The Backstory

For the year 2020, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recorded 194 violent deaths in Nigeria’s Southeast region. That’s for all of 2020. In just the first three months of 2021, CFR has recorded 224 violent deaths in the Southeast. At last 30 of those violent deaths were members of Nigeria’s security forces (e.g., police, military).

And all signs indicate that the situation may get worse before it gets better. On Easter Monday, the 5th of April, the Nigerian Correctional Services said that so-called hoodlums “broke into” the correctional center in Owerri, the Imo state capital and freed over 1,800 inmates.

Richard, Anthonieta and Nabilah are here to help us piece together what we know.

This episode was produced by Anthonieta Kalunta, Richard Anyebe, Nabilah Usman, Nico Rivers, Dominic Tabakaji, and Sam Tabakaji.

Executive producer Rahmat Muhammad.

Special thanks to Rabia Hadejia, Stanley Bentu, Aredi Isha and Mala Iwa Gbado Ikaleku.

Copyright (c) 2021 Triple-E Media Productions. All rights reserved.

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We welcome feedback. Reach out to us via WhatsApp at +234 818 230 1234 or send us e-mail at [email protected]

On Thursday, the 18th of March 2020, various media outlets reported that Aisha Buhari, Nigeria’s First Lady, had finally returned to Nigeria.

After spending about six months in the United Arab Emirates.

According to Premium Times, the last time the First Lady made a public appearance was in September of 2020. About six months ago. And since her absence, she has been noticeably missing from government and public activities. She also stopped posting on Twitter.

For a First Lady to go nearly silent for almost five, six months is a concern. We discuss why.

This episode was produced by Anthonieta Kalunta, John Iwodi, Dominic Tabakaji, and Sam Tabakaji.

Executive producer Rahmat Muhammad.

Special thanks to Richard Anyone, Alexandra Gekpe, Nabila Usman, Rabia Hadejia, Stanley Bentu, Aredi Isha and Mala Iwa Gbado Ikaleku.

Copyright (c) 2021 Triple-E Media Productions. All rights reserved.

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We welcome feedback. Reach out to us via WhatsApp at +234 818 230 1234 or send us e-mail at [email protected]

This is the second part of our series on guns in Nigeria. In part 1 (Episode 18), we focused on the AK-47 and President Buhari’s recent directive that the military should shoot anyone onsite who is caught carrying an AK-47 illegally. 

In part 2, Nabilah, Alex and our guests are going to discuss the laws and practices that regulate and in some cases enable the local and global flow of small arms and light weapons, like the AK-47, in Nigeria.

This episode was produced by Nabilah Usman, Alexandra Gekpe, Nico Rivers, Dominic Tabakaji, and Sam Tabakaji.

Executive producer Rahmat Muhammad.

Special thanks to Richard Anyebe, Rabia Hadejia, John Iwodi, Anthonieta Kalunta, Stanley Bentu, Aredi Isha and Mala Iwa Gbado Ikaleku.

Copyright (c) 2021 Triple-E Media Productions. All rights reserved.

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We welcome feedback. Reach out to us via WhatsApp at +234 818 230 1234 or send us e-mail at [email protected]

This week on The Backstory podcast we discuss internet fraud, commonly known as 419 in Nigeria.

Now every country has its own list of notorious cons and con artists. The US gave us Charles Ponzi and the Ponzi scheme in the 1920s. There’s the Horohorin, the Israeli/Russian credit card hacker of 2009. Then there was Dr. Conti, the Indonesian Mail fraudster of 2012, who basically sold inexpensive wines but relabeled them as expensive brands like Bordeaux. And the list goes on and on.

Around the 1980s, Nigeria entered the global scam market with our own unique brand. Three decades later, these scams are getting dangerously close to becoming a cultural phenomenon. In this episode, Anthonieta, John and Nabilah discuss how the 419 scam has evolved and where we may end up if we keep going down this road.

This episode was produced by John Iwodi, Anthonieta Kalunta, Nabilah Usman, Nico Rivers, Dominic Tabakaji, and Sam Tabakaji.

Executive producer Rahmat Muhammad.

Special thanks to Richard Anyebe, Alexandra Gekpe, Rabia Hadejia, Stanley Bentu, Aredi Isha and Mala Iwa Gbado Ikaleku.

Copyright (c) 2021 Triple-E Media Productions. All rights reserved.

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We welcome feedback. Reach out to us via WhatsApp at +234 818 230 1234 or send us e-mail at [email protected]

Since the early 2000s, Nigeria has been battling one form of insecurity or another. Oil banditry and kidnappings in the Niger delta, Boko Haram terrorists in the Northeast, and now cattle banditry, gold banditry and kidnappings in the northwest.

And Nigeria has tried and is trying different solutions to curb the rising insecurity.

Central to all of the conflicts is the availability of small arms and light weapons which tend to keep these conflicts going and in some cases even escalate them. We’re going to be looking at the issue of guns and gun control in Nigeria over a series of episodes.

In part one of our series, Richard and Alex discuss the AK-47 and the governments latest directive for the military to shoot on site any civilian caught carrying an AK-47.

This episode was produced by Richard Anyebe, Alexandra Gekpe, Nico Rivers, Dominic Tabakaji, and Sam Tabakaji.

Executive producer Rahmat Muhammad.

Special thanks to Larry Kahaner, Rabia Hadejia, Anthonieta Kalunta, John Iwodi, Stanley Bentu, Aredi Isha and Mala Iwa Gbado Ikaleku.

Copyright (c) 2021 Triple-E Media Productions. All rights reserved.

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We welcome feedback. Reach out to us via WhatsApp at +234 818 230 1234 or send us e-mail at [email protected]

It’s December 2020 and the Golden Eaglets are preparing for the West African Football Union’s B qualifier. The qualifer was scheduled to take place the next month in January 2021 in Benin Republic. The Golden eaglets are Nigeria’s National under 17 football or soccer team.

