₦airaland Forum

Bandits and herdsmen have in the last 24 hours gone on rampage in Kaduna, Ondo and Plateau states, killing at least six persons and kidnapping several persons.

In Kaduna, a man was killed when the bandits attacked Gbagyi village on Monday night, while his  pregnant wife was abducted. 10 other persons were also taken away by the bandits.

The bandits were said to have attacked the community in several motor bikes, shooting sporadically to subdue the villagers.

A resident of the community who preferred anonymity, said: ‘’Those on bike were later joined by several other bandits who sneaked into the community from a river side and moved stealthily like monkeys.

“When they came into the community, people were running away but the man who looked like a vigilante stood and attempted to make a call with something like a walkie-talkie. The bandits shot him in the head, he fell and died.’’

He alleged that apart from the deceased‘s wife picked by the bandits, they also kidnapped over 10 residents of the community in an operation that lasted over an hour.

In Ondo State, five persons were killed by suspected herdsmen at Arimogija community in Ose Local Government Area of the state.

This was despite the riot act read by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and other security agencies in the state that such killings would no longer be allowed in any area of the state.

Many others sustained various degrees of injurries during the Monday attack over the refusal of the villagers to allow the herdsmen feed on their farmland.

Attack in farm

Sources said the community youth leader, Augustine Lucky, was among those killed by the herdsmen.

Speaking on the attack, the community youth secretary, Nweke Izuchukwu Jude, confirmed the killing of the five persons in two separate attacks.

“They attacked the first set of people on the farm and killed two of them. It was those injured in the first attack that called other villagers for help.

‘’While those who went to rescue them were trying to take the injured back home for treatment, the armed herders appeared again and killed three more people.

“The herdsmen are in our bushes and farmlands, all we need is the support of security men to chase them away and arrest as many as possible.”

He lamented that “all the policemen, except one, who came to the community left with the governor on Sunday, and the only one left could not enter the bush.’’

Contacted, the state command spokesperson, Fumilayo Odunlami, confirmed the latest attack but said she was yet to get the details.

Amotekun

Similarly, the state commander of Amotekun , Chief Adetunji Adeyeye, said his men who were earlier deployed to Molege, rushed to the area.

Adeyeye pointed out that his men were still combing the forest in a bid to apprehend the killers but declined to give the number of casualties.

In Plateau

In Plateau State, gunmen suspected to be bandits, kidnapped Dorcas, wife of Silas Vem, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Deputy Governor of Plateau State.

Mrs. Vem was abducted in front of her house, close to Government House in Rayfield, Jos while returning from an outing.

Another set of armed men also abducted a Director in the State Ministry of Health, Dr. Samuel Audu, in front of his house in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state.

For Mrs. Vem, a source who did not want to be named, said: “For three days now, the whereabouts of the wife of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, Dorcas Vem has remained unknown.

‘’She is a staff of the University of Jos. Their house is at the Little Rayfield in Jos, very close to Government House.

“The woman was just driving to their house when some gunmen accosted her in front of their gate.

“They forcibly dragged her out of her vehicle and took her away to an unknown destination. The incident happened on Sunday and since then, we have not seen her.”

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nimkong Lar, confirmed Dr. Audu’s abduction, saying the abductors had demanded N50 million ransom.

The commissioner said:  “Yesterday, (Monday) when we closed here, we went to the house of one of our staff, because we lost a deputy director in the ministry. We went for a condolence visit to the family. It was Dr. Audu that led us there, when we finished, we  parted ways.

“This was about 5.30pm, and as he got home, he asked his wife to open the door for him, and lo, the kidnappers were waiting there for him. They took him away as the wife came out.

‘’By 12 midnight, they called that they have Dr. Audu, that we should bring N50 million. Where will we get such money?”

The state police command could not confirm the incidents as calls put across to the State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, ASP Gabriel Ubah, were not connected.

However, last night, Plateau State police command confirmed the release of Mrs. Dorcas Vem and Dr. Samuel Audu.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Gabriel Uba, said:  “They have been released and reunited with their families by the joint operations of the Police and other security agencies.

‘’They were rescued today by the joint operation, comprising the Police and other security agencies. Efforts are on top gear to apprehend the suspects.”

3 killed

In another Plateau attack on Monday night, three persons were killed, while two others were injured at Tyana community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The deceased were said to have been ambushed and killed while returning to the community from Riyom town.

In a statement issued by the Berom Youth Moulders’ Association, the umbrella body of Berom youths, and signed by Rwang Tengwong, its National Publicity Secretary, a visit had been paid to the survivors of the attack who are receiving treatment in a hospital.

The statement read in part:  “The Berom Youth Moulders’ Association, BYM has condemned the killing of three persons from Tyana community of Riyom Local Government Area by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.

“Five persons were ambushed on their way home on Monday, 10/01/2022 at around 9:30 pm. Three persons; Joel Yohanna, aged 27; Daniel Bitrus, 25, and Christopher Ezekiel Mwantiri, 22 were murdered while two others, Paul Luka Zam, aged 22, and Philibus Bulus Mwantep, 25 sustained severe injuries.

“According to Paul Luka Zam, they were returning from Riyom when the incident occurred. Zam said they were approaching the community when they sensed strange movement from the bush by the road.

