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Post Date : June 26, 2021

Protests in London over South-East killings

SOME Nigerians on Friday took to the streets of London, United Kingdom, to protest against alleged killings and general insecurity in the South East region of the country. The protest which was reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was staged on a day President Muhammadu Buhari was supposed to arrive in London for a check up. The president, however, postponed the trip without giving reasons. According to the BBC, the protesters moved from Trafalgar Square to the Nigerian House in London to register their displeasure over the insecurity in the South East region. The protesters, who were dressed in Igbo attires, were shown on live video chanting: “Enough is enough, stop killing the Igbos, Igbos have mothers too.” The BBC also quoted one of the protesters as saying: “The Nigerian Army, police are in the South East killing our youths. Our parents have been maimed, our mothers have been raped, kidnapped, we are being marginalised. “The police, the army have no right to be in Igbo land, they should go to the North, children are being kidnapped, the army should go there and rescue them. “Enough is enough, they have no reason to come after us, they have refused to give us part of the national cake but we are a people who strive and work hard and make a living for ourselves. They should let us be!” Meanwhile, the Presidency announced the postponement of the medical check-up visit of President Buhari to the United Kingdom earlier scheduled for Friday, June 25. A statement by Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), which contained the announcement on Friday, said a new date would be announced in due course. Buhari was expected to have left for the United Kingdom Friday for the check up as a follow-up on the one he made in March this year. Buhari to come clean on the real reason behind the last minute cancellation of his London trip. The main opposition party made the demand in a statement by Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity Secretary, on Friday, saying that the party’s position is predicated on the “increasing international disapprovals to the escalated human right violations, constitutional breaches, clampdown on citizens, suppression of free speech and other excesses by the Buhari administration, for which there have been concerted demands for travel restrictions against officials of the Buhari Presidency.” The statement said while the President is left to sort out whatever impediments or constraints that led to the sudden cancellation of his scheduled medical trip, he should use this period to “have some introspection on the sorry situation in which his incompetent, divisive, vindictive and suppressive administration has pushed our nation into in the last six years.” The party urged President Buhari to also use this period to reflect on the suffering of millions of Nigerians who do not have access to foreign medical treatment, but who are dying on daily basis because of his alleged failure to pay attention to our healthcare system, which has become decrepit under his watch. PDP said: “In his consideration, Mr President must also reflect on how he has wrecked our country’s once robust economy that was handed over to him in 2015 by the PDP, to the extent that Nigerians can no longer afford to feed because their purchasing power has become depressingly low while he (Mr President) recedes further into the luxury and the safety of the Aso Rock Villa at the expense of the well-being of the ordinary citizens. “It is indeed heartrending that President Buhari appears to think of himself only even as Nigerians pass through these worst forms of hardship occasioned by his own misrule. “Nigerians are also dismayed that Mr President has consistently failed to honour his pre-2015 campaign promise not to embark on medical tourism if elected President. “President Buhari, therefore, ought to be aware that the only condition in which history will be kind to him, as he has always wished, is if he honours his own words as well as use this period to resolve the impasse between the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and his administration, fix our hospitals and confront other challenges facing the health sector in our country.”

