By Michael Lim, Abuja

The arrest and detention of the Editor of _Kogi Reports, Mr. Opeyemi Owoeye, 24 hours before Democracy Day, by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has been widely condemned.

Reports indicate that ‎Hon. Leke Abejide, member representing Yagba Federal Constituency, had directed the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to arrest Opeyemi Owoeye.
‎
‎Owoeye was arrested on 11 June, 2026, following the publication of a story accusing him of trying to use the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to influence the outcome of the APC Kogi West senatorial primary.
‎
‎Allegedly, it is not the first time Leke ABEJIDE used state force to intimidate and harass people. He last year did similar thing to his political associate, Jesse from Mopamuro whom he arrested and detained for days for asking him to respect the rotational arrangements.

But condemning the journalist’s arrest, Renaissance Care and Empowerment Foundation (RECEF), described the action as an abuse of power and threat to democracy.

In a statement issued to commemorate the June 12 Democracy Day celebration, the Executive Director of RECEF, Amb. Idris Ozovehe Muraina, said the incident reflected a disturbing misunderstanding of democratic principles by some state actors.

He stressed that democracy cannot flourish in an atmosphere of intimidation, economic hardship, and shrinking civic space.

The Executive Director expressed concern over what he called as the overreach of the Kogi State Command of the NSCDC in the arrest of the journalist, warning security agencies against allowing themselves to be used to settle personal scores. He caution that:

“At a time when security agencies should focus their intelligence and resources on combating actual threats to public peace, targeting the press is a dangerous distraction.”

Muraina counseled that any individual or institution dissatisfied with media reports should seek legal redress through the courts rather than resort to the use of security agencies.

He reminded security agencies of the constitutional provisions guaranteeing freedom of expression and press freedom, adding that an attack on the media is an attack on democracy itself.

RECEF therefore called on the Commandant General of the NSCDC to order a comprehensive investigation into the incident and ensure that any officer found culpable is sanctioned to prevent future abuse of power.

Relatedly, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Zone D (North Central), has also condemned the arrest and detention of the Editor of Kogi Reports, Mr. Opeyemi Owoeye.

In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the Vice President of NUJ Zone D, Alhaji Adeiza Momohjimoh, the union expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding the journalist’s detention, saying the development raises serious questions about the role of security agencies in a democratic society.

The union warned the Kogi State Command of the NSCDC against allowing itself to be used by politicians or individuals seeking to settle personal or political scores through the intimidation of journalists. It therefore called for those involved to be appropriately sanctioned to serve as a deterrent.

–Cites safeguards for success: judicial independence, proper funding, and insulation from politics

By Felix Umande, Makurdi

Former Benue State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Alex Ter Adum, has described the National Assembly’s proposed constitutional amendment for State Police as a “substantial improvement” over previous attempts. He however warned that its success hinges on addressing risks of political weaponization, ethnic capture, and weak state financing.

In a detailed analysis titled, “My Take on the NASS Constitutional Amendment Proposal for State Police in Nigeria,” the legal expert acknowledged that the current proposal incorporates constitutional safeguards absent from past efforts, including national minimum standards, certification requirements, oversight by the National Police Council, security of tenure for Commissioners of Police, and restrictions on routine federal interference.

Adum identified political weaponization by governors as the most significant concern. Under the proposal, governors would appoint Commissioners of Police on the recommendation of the National Police Council and confirmation by the State House of Assembly, while also issuing directives on public safety and controlling budgets, logistics, and career progression.

“In practical terms, a Governor who controls the State House of Assembly, the State Police budget and the dominant political structures within the State may effectively control the State Police itself,” he argued.

He warned this could lead to harassment of opposition politicians, disruption of rallies, selective arrests, electoral manipulation, and intimidation of journalists and civil society. While noting that U.S. governors also wield influence over state law enforcement, he argued Nigeria lacks comparable checks such as independent courts, elected sheriffs, strong local governments, and a robust litigation culture.

The former AG also flagged the risk of ethnic and communal capture, especially in states with histories of farmer-herder conflicts and settler-indigene disputes. He cited Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Taraba, Nasarawa, Rivers, and Gombe as some of the states where a State Police force could be perceived as serving the dominant group rather than acting neutrally.

To him, financial sustainability is another critical issue, noting that more than 25 states already struggle to pay salaries and pensions, raising doubts about their ability to fund training academies, forensic labs, intelligence systems, vehicles, and barracks. “The likely consequences include poorly paid officers, widespread corruption, extortion and increased dependence on informal vigilante structures,” he stated.

