Eight Nigerian men accused of an internet dating scam have appeared in a South African court after a massive international operation involving the FBI and Interpol.

Authorities in the US, where the investigation originated and most of the alleged victims are based, have applied for their extradition.

They are accused of defrauding more than 100 victims of almost $7m (£5m) in total over the past decade.

They have not commented on the charges.

It is the biggest such bust in South Africa, according to police spokeswoman Col Katlego Mogale.

The suspects, aged between 33 and 52, were arrested in Cape Town on Tuesday following a legal assistance request from the US.

It is believed the FBI and US Secret Service led the investigation and worked with South African authorities, including the elite police unit, the Hawks.

The men are wanted in Texas and New Jersey for a variety of offences, including conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, money-laundering and aggravated identity theft.

In opposing bail, prosecutor Robin Lewis alleged the men are members of the Black Axe, a transnational organised crime syndicate originating in Nigeria, whose specialities include laundering money through various accounts.

The state argued the men were a flight risk because they still have access to accounts allegedly used.

The suspects face 20 years in jail if convicted.

Suspects 'concocted sob-stories'

It is alleged they preyed on their victims through dating sites using false identities. The victims, often vulnerable widows or divorcees from around the world, thought they were in genuine romantic relationships.

Col Mogale said once the suspects "had ingratiated themselves with their victims, they allegedly concocted sob-stories about why they needed money - ie taxes to release an inheritance, essential overseas travel, crippling debt, etc - and then siphoned money from victims".

"The fraudsters intimidated and berated their victims, ruined their lives and then disappeared," she said.

A neighbour of two of the suspects, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC he was shocked to hear the two brothers were alleged to be members of a Nigerian crime gang.

"[They] were friendly and never brought any crime to the area. The one brother was married to a South African citizen," he said.

"Once a week about 10 luxury cars would arrive and leave again in a few hours. These were top-end vehicles like a 2021 Mercedes Benz, a Jeep and a Ferrari. The way they dressed you could tell they were wealthy."

The neighbour was woken up by the sound of dogs barking when the brothers' homes were raided on Tuesday. About 60 men from various police units spent about six hours collecting evidence at the properties. Seven other properties were also raided in the same neighbourhood.

Mr Lewis said some of the men were not lawfully in South Africa since their passports have expired. He also argued that if the men were to be freed on bail, they could tamper with evidence digitally.

A full bail application was set down for next Tuesday and Thursday pending an extradition hearing.

South Africa's TimeLive reported the Hawks were searching for a ninth man connected to the case.

BBC

Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu pleaded not guilty to charges including terrorism in an Abuja court on Thursday, three months after his trial was delayed when authorities failed to produce him in court.

The charges against Kanu, a British citizen, also included calling for secession, knowingly broadcasting falsehoods about President Muhammadu Buhari, and membership of an outlawed group.

The military considers Kanu's IPOB a terrorist organization.

IPOB wants a swathe of the southeast, homeland of the Igbo ethnic group, to split from Nigeria. An attempt to secede in 1967 as the Republic of Biafra triggered a three-year civil war that killed more than 1 million people.

Security services barred journalists from entering the court and forcibly dispersed crowds of supporters who gathered nearby.

In selfies with his lawyer circulating in local media, Kanu looked healthy and in good spirits.

Kanu was first arrested in 2015, but disappeared while on bail in April 2017. His social media posts during his absence, and his Radio Biafra broadcasts, outraged the government, which they said encouraged attacks on security forces.

Security agents produced him in court in Abuja on June 29 after detaining him in an undisclosed country. His lawyer alleged he was detained and mistreated in Kenya, though Kenya has denied involvement.

Kanu has filed charges alleging that he was illegally taken from Kenya and asking that he be repatriated to Britain.

On Thursday, his lawyers also asked, unsuccessfully, for Kanu to be transferred to the Nigerian Correctional Centre instead of the state security custody for easier access to his lawyers.

Kanu's lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, said they have an application challenging the competence of the underlying charges, most of which reference Radio Biafra broadcasts made out of London.

"I can't see how someone would make a statement in London and it becomes a triable offence in this country," Ejiofor told reporters.

The trial was adjourned until Nov. 10.

