I don’t kidnap, I only kill people – Aleru, Zamfara terrorist ‘chief’ Widespread public outcry greeted the coronation of the wanted terrorist as a head of the Fulani in Yandoton Daji emirate.
Notorious banditry kingpin, Ada Aleru, who was recently named the Sarkin Fulani Yandoton Daji Emirate (the head of the Fulani in Yandoton Daji) in a chilling confession, said he does not kidnap people but kills them.
The coronation of Mr Aleru, who is the leading terrorist in Tsafe and Faskari axis of Zamfara and Katsina states, generated public outcry across the country.
The state government, subsequently, suspended the Emir of the town, Aliyu Marafa, who conferred the title on Mr Aleru, who is wanted in neighbouring Katsina State for mass killings.
The Katsina government placed a bounty of N5 million on information leading to the arrest of Mr Aleru, who is accused of killing 52 people in Kadisau, a community in Faskari Local Government in 2019.
In his first and only known interview with the media, Mr Aleru told the BBC that he is angry with Hausas and the Nigerian government.
In a documentary titled “The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara” billed to be aired 25 July 2022, Mr Aleru said while his men kidnap people, he is only interested in killing people.
“My men do that; I just go and kill them (people),” Mr Aleru said.
An unnamed associate of Mr Aleru told the BBC Africa Eye team that “the Fulani are systematically excluded from government jobs and other economic opportunities, and that the Nigerian air force attacks innocent Fulani herders and kills their cattle. “How have the Fulani become so worthless in Nigeria?” he asks.”
He lamented that the grazing routes the Fulani relied on upon have been closed off while land and water have become very scarce.
We bought more rifles – Abductors of school girls The BBC also interviewed the terrorists who abducted pupils from the Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, Talata Mafara local government area of Zamfara State.
While the state government insisted that no ransom was paid, the unnamed bandit said they were paying N60 million before they released the pupils.
When asked what they did with the money, he said, “We bought more rifles.”
Distressing scenes, including that of a boy dying from a gunshot wound, were also released in the documentary.
“I remember how he raised his head to look at me while he was in that condition,” the boy’s father told the BBC. “It pains me how much my boy suffered…I am devastated.”
The BBC said it gathered that the teenage boy, whose sister was among the abducted Jangebe school girls, was killed by security forces.
Part of the findings by the documentary team was the growing bitterness against the Fulani community by the Hausa community, which was evident in the encounter between the team and residents of Kurfar Danya.
“If allowed, we will kill every Fulani man, even in the town,” says one of the vigilantes, “because they killed our mothers, our fathers, our children, and dumped their bodies here.” A resident declared in protest the killing of over 200 people by the terrorists.
Residents took the reporter to sites of mass graves. The documentary further confirms that the violence in the region is largely aggravated by vengeance, rather than protection. The vigilante groups are largely residents of Hausa communities.
“Many Nigerians are, quite rightly, disturbed by the idea that the violence contains elements of an ethnic conflict. But that is the inescapable conclusion from listening to the voices in this film,” the BBC said in a statement announcing the release of the documentary.
“It’s obvious it is tribal,” says Hassan Dantawaye, a terrorist who was among the first Fulani men to bring guns into Zamfara and take up arms at the head of a terror gang. “If not, how can someone pass settlements but burn down only the Fulani ones? Why would a Fulani kill an innocent Hausa? Clearly, it’s a tribal conflict.”
The BBC Africa Eye said the documentary seeks to offer its contribution towards the unravelling of the conflict.
“The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara offers no simple explanation for the crisis that is destroying lives across northwestern Nigeria. But it does reveal, with painful clarity, the human cost of violence. There are mothers here who have seen their children slaughtered in front of their eyes, families who have been displaced from their homes, and schoolchildren who are still traumatized by the nightmare of abduction and captivity.
“If Nigeria is ever to solve this crisis, the first step is to understand it. With this film, Yusuf Anka and BBC Africa Eye have made an important contribution towards that understandin."
Music executive, Michael Collins Ajereh, better known as Don Jazzy is bereaved.
Don Jazzy took to Instagram, Friday night to announce the passing of his mother in an emotional post.
According to him, she died on Friday morning after a battle with cancer.
He wrote: “I lost my sweet mother this morning. The matriarch of our family. My supporter and backbone @indianpicolo.
“I am beyond devastated. I have never felt pain like this in my life but I am consoled by the good life she lived. She was loved by everyone that ever met her.
“She was so strong till the last minute for us even while she battled with cancer.
