₦airaland Forum

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the
burial of Owelle Chukwuma Azikiwe, first son of
Nigeria’s first President, Nnamdi Azikiwe, will
receive the full support of President Muham­
madu Buhari and the Federal Government of
Nigeria.
Sunday Sun gathered that President Buhari met
recently in Aso Rock Villa with a delegation
from the Azikiwe family who came to brief him
on their preparedness for the event and he
promised to do everything possible to ensure a
smooth burial of the gentleman nationalist.
Those at the meeting included
Nwamulunamma Onuora Azikiwe (Spiritual
Head of the family), Akunne Arah Azikiwe
(youngest brother of Rt. Hon Dr Nnamdi
Azikiwe) Engr. Chukwuma Njaka (PA to late Ow­
elle Chukwuma Azikiwe) and Senator Dr Chris
Ngige (ex-governor of Anambra State).
The meeting followed the disturbing
information that some people within the Onit­
sha ruling house had teamed up with some
disgruntled politicians in the South-east to
ensure that the deceased is buried like a fowl
as a reward of his support for Buhari’s
candidacy during the last presidential election
This, he did, against the wish of majority of the
Igbo who worked for Jonathan’s victory.
However, Chukwuma died shortly after Buhari’s
victory. Sunday Sun gathered that those
aggrieved with his alleged role had concluded
plans to punish him in the grave yard by deny­
ing him a befitting burial.
At present, the compound where Zik lived is in
a dilapidated condition. Not only that the
building is submerged due to heavy fall, its
swimming pool has also been taken over by
dangerous reptiles. Sunday Sun learnt that
Senator Chris Ngige had visited Ogene Onira
residence of the Late Azikiwe at the instance of
the Presidency to assess the real situation of
things.
Thereafter, another meeting was held at Zik’s
House on Monday, July 6 with Senator Dr Chris
Ngige, Engr Chukwuma Njaka, Mr Ifeanyi
Okwudili, Rev. Obinna Akukwe, (Director
General, Igbo Mandate Congress (IMC)), and
Barrister Emejulu Okpalaukwu (Assistant
National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo
and Chairman Igbo-Ohanaeze Integrity Groups)
in attendance.
Sources close to the family of the deceased
said the aim of the meeting was to discuss the
modalities for giving a befitting burial to this
illustrious Igbo son in accordance with the
directive of the president.
Speaking to Sunday Sun, the Chairman of Igbo-
Ohanaeze Integrity Group, Emejulu Ok­
palaukwu said the late Chukwuma Azikiwe
deserved a befitting burial for his contributions
in deepening democracy in Nigeria.
He maintained that Igbo Ohanaeze Integrity
group would continue to mobilize support for
the Buhari administration and urged the entire
people of the South-East to do the same thing.

If South-East leaders and elders can convince the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu to resign voluntarily, the geopolitical zone will get the position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Saturday Tribune has learnt.

This is said to be the new deal being proposed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to get Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) out of the very strategic position he landed in the National Assembly leadership.

APC leaders, particularly those against the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senate president, have remained implacable over the election that saw Ekweremadu defeating Ali Ndume for the number two job in the Senate.

Since his emergence alongside Saraki in what is now known as the “hybrid” leadership, there has been no let on the part of those who wanted him out, with the Enugu senator coming under severe attacks in the media.

An alleged criminal case was also hewn out of his controversial election, leading to a police invitation for alleged forgery, a move defined by the PDP as a plot by the APC to take him out of circulation before the resumption of the upper chamber, then force Saraki to conduct a fresh election for a deputy from the new ruling party.

With efforts at forcing him out not yielding the desired result, those pushing Ekweremadu’s ouster are said to have shifted ground from a bellicose approach to a more persuasive and negotiated one, leading to the new deal which was reportedly primed to be more ethnically-inclusive instead of the earlier partisan-based front.

It was learnt that having realised that with Saraki as the Senate president, it would be a futile attempt trying to bulldoze Ekweremadu out of office, his traducers are reportedly lobbying the leaders and elders of the South East zone with the SGF position, which is being reportedly presented as bigger and better placed to benefit the whole geopolitical zone, considering the importance of the position in the polity.

The SGF is largely seen as a more influential office than the office of the Deputy Senate President, but is always held at the pleasure of the president unlike that of the Senate.

