Police Arrest 2 With Guns in Delta Community

Nemesis has caught up with two suspected armed robbers, who were on their way for operation in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.

Men of the state police command swooped on their tricycle when they were about to unleash terror on some unsuspecting victims along the popular DSC Round-about in the locality.

The command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Celestina Kalu, who spoke on the development at the command headquarters in Asaba, said four occupants made frantic efforts to escape arrest before luck ran against two of them.

She said at DSC Roundabout Effurun, Patrol men from Ekpan Division stopped the tricycle with four occupants for search and immediately the tricycle with registration number BEN 860 QE stopped, two of the occupants took to their heels while the remaining two were arrested.

The PPRO listed the items recovered from the tricycle to include, “one locally made cut to size double barrel gun, one locally made cut-to-size single barrel gun and three live cartridges”.

She said the suspects are assisting the police with further investigation, “even as efforts are on top gear to track down their fleeing cohorts”.

Conmen Dupe Trader With ATM Card

Some fraudsters in Asaba, the Delta State capital and its environs have allegedly duped a well known trader, Mrs. Joan Omerido, at the popular Ogbeogonogo Market with her stolen ATM card.

LEADERSHIP reliably gathered that the trader was said to have been tricked by the suspects, who claimed to be working with a bank to open an account with their bank after presenting fake identity card to buttress their claims.

This, our informed source said, she obliged and gave them N500,000 she had collected from local daily contribution.

While the said account was said to have been opened, the suspects became a regular visitor to the victim, who usually give them tubers of yam and other food stuffs.

DSP. Celestina Kalu, police public relations officer in the state, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects, gave their names as Chukwudi 33, Akpo 29 and Mordi 31. She further said that after establishing a long standing relationship with the unsuspecting victim, the suspect swooped on her when they came up with lies that there was problem in her account and thereby tricked the woman to collect her ATM card, saying they were going to renew the card for her.

She said that after the suspects had taken the sum of N750,000 from the account at various withdrawal, they disappeared into thin air until nemesis caught up with them last Thursday at the market where two of the suspects were buying food stuff and the victim ran into them. She called the police to arrest them immediately

The police public relations officer said the suspects, currently helping the police at the police CID, had made useful statements to the police adding that they would be charged to court on completion of investigation.

FG Warns States Against Registration, Deportation Of Some Ethnic Groups

The Federal Government on Monday warned state governments involved in the registration and issuance of identity cards to members of other ethnic groups resident in their domains to stop forthwith.

 The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Security Council summoned by President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja to discuss the issue.

Mr Ita Ekpeyong, the Director-General, State Security Service (SSS), and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.

 Ekpeyong said that the council discussed the reactions that trailed the controversial exercise and concluded that it posed bigger threat to the country’s unity than the Boko Haram insurgency.

“The council discussed in details the issue of Nigerians being subjected to registration; being subjected to deportation and being subjected to being taken away from one part of the country to another.

 The council discussed the reactions by some groups in Kano and other parts of the country.

“The council observed that this threat was more potent than Boko Haram and could disintegrate the country and we take this very seriously.

“The council resolved that the issue of registration of Nigerians anywhere in the country and deportation should stop forthwith.

 “To reemphasise the importance that the president has attached to this, is the reason he said both of us should address you. This must stop forthwith.“

 The SSS boss warned security operatives in the affected states not to be involved as anyone found aiding and abetting such exercise would be severely dealt with.

He also warned youth groups trying to cash in on the development to foment trouble to desist as government was taking serious notice of the situation.

 “Security operatives should not register people, security operatives should not be involved in trying to deport people. Security operatives must henceforth not be involved.

 “Any operative – police or SSS – found being involved in it will be severely dealt with.

 “And also youth groups trying to foment trouble because of this issue are hereby warned to desist from it because government is taking serious notice of it.

 “Government is doing everything possible to stop this from getting out of control.“

 Ekpeyong said that the Boko Haram insurgency and the abducted Chibok schoolgirls were the other major security issues discussed at the meeting.

 He likened the fight against terrorism to a football match where only goals scored were remembered, while those saved by the goalkeeper were easily forgotten.

 Ekpeyong said that the government was doing a lot to curtail the situation and would continue to prevent attacks planned against the unsuspecting public.

 He reiterated government’s assurance that security agencies knew the location the Chibok girls were being held and said that efforts were being made behind the scene to rescue them alive.

On his part, Abubakar urged Nigerians to be patient and to continue to support the government and security agencies in their anti-terrorism campaigns. (NAN)

Two dead, one rescued alive in Nigeria Air Force helicopter crash

The Mi-35 Helicopter, said to be on a training mission, crashed Monday afternoon at a location South of Bama, according to Mr. Olukolade.

Two of the three crew members aboard the Nigerian Air Force helicopter that crashed in Bama on Monday have been confirmed dead, the Defence Headquarters has said.
In a statement Monday night, the spokesperson of the Defence Headquarters, Chris Olukolade, said three crew members were aboard the aircraft when it crashed.
He said while one, a pilot, was rescued alive, another pilot as well as a technician died in the accident.
Mr. Olukolade did not say whether there were other passengers aboard the helicopter at the time of the crash.
He only said rescue operation was ongoing.
The Mi-35 helicopter, said to be on a training mission, crashed Monday afternoon at a location South of Bama in the North-east state of Borno, according to Mr. Olukolade.
Mr. Olukolade’s initial statement did not say whether anyone was killed or injured in the crash.
Mr. Olukolade, a Major General, said investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances leading to the accident.
He however said the accident was not a result “of any enemy action”, saying it was due to a technical fault.
Bama is one of the locations in Borno state where the extremist Boko Haram sect has intensified its terrorist activities.
The Nigerian military has continued to launch ground and aerial assaults on the area to crush the terrorists.
The Boko Haram sect has killed more than 12,000 people since it began its insurgency about five years ago.

