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Credit: The Punch

Senate confirms N13.5m monthly running cost

The Senate yesterday confirmed the disclosure by Senator Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna) that each senator receives N13.5m monthly as running cost.
This is a confirmation of  the running cost of the Federal lawmakers. Headlined, “Senators, Reps share N46bn annually as running cost”. . The report was based on the running cost of the 469 lawmakers at both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Senate spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger) in a statement, tagged: “Senators’ Salary: Shehu Sani said nothing new” said salaries and allowances of senators are well captured in various line times.
Sani in an interview with the News Magazine said he and his colleagues receive N13.5m monthly as running cost.
“But what I am saying is that that money (N13.5 million per month) must be receipted for what you do with it. But what you are given to go and spend without any accountability is N750,000.00.
“The constituency project itself is given on a zonal basis and almost every senator will go with a constituency fund of about N200 million, but it is not the cash that is given to you.
“You will be told that you have N200 million with an agency of government for which you will now submit projects equivalent to that amount. And it is that agency of government that will go and do those projects for you,” he said.
The Senate spokesman said the figures about running cost were contained in the budget of the National Assembly, which has been made public.
He dismissed insinuations that Sani’s colleagues were unhappy with him and said if people had looked critically at the budget of the National Assembly, which has since been made public, they would have seen that various line items like travelling, medicals, consultancy and the rest were captured in the budget and they were the funds divided for each senator’s use.
“Almost all holders of elective and appointive offices have running costs allocated to their offices and that cannot be said to be part of their salaries”, Abdullahi said.
Credit :DailyTrust

PDP Tasks Presidency, APC Over Illegal Importation of Military Equipment...Demands Open Investigation On Gov. Bello’s Alleged Involvement.

March 10, 2018

Press Statement

PDP Tasks Presidency, APC Over Illegal Importation of Military Equipment...Demands Open Investigation On Gov. Bello’s Alleged Involvement.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the linking of the exposed illegal importation of military equipment to All Progressive Congress (APC) interests, particularly in Kogi State, is revealing and places a heavy question on the doorsteps of the Presidency and the ruling party.

The PDP said Nigerians have been wondering how weapons and other military equipment get into the hands of marauders, who have been ravaging the nation, adding that this discovery could be an unfolding clue for which an open investigation must be conducted.

It also expressed fears that the development could be part of the alleged plot by the APC to compromise the nation’s security system and set the stage for the intimidation of Nigerians during the 2019 general election to push their desperate but ill-lucked re-election bid.

The PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Saturday also tasked the Presidency and military high command to immediately come out with explanations to Nigerians on how APC’s Governor Yayaha Bello allegedly secured the permission to import military equipment, which function is exclusively under the purview of the Presidency and the military.

From the reports so far, it appears that we are now having a clue on how weapons and other military equipment being used by marauders and criminals to ravage and murder our citizens are illegally sneaked into the country and by which interest.

Nigerians now know that some persons and officials linked with APC interests have been playing roles in compromising the security of our nation by smuggling in military equipment for unknown groups ostensibly to carry out evil activities.

We hold that this is a very critical matter and as a pro-people party, committed to the well being of Nigerians, urge the Presidency and the military to quickly offer explanations to Nigerians on who issued the end user certificate for the importation of the said military equipment into our country.

The PDP therefore demands and open forensic investigation so that Nigerians will know the truth. Nigerians need to know where the military gadgets were sourced from and who purchased them? They need to know who issued the end user certification for the importation and, if they are not for the military, then who is the actual end user and where is the intended final destination?

Furthermore, we want an open inquest into the alleged involvement of Governor Yahaya Bello and his aides in this matter. What is their interest in the illegal cargo? Do Kogi officials run a militia or are they involved in an illegal trafficking for a wider political interest in the APC? How long have they been in this illegal business and what is the volume of deals so far?

We therefore call on all well-meaning individuals and groups as well as the international community to note this development in our country and join forces in ensuring that the nation gets to the root of the matter

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary

Violence:Fresh Mass Killings by Fulani Herdsmen after President Buhari Left Plateau State

Muhammadu Buhari was rounding off his visit to Plateau State on Friday morning, there was devastating news of yet fresh mass killings by Fulani herdsmen in two local governments in the state.

No fewer than 11 persons were killed in Bassa and Bokkos  local government areas of the state, while many others sustained varying degrees of injuries in two separate attacks by suspected herdsmen.

President Buhari left Plateau State around 12.30 pm on Friday. The news of the killings came after he left Jos for Abuja.

The National President of Irigwe Development Association (IDA), Mr Sunday Abdu, confirmed the attacks to journalists in Jos on Friday. He said the unfortunate incident happened in the early hours of Friday in Miango part of the area when some suspected herdsmen stormed the area and attacked people at random.

According to him, “Yes, it is true that five people were killed in Miango by Fulani herdsmen in an attack which took place overnight and lasted till the early part of this morning. Others were wounded in the unprovoked attack. The bodies of the five slaughtered people have been deposited at the morgue. We are no longer in a hurry to bury our dead. Whenever we are going to bury them, we will let you people know.

