The Amalgamated Civil Society Groups of Nigeria (ACSN) has commended the leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), particularly its Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Audi, for its response to the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the Corps’ custody in Niger State.

The group, however, called for a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

In a statement signed by its Convener, Comrade Wale Adegoke, and Secretary, Comrade Musa Abdullahi, the ACSN said the incident required accountability while cautioning against drawing premature conclusions before the completion of investigations.

The group said the suspension of the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and other officers connected with the incident was an appropriate administrative measure to facilitate an unhindered investigation.

It said anyone found culpable through negligence, dereliction of duty or other misconduct should face appropriate disciplinary or legal consequences.

The ACSN also commended Audi for what it described as steps towards strengthening professionalism and accountability within the NSCDC.

According to the group, efforts by the NSCDC leadership to improve the operational capacity of the Corps, including the provision of a new headquarters for the Niger State Command, reflected an ongoing attempt to improve the working environment and effectiveness of its personnel.

The organisation also noted the clarification by Niger State Governor, Farmer Umaru Bago, regarding the location where the suspects were arrested, saying the clarification was important in establishing the facts surrounding the incident.

The ACSN said the broader challenge of illegal mining also required attention, noting that illegal mining had security and economic implications and could not be addressed solely through arrests and enforcement operations.

It urged authorities to investigate the networks facilitating illegal mining and examine the role of individuals who may be enabling the activities to continue.

The group further cautioned against politicising the deaths, stressing that the incident involved human lives and should be treated with seriousness and responsibility.

“Premature conclusions and politically charged narratives could undermine the integrity of the investigation and distract from the need to determine exactly what happened,” the group said.

The ACSN urged civil society organisations, political actors, traditional institutions, security agencies and members of the public to allow the investigative process to run its course.

It also commended the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the NSCDC for their respective responses to the incident and the broader challenge of illegal mining.

The group called on the NSCDC leadership to sustain institutional reforms, strengthen internal accountability mechanisms and ensure that the outcome of the investigation is communicated to the public in accordance with applicable laws and procedures.

It said the incident should reinforce the principle that every life matters and every public officer must be accountable, while security institutions must operate within established professional and legal standards.

A 2008 judgment of a United States appellate court has revealed that Karl Von Batten, the Washington-based lobbyist engaged by former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, was convicted in 2003 over an assault involving his then-girlfriend.

The court record identifies Von Batten as Karl M.E. Okeke, a name he was known by at the time of the incident.

According to the judgment, the incident occurred on July 4, 2003, during a dispute between Okeke and his girlfriend, Cynthia D. Murphy, at his apartment in Washington, D.C.

The couple had reportedly begun a romantic relationship in April of that year.

Court documents said tension arose during a party at Okeke’s apartment after Murphy reportedly learned from his roommate, Katy Elizabeth Gaire, that Gaire had also been involved intimately with Okeke.

The revelation triggered an argument between Murphy and Okeke.

According to the appellate court’s account, Okeke ordered Murphy to leave the apartment before allegedly attacking her.

The court said Murphy was sitting near the bathtub when Okeke lunged at her, causing her to fall.

The judgment further stated that the altercation continued in the bedroom, where Murphy alleged that Okeke pulled her by the arms and legs, struck her repeatedly, kicked her and pushed her against a wall.

The injuries described in the court record included a black eye, facial swelling, bruises and cuts inside her mouth.

Murphy eventually escaped through a bedroom window and climbed onto an exterior ledge of the apartment after, according to the court, she became afraid that the assault could continue.

Neighbours reportedly assisted her from the ledge, after which she was taken to George Washington University Hospital for medical treatment.

SENTENCED TO 180 DAYS

Following a misdemeanor bench trial, Okeke was sentenced on December 10, 2003, to 180 days in jail over the assault.

The court record, however, stated that the jail sentence was suspended.

He was instead placed on one year of probation and ordered to stay away from Murphy.

The conditions also included 50 hours of community service, participation in a domestic violence counselling programme and a payment to the Crime Victim’s Compensation Fund.

The circumstances surrounding the conviction emerged in an appeal brought by Murphy concerning a civil protection order.

Murphy had challenged the order after a lower court issued a protective order arising from an incident in which she allegedly remained in Okeke’s apartment after being asked to leave.

The US appellate court subsequently overturned the lower court’s decision and directed that the protection order be vacated.

