₦airaland Forum

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/24/us-iraq-withdrawal-idUSTRE7AN0MI20111124
The Victory Base complex in Baghdad, the heart of the war operation surrounded by 42 km (27 miles) of concrete blast walls and razor wire, once hosted 40,000 troops and more than 20,000 contractors. Balad, north of Baghdad, had 36,000 residents.

Victory was so big it had a reverse osmosis water plant that could generate 1.85 million gallons a day, an ice plant, a 50-megawatt power generating station, stadium-sized chow halls and a laundromat with 3,000 machines able to do 36,000 loads a day.

http://www.nigeriancompass.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8338:ritualists-kill-nurse-in-ilorin&catid=54:nigeria-today&Itemid=594
Wednesday, 23 November 2011 00:00 Biodun Oyeleye, Ilorin Hits: 77 .

The number of casualties from attacks by unknown men suspected to be ritualists operating in Ilorin, Kwara State increased yesterday as a nurse with a privately-owned hospital in Adewole Housing Estate in the metropolis was macheted to death in the early hours of yesterday.

Kano Street, where the incident took place, was one of the zones identified on Monday by the state’s police commissioner, Mr. Peter Gana, as among those frequented by the assailants.

Others include Sabo Oke, Sani Okin/Gegele Junction and so many streets around ‘B’ Division.
The deceased, identified as Miss Rafat Abdulrahem, was a staff of Midland Fertility Centre, a specialist hospital in the ancient town.

The death, which was confirmed by the police last night, brings the number of victims to four, although residents of Adewole who came to commiserate with the hospital management claimed that the area alone has recorded five casualties since the attacks began in the state capital.

The latest incident, according to sources, occurred about 9p.m. after the deceased was on her way home after closing for the day.

A visit to the scene of the incident showed the lifeless body of the deceased on ground before men of the state's police command recovered the corpse while her colleagues wailed uncontrollably.

Spokesman for the state police command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Ezekiel Dabo, who confirmed the incident, said the police had embarked on another strategy to curb the trend in the state.

He also promised that the command would not relent in its efforts at bringing those behind the attack to book.

He, however, called on residents to come out with useful information that would assist the police to arrest those behind the attacks, 

Gana had on Monday confirmed  the growing rate of violent attacks on innocent residents by yet-to-be identified people but promised to unmask the brains behind the killings.

While briefing newsmen on the incident, Gana said the command would, henceforth, enforce the state edict banning the use of motorcycles beyond 9p.m. in the state capital. Gana, who expressed concern over what he described as the ‘uncooperative attitude’ of the Okada Riders Association in the state with the command, said the state government might also consider calling for a total ban on Okada operations in the state capital.

But, the police boss said current investigations have not linked the attacks to rituals or politicians, although he also ruled our robbery as motive for the attacks since, according to him, the perpetrators rarely take away any valuable from the victims.

Three suspects have been arrested over the incident and charged to court.

His words: “There have been complaints about people being attacked from behind by unknown persons. It is true. There is no hiding from it. Based on our record, we already know the mode of operation and the areas that are now prone to their activities.”

While Nigeria itself doesn't have electricity, the country still is capable of using electrical goods, as all Nigerian bibles come complete with a plug socket built into the back cover. This enables Nigerians to run electrical goods from their blind faith, by connecting their appliance to the bible.

Nigeria is also well known for its high turnaround of deceased royalty and businessmen, all who happen to die in tragic circumstances and fail to leave wills or notes to their left of kin behind. As of the writing of this article, Nigeria has run to 42,978,341 separate royal dynasties in 50 years and the average Nigerian business elects a new CEO on emergency session every 6 hours.

9ijaprince:
federal govt should get more balls,NAME those involved if they are damm sure.

http://saharareporters.com/article/goodluck-jonathan-plain-stupid-e-c-ejiogu
Posted: November 20, 2011 - 21:49
By E. C. Ejiogu, PhD

When you think you have seen it all—including the most bizarre—in the caricature land, which Nigeria is, something silly and bizarre quickly crops up in or about the place or its conscience-deficient minders.  At the time when Olusegun Obasanjo actively foisted the walking corpse, Musa Yar’Adua as president of the place, some people who have refused to write the Nigeria project off as a lost cause, still let their hopes linger on the belief that the place might be turned around someday.  Even as they hoped, it didn’t take long before it became self evident that Yar’Adua was truly dead, in fact, too dead to function credibly as the president of anywhere except Nigeria. 

He remained there all the same—shuttling regularly to Germany for what was called medical attention as his handlers indulged themselves looting and stealing public funds.  It got to the point when the Germans refused to admit him any longer in their hospital.  But the bizarre absurdity continued as the Saudis took over.  Even when the Saudis washed their hands off him, and he was parceled back on life support and left outside the seat of power in Abuja in an ambulance where he decomposed away, he was kept on as president.

As all that went on, there was Goodluck Jonathan, rolling over silently in the full view of the world, contented with being the vice president to a president who was as far as anyone knew, dead!  When they eventually knocked something together for him and called it acting presidency, he concurred, literally flashing his signature sheepish grins.

One of Jonathan’s first acts after Yar’Adua’s decomposing corpse was finally wheeled out of the seat of power, and way was paved for him to assume de facto control, of state power in the project, was to bother the autocrats in Saudi Arabia to let him come over and thank them for ‘taking care of’ Yar’Adua.  Again, he simply grinned some more after they turned him down.

In the last several months, every reasonable person watching as things continued to unfold spiral down in Nigeria has been rankled by the ease with which the Boko Haram Islamist terrorists sustain their blood-letting all the way from Abuja to several parts of the Sokoto Caliphate areas.  They have done that in a manner that fits what obtains in climes that are devoid of governance.  It got to the point where the US intelligence establishment stepped in to furnish what became the only credible security warning over the menace.  Directed at American citizens who were cautioned to stay away from two luxury hotels in Abuja, the alert came handy also for everyone else, including Jonathan and elements of his hapless make-believe government, who free-loaded on the alert that their own outfit is incapable of generating credibly, and deserted the two locations fingered in the alert.

As that raged, from nowhere, the same Jonathan broke out in a speech that he made somewhere, boasting that the Boko Haram menace will fade away in less than no time.  Note his language: fade away in less than no time!  Even if his confidence was spiked by the recent disclosure by SaharaReporters.com that the US Pentagon had infiltrated special forces through Niger and Chad to stalk and combat the Boko Haram Islamist terrorists, no reasonable president would go as far as declaring victory a-priori that way. But he wasn’t done yet.  Jonathan’s response to the humiliation that Chinua Achebe rightly smeared him with when he tried to bribe him with the hollow ‘national honor’ was an expression of ‘surprise’ that Achebe is unaware of the ‘progress’ that his transformation agenda has already splashed all over the land.  This pattern of response that fits a fantasy gambit that he brandishes each time whenever he senses that his ineptitude is being rightly ridiculed is a worrisome indicator of a problematic persona especially about someone who is president.  The other time, he loudly grumbled that US president, Barack Obama appreciates his string of lofty achievements while people at home prefer to disparage him.
 

