₦airaland Forum

Armed bandits numbering about 50 overran no fewer than five communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State in the early hours of Saturday, killing 11 people and rustling over 300 cattle.

The bandits, who invaded the communities at about 6:00 am, ransacked the communities, moving from house to house without any resistance for several hours.

One of the victims of the attacks identified as Saidu had his two wives raped by four of the bandits in his presence before he was shot at a close range.

Communities that were affected in the latest attack are Kudodo, Galapai, Dnakpala Makera and Dnalgwa.

A source close to one of the communities told our correspondent on telephone that sixteen people sustained serious bullet wounds and have been taken to the general hospital in Kuta, headquarters of Shiroro Local Government.

This latest attack comes barely a week after eight communities were sacked by bandits in the same Shiroro Local Government, an attack which saw six people being killed, including a village head, who had his son and 15 other people kidnapped.

The communities attacked were Zongoro, Mozaga, Mazuka, Magami, Mazuku, Mazanga, Rumache and Chukuba.

The over 110,000 people who were displaced in that attacks are currently being camped at the Kuta Central Primary School.

This morning attacks also come 24 hours after another set of bandits invaded four communities of Kusherki, Dakolo, Amale and Ishaw in Paikoro Local Government Area, with the death of a postgraduate of Bayero University Kano, the kidnapping of four women, and six others declared missing.

The senator representing Niger East Senatorial District, Alhaji Sani Musa, whose constituency is under siege, confirmed the latest attack to Daily Sun, saying that the situation is getting out of hand. The senator, who only three days ago paid a visit to the Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camp in Kuta where over 100 people are being sheltered, described the recent onslaught by the bandits as nothing but “a declaration of war against the people.”

According to the lawmaker, “innocent families are been displaced, killed, raped, kidnapped and community members straddled in a state of despair.

“As the attacks continue, more villagers in my constituency are awaiting their fate as no sign of succour comes their way. It is confirmed that the bandits are attacking all through the night to this afternoon and most communities are in grave danger,” the senator said.

“The bandits have plagued most local government areas of Niger East Senatorial District for over four months now”, he lamented.

Musa appealed to the President and all security services “to come to our aid without further delay.”

The State Department on Thursday gave visa officers more power to block pregnant women abroad from visiting the United States and directed them to stop “birth tourism” — trips designed to obtain citizenship for their children.

The administration is using the new rule, which takes effect on Friday, to push consular officers abroad to reject women they believe are entering the United States specifically to gain citizenship for their child by giving birth. The visas covered by the new rule are issued to those seeking to visit for pleasure, medical treatment or to see friends and family.

Conservatives have long railed against what they call “anchor babies,” born on American soil and used by their parents to bring in other family members. President Trump has also criticized the constitutional provision that grants citizenship to most babies born on American soil.

It is not clear whether such “birth tourism” is a significant phenomenon or that “anchor babies” do lead to substantial immigration, but many conservatives believe both issues are real and serious. The Trump administration has repeatedly moved to allay conservative immigration concerns, which President Trump has often stoked.

“Birth tourism poses risks to national security,” Carl C. Risch, assistant secretary for consular affairs at the State Department, wrote in the final rule. “The birth tourism industry is also rife with criminal activity, including international criminal schemes.”

Consular officers were already unlikely to grant visa to women who they believed were traveling to the United States solely to give birth. But with the new rule, the White House seems to be signaling to officers abroad that those close to delivering a child would be added to a growing list of immigrants unwelcome in the United States, a list that includes the poor, most refugees and asylum-seeking migrants.

Stephanie Grisham, the White House press secretary, said in a statement that the new rule seeks to stop those who seek “automatic and permanent American citizenship for their children by giving birth on American soil.”

“It will also defend American taxpayers from having their hard-earned dollars siphoned away to finance the direct and downstream costs associated with birth tourism,” Ms. Grisham said. “The integrity of American citizenship must be protected.”

