On the 30/5/2021, at about 07:20hrs, armed bandits intercepted and attacked a Toyota Camry cab carrying Ahmed Gulak and two others who were on their way to Sam Mbakwe Airport to catch a flight.
Ahmed Gulak left his room at Protea Hotel without informing the Police nor sister agencies in view of the fragile security situation in the South East and Imo in particular.
He left without any security escorts and while the cab driver took irregular route to the airport, six armed bandits who rode in a Toyota Sienna intercepted, identified and shot at Ahmed Gulak at around Umueze Obiangwu in Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area close to the Airport.
The Commissioner of Police Imo CP Abutu Yaro, fdc has directed a discreet investigation into the matter as Tactical and Special forces have been deployed to cordone the area and arrest perpetrators.
Sp Bala Elkana Police Public Relations Officer For: Commisioner of Police, Imo State Police Command.
Anything to balkanize this zoo is welcomed. For how long will this unworkable marriage continue? After over 50 years yet we find it hard to live peacefully.
The day SS will start theirs, una know how e dey be na.
Igbos oya also give your own 2weeks ultimatum to Makinde.
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has urged the people of the state to defy the sit-at-home order of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) on Monday.
The Nnamdi Kanu led separatist movement declared May 31 as sit-at-home to commemorate the deaths of millions of Igbos who fought on the side of the defunct Biafra Republic and died during the Nigerian civil war.
But in a state-wide broadcast on Saturday, Umahi urged traders at the international market not to comply with the directive from the secessionist group or have their business premises forfeited.
While charging security agencies to ensure no one in the state is molested, the governor urged residents to use cutlass to defend themselves if need be.
“There should be free movement of people in the state on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and other days of the year,” Umahi said. “People should go to church on Sunday to pray for the nation’s fallen security agents, civilians and peace and unity of the state and country.
“I challenge the youths, local government area chairmen, security agents, Ebebeagu security outfit, among others, to ensure that no one is molested in the state.
“Anyone who has nothing to protect himself should do so with cutlass, which should be for protection and not for attack,” he charged.
Similarly, the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Aliyu, also advised residents to disregard the IPOB directive.
“The command warns anybody or group harbouring any sinister intentions to disrupt the relative peace and security enjoyed in the state to desist forthwith, as such attempt will be resisted,” the state police spokesperson, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement.
A pro-Biafra group, Biafra Revolutionary Forces (BRF) has claimed responsibility for the burglary at the presidential villa on May 10, 2021.
The residence of Ibrahim Gambari, the chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari was buggled on the said date.
While confirming the incident at Gambari’s place of abode, the presidency said the residence of Maikano Abdullahi, an admin officer at the seat of power was also buggled on Thursday May 6, 2021.
Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu who stated this said the police has began searching for the burglars whom he said were captured on Closed-circuit Television (CCTV).
In a video clip posted on the internet a week after the attacks, the BRF claimed responsibility of the burglary and the killing of security agencies in the South-East region.
Its spokesperson, Michele Fishman, said the group is behind unknown gunmen also attacking facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Igbo predominantly area which the police indicted Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) as being behind.
IPOB has pushed back the accusations saying its militia outfit, Eastern Security Network (ESN) are in bushes across the former eastern region with a mandate to root out violent herdsmen.
The group while claiming the attack at the Aso Rock queried which armed robbers will attack the most secured compound in the country for a few dollars as the speculated in some quarters.
“The truth is that they were no robbers (Aso Rock burglars), they were our teams sending a clear message to the political elites that we are everywhere,” Ms Fishman said.
The group also threatened politicians in the country, saying their time to impoverished the masses.
The police in Benue State has denied claims in some quarters that about 36 persons were massacre in the state recently.
On Friday morning reports of the alleged massacre went rife on social media with Nigerians trending #BenueUnderAttack to express their displeasure.
A national daily which published the story claimed the incident occurred Thursday night by suspected violent herdsmen.
“In their usual manner, the attackers operated for about 15 minutes after which they pulled out and 36 persons were found dead, most of them were butchered like animals which is their usual style of killing their victims,” the newspaper quoted a local source as saying.
But in a statement titled ‘Alleged massacre in Kastina-Ala: Police action’, by its spokesperson, Anene Catherine, the police said no trace of such occurred in the state after the force deployed its personnel to the affected community.
“Upon arrival at the Council ward, the detectives observed that they were no corpses or graves to signify any form of burial and no official reports have been made to the police in the area,” the Friday evening statement read in part.
The force spokesperson said more personnel have been deployed to the area for routine patrols and surveillance.
