Below The Headlines - 111
Bandits and miners shoot it out in Kaduna and please don't "improve" cassava
Hope you’ve had a good week. And if not…well.
This week Tobi wrote about how the latest Nobel Prize winner in economics is linked to our ongoing F.O.O.D series. And then I wrote a personal reflection on my journey with art, including an embarrassing confession.
After this week, our excellent podcast with Odun Eweniyi goes behind the paywall. So you can listen to it now or take out a subscription to access our back catalogue of podcasts (new one drops next week. Hint: rats)
Enjoy this week’s selection
Nigerian Media
A long article about President Tinubu’s cap as a symbol of political alignment. Includes this section:
Weekend Trust reports that some stylists in Lagos State have taken advantage of the popularity of the Tinubu signature cap to expand their frontiers as more people patronize them.
A fashion designer in Ikeja, Ridwan Abdullahi, in a chat with our correspondent explained that the local tailors use embroidery designs to make the cap.
He said he gets orders from time to time from APC members and loyalists of Asiwaju, who come as individuals or in groups requesting them to make the caps.
According to him, those who wear the caps are mainly youths and middle-aged people who are members of the party and subscribe to the president’s political ideology.
He said, “I can tell you that most tailors in Lagos have added the cap to the list of their designs. Many of us now make money from it. For instance, I get orders from individuals and bulk orders as well. Sometimes, a group of three, four or five approach me to make the cap for them.
“Each embroidery design costs N10,000 per cap. People mostly use the traditional Aso Oke for the cap while some people use velvet depending on what they want”.
He stated that a cap could cost N15,000, if he is the one to buy the material for the customer.
“We are very hopeful that with 2027 approaching, we would get more customers asking us to make the cap for them. But this has become the in-thing among politicians in the state,” he said.
What a sad story. And of course it is in the Nigerian constitution that if a person slumps or faints, you pour water on them:
There was drama at the Area Court Centre, Igboro, Ilorin, Kwara State, on Wednesday, after a woman, identified as Mulikat Yusuf, fainted when her husband, Ishaq Abdulganiyu, rejected her plea for reconciliation and insisted on ending their marriage.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident happened during proceedings before Judge Toyin Aluko, where Abdulganiyu told the court that he was no longer interested in remaining married to his wife.
“I’m tired of the marriage, My Lord,” Abdulganiyu reportedly said. “We’ve had several misunderstandings, and I don’t see any reason to continue.”
But in a tearful plea, Mulikat appealed to the court to intervene, saying she was not ready to accept a divorce.
“My Lord, please help me talk to him,” she said. “I have nowhere to go. I have given birth to six children for him, and I still want the marriage to work.”
However, her plea did little to change her husband’s mind, as he restated his decision to proceed with the separation.
Moments later, the distraught woman left the courtroom in tears but suddenly slumped outside, causing panic among court officials and onlookers.
Sympathisers quickly rushed to her aid and revived her by pouring water on her face.
As you know, we track the prices at which babies are sold across Nigeria here at BTH. Here is the latest datapoint:
ABAKALIKI—The Ebonyi State Police Command has arrested a middle-aged man, Mr Chukwuma Onwe, a native of Nwezenyi Igbeagu in Izzi Local Government Area, for allegedly selling his five-day-old baby boy for N1.5 million.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the arrest in a statement, disclosing that the baby was recovered from the buyer, Mrs. Chinyere Ugochukwu.
According to him, both suspects were apprehended at Azugwu area of Abakaliki.
“Mr Chukwuma Onwe sold his five-day-old son to Mrs. Chinyere Ugochukwu for N1.5 million. He has been arrested and is currently in police custody,” Ukandu stated.He explained that Onwe deceitfully took the baby from his wife, Mrs. Philomena Iroko, under the pretext of taking him for medical care, but instead sold the child and lied that he had handed the baby over to his sister for proper care.
SP Ukandu added that the baby has since been reunited with his mother while investigations into the case continue.
Interesting story which claims the problem of fake dollar bills is now rampant in the north of Nigeria:
The Jigawa State Police Command has arrested a 33 years old man, Lawan Isa for having 56 counterfeit 100-dollar bills.
Confirming the arrest to our correspondent on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Shi’isu Adam, said the incident occurred on October 5, at Gidan Lage Market under the Ringim Division.
“Acting on credible intelligence, on 5th October 2025, at about 1700hrs, operatives attached to Gidan Lage Outstation under Ringim Division arrested one Lawan Isa, male, aged 33, of Dorayi Karama, Kano State, at Gidan Lage Market, in possession of suspected counterfeit dollars,” he stated.
During the operation, SP Adam said the officers also recovered four Android phones and a keypad handset from the suspect.