All of these canalize into a sad reality: Goodluck Jonathan, his sterile-brained butterfly of a wife, their unfortunate exploits in public life, indeed, everything about them constitute yet additional indicators that the Nigeria project is, in Graham Green’s description, a burnt out, in fact, a basket case. 

I don’t know about you, regardless of the façade of being president—to that I say, president gbakwaa oku!—as much as I have seen of this Jonathan, there is simply nothing extra that I need to see in or hear from him to sufficiently de-convince me that the man is not plain stupid, I mean silly!  It’s only a stupid person that will buy into the absurdity, which is being whispered into his ears by the likes of the flotsam-jetsam character like Ruben Abati who presume that paid cheap public relations blitzes in esoteric magazines—some are currently running in the November issue of South Africa Airways in-flight magazine, Sawubona—constitutes their so-called transformation, which clearly translates to deceit.   

Worrisome as this reality is, it is not a surprise though.  A social ecology in which—as the late Obafemi Awolowo once said during his lifetime—dogs devour lions, is an aberration.  It is only a plain stupid man like Jonathan who would delude himself daily that he is waxing successful as president even when it is plain clear that the land is falling into pieces literally. 

•E. C. Ejiogu, PhD, is a political sociologist, and the author of The Roots of Political Instability in Nigeria published in March by Ashgate Publishing Ltd.

olas2u:
Our poverty in Africa is tied to the prosperity in europe,he knows what you dont know.And he his saying what you dont understand.

efisher:
OP, I must commend you for your ability to look at things from the point of view of others. That is one quality that many people lack today. Many people allow the Bandwagon Effect control their reasoning. The fact that everyone is doing something doesn't mean we too must do same. They hear about the Arab spring and they say: let's have Nigerian Spring! The Americans decide to "Occupy" and they say "let's occupy Nigeria also"! Can't we use our own brains to dig up something original that suits us? Why must we copy?

They say; we must continue with subsidy. Why? because others are doing it! But then have we asked ourselves "Is it good for us?" Or " Is it working for us?" A proper analysis of the situation should help us deccide the best step to take.

CyberG:
Is any NLander capable of running Nigeria as its leader? Let us have your opinion now! Serious posters please and no duplicate IDs!

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/11/07/the-killing-force-nigeria-police-turn-their-guns-on-defenceless-citizens/
Nigeria has become one huge killing field of defenceless citizens. The killing machine is the Nigeria Police, who think it is no big deal shooting and killing the same people they are paid to protect. This absurd indulgence has existed for years without a serious attempt to bring it to an end. Every year, hundreds of citizens get killed by the police unlawfully. These killings usually go uninvestigated and unpunished.

The extra-judicial execution of Nigerians by the police has escalated in the last two months. And everyone is worried.

In September, three policemen stormed a funeral in Akoko community, Ndokwa West Local Government of Delta State, uninvited. Before they left the venue, they had killed three persons. According to the state police commissioner, Mamman Tsafe, one of the policemen was drunk and violated the conditions under which firearms could be used. “All the conditions were not followed. He pulled the trigger and in the process three men were killed. We have arrested them and they are facing orderly room trial. We will arraign them for murder,” Tsafe disclosed to newsmen in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

In the same month, the mood of joy that pervaded a social function on Joseph Akpoko Street, Udi-side, Enugu was turned to gloom when men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, stormed the occasion and began shooting sporadically, killing one person and wounding two others. One of the victims, identified as Chineme Ede, 15, was allegedly killed instantly by the squad. Obumneme Nwedu, 5, and Larry Nwankwor, 30, sustained serious bullet wounds.

An eyewitness, Mr. Stephen Ede, said the incident happened at the peak of the naming of their caretaker’s new born baby. He said: “When we heard gunshots, we all ran inside the house for safety; but looking behind, I saw my younger brother, Chineme Ede, lying helpless on the ground. I was then forced to turn back. Behind where I stood, I saw two persons – Mr. Larry Nwankwor, our caretaker on behalf of whom we gathered in celebration of the christening ceremony of his new baby and little Obumneme Nwedu – seriously wounded by bullets from men of the SARS,” the witness said.


• What they enjoy doing: Nigerian policemen brutalising a teenager.

It was learnt that residents regrouped to ascertain what informed the action of the police officers. They were, however, reportedly dispersed by another round of shootings from the SARS men. Another witness, Mr. George Igbokwe alleged that the police had after the incident arrested four persons – three boys and a girl – to cover up the crime.

“What we saw here today is the apex of human rights abuse; it is inhuman and unjust killings. We are demanding from the police an explanation on the barbaric act we witnessed here. Is shooting of innocent people now part of their job? The worst of it all is that they arrested the relation of the deceased in order to justify the killing,” Igbokwe said further.

Though many extra-judicial killings by the police took place in September, sometimes for reasons so absurd, Nigerians will not forget October 2011 in a hurry.

That month, social and economic activities were paralysed in Okitipupa, a coastal Ondo State community, following a violent protest over the killing of two brothers by the police. The two brothers were commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as okada riders. It was learnt that the first incident occurred at about 9.15 p.m. at Kajola Street junction on Broad Street when a policeman, who was on foot patrol, allegedly demanded a N20 bribe from an okada rider identified simply as Osare.

Osare, according to eyewitnesses, told the policeman that he could not afford to give out the money because he did not work on that day. Osare’s refusal to oblige, it was gathered, provoked the policeman who shot the rider in the chest. The policeman, who was believed to be drunk, shot into the air to scare away people, while Osare was left drenched in blood. The sound of the gunshots was said to have attracted some youths in the town to the scene but the policeman immediately took to his heels. The youths took Osare to a nearby hospital where he was confirmed dead.

The deceased’s younger brother, identified as Robinson, rushed to the police station in the early hours of Friday when he heard news of his brother’s death. The source said that the young man entered the police station in anger and violently demanded to know why his brother was shot. On his arrival at the station, Robinson was said to have engaged the policemen on duty in a hot argument and threatened to report the matter to his cousin, who is a serving colonel in the Nigerian Army. The source said at that point, the youths stormed the police station with weapons, demanding for the killer of their friend. “The situation became so tense and one of the policemen, who was believed to have responded to a directive from a superior officer, shot sporadically to scare away the mob and in the process, Robinson was hit by a stray bullet. He died on the spot,” the source narrated. Three other youths were said to have sustained varying degrees of injury that day.

It was learnt that the situation forced other policemen on duty to pull off their uniforms and run into the bush, while other officers, who reside in the police barracks, relocated their families to neighbouring towns for fear of reprisal attacks.