Nigerian military mobilising to retake Damboa from Boko Haram – DHQ

The spokesperson for the Defence Headquarters, Chris Olukolade, on Monday said the Nigerian military was preparing to embark on actions that would enable it to regain the Damboa area of Borno State, which it lost to the extremist Boko Haram sect.
Mr. Olukolade, a Major General, also said the military would soon reverse the current “insecurity manifestations” in the area.
Mr. Olukolade was reacting to questions raised by journalists concerning reports that members of the Boko Haram sect had taken over Damboa and even hoisted the flag of their organisation after dislodging the military and killed scores of civilian residents.
“The Nigerian military will not concede any portion of this country to any such group,” Mr. Olukolade said.
“We are firming up our deployment in that general area. Right now they (members of the armed forces) are setting up their activities to reverse any form of insecurity that is noted around there.”
The defence spokesperson spoke during the regular briefing by the National Information Centre (NIC), coordinated by the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mike Omeri.
In his speech, Mr. Omeri advised Nigerians to disregard alleged threats by some Kano lawyers who warned non-northerners to move out of the area within two weeks or face consequences.
“The citizens of Nigeria have right to live anywhere within the territory,” Mr. Omeri said. “Therefore, no group of persons or individuals has any rights within the constitution of this country to order the movement of any citizen out of any territory or state.
“If any lawyer or any groups of persons or government embarks on this, it would end up an exercise in futility, one that should be totally ignored by all Nigerians.
“We also heard about a similar thing in Imo State sometimes ago. This is the time to state it loud and clear that citizens should not tolerate it.”
The Spokesman for the Nigeria Police, Frank Mba, reiterated that position.
“Nigerians wherever they live in this country have a right to freedom of movement, freedom of association, have a right to own property and to pursue their daily lives as long as they do so within the confines and norms of the law and therefore, it is clearly outside the powers of any other citizens to say any other thing contrary to what the constitution has provided,” Mr. Mba said.
“Those of us within the security sector are monitoring these developments; we are watching it very closely.”
The spokesperson for the for the Department of State Security Services (SSS), Marilyn Ogar, expressed bitterness at a former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, for complaining about delay at the airport by SSS operatives this morning.
“Government has asked the SSS to be at the airport. Statutorily, SSS clears all passengers travelling out or coming into this country,” Ms. Ogar said. “I don’t know why some people will sometimes arrogate to themselves unnecessary importance when we have serious security challenges in our hands.”

Jonathan Has Declared War On Nigeria – Buhari

A leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has raised the alarm over what he described as the deployment of federal might and the country’s resources by President Goodluck Jonathan in his bid to fuel partisanship, subvert the system and punish the opposition.

The impeachment of governors of opposition states, just to decapitate the opposition, he said, does not augur well for the survival of a fragile nation like Nigeria or the survival of its tenderfoot democracy. It is indicative of the fact that the president has declared war on his own country, Buhari noted.

But in a swift reaction, Jonathan told Buhari that his statement was a descent from the elder statesman he had once commended him to, saying that rather than blame him for the woes his party, the APC had inflicted on itself, Buhari and his party should work harder in putting their house in order and resolve the leadership crisis therein.

Jonathan said, “It is most unfortunate that instead of working to put their house in order and resolve the leadership crises and internal contradictions that have plunged their party into a downward spiral, General Buhari and his opposition allies have resorted to blaming a blameless President for their woes”.

In a statement he personally issued in Kaduna, the former head of state decried the recent induced impeachment or threats of opposition governors, accusing the president of subverting the Constitution of the Federal Republic in desperation. To impeach a state governor or deploy the institutions of state, some of which are symbols of the country’s unity, just to kick an out-of-favour state governor in the stomach, he added, can only breed anarchy and lead the nation down the slippery slope to chaos. He urged Jonathan to pull the brakes on his administration’s runaway train of impunity in the interest of Nigeria’s survival and the sustenance of the nation’s democracy.

He said: “Our country has gone through several rough patches, but never before have I seen a Nigerian president declare war on his own country as we are seeing now. Never before have I seen a Nigerian president deploy federal institutions in the service of partisanship as we are witnessing now. Never before have I seen a Nigerian president utilize the common wealth to subvert the system and punish the opposition, all in the name of politics.

“Our nation has suffered serious consequences in the past for egregious acts that are not even close to what we are seeing now. It is time to pull the brakes.”

Buhari advised President Jonathan to tarry a while, and ponder the impact of recent events in the polity, under his watch, on the survival of the nation and the sustenance of its democracy.

The former head of state, who noted that he was speaking in his capacity as an elder statesman, noted that there was the possibility that his statement would be misrepresented as that of a politician rather than a statesman, adding however that, notwithstanding, he owed it as matter of duty and honour and in the interest of the country to bare his mind on dangerous political trends in the country.

Buhari alleged that developments in the polity, such as the festival of impeachment, was an unwelcome distraction for the nation’s ongoing survival battle against the Boko Haram sect, which has put Nigeria on tenterhooks, with innocent citizens being daily mowed down at the times and places of the group’s choosing, and nearly 300 schoolgirls spending their fourth month in precarious captivity.

He said: “Whether or not President Goodluck Jonathan is behind the gale of impeachment or the utilization of desperate tactics to suffocate the opposition and turn Nigeria into a one-party state, what cannot be denied is that they are happening under his watch, and he cannot pretend not to know, since that will be akin to hiding behind one finger.

“In my capacity as former head of state, rather than a politician, I have spoken to President Jonathan in private over these issues, but indications are that the strategy has not yielded positive fruits. I cannot, just because I am an opposition politician, fail to do what is expected of me as a former head of state to help rescue our nation in times of great trouble and palpable uncertainty.

“History will not be kind to me if I sit back while things turn bad, just so that no one will accuse me of partisanship. Yes, I am a politician. Yes, I am in the opposition. Yes, there is the tendency for my statement to be misconstrued as that of a politician rather than a statesman. But I owe it as matter

of duty and honour, and in the interest of our nation, to speak out on the dangerous trajectory that our nation is heading.

