One of the coordinators and staunch members and sponsors of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nwakaji Chidera Emmanuel has escaped abroad. According to reliable sources, the escapee Commander who has been declared wanted by the police escaped to Germany after his ancestral home, Ihioma in Orlu, Imo State was demolished by the security forces and Chika Edozie the Directorate of State (DOS), also hails from the same town. Recall that due to intense pressure by the security forces against Ipob members, most of them are due for their lives to escape while others have been gruesomely killed. 2021 and 2022 were so bloody for some residents of Orlu Community and environs as a result of the clampdown by the Nigerian security operatives resulting in over 988 Ipob members brutally murdered in Orlu alone Nwakaji who was a strong sponsor and supporter of Ipob was nearly murdered late last year by some Nigerian security forces accompanied by Ebubeagu security men when they nearly close on him at Orie Okporo, a market in Orlu Imo state. Going by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the input of the then British Government led by Lord Lugard who averred that after 100 years of co-existence as a country, any of the regions can secede, it is not a crime for the Biafran to seek self-determination from the Nigerian government laced with the fact that Ipob is not a terrorist organization. On this note, international communities such as the USA, UK, GERMANY, FRANCE and other European countries should come to the rescue.

  Gunmen on Sunday night razed Oguta high court located in the Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State. Our correspondent gathered that the attackers arrived around 11.30pm and attacked the facility. The high court is located inside the Local Government headquarters. A source who preferred anonymity said the magistrate’s court registry, appeal court record office, file room, secretary to the high court judge’s office, office of the high court bailiff, the chamber of the high court judge were burnt. The source said ” magistrate court registry, appeal court record office, file room, secretary to the high court judge’s office, office of the high court bailiff were burnt while chamber of high court judge was partly razed. the whole of the block has cracked and no reasonable human being will ever near the facility.” The Sole Administrator of the Oguta LGA, Ofili Ijioma confirmed the incident. He said that the arson had been reported to security agents. He assured that investigation would unravel the faces of the attackers. Imo State police spokesperson, Henry Okoye promised to get back to our correspondent when contacted on phone on Monday.

  Leaders of Fulani communities (Ardos) from across the country under the agesis of Fulbe United for Peace and Development have endorsed the presidential bid of the presidential candidate of the All progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. According to Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, Special Assistant to the APC Presidential Candidate on Media and Publicity, the leaders converged on Abuja on Sunday. He quoted them as saying as leaders of Fulani ethnic nationality, they were satisfied with the antecedents of Tinubu and his plans for Nigeria. At the event, which was held in conjunction with a socio-political group, Arewa New Agenda, the group said it would use its 33,661 members to mobilize millions of their members to vote for Tinubu in the presidential poll. Addressing the gathering after performing the kolanut-sharing tradition, leader of the group, Ardo Aliyu Liman Bobboi, said with the sharing of the kola, the leaders would go back with the message to their people on the decision reached at the meeting. He said the gathering was an avenue to underscore their support, trust in his leadership qualities and capacity to administer the country effectively if he emerges victorious at the poll. According to him, the Ardos, as leaders of the people, have final say on the position of their people and would follow it to the latter to ensure compliance. Liman, who made reference to Tinubu’s Fulani associates who accompanied him to the meeting, including Governors Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Abubakar Badaru of Kano and Jigawa states, respectively, and pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, expressed optimism that the Tinubu led presidency would ensure the well-being of the Fulani ethnic nationality in Nigeria. The group also conferred on Tinubu the title of “Barkindo” (the blessed one) which they described as a revered title among the Fulani. Ganduje who spoke glowingly of Tinubu’s leadership qualities described the Fulani people, who have cohabited peaceably with their fellow Nigerians, as an endangered specie that deserve to be catered for and protected in the years ahead. Speaking at the event, the APC presidential candidate, who reminisced the cordial relationship between his late mother Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, himself and Fulani inhabitants of Lagos State over the years, expressed gratitude for the show of love and support for his ambition. He reiterated his commitment to creating an enabling environment where Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic and religious backgrounds shall cohabit and live peaceably with one another without let or hindrances. Tinubu said: “Prior to this day I never thought I would meet a Fulani man who speaks better Yoruba. That is very wonderful. “This is the Nigeria that we want, we expect Nigeria to be united with one voice, sharing of culture and belief in each other. I want to tell you if we stay here for the next five hours it’s the same story you would be hearing from me. Thank Almighty Allah. “We have had problems with herders. But I guarantee you today that the problem would be solved permanently. The blueprint is almost ready. We will plan with it. The world is fair and good for all of us. “We have to live in peace not only because of today but because of our children and grandchildren. “What we learn about the Fulanis is their simplicity and commitment to promises. “When they give you commitment you get it. I hope I can transfer the blood , spirit that I got from you to my grandchildren for the unity stability and peace of Nigeria. You know you are in my heart. We will make Nigeria great. And we will make the name Fulani a very respectable name.”

  Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has urged undecided voters to support him in the forthcoming presidential election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has fixed the presidential and national assembly elections to hold on February 25. The governorship and state house of assembly polls will take place on March 11 Obi in a post on his official Twitter handle on Monday said Nigeria needs a leader who is capable of moving the country toward the direction of national rebirth. “Good Morning Nigeria. We are down the stretch with 12 Days to go. I have a message for Nigerians, especially those that are sitting on the fence; It is DECISION TIME!,” he writes. “Every nation has significant moments in their history –when a situation arises, which requires that nation to take specific steps that would mark her turning point. Nigeria is at that historical junction. How we have done as a nation is no longer in debate. “We have done poorly due to bad leadership. We must now seize this moment. We must save Nigeria now or never. Twelve days from now we will be called upon to make very hard choices. It won’t be about tribe or religion; it won’t be about the traditional sentiments of my turn. “It will be about National Interest. We have gambled with Nigeria, her destiny, and the fate of our children. That must stop. We must revisit lessons learned and missed opportunities. What Nigeria needs now is a visionary, transformational leader, capable of moving the country in the direction of National Rebirth. “For long we trusted the elders. Those of us born after independence must now be given the opportunity to reshape the destiny of this nation. What kind of a leader does Nigeria need at this time? We need leaders who will take full responsibility to protect Nigerian lives, property, and prosperity. That is what Datti and I represent. “Banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder clashes, millions of children on our streets, hunger, unemployment, and poverty are not our portion. It can’t be. This moment calls for a new kind of leader. We have set out our vision and plan. We are asking Nigerians to give us the mandate to deliver on them. “We stand at a critical moment in our history as a nation. We must not waste this moment. We must seize the moment.”

  The massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6 is the fifth-deadliest this century. Here is a list of the 10 worst quakes since 2000, ranked by death toll: 2004: 230,000 dead, southeast Asia On December 26, a massive 9.1-magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that kills more than 230,000 people throughout the region, including 170,000 in Indonesia alone. Waves 30 metres (100 feet) high, travelling at 700 kilometres per hour (435 miles per hour), swallow everything in their path. 2010: 200,000 dead, Haiti A magnitude 7 quake on January 12 devastates the capital Port-au-Prince and the surrounding region. The quake cuts the country off from the rest of the world for 24 hours, killing over 200,000 people, leaving 1.5 million homeless and shattering much of Haiti’s frail infrastructure.   In October the same year, Haiti is also hit by a cholera epidemic introduced by Nepalese peacekeepers who arrived after the quake. It kills more than 10,000 people. 2008: 87,000 dead, Sichuan More than 87,000 people, including 5,335 school pupils, are left dead or missing when a 7.9-magnitude quake strikes southwestern Sichuan province on May 12. The quake causes outrage after it emerges that 7,000 schools were badly damaged, triggering accusations of shoddy construction, corner-cutting and possible corruption, especially as many other buildings nearby held firm. 2005: 73,000 dead, Kashmir An October 8 earthquake kills more than 73,000 people, the vast majority in Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province and the Pakistani-administered zone of Kashmir. A further 3.5 million are displaced. 2023: 35,000 dead, Turkey and Syria On February 6, a 7.8-magnitude quake strikes near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border. The biggest quake in Turkey in nearly a century, which is followed by a 7.5 magnitude tremor, reduces entire neighbourhoods of cities in southeastern Turkey and the north of war-ravaged Syria to rubble. On February 13, the toll hits 35,224.   2003: 31,000 dead, Bam (Iran) A 6.6-magnitude quake in southeastern Iran on December 26 destroys the ancient mud-brick city of Bam, killing at least 31,000 people. Nearly 80 percent of Bam’s infrastructure is damaged and the desert citadel, once considered the world’s largest adobe building, crumbles. 2001: 20,000 dead, India A massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake on January 26 hits the western Indian state of Gujarat, killing more than 20,000 people. The quake flattens buildings across the state, with many fatalities in the town of Bhuj near the border with Pakistan. 2011: 18,500 dead, Japan On March 11, Japan is struck by an enormous 9.0-magnitude earthquake, unleashing a towering tsunami. Around 18,500 people are left dead or missing as the wall of water travelling at the speed of a jet plane levels communities along the northeastern coast. The ensuing meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant blankets nearby areas with radiation, rendering some towns uninhabitable for years and displacing tens of thousands of residents. 2015: 9,000 dead, Nepal A 7.8-magnitude earthquake on April 25 strikes in central Nepal, triggering avalanches and landslides across the Himalayan nation, destroying schools and hospitals. The quake kills almost 9,000 people and renders millions homeless. It also reduces more than a hundred monuments to rubble, including centuries-old temples and royal palaces in the Kathmandu valley. 2006: 6,000 dead, Java On May 26, a 6.3-magnitude quake rocks the southern coast of the Indonesian island of Java, near the city of Yogyakarta, killing around 6,000 people. More than 420,000 are left homeless and around 157,000 houses are destroyed. AFP