“The Fulani herdsmen are killing us but they are the ones crying. What kind of pretence is that? I still appeal to the security personnel not to relent but step up more vigilance and surveillance to stop this pogrom and unwarranted carnage.”

Another six people were reportedly killed in Ganda Village of Dafu District in Bokkos Local Government Area of the state by people suspected to be herdsmen on Thursday.

Mr. Matawa Mankut, a community leader in Bokkos, who confirmed this on Friday afternoon to journalists, blamed herdsmen, who went on a shooting spree as they entered the village.



“We are at the burial ground in Ganda village to give the deceased a mass burial. Our appeal to both the state and federal governments is that they should not relent in their efforts to safeguard the lives and property of the villagers.

“Yes, there is peace in Plateau metropolis but those of us in the villages are facing fire. In fact, this is a holocaust aimed at annihilating our race. So, they should come and assist us and should not leave us in the lurch,” she pleaded.

The spokesman of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), Major Adam Umar, confirmed the two incidents. He said when the unfortunate incident happened in Bassa , the people alerted the OPSH personnel and they responded swiftly and mobilised to the scene.



But, according to Umar, before the men got there, the attackers had fled. He added that soldiers of the command are now fully in charge of the area as patrols have been intensified with a view to getting the perpetrators.

On the incident in Bokkos, he said men of OPSH had been deployed to the affected community, adding that the causality figure was yet to be ascertained. He appealed to the people to always be vigilant and be security conscious by reporting any strange object or movement to the nearest security agency for prompt attention.

The two local government areas have been under the siege of Fulani herdsmen in the past six months. There is no week without one form of attack or the other in the local governments. Both the natives and the herdsmen have been trading blames over the unfortunate killings which have refused to abate.

Suicide :First-class final-year student Commit suicide in UNIBEN

The management of the University of Benin , Edo State, has confirmed the death of one of its students who allegedly committed suicide .

The deceased, identified only as Adams , was said to have been found dead in his room at Ekosodin community, in the Ovia North -East Local Government Area of the state .

He was said to be a 500- level student in the Department of Computer Engineering .

It was gathered that Adams had been sighted at his department where he submitted an assignment , before he returned to his hostel on Thursday .

Some of his friends were said to have suspected that something had gone wrong when they could not access his room while he was inside.

However, his lifeless body was later said to have been found by his relatives who forced the door open in the evening.

Some of his colleagues seen at the department on Saturday declined to speak on the issue and referred our correspondent to the authorities of the school.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr . Johnson Kokumo , could not be reached for comments as calls put across to his telephone were unanswered .

He had yet to respond to a text message sent to his mobile as of the time of filling this report

But the Public Relations Officer of the university , Michael Osasuyi, who confirmed the incident, said the institution received the report with surprise .

Osasuyi noted that the deceased was a first-class student . He said, “The 500-level computer engineering student was discovered in his room at Ekosodin.

“He hung himself . His father came to see him and that was how it was discovered that he hung himself . The information that got to us was that he was a bright student , a first-class student .’’

Osasuyi urged students , no matter what they might be experiencing , to be bold enough to speak out .

Credit PUNCH 

Whistle-blower allegedly exposes 13-properties- reportedly-owned-by Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu

Nigerian Government Discovers Hidden Multimillion Properties Linked To Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu In The US, UK And UAE
The letter is reportedly about properties owned by Senator Ike Ekweremadu The federal government has reportedly written to the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America over properties allegedly owned by deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, Sahara Reporters reports. According to the online news medium, the letter was sent by Tunde Fowler who is the executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service. It was reported that Fowler “is relying on the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEoI), a multi-jurisdictional instrument for exposing hidden assets and incomes, to which Nigeria is a signatory.

Another mass burial for victims of Benue massacres-Gov Ortom

Governor Samuel Ortom has directed that the 24 persons killed on Monday at Omusu Edimoga be given mass burial next Friday .
According to his media adviser , Tahav Agerzua , the governor ordered that the victims of the herdsmen attacks be buried Friday
He said , “Governor directed that arrangement be made for mass burial by next Friday
                            
Scenes from the burial service held at IBB Square in Makurdi for Benue residents slain by herdsmen

15 killed in fresh attack on Fulani settlements in Mambila

At least 15 people were killed and several others injured in fresh attack on 15 Fulani settlement on Mambila Plateau by suspected Bachama militia.

A victim of the attack, Abubakar Ardo, who escaped with his family, told NAN in Gembu that the attacks started at midday on Thursday and most of the killings occurred in the night.

He said almost all houses in about 15 Fulani communities were torched by the assailants.

Mr Ardo said the timely arrival of both army and police prevented further killings and destruction of property.

He said about 15 people were killed during the violence on Thursday evening, adding that five of those killed were buried in Gembu on Friday.

Mr Ardo also confirmed that security personnel have been drafted to the trouble areas leading to restoration of peace.

He called on the state government and security agencies to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators to serve as deterrent to others.

But the Police Command in Taraba however said only five people were killed and several others injured in the attacks on Fulani communities.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, David Misal, told NAN on Saturday that the crisis erupted in Nyiwa and Yerimaru areas on Thursday as a result of a misunderstanding between a farmer and a herder.

