By Caleb Ishaya

Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has refuted the allegations levelled by a factional President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Atiku  Isah, against Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu.

In a  statement signed by its National Organising Secretary, Abagun Kole Omololu, Friday, Afenifere labelled the accusations as “salacious, fallacious and completely unfounded.”

The organisation accused Isah of attempting to mislead the public with baseless claims and warned against using student platforms to peddle falsehoods and sow discord.

The group also questioned the legitimacy of Isah’s leadership within NANS, adding that his allegations against Tinubu are politically motivated.

The statement reads, “The attention of Afenifere has been drawn to claims by  Atiku Abubakar Isah, a factional President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, who has made  some salacious and fallacious accusations against Seyi Tinubu.

“First, this individual apparently has a political motive, as clearly seen in the banner he hoisted outside the venue of his supposed inauguration.

“That banner proudly displays the photos of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi and other prominent members of the so-called anti-Tinubu coalition.

“This is prima facie evidence that Isah is being sponsored by the political enemies of Seyi’s father and will, therefore, say anything to tarnish the president, which is what he is doing by attacking the son.”

The group also slammed Isah for linking his ordeal to the president’s son without concrete evidence to back up his claim.

“The obvious conclusion that the public should, therefore, draw is that this is a proxy war against the president, his government and his family by surrogates of the coalition of strange bedfellows cobbled together not for the benefit of Nigeria, but to seize power by any means necessary, including sponsoring a vocal local actor like Isah to throw arrows that they are too cowardly to throw using their own names,” Afenifere said.

These tactics “are going beyond descent and civilised politicking,” the group warned.

By Anthony Ochela

Trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, on Friday continued before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Department of State Services, DSS, through its witness, told the court that on October 14, 2015, when Kanu was arrested in a hotel at the Lagos International Airport, no weapon of terrorism was found on him.

Giving his evidence under the codename PWAAA, his identity shielded for security purpose, the witness admitted that most of the items found with Kanu were his personal belongings, among which included materials for radio broadcast.

The witness, a DSS operative, however, insisted that though the recovered items may not be ordinarily harmful, he said their intended usage by the defendant could be a source of problem.

While being cross-examined by Kanu’s legal team led by a former Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Kanu Agabi, SAN, the witness listed the items recovered to include: one black laptop, two multi mix transmitters, one mini white Apple iPad with pouch, one grey Apple iPad with pouch, one grey MacBook with pouch, one grey MacBook with case, one mini drone sound wave speaker, two mini white speakers, one large computer mouse, one white adaptor, one laptop adaptor and one carton bag with laptop among others. 

The recovered items, which were brought before the court in four suitcases, were earlier admitted in evidence and marked as exhibits by Justice  Omotosho.

Answering questions during the cross-examination, the witness, admitted that he did not analyse any of the items, as he was only mandated to arrest the defendant and obtain his statement.

Though PWAAA admitted that Kanu’s phones were eventually analysed, he said the report of the analysis was not tendered before the court as it was not considered important.

The witness admitted that at the time Kanu’s statement was obtained, none of his lawyers were present to observe the process.

Wjen asked if he was aware of other persons also facing trial over Biafra agitation, the witness answered in the negative, saying he does not know any person that is facing a similar trial as Kanu.

He, however, told the court that he is aware that  Simon Ekpa has been arrested and would soon be brought back to Nigeria to face trial for supporting Kanu’s agitation.

He also told the court that he could not remember any time that Kanu complained about corruption in high places, high unemployment rate among youths or when he tendered apologies for insulting the president and Igbo leaders.

Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Akintunde Rotimi (APC, Ekiti), said on Friday that Artificial Intelligence, AI, generated fake news and misinformation poses serious threat to freedom of the press and impacting negatively on the society. 

He, however, spoke of the need to put in place, a regulatory framework for the operation of AI in the country, while saying the House has already set motion in place  to pass a law that will ensure such regulations. 

Speaking at a one-day event organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development in Abuja, Rotimi said the rise of AI-generated false news is not just a theoretical concern; it is a reality that has already begun to impact societies globally, especially the widespread use of deepfake technology and AI-generated content during political elections in Africa.

He said the event presents the opportunity to collectively reflect on the challenges and triumphs of the press and  recommit to upholding the very tenets of free expression, public accountability and democratic governance, that are fundamental to the advancement of civil society.