“I have never typed a more difficult caption in my life. Please pray for our Mums soul to Rest In Peace and for strength for my dad, my siblings, her grandchildren and our entire family to bear this loss.”
Meanwhile, fellow celebrities have taken to the comment section of the post to express their condolences.
Warring European countries, Ukraine and Russia, have reached a compromise to sign a deal on Saturday for the safe export of Ukrainian grain in a bid to avert a looming food crisis.
This will be the first major deal the two countries reached since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, February 24.
Reports have shown that Ukrainian and Russian delegations, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will meet in Istanbul, Turkey’s capital, tomorrow for the signing ceremony.
Turkish President’s spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, Friday, described the deal as “critically important for global food security.”
The deal will allow tens of millions of tons of grain stuck at Ukrainian ships and silos to be sold to world markets through a safe shipping corridor in the Black Sea.
The Russian invasion has paused grain exports from Ukraine, one of the leading bread baskets of the world, stocking grain prices across the world despite terrible warnings of a looming food crisis by the international community.
The face-to-face talks began in Istanbul last week between the Ukrainian, Russian, Turkish and UN officials.
Turkey’s defense minister announced that the parties agreed on “fundamental technical” issues including establishment of a coordination centre in Istanbul; joint security checks at entering and exiting points of ships; and ensuring navigational safety on shipping routes.
Officials have not elaborated the details of the deal.
Moscow has insisted Ukraine remove mines from its ports for the resumption of the exports.
Ukraine, in turn, has asked for third-party security guarantees, saying removing mines without such a guarantee could pave the way for Russian assaults on its shores.
The United States cautiously hailed the deal, with the US State Department spokesman describing the move as a welcoming development.
“But what will really matter is the implementation of this agreement. We will of course continue to work with our partners to hold Russia accountable for its implementation,” Ned Price said.
“We applaud the diligent work of our Turkish allies,” says US department spokesperson.
The Nigeria Police Force, Federal Capital Territory Command, has denied raiding the head office of Peoples Gazette newspaper.
Policemen on Friday allegedly raided the head office of the newspaper in Abuja and arrested one of its editors, journalists, and staff members.
According to a report by Peoples Gazette, John Adenekan, an assistant managing editor, was taken away at about 12:35 p.m. by five armed police officers who broke into the paper’s office opposite NNPC Quarters in Utako.
The officers later returned to the office to arrest four other staff members, Ameedat Adeyemi, Grace Oke, Sammy Ogbu and Justina Tayani.
The officers declined to state the reason for their assault but demanded to see the paper’s Managing Editor, Samuel Ogundipe, and reporter Adefemola Akintade.
But both journalists were not available during the operation, prompting the officers to arrest Mr Adenekan in their stead, perpetuating an unconstitutional tradition of arresting associates in the event that people of interest are unavailable.
A reliable source within the police force confirmed to our correspondent that the security operatives raided the newspaper’s head office to effect the arrest of Ogundipe and Akintade who wrote a report on former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai (retd.).
The action of the police came days after an Abuja-based Publisher, Isah Bello sued Peoples Gazette for allegedly defaming the Ambassador to Benin Republic.
The newspaper on June 23 reported that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission raided and recovered items including 50 luxury watches from a purported residence of Buratai.
However, Bello, in the suit before a Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, claimed the newspaper failed to respond to a letter dated June 28, 2022 seeking to clarify the source of It's story.
According to him, the failure to respond to the inquiry was a violation of section 4(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2011 and therefore is wrongful and illegal.
Filed by Osuagwu Ugochukwu, the publisher asked the court to prevail on the defendant to supply the information requested in his letter.
But reacting to the report, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Josephine Adeh, who spoke to our correspondent claimed that journalists and staff members of the newspaper were only invited for questioning over a petition written against them accusing the paper of defaming the character of Buratai.
DSP Adeh said, “Our officers did not raid any media house. We don’t raid media houses because we know better, and media houses are not criminal hideouts.
“Someone had written a petition accusing the newspaper of defamation of character. The newspaper was accused of defaming the character of the former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai. However, we got a warrant from the court to invite them for questioning.
“So, the fact of the matter is that there was a petition against Peoples Gazette, and they are not above the law. So, if someone had written a petition against them, the right thing to do is to invite them, and that was what we did. We invited them for further investigation, and we carried the Nigerian Union of Journalists along on this matter. We’re not taking any action behind the NUJ, and there is also a warrant from the court to invite Peoples Gazette for questioning.