The analysis further highlighted potential fragmentation of intelligence across 36 state commands, jurisdictional conflicts between federal and state police on crimes like kidnapping and terrorism, and ambiguity in federal intervention powers due to undefined phrases like “breakdown of law and order.”

Other risks listed include politicization of recruitment, an unwieldy National Police Council that could slow emergency decisions, an expected explosion of constitutional litigation, and security inequality between resource-rich states like Lagos and Rivers versus poorer states. He also recalled Nigeria’s First Republic, when regional police were accused of serving ruling parties, contributing to pre-1966 instability.

Despite the concerns, he concluded in his treatise that the amendment would likely strengthen local intelligence, community policing, and rapid response to crime. But he set out three indispensable conditions: financial viability of states, independence and courage of the judiciary, as well as effective insulation of State Police from governors and the ruling parties.

He assured that: “If these concerns are adequately addressed, Nigeria could develop a policing model comparable to those operating successfully in Canada, Australia and Germany, where subnational police institutions function effectively within a federal constitutional framework while remaining accountable to democratic norms and the rule of law.”

The House of Representatives recently passed the State Police Bill with 289 votes in favour, sending it to the Senate for concurrence and eventual ratification by state assemblies

–World’s first trillionaire on Friday,
–Estimated net worth about $1.11tn, according to Bloomberg

By Michael Lim

Elon Musk was Friday declared by Bloomberg as the world’s first trillionaire following the record-breaking stock market debut of his company, SpaceX. Now, he is well above wealthy billionaires lists, including Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and boss of French luxury goods group LVMH, Bernard Arnault.

A relatively not-well established entrepreneur, he first made waves in the tech industry in the late 1990s.

Indeed in January 2020, he apparently was the 35th richest person in the world, with a fortune of around $28bn.
But his wealth took off that year as the value of his two biggest companies – electric carmaker Tesla and space exploration and AI firm SpaceX – began to grow sharply. Musk also holds large stakes in both businesses.

The long-scroll chart below traces this volatile journey over the last six years. His wealth trajectory looks much like a jagged mountain range, with dramatic surges and steep declines characterised by swings in Tesla’s share price, the rising value of SpaceX, and shifts in political and investor sentiment during his time in the Trump administration.

However, by January 2021, the tech mogul had risen to become the world’s richest person, briefly overtaking Jeff Bezos.

But his fortune dipped in 2022 amid a downturn in US tech stocks, and fell sharply again in early 2025, as investor concerns over his role in the Trump administration coincided with a slump in Tesla’s share price.

But after every fall, like a determined fighter, he comes back stronger.

In 2026, the whole world has seen the face of a trillionaire once an only imaginary feat, courtesy of his hitech SpaceX.

Now, he is almost four times richer than his nearest rival Larry Page, and more than five times richer than Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg.

But what does a thousand billion dollars (that’s a one followed by 12 zeros) actually look like? The unimaginable sum, dot by dot, compares his total wealth to other high-profile figures, USA government spending budgets and luxury assets.

It’s important to remember that Musk’s wealth is mainly made up of stock holdings that can rise or fall depending on investor sentiment. Indeed in February, the tech mogul said on X that less than “0.1%” of his net worth was held in cash.

Musk currently owns a 12% stake in Tesla, a company with a market valuation of around $1.5tn, and a 42% stake in SpaceX, which is now worth more than $2tn.
Many of his shares have been pledged as collateral against personal loans.

The tech boss also owns stakes in smaller businesses, including The Boring Company, a tunnel construction firm, and Neuralink, which develops implantable brain-computer interfaces.

This extreme reliance on paper assets rather than liquid cash creates a striking imbalance. The horizontal block of his wealth is almost entirely consumed by two massive corporate holdings, leaving virtually no room for actual cash.

Historically, the world’s wealthiest individuals earned fortunes in sectors like finance and manufacturing. Today, the global rich list tells a completely different story.

The expanding blue blocks show how completely tech titans have monopolised the top spots over the last decade.

Back in 2015, only two of the world’s top 10 richest people were from the tech world. Now that number is seven, including the entire top six.

Furthermore, SpaceX’s historic public listing on the Nasdaq created an estimated 4,400 millionaires, with about 400 individuals making over $100 million. The company compensated employees with equity for years, with the IPO windfall transforming many non-traditional tech workers—such as welders and recovery boat engineers etc—into overnight millionaires.