“He said the strangers began to shoot at them and he was shot on his left leg. He added that despite the injury from the gunshot, he managed to escape but the other three who were right behind them were unlucky as the attackers came out from the bush in their numbers and shot at them directly.

“BYM President, Solomon Dalyop Mwantiri, Esq who was at the hospital to assess the state of health of the injured, condoled the families that lost their loved ones and described as unfortunate the situation where young persons continue to be targeted by the enemies of peace in Plateau State.

“Mwantiri said communities must activate the local security systems where earlier warning signs will be dictated and prompt measures are taken to avert the attack.

Kaduna

Meanwhile, a member of the 8th Senate from Kaduna Central, Senator Shehu Sani, said yesterday that bandits had become a state within a state in the north-western part of the country.

Senator Sani, who stated this in an interview on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm, said: “Virtually now, bandits in the North West have become a state within a state.

“They have been able to establish governance structure in the sense that they don’t just kidnap and extort money, it has reached a point where they even install traditional rulers and Imams.’’

While asking authorities to step up efforts against the criminals, Senator Sani said more should be done by the government to secure the lives and properties of the people.

“This is not just happening in Mars, Jupiter, or Venus; this is happening in the state of the President (Katsina).

‘’Bandits have become an authority – they kill those they want to kill, they preserve those whom they want to preserve.

“In the states of Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Niger, a large swathe of land is virtually under the control of these bandits,’’ he said.

Zamfara

According to him, the recent attacks on several villages in Zamfara were in response to the military campaign launched against the bandits.

He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to contact his old friends and neighbours to get the information on the ground.

“President Buhari should spare time, go through his old logbook, look at the numbers of those his old friends and people he has lost touch with in the last four to seven years, call them and ask what is going on,” Senator Sani said.

Wema Bank, under Ademise's watch, covered up a massive fraudulent scheme perpetrated by companies and proxies of the National leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.

Transparency Nigeria Group has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to immediately dismiss the Chief Executive Officer of WEMA Bank, Ademola Ademise, over alleged fraud.

The group in a statement by Dahiru Mohammed, its Communications Director, alleged that Ademise had grossly abused his office as CEO of Wema Bank and contravened several extant regulations of the CBN.

According to the group, Wema Bank, under Ademise's watch, covered up a massive fraudulent scheme perpetrated by companies and proxies of the National leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.

Calling for his immediate removal, TNG said, “In doing this, Mr Ademise failed in his fiduciary duties and allowed a powerful politician to use Wema Bank as a clearing house for laundered funds. ”

The group referred to a story dated November 23, 2020 by Peoples Gazette where bank records showed that Ocean Trust Limited, a company linked to Tinubu, shuffled billions of naira between its accounts with Wema Bank.

The newspaper documented the transaction between January and June 2019 on how Ocean Trust summarily moved N16.4billion from its operations accounts into a fixed deposit account all domiciled in Wema Bank.

This was after the court case involving Dayo Apara, a former Managing Director of Alpha Beta, a company partially owned by Tinubu.
 
Ocean Trust was specifically mentioned in Apara’s court documents as one of the firms allegedly used to siphon funds from Alpha-Beta, the controversial Lagos tax contractor.

According to the report, Alpha Beta received billions from Lagos treasury since Tinubu was governor. 

Apara claimed the firm received N150billion in the past 15 years from Lagos.

On January 2, 2019, Ocean Trust moved N1.5billion from its 0702892574 Wema Bank account to another 0122613238 account within Wema Bank. 
 
The description for the transaction was labelled “Closure proceeds”. 

A week after on January 9, N800million was transferred to the same bank account.
 
On January 16, 2019, N500million was also transferred to the same account. N1.5 billion, N800 million, and N500 million were transferred to the 0122613238 Ocean Trust account on February 1, February 8 and February 15 in 2019, respectively. 

The same account got N1.5 billion on March 4, while N800 million and N500 million were transferred on March 11 and 18, 2019. 

On April 3, the account received yet another N1.5billion while N800million was credited to it on April 10 and another N500million on April 17. 

N1.5 billion was moved to the account on May 3 while N600million and N500million were credited to the account on May 10 and May 17 respectively. 

On June 3, N1.5billion was transferred to the Ocean Trust account with another N600million on June 10 and another N500million on June 17.

HUNDREDS of people who tried to beat the Monday sit-at- home and decided to pass the Anambra end of the Niger Bridge on Sunday became trapped and ended up spending the night between Onitsha and Asaba in Delta State.

Although the cause of what was considered the worst traffic gridlock on the Bridge head was attributed to the multiple checkpoints by security operatives on the foot of the bridge, yesterday’s chaos was due to the decision of most people who were billed to be in their offices by Monday morning to leave for their destinations on Sunday.

For instance, many vehicles that left with their passengers from Enugu, Aba, Owerri, Abakaliki, Onitsha and other parts of the South East spent several hours on the bridge as commuters stood still on both sides of Onitsha and Asaba.

A staff in one of the federal establishments in Lagos, Mr. Kene Obi , who boarded God Is Good Motors at Awka and hoping to be in Lagos later in the day to get ready for work on Monday  said he arrived Lagos in the early hours of Monday.