He said units of mobile policemen and soldiers from the 20 battalion in Serti have been deployed to the area to maintain law and orderMr Misal, an assistant superintendent of police, added that the situation, which led to the burning of several homes and killing of many cows, has been brought under control

Credit :NAN 

Rann attack: ‘Yesterday, we evacuated 52 aid workers, deceaseds’

Humanitarian work has been suspended until next weekend in a remote town in northeast Nigeria after a Boko Haram attack killed three aid workers, the UN said on Saturday.
The attack happened on Thursday evening in Rann, near the border with Cameroon, where nearly 80,000 people depend on emergency food aid and medical care.
                                 

Following the attack in Rann on 1 March 2018, in which three aid workers were killed and one injured, UNHAS has assisted with the evacuation of the wounded.



At least one other aid worker was critically injured and another three were missing. Eight Nigerian soldiers were also killed.
A UN spokeswoman in Abuja, Samantha Newport, told AFP: “Operations in Rann were temporarily suspended for one week from yesterday morning (Friday).
“Yesterday, we evacuated 52 aid workers and the three deceased, in addition to 300 kilos (661 lbs) of medical supplies that were going to go bad.”
The aid workers are not believed to have been specifically targeted but were caught up in an attack on the military.
Those killed were Nigerians working for the International Organization for Migration and the UN children’s fund Unicef. The injured and missing are also locals.
Newport said an assessment would be conducted in the coming days about damage caused to facilities used in the relief effort, as well as security.
But she said there would be “extremely minimal impact” on people in Rann, where 55,000 people displaced by the Boko Haram conflict are housed in a camp.
Operations elsewhere in the region were also continuing as normal, she added.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which has worked in Rann since January 2017, announced on Friday it had suspended medical activities and withdrawn 22 staff.
It said it would return “as soon as the conditions allow”.
In January 2017, a botched Nigerian air strike intended to hit jihadist fighters killed at least 112 people in Rann as aid workers distributed food.
Six Nigerian Red Cross workers were among the dead.
At least 20,000 people have been killed and more than two million others made homeless in Boko Haram’s Islamist insurgency since 2009.
The conflict has also caused a humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad region, particularly chronic food shortages.
The UN said it needs $1.05 billion (805 million euros) this year to provide help to 6.1 million people in Borno and the neighbouring states of Yobe and Adamawa.
Credit :Vanguard Newspaper

Dapchi: How insurgents abducted our school girls-Residents.

One week after insurgents attacked their community and abducted more than 100 of their school girls, residents of Dapchi, the headquarters of Bursari Local Government Area of Yobe state were gradually recovering from the shock as they recounted how the insurgents carried out the attack.

