Tag: Abuja

“Rescued Nigerian Miners Recount Shocking Ordeal With Chinese Employers”

Posted on by Jonathan

Twelve Nigerian miners in the Central African Republic (CAR), whom the Nigerian government rescued last month, have recounted the horrible ordeal they endured while working for their Chinese employers.

Last month, the attention of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) was drawn to a viral video of some miners who had been left stranded in the forest by their employers after nearly two years of hard labour.

The commission, with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Immigration, and the CAR ambassador in Bangui, quickly intervened in the matter and ensured that the miners were safely evacuated from the deserted location.

The Nigerian Miners Being Evacuated From the Forest (Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria Via Facebook)

Nearly one month after their rescue, the miners have returned to Nigeria and have recounted the horrid experiences they endured during their 20 months of work. In addition to being abandoned in the forest with no pay for 11 months, the miners also detailed the abuse they were forced to deal with.

One of the rescued miners, Igorigo Freeborn, said, “We were homosexually abused by our Chinese employers in CAR. I am not ashamed to say it. I want other people to learn from it. We were treated badly there, but thank God for sparing our lives to tell the stories today.”

He also went on to express gratitude for their rescue, stating,” I want to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Nigerian Ambassador in Bangui, NIDCOM, NEMA, Immigration, and all other agencies that helped us.”

Freeborn, who was speaking on behalf of the miners, pleaded with the Federal Government to help them pursue justice on the matter.

During a scheduled visit with the miners at the NIDCOM office in Abuja, the chairman of the commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, assured the men that the commission and other relevant agencies would follow up to ensure that the injustice is properly addressed and redress obtained.

Chairman of NIDCOM, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa (Photo by Spotlight Nigeria)

As a form of rehabilitation, the workers were offered cash donations by NIDCOM and Perchstone and Graeys law firm, to enable them to support their families and rebuild their lives in Nigeria.

Hon. Dabiri-Erewa equally pleaded with corporate organizations in Nigeria to show support for the miners by providing them with job opportunities that would contribute to their rehabilitation efforts.

Speaking on how to curb these problems and stop other Nigerians from falling victim to such situations, the chairman urged the miners to join the commission’s advocacy campaigns against irregular migration by leveraging their experiences to warn others of the dangers.

The Chinese Embassy in Nigeria has also shown its readiness to address the issue, saying, “We have also just noted the relevant reports and attach great importance to this matter. We will immediately commence an investigation.”

Meager Pension Salaries of Retired Police Officers Leads to Protest in Nigeria

Posted on by Jonathan

The protest, which started on the 21st of July 2025 in Abuja, was led by several retired officers and activists, including Omoyele Sowore, an activist and 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in Nigeria.

To show the gravity of the matter and express their dissatisfaction with the pension scheme, the retired officers marched to the National Assembly and the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, where they protested under the rain and refused to leave until they spoke with the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

Aside from the capital in Abuja, retired officers in other parts of the country including: Edo, Plateau, Kwara, Taraba, and Cross Rivers states, also demonstrated their solidarity by starting protests of their own.

Retired Police Officers of Edo State Chapter (Photo via Vanguard)

According to the protesters, retired officers earn about 10,000 to 20,000 Naira monthly, while those managing the pension distribution, PENCOM, languish in wealth. This pension salary, which they have described as ‘discriminatory,’ doesn’t come close to minimum wage and is insufficient to cater to the needs of retirees. 

The major demand of the retired officers is to be removed from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), a pension scheme in Nigeria that was established in June 2004 by the Pension

Reform Act (PRA) 2004.

The leader of the protest, who is a retired Chief Superintendent of Police, Manir Lawal, said, ”We are here to ask the government to remove us from the CPS. The pension scheme is exploitative and unjust.”

Vanguard notes that another protester said, “I am receiving #20,000 as pension after serving for 35 years. This is the receipt, how can anybody survive this very harsh economy with this, let alone children and family?’’

A police officer in the Nigeria Police Force, who I spoke to under condition of anonymity said, “The protest is much needed because the pension scheme is a killer.”