Reuters

Cameroon's five-year conflict could be taking a significant new turn with reports that its English-speaking separatist groups are getting help from an armed group in neighbouring Nigeria.

After two attacks by Anglophone militants which cost the lives of 15 Cameroonian soldiers last month, the army issued a statement declaring that "the separatists have used heavy weapons for the first time, in violation of international humanitarian law".

It went on to add that "the rise in power of these terrorist groups... is largely due to their co-operation with other terrorist entities operating outside the country".

Contacted by the BBC, Cameroonian defence forces spokesperson Cyrille Atonfack Nguemo did not specify which foreign groups were allegedly working with the Anglophone separatists, who say they face discrimination in the country dominated by French-speakers.

It is therefore unclear whether the military believes it is one or several armed groups, and also where they are located.

But the separatist Ambazonia Defense Forces (ADF) has confirmed an alliance with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), an ethnic Igbo group waging a sometimes violent campaign for autonomy in southeastern Nigeria, some of which lies just 150km (90 miles) from the border with Cameroon's English-speaking regions.

A video posted on the ADF Facebook page earlier this year shows Cho Ayaba, leader of the Ambazonia Governing Council - one of the two main English-speaking separatist groups, and IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu announcing a "strategic and military" alliance.

Both separatist leaders explained that the two groups would "work to secure their common border and ensure an open exchange of arms, intelligence and personnel".

How big a deal is this?

Analysts are divided. "For the moment, the contribution of this alliance on the ground in the Anglophone zone is not yet clear," says Elvis Arrey, senior analyst for Cameroon at the research group International Crisis Group (ICG).

However, Raoul Sumo Tayo, a historian and security analyst in the region, says it should not be downplayed, as it offers both groups rear bases where they can retreat, beyond the reach of their respective countries' armed forces.

This is especially significant in Cameroon, where he said the "army was practically absent [from the areas hit by conflict] before the insurgency and therefore has extremely limited knowledge of the area".

The two countries have previously discussed giving each other's security forces the right to cross the border, especially when chasing members of the Boko Haram Islamist militant group further north, but a deal was never reached.

Where do the heavy weapons come from?

The Cameroon authorities have not gone into much detail about what kind of weapons they say are being used, beyond briefly referring to anti-tank missiles and rocket launchers.

Some actually come from attacks on the defence and security forces, says the ICG's Arrey.

"Other weapons come from Nigeria," he adds.

According to Tayo, even "before the crisis in the Anglophone regions, the Niger Delta area was an important hub for arms trafficking in the sub-region".

Weapons bound for the Anglophone region of Cameroon have often been seized by the Nigerian authorities.

Over the past three years, scores of people have been arrested on charges of trafficking arms to Cameroon.

Tayo believes that some weapons are likely to come from "countries with a large Anglophone diaspora". Some Cameroonians from English-speaking regions have been charged in the US with alleged arms trafficking, although none has yet been convicted.

IPOB has this year been accused of ransacking police stations and stealing weapons, which could potentially be smuggled across the border.

How easy is it to cross the border?

Even before the latest unrest in the two countries, the border areas were poorly controlled on both sides.

It is partly made up of the Niger Delta, a huge forested area full of creeks and inlets and multiple clandestine ports, which borders both English-speaking Cameroon and the Igbo heartland, where most IPOB attacks are concentrated.

There are ethnic and cultural ties between some groups found on either side of the border, which could further smooth links.

What are the Cameroonian authorities doing?

The government in Yaoundé seems to be concerned about the situation and has announced a strategic change in its military intervention in the area, without giving details.

At the end of August, the two countries agreed to step up security along their 2,000km (1,240 mile)-long border, which is threatened by the separatists, as well as by Boko Haram.

The two countries also co-operated when Cameroonian separatist leader Julius Sisiku Tabe and eight others were arrested in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, in 2017.

They were sent back to Cameroon where they were given life sentences for terrorism and other crimes, which they are challenging.

What is the fighting about?

Both Nigeria's Igbo community and English-speaking Cameroonians have long complained of discrimination by their respective governments.

The Igbos declared the independence of Biafra from Nigeria in 1967, sparking a war that ended in 1970 following the death of an estimated one million people.

