₦airaland Forum

The Defence Headquarters has described notorious bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, as a “dead man walking,” following his recent threats against the military and communities in Zamfara State.

Turji, in a viral video, challenged the military, accusing it of targeting elderly people and demanding the release of a detained associate, Baka Wurgi. He further threatened to unleash terror on Zamfara residents in 2025 if his demands were not met.

Reacting during the end-of-year briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba dismissed Turji’s threats as empty rhetoric, vowing that the bandit leader would meet the same fate as other terrorist commanders.

Buba said, “Bello Turji is merely a dead man walking. It would be insulting to engage in a war of words with a terrorist. Before him, others who dared to boast against security forces have all been neutralised. The same fate awaits Turji and his likes.

“These so-called terrorist leaders who think they are untouchable will eventually meet their end. Many have been buried on the battlefield, and 2025 will see the same fate for others. Their time is up.”

Addressing a PUNCH report on Amnesty International’s call for an investigation into the Sokoto accidental bombing, Buba stated that the military would cooperate once the rights group honors its invitation to discuss allegations it previously leveled against the armed forces.

“We invited Amnesty International to discuss their allegations against us, which we found shocking and misleading. We await their response. When they honour that invitation, we will address their latest request,” Buba said.

He urged Nigerians to disregard terrorist propaganda about the Sokoto incident, saying, “Terrorists thrive on propaganda. Don’t let them manipulate the narrative. The bombing targeted terrorists, not innocent civilians.”


Highlighting the military’s successes in 2024, Buba revealed that over 10,000 terrorists were killed, 12,538 arrested, and 7,063 kidnapped victims rescued in various operations across the country.

“During the year, we neutralized 10,937 terrorists, arrested 12,538, and rescued 7,063 hostages. We also recovered 8,815 weapons and 228,004 rounds of ammunition,” Buba disclosed.

Notable terrorist leaders eliminated in 2024 include Dutse Mainasara Idda, Mallam Saleh Umaru, Mohammed Amadu, and Jeremiah Uzuoma, among others.

In the fight against economic sabotage, the military recovered stolen crude oil worth N68 billion and disrupted numerous oil theft operations.

“Troops recovered 56.2 million liters of stolen crude oil, 9.7 million liters of illegally refined AGO, and 156,527 liters of PMS. These efforts denied criminals an estimated N68.4 billion in revenue,” Buba stated.

Buba expressed optimism about the military’s operations in 2025, forecasting the total defeat of terrorist elements in Nigeria.


“2024 showed us signs of major victories ahead. Over 10,000 terrorists were killed, and thousands surrendered, not just in the Northeast but also in the Northwest and North Central. This indicates the dwindling morale of the terrorists. Victory in 2025 is non-negotiable,” he declared.

plumcomm:
another refinery is working now or you have not heard,mr guard of honor

Padipadi:
You should be arrested. Seyi reviewed guard of honor of man o war. Not Nigerian military.
You could be saluted by man o war or bits scouts too. You are foaming cos Seyi is Tinubu's son. Tinubu's ya headache.

Hair vendor and crypto enthusiast from Enugu State, Obinna Henry, tells AJIBADE OMAPE how policemen allegedly extorted $25,000 from him after labelling him a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra

You mentioned that the sum of $25,000 was extorted from you by policemen. Can you describe the events that led to the encounter with the security operatives?

My name is Obinna Henry, I’m from Awgu in Enugu State, and my parents live at Oji River. My father works at a microfinance bank in Awka while my mother is a health centre nurse. I am staying in Asaba with my siblings. I deal in bitcoins. I’m also a hair vendor.

This incident occurred while I was driving from Asaba to Oji River. After Onitsha, there is a bad road, which makes commuting difficult because many trucks and vehicles have to slow down to pass that place comfortably.

While I approached the bad portion of the road, I was sure I saw a white Toyota Hiace bus with tinted glasses. The number plate was written in green, showing that the vehicle was government-owned. When I passed that vehicle, I saw the driver, but my mind didn’t suspect anything, and there were other transport buses loading passengers to different destinations.

After driving for a while, I just pulled over at a junction to ease myself. The ignition of my car was still on, and my two phones were still in the car because I made a quick stop and was going to continue my journey because I already told my mother that I was on my way.

While I was urinating, I saw that the white Toyota Hiace bus had double-crossed my car and parked in front of me, and six armed men with extra magazines attached to their guns approached me. I was surprised. These men asked for my vehicle papers which I provided.