Investigations showed that Constable Ighodin Gbefamoghan killed the commercial motorcyclist, Christopher Okewon with an AK-47 rifle. He was posted to Oceanic Bank, Okitipupa as a security man at the time he committed the murder. The killer cop has been arraigned in court for murder.

One extra-judicial killing by the police that has sparked so much outrage involved Emmanuel Victor, 25, an indigene of Opubo Nkoro, in Opobo-Nkoro Local Government in Rivers State. He had left home for his church, Christ Embassy, off Sani Abacha Road, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, for the second service of Sunday 16 October 2011, with his mother. Victor, a Diploma graduate from the Federal College of Education, Kano, had a desire to study law so that he could fight for the rights of the oppressed, his distraught mother narrated.

He was shot several times at close range by three trigger-happy policemen for daring to challenge them for extorting money from commercial motorcycle riders at a checkpoint very close to the entrance to his church. The young man was shot several times at close range and his brains blown up in the presence of his mother, a Guidance and Counselling graduate of the University of Calabar.

However, the three policemen who have been arrested on the orders of the Bayelsa State Police Commissioner, Mr Hillary Okpara, claimed they saw Victor smoking Indian hemp and when accosted, he used scissors to attack them so they shot at him in self-defence. “I watched and I screamed: ‘leave him, leave him, he is my son…He is coming back from the church. Can’t you see his Bible? What has he done?’ All my words fell on deaf ears. Suddenly, a fair-complexioned cop among them cocked his gun and opened fire at close range. He shot my son. The first shot was to his tummy. He was shot many times. Finally, my son fell… My son fell down and even while he was on the floor, defenceless, they blew up his brains. Immediately after that they hurried into their car and sped off,” the deceased’s mother said.

The killing of Victor has generated wide outcry. The Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, Bayelsa State chapter and other concerned citizens have condemned the horrendous crime. The CLO, in a statement in Yenagoa by its secretary, Comrade Alagoa Morris, said the organisation would not let this one be swept under the carpet.

“Now, no matter what happened, even though police statement is saying the boy was smoking hemp and even tried to fight them when they challenged him, can a 25-year old man overpower all those police officers that chased him? Was it proper to shoot at an unarmed Nigerian? Has the police the right to pass judgment and also carry out the sentence? These are questions that the CLO and concerned Nigerians would like the police authorities to give answers to,” Morris declared.

Dr John Idumage, a lecturer and human rights campaigner also of the CLO, said there were many other cases of extra-judicial killing in the state against the disbanded Operation Famau Tamgbe, OFT, “There was the case of a boy from Otuasega community of Bayelsa State, who was also detained at the OFT cells. ThankGod Michael was detained for alleged rape. The boy whose relations later went to secure his release from OFT revealed that at about 10:00 p.m. on 18 September 2011, he was led to the torture chamber and tied upside down, suspended from the ceiling. He was beaten and asked to confess the crime of rape, which he repeatedly said he knew nothing about. ThankGod continued to plead his innocence and, while still hanging upside down his captors left him and went out. Unfortunately, by the time his relations returned to check on ThankGod, he was no longer alive,” Idumage disclosed.

Olusola Amoren, the public relations officer of the force, confirmed to Nigeria Police Watch that the three men have been given an orderly room trial in Bayelsa state. “The result of the orderly room trial will soon be out and then we will decide if they are guilty or not,” Amoren said. He, however, could not give the names of the suspects but said further actions on the case will depend on whether the officers are guilty of the murder or not. If they are guilty, they will be dismissed and charged with murder, he promised.

In Lagos State, it was the tragic turn of a bus passenger who was stabbed to death by a mobile policeman following an argument over N50 bus fare at Iyana-Ipaja in Alimosho area at about 10 a.m., on Saturday 15 October 2011.

In Orin-Ekiti in Ekiti State, what could have turned out to be a bountiful harvest for the Abe family became a source of sorrow, as they lost one of their children to police bullets on Thursday 20 October 2011. As is their usual practice during the harvest season, the family members arrived their farm around 3:30 a.m. to harvest maize which they had started harvesting since Monday 17 October. On that fateful day, the family, comprising of Tayo, 28, a 2008 OND Banking and Finance graduate of the College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Osun State; Adeniyi, 26, an accounting graduate of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo; Michael, 23, a 300-level student of Mining Engineering, Federal University of Technology and Mary, 18, who just completed her secondary education and seeking admission to a higher institution of learning, all of the same parents; Kemi, a 200-level student of Primary Education at College of Education, Ila-Orangun (Niyi’s girl friend); and Gbenga and Ayoola Ajayi, their family friends, were busy harvesting when suddenly, around 4.30 a.m., they heard sporadic gunshots right behind them. Tayo was fatally wounded, while Kemi and Adeniyi were hit in their arms. In the confusion, three of them ran for their dear lives into the bush. Realising that the gunshots were from the police, Kemi surrendered by raising up her arms as ordered by the police and at the point that the police were whisking Mary and Tayo’s lifeless body away, Gbenga came out of hiding and voluntarily went along with them to the police station at Ido-Ekiti where they were detained. The police afterward took Kemi to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Ido-Ekiti for treatment and deposited Tayo’s body in the morgue of the hospital.

Kemi on her sick bed said: “The police shot sporadically and instantly, Tayo fell and died while the bullet hit me in my arm. Adeniyi took to his heels with bullet wounds while I surrendered. While calling on those in hiding to come out, one of the policemen used his leg to push Tayo, saying ‘get up, get up’ and he later discovered she was dead. As they were about taking me, Mary and the corpse away, Gbenga came out and volunteered to go with us. The three of us were taken to the station in a police Toyota Hilux van.”

Gbenga told this magazine that the policemen threatened to kill him, stressing that had they not exhausted their bullets, he would also have been shot dead. “They issued all sorts of threats as they were taking us away,” he said. Mary said they took them to the station at exactly 4:45 a.m. where they reported to their colleagues at the counter that they were thieves arrested in someone’s farm stealing maize, “but we debunked the allegation, saying that it is our farm.”

In his detailed account, Adeniyi stated that he took all of them to the family’s three-acre farmland in Orin-Ekiti on his motorcycle in batches as he had to carry them in twos. He noted that they got to the farm very early so that they could finish harvesting on time and get to the market before 7 a.m. to sell their maize. They wanted to be among the first set of people to sell and make good profit, as the price of maize always goes down once other sellers have flooded the market.