“We have no malicious intent for inviting them. Our officers went to Peoples Gazette office this morning to invite them to come to give a statement in response to the petition at the Utako police station. And as I speak to you, the NUJ Secretary is with them at the Utako police station as they’re making their statements."
Presidency: Tinubu wanted to be my running mate, Muslim-Muslim ticket – Atiku
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has disclosed why his relationship with the All Progressives Congress, APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu took a worse turn in 2007.
Atiku disclosed that Tinubu wanted him to field a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2007, but he refused.
The former Vice President, who was the then presidential candidate of the now-defunct opposition Action Congress, AC, said Tinubu wanted to be his running mate.
Atiku eventually lost the election to late President Umar Yar’Adua of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
However, Atiku said Tinubu rejected his choice of Ben Obi as his running mate.
Speaking with Arise TV on Friday, Atiku said he became politically estranged with Tinubu after he presented Obi as his running mate.
He said: “He insisted on running with me and I didn’t believe it was right to have a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“That was the point of my fundamental departure with him.”
The Action Congress was established by Atiku, Tinubu and other political heavy weights.
Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Abubakar Atiku has hinted that he is already reaching out to Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state, saying the party stakeholders will soon reconcile with the aggrieved Rivers state governor.
Atiku stated this on Friday in an interview with Arise TV.
The PDP presidential candidate said, “We are reaching out to Governor Wike and we are talking with him and I believe very soon we will find a reconciliation. In fact, very soon, because we are talking to him.
“We are talking to his governor colleagues.I am very optimistic we are going to resolve our internal crisis and move on,” he added.
Atiku, who described Wike as an influential politician who has a good future in Nigerian politics, noted that he did not reject the governor.
He said, “The committee that was set up at my own instance deliberated. There was no vote, and they recommended three names, because they knew it was my prerogative to pick anyone of the three. So, there was actually no vote. It’s not true.
“He Governor Ortom himself chaired that committee. He knew there was no vote taken, and I have the report of that committee. The committee recommended three people and I picked one. I did not go out of that recommendation. So, I think people should be fair to me and should also state the fact,” he added.
Recall that there had been agitation over Atiku’s selection of Governor Ifeanyi Okowo of Delta State as running mate over Wike.
After the unveiling of Okowa by Atiku, Wike had been speculated to be considering moving to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Vanguard had reported that the PDP selection committee had recommended the Rivers State governor after 13 of 17 members, who attended a PDP stakeholders meeting voted in favour of Wike.
Wike, who participated in the PDP presidential primary scored 237 against the 371 votes secured by Atiku, who won the party ticket.
2023: Court okays suit seeking Tinubu’s trial over alleged perjury
ABUJA – The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, fixed November 1 to commence hearing on a suit seeking to compel the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Usman Baba, to initiate a perjury case against the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The court, in a ruling that was delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, granted permission to the Incorporated Trustees of Center for Reform and Public Advocacy, a Civil Society Organization, CSO, to apply for an order of mandamus, to compel the IGP to in line with Sections 31 and 32 of the Police Act and Section 3 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2015, prefer charges against the APC flag-bearer, following an allegation that he lied on oath.
Justice Ekwo held that an ex-parte application the group brought before the court on Thursday, was meritorious.
He, therefore, ordered service of all the relevant processes in the substantive suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1058/2022, on the Nigerian Police Force, NPF, and the IGP, who were cited as 1st and 2nd Respondents, respectively.
The group, had through its team of lawyers led by Mr. Ugo Nwofor, told the court that the suit was necessitated by the IGP’s refusal to take action on its petition against APC’s presidential candidate over an offence it said was established by report of an investigation that was conducted by the Lagos State House of Assembly in 1999.
The CSO, told the court that it earlier forwarded a petition to Police authorities, demanding further action on the said investigative report.
It maintained that by virtue of Sections 214 and 215, of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as Section 4 of the Nigerian Police Act, 2020, the Police, have the statutory responsibility to “prevent, detect and investigate criminal allegations whether brought to their notice by individuals, person or persons, corporate bodies, institutions etc”.
It further claimed that by Section 31 of the Nigerian Police Act, the Respondents, are duty bound to investigate alleged crime brought to them and report their findings to the Attorney General of the Federation or of a state, as the case may be, for legal advice.
The Applicant added that by Section 32(1) of the Police Act, “a suspect or Defendant alleged or charged with committing offence established by an Act of the National Assembly or under any other laws shall be arrested, investigated and tried or dealt with according to the provisions of this Act, except otherwise provided under this Act”.
It contended that it has the legal competence to invoke the jurisdiction of the court to compel the Respondents to discharge their legal, constitutional and public dutiesy in line with the law.