They then asked for my driving licence and tint permit which I presented to them without any argument. After they searched everything, nothing was found on me. I was told to enter their bus. I questioned my arrest after providing them with all they asked for; they said they were police officers, and that they had every right to investigate anybody.

What prompted you to stop at that specific location where these officers approached you?

Usually, when I travel, I do not stop on the road to do anything, but as it happened that very day, I stopped at that place because I was pressed and wanted to urinate. This is the first time I stopped to do so while travelling.

How did the policemen approach you?

Their appearance was frightening, and I did not feel safe. Before I entered the vehicle, I wanted to take my phone from my car, but one of them asked me to leave it. They dragged me into their vehicle, which had tinted glass, so someone from the outside couldn’t see what was going on in the bus.

What happened after?

The driver turned on the ignition while one of them drove my car following behind. I noticed that the driver did not stop at any of the police checkpoints on our way as he simply drove past them which I believe was easy for them because of the number plate the vehicle had.


While on the bus, they were asking me about my details, but I kept mute and did not say a word, I just kept calm. After fruitless efforts in trying to make me talk, one of them brought out his ID card, showing me that they were police officers and not kidnappers. However, while he was showing me the ID card, he covered his name. I checked carefully, but I could not get it.

After showing me the ID card, I relaxed and started to answer their questions. After a while, I was asked to open my phone, which I refused to do. They immediately handcuffed me. There were two officers at the back, and those people were punching me; they gave me blows on my forehead until I started bleeding.

They were driving while all this was happening. The one who handcuffed me, approached me and tightened the handcuffs so much that the handcuffs gave me wounds in my hand. While they were beating me, one of them warned that if I didn’t open my phone, I would be tagged as an IPOB member and that I had something to hide.

I denied their allegations. I remember I had some mint N200 notes totalling about N5,000 in my car which I usually gave out to police officers on the road. The officer who drove my car took it all. They threatened to shoot me and boasted that nothing would happen, and nobody would know my whereabouts if I didn’t unlock my phone.

When the matter degenerated and their action was becoming a threat to my life, I unlocked my first phone. They were going through my phone and found nothing incriminating. Another officer asked me to unlock my iPhone, and I refused. They immediately got angry and started beating me again until I unlocked the phone.

Immediately I unlocked that phone, the officer holding it navigated to my wallet account, opened it, and saw money. He started showing his other colleagues the money in my wallet, claiming that was why I refused to unlock my phone. They told me they would collect the money.

These officers beat me until the driver took us to one lonely place surrounded by bushes. When we got to that lonely place, they stopped their car and mine, and they started beating me again, insisting that I must transfer that money to their account.

The officers with me on the bus told me that if their colleague who drove my car knew I was delaying transferring this money to them, he would be upset and might even shoot me, and that they would throw me in the bush there and nothing would happen.

Fortunately for me, when the officer came out, he started bullying them for injuring me on my forehead because he saw blood on my head. He asked me who injured me, and I pointed the officer out. He noted that he had told them to stop inflicting injuries on people in the process of trying to collect money.

What was on your mind when the policeman began to interrogate his colleagues?

This was an indicator that such incidents had occurred in the past. While we were there, they were discussing how to get another person to bring his phone and make sure that I did that transfer to them. That money was meant for my business.

Can you tell us the date and time of the incident?

The incident occurred on November 20, 2024, around 12pm. If I saw them right now, I would be able to identify them. However, they did not have name tags on their dresses, and they were all putting on very deceptive nose masks but I can recall they were seven in number.


When will you report the issue to a police station or state command and not a police PRO?


I can do that if I’m requested to, but I will wait till after the New Year because most of them may not be around for now.

How do you intend to help the police recover your money when you cannot get the name of any of the errant policemen?

Since I was not able to get a name, I still have the wallet address that was used to receive the money from my wallet. However, I believe that the wallet address can be used to trace the account and transactions. I hope this will help the police if they need it.

What reasons did they give for demanding the money?

There was no reason whatsoever from them. At first, they accused me of being a member of IPOB, which I denied. They asked me to unlock my phone so they could check, saying if nothing was found, I would be set free. They searched my phone first and found nothing incriminating. After I unlocked my second phone, they went straight to my wallet and demanded I make a transfer to them.

Were there any witnesses present during the incident, or were you alone at the time?

The officer drove my car into a street. So, it would be difficult for me to drive out before they escaped. That place was lonely, and after collecting the money from me, they drove away. I rushed to an army checkpoint that we passed on the way and complained to them, but the soldiers there said they saw the bus drive past them but had no idea that such a thing was happening inside it.