He told Vanguard: “It appeared that everybody who came home for Christmas and New Year celebrations chose to leave the South East at the same time to beat the Monday –at –home and that was the reason for the gridlock at Onitsha.

“We left the motor park at Awka at 7.00 am and by 8.00am, we were already at the head bridge only to remain there till 8.00 pm. I have never experienced such traffic in my life. The fear of Monday sit-at-home was the cause of the problem because most people were on the road at the same time so as to be away from Anambra State before Monday”.

Yesterday in Anambra State, however, normal commercial activities took place as most markets and shopping malls were open. Transporters were on the roads, although transport fares were yet to come down.

At the state secretariat, many workers reported for duty and the banks were also open. Schools reopened and some of them even conducted test for the pupils despite the fact that it was the first day of the school in 2022.

The Kano State State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to come to the aid of the state as its forests have been taken over by terrorists, armed robbers, bandits and criminal elements.

Speaking to State House after meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the governor called for the establishment of another military training base in the forest bothering the three states of Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi and Plateau, to check the activities of the criminals.

He said he was at the Presidential Villa to brief President Buhari about the security situation in his state, describing the current security challenges in the country as unfortunate.

According to Ganduje, “First of all, I came to see Mr President and briefed him on the security situation in Kano.

“There are challenges all over the country that are unfortunate, but we believe Mr President is doing his best with other stakeholders in order to curtail the situation.

“We need the helping hand of almost everybody, especially governors and chairmen of local governments. We have observed that the security situation now, our forest are the major problems because they accommodate bandits, they accommodate terrorists they accommodate armed robbers and they accommodate those who are criminals.

“In Kano State, we have taken some measures. We have two large forests the Falgore forest, which is bordering Kano, Kaduna and Bauchi and also not far away from Plateau.

“In that forest, we established a military training ground in conjunction with the Army. And there’s a lot of military training going on in that forest using the facilities that we have provided.

“So, that is helping to checkmate the activities of bandits in that forest and I have requested Mr President to also establish another institution within that forest and that forest will be liberated completely.

“Also, we have introduced technology within the forest, from the office of the DSS in Kano and the Office of the Commissioner of Police and even from my office, we are able to monitor what is happening in that forest.

“And there’s effective communication between the DSS and the police and those who are managing the forest; the checkpoints and various places that security agencies are manning.

“Also community policing, we are making it a very important agenda. The traditional rulers right from the amas, district heads, village heads, ward heads, Imams and major stakeholders; are holding regular meetings and the security agencies get a lot of information for the local people that are helping Kano state a lot.

“Also in Kano metropolitan where we have eight mega local governments, we are establishing some technology. In particular, we’re improving the network system within metropolitan Kano. We’re laying over 100 kilometres of optic fibre within Kano metropolitan.

“So that CCTV cameras will be more effective. So that we can manage the whole megacity in terms of security and also in terms of improvement of the network.

“We have also constituted what we call an enlarged Security Committee. Because limiting it to the Air Force, Army, Police, DSS Civil Defence, I think the security network in terms of the flow of information, requires much more than that.

“So we are including Customs, Immigration, Correctional homes, those involved in Human Trafficking Prevention of Human trafficking, NAFDAC, even the NDLEA, because of drugs, even the Federal Road Safety Corps, even our own local traffic managers, Karota, the Vigilante group, all these we put them into one committee where we hold meetings and exchange information, Ganduje noted.

“And they constitute subcommittees that relate with community policing. And through that, we have a lot of information and that is helping the system to be effective and efficient.

“Also, we introduced technology. As earlier mentioned, we have the most powerful tracker in the country. Through that one, even some people who escaped to the Niger Republic, Cameroon, we’ve been able to trace them and connect with international security agencies for their arrest.

“So, Kano is the most or one of the most peaceful states in the federation, because of this multi-faceted approach that we have adopted in order to secure the state and we shall continue to do that,” Ganduje said.

I bought human head for N60,000 to make my life better — Islamic cleric confesses

….Meant to be used to better my life

Dayo Johnson Akure

A 55-year-old Islamic cleric, Tunde Olayiwola has confessed that he bought the fresh human head found in his possession at Ajagbale area of Oka in Ondo town, Ondo State for N60,000.

Olayiwola who was paraded at the Ondo state police command said that the fresh human head was meant for money rituals.

In an interview, the suspect who said he hailed from Oshogbo, Osun state said he ordered for the fresh head for money ritual at the sum of N60,000.

” lt was delivered to me at home by a man I met at a social function on Thursday morning. I was about to commence the ritual when I was arrested by the police detectives.

” I purposely ordered for the human head to make my life better and it was delivered to me. This is my first time but I want to do it to become rich and live a better life. The head was delivered to me today.”

Speaking, the state police commissioner, Oyeyemi Oyediran said that said “the suspect was arrested by men of the state police command after an intelligence report that the suspect was about to receive a consignment.

Oyediran added that “the suspect was apprehended with the fresh head delivered to him and confessed that the head was meant to be used by him to ensure a better life.