“I can say, in all sincerity, that I have seen it all, as an ordinary citizen, a military officer, a state governor, a minister, a head of state, a man who has occupied many other sensitive posts and a politician. I have been a close participant and witness to Nigeria’s political history since independence in 1960.”

The APC leader, who further reminded President Jonathan that no democracy can thrive or survive without a virile opposition, noted that it would amount to a man cutting his nose to spite his face for anyone to embark on a journey to decapitate the opposition, as the current central government is doing.

Pointing out that a man of power must realize that he cannot always do things just because he could do them, Buhari said: “The dangerous clouds are beginning to gather and the vultures are circling, and these have manifested in Nasarawa where the ordinary people have defied guns and tanks to protest the plan to impeach Gov. Umaru Tanko AI-Makura in a repeat of the bitter medicine forced down the throat of Gov. Murtala Nyako.

“The people’s protest in Nasarawa is a sign of what to come if the federal authorities continue to target opposition state governors for impeachment. In the long run, the impeachment weapon will be blunted. Positions will become more hardened on both sides and Nigeria and Nigerians will become the victims of arrested governance and possible anarchy.”

Recalling his role in the fight to keep Nigeria as one, Buharis said: “I, along with many other patriotic Nigerians, fought for the unity and survival of this country. Hundreds of patriotic souls perished in the battle to keep Nigeria one. The blood of many of our compatriots helped to ensure the birth of the democracy we are practising today.

“Let no one, whether the leader or the led, the high or the low, a member of the ruling or the opposition, do anything to torpedo the system. Let no one, whether on the altar of personal ambition or pretension to higher patriotic tendencies, do anything that can detonate the keg of gunpowder on

which the nation is sitting.

“It is time for all concerned to spare a thought for the ordinary citizens who have yet to see their hopes, dreams and aspirations come to reality, within the general



Don’t blame me for your party’s self-inflicted woes  – Jonathan

But hitting back at Buhari, President Jonathan last night described as most unfortunate Buhari and his allies’ decision to resort to the blame game against him instead of working hard to put their house in order.

Speaking through his special adviser on media and publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, the president said he received Buhari “wild and totally unsustainable allegations” against him with surprise and regret.

He, however, maintained that he remained “fully committed to upholding the letters, principles and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution as he has sworn, and defending the rule of law and integrity of the democratic process with all his might.

“It may well be time to pull the brakes, as General Buhari says in his statement, but it is he and others who have resorted to idle scapegoating and blaming President Jonathan for their self-inflected political troubles who need to stop their inexcusable partisanship and show greater regard for the truth, democracy, constitutionalism, the rule of law, peace, security and the well-being of the nation”, Abati added.

Noting that Buhari was no more the elder statesman he once commended him to be, Jonathan said, “Although he tries very hard to deny it in the statement entitled ‘Pull Nigeria Back From the Brink’, there can be no doubt that General Buhari has sadly moved away from the patriotic and statesmanlike position he recently adopted on national security, which President Jonathan publicly commended, and has now reverted to unbridled political partisanship.

“We, therefore, urge General Buhari to tarry a while, ponder over his own antecedents and do a reality check as to whether he has the moral right to be so carelessly sanctimonious.”

In a statement he issued last night, Abati said, “There can be no other explanation or justification for the completely unwarranted and very uncharitable assault on the conduct and integrity of President

Jonathan which the statement he issued represents.

“General Buhari’s main grouse, which clearly motivated his ill-considered statement, appears to be what he called ‘the gale of impeachments or the utilisation of desperate tactics to suffocate the opposition and turn Nigeria into a one-party state’.

“The processes for impeaching an elected governor are clearly stipulated in the nation’s Constitution which Nigeria has operated since 1999. The president of Nigeria is not assigned any role in that

process and President Jonathan has certainly not played any role in the recent impeachment of Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa or in the impeachment drama currently being played out in Nasarawa State”.

On the issue of plunging the country into a state of anarchy, Abati said, “General Buhari talks about anarchy; he needs to be reminded that President Jonathan, from his humble beginnings as a deputy

governor in Bayelsa State to date, has never in his acts, or utterances, recommended or promoted violence as a tool of political negotiation.

According to him, contrary to whatever General Buhari and his supporters may imagine, President Jonathan fully respects the rights, powers, authority and independence of elected representatives of the people, including the members of the state assemblies who have concluded or initiated impeachment proceedings against their state governors on grounds which they consider justifiable.

Defending the president on the impeachment saga, the presidential spokesman said, “The constitution does not give the President any power to intervene in such proceedings and President Jonathan has never arrogated such powers to himself or sought to exert any nefarious and unconstitutional influence on state assemblies in Adamawa, Nasarawa or anywhere else in other to secure undue political advantage for his party as General Buhari unjustifiably alleges.

“President Jonathan remains true to his declaration that no political ambition of his is worth the life of a single Nigerian. The president has definitely not declared war on his own country or deployed federal institutions in the service of partisan interests as General Buhari falsely claims. Neither has he been using the common wealth to subvert the system and punish the opposition, as the former head of state inexcusably asserts.

“Also, President Jonathan has never at any time ordered that any Nigerian should be kidnapped, or that anyone should be crated and forcefully transported in violation of decent norms of governance,” he said, in a veiled reference to the attempted, but unsuccessful abduction of the late Umaru Dikko from Britain to face corruption charges in Nigeria during the Buhari-Idiagbon military regime.

Association of Witches & Wizards speak up on Boko Haram

Worried by the socio-economic challenges facing the country, especially the nation’s state of insecurity, the Witches & Wizards Association of Nigeria (WITZAN) recently held an emergency meeting at Afuze, Edo State.

Making this revelation in an exclusive interview with Saturday Sun in Lagos on Wednesday, leader and spokesman, Witches and Wizards Association of Nigeria, (WITZAN), Dr. Okhue Iboi said the emergency meeting held by his members was not only aimed at discussing the various challenges confronting the nation but also to chart a way forward.

