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Farotimi: This is another military rule in Nigeria – Atiku

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Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has strongly condemned the arrest and detention of lawyer and human rights advocate, Dele Farotimi, labeling it a calculated attempt by the Tinubu administration to stifle fundamental rights to free expression.

Atiku, in a statement on Monday, described the arrest of the foremost activist as a grim throwback to the oppressive era of military rule, where dissent was systematically crushed.

Decrying the involvement of law enforcement in what he termed a civil matter of defamation, calling it an “overreach of unimaginable proportions,” he said nowhere in the Nigerian laws did defamation constitute a criminal offence.

His words: “The arrest and detention of Dele Farotimi serve as a grim reminder of the dark days of military dictatorship, when the iron fist of tyranny sought to crush all dissent. Defamation is not a criminal offense that should involve law enforcement. This is nothing less than using a sledgehammer to swat a fly.”

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Accusing Tinubu of pursuing an insidious agenda to intimidate critics and silence opposing voices, he warned that such actions were eroding democratic principles and fostering a one-party state, urging the government to respect constitutionally enshrined rights to free speech and association.

“The recent arrest of Dele Farotimi underscores a troubling trend by this administration to intimidate citizens and the press, particularly those critical of the regime. These actions are a direct contradiction to the principles of democracy and serve only to pave the way for authoritarian rule,” he added.

While highlighting his personal experience as an example of appropriate legal redress, he recalled that in 2019, he pursued a court case against an individual who defamed him rather than involving the police to settle scores.

“Freedom of speech and association are not privileges but rights guaranteed by the Constitution. If anyone feels wronged by defamatory words, the courts are the proper venue for resolution, not the Police,” he emphasized.

Calling for Farotimi’s immediate and unconditional release, Atiku urged the Tinubu administration to refrain from weaponizing law enforcement agencies for political vendettas.

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Farotimi, a vocal critic of the government, was reportedly arrested on charges of defamation, sparking widespread outrage among activists, civil society groups, and opposition leaders, who view the action as part of a broader crackdown on dissent in Nigeria.

Atiku’s statement is the latest in a series of criticisms against the administration’s perceived disregard for democratic norms and human rights.

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Nafiu Gombe: Yes, I have sponsors! *I can’t fight ADC big men alone!

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Nafiu Bala Gombe, the man on whose behalf the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is currently in a prostrate state, has admitted to getting outside help in prosecuting his legal matters against the David Mark camp.

Recall that Mark, former Senate President and Rauf Aregbesola were, last week, derecognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and had their names struck out based on the case filed by Gombe on September 2, 2025.

The commission had relied on the pronouncement of the Court of Appeal, which ordered parties in the case to maintain status quo ante bellum, which it interpreted to mean that it should not deal with either side.

Against the backdrop of the dust the matter had raised across the country, the embattled ADC leadership, had accused the former Deputy Chairman of being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to play the spoiler role to enable President Bola Tinubu have no challenge in the 2027 presidential election.

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Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the Mark camp, had last week, stated this much when he wondered how Gombe, who on his own could not afford an ordinary lawyer, going by his financial status, would now be hiring more than three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to represent him, which would probably run into tens of millions of naira.

Reacting on Tuesday, Gombe admitted getting outside help, but added that such assistance was not coming from government quarters or the APC, but from public-spirited individuals and Nigerians averse to the injustice being meted out to him.

Abimuku Monday, spokesman to Gombe, who spoke during an appearance on Morning Briefs, a breakfast programme on Channels Television, on Tuesday, told his host: “Before now, they were saying these people are big weights and we’re light weights. Now, we’re suddenly being seen as human beings. Earlier, we were seen as nobodies – as boys who don’t have capacity to challenge this in court.

“They say Nafiu Bala does not even have money to pursue his case. You see, that’s how they reduce people by their own estimation. They don’t find out who people. They have forgotten that for you to seek legal actions, there are so many ways to go about it.

“It is either you use your own money or your personal relationship with people. Does it mean that somebody in politics cannot have his own friends or cannot have lawyers as his friend or cannot have other members of the society as his friends.

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“These are not members of the APC. They don’t belong to any party. They’re citizens of this country, who mean well for Nigeria. Nobody is scuttling the coalition. The fact remains that if you have a challenge, people will rally around you knowing it’s a good cause you’re fighting. People will rally around you to give you the necessary support that you need. They even called my principal a small boy.”

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Woman returns N1million discovered in purchased items to owner  

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Serah Luca, a Christian woman, has returned N1 million she unknowingly took along with goods purchased from a trader at Terminus market in Jos, Plateau state capital.

Luca, a petty trader, reportedly said she made the purchase on Friday and only discovered the hidden cash after getting home.

She said her decision to return the money was driven by fear of God and her belief that she could not keep what did not belong to her, especially knowing the hardship that comes with losing money in business.

“I am a petty businesswoman. I know what it means to suffer loss. If I put that kind of money into my business, I believe God would punish me,” Daily Trust quoted her as saying.

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The trader, Abubakar Dola, who deals in polythene bags at Terminus market, expressed surprise at the woman’s honesty, noting that he had no idea where the money went after mistakenly placing it inside the bag she bought.

Dola said he had planned to transfer the cash through a point of sales (POS) operator but became worried when he could not see the polythene bag where the money was kept.

“I mistakenly included it in what she bought. I didn’t realise until days later, and I had already given up hope. For her to return it after three days is remarkable. I pray Allah rewards her and gives us more people like her.”

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Strait of Hormuz: Comply now or you’ll be history – Trump warns Iran

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“The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” were the words with which US President Donald Trump, flashed the redlight signal over what could be the fate of Iran in the coming hours, after a month-old war, which saw leaders of the Islamic nation, all but totally obliterated.

The POTUS, who on Saturday, gave Iran 48 hours to to open the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic approaches, or comply or risk facing “hell,” later threatened that the US would blow up Iran’s power plants and bridges if Tehran failed to adhere to his warning.

However, in his latest threat on Monday, Trump told reporters that Iran had until Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET (1 am WAT) to make a deal, adding: “We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business – burning, exploding and never to be used again, I mean complete demolition – by 12 o’clock. And it’ll happen over a period of four hours if we want it to. We don’t want that to happen.”

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