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Post Date : June 26, 2021

Edwin Clark: South-east most disadvantaged geopolitical zone in Nigeria

Edwin Clark, an Ijaw national leader, says the south-east region is the most disadvantaged geopolitical zone in Nigeria. Clark spoke while addressing stakeholders at the south-south zonal conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital, on Friday. The conference organised by Agape Birthrights, founded by the Ankio Brigs, in partnership with Savanna Centre, was themed “Restructuring: Imperatives for Sustainable Development, Unity and Security”. According to Clark, the presence of five states in the south-east is a form of “injustice” when compared to the six states in other geopolitical zones and seven states in the north-west. He said the south-east zone has been a victim of inequality — resulting in several agitations. “South-east geopolitical zone has five states, while other zones, the south-south, the south-west, the north-central, the north-east, have six states each. In fact, the north-west has seven states, what injustice against a people,” he said. “Look at the northernisation policy going on in the country. Appointments are skewed in favour of the north, in total disregard to the feelings of other areas. Key positions in the ministries, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, customs, police, you name it, are all given to northerners. “There are 17 security arms, 14 of them are headed by northerners. Yet one expects that there shall be national unity. Of course, it will not be possible. There must be dissatisfaction and agitation. “For instance, look at what is happening in the south-east today. Our critical national assets are being attacked almost every day. People are killed, maimed. While one is gravely against such a method of expressing grievance, the people are pushed to the wall. “The south-east geopolitical zone could rightly be described as the most disadvantaged. One could not understand why the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) will be declared as a terrorist organization, while similar organizations in the north have not been so declared.” Clark said unity has become a “scarce commodity” in Nigeria. He said lack of unity is causing distrust and heightened suspicion in many parts of the country. The Ijaw leader added that Nigeria must adopt restructuring to tackle insecurity and end rising agitations. “Unity in this country today is unfortunately a scarce commodity despite the fact that unity is one of the four cardinal points contained in our country’s motto, which is unity and faith, peace and progress,” he added. “Our nation has never been so disunited, as we are today. There is so much distrust. We suspect one another’s next move. No nation can survive with such a level of distrust. And the major cause of disunity in the country today is inequality. “You do not expect me to live in unity with someone who is oppressing me, and treating me as though I am a second-class citizen in my own country. This is unacceptable. “There is so much agitation in the country. Fortunately, there is a solution to these issues. An action that can be taken and the nation will to a large extent be at peace; and that is to restructure Nigeria now.”

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Post Date : June 26, 2021

PHOTOS: Police kill suspected IPOB/ESN members, overrun three camps in Imo

Many suspected members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the militia wing of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) group, were on Friday killed during raids on their camps in Imo State by police operatives. The raid, which took place at Atta, Izombe and Ideato North areas of the state, was said to have commenced around 4 am. The Nation gathered that operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Special Tactical Squad (STS), Anti-Kidnapping Unit (AKU) and other special forces carried out the operation and completely overran three camps allegedly belonging to IPOB/ESN. Sources told The Nation that a commander of the group who was earlier arrested led the operatives to the camps where several weapons, stolen vehicles, explosives, gun powders, charms, weed, ammunition, hard drugs and the group’s flags were recovered. Although the number of suspects killed was not specified, a source privy to the operation said many of them were neutralised inside the forest during gun battles. He said six of the suspects were apprehended and were currently aiding police investigation. Below are some photos of the raid

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Post Date : June 26, 2021

Derek Chauvin, ex-US policeman, jailed for 22.5 years over George Floyd’s murder

Derek Chauvin, former Minneapolis police officer, has been sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison for the murder of George Floyd. Delivering judgement on Friday, Peter Cahill, the presiding judge, said the sentence was not based on public opinion. “The sentence is not based on is emotion or sympathy, but at the same time I want to acknowledge the deep and tremendous pain that all the families are feeling, especially the Floyd family. I acknowledge and hear the pain you are feeling,” the judge said. “I am not basing my sentence on public opinion. I’m not basing it on any attempt to send any message but based on specific facts.” Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin pinned him to the ground and knelt on his neck, when he was arrested for allegedly spending a counterfeit $20 note in a shop. The video of the incident in which Floyd pleaded, “I can’t breathe,” went viral and sparked major protests within and outside the US. An autopsy later confirmed that the cause of Floyd’s death was linked to pressure on his neck. During the trial, Floyd’s family had said they wanted a maximum sentence — which is 40 years for a second-degree murder — for the convict, but prosecutors had asked for a 30-year sentence for Chauvin. Speaking before the sentencing, Chauvin offered his condolences to Floyd’s family. “I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There’s gonna be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and I hope things will give you some peace of mind. Thank you,” the former officer said. The Friday sentencing comes months after a jury at a Minnesota state court found Chauvin guilty on the three counts of murder levelled against him. The former police officer had been charged with unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, but had pleaded not guilty to all three charges. In the verdict delivered by the jury in April 2021, Chauvin’s bail was also revoked at the time. Meanwhile, in March, the city of Minneapolis approved the sum of $27 million as settlement, following the civil lawsuit filed by Floyd’s family over his death in police custody. Speaking further in his ruling on Friday, the judge said Chauvin’s sentence was based “on your abuse of a position of trust and authority, and also the particular cruelty shown to Mr Floyd”. Chauvin was also told to register as a predatory offender, and will be prohibited from owning firearms or ammunition following his sentencing. Reacting to the ruling, Keith Ellison, Minnesota attorney-general, expressed hope that the judgement will bring about a rededication to societal change “The sentence that the court just imposed on Derek Chauvin — 270 months — is one of the longest a former police officer has ever received for unlawful use of deadly force. Like the conviction of Derek Chauvin two months ago, today’s sentencing is not justice, but it is another moment of accountability on the road to justice,” Ellison said. “It’s difficult to see anyone lose their freedom but seeing somebody lose their life through torture over nine-and-a-half minutes is incomparably worse. Those minutes and seconds are sealed into the minds of people across the world who watched George Floyd die. “My hope for Derek Chauvin is that he uses his sentence to reflect on the choices that he made on May 25, 2020. My hope is that he will find it within himself to acknowledge the impact of his choices on George Floyd, his family, fellow police officers in the world. “Today is also an important moment for our country. The outcome of this case is critically important. But by itself, it’s not enough. My hope for our country is that this moment gives us pause and allows us to rededicate ourselves to the real societal change that will move us much further along the road to justice.” Also reacting in a statement, Ben Crump, Floyd’s family attorney, described the sentence as “historic”. “This historic sentence brings the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by delivering closure and accountability,” he said. “For once, a police officer who wrongly took the life of a Black man was held to account. Day after day, year after year, police kill Black people without consequence. “But today, with Chauvin’s sentence, we take a significant step forward – something that was unimaginable a very short time ago.”