                                      Prsident Buhari and Dapchi school girls
 The residents also narrated how the girls were deceived by the terrorists who pretended to be soldiers who had been sent to rescue them. According to one of the residents who witnessed the attacks but declined to disclose his name, he said the gunmen who were dressed in military fatigues and turbans arrived Dapchi unchallenged and started firing indiscriminately shouting “Allahu Akbar “ (“God is greatest “). Another resident, Safai Maimagani , a herbal medicine vendor in Dapchi, said the militants headed towards the school, Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC) Dapchi, Borno State on Monday, February 19 and that “not long afterwards they returned, and I heard the cries of the girls from their lorry .” Muhammad Kabo, a tea seller, gave a similar account: “They were here for less than an hour. I heard girls wailing in the truck and it was clear that they abducted some girls from the school. “ A school security guard who gave his name as Baa- Kolo said the gunmen tried to stop the girls from fleeing and deceived them into believing they had come to rescue them. According to him, “ Some of the girls believed them and climbed up into the lorry. Many others just kept running. Hadiza Makinta, one of the students who escaped unhurt said, she was fasting on that very day of the incident, and thanked God for sparing her life while she ran to the bush for safety”. Meanwhile, following the false information of the rescue of the girls, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State did not expect the kind of reaction that greeted his visit to Dapchi by the residents of the community last Thursday. It will be recalled that before the attack on the GGSTC Dapchi the insurgents had attacked Government Girls Secondary School GSS Damaturu, GSS Mamudo, Federal government college Buni Yadi, College of Agriculture Gujba and GSTC Potiskum leaving scores of students dead and injured in the past The residents of Dapchi, headquarters of Bursari Local Government Area which is 100 km drive from Damaturu, the state capital, and which also shares a porous border with Niger Republic, did not only boo the number one citizen of the state but threw stones and dangerous objects at his convoy, resulting in the destruction of some vehicles. The governor was at Dapchi to tell the people that the kidnapped girls from GGSTC had not been found contrary to earlier information that they had been rescued by gallant Nigerian soldiers. The governor, who attributed the conflicting statement to his inability to get accurate information from the right source, blamed the military who left the area one week before the attack, for the abduction of the girls. One of the parents, Inuwa Mohammed, whose 16- year- old daughter, Falmata , was missing, said he was “ devastated by this twist of events” and that his wife fainted on hearing the news and was in hospital. “ I woke up with the strong hope of meeting my daughter and my wife had been making preparations for a warm welcome, only for us to receive this shattering news that the story was a rumour ,” he added . Speaking on the abduction, Idris Abdul, Executive Director of Centre for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), described it as a national embarrassment, and blamed the federal and state governments for leaving the girls vulnerable. He said “I expected that the government must have learned from what happened in Chibok by providing adequate security for the girls in the school. He urged Governor Gaidam to intensify efforts by providing adequate security for all schools, especially the female institutions in the state. Also lamenting, Spokesman of the North East Youth Initiative For Development NEYIF, Mallam Dauda Gombe in an interview, called on the federal government to ensure that all communities which were not covered by adequate security should be given enough military personnel to protect them from the insurgents. He said that the increase of military personnel in the war theatre was the only way wanton killing and abduction can be avoided. According to him, “if there were adequate military personnel to go round, the army commander in the state would not have been under any pressure to remove the soldiers protecting Dapchi at that material time” adding that some tactical mistakes would have been avoided if a mobile strike force was within five minutes reach. Gombe expressed worry in the lack of coordination between the government and the military such that it took two hours before the mobile troops arrived the scene to save an already bad situation. Gombe then requested that “all communities in the local government areas be assigned adequate military men to ensure the security of lives and property of the citizens. In his own reaction, a security experts based in Damaturu Mr. Ali Abubakar Goni said the abduction in Dapchi was not only a national disaster, but an embarrassment to the Buhari-led Federal Government. He advised that, “a more effective mechanism should be deployed to manage and close the gap between the time of postings and shifting of military duties”. Goni also called for a more technical mobile strike force to be established to go round the local councils not only in Yobe but the entire council areas of the north east of Nigeria to fight insurgency. He argued that “all schools be given adequate security men as it was done for commercial banks and many other public places. Above all, as it is clear that the insurgents have insatiable thirst for ladies, the government should upgrade the status of most boarding girls secondary schools urgently so that large number of kids would not be placed in a position where the insurgents would easily pounce on them”. A veteran Journalist based in Maiduguri, Mr. Gbenga Akingbule also submitted that both government and the security agencies were to be blame for not living up to their constitutional responsibilities. Another parent who gave his name as Mohammed Audu in Dapchi said, “the government have to sit up and be up and doing, looking at what happened in Chibok in the past four years. “ One of the constitutional responsibilities of government is to protect human lives, anything short of this, it is better for those in government to resign, rather than shifting blames to the military or the police. “Secondly, the issue of deploying, redeploying and withdrawal of the military to a vulnerable school like that of Dapchi was most unfortunate which I will describe as a fire brigade approach, so our security operatives should do the needful. “ I therefore advise the government and security agencies to punish whoever was found to have neglected his/her duty that led to the abduction of the school girls to serve as deterrent for others”, Audu stated. Credit :Vanguard Newspaper

Fulani Herdsmen: We Will Not Leave Benue Community.

Just when it seemed respite was coming the way of Benue farming communities from the incursions of marauding herdsmen after the flag off of Exercise Ayem A’ Kpatuma, or Cat Race, a military spike operation to end herdsmen killings in the state, armed herdsmen early in the week stormed Mbatoho, an Island community at Mbalagh council ward of Makurdi local government, sacking over 5,000 inhabitants of the vast Island. The invaders who were reported to have quietly ordered the locals to vacate their ancestral homes without putting up any resistance warned that their intent was not to shed blood. Scared stiff of the threat, the locals immediately fled their homes to the mainland after which the well armed herdsmen razed several homes on the island and occupied the territory which is less than five kilometer on sea from the Wadata area of Makurdi town. Majority of the victims caught refuge in homes of relatives and friends on the other side of River Benue while a handfull of others staged a peaceful protest to Benue Government House, seeking the intervention of the state government to save them from being homeless. It was gathered from some of the displaced persons that the armed herdsmen started the action of attacking and taking over the island some days ago. According to the Community Leader of the Island and tax collector of the inner segment of the Island, Chief Peter Tachie, “the armed herdsmen who are usually dressed in black started their action four days ago in our community. “They came in their numbers with their cattle into island from Guma local government area and other places on foot some weeks ago because the water level of River Benue has dropped significantly so they could easily assess the island on foot. “Four days ago they started destroying our houses, farmland and food barns and also taking over the LGEA Primary school in the island and converting same for personal use. “As we speak no Tiv person is on that island at the moment, they have taken our farms and also uprooted our cassava from our plantation to feed their cattle which are also grazing freely on our farmland. “They have destroyed all that we spent years to acquire, so we have all moved into Makurdi main town with our families to seek government’s attention. “You know that we do a lot of dry season farming on the Island and as we speak all that we planted in this dry season have all been destroyed by the herdsmen and their cattle.” On his part, the tax collector of the outer segment of the island, Chief Stephen Guntu, said the invaders had warned that it was in the best interest of the locals to vacate the island in order to avert a major crisis. “They warned that we should leave the island quietly in our own interest. And since we know that they could be ruthless we all fled with our families. “Some of us are currently taking refuge in the houses of friends and relatives while John Kyuka who is a politician that comes regularly to campaign in the island also offered to accommodate very few of us. “We need urgent intervention of the government because they have taken over our farmlands and all the food we harvested during the last farming season. “Moreover, we do a lot of dry season farming and as I speak all the crops we planted this season are now food for the cattle.” Head Teacher of the only Primary School on the Island, the LGEA Primary School, Daudu, Mr. Ephram Otave told Saturday Vanguard that close to 400 pupil of the school had been chased out of school by the invaders. “All my pupils who are close to 400 have been chased out of school and displaced due to the activities of the herdsmen who have occupied the entire island and chased out our people.” Confirming the development, the Benue state Information Commission, Lawrence Onoja Jnr. said the invaders had completely taken over the Island adding that the government had also directed security personnel to push them out of the community before the crisis would escalate. According to the Commissioner “our findings when the Security Adviser to the Governor, Lt. Col. Paul Hemba(Rtd.) led a team to Island indicated that for sometime in the last few days there has been serious influx of herdsmen into Benue especially along Agatu, Guma, Logo, Katsina/Ala local government areas and communities bordering Nasarawa state especially. “It was in the course of this influx that groups of herdsmen some days ago went to Mbatoho Island, at Mbalagh council ward of Makurdi local government area and sacked the locals from their homes. “The people fled from Island and the herdsmen took over the community. When the team got there it was discovered that the herdsmen were feeding their cattle on the farm produce of the people and all they had in their barns. “Governor Samuel Ortom has been in constant touch with security personnel who have mobilized to the Island and have been directed to to push back the herdsmen. “Unfortunately the Exercise Ayem A’ Akpatuma recently launched by the military in the state to end the herdsmen incursion in the state does not cover that area because it is an Island completely surrounded by water. “However, security personal have been mobilized to the island to move the herdsmen out so that the people can move back to their community.” When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Moses Yamu confirmed that the Special Forces of the Police had moved into the Island to restore order. “Just today, the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni held meetings with some Ardos (Fulani Chiefs) and Chiefs from Agatu, Gwer West and others, after which they went on a visit to the Island. As we speak they are yet to return to Makurdi mainland.”