He went further to state that if the government does the needful and reviews the pension scheme, he would be at ease knowing he can adequately cater for his children after retirement.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, addressed the angry protesters at the Force Headquarters, saying, “We all feel concerned. We empathise with you because we are also going to retire. I have been engaging at the highest level to ensure that something is done to improve the condition of the poor pensioner.”

The Nigeria Police Force Headquaters (Photo by POLAC VS NDA Via Facebook)
Retired Police Officers of Edo State Chapter (Photo via Vanguard)

He further added, “I am not opposed to your exiting the CPS, I’m not opposed to it. If exiting from CPS will solve the problem, I will go for it. But if it is difficult for us to exit CPS, what else can we do? We have been agitating, exit CPS, exit CPS. For the past 11 years, it has not worked.”

The IGP, however, assured the retired officers that he was on their side and has been working behind the scenes to ensure that retired officers earn better pension wages.

Court Orders Nigerian Senate to Reinstate Suspended Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

Posted on by Jonathan

A Federal High Court in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, has ruled in favor of a senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who was suspended by the Senate for six months over alleged misconduct.

Justice Binta Nyako, who led the court sitting on Friday, July 4th, 2025, delivered the judgment stating that the suspension of the senator was ‘excessive.’

The judge added that because lawmakers are expected to sit for 181 days in a legislative session, the six-month suspension would hinder the Senator’s ability to carry out her legislative mandate thereby denying her constituents the right to representation.

Reacting to the favorable judgment, the Senator told supporters, “I thank you for your support. I am glad we are victorious today. We shall resume in the Senate on Tuesday, by the grace of God.”

It can be recalled that Senator Natasha was suspended by the Senate Committee on Ethics after she brought forward a series of allegations against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio

Senate President, Senator Godswill Akapbio (Photo by Vanguard)

The exchange between Senator Natasha and Senator Akpabio began after an argument about a reshufflement in sitting arrangement ensued between her and the Senate President. 

The senator claimed that the new sitting arrangement put her in a dead zone where her legislative activities wouldn’t be captured by cameras. This she insisted, was an attempt by the Senate President to silence her. 

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Neda Imasuen rebuffed Senator Natasha’s claims stating that she wasn’t the only one whose position was changed and, “About four or five other senators were moved.”

Analyzing the issue, a Legislative Governance expert, Chibuzo Okereke explained, “She belongs to the minority caucus. They sit on the left side of the presiding officer by the tail of the maze…these things have significance because they are symbolism.”

The Nigerian Senate (Photo by Nigerian Senate Via Facebook)

Following the reshuffling disagreement, Senator Natasha presented a petition against the Senate President to the Senate. She accused him of sexual harassment, abuse of office, and malicious obstruction of her legislative functions.

Responding to the claims during the Senate gathering, the Senate President said, “I have the highest regard for women…so at no time will I ever harass any woman.”

Although Senator Natasha’s petition was initially rejected by the Senate, it was later approved and a decision was made by the Committee on Ethics on March 25th, 2025, to suspend the Senator for six months. The body insisted that her actions brought dishonor to the Senate and its leader.

The suspension was accompanied by other strict conditions, such as stripping the Senator of her security detail, cutting off her salary, restricting her visit to the National Assembly, and prohibiting her from introducing herself as a Senator

A lawyer, Chinenye Uwanaka, condemned the situation, saying, “Looking at what has played out in the National Assembly, honestly speaking, it doesn’t look like a place that is welcoming for women.” 

She continued, “We even have case law in Dume and Omo Agege…the Supreme Court held that those suspensions were not constitutional because it’s supposed to be a maximum of 14 days.”

As the court has reviewed the case and come to a consensus that this suspension was ‘overreaching,’ Senator Natasha has begun making preparations to resume her legislative duties. 

Her resumption is, however, still dependent on the Senate’s examination and verification of the Certificate of True Copy (CTC) of the judgment. In a statement on 6th July 2025, the spokesperson for the Senate, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, said, “Pending the receipt and examination of the CTC, and acting on the advice of counsel, the Senate shall refrain from taking any steps that may prejudice its legal position.”

In a separate ruling, Senator Natasha was fined 5 million naira by the same judge after she posted a satirical apology to the Senate President on Facebook, disobeying the gag order that restrained all parties from commenting on the case.