lives.
“The Federal Government should urgently approve a Wage Award for Nigerian workers to cushion the effects of the prevailing harsh economic conditions being experienced by workers, their dependants, and vulnerable Nigerians.
“The Council believes that urgent action on this demand will further enable public servants to consolidate their loyalty, commitment and productivity within the public service ecosystem.
“The Federal Government should urgently establish a Tripartite Committee to commence and facilitate negotiations for the new National Minimum Wage expected to become due in 2027.
“The Nigerian workers’ demand for the immediate constitution of the committee is informed by the need to avoid any administrative or procedural delay that could affect the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage once it is eventually negotiated and passed into law by the National Assembly.
“Consequently, the Council states that failure by the Federal Government to take the necessary steps to address these issues on or before 30th September 2026 will leave Nigerian workers with no option but to commence a three-day warning strike, with effect from Friday, 2nd October 2026, to press home their demands.
“It is imperative to state clearly that the Independence Day address of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should adequately address these critical issues.
“Failure to address the concerns raised, according to the Council, will attract the displeasure of Nigerian workers and their dependants, as well as other vulnerable Nigerians who continue to bear the brunt of the prevailing economic hardship.”
NLC backs action
Already, the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has given its tacit backing to the industrial action as can be deduced from its statement to make the nation’s 66 Independence Anniversary celebrations.
In an Independence Day statement by its President, Joe Ajaero, on Wednesday, the NLC said rising petrol prices, inflation, stagnant wages, unemployment and insecurity had deepened the economic difficulties faced by workers and other Nigerians.
The labour centre said the real value of workers’ wages had been eroded by inflation, while rising transportation costs had triggered increases in the prices of food, school fees, rent and other essential goods and services.
It said petrol was selling for about N1,430 per litre or higher in major cities, with prices reportedly higher in some remote areas.
The NLC attributed the rising cost of living partly to the petrol price increase that followed the removal of subsidy in 2023, questioning the utilisation of savings from the policy.
“The real value of wages has been devoured by structural inflation. Petrol now sells at N1,430 per litre or higher in major cities and far more in remote areas.
“The surge in transportation costs drives up the prices of food, school fees, rent, and nearly every necessity of life, while nominal wages remain stagnant,” it said.
The union also criticised Nigeria’s continued dependence on imported refined petroleum products despite its status as a major oil-producing country, while calling for greater attention to domestic refining.
On its demands, the NLC urged the government to explore measures to immediately reduce petrol prices, describing transportation costs as a major channel through which inflation affects households.
Our demands are clear, just, and cannot be delayed any further. First, we demand that government seek ways to immediately reduce the price of petrol as transportation costs are the central transmission mechanism of inflation in Nigeria,” it said.
The NLC also demanded the immediate implementation of a nationwide wage award for workers in the federal, state and local governments.
It said the wage award should serve as an emergency measure to cushion the erosion of workers’ purchasing power.
The NLC further demanded implementation of tax relief measures it said were agreed upon during the October 2023 dialogue between the government and labour, noting that provisions contained in the Memorandum of Understanding had yet to be implemented.
It also called for immediate negotiations for a new national minimum wage ahead of 2027, arguing that the existing N70,000 minimum wage had been significantly eroded by inflation.
“We demand the immediate establishment of a tripartite committee to ensure that a new wage standard for 2027 is formulated and legislated before the year runs out,” it said.
The NLC called for a reduction in the cost of governance and greater transparency in the management of public resources.
It also urged the government to create more economic opportunities for young Nigerians, saying unemployment and poverty were contributing to desperation among the youth.
On insecurity, the labour union said the security situation was worsening economic conditions and exposing farmers, teachers and healthcare workers to danger in some parts of the country.
It cited a figure of nearly 2,000 deaths from violence in the first quarter of 2026, but did not identify the source of the figure in its statement.
“The NLC said insecurity, poverty, unemployment and inequality were interconnected challenges that required coordinated action.
As political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, the labour centre warned political actors against manipulating elections, intimidating voters and exploiting ethnic or religious divisions.
It said workers would make their political choices independently and assess political parties and candidates based on their policies and records.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress will, at the appropriate time, use our Workers’ Charter to make it clear which policies and candidates deserve the support of the working class.
“However, we will never accept any force treating workers’ organisations as dispensable electoral tools. Workers have the right to independent political thoughts, judgement, and choice,” it said.
The Federal Fire Service, Gombe State Command, has disclosed that the command saved property estimated at N35m from a fire outbreak at a 15-bedroom residential flat location in Pantami Quarters, Gombe State.
Our correspondent learnt that the incident occurred behind Jiri and Brothers Filling Station in the state capital.
The Command made this disclosure in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, ASF Bashir Muazu, on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the fire service received a distress call and immediately deployed a Multi-Purpose Water Tender to the scene.
The vehicle, driven by ASF II Muazu Tagwai and led by ASF I Abdulwahab Abubakar, commenced firefighting operations upon arrival.
The statement added that some of the property, estimated at N17m, was, however, destroyed in the inferno.
“The timely intervention of the firefighting team ensured that property estimated at N35 million was successfully salvaged, while property valued at approximately N17 million was lost to the fire,” the statement said.
The Federal Fire Service said officers of the Gombe State Fire Service also supported the operation, contributing to the effective containment of the fire.
The Command urged residents to remain vigilant and observe basic fire-safety measures, particularly in residential buildings.
It also advised members of the public to report fire emergencies promptly to enable firefighters to respond immediately and effectively to minimise losses.
The Imo State Police Command on Thursday said security agencies have launched a swift operation that led to the rescue of 10 victims abducted by gunmen along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
This was contained in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye.
“The rescued victims are in safe hands and are being attended to. The exact number of persons abducted is being verified and will be made public once confirmed,” the Command said.
It said it deployed tactical teams and operational assets in a coordinated search-and-rescue operation following the abduction of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) corps members and other passengers.
The Command said two buses carrying corps members and other passengers were attacked by suspected armed men at about 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 1, 2026, near Umunoha.
The development follows the reported abduction of 20 corps members along the road while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in the South-East and South-South.
The victims were reportedly travelling in a commercial bus when they were intercepted by gunmen.
According to the Command, the two buses were conveying NYSC corps members and other passengers from Ibadan to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State, respectively, when they came under attack.
The Command said its tactical teams were conducting coordinated search-and-rescue operations, supported by intelligence-led tracking aimed at locating the suspected abductors and securing the release of the remaining victims.
It said that the Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Bosso, alongside other service commanders, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment and to provide operational direction.
The police said Bosso assured the public that the operation would continue until all victims were safely recovered and the suspects brought to justice.
“The Commissioner of Police, alongside other Service Commanders, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment and to give operational direction. He assured the public that the Command will sustain the operation until all victims are safely recovered and the suspects are brought to justice,” the statement read in part
The affected section of the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway has since been reopened, with traffic flowing normally, while security personnel remain deployed to protect commuters.
The Command also said it was working with the NYSC directorate to contact the families of affected corps members and keep them informed as the operation progresses.
It urged members of the public to remain calm and vigilant and provide credible information that could assist the rescue operation.
“All information will be treated in confidence,” the police said, adding that further updates would be issued as the situation progresses.
The incident comes weeks after security forces rescued 15 corps members and six others abducted in Kogi State.
The victims were rescued after a sustained, intelligence-driven operation in Egume Forest, with security forces continuing efforts to apprehend the kidnappers.
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