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Pro-Democracy Icons Honour Tinubu, Soyinka, Ajibulu, Others In Lagos
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
At a historic gathering of Nigeria’s democratic forces in Lagos, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, and foremost democracy activist Chief Segun Ajibulu were among distinguished Nigerians honoured for their enduring contributions to the nation’s democratic journey.
The recognition was conferred during the public presentation of “NADECO Story,” a book authored by former National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) General Secretary and spokesman, Ayo Opadokun, at the MUSON Centre in Lagos. The event celebrated individuals and institutions that played courageous roles in resisting military dictatorship and restoring democratic governance after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
However, special attention was drawn to the unwavering sacrifices and continuing democratic engagement of Chief Segun Ajibulu, who was described by speakers and participants as one of the unsung pillars of the June 12 struggle.
According to Opadokun, Ajibulu’s commitment to democracy went beyond rhetoric and personal convenience. During the dark years of military repression, while based in the United States, he reportedly made several covert trips back to Nigeria to work closely with pro-democracy activists and strategists committed to ending military rule. These risky engagements, often undertaken at great personal danger, strengthened the international and local resistance against dictatorship.
Chief Ajibulu’s role was not limited to the historic NADECO era alone. Participants at the ceremony noted that he has remained actively committed to democratic ideals even in contemporary Nigeria through advocacy, grassroots mobilization, youth engagement, and support for initiatives promoting justice, good governance, national unity, and civic participation.
His longstanding contributions earned him the prestigious “Hero of Democracy Award,” a recognition many attendees described as long overdue for a man whose dedication to democratic values has remained consistent across decades.
Speakers at the event described Ajibulu as a steadfast democrat and bridge-builder whose influence helped sustain both local and diaspora support networks during one of Nigeria’s most turbulent political periods. They noted that while many democracy activists faced intimidation, exile, imprisonment, and economic hardship, Ajibulu remained resolute in championing constitutional governance and civil liberties.
The ceremony also honoured several other icons of Nigeria’s democratic struggle, including living and posthumous recipients such as Adekunle Ajasin, Abraham Adesanya, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Kudirat Abiola, Chima Ubani, and Bamidele Aturu.
Observers at the gathering said the recognition of Chief Segun Ajibulu sends a strong message to younger generations that democracy survives through courage, sacrifice, and sustained commitment. They added that his continued involvement in national development conversations demonstrates that the struggle for democracy does not end with the return to civilian rule, but continues through active participation in nation-building and the defense of democratic institutions.
The Lagos event ultimately served not only as a remembrance of the sacrifices of June 12 heroes, but also as a celebration of individuals like Chief Segun Ajibulu whose dedication to democracy continues to shape Nigeria’s political evolution today.
. As Agency presses 22-count charges over UK-bound drug haul
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday 25th September 2026 arraigned Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as KC Luxury, and two other accomplices, Boniface Freeman Ochoche Sule and Ikechukwu Ekugo Patriarch, before Hon. Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on a 22-count charge bordering on cocaine trafficking, illegal export of narcotics and money laundering.
The defendants, who were accused of conspiring between 28th July and 1st August 2026 to export 184.5 kilograms of cocaine concealed in five consignments through a Lagos-based courier logistics firm to London, United Kingdom, pleaded not guilty to all counts when the charges were read to them.
Count one of the charge sheet, marked FHC/LAG/CR/755/2026, accuses Afolabi, alongside Boniface and Ikechukwu, of conspiring with Atandare Oladipupo Oluwarotimi and Latifat Yusuf, already arrested in London in connection with the same case, to export the narcotic drug using consignments bearing Airway Bill Numbers 2079998314, 8224082370, 2079973571, 7181131742 and 2211893902, under the shipper’s name Yemi Ejide.
Other counts detail how Boniface procured Ikechukwu to facilitate the export while Afolabi is accused of procuring a staff member of BOT Express Logistics on Lagos Island to process the illicit consignment, and of unlawfully possessing the cocaine ahead of export.
The charge sheet further links Afolabi to the payment of ₦13.2 million from a Mallamawa Ventures Zenith Bank account to BOT Express Logistics as consideration for the shipment.
On the financial trail, no fewer than sixteen counts bordering on money laundering, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022, accuse Afolabi of funnelling several billions of naira through a web of companies and personal accounts, including Mallamawa Ventures, Fateey Man Multi-Purpose Nig. Ltd, Patonifa Ltd, Ade-Lak Resources, Holmestas Global Services Limited, La Capital Enterprises and others, with the funds used, among other things, to acquire motor vehicles and various landed properties, in a bid to conceal the true origin of the proceeds of the illicit trade. He is also alleged to have failed to declare his assets to the Agency as required by law.