Although the federal army won, Nnamdi Kanu's IPOB is the latest group to take up the Igbo cause. He was arrested in June and is currently in detention on charges of treason, which he denies.

Scores of people have been killed in unrest over the past year.

Amid reports of atrocities on both sides, the conflict has caused thousands of deaths and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes - many have crossed over into Nigeria.

Why does Cameroon have both English- and French-speakers?

■   On 1 January 1960, the French colony of Cameroun gained independence and became Cameroon.

■   On 1 October 1960, Nigeria gained independence from the UK.

■   The UK also controlled the former German colony of Cameroon. At independence, its citizens were given a choice of joining either Nigeria or Cameroon.

■   Southern Cameroonians opted to unite with Cameroon, while Northern Cameroon joined Nigeria.

BBC

Hundreds of women in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Thursday blocked Gusau-Kaduna Road to protest against persistent attacks by bandits despite security measures by the state government.

Gusau-Kaduna road is the busiest road as it links the state to several other states both in the North and the South.

The women, who were with their children and belongings, sat on the road and prevented movement for motorists and passersby on the road.

The protesters caused gridlock and hundreds of motorists were left stranded as they could neither move forward nor backward.

One of the women, who gave her name as Sadiya, told our correspondent that they decided to protest because bandits were always attacking and raping them and there had been no action taken to protect them.

Sadiya said, “We blocked the road in order to draw the attention of both the government and the security agents to come to our rescue.”

Another woman, Talatu Sani, said she left her village of Cediya because bandits used to go to the village to rape women and steal their food and animals.

“I join the protest because the authorities are not doing anything to protect us from this hopeless situation.”

A commercial driver, Musa Shehu said he was coming from Funtua to Gusau, lamenting that he spent more than four hours before the road was cleared by security agents.

Efforts were made to talk to the spokesperson of the state police command, Mohammed Shehu, without success as he didn’t pick up his calls. He had yet to reply to a text message sent to him on the protest.

Punch

Some investors aren’t waiting to see if former President Donald Trump’s plans for a media company to challenge the likes of Facebook, Twitter and even Disney can actually become reality — they’re all in.

Trump said Wednesday that he’s launching Trump Media & Technology Group and a “Truth Social” app as a rival to the Big Tech companies that have shut him out and denied him the megaphone that was paramount to his national rise. The announcement came nine months after Trump was expelled from social media for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

Experts were split on how strong a competitor Trump Media & Technology Group can be, but the stock market reacted with exuberance.

TMTG’s plan is to become a publicly listed company through a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp., a type of company whose sole purpose is to acquire a private company and take it public. Shares of Digital World Acquisition quadrupled Thursday in what some might see as validation for Trump, even though there’s a ways to go before the merger is completed.

“I’m personally not a Trump supporter, but this could lead to giant media presence,” said investor Ryan Joshua Keenan, who put $2,000 into the stock early Thursday morning and had already tripled the money by the early afternoon. “It’s been going up ridiculously.”

Trump has spoken about launching his own social media site ever since he was barred from Twitter and Facebook. An earlier effort to launch a blog on his existing website was abandoned after the page drew dismal views.

“We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “This is unacceptable.”

Conservative voices actually do well on traditional social media. On Wednesday, half of Facebook’s 10 top performing link posts were from conservative media, commentators or politicians, according to a daily list compiled by a New York Times technology columnist and an internet studies professor using Facebook’s own data.

TMTG has not set its sights low. In addition to the Truth Social app, which is expected to soft-launch next month with a nationwide rollout early next year, the company says it is planning a video-on-demand service dubbed TMTG+ that will feature entertainment programming, news and podcasts.

One slide in a TMTG presentation on its website includes a graphic of its potential competitors, which range from Facebook and Twitter to Netflix and Disney+ to CNN. The same slide suggests that over the long term TMTG will also become a power in cloud computing and payments and suggests it will go head-to-head with Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Stripe.

A Trump-branded social media portal would join a crowded space dominated by Big Tech-run portals like Facebook and Twitter. Still, everyday social media users tend to be on multiple platforms at once, so TMTG’s offering doesn’t have to necessarily peel users from other portals to thrive.

“This network will most likely be most successful in targeting far-right users, the same that left Facebook for ‘alternative’ social networks like Gab or Parler,” said Alexandra Cirone, assistant professor in government at Cornell University.

