1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Nigeria

OPC leader arraigned again

One of the leaders of the banned militia group, the Oodua People's Congress (OPC), was arraigned on Monday in Ogun State on charges including attempted murder and robbery, local sources reported on Wednesday. Ganiyu Adams, who heads the OPC hardline faction, did not take a plea and was remanded in jail until 2 November. This marks Adams' second arraignment in two Nigerian states. Both cases are tied to his activities with the OPC. Ganiyu was arraigned last month in Lagos, Lagos State, on 23 charges including murder and robbery. On Friday, while signing a bond for his temporary release court, Adams was arrested by the Ogun State police and transferred to the state. Adams, who was arrested in August, had been declared wanted since November 1999 following riots sparked by the OPC. More than 100 people died during the unrest, which led to the banning of the organisation by President Olusegun Obasanjo. The OPC, which was created in 1995 to protect the interests of Nigeria's Yoruba ethnic group, has been accused of rights violations, militia activities, and other illegal activities, such as publicly executing suspected criminals.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Get the day’s top headlines in your inbox every morning

Starting at just $5 a month, you can become a member of The New Humanitarian and receive our premium newsletter, DAWNS Digest.

DAWNS Digest has been the trusted essential morning read for global aid and foreign policy professionals for more than 10 years.

Government, media, global governance organisations, NGOs, academics, and more subscribe to DAWNS to receive the day’s top global headlines of news and analysis in their inboxes every weekday morning.

It’s the perfect way to start your day.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian today and you’ll automatically be subscribed to DAWNS Digest – free of charge.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join