Nigeria's University Of Ibadan Students Resort To Begging Online For Financial Assistance Over Tuition Fee Hike As Deadline Nears
Some students of the University of Ibadan, Oyo State have taken to social media to beg for financial assistance to pay their tuition, which was recently hiked by the school authorities.
SaharaReporters reported in August that the students held massive protests to force the management to rescind its decision on the increment of school fees for the 2023/2024 academic session.
It was gathered that fees were increased from N230,000 to N412,000, which triggered reactions from the students.
Despite public demonstrations by the students and several interventions of some concerned citizens, the management of the institution has refused to back down.
The situation has forced many of the students, particularly those from not-well-to-do backgrounds to resort to begging to avoid withdrawing from school.
One of the students, Femi said he is at risk of withdrawing from the school if he does not pay the tuition before Friday.
Femi wrote: “Please sir I'm a student of the University of Ibadan. Our deadline is slated for Friday. Without payment we won't be able to write exams sir. I hope you help me out with anything sir
“You can DM for any verification, sir.”
Femi’s position that the deadline for the payment of the tuition fees is slated for Friday is confirmed in an internal memo issued by the university’s registrar, G. O. Saliu.
The memo reads: “As we prepare to welcome students back to campus on 20 September 2024, after the Senate-approved three weeks break for students of the University of Ibadan, with effect from Saturday, 31 August 2024 to 20 September 2024, students are to note the following:
“The hostels will be reopened for students from 12 noon on Friday, 20 September, 2024.
“The 2023/2024 first semester examinations will start on Monday, 23 September, 2024.
“The portal for registration will be closed on Friday, 20 September, 2024. There will be no re-opening of the portal for fee payment or course registration after 20 September, 2024.”
In a post shared by a blog, GistAroundYou, a flier is seen soliciting money for about 100 students of the university.
The blog wrote: “University of Ibadan students devise a far-reaching means to reach the public to help them beat the school deadline for registration. Confirming that it is indeed not a great sign of a prosperous Nigeria when students have to crowdfund their new school fees which was only recently increased to over ₦100k.”
The flier titled ‘HELP EDUCATORS' STAY IN SCHOOL’ reads: “Help us raise funds to pay part of 100 educators fees (average 140,000 each)...”
“The deadline for the payment is less than seven days but some persons have not paid and neither do they have any means to. Your donation is a powerful way to show your support and make a difference,” it added.
In Nigeria, fashion has always been connected to identity and meaning.
Recently, two contrasting symbols have inspired public debate: the Lord's Chosen vest and Tinubu’s cap.
For many, the green vest worn by members of the Lord's Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement has become more than just religious clothing.
“People now view the Lord's Chosen vest as a protective shield, a symbol of hope, prosperity, lush green vegetation, and opportunity,” says Adebayo, a Lagos resident who claims to have experienced good fortune after wearing the vest. “It represents a future full of promise.”
Stories of miraculous encounters are spreading rapidly. One recent tale involves a man who claims a lion flew him to safety. "Something lifted me up from my back and carried me like an airplane," he recalls. “When it dropped me, I saw it was a lion. It raised one hand and said, 'Bye-bye.'”
Another Chosen member recounts, “I went to buy a bag of rice that cost 80,000 naira. The cashier asked me for a coupon, but I just looked at him and said, ‘I’m a Chosen!’ Suddenly, the price crashed to 0 naira!”
In stark contrast, President Bola Tinubu’s infamous cap has developed a reputation for bringing misfortune to anyone daring (or unlucky) enough to wear it.
For many Nigerians, this piece of attire feels like a cursed relic.
“The moment you put on Tinubu’s cap, it’s like stepping into a Mad Max world, where everything is post-apocalyptic,” says Bayo Soyinka, who tried in vain to withdraw 500 naira from an ATM using his APC membership card. “It’s as if the card thought I was trying to pay for a dragon’s egg or something. The ATM wouldn’t even give me a receipt, just a message saying, ‘Try again after the apocalypse.’”