“Witches and Wizards in Nigeria are deeply worried by what is going on in the country especially Boko Haram insurgency. As stakeholders in the Nigerian project, we can no longer afford to fold our hands while the nation burns. Enough is enough”.
While saying that the Boko Haram issue was one of the key issues discussed at their meeting, Iboi said it was witches and wizards from Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states that urged the association to convene the emergency meeting.

According to him:

“Our bi-annual meeting was actually supposed to come up in first week of October, but our fellow brothers and sisters from these three North eastern states made passionate appeal to our general assembly imploring us to discuss Boko Haram matter. Witches and wizards in Adamawa. Borno and Yobe states want us to intervene, to help cage Shekau and his blood-thirsty lieutenants”
Speaking on the outcome of their deliberations, the 55-year-old wizard said the days of Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram leader were numbered. According to him, Shekau will be captured before the end of December, and paraded on the streets of Abuja and Maiduguri for the whole world to see.

“We witches and wizards in Nigeria have sealed the fate of Shekau. His days are numbered.  He will be captured before the end of December, and contrary to the image and impression he has been  creating that he is a warrior, after his capture, he will start singing like a canary bird.”
Not done yet, Iboi, further said that Shekau, upon his arrest, will mention some powerful people who are his sponsors.

An ordinary eye can’t see what we are seeing in the coven world.  Witches and wizards have put Shekau on our radar.  There is no peace for him again until the day of his arrest,” he said.
Urging Nigerians to remain steadfast and not to panic, the witches spokesman added that the parents of the missing Chibok girls will soon have cause to smile.

“Those girls are coming back home.  They will be rescued, but it is sad that I have to say here that not all of them are coming back. They are not  being held in the same place, some are in Niger, and some are in Cameroon while others are in Chad and Nigeria” , he added.
Iboi, who said Nigerians should not doubt the witches’ declaration or revelations on the state of affairs in Nigeria, said:

“This is not the first time we will be coming out to speak about the nation. Five years ago, this was in 2010, when Nigerians were preparing for 2011 general elections, especially the presidential poll, we came out to warn General Ibrahim Babangida and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar not to contest against President Goodluck Jonathan, that Jonathan will floor them. What happened after these two eminent Nigerians disobeyed us, they lost in a disgraceful manner to Jonathan. Our warning to IBB and Atiku came out in one or two national dailies.
In November last year, during one of our meetings, it was revealed to us that former CBN governor Lamido Sanusi would be unceremoniously removed from office, many people then labelled us fakes but what happened thereafter? Sanusi was ignominiously removed from office without completing his tenure.
That time we also said that some PDP top notchers that decamped to APC would come back to PDP, did this not also come to pass?  Witches don’t speak  from both sides of the mouth, and what is not revealed to us in our meetings, we will never say it was revealed to us.  We seldom speak out on national issues, we only speak when it is necessary to do so, and we do so out of patriotism”.
Speaking on the other national issues which they discussed, Iboi had this to say about Oshiomole:
“It appears as if Oshiomhole is a master political strategist but the crisis currently happening in Edo State will snowball into a bigger crisis that may see Oshiomhole being swept away from office. You can call it a political tornado or Tsunami. Comrade Governor should be vigilant.”

For APC National Leader Tinubu, the witch leader said:
“Tinubu will be betrayed. He will be sold out by those he trusted. This betrayal will affect his political empire. Tinubu’s political dynasty is under threat of crumbling. Tinubu is a good man, but the bitter truth he must swallow today is that APC is going nowhere. Many topnotchers of PDP that are in APC now will go back to PDP. Witches said so in November last year and it happened. I’m telling the whole world again today that many former PDP leaders that are now in APC will betray Tinubu and other APC leaders, they will go back to PDP this year, and before 2015 general elections.”

On Sanusi, the newly installed Emir of Kano, Iboi said:
Sanusi Lamido should not rejoice yet. What we see before Sanusi is myriad of woes. His road will be rough. Turbulent days lie ahead of him, he should not rejoice yet. He will experience trouble within and outside the emirate. His enemies are many, and to make matters worse for him, he had stepped on powerful toes. He needs all the prayers in this world to survive the turmoil looming before him.”

On the anxiety over 2015, Iboi urged Nigerians to remain calm, saying:
“Nigerians should rejoice. This nation will not break up. Witches and wizards carried out some intercessory spiritual work in Arusa, Tanzania, and New Delhi, in India over this issue, and luckily our brethren, that is fellow witches there, joined hands with us, and it was resolved that Nigeria should not break up. Forget about any American prediction, Nigeria will not break up. There may be pockets of crisis here and there, but they will be election related violence.”

On 2015 general elections, the WITZAN leader said:
“Jonathan will win re-election. Although there will be pockets of violence, Jonathan will win. I will also have to appeal to Buhari and Tinubu, they should not waste their money, time and energy on the poll. They should go home and rest. They should forget about becoming President or Vice President of Nigeria. APC will still lose more governors to PDP before this year runs out.”

Asked why other witches and wizards don’t come out or hold their meeting in the open, Iboi laughed, cleared his throat before blunting out:
“You speak like a small pikin. Witches are like spirits. We are invisible. It is only those that operate in the spiritual realm that can see us either when we are meeting or going for assignment. I was born a witch. I inherited witchcraft from my mother when I was in her womb. From the age of 7, I started seeing unborn babies in their mothers’ womb, and I could predict with precision of sex of an unborn child whether it is a boy or girl. When I was born, I was born with a leaf in my hand, and starting from the age of 5, I started healing people like a grown-up herbalist.”

On the issues of witches being blood-thirsty, and suckling blood, Iboi said:
“Those are bad witches, in our own association; we are white witches, and white wizards. We are here to save people. We don’t kill, we counter bad witches and neutralise them whenever they are on their evil mission.”

While saying that another meeting of witches and wizards is slated for Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State in October, Iboi said the meeting will review the outcome of the one held at Afuze, so as to enable witches to know what action and steps to be taken next.