After the not-guilty plea was entered and their bail application argued, the NDLEA prosecutor Abu Ibrahim who opposed the bail application prayed the court to remand the defendants in a correctional facility pending trial, citing the gravity of the offences. Justice Faji thereafter ordered that the defendants be remanded in the Agency’s facility, and adjourned the matter till 4th October 2026 for ruling on the application.
Afolabi, (a.k.a. KayCee Luxury, KayCee Lux, KC, Mr. Luxury, Yemi Ejide) who paraded himself online as a luxury goods dealer and lifestyle influencer, was arrested by NDLEA operatives on the night of 13th August 2026 as he attempted to flee Nigeria on a business-class flight to Paris from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, following the interception of the 184.5kg cocaine consignment estimated to be worth about N39 billion. A subsequent search on him and his Banana Island apartment led to the recovery of exotic vehicles, foreign currency and jewellery believed to be proceeds of the illicit trade.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you: 1. Afolabi Kazeem Michael a.k.a. KayCee Luxury, KC, Yemi Ejide, 2. Boniface Freeman Ochoche Sule and 3. Ikechukwu Ekugo Patriarch, Male,
Adults, on or about the period between the 28t July 2026 and 1s day of August
2026 conspired with the duo of Atandare Oladipupo Oluwarotimi and Latifat
Yusuf (both of whom have been arrested in London, the United Kingdom in
respect of this case) to export 184.5 Kilograms of Cocaine, a Narcotic Drug
contained in five (5) consignments with Airway Bill Numbers 2079998314,
8224082370, 2079973571, 7181131742, 2211893902 with shipper’s name as
‘Yemi Ejide’ and you thereby committed an act which is an offence against and
punishable under section 14(b) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
Act Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
This is Chukuku, along Kuje – Gwagwalada road, Kuje Area Council of the FCT.
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The husband of a woman accused of killing their two-year-old son stood by her in court on Thursday as she pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge.
Corie Walsh, 40, appeared briefly before a judge on September 24 during a preliminary hearing in the case involving the death of her son, Barrett Walsh.
Walsh appeared in a bright red jail uniform with her hair tied back during the roughly three-minute hearing. She stood beside her attorney, who told the court that the defence had subpoenaed her treatment records from the jail.
The records, attorney Andrea Lyon later said, were requested to determine whether Walsh was receiving the mental-health treatment she needs.
The defence is also seeking to have Walsh released before trial to a hospital for treatment, despite a judge rejecting an earlier request this month.
Walsh’s husband, Michael Walsh, sat in the public gallery during Thursday’s hearing alongside an elderly couple who appeared visibly emotional.
As Walsh was led from the courtroom after the hearing, she made eye contact with her husband.
Outside the courthouse, friends comforted Michael, with one supporter telling him, “She will get through this, she’s strong.”
Michael was later heard telling another supporter that he had been “packing up” the family home.
Speaking to reporters outside court, Lyon said Walsh’s family remained firmly behind her.
“Her whole family is here today — her husband, mother, mother’s best friend,” the attorney said.
“They love her and this is not — she’s never been violent… she was psychotic. They all know that and want her to get better. This is not who she is,” Lyon added.
According to court documents, Walsh’s two older children discovered Barrett with a rope around his neck and his feet off the ground in the basement of the family’s home in Frankfort, a suburb about 30 miles southwest of Chicago.
The children reportedly ran to a neighbour’s house for help.
The neighbour called 911 and attempted CPR on the toddler, but he had no pulse and was cold to the touch. Barrett was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy determined that the child, affectionately known as “Bear,” died from “asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck,” according to court records.
Police later found Walsh fully clothed in a bathtub containing bloodied water. Investigators allege that she had attempted to kill herself by cutting her wrists and thighs with a dull kitchen knife.
Court documents further allege that Walsh confessed to killing her son and described him as the “anti-Christ” and “devil.”
The case has drawn particular attention because prosecutors allege Walsh had become intensely focused on the high-profile case of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children.
Clancy’s defence argued that she suffered from postpartum psychosis and was legally insane when she fatally strangled her children with exercise bands. Her trial ended in a hung jury and mistrial.
According to Walsh’s defence team, she had discussed the Clancy case with neighbourhood friends shortly before Barrett was found.
During an earlier hearing, defence attorney Robert Kerr said Walsh had sent several “confusing” and “out of character” messages about the Clancy case.
Kerr told the court that Walsh had initially expressed one view about Clancy’s case before suddenly changing her position.
A witness reportedly described Walsh as abruptly saying that Clancy was “100% not guilty”, prompting friends to question whether she was okay and whether someone should check on her.
Walsh’s lawyers have argued that she was “severely mentally ill” and experiencing a psychotic episode when Barrett died.
The defence has also rejected suggestions that Walsh deliberately copied Clancy.
“Describing Corie to have copied Lindsay is to take an easy bait,” Kerr said during a previous hearing, according to a transcript.
