Three persons died in Ukwa West local government area of Abia State when youths of the area protested the killing of their kinsman by suspected herdsmen’. Sources said residents of the area are living in fear over the possible arrest of innocent citizens by police and other security agencies. Some sources said that the reported killing of a 36-year-old Israel Nwaobilor, a tipper driver, who hails from Umuorie community in Ukwa West LGA sparked the killing of two other persons. Those who died were said to be wheelbarrow petty trader and commercial motorcyclist whose identities were yet to be confirmed. They reportedly died when caught in the web of a protest by youths of Umuorie community which went violent. Nwaobilor was said to have gone to load sharp sand in his tipper to supply one of his clients when he was reportedly abducted by some persons and found dead in the bush some days. A source in Ukwa West that spoke anonymously with our correspondent said: “I learnt the late Isreal Nwaobilor had gone to load sand in his tipper when he was abducted by some gunmen said to be herdsmen. “It was gathered that there was no official report at the police in charge of the area over the missing of Obilor. “His killing which happened on the 18th of June was said to have happened a few weeks after a woman was kidnapped and killed by suspected herdsmen. “According to the report, a search was conducted and his corpse was not found. His body was said to have been found in the bush days later by some persons who later reported the matter to the police. “But before police could get to the scene, the youths had gone to evacuate the body of the deceased from the location. “The youths upon discovery of the body of the young man took his body to the street to protest his killing. “The protest however turned violent as the youths started destroying properties. “The youths were said to have taken the corpse to the residence of the DPO where they tried to force themselves into the compound but when they were resisted. They took to the streets and went violent. “They started attacking any Hausa man and woman that they sighted and when they saw one Hausa man selling things with his wheelbarrow, they pounced on him “They thought the other man was a police officer, not knowing that he was just an innocent commercial motorcyclist. “It was at the point where the police could not handle the situation that they invited soldiers from the 144 Battalion who waded into the matter to stop the youths from causing further damage in the community.” Reports said many residents had left the community though calm is gradually returning to the area. Abia Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Geoffrey Ogbonna said the corpse of Nwaobilor was found in the bush by hunters. “Angry mob went on rampage carrying the corpse of the deceased driver to the Police Station. “After being addressed and dispersed, they mobilised to the major road where they intercepted a herder and a motorcyclist who they eventually vexed their anger on leading to loss of lives. “Corpses of the driver and cyclist were deposited in the morgue while that of the herder was released to his relations on demand for burial.”

