The World football governing body, FIFA, 2nd April 2022, imposed a N64 million (150,000 Swiss francs) fine on Nigeria for crowd disturbances that followed the Super Eagles’ inability to beat Ghana and qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

The Super Eagles on March 29, 2022 managed to hold the Black Stars to a 1-1 draw at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja, thus losing the bid to make the Qatar 2022 list to the Ghanaians.

To vent their anger and frustration over their team’s poor show, football fans at the stadium went berserk, destroying everything in sight.

At the end of the rampage, one official of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) from Zambia, Dr. Joseph Kabungo, who served as a doping doctor, was confirmed dead from suspected cardiac arrest.

It’s noteworthy that the FIFA disciplinary panel also judged dozens of similar cases from World Cup qualifying games played since January 2022 and handed out several other fines and stadium closures.

Hence, the global football body also fined Senegal N75 million (175,000 Swiss francs) for fan disorder, including shining laser pointers at Egypt star Mohamed Salah, in the penalty shootout that decided their Qatar 2022 World Cup qualifier in Dakar.

Salah’s face was a blur of vivid green light when he prepared to take his penalty, which he blasted over the bar. Senegal went on to win the shootout in Dakar in March with Salah’s Liverpool teammate Sadio Mané scoring the decisive spot-kick.

The FIFA disclosed that its disciplinary committee equally looked into a pitch invasion by Senegal fans, an offensive banner and the national federation’s “failure to ensure that law and order are maintained in the stadium.”

Consequently, the Senegal team was also ordered to play a future competitive game in an empty stadium.

The FIFA imposed fines of 125,000 Swiss francs ($128,000) on Congo and 100,000 Swiss francs ($103,000) on Lebanon in similar cases at games against Morocco and Syria, respectively. Both got one-game stadium closures.

Discrimination by fans of Chile and Colombia at their home games, plus other offenses, resulted in total fines of 95,000 Swiss francs ($98,000) and 55,000 Swiss francs ($56,500), respectively.

Meanwhile, the CAF has approved the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja, for Nigeria’s Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Sierra Leone.

In a letter sent to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on 1st April 2022, CAF gave the approval for the stadium to be used for the 2023 AFCON qualifier.

This approval puts to end speculations that the edifice will be barred from hosting international matches in the wake of the crowd disturbances that trailed the second leg of the 2022 World Cup qualifier against Ghana.

The FIFA, however, ruled that the Nigeria versus Sierra Leone game would be played behind closed doors.

The stringent approach taken by the FIFA against Nigeria, alongside other countries, is indeed a signal that the government needs to expedite actions towards ensuring that such unruly behaviour of the country’s football fans doesn’t repeat itself in future outings.

Aside from the fine, such an uncultured act can go a long way to negatively affect the image of the country in the face of the global community. Hence, there’s a compelling need for the concerned authorities, such as the NFF, to deploy more severe measures that would guarantee decorum in subsequent matches to be played within the shores of the country.

An old three-storey building situated at Number 32, Ibadan Street, Herbert Macaulay Way in Ebute Metta area of Lagos State, on the night of Sunday 1st April 2022, collapsed from the foundation level.

The incident, which occurred at about 9:48pm, reported no casualty figure as at the time of the disaster because it was yet unknown. Rescue operations were ongoing when the incident was freshly reported to the public. .

In a statement, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service noted, “An alert of collapse of a three-storey building by 32 Ibadan Street, Ebute Meta was received at 21:48 hours, Sunday, with Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service already at the scene.”

The fire service further informed that rescue operations had begun at the site to save anyone trapped in the building, assuring that everyone would be rescued.

According to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, 20 persons were rescued alive while two who sustained severe injuries were taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for treatment

Subsequently, on Monday, 2nd April 2022, the death toll from the collapsed building was reportedly five, based on the statement issued by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) officials who had been at the scene of the incident.

However, the Zonal Coordinator, South-West of the NEMA, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye disclosed to newsmen in Lagos that the deceased persons included three males and two females. He equally notified that the number of the rescued occupants remained at 23.

He went ahead to report that rescue operations were still ongoing at the site of the incident in search of four of the remaining occupants of the building.

Nigeria has, in recent times, become synonymous with building collapse. There’s no week, if not day, that passed, the public won’t be greeted with the news of a collapsed structure at a certain locality within the shores of the country.

The untold ordeal has continued unabated to the extent that people have begun to believe that it is a normal tradition among the Nigerian society. This is usually common among buildings built purposely for rent. This has made occupants (tenants) of many buildings in various cities across the federation to now sleep with one eye open.

The relevant authorities must at this juncture swing into action with a view to doing the needful. We can’t continue to repeat exactly the same thing as if the country doesn’t have extant laws guiding the people’s activities. A word is enough for the wise.

One of the rights that is conspicuously provided in the Nigerian constitution is the right to choose and worship whatever you want to worship or take as your god, in as much as you are not hurting anyone or inflicting pain on another in the exercise of this your right of worship.

The constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria in section 38 has armed every citizen of Nigeria with the right to either be a Christain or a Muslim or a Jewish or even a traditionalist or to join any other religion you can think of. 

But the bugging question always from the traditional worshippers is, “does this right of them choosing to be traditionalists extend to them being witches or wizards or practicing witchcraft or wizardry in Nigeria”?

Just like it is said that in every general rule there are exceptions so also in every right and liberty provided by the constitution or in whichever law there is, there are restrictions and limitations to those rights. This right to freedom to be a traditional worshiper does not extend to you being a witch or wizard or dealer in black magic or voodoo in the guise of you having the liberties to choose whatever you want to worship as your god.

Being a traditionalist is legal in Nigeria but once you cross the threshold of being a mere traditionalist who only bows to Ogun, Orumole or Amadioha or any other god to a wizard or witch you are now committing a criminal offense because witchcraft and wizardry and black magic are criminalized in our statute.

Section 210 of the criminal code act hereby provides 

Offenses in relation to witchcraft and juju

Any person who?

(a) by his statements or actions represents himself to be a witch or to have the power of witchcraft; or

(b) accuses or threatens to accuse any person with being a witch or with having the power of witchcraft; or

(c) makes or sells or uses, or assists or takes part in making or selling or using or has in his possession or represents himself to be in possession of any juju, drug or charm which is intended to be used or reported to possess the power to prevent or delay any person from doing an act which such person has a legal right to do, or to compel any person to do an act which such person has a legal right to refrain from doing, or which is alleged or reported to possess the power of causing any natural phenomenon or any disease or epidemic; or

(d) directs or controls or presides at or is present at or takes part in the worship or invocation of any juju which is prohibited by an order of the President or the Governor of a State; or

(e) is in possession of or has control over any human remains which are used or are intended to be used in connection with the worship or invocation of any juju; or

(f) makes or uses or assists in making or using, or has in his possession anything whatsoever the making, use or possession of which has been prohibited by an order as being or believed to be associated with human sacrifice or other unlawful practice,

is guilty of misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for two years.

Therefore, Section 210 of the criminal code is a restriction and limitation to the fundamental human right provided in Section 38 of the constitution, and on this ground, the practice of witchcraft or wizardry as a religion in Nigeria is criminalized and anybody found engaging in such practices is liable to at least two years jail terms.