There were no witnesses at all; it was just me and the six of them in the vehicle, with the driver making the seventh person. The army officer at the checkpoint said those people (policemen) had been involved in such an act for a long time and that they could have come from the state CID.

Did you attempt to contact any authorities, family, or friends during or after the incident?

I wanted to, but they didn’t let me. They were with my phones. I was in handcuffs and the one at my back kept punching me from the back, while the one by my side was hitting me as well. They were very hefty men. While these things were happening, my mother called me on my phone, but the officers kept rejecting the calls and denying me access to phone calls.

I came back two days after the incident and while I was going through my phone, I came across a guy named Harrison in Delta State on the internet and explained everything to him. He asked if I would be able to identify the officers if I saw them again, I confirmed, and he promised to get back to me.

After a while, I reached out to him and he said he had informed some people in Abuja who were investigating the case, but they needed N2.8 million to track the wallet address used to collect the money from me and the number plate of the vehicle used by them. But as it stands now, I do not have that amount of money.

I also reported to someone who referred me to the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, who after our discussion referred me to the Anambra State Police PRO since the incident happened there.

Upon his referral, I contacted the Anambra PRO and when I explained everything, he asked me for evidence of the payment receipts, which I told him I had. I was asked to forward everything to him on WhatsApp which I did, but since then, I have not heard from him and even when I called, I got no response. I felt it was a disturbance calling him; so, I gave up. It was not until I got a call from my friend who shared my contact with you to do an interview.

Are you satisfied with the way they’ve handled the case?

I’m not satisfied because I was asked to send the proof of payment, which I did, and after sending the proof, I called him to tell him that I had already sent the proof to his WhatsApp. He said, okay, that he would check it and now get back to me to know what next. I waited for about two or three days, before calling again, but when I did, I got no response from the Anambra State Police PRO.


You mentioned that you wanted to use the $25,000 for business. What kind of business did you want to use it for?

The business I wanted to use it for was the hair business; it was human hair, Brazilian hair, and the like. I had made contacts and saw a shop I wanted to use for the business. When I wanted to pay for the shop, I was told that the person in charge was not around. I checked that place about two or three times, but I never met the person. Had it been that the shop was available then, I could have used that money to pay the rent and do other things.

If these officers are apprehended, what do you want the authorities to do to them?

If these people should be apprehended, the first thing is to suspend them from the police force because they are taking it too far. Not only that, but they must also face the law for threatening me and beating up a citizen because they had guns with them.

After you were released, did you get any medical attention for your injuries?

My mum gave me medications. I didn’t go to a hospital because my mum is a nurse, and she knew what medications to give me.

What assistance or help do you want concerning this case?

I called two of my friends and forwarded the address used to collect the money to them. That was after I explained what happened to them. My friends tracked the wallet, and they saw the money in their trust wallet. The following morning, one of them called me, saying that they had started moving out that money from that wallet. They moved everything.

I don’t know if it will be possible to get my money back, but I would love the authorities to help me, I would appreciate it. The extortion of innocent citizens by some policemen is not good. It’s not good to see somebody and start to intimidate them because you are carrying a gun, threatening to kill them, and nothing happens.

The authorities should look into it. My life was threatened and that is my fear. I’ve been seeing on TikTok where police will just shoot somebody who did not commit any offence.

Former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of not telling Nigerians the true situation of the country and his administration.

Lamido, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), also accused former President Muhammadu Buhari of not being transparent with Nigerians during his time.

Lamido leveled the accusations when he featured on BBC Hausa service program ‘Gane Mini Hanya’.

He said the two administrations prioritised propaganda rather than telling Nigerians the actual state of the nation unlike during the time PDP governed the country.

“Buhari’s and Tinubu’s governments are not being transparent with Nigerians unlike during the time when PDP was in power where everything was transparent and open to all Nigerians.

“But with the coming of Buhari, deception and propaganda became tools for running the government.”

Lamido also faulted President Tinubu’s loan requests, lamenting that “what the government is telling Nigerians is different from what it is executing.”

“If Nigerians are being told the truth then there is nothing wrong with that, but how would you budget N30tn, generate N50tn and then request loan when you have a surplus of N20tn.” he said, making reference to last year’s budget.

He further added, “This recklessness and clear-cut selfishness is not done anywhere in the world, but yet you find (some) Nigerians supporting it. Visit social media and see how APC is being criticised, being referred to as calamity, yet you find some protecting it.”