The rule raises the burden of proof for pregnant women applying for tourist visas by outlining in writing that giving birth in the country “is an impermissible basis” for visiting the United States. Even if the women say they are entering the country for medical treatment — a legitimate factor for visa eligibility — an applicant would need to prove that she has enough money to pay for such treatment to the satisfaction of the officer. The woman will also need to prove that the medical care being sought was not available in her home country.

“If an applicant’s responses to this line of questions are not credible, that may give consular officers reason to question whether the applicant qualifies for a visa,” Mr. Risch said in the rule.

The new policy does not change guidance granted to airport officers working for the Department of Homeland Security, meaning visa eligibility changes would occur outside the United States, not at airport immigration counters.

It is also not clear how effective the new rule will be. Some visas allow foreigners to visit the United States multiple times over the course of as many as 10 years, so an applicant could be granted a visa, get pregnant years later and still be permitted to visit the country.

“Unless D.H.S. changes how its officers interpret travel for pleasure to be consistent with the State Department rule, than people will still come to the United States to give birth. This won’t stop that happening,” said Theresa Cardinal Brown, the director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

But those abroad applying for visas close to the delivery date could be denied, she said.

TShooyie:
There's an agreement already between the FG and the SW governors. We await details. As for the "Amotekun is illegal folks" take a chill pill and watch Amotekun become operational.

Blue3k:
Enough is enough they need to get film him saying these statements live. There's ontradictory news saying the opposite. OP post your source.

Newly appointed Special Adviser on Education to Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Joseph Odemuyiwa, has confirmed SaharaReporters’ story accusing him of certificate forgery.

On Monday, the respected online news medium had published a story exposing how Odemuyiwa forged a letter of promotion to become associate professor when he left Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, to Kwara State University.

Apart from being sent packing from KWASU, the Ogun governor appointee was asked to refund all payment made to him upon his sack from the university.

Aside from his issue in Kwara State University, sources confirmed to SaharaReporters that most of the claims outlined by Odemuyiwa on his resume were all made up to continue to sustain his lies and scheming.

Giving his own side of the story, Odemuyiwa accepted that his appointment did not pass through the normal process.

He said, “I took an appointment with KWASU based on the understanding of adjunct lectureship.

“One can observe that the letter lacks the basic conditions and terms of employment for a full time appointment.

“The remuneration was not also attached. The Vice Chancellor actually wanted me to assist in perfecting Business Education, which was running its second year and was not listed for NUC’s initial program accreditation, and also help in recruiting younger academics for the program.

“I gave a letter of resignation dated March 1, 2011. The letter was never acknowledged to date, rather pressures were mounted on me that the university registry had been complaining that an adjunct position ought not to have been given to anyone below professorial cadre like me. It was on this premise that I was invited for interview for the readership position.

“My final departure from KWASU fetched me a letter later requesting for a refund of all salaries and allowances paid to me during my stay with them with a claim that I got the job illegally. I paid all, as requested, including all tax earlier deducted to fulfill all righteousness.”

Odemuyiwa also shed more light into his frequent change of workplace and movement between Tai Solarin University of Education and OOU, both in Ogun State.

He said, “My first contact with Tai Solarin University of Education was in 2005 when I was offered a sabbatical job as a Senior Lecturer in Business Education in the Department of Vocational and Technical Education.

“I became the Head of the unit and was able to fine-tune Business Education in the young university. I left at the expiration of my one year tenure for Olabisi Onabanjo University that was also looking for someone to help secure NUC accreditation.

“Towards the end of 2008 again, TASUED had problems with accreditation this time in the Department of Economics (Business Management Unit) and I was invited again and offered a part time appointment as a Senior Lecturer.

“While I remained a Senior Lecturer in Business Management in the College of Social and Management Sciences, the College of Applied Education and Vocational Technology of the same university would not let me go. I was also appointed an External Examiner for Business Education for the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 sessions.”

Speaking further, Odemuyiwa explained that his job application into TASUED was facilitated by ex-governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

He added that he was given a position he did not apply for in the school, accepted the job offer but never resumed work in the tertiary institution.

He stated, “My application was actually summoned by the visitor and proprietor of the university, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the then governor of Ogun State.