While it could not be confirmed if President Muhammadu Buhari is part of the deal, his objection to Ekweremadu’s emergence has been undisguised.

He was expected to name the SGF in the first weeks of his presidency as is the practice but he has vacillated on it so far.
Former Governor Ogbonnaya Onu is largely seen as the leading candidate from the South East, though mentions had also been made of the Secretary to Borno State Government and APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, from the South South, who recently said his interest in the post was scant.

Though it could not be independently verified if the proposal had been communicated to Ekweremadu, Saturday Tribune has reliably learnt that more South-Eastern business leaders and professionals are being recruited to join in the persuasion.
Days ahead may also see the position being pushed in the media.

A delegation of South-East leaders and elders, who are not overtly political but with sympathy for the APC, may be arranged to visit Buhari in days ahead to secure a firm commitment on the proposal.

The aftermath of such visit may see Ekweremadu being invited to a meeting of the Ndigbo where the deal and the benefits or otherwise of it would be discussed and decisions on either accepting or rejecting it would also be taken.

While the SGF job is said to be very appealing to a lot of Igbo elders, considering the numerous opportunities it presents to the people of the zone at the federal level, the reality of holding it at the pleasure of the president and without a clear-cut job security is said to be giving a lot of concern among those approached with the idea.

A source said the Ndigbo would have jumped at the offer were it to be coming from a platform headed by someone outside of the Hausa/Fulani area, saying “They (North) never liked us since the time of civil war. How can anyone trust anyone with something like this even if this is coming from the president himself. What if anyone appointed as the SGF is fired in less than a year. At least, God willing, the other one (Ekweremadu) is almost certain of four years.

“If Obasanjo were to be the president and such deal is offered, the Ndigbo would take it and ask Ekweremadu to leave their deputy Senate wahala for them. We can’t even trust Jonathan with this kind of deal despite doing us well. This kind of talk with a Buhari presidency is not a risk worth taking”.

Ekweremadu, however, has said he would not relinquish the seat, despite the sustained attack.
Another political source described the proposal as laughable. “Is DSP [Ekweremadu] a member of their party [APC]? Who is that true-born Igbo that would ask his own to quit a seat to have another when the North is already having numbers one, three and four citizens? What number is DSP and SGF on the protocol list that one would have to go for the other for the Ndigbo to have a say in this administration? I don’t blame them, I blame our leaders who can be called into all manners of agenda”.

APC attacks Deputy Senate President over comment on Boko Haram

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said what Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, interpreted as the worsening cases of Boko Haram attacks under the current administration are actually the desperate pangs of a dying monster.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said if Ekweremadu had leveraged his high office to get the necessary information from those involved in the Boko Haram fight, especially the Nigerian military, he would not have made the kind of partisan and incautious comments attributed to him – and which he has not denied.

The party said the truth of the matter is that Boko Haram, having been uprooted from its hideouts and put on the run, has become very desperate, hence it is now using its last arsenal to inflict as much damage as it can before it is annihilated, which is just a matter of time.
“Lone wolf suicide bombings and the choice of soft targets by retreating gunmen are now the order of the day, as against the terrorists’ previous coordinated actions of seizing and holding territories,” APC said.

The open feud between the camps of a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu and the Senate president, Bukola Saraki reportedly had its root in the well-orchestrated opposition to the emergence of a muslim running mate to President Muhammadu Buhari, Saturday Tribune’s checks have revealed.
In the build-up to the National Assembly leadership contest, Tinubu had stoutly stood against Saraki’s ambition to lead the National Assembly as the Senate president, while showing preference, first, for former Minority Leader, Senator George Akume and later Senator Ahmed Lawan.

It was, however, gathered that Tinubu’s disavowal of Saraki was predicated on the role the Senate president reportedly played in stopping him (Tinubu) from emerging as Buhari’s running mate in the course of searching for the vice-presidential candidate for the party.

The slot was said to have been exclusively reserved for Tinubu who also openly admitted wanting it, but had to let go when the whole nation railed against the proposed Muslim-Muslim ticket with Buhari, despite the General’s stated positive disposition to the planned controversial pairing.

Tinubu eventually brought in now Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo as his replacement on the ticket but unknown to many, Saraki reportedly played a crucial role in stopping Tinubu from actualizing his vice-presidential dream.

