Human rights activist and coordinator of the Recover Nigeria Project (RNP), Comrade Osita Obi, has issued a two-week ultimatum to the Catholic Diocese of Awka, demanding a public apology and ₦25 million in compensation for the alleged illegal eviction and destruction of his wife’s property.

Obi, speaking at a press conference in Awka, condemned the diocese’s actions, accusing it of forcefully evicting his wife, Mrs. Beatrice Obi, and five others from shops at No. 27 Secretariat Road, Awka, on July 31, 2025, without prior notice or legal documentation.

He described the move as “inhumane and unjust,” alleging that the Diocese bypassed due process and compared their actions to those of “bandits and terrorists.”

“I am not against the Catholic Church, but I am strongly opposed to the way the Awka Diocese has handled this matter,” Obi said.

“They evicted my wife without proper court procedures and have now hospitalized her due to the trauma.”

Obi warned that if the Church fails to apologize and compensate him, he will escalate the issue, even threatening to take it to the Vatican. He also revealed that he is consulting legal counsel for possible redress in court.

Obi also rejected any suggestion that his wife could return to the shop, citing a 2022 police petition from the Diocese accusing her of aiding kidnapping and other crimes, claims he said were false and defamatory.

Meanwhile, court records show that the Diocese had obtained a legal judgment regarding the property.

In a ruling on July 10, 2025, Magistrate E.C. Chukwu of the Senior Magistrate Court II, Awka, ruled in favor of the Catholic Diocese of Awka in a suit (MAW/971/2024) against “Unknown Persons” occupying the property.

Court documents revealed that eviction notices, including quit notices and summons, were served through pasting after failed personal service attempts.

The court found that the defendants did not respond or appear in court to contest the case, resulting in a default judgment in favor of the Diocese.

According to Rev. Fr. Nicodemus Izuchukwu, the property manager for the Diocese, the Church intended to reclaim the building for its own use.

He stated that the property had been taken over by unauthorized occupants following the death of the former priest managing it.

Despite the court’s ruling, Obi insisted that the eviction was executed without proper notice and transparency.

He criticized the judiciary for enabling what he called a “backdoor arrangement,” and vowed to seek justice not only for his wife but also for the other affected tenants.

“This is not just about one shop. It’s about abuse of power, disregard for the law, and lack of human empathy,” he added.

Obi demanded the revocation of the eviction, payment of damages, and a formal apology from the Diocese.

The Enugu State Government has released a traffic advisory ahead of the upcoming Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) National Conference, which is scheduled to hold in Enugu from Monday, August 25 to Saturday, August 30, 2025.

In preparation for the high-profile event, the state government has announced temporary road closures and restrictions in key areas of the city to ensure smooth traffic flow and heightened security throughout the week.

Authorities confirmed that several major roads will remain open to all categories of vehicles including Keke (tricycle) operators, commercial buses, and private motorists during the conference.

These accessible routes include:

• Presidential Road up to First Bank
• Nkpokiti Junction – MSP – Uwani
• Uwani – Timber – Maryland
• ESBS – Monkey Junction
• ESBS – Lomalinda
• Agric Bank – Ike Ekweremadu Drive
• Agric Bank – Independence Layout Police Station
• Bisalla Road – Rangers Avenue Junction
• Roban Stores Junction – Presidential Road
• House of Assembly Quarters Road – Ogui Road
• Obiagu Road
• New Haven
• Ogui Road
• Abakiliki Road
• Zik Avenue
• Agbani Road

The following areas have been designated as no-entry zones for Keke riders and other vehicles from August 25 to 30:

• Sullivan Junction / Roban
• Niger Foundation Junction – Rangers Avenue
• Cubana Junction by Rangers Avenue
• Nkpokiti Junction by Car Wash
• IMT by SPAR Junction
• ESBS Junction
• Agric Bank Junction
• Toscana Junction
• All access roads leading to Okpara Square

The Enugu State Government is advising all residents and road users to plan their movements carefully and comply strictly with traffic instructions throughout the period of the event.

The government emphasized that the restrictions are temporary and are meant to facilitate the safe and successful hosting of the NBA National Conference.

Security agencies and traffic officers will be deployed across affected areas to enforce compliance and assist with navigation.

