Super Eagles and FC Omonia right back, Shehu Abdullahi gt married to the love of his life Naja'atu Muhammad Suleiman who is a Kannywood actress, today in a low-key ceremony. Happy Married Life.
The Kaduna State University has announced the indefinite suspension of academic activities for undergraduate programmes. This is comming few days after a protest by the students of the university over an insane increment of tuition fee by the Kaduna State Governmet.
Anyone can do anytype of business they wish in the North. I'm not an extremist. That's why I support Atiku cuz he is Liberal and exposed. I don't eat pork, but anyone if free to do business in the North.
Documents showing the dismissal of 16 academic staff and 2 non-academic staff of Kaduna State University by the Kaduna State government over participation in the NLC protest that took place in Kaduna state last month.
His Excellency, The Governor of Kaduna State, Sir Kashim Ibrahim House. Kaduna. Through: The Honourable Commissioner, Minis, of Education. State Secretariate, Kaduna State. 20' May. 2021
RE: NLC STRIKE ACTION IN KADUNA STATE Your letter reference No. GH/KO/S/394 dated 18 May, 2021 refers
His Excellency may wish to note that the Management of the University identified 16 Academic staff and 2 Non-academic staff that participated fully in the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and affiliated organisation illegal strike action in Kaduna State in pictures through the electronic social media. In view of HIS Excellency directive, the list of the affected staff has been forward to the office of the Head of Service through duly completed Exit Variation Forms stoppage of salaries with effect from 20. May, 2021 (Sec APP Iand 200. 12). The list of names of the affected staff is as follows:
Adamu Peter Waziri Mattala Usman Abbas Jihad Abdullahi Ismaila Hussaini Bala Abubakar Mustspha Jumarc Abubakar Abdullahi Kamal Dan'azimi Alhassan Kabiru Usman Usman Sadiq Abubakar Daniel Gillian Lami Nina Lami Ochigbo Usman Balarabe Kubau Salome Danjuma Monday Emmanuel Dongana Ja'afar Muhammad Sani Silas Blrat Garba Abdulrasheed Sai
His Excellency may wish to note that this administrative procedure was adopted based on the cumbersome provisions in the University Law and Staff Conditions of Service that states the measures for disciplinary cases.
The procedures for disciplinary actions on proven cases of gross misconduct as contained leads to outright dismissal are as follows:
Issue of query to the affected staff;
ii. The affected staff replies the query on the allegation labelled against him/her
iii, The affected staff will appear before a Disciplinary Committee;
iv. Submission of report to the Vice-Chancellor by Disciplinary Committee;
v. The Vice-Chancellor approves the recommendations of the Disciplinary Committee on behalf of the Governing Council; and
Vi. The Registrar implements the approved recommendations of the Discipline, Committee.
This is humbly submitted for His Excellency's kind information as well as direct the Accountant-General to henceforth stop the deductions of Union Check-Off Dues of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of Kaduna State University (KASU) Chapter, please. Thank you
Nigerian lady from Borno state who Started Flying Aircraft at 17 and Became a Qualified Pilot at 18
- A Nigerian lady, Maira Bashir El-Kanemi, is doing exceedingly well in the air transportation sector
- The young lady started flying aircraft as early as age 17
- A year later, she got her qualification to become a certified pilot
Maira Bashir El-Kanemi is one young Nigerian lady who has an undying passion for aircraft and flying.
The young Nigerian lady was recently celebrated on social media owing to her enthusiasm for flying that has seen her achieve stellar feats many wouldn't have dreamed of.
Maira, according to Arewa Facts Zone on Twitter, began flying aircraft at the age of 17. The Borno state indigene went on to acquire her certification as a pilot at 18.
The ambitious lady who has a dream of becoming the captain of a commercial airline is currently a drone and a Boeing 737 pilot.
A Twitter user @OvieAli shared a video of the lady in action aboard the pilot cockpit of a flight.
Nigerians described her as an inspiration and hailed her feats.
