₦airaland Forum

imagine what about the politicians they are celebrated shey.well such is life for a crime one wears a crown and another bears a cross,how ironic life could be

The Supreme Court, last weekend, on two separate judgements, upheld the judgements of lower courts which

convicted and sentenced Segun Ogunsanya and Joseph Awoshina to death.

A five-man panel constituted by Justices Alooma Mariam Mukhtar, Walter Samuel, Kanu Onnoghen, Francis Fedode Tabai, John Afolabi Fabiyi and Bode-Rhodes Vivour in its decision held in Ogunsanya’s case that they saw no conceivable reason to interfere with the decision and opinion of the court below.

They declared also that the appeal filed against the Court of Appeal, Abuja judgment that affirmed the conviction and sentencing of Amoshima to death is without merit and consequently dismissed.

Ogunsanya, whose trial commenced in July 30,2002, was accused of robbing one Alhaji Oshikoya Yinka of N51,000 at gunpoint at Igoya Imowo, near Ijebu- Ode, Ogun State, in the company of others said to be at large.

He was tried on a two-count charge of conspiracy and armed robbery at the Ijebu-Ode Judicial Division of the High Court which convicted and sentenced him to death.

On the other, Joseph Amoshima, Aminu Tanko and Ikechukwu Okoh were said to have robbed one Alhaji Zakari Mohammed of his video-playing machine and some amount of money on April 6,2006 with a knife, resulting in his death in his house at Kasuwan Dutse area of Suleja, Niger State.

The accused were said to have beaten up Zakari to death during the robbery operation. One of those who beat up the deceased known as Uche, was however summarily convicted during the Niger State Chief Judge’s prison decongestion exercise.

Uche was the 4th accused person in the original charge which involved eight persons.

Four out of the eight accused were discharged and acquitted while the remaining three were ordered to defend themselves.

However, only Amoshima appealed against the conviction and death sentence handed to the three.

Amoshima’s lawyer had argued that the Niger State attorney general had no power to initiate proceedings under the Robbery and Firearms Act without the consent of the Attorney General of the Federation.

In a lead judgement delivered by Justice Onnoghen, he said, "There is no specific provision of the said Act stating that a state Attorney General cannot do so or only the AGF can do so.

"This is a very busy court whose time ought not to be toyed with or wasted on issues which do no one any good.

"Having resolved all the issues canvassed before this court against the appellant,it is obvious that the appeal is without merit and is consequently dismissed by me.

"The judgements of the lower courts are hereby affirmed." In his judgement on June 22,2004, Justice M.A Ojo found

Ogunsanya guilty and consequently convicted and sentenced him to death.

The accused, not satisfied, proceeded to the Court of Appeal, where his conviction and death sentence were upheld.

In the lead judgement delivered by Justice Tabai at the apex court last Friday, it was held that the appeal ought to be dismissed and is accordingly dismissed.

The apex court noted that, "although Ogunsanya (the appellant) was at various times called upon to enter his defence, and whenever no counsel was available to conduct his defence, the court offered free legal aid to him, which he consequently rejected. Almost all the adjournements sought by the appellant to enable him secure the services of a counsel of his choice were granted but such counsel were never available for the defence.

The learned trial judge and the prosecuting counsel made every opportunity available to the accused for his defence but he failed to utilize the opportunities. He cannot therefore be heard to complain about denial of fair hearing".

One of the two-count charges stated that, "Segun Ogunsanya and others now at large, on July 14, 2001, at Igoya Imowo in the Ijebu-Ode Judicial Division, while armed with offensive weapons to wit; guns robbed one Alhaji Oshikoya Yinka of N51,000 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions )Act, 1999".

http://www.champion.com.ng/displaycontent.asp?pid=9493

INDICATIONS emerged, at the weekend, that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has ended the political rift between him and President Goodluck Jonathan over the zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The former vice-president was a bitter rival of President Jonathan ahead of the January 2011 presidential primary of the PDP, which he lost to the president.

He was the consensus candidate of the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF), headed by Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, which claimed it arrived at a consensus candidate for the North.
The group was of the view that a northerner should continue as president till 2015, in view of the fact that the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, who hailed from the North could not complete his tenure as he died in office.

But upon Yar’Adua’s death in May 2010, Dr Jonathan had assumed office as the substantive president.

The zoning argument continued until the election, but the roles played by Abubakar and the NPLF leaders were not clear.

Though Abubakar and former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida had congratulated Jonathan on his victory at the April general election, it was gathered that only Abubakar had met the president since the outcome of the election.

The former vice-president was said to have visited the president in a closed session recently.

During the meeting, the two leaders were said to have examined the state of the nation and the need for peace among the different political views.

It was gathered that Abubakar had also visited the president shortly after his emergence as substantive president in May 2010.

A source said then that Abubakar had asked whether the president would seek election into the number one seat and that Jonathan said he was not sure of what lay ahead.

It was gathered that the former vice-president had apparently broken away from the vociferous antagonism by some northern politicians against Jonathan in the wake of his election victory against the plans by some northern politicians.

Said a source: “Of all the acclaimed zoning proponents, only Abubakar has visited President Jonathan. The two of them had fruitful discussions and it appears that Abubakar now regrets some of the controversial statements credited to him during the electioneering.

“There was an agreement that the country, Nigeria, is bigger and greater than any individual politician or political interest and that all hands must be on deck to enable the government to succeed.”

The source further said that Abubakar was moving to reclaim his nationalistic image after he had sunk himself into the cocoon of the retired General.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/front-page-news/23748-zoning-swest-shops-for-candidate-jonathan-atiku-end-rift

SOME soldiers of the 33 Artillery Brigade headquaters, Bauchi, went berserk, at the weekend, beating up the deputy registrar of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, Mr Andee Iheme, and his wife.

About eight soldiers pounced on Iheme and his wife, Moji, whipping them, as well as raining verbal insults on the defenceless couple, as sympathisers could only watch helplessly from a distance.

The incident, which happened around the Mobile petrol station at the popular Gidan Mai area of the state capital, had caused outrage among the people of Bauchi, as they were getting apprehensive over incidents of human rights violation by soldiers on innocent people.

Iheme was groaning in pains as he narrated his ordeal to newsmen on his hospital bed, at the emergency ward of the Abubakar Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.

Narrating his ordeal, Iheme said around 7.00 p.m on Saturday, an army Hilux Jeep, with registration number NA 379 E, having 33 written at its back, parked in front of his wife’s car, preventing her from getting out of the petrol station.

The development, according to him, prompted his wife to hoot her horn, with a view to getting the soldiers park their van properly.

The situation later resulted into verbal attack and beating, where he sustained head injuries, while the wife had a swollen mouth.

“I had just finished training of customs men in Public Relations in Calabar and I was on my way back. When I got to Gidan Mai, I called my wife to come and pick me at Mobil petrol station. This was about a few minutes to 4.00 p.m. My wife came and I got into the car.

“Just as we were going to get out of the petrol station, a blue Hilux van with two compartments just parked in front of us across the road. So my wife horned for him to move on. The Hilux van refused to move. She horned again. The two persons in front of the van were discharging two girls who were sitting behind.

“So when my wife horned again, the next thing we saw was that the man, who was on the driver’s seat did the sign of ‘Uwaka’ (Your Mother) with his two hands to us and I was shocked.

“So I told my wife to horn again and she did and this man did ‘Uwaka’ again and switched off the engine of his car. So I wound down my glass and told him if eventually you move this car from here then you are a fool. He came out from the car and gave me a slap and before I knew it, he was using his legs and throwing blows on me,” he said.

The Public Relations Officer of the 33 Artillery Brigade, Major A. Etete, confirmed the incident, adding that the men were from the brigade and that investigations were ongoing with a view to fishing out the culprits.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/23759-soldiers-go-beserk-beat-abtu-dep-registrar-wife

A female Customary Court President was, on Sunday, kidnapped by five gunmen. The woman, identified as Ufuoma Lordson Egebule was abducted at Ohwrode –Orhuwhorun road in Udu Local Government Area of the state.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the incident occurred at about 2:00p.m. while the victim was on her way to Warri from Ughelli in company of her two children and a sister-in-law.

The widow, who was driving her Peugeot 504 official car marked DTSJ was overtaken and blocked by the kidnappers.

Security sources disclosed that the kidnappers singled her out of the car, took her car key and drove her away to an unknown destination, leaving the children and sister-in-law stranded.

The kidnappers were said to have operated in an ox-blood Jetta car with one of them resembling a half cast.

The abductors were yet to contact the relations of their victim as of the time this report was being filed.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Charles Muka, could not be reached on his mobile phone for comments on the matter.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/23764-customary-court-president-kidnapped-in-delta

PROTESTING commercial motorcycle riders, popularly called Okada riders, went on the rampage at the weekend in Ibillo, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, setting several vehicles ablaze at the Ibillo Police Station.

They also attempted to burn down the police station, but were prevented from doing so by the timely intervention of policemen on duty.

They were protesting the alleged killing of one of their own by a police officer at the station.