Dapchi girls: Boko Haram contacts female negotiator, Aisha Wakil

Wakil, who is popularly called Mama Boko Haram, was a member of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, which was set up during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Wakil made the claim in a video interview with the News Agency of Nigeria that has gone viral on the social media, saying the terrorist group had made contact with her on Thursday. She is believed to have communication links with the leadership of the sect and also believed to have played some roles in negotiations between the Federal Government and Boko Haram insurgents that resulted in the release of persons kidnapped by the group in the past. Earlier in the week, Wakil had pleaded with the abductors of the schoolgirls to release them so that they could reunite with their families. But in the fresh video, Wakil said, “They are even the ones that called me and said Mama, we heard what you have said and told me that they are with the girls and they are going to release them. “I begged of them and said please let this not be another 1,000-plus days of Chibok girls, and they laughed and said no. I asked them where I can come and stay with them (girls) for two days, but they did not say anything. “I can assure Nigerians that so far they are with my son, Habib, and his friends; Habib is a nice guy, he is a very nice boy. He will not harm them, he will not touch them, and he will not kill them. He is going to listen to us, and so far, he indicated interest that he loves peace. And I love them for that and believe what they said on this. “They will definitely give us the girls. All I am begging Nigerians is to calm down, be prayerful, everything will be over in God grace (sic).” Credit:Punch newspaper

Breaking: Four aid workers killed in Boko Haram attack in Borno

Four aid workers were killed in a Boko Haram attack in Rann, in northeast Nigeria, the UN said on Friday, in the latest violence to hit the remote town. Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai looks on at the headquaters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri, Borno State in northcentral Nigeria, on October 4, 2017. The United Kingdom is providing expert training to the Nigerian military in helping to develop the skills necessary to tackle the terror threat of Boko Haram in North East Nigeria. Boko Haram’s Islamist insurgency began in 2009 and has killed at least 20,000 and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes. / AFP The attack happened “after dark” outside a camp housing some 55,000 people displaced by the conflict and appeared to target the military, said UN spokeswoman Samantha Newport. A civilian militia source in Rann, which is some 175 kilometres (110 miles) from the Borno state capital of Maiduguri, and a senior military source gave an identical death toll. They also said eight soldiers were killed in the attack but there was no immediate official confirmation. Newport said: “Four aid workers were killed, one aid worker was injured and one aid worker is missing, feared abducted. “Of the aid workers that were killed, two worked for the IOM (International Organization for Migration) in camp management; and one was a medical doctor working as a third party consultant for UNICEF,” the UN children’s agency, she said. No details were immediately available for the fourth but Newport said the injured and missing were both women. All those involved were Nigerian, she added. Boko Haram fighters killed nine people from the Rann internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in September last year, as they worked on farms just outside the town. In January last year, a botched Nigerian air strike intended to hit jihadist fighters killed at least 112 people as aid workers distributed food. Commanders at the time called the bombing a mistake and blamed “the fog of war”. An air force board of inquiry later blamed “lack of appropriate marking of the area” for the bombardment and an unexpected gathering of people at the location.