@DavidKahleed said: "She's a nice person o she's always greeting you if u didn't see her she will call you and greet you ... She do dash my mother money too ..God bless you more Ma'am. "I will save this video and show u when next i saw her in the office."
@abdul_mairabo wrote: "May she keep aiming higher! Stuck in the galaxies baby."
@mekoloyoung stated: "Dream that some one haa but this country wouldn't let it come to pass, as we aren't Steel hearted politians."
The lady's sister with the Twitter handle, @SoniaUzama, rejoiced on social media as she said that it was such a proud sister moment.
In one of her tweets, the lady said that their dad would have been so proud of Nwando if he was still alive.
"My dad would have been super happy today. The BC he would have sent wont be here. He most likely would have sent it to newspaper houses and all his WhatsApp groups (yes he is that dramatic). I really wish he was here to see my sister’s name and face everywhere."
The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative, ASR Africa, as part of its first cohort of Tertiary Education Grants Scheme, has provided an N1billion grant to the University of Maiduguri, Borno State.
The fund is expected to be utilised towards the development of a Centre for Innovation and Product Development at the UNIMAID Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development, UM-CEED, Complex.
This was announced during the presentation of the grant award by ASR Africa to the University management in Maiduguri.
Speaking at the presentation, Aliyu Idi-Hong, representing the Chairman of ASR Africa and BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, said that the ASR Africa Initiative had already begun the disbursement of its tertiary education grants to the 6 universities in its first cohort.
According to him, the University is the third to benefit after Ahmadu Bello University, and University of Ibadan.
He further disclosed that the project initiation process and development of mutual accountability frameworks to guide the grant usage for the University’s Centre for Innovation and Product Development will commence immediately.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, Prof. Aliyu Shugaba commended the Founder of the Initiative for his consistent commitment to social good and philanthropy.
The vice-chancellor also extolled the good works ASR Africa is doing in various communities across Africa and thanked the philanthropist for the grant.
- 22-year-old Nigerian lady who bagged first class and distinction from 2 foreign universities builds apps
- A young Nigerian lady, Hauwa Ibrahim Aminu, built JupiMart and ArchiScope to help architects and online shoppers
- The lady who had both first-class and distinction in her first degree and masters respectively said she worked on the apps in school
- Many people praised her, saying they hope to have the same opportunities the lady's parents gave her
A 22-year-old Nigerian, Hauwa Ibrahim Aminu, has joined the pool of the country’s citizens who are using their academic knowledge to solve problems.
After finishing her first degree in computer science from Lancaster University in Ghana with a first-class, she proceeded to bag a master’s degree from Middlesex University, Mauritius, where she got a distinction in business information and systems management.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, the young lady spoke about how she created two applications named JupiMart and ArchiScope.
Hauwa said she really loves providing solutions to people’s issues. She revealed that creating JupiMart was a way to make buyers confident of what they were shopping for online and also reduce the number of times bad goods are returned.
The developer stated that her second app, ArchiScope, was to bridge the communication gap between architects and their clients.
When asked if the feedbacks on her works have been great, she said in January 2021, a lot of architects were satisfied with what she did with the building app.
She disclosed that the support from her parents has been immense. The 22-year-old said she did not really feel the cost of building the apps because she worked on them as her BSc and MSc projects.
The brilliant Nigerian said that though none of the apps has been commercialised, she hopes they will be in the nearest future.
Legit.ng compiled some of the Twitter reactions to the lady's achievements below:
@LastCoolHandle said:
"But her sisters and brothers arent allowed same opportunity because Nigeria happened." @pricelessnetta said:
"Omooo no be say we no dey intelligent oh, we just no comot for family wey go give us advantage." @iamswaga01 said:
"Abroad schools ehn. Life is easy. It is war in this Nigeria." @nupekid said:
"God has bless North with good people and well creative minds. Best of luck to Hauwa Ibrahim." @EdOloje said:
Jaiz Bank Plc. has announced that its gross revenue base has increased by 43%, from N4.18 billion to 5.99 billion in the year 2020.