Three other persons were said to have sustained serious injuries in the ensuing clash between the motorcyclists and the police.



The aggrieved motorcycle riders went wild, when a policeman attached to the station, at a checkpoint, allegedly shot and killed the victim for refusing to part with N20 bribe reportedly demanded from him by the policeman.

It was gathered that the trigger-happy policeman was in company with his colleagues who reportedly mounted a road block when the incident occurred.

A source told our reporter that the Okada rider was killed at a checkpoint at Ekpesa junction, following an argument over his refusal to give the policemen N20.

It was learnt that one of the officers, whose name was given as Yellow, a sergeant, allegedly pulled the trigger and shot the unsuspecting okada man, who hailed from the nearby Imoga village.

According to the source, “the policemen attached to Ibillo Police Divisional headquarters shot a bike man to death at a checkpoint at Ekpesa junction, when the man refused to pay the ‘normal’ N20 to the men at the checkpoint.

“It was during an argument over the bribe that one of the policemen, a sergeant who is popularly called Yellow, pressed his trigger and killed the bike man who hailed from Imoga community. That resulted into violence between the policemen and motorcyclists from the area.”

Irked by the killing, other commercial motorcyclists in the area were said to have mobilised themselves, took to the streets and in the process, barricaded the Abuja-Ibillo road for several hours.

Another indigene of the area, Shola Iyogun, who witnessed the ugly incident, disclosed that the situation was saved by the timely intervention of the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the council, Anselm Agbabi, who, according to him, suspended his official engagement to calm the protesters.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Peter Ogboi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), in a telephone interview with our reporter yesterday, confirmed the incident but said that nobody was killed during the violence.

Ogboi added: “The police were trying to protect the station and those that sustained injuries were wounded, as they tried to burn down the police station.”

http://www.compassnewspaper.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8349:-n20-bribe-one-killed-three-injured-as-okada-riders-police-clash-in-edo&catid=308:headlines&Itemid=600

FOR allegedly stealing recharge cards being sold by his wife, a private security guard attached to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Delta, Ovouzorie Macaulay, went berserk at the weekend, killing two persons on the spot.

The security guard, simply identified as Atoma Umukoro, was on guard duty at the private residence of the SSG at Owhelogbo, Isoko North Local Government Area of the state.

Eyewitnesses said that Umukoro allegedly killed the duo, when he was told that some persons had tampered with his wife’s recharge cards.

It was gathered that he had confronted one Henry Obona, 20, accusing him of the theft and in an ensuing argument, he allegedly drew his gun and shot Obona dead.


One Odhegba Ujiro, 27, who reportedly approached the rampaging guard, ostensibly to ask what was amiss, was also allegedly shot dead by Umukoro at close range.

But, investigation revealed that the brother of the late Obona, Oro, who stays in the neighbouring Ozoro community, was the one who stole and sold the recharge cards.

The incident sparked off spontaneous reaction from youths at Owhelogbo who torched two buildings allegedly belonging to the security guard and burnt two cars parked in the premises.

Another car belonging to the SSG’s brother, Mr. Felix Obrokumo, was also set ablaze by the mob.

Macaulay, however, confirmed the incident through a text message sent to his mobile phone.

He replied: “He (Umukoro) is just one of over 50 people working for me. I don’t have a chief security officer.

“He committed the alleged crime after his working hours and has nothing to do with my person or office.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Charles Muka, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), also confirmed the incident, saying the culprit has been arrested and transferred to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

He said that investigations have begun on the matter.

http://www.compassnewspaper.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8350:-delta-ssgs-security-guard-kills-two-over-wifes-recharge-cards&catid=308:headlines&Itemid=600

A convicted murderer, long suspected of involvement in the 1994 Quad Studios shooting of Tupac Shakur, has finally admitted to committing the crime, and has accused Game's manager, Jimmy "Henchmen" Rosemond -- founder of Czar Entertainment -- of masterminding the botched robbery, which left the legendary rapper shot five times.

"I want to apologize to his [Tupac's] family and for the mistake I did for that sucker [Rosemond]," Dexter Isaac told AllHipHop.com today (June 15), on the eve of Tupac's 40th birthday.

In an explosive confession dedicated to his former friend, whom he helped to launch entertainment company Henchmen Entertainment in 1989, Isaac explained that he has "stayed silent in prison for the past 13 years, doing a life sentence like a real soldier should," but that he is "tired of listening to your [Rosemond's] lies."

"In 1994, James Rosemond hired me to rob 2Pac Shakur at the Quad Studio," said Isaac, who is currently housed in Brooklyn, N.Y.'s Metropolitan Detention Center. "He gave me $2,500, plus all the jewelry I took, except for one ring, which he wanted for himself. It was the biggest of the two diamond rings that we took. He said he wanted to put the stone in a new setting for his girlfriend at the time, Cynthia Ried. I still have as proof the chain that we took that night in the robbery."

While Tupac survived the shooting, which took place on November 30, 1994, in Manhattan's Quad Recording Studios, and left him shot twice in the head, the incident directly instigated the deadly East Coast-West Cost rap feud, which resulted in the shooting deaths of both Tupac and his East Coast rival Biggie Smalls.

Isaac's shocking statement goes on to hint at future revelations regarding the fallen rappers, even drawing Bad Boy honcho-turned-entertainment mogul Diddy into the fray, claiming that Rosemond will "flip" on Biggie's former cohort for his involvement in the shootings.

"Now I'm not going to talk about my friend Biggie's death or 2Pac's death, but I would like to give their mothers some closure. It's about time that some one did, and I will do so at a different time," Isaac continued ominously. "Jimmy, you and Puffy like to come off all innocent-like, but as the saying goes: You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. Mr. Rosemond, I ask you: Are you going to flip on Puffy when the feds get you? To save yourself like you have done in the past?"

Rosemond, who manages rapper Game, singer Sean Kingston and Mike Tyson, among others, is currently still on the lam, facing federal cocaine conspiracy charges, and has been accused of being a government informant by the New York Daily News, 50 Cent and others.

Isaac is currently serving life in prison for the robbery and murder of a Brooklyn taxi-cab driver.


http://www.theboombox.com/2011/06/15/inmate-admits-he-shot-tupac-names-jimmy-henchmen-diddy/

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The supposedly serene abode for a presidential retreat became a rallying point of sorts for political jobbers, party big-wigs, top government officials and lobbyists who all had a common goal: cause Jonathan to do their respective biddings in reconstituting his cabinet and other likely appointments. But back in Abuja, there was a different scenario playing out over the alleged N40 billion graft for which Bankole and Nafada are now being prosecuted. They may not be alone though. There were indications at press time weekend, that some other lawmakers in the 2007-2011 class of the National Assembly members may be subpoenaed by the court on the matter. Thus, since Jonathan returned to work till date, the state of affairs inside the federal legislature has been his major worry. From the snubbing of his party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP’s position on who were to be the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives to the “embarrassment” associated with the Bankole-Nafada saga, there has been no respite for Jonathan.
Subtle blackmail?


