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AljazirahNigeria Publisher Petitions Buhari, IGP Others over Attack by Yahaya Bello’s Aides

Published

6 years ago

October 23, 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari has been petitioned over the unprovoked brutal assault and attack on the Publisher of Aljazirah Nigeria Newspapers, Mr. Etuk Williams Bassey, by security aides of Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello.

Also petitioned on the attack include the National Security Adviser, Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS) and the National Human Rights Commission.

Mr. Bassey in the petition, which was dated October 21, and signed by his lawyer, a Principal at Beacon Chambers, Barr David C. Maduka, demanded amongst others the publication of an unreserved apology in two National Dailies within 14 days.

He also wants a thorough investigation into the complaint to unravel the officers who perpetrated the “dastardly acts” as well as discipline, prosecute them and ensure the law takes its full cause.

He added that he will file an appropriate suit against the appropriate authority of the Nigerian Police Force if after 14 days his demands are not met to seek legal redress.

The Aljazirah Nigeria publisher further appealed to President Buhari and other government officials copied in the petition to look into his complaint with the view to “take decisive action”.

Read the full petition below:

21st October 2019

His Excellency,
President Muhammadu Buhari,
Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces,
The Federal Republic of Nigeria,
Presidential Villa,
Abuja

FORMAL COMPLAINT OF THE CRIMINAL ACTS OF ASSAULT, MOLESTATION, DEHUMANISATION, AND THREAT TO LIFE PERPETRATED AGAINST OUR CLIENT MR ETIK BASSEY WILLIAMS (A JOURNALIST/PUBLISHER OF ALJAZIRAH NIGERIA NEWSPAPERS) ON FRIDAY 18TH OF OCTOBER, 2019 BY THE POLICE SECURITY AIDES ATTACHED TO GOVERNOR YAHAYA BELLO

The above subject matter refers.

We are a firm of Barristers and Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, carrying out our legal practice under the Firm name of Beacon Chambers and our office address is as stated in the above Letterhead.

Our legal services have been retained by Mr. Etuk Bassey Williams, hereinafter referred to as our Client on whose behalf and instruction we write your good office. It is our Client’s brief that he resides at number 12, Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, F.C.T., Abuja. On Friday 18th October 2019, at about 7:55 p.m., he was driving back to his aforesaid residence on the said Benghazi Street when he realized that the entrance to his apartment had become impassable and the whole street clustered with vehicles that were packed by the Police Security Aides attached to Governor Yahaya Bello. It is pertinent to state here that Governor Yahaya Bello’s private residence is directly opposite our Client’s aforestated residence.

Our Client on seeing that the street was huddled with vehicles packed by the said Police Security Aides, to the extent that he was denied access to his abode, he quietly alighted from his vehicle and approached the Police Security Aides he saw at the gate of Governor Yahaya Bello’s apartment. On getting to them, our Client politely requested and pleaded with them to remove at least one of the vehicles that blocked the entrance to his house so that he can gain access to his residence. Immediately, our Client opened his mouth to request for the evacuation of any one of the aforesaid vehicles, all the Police Security Aides (attached to Governor Yahaya Bello) pounced on our Client and collectively dealt terrible blows and beatings on him to the extent that he sustained severe bruises on several parts of his body and his clothing was also badly torn.

When the said assault on our Client was ongoing, our Client had to exclaim these words: “I am a Journalist, what wrong have I done to deserve all this dehumanization”, yet the said Police Officers were not deterred rather they became more aggravated and shouted, “We must kill you today”. Our Client was fortunate to escape by the whiskers when he luckily ran out from their barbaric grip and escaped into his premises through the pedestrian door, yet the said Policemen chased after him. What saved our Client was that he quickly locked the gate of his compound, despite this, the Policemen in question kept banging on his gate and demanded that he should come out at once and further threatened to kill him whenever they set their eyes on him. In the course of all this brouhaha, one of our Client’s friend (Mr. Paul Ella Abechi, the immediate past NUJ Chairman Abuja Chapter and former Special Adviser to the Hon Minister of Finance on Media & Communications) arrived on the scene and he was almost lynched by the same Policemen because they thought he had come to defend our Client, but he was fortunate to wriggle himself out by pacifying them. However, the Policemen still demanded that our Client’s friend should “go into that compound and bring out that journalist” (those were their exact words).

The same Policemen further threatened to the hearing of our Client that they must kill him if they ever lay their hands on him. Subsequently, after about (40) minutes when tempers had calmed, our Client sneaked out of his residence and went straight to the Wuse Zine 4 Police Station to lodge the captioned complaint of criminal assault, dehumanization, molestation and threat to life. Our Client was later advised by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the Police Station that since his assailants are Policemen and the security aides to a serving Governor, he should go and lodge a complaint at the Provost Marshal’s office at the F.C.T. Police Command, Garki, Abuja. It is quite paramount to note that since the aforesaid incidence of the 18th October 2019, our Client has been hiding, has been a fugitive (on the run) and has out of austere fear of imminent harm to his person refused to return back to his house up till today. We were further informed by our Client’s private Security (one Master Isaac) that the same Policemen kept mounting surveillance and watch out for our Client with a view to further hurt him.

