₦airaland Forum

The Igbo Kingdom of Nri, founded around 900 AD in the Awka area, is likely the oldest in Nigeria. It was a hub of spirituality and trade, stretching its influence across Igboland. Other early kingdoms like Ife and Benin came later, around the 11th and 13th centuries.

@grok are you truly the one who stated all these explanations above. If you truly are the one then you must be joking.

Bola Tinubu’s past is messy—1990s court docs tie him to a Chicago heroin ring, with $460,000 forfeited to U.S. authorities. CIA and DEA are blocking full record release, citing "national security" and hinting he might’ve been an asset. Hundeyin’s pushing hard for transparency, but U.S. agencies aren’t budging. Shady history for Nigeria’s President.

The name "Yoruba" was first given to the Oyo people by the Fulani or Hausa, meaning "cunning." It later became a broader term for the ethnic group. Earliest written record of the name pops up in a 1614 manuscript by Berber jurist Ahmed Baba. History’s a wild ride!

Hard data on Igbo arrests for drug crimes in Nigeria is scarce, but NDLEA reports from 2023 show the South-East (Igbo-heavy) had 15% of total drug arrests —about 2,000 out of 13,500 nationwide. No tribal breakdown, though. Compare that to the South-West (Yoruba), which led with 25%. Crime stats don't play favorites; every region's got its share. Check NDLEA's annual reports for the raw numbers.

Malam El Rufai is too big to be treated like fmr gov Ambode...He's not a coward...T-Pain & his area boys thinks everyone fears him...People that made you can never fear you...An Average northerner doesn't give a damn about what any tyrant says or thinks in their little cocoon!!!

In case anyone from Kaduna State tries to lie that he delivered Tinubu in the 2023 Presidential election and he is entitled,this was the result;

Atiku 554,360k
Tinubu 399,294k
Peter Obi who was denied the use of Arewa House after paying for it pulled 294,494k.

How could a man call the president an area boy as el-Rufai just did on Arise? Who is the area boy from that assertion?

Canadian immigration authorities have denied the asylum application of retired Nigerian police officer Wale Akinpelu and his wife, Ajarat Mojirola, citing his previous employment under the Nigerian police —with a reputation for corruption and human rights violations— as a stumbling block to his request.

Justice Norris of a federal court in Ottawa, Ontario, on January 2, rejected the refugee status request of the Nigerian couple who fled Nigeria in 2017 and claimed that a criminal gang was after their lives.

Mrs Akinpelu was the first person to travel to the U.S. in May 2017 and was later joined by her husband in October 2017 “shortly after quitting his job as an officer with the Nigerian Police Service,” court filings seen by Peoples Gazette stated.

The couple left the U.S. for Canada in 2018 and immediately sought refugee protection, asserting that they were in danger of being harassed and attacked by a criminal gang.

Court filings showed that the couple admitted that Mr Akinpelu’s former corrupt colleagues at the Nigerian Police had “scores to settle” with him, a statement that led the Canadian immigration authorities to immediately suspend his asylum request.

Mr Akinpelu’s asylum application was subsequently denied “on grounds of violating human or international rights due to his past employment as a police officer in Nigeria.” A judicial review of the matter upheld the denial.

The foreign government separated the couple’s applications into two to allow the processing of Mrs Akinpelu’s documents while her husband’s request was suspended.

The Refugee Protection Division (RPD) later in March 2019 rejected Mrs Akinpelu’s asylum application, having found loopholes in her claims of needing protection. She appealed the rejection.

The Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) granted her appeal and ordered a fresh hearing of her case.

The RPD again denied her asylum in February 2023, upholding a previous decision that she was “neither a Convention refugee nor a person in need of protection because she had not credibly established the core elements of her claim.”

Mrs Akinpelu marched to court to seek redress, claiming her asylum denial reeked of procedural unfairness and unreasonableness.

But Justice Norris said the RPD found that her application was predicated on the documentary evidence provided by her husband, which was riddled with inconsistencies.

The judge reiterated findings from the RPD stating that Mrs Akinpelu fabricated fraudulent documents to support her asylum request.

“The RPD found that the applicant’s husband’s narrative (which, for the most part, the applicant had simply adopted as her own) was not credible,” stated court filings.

The RPD adjudged Mrs Akinpelu as not being a credible witness “due to the abundancy of inconsistencies and contradictions in her evidence, evolving testimony, and relying upon multiple fraudulent documents created specifically to bolster her allegations.”