He said: “I parked my motorcycle on the main road as we were harvesting. Around 4 a.m., we started hearing gunshots being fired indiscriminately without seeing anybody. I called a brother, Ojo Ajiboye to help me tell my father. But 10 minutes after, when I didn’t hear from home, I called him again and he didn’t pick his call. The brother later sent my number to a family friend, Dayo Olajide, who called to tell me that he was also in his farm very close to us and that he had to go into hiding when he heard gunshots. Before my father’s arrival, the police had gone away with my Jencheng motorcycle, my sibling and fiancée. Knowing that they had gone, my brother and I came out when we saw our father and we all went to the station to get a policeman to accompany us to the hospital so that we could receive treatment. Policemen from the station refused to accompany us, but a cop from the local government came around and accompanied us to the hospital and they immediately commenced treatment on us.”


• A policeman ‘‘frog-jumps’’ a Nigerian

Adeniyi disclosed that the police denied detaining his sister and Gbenga until they shouted from the cell saying, “brother Niyi, we are here.”

Father of the victims, Felix, 70, a retired primary school teacher, noted that life has been very unkind to him. According to him, as a result of the joblessness of his children, he suggested farming as a way out, which they all embraced. Because they did not have money to buy a piece of land for farming, they applied and got three acres from the state government, for which his wife paid the stipend demanded by the government. He lamented the callousness of the Nigeria Police, stressing that while police in other countries protect lives, Nigeria’s policemen kill, extort and steal.

Asking for justice, he pointed out: “If the police had done their job well and gone with the mind of arresting those they think were robbers, they would have arrested them and taken them to the station and when they get there, they would have found out that they were not robbers and the situation would have been different.” He called for the prosecution of the policemen involved.

The Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olayinka Balogun told the magazine that the saga was sequel to a distress call the police received that some thieves were stealing from a farm, resulting in his men mobilising to the farm settlement where it was alleged that thieves were operating. He said it was as a result of the alleged thieves battling to disarm a policeman that the loaded gun went off, killing Tayo and injuring others. He was, however, quick to add that the policeman who fired the shots has been arrested and detained at the police headquarters in Ado-Ekiti pending the conclusion of investigation on the matter. He promised that if the policeman that shot the victims is found guilty of misusing firearms, he would be accordingly dealt with and prosecuted in the court of law.

But Michael, one of the victims, debunked the story of the police boss, saying the policeman sprayed them with bullets and stopped shooting when he exhausted his bullets. “When they got to the farm, they did not talk to us, they just opened fire. I was not hit because I was a bit far from the scene. It was after finishing their bullets that they were calling us to come out but I didn’t answer them because I thought they were robbers. We didn’t try to disarm them as they claimed. A bullet killed my sister, another hit my brother and yet another hit his fiancée,” he explained.

In Ibadan, on Monday 26 October, a mobile policeman shot a driver identified as Aminu Mudashiru at Omi-Adio for allegedly refusing to give him N20 bribe usually collected from commercial drivers. According to an eyewitness account, Mudashiru, the driver of a truck with registration number SG 137 BDJ was flagged down by the policeman at the road block, requesting the driver to pay the usual N20 bribe before he could be allowed to go.

The driver was said to have explained to the policeman that he had paid them once on the same route, but his explanation was rejected by the policeman. “While the driver was about parking his bus off the expressway to avoid obstructing free flow of traffic, the policeman who felt the driver was about to speed off opened fire, shooting the driver in the hand. The bullet pierced through the windscreen.”

Irked by the development, youths in the community went after the policemen at the road block, who immediately took to their heels.

On 27 October, police in Eket Division of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command shot and killed seven kidnap suspects. The police claimed the men were killed in routine operations against kidnappers. But not many believe them. In fact, sources told TheNEWS the men were assembled from different locations and executed in Eket Police Division. The police have simply turned themselves to investigators, judges and implementers of judgments, a critic regretted, arguing that the men should have been handed over for prosecution and not killed and their copses callously exhibited.

Okechukwu Nwanguma, Coordinator of Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria, however, said it is not enough to make police officers who commit egregious abuses such as murder to simply go through orderly room trial and then get dismissed. “They must be tried for murder,” he demanded. ‘‘Before the Yenagoa three, other police officers have been arrested, dismissed and handed over to civil authorities for trial but none has ever been reported to have been concluded. “Failure by police authorities to ensure accountability for past killings and abuses makes it possible for police officers to treat human life with levity,” Nwanguma added.

Analysts believe that extra-judicial killings are systemic in the force and would hardly be curbed considering the depth of corruption in the force and government’s unwillingness to reform the force. “It seems to me that the culture of impunity which pervades and rules police conduct and performance is responsible for this type of gruesome and senseless killing and other abuses,” Nwanguma said.


•Tayo Abe: killed in the farm by a policeman.

The police often exploit people’s anger against criminals to justify their killings. Indeed, Police Force Order 237 permits officers to shoot suspects and detainees who try to escape. This encourages the police to get away with murder. Sometimes people are victims of enforced disappearance, with the police telling their families that they were transferred to another station or released on bail without documentation to prove it. Painfully, policemen suspected of extra-judicial killings are usually transferred to other states. They are hardly prosecuted.

Retired colonel, Gabriel Ajayi opined that the police should have strict rules on use of firearms. “Do they have annual range classification on the weapons they carry? Do they have retraining for improved proficiency? Are they asked to account for used ammunition like other forces? If there are no rules of engagement, they will be doing what they like. The police are to keep people alive, not to kill them. Why are the police killing people in this way in peace time?” he wondered.

Ajayi queried why the police carry war department weapons (assault rifles) when their mates abroad carry only pistols. He said that because policemen did not get punished for previous killings, like the killing of Col. Rindam, the Apo 6 and many others, they do not see anything wrong in wasting lives.

He may not be far from the truth. A senior journalist recalled an encounter on the Lagos/Ibadan expressway with mobile policeman who was angry that a taxi driver refused to give him N50: “He pointed his gun at us and screamed: ‘I will waste you. Your family members will go to court but their efforts will come to nothing.’ Invariably, one of the passengers gave him some money. But he thoroughly beat up the taxi driver.”

Ajayi would like to see the police reformed and the rules tighter about the use of weapons. “In the army you can be court-martialled if you cannot explain how you used the bullets given to you. I know for a fact that soldiers used to buy expended ammunition from the police to stay out of trouble,” he informed.

Nwanguma argued that the process through which people are recruited into the police, ensures that there are more unstable men and women in the police than the number of those sane and emotionally stable. Apart from that they are also fond of drinking while on duty and bearing assault weapons. He is concerned that these issues must be addressed as the first step to checking the violent streak of Nigerian policemen. Will government do that before things degenerate?

visit www.thenewsafrica.com for more stories

–Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, Additional reports by: Oluokun Ayorinde/Abuja, Gbenro Adesina/Ado Ekiti, Okafor Ofiebor/Port-Harcourt and Ayodeji Dedeigbo.

[url]http://www.punchng.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3854:us-bomb-warning-is-no-big-deal-–-fg&Itemid=542[/url]
Written by  John Alechenu, Fidelis Soriwei and Adelani Adepegba

HOURS after about 150 people were killed in the bomb attacks by the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in two Northern states, the Federal Government on Monday said there was no cause for alarm.