Saraki, it was learnt, led a high-powered delegation of the party’s front-row leaders to Tinubu, asking him to perish the thought of flying a Muslim-Muslim ticket with Buhari.

The Saraki delegation and senior Nigerians across tribes which the delegates appeared representing, reportedly communicated decisively to Tinubu that his project with Buhari would not fly.

Following his alleged tenacious demand for the VP ticket in the heat of the search, Tinubu came under severe media attacks, especially from online media. It was also learnt that Tinubu’s camp reportedly suspected that Saraki’s group, including the immediate past governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, was behind the massive media attack rained on Tinubu in the days of long knives, before Osinbajo was announced.

In the heat of the moment, Tinubu had to, twice within 24 hours, issue press statements stating his desire for the job and giving reasons for his withdrawal from the race.

Saturday Tribune learnt that from the moment of his withdrawal, Tinubu’s camp swore that the Saraki group would be denied any of its aspirations and Saraki in particular would be given a dose of his own medicine.

Saturday Tribune had exclusively reported the struggle between the duo in the build-up to the National Assembly leadership elections and the plots to outwit each other.

With Saraki using the religious factor to win the first round of the battle, Tinubu’s camp was said to have planned using same to knock him out of the Senate presidency race by going for Akume, a Christian, as its preferred candidate for Senate presidency.
The argument then was that the Christian minority in the North should be given a sense of belonging in the new administration.

The counter-argument within the party that the Senate president should be a Muslim with the emergence of Osinbajo a Christian as VP reportedly forced a detour by the Tinubu camp which then switched from Akume to Lawan, in a bid to flow with a more popular opinion within the top echelon of the party.

Core Northern elders, predominantly Muslims, were also said to have kicked against Akume’s choice, reportedly arguing that it was a ploy to return to the days of former President Olusegun Obasanjo when Christians occupied the first and third positions on the national protocol list all through.


Tinubu’s camp was said to have also come up with the race card in shoring support for Lawan with a well-circulated argument then that the emergence of Saraki would see Yoruba occupying the number two, three and potentially four, with the permutation that Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila from Lagos, would emerge the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The argument being circulated then, allegedly by Tinubu’s camp, was that Saraki is a Yorubaman from Kwara, while his maternal root in Owo, Ondo State, was also being alluded to, to further prove his Yorubaness.

The choice of Lawan from Yobe, the heart of Hausa-Fulani conclave by Tinubu’s camp, was said to have been primed to further push the narrative for a full-fledged northerner as the Senate president.
The northern establishment, according to findings, was also expected to excitedly key into the Lawan candidacy due to his ethnic and religious placements.

Saturday Tribune, however, gathered that the northern establishment lined behind Saraki in the Senate presidency game and still having his back in the post-National Assembly election struggle, because Tinubu reportedly refused to heed the North’s warning not to attempt choosing candidates for positions zoned to the North.

Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal and a former governor from the North West (name withheld) were said to have separately met with Tinubu severally in the heat of the struggle to tell him the pervading feeling of the North on his position on choosing candidates, especially for the Senate leadership, but he was said to have stuck to his gun.

Tambuwal, who was once a beneficiary of Tinubu’s political alliance, reportedly met with him thrice, begging him to respect the decision of the North to pick its candidate for the Senate president, without any commitment from the former governor of Lagos State.

At such meetings, Tinubu was said to have consistently told his guests that all he was doing was to ensure the emergence of the right change team that would share the dreams and passion of the president.

At one of such meetings with the former governor who is now a senator backing Saraki, Tinubu reportedly told him that his backing for Lawan was in the interest of the president and that he was working on his behalf.

The former governor, who is known for straight shooting, reportedly demanded from Tinubu which president he was referring to, while asking rhetorically “your president or our president” (meaning North’s president).

At that point, he reportedly told Tinubu that the North would take everything from him, including the speakership initially conceded to the South-West for which Gbajabiamila had been pencilled in.

His threat was said to have confirmed the earlier subtle one from the sitting governor who reportedly told Tinubu that “his ogas (northern establishment) may take everything from you if you don’t leave the Senate presidency for them”.

Hon. Yakubu Dogara, who the northern establishment earlier pencilled in as Gbajabiamila’s deputy speaker, was consequently asked by the North to run against the latter.