Presidency lampoons Tinubu, says electoral victory will continue to elude APC

The Political Adviser to the President, Rufa’i Alkali,  on Sunday said electoral victory would continue to elude the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, until its leaders learn to accept the principle of popular democracy that the electorates have right to choose who should lead them.
Reacting to the allegation by a national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, that President Goodluck Jonathan engineered the impeachment of Murtala Nyako as Governor of Adamawa State despite public pronouncement by Mr. Nyako to the contrary, Mr. Alkali said the APC leaders appeared to have lost their focus since they lost the Ekiti governorship election.
Mr. Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State had in a statement on Friday accused Mr. Jonathan and the ruling PDP of contriving Mr. Nyako’s impeachment last Tuesday.
He also accused the president of behaving like a dictator.
Mr. Alkali, a former spokesperson of the ruling PDP, said it was absurd for any political party that wants to win the presidency to denigrate the same office it wants to occupy.
He stated that it was particularly pathetic that Mr. Tinubu, who contributed immensely in the struggle for return to democratic governance, had now joined the league of those engaged in acts that are likely to truncate the same institution he fought for.
“It is very strange for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, someone who has led government before, someone who has been in the forefront of advancing democracy for many years, to descend so low as to cast aspersions on the President of this country on issues he cannot defend,” the presidential aide said.
“It appears to me that since the Ekiti election, which PDP decisively won, Tinubu and APC leaders have lost their focus. This is democracy, it gives everybody the right to speak; but in doing so, you should not undermine institutions of governance, the same institution you are aspiring to take over and manage.
“Recently, the Adamawa State House of Assembly impeached their governor and even as that happened, the APC was up in arms, that it was Mr. President that impeached the governor of Adamawa State.
“Why should he do that and how can he do that? Are you saying the 24 or 25 members of the House of Assembly are not in control of their constituencies, that there are no leaders or stakeholders in Adamawa State who worked for or with former Governor Nyako who could have stopped the impeachment.
Mr. Alkali noted that the PDP had lost a lot to the opposition either in court or through election, yet it stood firm and had continued to build on what it had, while looking forward.
He said just like in Ekiti State where the APC lost in the governorship election last month, the opposition party would still lose to the PDP in next month’s election in Osun State.
He said, “PDP has lost a lot to opposition political parties. I have said this repeatedly either at the court or more recently through defection, yet PDP stood firm and said let us continue to build on what we have and move forward.
“After losing Ekiti, the story has changed. It is time for them to tell one another the home truth. If they are prepared to govern this country, then they must be prepared also to accept the principle of popular democracy that the people of this country would want to choose who should lead them and if they don’t, can’t or fail to convince people, they must also be ready to admit failure.”
“No matter the grandstanding our journey to Osun state continues and surely just as was the case in Ekiti state, the people of Osun state will triumph. We are confident that our candidate Senator Iyiola Omisore is a man of the people.”

Imo Police Uncover 8 Bedroom Kidnappers Den[photos]

The Imo state police command has uncovered an eight bedroom underground kidnappers’ den in Umuchima Village, Okwu Autonomous Community in Ikeduru LGA of the state, used by kidnappers to keep those they kidnapped from various parts of the country. 

In an operation led by the state’s police commissioner, Abdulmajid Ali, men of the state police force in collaboration with some vigilante members, yesterday July 19th stormed the dilapidated & isolated building where they made the discovery. 

Speaking with newsmen after the operation, the state Police commissioner said they were able to rescue two people from the den. He said the building will be demolished. He warned criminals to stay away from Imo state as the state Police command are working to rid the state of criminals.

Some residents of the village said they know that the house is owned by a man who though dead now, was greatly feared as he was a very mysterious person. They said they know he had an underground but did not know it was used to harbor kidnapped victims. 

APGA Inaugurates Grassroots Solidarity Forum For Electoral Victory In 2015

he All Progressives’ Grand Alliance, APGA, ahead of the 2015 general elections, inaugurated the APGA Solidarity Forum, ASF, to commence grassroots socio-economic and political development of the various communities in Anambra State and the country at large.

Addressing the party faithful that converged on Awka for the occasion on Saturday, the national chairman of the party, Victor Umeh, said the APGA would obtain a resounding victory in the upcoming election.

APGA solidarity forum was formally inaugurated and urged by the state chairman of the party, Mr Mike Kwentoh, to remain loyal to the parent body and work hard to spread across the country.

Also, the new president of the group, Mr Ebele Okafor, reminded his colleagues in the group that hard work and determination were the ground rules.

In attendance to the occasion were the deputy governor, Dr. Nkem Okeke, who represented the governor, Willie Obiano, immediate past deputy governor, Mr Emeka Sibeudu, the son of the late party leader, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Jnr, and a host of other party stalwarts.

The party which in the last general elections lost the whole senatorial seats to the Peoples Democratic Party and the Action Congress now All Progressives Congress respectively, hopes that with the new political strategy of early mobilisation from the grassroots, the party, which is currently controlling only one state would have more states and many more representatives in the coming election.

Boko Haram Dares FG, Erects Tollgates

With most parts of northern and central Borno State under their control, gunmen of the Boko Haram have been mounting tollgates on major international highways within the state where they collect fees from passengers and drivers who are lucky to be spared, eyewitnesses and government officials said.

Apart from collecting tolls from travellers, the gunmen would also screen every passenger, and any person who speaks Kanuri or found to be a resident of Maiduguri would be shot dead, witnesses added.

In the last three weeks the gunmen had laid siege on the roads to Maff, Dikwa, Ngala and Gamboru, where they would ambush travellers and dispossess them of their goods. Most of their targets were vehicles conveying rice and sugar supplied by government to be delivered to villagers for their use during the ongoing Ramadan fasting.

The route from Maiduguri to Gamboru, a border town near Cameroon, is about 185km and it is usually busied by heavy trailer trucks ferrying various commercial commodities to and from Nigeria.

But that commercial engagement that has provided jobs to hundreds of young men and older ones has now been slowed down due to the incessant attack by the Boko Haram gunmen.