[…]
The circulation of fake dollar notes has become increasingly rampant across several northern states, including Jigawa.
PUNCH Online reports that Jigawa police arrested 13 suspects in a joint operation with other security agencies. https://punchng.com/police-bust-fraud-syndicate-in-jigawa-recover-counterfeit-currency/
The report noted that the suspects who posed as currency exchangers had been luring unsuspecting members of the public with promises of lucrative dollar deals, only to rob them of their valuables.
The police recovered several bundles of counterfeit 100 US Dollar bills, fake 1,000 Naira denominations, and improvised Central Bank currency boxes from the suspects
News from Mapo Customary Court:
“My wife is also unfriendly.
“She hated it any time my friends came visiting and would refuse to attend to them.
“My friends and I were once discussing an important issue in my living room, and my wife rushed in, angry and shouting on top of her voice.
“She alleged that we were discussing our escapades with other women.
“Anatu, to my chagrin, ran to the kitchen, came back with a bowl of dry pepper, which she emptied on us.
Sometimes you read a story that makes you pause and then read it again just to be sure you understand what is being said. In this case a dispute broke out because bandits wanted to tax illegal miners:
A clash between suspected bandits and a group of illegal miners in Kuyello Ward, Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State left about seven people dead.
A source told DAILY POST that the incident took place around 11am, which brought panic among the residents as gunshots echoed across the area and forced residents to flee into the surrounding bushes for safety.
The area is known to host notorious bandits for illegal mining that have long caused security risk in the region.
Trouble started, according to the source, after a suspected bandit demanded levies from illegal miners operating in the area, causing a dispute that led to his death.
The slain bandit was said to have arrived from neighbouring Zamfara State to extort money from the miners as usual but the encounter claimed his life.
He explained, “The death of the bandit led to an invasion by his gang members in Kuyello, in broad daylight. They started shooting indiscriminately leading to the death of seven people, including some of the miners.”
The attack brought an end to the fragile calm the community had enjoyed for about a year in parts of Birnin Gwari following the Kaduna State Government’s peace-building initiatives.
Non-Nigerian Media
News from Italy:
An Italian appeals court on Thursday upheld an eight-month prison sentence for two Milan prosecutors for failing to file documents that would have supported energy group Eni’s position in an international corruption case.
Eni (ENI.MI), Shell (SHEL.L), and all the defendants were nevertheless acquitted in March 2021 in what was known as the industry’s biggest corruption case, involving the $1.3 billion acquisition of a Nigerian oilfield a decade ago.
Judges in the northern city of Brescia on Thursday upheld the verdict handed down last year, which ruled that prosecutors Fabio De Pasquale and Sergio Spadaro failed in their legal obligation to file documents that could have helped the defence.
A Nigerian family faces deportation from Canada:
A Nigerian family in Windsor, Ont., is pleading with the federal government to let them stay in Canada not only for what they say is their personal safety but also so their daughter, a 16-year-old cancer survivor, can continue medical treatment.
“I’m just pleading for safety and my health because I still have ongoing treatments and checkups,” Amirat Fayemi said.
“If we were to [be sent] back home, I have a lot of problem back home because my father is really in danger right now .... and I don’t think it’s a good option to go back home.”
Amirat is in remission after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2022, but is now being treated for a new issue concerning her blood — and fears it may be a sign that the cancer has returned.
The family has disobeyed one request to leave the country.
While the girl’s doctor has signed off on a letter stating she should not fly, another doctor who looked at the case on behalf of immigration authorities disagreed.
[…]
Her cancer diagnosis only came while the family was vacationing in the U.S.. She fell ill and was told she had Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
“I was in hospital for eight months and I almost died,” she told the IRCC.
The move to Canada came following her treatment in a hospital in Austin, Texas, during which she experienced acute heart failure.
“It was on one of the days in the hospital I heard about Canada being a humanitarian country,” Hotonu said in an interview with CBC.
“It gave me hope, like OK, it could be a place that would give this girl a life.”
The family says the incident fell as a crisis for them was breaking out back home.
I wish this obviously brilliant woman would channel her efforts towards something better and more useful than Cassava (Against Cassava):
Mercy Diebiru-Ojo’s ambitions are straightforward -- increase Nigerian yam and cassava yields by 500 percent, fight hunger and raise her country’s position on the agricultural value chain from a mere grower to a processor.
The first steps, at least, are already underway for the 44-year-old agronomist, who was awarded this year’s prestigious Africa Food Prize for her research on yams and cassava, both major food staples in Africa.
Traditionally, farmers in Nigeria -- which produces 70 percent of the world’s yams -- replant chunks of yams and cassava from the previous year’s harvest, to grow this year’s crop.
