StOla:
I knew it was impossible for El Rufai to have anything to do with Obi.

Is it not the same Gov Peter Obi that was boasting then in 2013 during the Anambra gubernatorial election, that he would not be found campaigning in Kano or Katsina, so what was El Rufai doing in Anambra State?

Peter Obi even wondered why El Rufai was chosen to lead APC monitoring team for the Anambra election, when APC has Anambra or other SouthEasterners as members?

Same Obi of the religious warfare infamy has now become a desperate politician looking to win a national election in the future, so he has to abandon his previous bigotry and insular political views.

Infact, Peter Obi has become so desperate that he is now observing Ramadan instead of observing Lent.

Paraman:
will this kind of scenerio not be causing problem between state police and federal military and para military forces?

The National Human Rights Commission has blamed the abduction of 286 students and teachers from two schools in Kaduna on the failure of the federal policing system in Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Anthony Ojukwu, disclosed this at a stakeholders’ dialogue on state police organised by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre in Abuja.

Bandits invaded the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State on March 7, shooting indiscriminately at people before whisking away the victims.

The incident has since triggered a national outrage, with Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Amnesty International, the Parents-Teachers Association of Nigeria, Nigeria Union of Teachers, and the House of Representatives condemning the attack.

But Ojukwu emphasised that such disaster could have been averted if the nation had not prioritised protection of the elite and affluent in society at the expense of the masses.

He also drummed support for the introduction of state police to tackle banditry and general insecurity ravaging the country.

“Insecurity in this country is a result of bad governance; there is no argument about that. However, do we have to wait until there is good governance? Even in societies where you have good governance, they don’t joke with the issue of security.

“We are at a crossroads where every aspect of our life as Nigerians is not working. For me, the greatest attraction was the issue of state police tackling insecurities.

“We have so many complaints about the federal police. Look at the origin; it started from being something the colonial master introduced to force us to pay taxes. So ab initio, it was formed to protect the authorities.

“When we now got our independence, there was no concerted effort to re-orientate the Nigerian police. That was the issue. These guys are just protecting the elite, particularly the executive and legislature. Governors have a convoy of 1,000 policemen leaving the rest of us unprotected.

Speaking on the abduction of the pupils, Ojukwu said, “That is why you can go on a road that stretches about 10 kilometres and you won’t see one single policeman. That is also why you can come into a secondary school and take away 282 students.

“Do you even know what 282 students look like? If you want to bring in luxury buses, you will need about three or four of them to pack them. And if you decide to use motorcycles, you need about 200 to lift these children.

“How did these people go about it without being noticed? Well, I am not a data analyst. But from what I heard, the number of policemen guarding all these rich individuals is far more than the ones left to look after the rest of us.”

A professor of Criminology and Sociology of Law at the University of Jos, Etannibi Alemika, however, disagreed with the call for state police.

Alemika wondered why Nigerians should be talking about deploying police at the state level when it was obvious their functions would be hijacked by the governors and influential figures within the domains.

U.S. Embassy says Americans are buying Nigerian children, imprisoning pregnant women; engaging in illegal adoption, fraud: Governors


The governors “pledged to engage the relevant ministries, departments and agencies of government in a bid to address the situation.”


COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE VIRTUAL MEETING OF THE NIGERIA GOVERNORS’ FORUM (NGF) HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 20TH MARCH 2024

We, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), at our meeting held today, Wednesday 20th March 2024, deliberated on various issues of national importance and resolved as follows:

1. The Forum commiserated with the Governor of Delta State, H.E Sheriff Oborevwori, over the communal clash between Okuama in the Ughelli South Local Government Area and Okolaba in the Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State, and which led to the death of many including sixteen (16) military personnel. While condemning the heinous act, members observed a minute of silence for the souls of the departed.


2. Members reviewed the progress of the National Minimum Wage Committee (NMWC) and ongoing multi- stakeholder engagements towards agreeing on a fair minimum wage. Members urged the NMWC to consider the current realities, individual State peculiarities and consequential impact on the capacity of the government as well as private sector employers to pay. Members also emphasized the need for proposals to be data- driven and evidence-based.

3. The Forum highlighted the need for State policing as a critical amendment in the ongoing 1999 Constitutional Amendment proceedings to correct a fundamental flaw in the national security architecture.