He said ” on the 23rd of December, 2021, at about 9 am, the police received information that a self-acclaimed cleric named Alfa Tunde Olayiwola, a suspected ritualistic was about to receive a consignment suspected to be a human head.

“The police immediately swung into action and the cleric was apprehended at Ajagbale area of Oka in Ondo town.

“A free head was found in his custody. He confessed that the head found in his possession was to be used to ensure he had a better life”

Also paraded was a 26-year old, Ayodele Bankole arrested after allegedly killing a young lady he took to a hotel in Akure, the state capital.

The police commissioner said that the suspect took the young lady to a hotel and stabbed her to death with a knife and fled but was later apprehended.

” The suspect, Bankole went to a hotel but a few minutes later jumped down the stairs of the hotel and took to his heels.

“He was pursued and brought back to the hotel room, only to discover that a young lady of about 24 years old was found in the pool of her blood with fresh injuries on her neck and chest.

“She was confirmed dead at the hospital while a blood-stained knife was recovered at the scene of the incident”

But the suspect in an interview claimed that he was an Okada rider who was hired by a passenger to a hotel.

According to him ” l was apprehended while waiting for the passenger.

“I was never at the hotel or kill anyone, I am an okada rider but I was surprised to be apprehended and arrested by the police. I cannot identify my passenger, I was just waiting for him.

However, the Police commissioner said the suspects will soon be charged to court after a thorough investigation.

Kidnappers Abduct Two Clerics In Ogun, Take Time To Eat Before Driving Away
The kidnappers took their time to carry out the operation as they ate before taking away their victims.

Kidnappers have abducted two clerics in Ogun State, according to the police authorities.

The victims – Islamic clerics – were whisked away by a four-man gang at Ayetoro along Ayetoro-Abeokuta road in the Yewa-North Local Government Area of the state.

The kidnappers were said to have stormed the residence of the clerics on Saturday night shortly after they arrived from a public lecture.

A family member of one of the victims, Hussein Ibrahim, told Channels Television that the kidnappers took their time to carry out the operation as they ate before taking away their victims.

“It happened around 10pm when they were alighting from the Toyota Highlander which my brother had just bought two months’ ago,” Hussein said.

“The kidnappers were five and when they came, they had laid ambush somewhere in the dark and were able to capture them immediately.

“After they took them, they marched them inside, seized our phones, went to the kitchen, took the Eba and pot of soup, and ate the food and all the meats in the soup before taking the clerics away.”

He also said that the kidnappers were armed with dangerous weapons.

He, however, said the kidnappers had contacted the family and demanded N15million as ransom.

The victim’s brother disclosed that at the time of filing this report that the police were aware of the situation.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident.

He said that police and other security agencies including the local hunters had begun combing the bush in the area.

“Yes, we are aware. Our men have been there with others including local hunters combing the bush,” the police spokesman said.

“We will get them. We have got others in Ijebu-Ode and other areas in the state. We will get them and deal with them.”

45 Feared Killed in Attacks on Nasarawa Communities as Kaduna Death Toll Reaches 40

At least, 45 people were reportedly feared killed in sustained attacks carried out by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen on some communities in Nasarawa State.

In another development, the death toll from the attacks on communities in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has reportedly risen to 40, following the discovery of two corpses in the bushes by security operatives.

Report had it that the gunmen invaded Chabo, Daa, Wuchi, Tse-Udugh, Hagher and Shankodi in largely Tiv communities of Obi, Awe and Lafia Local Government Areas of Nasarswa State.

It was further gathered that the said attackers allegedly carried out the attacks in reprisal to avenge the killing of their own, one Idris Umaru, whose dead body was found in the area.

Investigation revealed that the attackers had a field day beginning from Saturday, as they went from one village to another till Sunday night, killing over 45 people and unchallenged by security forces.

Beside the number of persons killed, several others had escaped with various degrees of gunshot wounds, while some of them were taken to the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia for treatment, as others languished in the bush.

The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahhi Sule, while condemning the attack, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Addra, said government was doing everything possible to forestall further breach of the peace.

“What is much troubling is that in spite of our untiring efforts that have kept us on our toes before and through the weekend, there is needles loss of lives of our citizens.

“Such act of violence is most unfortunate, condemnable, unacceptable and will not be condoned by this administration. Let me, at this point, condole with the families, who lost their members and properties. As an adminstration, we will do everything possible to get to the bottom of this to forestall any further security breach.”

While promising quick return of the displaced persons to their communities, Sule said government would send relief materials in a shot time to cushion their hardship.

A survivor of the attack, Adugh Ortoho, told THISDAY that the attackers came in their numbers, carrying AK 47 riffles and machetes and shot anyone at sight.

He said: “We woke up Sunday and getting ready for the business of the day, suddenly we heard gunshots in all angles in our village. As I speak, many people have been killed, others ran to the bush with bullet wounds.

President, Tiv Development Association (TIDA), Comrade Peter Ahemba, in a telephone interview, said over 20 dead bodies have so far been recovered from the scenes of the attacks.

He said although calm had return to the affected communities, the governor had directed the deployment of security personnel to stop further attacks in the areas.

“So far 20 corpses have been recovered from the affected villages, but many more people are still missing as I speak we don’t know whether the missing persons are alive or dead. It’s a very terrible situation. More corpses are still being recovered,” he said.