In order to beat Tinubu’s camp to its reported race and religious cards, the Northern establishment decided to go for Dogara, a Christian minority from the North as the speaker to puncture any argument of religious imbalance that might be thrown up later.

silverdam:
Hi, handle I love you story "Adjacent" die. Kudos to you, but please can I ask for your permission to copy this story on my blog. I will definitely credit/acknowledge as the writer of the story, I will also include any of your contact.

Barring a last-minute change of mind on facts available to him, President Muhammadu Buhari may not appoint into his cabinet anybody under probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

It was also gathered yesterday that the President is under pressure from some eminent Nigerians, including a former President, to appoint ministers without further delay.

The President had promised to constitute his cabinet by September, but the eminent Nigerians, it was learnt, have advised that any further delay would be counter-productive.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that anybody arrested, detained, quizzed, or arraigned by the EFCC may not make Buhari’s cabinet in line with his commitment to probity.

It was learnt that the heightening of arrest and arraignment of some Politically Exposed Persons by the EFCC and the delay in raising the Federal Executive Council may be a setback for such politicians and technocrats eyeing ministerial slots.

One of those who might be affected is the former Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Steve Oronsaye, who was said to be in contention for either the Chief of Staff to the President or the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Oronsaye, who was arrested on Wednesday by the EFCC and might be prosecuted next week, is competing for the SGF slot with ex-governors Rotimi Amaechi, and Ogbonnaya Onu.

It was learnt that Oronsaye is a favoured candidate of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

It was also gathered that the petition against ex-Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso before the EFCC was part of a plot by some politicians to abort plans to make him a minister.

Some forces and groups were said to have made a case for Kwankwaso as the next Minister of the Federal Capital Tertitory.

Others who may have difficulty in serving in Buhari’s government in any capacity are ex-governors Timpreye Sylva, Murtala Nyako, Prince Abubakar Audu, Danjuma Goje.

Although these former governors played a vital role in delivering their states to APC, they are all under trial in one form or the other with the cases dragging for about four to five years.

A reliable source said: “I think that those who have cases or undergoing investigation with EFCC or ICPC might not make the ministerial list until the allegations against them are sorted out.

“Although the law presumes these former governors innocent until proven guilty by the court, there may be a challenge in making them nominees because of public opinion.

“The list is being carefully screened in such a way that there will be no issues with their clearance in the Senate.”

Meanwhile, contrary to the alleged recommendation of the Ahmed Joda Transition Committee, the President may not be able to appoint 19 ministers.

yorubadelta:
As in ..

yorubadelta:
When I was interning at a Law firm, the most ridiculous divorce case I saw was btw a British Millionaire and his American wife (who was his mistress before) . He divorced his original wife and married her - blinded by sex of course

They both relocated to UK and 1 year later when the sex fizzled out, she filed for divorce claiming to have lost out on her life back in America because she moved here with him.

The lady won 70% of his assets both home and abroad. Even with no children btw them and just 1 year of marriage.

LydiamisM:
I hate it when truth is clearly written on the wall and ppl like u r trying to use mud to cover it "few years back mr President now said the then president was to weak that's y he was trying to dialogue Boko boys and now he is planning the same"hmmm let's us just agree that we have been brain washed to voting him in because he also weak[b] just using our money to take care of his cows in Daura[/b].Mr President just remember that in everything you have done and anytin you r doin God is watching u....Deris God ooo

The consular-general in the Nigerian embassy
in Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Umar, neither side-
stepped protocol nor accorded preferential
treatment to the family of former Vice
President Namadi Sambo over that of
President Muhammadu Buhari when both
arrived for the lesser Hajj (Umrah) in Saudi
Arabia.
A senior consular official, who is privy to the
protocol arrangements for both families, told
LEADERSHIP Friday that contrary to media
reports that the consular-general is a protégé
of Sambo and that the former vice president
influenced his appointment, Umar was
appointed to his present position based on his
competence and experience.
The source, who craved for anonymity, also
denied insinuations that Umar snubbed the
wife of the president and her children, saying
that the consular-general joined the Nigerian
ambassador in Saudi Arabia to receive Buhari’s
wife, Aisha, and her children at the airport.
LEADERSHIP had been informed that both
families had arrived in Saudi Arabia earlier this
week for the Umrah and while Aisha Buhari
and her five children were allotted a two-
bedroom accommodation, the former vice
president was allotted an eight-room
apartment.
But the source said the accommodation
arrangements for both families were the
prerogative of Saudi authorities and that any
guest was at liberty to get another
accommodation at his or her expense if
dissatisfied with the official arrangement.
On the alleged preferential treatment given to
the former vice president by the consular-
general, the source also said Sambo actually
paid for his hotel accommodation, save for the
fact that he was ferried from the airport, the
same privilege accorded to Hajia Buhari.
“Then the issue of the wife of the president
paying for her accommodation is a normal
practice, and the same thing applies to other
wives of presidents who visit Saudi Arabia when
they are not satisfied with the accommodation
provided.
“In fact, we tried to get her a much better
accommodation but that was what was provided
by the Saudi Arabian authorities.
“So, this is the true state of things and not the
other way round as reported. It is also not true
that the consular-general is a stooge of the
former vice president; they met each other
when he had already been appointed to his
present position,” he explained.
The source further claimed that the embassy
extended all the required protocol due to the
First Lady