In view of the foregoing, we hereby demand on our Client’s behalf for the immediate publication of an unreserved apology in two (2) National Dailies by the Nigerian Police Force for all the criminal, inhuman and unjustifiable brutality that was meted on our Client by some Officers and men of the Nigerian Police Force on or before the end of fourteen (14) days from the date of the receipt of this letter. Copies of the aforesaid Newspaper publications, when published, should be forwarded to our captioned office address. We further demand a thorough investigation in this present complaint, unravel the officers who perpetrated these dastardly acts, discipline them, prosecute them and ensure the law takes its full cause. We also demand to be carried along with the process of any investigation, discipline, and prosecution of the aforesaid culprits. Where any of our afore stated demands is not met, we will immediately after the aforementioned fourteen (14) days file an appropriate suit against the relevant authorities of the Nigerian Police Force so as to seek necessary legal redress on behalf of our Client for the criminal and dastardly acts perpetrated against him by the Police Officers attached as Security Aides to Governor Yahaya Bello.

Sir, we most vehemently urge you to use your good office to passionately look into our complaint in this letter and take decisive action in respect of the same. We earnestly anticipate your prompt compliance with our above-stated demands. Do have our utmost regards. Thank you, Sir.

Yours faithfully,

For: Beacon Chambers,

BARR. DAVID C. MADUKA,

Principal, Beacon Chambers

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Daughters of Dr. Charles Ononiwu, Chiamanda and Chiamaka, Launch Debut Books to Uplift Hearts Facing Life’s Struggles

Published

4 weeks ago

October 10, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

At just 18 and 20 years old, Chiamanda and Chiamaka Ononiwu — daughters of renowned Nigerian surgeon Dr. Charles Ononiwu — have achieved a remarkable milestone with the release of their debut inspirational books, Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls.

Their literary journey began six years ago, during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic. While the world was engulfed in fear and uncertainty, the then 13- and 15-year-old sisters turned inward, using writing as an outlet to process their emotions, express their faith, and reach out to others with messages of hope and resilience.

What began as a quiet act of creativity blossomed into two powerful books that now serve as beacons of light for readers navigating life’s storms.

Eighteen-year-old Chiamanda Ononiwu is the author of Do Not Be Afraid. A passionate Electrical Engineering student , she is also a proud alumna of Intellichild TLC and Valedictorian of Great Blessings School, Class of 2022.

In her book, she addresses the emotional challenges many young people face and draws from her personal faith to offer guidance and encouragement.

Her elder sister, Chiamaka Ononiwu, 20, is a final-year medical student at Babcock University in Nigeria. She penned Waterfalls, a heartfelt and deeply spiritual work she describes as divinely inspired. Chiamaka views her writing as a calling — a mission to uplift souls and bring hope to those struggling with life’s challenges.

“Personally, I would say it all started with the idea of inclusion, inspired by real human experiences,” Chiamaka shared. “We’ve had conversations with people who’ve gone through difficult situations — including issues and those stories helped shape what I write today.”

She added, “It’s all about encouraging people to face life with faith. We began this journey during a dark time in the world, and I felt called to create something that could offer comfort and hope — not just locally, but globally.”

The official book launch and signing ceremony took place on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, and was attended by family, friends, colleagues, and well-wishers. It was a celebration of creativity, faith, and youthful brilliance, as the sisters presented their work to an inspired audience.

Speaking at the event, Chiamaka emphasized the core message of her book: “Waterfalls reminds readers that God is always watching over His people. He doesn’t bring fear — He brings peace, hope, and love. I want readers to find comfort and assurance in that truth.”

For Chiamanda, her book is a message to young people who may feel overwhelmed by life’s pressures: “Do Not Be Afraid is especially for youth navigating difficult times. No matter how hard life gets, you can always find strength and direction in God’s word.”

Writing came naturally to both sisters. Chiamaka recalled, “Even as a child, I loved writing short stories for my siblings. When the opportunity came to publish, I knew it was time to share my message with a wider audience.”

Despite their demanding academic paths, both young women balanced their studies with writing through perseverance and faith.

Chiamanda and Chiamaka are united by a shared dream — to inspire people across the world with their writing.

Chiamaka expressed Further; “Our biggest hope is that these books will reach people who need to know that God is real, that He’s always with them, and that through Him, anything is possible,” Chiamaka said.

With Do Not Be Afraid and Waterfalls, the Ononiwu sisters have not only created literary works — they’ve created lifelines. Their voices, grounded in faith and driven by purpose, remind readers everywhere that even in the darkest moments, God’s light never fades.

Their father, Dr. Charles Ononiwu — a distinguished surgeon and deeply devoted parent — also spoke at the event, sharing the journey from his perspective.

“For me, my number one priority has always been to care for children — not just medically, but also by encouraging them academically and in the basics of life,” he said.

He recounted a moving moment with Chiamanda, who approached him with the idea of sharing her story publicly to inspire others.

“She came to me and said she wanted to talk to her peers, to share how she had been comforted, and to help them see that everything would be okay,” he recalled. “As a father, my role was to guide her. I support both of them, help activate their strengths, and provide direction.”

Dr. Ononiwu made the decision to fund the publication of their books himself, believing in the power of their message.

“I told them, ‘You have something the world needs. You can make an impact in the lives of others,’” he said. “I believe every child has a gift. It is our responsibility as parents not to dismiss them, but to help them discover and nurture their talents.”

He encouraged all parents to support their children’s creative pursuits, noting, “Every person has something special inside them — no one is without talent. It’s just a matter of looking inward, discovering that gift, and sharing it with the world.”

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