No fewer than 1,000 shops and several vehicles were torched in the violent clash that occurred between Christian and Muslim youths in Kaduna on Monday over girls, as the death toll rose to 12 yesterday. When Vanguard visited the scene yesterday, the large scale destruction that trailed the clash which engulfed Kasuwan Magani town in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state was benumbing. Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Austin Iwar, who disclosed the new death toll yesterday, said 18 people had also been arrested. Addressing journalists after a fact-finding and assessment visit to the area, the Police Commissioner vowed that no stone would be left unturned in unravelling the immediate and remote causes of the crisis. The Police Commissioner, in company of the General Officer Commanding I Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Major-General Mohammed Mohammed and state commandant of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps, Modu Goni, expressed shock at the scale of destruction. He said: “It is unfortunate. As we can see, the level of destruction is very high, some people were killed and properties were destroyed. This is not what we wish for our state, Kaduna. Some burnt cars during the crisis that took place at Kasuwan Magani town in Kajuru Local Government area of Kaduna state Tuesday. Photos Olu Ajayi. see more photos here “Let me say that we will not leave any stone unturned in investigating the remote and immediate causes of this problem. We will talk to the stakeholders here and try to find out what the problem is and through civil problem solving approach and conflict resolution, we will deal with that.” Police recover petrol bombs, other items “We will also look at the criminal aspect of it. So far, we have arrested eighteen people we suspect were involved in the crisis. We are working round the clock to ensure that we get to the root of the matter. “We have recovered a number of dangerous items, including petrol bombs. We believe this is a planned thing and we will get to the root of the matter. We will do a thorough investigation to ensure that it does not happen again.” He said the police was aware of “skirmishes” in the area two weeks ago and had made some arrests “but we did not know that there was a grand design to carry out massive destruction as it happened.” He defended police response to the crisis, saying he mobilized his men and deployed to the area as soon as the Police received reports of the crisis. “The most important thing to us is, when was it reported to us? Travelling from Kaduna to this place takes about forty minutes. We needed to prepare and mobilize our men. Police officers are not like items sitting on the shelves of supermarkets. “We needed to bring people from other places. We took necessary steps to check the crisis. We brought in military reinforcement, Civil Defence and Police reinforcement,” he added. The Police commissioner said 11 victims of the crisis were “buried around12 midnight”, while one person who sustained injuries later died in the hospital yesterday. Crisis started on Monday, when a Christian girl who was allegedly engaged to a Muslim man was about to convert to Islam, a development that angered youths of the predominantly Christian settlement. Senate warns against hate speech Meanwhile, the Senate has cautioned religious, political, community leaders against hate speech to avoid hate actions. It also said any conflict with religious colouration would be the fastest way to liquidate Nigeria as a country. Speaking yesterday, in Abuja during plenary when Senator Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna Central) raised a point of order on the killings, destruction of property in Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary, said if all Nigerians, irrespective of class, religion and status, treat themselves as brothers and sisters, those following them would follow. Ekweremadu, who urged the leaders to try as hard as they can to avoid escalation of religious crisis in Nigeria, said: “This is one incident too many. This is becoming very worrisome. What is even more worrisome is the religious colouration to the killings, based on what Senator Shehu Sani has said. This is something we need to avoid. “That is, any conflict that will have religious colouration, that will be the fastest way to liquidate this country. As leaders, we must understand that leadership comes with responsibilities. It is our job to keep preaching to those who are leading through our actions and words that we belong to one God. “The fact that somebody is a Christian or Muslim does not mean that he should hate another person. I have not seen any religion that preaches hate killings. It is the way we behave that promotes that. “We are talking about hate speech. The worst of it is hate action. If we treat ourselves as brothers and sisters, those following us will follow us. We must try as hard as we can, not to have any religious escalation in Nigeria.” Credit: Vangauard Newspaper

