How Badagry Police Station Rejects a Thief on Assumptions of Madness

 By: Manoah Kikekon 

Nigeria Police and Ugo the Theif 

The Badagry Police Station has rejected a notorious Theif who was identified as Ugo after officers concluded he looked like a mad person and refused to attend to the case.

Ugo, who claimed to work as a scavenger, allegedly jumped the fence into a compound at Marina, Badagry, Lagos State, on Tuesday and made away with various valuables.

Recounting the incident, Mrs Juliana narrated: “I was lying down in the room at about 1:00 p.m. At some point, I was feeling uncomfortable; by the time I opened my eyes, I saw someone kneeling down beside my purse. 

When he saw that I was awake, he said, ‘Madam, please don't shout.’ Immediately I shouted. He ran outside and jumped the fence, which was how he passed to enter the premises. The people around who saw him jumping the fence apprehended him and handed him over to the officers at the Badagry Correctional Centre (Prison).

“That was when I realised he had already stolen ₦10,000 from my purse, but we couldn't find the money with him; all we saw was two fish in his pocket. Before now, we realised that things had been missing, but we never believed a thief could enter here.

“The most painful part is that he took my money, and the police were telling me he is a mad person. Someone who was pleading that I shouldn't shout how could such a person be a mad person? What if he had raped or attacked me while I was sleeping? That is how they would have just let him go.”

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Badagry Police Station, CSP Jude Unwokolo, reportedly told our reporter that “since the police officers have studied his look and presumed him to be a mad person, there's nothing they can do. They don't have to interrogate him before knowing he is mad, and they can't work with the information of the prison officers.”

When the officer at the counter was called upon, she claimed the Investigating Police Officers (IPOs) present concluded the suspect was a mad person immediately they saw him, which was why they rejected him.

However, a prison officer who pleaded anonymity expressed frustration over the situation. “I am disappointed in these police officers at the counter. Despite seeing that I was the one who brought the criminal, they could not even attend to me before shouting at me to return him because he looks like a mad person.

“He is someone I interrogated, and he was communicating fluently. He even told me he is from Badagry, that he is an Igbo man, and that he is a scavenger. The police have done this simply because they won't get money from him.”

Jury Finds Duane Davis Guilty in Murder of Tupac Shakur

By: Manoah Kikekon 

Duane Davis and Tupac Shakur 

A jury has convicted Duane "Keffe D" Davis for the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed legendary rapper Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas, bringing a momentous conclusion to a three-decade-old case.

Following a brief deliberation lasting under three hours, the panel found the 63-year-old guilty of murder involving a deadly weapon committed with gang-related intent. He now faces a potential life sentence. Davis remained quiet, standing alongside his legal counsel as the decision was delivered before returning to his seat. Clark County District Court Judge Carli Kierny scheduled his sentencing hearing for October 13.

The Prosecution’s Case: The "Shot Caller"

Although state prosecutors acknowledged that Davis was not the individual who pulled the trigger during the September 7, 1996, shooting near the Las Vegas Strip pointing instead toward his nephew, Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson, or another rear-seat passenger they maintained he orchestrated the attack. Investigators identified Davis, a self-admitted former leader of a prominent Los Angeles street gang, as the mastermind who supplied the weapon.

During closing arguments, prosecutor Binu Palal emphasized that beyond physical clues, the state's case was built on an overwhelming mountain of circumstantial evidence and consistent witness testimony. Palal highlighted that Davis had spent nearly two decades publicly detailing his involvement through media interviews, police statements, and his own published autobiography.

“For nearly 18 years, Duane Davis has told the police, television, books, YouTube interviewers anybody that will listen, he has told he is responsible for the murder of Tupac Shakur. Tell him you hear him find him guilty,” Palal urged the jury.

The Defense: Dismissing the Confessions

Conversely, defense attorney Michael Sanft pushed back against the state's reliance on his client's past statements, arguing that decades after the tragedy, investigators lacked tangible proof and were merely leaning on remarks that held no real legal weight.

Sanft questioned the validity of treating past public claims as literal truth, challenging the jury to consider why the trial was taking place thirty years later if the purported confessions were genuine. He urged panel members to acquit his client, maintaining that a not-guilty verdict was the only logical conclusion supported by the lack of physical validation.

Bandits Kill Six People in Sokoto

 By: Manoah Kikekon 

At least six individuals lost their lives, with several others sustaining injuries, following a violent assault by bandits targeting farmers in Gandi village, located within the Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The armed assailants descended on the rural community in broad daylight on Sunday, launching their attack at approximately 3:00 p.m.

Confirming the tragic incident to journalists, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, Ahmad Rufa’i, stated, “We confirmed six death and some casualties.”