He commended the courage of journalists to challenge the status quo, expose injustices and amplify marginalised voices which remains indispensable to the health of any democracy.

“Misinformation has been deliberately crafted, with AI tools creating fabricated videos and articles designed to manipulate public opinion. In some instances, these false narratives have resulted in violence, public unrest and fractured communities.

“The ability of AI to create convincing, but entirely fabricated news stories has increasingly contributed to public disinformation and erosion of trust in both media institutions and democratic processes.

“The growing potential for falsehood to outpace truth presents a dire challenge. Misinformation campaigns can now be automated and scaled at an unprecedented rate, reaching millions in a matter of seconds.

“This makes it harder to distinguish fact from fiction, particularly when such fabricated news is designed to appear legitimate. The consequences can be far-reaching – undermining public trust, inflaming social divisions and even destabilising governments”.

He added that “as we stand at the crossroads of human editorial judgment and algorithmic decision-making, we are faced with an important philosophical and practical dilemma: How do we preserve the integrity of journalism in a world increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence?

Rotimi said “technology is a tool, not a conscience. In the face of rapid advancements, AI has proven capable of generating grammatically perfect articles, composing music and processing vast amounts of data with breathtaking speed. But what it cannot replicate is moral clarity, human empathy or the moral courage to challenge power; all of which lie at the core of the journalistic vocation.

“Artificial intelligence undeniably offers great promise, such as accelerating reporting, enhancing verification, and broadening the scope of dissemination. However, it also introduces risks: the amplification of biases inherent in flawed training data, the erosion of editorial independence through automated processes, and an alarming surge in misinformation that can outpace truth itself.

Speaking on the freedom of the press, he said “press freedom remains under constant threat. In the United States, Pew Research Center survey conducted between April 1 and April 7, 2024 released ahead of the World Press Freedom Day, explored Americans’ perceptions of press freedom and found that: 41 percent of  adults expressed being extremely or very concerned about potential restrictions on press freedoms.

“In Nigeria, our circumstances are similarly fraught. Security agencies have, on occasion, engaged in actions that limit the freedom of the press, especially against print and digital platforms. Simultaneously, the unchecked rise of fake news, character defamation, cyberbullying, and politically motivated disinformation continues to erode trust in the media and fuels demands for more stringent digital regulation.

“As spokesman of the House, I have seen firsthand, how journalistic shortcuts seeking virality over veracity can do more harm than good. I have witnessed instances where serious accusations were made against the House of Representatives without any corroborating evidence or a genuine attempt to verify the facts.”

Federal government has commenced the implementation of the e-visa regime, which was rolled out on Thursday, May 1.

It insisted on penalties for those who stay beyond the number of days approved for them by the authorities.

A statement by the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Akinsola Akinlabi, noted that the implementation would begin with two innovative solutions.

Akinlabi, a Deputy Controller of Immigration, listed the innovations as the e-visa application system and the automated landing and exit card system.

He said the innovations and ongoing reforms in the Nigerian Immigration Service align with the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of President Bola Tinubu to attract foreign investment and improve national security.

Akinlabi said:” Following the 2024 review of Nigeria’s Visa policy, the updated 2025 policy introduces an e-Visa system with enhanced security protocols.

“The e-Visa application process is strictly online from end to end. Processing time for e-Visas will be 48 hours or less.

“The e-Visa application system introduces 13 Visa types of ShortVisit Visa, SVV, details can be found on https://evisa.immigration.gov.ng/

“Once approved, visas and the QR codes will be sent electronically via the applicant’s email.

Visa on Arrival will be officially discontinued as the new e-Visa takes off on 1st May 2025.

“Visas obtained through the e-Visa channel are not extendable.

“In addition to the introduction of the e-Visa, Nigeria Visa Policy 2025 now makes it mandatory for foreigners who overstay their visas to be liable to penalties effective from 2nd August 2025.

“The current manual embarkation and disembarkation card has been replaced by an electronic landing and exit card, via https://lecard.immigration.gov.ng/

“Automated landing and exit cards have been introduced for inbound and outbound passengers into Nigeria.”

Akinlabi, however, said  NIS has introduced a window period of three months from May 1 to August 1 to foreigners residing in Nigeria with expired visas to return to their home country voluntarily without penalty.