He sighs, “I deeply regret supporting Tinubu and the APC. Since I started wearing this cap, my life has taken a nosedive. I went from being a millionaire to squatting with friends and begging for giveaways on Twitter. Now, the only thing I’m withdrawing is sympathy from my followers. This cap took away my sanity and gave me pain, sorrow, and an endless supply of misfortune!”
Dominique, a market woman, laments her unfortunate experience after wearing Tinubu’s cap. “As soon as I put on that cap, a tuber of yam I was pricing mysteriously went from ₦200 to ₦1000,” she says, clearly distressed. “I was shocked and tried to show the seller my APC card, hoping it might offer a discount or help, but instead, the price shot up to ₦2000! The cap comes with an invisible button that sends food prices soaring.”
She shakes her head in disbelief. “Honestly, at this rate, it's only the Lord's Chosen vest that can help me. Tinubu’s cap has finished me. Ebi n pami o!"
Online, rumors suggest that those brave enough to wear Tinubu’s cap in public spaces—especially at filling stations—might face even graver consequences. The cap, which some now see as an omen of doom, is said to attract all manner of disasters, particularly when worn in environments already charged with tension.
According to some accounts, wearing Tinubu’s cap at a fuel station is akin to tempting fate. “It’s like placing your head in a guillotine—you risk being beheaded and not making it out alive,” another user remarked, drawing parallels between the cap and historical instruments of execution.
While the Lord's Chosen vest inspires stories of divine rescue and supernatural protection, Tinubu’s cap has become a symbol of dark misfortune. As Nigeria struggles with severe hardship, these two symbols seem to mirror the nation’s deepest hopes and darkest fears.
Thomas Nast, the famous American cartoonist, created the political symbols of the Elephant and the Donkey, respectively, for the Republican Party and the Democratic Party in the United States of America.
Even before that time in the late 19th century, the use of political symbols has been an enduring concept dating back to the Middle Ages.
As a matter of fact, the Swastika, which became known as the symbol of Adolph Hitler of the then Nazi Germany, is renowned to have a much older history than the Nazi Movement.
For centuries, the Swastika, which literally means ‘good fortune’ had been a symbol of nationalism for many civilizations before it got adopted by Hitler, who made it become the symbol of hate and outlaws.
The symbol of the broken shackles popularized by the Statue of Liberty represents an expression of freedom from slavery and oppression into a world of human liberty and unfettered access to the rights of the individual.
The broken shackle has remained a symbol of the free world and has become the nominal feature for the preservation of human rights and equality.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), in its October 2014 documentary titiled: “How the world loved the Swastika – until Hitler stole it,” said: “In the Western world, the swastika is synonymous with fascism, but it goes back thousands of years and has been used as a symbol of good fortune in almost every culture in the world.”
The broken shackle, which has long been adopted as a symbolism for supporters of President Bola Tinubu sadly, enjoys the same fate as the swastika in the reckoning of Nigerians today.
For Nigerians, the broken shackle is no longer about freedom and human rights. It is the very opposite of it.
President Tinubu in a campaign soapbox in Ogun State where he made the infamous Emilokan remarks, which is a selfish and arrogant ownership claim to power, has since made the broken shackle a symbol of oppression and political rascality.
During the 2023 presidential campaign and up till the early days of the Tinubu administration, his supporters were proud of adorning the broken shackle symbol on their caps in avid imitation of President Tinubu – a fad that soon became known as the Emilokan caps.
But today, the reality is that no one goes about wearing the Emilokan caps again for the simple reason that it has become the symbols of oppression and a sore source of embarrassment to the supporters of President Tinubu.
Supporters of the President are held together by the belief that he has the credentials of a democrat who, if given the chance to leadership, will use the opportunity to protect human rights and freedom. They also believe in his ability to create shared prosperity by improving the national economy.
The long-held theory that the Tinubu’s statecraft gave birth to the prosperous Lagos economy further oriented his supporters to see the possibility of Tinubu’s administration as the making of a prosperous Nigeria.
