₦airaland Forum

mozona:
So tunde don carry agbero go sapele...

yarimo:
Paying condolence visit while he is busy encouraging his unknown gun men to kill and kidnap innocent people . Peter obi and eyes service are like 5 and 6

thesicilian:
Igbos will forever have the victim mentality because they think everything is about them. When things are not working they think they're the targets. When things are working they think its because of their efforts. Every news on Nairaland is somehow twisted to involve them. You people need to stop this attitude because it will take you nowhere.

You guys laugh at every bad news in the country and somehow tie it to Tinubu Vs Obi, and how you were "rigged" out of "your mandate" while at the same time fighting to get out of the same "zoo" you're crying you were "not allowed to rule."

You laugh online pretending this hardship most people are facing do not concern you, but offline your businesses are folding up and your people are begging for food from the same people you're ridiculing online.

ecolime:
Lamba

The president made this plea at the Diamond Jubilee of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna on Saturday, according to his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale.

“I urge you to continue to play your constitutional role of safeguarding the territorial integrity of Nigeria, our fatherland,” said Mr Tinubu.

Mr Tinubu added that the army “must shun any acts that are inimical to the well-being of our nation and acts which can destroy the gains of democracy which we have enjoyed in the last 20 years.”

While celebrating fallen heroes who lost their lives protecting the country’s territorial integrity, Mr Tinubu said, “The war against the enemies of Nigeria is not over.”

He charged the Nigerian Army to “upscale the fight against insecurity, which has robbed us of peace and progress.”

The president’s plea to the Nigerian Army to shun actions that are capable of truncating democracy comes as the continent witnessed a series of coup d’états.

In the past three years, several African countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Sudan, and most recently, Niger Republic and Gabon have been controlled by military juntas who cited corruption, insecurity and increased poverty as the bases for the takeover from democratic governments.

From 1966 to 1993, Nigeria experienced several coups, excused by military regimes on widespread corruption, electoral fraud and violence, poverty, and insecurity. The country returned to democracy in 1999.

Brendaniel:
So the blame game has started, they are Now blaming each other....

Confirmedzombie:
He will lost like Peter obi.

Both valentine and Peter obi cannot won any election.

Both are paper weight politicians. Pretenders

Nigeria Police Arrest Aisha Jibrin, 24 Others Who Led Minna Protest Over Hardship, Rising Inflation Under Tinubu Government

The police spokesperson claimed that the protesters attacked the police with dangerous weapons such as stones, bottles, sticks, and cutlasses.

Nigerian police have arrested Aisha Jibrin and 24 others who led Monday’s protest to lament hunger, hardship and rising inflation in Minna, Niger State.

SaharaReporters on Monday reported that hundreds of men, women and youths in Minna, the Niger State capital staged a protest against the hardship under President Bola Tinubu’s government.


They had also lamented the hikes in the prices of gas and fuel in the country.

But the Niger State Command Public Relations Officer, DSP W. A. Abiodun in a statement issued on Wednesday said the protesters had been arrested for deliberately refusing to clear the road for public use.

He stated that after much persuasion by the police and that even though the Deputy Governor of Niger State, Yakubu Garba, availed himself at the scene and addressed the group, the women chose to be violent.


The police spokesperson claimed that the protesters attacked the police with dangerous weapons such as stones, bottles, sticks, and cutlasses.

According to him, they damaged police patrol vehicles and parts of the Kpakungu Division roof.

The statement reads in part, "It could be recalled that on 5/2/2024 at about 0700hrs, a large number of women and miscreants mobilized themselves and blocked Minna-Bida road and Kpakungu Roundabout claiming to be protesting against increase in foodstuff prices, causing major obstruction on the highway and deprived motorists, travellers and other road users from gaining access to attend to their lawful businesses.