Trump’s new media outlet could also compete for viewers on conservative networks such as OANN, Newsmax and Fox News, she said.

Ali Mogharabi, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, who covers Twitter, Facebook and other social media companies, said Trump’s brand could initially give TMTG a leg up relative to other new social media sites going up against Facebook and other big players.

“Whether that’s going to be sustainable in the long run, that’s very uncertain.”

Mogharabi said next year’s mid-term elections could be pivotal in whether the social media platform succeeds.

“A lot of Trump supporters would probably go on there. Even more so in 2024, if Trump actually decides to run for president. Those types of future events could actually attract more users.”

For now, the deal is attracting stock traders. Shares of Digital World Acquisition soared $35.34, or 357%, to $45.50, and changed hands more than 475 million times. That compares with average trading volume of about 11 million shares for Twitter, which trade at around $65.

Digital World Acquisition, based in Miami, is a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. Such publicly traded companies are designed to list the shares of a private company more quickly than a traditional initial public offering. In practice, that means the SPAC acquires a private firm and then changes its name and other details to those of the acquired firm.

“It’s been many, many months since there’s been a SPAC merger greeted with this amount of enthusiasm,” said Jay Ritter, a professor at the University of Florida who specializes in initial public offerings.

A SPAC pays for an acquisition with cash from its own initial public offering. DWA completed its initial public offering on Sept. 8. DWA said it has raised roughly $293 million in cash, which it will use to grow TMTG’s ventures.

The enthusiasm from investors came even though the SPAC deal was unusual in several ways. Announcements of such deals typically are accompanied by the actual merger agreement and a presentation to investors full of numbers and data.

In this one, the merger agreement was not there. And the “Company Overview” of TMTG on its website is light on details about its structure and finances.

“I don’t know enough to say it’s unprecedented, but it’s weird. Given a lot of things that happen with Trump are not great with details and formalities, it’s perhaps not surprising, but it’s not the norm in SPACs,” said Michael Ohlrogge, an assistant professor of law at New York University who researches SPACs.

Until the deal is completed, TMTG would not have access to the cash raised by the SPAC. And without additional details from the companies, it’s unclear what Trump’s role will be and how much he’ll be compensated.

The deal has an initial enterprise value, which measures total debts and assets, of $875 million, according to Wednesday’s announcement. Experts say it could take up to six months for the deal to close.

Digital World Acqusition is currently run by CEO Patrick Orlando, a Miami-based founder of the Benessere Investment Group. He owns 18% of Digital World’s stock, according to a recent regulatory filing.

Orlando has experience taking at least three SPACs public. One company, Yunhong International, had planned to buy a marketer of “carbon neutral” fuel cells and batteries, but a press release issued last month said the deal had been canceled without giving a reason.

Orlando declined to comment about Trump’s potential role in the new company to The Associated Press on Thursday, pointing the public statements, which provide no detail.

The last time Trump ran a publicly traded company, it didn’t end up well for investors. His casino company, Trump Entertainment Resorts, lost hundreds of millions of dollars over more than a dozen years and filed for bankruptcy several times, socking shareholders with big losses. Trump fared better. He took in $82 million in fees, salary and bonuses over the same period, according to Fortune magazine.

AP

Four months after abduction, 27 students and 3 staffers of the Federal Government College, Yauri, Kebbi State have been released out of the 90 persons in the captivity of bandits.

T he students were abducted at the Federal Government College, Yauri, Kebbi State in June.

The freed students were brought to the Government House in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday in company of combined security operatives of the DSS, Mobile police, Army and Civil defence in three buses around 3pm.

The students were also accompanied by medical personnel and other support personnel of the state government and were received by Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and top government officials at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi.      

While receiving the students, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu said President Muhammadu Buhari upon their abduction had issued directives to all security operatives to ensure the students were rescued from the bandits.

He said the Army, DSS, Police, Civil Defence and Vigilant group were instrumental to the release of the students.

“I also commend the efforts of Senator Adamu Aliero, Minister of Justice Malami and a host of others”, he said.  

A statement by the media aide to the governor said the students were brought to the state capital following their release by their abductors.