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari may have
recalled his sacked Chief Security officer (CSO),
Mr Abdurahman Mani, who was relieved of his
position last week.
Sources close to the seat of power told the
Nigerian Tribune that the sacked CSO had been
recalled to the Villa, though in another capacity.
It was gathered that the former CSO would now
take charge of affairs as President Buhari’s
chief detail.
It was also gathered that the CSO was yet to
report in Ebonyi State when he was
redesignated the chief detail.
Sources had said some forces loyal to Buhari
had made case for Mani, who was regarded as
loyal and dedicated throughout the course of
the presidential campaign.
The former CSO had served in similar capacity
to General Buhari for four years prior to his
election as president.
It was gathered that some forces also moved to
have the aide-de-camp, Lieutenant-Colonel M.
L. Abubakar, replaced to serve as “balance of
terror,” but that it was resolved that another
role could be found for Mani in the security
network.
The former CSO was seen as having ruffled the
feathers when, on June 26, he issued a memo
to counter a June 24 memo by the ADC, which
announced the removal of DSS operatives from
at least 10 critical duty posts in the Villa, as well
as close body protection of the president.
The memo, indicated that operatives of the
DSS should ignore the earlier memo by the
ADC, which he claimed lacked adequate
knowledge of the subject matter.
Meanwhile, federal permanent secretaries
continued their briefing of President
Muhammadu Buhari on activities of their
ministries, with the permanent secretary in the
Ministry of Works, Mr Dauda Kigbo and his
counterpart in the Ministry of Justice, Alhaji
Andulahi Yola, taking their turns.
Speaking with State House correspondents
after leading his team to meet the president,
Kigbo said he told him of the need to seek
additional sources to fund ongoing road
projects under the ministry.
“The projects span across the entire country
and I will not be able to tell you that one is
more important than the other, because you
know the complexity of this country.
“I can, however, tell you that we are working
right now on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; we
are also looking at Enugu-Port Harcourt Road
and Mokwa-Bida Road, as well as a number of
others across the country.”
Also speaking to reporters, the permanent
secretary in the Ministry of Justice emphasised
that the present administration would uphold
the rule of law

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari is said to be considering some measures that would cement his relationship with former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, following the cracks between the duo over the management of National Assembly leadership crisis.

Sources close to the APC confirmed to the Nigerian Tribune that the presidency had discovered lately that Tinubu was angry and had been putting some measures in place to pacify the national leader of APC.

Tinubu’s camp was said to have been angered by Buhari’s failure to back its strategies that would have ensured the emergence of candidates of the party for the positions of Senate president and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

It was learnt that Tinubu was particularly angry that Buhari did not make good his promise to address APC legislators at the International Conference Centre on June 9, leading to the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate president.

It was also gathered that Tinubu’s loyalists fingered Buhari’s men in the uprising that shut out the former Lagos governor from the last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party, held in Abuja, last week.

Though Tinubu is not a member of NEC statutorily, no one really made an issue out of that until Buhari assumed office.

Some Tinubu loyalists said they suspected the presidency might have given tactical backing to the group of former governors, who threatened to storm the meeting if Tinubu was allowed at the venue.

It was, however, gathered on Thursday in Abuja that Buhari had resolved to pacify Tinubu, so that the party would not break up under his watch.

A source said the presidency was considering giving Tinubu four ministerial slots, to compensate for the loss of speaker and Senate president.
It was also gathered that Buhari’s late rally of Senator Ahmad Lawan group and loyalists of Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila was stemmed out of his belief that Tinubu had to be accommodated to further consolidate the APC.