But the Nasarswa State police command, in a statement by its Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Nansel Ramhan, confirmed that the attack was a reprisal to avenge the killing of Umaru, who was allegedly attacked and killed by unidentified person.

He said Umaru’s corpse was recovered and taken for autopsy while investigation was ongoing to track down the perpetrators.

“While investigation was ongoing on the attacks, the following persons namely: Sani Dauda, Danjuma Liambee, Uloho Jery Shedrack, Kente, Boniface John, Tersoo Clement, Gwanje Soja and Ayuba Ali, were attacked and killed, while their corpses had been recovered and taken to the hospital by police,” he said].

However, in Kaduna, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, while giving an update on the incident, said two more corpses were recovered by security personnel carrying out search operations.

“Security agencies carrying out search operations in Giwa LGA have reported to the Kaduna State Government the discovery of two additional bodies following weekend’s attack in some villages in the area.

“It would be recalled that Kauran Fawa, Marke and Riheya villages in Idasu, Giwa LGA were attacked by armed bandits, with 38 people confirmed dead as at yesterday.

“The latest discovery of two more bodies brings the death toll from the attack to 40. Further details will be published as they are confirmed,” he said

Senator Bola Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos State, has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his 79th birthday.

Tinubu, in a statement signed by him on Friday in Lagos, described the President as a great reformer and democrat.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader said beyond his admiration and gratitude for the President’s achievements in office, he was proud to call him a friend and a brother.

“Your legacy as a great reformer and democrat will live long into the future.

” You are a man of high intellect and exceptional character,” he said.

Tinubu said that despite prevailing challenges, the president had continued to steer the ship of Nigeria through the most turbulent of waters.

“Your tenure in office has coincided with some of the most difficult and challenging times this country and, indeed, the entire global community has faced.


“Economic crises, global pandemics, insecurity and criminality have all played a role in making the past few years difficult for the people of our great country.

“Yet, despite it all, you continue, calmly and with uncommon dignity, to steer the ship of Nigeria through the most turbulent of waters.

“I, therefore, wish to appreciate the unseen and underappreciated work that you have done and continue to do to guide Nigeria ever nearer to its manifest destiny,” he said.

The former governor of Lagos said that through the careful leadership and measured governance of the country, the President’s administration had achieved many things for which the people could be proud.

He said that under President Buhari’s watch, previously abandoned infrastructure projects had been completed all over the country.

“Unheralded reforms and measures taken by your administration are also taking effect to bring greater transparency and accountability to governance,” he said

“I wish you a wonderful birthday and many more years in good health and renewed strength.

“Happy birthday Mr President,” he said.

(NAN)

#NorthIsBleeding: Group Calls On Southerners To Join Campaign, Protests Against Banditry, Terrorism

A civil rights group, Take It Back Movement has called on all Nigerians in the South to join Northerners in their campaign against killings in the region.

The group said that there are Igbos and Yorubas living in the North, and as such activists in the South should join the #NorthIsBleeding protests.

TIB said this in a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Adeolu Steve, which was made available to SaharaReporters on Tuesday.
 
The statement lamented the “massive killings and destructions going on in the North,” describing the situation as horrible.

It read in part, "The agenda is to destroy the North, and then take over the whole country. They will impose all sorts of violence on the people through fake religious beliefs.

"This is why everyone, no matter your ethnicity or religion, must rise in protest to put a permanent end to the massive insecurity and bloodletting that has engulfed the entire North.

"Some are saying Northerners should be left alone. But even in Bauchi, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Borno; are there no Igbos and Yorubas who have invested all their livelihoods there?

"What about the millions of poor people who neither support nor believe in the cruel oligarchy? What about the millions that are being displaced hourly by Boko Haram, ISWAP, and bandits?

"If we allow terrorists to take over the North, how safe are others in the South? The best is for all of us to rise, forget about our differences, and fight together as one!
 
"The majority of Northerners are suffering from the same thing Southerners are suffering from. Nowhere is safe in Nigeria as it is. And there is no part of Nigeria that the government is responsible and not corrupt. So, all of us must come together and fight to #SecureNorth!”

The group described the North as a significant base of the economy, saying that is why the “terrorists are more brutal”.

It further read, “The North has also been under a monstrous oligarchy that always tries to divide and rule the North by posing as if the South is the enemy.

"But when terrorists attack, these wicked rulers are the first to run away. This is the same thing happening in the South. Governors in the East have Ebube Agu as a security outfit while those in the West have Amotekun. Yet, the level of insecurity gets higher and higher every day. What this tells us is that all the millions of people must unite from North to South."

The group also gave instances of former Nigerian leaders who did not add value to their communities as President, naming Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan's Ota and Otuoke in Ogun and Bayelsa states respectively as examples.

It also described President Muhammadu Buhari’s hometown, Daura in Katsina as being in ruins, saying that confirms that the country's leaders have nothing to offer their people.

It read further, "There is no difference among us really. The reason why the divisions are growing is because our government has failed at all levels. Most of our rulers care about their pockets than anyone, even their village people!