Gradually, the plants lose their resistance to diseases -- a serious problem for food security in a country where 30 million people are not getting enough to eat, according to the United Nations’ World Food Programme.
An interview on the The Times with CNA to mark her winning this year’s Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence:
Today, at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, The Sunday Times celebrated her 42-year writing career by presenting Adichie with the paper’s Award for Literary Excellence for her four novels, as well as essays, poems and short stories. She follows in a long line of distinguished names including Alan Hollinghurst, Zadie Smith, Elena Ferrante, Salman Rushdie, Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan and many others, stretching back to 1987, when the award was founded. And when Adichie, thousands of miles away, was busy with her juvenilia.
[…]
Adichie has a nine-year-old daughter and one-year-old twin boys she had through a surrogate. Earlier this year, she spoke about her decision to use a surrogate at an event in Lagos, acknowledging that some feminists think the practice is “dehumanising”.
“I think it can be, but I think it matters how it’s done, and I think it can be done ethically”. She concluded: “My daughter and my babies are the greatest gift I’ve been given, so zero regrets”. Adichie tells me that the age gap between the siblings was a source of worry and she feared her daughter would resent the twins.
“But actually, it’s been wonderful. She’s taken on this role of sort of almost junior mama, even though I don’t want her to be that at all. I don’t ever want her to think that she sort of has to be Mama, I just want her to be Big Sis.”
Who are the power players of Nigerian art?
‘Ten years ago, Nigerian Art was still spoken of in terms of potential – now, it commands presence,’ says Aindrea Emelife, the curator of modern and contemporary works at the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), which opens this November in Benin City. Its inaugural show, ‘Nigeria Imaginary: Homecoming’ – originally devised for last year’s Venice Biennale – will celebrate that ‘presence’, reflecting the country’s growing cultural influence at both a local and a global level.
[…]
Elsewhere in Nigeria, the 10th edition of the leading international fair Art x Lagos will take place next month in the city’s Federal Palace. The event has become pivotal to the Lagos community through its boundary-pushing programming. ‘What we’ve seen over the past decade is transformation,’ says its founder Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, who was educated in London and is a strong advocate of cultural exchange. ‘Thousands of people from around the world travel here during art week. It isn’t just about buying or selling art, it’s creating dialogue and opening doors for new audiences.’ Themed ‘Imagining Otherwise, No Matter the Tide’, this year’s fair aims to ‘encourage a conversation about how human imagination can help us create inspiring spaces in Lagos and beyond’.
Mowalola Ogunlesi has designed a special edition Air Jordans. They look like Ferraris and are out next year:
If you know me, you know my least favorite Air Jordan retros are the 7, 8s and 14s. Because that’s the case, when I see a new colorway, design or collab on these silhouettes I approach with caution.
When I saw Nigeria-born designer Mowalola Ogunlesi was collaborating with Jordan Brand on a new Air Jordan 14 Mowalola, my interest was piqued. The sneaker doesn’t look anything like what I originally expected. It’s officially one of the most unique spins on a Jordan retro I’ve seen in a while. Let’s talk sneakers.
This unique take on the Air Jordan 14 is set to release in Fall 2026. We don’t know the price yet, but this one figures to stir up tons of conversation among sneakerheads. Here is a look at all of the details.
A Nigerian man is part of a lawsuit over the manner in which he was deported by ICE:
The Nigerian man described being roused with other detainees in September in the middle of the night. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers clasped shackles on their hands and feet, he said, and told them they were being sent to Ghana, even though none of them was from there.
When they asked to speak to their attorney, he said, the officers refused and straitjacketed the already-shackled men in full-body restraint suits called the WRAP, then loaded them onto a plane for the 16-hour-flight to West Africa.
Referred to as “the burrito” or “the bag,” the WRAP has become a harrowing part of deportations for some immigrants.
“It was just like a kidnapping,” the Nigerian man, who’s part of a federal lawsuit, told The Associated Press in an interview from the detainment camp in which he and other deportees were being held in Ghana. Like others placed in the restraints interviewed by the AP, he spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The AP identified multiple examples of ICE using the black-and-yellow full-body restraint device, the WRAP, in deportations. Its use was described to the AP by five people who said they were restrained in the device, sometimes for hours, on ICE deportation flights dating to 2020. And witnesses and family members in four countries told the AP about its use on at least seven other people this year.
Finally, I know we constantly warn you never to appear in this newsletter. But we are going to make an exception just this once to congratulate a friend of the house on his elevation to partnership (for the avoidance of doubt, it is still better not to appear in this newsletter, statistically):
Tolu Obamuroh has been named a partner in our International Arbitration Practice. Based in Paris, Tolu represents clients in complex multijurisdictional disputes, primarily in the energy and construction sectors.