Last Monday, Nigeria woke differently. Before the press briefings, before the studio lights and official statements, Emeka Umeagbalasi begins his day like many Nigerians who live between survival and belief.
Paperwork. Phone calls. Advocacy. For decades, he has lived a double life familiar in this country, a small-scale businessman who sells tools, and a civil liberties advocate who documents violence others would rather look away from.

Then, in one stroke, that life was flattened into a headline: “The Screwdriver Salesman Behind Trump Strikes in Nigeria.”

With those words, the New York Times transformed a Nigerian citizen into a global symbol, not of facts, but of insinuation.

A complex web of intelligence-sharing, congressional testimonies, survivor accounts, and Nigerian government briefings were reduced to one man, one profession, and one dangerous suggestion: that American bombs fell because a “screwdriver salesman” said so.

When global journalism becomes local threat
By the time the article circulated across Nigeria, the damage had already begun.

In a country fractured by ethnicity, religion, and suspicion, narratives carry consequences. Linking a man from the South-East to airstrikes in the North is not merely careless, it is combustible. That danger was not lost on Nigerian journalists.

On Arise TV, Rufai Oseni did not hide his anger: “I think this is a hit job by the New York Times, and it’s sad that media is doing this globally. For the New York Times to suggest that it was solely this man’s work that drove the Christian genocide narrative is false.”
For Oseni, the problem was not scrutiny, it was reductionism.
Evidence the headline ignored
Oseni dismantled the New York Times framing with facts.

He said, “On March 12, 2025, Bishop Wilfred Anagbe of the Makurdi Catholic Diocese testified before the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa on religious persecution in Nigeria… In November 2025, he returned to testify again.”

According to Oseni, there were others.

“Reverend Remigius Ihyula… joined that testimony. A survivor of the June 2025 Yelwata attack in Benue State also testified virtually… recounting how he watched five children being slaughtered,” he said.
These were not Google searches. These were sworn testimonies.

“So for the New York Times to hinge everything on a screwdriver salesman feels like a hit job and makes a mockery of the American intelligence system,” Oseni added.

‘This narrative is dangerous’ – Reuben Abati
Former presidential spokesman Reuben Abati took the argument further, beyond journalism into national security.

“The American intelligence system does not rely on one source. There are multiple sources, evaluated and investigated,” he said.

Reducing U.S. military action to one Nigerian citizen, Abati argued, insults both countries.
He added, “To say one screwdriver salesman is ‘screwing down’ Nigeria is unfair. Nigeria should not allow itself to be framed that way.”

But Abati’s gravest concern was social fallout.

“This narrative could inflame North-South tensions, suggesting that someone from Onitsha invited the US to bomb Sokoto. That is divisive and dangerous,” he cautioned.

In a country already struggling to hold itself together, such framing does not merely misinform, it destabilises.

Who really owns the story?
Abati redirected the spotlight where he believes it belongs.
“Anyone can make a claim, but the responsibility lies with journalists and media houses to verify it,” he stated.

If the New York Times amplified a claim with global consequences, he argued, the burden of accountability rests squarely with the publication.

“If the New York Times took his story and gave it global credibility, then either they conducted thorough checks or they amplified a claim with far-reaching consequences without proper due diligence,” Abati said.

He paused before adding: “That reflects badly.”

Voices from beyond the studio
Public reaction spread quickly. Former senator Shehu Sani wrote: “It’s unfortunate and tragic to read the New York Times report that the claim of Christian genocide was sourced from one Emeka, an Onitsha-based screwdriver trader and small NGO operator… How such an unverified claim could tense up US lawmakers, the president, and the intelligence community… is one of the most foolish and comical historical events of our lifetime. This is shameful.”
Others, like Sir Inyang, shifted focus back to lived reality:

“But the media has been reporting community mass killings, killings in churches, banditry, terrorist activities, herdsmen attacks, kidnappings, etc. Nigerians mainly want the killings and terrorism to stop,” he stated.

Response from Intersociety
Intersociety itself rejected the New York Times account outright, accusing the paper of misrepresentation, false attribution, and dangerous framing. The organisation insisted its data follows international best practices and warned that the headline had placed its leadership at physical risk.

Civil society group HURIWA went further, describing the report as propaganda and questioning whether lobbying interests had begun reshaping international narratives about Nigeria.

Question journalism must answer
This story is not about defending bad data. Misinformation exists, and it must be challenged.
But journalism that collapses complexity into caricature, especially in a fragile society, does not illuminate truth. It trades context for drama, and accuracy for spectacle.

