Metro
Revellers, Poachers Beware: There’s an Animal kingdom
By Frank Meke
He stands tall and majestic. He’s six years old and matured, lives in a world of its own, not troubled but protected by Park Rangers in Okomu National Park biosphere in Edostate.
This male antelope has no name but I gave him a name, a baptism of sort, done without water and fanfare, just a naming ceremony, from a heart, full of love and compassion to a voiceless being, freed from merciless hunters and poachers.
He bears henceforth, Meke 3, yes, Meke 3, and goes into history as sharing a surname with me. There are many of his likes, threatened daily in our forests, many not lucky to escape human scrouge and cruelty.
Unknown to many people, Nigerians in particular, our forests ecosystems are sadly threatened, with the floras and fauna resources endangered.
The very sad case of our forest beings will bring tears our generally simplic population, 200 million people, whose cultural and traditional beliefs drives the extinction of our wildlife resources.
A drive through our major highways ,inter City and village connectivity routes, reveals the massive growing markets and shoplets, where all manner of Bush meats, Antelopes, monkeys, snakes, crocodiles, gorillas, lions, leopards and even giant forest lizards are on display for sale.
My guy and name sake, the Antelope Meke 3 at Okomu National Park, which is Nigeria’s home to endangered white throated monkeys, lives on today, because government cares,through its conservation agency, National Park service.
I really do not wish to discuss our very dysfunctional national forests management architecture, with almost all the states and local governments green biosphere structures wiped out, leaving only federal government managed protected areas structures overburdened.
From kaduna to kebbi, sokoto to Enugu, all the forests and games reserves, are all yesterdays story lines, with heavy environmental conservation consequences Stirring us in the face.
Our knowledge of trees and the various medicinal values are gone, same for avian and fauna resources, vegetations critical to our future survival cruelly cut down, an unmitigated destruction and invasion of our natural resources ecosystem, which has defined our desertification and erosion challenges.
Certainly and significantly, the federal government deemed it wise to float ecological funds to help both the states and local governments recover lost vast areas from the impact of climate risk factors, but sadly, the funds ends up misappropriated and misapplied, and gave vent to all manner of unavoidable natural disasters. Does the recent massive flooding make meanings to us?
My friend, Antelope, Meke 3, reminds me and many other Nigerians that we owe it a duty to preserve and protect these forest beings, time audit our forests space.
To possibly test our knowledge and responsibility to protecting these beings from the poaching and burning pots of revellers of Bush meats. I recently posted the pictures of Antelope Meke 3, on my Facebook page and oh dear, my friends, and other respondents, bayed like hungry lions for the poor Antelope.
It was indeed missed feelings for me as a natural resources developmental writer and tourism journalism influencer. The fear for other Antelopes in our forests, unprotected, those found in abandoned states and local governments game reserves , left me worried.
I felt sad for many of our fauna resources that ends up in pots of soups at marriage ceremonies, ritual dedication and atonement engagements to malevolent spirits, family gods and palm wine drinking bars.
It does not matter to us that those cultural and traditional ceremonies leaves us behind in the quest to join the rest of the world to keep and preserve these beings for scientific, educational and recreation purposes, for our generation yet unborn.
Oh yes, Nigerians, may not be vegetarians but to eat up both our forests and marine resources, just to satisfy mere cultural cravings, leaves much to be desired.
A detailed check list of our indigenous fauna resources, tells of a people and nation, far from global reality to animals ( in the wild) protection and preservation.
Our conservation protection legislations are weak, and an open window to encouraging illegal smuggling and poaching our earth resources without let.
Over time, the leadership of National Park service, has put some of these legislations to test, taking hordes of fulani cattle grazers and herders, poachers and illegal loggers before the courts, and in seconds, many were left off the hook due to very timid legal entrapment.
Most natural resources protection and preservation law breakers, comes to court, fully aware that the courts will only give an option of fine, most of the process ,not punitive enough to serve as deterrent to the invasion of our forests and the cruel poaching of fauna resources.
The endangered Species , control of international trade and Traffic Act, Animal Diseases Control Act, to criminal code Act, may have drawn attention to the need to criminalise cruel attitudes to animals in captivity, they are however not enough deterrent.
Similarly sections 450, 456 and 495 of the criminal code Act, 1990, and few others related to protection and prohibition of keeping certain species of animals in captivity without licence, bears little or no relief to serious efforts to penalise cruelty against animals in the forest or even outside of secured enclosure.
To have Antelope Meke 3, living today, including few others in Nigeria’s protected areas, as strategically sustained by Nigeria Park service, brings some measures of hope and faith in our tomorrow’s conservation economy. What happens to those animals outside this conservation architecture , can best be imagined and we can, help, keep our animal kingdom safe, secured and reverse the risk pictures.