The bank made the announcement on Friday as contained in its financial report for the first quarter of 2021 which ended on March 31
The report, which was released to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, added that the bank’s profit before taxation had increased significantly by 54%.
According to the report, the increase amounted to 979.17 million as against N636.69 million recorded in the same period last year.
“Th consistent earnings result is obviously reassuring to all stakeholders and the investing public that the Bank will brace the tape strongly at the end of the current financial year in December 2021,” the report noted.
Jaiz Bank, as the premier Non-Interest Bank in Nigeria is expected to maintain the remarkable earnings streak and its leading position of the Non-Interest Banks in Nigeria.
Leveraging on technology and the expansion of its retail market drives, the Bank is set to meet its profit forecasts and dividend promise to its shareholders.
In the last financial year Jaiz Bank paid out over N833million as dividend to its shareholders.
Meanwhile, the Bank’s earnings per share increased from 1.88 kobo in the first quarter of 2020 to 2.82 kobo in the first quarter of 2021.
Speaking on the result, the Managing Director/CEO Hassan Usman said that the result reflects the Bank’s positive outing in 2020, where it recorded a Profit Before Tax of N3.07 billion.
He assured that with this development and despite the pandemic, the Bank is positioned to maintain this positive outlook for the whole year.
- A young man from Sokoto state, Maniru Ibrahim, has made the nation proud as he nailed a €20 million (N9,206,407,800) scholarship fund in Ireland
- The mathematics guru said the victory did not come cheap as he has had to deal with numerous rejections
- Many people congratulated him on social media as they said he is the epitome of how brilliant Nigerians are
A young Nigerian man, Maniru Ibrahim, from Sokoto state has shown that the country has many great minds.
A first-class graduate of mathematics who finished from Usman Danfodiyo University, the man got a scholarship award worth billions in naira for his PhD programme, Daily Star Nigeria reports.
The €20 million (N9,206,407,800) scholarship is funded by the Science Foundation Ireland Centre for Research Training in the Foundation of Data Science.
He will be getting a yearly allowance of €18,500 (N8,515,927.22) for the duration of his four-year programme. The scholarship funds also include travel and accommodation allowances for conferences related to his studies.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Star Nigeria, the man said that he had his primary, secondary and university education all in Sokoto and was posted to Zamfara to serve.
He revealed that he was a while ago shortlisted for a master’s program for theoretical physics in Italy where only three Nigerians were picked.
Ibrahim said that when rejections became much for his PhD, he was dampened. He stated the PhD programme he was given is the first of its kind and he is the only African to ever get it.
When news of his victory got to Twitter, below were the things people had to say:
Before colonialism, Hausa barbers already performed had 4 major surgical procedures: cupping, uvulectomy, circumcision, and tattooing.
Cupping (kaho) involves removal of poisonous blood. The body is treated and the air is sucked out, creating a partial vacuum inside. The top of the horn is then capped with a small piece of tendon, slipped into place by the barber's tongue as he draws out the air.
The horn remains on the skin until it raises a welt, then it is removed. The welt is then washed with water and a series of cuts are made with the razor within the circle outlined by the horn - usually 3 rows of 5 vertical cuts each. There is no significance to the pattern of the cuts. ⠀ ⠀ The horn is then replaced over the welt, the air is removed, and the horn is again capped with a piece of tendon and allowed to set.
Blood is gradually drawn out of the shallow cuts made by the barber and coagulates inside the horn. Overtime, the barber will repeatedly remove the horn, shake out the dark, thickened blood into a gourd filled with sand, and reapply suction to the horn.
The dark blood is seen as bad blood that caused the swelling or the patient's lassitude and feeling of listlessness. ⠀ 1 or 2 table-spoons of congealed blood is obtained from each cupping horn in the course of this procedure.