Like members of the Third Reich that had an over-inflated appeal to German nationalism and race purity, Emilokan supporters in Nigeria too, soon began to see an appeal to the ideal of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the person of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
But now, it is clear to all that the broken shackles personality symbol of Bola Tinubu is not about freedom from oppression but about a fascist style control of state powers.
Everyone now knows that Emilokan is not about shared prosperity for all but about a rabid appropriation of state assets to personal ownership.
Everyone now knows that Tinubu didn’t build Lagos.
It is also clear for everyone to see that Tinubu is not Awolowo and that all the years of imagining himself as a progressive has ended up as an iconic political impersonation fraud of grand proportions.
The defeat of the German army led to the swastika becoming an item never to be displayed anymore in the public space. So, too, has the Emilokan caps become relics of political deception and disappointment in the wardrobes of those who used to wear it. Even the once-eager vendors who proudly displayed the Emilokan caps at bustling traffic lights and strategic street corners now find themselves burdened by them. What was once a prized symbol of political fervor has become an unwanted relic, gathering dust as no one bothers to ask for them anymore. The caps, once seen as a beacon of hope and power, have now turned into silent reminders of promises unfulfilled, leaving these sellers with a product that has lost its allure and meaning.
Shaibu is Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar, Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (2023).
As much as I love and respect Waziri Atiku, if he gives him the VP slot he is now begging for, Waziri Atiku Abubakar, whom I love and respect so much, will automatically become my enemy, and I will fight him!
This young man age 38years took his life this yesterday 11th of September just because he was unable to provide for his family and some of his friends are dating his wife, when he asked his wife she says he need help for them to feed, The marriage is blessed with 3kids
This young man decided to take his own life because of hardship.may God help our men…pls always do pray for your husband and wives too God no go shame us as we all agree with a Big AMEN😢😭
The federal government has handed over 24,180 bags of 50kg maize and 5,828 bags of 25kg garri to the Akwa Ibom government for distribution to vulnerable households.
Zubaida Umar, the director-general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), made the presentation on behalf of the federal government in Uyo.
Ms Umar said the donation was in fulfilment of President Bola Tinubu’s promise to Nigerians.
The federal government approved the release of 42,000 metric tonnes of assorted food items from the National Strategic Reserve to vulnerable households.
Ms Umar said the president’s promise was the government’s way of reducing the impact of the current economic hardship in the country.
“We are here to hand over the food items to the state government for distribution to the intended beneficiaries in the communities,” she said.
The NEMA boss added that the food items should be shared in the communities through properly constituted committees at the local government levels.
She explained that membership of the local government committees should include the council chairman, representatives of the State Emergency Management Agency and the traditional institutions.
Ms Umar also mentioned that 20 per cent of the food items for each council area should be given to religious groups and three per cent to boarding schools in the area.
Peter Obi may not be the President you voted for, but over the years, he has expressed more concern for Arewa and the ongoing tragedies we endure than both former President Muhammadu Buhari and current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Security agencies have been targeting journalists, pressure groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Nigeria for daring to ask critical questions about governance and demanding accountability from public officials.
Worthy of note is the fact that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has witnessed an alarming jump in the arrests, harassment and intimidation of these groups, particularly by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Department of State Service (DSS) and military.
Between May 2023 and September 2024, FIJ found multiple instances where demanding better from public officials has put journalists, activists, NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs) in trouble with security officials.
SERAP: SEPTEMBER 9, 2024
On Monday, DSS operatives arrived at the Abuja office of the Socio-Economic Rights Accountability Project (SERAP) in a bid to arrest its directors.
SERAP is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation that uses human rights law to advocate for government accountability on the issues of corruption, poverty, inequality and discrimination.
The DSS’ visit to SERAP’s office occurred just a day after the NGO urged President Tinubu to use his “leadership position and good offices to direct the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to immediately reverse the apparently illegal and unconstitutional increase in the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, across its retail outlets”.