However a serious interrogation and review of the various Acts against cruelty of the silent forest beings must be addressed. It won’t be too much to ask that a certain percentage of ecological funds be allocated to national Park service to protect and preserve both marine and forests species.
The ongoing depletion of our forests covers through illegal logging and even senseless plundering of flora resources by some state forestry racketeering actors, trades goose pimples in the lives few people who frowns at what’s can be described as Nigeria’s aemagedon to nature resources conservation.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja has stopped the planned 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until the party complies with the statutory requirements of the party, the Constitution and the Electoral Act are met.
Delivering judgment in a suit filed by three aggrieved members of the party, the judge also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting report on the outcome of any national convention of the party without following the due process of the law as well as its guidelines and regulations.
The judge held that INEC is not entitled to give effect to the convention a party not done in accordance with the Constitution, Electoral Act and the guidelines/regulations of political parties.
The plaintiffs instituted the suit seeking to stop the planned November 15 and 16, 2025 National Convention of PDP scheduled for Ibadan in Oyo State where new National Officers are expected to be elected on the ground of breach of the party’s Constitution.
The nine defendants are, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), PDP, Samuel Anyanwu, National Secretary of the party, Umar Bature, National Organizing Secretary of the party, National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum, Ali Odefa and Emmanuel Ogidi.
At least eight people have been confirmed dead following a multiple-truck collision on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway near Kara Bridge, outward Lagos, on Thursday morning.
The tragic accident, which occurred around the Berger axis, involved several heavy-duty trucks.
Eyewitnesses said one of the vehicles plunged into the Kara River, while two others collided and burst into flames, triggering panic and a major traffic gridlock on the ever-busy highway.
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, swiftly moved to the scene to restore order and coordinate emergency response efforts.
Television footage from TVC News showed thick black smoke rising from the wreckage as firefighters and rescue personnel battled to contain the blaze and recover victims.
Confirming the incident in a statement via its official X handle, LASTMA said eight casualties were recorded in the crash.
“There’s a report of a multiple road crash involving a truck and a container-laden trailer that went up in flames. Another truck spilled its contents, cartons of biscuits, on the road, while a fourth vehicle, also a container-laden truck, ran into the barrier, causing its carrier to fall off the bridge into the river. Eight casualties have been confirmed,” the statement read.
The agency added that recovery operations were ongoing and urged motorists to exercise patience as efforts continued to clear the wreckage and reopen the affected lanes.
“Efforts are in top gear for the recovery and evacuation of the vehicles involved. There is a heavy traffic backlog on Ogunnusi Road and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. LASTMA officers and other emergency responders are on the ground managing the situation,” the statement added.
The collision caused severe traffic congestion across adjoining routes, with vehicular movement crawling from Berger through Ogunnusi Road and stretching further toward Mowe.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) have inaugurated a Joint Task Force on the Enforcement of Compulsory Third-Party motor insurance and the digitalisation of passenger manifest, according to a statement made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP).
The move, it was further revealed, is geared towards strengthening road safety management and promoting insurance compliance across Nigeria.
The inauguration ceremony, held on Tuesday, at the NAICOM Headquarters in Abuja, was jointly presided over by the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed, mni, and the Lagos State Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Olusegun Ayo Omosehin.
The strategic partnership marks a new era of inter-agency collaboration aimed at entrenching transparency, accountability, and efficiency within Nigeria’s road transport and insurance ecosystem. The initiative seeks to enforce compliance with third-party motor insurance, digitalise passenger manifests for enhanced safety and traceability, and integrate the FRSC and NAICOM databases to facilitate seamless information sharing and enforcement.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr. Olusegun Omosehin, commended the FRSC for its visionary leadership and commitment to national safety and regulatory reforms. He noted that the collaboration would deliver far reaching benefits to Nigerians through effective enforcement, prompt compensation for crash victims, and robust public education on insurance obligations and consumer protection.
In his remarks, the Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, mni, reaffirmed the Corps’ readiness to support the initiative through technology-driven enforcement, data integration, and field operations. He described the partnership as “a model of institutional synergy that will not only reduce road crashes but also enhance the government’s capacity to provide immediate financial and medical assistance to crash victims.
The Corps Marshal further emphasised that the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises digital transformation, inter agency cooperation, and inclusive development across all sectors of the economy.
By leveraging innovation and collaboration, the FRSC/NAICOM Joint Task Force is poised to drastically reduce the number of uninsured vehicles on Nigerian roads, enhance the welfare of road users, and promote a safer, more transparent, and accountable transport system nationwide.