Many people in Hausa villages woman bear the telltale series of small lines of scars somewhere where he or she has been cupped. ⠀ ⠀ An alternative, but less common method involves the use of a small, round gourd instead of a cow's horn. A hole is cut in the side of a dried gourd and a piece of cotton is placed inside.
The cotton is then set alight and the gourd is placed over the area to be cupped. The flame inside the gourd uses up the oxygen, creating a partial vacuum suficient to provide suction.
Rabiu Ali, popularly known as Pele (born 27 September 1980) is a Nigerian football midfielder who plays for Kano Pillars F.C.
He is the current Captain of Kano Pillars F.C. and is regarded as one of the club's greatest ever players and one of the best players in Nigerian Professional football league.
He has played 20 seasons in the leagues. He has 5 goals and 18 appearance for the Super Eagles.
He was in the squad as Kano Pillars won their first-ever title in 2008 when they were crowned the League champions.
He went ahead to win three consecutive league titles in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
He captained Kano Pillars to their first-ever Aiteo Cup success in 2019, and he played a huge role scoring important goals.
National Team:
Rabiu Ali was part of Nigeria’s first-ever squad that qualified for the Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) in 2014 hosted in South Africa.
After two failed attempts in 2010 and 2012, Super Eagles B team made it to the Championship designed for the Home-Based players in 2014 under Stephen Keshi edging out Cote D’Ivoire in the qualifiers.
Ali scored two goals in the group stage as Nigeria finished second in the group despite losing their first game to Mali.
The quarter-final game was historical as Nigeria came from three goals down to knocked out Morocco at Extra Time.
Ali, who was 34-year-old then scored the second goal of the comeback. Nigeria finished the tournament with a Bronze title in its first appearance.
At 34, everyone thought that could be his last opportunity in the National team. He missed out from the 2016 CHAN in Rwanda in January but surprisingly Ali made a huge comeback to the set up in July as the NPFL All-Star team traveled to Spain for a pre-season tour.
The team played against Valencia, Malaga and Atletico Madrid in Cadiz and Ali featured in the games in Spain.
In 2017, he made Nigeria’s final squad to the WAFU Cup in Ghana. The Super Eagles B team finished with a Silver medal, Ali scored and had a massive tournament.
Two months later, he was named in the final squad for the 2018 CHAN tournament at age 38, he became the oldest player in Morocco. Nigeria finished with the Silver medal and Ali secured his third honours in the National team.
The ugly scenes:
Ali’s image as a legend of the NPFL was almost ruined last year during the NPFL Championship Playoffs in Lagos.
His argument with the center referee, Adebimpe Quadri triggered a section of the fans to encroach the pitch and caused violence.
He was suspended for 12 League games but the sanction was later reduced after apologizing, he also rendered a community service in Kano during the pre-season to clear his name from the poor path.
He already has 19 appearance and 7 goals for Kano Pillars this season (2020-2021)
Ahmed Musa donates 2 Million Naira to build a mosque in a school
Super Eagles captain, and Kano Pillars FC player Ahmed Musa has donated N2 Million for the construction of a mosque in the campus of Bukavu Military Secondary School, Kano.
Ahmed Musa made the contribution when he visited the school after completing training with his new club Kano Pillars fc today (Thursday).
He also promised to provide basic necessities for some of the school's classrooms to end the shortage of equipment at the school.
Speaking to the students of the school, Ahmed Musa urged them to focus on their studies for the success of their lives.
Ahmed Musa warned them to stay away from drugs and bad habits which he said any young person who indulges in drugs will not be of any benefit to society.
He reiterated his intention to support any move to advance Islamic and Western education.
The captain expressed his gratitude for the commitment of the teachers at the school in providing quality education to the students and urged them to continue to teach to the best of their ability.
In his remarks, the Director of the school, Alhaji Yusuf Saidu, thanked him for the visit and wished him God's guidance in his work and life.
The director enumerated the problems of the school which included, lack of mosque, toilets and basic necessities in some classrooms of the school and sought support to overcome the problems.
-Despite having a Master’s degree, Yazid Surajo is a scavenger.