Late UNIMAID Prof’s. brother writes letter to Boko Haram leader, Shekau

Malam Usman Abbas, a younger brother to late Prof. Aliyu Usman Mani, who was killed during a suicide bomb attack at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), has said Abubakar Shekau is a “dead man waiting to go to hell”.
Usman stated this in an open letter to Abubakar Shekau, factional leader of the Boko Haram insurgents, which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri on Thursday.
“I listened to your audio message in which you claimed responsibility for the suicide bomb attack that killed my brother Professor Aliyu Usman Mani and others during subh (early morning) prayer at the University of Maiduguri Staff quarters mosque on Monday January 16, 2017.
“I am addressing this letter to you and calling you “dead” because your filthy, satanic, useless and lost soul is just wandering on earth waiting to get to hell where you have earned yourself permanent residency in the deepest and most painful part of it.
“Contrary to your claim in most of your video or audio messages, the innocent people you kill are better than you in the sight of both human beings and Allah and you are the one surely going to hell.
“Your soul will never smell heaven.
“The tears I shed on the death of my brother were for my personal loss. For the deceased however, I am extremely happy because he died in a mosque, praying (in ruku’u), fasting on a Monday and was killed by your bomb.
“Given a choice, I would not mind the same type of death.
“His death was very painful but I want to assure you that you cannot stop us from going to the mosque to pray, neither can you stop us from seeking for and obtaining knowledge and education (both Islamic and western).
“We have no doubt lost a brother, father, grandfather, Professor, gentleman, pillar of support, guardian and a good man but we have gained a martyr.
“We are very proud of what Professor Aliyu Usman Mani achieved in life and in death, we are certain he died in one of the best possible ways to exit this world and that his hereafter is even better.
“In death, Professor Aliyu’s status was elevated, his popularity soared, his name heard beyond the academia, beyond the shores of Nigeria, his burial was attended by hundreds of people including my humble self and others from all walks of life prayed for him in private and in congregations at places of worship.
“You cannot change or take away the good things people said and are still saying about him neither can you change the bad things they said and are still saying about you.
“Even your parents, children and relations if you have any, cannot be proud of what you are doing not to talk of the country and Islam as a religion.
“You can only deceive the gullible, uneducated in both Islamic and western education and innocent boys and girls who did not know what they were doing into carrying out your devilish plans.
“If you are convinced that what you are doing is Islam and Almighty Allah is truly with you, then show your face, operate from a known and traceable address, use only male adults and do not brainwash small boys and girls into carrying out attacks on your behalf while you hide like a rat in a hole and claim heroism afterwards.
“I say you are already dead because “alive”, you the killer of Professor Aliyu Usman Mani, cannot show your face physically, cannot move around freely, cannot sleep peacefully, cannot command respect willfully.
” You cannot do anything normally, you cannot enjoy life fully, you can only live in the bush with your cousins the wild animals tamely, and will surely die miserably without the privilege of a proper burial,” said Usman in the letter.
Source :Vanguard

Nigerian Army Arrests 3 APC Governor Associates Over Alleged Links to Boko Haram

Two powerful politicians in Borno state and a traditional ruler have been arrested by the men of the army over suspected links to Boko Haram terrorists.

The names of the politicians are being withheld but TheCable reported that they are close associates of an APC governor.

The third - a traditional ruler is also said to be the first son of another prominent ruler in the state.

The Cable reported that the latest arrests were confirmed by Lucky Irabor, a major general and Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, the counterinsurgency team of the army without further details.

“It is true we have arrested some people. They may be known faces. We started picking them one by one. We’re taking them now and we are still investigating them so I can’t give you any detail,” he said.

The politicians were arrested early this week by detectives and troops from Operation Lafiya Dole.

One of them, who is also an Islamic spritualist, fled the state but was arrested along Maiduguri-Jos road, sources told TheCable.

The second politician was said to be a thug (called ECOMOG) and an aide to some politicians in the state.

Source: TheCable

BREAKING :Many feared killed as suicide bomber attacks worshippers opposite UNIMAID

There was a suicide attack on worshippers on Tuesday as a suspected male suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) during congregational Morning Prayer at a mosque in Dalori quarter opposite the University of Maiduguri.
According to report, many worshippers feared killed and injured.
The spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency,NEMA, Sani Datti confirmed the incident in a message.
"There was a reported case of explosions at Dalori quarters, Maiduguri, Borno State. Our Search and Rescue officers are already on their way to the scene, detail later," he said

Apostle Suleiman :Talk to your boys, Fulani herdsmen, to stop the killing of Christians in Kaduna.

The General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministry, Apostle Johnson Suleman has said that Kaduna state Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai knows the Fulani herdsmen doing the killings in Kaduna state. The cleric said since the Governor had also confessed that he paid the herdsmen to stop killing Christians in the state, he must therefore be made to produce them to answer to crimes of murder and other crimes.

Suleman had also asked the Federal Government to compel Governor El-Rufai to produce the Fulani herdsmen so as to disabuse the minds of Nigerians that Christians are not the target of President Muhammadu’s administration.

Apostle Suleman and Governor El-Rufai

He said that failure to compel El-Rufai to produce the herdsmen who purportedly collected money from the Kaduna State Government is an indication of the insincerity of the Buhari administration.

“The Governor of Kaduna State confessed that he paid money to some Fulani herdsmen as compensation to stop the killings in Southern Kaduna.

“That means he knows those who have committed atrocities against Christians. He must be made to produce them to answer to charges of murder and other crimes,” the Apostle said.

Recall that following the reported utterances of the apostle wherein he told his members to defend themselves should any herdsmen come to attack them in the church, the Department of States Services, DSS invited Suleman to report at its office in Abuja on Monday. as at the time of filing this report, Apostle Suleman has reported at the DSS office in Abuja for interrogation.

However, Some Christian youths under the aegis of Christian Youths Project have condemned the invitation to the Apostle by the Department of State Services(DSS). The Christian youths said that the utterance of the Pastor on the pulpit should not warrant any arrest, adding that there was no need to misconstrue the statement of the Apostle.

The National President of the Project, Mr Pepple Ibiwari-Junior, made the call in a press briefing on Monday in Port Harcourt .

He noted that the utterance of the man of God was a wakeup call on Christians to be on the alert in case of any possible attack.

