By Our Reporter

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been hit hard with the Court of Appeal’s sack of former Senate President David Mark as the party’s National Chairman while affirming Nafiu Bala as the authentic leader of the party.

The appellate court’s ruling may have settled the leadership dispute within the party, with the judges recognizing Bala as the legitimate National Chairman to lead the party’s affairs. But the ruling may trigger fresh controversies due to the do or die nature of Nigerian politics.

The judgment is already generating reactions within political circles, as observers say it could reshape the internal structure of the ADC and influence the direction the party takes in the coming months.

The development has also attracted attention because Bala is widely believed to be a political ally of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Analysts believe the court decision could affect political alignments as parties continue to reposition ahead of future political contests.

There has been no official public response from David Mark regarding the ruling. However, political watchers say the decision may trigger further legal or political moves from the faction that supported his leadership.

With the court giving Bala the ace to lead the ADC as chairman, political observers believe the party’s troubles may not be over yet.

…Demand thorough investigation, prosecution of perpetrators
By Saint Mugaga, Abuja

Wives of five engineers of NELAN Construction Ltd, who were abducted by armed men in November 2021 while working on the Abakaliki Ring Road project, in Ebonyi state, funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB), have written to President Bola Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker Tajudeen Abbas to compel the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police to produce the missing workers.

They are also calling for a thorough investigation into the matter and prosecution of those responsible.

The women, in a petition dated 10th March 2026, written by their solicitors, CNO Attorneys and submitted to the president, senate president and speaker, also copied Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra state, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state and all National Assembly members from Enugu state, as well as the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission.

The petition obtained by our correspondent read: “We are Solicitors to Mrs. Patricia Onyemeh, Mrs. Lovett Edeani, Mrs. Ifeoma Ejiofor, Mrs. Esther Aneke; and Mrs. Nwazulum hereinafter, referred to as “Our Clients” (the wives of the missing engineers, representing the entire families of the five (5) construction engineers of NELAN Construction Ltd), on whose firm instructions and behest we write to protest over the disproportionate and suspicious delay by the security apparatus, particularly the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of Security Services (DSS), to produce the whereabouts of law-abiding citizens and professionals who travelled for a ‘legitimate assignment as the consultants for the supervision of the ring road project in Ebonyi State, financed by African Development Bank (AfDB), and amid intensive hostility and deadly threats by the then David Umahi- led administration, who were uncomfortable with the approval of NELAN Engineers as consultants, due to special interest in another consulting firm, were abducted and missing since November 2021.

“Our Clients lament helplessly that till date, nothing meaningful has been heard about the whereabouts of the victims who are husbands, fathers and breadwinners in their respective families, instead, innumerable intrigues and conspiracies including a sudden unlawful dismissal of the investigation officer of the Department of Security Services (DSS), one Mr. Victor Chijioke Onyesom without a letter of dismissal, alongside confiscation of his laptop by the security service at the peak of the investigation.

“The perpetrators of these heinous crimes against humanity have not been brought to justice, which is an affront to Section 14 (2) (b) of the Constitution, Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, which makes security of the people a priority and primary purpose of government.

“The identities of the said five (5) NELAN engineers are as follows: Engr. Nelson Onyemeh, lead consultant/CEO from Ihiala in Ihiala LGA, Anambra State, Engr. Ernest Edeani, from Nkanu in Enugu State, Engr. Ikechukwu Ejiofor, from Umunya, Awka, in Anambra State, Engr. Samuel Aneke, from Nkanu in Enugu State and Engr. Stanley Nwazulum, from Amawbia, Awka, Anambra State”.

Giving a background to the issue, the lawyers said, “It is our clients’ brief that sometime in November 2021, the aforementioned engineers were abducted by armed men in the Effium community of Ebonyi State, amid intense clashes between the lead consultant, Engr. Nelson Onyemeh, and the then-governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, regarding contract terms with the state government.

“We were informed that the AfDB-funded project was structurally designed to eliminate the government from financial interference or interest but the state government attempted to change the terms, an attempt which couldn’t fly due to technicalities in the terms, and following the unsuccessful attempt, the governor, David Umahi offered the lead consultant an option to play a supporting role (a subordinate or nominal role) for their ‘anointed firm’ to take the active role of the project, which the NELAN Consultants vehemently declined, and this refusal birthed all manner of disaffection, estrangement and hostility.