"Olusegun Obasanjo was president for years, Ota where he is resident is in shambles with the worst roads. At Otuoke in Bayelsa, people are living in pain due to flooding and oil spillage. Yet, Goodluck Jonathan is from there! And as corrupt, brutal, and nepotistic as President Buhari (sic); his hometown Daura remains a village in its wretched shadows while Katsina has 60% of the state in the hands of bandits and Boko Haram. So, the issue is about us the people and the tiny thieving ruling class!

"We in the Take It Back Movement and #RevolutionNow are calling on all Nigerians to join our beloved masses of the North to protest all over the country to stop the carnage in the North. Just as we are all #OnyeDot; we should all #SecureNorth!
 
"We must make sure we disgrace those who are dividing us from the top so that they cannot continue to oppress us from North to South. That is the major lesson that #EndSARS has taught us all.

"ANOTHER NIGERIA, WITHOUT POVERTY AND WAR, IS VERY POSSIBLE! #NorthIsBleeding #SecureNorth #EndSARS #RevolutionNow."

Human Rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mr Femi Falana, has filed a petition against an internet blogger, Ms Kemi Olunloyo, over some comments she reportedly made concerning the death of his client, late Sylvester Oromoni, 12, who was beaten to death by some students at Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos.

The petition was filed on behalf of the family by the chambers of Femi Falana, SAN.

In the petition sent to the police and other security agencies, the family called for an investigation to be conducted regarding Olunloyo’s claim that their son was a cult member among others.

A source said the family was peeved that the blogger levelled such an allegation against their son.

Also, the meeting called by the Chief Coroner for December 15 has been shifted, according to sources.

Though no reason was given for the shift in the date, it was gathered that the shift was necessitated by the need for some steps to be concluded before any Inquest could start.

Meanwhile, all concerned parties are still waiting for the autopsy to be conducted on the body of the deceased and the result being released to know the cause or causes of the boy’s death.

Recall that the Oromoni Family alleged that their son was beaten to a stupor by some students in the school hostel and he eventually died for refusing to join a cult group.

Different groups and individuals have called for sanction against the perpetrators and five students have been arrested and remanded in the juvenile correctional centre over the incident

The Lagos State government has shut down the school, just as President Muhammadu Buhari also called for justice to be meted out to any indicted person or persons.

As 30 States Propose N8trn: Only Lagos, Rivers, Anambra Can Fund Budget ‘With Ease’
Many of the 36 states of the federation have increased their budget proposals for the year 2022 compared to what they spent in 2021…...

Many of the 36 states of the federation have increased their budget proposals for the year 2022 compared to what they spent in 2021, findings by Daily Trust have revealed.

Most of the states jacked up their spending prospect amid cash crunch and debt burden, with experts calling for caution.

Our correspondents report that 30 states that have so far presented their 2022 budget estimates to their Houses of Assembly have a total of N7.899trn, up from the N7.0trn they budgeted in 2021.

This difference amounts to a N900bn increase, which represents 11.4 per cent increase.


The findings also revealed that only three states can effectively fund their budgets without “big push” from the federal government.


According to BudgIT’s state of states report 2021, only Lagos, Rivers and Anambra can fund their budgets without much trouble.

BudgIT is a Nigerian civic organisation that applies technology for citizen engagement with institutional improvement to facilitate societal change. It also provides social advocacy using technology.

The agency said Lagos, Rivers and Anambra states appeared at the top of its ranking because “they meet their operating expenses obligations with a combination of their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and Value Added Tax (VAT).

In contrast, it said others needed to do more to rapidly consolidate on ongoing strategies to improve their IGR, and by extension their viability as federating entities.

BudgIT said, “This is necessary considering the comparative size of their operating expenses and the global push to transition away from fossil fuels like crude oil, a key source of the federally distributed revenue.”

The agency said states at the bottom of the ranking include Jigawa, Delta, Benue, Taraba and Bayelsa.

It noted that, “Nevertheless, all Nigerian states still need to work hard to build economic prosperity and create more jobs in their states to ensure that there is more money in circulation and economic activities that can be taxed to improve their IGR.”

Some economists and pundits have opined that while it was not wrong to borrow, the major problem was the utilisation of such resources for the benefit of the people.

They contended that bailouts given to the states and huge loans obtained were largely misused and therefore called on the Houses of Assembly to scrutinise the budget approving them.

Race against bleak income

The income generation indices are not that bright for most of the states despite their plans to increase their expenditure in the coming year.

Analysis shows that the states have a huge debt profile and low IGR, but they hope to get funds from bailouts to achieve their plans.

A review of the states’ fiscal health in 2020 using key metrics: the ability of the states to meet their operating expenses with IGR and VAT and their ability to cover their operating expenses and loan repayment with their IGR and VAT.

As of June, 2021, 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) owed a total of N4.122trn as domestic debt, according to the Debt Management Office (DMO).

Rivers’ debt profile was not updated, but it owed N213.167bn as of March, 2021. The FCT had a N52.712bn debt profile as of June, 2021.

The breakdown shows that Lagos is leading with N533.81bn, Akwa Ibom is next with N242.27bn and Delta with N205.91bn debt profile in the first half of this year. The lowest indebted state is Jigawa with N32.60bn.