-He chose to do menial jobs rather than stay idle, waiting for a white collar job. He recently posted on his Facebook page, his pictures carrying some scrap and copies of his certificates saying ‘It’s better to die on your feet than to live on your knees, I would rather be dirty and satisfied than clean and hungry’.
- Daily Trust Saturday met with him in Lagos where he does his scrap business and he shed more light on how he was able to study to Master’s degree level despite the challenges he encountered.
How did you find yourself in the scrap business?
It is obvious that if you want to achieve something good in life, at least you have to be dedicated and self-determined.
When I concluded my national youth service in 2016, I made a decision of not to stay idle. Many of my childhood friends used to go to Lagos, so I didn’t hesitate to join them.
Some said I was not fit for the business because it required energy and it was stressful. Those that knew me well and my attitude knew that I could withstand all the challenges that I found myself into.
We have a master called Dandogo, we are about 70 under him, everyday he will give each of us money to go out and look for scrap.
Some may be given N7,000, some N10, 000, some up to N30,000, depending on capacity. After collecting the money, everyone will take his truck and push it around in search for scrap to buy.
If you come across an item to buy which exceeds your money, you call your master to send you more money, and in the evening, everyone will go back to his master to upload the items he has purchased, measure it and the master will take out his money and give you back your gain. This is how we do the business on a daily basis.
After a year or two, I became used to that business. I gave it more attention because I realised that securing a job in this country is something that needs connection, because I have been applying for different government jobs but to no avail.
I applied for Nigerian Army, Navy, and Air force. I also applied for Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, Nigerian Immigration Service, Customs Service, Fire Service, Correctional Service, Nigerian Police, and the recent one that I applied was National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA which they called me for an aptitude test and up till date, I have neither received a message nor heard about anything about the test.
When I realised that getting a job is something else in this country, I gave my venture more attention, and I have seen many benefits in it.
Are there any challenges you face during the business?
Indeed there are lots of obstacles faced during scrap business. It is like other businesses that go with some benefits and obstacles.
In the first place, one has to be careful of where to enter; when to enter; how to enter; and whom you will buy the condemned iron or any electronic object from.
In Lagos, they call us aboki or mallam, and we may fall victim of buying stolen items, which may lead to arrest or even imprisonment. In most cases, we get beaten, harassed, and interrogated.
You speak good English, what’s your education qualification?
I was born and raised in Karofi town of Dutsinma Local Government Area of Katsina State. I started my primary education at Karofi Model Primary School from 1996 to 2002. From there, I moved to GSSS, Karofi, from 2002 to 2008.
It was in 2008 that I got admitted at Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic, Katsina, where I began with IJMB and later got to study for a diploma. It was when I was in ND two that I got another admission at Umar Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina, to study History.
And my father advised me to drop the diploma course and go for the degree. I tried to convince my father to allow me to conclude my diploma before moving to any other programme, but he insisted that I must leave that diploma to accept that admission.
He added that “If you insist on rejecting that degree admission and continuing with the diploma, I will disown you.” So with that I complied and accepted the admission for my first degree from 2010-2014.
The reason for my refusal to accept that admission initially was that my father who was a police officer was on a sick bed, and I had seen his condition then. He was battling with hepatitis and that deadly ailment led to his departure.
He died as an inspector of police. But since his departure on 3rd December, 2010, we were unable to have access to his entitlement till after 10 years which was in December 2020 when the Police Service Commission released the entitlement of 3.5 million to us, which was half of his entitlement.
We suffered a lot to see that we got that entitlement in time because of the hardship that we fell into. We were duped by some personnel before getting that sum at the end.
How did you manage to study up to Master’s degree level?
After the successful completion of my first degree and my youth services in Osun State, I began to think of my next step. In that process, I was considered among the batch A of N-power beneficiaries under the National Social Investment Programme which ended in 2020.
The federal government under this programme promised all the volunteers that they would be provided with government jobs, but that promise was not fulfilled.