Somewhere in Onitsha, a man whose life straddles commerce and conscience watched himself become a global villain overnight, not because of what he did, but because of how a story was told.

Nigeria deserves better than that. And so does journalism.

Vanguard News

The downtown art gallery opened its doors to a new exhibit featuring the works of emerging local artists, drawing crowds eager to experience fresh talent.

Charly Boy, Baba Fyro slam singer for claiming to be bigger than Afrobeat legend
The ongoing feud between Wizkid and Seun Kuti over Fela Kuti’s legacy is getting intense, with Wizkid saying he’s bigger than Afrobeat legend, sparking mixed reactions from Nigerian musicians and music enthusiasts. Seun Kuti, Fela’s son, had criticized Wizkid’s fans for comparing the two, saying Fela’s influence goes beyond commercial success.
He embarked on a seven-day Instagram live session to drag Wizkid’s fans, citing Fela’s activism against corrupt leaders and other achievements as a unique level of respect. Wizkid fired back, saying he’s “bigger than Fela” and questioning Seun’s inheritance of his father’s greatness.

“I’m bigger than your dad! What have you done?”, Wizkid asked Seun. In another post on X, he called Seun a “fool” , implying he’s more successful than Fela.

The feud has sparked debate among fans and music enthusiasts, with some defending Wizkid’s right to reply and others saying Seun is right to protect his father’s legacy.

In her response, Yeni Kuti, Fela’s daughter, said she loves Wizkid and doesn’t want to see the feud escalate. Others, like Shehu Sani and Daddy Freeze, argue that Fela’s legacy can’t be compared to Wizkid’s, citing Fela’s activism and impact on Nigerian society.

According to Daddy Freeze, Fela wasn’t just a musician but also a staunch activist and philanthropist.

Speaking in a video broadcast, the media personality said Wizkid would have to protest to the government and fight for civil rights before he could earn the right to be compared to the legendary Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. “Until Wizkid is ready to stand up and stone the government, he shouldn’t compare himself to Fela. Did you know that Fela was released from prison just to prevent him from dying there? They released him to go and die at his home because they knew his death would spark an uproar if he died in the prison. That was 1995, I was a fresher in the university then.

“Fela was not a troublemaker; he was a freedom fighter. We are talking about music, but I cannot talk about Fela, if I don’t talk about everything he stood for. His activism and music went hand-in-glove. You can’t separate the two,” Daddy Freeze said.
In the same manner, maverick musician Charly Boy slammed Wizkid, calling him a small boy who’s singing for a crowd and making money. “Fela no need spotlight, he will be fired for chest, kalakuta be his stage, truth be him microphone. Wizkid dey make dem dance, make pain small, make joy flow, Fela dey make dem think, make fear run, make mind wake,” the maverick musician said in pidgin English.
On his own part, ‘Denge Pose’ crooner, Baba Fryo expressed his disappointment with the emerging singers, “I’m ashamed of this Gen Z. Fela was a great musician, a multi-instrumentalist, and a revolutionist. He wasn’t just an artist but a full-time musician, and he remained relevant for over 30 years until the day he died”, he said. On cultural comparison, Baba Fyro said “A Jamaican artiste would never do such to Bob Marley. I am ashamed of this youth.”

The feud highlights deeper issues in Nigerian music. It’s about respecting music legends and understanding their impact. Fela’s influence goes beyond commercial success – he’s a cultural icon and activist. The feud shows a generational gap in understanding music’s role in society.

This weekend's farmers market attracted the highest number of visitors this season, offering fresh produce, handmade crafts, and live entertainment.

The decision by retired Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP, Isiagu Joseph to operate a commercial bus popularly called ‘Korope’ in Lagos, has earned him opprobrium and public disgrace by no less a person than a serving police Inspector.
The police officer, who was among officers who were retired last year over age of service , still being contested in court alleged that the Inspector accosted him while he was loading his bus in a motor park and publicly derided him by shouting to everybody’s hearing and asking: “how can a retired police CSP be driving korope? It is an insult to the force. If I retire, I cannot do that. I will live bigger than this?”
His story
“My name is CSP Isiagu Joseph. I was enlisted on 1st December 1988 and retired as a Chief Superintendent of Police on 1st December 2023, as a Divisional Police Officer. The date of enlistment became an issue and we’re in court. While the issue lingered, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, sent for us in August 2024 and we were all sacked but the case is still in court for contempt. In order to fend for my family I got a commercial minibus called ‘korope’.