"The Command immediately drafted Police patrol teams led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations DCP Shehu Umar Didango to the scene, and after much persuasion by the Police, the protesters deliberately refused to clear the road for public use, while His Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Niger State Com. Yakubu Garba equally availed himself at the scene and addressed the group, yet they turned deaf ears and chose to be violent.

"However, the Police adopted minimum force to disperse the protesters who turned violent by attacking the Police with dangerous weapons such as stones, bottles, sticks, cutlasses and damaged Police patrol vehicles and parts of the Kpakungu Division roof.

"In the course of this, the Police arrested the initiator of the protest one Aisha Jibrin 30yrs, Fatima Aliyu 57yrs, Fatima Isyaku 43yrs all of Soje 'A' of Kpakungu area of Minna and twenty-two other miscreants with the following dangerous weapons; -A bench and a stick used as barricade, Three knives, One scissors, One cutlass, One saw blade, One iron pipe, Four other sticks, Two wraps of Indian hemp, Charms, etc.

"During interrogation, the said Aisha claimed that she was not aware that her action was illegal by mobilizing over one hundred women and miscreants to block the highway for a violent protest. She claimed further that she informed one youth leader Hassan in the area, who promised to inform the Police of their plan to protest, but did not do so.

"Meanwhile, all suspects were taken to SCID Minna for investigation and they will be charged to court for prosecution, as effort is ongoing to arrest other identified members of the violent protest.

"The Commissioner of Police, Niger State Command CP Shawulu Ebenezer Danmamman, fsi urges Nigerlites, members of the public to be law-abiding and should not resort to self-help, but rather approach appropriate authority to address issues whenever the need arises.”

However, human rights activist and candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections, Omoyele Sowore, on his X handle on Wednesday called for the immediate release of the women.

"I have just received information that the woman who initiated the food price protest in Niger State has been arrested by the @@PoliceNG for organizing this heroic act, she and other women are to be arraigned by the Police.

"The police must release them immediately. These women are going to be more of these uprising coming the way of Nigeria. #RevolutionNow," he wrote.

Fuel was #120
Dollar was #180
Bag of cement was #1,800
Bag of rice was #7.500

And Wole Soyinka wasn't pleased and he hit the street.

Now,
Fuel is #690
Dollar is #1,500
Bag of cement is #7,500
Bag of rice is #63,000

When is Wole Soyinka hitting the streets ?

But WOLE will not, because breeze don blow, we don see fowl bum. All the noise about patriotism and his love for Nigeria, na FAKE. The Tragedy of Nigeria is that even the so called EDUCATED ELITES who are supposed to shine the light and show the way are neck deep in TRIBALISM. It is so so so sad and disheartening The "mighty" has fallen. Right now,WOLE is just like the naira, loosing value everyday 🤷🏿‍♂️

Nigeria Police Arrest, Detain Whistleblower, Mahdi Shehu Over Petition From Former AGF, Malami

Sources told SaharaReporters that Shehu was arrested on Tuesday following a petition from the law office of a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) on behalf of the former minister and his family.

AKatsina State-born businessman and critic of the Nigerian government, Mahdi Shehu, has been arrested and detained by the police in Abuja.

Sources told SaharaReporters that Shehu was arrested on Tuesday following a petition from the law office of a former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) on behalf of the former minister and his family.

A source close to Shehu confirmed the arrest and detention to SaharaReporters on Tuesday evening, saying the businessman and whistleblower was still being detained by the police.

“I was told that he was arrested pursuant to a petition written by the chambers of the former AGF, Abubakar Malami on behalf of Malami and his family. The letter came with the letterhead of A.A. Malami & Co. Law Office and the petition is on behalf of Malami and his family.

“He was arrested by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit at the Force Headquarters IN Abuja,” the source said.

The source, however, added that he didn’t have the details of the petition.

But SaharaReporters learnt that his arrest could be connected to the allegations he made against Malami in the past.

Meanwhile, Shehu’s mobile phone lines were not available at the time of filing this report so he could not be reached.