The DMO has not released data for external debt for the states and the federal government this year.

However, as of December, 2020, the 36 states and the FCT had a $4.61bn debt profile.

The largest chunk of this loan was from multilateral agencies like the World Bank which amounted to $4.31bn. Top of the debtors are Lagos ($1.26bn), Kaduna ($551m) and Edo ($280m). The lowest debtor state in terms of external debt is Taraba with $20.80m external debt profile as of last December. The FCT had $30.10m external debt during the period.  

 

How states will fund spending

Reports have shown that some of the states are banking on improved revenue to fund their planned spending. More so, in November, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, announced that within six months, the federal government would release N656.1bn as bailout bridge facility to the states to cushion a planned deduction of the N614bn Budget Support Facility (BSF) to the states that was due for repayment in 2019.

The federal government also recently announced that it had planned with the World Bank to provide another $750m (after they got the initial fund) as additional financing for the states under the State’s Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) programme.

In terms of IGR, like VAT, reports show that the 36 states and the FCT collected just N1trn VAT between January and August, 2021, with Lagos collecting N421.2bn or 41.4 per cent of the total sum, while Zamfara recorded the lowest VAT performance of N762.5m or 0.08 per cent.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said the 36 states and the FCT recorded N849.12bn in IGR in the first half of 2021.

Using Kano as example, Daily Trust on Sunday reports that Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who presented N196.3bn as total budget proposal for the 2022 fiscal year to the House of Assembly said the total recurrent revenue to be collected was N146.8bn.

He said N33bn would come through IGR and N37bn from VAT, while the state would still depend majorly on statutory allocation, which was estimated at N68.2bn.

While the total proposed expenditure is N196.3bn, capital expenditure will gulp N107.8bn and recurrent expenditure is proposed at N88.4bn.

He said education would get the largest share with N51.6bn, representing 26 per cent, while health would get N15bn.

The Chairman of the Kano State Internal Revenue Service (KIRS), Abdurrazak Datti Salihi, had earlier explained that the state would make effort to ensure an upgrade in its IGR.

Salihi explained that one of the efforts was to enact a law in the state assembly to centralise the system to enable only KIRS to collect taxes in the state as against the present system where both state and local governments collected taxes.

He said another measure to boost the state’s IGR was by taking defaulters to court, noting that at the moment a lot of big companies owed the state billions of naira as outstanding tax.

Salihi said, “Just a few months ago, KIRS had to seal some bank’s branches for same offenses.”  

 

Experts caution against wastage

Reacting to the plans by the states, experts said with financial discipline, some states could reduce their propensity for borrowing and achieve a lot.

Umar Salisu, a financial expert, said it was good for the governors to be ambitious, but that they should spend more on issues that would have direct impact on livelihoods.

Salisu said, “Relevant information shows that Lagos, Rivers and Anambra can do much from IGR and VAT. Of course, Lagos has the largest economy because of the ports and the way it collects taxes from companies.

“Rivers is also doing well in this regard and therefore the need for other states to learn from them.

“Sadly, most of our governors spend much of their budgets on recurrent expenditure instead of diversifying their economies.

“I expect them to spend on industrialisation, agriculture, health, education and security. The snag on spending on security does not mean allocating money for unaccounted security vote. What I mean is that they should create jobs for the youths.”

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr Muda Yusuf, said there were multiple dimensions to the challenges of fiscal operations of the subnational governments.

Dr Yusuf said, “There are issues around bloated bureaucracy, too many political appointees, high recurrent expenditure and transparency in government finances.  Many of the states can operate with less than 50 per cent of the current workforce and political appointees.”

He noted that for most of the states, the details of government expenditure were often not made public.

He explained that, “What you get are broad headings of government expenditure. The framework for checks and balances are also very weak. For many states, the Houses of Assembly are practically extensions of the executive arm of government. Demand for accountability is practically non-existent. There are no audit reports, no statements of accounts.”

Dr Yusuf, who is a former Director General (DG) of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), said some states also resorted to very costly borrowing from commercial banks which posed additional burden of debt servicing.

Speaking on a possible solution, Dr Yusuf said the unitary structure of government also concentrated too much power and resources at the centre.

He said, “This also undermines creativity and innovation by the sub-nationals. They have very limited control over resources in their domains. Therefore, there is little incentive to aim for the optimal harnessing of such resources. 

“But that is not to diminish the fact that the sub-nationals have not demonstrated sufficient creativity in improving their fiscal conditions.”

A financial economist, Prof Uche Uwalake, in an exclusive chat with Daily Trust, said: “So many states are in financial difficulties. You can count the number of states that can actually survive without federal allocation.

 He explained that everything boiled down to prioritization, noting that, “You find a lot of wasteful spending and a lot of leakages at the state level.

“So, when we talk about ramping up IGR, it even begins from plugging leakages because even if you try to increase revenue and there are leakages, the money will still be going away, and that’s what you find in many states today.”

Also speaking on the viability of the states, Gabriel Okeowo, CEO of BudgIT, said, “A critical first step for states would be to rapidly block financial leakages that could further drain the little available revenues or future revenues.”

Overview of proposed spending

Four states, Lagos, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Rivers, account for N2.9trn, translating to 37 per cent of the total budget of the states, which is bigger than the budget of each geopolitical region.