Authorities appealed for public cooperation, assuring that all efforts are being made to minimize disruptions and maintain order during the event..

The Anambra State Government has dismissed eight members of the Agunechemba Vigilante Group following the assault and public humiliation of a female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Jennifer Elobor.

This was announced on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Community Security, Ken Emeakayi, during a press briefing at the security agency’s headquarters in Awka.

According to Emeakayi, the dismissed operatives deviated from their lawful mandate when they attacked the corps member during a supposed pursuit of suspected cultists.

He described their actions as grossly unprofessional and unacceptable.

“Their conduct falls completely outside the authorized duties of the agency and is utterly condemnable,” he stated.

The Soludo-led administration responded promptly to public outcry and evidence of the assault, which showed the victim being beaten and stripped by armed members of the security outfit in Oba, Idemili South LGA.

Emeakayi confirmed that the dismissed officers will be handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for prosecution.

He emphasized the state’s zero-tolerance policy toward abuse of power by any security operative.

“The Soludo administration will not tolerate unprofessionalism, brutality, or any abuse of office,” he said.

“Any officer found guilty of misconduct will be dismissed and prosecuted immediately.”

In a move to support the assaulted corps member, the government has reportedly paid her medical bills, replaced her damaged personal items including a laptop and mobile phone and issued a formal apology to both her family and the NYSC leadership.

Despite initial efforts by the victim’s family and NYSC officials to quietly resolve the matter, the state government stood firm on a full investigation and public accountability, citing the need to uphold justice and set a precedent.

Emeakayi noted that the incident has triggered a wider reassessment of the Agunechemba security outfit and other community-based security structures.

“This marks a turning point in reforming community security. Our administration is committed to accountability, professionalism, and the protection of human rights,” he said.

Cyrus Onu, a lawyer for the female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Jennifer Elobor, who was assaulted by local security agents in Anambra State, has said that the perpetrators had threatened to rape and kill her for speaking out during the incident.

“They security agents were banging the door, and Jennifer was trying to open the door, and they just kicked the door, and it almost hit their face.

“Most of them were masked in mufti with guns, so you can imagine how scared the kids corps members were.

“They security agents didn’t give any identification. They just said, ‘Come down, come down. You’re all thieves! You’re all ‘Yahoo’ people!’

“When they tried to drag them downstairs, Jennifer was insisting that if they must take them anywhere, they should allow them corps members to call their LGI Local Government Inspector because the corps members did not know who the operatives were,” the lawyer said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday.

“That was when they started pouncing on her. They made derogatory comments, asking her who gave her the right as a lady to speak to them anyhow. They started beating her.

“She asked them to allow her to change into something appropriate, and they said, ‘That thing you’re trying to cover, we’ll see it today. We’ll beat you up, we’ll rape you, kill you, and dump you, and nobody can say anything,” Onu added.

The lawyer also claimed that the Anambra security agents threatened to kill her colleagues for trying to defend her.

In a video that went viral, the operatives armed with guns stormed the corps members’ apartment in the Oba community of Anambra State.

The agents who were members of the Operation ‘Udo Ga-Achi,’ also known as the Agunechemba Vigilante Group, were seen beating Elobor and tearing her clothes.

The State Government, through the Special Adviser to Governor Soludo on Community Security, Ken Emeakayi, while condemning the assault on the corps member, said on Tuesday that those involved had been arrested.

Emeakayi also said that the operatives involved had been suspended, and their final evaluation was in process.

“They are suspended because when a case has been established against someone, you arrest the person, then hand him over to the police.

“Now, since they were not readily prepared for persecution, which will be carried out by the police, they are now undergoing other disciplinary measures within our system, pending the final evaluation of the matter, whether they are going to court or not going to court as it relates to the victim,” he had said.

But the lawyer said the Anambra governor’s aide’s comment on the incident was unacceptable.

The victims’ lawyer said, “Ken was alleging that the lady was not forthcoming, and that was why they couldn’t go on with the investigation. That’s not true. In fact, when they got to the secretariat, those people were still firing guns in the air to intimidate them.

“It was one of the local inspectors who came from the NYSC that told them to allow them [corps members] to go; that was how they let them go.