But sources in the party said that there are some hardliners who were of the view that Buhari could continue to call Tinubu’s bluff, having assumed the position of party leader.

A former security chief and another retired secret service agent were said to be heading the crew of Buhari loyalists urging the president to call Tinubu’s bluff.

“A number of some hardliners in the party are insisting that Buhari should ignore anything from Tinubu, believing that the party can do without him,” a source in the party said.

Bomb blast injures three in Yola
[b]President rejects N400m armoured cars[/b]The National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo
Dasuki (rtd) has said that President
Muhammadu Buhari never ordered the
dismantling of all military checkpoints in the
country.
His statement overrides the statement made
by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Defence, Ismail Aliyu, who after a security
meeting last month, announced that the
president had ordered the dismantling of
military roadblocks and directed the police to
take over internal security.
Dasuki, who met top military and security
chiefs in his office in Abuja yesterday clarified
that the directive of the president was never a
blanket order to remove all military
checkpoints.
The NSA said military roadblocks in flashpoints
would continue to be maintained while those in
relatively peaceful areas would be dismantled
but soldiers would continue to be positioned in
those areas while not blocking roads.
He said it was both conventional and the global
practice for governments to increase security
measures whenever insecurity is heightened
and appealed to citizens to endure the
temporary inconvenience the roadblocks may
cause.
According to him, essential security checkpoints
in vulnerable areas were a “necessary
inconvenience” to ensure criminals and
terrorists do not have easy passage.
He cited some arrests made recently including
that of the mastermind of bomb attacks in
some towns who were nabbed by Nigerian
troops at such checkpoints.
While condemning the indiscriminate
proliferation of security checkpoints by
unauthorised bodies, he said: “We will continue
to ensure that the necessary or essential
security checkpoints are not avenues for
extortion, indiscipline and other forms of
corrupt practices that can exacerbate traffic
flow and cause road accidents.”
He added that the government was deploying
new sophisticated scanners and detectors in
some areas to ease traffic and to identify
movement of strange objects, concealed
weapons and criminal suspects.
“With the effective use of technology, which
minimises physical contact between security
personnel and citizens, the time spent at
designated security checkpoints will ultimately
be reduced,” he said.
Dasuki added however that “whenever
necessary, soldiers will mount their
checkpoints to conduct security screening in
emergency situations and for quick response”.
Despite the clarification on the reinstatement
of military checkpoints in the country, an
explosion was reported to have rocked the
Kofare area of Yola, the Adamawa State capital
yesterday, resulting in the injury of three
persons.
Thursday’s, blast occurred barely one month
after a another bombing rocked the city, killing
many and injuring several others,
The blast happened close to a car repair
workshop opposite the state headquarters of
Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) along
Numan Road.
Eyewitnesses said four underage children were
given the explosive to drop at a specific place
in the Bachure suburb near the army barracks,
which is mainly inhabited by retired military
personnel.
Two of the young boys who were handed the
explosive were arrested by the police and
confessed that an unknown person had given
them the device to drop at the targeted
location. They were given N2,500 for the
assignment.
The boys, aged between 9 and 15, further
revealed that after collecting the container, it
was too heavy for them to deliver to the
suburb.
According to them, the boys were left with no
option than to try to sell it to a garbage
scavenger, who they ran into at the mechanic’s
workshop nearby.
They claimed that the scavenger they
approached refused to buy the container,
saying that he does not buy anything under a
certain weight.
It was while they boys were negotiating with
the scavenger that the explosive in the
container went off.
The said scavenger, who was injured by the
blast and rushed to the hospital, is now said to
be helping the police with their investigation.
The injured man explained that while he was
negotiating with the boys, he noticed smoke
billowing from the container, but before he
could walk away, it went off shattering his legs
and injuring two of boys who were carrying the
explosive.
In the ensuing confusion following explosion,
the other boys sneaked away from the scene of
the blast.
The sound of the blast attracted the attention
of officials of the FRSC to the scene.
The sector commander of FRSC, Mr. Luka Ikpi
told journalists that when he heard the blast he
ran out of his office to ascertain what had
happened.
“One version suggested that it was a burst tyre
since it was close to a mechanic’s workshop. But
I insisted that my intelligence officers should
go and confirm.
“On reaching there, it was discovered to be an
explosive and the boys were arrested and
brought here even before the arrival of anti-
bomb squad from the state police command,”
he stated.
When the anti-bomb squad and other security
operatives arrived at the scene, many arrests
were made, including those within the vicinity
of the mechanic’s workshop.
All the suspects picked up in the area were
taken to the state Criminal Investigation
Division (CID) of the police command in three
Hilux trucks.
Meanwhile, in line with his commitment to
slash government spending and entrench
prudence in the system, the president was said
to have rejected a proposal to purchase five
new armoured Mercedes S-600 (V222) cars for
his use at a cost of about N400 million.
The proposal for the purchase of the new cars
was brought to Buhari’s attention by the
Permanent Secretary in the State House, Mr.
Nebolisa Emodi at a briefing on Wednesday.
Directing that the proposal to procure the cars
be dropped, the president said there was no
need for them since the ones he inherited
from former President Goodluck Jonathan
were good enough for him.
A presidency source said Buhari was said to
have informed the permanent secretary, “I
don't need any new cars. The ones I’m using
now are just fine.”
Buhari, however, welcomed other initiatives
presented by Emodi to reduce the running cost
of the State House and strengthen its finance
and accounts and internal control mechanisms.
He advised the permanent secretary that
greater effort must be made to capture all
State House overheads within the approved
federal budget to avoid the frequent recourse
by past administrations to presidential
intervention funds.
When contacted, Senior Special Assistant to the
President (Media & Publicity), Mallam Garba
Shehu confirmed that in keeping with his
commitment to prudence in the management
of national resources, Buhari will continue to
use the cars left behind by his predecessor and
has withheld approval for their replacement.
State House sources, who confided in THISDAY,
said the proposal to procure the new cars was
first presented to Jonathan before he left
office.
But the former president directed that it be
represented to Buhari for approval on his
assumption of office since the cars would have
been delivered some months after the May 29
handover date.