NLC: SEPTEMBER 9, 2024
The DSS also detained Joe Ajaero, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) president, at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja on Monday.
Apart from serving as a group committed to protecting and promoting the rights and interests of workers, pensioners and trade unions in Nigeria, the NLC also seeks a just, democratic and transparent nation. The pressure group is well-known for its constant protests against unfavourable and anti-people government policies.
In August, the police raided the NLC headquarters in Abuja over claims that its members sponsored the #EndBadGovernance protest. The protest saw Nigerians take to the streets in several states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to express their displeasure against the soaring cost of living.
PIDOM: AUGUST 2024
State security agents abducted Isaac Bristol, a man the National Cybercrime Centre (NCCC) of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) claimed to be whistleblower PIDOM NIGERIA, in August.
FIJ later learnt that Bristol was in police custody.
The NPF-NCCC abducted Bristol from a hotel room in Rivers State on August 5, held him incommunicado in harsh conditions for six days and then transferred him to the FCID in Abuja.
Bristol remains in police custody in Abuja.
The police force is accusing Bristol of cybercrime, terrorism financing, and breach of the Official Secrets Act (OSA), among other crimes. He was brought before the Federal High Court on Tuesday. Bristol’s lawyer offered an oral bail application but the court denied him. The court ordered Bristol to be remanded in Kuje prison.
He has been in police custody for more than a month and is scheduled for another hearing on September 23.
#ENDBADGOVERNANCE CONVENER: AUGUST
Michael Adaramoye, one of the conveners of the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests, was arrested on the orders of the National Security Agency (NSA) in August.
The nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest took place between August 1 and August 10 to kick against economic hardship and the high cost of living triggered by the current government’s policies.
Adaramoye was charged with treason alongside nine other protesters and remanded in prison by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
KANO JOURNALIST: AUGUST 2024
Muktar Dahiru, a broadcast journalist with Pyramid FM, was arrested in August for sharing posts critical of the state government on his Facebook page.
In one of the social media contents Dahiru shared, an interviewee had accused Abba Yusuf, the governor of Kano, of corruption and requested that he allow federal anti-corruption agencies to investigate the multi-billion drug scandal in the state.
The broadcast journalist was secretly charged before Magistrate Court 24 at Gyadi Gyadi in August with criminal conspiracy, defamation of character, and intentional insult. The court remanded Dahiru at a correctional facility.
CONVERSATION AFRICA JOURNALIST: AUGUST 2024
DSS operatives arrested and detained Adejuwon Soyinka, a journalist with the Conversation Africa, as he arrived in Lagos from the United Kingdom on August 25.
The DSS claimed that Soyinka was detained for six hours because he was on an unnamed agency’s watchlist. Although the DSS released Soyinka, it withheld the journalist’s international passport.
ACTIVIST SANYAOLU JUWON: JUNE 2024
Sanyaolu Juwon, the national coordinator of the Take It Back (TIB) movement, was arrested in June.
Juwon was one of the coordinators of the 2024 Democracy Day nationwide protest. The police arrested him on June 11, the eve of the protest, and detained him for two days.
FIJ JOURNALIST OJUKWU: MAY 2024
Daniel Ojukwu, an FIJ reporter, was abducted by men of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Inspector-General of Police on May 1. He did not regain freedom until May 10 amid demands for his release.
When Ojukwu was abducted, neither his colleagues nor family and friends knew about it until the third day after a missing person report had been filed at police stations in the area he was headed.
FIJ would later learn of his detention at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) in Panti, Lagos State. He was later accused of violating the 2015 Cybercrime Act in his investigative report on how Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs) to former President Muhammadu Buhari, allocated N147.1 million to an account linked to Enseno Global Ventures (Enseno GV), an Abuja-based restaurant, supposedly for the construction of a classroom.
SEGUN OLATUNJI OF FIRSTNEWS: MARCH 2024
Soldiers arrested Segun Olatunji, the former editor of FirstNews, from his home in Lagos on March 15 and held him in an underground military cell for two weeks.