The calmness and equanimity with which the president has so far managed the developments may have made him stretch these major attributes of his beyond breaking point. But close watchers of happenings inside Aso Rock swear that the presidency senses a subtle electioneering campaigns. However, the blackmail in the disposition of members of the National Assembly to the president’s wish to get needed foot soldiers to drive his transformation agenda on their respective beats. Their reason is not far-fetched. Unlike other instances where the National Assembly had had to reconvene to consider matters of urgent national import, including screening of some presidential nominees in the past, “there appears to be a calculated move to get the president to step into the EFCC hold on Bankole and the others that are likely to follow in turn before any reconvening of the National Assembly for the consideration of the ministerial list on which more than 90 per cent of the work has been completed,” volunteered one source.
On the nature of presidential intervention expected from Jonathan, it was gathered that, “any meaningful measure of soft-landing that will save the former Speaker and his deputy as well as others likely to be invited for evidence, and as witnesses by the court on the matter, is what they are mooting.” One source who said the presidency frowned at the obvious blackmail implied by the federal legislators, condemned the foot-dragging by the lawmakers, “at least, to work on the ministerial list,” adding that “the situation in the PDP too, does not help matters.” FRESHFACTS also learnt that party leaders who have access to the president were trying to get the leaders of the two Houses of the National Assembly to see reason why the president’s programmes must not be sacrificed because some former, and perhaps, current leaders of the House of Representatives are facing court prosecution over alleged graft. Said a national leader of PDP, “we are still bugged down by the problem of knowing why Tambuwal and Ihedioha were preferred by our Reps to our party’s own candidates, and they are trying to blackmail the president to intervene in Bankole’s case before they can reconvene. Can you imagine the blackmail? Can’t the Senate alone reconvene to consider the ministerial list so that the president’s work can go on? Must the two Houses resume the same day?” Questions, many questions. Grinding to a halt
One foreign media reported last week that, the president may not have made up his mind on key appointees like his Chief of Staff, Principal Secretary and Spokesman. “We hear he is still contemplating on whether to scrap the office of the Principal Secretary and create the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff as replacement. The speculations are just unending,” the report stated. “Some stakeholders have tied the president’s slow pace in making his ministerial nominees public to his indecision on who to assign ministries like Petroleum, Education, Defence, Works and Health amongst others, while some have linked the delay to pressures from influential persons wanting their candidates on the ministerial ticket. “One top government aide, who asked not to be named, blamed the delay on the three weeks recess taken by federal legislators,” the report concluded. Although permanent secretaries in the various ministries were authorised to manage the affairs of their respective ministries pending the appointment and resumption of duty of the next set of ministers, there are now a lot of misgivings on the part of people who have businesses to conduct in the ministries. Stakeholders too, complain openly of frustrations in dealing with civil servants whose apron strings are practically tied to some bureaucracy and General Orders known only to them.
FRESHFACTS observed such frustrations displayed by some stakeholders last week inside the federal secretariat on Shehu Shagari highway, Abuja. Driving out of the parking lot in anger, one prominent contractor spoke unprintable words about some persons whose names he did not mention. He spoke of how they have stalled his bid to move his “papers” for the job; adding that the persons kept telling him to “come today, come tomorrow.” The development above has been the hallmark of how government business is being conducted these days. With reluctant, and allegedly arrogant permanent secretaries hardly on seat, the business is left at the mercy of junior ministry officials who hardly know what to do, and neither can they take any decision. But amidst the foregoing, some former ministers were reportedly, still performing their duties discreetly though. “We don’t know who is really in-charge in our ministries as some former Ministers are still performing Ministerial duties discreetly even though they were relieved of their appointments when the cabinet was dissolved,” lamented one civil servant to some journalists last week In this respect, a former minister who resides in the FCT is said to be still signing off important documents which are backdated, while others still being consulted on key day-to-day issues since their respective tenures lapsed. Rising expectation
Just before press time weekend, expectations were high that there was a likely thaw in the stalemate between the presidency and the National Assembly with respect to reconvening the Senate session for the ministerial nominees’ screening. “But that will depend on how PDP is able to calm frayed nerves and re-assure all parties that the family remains one,” said the PDP national officer. Media reports the next day gave credence to the rising expectation, as some former ministers were said to have had their names forwarded to relevant security organisations for screening. According to one account, “President Goodluck Jonathan is worried over his inability to constitute his cabinet, three weeks after he was sworn in as the 14th head of government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To this end, Jonathan has reached out to the leadership of the Senate, who are currently on a three weeks recess, to reconvene and commence screening of the ministerial nominees. In the same vein, the rather cautious president may have decided to retain some of his old ministers in order to ensure continuity. To this end, names of eleven former ministers were said to have been forwarded for screening by state security service (SSS). According to SSS sources, those who honoured the SSS invitation for screening, include:
•Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke (Former Minister of Petroleum)
•Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd); (Former Minister of State for FCT)
•Elder Godsday Orubebe (Former Minister of the Niger Delta)
•Senator Bala Mohammed (Former Minister of FCT)
•Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (Former Minister of Defence)
•Professor Ruqqayatu Rufa’i (Former Minister of Education)
•Adoke Mohammed (Former Attorney General and Minister of Justice,)
•Chief Emeka Wogu (Former Minister of Labour)
•Dr. Onyebuchi Chukwu.  (Former Minister of Health)
•Prof. Bartholomew Nnaji(Special Adviser on power


http://www.freshfactsonlinenews.net/_c0.htm

The journey from Abuja through Keffi and up to “border” between Kaduna and Nasarawa states was smooth despite the pot-holed road and the menacing high speed of the drivers plying the road. But the situation was different when one reached Kwoi town, the headquarters of Jaba Local Government, Kaduna State.


Less than half a kilometre to the junction leading to Kwoi town, there were checkpoints numbering about five - all manned by gun-toting and bullet-proof-kitted soldiers. Traffic was slowed; drivers and passengers alike were commanded in husky military voice, to surrender their luggage for a thorough search.



While motorists surrender to the gun-toting soldiers, at the background was a scene that partly explained the reason behind the soldiers’ presence and unfriendly action. Few meters away from that junction, structures that resembled houses, shops, mosques were not only burnt but razed to the ground. A place that used to be a small garage was destroyed with vehicles numbering about three burnt down.

The 45-hour journey from Kwoi town to Kafanchan was characterised by uncountable checkpoints mounted by soldiers in some cases by mobile police. As one traversed the villages towards Kafanchan, the headquarters of Jema’a local government, one meets burnt vehicles at most of the road blocks manned by the law enforcement agents.

“These roadblocks were mounted by the indigenous tribesmen during the crisis that engulfed the area and most of these vehicles were those of unsuspecting victims who were caught along the road during the pogrom. Most of them were killed and their vehicles, as you can see, burnt. The soldiers took over the roadblocks when they were deployed here,” Lydia, a nurse, who was in the same Kafanchan –bound vehicle with this reporter, said.

Apart from people going about their normal businesses, Kafanchan is a ghost of its former self with burnt residential houses, business premises and places of worship dotting every part of the town. This is apart from the various military checkpoints at very short intervals across the town.


How the carnage took place

The crisis that led to the wanton destruction of lives and property in Kafanchan town was carried out between the hours of 9 pm on 18 April, 2011 to 12 noon on 19 of April, 2011, when the soldiers arrived. The carnage, according to the representative of Jama’a Foundation, Alhaji Abdullahi Garba Maisukuni, was perpetrated within 30 hours before the arrival of the military. “On that fateful Monday, 18 April, we received distressed calls from Muslim communities in Zonkwa, Zangon Kataf local government that they were surrounded by Christian militants, who were bent on killing them,” he said.

While the killings were going on in Zonkwa, allegedly by armed Christian youths, other Muslim settlements in Southern Kaduna were not spared. “The massacre, which left hundreds of Muslims mowed to death and their property destroyed was replicated in Samaru, Kagoro town, Madakiya, Matsirga, Unguwar Rimi, Gidan Maga, Tsarkiya, Sabon Garin Kwoi, among others. All the Muslims communities were wiped out with very few who fled taking refuge in Kaduna and Keffi,” he said.

“Unknown to us, Kafanchan town which is the largest Muslim settlement in southern Kaduna, was already under siege. All roads leading to or from the town were blocked by Christian militants. The first known victim of Kafanchan crisis was a Muslim commercial driver named Nasiru Jere, who was forcefully stopped, killed and his body burnt alongside his vehicle at Gidan Bature, along Unguwar Rimi-Kafanchan road that fateful Monday. All this was reported to the police in Kafanchan,” Maisukuni explained.

“The onslaughts on Kafanchan started around 9pm when gunshots rented the air with buildings surrounding the town set ablaze. We realised that the whole town was under siege and the rampaging militants had encircled the town killing, burning properties. We quickly informed our people to warn them of the impending danger through a call of prayers. The killings and burning of business premises, mosques, houses, continued unabated by the invading Christian militants for about 30 hours until when the soldiers arrived around noon the next day,” he said.

This crisis has the greatest toll on the socio-economic life of Kafanchan town than ever before. The Kafanchan central market and Kafanchan central motor park- the biggest market and garage in the entire southern Kaduna were reduced to ashes during the pogrom.

Sule Yahaya of the Jama’a Indigenous Muslim Forum, told this reporter that “the Kafanchan Central Market, predominantly owned by Hausa and Igbo traders was looted before it was razed down. Also, the largest garage in southern Kaduna, with over 70 commercial vehicles was also burnt down. Over 300 Muslims were killed and Muslim residences numbering about 270 were burnt down.”


Soldiers’ house-to-house ‘search for weapons’

While the people of Kafanchan are nursing their wounds, having buried their dead, confusion set in Saturday, 11 June when a team of soldiers stormed the town barging into houses of Muslims “searching for weapons.” Malam Ya’u (not real names) whose house was the first to be ransacked by the soldiers told this reporter his experience.

“It was on Saturday afternoon when I heard my children and wives crying. Before I could come out from my room and inquire about what was happening, I saw soldiers butting in ransacking every nook and cranny of the house. We were so confused; we thought it was the attackers that came in broad day light to kill us having survived their first onslaught,” he said.

The situation, it was gathered, led to pandemonium inside Kafanchan with people going helter skelter. “After three houses were ransacked with no weapons, the situation created serious tension in the town some people saying that the Christian attackers had stormed Kafanchan again camouflaged in military uniforms. The emir of Jama’a had to invite the military team to his palace and the situation calmed down,” Yahaya told this reporter.

Reacting to this, the spokesperson of Jama’a Foundation explained that “we are not against search for weapons by soldiers. But is shouldn’t be selective. If at all we have weapons as those people are saying, do you think we would allow those attackers kill our people, stole our properties and destroy them? Go round Kafanchan town and see the level of destruction. Our offence only was: we refused to allow ourselves to be massacred like the Muslims of Zonkwa.”

In the same vein, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa on Media and Publicity, Mr Reuben Buhari, told Sunday Trust that he was not aware of the soldiers’ invasion of Kafanchan town, searching for weapons. He said that the soldiers were deployed to the area to maintain peace following the riot that trailed the presidential election in the area.