onlinebizinfo:
Term it a rumour or whatever you like, there's an atom of truth in this as long as IBB is concerned. Or why do you think Fed Govt planned to negotiate with BH.

by NewsAdmin on Feb 3, 2012
Posted under: Crime

. Confessions Of A Repented Terrorist

While terrorism and wanton acts of destruction go on unabated in Nigeria, another can of worms has been opened regarding the identities of the real sponsors of the deadly Boko Haram group.

Sheikh Haliru, a founding member of the dreaded jama’aful Ahlul sunna wal Liddawati wal Jihad also referred to as the Boko Haram sect who has since found a new faith made startling revelations recently when he named some well placed Nigerians as the financial backbone of the sect.

Sani Haliru who was born to a Nigerien father and a Nigerian mother grew up in Wulari, in Borno State where his mother hails from. Like most boys, he became an Almajiri at the age of ten and was trained for four years. At 14, he was sent to Kano where he studied at Sheikh Abubakar Gumi School of Arabic Studies. Apart from being studying at the feet of the popular Sheikh Gumi, Haliru prided himself as a mentee of the late Al Quaeda leader, Osama bin Laden.

Incidentally, as revealed by Haliru, his new faith is in Jesus Christ who he hated and persecuted for 44 years. Before he became a born-again Christian, Haliru saw fire and blood as a jihadist.  Narrating his past experience, he said “I took part in the Kaduna riot of 1992 and in several northern states of Nigeria, but the state I operated more from was Borno, where I was the State Commander/Chief Strategist.

In the early months of May 1986, I was among the 36 Jihadist hardliners, who went on a rampage to attack Christian students of the University of Sokoto. In that same week, the Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of General Babangida mobilized us and provided some military vans and Army uniforms which our men used and started killing innocent and defenceless Christians all over the Northern states. I and the son of the Emir of Kano, who is now a Christian by name Rev. Paul Ado Bayero, were among the Muslim fanatics who pulled down the sculpture of Jesus at the University of Ibadan .