In June 2023, Shehu alleged that Malami and the then-Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), AbdulRasheed Bawa tried to use the naira redesign policy to install an interim government, which would have ensured that President Bola Tinubu did not emerge as President.

He called for the arrest of Malami following the arrest of Bawa, tweeting, “ARREST MALAMI NOW OR RELEASE BAWA BECAUSE: He nominated him. He supervised him. He teleguided him. Malami prosecuted cases selectively. He discharged & acquited suspects by cherry-picking. He ignored several court orders. He holds the judiciary in contempt.”

According to Shehu, former President Muhammadu Buhari endorsed the policy without knowing there was a hidden agenda behind it.

He also tweeted, “Emefiele, Bawa & ongoing investigation so far: For certain political(mis) calculations, Malami prompted Bawa to write a memo to PMB recommending for Naira redesign.

“Malami endorsed the memo & forwarded to PMB, who blindly directed EME to implement. It was all about INTERIM GOVT.”

Between November and December 2020, Shehu was also detained for 11 days between on the orders of the then-Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu
The IGP Monitoring Unit operatives arrested him over corruption allegations against then-Katsina Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, then-Secretary to the State Government, Mustapha Inuwa, other officials and contractors.

Shehu, in a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accused the government of squandering N52 billion between 2015 and 2020, among others.

But the FCT High Court ordered Shehu’s release on December 18 and declared the applicant’s arrest and detention as illegal.

The court subsequently awarded N5 billion in damages against the Nigeria Police and the IGP.

He was rearrested on February 16, 2021, but the Federal High Court again ordered the police to release Shehu from detention.

Amid the soaring rate of inflation, the Presidency on Sunday claimed that Nigerians are enjoying the lowest living costs in Africa.

It also said the administration of President Bola Tinubu was focused on “solving our economic and security challenges,” and while admitting that his reforms would cause “immediate pains, but will usher in an era of prosperity in the medium and long terms.”

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, made these assertions in a statement he signed titled ‘Atiku Abubakar and his new hobby.’

Onanuga’s response followed accusations from the Peoples Democratic Party 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who said Tinubu’s economic policies were dashing hopes, creating pain, and causing despair among Nigerians.

In a statement he signed on Sunday, Atiku, argued that President Tinubu’s poor response to the nation’s challenges was setting the stage for a prolonged and deeper economic crisis.

Atiku said, “The economy’s performance has, in recent weeks and months, been a subject of intense discourse among Nigerian citizens at home and abroad. Nigerians are gravely concerned, and rightly so, that Tinubu’s poor response to Nigeria’s economic challenges is setting the stage for a prolonged and deeper domestic economic crisis.

“His economic policies, drawn from a so-called Renewed Hope Agenda, are ironically dashing hopes, creating pain and causing despair. The private sector is shrinking by the day as small businesses are emasculated and as Multinational Companies, confused and weary of the economy, leave Nigeria in droves. The intense cost of living pressures has created more misery for the poor in towns and villages. There is hunger in the land as basic commodities, including BREAD, are becoming out of reach for average Nigerians.

“BAT has shown no capacity to deal with the adverse and disastrous impact of the new subsidy regime on the people and businesses and the new foreign exchange policy, which provides for a free-floating exchange rate. His initiatives are uninformed, arbitrary, and chaotic. BAT’s palliatives are too mean, pitiable, and contemptuous of the poor. He seems genuinely lost, bewildered, and overwhelmed.”

But the Presidency faulted Atiku’s assertions about the rising cost of living saying, “His claim that the government’s policies have created intense cost of living pressures are also not grounded on facts as recent comparative cost of living indices show that Nigerians still enjoy the lowest cost of living in Africa.”

“Atiku’s claims that the private sector is shrinking and that multinational companies are leaving our companies in ‘droves’ are not grounded on facts,” it added.

Onanuga said the former Vice President “should be honest enough to admit that President Tinubu inherited a weak economy,” which, to all intents and purposes…needs a complete overhaul.