  A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos has ordered the remand of an actress, Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, at the Kirikiri correctional center pending the determination of her bail application, for tampering with the Naira notes.   The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, arraigned Omoseyin on Monday before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on a two-count charge brought against her. One of the count reads, that you Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin on the 28th day of January, 2023 at Monarch event center, Lekki within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court whilst dancing during a social occasion tampered with the sum of N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same in the said occasion and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 21 (1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007. The second reads, that you Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin on the 28th day of January, 2023 at Monarch event center, Lekki within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court whilst dancing during a social occasion tampered with the sum of N100, 000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by dancing on same in the said occasion and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 21 (1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007. She pleaded not guilty to the offence. In view of her plea, the prosecution counsel, Sulaiman Sulaiman asked the court for a trial date and urged that the defendant be remanded in the appropriate correctional facility. Responding, counsel to the defendant, Adenike Goncalves asked the court to admit the defendant to bail pending the hearing and determination of the case. She also asked that her client be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending the perfection of the bail terms if so granted by the court. While Sulaiman submitted that bail is at the discretion of the court, he asked that in the event bail is granted, the conditions of the bail term should be such that would enable the defendant be present during the trial. Justice Aneke deferred ruling on the bail application to Wednesday, February 15, 2023 and remanded the defendant at the Kirikiri correctional facility. Omoseyin was arrested by operatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Fraud Related Offences Commission, ICPC, on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 along Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, and was handed over to the EFCC for investigation. The 31-year-old was arrested after the video of her spraying and stepping on the newly redesigned Naira notes at a party surfaced online. In the viral video, she was also seen flaunting wads of the new Naira notes. In her statement to the Commission, she claimed that she received the new Naira notes from her fans at the party and that she did not know the persons who gave her the money. Items recovered from her at the point of arrest include a Range Rover and Iphone mobile devices

  The Lagos State Government has ordered a coroner’s inquest to ascertain the cause of death in the case of Whytney Adeniran, a 12-year-old student of Chrisland School who died last Thursday.   A statement from the public affairs unit of the State’s Ministry of Justice, stated that the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), gave the directive on Monday, noting that a thorough investigation will be carried out to ascertain the cause of death. The statement reads in part, “A Coroner’s Inquest has immediately been requested, in line with section 14 and 15 of the Coroners’ Systems Law, Laws of Lagos State 2015, to determine the cause and circumstances of death.” READ ALSO: AIG Jimeta Dies After Brief Illness By Section 14(1)(d) of the Coroners’ System Law of the State: “A report of death shall be made to any of the agencies for the report of death or the office of the Coroner and be subject to post-mortem examination where there is reasonable cause to believe that the cause of death was: violent, unnatural or suspicious.”   “Section 15(1) and (9) further enjoins the Coroner to hold an inquest whenever he or she is informed that the death of the deceased person was in a violent, unnatural or suspicious situation or believes an inquest is desirable following the report of a reportable death.” The AG noted that as a government, the security and wellbeing of citizens are of utmost importance while assuring the public that everything will be done to ensure that the cause of death is known. “The findings of this investigation will be made public in due course and appropriate sanctions meted out to anyone found culpable,” he added. School Shut The Lagos State Ministry of Education on Monday ordered the temporary closure of Chrisland School, Opebi-Ikeja, following the reported death of Adeyemi. A release signed by the State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo said the closure was ordered pending the outcome of a full investigation into the unfortunate incident. Adefisayo, on behalf of the state Ministry of Education, commiserated with Mr. and Mrs. Adeyemi, the parents of Whytney, and prayed for the repose of her soul. “We also note the impact of this unfortunate event on family, friends and acquaintance of Whytney and call for calm as we assure that no effort will be spared in investigating the incident,” the Commissioner stated.

  Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court Abuja on Monday adjourned till 14th February for ruling on the bail application filed by Ali Bello, a nephew to the Kogi State governor, and three others on an alleged N3 billion fraud charge brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).   Justice Egwuatu had on February 8, adjourned for ruling on the bail application filed by the defendants after they had pleaded not guilty to the 18-count charge At the day’s sitting, counsel to the defendants Ahmed Raji (SAN), told the court that the EFCC had filed a counter affidavit to the bail application The counter affidavit was filed on Friday, February 10, making it impossible for them to reply. Justice Egwuatu, however, noted that there are no copies of the counter affidavit in his record. Counsel to the EFCC told the court that the counter affidavit was mistakenly filed before another judge. Justice Obiora Egwuatu subsequently adjourned the case till Tuesday to enable the counsels regularise their processes and for a possible ruling.