They also promised all the volunteers an exit package in the sum of five hundred thousand naira to kick start a business, but that promise too has not been fulfilled. I later moved to Lagos where I ventured into the scrap business.
It was later in 2018 that I decided to continue with my education. Many people began to express their opinions on the decision, but after all, I was offered admission to study for a Master’s degree in Development Studies at Bayero University, Kano.
When the admission letter was issued to me, because of the economic situation then, I didn’t have the financial capacity to pay for the acceptance fees, not to talk of registration.
But because I was determined to further my education, I managed to sell my only plot of land. With the help of one of my friends who knows my keen interest in education, I got a buyer of the land, and so it happened. I paid for the registration and managed to continue with the programme.
Do you intend to modernise the business?
Yes, if I have the opportunity; capital and my own place of doing business, I will register my company and also register my workers. I will give them enlightenment on what kind of goods they should buy and the source they should trust.
I will also use this media to call on the youth to be self-reliant with the little they have at their disposal to start a little business.
I also advise them to desist from involving themselves in any criminal activities, like internet fraud, armed robbery, kidnapping, and all other criminal activities.
The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, has approved the payment of UTME registration fees for 3,810 students who got grades A and B in the recently concluded SSCE Aptitude Test in the State.
The Commissioner for Education, Bauchi State, Aliyu U. Tilde, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.
The statement said the governor has also approved payment of NABTEB exams fees for all the 1,751 SS3 students of Government Technical Colleges along with the 499 students sitting for NBAIS exams from Government Arabic Colleges.
“Next year, these categories will also be subjected to passing the Aptitude Test.
“As usual, NECO registration fees for 11,580 successful candidates who scored A, B and C in the Aptitude Test will also be paid.
“The total cost of these sponsorships is N185,580,550.00.
“The state government does not owe any of the three national examination bodies a kobo.
“He has approved the clearing of the new amount by August ending, In Shaa Allah,” the statement noted.
According to the commissioner, for students to be eligible, they must obtain their National Identity Number, NIN.
“Arrangements are underway to see the immediate registration of students in their nearest local government headquarters,” Mr Tilde added.
“The Ministry is ready to pay for any eligible student who has a NIN.
“The list of A and B grade students eligible for the UTME sponsorship will be released to schools through their emails.
“At the same time it will also be published on Principals’ WhatsApp platform.”
Mr Tilde revealed that the sponsorship is only a means of providing ease to students, saying that it would not be mandatory on the government each year.
“The payment of UTME registration fees I must hasten to say will not be a mandatory policy on government.
“Rather, it will be enjoyed by meritorious students any year the government is pleased to do so within the confines of its revenue.
“In other words, it is a palliative, or say incentive that will be given whenever feasible,” he concluded.
The Nigeria Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) on Thursday inaugurated the first Electric Vehicle Charging Station in Nigeria, in Sokoto State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the pilot project, inaugurated at the Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto (UDUS), was also in collaboration with the institution.
In his address, Director-General of NADDC, Mr Jelani Aliyu , said that the project was part of Federal Government’s commitment for the best Nigeria desired by all.
“This is the beginning of a new era for Nigeria as it marks the realisation of government’s desire to build sustainable technology in the country.
“Moreover, our vision and mission at NADDC is not just to enable the production of vehicles in Nigeria but also producing the best and most advanced technology vehicles in the country.
“Today, we have inaugurated the first 100 per cent solar energy powered charging station in Nigeria.
“The reason for choosing Sokoto for the pilot project is in consideration of the harsh weather.
“However, such weather has become a blessing for us as we can extract and power our homes, offices and even for industrial consumption, ” he said.
Aliyu further said that the NADDC was partnering three universities in the country that included UDUS, University of Lagos (UNILAG) and University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), with the hope of advancing research in renewable energy.
“With the current development, Nigeria can power her economy exclusively with renewable energy and by the time that is achieved, the challenges of power will become history in the country,” he added.