The government in a statement by the National Security Adviser, Gen. Owoye Azazi, described the United States warning of attacks in the Federal Capital Territory as "non-news". Azazi added that the security agencies were up to the task of securing the country.

At a joint press conference held by the office of the NSA, the State Security Service and the foreign affairs ministry, in Abuja, the government faulted the US alert and barely stopped short of tagging it alarmist.

The US Embassy in a security alert on Sunday had listed Transcorp Hilton, Nicon Luxury and Sheraton, all favourites of diplomats, politicians and the business elite, and some areas in Abuja as possible targets of Boko Haram militants. The embassy had asked its citizens to stay away from the listed places.

The US alert had said, "Following the recent Boko Haram, aka Nigerian Taliban, attacks in Borno and Yobe states, the US Embassy has received information that Boko Haram may plan to attack several locations and hotels in Abuja, Nigeria, during the Sallah holiday. Potential targets may include the Nicon Luxury, the Sheraton Hotel, and the Transcorp Hilton Hotel.

"All US Government personnel have been instructed to avoid these locations, and previously scheduled events have been cancelled."

But the Federal Government statement urged Nigerians not to be alarmed by the alert.

The statement says, "The FG wants to advise members of the public that it would continue to ensure the security of lives and property under its jurisdiction despite the unfortunate events in Maiduguri and Damaturu over the weekend.

"The current threat of attack on the three hotels in Abuja is not news, and for over three months the security services have taken pro-active measures to protect the designated critical facilities and others.

"Members of the public are by this announcement urged to go about their normal business without fear or hindrance and to be assured that security agencies have emplaced adequate counter- measures to secure lives and property."

The Islamic sect on Friday night launched attacks on police stations, churches and mosques in Yobe and Borno states, thus marring the celebration of the Eid-el Kabir.

The Director of Public Affairs of the SSS, Ms Marylyn Ogar, who answered questions on behalf of the team, advised the media not to make an issue of the travel warnings issued by the US and, later, Canada.

According to her, while it is true that the country has security challenges, such problems are also common to other countries.

Ogar said, "We all know that we have several security challenges, it is nothing new. And we all know about the Internet. This all started with a tweet and then somebody mischievously decided to send it out as an e-mail.

"(As for) the Americans, we all know that every country wants to show that it cares for its citizens.

"It’s nothing too strange. It doesn’t mean that Nigeria is disintegrating. If Canada has followed suit, there is nothing new to it.

"We also have crisis elsewhere and the Nigerian government has got up to say we have to protect our citizens. Is there any nation in the world that does not have challenges?

"Even America that is warning its citizens have its own security challenges. It is not beyond the security agencies."

Meanwhile, more troops were deployed in Yobe on Monday by the Federal Government. A security source who confided in one of our correspondents disclosed this in Abuja.

The source did not disclose the number of troops involved, but it was learnt that the posting would boost the operations of the Joint Task Force in the North-East region.

Further investigations revealed that the additional troops might have been moved from 3 Brigade in Kaduna, and other units under Division 1 in Kano.

It was learnt that the soldiers deployed were not independent of the JTF.

The source in one of the intelligence services said, "Yes, additional troops have been deployed in Yobe State because of the bomb blasts that took the lives of many innocent people.

"The troops are being deployed to further strengthen the JTF; they are not independent. The JTF is there and they are to be part of the task force. I think it is a security measure to ensure that this menace is curtailed."

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/25499-govt-to-publish-list-of-terrorists-sponsors.html
By Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern Operation, Abuja2 hours 16 minutes ago

NIGERIANS will soon have a list of terrorists and terrorists groups, it was learnt yesterday.

The government will publish the list as part of measures to fight the growing scourge of terrorism.

The activities of Boko Haram have taken an upward swing, leading to killings and disruption of activities in parts of the North, especially the Northeast. There is anxiety in Abuja.

The group claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing on the police headquarters and the United Nations (UN) office in Abuja in which 24 people were killed and many others injured.

About 150 people were killed at the weekend in simultaneous attacks in Damaturu and Postikum in Yobe State and Maiduguri, Borno State.

Book Haram is also believed to have links with the International terrorist group al-Qaeda.

Before the Boko Haram menace, the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) held sway in the Niger Delta.

The Federal Government has now released a gazette on the regulations to fight terrorism.

All terrorists and their sponsors risk five-year jail term and global freezing of their accounts at home and abroad, according to the gazette.

Also, for the first time, the government will publish a Nigeria List of terrorists and their sponsors.

These measures are contained in a Gazette of Regulations released by Attorney-General of the Federation Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), which was obtained by our correspondent.

The regulations are in line with the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011, the Charter of the United Nations and UN Resolutions 1267(1999), 1333(2000), 1373(2001), 1390(2002), 1452(2002), 1455(2003), 1526(2004), 1617(2005), 1735(2006), 1822(2008), 1904(2009) and 1988(2011).

With the Gazette, the government may unmask those behind increasing terror attacks in the country.

The attacks recently forced the United States (US) and Canada to issue a travel warning to their citizens coming to Nigeria.

While the issues surrounding the travel warning were being addressed, Boko Haram (Western education is sin) struck in Borno and Yobe states at the weekend.

The Gazette reads: "An offence may be committed under these Regulations by any person (a) in Nigeria; or (b) elsewhere who is a Nigerian citizen.

"A person who contravenes any of the provisions of these Regulations shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for a term of five years or to a fine of not less than N1milion or to both.

"Where an offence under these Regulations is committed by a designated terrorist group, every member of the group shall, on conviction, be liable to imprisonment for a term of five years.

In the case of a violation of the provisions of these Regulations by an institution, entity or other body corporate, the principal officers of the Institution, entity or body corporate shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years."

According to the Gazette, the government is empowered to publish the list of terrorists and their sponsors.

The document adds: "Whenever the president declares that a person is a suspected international terrorist or declares a group to be an international terrorist group for reasons other than those provided for under subsections (1) (b) or 4(b) of Section 9 of the Act, the Attorney-General shall enter the name and other details of such a person or group in the Nigeria List.

"The Attorney-General may remove or amend the name of a person or group or any other relevant details under the Nigeria List whenever the President revokes or amends a declaration made under Section 9 of the Act.


"The Attorney-General shall cause the Nigeria List, including any revision or amendment as may be made thereto from time to time, to be disseminated for the purpose of these Regulations."

The Regulations have also mandated the government to freeze all funds held by any designated person or group.

The Gazette says: "The funds or other economic resources owned, held or controlled, directly or indirectly by a designated person whose name and other details are on the Lists shall be frozen.

"Freezing of funds shall be without prejudice to the rights of third parties acting in good faith.

