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President Buhari’s Wife Deserves Respect and Protection
By Eric Elezuo
Whether we like it or not, Mrs Aisha Buhari is the wife of the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari. What this means is that she is supposed to be accorded respect and protection specifically reserved for the president. Consequently, whoever does otherwise is guilty of constitutional breach and is liable to commensurate punishment.
It is premised on the above that every force that contributed to the humiliation or otherwise of the president’s wife last weekend through the release of a two years old incomplete video to the public domain should be made to answer for their actions or inactions.
This is disheartening that over one week after, the President and by extension, the Presidency has not deemed it fit to address the so called anomalies. Except for a privately made statement, authorship of whom is unknown, no member of the President’s household has bothered to come to her defence and rescue.
I am not at home calling the woman the First Lady as she rightly deserves, because of her husband’s tongue in cheek condemnation of the position during the run off to the 2015 Presidential election. Buhari was once quoted as saying “office of the First Lady is a waste of money that PDP designed to steal. There won’t be one if you vote for me, I’m not a wasteful Homo sapien.” But that does not in any way preclude the fact that she is the wife of the most powerful man in Nigeria, and in fact, the West African sub-region. She therefore, deserves every respect and protection available.
It is disheartening that the President has not called the proverbial ‘family meeting’ regarding why a family member has to release a video depicting his wife in an unruly manner, and even ahead to castigate her before the international media. It is unheard of. It does not matter if the one involved, Fatima Daura is the daughter of President Buhari’s most beloved uncle, Mamman Daura or otherwise, the fact remains that the young woman went beyond her boundary to cast aspersion on the President’s wife. Compensating her with appointments of new aides is not enough to douse the fire of the insult. If the video had been released by a regular citizen, it would have been a different ball game, but from a family member? It smacks of serious cracks on the wall.
It is not possible anyone would have tried such misdemeanor against the likes of Stella Obasanjo of blessed memory, Turai Yar’dua or Patience Jonathan. These were First Ladies who spoke as they looked. It is possible Aisha Buhari’s traducers are taking advantage of her continuous clash of position with her husband. She believed that her husband is not in charge, but at the mercy of the ‘cabal”. Buhari on the other hand, believes his wife belong to the kitchen and the other room. Their affair has constantly appeared like a no love lost situation, and that gave the Daura daughters to call her out even at a time there was no provocation or was not Chinua Achebe who said that ‘he that brings home a maggot infested firewood should not complain when lizards pay him a visit’.
Yes, Mrs Buhari has apologised for the part she played in the viral video, but that should a major reason to make others take responsibility for their parts.
All said and done, President Buhari, like a good husband and family man he is supposed to be, must rise and shield his wife from ravaging predators in the form of family members.
A federal judge in the United States, on Thursday, put a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.
The ruling imposes a 14-day halt on the enforcement of one of the most controversial executive orders Trump signed hours after being sworn into office for a second term.
It comes after lawsuits were filed by a total of 22 states, two cities and numerous civil rights groups.
“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” senior US District Judge John Coughenour was reported as saying during the hearing in Washington State.
“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is,” said Coughenour, who was appointed to the bench by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.
Birthright citizenship is fundamental to America’s national identity, with the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution decreeing that anyone born on US soil is a citizen.
It says, in part: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Trump’s order was premised on the idea that anyone in the US illegally, or on a visa, was not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.
AFP
The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital has upheld the death sentence of Ramon Adedoyin, a prominent businessman and hotelier, for his involvement in the murder of one Timothy Adegoke, a former postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Delivering the judgment on Thursday, the court affirmed the earlier verdict of the Osun State High Court, which had sentenced Adedoyin to death.
“The judgment of the High Court of Osun State stands. Adedoyin’s appeal is dismissed in part,” the court declared in part.
The Court of Appeal, however, set aside some aspects of the lower court’s orders, including the forfeiture of the Hilton Hotel and the order for Adedoyin to pay for the education of Adegoke’s children.
Furthermore, the court ruled that it had no jurisdiction to impose penalties outside the statutory provisions
Adegoke’s death was reported in November 2021 after his corpse was found at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he had lodged.
The hotelier had travelled from Abuja for an examination at a distance learning centre in Moro, Osun State on November 5 of that year.
He had checked into the hotel but was reported missing after two days. However, Adegoke’s body was found days later, leading to a probe that linked his death to Adedoyin and others.
In May 2023, Adedoyin and others were sentenced to death after they were found guilty of murder and conspiracy to murder.
But dissatisfied with the judgement, Adedoyin approached the Appeal court to dismiss the sentence and conviction.
The court of appeal, on Thursday, however, upheld the conviction and death sentence of the hotelier.
The Nigeria Police have announced that their operatives have rescued Mrs Folasade Odumosu, the wife of a former Assistant Inspector General, Hakeem Odumosu, who was last Thursday, kidnapped at the entrance of her home in Arepo, Ogun State.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, noting that two of the kidnappers were killed while four others escaped without their weapons.
Adejobi said with the support of the Force Headquarters technical intelligence platforms, the Ogun State police operatives engaged Odumosu’s abductors in a gun duel and neutralized the criminals in the swampy area of Ikorodu on Wednesday.
The police spokesman added that Mrs Odumosu is currently undergoing a medical evaluation and has since been reunited with her family.
The statement read, “In a commendable display of teamwork and swift action, police operatives attached to the Ogun State Command have successfully neutralized the kidnappers of Mrs. Odumosu, wife of Retired Assistant-Inspector General, AIG Hakeem Odumosu, and rescued her unharmed.
“On January 16, 2025, at approximately 9:45 PM, four masked gunmen forcibly abducted Mrs. Odumosu from her Lexus Jeep outside her residence in Arepo, Ogun State. The abduction sparked an immediate response from the anti-kidnapping unit of the Ogun State Police Command, who commenced a thorough investigation and targeted pursuit of the kidnappers.
“With the support of the Force Headquarters technical intelligence platforms, the Ogun State police operatives engaged in extensive surveillance of the creeks surrounding Arepo, gathering crucial information to track down the assailants. Their efforts culminated in a raid on January 23, 2025, at around 06:45 AM. The intelligence-led operation took the police to a creek in the swampy area of Ikorodu, where the kidnappers were reportedly planning their next attack.
“Upon arrival, the operatives encountered the kidnappers, who opened fire. In the ensuing confrontation, two of the gunmen were neutralized, while four others fled the scene, abandoning their operational weapons.”
Adejobi said the police operatives recovered N10m initially paid to the kidnappers, four Ak-47 rifles, three locally made single barrel rifles, and ammunition of various calibres.
He added, “The victim, Mrs Odumosu was rescued within the swampy creeks during the operation, unharmed. She is currently undergoing medical evaluation as a precautionary measure and has since been reunited with her family. The police also recovered 4 Ak-47 rifles, 3 locally made single barrel rifles, ammunition of various calibres, and the sum of N10,000,000 ransom previously demanded by the kidnappers, further ensuring that justice is served.”
Adejobi said the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, commended the police operatives and the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, for the rescue operation.
He asserted that the Police Force is committed to safeguarding the citizens and combat kidnapping and other violent crimes.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., has commended the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Ogunlowo, and his operatives for their displayed gallantry in this successful operation.
“This operation exemplifies the dedication and resilience of our Police officers. The Nigeria Police Force remains steadfast in its mission to combat kidnapping and other violent crimes, providing safety and security to all citizens,” he added.