Modu Air, a truck driver, told newsmen in Maiduguri, “Only a few of us are now plying the road. Many of our colleagues have changed routes because of the attacks that occur on the roads every day. I have witnessed instances where some passengers were shot dead either because they speak Kanuri and live in Maiduguri or because you come from one village where their members were killed or arrested by the vigilante.”

Confirming the attacks on the highways, Hon. Idrissa Jidda, a member of the Borno State House of Assembly representing Gamboru-Ngala, said “the insurgents have absolute control of the road since the past one month. No day passes without a case of attack along the Maiduguri-Dikwa-Gamboru road and, in most cases, innocent people are being killed”.

Jidda, who is also the majority leader of the Borno State House of Assembly, told newsmen that “the insurgents stop vehicles at various points and forcefully collect money from passengers”.

“In most cases, they would carefully select some passengers and promptly execute them; they also kidnap girls at will and sometimes forcefully snatch vehicles that are loaded with assorted food items. The attacks are now rampant in Gamboru and Ngala to the extent that most of our people have fled to safer places like Maiduguri while many others have crossed over to Cameroon. We really need the intervention of the federal government,” he said.



…Attacks power station, plunges Maiduguri into darkness

For three weeks running, Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, and its neighbourhoods have been plunged into total darkness following the reported damaging of major electricity installments around Damboa town by Boko Haram terrorists, security sources said.

For about 21 days now, the entire city of Maiduguri has not enjoyed electricity coming from the national grid.

Many residents of Maiduguri who were unaware of the development thought the power outage may have been caused by some ongoing upgrade of the 33KVA lines which the minister of state for power, Hon. Muhammed Wakil, said would be carried out to boost supply to the state.

But recent findings revealed that the suspected situation was not so but was as a result of an attack on major installations of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.

A military person who spoke to LEADERSHIIP in Maiduguri confirmed that the Boko Haram insurgents had detonated bombs that affected the high-tension installations around Damboa and has since left the about two million residents of Maiduguri in total blackout.

Many residents now have to depend on power plants while major business outfits and even government offices depend solely on generators throughout the days.

The power outage has since caused residents some serious economic hardship as most businesses that depend on electricity now hike the prices of their products.

Many households that used to depend on the few hours of electricity supply from the national grid to produce their iced blocks needed for the Ramadan fasting period now have to buy from hawkers at expensive prices.

“We now buy iced sachet water for N25 but before it used to be sold for N10 each or, in some cases, two sachets of iced block for N15,” said Bashir Mustapha, a resident of Maiduguri.

An official of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company, who spoke off the record because he was not allowed to speak on such matter, confirmed the development to LEADERSHIP even as he said it may take some time before power would be restored due to the recent takeover of Damboa area by the Boko Haram insurgents.

Boko Haram has, in the past three years, vandalized public infrastructure like telecommunication masts that had hitherto cut off various parts of Borno State from the rest of the word. The group had also used bombs and fire to destroy schools, hospitals, police offices, barracks and even cratering of roads. Their most recent attack on public infrastructure was the bombing of an ultra-modern drilling rig procured by Borno State at the cost of over N300 million at the site where it was mobilized to drill water for rural dwellers of the northern part of Borno State.



Damboa: Over 3,000 fleeing villagers camp in Biu

About 3,000 villagers displaced from Damboa town of Borno State where Boko Haram terrorists had on Friday hoisted its flags are now being camped in Biu town, officials have said.

A local government official from Damboa, Sheriff Muhammed, who is one of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) being camped in Damboa, said they had to flee far from Damboa because the insurgents still chased them to some of the nearby villages where they had run to take refuge to kill them.

Speaking on phone from Biu, some 100km away from Damboa, Muhammed said: “We are presently being camped at the premises of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Biu.

“As at today (Sunday) many of our people who ran to Fori and Koiri villages, near Damboa, have been traced there and slaughtered by the Boko Haram gunmen.”

Borno State deputy governor Zannah Mustapha, who had been visiting most of the attacked villages in the southern part of the state, had yesterday relocated to Biu where he was organising the reception of the IDPs.



Herdsmen attack Benue village, force residents to flee, kill 1, injure 3

Fulani herdsmen have attacked Owukpa community in Benue State, killing one person and injuring three in an early evening attack. Some residents of the community have taken refuge at the neighbouring Enugu State.

An online medium, DailyPost, has reported that the three people who were injured were presently in critical condition. A report says a man’s hands were completely chopped off by the herdsmen.

The problem was said to have started when the Owukpa people got tired of the herdsmen’s continuous stay on the land and told them to kindly relocate.

Apparently angered by their refusal to go, some youths mobilized themselves and confronted them to leave the community immediately. In the process of the argument, one of youths snatched one of their motorbikes and fled.

In a quick reprisal, the herdsmen invaded Atamaka and its neighbouring villages and destroyed some houses as well as farm produce.

Confirming the incident, a councillor representing Ehaje Ward II in Ogbadibo LGA of the state, Fred Apochi, said everything was calm until Sunday evening when the herdsmen returned to Ankpa to attack the villagers.

“I’m the councillor representing Ehaje Ward II and, as the chief security officer, I can confirm to you that everything is under control. The Benue State police commissioner would be in Ugbugbu with his men tomorrow (today),” he said.

Eyewitnesses however said that the entire Owukpa community is in disarray as people have deserted their homes to either Enugu State or Okpokwu LGA. They decried the total absence of policemen, thereby leaving them in the hands of gun-wielding Fulani herdsmen.

#BringBackOurGirls Campaigners Urge Members Not To Be Distracted By Twitter War

The Bring Back Our Girls Campaigners have urged their members not to be distracted by the on-going twitter war against Washington-based public relations firm, Levick.

Media reports have suggested that the firm was hired by President Goodluck Jonathan to handle Public Relations job for the federal government.

However, there have been criticisms of the firm’s action through the hashtag #SomeoneTellLevick.

But the Bring Back Our Girls campaigners are less concerned about the criticisms, insisting that it will only deviate attention from the original campaign for the safe rescue of the over 200 school girls kidnapped in Chibok, Borno State.