Daejumong:
Victor Osimhen gave out 2000 motor tricycles to the needy in Lagos, Nigeria! What are the lessons to learn for Pastor Adeboye,Oyedepo and other general overseers in Nigeria and worldwide?

Victor Osimhen is a superstar Nigerian footballer who earns averagely $10M a year! He grew from the trenches with a very poor background and by dint of hardwork rose to the top of his craft!

He recently donated 2000 motor tricycles valued each at about $2200 totalling $4.4m(3.4 billion Naira). This is about six months’ salary of intense hardwork! He selflessly made these guys fishermen and not just given fishes. Motor tricycles are a major means of transport in Nigeria and when well managed as a business will make the owners live a comfortable life!

Almost all churches donate small bags of rice, bottles of oil to needy members in church during Christmas periods. They eat for few days and return to their poverty while their General overseers fly jets, helicopters and live a life of luxury. Some of these guys generate billions/hundreds of millions of dollars yearly in their church empires.

It is time general overseers emulate Victor Osimhen by empowering the needy and poorly paid pastors in their churches. Make them fishermen and not just giving them fishes! Nothing stops u from selling one of your jets to get motor tricycles for your pastors and needy members! There is no point flying the world with jets with the idea of winning souls when the souls on ground and their pastors are unhappy, hungry and suffering.

God bless Victor and continue to elevate him all round! He has shown us what true sacrifice and love for humanity means - a virtue our Lord Jesus persistently preached. If our churches can be these sacrificial, investing and taking care of the people , Nigeria and by extension Africa would be a better place.

Omawumi17:
Hello 🤩 everyone...
It's been a while here... I was banned some time ago and got used to staying off nairaland
After vacation, I travelled to my hometown to spend the holiday season with my family..
My mom is a business woman, she sells mostly farm produce i.e they buy directly from the farm and sell at the market
Two days ago, she came back from the market with this huge bunch of plantain
She asked me to guess the price, and I told her that where I am coming from, you cannot get this less than 7k to 8k
But she told me, she got it for 3000 and ll resell 3500
But why, I asked, she said she doesn't like placing much profit on her goods, because if she sells at a huge profit margin, the final consumer ll suffer for it
Most times, her customers are from ibadan and lagos
Most times, they buy at very cheap price and sell high
I wish we can all emulate her goodness, the world would have been a better place to be
May God bless her and put barka in her business

The Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, has lost his eldest son, Abdulwahab, in a motor accident that occurred on Thursday.

This incident comes just a day after the governor mourned the passing of his mother, Maryam Namadi, who died on Wednesday after a brief illness.

According to reports, the governor’s son was involved in a motor accident while returning from Kafin Hausa to Dutse with his friends when the vehicle he was driving lost control, causing it to somersault.

It was gathered that some of his friends are currently receiving treatment at the Dutse General Hospital.

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Confirming the incident in a statement made available to newsmen, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Hamisu Gumel, said, “With a heavy heart, Governor Umar Namadi announces the passing of his beloved son, Abdulwahab Umar Namadi.

December 26, 2024, due to a ghastly motor accident along the Dutse-Kafin-Hausa Road.

“The burial rites are currently underway in Kafin Hausa town in accordance with Islamic traditions.”

According to the governor’s spokesperson, Abdulwahab is survived by his parents, Governor Umar Namadi and his wife, as well as his many siblings.

“This tragic incident comes just a day after the governor mourned the passing of his mother, Hajia Maryam Namadi,” the statement added.

The incident has sent shockwaves throughout the state, with many residents expressing their condolences to the governor and his family.

Civil servants under the employment of the Federal Government are facing a low-key Christmas celebrations following the delay in payment of their December 2024 salaries.

The PUNCH also learnt that federal workers suffered delayed salaries in November 2024.

Findings by our correspondents revealed that most federal workers received their November 2024 salaries during the second week of December.

Multiple sources within the civil service told The PUNCH that the fault came from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation while other sources others noted that the delay was as a result of migration to a new payment platform.

Speaking on the delayed salaries, our correspondent, who visited the Federal Secretariat on Tuesday morning, met with a few civil servants who expressed their grievances over the matter.

A civil servant, who spoke under the condition of anonymity out of regard for civil service rules, said, “To be very honest, I am not traveling for the holidays this year because I don’t have the money. Our November salaries came very late and by the time we were paid, a lot of us were already in debt. We felt things would be different this December but the reverse is the case.”

Another civil servant, who also spoke under the condition of anonymity, said, “There is nothing shocking about this new development because our November salaries came late. Some of us prepared ahead, even though it is not enough. The cost of food items have gone up, clothes for my children and all. Payment of the December salaries at the moment will really go a long way.”