The D-G said that it was an opportunity for the institutions to utilise the very best in research to enable them to come up with more advanced technologies in the automotive industry.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of UDUS, Prof. Lawal Bilbis, described the inauguration as a historic landmark for the institution, Sokoto state and Nigeria.
Bilbis, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Ibrahim Magawata , assured that the university would ensure more collaborative measures to enable NADDC to achieve the desired dreams.
“We are hoping that these collaborations will usher in favourable results to enable Nigerians, even in remote villages, to rely on the gift of nature for energy,” he said.
Almeria striker Umar Sadiq could be heading for a big-money move to Bayern Munich in the summer.
AS claims the reigning world champions are interested in the former Nigeria youth international who has four years left on his contract.
Sadiq moved to Spain last October and he has been in fine goalscoring form with 15 goals in 29 matches as Almeria aim to return to La Liga.
The 24-year-old is said to have a release clause of €60 million on his contract, which could rise to €80m if Rojiblancos gain promotion to the top-flight.
Eyewitness accounts of events of early hours of Monday in Owerri revealed a well-planned, full-scale assault on the Nigerian state. Heavily armed men with AK-47 rifles, machine guns and explosives set free over 1,800 inmates and burnt dozens of vehicles as their attempts on a police armoury and to break into the government house were foiled. A city relishing the serene Easter air was turned into a war zone. This coordinated operation is a huge red flag of an impending catastrophe that should send nervous shock across the country. Igbo elders and every well-meaning Nigerians must do everything possible to avert another civil war or a new Boko Haram from unfolding.
The outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which was fingered by the Inspector General of Police, denied responsibility, but its fugitive leader gave it away. Even before most people had learnt of the attack, Nnamdi Kanu was hailing and justifying the attack on Twitter, along with his followers. He claimed that if bandits and Boko Haram are granted amnesty, “then no single soul deserves to be in any prison in Nigeria”. Kanu’s sarcastic conclusion “If you know you know” and his use of the usual hashtag #UGM (meaning Unknown Gunmen) look to me like a coded claim of responsibility.
From last December when Kanu, who broke bail in 2018 while standing trial for treason, proclaimed the formation of the IPOB’s militia grandiosely named the Eastern Security Network, we have witnessed consistent targeting of police stations, checkpoints and other government posts. At least 34 police officers have been killed across the South East and seven police stations razed in about 40 attacks in the last four months. Along with security operatives, dozens of members of the minority Hausa-Fulani community in the South East, whom Kanu habitually vilifies and against whom he encourages attacks, have been killed and their businesses looted. In fact, fighting “Fulani terrorism” and “state sponsored lawlessness” is, according to Kanu, the primary aim of his militia.
This is reminiscent of the early days of Boko Haram. After a spate of attacks on police stations across the North East, and assassinations of security officers and individuals viewed as enemies throughout 2010, Boko Haram launched its first major attack on Bauchi prison where it freed about 720 prisoners including 150 group members on September 7 of that year. This was the beginning of the escalation a conflict that is still is ongoing, and to date has killed a conservative estimate of 50,000 people, displaced millions and triggered an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
IPoB is clearly reading Boko Haram’s playbook. It is reported to have stolen caches of weapons in its previous attacks on smaller security units. Having built enough capacity, it felt ready to face bigger units in Monday’s attacks. It is reported that dozens of freed inmates joined the attackers, singing the group’s anthem – further pointing to IPoB responsibility. These assaults don’t aim for outright victory; rather, they are intended to gradually debilitate security forces so that members can operate more freely in the coming months.
If the group continues to emulate Boko Haram and similar groups, we can expect banks to be the next set of victims, with the aim of stealing cash. This is what happened in the initial period of Boko Haram’s insurgency, when its fighters operated more easily in cities. Dozens of fighters would typically force entry into a bank and force the manager to open the vault, which they would empty, before leaving the scene whilst opening fire and killing police and civilians. For example, in September 2011, Boko Haram fighters stormed a bank in Misau, Bauchi State, killing six people and taking NGN 19,200,000 razing a police station as they left. They also carted N9,000,000 off from a bank in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, in April 2013. It is difficult to verify through open sources the total amount amassed by Boko Haram through bank attacks, but the above examples indicate that it could have stolen hundreds of millions. With stolen weapons and cash, Boko Haram was positioned to unleash the mayhem that followed.