“Nigerians can easily see through the hypocrisy of Alhaji Atiku, who in accusing President Tinubu of poor response to the nation’s challenges and causing pains and despair, didn’t offer any better policy options in his run for the Presidency different from the economic reform agenda being pursued by President Tinubu,” the statement further read.

It added that reputable local and international agencies who understand the situation the Tinubu administration found itself have commended the administration, having seen a policy trajectory that is clearly positive, realistic and sustainable.

The Presidency noted that the administration has also embarked on comprehensive fiscal and tax policy reform that will drive speedy recovery and spur economic growth and therefore its detractors “cannot stop the serious work of nation-building already set in motion by President Tinubu.”

Meanwhile, ex-lawmaker representing Obokun State Constituency in Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has urged opposition parties in the country to stop criticising Tinubu over rise in violent crimes across the country.

Oyintiloye, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Osun, who spoke in Osogbo on Sunday, said instead of criticism that could cause distraction, Tinubu should be supported as he sought solution to the challenge.

He said, “No one is happy with the recent killing, banditry, terrorism, kidnapping other criminalities across the country. But negative criticism and names calling by the leaders of the opposition parties is not the way forward.

“What we need at the critical period is for us, as stakeholders to come together, irrespective of our political affiliation, religious or tribe and give the present administration needed boost and encouragement.

“Security is a collective responsibility of everyone and that is why I am appealing to leaders of the opposition parties to stop playing cheap politics with security issues and narratives that can divide the country,” he said.

Alleged N10bn fraud: EFCC witness can’t recall if Yahaya Bello’s cousin made withdrawals


A prosecution witness in the trial of Ali Bello (said to be cousin of Kogi State’s ex-governor, Yahaya Bello) and one other, Edward Bananda, has said he could not recall if the defendants made withdrawals from the state’s account.
Bell and Dauda are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, before a Federal High Court in Abuja on a 10-count charge in which they are accused of engaging in misappropriation and money laundering.

At the resumption of proceedings on Monday, Bananda, the second prosecution witness, was cross-examined by lawyers to the defendants – A. M Aliyu (SAN) and Nureini Jimoh (SAN).

While being questioned by Jimoh (who represented Suleiman), he was handed three statements of accounts belonging to the state government and asked to recall if the defendants made withdrawals.

Bananda, who had said most of the withdrawals were made by Hudu Abdusalam (a cashier at the Kogi State House), told the court that he could not recall if the defendants made withdrawals from the accounts.

When asked if he could identify Hudu Abdusalam among the two defendants, the witness said he could not.

The witness, who was taken through some pages of the account statements by Jimoh, noted that most of the inflows were security funds belonging to Kogi State Government.

He said none of the withdrawals in the account statements exceeded the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, stipulated cash withdrawal limit of N10 million.

Reading from one of the account statements, the witness noted that on May 24, 2019, there was an inflow of N50 million; N100 million on May 27, 2019; N50 million on May 31, 2019; and N50 million on July 3.

The witness who said all the inflows were security funds, noted that they were also withdrawn in tranches of N10 million each.

When Jimoh suggested to the witness that the funds were meant for security purposes of Kogi State, Bananda said he did not know.

Under cross-examination by Aliyu (who represented Bello) the witness said one of the accounts belong to Kogi State Government House Administration.

Bananda said funds in the account belong to the Kogi State Government and that there are names and signatories to the account.

At the conclusion of the cross examination, the prosecuting lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), indicated his intention to call another witness.

The trial judge, Justice James Omotosho, adjourned till February 6 for continuation of trial.