The statement added that efforts were still on to secure the release of the remaining students that were still with the bandits.

It said the students would undergo medical screening and other support while being reunited with their families.

The United States Mission to Nigeria has reacted to the EndSARS memorial protests in the country, advising protesters to take a political approach to addressing their demands.

The US Mission Nigeria disclosed this on its verified Facebook handle on Wednesday. 

"Today is a day to reflect on the loss of life and property during last year’s #EndSARS protests. We appreciate the work done by the various judicial panels and look forward to the implementation of recommendations and compensation to victims of police brutality.      

"We support ongoing police reform efforts. We encourage those who demonstrated for change to engage politically to achieve it,” the post read.

Nigerian youths in a bid to remember the lives lost during the Lekki Tollgate killings on October 20, 2020, came out enmass to commemorate the one year anniversary of the movement.      

With the backing of high-profile celebrities from around the world, thousands of mostly young Nigerians, took to the streets last year in the biggest show of people power in decades.

However, signs of that brutal night are still visible in the minds of the protesters, with imagery of walls riddled with bullets and shattered glass windows to tell the ugly incident.

Protesters who are supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari have staged a protest in Abuja, saying the claim of shooting at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos last year during the #ENDSARS protest was a hoax.

This is to counter a parallel protest by some aggrieved Nigerians in the nation’s capital, seeking justice for the victims of nationwide protests against police brutality in the country.

It was learnt that the pro-Buhari protesters stormed the Unity Fountain Ground on Wednesday around 10:30am.    

They berated the #EndSARS memorial protesters for being too critical of the Buhari government and security agencies.    

Bearing banners with inscription such as: ‘EndSARS was an insurrection against the state’, the pro-Buhari group also accused the #EndSARS protesters of presenting Nigeria in a bad light before the world through their mass action in Lagos, Abuja and other major cities in the country.

They further alleged the #EndSARS memorial protest was a ploy to instigate an unlawful change of government.  

“We have come here because we found out that some miscreants hiding behind #EndSARS have planned to come here to hold #EndSARS memorial. We are here to set the records straight. If there was a massacre, where are the bodies?,” a leader of the group said.

In October 2020, Nigerians started what can be termed the biggest campaign against police brutality in the country.

Although the campaign started on social media, Nigerian youths eventually took to the streets in some parts of the country to protest against the now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian Police Force.

In the course of the protest, tagged #EndSARS, donations were made from different parts of the world.

Feminist Coalition — a group set up by about 14 women —  said it received N147,855,788.28 as of October 22, 2020 through crowdfunding and spent part of the money on legal services for those protesters who were arrested, to pay medical bills for those wounded, to provide private security at protest points and daily refreshments.

The group said the rest of the funds were used to provide support, including mental health counselling, for victims of police brutality and the families of those who died.

Following the protest, Mohammed Adamu, former inspector-general of police (IGP), disbanded SARS.

However, the protest continued, with activists issuing a five-point demand which include:

Immediate release of all arrested protesters.

Justice for all deceased victims of police brutality and appropriate compensations for their families.

Setting up an independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all reported police misconduct within a period of 10 days.

Carrying out psychological evaluation and retraining of all disbanded SARS operatives before they can be deployed (this should be verified by an independent body).

The government should increase police salary and they should be adequately compensated for protecting lives and property of citizens.

In addition to the dissolution of SARS, the federal government on October 13 accepted the five-point demand of the #EndSARS protesters.

One year on, what is policing like without SARS?

‘SARSLESS’ POLICE

Upon the disbandment of SARS, a new squad, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit was formed.

According to Frank Mba, force public relations officer, the “mandate of the new TACTICAL team is strictly restricted to; response to robbery attacks, response to scenes of weapon-related crimes, rescue operations, [and] special operations involving high profile criminals”.

He also gave the assurance that no personnel of the defunct SARS will be selected to be part of the new TACTICAL team.

However, a year after, the unit is yet to commence operations.

Although Muhammad Dingyadi, minister of police affairs, said officers of SWAT team have been deployed in state commands, Alkali Baba, IGP, said SWAT is yet to commence operations.

Baba also said the vacuum created by SARS has made it difficult for the police to tackle most of the violent crimes in the country.