An Assistant Director in one of the MDAs outside Abuja, said, “This delay in salary payment is getting too much. It is Christmas and yet some of us can’t even buy meat talk less getting chicken for our family members. The government needs to consider our welfare.”

However, the Federal Government has explained the reasons behind recent delays in salary payments to civil servants, attributing the issue to shortfalls in allocations to some ministries and agencies.

Speaking with The PUNCH on Tuesday, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General, Mr Bawa Mokwa, confirmed that payments commenced on Monday and that measures had been taken to address the discrepancies.

“They have started paying since yesterday,” Mokwa stated.

He further acknowledged the delays experienced last month, saying, “Last month, you will observe that some people didn’t get their salaries on time. Some ministries were having shortfall. Yesterday, they paid all, and even the ones that had shortfall, they ensured that they were augmented and paid. So, it now depends on the banks.”

Explaining the root of the problem, Mokwa noted that the implementation of the new minimum wage had affected the salary allocations for some ministries.

“When they started paying the new minimum wage, the money assigned for salaries to these ministries was affected by the minimum wage. So, that led to shortfall for the ministries. That is what the government has addressed and augmented for all ministries to ensure that the salary was paid yesterday,” he explained.


The Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, also confirmed during an earlier event that the salaries had been paid.

However, Mokwa added that the timing of the funds reflecting in employees’ accounts would depend on individual banks.


“It varies from bank to bank on how it will drop, but they have been paid,” he said.

In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved an increase in the minimum wage for Nigerian workers from N30,000 to N70,000.

Earlier in January this year, the National Assembly reduced the allocation for minimum wage and salary-related payments for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies by 45 per cent in the approved 2024 budget.

President Bola Tinubu initially proposed a budget of N1tn for Public Service Wage Adjustment for MDAS (including Arrears of Promotion and Salary Increases and Payment of Severance benefits and Minimum Wage Related Adjustments).

However, the approved budget by the National Assembly and signed by the president was a significant reduction to N550bn for the same fiscal item, indicating a decrease of N450bn from the proposed amount.

Following the approval of a new minimum wage, the Federal Government said that the N3tn recurrent component of the N6.2tn supplementary budget presented to the National Assembly would largely be used to address the new national minimum wage.

In the proposed 2025 budget, the Federal Government allocated N845.28bn to address minimum wage-related adjustments following the recent increase of the minimum wage to N70,000.

The allocation is part of the Service-Wide Vote detailed in the 2025 budget, which was presented by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly.

The PUNCH earlier reported that the Federal Government indicated that its spending on personnel costs would increase by at least 60 per cent in 2025.

It said this is due to the implementation of the new national minimum wage and consequential adjustments for all cadres of the federal civil service.

According to the 2025-2027 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, about N4.1tn was budgeted as personnel expenditure in the 2024 budget; hence, a 60 per cent increase means an additional N2.46tn and a total sum of N6.56tn.

The PUNCH also reported that the Federal Government plans to spend N8.52tn (inclusive of government enterprises) on personnel and pension costs for federal workers next year.


An analysis of the 2025 Appropriation Bill showed that this amount is an increase of N3.17tn or 59.16 per cent from the 2024 provision of N5.35tn.

The document also showed that government expenses on the payment of salaries alone would reach N7.54tn, marking an increase of N2.75tn from N4.79tn paid to federal workers in 2024.

The personnel and pension costs of N8.52tn and the debt service cost of N16.33tn make up a total sum of N24.85tn, gulping 53.98 per cent out of the total N46.02tn 2025 budget.

It was also observed that the government would spend more on debt servicing than it would spend on paying the salaries and pensions of its workers.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said he does not regret removing the fuel subsidy immediately he assumed office on May 29, 2023.

He said made the swift decision to preserve Nigeria’s future and that of generation yet unborn.

The President stated this during the first presidential media chat aired by NTA on Monday.

Asked if he thought he should have phased the removal of the subsidy and floating of naira, Tinubu said, “Why should you have expenditure that you don’t have revenue to take care of. I don’t want to question people that drive Limousines on the road. We should teach management in all our programmes.

“There is no way we would give out fuel and allow all the entire neighbouring countries as father Christmas (to have our fuel). I don’t have any regret whatsoever removing the subsidy.”

The subsidy removal had led to astronomical hikes in the pump price of petrol from N195 per litre to arounf N1,000, leading to corresponding increases in transport costs and food prices and widespread hardship in the country.