4. Members discussed the growing concern raised by the United States Embassy over illegal and fraudulent intercountry adoption of Nigerian children by US citizens including systemic fraud and corruption, child- buying, the imprisonment of pregnant women, and unreliable or non-existent documentation. Members pledged to engage the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government in a bid to address the situation.

5. The Forum discussed the progress made by States in implementing various business enabling reforms including those aimed at improving land administration, Public Private Partnership (PPP), investment promotion frameworks, business-enabling infrastructure and regulatory environment under the World Bank supported State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) Program for Result. Members were implored to leverage available support within the program in implementing related reforms to stimulate further economic growth.

6. The Forum received an update from the NGF Senior Health Advisor, Dr. Ahmad Abdulwahab on the Health Sector Renewal Compact, the next round of the Primary Health Care (PHC) Leadership Challenge and the UNICEF Child Nutrition Fund. Members restated their commitment to deliver on requisite actions and reforms to achieve the objectives of the various initiatives.

H.E Abdul Rahman Abdul Rasaq
Executive Governor, Kwara State & Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum

BitterTruth01:
Omenka
OmenkaLives
BenueJosh

Delta: Militant leader who masterminded killing of soldiers in Okuama on the run – Report

Details have emerged of the mastermind responsible for the killing of sixteen (16) soldiers recently in Okuama, a community in Ughelli South local government area of Delta State.

The militant leader (name withheld) currently on the run, along with his gang members, killed the soldiers who were on a peacekeeping mission to the community.

Soldiers tracked the fleeing militant leader to the riverside town of Igbomorotu in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, during the week, but left the community in pain, as residents had deserted the town after they razed some houses.

Reports said the military might likely extend the search for the fleeing militant leader and his men to Peremabiri, another community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.

There is, however, still conflicting information on the militant leader’s origin as some said he is paternally from the Awawa community, while others said he is Akwagbe, very close to Okuama community.

Detectives have kept him under surveillance since the March 14 killings of the military personnel, seeking information to seize the suspect.

An informed source told Vanguard that his mother from Igbomotoru, took him back to her ancestral home after she parted ways with his father and remarried in her community where he grew up in the backwaters of Igbomotoru.

He is also said to be the founder of a peace group and volunteer force and is also involved in humanitarian work.

He was reported to have renovated the dilapidated home of the late Niger Delta freedom fighter, Isaac Boro, at Kaiama in Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, and gave N1 million to the Boro family to support his anniversary.

The suspect was described as an ardent disciple of Isaac Boro who always celebrated the late freedom fighter.

While some said he also played a role in stemming crude oil theft in the Bomo axis of the state, others claimed he was into bunkering, claims that could not be independently verified.

enemyofprogress:
person wey never get food to chop want collect baby wey him no fit take care of. Just talk sey you wan use the baby for money ritual

makavalley:
How Odumeje go take pronounce this sickness na im ah dey reason for here 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Rahkman:
Ode go and kill ur ppl naa

Gossiphub:


This una wailing go long oo😂😂.

Peter Obi don turn ruling party to wailing Wailers😂😂😂.

E pele

Lagos government begins impounding Uber/Moove vehicles over failure to provide access to database

..the state officials operate by ordering rides on the Uber platform only to set upon the drivers who accepted the rides, deflate their tyres and impound their vehicles.

The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation has reportedly started impounding vehicles belonging to e-hailing drivers operating on the Uber app.

According to people close to the matter, the latest clampdown is due to the e-hailing company’s refusal to integrate its API with the state government’s so that they may have access to the company’s database which includes information about drivers and riders alike.

Moove vehicles are particularly targeted because they are unique and it is common knowledge that they all operate on the Uber platform. According to drivers whose vehicles were impounded, the ministry adopted a Gestapo-styled tactic to lure them. One of the victims explained that the MOT officials operated by ordering rides on the Uber platform only to set upon the drivers who accepted the rides, deflate their tyres and impound their vehicles.

According to Sunday, a Moove driver whose vehicle has been impounded:

“I came to Alausa to drop a passenger, and somebody ordered me. Thinking that it was a passenger, they tricked me into a compound, and before I knew what was happening they took the keys from me and deflated my tyres. I asked them what’s the problem and they said Uber has a problem with the government.”