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Post Date : June 26, 2021

Nobody Invited Me For Questioning Or Any Arrest – Sheikh Gumi

Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has debunked reports that he was either quizzed or invited for questioning by the Department of State Security Service (DSS) over his remarks against the military. Speaking to Channels Television after presiding over a Jummat service at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna State on Friday, Sheikh Gumi said all his interventions with bandits inside the forest were done in collaboration with the support of the government and security agencies, hence he did not commit any offence. “Nobody Invited me for questioning or any arrest, I can say that categorically,” the Sheik said, adding, “since I ventured into the forest, I went there with full security, the police, with the knowledge of the DSS, traditional rulers and the Fulani leaders, I never went alone”. He also insisted that he never made any disparaging remarks against the military during his recent live interview on national television. According to him, there was nowhere in the TV interview that he categorically accused the entire military. The DSS had earlier on Friday said it invited the cleric for questioning. “Sheikh Gumi was invited by the Service,” the service’s spokesman, Peter Afunaya, said in a response to a Channels Television enquiry. The spokesman added that “it is not out of place for it to invite any person of interest.” Although the DSS did not confirm the rationale behind the invitation, it may not be unconnected to the Sheikh’s recent outspokenness on the issue of banditry in Nigeria. The cleric believes that amnesty should be extended to bandits, who he says have been ‘forced’ into criminality due to, in part, government neglect. “When I listened to them, I found out that it is a simple case of criminality which turned into banditry, which turned into ethnic war, and some genocide too behind the scene; people don’t know,” Sheikh Gumi said in an interview with Channels Television last February. The cleric said that while “there is no excuse for any crime; nothing can justify crime, and they are committing crime,” the bandits were forced into criminality.