“The Governor got attracted to my paper on Business Education as a synergy for poverty alleviation and socio-economic viability in South-West Nigeria and wanted me to do something in my area of specialisation with TASUED, hence the executive approval of my professorial chair as a minute on my application under reference to the Vice Chancellor.

“The university responded to my application by giving a letter of appointment as a Senior Lecturer (a position I never applied for, and which I have been occupying since 2005.

“This was dated March 30, 2011. I was persuaded to accept the offer in the interim to allow for proper processing of the visitor’s approval of my full professorial chair. This I did but never resumed till date.

“One thing I remember, the university management invited me for an interview for the position of a Reader/Associate Professor which I never applied for after the exit of Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

“I attended this interview to put my skills to test for a higher academic position. The outcome of the interview was never known or communicated to me till date, I still earnestly await it."

Apart from Odemuyiwa, the Ogun State governor had also appointed selected two others with questionable academic credentials to be part of his administration in recent days.

They are Sidi Osho and Adeleye Adebiyi, who were selected as Commissioner for Education and Special Adviser on Politics respectively.

As at 09:50, members of the Yoruba World Congress including Youth Groups, Agbekoya group, Atayese, Yoruba Reconciliation Groups, Kaaro Ojiire group, Oodua People Congress, Majiyagbe Group are beginning to arrive the Rememberance Archade, venue of the Oyo State Solidarity walk in support of Operation Amotekun, the Southwest regional security outfit.

As at the time of filing this report, members are just gathering with placards and banners with various inscriptions.

The list of the security operatives at the venue has also been boosted with the presence of officers from the Department of State Service and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The venue is also besieged with reporters, photojournalists.

Inscriptions on the banners displayed by the protesters read “Yoruba Omo Oodua: Protect Yourself, Amotekun”, “On Amotekun we stand”, “We want to know who owns the Land. Amotekun”, No Amotekun, No Hisbah”, among others.

adedayourt:
case wey just det start, we still dey go appeal n supreme court.

probly by 2026 case go end

thundafire:
To replace with APC guy abi wat is dey score now

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in the Bwari area of Abuja has sacked Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

Senator Ubah was the lawmaker representing Anambra South district in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

More to follow…

Blakjewelry:
sauce to eat the yam

The Supreme Court has stood down judgment in the suit challenging the election of Governor Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State.

The apex court took the decision on Tuesday while hearing the appeal filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the March 9 election, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume.

Senator Ararume filed the appeal to challenge Governor Ihedioha’s election after he lost at the Imo State Governorship Election Tribunal and the Court of Appeal.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, chaired a seven-man panel of justices that presided over the hearing of the appeal.

*Replaces ailing Justice Okoro with Augie

The Supreme Court has scheduled judgment for January 20 (Monday) in the appeal challenging the last governorship election in Kano State.

A seven-man panel of the court, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, made the decision after lawyers in the case, comprising an appeal and a cross-appeal, adopted their processes and prayed the court to grant their prayers.

The main appeal marked: SC/1450/2019 was by Abba Kabir Yusuf and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). While the all Progressives Party (APC) filed a cross-appeal.

Respondents in the main appeal are: the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC and Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.

Meanwhile, the court has reconstituted its panel. It has replaced Justice John Okowo, who took ill on Monday, with Justice Amina Augie.

Other members of the panel are Justices Sylvester Ngwuta, Olukayode Ariwoola, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Amiru Sanusi and Uwani Abba-Aji.

The court has risen briefly.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad has retired to his chambers over the congestion in the Supreme Court hall.

Justice Muhammad, who is presiding over the determination of seven outstanding governorship appeals complained about the rowdy hall.

Supporters of the governors from Kano, Sokoto, Bauchi, Adamawa, Imo, Benue, and Plateau states had thronged the court premises since 6:00am on Monday.

The Director of Litigation of the Supreme Court, Ibrahim Gold asked persons with no serious business in the court to leave. He added that only the lead counsel and four others should be in the hall for each of the parties.

“If you are not appearing as a lawyer for the appellant and respondent, please leave the hall,” he said. Security agencies finding it hard to clear the hall. Detail later