Unholy love: Borno youths’ craze for fermented urine frustrates war against substance abuse



Amid its fight against illicit drug use and trafficking, and the achievements recorded, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency is grappling with the rising and seemingly intractable use of unconventional substances among youths in Borno State, UTHMAN ABUBAKAR writes

Throughout Abdullahi Sardauna’s long years of service as an anti-narcotics operative, nothing seemed more disappointing than the fact that he could not violate the privacies of people’s homes in search of youths lifting the lids of pit latrines first thing in the morning to sniff the steamy stench emanating from the depths to derive some psychotropic satisfaction.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act limits his operation to conventional drugs like cocaine, heroin, cannabis sativa, cough syrup with codeine, ICE, tramadol, Rohypnol, diazepam, pentazocine and all other related drugs.

It does not empower him to trespass into homes, fishing out youths taking unconventional substances like stagnant water from gutters (also known as ‘gutter juice’ among addicts), lizard dung, a brand of soft drink mixed with food seasonings or methylated spirit to get high on.

Sardauna cannot identify and arrest youths sniffing the content of one of the most popular and most-trusted antibiotic capsules or fermenting their urine for about 10 days and drinking or sniffing it.

The NDLEA operative was even more pained by the helplessness of the agency, as it grievingly watched the consumers of such unconventional psychotropic substances, unable to clamp down on them with the force of the law.

Lately, the consumption of such psychotropic substances among Nigerian youths has spread like bushfire, creating a frightening challenge to Nigeria’s anti-narcotic war.

In February 2022, the North-East Forum of Secretaries of State Government expressed worry over the 2018 statistics from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Narcotics which placed the region at a 13.6 per cent drug prevalence rate.

The forum’s Chairman and Secretary to the Gombe State Government at that time, Prof Ibrahim Njodi, said, “The statistics are glaring for Nigeria and the region.

“Highest levels of drug use is among those aged 25 to 39 years; one in five persons who had used drugs is suffering from drug use disorder.

“In the North, the North-East has the highest prevalence rate of 13.6 per cent (over three million people) which is disturbing and we have to note that this is in 2018. It is not in doubt that the figure may have increased significantly.”

Worried by the problem, the Senate in October 2023, called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in response to the escalating crisis of drugs and narcotics abuse within Nigeria.

Speaking during deliberation on a motion titled, “Immediate Intervention Required to Combat Drug Abuse in Nigeria” during its plenary session, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, expressed concern that some young individuals had resorted to drilling holes in soakaway pits to inhale vapours

Also, the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, underscored the significance of a country’s youth in its future.

He said, “The future of every country lies in its youth and when you have something that is destroying your youth, it shows that your future is in jeopardy.”

However, to nip the growing menace in the bud, the agency chose to diversify the drug war from fighting with the weapon of the law to public sensitisation campaigns on the attendant health hazards in the use of not just the common banned substances but also the unconventional ones.

“We have observed that drug and substance abuse is on the rapid increase not just across the North-East but the entire country,” the Borno State Commandant of the NDLEA, Ilyasu Mani, told Sunday PUNCH on the sidelines of a youth sensitisation programme against substance abuse in Maiduguri recently.

“More disturbing is the consumption of unconventional substances, many of them conventional household edibles, by youths to achieve some psychotropic satisfaction,” he lamented.

Fermented urine, ‘gutter juice’

Mani continued, “Some youths ferment their urine for five to 10 days, and then drink it or soak their handkerchiefs with it and sniff it. Some drink gutter waste water or dip their hands right to the bottom of the gutter, scoop the sand at the bottom, tie it in their handkerchiefs and then sniff it; this is apart from sniffing the hot steam of the pit latrine every morning.”

He further disclosed youths across the country had formed the habit of consuming various substances for psychotropic satisfaction largely because they were accessible at no financial cost.

“Our law does not cover such substances. We can only, therefore, mount sensitisation campaigns to draw the attention of parents and the governments about the frightening trend,” the senior anti-narcotics officer said.

“This is the only action we can take now but the problem with sensitisation is that it is not as forceful as the law because parents and the youths are at liberty to heed sensitisation or not; the law enforces compliance.”