The judgment was delivered on July 3, 2008, by judges Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Stephen Glickman and John Ferren.

There is no indication in the court material reviewed whether Okeke successfully appealed his 2003 criminal conviction.

ATIKU’S $1.2M LOBBYING CONTRACT

Von Batten came under renewed public attention in 2026 after Atiku engaged his Washington-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C.

A filing under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act showed that the firm was contracted to work on matters relating to Atiku’s reputation and standing in the United States.

The agreement was reportedly valued at $1.2 million annually.

The lobbyist’s background has subsequently attracted scrutiny, including questions concerning his identity and the different names associated with him.

His LinkedIn profile reportedly lists his full name as Karl-Marx Edward Ikemefuna William George Okeke-Von Batten.

However, the 2008 US appellate court judgment refers to him as Karl M.E. Okeke.

The difference in names has generated questions about when and why he adopted the Von Batten surname.

CLAIMED WHITE HOUSE APPOINTMENT

The lobbying firm also recently removed a social media post concerning an alleged appointment of Von Batten to a position connected with a White House presidential commission.

The firm had claimed that US President Donald Trump appointed him as a commissioner on the commission.

However, no official statement from the White House confirming the appointment had been identified at the time of the report.

The 2003 conviction and the subsequent court proceedings are contained in publicly available US court records.

By Aondoakaa Tersugh Daniel 21/09/2026

At the commissioning of the BIPC Bread and Water Factories in May 2024, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC), Dr. Raymond Asemakaha, said that BIPC needed liquidity of not less than ₦7 billion to stabilise and drive the industrial revolution it was working on. He said the plan was to revamp and build a minimum of 30 industries within the first four years of the administration, with the creation of over one million jobs. This statement was made in the presence of Honourable Hyacinth Iormem Alia and was reported by The Sun Newspaper on 28 May 2024 under the striking headline: “Alia Commissions BIPC Bread, Water Factories, To Revamp Moribund Industries, Create 1 Million Jobs.”

It is imperative to note that the hypnotised “masses” did not doubt the promise of one million jobs when, in practical terms, such a target appeared doubtful from the outset. Yet, as the Alia administration approaches the conclusion of its tenure, that promise remains largely unfulfilled. It is therefore surprising to hear expressions of doubt when Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa SAN sets his own target at 100,000 jobs for Benue youths.

The concept of job creation has also been grossly misunderstood because livelihood under this administration has increasingly been reduced to civil service employment. Farming, which used to be the mainstay of Benue’s economy and the principal occupation of many of its people, has been severely affected by insecurity, displacing more than a million farmers from their ancestral communities.

Before the escalation of insecurity, the Zaki Biam Yam Market was reportedly capable of loading about 250 trucks of yam daily. That is no longer the reality today. Therefore, when some people interpret Aondoakaa’s blueprint for 100,000 jobs to mean 100,000 civil service positions, it only demonstrates how much Benue has involuntarily shifted away from farming and other productive economic activities.

If Aondoakaa’s administration succeeds in ensuring that internally displaced persons return safely to their ancestral homes and resume farming and other economic activities, effectively, more than 100,000 livelihoods could be restored among the farming communities currently living in IDP camps. Job creation should not be understood only in terms of government employment. It also includes creating the conditions under which people can return to productive economic activity, establish businesses, farm, trade and earn sustainable livelihoods.

Some allies of Alia have also questioned the operations of MIVA Rice, owned by Chief Aondoakaa. One thing, however, is clear about MIVA Rice: the company has not been accused of owing its suppliers. By contrast, Alia’s administration has faced repeated complaints over unpaid obligations to contractors. Recently, Gerawa Global Engineering Limited complained that the Benue State Government owed the company more than ₦1.5 billion.

From claims of miracles that have been disputed to promises of job creation that are yet to be realised, critics may argue that Alia’s transition from the Church to politics has not changed the character of his promises. But Aondoakaa’s approach is different. When he says he will create 100,000 jobs, the issue should be examined on the basis of the mechanisms through which those jobs will be created.

A target of 100,000 jobs, backed by a credible plan for agriculture, industry, private investment, enterprise development and the restoration of displaced communities, can be assessed against measurable economic realities. That makes it important to distinguish between a numerical promise and a workable economic programme. In that context, Aondoakaa’s 100,000-job target presents a substantially different proposition from the one-million-job projection associated with the Alia administration’s BIPC industrialisation programme.