The expectation of supporters and admirers of the Yoruba nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Ighoho to solidarise with him on Wednesday was dashed as the authorities of Benin Republic failed to arraign him in court. Hearing into Igboho extradition process after he was arrested at a Cotonou airport on Monday night, alongside his wife on their way to Germany did not hold. Many of his (Igboho) supporters, who had waited in vain to see him started to leave the court premises when the Benin Republic security agency failed to bring him to court. ‌ According to British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Yoruba, the court where the trial was to take place is called Paequet, and checks indicated that Igboho was still being kept in a detention centre called the Brigade De Criminel near Berlier. Meanwhile, in a video on the Facebook page of Olayomi Koiki, Igboho’s media aide, the Yorubas in Cotonou were seen singing solidarity songs and demanding freedom for Igboho. They also demanded an independent nation of Yoruba people. They said they have confidence in the Benin Republic justice system, expressing optimism that Igboho will be freed.

The Presidency on Wednesday flayed calls for foreign intervention in Nigeria’s affairs. It described those behind them as acting in bad faith. It also knocked those who disparage Nigeria and its citizens outside the shores of the country. The Presidency admonished Nigerians to be good ambassadors of the country, if they desire foreigners to think positively about Nigeria. The admonition was contained in a statement by Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity Mallam Garba Shehu. The Presidency made reference to Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari’s recent description of the calls on “foreign powers to meddle in the internal affairs of Nigeria” as the “highest level of unpatriotism.’’ Also Wednesday, former Chief of Army Staff Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) and the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) disagreed on the allegation by Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese that the Muhammadu Buhari administration was persecuting Christians. In the statement, the Presidency said: ’’There’s nothing to gain by disparaging your country overseas. Every citizen must respect their nation. Those countries they go to and say bad things about Nigeria, their citizens dare not do that. ‘’When they go outside, they speak well of their nation. They are ambassadors of their own country. They are salesmen for their nations. Why do we go out and tell the worse stories of our own country’? ‘’I think that Nigerians have to change. If we don’t love this country and if we don’t promote it, nobody will do it for us. This is very clear from the message Governor (Aminu) Masari(of Katsina State) issued a few days ago.’’ The presidential spokesman urged Nigerians to contribute to the success of the nation’s security by reporting criminals in their midst. In Kano, Gen. Dambazau accused Kukah of whipping up religious sentiments, instead of advising the government on how to tackle insecurity in the country. He said the cleric’s comments during a virtual conference with United States lawmakers were capable of making the security environment more complex. He said: “I was very surprised that, particularly, on his accusation that the Christians in Nigeria are being persecuted; where he cited about three examples. That Boko Haram, bandits and all other criminals use religious platforms to commit all kinds of acts of terrorism. “I wondered why he should make that kind of statement. This is because everybody knows that these categories of criminals do not discriminate in terms of religion. What they do is that they have a sect’s belief and anybody who does not believe in the way they think is automatically an enemy and he becomes a target. “Of recent, the government said it is bringing new aircraft and a lot of equipment to fight insurgency. So, anybody who says the Nigerian government is doing nothing in tackling insecurity in the country is wrong.” But, HURIWA came to Kukah’s defence by condemning the Presidency for what it described as “unwarranted joining of issues with him. HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, and National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, added: “We totally endorse the presentation made by His Lordship, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, for these are facts that are empirical and we are witnesses to the ongoing nepotistic appointments of President Buhari and the consistent killings of Christian clerics by Islamists are facts that the President can’t hide from”

Senate Minority Leader, Enyinaya Abaribe, on Wednesday said he would stand surety for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu again given the same circumstances. The Senator explained he stood surety for Kanu when the IPOB leader was arraigned because it was a condition imposed by the court. According to him, the court ordered that one of the sureties must be a Senator, and as the Chairman of the Southeast Senators Caucus then, he had to offer himself as the surety. He said given the circumstances, he would not hesitate to stand as surety for Kanu again. Asked whether Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is now the Chairman of Southeast Caucus, would agree to stand as sure for Kanu should the need arise, Abaribe said he would not know. Abaribe spoke during an interview on TVC’s Journalists Hangout. He faulted his Senator-colleagues who voted against electronic transmission of results. On Kanu, Abaribe said: “He’s our son. He’s from our state (Abia). He (Kanu) said it himself that he ran for his dear life. “There is a difference between jumping bail and escaping for your life. I went back to court and deposed that on the basis of the principle of ‘last seen’, that the last people seen with him were soldiers of the Nigerian army who were invading his father’s residence. “The judge ultimately ruled that she was revoking bail and issued a warrant of arrest, thereby removing us from the responsibility of providing him. A lot of people did not understand.” Abaribe said he did not feel betrayed that Kanu left the country, saying he ran for his life. Senators, mostly All Progressives Congress (APC) members, voted last Thursday that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must obtain the clearance of Nigerian Communications Communication (NCC) and the National Assembly before transmitting results electronically. Abaribe believes the APC Senators position is “antithetical” to the constitutional provision on INEC’s independence. He said the APC Senators resisted the electronic transmission of results because they were afraid of defeat in the next general election. He expressed optimism that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would win the 2023 presidential election. Abaribe said: “Certain interests were being protected by those who felt that electronic transmission of results and openness and transparency are not what they would like.” On PDP’s chances in 2023, he said: “All the promises made by the APC, having fallen flat, the party is very jittery… “We are going to win. The problem of the APC will start in September. When the problems start coming, it will be very clear. Let’s not be worried about what is happening now.” The Senator said he would never defect to the APC. He believes the APC is using federal might to intimidate PDP members to join the ruling party. Abaribe described the defection of Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawelle, from PDP to APC as pathetic. He said: “I will never leave the PDP even if I’m the last. This is because I don’t see what I can gain from the APC. “For some of us who have built our reputation based on truth and integrity, there are things we cannot do.” He urged the Federal Government to do an introspection on why component parts of the country feel alienated from the centre.

Tragedy struck in Kwara State, on Wednesday, as fume from a generator killed four people. The incident occurred at the Ojomu family compound in Sanmora, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara. family compound in Sanmora, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara. APPLY: Federal Roads Safety Corps recruitment 2021 Kidnapper nabbed in abducted soldier’s uniform The victims reportedly came down from Lagos to celebrate the Sallah festival. Their corpses have been deposited at the Offa General Hospital morgue. Two other victims who were unconscious have been rushed to the hospital for medical attention. A source said the DPO of Agbamu, Igbasan Owoyemi John, was among those that came to evacuate the bodies. According to the source, “We discovered there lifeless bodies this morning, the head of the house, his wife and her friend and the friend to one of his children who followed them to celebrate Sallah from Lagos. “In the night while they were still feasting, they put on the generator and all slept off. “It was one of the aged women in the compound who wanted to go and welcome them around past 7:00am Wednesday that discovered their bodies and raised the alarm. “Two of them who were still alive when residents went in were unconscious. They are lying in critical condition at the hospital now and we don’t know their date yet”, the source added. When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the development. “Yes, I just called our officers there. The incident is true. We will continue to appeal to people to put safety first in all there actions even during celebration. We however, condoled with the affected family over this unfortunate incident,” he added.