He advised the relevant authorities not to ridicule or cause any public embarrassment to the clergy held in high esteem by members of the public.

“ We strongly and unequivocally condemn in totality the ridicule and public embarrassment of Apostle Suleman Johnson by the DSS,” he added.

Ibiwari-Junior urged the DSS not to treat the Apostle as a common criminal but to accord him some respect.

He said that religious matters were of delicate nature and as such should be treated with caution to avoid misrepresentation of facts.

The president stressed that his members condemned the continued killing of Christians .

Ibiwari-Junior called on Christians to be vigilant and to be security conscious always to avoid being victims of religious killings and other forms of attack.

“The gospel of Jesus Christ advocates love and peace and not violence, Christian youths do not subscribe to violence or killings under any guise.

“ While we appreciate the DSS and other security agencies in ensuring peace and security in Nigeria, we call for an intensified effort to put a final stop to the killings of innocent Christians by Fulani herdsmen, ‘’ he said.

The president urged the authorities to arrest and prosecute those responsible for the killing of innocent Christians in the north and in other parts of the nation.

Gunmen Kidnap Catholic Priest in Delta

Gunmen have abducted a Catholic priest in-charge of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Eku in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, Rev. Fr. Joseph Oghenekevwe Ojakorotu.
Ojakorotu was said to have been whisked away by the daredevil gunmen along the Sapele-Eku Road in Sapele Local Government Area while returning from a journey on Friday.
It was gathered that the abductors contacted some of his worshippers and demanded N10m ransom.
A member of the church told Punch that the priest was accosted at a bad portion of the road by his assailants who dragged him out of the car.
The spokesman for the police in the state, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed the incident, adding that the command was making efforts to rescue the cleric.
Aniamaka said, “I can assure you that we shall not let criminals succeed in the state. We have dispatched security operatives to the area to ensure that the priest is rescued unhurt. We shall surely arrest the perpetrators to face the law. Crime does not thrive in Delta.”
He also urged family members of the abducted priest not to pay ransom to the hoodlums, assuring that the cleric would regain his freedom in no distant time.

“I said the Christians must not go after them, but if they come after us, then defend yourself” – Apostle Suleiman

Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries (OFM) Worldwide, Apostle Johnson Suleiman , has said that he did not instruct Christians to go after Muslims, adding that his statement was taken out of context.
A couple of days ago, a video surfaced online where he told his Church members to “kill any Fulani herdsman” who enters the church to cause harm.
Following the message, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) in the early hours of Tuesday stormed a hotel the clergyman was lodged in Ado-Ekiti after his crusade, to arrest him.
Vanguard reports that a Director in the hotel, who pleaded anonymity said when the DSS arrived the Hotel, they told the receptionists that they had a message for the Apostle from the Presidency.
The receptionists passed the message to the Apostle’s Personal Assistant and his Security details who informed their boss of the mission of his guests.
The Director added that a few minutes later he saw a convoy drove into the hotel premises and Governor Fayose emerged from one of the vehicles in the convoy, went straight to the preacher’s hotel room and left with Apostle, who had got his bags already packed.
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday, Suleiman said that he preached on the need for Christians to always defend themselves, adding that it was sinful to tell anyone to kill God’s creation.
“They said I preached in Auchi two weeks ago which they said implied that I was instigating Christians against Muslims. I have always been an advocate of peace and I can’t stay around and be saying such. There are widows and orphans for us to take care of just because of these senseless killings, no leader will see his sheep being killed and be happy.
Later, I got anonymous calls from Fulani Herdsmen about what I said. What I said was that, if gunmen came around church to attack churches, you must defend yourself, but if they come to pray, don’t attack. But they quoted me out of context. I am not stupid, I live among the crowd and I am not senseless. Time for self defence has come. Whether you are a Muslim or Christian, someone can’t just come to your house and kill your children and you will keep quiet.
I said the Christians must not go after them, but if they come after us, then defend yourself. This is what they twisted. I am hearing different versions of the story. I was in Abuja for three days why didn’t they come after me. But now that I am in Ekiti, they wanted to lump me up with a man they think was against them. It could have been easier to pick me up in Abuja, I don’t live here.
If this will make them to clarify what I meant, I can present the video of my preaching. A town in Aviele in Edo State, Muslims rushed into the church and chased away all church members and started calling for Islamic prayers there. I have always been preaching that youths must not kill. It was even wrong for the police or security agency to be coming around me and be saying I preached that I said Christians should kill Muslims without any verifiable facts.
The only thing I am seeing is that we must learn how to investigate. I am not happy because of the way Christian community have been reacting. They are even saying they will protests abroad in all Nigerian embassies. I will never be alive and see Christians destroying property of Muslims because there will be problem.
If they had called me and say I should tone down what I said, I would have gone back to do that. I have never been invited, but if I am invited I will come but that will be at my own time. I was not stopped from preaching.
This Kaduna crisis confirmed that there was deliberate attempt to frustrate Christians. The National Assembly must not fold their arms and see this happen. But I have no grudge against Buhari or DSS. They are only doing their job, but the DSS did it wrongly,” Suleiman said.