"For the purpose of sub-regulation(1) of this Regulation, in determining whether funds are controlled by a designated person, the fact that such funds are held in the name of an associate or relation is immaterial.

"Where the name of a person or of an entity is confirmed to be on the Lists, the Institution shall block the funds or any other economic resources identified as belonging to or connected with the person or entity on the lists and shall ensure that the account is not operated and thereafter forward to the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

"All funds and other economic resources frozen under this Regulation shall be recorded against the names of the owners and beneficial owners for proper management."

http://www.punchng.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3743:bomb-threat-abuja-major-hotels-deserted&Itemid=542

Written by Adelani Adepegba and Fidelis Soriwei, Abuja

Three major hotels in Abuja, which the US Embassy claimed that Boko Haram might bomb during the Sallah holiday, became ghost places on Sunday as guests deserted them.

Our correspondents who went round the hotels namely, the Transcorp Hilton, Sheraton and Nicon Luxury on Sunday observed that the lobbies of the hotels were virtually empty.

Consequently, the usual tough security checks at their gates were relaxed

Before the threat, guests or visitors to one of the hotels had a nightmare passing through the gates as three columns or queues of vehicles were formed along the adjoining road, waiting to be screened by security men with bomb detectors or scanners.

On Sunday, riot policemen and soldiers complemented the work of hotel’s private security guards at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel gate at about 7.30pm.

The same situation was observed at the Sheraton Hotel. About two armed soldiers were on hand, but it was the private security guards that checked car boots.

Security was, however, lax at the Nicon luxury as there was only one policeman and the hotel’s security guards manned the gate.

Our correspondent, who drove in, was not checked neither was his car scanned unlike the case in other hotels visited.

At Transcorp Hotel, a senior hotel staff who refused to disclose his identities, said the hotel’s spokesman was not available for comments.

He, however, said, "The manager is not in unless if you can wait; I am not authorised to speak."

At the lobby of Nicon Luxury, a member of staff said, "We have taken security precaution to forestall any attack. For instance, we only use one gate, while the second gate is permanently locked.

"Our security men have been briefed and they are doing their best to safeguard the guests and the hotel."

Efforts to get the reaction of Director, Media and Public Relations, State Security Service, Marilyn Ogar, were unsuccessful on the tight security on Sunday.

http://www.punchng.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3747:boko-haram-kills-police-inspector&Itemid=542

Written by  Adelani Adepegba, Abuja

The Boko Haram sect on Sunday killed a police inspector in Maiduguri as he was driving to a mosque to pray with his family.

The gunmen stopped the officer’s car at gunpoint as he approached a mosque to pray with his family, he was reportedly shot but his family was allowed to drive the car away.

AP quoted the Borno State Police Commissioner, Simeon Midenda, as confirming the incident.

"Our men who live in the midst of the Boko Haram are not safe," Midenda said.

More than 100 died in a series of attacks in by Boko Haram, a Nigerian Red Cross official, Ibrahim Bulama, told The AP he expected the number of dead to rise as local clinics and hospitals tabulated the casualty figures from the Friday attacks in Damaturu, Yobe State.

In a statements on Saturday, a United Nations Security Council called the attacks Friday in the cities of Damaturu and Maiduguri "criminal and unjustifiable" and asked members to help Nigerian authorities bring those responsible to justice.

A statement on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for "an end to all violence in the area," while offering sympathy for the victims.

Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday appealed for an end to all violence, saying it only increases problems, sowing hatred and division even among the faithful. He told tourists in St. Peter’s Square that he is following with apprehension the news from Nigeria.

[url]http://www.punchng.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3754:n’delta-ex-militants-threaten-renewed-attacks-in-14-days&Itemid=542[/url]

Some Niger Delta militant groups that surrendered their arms under the Federal Government’s amnesty programmes have threatened to resume attacks within 14 days.

The groups threatened that unless their demands were met in two weeks, they would specifically target platforms that were important to the "survival of the Nigerian economy."

The warlords accused the Federal Government of a failure to pay their monthly allowance and condemned the "deliberate refusal of the Mr. Kingsley Kuku-led Presidential Amnesty Committee to recognise those who had submitted their arms under the amnesty programme. Kuku is the Presidential Adviser on Amnesty Programme."

The ex-warlords under the Forum of All Ex-militant Leaders met on Saturday in a location in the creeks and later issued a statement. Their followers were also said to have been in attendance at the meeting. The forum is led by ‘General’ Gift Tare of the Iduwini Volunteer Force.

In a statement issued by the Forum at the end of the meeting, the leaders of the groups, who described themselves as ‘Generals,’ urged government to pay the regular monthly allowances of militants who had dropped their arms.

"Except these modest requests are granted within the next 14 days, the Presidential Amnesty Committee should be ready for more face-off and violent confrontations," the statement reads.

Kuku had dismissed the protesters as disgruntled youths who were bent on derailing the amnesty programme. He had also insisted that the youths from the Niger Delta, who were currently agitating, did not submit their arms before the closure of the amnesty window.

The statement says the meeting, which lasted over six hours, "critically reviewed the amnesty programme, the nonchalant attitude of the implementers, the double standard applied to various ex-militants from various ethnic nationalities and preference to fighters of some selected ‘Generals’."

They said they had resolved to employ the "instrument of violence" since the authorities had ignored their agitation.

The group said, "Since the Mr. Kingsley Kuku-led Presidential Amnesty Committee has decided to turn this well-thought out peace initiative of our departed President and Apostle of peace, the late Alhaji Musa Umaru Yar ‘adua into his private and family business, everything, including violent confrontation should be adopted to correct this deliberate act of one of our own, who has today turned himself into an oppressor of sorts.

"That the Federal Government should urgently probe the Presidential Amnesty Committee as we have facts and figures to show that several persons who are not even recognised ex-militants are not only benefitting from the programme, but are today deciding the fate and destiny of known ex-fighters and patriots of the Niger Delta emancipation."

The ex-militants regretted the recent attacks on some vehicles owned by newspaper houses, noting that the drivers of the vehicles simply "refused to obey instructions."

The group further demanded that the Federal Government should immediately convene a stakeholders’ meeting where all aggrieved warlords would have an opportunity to let out their frustrations with the amnesty programme.

The Yar’Adua administration introduced an amnesty programme under which militants in the Niger Delta submitted their arms in exchange for state pardon, reintegration and retraining.

ebere1712:
As far as I am concerned we don't need them at all. We can do business if they want, but nothing more than that.

cjfavour:
One is to get d killers of mohmmed yusuf,prosecute them and hang them publicy.2, Sack all the security head. 3. If all these fails,Jo shld call for sovereign National conference as Pa Enahoro asked for. He should first get d support of all d southern senators and house of reps members to avoid impeachment. This will stop boko attacks.