The story was further corroborated by the PRO of the Lagos State chapter of the Amalgamated Union of App-based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON), Comrade Iwindoye Steven. Comrade Steven, in a statement, said the Lagos State government, through the Ministry of Transportation (MOT), has initiated enforcement actions against the company.

According to the statement, the action is due to the company’s refusal to provide API integration to the Lagos government from their users. The PRO also advised his comrades to ditch the company’s app until the issues between the company and the government are resolved.

“Despite multiple letters sent by the government, Uber has not complied, leading to the decision to enforce the arrest of Uber app users. As a responsible union, we aim to protect our members from the subjugation of this app company and the Lagos government. Therefore, we recommend temporarily ceasing the use of the Uber app,” the statement said.

Database access: is Uber breaking any law?
It appears Uber is breaking the laws of Lagos State by its reported failure to grant the Ministry of Transportation access to its database via an API integration. This is because such a refusal contravenes the provisions of the Lagos State taxi-hailing regulation which mandates every taxi-hailing company to do so.

Section 4.1 item x of the said regulation states that[b] “all operators of e-hailing taxi services MUST give the ministry access to their database.” [/b]In light of that, Uber must contact the ministry to resolve the current impasse before it degenerates further.

Unfortunately, drivers, or driver-partners, as the companies like to call them, are bearing the direct brunt of the government’s clampdown. No fewer than a dozen drivers already have their vehicles impounded by the ministry. And the drivers, who mostly want to go about their normal business, are ruing their losses.

“If Uber has a problem with the government, we drivers are not supposed to be affected. I’m not an Uber staff, I don’t work for Uber. I only use their app. So it’s surprising to me now that my vehicle is impounded, my tyres deflated, and nobody could explain the reason this thing is happening to me,” Sunday said.

Uber’s recent travails in Nigeria
In Nigeria, Uber seems to be finding itself in difficult situations with city authorities lately.

Recently, Technext reported that the company might lose its license to operate in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja due to its failure to secure operating licences from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) through its Transport Secretary.

The FCTA revealed that only two ride-hailing companies have been approved to operate exclusively in the city. The companies are Estonian ride-hailing giant, Bolt, and Nairaxi, an indigenous mobility startup that won the innovator’s competition organized by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) held February 2023.

Now, the ride-hailing giant, which recently backed Moove in a mega fundraising round, has another scuffle to resolve with the government authorities in its biggest African market, Lagos.

N.B: This reporter reached out to Uber for comments but is yet to get one at the time of this report.

It is still unclear if the state government is aware of or has approved the imposed levy.

Lagos pedestrians carrying heavy luggage are now required to pay a N100 levy before they can be granted access to the Yaba pedestrian bridge.

A viral video on Instagram by Guardian Nigeria on Wednesday showed a thug, on two separate occasions, blocking the access of two women carrying loads from climbing the bridge until they paid the N100 levy he demanded.

However, the video also showed other pedestrians without any loads having unhindered access to the bridge.

The video was shared with the caption, “In Yaba, Lagos State, individuals are imposing a fee of N100 on pedestrians carrying loads to use the pedestrian bridge, coinciding with the enforcement of laws against jaywalking in Lagos. Concerned citizens on social media urge the state government to address this issue.”

Peoples Gazette has yet to ascertain if the levy is also imposed on other pedestrian bridges across the state, while it is still unclear if the state government is aware of or has approved the imposed levy.

Attempts to get comments from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s special adviser on media and publicity, Gboyega Akosile, were unsuccessful. His phone rang out, and he did not respond to messages at the time of filing this report.

Recently, security agencies in the state have been arresting and charging miscreants who sleep on the bridge to court, a move aimed at encouraging pedestrians to use the bridges and stop risking their lives to cross the highways.

…As demolition of houses continues


The Nigerian military, Wednesday, redoubled efforts in the demolition of houses at Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State, sequel to the arrival of the three swamp buggies transported on barges from the Bomadi axis of River Forcados to the community on Tuesday, this week.

A community source said: “It is certain that those machines brought to Okuama to ease the task of demolishing and evacuating houses and rubbles have been put to work, and almost half the community has been cleared.