“If not for the fact that it [the incident] came to the public. All of those things they are saying are not true. They are not prepared to prosecute; they are not going to prosecute.

“And, of course, that is not the only redress our clients are seeking. There must be consequences for bad behaviour, and they [the perpetrators] will pay damages. My clients are seeking compensatory damages, and they will have to pay.

“We’ve since written a petition to the government of Anambra State demanding that those persons be prosecuted, and we will follow up to also ensure compensatory damages.”

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the temporary freezing of four bank accounts connected to the former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an ongoing fraud investigation.

The order was issued by Justice Emeka Nwite after EFCC counsel Ogechi Ujam presented an ex parte motion, requesting the court to block the accounts pending the outcome of investigations.

“I have reviewed the application, the affidavit, and the accompanying evidence. The request is meritorious and is therefore granted as prayed,” Justice Nwite ruled.

The case was adjourned to September 23, 2025, for further updates.

According to court documents, the EFCC filed the motion on August 11, 2025, after launching an investigation into a petition dated April 24 from a group called the Guardian of Democracy and Rule of Law, which alleged financial misconduct involving Mr. Kyari.

In a sworn affidavit, Amin Abdullahi, an EFCC investigator, stated that preliminary investigations uncovered questionable financial activity involving four accounts at Jaiz Bank.

Two of the accounts are directly under Mele Kyari’s name, while the other two are registered under a non-governmental organisation, Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief.

The accounts in question are:

Jaiz Bank Account Number: 0017922724 — Mele Kyari

Jaiz Bank Account Number: 0017922724 — Mele Kyari (duplicate number possibly an error or additional entry)

Jaiz Bank Account Number: 0018575055 — Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief

Jaiz Bank Account Number: 0018575141 — Guwori Community Development Foundation Flood Relief

The EFCC alleges that these accounts were used to funnel funds potentially linked to conspiracy, abuse of office, and money laundering.

Investigators claim over ₦661 million in suspicious transactions were traced to the accounts.

Some of the inflows were disguised as donations for a book launch or NGO activities, but are suspected to be proceeds from NNPCL-related deals involving Kyari and unnamed oil companies.

The Commission also alleges that Kyari was using family members to operate the NGO accounts as proxies.

A “no debit” order has already been placed on the accounts, though this will expire in 72 hours without a court order, hence the urgent application to freeze the funds.

EFCC officials say Jaiz Bank has been contacted for detailed account statements and that freezing the accounts is essential to prevent the dissipation of potentially illicit funds while investigations and possible prosecution are underway.

The court emphasized that the freeze is temporary and part of an ongoing investigation.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, the youth arm of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, has called for the immediate disbandment of a local security

outfit in Anambra State known as Udo Ga-Achi. This demand follows public outrage over a viral video showing members of the outfit brutalizing a female National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, identified as Ms. Jennifer Elobor.

The disturbing footage, which has sparked condemnation across Nigeria, showed heavily armed operatives of the outfit physically assaulting the corps member.

The incident has reignited longstanding concerns about the conduct of local security groups in the state.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, described the assault as one among many long-standing human rights violations by the outfit.

“Before now, there have been several reports about how this group infringes on people’s rights and engages in trial by ordeal,” Okwu said.

“They’ve brutalized countless innocent individuals and have operated as if above the law.”

Okwu added that rights groups, including Intersociety, have raised alarms about the group’s excesses for years, but their concerns were largely ignored until the Elobor incident brought renewed national attention.

He urged Governor Chukwuma Soludo to take immediate action by disbanding the outfit, initiating a fresh recruitment process, and ensuring any new operatives are properly vetted and trained.

“There must also be a mandatory drug test for all prospective recruits,” he stressed. “We cannot afford a repeat of what Nigerians saw in that video.”

Okwu further demanded that the officers involved in the assault face open prosecution by the Nigeria Police, warning against shielding any perpetrators from justice.

“There should be no sacred cows,” he declared. “The Anambra State Government must also compensate Ms. Elobor adequately for the trauma and physical abuse she endured.”

The Ohanaeze Youth Council emphasized that while community-based security may be necessary in some areas, it must operate within the bounds of the law and with full respect for human rights.