Mrs Akinpelu’s claims that her father-in-law, husband’s first wife and daughter were killed in an attack were not properly substantiated.

When questioned to clarify inconsistencies, the police officer’s wife gave a “vague, rambling testimony” and said she was not aware of any discrepancies because her husband was the one who obtained the evidence.

The RPD said Mrs Akinpelu did not show any willingness to ask her husband to clarify the contradictions in the documentary and that “it would serve little purpose to belabour these issues in questioning” her.

When the Canadian immigration authorities raised some concerns, they soon realised it was an “exercise in futility.”

Consequently, the judge dismissed Mrs Akinpelu’s request for judicial review and will soon commence standard deportation protocol on her case.

The emergence of Lt-Col. Gowon as the new Commander-in- Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces marked the beginning of the tension between Gowon and Lt-Col. Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu. In an early morning broadcast from Enugu, Ojukwu rejected Gowon's emergence as Head of State, insisting that in the absence of Aguiyi-Ironsi, the most senior Nigerian Army officer in the person of Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe, should be Head of State and Commander-in-Chief.

It should, however, be borne in mind that some senior officers of Igbo extraction were also victims of the January coup.

For instance, my erstwhile Commander at the Reconnaissance Squadron in Kaduna, Lt-Col. Atthur Chinyelu Unegbe, was brutally gunned down by his own brother, Major Chris Anuforo, in the presence of his pregnant wife, at his 7 Point Road residence in Apapa, for merely being a threat to the revolution'. As a disciplined and strict officer who, as the Quartermaster-General of the Army, was also in charge of ammunition, weapons, equipment, vehicles, and other yvital items for the Army, the coup plotters feared that he might not cooperate with them.


It should also be remembered that some non-Igbo _officers, like Major Adewale Ademoyega, Captain Ganiy. Adeleke, Lts Fola Oyewole, and Olafimihan took part in the failed coup. Another officer of Igbo extraction, Major John Obienu, crushed the coup. Those who argue that the original intention of the coup plotters was anyhing but ethnic refer to the fact that the initial purpose of the coup plotters was to release Chief Obafemi Awolowo 'from prison.

The Osun State High Court in Ilesa has ordered the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, (OSSIEC), to conduct elections for the vacant positions of local government chairmen and councillors in all the 30 local government areas and the area office in Osun State.

This order was made on Friday, 21st of February, 2025, sequel to a suit brought before the court by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), one of the political parties participating in the election.

Daughter wey go soon die before her next birthday. I can promise you that.

Tinubu's Jagaban gra gra ends at Muritala Mohammed airport.
On the international stage, nobody rates him except his buddy in France, who is obviously using him to get access to Nigeria's resources.

The Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, who went missing in March 2024, has been discovered in FBI custody, facing allegations of defrauding the U.S. government of $4.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

The Nigerian monarch, who also holds American citizenship, is battling a 13-count fraud indictment at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

His prolonged absence has left the royal stool of Ipetumodu vacant for nearly a year, stirring serious concerns among indigenes, especially as he missed three major traditional festivals, including the annual Odun Egungun and Odun Edi.

Mr Oloyede, based in Cleveland, was arrested on May 4, 2024, after the U.S. District Court issued a warrant for his apprehension. The FBI accused him of orchestrating a scheme through his six registered companies to fraudulently obtain loans meant for struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To alleviate the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the U.S. government allowed small business owners to request financial aid like the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), which must be used for certain expenses that include paying fixed debts, payroll and other “permissible” bills.

Loan applicants were required to submit their quarterly federal and annual tax returns, wage and tax statements and other supporting documents to show that their businesses might collapse without external aid in light of the global health crisis.

The FBI found out that Mr Oloyede not only falsified the supporting documents he submitted to apply for the loans but also diverted the money for his own personal use, violating federal laws.

FBI records show that In June 2020 alone, Mr Oloyede received over $100,000 loan for four of his six companies, including Available Tax Services, Available Tutors, Available Financial and Available Transportation.

On October 7, 2021, Mr Oloyede was awarded a $500,000 loan for his company JO&A. Two days later, he got another $500,000 loan for Available Transportation.

Further investigations revealed that the monarch, with a background in accounting, also assisted co-conspirators in executing similar fraud schemes, charging them a percentage of the loan amount upon disbursement.

“Oloyede assisted co-conspirators and confederate borrowers who submitted and caused to be submitted PPP and EIDL loan applications containing false information,” stated the indictment filed on April 3, 2024.