KnowAll:
Jonathan is already behaving like a lame duck in 2011, omo 2015 na long wait, he cannot even sack d police boses and army boses whose barracks got bomed. If d HQ of police in a state gets blown into smeetheren what hope does d citizenry of state have when d supposedly law enforcement agencies cannot protect their own lives.

Can You imagine Kenya has gone to d lions den confronting Al Shabab yet we Naija cannot solve an internal problem. Despite Kenya's intervention in Somalia, Al Shabab has not being able to hit Kenya d way Boko Haram seems to be toying with security personnel. This C-C is grossly inadequate.

emiye:
what will happen if the useless police pick up arms and begin shooting,
@ Beaf, Did you remember making the statement below
You are a dunce indeed. But there are many dunces in the country, which is why some have been known to attack policemen carrying automatic rifles with hammers and stones.
Did you receive a sudden vision? 

Beaf:
^
Why are you so scared of the street rising up to fight corruption? I am deeply puzzled.
I would expect that any of the many NL contributors would be only too happy to see the common man have a better life.

If you have nothing to hide, why are you afraid of the street rising to demand an end to corruption? Maybe you think the tide will get so strong it will sweep you away, Lol!
Dude, on the day the common man rises, what will you charlatans and deceivers do?

@topic
I am calling on todays youth to get an education about your country and seize the phucking street. Nigeria belongs to all of us, let no viper run rings around you; it is a collective fight or we all lose.

manny4life:
@Beaf,
WILL YOU TAKE THE LEAD? IF I WAS IN NIGERIA, I WILL, WILL YOU?

Beaf:
I know everything for you has a regional or ethnic slant, so you might feel threatened by aspects of a battle by the street against corruption; that is the only reason (aside from being personally corrupt) that you would attempt to shut down a thread on fighting corruption.

If you are not sick of corruption, the rest of us are.

[size=14pt]Seize the streets and shut down corruption.
Let the common man rise up and demand zero corruption.[/size]

Beaf:
Dude, I don't get where you are headed. You are actually claiming to be scared of me, because of myths founded by your own self?
Are you afraid of corruption? Are you scared to stand up for what is right? Do you have something to hide?

All your excuses are k-legged, weak and pathetic.

I don't care who the corrupt person is, where they are, what party they belong in or what section of the country they hail from. Let us stand up to corruption. Period.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/25380-road-construction-cuts-off-adaba-fm-akure.html

By Damisi Ojo2 hours 1 minute ago

Management staff and workers of a private radio station, Adaba F.M, Akure, the Ondo state capital, were at the weekend trapped in their respective offices as the broadcasting house situated along Akure-Ilesa road, Ilara-Mokin, was totally cut off from members of the public.

The Nation learnt that the contractor handling the access road to the station, which is under construction, made the road impassable by digging a wide gully on the road.

It was observed that vehicles of workers and clients were therefore confined to the station.

It was gathered that the contractor did not give the management of the radio station any prior notice before they embarked on the construction.

Eyewitness account said the agent of the contractor, Cornerstone Construction Company (CCC), came with an excavator around 2:30 pm to carry out the exercise.

They reportedly declined comments when members of Adaba F.M management demanded to know their mission.

Many observers, who visited the place, noted that the road had been abandoned for more than six months before the sudden appearance of the company with excavators.

Aggrieved workers and management staff had to return to their homes on hired motorcycles after closing hour as no vehicle could enter or move out of the station.

Prospective advertisers and commercial agents of the radio station went home disappointed as they could not have access to the station.

It would be recalled that the station was also banned from relaying some programmes purported to be against the present administration.

As at press time, many workers were still trapped in the station.

Two gatemen at the neighbouring sunshine estate, Ibule, owned by the state government, which could provide an alternative road to Adaba F.M workers, refused to allow the workers to pass through their gate to the main road.

They were said to have maintained that the order was from above.

None of the team from the construction company was ready to speak with our correspondent.

The General Manager of the radio station, Martins Ayoola, expressed displeasure on the development which he said was targeted at disrupting the activities of the station.

He urged the citizenry and other stake holders to impress it on the contractor to bail them out of their predicament.

Beaf:
^
If what I have said pains you, then learn to stick to the topic.
If you truly hate corruption, then always stand up to it and not ask questions that cause doubt about where you stand.

http://tribune.com.ng/sun/news/5532-nigerias-civil-saervants-took-n450bn-bribe-in-2010--ti

AGAIN, Nigeria’s corruption rating has taken a leap for the worse as Transparency International (TI) has said that Nigerian civil servants alone took bribes worth over N450 billion ($3b) in the last one year.

The TI report on Bribe Payers Index for this year released just in time for the G20 summit also assessed 28 countries and territories including most of the G20 countries excluding Nigeria, from its annual Bribe Payers index.

Although Nigeria was not included in the countries selected for review this year, the TI however conducted additional studies of corrupt behaviours in public and private sectors in the world, where Nigeria’s civil servants were mentioned.

According to the studies of corrupt behaviours in various public and private sectors of the economy done by the TI, it was confirmed that “previous findings showed that bribery is particularly widespread in the construction, energy and extractive industries, “ according to Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international broadcaster that produces television, radio and online content in 30 languages, which reported the study.

According to the publication, in Nigeria, which is one of the countries with dominant extractive industries, “corrupt civil servants in oil-rich Nigeria pocketed some $3.2 billion (2.3b euros) in bribes in the 2010/11 financial year alone.”

Essentially, the TI Briber Payers Index this year focused on Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.

The reports said: “Inter-company corruption is as popular as the practice of offering bribes to civil servants,” adding that this year’s “findings indicate that corruption is not only a problem of the public sector but also of private companies because it exposes them to financial and reputational risks.”

The Briber Payers Index, BPI, released by the TI, global NGO on corruption ranks the likelihood of companies from 28 leading export countries and territories to bribe abroad and measures the perceived propensity of firms from 19 business sectors to engage in corrupt practices.

It scores and ranks countries on a scale of 0 to 10, where a maximum score of 10 corresponds with a view that companies from that country never engage in bribery when doing business abroad.

Leaders of international companies confess that they keep offering bribes to public officials to win public procurement contracts, sidestep regulatory regimes, fast-track managerial processes or secure influence over decision making.

In its concluding observations, TI urges both governments and companies to take steps to ensure effective implementation of anti-bribery policies and procedures.

http://tribune.com.ng/sun/news/5521-yobe-over-70-police-officers-feared-killed-in-boko-haram-attacks
Written by James Bwala, Damaturu Sunday, 06 November 2011

Residents of Damaturu, Yobe State capital, are still in shock two days after multiple bomb blast hit the town simoulteneously resulting into the death of many people. Witnesses in Damaturu told Sunday Tribune that the attack hit several targets including churches and the headquatters of the Yobe State Police Command.

The Islamist group, Boko Haram, meanwhile, once again claimed responsibility for the attack, promising to hit further target.