This latest tragedy comes on the heels of a security operation late last week. In a statement released on Friday, Mr. Rufa’i reported that a joint security force comprising police operatives and military personnel successfully neutralized multiple bandits, while also recovering cache ammunition and motorcycles from the criminals.

Four reasons US shouldn’t release my FBI records – Tinubu

By: Manoah Kikekon 

Bola Tinubu and FBI 

President Bola Tinubu has formally presented arguments to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, outlining why unredacted files concerning him from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) ought to remain withheld from the public eye.

In court documents submitted by his defense attorneys—Christopher Carmichael, Victor Henderson, and Oluwole Afolabi—the President maintained that the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act bar such disclosures, arguing further that no genuine public interest exists to warrant overriding privacy safeguards.

The Legal Grounds Against Disclosure

The legal push stems from an open records application filed by U.S. transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who sought access to the federal law enforcement files. Opposing this move, Tinubu's legal team asserted that the applicant's true aim is to mine official government files for domestic political leverage in Nigeria rather than to monitor the operations of U.S. administrative bodies.

The defense team highlighted several key points for keeping the documents confidential: Statutory Exemptions: The records fall squarely under privacy provisions, specifically Exemption 7(C) of the FOIA, which shields personal details compiled for law enforcement purposes.

Absence of Recognizable Public Interest: Under established U.S. legal precedent—such as the 1989 Supreme Court ruling Department of Justice v Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press FOIA is meant to expose government conduct ("what the government is up to"), not to satisfy public curiosity about the personal backgrounds of private individuals.

Political Motivation: The lawyers argued that the requests are engineered to weaponize government documents for political opposition campaigns in Nigeria rather than to advance administrative transparency.

Speculative Claims: Assertions by the plaintiff that the files might expose secret prosecutions or covert non-prosecution agreements are unfounded, speculative, and lack supporting evidence.

Furthermore, the defense argued that even though historical fragments such as a 1993 civil forfeiture proceeding involving funds in Illinois have previously entered the public sphere, individuals retain a protected privacy interest in details that remain undisclosed. Consequently, the President’s legal team urged the court to reject summary judgment motions that would compel the FBI and DEA to strip away remaining redactions.

Background and Political Reactions

The controversy traces back to a 1993 U.S. civil forfeiture case where authorities secured a forfeiture order over funds linked to an account bearing Tinubu's name. 

While opposition politicians have continuously leveraged the issue to question the President's background and fitness for office noting that the debate resurfaced aggressively during the 2023 general election cycle the Nigerian Presidential Election Petition Court ruled in late 2023 that petitioners failed to establish any criminal arrest, arraignment, or conviction abroad.

The latest legal filings have drawn sharp criticisms from opposition figures in Nigeria. Representatives from political groups, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), argued that fighting the release of the records casts an unnecessary shadow of suspicion. 

Critics contended that clearing the air would serve the President's best interests and satisfy public curiosity, while defense counsels maintain the matter is an improper exploitation of foreign freedom of information laws for local partisan gain.

President Tinubu Asks US Court to Block Release of FBI and DEA Records

By: Manoah Kikekon 

President Bola Tinubu has approached a United States federal court with a formal request to prevent the further release of investigative records tied to past inquiries from the early 1990s. Intervening directly in an ongoing legal battle, the Nigerian leader argued that disclosing these files would constitute an unwarranted violation of his personal privacy rights.

The legal tussle stems from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by Aaron Greenspan, founder of the transparency platform PlainSite. Greenspan had submitted multiple requests to several US agencies—including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)—seeking documents connected to a historical Chicago-based drug investigation.

While various agencies initially issued "Glomar" responses declining to confirm or deny the existence of the records, US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled in April 2025 that the FBI and DEA had improperly withheld confirmation, subsequently ordering them to search for and process non-exempt documents. Although thousands of pages were eventually produced with varying degrees of redactions, Greenspan pushed for summary judgment to compel fuller disclosures.

In a fresh 16-page filing submitted through his legal team, President Tinubu urged the court to reject Greenspan’s motion and allow the existing redactions and withholdings to remain intact. His lawyers maintained that FOIA was designed strictly to shed light on government operations, rather than serve as a mechanism to mine private personal information stored within public archives.

Invoking US Supreme Court precedent alongside FOIA Exemption 7(C) which shields law enforcement records from disclosures that invade personal privacy the defense team emphasized that individual privacy interests persist even when limited files or historical disclosures have previously entered public view.

“Plaintiff’s motion should be denied because FOIA is not a tool for obtaining information the government collected about private individuals,” Tinubu’s legal team argued in court filings.

Addressing arguments surrounding his status as Nigeria's head of state, Tinubu’s counsel dismissed claims that public curiosity or political background checks constitute the type of "public interest" recognized under FOIA statutes. 

