The Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, on Tuesday said some former governors in the North-West had compromised the security alliance among states in the region by “wining and dining” with bandits and other terrorists. The states in the region are Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara. Sani, who made a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, claimed some governors took an “extremely wrong” approach in the management of the internal affairs of their states, leading to the current security challenges. “I remember when the Kaduna State Government and some states within the North-West — and even Niger State, they have borders with us — came together to work out a framework to tackle this issue of insecurity,” he said. “We had a joint committee, joint funding, working closely with all the security agencies — the army, the air force and the police. “But unfortunately, somewhere along the line, the alliance broke down when some state governors decided to start engaging the bandits and the terrorists sitting with them, winning and dining with them, compensating them, negotiating with them.” The governor argued that the approach brought the progress backwards, resulting in a breakdown of the alliance. The insecurity in the region, according to him, necessitated urgent action from the governors in the region. “Only two weeks ago, I invited all the governors from the North-West to the Kaduna State Liaison Office in Abuja; I hosted them. Irrespective of party differences, they all came; we sat down together and came out with a kind of policy framework to tackle the problem of insecurity,” Sani said. “We agreed that we have to have a common approach to the issue and we have to move away from the mistakes made by some previous governors that decided to compromise the operation in the past when they started giving money to the bandits and negotiating with them.” According to him, the North-West governors are in agreement on the need to tackle the problem and plan to reach out to the Niger State governor, Umar Bago, “because we have a similar problem”. Sani added that the governors are also planning to meet President Bola Tinubu as a group. “In one of my conversations with him, he agreed that I should bring the governors from the zone to meet with him on the issue of insecurity,” he said. “So, we have to work together with a common agenda, plan and operation. That is the only way we can be able to solve the problem.

  The former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has stated that the ruling All Progressives Congress government has been handed another opportunity to correct what he described as their past misdeeds against Nigerians at the expense of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party. Wike disclosed this during a live media chat, Tuesday at the state capital, Port Harcourt. “APC should be jubilating that God has given them an opportunity at the cost of PDP. God gave APC the opportunity to repent from the sins they committed against Nigerians,” Wike said. The former governor again faulted the PDP for failing to follow its zoning principle which he said cost them the February 25 presidential election and gave the APC the chance to emerge victorious. He also asked critics to show support for the current administration in delivering the dividends of democracy to Nigerians. “God gave them this opportunity now and they want to bungle it again by bringing in crisis,” he said. f Mr. President doesn’t have a smooth administration, at the end of the day, who suffers? Is it, not Nigerians? Let us believe that we are all one, let us give everyone a sense of belonging.” When asked if he would accept an appointment from President Bola Tinubu, Wike declared he is not begging for one but will be interested in what capacity he will function in if offered. “First of all, I am not lobbying for an appointment, for Christ’s sake. And I can’t only be important because you have given me an appointment. I mean, you should look at it very well. “Two, Mr. President has not called me. With due respect, if Mr. President calls you and says, I want you to serve. Maybe I will ask, in what capacity do you want me to serve? And he says it, I say okay, thank you, sir. “Look I have a political team, I have a family, I won’t just sit down without talking to anybody and say oh Yes. Look, look, I am not begging for an appointment. The media chat was coming less than 24 hours after Wike alongside former Ebonyi state governor, Dave Umahi and Senator Godswill Akpabio met with Tinubu behind closed doors at the Aso Villa.

  A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, dismissed a suit filed by five residents of the Federal Capital Territory, who prayed to the court to halt the inauguration of Bola Tinubu as president. The five applicants —Anyaegbunam Okoye, David Adzer, Jeffery Ucheh, Osang Paul and Chibuike Nwachukwu—identified themselves as registered voters of the FCT. The PUNCH reports the five residents in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/578/2023, urged the court to stop the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, any other judicial officer and/or any other authority or person from swearing in any candidate in the February 25 presidential election as President or Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The suit read in part, “A declaration that no state of the country is at the same time the FCT for any purpose whatsoever, including, in particular, under section 134 (2) (b) of the Constitution. “A declaration that no candidate in the February 25 presidential election in the country may validly be declared elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without that candidate obtaining at least 25% of the votes cast in the FCT, Abuja “A declaration that no candidate in the February 25 presidential election in the country may validly be declared elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without that candidate obtaining at least 25% of the votes cast in the FCT, Abuja.   “A declaration that no candidate in the February 25 presidential election may validly be sworn in as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, without such candidate having obtained 25% of the votes cast in FCT, Abuja. “A declaration that following the February 25 presidential election and until a successor is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and sworn in, the term of office of his Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCON, as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria subsists and endures in accordance with the provisions of section 135 (1) (a) of the Constitution”. It added that this should remain until it is judicially determined with finality or in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution that such candidate has fulfilled the requirement of Section 134(2) (b) of the Constitution. The suit which cited the Attorney-General of the Federation as the first respondent and the CJN as the second respondent in the matter also demanded “an order setting aside or suspending any declaration and/or issuance of a Certificate of a Return to any candidate in the February 25 presidential election in the country as having been elected, save and except it is judicially determined with finality that such candidate fulfilled the conditions stated in section 134(2) (b) of the Constitution.