As part of what he observed as the solution, he said Nigeria must first admit that it had a frightening problem threatening the sanity and capacity of the larger component of the society – the youths.

Sardauna, an Assistant Commander, Drug Demand Reduction, at the Borno command of the NDLEA, added, “This problem is the abuse of not just conventional, but unconventional substances, most of which are our daily consumables, and which, are not, therefore banned by law.

“Apart from sniffing the content of an antibiotic capsule, some youths now apply perfume in their mouths, shut the mouth for some time, and then swallow the perfume.”

But it does not end there. Our correspondent learnt that some youths in Maiduguri pluck leaves from graveyards and consume them in different ways.

This, a source in the NDLEA described as a very scary approach to the Zambian situation where people desecrated graves, exhumed the remains, extracted the bones, which they burnt to ashes, and sniffed as a psychotropic substance.

“The substance abuse in Maiduguri is worse than what obtains in Lagos. Some time ago, a mother brought her child, who looked mentally unstable, to us. Her child had taken a mixture of some local food items. Even a psychiatrist could not diagnose his insanity,” the source said.

Sardauna said irrational behaviour among youths who abuse drugs and consume other illicit substances was not new to the agency.

“In our rehabilitation facility, we recently had a youth who was regularly hitting his head on the wall; we later found out that he had not only consumed a mixture of cannabis sativa and tramadol but also taken an unconventional mixture of pawpaw leaves fermented in water and beer.

“The majority of these unconventional substances are free of charge; no youth buys the toilet steam they sniff. The urine they keep to ferment for days is theirs and is, therefore, free.”

He, therefore, called for drug tests before marriage, school admissions and employment.

Gambo Abatcha, a youth from the Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State, who was a participant in the sensitisation programme, said the new dangerous trend could worsen the level of insecurity in the region.

“Majority of Boko Haram fighters are children of the poor and drug addicts. The new developing trend of unconventional substance abuse will worsen our situation in Borno State.

“I will sensitise our local community on this new trend of the abuse of such unconventional substances, the danger of which we never knew,” he said.

Abatcha also told our correspondent that substance abuse in the area was not limited by age.

“Our mothers and housewives should now know that a male child doesn’t have to attain the age of 18 before he becomes a drug addict. A mother should always bother to find out what her child is doing whenever he hides himself in the room for a longer time than necessary or whether he is stealing her food seasoning,” he added.

Females too

However, Hussaina Mohammed from the Mobbar Local Government Area made a chilling revelation about women in the state.

“A rising population of women in Borno State are into drug abuse and this is disturbing, though Kano State women are more notorious for that. Even in wedding and naming ceremonies, you will find bottles of some brands of syrup abused as drugs in many women’s handbags,” she said.

“What is even more disturbing is the new trend of unconventional substance abuse. Mothers should now be more vigilant than ever about what their child is doing in the toilet. They should be bothered about why their child is hiding in the room alone, and also learn to regularly account for the quantity of the food seasoning they have used in cooking to observe if some have been stolen,” Mohammed added.

‘Substance abuse a public health concern’

A consultant to the Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, Kenneth Anetor, said the campaign against substance abuse should change from being a moral challenge to a public health concern.

“Entire Nigeria is experiencing the substance abuse challenge. The situation in the North-East poses a higher challenge and deserves more attention.

“We want to change the drug and substance abuse war concept from being a moral challenge to a public health concern,” he said.

Anetor, who is the co-founder of A New Thing International Foundation, organisers of the youth sensitisation programme on substance abuse, explained that the programme was important to raise awareness about the health hazards associated with unconventional substance abuse, instead of fighting it, especially because the unconventional substances were not under any regulation.

aguluobi:
All this Igbo sha

G00dharddick:
Who else noticed they don't say "This govt will favour them and their families anymore? Idiots everywhere!

We warned them but they said they wanted to teach obi lessons. I hope Obi must be crying wherever he is by now because he cannot afford to buy foodstuffs and fuel his car