I am Baga. I am an African. And it concerns me – all of this madness and mayhem. I am Charlie second to being Baga. Yet the eyes of the world are so focused on the Charlie Hebdo terrorism that the increasing insidious acts of terror in our backyard are being overlooked by even the African citizens and African media. Don’t get me wrong, a life lost, Baga or Charlie is a needless loss to me and the world, but ponder these facts with me… Boko Haram is steadily increasing its gri

Yesterday, on January 11, 2015, the world witnessed an unprecedented demonstration of solidarity in Paris. In an extraordinary coming together, between 1.2 million to 1.6 million people marched to pay tribute to the recent victims of Islamist terrorism. Apparently the last time such crowds filled the streets of France’s capital was at the Liberation of Paris from the Nazis in 1944. ‘Paris is today the capital of the world,’ President Hollande asserted. In the central Place de

…..Response to the latest developments which  warranted INEC to declare the elections inconclusive and then the prospects fore a supplementary elections in Anambra State. TMG Pre-Election Findings Elections are more than just Election Day, and TMG has been observing the entire process for the Anambra Gubernatorial Election. TMG’s main findings related to the pre-election period include: 1. The judiciary speedily resolved electoral petitions, but the spate of litigation over P

PRESS RELEASE Abuja, Thursday, November 21, 2013:  The Stop Impunity Nigeria (S.I.N.) Campaign notes with regret the descent into lawlessness and anarchy that has become an art of governance in recent times. We recall that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 guarantees the right to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of association and freedom of movement to all Nigerians. We further recall that these rights are guaranteed in a multiplicit

Based on Quick Count method, the Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, has described as accurate the released results by INEC of the Anambra State Gubernatorial Elections. Recall the results are not complete owing to incomplete polls that has been rescheduled. Below the complete text of the Press Conference held on November 19th, 2013….. Distinguished guests, our respected partners, stakeholders, ladies and gentlemen of the media, on behalf of the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG

Posted by Nigeria Election Situation Room The governorship election in Anambra State has progressed without any major hitch, and the people of Anambra state have so far conducted themselves in a peaceful manner. Reports received by the Nigeria Civil Society Election Situation Room from our network of observers throughout Anambra State indicate that security agents were deployed in sufficient numbers in most polling units, and that these officers and men have in the main condu

A case for intense citizens budget monitoring and strict Evaluation. by Emeka Ononamadu I will like to state that neither Nigeria’s economy nor its will be unable to positively change in favour of the citizens because politicians only embark on development palliatives instead of real and sustainable development. All the three tiers of government and the three organs that form each tier of government are guilty of this crime, which in deed can be classified as crime against Ni

Press statement by Human Rights Agenda Network (HRAN) Abuja November 16 2013: The Human Rights Agenda Network (HRAN) has commended the award of N150million as compensation to families of the three persons killed in the bombing of Kaduna office of Thisday Newspaper by Justice Ademola Adeniji of the Federal High Court Abuja. The award of the money compensation in a criminal proceeding is a sign that the judiciary is beginning to pay attention to the plight of victims of crime.

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) announced at a press briefing yesterday in Awka that it will employ the advanced Quick Count observation methodology and utilise the latest information and communication technology (ICT) to observe the Anambra gubernatorial election. The Quick Count methodology will enable TMG to provide real time, representative and statistically valid information on the conduct of the Election Day processes – arrival of staff and materials, setup of the

Scheduled for 10am at the premises of the National Assembly in Abuja, participating organizations in the rally include Enough is Enough Nigeria, the United Action for Democracy, Say No Campaign, Reclaim Naija, the Freedom of Information Coalition, and other organizations. Groups and individuals that are unable to join the rally at the National Assembly in Abuja are expected to organize protests and rallies on the same day at their various State Houses of Assembly. The groups

By Edetaen Ojo IN a recent ruling, his lordship, Justice Gabriel O. Kolawole of the Federal High Court in Abuja suggested that the Freedom of Information Act, 2011 was somehow defective because it provides in Section 1(2) that an applicant seeking information from a public institution should not be required to demonstrate his or her interest in that information and called on the National Assembly to amend the Law to restrict its application. Delivering his ruling in Suit No.

Press Release – Avocats Sans Frontières France / Lawyers Without Borders France Abuja, June 25, 2013 Avocats Sans Frontières France (ASFF) condemns in strong terms the execution by hanging of 4 inmates on death row on Monday June 24, 2013, in Edo State, Nigeria. These executions were carried out despite the application for stay of execution by a human rights organisation. The executed inmates still had rights to appeal the decision of the Federal High Court. Recall that in Oc

At the dark corners across Abuja popular streets, away from the street lights, men in uniform allegedly commit rape under the guise of clamping down on prostitutes. By midnight some women are still in a police station at Garki. They look all tired. Some of them make distress calls to convince their friends to bring money to secure their release through bail. Others seem paralyzed and gaze aimlessly around the reception of the police station. The women were arrested at Gimbiya

EDUCATING/SENSITING THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM OF OFFENDERS HUMAN RIGHTS: FOCUS ON BENUE, PLATEAU AND NASARAWA STATES OF NIGERIA. This is a summary of  a three day training workshop on the Application of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules (UNSMR) and Human Rights Standard for the Criminal Justice Sector in Benue, Plateau and NasarawaStates of Nigeria held at the Benue Hotels Makurdi. Participants were drawn from the Prisons, Police, Judiciary, the office of the Attorn

In defence of Abuja women on AUGUST 5, 2012 · in PERISCOPE 12:07 am BY BEN AGANDE Reprieve may be on the way for Abuja women who have been at  the receiving end of alleged harassment by men of the Nigeria Police and Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), as a non-governmental organisation, Lawyers Alert Association, has dragged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General of the Federation, among others, to cour