His arrest was linked to a publication on how Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria, attempted to corner $30 billion and 66 landed properties traced to Tunde Sabiu Yusuf, a former aide to former president Muhammadu Buhari.
SEPTEMBER 2023 OF SATCOM MEDIA, JUST EVENTS ONLINE PUBLISHERS
Police officers arrested Abdulrazaq Babatunde, the publisher of Just Events Online and Lukman Bolakale, the publisher of Satcom Media, on September 11.
The two publishers were arrested on the orders of some officials of the Kwara State Government for reporting the abuse of office by a politician.
They spent 10 days in detention before their release by a Magistrate Court.
These arrests were in addition to the harassment, intimidation and threats journalists in the country faced since May 2023.
The common denominator of these security operatives’ involvement is a public official taking offence to a report or activism demanding better performances from the government.
In a bid to help Nairaland improve, some well-meaning Nairalanders are asking the forum's founder and one of Africa's finest tech entrepreneurs, Seun Osewa, to enhance the forum's banning mechanism to meet a standard befitting of the platform.
According to these Gen Z members, moderators should abandon the archaic method they currently use to ban members and instead adopt a more dignified approach. In this approach, users are not just banned; rather, the moderator should use euphemisms—telling the user to take some time off Nairaland to cool off, instead of bluntly saying "you're banned." They should explain why the user is being asked to take a break in a kind and corrective manner, while encouraging them to return with a commitment to positive contributions. This, they believe, will strengthen bonds, foster mutual respect, and solidify the forum's reputation as a world-class social platform. They cited examples of how this is done on other forums, like Lowendtalk (screenshot attached).
They called on the moderators to assist Seun in achieving this, as he cannot do it alone. "Moderators should be tolerant, engaging, loving, and considerate," one member said.
"The current system makes it seem like a bot from 1991 is in charge of banning. Members are banned unceremoniously by anonymous users. No human touch, no dignity, even ChatGPT can do better. It's time Seun and his moderators start doing things the Gen Z way," another member observed.
However, others noted that while Seun genuinely cares about the members, he also values the well-being of his moderators. He doesn't want anyone to victimize the moderator responsible for their ban. But this logic was questioned by some, who argued that the opposite could happen—banned members might blame the wrong moderator, leading to bad blood. Moderators should be allowed to vindicate themselves if they wish, as their public image is on the line. The current anonymous system could still be maintained, but moderators should have the option to use a more friendly approach if they choose. They could issue public warnings to users if they deem it necessary.
With the way Tinubu is moving lately in his administration; Nigerians might vote A goat just to remove him to show how angry they are… Tinubu has made Obi and Atiku super stars and made Buhari hero for hàrsh policies….
You can’t ask people to be patient amidst fuel scarcity and extreme hardships!!!
Tinubu should reverse the high cost of fuel NOW!!!!
Prof Wole Soyinka and Pastor @PastorEAAdeboye should also speak up!
Seems Tinubu is not the one in charge here or they are dece!ving him…. Man should reverse every hàrsh policies or Nigerians descend into anàrchy!
If you are following me because I support Tinubu you better unfollow now….
I am not an hypôcr!te. If Tinubu performs I will hail him but if he fa!ls I will call him out!
No room for hypocr!sy here!
Politicians are not gods even we dey question God!
Why is Tinubu always at the last end Is this the complex issues or what No Steeze at all !!! Food is ready again for opposition 🤦♂️ Chai Yorubas dey get Steeze and strong aura. I no come understand this baba o…
This picture just dey vèx me…. Why diz man dey stay at last end Even ordinary Senegal president is close to China President! @femigbaja is really not helping this man! Tinubu is embarràss!ng us at Center Stage!