There were 60 boys on the team. The entire team of 60 boys and coaches and support staff moved to their hotel rooms in Abuja. And they started to undergo training for the qualifiers. There were three weeks left to the qualifiers.

And With only three weeks to go, the Nigerian Golden Eaglets went from a team of 60 players down to 20.

Anthonieta and John are here to explain what happened.

This episode was produced by Anthonieta Kalunta, John Iwodi, Dominic Tabakaji, and Sam Tabakaji.

Executive producer Rahmat Muhammad.

Special thanks to Rabia Hadejia, Alexandra Gekpe, Richard Anyebe, Stanley Bentu, Aredi Isha and Mala Iwa Gbado Ikaleku.

Copyright (c) 2021 Triple-E Media Productions. All rights reserved.

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▶︎Follow us @234Audio on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

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We welcome feedback. Reach out to us via WhatsApp at +234 818 230 1234 or send us e-mail at [email protected]

Nigeria continues to face several security challenges. Militants, pirates, herdsmens, yahoo boys, Boko Haram, SARS, and now…bandits.

And the government keeps throwing military and para-military power at the problem. We’re hiring more local police constables. Training special forces. Purchasing high military-grade equipment.

But one man seems to be on a campaign for a softer approach to the problem.

Sheikh Ahmed Gumi, a renowned islamic scholar from Kaduna, wants states to dialogue and negotiate amnesty for the bandits.

Will amnesty for bandits work? And under what terms and conditions?

This episode was produced by Alexandra Gekpe, Richard Anyebe, Rabia Hadejia, Nico Rivers, Dominic Tabakaji, and Sam Tabakaji.

Executive producer Rahmat Muhammad.

Special thanks to Anthonieta Kalunta, John Iwodi, Stanley Bentu, Aredi Isha and Mala Iwa Gbado Ikaleku.

Copyright (c) 2021 Triple-E Media Productions. All rights reserved.

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▶︎Follow us @234Audio on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

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We welcome feedback. Reach out to us via WhatsApp at +234 818 230 1234 or send us e-mail at [email protected]

On Thursday 11th of February 2021, a pregnant woman, a cart pusher, and a cobbler had an interaction in Shasha market in Akinyele local government of Oyo state. A misunderstanding turned into an argument which turned into a fight and the cobbler died. Over the next several days, shops and houses in and around Shasha market were burned and several people lost their lives and livelihoods. By the 15th of February, the Inspector General of Police deployed intervention and stabilization forces to Oyo state.

In this episode we review what we know about what happened and some of the potential factors that led to the escalation of what was just supposed to be a fight in the market.

This episode was produced by Anthonieta Kalunta, John Iwodi, Richard Anyebe, Dominic Tabakaji and Sam Tabakaji. 

Executive producer Rahmat Muhammad.

Special thanks to Rabia Hadejia, Alexandra Gekpe, Stanley Bentu, Aredi Isha and Mala Iwa Gbado Ikaleku.

Copyright (c) 2021 Triple-E Media Productions. All rights reserved.

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▶︎Follow us @234Audio on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

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We welcome feedback. Reach out to us via WhatsApp at +234 818 230 1234 or send us e-mail at [email protected]

On Thursday 31st of December 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the 2021 Appropriation Bill into law.

The Appropriation Act calls for N13.08 trillion in expenditure and N7.89 trillion in revenue. Meaning that we plan to spend more than we will make.

In this episode we speak with Tolutope Agunloye from BudgIT, Mukthar Modibbo from CODE, and Dr. MK Dikwa, former permanent secretary Federal Ministry of Finance. In addition to holding government accountable for proper spending, we should be them (and ourselves) accountable for revenue generation.

This episode was produced by Richard Anyebe, Dominic Tabakaji, Sam Tabakaji, and Nico Rivers. Executive producer Rahmat Muhammad.

Special thanks to Tolutope Agunloye at BudgIT, Mukthar Modibbo at CODE, Dr. MK Dikwa former permanent secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Alexandra Gekpe, John Iwodi, Anthonieta Kalunta, Rabia Hadejia, Stanley Bentu, Aredi Isha and Mala Iwa Gbado Ikaleku.

Copyright (c) 2021 Triple-E Media Productions. All rights reserved.

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▶︎Follow us @234Audio on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

▶︎Subscribe to our 234Audio YouTube channel

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We welcome feedback. Reach out to us via WhatsApp at +234 818 230 1234 or send us e-mail at [email protected]

On Friday 4th of December 2020, the appeal court in Abuja, Nigeria upheld the death sentence for Maryam Sanda.

Maryam is accused of killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, on the same day she found a photo of a nude woman on his phone. Maryam has maintained that she was upset, but denies killing him. She says that they argued, they had a physical struggle and he fell onto a broken shisha (hookah) bottle. The police dispute this account, arguing that Bello’s fatal wounds were more likely caused by a kitchen knife.

No weapon was found. No autopsy was conducted. No one saw what happened.

Maryam is sentenced to die by hanging.

This week, we review what we know about the case and ask if there is room for mercy.

This episode was made by Alexandra Gekpe, Anthonieta Kalunta, Richard Anyebe, Rabia Hadejia, Dominic Tabakaji, Sam Tabakaji, and Nico Rivers.

Special thanks to John Iwodi, Stanley Bentu, Aredi Isha, and Mala Iwa Gbado Ikaleku.

Copyright (c) 2021 Triple-E Media Productions. All rights reserved.

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▶︎Follow us @234Audio on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter

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We welcome feedback. Reach out to us via WhatsApp at +234 818 230 1234 or send us e-mail at [email protected]