Breaking News
Momodu Accuses Tinubu of Using ‘Fake’ VIP Escort Ban to Target Opposition
Popular journalist and publisher, Dele Momodu, has alleged that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is using the controversial VIP escort withdrawal to target opposition figures and influence public sentiment.
The development began after an online list circulated claiming that several prominent Nigerians had been stripped of their police escorts.
The list included former First Lady Aisha Buhari, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
Although the police later described the list as fake, the uproar it generated drew sharp reactions across the country.
Momodu, in a strongly worded commentary titled Why Are Nigerians So Easily Fooled?, argued that the entire controversy was a deliberate political experiment.
He said those behind the list wanted to test how Nigerians would react to the idea of withdrawing security from high-profile individuals, especially those outside government circles.
According to him, the inclusion of certain names was not accidental but part of what he described as a calculated attempt by government-aligned actors to manipulate public opinion.
Momodu insisted that the whole scenario was aimed at weakening a number of influential figures who remain critical of the administration.
“I instantly smelled a rat,” he wrote, suggesting that the intention was to provoke anger and turn citizens against successful or wealthy Nigerians.
“They deliberately included most unlikely names… It became clear to me that Atiku was one of their main targets.”
Momodu noted that Atiku Abubakar, being a former vice president, is constitutionally entitled to security protection and should not even be part of such a conversation.
He maintained that the fake list was nothing more than a “test balloon” released to prepare the ground for future actions.
The newspaper publisher added that he was not surprised when the list was eventually disowned because he had “predicted correctly within 24 hours” that the authorities would walk back the claims once public emotions shifted.
Expanding on his criticism, Momodu accused the Tinubu administration of attempting to paint wealthy Nigerians in a negative light, especially those who legally engage police personnel for private protection.
He warned that such tactics could have severe consequences in a country struggling with rising kidnappings and violent crime.
According to him, “Tinubu is willing and ready to set fire to an entire village in order to catch a few rodents. His motives are not pure.”
Momodu argued that a sincere reform of VIP security would involve recruiting more police officers and allowing private-sector beneficiaries to legitimately fund such expansion. He described the current approach as shortsighted and dangerous.
“No nation can afford to voluntarily expose its private and productive sectors to bandits and kidnappers,” he wrote. “It is preposterously myopic and visionless.”
He further alleged that the withdrawal of escorts—whether real or staged—was designed to make opposition figures more vulnerable while creating room for political allies to retain protection behind the scenes.
Momodu warned that the strategy fits into a broader attempt to silence “robust opposition” voices ahead of future political battles.
“Their next move is to ensure that the Atikus who can provide robust opposition… must be denied of security,” he claimed.
Momodu ended with a stark message about the nation’s direction, stating, “Tinubu is leading Nigeria to Golgotha.”
Breaking News
POLITICS: Wike-led PDP Faction Takes Over Party Secretariat In Oyo
Members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, loyal to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, have taken over the secretariat of the party in Oyo State.
The secretariat, located in the Molete area of Ibadan, was in the custody of the faction loyal to Governor Seyi Makinde of the state until Thursday when the members loyal to Wike took over the premises.
DAILY POST gathered that the PDP members stormed the secretariat on Thursday and occupied the premises with hundreds of members of the party in attendance.
PDP chairman in the state, Professor Abdulrahman Akinoso, confirmed the development to DAILY POST.
Akinoso in a telephone conversation with DAILY POST on Thursday, insisted that the real owners have taken over the premises.
He said, “It is true. It is not faction. It is PDP. We have taken over the premises. It was in the morning. We were there in the morning. We just left the premises. We are now in control. We have taken over the premises.” .…For more, Complete your reading.
Breaking News
POLITICS: Foreign Recognition Won’t Secure Re-election – ADC Tells Tinubu
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has told President Bola Tinubu that foreign recognition will not secure him another term in office, insisting that Nigerians will judge his administration by its performance, not by diplomatic gestures from other world leaders.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party reacted to the Presidency’s celebration of a purported letter from United States President Donald Trump to Tinubu.
The ADC said presenting the letter as an endorsement of Tinubu’s administration was misleading, stressing that diplomatic correspondence between world leaders is a normal part of international relations.
“The Presidency’s attempt to present President Donald Trump’s letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as though it were a referendum on the state of the nation is not correct,” the party said.
According to the ADC, countries cooperate, leaders exchange views and letters regularly, adding that such communication does not amount to an endorsement of a government’s performance.
The party accused the Tinubu administration of being desperate for international validation instead of focusing on solving Nigeria’s challenges.
“It is apparent that this administration is desperate to seize upon any gesture of international recognition as proof of success at home,” the statement said.
The ADC maintained that “a letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people.”
It added that the true measure of any government is not what foreign leaders say about it, but what citizens experience daily.
The opposition party argued that Trump’s letter had not changed the reality facing millions of Nigerians, especially those affected by insecurity.
“For the millions of Nigerians still living with the consequences of this government’s failures, President Trump’s communication changes nothing. It did not say that insecurity has been overcome or that Nigerians can once again travel freely, farm safely and sleep without fear,” the party stated.
The ADC also pointed to the continued captivity of hundreds of women and children in parts of Borno State and Kaiama in Kwara State, while many communities in Benue and other parts of the country still live in constant fear because of insecurity.
The party further noted that, despite the Presidency’s celebration of the letter, the United States Department of State has not changed its travel advisory for Nigeria.
According to the ADC, several Nigerian states remain under Level 3 and Level 4 travel advisories, with American citizens still being urged to reconsider or avoid travel because of crime, terrorism, kidnapping and civil unrest.
“We therefore wonder how correspondence from a government that designates several Nigerian states as ‘Do Not Travel’ areas can be regarded as an endorsement,” the party said.
It argued that the travel advisory shows the international assessment of Nigeria’s security situation remains different from the image the Presidency is trying to project.
The ADC said Nigerians are more concerned about their safety than diplomatic exchanges between presidents.
“The daily reality of Nigerians is shaped not by diplomatic correspondence, but by the guarantee that they can go about their lives without falling victim to violent crime or terrorism,” it said.
The party stressed that Trump’s letter was simply communication between two presidents and “does not amount to an endorsement of this government’s overall performance.”
It urged the Tinubu administration to focus less on celebrating diplomatic courtesies and more on delivering measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
“Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals. They will judge it by whether .…For more, Complete your reading.
-
Breaking News8 months agoTerrorists Want ₦2m ‘levy’ in Katsina Community Despite Peaceful Agreement
-
Breaking News8 months agoEx-EFCC Exhibit Keeper Kaduna Zonal Directorate, Allegedly Steals ₦22m
-
Breaking News9 months agoNiger Delta Group hails Tinubu, NUPRC for ₦373bn host community fund and 536 life-changing projects
-
Breaking News7 months agoBreaking News: Nigerian Air Force Reportedly Kills 750 Terrorists in Borno State
-
Business9 months agoHouse of Representatives probes $35m modular refinery project
-
Business3 months agoBREAKING NEWS: Zenith Bank Rewards Investors with ₦410.69bn Dividend at AGM
-
Breaking News9 months agoUCL: Osimhen Statement after Galatasaray’s 3-1 Win over Bodo/Glimt
-
Breaking News7 months agoNasarawa Insecurity: Suspects Apprehended, Man Hunt Ongoing – Gov Sule
