Point One

With the strategy applied in the recent hostage recovery in Oyo State, Nigeria may have hit on a useful template for dealing with the menace of terrorist kidnappings. If adopted and adapted in tackling abduction cases nationwide, the template could help rein in the tyranny of abductors and frustrate allied complicities that have made the crime into a thriving industry.  Forty-four out of 46 pupils and teachers mass-kidnapped by suspected Ansaru terrorists in Oriire council area of Oyo State on 15th May were recovered by security operatives after 56 days in captivity. Two of the kidnapped teachers did not make it back because they were killed by the terrorists while the ordeal lasted. Terrorists belonging to Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan, commonly known as Ansaru, had stormed three schools in Oriire local government  area near Ogbomoso, where they abducted 39 pupils and seven teachers including a grammar school principal. An assistant headteacher and a commercial ...

 Last week, we began running a paper delivered by former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, at the public presentation of A Collection of Essays: Readings on the Legislature by Hamalai, Ladi in Abuja. In the paper titled ‘Some Reflections on the 2026 Electoral Act and Nigeria’s Electoral Democracy,’ the ex-umpire, a leading political scientist, reviewed Nigeria’s journey in electoral democracy and dissected the 2026 Electoral Act. The portion excerpted last week reviewed legislative frameworks for elections since 1999 and major provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 as they will impact future polls. The concluding part of the paper runs following: 3.0 Grey/bad provisions in the 2026 Electoral Act Regardless of the lofty intentions of the 2026 Electoral Act, of adding value to the integrity of Nigerian elections, there are issues of serious concern, and some areas for further contemplation; so as to offer clarifications, remove...

 Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, recently delivered a paper at the public presentation of A Collection of Essays: Readings on the Legislature by Hamalai, Ladi in Abuja. In the paper titled ‘ Some Reflections on the 2026 Electoral Act and Nigeria’s Electoral Democracy ,’ the ex-umpire, a leading political scientist, reviewed Nigeria’s journey in electoral democracy and dissected the 2026 Electoral Act, highlighting the key provisions as they impact on the political system. The paper will be run in two instalments in this column as input to the national conversation on the electoral process. Body text of the presentation goes thus: 1.0 Background to the 2026 Electoral Act •Good constitutional provisions and primary parliamentary legislation are necessary and required as the legal framework for elections in representative/electoral democracies such as Nigeria. In Nigeria, and in a few other electoral jurisdictions, suc...