The total budget of the above four states dwarfs the total budget of 19 states put together. Sokoto N188bn, Kano N196bn, Kebbi N189bn, Benue N155bn, Gombe N154bn, Taraba N146bn, Kogo N145bn, Plateau N106bn, Jigawa N177bn, Yobe I64bn, Anambra N141bn, Ekiti N100bn, Adamawa N163, Bauchi N195bn, Niger N198bn, Zanfara N160bn, Ebonyi N148bn and Ondo N191bn.

20 states to spend more on capital expenditure

The analysis further revealed that a total of N4.393trn will be expended by the states on capital projects, representing 55.6 per cent of the total budget.

The sum of N3.471trn will be expended as recurrent, which represents 44.4 per cent.

However, 10 states have proposed to spend more on recurrent expenditure than capital expenditure.

Capital expenditure is money spent by government to acquire or build fixed capital assets, land or intangible assets. It includes the state’s investment in projects like the building of schools, hospitals, roads or buying security equipment.

Recurrent expenditure on the other hand consists mainly of expenditure on wages, salaries, supplements and purchase of goods and services.

The 10 states with more recurrent than capital component in their budget include Kogi N90.1bn (N55.7bn capital); Benue N98.7bn (N56.8bn capital); Yobe N91.4bn (N72.6bn capital); Ondo N102bn (N79.6bn capital); Adamawa N98.8bn (64.7bn capital); Bayelsa N199bn (N111bn capital); Plateau N76.2 (N30.8bn capital); Taraba N78.7bn (N68.7bn capital); Ekiti N60.6bn (N40bn capita) and Ogun N180.7bn (N170bn capital).

Breakdown according to geopolitical zones

The South South states, with the exception of Edo, which is yet to propose its budget estimate, account for a total of N2.121trn, representing 26.8 per cent of the total sum.

Akwa Ibom has the biggest budget of N582bn, followed by Rivers with N483bn and Delta with N469bn. Cross River has proposed N276bn.

The South East has a total N289.9bn, representing 3.6 per cent of the total sum.

The breakdown for the region shows that Anambra has proposed N141.9bn and Ebonyi N148bn. Enugu, Imo and Abia are yet to present their 2022 budgets.

The six states in the South West have a combined budget of N2.455trn, representing 31 per cent.

Lagos has the highest with N1.388trn, Ogun N350bn, Oyo N294.5bn, Osun N129.7bn, Ondo N191.6bn and Ekiti N100bn.

The North West has a total of N1.483trn, which translates to 18.8 per cent.

Katsina has the highest provision with N340.9bn, Kaduna N233bn, Kano N196bn, Kebbi N189bn, Sokoto N188bn, Jigawa N177bn and Zamfara N160bn.

Similarly, all the states in the North East have proposed their budgets for 2022, totalling N1.090trn, representing 13.8 per cent.

Borno has the highest with N267.9bn, Bauchi N195bn, Yobe N164bn, Adamawa N163bn, Gombe N154bn and Taraba N146bn.

The North Central has a total of N604.8bn, representing 7.6 per cent.

Niger has the highest with N198bn; followed by Benue with N155bn, Kogi N145bn and Plateau N106bn.

Nasarawa and Kwara have not presented their budgets.

The Sagamu Road Police Division said it has arrested a 41-year-old man, Sikiru Kolawole, for allegedly being in possession of fresh human parts.

The Spokesman of the Lagos Police Command, Mr Adekunle Ajisebutu, who confirmed the incident, said that the suspect was reportedly found with fresh human hands, intestines and skull from Ojokoro cemetery in Ikorodu.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered the case to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigative Department (SCID) at Panti, Yaba, for diligent investigation and prosecution.

Earlier, the Ikorodu Local Government Chairman, Hon. Wasiu Adesina, who led members of his cabinet to the scene of the crime, said the council promised to do everything necessary to curtail the dastard act and its reoccurrence.

The council boss immediately directed the environment department to clear every part of the cemetery to avoid any black spot inside and outside, adding that the apprehended suspect would be dealt with according to the law to serve as a deterrent to others.

“While we take care of the living, the council has mandated itself to cater for our dead ones and that is why we have rehabilitated the Ikorodu cemetery to international standard.

“I will ensure proper security measures are put in place and deal ruthlessly with anybody engaging in such illegitimate act at the cemetery.

“We have done lots of rehabilitation, illuminating the cemetery with solar power, provided water system and perimeter fencing,” he said.

Mr Nurudeen Lawal, one of the local guards at the cemetery, said that they engaged with the suspect in combat before he was apprehended around 1:30 am with a sack full of human parts while trying to escape.

“We carry out surveillance round the cemetery at least three to four times in a shift to observe the surroundings.

“Suddenly, we started hearing some funny sound, on getting there we saw the suspect with a sack loaded so we challenged him on how he got in and his mission at the cemetery.

“During the interrogation, we challenged him to open his sack, he resisted and it resulted in a combat and trying to use the weapon with him to scare us away to enable him flee.

“Subsequently, we grabbed and took him to the police station with the human parts for further interrogation,” Lawal said.