Unaware that he had been indicted, Mr Oloyede left Nigeria and returned to the U.S., where his family is based. It did not take long before the FBI swooped him into custody after he landed on U.S. soil.

Crowned in 2019, the Apetumodu often shuffled between Nigeria to attend to his royal duties and the U.S. to visit his family.

It is unclear whether the indigenes of Ipetumodu were aware of the damning allegations hanging on their monarch’s head and whether the town will choose a new ruler should Mr Oloyede be found guilty and sentenced to prison.

Peter, you won't wish your friend, Nasir el-Rufai, a happy birthday? No more 2027 coalition or what?

#TableShaker

THE CHIEF IMĀM OF LAGOS STATE, ENGR. SULAIMĀN OLUWATOYIN ABOU-NOLLA, ADDRESSES THE MUSLIM POPULACE ON MOON SIGHTING, STATING THAT ' IT DEPENDS ON THE SULTAN OF SOKOTO, WHICH IS THE LEADER OF MUSLIMS IN NIGERIA. HE ADVISES US TO FOLLOW THE LEADER '

IGNORE ANY OTHER UNWARRANTED RAMADĀN PROCLAMATION.

RETWEET FOR OTHERS TO BENEFIT

Kindly retweet Wide for others to benefit

@IdrisAOni1 @A_QowiyyBadmus @AbuUba @aboogeeky @_atofarati. @Adamthallith @Oniwe_luqman @ProfIsaPantami
@illiterato @BashirAhmaad @47_clothings @_Abou_Bakr @omoalhajaabiola @AlfaShehu01 @instablog9ja @awallexy @CoveredInWords

THE CHIEF IMĀM OF LAGOS STATE, ENGR. SULAIMĀN OLUWATOYIN ABOU-NOLLA, ADDRESSES THE MUSLIM POPULACE ON MOON SIGHTING, STATING THAT ' IT DEPENDS ON THE SULTAN OF SOKOTO, WHICH IS THE LEADER OF MUSLIMS IN NIGERIA. HE ADVISES US TO FOLLOW THE LEADER '

IGNORE ANY OTHER UNWARRANTED… pic.twitter.com/9DSeHSkYRE

— Muslims Connect (@muslimsconnect0) February 15, 2025

I will only have problem when they relocate RCCG headquarters to Anambra and choose someone GO to be giving us instructions from there. Ìyén tun nko?

𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 not by some groups announcement - Imam Ogbomoso

𝗥𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 not by some groups announcement - Imam Ogbomoso pic.twitter.com/KwaPxJKJEI

— A. Ayofe (@abdullahayofel) February 15, 2025

Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists have killed three Nigerian Army personnel following an attack on a military base in Borno State.

SaharaReporters gathered that the terrorists for several hours last Sunday attacked the military facility in Isige town, Gwoza Local Government Area of the state.

A source said that the terror group razed many buildings and took away two gun trucks during the attack.

SaharaReporters is withholding names of the army personnel killed as their families are yet to be informed.

“There was an attack recently in Borno, one Staff Sergeant with two private soldiers were killed. However, the army authorities are silent over the attack which happened at a base in Isige Town, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.

“They burnt one military vehicle while they went away with two gun trucks, later reforcement came from nearby unit but then the Boko Haram fighters have left.”

This is coming a few weeks after the terror group launched a brutal attack on the military's Forward Operating Base in the Damboa Local Government Area of same Borno State, killing a yet-to-be confirmed number of soldiers, with many still missing.

“25 Taskforce Bde was attacked during the weekend with so many casualties, so far we have recovered over seven bodies,” a source had told SaharaReporters.

“The terror group invaded the camp FOB Sabon Gari around 4am on Saturday, using various weapons.”

ISWAP subsequently claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.

Also attached to the statement were pictures of members shooting sporadically towards the military facility.

Since the death of JAS leader, Abubakar Shekau, ISWAP has been consolidating its grip in locations around Lake Chad.

The sect’s membership has swollen with the defection of hundreds of Boko Haram fighters under Shekau.

The Nigerian Army has repeatedly claimed that insurgency had been largely defeated and frequently underplays any losses.

The terror group has caused over 100,000 deaths and displaced millions of people mainly in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

A former Nigerian Army spokesman has cast the country’s preeminent defence institution as a murderous, corrupt and overly criminal organisation before a Canadian asylum court in Ottawa.