Nigerians will clap for the President Muhammadu Buhari administration when he leaves office in 2023, his spokesman Femi Adesina has said.
Just like the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan faced backlash from Nigerians when he was in charge, same has been the situation with the incumbent.
Most of Jonathan critics while he was in power are now praising his administration as being better than the present one.
Mr Buhari nicknamed ‘Baba Go Slow’ during his first term recently irked Nigerians when he appointed another Northerner to head the Nigerian Army, ignoring the second in command who is a Southerner from the South-East region.
He has been accused of nepotism, corruption, incompetence, tribal bigotry among others but these Mr Adesina said will be appreciated when his principal leaves office the next two years.
“When the Administration breasts the tape in another two years, by the grace of God, the applause will be resounding, even from the worst of sceptics,” the president’s spokesman said while articulating the achievements of his principal in the last six years.
“As it is said, the past is but a story told. The future may yet be written in gold. Facts are undeniable and always remain so. They are stubborn things.
“From infrastructure, to finance, education, healthcare, sports, anti-corruption, human development, housing, oil and gas, foreign relations, and many others, the Administration is recording giant strides, enough to make Nigerians proud,” he added.
Some local government areas in Borno State exist just in names with no people occupying them, the speaker of the state assembly, Abdulkareem Lawan, said Wednesday.
Mr Lawan stated this, while opposing call for the creation of a new state and local government areas from the insurgency-infested state, at the ongoing public hearing on the 1999 constitutional review held in Bauchi State.
“Borno State is already devastated for now,” the speaker said. “We don’t need additional states and local government councils, because some of the councils just bear names without people.”
“So, there is no need for the creation of state and local governments out of the present Borno State,” Lawan added.
The lawmaker also said the state was not in need of state police, a position also adopted by the Attorney General of Yobe State, Saleh Samanja, who also opposed new creation of states nationwide.
“The state police can be abused for political reasons and create more insecurity, rather, measures should be put in place to encourage Community Policing under strict supervision,” Mr Samanja said.
Differing from their submissions is Sabiu Baba, the Secretary to the Bauchi State Government (SSG) who stated that his state was clamouring for the carving out of another state from it because some some existing states whose population and land mass is smaller than that of Bauchi already had more local government councils.
Mr Baba also supported the creation of state police to help lessen the burden of over-dependence on federal law enforcement agencies.
Herdsmen returning to Kano State from other states of the federation must do so with clearance, the state police commissioner, Sama’ila Dikko, said on Wednesday.
Mr Dikko issued the directive after an emergency meeting with Fulani leaders in the state, those from Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina and heads of security agencies.
He said any pastoralist that fails to comply with the directive will be returned back to wherever he is coming from.
“Today in the morning I had a meeting with the leaders of Fulanis,” the police boss told journalists. “There are two issues here, Fulanis who are now coming in with their cattle and what have you… So, when we heard about that information, we discussed it with other security agencies.
“At the meeting I had in my office this morning with leaders of Fulanis from Kaduna, Katsina and Jigawa, I asked them to give us whatever information to block whoever that is coming in without necessary authorisation from the police of the state they are coming from.
“So, there must be a sort of letter, showing that they are coming to Kano from that state. So, anyone who comes without clearance from our police formations, from the state they are coming from, will definitely be stopped and turned back to where they came from.
“We will not accept anybody coming here illegally. We may not know the kind persons they are. They may be criminals. They may be bandits or other bad people. So, we will not accept it here in Kano,” he added.
Security remains the responsibility of every Nigerians regardless of wether they are in public office or not, President Muhammadu Buhari said.
Mr Buhari, who during his time in the opposition claimed security remained topmost priority of the government then has now allotted the responsibility to all Nigerians while speaking at the opening of a four-day special summit on national security organized by the House of Representatives in Abuja on Wednesday.
“Addressing them (security challenges) effectively to restore peace and security remains the responsibility of all Nigerians in and out of public office and our democratic institutions,’’ the president, represented by Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Federation Government, said.
“Nigeria shares land borders with Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger; and maritime boundaries with Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Sao Tome and Principe.
“The challenges these borders pose to our national security and interest are enormous; the instability and conflict in the Chad basin alone deserves close attention.
“Our nation has to grapple with various forms of internal security issues over the past decade in all geo-political zones,” the Nigerian leader added.
Plead: You're not from the SS, you're an ipob terrorist. If Igbos want their brothers and sisters it's quite simple. All Igbos in SS would be booted out,they can go to Biafra but no inch of our land will be ceded to those useless folks.
Jokes on anyone who doesn't know that the only reason why these fools are clamouring for Biafra is because they believe SS will go with them,they want our oil.