The following year, March 5, 1987 to be very precise, the “Evil Genius” General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida secretly armed us through one of his close aides by the name of Captain Hassan Abubakar (now a Pastor with a fast growing church in Lagos). We went to go and kill some targeted Christians including Rev. Nuhu Kure (Throne room founder) after the destruction we committed at the College of Education in Kafanchan, Kaduna State And of recent, I was the leader of the team of soldiers of Allah that destroyed Church buildings and properties in Bornu State”

The former jihadist claimed to have been to eight different countries namely Sudan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Egypt and Niger Republic. And when he was asked if he received any training in those places, he disclosed that he was trained as an Attack Strategist in Libya and Pakistan alongside Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike. One of the proofs of the training as he disclosed was a mark which he carries with him till date. The mark is in form of a sword held in a hand. That is regarded by those who went through the training as the “license to kill for Allah”.

When Sani Haliru was asked about the identities of the fellow Nigerians who were his course mates in Libya and Pakistan, he said “they are scattered all over the country and we were not too many then”. He however gave a few names, those he mentioned included Ali Baba Nur, Asari Dokubo, Jasper Akinbo, Mohammed Yusuf, Salisu Maigari, Danlami Abubakar, Cletus Okar, Ali Qaqa, Maigari Haliru and Asabe Dantala. He spoke further that Asari Dokubo of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force was a year ahead of him in the Libyan training camp in Benghazi.

But who financed the training in Libya, Haliru was asked. From his response, it was obvious that the person was obviously a highly placed Nigerian as he said “you will not believe me and only God will judge the Chief sponsor of terrorism in Nigeria whose name I will not mention because he is so powerful and even the president of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, is so much afraid of the man”.

And to prove that he harbours no fear about unveiling his sponsor, the erstwhile extremist dropped the bombshell. He said “the man is no other person than the man they call IBB. As I am talking to you now, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida has more than 600 men and women Jihadists on his payroll. They are scattered all over the Country and he can use them to destroy Nigeria”. He disclosed that the former military President still has his agents in the Nigeria Army, the Police, the Air Force and in strategic economic positions.

He alleged that Babangida’s loyalists can still be found in top political positions, in the National Assembly, in both the print and electronic arms of the media and even in Aso Rock, Nigeria’s seat of power.”

While describing General Babangida’s influence, the repented Boko Haram pointman revealed that he attempted to divulge some of the information at his disposal to the State Security Service, he however said it was the unimaginable that happened. “I was arrested and detained for two days because IBB’S men are so many in SSS  as well. After I was released by the grace of God, they (the Police) warned me never to blow up the polity or provoke violence and I should keep my so-called-born-again with me or else I will go to jail”, Haliru said.”

He also gave indications that IBB might not be alone in financing terror in the country as he alleged that he has the names of six traditional rulers and seven present and former Governors as well as several top military and security officers who are co-sponsoring the Boko Haram sect. Speaking further, he said “I have documented evidences to prove that General Mohammadu Buhari, Alhaji Abubaka Atiku and other top politicians and traditional rulers are some of the people behind Boko Haram”.
When Haliru was asked if it meant that General Babangida, the Muslim traditional rulers and Governors that he accused of sponsoring Boko Haram to kill Christians and burn churches in the North are not aware of the passage in the Qur’an that says there must not be compulsion in Islam as Mohammadu Buhari asserted in a widely publicized interview on Saturday, the 21st of April, 2011, Haliru’s reply went on to reveal more. “: I have worked so closely with Mohammadu Buahri for five years, and I can prove it that General Buhari is the most notable outspoken jihadist hardliner in Nigeria who is also strategically sponsoring Boko Haram”, he said. He said with Buhari;s statement, it was evident that the former Head of State was being hypocritical. He based his submission on Surah Al-Baqarah Chapter 2:195, it is written here that you must use your wealth to champion Jihad of all kinds or else destruction is waiting for such a person on the last day.

“And spend in the Cause of Allah (i.e. Jihad of all kinds) and do not throw yourselves into destruction (by not spending your wealth in the Cause of Allah), and do good. Truly, Allah loves Al-Muhsinun (the good-doers).”

Haliru also indicted Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State as an ally of the Boko Haram sect. Narrating his experience when he was arrested and detained years ago, Haliru said “ soon after my immediate boss Mohammed Yusuf was killed in 2009,  about 23 of us were arrested in one of our hideouts in Bauchi. But when Governor Isa Yagiuda heard about it, he immediately arranged for me to be free. Even before his official broadcast in 2010 that he was using his position as the executive Governor of Bauchi State to free 28 prisoners from Bauchi Central Prison, I was already a free man along with several of my colleagues”.

iamrealdeji:
handie is a rich man worshiper