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Post Date : June 26, 2021

Parents Of Abducted Tegina Pupils Barred From Media Interviews

Twenty-six days after the abduction of an unspecified number of pupils from an Islamiyya school in Tegina, Niger State, there is the silence of the graveyard in the agrarian community as parents, teachers and local authorities have been directed by the powers that be not to speak to the media. Anxious parents have been forced to stop voicing out their frustration or appeal to relevant authorities to push for the release of their children who have been in the enclaves of bandits for 26 days. Before the incident, Tegina, a sprawling community sandwiched between Zungeru and Kagara, the headquarters of Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State, never went to bed as people used to carry out their commercial activities deep into the night. But all that changed following the abduction of dozens of schoolchildren at an Islamic school on Sunday, May 30. Fear and anxiety have enveloped the community following the sad incident as residents now close shops and retire to their houses as early as 8pm. Apart from commercial and business activities, residents said farming activities had also been affected as farmers no longer go to their farms for fear of being attacked. Many residents spoken with said there was threat of famine in the community. Daily Trust reports that gun-wielding bandits stormed the Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School, located in the heart of Tegina on Sunday May 30 and started shooting indiscriminately. One person was reportedly shot dead and another seriously wounded during the afternoon raid, after which the bandits, who rode on motorbikes, made away with over 150 children. The owner of the school, Abubakar Tegina, had reportedly said he witnessed the attack, saying: “I personally saw between 20 and 25 motorcycles with heavily armed people. They entered the school and went away with about 150 or more of the students.” Although some of the abductees later escaped to reunite with their parents, majority of them are still being held captive by the bandits, who are demanding for hundreds of millions of naira while also threatening to kill the children. Our reporter, who visited Tegina at the weekend, reports that over three weeks after the abduction, parents are still living in fear and anxiety. Although the parents and the school management, as well as the Kagara Emirate Council, said they had been barred from granting interviews to journalists until the students are rescued, some of them who spoke with Daily Trust Saturday on the condition of anonymity said they were devastated. One of the parents, whose two children – a boy and a girl – were abducted said, “I have been devastated since the abduction of my two children, but as a Muslim I have left everything in the hands of God.” He said two of his relatives also had their children abducted. “On that fateful day, I was in my shop with my friend when I sighted the bandits emerging on motorbikes in their numbers. They started shooting sporadically to scare away residents. This caused panic as people were running helter-skelter. “They ended up at the school and abducted the children, including mine. I personally ran to a neighbour’s house and hid inside a well to escape them. They went to my house and searched everywhere but couldn’t find me,” the visibly distraught parent said. While acknowledging the efforts of the government in trying to secure their release, he said, “I have hope that they would be released if they are still alive. I appeal to the government to do more in securing their freedom. “Government should also try to do something to secure education because if left the way it is now, our future is doomed.” He, however, said he would still allow his children go to school despite the abduction. Another parent, who wouldn’t want his name mentioned because of the instruction to stop granting media interviews, said he developed heart attack following the abduction of his two children – all boys. “On that fateful Sunday, I went to Zungeru market, and on my way back I discovered that the road was blocked by the bandits. I was forced to hide somewhere inside the bush until about 20 minutes when they completed their operation, then I made my way home. “They later passed through my house and were shooting sporadically. Fortunately, one of my abducted children escaped,” he said. He said there had been no direct communication between the bandits and him, except through the security committee put in place. “Following the incident, I developed heart attack and went to hospital for medical attention. One of my abducted children had even completed primary school and I was making efforts to take him to secondary school. “I am appealing to the government to come to our assistance in securing their release. “There is tension everywhere, even as businesses and farming activities have been paralysed,” he said. Another parent, whose boy and girl were abducted, said he was in his provision shop that fateful day when they came. “We hurriedly closed our shops. There was shooting and I personally hid in a neighbour’s house. “There has not been any communication except through the security committee. My business has collapsed. This morning there was panic following information that they were coming. Government should come to our assistance,” he said. Apart from parents of the abducted schoolchildren, other residents of Tegina also said they were living in fear following the sad incident. A resident who wouldn’t want his name mentioned said, “There has been anxiety in Tegina community since the abduction of the schoolchildren. People have been running from the rural settlements to Kagara town for fear of attacks. There is no hiding place. Nobody is willing to allow their children go to school any longer because of insecurity. “Commercial and farming activities have become paralysed. We appeal to the government to come to our aid. We need more security personnel around to give people a sense of security.” Rabi Sani, a provision shop owner in Tegina,

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Post Date : June 26, 2021

Bandits Kidnap Local Govt Vice Chairman In Kaduna

Bandits have abducted the Vice Chairman of Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Mr James Bijimi and an unspecified number of travellers along the Kaduna-Kachia road. The incident comes two days after bandits killed a driver and kidnapped 33 other people in the Kachia metropolis. The Kaduna State Police command through its Spokesman, Mohammed Jalige confirmed the incident but did not give the number of those that were abducted. He said security operatives recovered three vehicles apparently belonging to the abductees, while one person was injured. However, a community leader in the area who did not want his name mentioned, told Channels Television that the bandits mounted a roadblock around Gonan Roger and Makyali axis in Kajuru Local Government at about 10:00 am on Friday morning, where they intercepted some vehicles and took away some people including the Vice-Chairman of Jaba Local Government Area. He said security operatives responded swiftly to the area and engaged the bandits in a gun battle. Meanwhile, during the encounter, the troops were able to rescue six abducted women. A top official of the local government also told Channels Television that the bandits have established contact with the family of the abducted Vice Chairman, and are demanding a ransom of N100 million before his release.