  The Indigenous People of Biafra has described the comments by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), that the group was responsible for pipeline vandalism in the country as “laughable, disgraceful and fallacious”. The secessionist group reminded the President that his Western audience already knew who the pipeline vandals are in Nigeria. In a statement on Wednesday, IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said for Buhari to tell the United States and other Western countries that IPOB was responsible for pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta showed he was “shallow-minded” and “uninformed” on the goings-on the country. Powerful added that the President only chose to advertise his ignorance and the failure of his government in credible intelligence gathering by making such “wide” and “untenable” allegations. He challenged Buhari to show the world the locations of the pipelines IPOB vandalised in the country. He said, “Maybe the Fulani-controlled Federal Government of Buhari doesn’t know that the Western nations are not as daft, uninformed, kleptomaniacs and clueless as he thinks, otherwise, he would not have made such embarrassing factless claims. “The President should be reminded that his Western audience already know the actual culprits behind pipeline vandalism in Nigeria and who the beneficiaries are. What a contradiction and confusion in Buhari’s Nigeria! “In case he has forgotten as usual, just last week, his Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps boss threatened to name high-profile Nigerians behind oil theft. Did the NSCDC boss need to issue such a threat assuming IPOB a ‘terror organisation’ according to Buhari’s Nigeria is actually the ones behind the crime?” The statement also added that IPOB, since its formation about 12 years ago has never been involved in pipeline vandalism, except it’s freedom struggle, adding that the President was just being hypocritical in his comments. It added that Buhari looked away while the Fulani herdsmen continued to wreaked havoc by terrorising, massacring Nigerians on a daily basis. It urged world leaders to stop paying attention to the Buhari-led government, adding that the government is living on a borrowed time. “Inviting Buhari to a security meeting in Rwanda is like asking the Hyena to participate in a discussion on the wellbeing of the antelope. Buhari’s government has failed woefully as far as securing the lives and properties of Nigerians is concerned so, therefore, has nothing to offer on security matters and discussions,” it said. The statement read in part, “Going to Bloomberg news and parroting falsehood against IPOB won’t save Buhari and his co-travelers from being prosecuted at the International Criminal Court at the appropriate time. “Buhari should be told that the West understands that his anger with IPOB is simply because IPOB remains the only obstacle to the evil agenda of the Fulani herdsmen trying to overrun Nigeria and declare it an Islamic State. That is why it is only in Nigeria that IPOB, a peaceful movement with a presence in over 100 countries is tagged a terrorist organisation. “Buhari and his kangaroo court delivered a black market judgment against a peaceful movement seeking freedom for their people, without looking into his Fulani kinsmen’s activities of eliminating none Fulani in the country. “Buhari and his wicked cabals refused to declare Fulani terrorists masquerading as herdsmen manhandling, rapping destroying communities and killing innocent citizens of Nigeria. He refused to declare them terrorists, but begging kept on begging the Western world to declare IPOB. “One thing is certain, IPOB will hunt down those terrorists masquerading as herdsmen in Biafran bushes and forests. “Whatever allegations they like let them fabricate. We can’t abdicate our divine mandate of defending our ancestral land against FULANI occupation. “Buhari and his Fulani-controlled Federal Government of Nigeria sponsored insecurity in the Eastern region and blamed it on IPOB thinking that the world is unaware of the activities of Fulani and his military men deployed in our territory. “The world is watching everything happening in Nigeria and IPOB members will stand firm because we won’t allow them to take over our ancestral lands. They have done that between 1967-1970 when they committed genocide against innocent Biafrans because Biafrans wanted to liberate themselves from the bondage Britain put us into by forcing disparate Nations with totally different value systems and cultures together in the contraption called Nigeria.

  President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday urged the Senate to screen and confirm Alhaji Mohammed Shehu for appointment as the Chairman, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC). Buhari’s request for the confirmation of Shehu was contained in a letter read at plenary by Senate President, Ahmad Lawan. The letter reads in part: “In accordance with the provision of Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, I am pleased to forward for confirmation by the Senate, the appointment of Mohammed Bello Shehu, as the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission. “It is my hope that the Senate will consider and confirm the nominee in the usual expeditious manner.”

  Shehu Sani, the senator who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th assembly, has expressed surprise over the recent appointment of ministers by President Muhammadu Buhari. Speaking when he appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Sani said Buhari should have reappointed Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation. “I was surprised to read that names were sent to the national assembly. Having known that he has a record notoriously for delaying appointments and being indecisive on issues.” “If you can recall history, before he appointed the ministers when he took over office in 2015, it took him many months and there was a minister from Kogi state that also died in a road crash, it also took eternity for him to appoint a new one. And then you have cases of replacement of minister of agriculture and that of power. It also takes time for him to reshuffle.” Sani also stated that this is the first time in the history of the country where Ministers will serve double terms in the same position without being reshuffled. “So this is the first time even in the history of this country where you have ministers staying on the same position for long without being reshuffled and those who were sacked without being replaced but I think he has lately recognized that he has very little time left and he took action. It is in fact contrary to what we expected. In fact, I expected him to stay at least up to December to do what he has done but at least, he has done it. “But I thought even that as critical as the ministry of transportation is, actually former minister who has made promises and pledges of completing these rail lines some within this year, some next year, he should have been returned to ensure that all those contracts that have been signed with China and put down and other financiers of our rail project at least he sees them to the end.”