On the planned recruitment of 10,000 new police personnel, TheCable reached out to the Police Service Commission (PSC) which is the body in charge of police recruitment, promotion, and exercising disciplinary control over the police.

Ikechukwu Ani, spokesperson of the commission, said: “The commission and the police are already meeting. Very soon, there will be an announcement to conclude the 2020 recruitment that was done after the appeal court judgment in 2020.”

On psychological evaluation for officers which is one of the demands of the protesters, Ani said: “Details are being worked out. It is not yet defined but I know that we must obey the president’s directive.”

THE POLICE BECAME VULNERABLE TO ATTACKS

In May, The Punch reported that more than 25 police stations were attacked in parts of the south-east and south-south between January and May.

Reports also showed that over 127 policemen and other security personnel were killed during the attacks.

These attacks occurred in Abia,  Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River and Rivers state.

The IGP said the morale of police officers in the country has been low since the protest in October 2020.

DID EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS BY POLICE STOP?

Did the disbandment of SARS curb the rate of police brutality and extra judicial killings in the country?

Citing a report by Global Rights, an international human rights organisation based in Washington DC, THISDAY reported that despite the #EndSARS protest against police brutality, Nigeria recorded 164 cases of extra-judicial killing between January and September 2021.

According to the report, with this rising trajectory, the country may record more cases of extra-judicial killing in the current year than the 271 incidents documented in 2020.

The report claimed that there were 14 cases of extra-judicial killing in January; three in February;  six in March, six in April, nine in May; 12 in June, 23 in July; 14 in August and 77 in September.

Besides cases of killing such as the case of Monsurat Ojuade, an 18-year-old girl, who was shot on September 10 at Mogaji street, Ijesha, Surulere, Lagos during a raid by operatives of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department, several videos posted on social media show police officers threatening citizens for failing to give a bribe.

UPWARD REVIEW OF SALARIES

President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 approved an enhanced salary structure for officers of the Nigerian Police Force.

In line with one of the demands of the protesters for an upward review of salaries of officers, the president directed the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission to finalise the new salary structure for members of the force.

However, to date, there are no indications that it has been implemented.

The police public relations officer said he was too preoccupied to speak when contacted by TheCable.

PROTESTERS STILL IN CUSTODY

Many protesters were arrested during and after the EndSARS protest. With mass sharing of information on social media, some were able to secure bail with the support of other protesters. Some others detained for months, including Kemisola Ogunniyi, an 18-year-old girl. Kemisola who said she was not part of the protest in Akure, Ondo state, gave birth to a baby while she was in prison for eight months.

Still, there are claims that more people are still in detention over the protest.

Gavel, a non-governmental organisation that advocates citizens’ rights, told TheCable that at least 33 persons are still being detained in Lagos alone, over the protest.

“At the moment, we can authoritatively confirm that there are at least 33 defendants languishing in Kirikiri Correctional Centre since the #EndSARS period which Gavel is working on. This information, however, is subject to change as there may be more undocumented cases in Lagos and across other states,” the NGO said.

#EndSARS JUDICIAL PANELS OF INQUIRY

In response to one of the #5For5  demands, the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by the vice-president directed the establishment of judicial panels of inquiry by state governors in Nigeria to investigate complaints of police brutality and extra-judicial killings.

In compliance with the directive, 29 states and the FCT set up judicial panels of inquiry with over 2791 petitions received.

However, despite the directive, seven states — Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara States — did not establish the panels.

Over the past one year, 25 states — Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers and Taraba — have concluded sittings. But only Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ekiti, Ondo and Nasarawa state judicial panels of inquiry have submitted and publicly presented reports to the state governments for the implementation of their recommendations. Bayelsa, Ekiti and Ondo are the only states of which reports are available to the public.

Four states — Anambra, Benue, Enugu, Kogi, and the FCT — suspended sitting for reasons that could not be independently verified by TheCable, causing delay in justice and leaving many petitioners stranded.

COMPENSATION OF VICTIMS BUT NO PROSECUTION OF CULPABLE OFFICERS

Monetary compensations have been awarded by the judicial panels set up in different states to victims of police brutality.

However, some petitioners have complained that the sums are paltry compared to the ill-treatment they suffered.