David Hundeyin Speaks On Being Wanted as an Alleged Accomplice in 'PIDOM' case
When the attempt was made to illegally adopt me from Ghana, then I had to flee to Kenya; and then when the attempt was made to render me stateless in Kenya, then I had to move to the UK - David Hundeyin
“This is not the first time the Nigerian state is coming after me in this manner”
Oando is not the only business with ties to the Tinubu family that is doing well under the current administration. Earlier this year, the president awarded a humongous road contract worth over N15 trillion to a company run by his son Seyi and his friend, Gilbert Chagoury.
The market value of Oando Plc—run by President Bola Tinubu’s nephew, Wale Tinubu, —soared to record highs from N74 billion in 2023 to N1 trillion as of September 2024, indicating more than 1,000 per cent increase in valuation as Nigeria battled its worst cost-of-living and fuel crises.
While the nation was recording an exodus of multinational companies like pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, Microsoft, and Diageo (Guinness parent company) due to Nigeria’s harsh economic climate, Oando was leaving the league of companies generating billions of naira in revenue to 12 zeroes.
Oando —an average-performing oil company before Mr Tinubu’s government— recorded N74 billion profit after tax in the financial year ended 2023, a stark contrast to the previous year when it recorded a loss after tax.
But just a little over one year after Mr Tinubu became president, the company’s share price, which sold at six naira as of September 1, 2023, saw its market value rocket to an all-time high of N92.
The latest valuation elevated Oando to the top 10 most-capitalised companies on the Nigerian stock exchange.
The profit surge comes months after a Peoples Gazette’s January report exposed how Mr Tinubu was plotting to transfer Eni’s Nigerian assets to Oando in exchange for Eni’s repossession of Nigeria’s lucrative OPL 245 oil field in partnership with Shell.
The assets transfer was made public last week by the parties, who said the deal was about $785 million and denied any wrongdoing of Oando cornering juicy deals at the expense of Nigeria’s oil field.
Wale Tinubu and Oando have continued to deny any wrongdoing, asserting that some of the discussions that led to their latest successes took place long before his uncle assumed office.
The increase sent netizens into a frenzy with many attributing Oando’s profit surge to its CEO’s blood ties with the president, suggesting the oil company’s increased valuation resulted from Mr Tinubu’s influence and not necessarily hard work and merit.
The currency devaluation, fuel subsidy removal and overall economic crisis had sent many companies into dire straits, including billionaire Aliko Dangote, who recently got demoted from Africa’s richest man to the second position, rankings of Bloomberg Billionaire Index released in August showed.
Oando is not the only business with ties to the Tinubu family that is doing well under the current administration. Earlier this year, the president awarded a humongous road contract worth over N15 trillion to a company run by his son Seyi and his friend, Gilbert Chagoury.
The president awarded the multi-trillion naira Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project contract to Gilbert Chagoury’s company, Hi-tech, in which First Son Seyi Tinubu sits on its board, a move that triggered furious reactions and nepotism accusations.
The collective outrage and criticism from opposition figures like Atiku Abubakar, the presidency denied nepotism or corruption accusations in handling federal contracts under the current administration.
Enough is not enough. Fuel should be around 5000 and dollars around 4000. Let's go. Let me not frustrate myself for nothing. The little I have let me manage to touch my direct family. It is well. Make nobody for this app ask me for anything. No is the direct answer. Thanks.
The Police have declared wanted a British national, Andrew Wynne, accused of attempting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu with the alleged sponsorship of the #EndBadgovernance protests, which rocked the country from August 1st to 10th.
According to the Police, “Since the commencement of investigations, Andrew Wynne has fled the country.
“He and one of his local coordinators, one Lucky Ehis Obiyan, have accordingly been declared wanted and a global manhunt for them has commenced in connection with this investigation.”
The above statement was made by the Nigerian Police Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyuwa Adejobi, on Monday, in reaction to the ongoing investigation of the #EndBadgovernance protesters.
He said: “Following extensive intelligence gathering and collaboration with other security agencies, nine suspects have been apprehended.
“They received substantial financial backing from foreign sources to destabilise the country.