“Our Clients further informed us that the Nigeria Police and Department of the Security Service (DSS) swung into action for the investigation of the ugly incident after complaints were lodged and while the investigation was going on, the governor, David Umahi announced in his State Executive meeting, which was reported in the news, that the “Five 5 Nelan Engineers have been killed and buried inside the bush b Ezza Warriors” even when the police and DSS were carrying on methodical investigations on the abduction, and were yet to track their whereabouts.

“Our clients added that it was through the said announcement that the families and the Police received the news, and questioned how the governor in the State House knew the news before the Police investigated the matter.

“Subsequently, as the preliminary investigations gathered momentum, and were escalated at the Police and DSS circles, and nearing conclusion for the next line of action towards apprehending the culprits, the investigation officer of the Department of Security Services, one Mr. Victor Chijioke Onyesom was suddenly booted out of office without a formal dismissal and his laptop, which was used for the investigation and contained all his vital investigation reports confiscated from him. This development suggests mischief and conspiracy against the investigation”.

The petition signed by Carl Umegboro, therefore, requested the petitioned leaders “To use your good offices to bring the perpetrators to book without further delay. They should not be allowed to escape justice or be shielded from prosecution, no matter how highly placed they may be.

“We believe that this option is far preferable to one of compelling the traumatised families, by the government’s inaction, who have already lost confidence in the security apparatus, to take to the streets in protests over their loved ones missing since November 2021, without any meaningful action from the government. Your Excellencies, you need to ponder the psychological trauma, endless lies to the kids about the whereabouts of their dads, etc. The effects are endless.

“We are therefore constrained to remind the government of its statutory duty to protect lives and property, and fervently advise it to come to the aid of these depressed, dejected and deprived families before it is too late, considering the trauma and predicament they have been subjected to in the past five years without their loved ones, and without an atom of hope, thereby making their lives miserable and meaningless.

“We have a clear mandate of our clients to demand a full-scale investigation by the federal government and its agencies; to wit, Department of Security Services (DSS) and Nigeria Police Force, and others, to unravel the whereabouts of the five missing engineers, otherwise, these families will be forced to embark on endless serious demonstrations as the government needs not to be reminded that their mental health have been grossly punctured, wounded, devastated, shattered and battered, let alone, the missing five breadwinners whose whereabouts remain unknown, and conceivably, their lives may have arbitrarily been cut short against their constitutional right to life”.

Saint Mugaga, Abuja

The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has warned content creators and other social media enthusiasts to desist from invading people’s privacy.

This warning was contained in an official Statement signed by Barrister Babatunde Bamigboye, the Commission’s head of legal, enforcement and regulations.

He said that taking pictures and video footage of citizens without their consent is a violation of the rights of the people and is against the laws, and could be sanctioned.

He disclosed that “ the National Commissioner/CEO of the Commission, Dr Vincent Olatunji, has directed platform owners (such as TikTok, X, and Meta) to step up enforcement of community guidelines with a view to preventing harm to individuals through unlawful and unfair processing of personal data”.

He noted in the statement that “ the attention of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has been drawn to the activities of individuals who take pictures and video footage of unsuspecting members of the general public and share same on social media platforms. These acts violate the rights of citizens to informational self-determination as guaranteed under S.37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act).

“ The particular case of a content creator who stands at roadsides in Lagos State to create a “reality show” of unsuspecting members of the general public raises concerns about abuse of rights in the name of entertainment. Processing the images of people, in this circumstance, requires consent unless the creator can justify her actions under other lawful bases of data processing.

“ Preliminary investigation by the Commission reveals that this wilful invasion of citizens’ privacy serves neither a public nor a legitimate interest. In any event, the data subjects involved have no expectation that their images will be captured and shared with the whole world by an unknown individual.
In the wake of this development,

“ For the avoidance of doubt, where a platform owner fails or neglects to act timeously in addressing harms, the Commission will not hesitate to impose appropriate sanctions under the NDP Act. More importantly, individual content creators are accountable for their acts and omissions, and may be liable to criminal prosecution for violating the privacy rights of citizens and other data subjects in Nigeria”.