A police source, who spoke to Sunday Tribune on phone simply, said,”it was devastating and we are still picking corpses.”

According to him, the death toll cannot be easily ascertained but it was on the high. “These people came to us and sincerely they have overwhelmed us to the extent that we have no option than to take to our heels.”

A civil servant in Yobe State, Mallam Kalamu Ibrahim, who spoke with Sunday Tribune said , “We heard that more than 70 police officers were killed and as I am talking to you I cannot get to my house since I left Maiduguri around 5:00 pm. There were gun shots everywhere, it is like the policemen were confused and they shut at all directions.”

He said his wife informed him that his family members were okay but that he should not try to enter Damaturu because they were told that Boko Haram members numbering about three hundred had unleashed terror on the city.

Another man from Potiskum told Sunday Tribune that, “We don’t know what is happening at the moment but we are hearing blasts from all side as I am talking to you now.

“ Some of our people in Damaturu said that trouble started at about 5.30 pm when six bombs went off in different parts of the town, the main targets being the 360 Housing Estate, the anti-terrorism squad office and the police headquarters and churches as well as mosque. We also learnt that St Mary’s Catholic Church and five other churches were burnt by the Boko Haram fighters”

It would be recalled that before the attack, Yobe State Commissioner of Police, Suleimon Lawal had said there was no sign of the dreaded Boko Haram members in the state, when he was reacting to the killing of a Police Constable, Adamu Ali in the state capital by unknown gunmen.

He said: “We are not fighting Boko Haram in Damaturu. We are fighting hardened criminals. You don’t hear me talk of Boko Haram because I don’t think I have Boko Haram here. ”

Sunday Tribune, however, could not get the police commissioner on phone as at the time of filing this report to confirm the number of death.

http://tribune.com.ng/sun/front-page-articles/5520-boko-haram-stops-jonathan-from-brothers-wedding-as-he-orders-tighter-security

•As he orders tighter security

Written by Taiwo Adisa, Leon Usigbe and Oluwole Ige Sunday, 06 November 2011

Strong indication emerged on Saturday why President Goodluck Jonathan decided to call off a private visit to Bayelsa State.

Jonathan, who was billed to attend the wedding ceremony of his younger brother, which kicked off on Friday at Udeme Hotel, in Yenogoa, jolted thousands of Bayelsans, who had gathered at Peace Park, opposite the state government house, on Saturday, for the reception ceremony of the wedding.

According to the presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, the president decided to cancel his planned trip to Bayelsa on Friday, when he heard of the bomb incident at a military base in Maiduguri and another attack in Yobe State.

Dr Abati, who stated this in a chat with newsmen, said President Jonathan had ordered security agencies in the country to renew a fresh manhunt for perpetrators of the suicide bomb attempt at the Maiduguri military base as well as another attack in Yobe State.

He stated that contrary to insinuations in some quarters that the cancelation had to do with the political situation in Bayelsa State, the president's action was as a result of the decision to devote more time to the search for peace in the troubled North Eastern states.

Dr. Abati noted that what the president was going for in Bayelsa was a social event which was also a family affair, adding that the president felt that it would be a wrong priority if he left the pressing security challenge of the nation unattended to, only to head for his brother’s wedding.

"The president does not feel that he should be seen attending a wedding when such  incidents are happening, and he has renewed his charge to security agencies to renew the search for those behind the dastardly acts. He believes that for anyone to carry out such acts of destruction of lives at this season of peace deviates from the message of peace and love that ordinarily radiates around Eid-il-Kabir.

"It is clear that perpetrators of such acts are out on selfish agenda which cannot be allowed  to fester," Abati said.

He explained that “the president cancelled all engagements when the report of the incident reached him, including the wedding of his younger brother in Bayelsa State and another appointment at the airport at 4pm. He said it would be wrong and insensitive to be seen to be celebrating when such tragedy occurred.”

Abati added that Jonathan opted to stay back in Abuja and mourn with the families of the victims of the blasts while assuring  all Nigerians and the international community that his administration was doing everything to secure lives and property in the country.

The president wondered in whose interest the Boko Haram were fighting, noting that from their timing of the attack and targeting of innocent lives, they were pursuing selfish agenda that was detrimental to the well-being of the country.

Jonathan was particularly pained that the attacks were coming during the holy festivity of Eid-el-Kabir, saying this made him to cancel all his engagements as a mark of respect for victims of the latest bomb blasts.

He observed that the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility over the last weekend’s attacks in Borno and Yobe states, were pursuing a selfish agenda, noting that that explained why they went for innocent civilians.

Jonathan, however, condemned the attacks and warned the perpetrators to desist from it as no efforts would be spared to bring them to book, if they continued.

Meanwhile, fresh facts have emerged that the PDP governors have also dumped Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State, making his ambition of flying the party’s flag next year a tall dream.

The governors, Sunday Tribune gathered, took the decision because the party has told them its direction in Sylva’s matter and they could not contravene the position given their situations and the fact they are party loyalists.

According to a competent source in the PDP Governors’ Forum, the governors chose to allow the wish of the party to prevail in the case because the party told them its stand and might have seen what they (governors) failed to see. “We cannot move against the party’s wish because we think the party knows better,” the source said.

In another development, unidentified gunmen, numbering five, in the early hours of last Friday in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, allegedly stormed the residence of the deputy paramount ruler of the area, Chief Noble Ewege, firing several shots at him before escaping with his blood-soaked body.

Credible source close to the family of the victim informed Sunday Tribune that the gunmen, who entered the riverine community of Otuopkot through a speed boat sneaked into the bedroom of Chief Ewege unexpectedly.

Upon sighting his assailants, the deputy monarch swiftly jumped out of the bed where his wife was fast asleep and attempted to escape through the window. This act made the gunmen to fire several shots at him.

Sounds of gunshots woke up villagers around Agotoma area where the residence of the Ewege is situated.

“The gunmen later dragged him in the pool of blood into their waiting speed boat and got away through the Nun River. We are extremely worried over this sad occurrence,” the source said.

nku5:
If GEJ doesn't declare a state of emergency and
crack down hard on these animals it will be too obvious that he's p.u.s.ii

Beaf:
There are times when it is best to keep your silly partisan comments to yourself. The title of the thread says very clearly, "March Against Corrupt Government Officials In Nigeria." They are everywhere, and in all parties; those in ACN today will cross over to LP. PDP, APGA, ANPP or vice versa.
In any event, why would the fact that I created the thread make you love corruption instead of hating it? Perhaps, you have something to either hide or protect.
Why are you scared of standing up to corruption?

Horus:
Any date for the march against corruption?

Beaf:
Brilliant article. Will you join in the match against corruption?

PointB:
Let hope this will not be the straw that broke the camels back. No section of the country has monopoly of violence! The cautious movement of the cat should never be construed as cowardice! North must stop this nonsense of face repercussions.