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Friday, May 7, 2021

“Our greatest challenge to national security is the idea that anyone can get away with anything.” - Chidi Odinkalu(Lawyer & Human Rights Activist)

Dear Active Citizen,

This has been another week of bad news. We must continue to hold our duty bearers accountable.

The recent

rape and murder of Hinny Umoren in Akwa-Ibom State is devastating.

We are thankful for the citizens who have

Anyone can be a victim of sexual and gender-based violence irrespective of gender. We must unite against this societal ill and demand justice for all victims!

Are you a survivor of sexual violence? Do you need help? You can

reach out to Stand to End Rape by emailing [email protected] or calling 08095967000.

.

Less than 24hours after the protest by parents of the kidnapped students of the School of Forestry, Afaka, Kaduna State, the remaining 27 students were released after 7 weeks in captivity.Their release gladdens our heart and we look forward to the speedy rescue of the Greenfield University students and other kidnapped victims. President Buhari, in a rather laughable tweet, made an appeal for the release of kidnapped victims in Nigeria. Our question is; to who is the President appealing? To an authority higher than his office or to bandits in Nigeria? This goes to show you just how much of a joke our 'Chief-of-Armed Forces' is.

Corruption in 2021 Budget 

According to BudgIT’s recent analysis of the 2021 Budget, over 316 capital projects, equivalent to the sum of N39.5 billion, were duplicated. There are also no audit records of the N10.02 trillion received by the security sector between 2015 and 2021.Public accountability is crucial to achieving good governance. Trillions of naira allocated to the security sector have not provided the much-needed security for Nigerians, especially with the recent spate of killings and kidnappings.We demand an immediate audit of the total allocation to the Ministry of Defence between 2015 and 2021.

World Press Freedom Day

Monday, May 3rd, marked World Press Freedom Day, with the theme "Information as a Public Good". The right to freedom of the press is also recognized in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended). However, the press is consistently suppressed by the Nigerian Government for speaking up against the current administration. EiE, Paradigm Initiative (PIN) and Media Rights Agenda (MRA) have a case before the Supreme Court of Nigeria, challenging Sections 24 and 38 of the Cybercrime Act (2015) that is often cited in these arrests.In marking the event, we remember all the journalists who have lost their lives in the course of duty!

We launched a

Missing Persons Register to document missing Nigerians and raise awareness.

Is a family member or friend missing?

Submit a report.

Have a great weekend!The EiE Nigeria Team