They characterized allegations of a government cover-up or secret prosecution as unsubstantiated claims meant to override statutory privacy protections.

FBI Warns Informants' Lives at Risk Over Potential Release of Tinubu Files

 By: Manoah Kikekon 

Bola Tinubu, FBI and US Court 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has cautioned that its informants and agents could face severe danger if sensitive records concerning Nigerian President Bola Tinubu are made public. The bureau argued that the unsealing of these documents could trigger violent retaliation against individuals who cooperated with past investigations.

The security warning was contained in a court filing submitted to Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The ongoing litigation stems from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests filed by American transparency campaigner Aaron Greenspan, who is seeking archival records detailing historical allegations from the 1980s and 1990s.

Invoking specific FOIA exemptions, the FBI maintained that releasing unredacted files would expose third parties and law enforcement personnel to physical harm. According to legal filings presented by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, individuals linked to the historical investigations could be targeted by criminal networks or members of the public who view the information as incriminating.

“Additionally, whether they provided information or participated in the investigation as law enforcement personnel, it is likely these individuals would be violently targeted by third parties involved in the criminal activities associated with this specific drug trafficking investigation or by members of the public,” the bureau stated in the filing.

The bureau emphasized that protecting the physical safety of its sources overrides general transparency mandates in this context. Consequently, the agency relied on protective exemptions to shield names and identifying details from public viewing.

The latest filing follows mounting pressure from the U.S. district court, which pressed federal agencies to justify prolonged delays in handling the transparency requests. Judge Howell previously instructed the government to submit contested documents under seal for a private, ex parte, and in camera review, allowing the court to independently assess whether the withholding of records is legally justified.

Legal representatives and political observers tracking the case note that the review process allows the judiciary to test the validity of the FBI's security claims without prematurely compromising sensitive intelligence methods or endangering sources. Meanwhile, President Tinubu has consistently opposed the blanket release of these archival files, arguing that premature disclosures could be politically weaponized.

As the legal tussle continues in Washington, D.C., the final decision now rests with Judge Howell, who will determine whether the sealed documents remain permanently restricted or if portions will ultimately be cleared for public access.

Badagry Chairman Babatunde Hunpe Supports about 1,000 Residents with Food Palliatives

 By: Manoah Kikekon 

The Badagry Local Government has distributed food items to about 1,000 residents across its 10 wards as part of an ongoing social intervention initiative aimed at easing economic hardship.

Held on Friday at the council secretariat, the distribution brought together a diverse group of beneficiaries, including students, artisans, elderly residents, and local women. The exercise forms part of the council's "Renewed Hope Food Palliative Programme," marking the sixth edition of the intervention series.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Chairman of Badagry Local Government, Hon. Babatunde Hunpe, emphasized that food distribution is only one component of his administration's broader development agenda. He pointed to ongoing infrastructure revamps, including the restructuring of abandoned school and hospital projects, as well as local road construction.

“As we have been restructuring abandoned school and hospital projects, we are also working on the construction of roads. We have started this food palliative programme, not just the one of today. We also give out ₦100,000 every month to 200 people. We have done the sixth edition, and we will be having the seventh edition soon,” Hunpe said.

The chairman linked these local efforts to national and state policies, attributing the administration's progress to the good governance championed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the development roadmap of the Lagos State Government.

Addressing the criteria for the palliative distribution, Hunpe noted that the council specifically targeted residents struggling to meet their daily needs. While 1,000 packages were handed out directly to attendees from various wards with special arrangements made for elderly residents unable to travel he recalled that past interventions had also specifically targeted 500 widows and 500 elderly citizens.

Hunpe further disclosed that the local government is gearing up to commission several completed projects, urging residents to inspect renewed facilities such as LA Primary School, Ansarudeen Primary School, and Muslim Primary School, alongside an ongoing roundabout project.

In addition to infrastructural updates, the council is moving to decentralize essential identification services to ease movement for residents.

“Before, we had only one NIN office in Badagry, but now we are increasing it to three. We are establishing one at Ajara and the second at Ikoga,” the chairman announced.

Also speaking at the event, Hon. Dr. Doyin Johnson commended the local government administration's performance, presenting a congratulatory letter to Hunpe to mark his first 100 days in office. 

Meanwhile, the Council Manager, Mrs. Avoseh Senami Oluwakemi, used the platform to encourage civic participation, advising beneficiaries to secure their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to ensure their voices are heard at the polls.

Beneficiaries expressed profound gratitude for the relief materials while offering constructive feedback for future programs. 

Hunton Selome Shade, one of the recipients, noted that the food items would go a long way for her household, while also appealing for increased administrative focus on educational support and financial palliatives for students. 

Another beneficiary, Oke Peter Monday, shared similar sentiments, thanking the local government leadership for creating opportunities that directly impact grassroots communities.