A leader in the group, Hajiya Aishatu Yesufu urged the members to direct their social media activism towards ensuring the safe return of the Chibok girls. The #SomeoneTellLevick hashtag trended in Nigeria on Thursday generating over 3,600 tweets, according to social media analytics site, Topsy.



Nigeria’s social media users accused Levick of despising and intimidating Nigerians regarding the over 250 girls kidnapped by members of the Boko Haram sect.

Robbers kill 2, Cause Multiple Accident Along Abuja/Kaduna Road

2 people have been killed and several commuters injured as a result of multiple vehicular accident, which occurred during an armed robbery attack along Abuja/Kaduna highway.

Eyewitness told our correspondent that the accidents occurred around 4pm on Saturday, near Doka village when armed robbers, allegedly wearing military outfits, blocked the Abuja/Kaduna road and started robbing motorists.




About six vehicles were reportedly involved in the accident, which included a car of the “I-Care Women and Children Initiative”, an NGO of the wife of Vice President Namadi Sambo. Some of the vehicles were said to have been completely burnt and could not be salvaged by sympathisers who stopped to help put out the fire.




The injured victims were rushed to Doka general hospital for treatment.




The state Police command Public Relations Officer, Aminu Lawal, who confirmed the incident, said the multiple accidents were caused by panicking drivers who tried to reverse in the middle of the road.






He said, so far, there was no official report of casualties in the incident.

Cleric Says Prayers Will Solve Nigeria’s Security Challenges

A cleric in Nigeria has called for prayers in tackling security challenges, insisting that the challenges can only be truly and totally overcome by divine intervention through constant Prayers.

The Spiritual leader of Cherubim and Seraphim Church Movement Worldwide, Most Revered Samuel Abioye, during a missionary visit to Niger State decried the current security challenges in the northeast and urged Christians to intensify their prayers especially for the 2015 general elections.

“I must confess to you that many people in the North are not feeling safe at the moment. We live in fear every day. Miscreants and never-do-wells will exploit the general spate of insecurity to cause problems during the elections and put the nation in peril,” he said

He further asked security agencies to improve on their intelligence gathering, saying that it can give the nation an upper hand in the fight against the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

The terrorist group has carried out series of attacks on villages, churches, schools and mosques in the northeast. the are demanding for an Islamic State and an end to western education.

Doctors' Strike - Private Hospitals, Herbalists Rip-Off Patients

Abuja — Following the strike embarked upon by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), which has paralysed activities in government health facilities in the country, private hospital operators are taking advantage of the situation to extort patients, Saturday Independent findings have revealed.

The strike by the NMA is almost three weeks old now.

Findings by Saturday Independent revealed that the strike by the NMA has led to high patronage of the private hospitals by patients.

A visit to some private hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and its satellite towns showed high presence of patients at the facilities.

The situation has also led to increased patronage of traditional medicine dealers by some patients, especially the poor, who cannot afford the exorbitant charges in private hospitals.

A private hospital operator in Masaka, a satellite town close to the FCT, confirmed to Saturday Independent that since the strike began, there has been an upsurge in the number of patients visiting her clinic.

The owner of Bold Step Clinic, Masaka, Victoria Umbugadu, responding to inquiries by Saturday Independent, said: "I must confess to you that since the strike started the number of patients we get has doubled.

"Before the strike, we used to attend to less than 30 patients in a day but now our record shows that we get no fewer than 65 patients a day.

"The strike has really exposed the high poverty level in the country. People usually go to government hospitals that are relatively cheap and get treatment almost free but now they have to pay higher charges, which most times they pay in instalments because they cannot afford to pay at once.

"The doctors must think twice and call off this strike because poor people are suffering. Some people who cannot afford our charges resort to patronizing traditional medicine practitioners."

A visit to Safron Hospital in Mararaba showed that the number of patients that visit the facility has increased compared to what it was before the strike.

A nurse at the hospital told Saturday Independent: "The number of our patients has increased since the beginning of the strike. Even though we are not happy about the strike, I must tell you that the income we now generate in the hospital daily has doubled.

"Before the strike, we used to get not up to 60 patients in a day but now, we attend to close to 100 patients. Because of the increase in the number of patients, our medical director has brought in some doctors to assist till the strike ends."

A visit to Garki Hospital, a private facility, also showed a remarkable increase in the number of patients to the hospital.

A worker in the records office of the hospital who pleaded anonymity confirmed this to Saturday Independent at the hospital premises on Thursday, saying: "Even though our charges here are high compared to those of some hospitals in the capital city, the number of patients patronising us has increased since the strike started."

On whether this has also increased the income generated by the hospital, she said: "Yes. It is natural, the more the patients the more the income. But most times, some poor patients, get stranded here and are assisted by the hospital management to offset their bills."

However, a medical consultant at the National Hospital who refused to mention his name noted that the strike by the doctors has successfully paralysed activities in the hospital.

"We are doing nothing here. As consultants, you know there is a limit to what we can do. We cannot operate fully without the doctors. They are a very important part of the hospital chain, so working without them is terrible. There is no way we can operate very well unless they are back," he said.

Similarly a pharmacist at the Wuse General Hospital said the strike has crippled all aspects of the hospital, adding; "We are not doing anything. What can we do without the doctors? As far as I am concerned, health services are at a standstill in government hospitals. Let us not deceive ourselves."

In an interview with Saturday Independent, a traditional medicine practitioner in Kado in the FCT, Abdulrauf Bode, said the number of patients patronising him has also increased.

"Many people are coming to get medicine from us. Some people don't have money to go to private hospitals, so, they come here and we help them with herbs," he said.

Terrorism Doomed to Fail in Nigeria Soon - Obanikoro

Minister of State for Defense, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, has declared that the current wave of terrorism in Nigeria is doomed to fail in no distant time.

Sen. Obanikoro expressed this conviction in a chat with news men in Sapele during his tour of naval formations in Delta State as part of his ongoing nationwide familiarisation tour of institutions and agencies under his ministry.