Encounter with Task Force
“In December last year, some members of Lagos State Task Force blocked me at the bus stop at Alausa Secretariat where we were waiting for passengers to go to Ikeja. One inspector came and started insulting me. I never met him before. I said, please, I’m a police officer and I showed him my identity card. Looking at it, he said, ‘he is a CSP useless man, and you are driving Korope. Are you not a useless CSP’? I didn’t talk to him. I saw a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, with him and I showed the DSP my ID card and they allowed me to go.

Ads by
“On another occasion, members of the Task Force blocked me with two ‘Korope’ vehicles and the same inspector came down and ordered his colleagues to remove the plate number of my vehicle. I didn’t talk to him. The civilian members of the task force reminded him that I was a senior police officer but he retorted; ‘he is a useless CSP driving Korope. Remove his plate number’. At that stage, I beckoned on the Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, with them and he ordered him to return my plate number.

“Then, on the 8th of January this year, the same inspector came with three korope buses filled with civilians. They blocked and accosted me at the same place. The two policemen that came with them met me and I showed them my ID card. They saw that I am a police officer but the same inspector shouted again, ‘which useless CSP? Come and bring him down, push him out of the vehicle, drag him out of the vehicle.”

Arrest and seizure of vehicle
“One of them entered my vehicle, I showed him my ID card, but he was just watching. Then, the inspector said, ‘we must take this vehicle. I must carry you.’ I said, ‘okay, wherever you want us to go, let us go.’ He said no, they should drag me out of the vehicle. He opened my door, hit me on the shoulder and started to drag me while the people with him joined in beating me and they dragged me down from the vehicle. They were ten in number.

“They dragged me down, beat me mercilessly, snatched my keys, then zoomed off with the vehicle. As they were moving out I quickly jumped into one of their vehicles. They took me round Ikeja before finally arriving at Alausa secretariat of their office where they parked my vehicle.

Experience at
“When I got there, one of the men that had worked with me at Isokoko where I was the DPO saw me and called the attention of others. I quickly told them that it was not attention matter and narrated my plight to them. They were shocked and they immediately conducted checks and discovered that my vehicle with serial number 17, SMK 424 YL was brought in by one Kabiru, one of the civilians working with them. I described the inspector that arrested me to them but they said they didn’t know his name. I was advised to wait that as soon as he arrived, my vehicle would be released. I was there from 6pm to 9pm.
“Eventually when the inspector came back around 9pm, he started embarrassing and calling me names again by saying ‘useless man, useless CSP. Look at you, you are driving korope, useless CSP. If I retire as an inspector of police, I have already made it. I can never drive korope.’ I don’t know whether my driving korope was an offence that I have committed. They did not demand any money from me. Since I started driving that commercial bus, I made sure I paid all dues.

“After abusing me for long and refused to release the vehicle, I turned to leave in exasperation when he called me to go and take my vehicle but warned that I if I continued driving korope, he would still descend on me and no call from anybody would make him release it.

Forceful restriction
“That’s why I went home and parked my vehicle because with this kind of beating and dehumanization from an inspector of police, it’s like my grandchildren beating me. The inspectorate rank was a rank I dropped in the year 2003 and the child I gave birth to same year is already a graduate and getting married. So, what does he expect me to do? Is it not for me to die? How much is my pension? As a CSP, it’s not up to N40,000. The korope I am driving is what has made me to feed my family of six daily.”

Next step
“After parking the vehicle, I went to Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja and reported my plight to the Provost on the 9th of January, 2026. But he told me that because I could not identity the inspector properly, there was little he could do. He said this after I told him that the inspector is called Sylvester, attached to Lekki Task Force team.
Last lap
“I was frustrated and went to both the DCP Administration and AC X-squad. They were very sad. After sympathizing with me, they assured that they would fish him out but till date, I don’t know what action they had taken. I am waiting for the command to bring him. Let him come and tell me what I did to him. What is my offence?

If the command should say that I, as a CSP retired, driving korope is an offence, I will pack and go back to the village and die. I am highly demoralized that there is no discipline in the job again. That an inspector of police will organize people, order his boys, civilians, to beat up a CSP? He was boasting that as an Inspector, he has hotels and enough money to retire in affluence.

“While I was in the force, I pursued good name. Nobody would point accusing fingers at me and accuse me of extortion or bribe. But, see what I am getting from no less a person than an inspector of Police.”

Vanguard News