More so, the Applicant, decried that its two letters dated June 16 and 27, which it forwardes to the Respondents, wherein it demanded the prosecution of the APC candidate over alleged perjury, have until now been ignored.
It said the Respondents have also “not notified the Applicant of any action taken on the said letter”.
The Applicant told the court that following a letter by late legal luminary, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, in 1999, the Lagos State House of Assembly had set up an Ad-hoc Committee to investigate the alleged act of perjury wherein the Committee had in its report on page 13 stated that, “However, on question of providing false information on oath (sections 191 and 197) we are satisfied that the statement of the governor’s educational qualification which he has admitted were incorrect were not intended…”
In its petition to the IGP, the Applicant, claimed that APC’s presidential candidate lied on oath in the form CF 001 he submitted to INEC in aid of his qualification for the governorship election in Lagos State in 1999.
The Applicant further claimed that Tinubu “forged all the educational certificates he listed in his INEC Form CF 001 which he admitted he did not posses in annexure C”.
“For purpose of clarity, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the said INEC Form deposed on oath that he attended Government College, Ibadan and University of Chicago, USA when in actual fact he did not.
“On the strength of the above, we demand that you initiate the criminal proceedings of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu consequent upon the express findings of the Lagos State House of Assembly as captured above”, it further stated.
Consequently, it is praying the court for, “an order of mandamus, compelling the Respondents to comply with Sections 31 and 32 of the Police Act and Section 3 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2015 in respect of alleged crime laid out in complaint of the Applicant encapsulated in the letter of June 16, 2022, received by the Respondents on the same date and titled: Demand for Criminal Prosecution of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu under Sections 191,192 and 463 of the Criminal Code Act, Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 Consequent upon the Findings of the Lagos State House of Assembly Ad-hoc Committee, 1999”.
Tinubu: I never supported APC presidential candidate to be his running mate – Shettima
Kashim Shettima, All Progressives Congress (APC) 2023 Vice-Presidential candidate has insisted that he never supported the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in order to be his running mate.
Shettima disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja when he was formally presented as the party’s Vice-Presidential candidate by Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, the APC National Chairman.
Commenting on his nomination and the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket, Shettima, who currently represents Borno Central in the National Assembly, said, “I don’t intend to be Vice-President to represent members of the Muslim community. No, the Sultan of Sokoto is capable of doing that.
“I do not seek to be the Vice-Presidential of Nigeria to protect the interest of the Hausa Kanuri tribe in the North, no.
“Asiwaju Bola Tinubu believes in the Nigerian project, and I swear in the name of God that I never supported Asiwaju to be his running mate.
“I supported the project because of moral compulsion.”
Abba Kyari, suspended deputy commissioner of police (DCP), says he hid like a rat during the recent attack on the correctional facility in Kuje, federal capital territory (FCT).
On July 5, 2022, gunmen attacked the Kuje correctional facility and freed over 500 inmates, including suspected members of Boko Haram.
Although there were rumours that Kyari and other “high profile” inmates escaped, Abubakar Umar, spokesperson of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), denied the claim.
Moving another bail application at the court session on Wednesday, Kyari, through his lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu, told the court that he had the opportunity to escape but declined to do so.
He said the invasion of the correctional facility has established “a special and exceptional circumstance” that should warrant the court to release him and his co-defendant on bail, pending the determination of the drug trafficking charge.
“My lord, every living soul in this country will agree that there was not just a breach, but that there was a grand terrorist attack by an organisation that not only successfully invaded the Kuje prison, but took control of it for over three hours,” Ikpeazu said.
“However, the applicant, being a law-abiding citizen, refused to take off.
“If there is anything to establish that the defendants will not jump bail, it was that circumstance. The gates of the prison were left open for over three hours.
“In fact, the defendant hid like a rat, because the organisation that conducted the attack went from cell to cell, saying they want to take him and the others to the desert.
“I don’t know where else in the world, where certified crime fighters that have endangered their lives and abandoned their families to serve the country, are kept in the same cubicle with same criminals they made their arrest possible, with some of them facing death penalty.
“These people have suffered. They are traumatised by the events of that night. You can imagine what it felt like, witnessing the attackers planting explosives everywhere in the prison.”
The lawyer also said the defendants anticipated that the prison facility could be attacked, which was why they applied for bail previously but were denied.
He submitted that the defendants cannot interfere with the witnesses the prosecution intends to call.
“They cannot even have access to the two convicts that are presently under the protection of the powerful prison service,” he said
“Moreover, there is a constitutional presumption of innocence in favour of the defendants.”