A Biafra nation with just the five south eastern states will be a complete disaster and they know it. They don't have resources, they're landlocked and yet they're clamouring for a country of their own. They should be granted their wishes,but no inch of Niger Delta land will be ceded to them.
Fools.
Go and boot them out na, it's easier said than done.
I laugh when none.nti.ty argues that it's because of oil, that is also Abia, Imo and Anambra, that making our SE brothers demand Biafra. So the injustice and killings are not enough reason baaa?
So and boot out indigenous Igbos annexed to SS, when you're done, come back let's continue.
An Akwa Ibomite is now an IPOB terrorist. Wonders shall never end.
Residents of Orji community in Imo State were seen hailing unknown gunmen who attacked a police facility in the area on Tuesday.
The armed men had stormed the community and razed down the station which TODAY POLITICS learnt was rebuilt after being attacked earlier in the year by the arsonists.
Multimedia reports on social media showed the residents praying and hailing the attackers who did not attack civilians while carrying out the nefarious activities.
In one of the video clip circulating on social media, two armed men who attacked police operatives ignore residents who watched at a close range while they opened live rounds on the fleeing officers.
The residents, mostly men, who were not afraid of the gunshots appeared unperturbed while watching the two parties engage themselves. Most of them escorted the arsonists out of town after the attack.
In another clip, an armed gunman sitting on the roof of a Honda Accord vehicle while returning from the operation had residents praying for the safe return to his base.
While Nigerians, on social media, from the Igbo predominantly area praised the gunmen, others from other geo-political zones, warned against the support, saying that was how Boko Haram terrorist group which the country is still fighting to contain, began.
This is coming weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari approved new security measures for the restoration of peace in the troubled zone.
Despite that approval, security agencies and their facilities, including that of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been targeted and destroyed.
The police blamed Eastern Security Network (ESN) a militia outfit of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) as being responsible for the attack but the seccessionist group has pushed back that accusation, saying its militia operatives are in bushes across the former eastern region to root out violent herdsmen residing thereof.
Luigi03: We aren't ranting are we? You hardly see any person from SS complaining that much. I believe you're the ones that rant and wail about how you want to break up from the zoo, not us. Btw, I don't see anything wrong with what yall are doing. Fight for your Biafra is you wanna, just leave SS out of it. We aren't begging anyone.
Oga stop being stupid by running around in same circle, I don't reply lame submissions.
Luigi03: I don't think there's anything wrong with what I said. If there are IPOBs in SS, and they wanna join their bros in South East (going to be called Biafra in the future), then they should kindly relocate over there, because there are Alot of people in SS that do not want to be a part, not forgetting the fact that there are also many non Igbos here
Go and tell your govt to de-annex those indigenous Igbos annexed to SS, for as long as they continue to be annexed to SS and parts of NC, I don't think the Igbos in these area will leave their indigenous lands for any one.
Luigi03: Their "Brothers" that are in South South are free to relocate to South East, no one is holding them back. Just don't include SS states in the Biafran map
They should let go their lands and relocate to South east? Did you listen to yourself?
What's the difference between you and violent herdsmen?
If you are attacking Igbos because you don't want Biafra, they tell the Government to de-annex Igbos added to some SS states or you think Igbos will leave their brothers for us in SS and go?
You must be dreaming of that's your thought. You don't want to be annexed to Igbos but you want their SE brothers annexed to you to remain?
It baffles me, though I'm from SS, I take those asking Igbos to limit their struggle to just their five states as nonenti.ties
It is foolishness to tell Igbos to count SS out of Biafra struggle without asking the federal government to de-annex those indigenous Igbos in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Benue and so on. Or you think they will leave their blood for you and go? Una no well.
President Muhammadu Buhari has telephoned the wife of his late Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Ibrahim Attahiru.
Mr Attahiru, accompanied by 10 military personnel, died on Friday while on an official visit to Kaduna. The departed were buried on Saturday at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
Mr Buhari was absent but sent a representative. Before he called the widow Sunday evening, his wife, Aisha, had earlier visited the grieving widow to commiserate with her.
Describing the deceased warlord as an outstanding soldier and an institution builder, who fought valiantly for Nigeria until he breathed his last, Mr Buhari assured the widow who spoke on behalf of other grieving spouses that the nation will never forget the supreme sacrifice of their late husbands.
According to a statement by Garba Shehu, the president’s spokesman, the Nigerian leader urged the widows to take solace in the surge of extraordinary feelings of emotions across regions, religions and tribes all over the country in appreciation of their sacrifices.