However, there is the rumour making the rounds that, the military were planning to build a barracks on the Okuama community soil, and which necessitated the concerted effort in the clearing and evacuation of rubbles from the location of the community.

According to our source, “The army will certainly build their barracks on the Okuama community soil, and that’s why they are painstakingly using heavy machines in the evacuation of everything in the community.

“We heard that very soon, the Chief of Army Staff will come to Okuama to flag off the barracks project”, he said.

SamuelAnyawu:


In Military anywhere in the world you cannot call your senior officer, you use Sir.

Sirmwill:
Best comment takes this space

LocalFARMERS:


Ok

LocalFARMERS:


You believe what he said?

The Federal Government says it has uncovered the identity of 15 entities, including nine individuals and six Bureau De Change operators and firms, allegedly involved in terrorism financing.

Details of the development were revealed by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, in an email sent to our correspondent on Tuesday night, entitled “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024.”

The document revealed that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee met on March 18, 2024, where specific individuals and entities were recommended for sanction following their involvement in terrorism financing.

“The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, with the approval of the President, has thereupon designated the following individuals and entities to be listed on the Nigeria Sanctions List,” the document read in part.

Among the individuals named in the document was a Kaduna-based publisher, Tukur Mamu, who is currently being tried by the Federal Government for allegedly aiding the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.

According to the document, Mamu “participated in the financing of terrorism by receiving and delivering ransome payments over the sum of $200,000 US in support of ISWAP terrorists for the release of hostages of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.”

The document said one of the individuals is “the suspected attacker of the St. Francis Catholic Church Owo, Ondo State on June 5, 2022 and the Kuje Correctional Center, Abuja on July 5, 2022.”

Another was described as “a member of the terrorist group Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam, the group is associated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

“The subject was trained and served under Muktar Belmokhtar, aka One Eyed Out, led Al-Murabtoun Katibat of AQIM in Algeria and Mali.”

The NFIU said the individual “specialises in designing terrorist clandestine communication code and he is also Improvised Explosive Device expert.

“The subject was also a gate keeper to ANSARU leader, Mohammed Usman aka Khalid Al-Bamawi. Equally, he was a courier and travel guide to AQIM Katibat in the desert of Algeria and Mali. He is into carpentry. Subject fled Kuje correctional centre on July 5, 2022. He is currently at large.”

Another was identified as “a senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province Okene.”

The agency said, the individual “came into limelight in 2012 as North Central wing of Boko Haram.

“The group is suspected of the attacks carried out around Federal Capital Territory and the South West Geographical Zone, including the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.”

Another was described as “a financial courier to ISWAP Okene. She is responsible for the disbursement of funds to the widows/wives of the terrorist fighters of the group.”

According to the document, another of the individuals “in 2015, transferred N60m to terrorism convicts.”

He was also said to have “received a sum of N189m between 2016 and 2018.”

The same person is said to “own entities and business reported in the UAE court judgment as facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria.”

Another individual was said to have “received a total of N57m from between 2014 and 2017.”

Another was said to have “had a total inflow of N61.4 bn and a total outflow of N51.7bn from his accounts.”

The document further revealed that, in accordance with Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, institutions and individuals are required to:

“(a) immediately, identify and freeze, without prior notice, all funds, assets, and any other economic resources belonging to the designated persons and entities in your possession and report same to the Sanctions Committee;

“(b) report to the Sanctions Committee any assets frozen or actions taken in compliance with the prohibition requirements.

“(c) immediately file a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU for further analysis on the financial activities of such an individual or entity; and

“(d) report as a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU, all cases of name matching in financial transactions prior to or after receipt of this List. ”

It said the “The freezing obligation required above shall extend to

“(a) all funds or other assets that are owned or controlled by the designated persons and entities, and not only those that are tied to a particular act, plot, or threat of terrorism or terrorism financing;

“(b) those funds or other assets that are wholly or jointly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by designated persons or entities;

“(c) the funds or other assets derived or generated from funds or other assets owned or controlled directly or indirectly by designated persons or entities; and

“(d) funds or other assets of persons and entities acting on behalf of, or at the direction of designated persons or entities.”