₦airaland Forum

TimeManager:
Sowore must be crazy, I dare him take it up and organize so called rally. This is someone who called himself an activist, who prides himself to have fought against military regimes and who always say he is against military dictatorship yet soliciting for the release of some miscreants glorifying a military junta. If any miscreants want to rally for a dictator, they know the road to Burkina Faso. No miscreants will be allowed on Nigerian soil to celebrate another miscreant in far away Burkina Faso.


-Kiss the truth!

The global human rights body, Amnesty International, says President Bola Tinubu has failed to tackle the insecurity he promised to address after the abduction and killing of the Chief Imam of Maru Jumma’a Mosque, Alkali Salihu Suleiman, and his three children by armed bandits in Zamfara State.

The family was abducted in March during the Ramadan period, and despite the bandits receiving N11 million of the N20 million ransom they demanded, they were subjected to torture and eventually murdered.

Amnesty International, in a statement on Thursday, condemned the killings, pointing to the Nigerian government’s failure to protect its citizens and the lack of accountability for the perpetrators of such violence.

“Amnesty International strongly condemns the gruesome killing of the Chief Imam of Maru Jumma’a Mosque, Alkali Salihu Suleiman 79, along with his three children — after the bandits received N11m of the N20m ransom they demanded,” the organisation said in a statement.


“The Chief Imam and his three children were abducted by gunmen in during Ramadan fasting in March. While in custody of the bandits they were subjected to almost daily rounds of torture and other ill-treatement. Apart from beatings, they were also made to go long hours without food or water,” the statement added.

Amnesty also criticised the Nigerian authorities for their inability to protect lives and property while armed groups continue their atrocities, which include abductions, killings, and sexual violence.

“The Nigerian authorities consistently failed to protect lives and property, while the killers continue to carry out horrific atrocities that include slaughtering people, abduction, amputation, rape of women and girls and razing of entire villages,” Amnesty said.


The rights group highlighted the ongoing nature of attacks on rural communities in northern Nigeria, accusing security forces of failing to respond effectively.

"Terrifying attacks on rural communities in the north of Nigeria have been going on for years. The current failure of security forces to take sufficient steps to protect villagers from these predictable attacks is utterly shameful and unacceptable,” Amnesty added.

Amnesty also stated that the continuing violence across states such as Zamfara shows that the government has failed to take decisive action against armed groups.


"Almost daily attacks across Zamfara and other states clearly show that President Bola Tinubu and his government have no effective plan for ending years of atrocities by armed groups and gunmen that are increasingly having free reigns of impunity across many parts of Nigeria,” the organisation concluded.

“President Bola Tinubu promised to tackle insecurity nationwide, but so far, security of lives seems to be low on the list of his government’s priorities.”

Alex Otti, the governor of Abia state, has denied claims linking him to a planned defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Reports had alleged that Otti recently met with Hope Uzodimma, the Imo governor, to discuss a potential move to the ruling party. The claims surfaced after Thursday’s national economic council (NEC) meeting at the presidential villa.

In a statement on Saturday, Ferdinand Ekeoma, special adviser to Otti on media and publicity, described the reports as “false, baseless and unfounded”. The governor’s spokesperson said the alleged meeting was misrepresented and had no political undertone.

“After the National Economic Council meeting on Thursday, April 24, Governor Otti and a few of his colleagues joined Governor Uzodinma to attend the birthday celebration of his twin daughters, an event that had nothing to do with politics,” he said.

Ekeoma said Otti’s “rising profile and performance” as Abia governor may be fuelling speculation and political projections from various quarters. He said decisions with long-term consequences would only be taken in consultation with the people of Abia and the governor’s close allies.

According to him, Otti remains focused on governance and believes it is premature to allow 2027 politics to “distract from the mandate of service to Abians”.

“We wish to emphatically state that Governor Otti remains a member of the Labour Party and is presently not planning or discussing with anyone to defect to the APC or any other party,” [/b]he added.

[b]In recent weeks, major opposition parties have lost several members to the ruling APC, with more governors and key party members reportedly planning to defect.

He stated that Wike, Akpabio, and Tinubu rose to power through criminality without any repercussions.

Sowore shared his views during an interview on News Central TV.

This comes as he described Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nyesom Wike, and President Bola Tinubu as “the three most dangerous persons in Nigeria.”

“The declaration of emergency was purely an attempt to sacrifice an entire state structure — not the first, but one of the first that is more brazen. In this case, they want Wike to control one of Nigeria’s richest states, Rivers.”

“So everything has been pointing to that process ever since Fubara was appointed—or selected, whichever way you want to put it.”

“It got to a point where Wike had to reach Tinubu, who is his principal in this case, to move in and take the state from Fubara so they can have it for themselves. That’s what they executed.”

“There are three individuals we must watch out for: the FCT Minister, that is Nyesom Wike; the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; and Nigeria’s president himself, Bola Tinubu. These are guys that are very dangerous. They are dangerous because they have lived a life of crime and impunity — whichever way you want to call it — and got away with it.”

He stated that Wike, Akpabio, and Tinubu rose to power through criminality without any repercussions.

“The reason why these guys are different from every dangerous person you have ever met in your life is that they have risen through the ranks of crime and impunity and gotten to the top without consequences. That’s what you are seeing them doing now.”

“This morning, I was invited to a media interview by Channels TV, and I did predict that the Nigerian National Assembly would not do anything — they would endorse Bola Tinubu’s state of emergency. They are all in on this, and that’s why Nigerians must understand that there is no way out. They gang up against us; we must gang up against them too.”

His comments come amid controversies surrounding Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State. The move by the president has been widely condemned as an affront to the constitution, although the president’s aides have repeatedly tried to defend it.

SaharaReporters earlier revealed that cash was distributed at Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s guest house on Tuesday and Wednesday nights to secure lawmakers’ support for President Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

Sources privy to the matter had told SaharaReporters that Akpabio’s guest house, located at No. 22, Yedeseram Street, Maitama, Abuja, was the venue where the money was handed out.

According to the sources, 42 senators received $10,000 each on Wednesday night, while 45 senators were given $5000 each on Tuesday night to influence the approval of the controversial emergency rule in Rivers State.