“They are there to keep peace and this is why we are appealing to the people of the area to, in the interest of peace, cooperate with them so that we can have peace. Peace is paramount to the development of the state,” Buhari said.


What the military authorities say

When our correspondent contacted the military authorities on the alleged “cordon and search” invasion of the houses of residents of Kafanchan town by soldiers in search of weapons and ammunitions, the spokesperson of the 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Lieutenant Colonel Abubakar Edun said the soldiers who are currently in Kafanchan are not from the division.

The military spokesperson explained that the soldiers who are on Internal Security Operations (ISO) in Kafanchan were deployed from the 3 Division in Plateau State. He was, therefore, not in the position to explain the alleged invasion of people’s residences in Kafanchan town searching for weapons.

“Kafanchan is under our area of jurisdiction, but the soldiers who are there on Internal Security Operations (ISO) are not from our division. They were deployed from 3 Division because of the proximity of Kafanchan to Plateau State. So, I don’t know anything about the invasion. In fact, I’m just hearing of it from you,” Edun said.


Pastor Kure’s allegations

A day after the pandemonium that engulfed the town as a result of the soldiers’ search of the houses of Kafanchan town residents for weapons, Apostle Emmanuel Nuhu Kure of the Throne Room Trust Ministry, Kafanchan, added to the ensuing confusion when he made several allegations against the Hausa-Fulani Muslims of Kafanchan in an interview with The Sun newspaper last Sunday.

Pastor Kure explained that, “First of all, it is clear that the whole crisis was thoroughly pre-planned with logistics set out and lines of action and operation spelt out clearly. Otherwise, how would you explain a spontaneous call to prayer on most of the loudspeakers in the mosques across the city at the same time at 9pm or thereabout with a shout of Allahu Akbar? Muslims began to troop toward, the mosques and designated areas to be followed at 10pm with another call on loudspeakers. This was repeated a few times and the killings and burnings began.

“How come the fighters on that night wore black dresses or dark pants like a coloured uniform and surrounded the walls of the Anglican Cathedral and the Yoruba Baptist pastor’s house and setting them on fire while shooting, without any resistance if it was not premeditated and planned? Is that what is referred to as “peaceful demonstration and gathering?

“In the history of this great nation, I am not aware of any demonstration at night by 9 to 10pm except they were clandestine. How come during their operation, they seemed to have reinforcement centres where they went to for either arms/ammunition or some form of coordination? Some reports even mentioned some coordination and movement from the Emir’s palace. This led to some of these locations being attacked after the attackers became short on arms and could not sustain the movement anymore. One of the houses of my Muslim neighbour that was set on fire had bullet shells and other things exploding from it,” Kure added.

“Thirdly, the kind of heavy guns and weapons used have never been heard of in the history of unrest in Kaduna State. This was why they overran almost the whole city before the youths, by the next day, could muster courage to push them back. Danhaya Street is a summary of what happened. It is the Berlin Wall from which the Muslims attacked the Christians before the Christians gained composure. No Christian building is standing there except by a strange miracle,” the cleric said.


Kure is mischievous - Muslims

Reacting to Kure’s allegations, Maisukuni said that the evangelist and his co-travellers, “are not happy that we survived the attempted massacre by the Christian militants. How was it that Hausa-Fulani community, if at all possessed weapons as Kure insinuated, could not defend themselves from the attack until a reprieve came from the military after recording uncountable losses?”

“It is very childish to assume that the Muslim minority in Kafanchan attacked their Christian neighbours. It is on record that Southern Kaduna is one of the senatorial districts with the highest number of retired generals of the Nigerian Army. How many of them are Muslim? Between the Christians and Muslims, who are well trained on using weapons? In Kafanchan town, we don’t have a single military officer serving or retired. We are always the victims,” he said.

“It is on record that all the over 300 wounded Muslims, now hospitalised in various towns were treated with bullet wounds, bullets were removed from their bodies in these hospitals. I am asking Kure to tell me who shot them? About a year ago, caches of bombs were found hidden by a river side in Zonkwa. Anti-bomb squads came from Kaduna to detonate them. Who hid those bombs and for what? Who have military expertise in the area? But nobody was arrested or reprimanded for those possessing such bombs. With the genocide in Zonkwa, it is now clear to us why those bombs were brought to Zonkwa,” he said.

Also, Maisukuni pointed out that the Christian leaders like Kure are responsible for the crisis. “Bishop Danlami Bagobiri resides in Matsirga, an outskirt of Kafanchan which is a predominantly Fulani settlement. As I am talking to you now, there is no single Muslim there; they were all wiped out and those who were lucky to survive had fled. There is no single house belonging to a Muslim that was not razed down; there is no single Islamiyya school or mosque in that community. This thing happened in a bishop’s backyard,” he said.

“Not only that, the same Bishop Bagobiri declared in a press conference that the Hausa-Fulani had amassed weapons of mass destruction. Why was it that the Muslims in Matsirga couldn’t defend themselves from their attackers who are known to the bishop? The Muslims, who are the bishop’s neighbours were murdered in cold blood before his very eyes. We rely solely on government to protect us. Go to the refugee camps, who do you see there, are they Muslims or Christians?


Tension in public schools

Despite the presence of soldiers and the relative peace in Kafanchan and environs, Sunday Trust findings revealed that there is still fear of persecution particularly among the minority Muslim communities in public institutions. Malam Abubakar Jama’a (not real names), a teacher at the Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, explained that, “the situation has taken an ugly trend with fears of persecution of the Hausa-Fulani communities in public institutions.”

The teacher, whose parent were murdered in Matsirga, an outskirts of Kafanchan and also had his house burnt in Hayin Gada, Kafanchan, declared that “even here on campus (COE, Gidan Waya), some of our colleagues who are Christians don’t even return our greetings. I was particularly taken aback when a colleague expressed her shock when I returned to the school after the crisis saying ‘ah, you are alive!”

The situation is the same in the Federal Technical College, Kafanchan, when some Muslim students were told by the school authorities after the crisis that their lives and safety couldn’t be guaranteed. “In fact, we thought that the children were joking but we were dumbfounded when my neighbour whose children were studying in Fadan Kagoma went to the school after the report. The principal told him that he couldn’t guarantee the safety of his children in the school,” Jama’a said.

He added that as a result of this development, their children who are schooling in Kwoi, Fadan Kagoma and even in Kafanchan are still staying at home more than one month after the crisis. “Apart from losing the lives of our dear ones and property, our children can’t even go to school again. The situation is very terrible and regrettable,” he said.

He explained that if not for the quick intervention of the college’s provost, Mr Ishaya Dare Akau, who quickly sought and deployed law enforcement agents to the college, the pogrom would have affected the school. “The provost sensed the situation and quickly brought soldiers to the school. The situation didn’t degenerate into violence in the campus,” the teacher said.

The academic explained that government at all levels need to be proactive in the areas of bringing the culprits to book, rehabilitation of the victims as well as reconciliation of the warring communities. A decisive action, he said, needs to be taken to forestall the reoccurrence of the pogrom in the near future.


Agonies of displaced persons

Controversy trailing the rent given to displaced persons by the Kaduna State Governor, Mr Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, took a new dimension few days ago as many beneficiaries of it returned to camp. They lamented their inability to secure accommodation with the amount given to them even at the remotest areas of the state.

The state government had through its resettlement committee chaired by the former commissioner of information, Alhaji Sa’idu Adamu, gave between 15,000 to 25,000 naira to displaced persons as house rent.

A cross section of the displaced persons interviewed by Sunday Trust at the Kaduna Hajj described the amount as meagre and urged the state government to as a matter of urgency, assist them to rebuild their burnt houses. They said they are eager to return to their respective houses in order to continue with their lives again.

Sunday Trust observed that many of the displaced persons who received the rent allowance given by the state government are still in the camp. Ward Head of Maraban Rido, Malam Usman Bawa, said the money given to them by the state government was not enough to secure a room and parlour apartment.

“I was given 15,000 naira by the state government two weeks ago to secure accommodation for my two wives, nine children and my in-law. But I could not secure a room in Rigasa, Maraban Jos, and even in Dan Bushiya because the money is too small. I need four rooms for my family. Though, we are not starving here in the camp but we want to leave,” he said.

He said the only good the state government can do to them is to rebuild their houses, provide security and encourage peaceful co-existence among all the people in the state.

On his part, Sarkin Matsirga, Alhaji Sale Waziri, said they decided to reject the rent allowance given to them by the state government because the money was too small. “We are not fighting the state government but we only want them to increase the amount so that we can be able to secure a house. The government should also give us money to buy few household items like mats and if possible little capital. This is what we want,” he said.

Leader of the Fulani in the camp, Suleiman Abubakar urged the government to fast track the rebuilding of their burnt houses and that they should provide security to those who are willingly to return their houses.

The chairman of the state resettlement committee, Alhaji Sa’idu Adamu, said his committee does not have the mandate to compensate victims of the election riot but that theirs was to provide relief and succour to the displaced persons resident in camps.