A petitioner who was awarded the sum of N7.5 million had caused an uproar at the panel sitting, saying the money was not enough.

The petitioner, who is a shop owner at Alaba international market, had told the panel how officers of the now-disbanded SARS came to his shop in 2018 and threw him from a two-storeyed building, leaving his spinal cord damaged.

Only mobile with the aid of a wheelchair, the petitioner said he spent more than N30 million to treat himself, adding that his shop has become empty.

According to a statement issued by Laolu Akande, spokesperson to the vice-president, at a meeting held on Friday, National Economic Council (NEC) said the federal government and states will set up modalities for the settlement of compensations awarded to victims of police brutality.

The council also directed state governors to immediately forward copies of final reports of the panels to their attorneys-general for prompt arraignment and prosecution of all indicted persons.

However, a source who was a member of one of the judicial panels told TheCable that tracking down some of the indicted police officers has been difficult. He said while some petitioners cannot identify specific officers who brutalised them, the police also could not provide the whereabouts of some of their officers.

The Cable

When Adesola heard about the shooting at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos on October 20, 2020, she immediately thought of her son who had earlier left home to join the hundreds of young people protesting against police brutality at the site.

In a blind panic, she called his phone, but there was no answer. She immediately hailed a passing motorcycle taxi, known locally as an Okada, and raced to the scene.

But nothing could have prepared her for the harrowing scenes she witnessed when she got there, she said.

"While I was looking for my son... I saw people running and someone was in the gutter and had an iron bar in his eye. The person was already dead," she recalled.

One year on from the shooting by security forces that quashed Nigeria's fledgling youth protest movement, known as #EndSARS, Adesola (not her real name) is speaking to CNN on the condition of anonymity, for fear of recriminations.

We have also withheld her son's name at her request.

"We got there around 5 or 6 am," she said in her first sit-down interview. "We saw a lot of people. There was a child holding a Nigerian flag lying dead, there was a bullet wound on the side of his body.

"He was a small boy and there were a lot of people there," she told CNN from a makeshift wooden structure where she ekes out a living selling cold beverages.

'He died in my arms'

As Adesola surveyed the scenes of chaos and stepped over the hastily discarded belongings of panicked protesters, she spotted a familiar figure lying in a pool of blood on the ground, wearing just one shoe.

"When I saw my son, I shouted and held him... The blood was too much, there was a bullet wound on his chest. His clothes were torn and the bullet had come out of his back," she said, weeping as she recounted the painful moment.

Despite his injuries, she discovered her son was still alive.

"I saw other people carrying their relatives, so I tried to carry him because he was still breathing at that moment. I called for help and people came to help me put him in a vehicle," she said.

"He was looking at us while we were carrying him. He was just screaming 'ah, ah,' in pain."

They tried desperately to revive him in the car, but he didn't make it, she told CNN.

"He died in my arms," Adesola said. "I was shouting and I couldn't keep calm."

Her son was buried almost immediately in line with Muslim burial rites.

He was 32 and left behind two children, 14 and nine, who had also lost their mother in undisclosed circumstances a few years earlier.

No official death toll

Adesola says she is thankful she was able to find her son's body. Others were not so fortunate.

CNN spoke to several families during an investigation last year who were yet to locate the bodies of their missing loved ones -- protesters at the toll gate -- who dozens of eyewitnesses say were shot at, first by members of the Nigerian army and then hours later by police.

Wisdom Okon's relatives told CNN last year he went missing after he went to the toll gate. He is still missing.

Witnesses told CNN that ambulances were stopped from entering by Nigerian authorities.

There is no official death toll, but an Amnesty International investigation found that at least 12 people died at Lekki toll gate and another site on October 20.

Eyewitnesses told CNN they saw the army remove a number of bodies from the scene.

The CNN investigation pieced together what happened when the Nigerian army and later the police opened fire on civilians as they protested police brutality.

It used time stamps, video data, and geolocation to analyze hours of video shot by protesters -- tracking the army's movements to the Lekki toll gate where protests had been taking place for almost two weeks.

Video shot by an eyewitness appears to show the army shooting toward the crowd. The Nigerian government threatened to sanction CNN for its report.