  The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has announced that the fight to bring Biafra into reality cannot be subdued. Kanu, in a tweet posted by his legal counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, on Tuesday, said Biafra is non-negotiable. Ejimakor tweeted, “Personal Message from Mazi Nnamdi Kanu: “I deeply appreciate the abiding solidarity of the people of Biafra & the entire IPOB noble family against my continued illegal detention. “I assure you all that our pursuit of self determination to its logical conclusion is non-negotiable.” Kanu was abducted from Kenya in 2021. Despite an order by the Appeal Court calling for his release, he has remained in custody of the Department of State Services in Abuja, till date. The Federal Government had filed an appeal before the Supreme court, depicting its stand on the Biafran leader. He was charged with treasonable felony, managing an unlawful society, publication of defamatory matter, among others. Recall, about three days ago, civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, appealed to President Tinubu to release Kanu, as a way to implement national reconciliation.

  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Tuesday, arraigned two bankers, Freeman Jacob and Umar Abdullahi before Justice Simon Akpah Amobeda of the Federal High Court, Kano on a three-count charge of conspiracy and stealing. The commission also arraigned two others – Ahmed Bashir and Abdulhakim Musa (aka Gandu) for working with the duo in 2020. According to the commission, the defendants allegedly conspired among themselves to produce an ATM card in the name of one Alhaji Sani Muntari. They used the same to steal the sum of N20,000,000 from his bank. One of the charges reads, “That you, Freeman Austin Jacob, Umar Abdullahi, sometime in February 2020, at Kano within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, connived with Ahmed Bashir and Abdulhakim Musa to prime and issued Automated Teller Machine card” from a commercial bank account number belonging to one Alhaji Sani Mutari without the knowledge or consent of the said customer and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 14 (7) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc,) Act, 2015. The defendants perpetrated the fraud by using the account holder’s SIM card, which was stolen by Bashir, the third defendant, to produce an ATM card with the help of the first and second defendants. It added that the investigation traced some of the proceeds of the theft to the bank account of the fourth defendant, Abdulkarim Musa, a friend of the third defendant, Ahmed Bashir. However, all the defendants pleaded not guilty. Counsel for the prosecution, Aisha Tahar Habib prayed that the defendants be remanded and urged the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial. Counsel representing the 1st and 2nd defendants made an oral bail application on behalf of his clients which was opposed by the prosecution counsel on the grounds that the application ought to be formal. L.A Umar who represented the 4th defendant informed that she intends to file a formal bail application and subsequently prayed to the court for a date to do the same and serve the prosecution. After listening to the parties’ submissions, Justice Amobeda agreed with the prosecution that bail applications should be made formally as the court is a court of record. He subsequently remanded the defendant and adjourned the matter till June 26, 2023, for hearing of bail applications and commencement of trial.

  The Coalition of Oodua Self-Determination Groups has appealed to Nigerians to support the subsidy removal by President Bola Tinubu saying that he took the right decision. The leader of the Yoruba groups, Mr Razak Olokoba, while speaking in a joint press conference held at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos State on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, said Nigeria cannot continue to budget trillions of naira on fuel subsidy alone. He said, “For this year, 2023, Nigeria budgeted N11 trillion of its oil revenue on subsidising petrol alone. This cannot continue. This is good money going down the drain, with little or nothing to show for it. “This huge amount can be channelled into solving our several deficits, including, infrastructural, housing, education, healthcare and generally upgrading the quality of life for Nigerians. It will also help strengthen the naira. Olokoba stressed that Nigeria’s economy depends 90 per cent on petroleum exports for its revenue and one-third of its Gross Domestic Product has been zero revenue from the sector, adding, “Tinubu said he inherited the assets and liabilities of the last regime. Nigeria currently owes massive local and foreign debts to the tune of N71 trillion.” The group’s leader maintained that if the subsidy is not killed, it will kill Nigerians while explaining that since the year 2000 when the Nigerian government gave 20 refinery licences to private companies, adding that none was built apart from Dangote’s recently inaugurated. Olokoba further encouraged competition in the oil sector, noting that it will bring about lower prices. Details later…

  The senate has approved a request of President Bola Tinubu to appoint 20 special advisers. Tinubu’s request was read by Senate President Ahmad Lawan on the floor of the upper legislative chamber on Tuesday. In the request to the senate, the president did not list who the 20 special advisers are. But after the letter was read, the upper legislative chamber gave speedy approval of the request.   More to follow…

  The acting governor of an Afghan province was killed by a suicide bomber Tuesday, officials said, months after the region’s police chief was killed in a similar attack claimed by the Islamic State group. Security has improved dramatically since the Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021, ousting the US-backed government and ending their two-decade insurgency, but IS remains a threat. The bomber drove a car filled with explosives into the vehicle carrying Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi — the deputy governor of northern Badakhshan before stepping up as acting governor last month — in the provincial capital Faizabad. “The target of this attack was the vehicle carrying Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi,” said Muazuddin Ahmadi, the head of culture and information in the province. The driver was also killed and six others wounded in the attack, which has so far not been claimed by anyone.   The head of the province’s police force was killed in a suicide blast claimed by IS in December last year. A bomb attack also killed the head of the mining department in April last year. The Taliban and IS share an austere Sunni Islamist ideology but the latter group is fighting to establish a global caliphate instead of the Taliban’s more inward-looking aim of ruling an independent Afghanistan. IS has killed and wounded hundreds of people in attacks since the Taliban government returned to power, some targeting foreigners, in a bid to undermine the Taliban government.