The chairman in a statement, said the rent allowance given to the displaced persons was to enable them secure accommodation so that they can start life afresh outside the camps.

“Our committee is only saddled with the responsibilities of ensuring relief and providing succour to the affected persons within the limited available resources,’’ he said. It was gathered that about 20 births have been recorded in the Kaduna Hajj camp which housed the larger number of the displaced persons in Kaduna State.

http://www.sunday.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7060:tension-distrust-in-kafanchan-over-activities-of-soldiers&catid=41:latest-news&Itemid=26

There was a mild drama in Yola, Adamawa State capital at the weekend when an Indian housewife, resident in the state capital, Mrs Bhavna Sexana Al-Abed rushed to a Yola High Court to dissolve her eight-year-old marriage with her husband, a Lebanese Mr Wissan Al-Abed, for alleged adultery and asked the court to decree that he pay her and her seven-year-old daughter the sum of $340,000 for upkeep, medical and college expenses up to university level.


In a suit a suit filed at High Court No.3, presided by Justice Bobbo Umar,the embattled house wife also pleaded with the court to grant her the custody of the only child in the marriage with whom she claimed, since their unofficial separation about three years ago, she had been taking care of.



She accused her husband of committing adultery, which according to her, she “found intolerable’’ and that the respondent “behaved in such a way that she cannot reasonably be expected to live with him as husband.’’

According to the statement of claims filed on her behalf by Barrister Bode Makinde, Mrs Sexana is demanding $3,000 dollars per annum for nine years as education cost for the seven-year-old daughter from Grade III to 12, while 20,000 dollars per annum at college for four years and the sum of $85,000 dollars cost of education at university to masters level.

She also wants the court to order the husband to pay additional 10,000 dollars as medical bills annually for 13 years and 4,000 dollars monthly for two years for upkeep.

However, during court proceeding, counsel to the defendant, Barrister Idi Bauna of Ricky Tarfa Chambers filed a response to petition denying all allegations, saying that the petitioner should prove the allegations ‘’beyond preponderance of possibility.’’

He also told the court that he had filed a cross petition to the petitioner which counsel to the plaintiff, said he was yet to study to enable him file a response.

http://www.sunday.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7064:indian-lady-sues-for-divorce-in-yola-demanding-n533m&catid=41:latest-news&Itemid=26

July 2009 will remain relevant whenever attempts are made to vividly capture the ongoing debacle between the Nigerian State and members of the Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnah lid Da’awati wal Jihad, popularly called Boko Haram or Yusufiyya movement.


It was the month that recorded an orgy of violence, occasioned by sporadic killings that unseated the hitherto peaceful disposition in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State as well as Bauchi and Yobe States.



Two years after the uprisings, which hitherto lingered in the extreme parts of northern Nigeria, has metamorphosed into a Tsunami of sorts, sweeping across many northern states especially , Adamawa, Kano and Kaduna.

A sort of ravaging flames that defied repellant, the phenomenal crisis has penultimate Thursday snowballed and hit the Nigerian seat of power, Abuja.

Stories and theories have been told and postulated on the modus operandi of the Yusufiyya members.

Several attempts, especially by the Borno State government and lately with intervention from the federal government towards addressing the problem, did not make any impact. Rather, the unfolding scenario has thrown Nigerians into confusion.

Since the crisis broke in July, 2009, predictions and estimations, rather than accurate prescription as to how to address the problem has remained the norm.

On one hand, politicians especially in Borno State, have been anchoring the issue of “political machinations and sabotage” by the opposition as the main motivating factor that is fuelling the crisis.

This became more evident few days after the killing of Alhaji Modu Fannami Gubio, the then gubernatorial flag bearer of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) when former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff declared that the killing was carried out by some politicians.

That notwithstanding, the sect members had long ago dismissed the claims by Sheriff and took responsibility for the attack.

Kashim Shettima, the new governor of Borno State, had immediately after winning his election, acknowledged that though a lot of upheavals rocking the state have political connotations, he said true, the Boko Haram sect exists.

He said he was willing to dialogue with them and see the possibility of pursuing an amnesty, an offer which the sect members did see as dicey; a stand which spured increasing death toll of security operatives and ward heads among other.

The onslaught reached a crescendo about two weeks ago when three bombs exploded on the same day in Maiduguri, a disturbing event which prompted Governor Shettima to declare that what was happening in his state must be seen as a national phenomenon which requires collaboration between the federal government and all the states.

Even then, he reiterated his stand on dialogue with members of the Boko Haram but did not resist in giving the attack a political tone.

According to him, “some politicians are bent on throwing our state into total confusion, anarchy and eventual declaration of a state of emergency but they would not succeed,” he said.

“We are passing through a grim moment in Borno but we want to allay the fears in our people. We are on top of the situation and the mischief makers can continue. We believe God is not a God of injustice,” Shettima said.

“We are in a Bermuda Triangle in Borno because the insecurity here is a conflagration of banditry, political thuggery and the challenges posed by the members of the Yusufiyya movement,” he said.

“We believe that among the members of the Boko Haram, there are many who want to dialogue with us. We would continue to pursue the path of peace and by the grace of God, we will succeed,” he said.

But Shettima was quick to add that, “if adequate measures are not taken, the problem will snowball to other places.”

Alas! The Abuja blasts gave credence to the governor’s fears even as there are similar threats in Kaduna and Bauchi among other places.

Some politicians in Borno State posited that it was wrong for government and even security agencies to shy away from facts in order to score cheap goals.

Two major opposition parties in the state including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) said going by many declarations by officials, the Governor Kashim Shettima led administration, “is so far the most inconsistent ever witnessed by the people of Borno.”

Honourable Bulama Fugu, a former speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly and a stalwart of the PDP who made reference to the allegations by Shettima that on many occasions, some politicians are hiding under the guise of the Boko Haram to wreak havoc in Borno, said the governor should stop apportioning blames and face reality.

“The governor said the opposition are responsible for the bombings in Borno and now he is calling for a dialogue with the Boko Haram. Since he has accused us of killing the people, I think he should send letters and invite us for the dialogue. And if really he is going into dialogue with a different set of people, then he has to apologize to us,” the former speaker said.

On his part, the chairman of the CPC in the state, Comrade Zanna Shettima, said it will not augur well to mix up issues that borders on national security. “We should be fair to ourselves and think on how to solve the trouble we found ourselves in. It is wrong to say one thing today and another thing tomorrow. Both the federal and the state government must come out with a workable formula,” the CPC chairman said.

If not for the letter which was sent to newsmen in Maiduguri about two months ago, there was never a communication between members of the Yusufiyya movement and the government.

And despite calls for dialogue, up till now, there is no strong machinery on ground which suggests the workable formula or even the level field that the contenders will meet.

In their letter, the sect members have set conditions for a cease fire. According to them, the Nigerian constitution must be suspended and replaced with Islamic Sharia.

The letter said “we are calling on Muslims all over the world and precisely those in Nigeria, to understand that we need fairness from everybody because God has commanded us in the Holy Quran to be just in our dealings.

“We want to reiterate that we are warriors who are carrying out Jihad (religious war) in Nigeria and our struggle is based on the traditions of the Holy Prophet. We would never accept any system of government apart from the one stipulated by Islam because that is the only way that the Muslims could be liberated,” the group said.

According to the group: “We do not believe in any system of government, be it traditional or orthodox, except Islamic system and that is why we would keep on fighting against democracy, capitalism, socialism and whatever.

“We will not allow the Nigerian constitution to replace the laws that have been enshrined in the Holy Qur’an; we will not allow adulterated conventional education (Boko) to replace Islamic teachings,” the group said.

The group added that, “We will not respect the Nigerian government because it is illegal. We would continue to fight its military and the police because they are not protecting Islam. We do not believe in the Nigerian judicial system and we will fight anybody who assists the government in perpetrating illegalities.”

According to them, “we want to reiterate that we will never kill pious Muslims and we will not take it lightly with any unbeliever who attempts to kill any Muslim. We will keep on protecting our brothers at whatever cost.

“We want to make it clear that we are fighting not just because our mosque and centre of learning were destroyed (in Maiduguri), or because our wealth have been seized, or because we were chased out of our houses. The reason why we are at war is because our freedom has been curtailed.”

They added that while they were carrying out their religious obligations, they were provoked in 2009. “It was while we were propagating Islam that the government connived with some Imams and ward heads and attacked us in many states.

“For this reason, we will continue to fight until Islam is well established and the Muslims regain their freedom all over Nigeria. We will never be ready to compromise and we don’t need amnesty.

“We will like to call on clerics to fear God and preach the truth so that the Muslims would know how to liberate themselves. Islamic Sharia is the only way to freedom,” the group said.

Many clerics who spoke to Sunday Trust on condition of anonymity, said there is need for commitment and compromise from government and the sect members so that peace can return.

When the crisis erupted in 2009, the leader of the sect, Muhammed Yusuf and over 800 members were allegedly killed. Additional 33 and 50 equally died in Yobe and Bauchi respectively.