“Preliminary findings suggest they orchestrated and funded violent protests, disseminated false information, and engaged in other unlawful activities to create anarchy and justify their illegal plot to overthrow the democratically-elected government.
“Investigations have identified a foreign mercenary, Andrew Wynne (also known as Andrew Povich or Drew Povey), a British national, who built a network of sleeper cells to topple the government and plunge the nation into chaos.
“He rented a space at Labour House, Abuja, for an ‘Iva Valley Bookshop’ and established ‘STARS of Nations Schools’ as a cover for his subversive activities.
“Documentary evidence and confessions revealed that Andrew Wynne issued directives, monitored progress, and provided finance and operational guidance to achieve unconstitutional regime change in Nigeria.
“He mobilised and deployed several billions of naira to his Nigerian collaborators, urging them to mobilise the public to violently storm police facilities and military barracks, anticipating a bloodbath that would instigate international condemnation of the Nigerian government.
“These acts are in clear violation of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 and other relevant laws.
“Since the commencement of investigations, Andrew Wynne has fled the country.
“He and one of his local coordinators, Lucky Ehis Obiyan, have accordingly been declared wanted and a global manhunt for them has commenced in connection with this investigation.
“The 10 other suspects already apprehended have been arraigned before a competent court of law on Monday, September 2, 2024, for criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime.
* It wasn't troops that killed the bandits as reported by a section of the media. Let's give honor to whom honor is due.
It happened in Sokoto, now in Zamfara. Daily Trust has reported that at least 37 bandits were killed in Matusgi village, Talata Mafara Local Government, Zamfara State, after residents engaged the gang that had invaded their village with the intent to kidnap locals. BRAVERY! 💪🏽
At least 37 bandits were reportedly killed in Matusgi village, Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State, after residents engaged a gang that had invaded the village with the intent to abduct locals.
According to an anonymous resident, the bandits arrived on motorbikes around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, aiming to carry out abductions, saying it was not the first time the villagers had confronted bandits, but it was the first instance where they managed to inflict significant casualties.
The resident said the bandits began their attack by firing sporadically to intimidate the community. However, the residents had been alerted in advance and were prepared when the bandits arrived. Armed with locally-made firearms, some villagers fought back, while others used traditional weapons to encircle the area and prevent the bandits from escaping.
After an hour of intense fighting, the bandits retreated, with 10 of their members reported dead. The residents then regrouped, strategised, and set up an ambush. When the bandits returned, the villagers launched another attack, ultimately killing 37 bandits in total.
The District Head of Matusgi, Alhaji Ciroma Muhammad, confirmed the incident, stating that three villagers were killed during the clash. He noted that neighbouring villages reported seeing the bandits transporting the bodies of their fallen comrades on motorbikes.
“This is the 13th time bandits have attacked this village,” Alhaji Muhammad said. “Three weeks ago, the bandits kidnapped 23 people, mostly women. They carried out the operation quietly, without firing any shots until after they had left. We only became aware of their departure when they fired a few shots in the distance.”
He added that the bandits had demanded a ransom of N150,000 per person. After payment, only seven of the abducted women were released, with the remaining hostages still in captivity.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State government has reported that troops on patrol have neutralised eight bandits in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area.
The troops were on a fighting patrol in the Kampanin Doka area when they encountered the bandits. According to Samuel Aruwan, the Overseeing Commissioner for the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, the troops engaged the bandits, killing seven on the spot.
He said a subsequent search of the area, the troops recovered several items, including three AK-47 rifles, eight AK-47 magazines (four empty and four loaded with a total of 120 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition), one magazine carrier, six motorcycles, three mobile phones, two Baofeng radio sets and three pairs of civilian clothes.
He added that in the final stage of the patrol, the troops encountered additional bandits in the Gayam area, neutralising one more while the remaining bandits fled with gunshot wounds.
Politics › Edo Election: APC Chieftain, El-Rufai, Endorses Asue Ighodalo by NLCreator(op): 10:32am On Sep 19, 2024
