Drowning, Suing, Arresting, and Returning

NURTW official killed, fake agency boss arrested, Lagos floods, 1,400 return from SA, state police bill.

Good morning,

Toba Ajiboye was driving home from his childhood neighbourhood in Fadeyi, Lagos, when the gunmen intercepted his vehicle on Ikorodu Road and opened fire. His white car was riddled with bullets. He died from his injuries. He was the organising secretary of the NURTW Lagos State Council. The motive is unclear, but the pattern is familiar. In Lagos, transport is both politics and business. And this combination can be deadly.

While Ajiboye’s family mourns, another man is in custody. Adeniyi Adeyemi, the disowned Director-General of the non-existent Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, was arrested after he failed to appear in court for his arraignment. Justice Mohammed Umar issued a warrant. The judge waved away the excuse that Adeyemi feared for his life, telling the lawyer the court would “help him to be alive.” Adeyemi faces eight charges, including conspiracy and forgery. If convicted, he faces up to 21 years in prison. The question is whether this case will finally deliver justice or join the long list of Nigerian scandals that fizzle out.

Back in Lagos, the floods have not stopped. Heavy downpours have left thousands of motorists and commuters stranded as floodwaters submerged major roads from Apongbon and Marina to Ikoyi and Lekki. Many abandoned their vehicles and trekked long distances. In Ijagemo, residents had already abandoned their homes two weeks ago. “This year’s flood is the worst we’ve experienced so far,” said Adeola Ibrahim. The commissioner for the environment attributed the flooding to a one-metre rise in lagoon water levels. The state, which sits barely above sea level, is facing a crisis it cannot drain away.

And then there is the man who posted a flood video from Bangladesh and claimed it was Lagos. The Lagos State Government has threatened legal action against the X user, identified as Enugu Loudmouth. The commissioner said deleting the post does not absolve the user of responsibility.

While Lagos battles floods and misinformation, the Federal Government is preparing to receive the final batch of Nigerians returning voluntarily from South Africa. A flight operated by Air Peace is scheduled to arrive in Lagos later today with 315 returnees on board, bringing the total number of Nigerians repatriated since the evacuation exercise began to over 1,400. This follows the previous evacuation flight on July 9, which brought 282 returnees. The repatriation was initiated in response to a recent wave of xenophobic violence that has claimed at least four Nigerian lives. Minister of Foreign Affairs Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu has urged Nigerians who wish to return home to take advantage of the exercise. The evacuation is ending. The xenophobia is not. The winners are the Nigerians returning home safely. The losers are the families of those who died, and a government that must reintegrate the returnees while failing to prevent the next wave of attacks.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu has sent a constitutional amendment bill to the House of Representatives to pave the way for state police. The proposal would allow states to establish their own police services alongside the Nigeria Police Force. For decades, policing has been a federal responsibility, leaving governors with little control. The bill faces a long road. The debate is no longer about whether Nigeria needs state police. It is about how quickly the government is moving. The answer will determine the future of Nigerian security.

A union leader is dead. A fake agency director is in custody. A city is drowning. A government is suing a social media user. A president is trying to fix security but maybe too fast. Over 1,400 Nigerians have fled South Africa. These are not separate stories. They are the same story: a country where violence is routine, where justice is delayed, where infrastructure fails, where the government watches everything, where citizens flee abroad and return in desperation, and where reform is always just out of reach. The question is whether we will build systems that work, or simply wait for the next death, the next flood, the next scandal, the next evacuation.

Think about that as you start your day.

Warmly,

Lolade