Buhari said he has also directed the Ministry of Defence to do everything a government can do to provide comfort and ease the hardships of the families of the deceased, praying to Almighty God to repose their souls and grant their families the fortitude to bear the losses.
“Mrs Attahiru, on behalf of the rest of the families thanked the President for the love and care he has shown to them,” Mr Shehu added.
Against the perception that he invited security agencies to unleash mayhem on his people in the guise of fighting hoodlums, Governor Hope Uzodinma says those terrorising the state are mostly not from the Igbo tribe.
The state made most headlines since the year began with increased attacks on security facilities and personnel. The militia arm of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB), Eastern Security Network (ESN) has been accused of being behind the attacks but the secessionist group has severally pushed back that accusation.
Mr Uzodinma, while speaking after a church service at the Government House Chaplaincy in Owerri on Sunday, said he arrived at the conclusion after the interrogation of over 400 suspects arrested in connection to the rising insecurity in the state.
According to his spokesman, Oguwike Nwachuku, who made this known in a statement, the suspects whose tribe were not named are undergoing trials and “the good thing there is that over 70 percent of them are not Igbos.”
Mr Nwachukwu said his principal also vowed to crush anyone hell bent on further causing trouble in the state while urging residents to ignore rumours of a planned attack.
“Imo people and residents should go about their businesses without fear of molestation or harassment,” Mr Uzodinma said. “What happened in the past weeks will never repeat itself again.
“We will crush anybody that attempts to cause mayhem or attack Imo people again. Government cannot surrender to blackmailers, hoodlums and perpetrators of violence who have sworn to make the State ungovernable,” he added.
Amidst national grief on the day the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Ibrahim Attahiru, is being buried, some Northern governors and ministers rather than join Nigerians to mourn, attended the wedding ceremony of Abubakar Malami’s son.
Mr Attahiru died on Friday in a plane crash with 10 other military personnel onboard the flight. The departed were buried today at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari who appointed Mr Attahiru to the position earlier this year failed to show up personally, though it was later confirmed that he sent the Defence Minister, Bashir Magashi, to represent him.
Mr Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) is also the Minister of Justice. His son, Abirul-Rahman, wedded today at Alfurqan Juma’at mosque in the Kano metropolis.
The wedding was attended by Umar Ganduje of Kano; Bello Metawalle of Zamfara; Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto; Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi and Muhammad Yahaya of Gombe.
Aside the five state governors from the North, Ministers and federal lawmakers also graced the occasion, according to Abubakar Aminu Ibrahim, media aide to Kano State governor.
Below are some photos from the event as shared by Mr Ibrahim on his Facebook page.
A former presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba, registered his displeasure at the development.
“If it is true that at the time Nigeria is going through a national tragedy of loosing our revered hero, General Attahiru, but some Northern Governors are busy celebrating a wedding ceremony of a Attorney General/Justice Minister’s son, in Nigeria, then this is a double tragedy,” Mr Garba wept on Twitter.
Hours after a military aircraft carrying Ibrahim Attahiru, the deceased Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and other military personnel crashed, a trending video surfaced on social media with claims that two persons flew out of the plane apparently with parachute.
Mr Attahiru and other occupants of the plane died on Friday after landing on the run way of the Kaduna international airport. Military authorities hastily concluded that the air accident was caused by a bad weather, though there was heavy downpour.
In the trending clip, a middle-aged man, apparently granting an interview, claimed to have seen two persons jump out of the aircraft with parachute and was out of his sight in a short while
He was standing in a bush which, apparently, is a crash site judging by some debris of a plane sighted around him.
Nigerians without verifying the source of the video clip began circulating it as emanating from the accident which occurred Friday evening.
A former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, who also reacted called for investigation into what transpired, suggesting that the departed personnel might have been assassinated.
At close look at the trending video clip one would notice the watermark of Voice TV Nigeria. When TODAY POLITICS probed further, it was discovered that the clip from which the trending part was extracted from dates back to September 2018.
The multimedia channel at the time of uploading it said it was a video clip of a crashed military jet in Abuja.
The six minutes twenty five seconds clip began by capturing the then crashed aircraft hovering around a vicinity.
Thereafter, the edited clip showed locals thronging to the accident scene before the part where the middle-aged man narrated what he allegedly saw which is being circulated today as coming from the Kaduna crash site.
CONCLUSION: No recent evidence to back up the claim that two persons flew out of the crashed aircraft conveying the military personnel to Kaduna at the weekend.
Politics › Ahmed Gulak Caused Own Death By Moving Without Escort: Police by deantimes(op): 2:19pm On May 30, 2021