In the build up to the one year anniversary of the crises, fresh violence in form of guerilla warfare enveloped Maiduguri and has continued to linger, with attendant loss of lives of all categories of people including police, soldiers, prison warders, ward heads, clerics and civilians.

Penultimate Thursday’s attack at the police headquarters in Abuja has ushered in a new trend in the imbroglio.

Abu Zaid, the official spokesman of the Boko Haram, said the man that detonated was not a suicide bomber but a martyr.

According to him, “the trend may be alien in Nigeria but very popular in other parts of the world. It may be new here but Muslims in other parts of the world who have been trying to liberate Islam from the shackles of imperialism have been sacrificing their lives through this means…honestly, it is not strange,” he said.

http://www.sunday.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7061:slowly-but-steadily-boko-haram-drags-nigeria-to-the-crossroads&catid=41:latest-news&Itemid=26

The emergence of Askarawan-Kwankwasiyya, a new security outfit in Kano, has remained a subject of debate among the people. While some view the group as a substitute to Hisbah Guards, others consider it as purely a PDP security outfit.


The new security outfit came into being after Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso emerged victorious in the last gubernatorial election in Kano. The color of their uniform reflects PDP flag’s colours that comprise white, green and red.



Their main duty, Sunday Trust, gathered, is to provide security to the PDP members as well as to protect the policies of the party. Also part of their duties is to provide leverage for different party faithfuls in order to bring them together for the betterment of all. Their mode of operation is similar to that of the police and other recognized security organizations as they only act on the orders from their superiors.

They operate in squads during PDP political events in the state. One of the outfit’s leaders told our reporter that, although they were recognized by the PDP, they were not given any official schedules.

He said, “so far, we are providing security at any event organized by our party, the PDP. Apart from that, we don’t offer any service to either the party or the state as a whole. But, I was told that very soon, government will provide us with daily schedules.”

He added that the group has no secretariat but at the local level, the outfit utilizes party offices as temporary offices, pending the commissioning of their permanent offices.

So far, the new security outfit has a total number of about 4,400 personnel that are mostly youths. It was gathered that they were meant to serve and protect the interest of the PDP in the state. Each of the 44 local governments of the state has recruited 100 youths as personnel of the outfit.

They served Kwankwasiyya faction of the party during Kwankwaso’s campaigns and identified itself with government after the leader of the Kwankwasiyya, Dr Kwankwaso, emerged governor of the state.

The Askarawan-Kwankwasiyya do not carry arms and there is no indication that it is on the state government’s payroll, though they have been receiving monthly allowances from the party.

Commenting on the emergence of the Askarawan-Kwankwasiyya, the PDP state chairman, Barrister Farouq Iya, said personnel of the outfit only made up their minds to defend the interest and policies of the Kwankwasiyya and, indeed, the PDP as a whole.

“They seem to be a para-military group recognized by the PDP because they provide security for us. Although they don’t have arms, they are assisting us in controlling political thugs during our political gatherings in the state,” he said.

The party, he added, is currently making moves to legalize them as a political security outfit of the PDP, adding that, “unless they are disorganised in future, we intend to continue with them as our party’s security outfit.”

Asked about the security threat the group may pose in the future, Iya said, “People should not look at them as such because they are only party security apparatus. You will never see them anywhere in the state except at PDP functions. They advise us on potential security dangers at venues of our political gatherings”.

On the rumours that the group was initiated to replace the existing Hisbah Guards, Barrister Iya disagreed, saying, “Askarawa was not initiated to replace Hisbah. In fact, they are two different groups with different roles to play. While Hisbah has religious roles to play, Askarawa, on the other hand, has a political duty to serve the ruling party.”

Another thing that distinguishes the two outfits is that while Hisbah is a government security outfit, Askarawa was initiated and run by the PDP. Hisbah Guards are being paid by the government, while the Askarawa only receives allowance from the party’s coffers.

Commenting on the emergence of Asakrawan-Kwankwasiyya, Kano state Police Commissioner, Alhaji Tambari Muhammad Yabo, said, so far the group has not posed any security problem to his personnel.

Speaking through the command’s public relations officer, ASP Magaji Musa Majiya, the police said, the group is viewed as a political party’s security outfit and has nothing to do with security affairs of the state. He added that, “we have no problem with them”.

However, since the appearance of Askarawan-kwankwasiyya, there have been speculations that Hisbah board may have been disbanded by the new administration.

The Director of Hisbah Guard, Alhaji Abdullahi Balarabe, said contrary to the speculations, the board remain as vibrant as it used to be during the past administration. He explained that, “Hisbah is intact. We are still going about our normal routines without any problem. You can see that in just two days that our staff went on operation we have arrested prostitutes and drunkards who decided to come out publicly to commit the act, thinking that Shariah is over in Kano. About 24 prostitutes were arrested while over 1,000 bottles of alcohol were impounded. The suspects have been arraigned and any moment that we receive the order from the court, we shall destroy all the beer bottles.”

He assured Kano people that Hisbah will not relent in its efforts, saying the present governor (Kwankwaso) was the person who established Hisbah during his previous tenure. He further added that what Shekarau’s administration did was to sign into law, the bill that established the board and facilitated its operation by recruiting more staff.

Balarabe stated that all those people who came out calling for the scrapping of the Hisbah board were people who have personal grudges with the board over its activities. “Up till this moment, there is no right thinking person, either from among the government official, the business community, the traditional leaders or the elites, who come out to condemn Hisbah or to call for its scrapping. All those clamouring for an end to our activities are people once arrested by Hisbah over an offence they had committed,” he said.

Hisbah board started as a committee during the administration of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in 2001 with 250 members. It worked under the leadership of renowned Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Aminudeen Abubakar.

When Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau took over, he upgraded it by creating a board for it and recruited about 9,000 men and women spread across the 44 local government councils. The board’s first DG was Sheikh Yahya Faruq Chedi who died recently after he was released from detention by the federal government.

The law that brought the hisbah command on board was signed in November, 2003 by the state government. Offices were created in all the 44 local government councils.

Bashir Sa’ad Ibrahim in his interview with Kano Chronicle, said the establishment of the Hisbah board by the Kano State government has contributed greatly in reducing crime in the society. Now alcohol is not sold openly and on many occasions, trucks loaded with alcohol were intercepted and destroyed by hisbah men. This is a major achievement.

Hajia Salamatu Ibrahim while commending the activities of the Hisbah said, “Hisbah has achieved incredible success in its six years of operations. Prominent among its achievements was the restoration of peace and order in the state through its mediation centres (zauren sulhu). It has also reduced congestion in the courts because of its reconciliation initiatives between couples, debtors and creditors as well as parents and their children who prefer to lodge their complaints with the Hisbah office.”

She added, “through its activities, people are now conducting their marriages and other festivities peacefully because of the security the Hisbah men are providing. One needs to only visit a Hisbah office to request for their men during such occasions and he would be given a good number of the men. My only problem with them is that they need more training to help them do their job diligently. I’m therefore calling on the board to be organizing training programmes for them.”

http://www.sunday.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7054:kwankwasos-security-outfit-keeps-tongues-wagging-in-kano&catid=41:latest-news&Itemid=26

The Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Abubakar Ringim, has ordered the removal of all accidented vehicles at police stations and formations across the country.


The Force public relations officer, DCP Olusola E. Amore said in a statement yesterday that the IG also directed that all exhibit vehicles that are connected with cases under police investigations be released to the owners on bond or taken to court.



This directive also enjoins owners of accidented or exhibit vehicles to approach police stations or formations where their vehicles are parked to seek for their immediate release of these vehicles within seven days, it added.

“The Police Force wishes to assure the members of the public who are having pending cases in police stations or formations across the country not to see this order as attempt to infringe upon their fundamental human right but to decongest police premises which has become a dumping ground for accidented and exhibit vehicles,” it stated.

The action of the Force, according to the statement is to ensure adequate security of all police stations, formations and persons coming to report cases and to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

http://www.sunday.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7067:igp-orders-removal-release-of-exhibits-vehicles-from-stations&catid=41:latest-news&Itemid=26

The ‘boast’ of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Hafiz Ringim, that he would wipe out the dreaded Boko Haram sect from Nigeria within 10 days, beginning from last Tuesday, may have necessitated last Thursday’s attack on the Force Headquarters in Abuja by the Islamic fundamentalist group, Sunday Sun has learnt.

The group has therefore demanded not only an apology from the police boss but also his resignation.“I think the IGP should offer a public apology to Nigerians and thereafter resign his position because he caused the Abuja blast. He has also failed in his responsibility,” a Boko Haram source said.
The IGP had last Tuesday in Maiduguri while receiving vehicles, including 10 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) donated to it by the Borno State government, boasted that the sect’s days were numbered.

He had hardly left the state when the sect issued a statement that apparently drew the battle line between it and the IGP in particular and security operatives in the country in general, with the group threatening to extend its attacks to Abuja.