But Said Agborere Hammed maintained he did not take part in the crimes against humanity committed by his former employer and he was in fact under duress when he issued statements on behalf of the military that suppressed or significantly watered down atrocities perpetrated against the Nigerian civilian population.

Mr Hammed, who sought asylum in the North American country during his hearing at the Refugee Protection Division (RPD), said although he doubted the accuracy of some press releases where his name appeared as the signatory, he had no influence over them.

He sought asylum in Canada alongside his spouse and their three children because family members allegedly persecuted them for his conversion to Christianity. According to him, the persecution occurred between November 15, 1998, and January 24, 2012.

Mr Hammed, a retired major, said he fled with his family after a fatwa was issued to have him killed in Nigeria.

Court documents seen by Peoples Gazette stated that Mr Hammed, at the hearing, asserted that “he was working under duress or under authority as a public relations officer and his espoused fear of prosecution should he leave the Army.”

“His evidence was corroborated by the documentary evidence concerning the environment of fear, injustice, duress and the lack of due process in the Nigerian military,” the document said.

Documentary evidence also showed that the Nigerian Army “committed crimes against humanity on numerous occasions” while Mr Hammed was in service, but the RPD said his claims of innocence were found truthful.

The RPD concluded that even though Mr Hammed was a spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, his “duties did not demonstrate a significant contribution to the Army’s crimes” because he was under a superior officer, and he could not leave for fear of persecution.

Mr Hammed could also have been declared a deserter and charged with crimes had he fled after witnessing widespread extrajudicial executions, rights abuses and corruption in the military, immigration officials said.

A spokesman for the Nigerian Army did not respond to The Gazette’s request seeking comments about Mr Hammed’s disclosures to Canadian authorities.

The development marked yet another prong in the Canadian judiciary’s decisions about Nigerian former security agents seeking asylum. Previously, The Gazette had reported cases of two police officers, Olushola Popoola and Charles Ukoniwe, who were denied asylum because of their ties to the Nigeria Police Force, a body with matching criminal tendencies as the Nigerian military.

Canada’s Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration had requested a judicial review of the March 6, 2019, decision by the RPD to allow Mr Hammed to remain in Canada with his family.

The minister asserted that Mr Hammed was “complicit in crimes and issued pro-army press statements which minimised the Army’s transgressions.” This, according to the minister, contributed “significantly to the impunity enjoyed by the Nigerian Army in committing its crimes.”

Mr Hammed said the ministry’s evidence was “not inconsistent” with his position or the RPD’s finding that he was merely conveying information he received from his principals in the military and that “he was not in the field to verify the information.”

He added, “The crimes committed by the Nigerian Army were widely reported in the international media, and the content of those articles differed from that provided by the Army’s public relations group.”

In his January 27, 2020, ruling, Richard Bell, a Canadian federal court judge in Ottawa, Ontario, dismissed the minister’s application for judicial review.

“I find the minister’s argument that the RPD failed to properly consider whether Mr Hammed significantly contributed to the crimes against humanity committed by the Nigerian Army to have no merit,” Mr Bell said.

Once a shining light for the restoration of peace in war-torn African countries, the Nigerian Army has seen its glory erode significantly after becoming highly politicised and constantly linked to widespread killings and destruction, as well as near-daily cases of gruesome human rights abuses.

Since 1999, the Nigerian Army had coordinated the massacre of civilians in Zaki Biam, Odi, Obigbo, Zaria, and amongst others. Last October in Lekki, Lagos, Nigerian soldiers intervened in a civilian protest with heavy gunfire, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens in an act condemned across the world.

Hardly have any military chiefs ever been brought to justice for taking part in the murder of citizens they had sworn to protect.

Lmao. Na the biggest mistake Pablo Escobar & his henchmen will make.

I see the folly in @vanguardngrnews reportage, generalising the ignorant opposition rather than tagging it as a section. Why are those in support not feasible in ur news. You pitched stand with Islamophobia as usual. It's not strange to us.

Please always clarify;
Yoruba non Muslim oppose sultan's support for Sharia in south west

Stop saying Yoruba youth. Just say Yoruba Christians. I'm a Yoruba and Muslim and I'm in full support of Sultan

The establishment of sharia panel or court is the agreement between the yoruba Muslims, the sultan only support it being the leader of muslim in Nigeria, the iseese youth are the one that opposed it because they believe yoruba belongs to the iseese,

We shall see sha