Justice for Ivan
Nigerian lawmakers are finally addressing the death of a murdered toddler
Good morning, Big Brains. The concept of Nigeria happening to people is still the most brutal thing ever. If this is your first time hearing Ivan’s story, take a minute to share today’s edition to raise awareness until the Nigerian government provides more details about his case.
- Margaret
Word count: ~ 1,000
Reading time ~ 5 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Nigerian lawmakers are finally addressing the death of a murdered toddler
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been relieved of her chair of committee duties
The Big Deal
Nigerian lawmakers are finally addressing the death of a murdered toddler
Nigeria can happen to anybody, even toddlers like Ivan Omhonrina. On July 13, 2023, two-year-old Omhonrina was reportedly shot dead by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) during a raid. Omhonrina’s brother, who was also injured during the raid, survived after receiving treatment at a hospital.
According to Channels Television, the family has relentlessly called for justice since their two-year-old son was killed. It would seem their pleas finally got to the right ears two years later, as the Senate is finally begging President Bola Tinubu, on compassionate grounds, to “assist” the NDLEA pay ₦200 million compensation to Omhonrina’s grieving family.
This comes after Senator Neda Imaseun, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, presented a petition on the family’s behalf. The lawmakers condemned the killing (as they did years ago), adding that law enforcement agencies must be held accountable for reckless actions like this.
The Senate also ordered its Committee on Legislative Compliance to monitor the compensation process and report back within two months.
Why is this a big deal?
Every event surrounding Omhonrina’s death has been shady and unfair. In 2023, President Tinubu ordered an investigation into the toddler’s death. The House of Representatives also instructed the Inspector General of Police to arrest the NDLEA officers responsible for his death with immediate effect.
Sometime in August 2023, the Delta State Police Command claimed to have arrested the suspect responsible for Omhonrina’s death with a promise to charge them to court but there’s no record on the internet to suggest that ever happened. You won’t even find the name of the NDLEA officers responsible for little Omhonrina’s death.
It’s a shame that the Senate still needs to plead with the president to finally issue some sort of compensation to the toddler’s parents after two years. It’s even a bigger shame that this needless death happened in the first place.
We’ve seen this kind of tragedy before. Ismail Muhammad, a 16-year-old teenager, was killed by a soldier enforcing a curfew in Zaria in August 2024 during the #EndBadGovernance protest. In the end, the only “justice” his parents reportedly got was a ₦300,000 compensation.
Experts like Kabir Adamu, managing director of Beacon Consulting Limited, a security risk management firm, have expressed concerns in the past about agencies like the NDLEA carrying arms, claiming that some of the officers are not trained enough to handle the arms given to them by the government. Cases like Omhonrina’s make Adamu’s argument valid
It’s a true shame, but we hope Omhonrina and his family get justice.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has been relieved of her chair of committee duties
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s list of struggles in the Nigerian Senate gets longer every day. A week after a Federal High Court in Abuja nullified her six-month suspension, the Kogi Central Senator has found herself in another controversial mess.
On Thursday, July 10, the Senate removed her from her position as Chair of the Committee on Diaspora, barely five months after she took the role. Without offering any explanation, the Senate announced her replacement as Senator Aniekan Bassey, who represents Akwa Ibom North-East. He’s expected to take over immediately.
For context, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan was only given the Diaspora and NGOs Committee chairmanship in February 2025, after she was removed from her earlier position as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content.
Her latest removal suggests that the Senator’s return to her senatorial duties might not be as smooth as it should be.
Nobody can confirm when Akpoti-Uduaghan will return to the Senate for now. The initial resumption date was Tuesday, July 8, but she has decided to delay until the court issues the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the court judgment to the Senate.
The Kogi Central Senator has never been one to go down without a fight, so we’ll most likely have some updates for you in the coming days.
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