The source confided in Sunday Sun that the IGP was actually the target of the attack.
Said the source: “He (Ringim) was just lucky. Before the new Borno government came on board, the governor mooted the idea of a dialogue. When he was sworn in, he did not deviate. He was consistent.
“The President also talked about ‘stick and carrot’ approach. They were already considering all those options. If you remember, the first person who mooted the idea of amnesty for Boko Haram members was a former federal lawmaker from Borno, Dr Haruna Yerima. And these options were being considered.

“Now, the IGP has rubbished all the gains by his utterance. He knows the police do not have the kind of weapons these people have. Yet he was making all kinds of boast. So why didn’t he stop the Abuja blast?
“Look, Boko Haram’s intelligence is even more sophisticated than that of the police. You can imagine! He (Ringim) spoke on Tuesday and they struck on Thursday, just within 48 hours.

“I think government should continue on the path of dialogue with these people (Boko Haram) because if they (government) say they want to face them fire-for-fire, innocent souls will be lost. These people employ both conventional and unconventional war tactics, so it will be difficult to subdue them.”

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/june/19/national-19-06-2011-001.html

REUTERS


U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner resigned Thursday over a weeks-long Internet sex scandal, succumbing to bipartisan calls for him to step down.

Weiner denied for more than a week that he sent a photo of himself in boxer briefs to a woman in Seattle on May 28, claiming his Twitter account had been hacked. But on June 6, he tearfully admitted he had lied and that he had inappropriate exchanges with six women, some after he was married, reports Reuters.

Weiner, 46, a Democrat from New York, has been married less than a year to Huma Abedin, 35, an aide to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Former President Bill Clinton officiated at their wedding last July.


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/us-congressman-resigns-over-lewd-photo-scandal/93375/

In the build up to the selection of other principal officers for the seventh session of the National Assembly, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has nominated Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

Gbajabiamila, representing Surulere 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State was for most part of the sixth session of the parliament the Minority Whip but rose to become the Minority Leader of the House towards the end of the session following the defection of the then Minority Leader, Hon. Ali Ndume to the Peoples Democratic Party.

The party has also nominated Hon. Samson Osagie representing Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode Federal Constituency of Edo State as the Minority Whip of the House.

The National Secretary of the ACN, Senator Lawal Shuaibu, communicated the party’s decision to the Speaker of the House, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

The letter read as follows: "I write to inform you sir that the members of our party caucus in the House of Representatives held a meeting and concluded on the subject of this letter. We wish to inform you that we have no objection to their decisions on this matter and hereby also wish to inform you and Honourable members of the House of Representatives in the seventh National Assembly, that we shall henceforth recognise Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, representing Surulere 1 in Lagos State and Honourable Samson Osagie representing Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode Federal Constituency in Edo State as the House Minority Leader and House Minority Whip respectively."

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/acn-nominates-gbajabiamila-as-minority-leader/93433/

Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has advised his former deputy, Pauline Tallen to "eat her pride" and apologise to her people of the southern PlateauAccording to him , it is only by so doing that he would forgive her, "especially when she has chosen to disgrace herself."

Jang, who was on a tour of local governments in the state to appreciate the people for giving him a second term mandate, stated this in Shendam Local Government area of the state.

The governor also openly declared that his deputy, Ignatius Longjan , cannot succeed him in 2015. "My deputy should not think of succeeding me in 2015; we will both bow out and let the right people come and take over from us."

He said his administration was grooming the young generation in leadership position so that they can conveniently take over and run the affairs of the state and any other sensitive office, because the younger generation has what it takes.

Jang also assured that better days are coming for Plateau State



Other places visited by Jang and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state include Lantang North, Wase and Langtang South local government areas.

At Langtang, the Senator representing Plateau South, Senator Victor Lar , urged the governor to come out with programmes that would empower women and youths, especially on agriculture, where he promised to revolutionalise in his second coming.

Jang in his response reiterated that crises in the state which almost affected his performance is now gone for good and called on the indigenous tribes across the state to unite and work towards achieving common goals for the benefit of the state.

"The nation of Plateau cannot continue to fight each other, but we must unite as one people irrespective of tribe, religion or political affiliation. We are going to sit down and talk to ourselves; see what is dividing us and what the requirements of each nation are."


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/jang-to-tallen-eat-your-pride-apologise-now/93436/

MEMBERS of the Jama’atu ahlus Sunnah lid da’awati wal Jihad, popularly called Boko Haram, said yesterday that they were responsible for the suicide bombing at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. They also said they did not accomplish their mission because their prime target was the Inspector General Hafiz Ringim.


A statement from a senior member of the group, Abu Zaid said the attack at the police headquarters was to prove a point to all who doubt the capabilities of the sect. The statement came barely two hours after another bomb exploded in Damboa town, about 87 kilometres from Maiduguri the Borno state capital, which killed four children and injured two others.



The bomb, which exploded around 1pm, was buried in between a residential building and a church, the Eklisiyyar Yan Uwa a Nigeria (EYN).

Police spokesman in Borno State Lawan Abdullahi who confirmed the incident said the children were playing around the area when the bomb exploded.“The victims were small children…I can’t estimate their ages but they are children. They were caught unawares while playing around the area,” he said.

He said two others that sustained injuries have been taken to the hospital, adding that no arrest was made so far. “We are investigating the matter and we need serious cooperation from the people in order to succeed. Security is the responsibility of all,” he said.

The statement signed by sect leader Abu Fatima said, “Of recent, he [Ringim] has been going to places and making unguarded utterances to the effect that he will crash us in a number of days…This is unfortunate. We attack his base (police headquarter) in order to show him that action speaks louder than words.”

He also said the sect members will continue to launch attacks at the police headquarters. “We would not relent and by the grace of God, we shall see who is on the right track,” he said.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in Maiduguri and environs. Our correspondents who went round the town saw many stop and search points mounted by members of the Joint Task Force.

At London Ciki, Costain, Westend, Post office and Lagos Street, Okada riders and their passengers were being directed to disembark from the motorcycles and push them to at least 50 metres away from the checkpoint before they can continue with their journey.“This is a very difficult and trying moment for us,” Jummai Stephen, a school teacher said.


http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21285:boko-haram-ig-was-our-target&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

We do not as yet know the name of the man who drove a Mercedes Benz V-Boot on Abuja’s streets early yesterday, attached himself to the convoy of Inspector General Hafiz Ringim as the police boss drove to work, attempted to con his way through the heavy security at the gates of the Force Headquarters and, when he was diverted to the visitors’ car park, detonated a car bomb that killed him, a policeman sitting by his side and scores of other people in the car park. In doing so he wrote his anonymous name into the history books: the first ever suicide bomber in Nigeria.


The Jama’atu ahlus-Sunnah lid da’awati wal Jihad, better known as Boko Haram, has already claimed responsibility for the shock event of yesterday, the most daring attack in Nigeria since the October 1, 2010 bombings near Eagle Square, Abuja during the ceremonies marking 50 years of this country’s independence.



It is not easy to verify the claim of responsibility by Boko Haram, since two different spokesmen spoke on its behalf yesterday and neither of them was available for a direct interview. Yet, the sect’s claim of responsibility for this bombing sounds plausible because only two days earlier, IGP Ringim was in Maiduguri, the sect’s nerve centre, and he boasted after receiving a donation of armoured personnel carriers and pickup trucks from the state government that the days of Boko Haram are numbered. Ringim said with the 2011 general elections over, the police can now concentrate full attention on the sect, which is accused of carrying out many murders and bomb blasts in Borno and Bauchi states in the past year. It is also suspected of being behind the bomb blasts at Mogadishu Barracks in Abuja late last year, and more recently at a mammy market in Bauchi and at a drinking joint at Madallah in Niger State.

On the day that the IG’s remarks were reported in the newspapers [Wednesday], the Boko Haram said in Maiduguri that it was no longer ready for dialogue with the authorities and that it would continue with its armed campaign. Yesterday’s attack at Force Headquarters came less than 24 hours after that threat was issued; it was carried out far outside the sect’s normal operational area; it was a much bigger bomb than the sect had ever used before, and it was the first case of the sect using a suicide bomber, since all its previous attacks were hit and runs.

Suicide bombing is a rarity worldwide. In the last 40 years of intense nationalist, revolutionary and religious struggles around the world, relatively few insurgent groups have resorted to suicide attacks. They include several Palestinian factions, notably the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine of Dr. George Habash, Black September of Abu Dawoud, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Other groups that have used suicide attacks include the Japanese Red Army, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam [Tamil Tigers], the Chechen nationalists led by Shamil Basayev, as well as Al-Qaeda and its affiliates in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir.

Other violent groups such as the Italian Red Brigades, the Baader-Meinhof gang of Germany, the Spanish Basque group ETA, the French terrorist group Action Direct, the Provisional Irish Republican Army [IRA] and the Shining Path guerrillas of Peru all stopped short of suicide attacks.

The joint military and police task force deployed in Borno State and other parts of the North East has had difficulty containing the Boko Haram’s hit and run tactics in the last two years. If the group were to resort more to suicide bombing, the task will become very difficult indeed. Which is why the repeated offer by the new Borno State governor Alhaji Kashim Shettima to negotiate with the sect needs to be encouraged by the federal authorities, in addition to other security measures they may deem it necessary to pursue.