The Nigerian Army's account of what happened has shifted over time.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the army denied any involvement, describing reports of the incident as "fake news," before backtracking and saying that soldiers were present but fired their weapons in the air and used blanks.

It said that hoodlums were mixed into the crowds of protesters.

On November 14, during a judicial inquiry into the shooting, army representative Brigadier Ahmed Taiwo (who has since been promoted to the rank of major general) admitted that the soldiers at the scene had live rounds but continued to deny that anyone was shot.

"There's no way officers and men will kill their brothers and sisters. I repeat no way. We have those who constantly seek to drive a wedge between us and between the citizens of Nigeria...," he said at the time.

Protesters and witnesses posted several videos in which bullet casings were displayed which they say were recovered from the scene.

At the time of the incident, police denied shooting anyone.

CNN has made renewed attempts to obtain comments for this latest report from the Nigerian armed forces, police, and the federal government, but has received no response.

A protest movement silenced

The #EndSARS protests lasted for nearly two weeks in October 2020 before they were silenced by the shooting at the Lekki toll gate.

Angry young Nigerians took to the streets, blocking major roads across cities in Africa's most populous nation, in largely peaceful protests. They marched in tens of thousands chanting "Enough is Enough" against police brutality and violence.

Their initial demands were for a notorious police unit known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, or SARS, to be shut down, but the marches morphed into protests campaigning for police reform and an end to bad governance in the oil-rich country.

During the protests, participants erected tents and DJ booths at various sites across the country and held multi-faith prayer sessions as well as a "festival of lights," to honor the victims of police brutality, held at the now-infamous Lekki toll gate.

Adesola questions why the protesters were dispersed with such brutal force that night.

"Even if the government wanted to chase them from the place, they were not supposed to shoot. They could have asked them to stop and not shoot. Everyone could have found their way."

Adesola says her son took part in the protests as "a concerned Nigerian," and in what would be their final phone call, he described a scene of calm where people were protesting peacefully and had come prepared to camp overnight.

"All his mates had been going there and when he came back from work on that day, he said he was going to join his friends. When he got there, he called me and said a lot of people were there. Some were sleeping there with their mattress and had brought their cooking gas. If the soldiers did not come, things would have gone well without any problems," she said.

No accountability

One year on from the Lekki toll gate shootings, and no one has taken responsibility for what happened that night, nor has anyone been held to account.

In a short report released Tuesday, titled "Nigeria: A Year On, No Justice for #EndSARS Crackdown," Human Rights Watch said: "The prospects for accountability remain inconclusive and bleak. Nigerian authorities should take concrete and decisive steps to ensure that those implicated in abuses against protesters are held accountable."

The judicial hearing set up in October 2020 by the Lagos state government to look into cases of police brutality -- and the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad -- and to investigate the tollgate incident has been beset with delays and other issues.

Last month, it abruptly suspended sitting, saying it did not have enough time to complete its reports on the cases, including the Lekki shooting. It reopened briefly a few weeks later to hear additional testimonies and ended its sitting Monday. However, its report is still being prepared.

"Nigeria's authorities should take effective steps toward accountability to show victims that their loss, pain, and suffering is not in vain," said Anietie Ewang, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"Anything less will worsen distrust of the government and reinforce the perception that the lives of citizens do not matter."

Many Nigerians believe the issues that drew the protests 12 months ago still persist -- and those who were there that fateful night are still seeking justice.

DJ Switch, a local musician whose real name is Obianuju Catherine Udeh, was at the protest and live-streamed much of the evening on her Instagram page.

A year later she recalls how she thought they were all going to die. "I thought it was the end for all of us there. You know, I mean when you sing the national anthem and wave your flag, your Nigerian flag, and the shooting doesn't stop, you only have one thought left in your mind," she said.

Soon after the shootings, DJ Switch says she had to flee Nigeria, afraid for her safety, and she hasn't been back since.

"Justice is there waiting to be done, who's going to do it? Young people are asking every day for accountability, who's willing to be responsible -- to take responsibility," she said.

Now Adesola is picking up the pieces after her eldest son's death.

Asked what she would say if she could talk directly to the Nigerian government, she said: "I will say to them the same thing I am saying to you.

"I cannot be lying about my child's death. I will show them his grave."

CNN