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Post Date : June 25, 2021

APC is back to life’ — Buhari says party crisis over

‘ President Muhammadu Buhari says the All Progressives Congress (APC) is back to life and has overcome the phase of litigations and intra-party strife. Advertisement The president said the party has been revived, energised, and repositioned for its national convention and future elections. Buhari spoke on Friday at a meeting with members of the national caretaker/extraordinary convention planning committee (CECPC) led by Mai Mala Buni, governor of Yobe state. The president hailed the committee for reorganising the party and reconciling members, and added that “with the work done by the committee the party has bounced back to life”. Advertisement He said: “I have listened with great interest the remarkable job you have done so far. “We are all witnesses to the crisis that engulfed the party leading to litigations and presented a picture of selfishness and division.” Buni, the chairman of the CECPC, said the committee approached the duty with commitment and dedication to rescue the party from imminent collapse. Advertisement “We are currently witnessing high powered decamping to our party, including governors from the PDP,” he said. “The party is now more peaceful, orderly and accommodating than what we met on the ground. Although there was initial fear, the mobilisation and sensitization was able to allay the fears of members. “We have observed that youth and women constitute huge population of the voting group. “We had a youth and women committee, and also people with disability.” Advertisement He said a contact and strategy team had been set up in every state to come up with an acceptable template that would ensure transparency, credibility and acceptability of the internal electoral processes. Buni said the committee had also instituted a process to review the party’s constitution and look into loopholes that usually fan conflict and litigations among members. The CECPC chairman added that the party members had agreed to name the APC national secretariat after the president.

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Post Date : June 25, 2021

Gunmen murder former Commissioner’s wife in Ibadan

Mrs. Olayemi Odetomi, who was the wife of a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters during the late governor Abiola Ajimobi’s tenure, Mr. Peter Odetomi, has been murdered by gunmen in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Mrs. Odetomi was killed in her Akobo home Friday morning. Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Mr. Adewale Osifeso, said the deceased was killed in her home. “The deceased, Olayemi Odetomi, aged 66yrs, died on the spot after being shot during a robbery incident which occurred during the early hours of Friday 25th June, 2021 in her home. Updates on Investigations would be provided in due course,” Osifeso said. Odetomi was the deputy governorship candidate to Ajimobi in the 2007 election on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP). Prior to that, he was the chairman of Ogbomoso South Local Government. Mr. Odetomi was unavailable for comments on the incident as at press time.

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Post Date : June 25, 2021

DSS Invites Sheik Gumi

The Department of State Services (DSS) has invited Sheik Ahmad Gumi. The respected Islamic scholar was invited days after he said security operatives were conniving with bandits. When he featured on an ARISE Television programme earlier in the week, Gumi had said bandits would not have had access to weapons without the connivance of corrupt security operatives. On Friday, VOA’s Hausa Service quoted Gumi’s spokesman, Tukur Mamu, as confirming the Sheikh’s invitation to the commission’s Kaduna office. The military had earlier cautioned Gumi to be mindful of his utterances. In a statement signed by the spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Onyeama Nwachukwu, the military said the allegations made by Dr. Gumi were serious and an attempt to demoralise its troops. General Nwachukwu said the soldiers were the ones who sacrificed their lives to rescue the students of Federal Government College in Kebbi State, who were recently abducted by gunmen. However, in response, his spokesman, Sheikh Gumi, dismissed the allegations made against him by the Army, saying the incidents were unfortunate. He said in the entire discussion, the cleric did not blame the entire military, saying it was a fact that many people had fought, and even the soldiers themselves had repeatedly accused of being barbaric.

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