Governor Shettima has repeated his offer to dialogue on at least three occasions. So far, the Boko Haram’s response to his offer has been less than encouraging, including a demand that the governor should resign and that the 1999 Constitution should be replaced with the Shari’a, a matter well beyond the governor’s power. Matters are further complicated because the sect appears to have split into factions; according to the Borno State government, at least one of the factions is affiliated to its political opponents and is acting at their behest.

Whatever the complications, it is important to engage the sect in a dialogue and to see how a meeting point could be found to end this carnage. The Boko Haram leaders have also expressed their regret that innocent persons are being hurt by its campaign; hopefully they will learn from the historical experience of many insurgent groups in Europe, Africa, Arabia, Asia and Latin America that ultimately, a violent campaign such as this one cannot be sustained forever and an accommodation has to be found at some point. All Nigerians pray that this is done sooner rather than later.


http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21284:a-terrible-first-for-nigeria&catid=1:news&Itemid=2

The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai, has denied involvement in the quelling of the 2009 Yusufiyya sect uprising in the state, which led to the killing of the sect leaders.


The sect, popularly called Boko Haram, had on Monday called for the prosecution of the first class traditional ruler for his alleged involvement in the killing of its leaders in the process of quelling the crisis.



A statement by Alhaji Zanna Laisu, Secretary, Borno Emirate Council in Maiduguri yesterday expressed surprise at the development. It said the response became necessary because of the serious concern and displeasure shown by the various communities, the good people of Borno emirate and the nation in general on the issue.

The statement said, “For the avoidance of doubt, at no time was the Shehu of Borno and the emirate council ever contacted or consulted by any authority within or outside the state on the breach of peace in Maiduguri in particular, and the state in general. The emirate council condemns in strong terms, all insinuations of its involvement or that of the traditional ruler. The Shehu of Borno, since his ascension to the throne, has continued to preach peace, harmony, stability and justice which are the greatest and well known heritage of Borno emirate since time immemorial.’’ (NAN)

http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21276:shehu-of-borno-denies-involvement-in-killing-of-boko-haram-leaders-&catid=1:news&Itemid=2

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) and the Patriotic Alliance of Nigeria (PAN) have described the spate of bomb blasts across the country as an indictment of the nation’s security forces.


President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, alleged that there must be a leakage within the security agencies.



“Those behind these bomb blasts are working to sabotage the efforts of the Federal Government,” he said.

According to him, the security agencies must buckle up because the spate of the bomb blasts indicate that they (security Agencies) have not lived up to people’s expectations.

“It is shameful and sad that such an incident occurred within the heart of the Nigeria Police Force,” the Arewa Youth President said. (NAN)


http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21280:there-must-be-leakage-within-security-agencies&catid=1:news&Itemid=2

The Presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), retired Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has condemned yesterday’s blast in Abuja and called for a decisive action against terrorism.


A suspected suicide bomber detonated a bomb at the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force, Abuja, in which two persons died and 73 vehicles damaged.



Buhari said in Lagos through his spokesman, Mr Yinka Odumakin, that “it is unfortunate that Nigeria is fast becoming a terrorist state.”

Buhari noted that “the episodic recurrences of bomb blasts in Nigeria are beginning to instil fears in Nigerians, which is very unhealthy for the nation.

“There must be sustained and coordinated efforts to get to the root of these dastardly acts,’’ he said.

http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21281:buhari-wants-decisive-action-against-terrorism&catid=1:news&Itemid=2

At least eight people died yesterday and scores of others were injured when a vehicle laden with explosive devices exploded inside the visitors’ car park of Louis Edet House in Abuja, headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force. Police authorities later explained that the car’s driver, who died in the explosion, was trailing the convoy of Inspector General of Police Hafiz Ringim.


Thick black smoke from the explosions could be seen from far away and the police quickly cordoned off roads leading to the area while ambulances from around the city rushed to the scene.



The explosions occurred at about 10:45am when most police officers working in the headquarters located on Shehu Shagari Way in Garki Area 11 were in their respective offices. The tremor resulting from the explosion shattered the glass windows of the 7-storey police headquarters.

Force Public Relations Officer DCP Olusola Amore said a Mercedes 230 car, known as V-Boot, had chased the Inspector General’s convoy when Ringim was on his way to the office. When the convoy entered the Louis Edet House, the car sneaked in behind them, pretending to be part of the convoy, and it passed the main gate of the police headquarters and headed to the frontage of the building where the IG’s car and escort vehicles are normally parked. However, before it could get there, officers on guard detected the car as not being part of the IG’s convoy.

They stopped the driver and began questioning him about his mission.

Amore said, “The officers exchanged words with the suicide bomber and eventually one the traffic wardens in the headquarters, ASP Nangor, said he suspected the vehicle to be carrying suspicious items and asked the driver to move the vehicle to the car park for searching. Nangor then entered the vehicle, sat on the front passenger seat and forced the suicide bomber to veer into the car park. As soon as they got there, the car exploded and both the bomber and ASP Nangor were killed.”

The police spokesman said only two people were confirmed killed, but a police corporal who was at the premises told Daily Trust that many people were killed by the blast and that some were burnt beyond recognition. He said there were many people in the car park, including some who were inside their vehicles waiting for their partners or superiors who had gone into the headquarters.

Charred remains of human parts were found around the scene while many policemen were injured, he said.

Force PRO Amore said the body of the bomber has been recovered and forensic analysis had begun to ascertain his identity as well as his accomplices. He said no one was arrested by the police in connection to the blast but security has been intensified within the city centre.

A total of 36 vehicles in the car park and around the building were either completely destroyed or badly damaged by the blast. The materials used in making the home-made bomb included gas cylinders, electronic devices and some rubber pipes, some of which were recovered from the boot of the car that exploded. They were alleged to have been made in an unconventional way and triggered either by the driver of the car or by some people outside.

Amore said both the government and security agencies will not give in to the demands of those behind the explosion and that they will be identified. He said the police are beaming their searchlight on the Boko Haram sect. When asked if the IG was embarrassed by the episode, he said it was a crime that can occur anywhere and the police are ready to fish out the perpetrators.

Later yesterday, security outside the force headquarters was taken over by armed soldiers led by a brigadier, while officials of the Road Safety Corps and civil defence assisted the police in controlling the crowd.

Fire fighters assisted by military water tankers fought the fire caused by the blast, while bomb squad police officers combed the parking lot for forensic evidence. Electricity in the building was cut off and people had to climb the staircases from the first to the seventh floor.

Majority of the occupants of the building stayed outside, while some policemen were mobilised to remove glass pieces caused by shattered windows on all the floors.

Occupants of office complexes near the police headquarters, including the Appeal Court, where the presidential election petition tribunal is situated, all fled their offices when the buildings shook from the blast.

http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21286:8-killed-in-force-hqtrs-blasts&catid=2:lead-stories&Itemid=8

congrats man all the same do what you think is right and will not backfire tommorow and please make a wise decision cos you are the one wearing the shoes and thus knows where it pinches most, i wish you GOODLUCK

Momoh kubanji died in 2009,Edet Umoh early this year. There have been deaths in TVC that is becoming worrisome. RIP Bukola will miss your newscast at 5p.m the world at five

collins Jn:
dis is about the 4th journalist
that will be dying in TVC within a
year, Edet Umoh, Momoh Kubanji
etc what is killing them there.
there should be serious
investigations.
If Diz HYPOTHESIS Of Urs Is Really TRUE,Den I Tink There Should Be a Serious CONVENANT BREAKING In Dat TVC.
R.I.P Bukola

Jarus thanks for your response. It is highly appreciated. A lot of peeps come here to vent their anger and frustrations real or percieved. This could be so annoying,at other times thought provoking or even funny. A spade should be called a spade we are humans and exhibit some form of bias even in the face of logical reasoning. Elections over lets forge ahead n work together to make Nigeria great. Rhino.dm n z-stranger should be left alone jor(someone quickly goes to check my profile aproko/amebo),if you dont like their gist then let them be,it is not a must commenting on all post abi award dey for highest number of post? Please lets act like adults and be more accomodating,show love with less provocation,less tantrums,less insults,less ethnic bigotry equals Peaceful NAIRALAND.

@ odunnu am sorry for the not so complimentary comments you have gotten from so nairalanders,just ignore them and be yourself at all times,even the devil has a right to his own opinion.

After reading a lot of post i have concluded that Beaf hates buhari,any thread pro or anti buhari he is there blowing hot and spitting fire. Beaf is pro gej or even his agent on a pay roll. Valid reason any post pro jonathan he is there commending or even start a thread pro jonathan but for any thread anti jonathan he is either there condemning or if its overwhelming anti jonathan he shys away completely. Buhari has a right to attend or decline the inauguration,so whichever he decides doesnot warrant any one drinking panadol over another man's headache.comprende nairalanders

Sambo deserves what he got,just as nigerians got the kind of leaders they deserve