He said, "Terrorism is not a 100-meter dash but a marathon. One thing that gives me strong hope is that there is nowhere in the history of humanity where evil has prevailed over good for so long. There is no doubt that we are going to turn the table in no distant time."

The Minister acknowledged the need for more investments in the Nigerian military in terms of the goals the nation has set for it, adding, however, that funding for the military is a global challenge not peculiar to Nigeria.

"Anywhere in the world", he continued, "funding is a problem when it comes to military hardware. The Federal Government of Nigeria has resolved that within the limited resources available, the military would be properly kitted to deal with the challenges confronting the country for now and the future.

"If I tell you all is well, I will be deceiving you. There is room for improvement and we are doing a lot that we can't disclose in public before the media.

"We need not engage in a blame game but I know too well that the commitment the President has given in the last few years, if we have had that in the past, the military will not be where it is today. Some of the acquisition we are doing to beef up military capacity has not been done in the last 25 years. That, to me, is what progress is all about."

Youths protest over attempt to impeach Nigeria’s Nasarawa state governor

Riots in parts of Nasarawa state, near Abuja, continued till Thursday to register the discontent with the planned impeachment of opposition Governor Umary Al-Makura by the state House of Assembly.Youths barricaded and set bonfire on roads in Lafia, the state capital, so also at Keffi, Akwanga and Mararabe, a border town with Abuja.

The protesters are irked by what they said was an attempt by the national ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to take control of Nasarawa state through the impeachment of the governor.

Armed with placards with different inscriptions which lampooned the PDP, the protesters in Keffi marched through the major roads and encountered the police which tried to disperse them with teargas.

Security men have been stationed in strategic places in the state to avert spread of the protests.

The APC governor of Adamawa state in north-east Nigeria and his deputy were similarly removed from office this week and a PDP House of Assembly speaker installed as Acting governor.

Military Attack on Lagosians: Welcome to Jonathan’s Nigeria – By Gbenga Olorunpomi

The dark days of military oppression are back! The Black Era has returned! Soldiers took over a major street in Lagos for five hours and we were helpless to stop them. They slapped some; beat some senseless; destroyed public and personal property, all without fear of retribution.
The signs were always there. The way the PDP-Led government has consistently used the armed forces to achieve their goals, I knew they were only going to grow bolder. Armed soldiers have been used to harass opposition members into submission. They have been used to suppress the press. They have been used to decimate small villages. This time, they were used to terrorize the biggest city in West Africa. And they did it with reckless abandon.
The eyewitness accounts of the unfortunate and shameful events of Friday, the 4th of July, left my blood boiling and frozen at the same time. A soldier was allegedly killed in a collision with a BRT bus on his way to work around the Onipanu Area. The details are fuzzy but what is clear is that the dead man’s colleagues weren’t in a very forgiving mood when they arrived at the scene. After blocking off the road at rush hour, they went on to unleash the most abrasive attack on all the BRT buses they could find. They beat the drivers, chased them away and vandalized the buses. Tyres were deflated, windscreens and windows shattered and lights destroyed. Not satisfied with the carnage, on the suggestion of a female army officer and under the supervision of senior officers, some buses were doused with petrol and lit on fire. By some accounts, six buses were incinerated while many more were broken to shreds. In fact, there was a picture of a female military officer busy breaking the windscreen on a bus. How motherly!
For five hours, the soldiers hung around, ensuring the buses burnt completely, harassing members of the public who passed by, shooting at a bus conductor for daring to watch and comment the proceedings. Total bestiality was exhibited by these so called soldiers. While they are being paid to protect the people, they attacked them. While they should be shielding the people, they made them suffer the worst kind of torture. Like war prisoners, free countrymen were forced to raise their hands above their heads each time they passed by the soldiers. Any hint of a mobile device and the military officers would physically attack. Journalists were brutalized, with some sent to the hospital. Little regard was given to human life. Less respect was paid to the Nigerian Army uniform.
So, who is the biggest loser? Is it the soldiers who have lost all the little reverence they have gained in through the little successes they have made in the war against Boko Haram? Is it the family of the deceased soldier, who may be chased out of the barracks in the next few months and would have to wait for years before the gratuity arrives? Is it Lagos state government and private investors that has lost a significant amount of investment in the charred BRT buses and stations? Is it the BRT bus drivers who have likely lost their livelihood to this madness? Or is it Lagosians who had to travel for miles or pay double for their trip to work because of the traffic jam?
I think the Nigerian state is the biggest loser. A big chunk of our democracy was chipped off during those five hours. We lost a bit of our essence in that attack. A lot of the gains we have made as a people since the military left power on May 29th 1999 have been lost. Our people are back to cowering before the barrel of a gun. We are back to the days when military officers will rudely get their way using brute force.
My question is, if we are being openly oppressed this way over the death of one officer, and given how Ekiti was militrialised only last month for the gubernatorial poll, what will happen during the 2015 election?
Yes, there is a lot of desperation in Nigeria, but our military must show some restraint. When a soldier was beheaded in the UK, there was no knee-jerk reaction by the military. The perpetrators were talked down by a civilian woman and they were arrested and faced justice.
What happened on the streets of Lagos was not justice. It was a travesty… one the president and the leadership of the army must take seriously. I have my doubts that anything would be done on the matter, given how the cover up of the entire incident has begun with the State Defense Minister and the Army Pro doing their best to blame miscreants and urchins for the destruction. In fact, there is no way these men would have done something that horrible and bold without some senior officers sanctioning about it.
When some of us began to scream about President Jonathan’s autocratic tendencies, we were shouted down by his loyalists and cronies. We were called all sorts of names by the PDP and labeled ‘Chicken Little’. They said we were yelling ‘Fire!’ in a theater when there was no smoke. Now, the Nigerian Press knows better; the people of the entire North-East know better; the Anambra people know better; the people of Ekiti know better; and now, Lagosians know better!
Again, who is the biggest loser? Ask yourself that the next time you see a soldier with a gun stare at you. If you catch a draft and shiver, that loser is you. The military are back in business!
Boys and Girls, Welcome to Jonathan’s Nigeria!