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“I Was Misquoted, I Didn’t Say Amotekun Is Illegal”, – Malami

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The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has said he was misquoted on the South-West regional security outfit codenamed ‘Operation Amotekun’.


Malami, while responding to a question during a chat on Radio Nigeria Abuja on Thursday morning, explained that he did not say that Amotekun was illegal.


He stated, “I was misinterpreted on Operation Amotekun, I did not say it’s illegal.
“I said the Operation Amotekun should be properly backed by law, so if at the end of this government, if the operation has been backed by law, any government that eventually succeeded this government would not rubbish the operation.


“I said if they failed to enact a law in support of Amotekun in the South-West Region of Nigeria, another government can come and say it’s illegal and this is because it is not backed up by any law.

“So, it is just a piece of advice to the state governors to use their power and the State Houses of Assembly in their various states to enact a law that will make the operation more effective.”

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But in a statement by his media aide,  Dr Umar Gwandu, Malami later on Thursday insisted that the constitution did not recognise regional security outfit.

Gwandu quoted Malami as insisting that regional security architectural arrangement by states was not tolerated by the constitution.


The minister said, “The planning, execution, consummation of whatever security arrangement must be naturally grounded in law, rooted in the constitution and tolerated by the law.


“For any arrangement to stand within the law, the bottom line is that constitutionality and legality must be factored.


“Provided that there is an aberration relating to constitutional compliance, I think the right thing to do is to ensure constitutionality and legality both in spirit, planning, concept, and consummation.

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“If you are talking of regional arrangement, for example, at what point did the state assemblies come together as a region for the purpose of coming up with a statue or a law that can operate within the context of the constitution, taking into consideration the federating arrangement that does not allow or tolerate a regional state House of Assembly arrangement.


“You cannot independently, unilaterally operate in the provision of the constitution without recourse to the constitutional authority that is the bottom line.


“Working together, helping the Federal Government in the provision of security is indeed a welcome development but it has to be rooted in the law and within the context of working arrangement with institutions constitutionally established and not a unilateral exclusive arrangement by a regional body.


“In the circumstances of Amotekun, it is the idea of unilateral control that it is the problem without recourse to the institutional and constitutional arrangement that is put in place by our constitution.


“You can indeed provide whatever support and consideration but definitely it must be rooted in the constitutional arrangement and so self-help by way of unilateral arrangement cannot be tolerated with particular reference to a regional arrangement which is not rooted in the constitution within the context of security”.

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Natasha: SERAP sues Akpabio over failure to reverse suspension

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The raging controversy over the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti- Uduaghan has attracted yet another legal action following a suit by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio over the failure to reverse her suspension.

It is the contention of SERAP that “the patently unlawful suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, is based solely on the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression.”

In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/498/2025, Akpabio is sued for himself and on behalf of all members of the Senate.

The Senate recently suspended Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, after she reportedly ‘spoke without permission’ and ‘refused her new seat in the Senate chamber.’

Her salary and allowances have also been withheld for the duration of the suspension, and she has been barred from identifying herself as a senator.

Before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, the group is seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Mr Akpabio to rescind the unlawful suspension of Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, reinstate her, and fully restore all her legislative rights, entitlements, and privileges.”

An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Senate from further suspending or taking any disciplinary action against Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan solely for the peaceful exercise of her fundamental human rights.”

SERAP is equally seeking “a declaration that the application of sections 6(1)(2) of the Senate Rules, the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended), to suspend Mrs Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan violates her human rights and deprives her constituents of their right to political participation.”

It noted that given the impracticality of direct participation of all citizens, article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights provides that a citizen shall exercise political power either directly or through freely chosen representatives.”

“The suspension of Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan from the Senate has restricted and seriously undermined the ability of the residents of her Kogi Central Senatorial District to effectively participate in their own government.”

“The Senate has the obligations to uphold the rule of law and the provisions of section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution and Nigeria’s obligations under article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

“Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] provides that, ‘(1) Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.’

“Under Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights: ‘1. Every individual shall have the right to receive information. 2. Every individual shall have the right to express and disseminate his opinions within the law.’”

“Article 19(1) of the Covenant establishes the right to freedom of opinion without interference. Article 19(2) establishes the Senate’s obligations to respect and ensure ‘the right to freedom of expression,’ which includes the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, either orally or in writing.”

“The Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended) should not and cannot set aside Mrs Akpoti-Uduaghan’s right to express herself and disseminate her opinions which is clearly guaranteed in section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], and under the human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party.”

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

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Amnesty condemns NYSC for threatening Corper over video criticizing Tinubu

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Amnesty International has condemned the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)’s threats and intimidation of a corps member, Ushie Uguamaye, who criticized Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for inflation and economic hardship.

In a ‘X’ post, the group stated that it is her right as a citizen to express her unhappiness peacefully, while also asking the government to focus on addressing the issues she addressed rather than threatening to delete the video.

“It is perfectly within her right to express discontent peacefully. Instead of threatening her for her opinions on rampant inflation, the authorities should be prioritizing addressing the country’s economic woes,” Amnesty said.

The Lagos-based corps member expressed fear about claimed threats following her viral video criticizing President Bola Tinubu’s government.

In a video posted to her TikTok account #talktoraye on Saturday, Uguamaye voiced displeasure with Nigeria’s deteriorating economic situation, stressing that hard work becomes fruitless in the face of financial difficulties.

She openly lambasted Tinubu, describing him as a “terrible leader” and criticizing the government’s efforts to ameliorate citizens’ suffering.

Shortly after her video gained traction, Uguamaye alleged that she began receiving threats, reportedly from NYSC officials, pressuring her to take down the content.

“Dear Nigerians, they have my address. In case you guys don’t see me online, please you know who to hold accountable. I didn’t do anything wrong; I just asked that they work on the inflation.

“Why can’t I speak up? Being an NYSC corps member doesn’t mean I signed up my right to complain,” she said.

Amnesty, meanwhile, in their post, said millions of Nigerians are facing extreme poverty, which aligns with her post on TikTok, urging the government to find measures to urgently address it.

“Millions of people in Nigeria are facing extreme poverty. So far, the authorities have failed to put in place effective mitigation measures, leaving millions of people without the hope of getting out of the economic challenges and enjoying their human rights,” the group said.

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Politics

Damagun denies resignation rumors, calls it fake news

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The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Umar Damagun, has dismissed reports of his resignation, labeling them as false and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.

In a statement on Saturday, his Personal Assistant, Nuru Shehu Jos, clarified that Damagun remains in office, and the party’s constitution guarantees the National Chairman a four-year term.

The PDP also denied claims that Arise News was the source of the false resignation report, urging the public to ignore the misinformation.

The party warned those spreading the rumors to desist or face legal action, calling on members and stakeholders to remain united as the PDP strengthens its position ahead of the 2027 elections.

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