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Ajoke Ogundairo* was in Junior Secondary School Three (JSS3) when she witnessed her first cult clash. The fight occurred between two groups from different public schools in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria. The groups are identified as Hustle For The Future (code named-HFF) in Oshodi Comprehensive Senior High School and Honour The God (code named-HTF) in Oshodi …
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On Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2011, Christopher Akarewan, a father of four, was shot and killed unlawfully by the police officers at Okitipupa, Okitipupa Local Government Area (LGA) of Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria. Akarewan’s crime was not paying the sum of N50 demanded by police officers at a checkpoint. The day after his death, members of …
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Nigerians have not experienced a respite from arbitrary arrests, detention, and harassment in the hands of the country’s police officers despite repeated promises by the government to carry out reforms in the police. This is more so almost one year after Nigerian youths staged the #ENDSARS protest that forced the government to disband the rogue …
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In what was referred to as a decentralised agitation against extrajudicial killings and brutalities by the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police, Nigerian youths took to the streets in Oct. 2020 under the banner of #EndSARS. Although the exact moment of cohesion is hard to pinpoint, some young Nigerians on Oct. …
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Being a family physician, Sunday Alao* (not real name) has adjusted his schedules to accommodate more patients since the commencement of the strike action by the National Association of Residents Doctors (NARD) in Nigeria on Aug. 2, 2021 He believes that while the strike action is for a good cause, the pressure of attending to …
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After a very long and busy day, Moses (last name withheld), a resident of Makoko Community, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, had just settled in with his friends when he heard a loud call for help in the neighbouring building. Before he could make his way to the scene of fire, the inferno had extended to other …
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Nearly a year after different state governments in Nigeria instituted judicial panels of inquiry into allegations of brutality and extra-judicial killings against the now defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police, some of the victims have been served justice. Adeoye Akintunde, a firefighter who was wrongly arrested, detained, and tortured by SARS operatives …
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Despite having to spend long hours journeying from his home in Gonin-gora to Kaduna’s Central Market –named Abubakar Mahmud Gumi Market– daily, Emeka (last name withdrawn) suffered depression after losing all his goods to COVID-19’s lockdown initiated by the state government last year. Emeka, a foodstuff trader, had been trading for over 20 years prior …
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In the last two years, Nigeria has witnessed a spike in security challenges. Multiple attacks by terrorist groups, inter-ethnic clashes, kidnapping, and attacks on individuals and government establishments by alleged secessionists have all put the country and citizens on the edge. Worried by the worsening security across the country, state governors created regional security outfits …
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After a day of toil one evening in 2017, Mathew Ajose, 52, was returning from his farm with woods he had collected to be sold in his native Igbokofi community, a border town near Benin Republic. Strangely, he met a barricade mounted by the Beninese police, Nigeria’s western neighbour. Yet this was Nigerian territory. “When …
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For Mrs Taiwo (last name withheld), living in Epe-Lagos, Lagos state, Southwest Nigeria, used to be very peaceful. However, the encroachment of herders has disrupted the peaceful activities of locals, especially farmers. Mrs Taiwo, who is over 40 years old with two children, makes a living selling snacks, consumable goods, and household materials from her …
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Born into the business of kola nut trading, Afeez Oyelayo has expanded his supply from Ifon, Osun State, Southwest Nigeria, to the northern part of Nigeria, where he makes quicker sales. Throughout his childhood, he was taught by his mother the seasons, system of farming, and how to make money from kola nuts before he …
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