Given this example, the apparent complacency of south-easterners is naïve and dangerous. Several news outlets reported that a sizeable number of Owerri residents were jubilant at the attack. This is may not necessarily be because they support IpoB, but perhaps because of the unpopularity of police, thanks to endemic corruption and impunity. The same atmosphere festered in the northeast when Boko Haram started. Maiduguri residents, and the North East, largely didn’t see Boko Haram as a personal threat. Rather, they were seen in some quarters as heroes and freedom fighters, like a modern-day Robin Hood. But as the crisis escalated, attacks became more brutal and indiscriminate, and residents became a soft target. By the time the North East smelt the coffee, it was too late.
Some Igbo commentators sound too confident that their home is immune from the North East’s disease. They claim different circumstances. One such claim is that IPOB is not driven by a religious ideology, which is true – but the reality is that the ideology of terror does not have to be religious. All you need is some sort of ethno-political ideology, which is exactly what drives IPoB. History has recorded too many groups that became violent because of secular ideologies. A textbook example is right at home: the horrific Nigerian civil war didn’t need religious ideology on either side.
Some said the Igbo will never kill each other, which is exactly what my fellow Kanuri thought when Boko Haram started. Today, we are by far the greatest victims of our fellow tribesmen, former friends and mates. Besides, don’t we read daily in the media of how Igbo, like all other ethnic groups, are betraying, cheating on and killing one another. Perhaps, they are comforted by the fact that the militia presently spares them, which is exactly what Boko Haram fighters did in their early days. What they don’t seem to understand is that violence is a dangerous drug; what starts off sparing civilians rarely stays that way.
If the situation in the South East deteriorates, even if IPoB does not target ordinary citizens, they will be the victims. With an atmosphere of fear and apprehension created, and restrictions of freedoms occasioned by government countermeasures, the first area to take a hit will be the economy. Businesses, industries and offices will close, and commercial activities will be grounded. Governors will declare curfews. Then the human costs and other consequences will follow. It behoves the political and traditional leaders of the South East to rise against this challenge before it gets too late. They must talk to the minority of their sons who have decided to take up arms. The political marginalisation the Igbo complain of may be well-founded, but violence is not the way to change the story. Political involvement and building bridges is always better than shedding blood and erecting barriers.
It was Otto von Bismarck, the great politician and diplomat who unified Germany, who said, “Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others.” Igbo are reputed for their sagacity. As an ardent fan of Igbo traditional movies, I can attest to this even from their rich culture and apt aphorisms. I urge Igbo elders to put this to good use to avoid the catastrophe that befell the Northeast.
Police Honour Officers Who Rejected N1 Million Bribe, Present ₦1 Million Gift To Them (Photos)
The police in Kano State have honoured two officers who rejected one million naira offered them as bribe.
The state Commissioner of Police, Sama’ila Dikko, called on other officers to emulate their example.
According to a statement by the police spokesperson in Kano, Abdullahi Kiyawa, Friday morning, Garba Rabo and Jamilu Buhari were serving on the task force of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) in the state when they were offered the bribe.
He said in the course of their operation, they received information that expired goods worth billions of naira were kept in a warehouse in the Kano metropolis.
“The task force team stormed the warehouse, where one million naira was offered them as bribe. They rejected the bribe, recovered the expired goods, the money as exhibit and arrested the suspect,” Mr Kiyawa narrated.
The Acting Managing Director of the CPC, Baffa Dan’agundi, also commended the officers for rejecting the bribe.
Mr Dan’agundi said the council had decided to show appreciation for the good conduct of the officers by presenting them with a gift of one million naira.
He called on the people to continue to support the police and appreciate those performing their duties well.
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