Making his submission, Gboyega Oyewole, counsel to the second defendant, accused the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of lying in their affidavit that no death was recorded, adding that a security operative was killed during the attack.
But Sunday Joseph, counsel to the NDLEA, opposed the bail application.
He said there is no proof that Kyari is being held with criminals, adding that no prisoner should receive special treatment in accordance with the law.
He also said there was nothing shown to the court that would cause it to alter its prior decision to deny the defendants bail.
“We, therefore, urge your lordship to refuse the application,” he said.
Meanwhile, Emeka Nwite, the trial judge, adjourned ruling on the defendants’ fresh applications for bail till August 30.
Kyari was, on March 7, arraigned alongside Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba and John Nuhu, who are members of the police intelligence response team (IRT), over allegations of drug trafficking.
Others are Chibunna Patrick Umeibe and Emeka Alphonsus Ezenwanne, who were arrested at the Akanu Ibiam international airport, Enugu.
Umeibe and Ezenwanne, who pleaded guilty upon arraignment, entered a plea bargain with the NDLEA and have been sentenced to two years imprisonment.
IN view of the proximity of Nigeria to its neighbouring Ghana where the Marburg virus had been discovered, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has said the country was at moderate risk of the disease.
To this end, the agency has directed citizens to conduct test for the virus at the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja and the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital Laboratory Centre for Human and Zoonotic Virology.
Recall that the World Health Organisation,WHO, had on July 17, 2022, confirmed the presence of the disease in Ghana.
NCDC in a statement by its Director General, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, yesterday, said it was on high alert, given the proximity of Ghana to Nigeria as well as the World Health Organisation’s alert.
Ghana has reported two cases, involving unrelated males – 26 and 51 years old, who both died from the disease.
For second time, the zoonotic disease had been detected in West Africa, following the previous incidence in Guinea in August 2021.
The disease was first discovered in 1967 when it broke out in Frankfurt, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia.
Since then, outbreaks and sporadic cases had been reported in some African countries.
The Marburg virus causes a rare, highly infectious disease and severe haemorrhagic fever in humans and non-human primates, just like the Ebola virus, its closest relation and only other member of the Filoviridae family of viruses.
The NCDC’s statement read: “Given the proximity of Ghana to Nigeria as well as the WHO alert, the NCDC-led multisectoral National Emerging Viral Haemorrhagic Diseases Working Group (EVHDWG) that coordinates preparedness efforts for MVD, and other emerging viral haemorrhagic diseases has conducted a rapid risk assessment to guide in-country preparedness activities.
“Based on available data, the overall risk of both importation of the disease and its potential impact on the Nigerian population is said to be Moderate as assessed by NCDC experts and partners given the following: the proximity (same region), high traffic from Ghana and countries that share borders with Ghana, the incubation period of 21 days of the virus, heightened surveillance at point of entry, Nigeria’s capacity to respond to the outbreak in the country and the fact that persons with MVD transmit the virus when they become symptomatic unlike for SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 that can also be transmitted by infected persons without symptoms.”
“Nigeria has the capacity to test for the virus presently at the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja and the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital laboratory Centre for Human and Zoonotic Virology. Diagnostic capacity can be scaled up to other laboratories if required. Nigeria has the resources (human, technical, and laboratory) for prompt identification and management in the event of a single imported case.
“However, the risk of importation may be further reduced as the current situation in Ghana is under control as reported by Ghana Health Service. Active case finding is ongoing in Ghana while there is heightened surveillance in Togo and Benin. Therefore, the response situation may change in the coming days with the control efforts in Ghana and advisories as may be issued by the WHO.
“In addition, many of the contacts under follow-up in Ghana will soon exit the 21-day quarantine period and so far, there have been no secondary cases reported.
“Currently, no case of Marburg virus disease has been reported in Nigeria. However, several measures are being put in place to prevent an outbreak of the disease in-country.
The National Reference Laboratory has the capacity to test for MVD, point of entry surveillance has been heightened, trained rapid response teams are on standby to be deployed in the event of an outbreak and the NCDC’s Incident Coordination Centre is in alert mode.
[/i]“The NCDC is also amplifying risk communication efforts and continues to work with States and partners to strengthen preparedness activities which include– review of risk communication protocols, plans, and messages in the event of an outbreak[/i].”
Romance › Re: My Girlfriend Just Sent Me A Message That Shocked Me, Im Scared by Fira09(m): 2:19pm On Jul 23, 2022
