BUHARI'S GOVERNMENT NOT WINNING ANTI-CORRUPTION WAR-FALANA
April 1,2016
The Nigerian government is not yet winning the war on corruption despite the overwhelming evidence available to it, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has said.
Delivering the keynote speech at a round table on “Winning the War Against Corruption” in Lagos, Thursday, Mr. Falana said the federal government was yet to understand that the anti-corruption battle could not be won through regular courts.
“Apart from the class solidarity usually extended to politically exposed persons by judges in all capitalist societies, the situation is compounded in Nigeria by judicial corruption and professional misconduct on the part of senior lawyers involved in the defence of corruption cases,” said Mr. Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
“Owing to lack of coordination in the trial of politically exposed persons, corruption is fighting back. Painfully, the federal government is on the defensive as it has failed to counter the deliberate manipulation of the criminal justice system by the indicted looters of the public treasury.”
Mr. Falana, who was represented by Wahab Shittu, accused the regular courts of subjecting corruption and drug related cases to frivolous adjournments, rather than hearing them day by day as stipulated by the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
“As if that is not enough, the suspects are being granted bail in their own recognizance or other ridiculously liberal terms by trial judges notwithstanding the gravity of the offences allegedly committed by them.
“Some other judges are granting interlocutory or perpetual injunctions to restrain the anti-graft agencies and the police from arresting, investigation and prosecuting politically exposed persons.
“The ban on granting of stay of proceedings by the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, is not being observed by the courts.”
Mr. Falana also said most of the ongoing corruption cases would not be concluded before 2019.
“Even if the defendants are convicted, the cases will be pursued up to the Supreme Court,” he said.
“If the current trend continues, some of the cases will not be concluded in the next 10 years. Therefore, the federal government should review the anti-corruption policy with a view to setting up a Special Anti-Corruption Court to try all economic and financial crimes including corruption.”
The lawyer canvassed for the establishment of Special Courts to specifically handle cases of corruption, terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, advanced fee fraud, and other economic crimes.
“At the end of the four years of the Buhari administration, the success of the anti-corruption policy will not be measured by the number of arrests or investigations carried out by the anti-graft agencies,” Mr. Falana said.
“If the status quo remains unchanged, the Nigerian people and the international community will blame the administration for its inability to secure the conviction of corrupt politically exposed persons with all the evidence at its disposal.
“Therefore, a special court ought to be established to deal specifically with economic and financial crimes as well as electoral offences. Otherwise, the anti-corruption policy of the federal government will not achieve its desired objectives.”
Source: www.premiumtimesng.com

A LETTER TO THE BLOODTHIRSTY NIGERIAN PRESIDENT #TYRANTBUHARI BY A CITIZEN:
April 1,2016
Dear Mr President
Sir
I HAD RATHER BE BURNT ALIVE THAN TO EMBRACED WAHABISMS.
There is a wise saying “A man without a purpose is like a ship without rudder”.
The saying stresses the necessity of having a definite aim in one’s life. It is true that an aims keeps a person steady in life and encourages him to go ahead, because every human has his own taste and ambition.
Mr President,
Which aim and ambition are more better than to have myself as #MARTYRED in this contemporary world? I was inspired by his eminence Sheik Zakzaky and I do my inspiration from him as well, the spiritual leader rather than that of political, who taught me how to lead my life and maintained my faith. After all, I was born with nothing and I have lost nothing if I was killed in the course of Allah. That’s my aim and ambition.
Sir I want you to know that Martyrdom is an honor and gratitude that no one can attained except an exceptional servant. So there is nothing to fear about.
Mr President My allegiance to Sheik #Zakzaky can never be hurt no matter how stressed and difficulties I may encounter from your merciless Army, I know the worse you can do is to used your killing machine. What else then?
Sir I was blessed to be among the Muslim ummah and bestowed to be among the million disciples of Sheik Zakzaky the father of martyrs and no any force can take them away from me.
Sir, It will be the most embarrassing episode in my life to embraced WAHABISMS who are always trained to kill mercilessly. (GOD FORBID ME TO BE WAHABIS!) A religio/political team who always viewed Shi’a Muslim genocidally, as non Muslim worthy of annihilation.
Sir you’re the president of Federal Republic of Nigeria, a secular nation per say, where I destined to born, a place where lives and properties are valueless, especially the present reign of pro-Saudi dictator emerged as president who arrogantly vowed to serves his masters at all cost, just because he has the courage to change the impossible into possible. Sir He blindly changed the equation of secular Nation in to Saudi-Wahabi subject. Fortunately as a member of IMN I remained constant.
Sir, The per say secular government insists to imposed and enforced #Wahabisms on Citizens regardless of their religious orientation. Sir It’s only #Wahabisms doesn’t tolerates other religious and ideological beliefs. So I will never accept such poster.
Your obedient citizen
Abubakar Isah katsina
08134743737
http://www.jirgintsirablog.

ACCESS TO SHEIKH EL-ZAKZAKY.

THISDAY Editorial | Wednesday, March 30, 2016

All parties in the conflict should be given fair hearing

Early last week, there was a mild drama at the resumed sitting of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up to probe the clash between the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as the Shiite sect, and the Nigerian Army last year in Zaria, Kaduna State. Members of the Islamic Movement insisted they would not submit any memorandum to the commission unless the Department of State Security (DSS) granted them access to their detained leader, Shiekh El-Zakzaky, who has been held incommunicado since December last year.

This was against the backdrop that the legal counsel to the group had repeatedly complained of how several efforts by him and others to meet with El-Zakzaky were frustrated by the DSS on the grounds of national security. There is merit in the argument of the Shiites.

In January, the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai announced the composition of the commission of inquiry into the incident which claimed no fewer than 100 lives, according to most accounts. While the commission, made up of respectable people in the society, has started work, there has been a heated argument over the successful completion of its assignment in the absence of the central figure in the crisis. El-Zakzaky remains in the protective custody of DSS without the benefit of interaction with some of his followers who are being invited to give testimony.

National security, which the DSS gave as its reason for not allowing members of the group have access to El-Zakzaky, is a weak excuse for denying the Shiite leader his fundamental rights to fair treatment. That excuse becomes even more untenable in the light of a haunting photograph recently published in an online media outlet indicating that the Shiite cleric was not in the best of health.

Despite the scrawny excuse the DSS recently gave, we share the misgivings of the Shiites. Moreover, given the international interest in the matter, we do not believe that the Nigerian authorities have handled the issue very well. For fairness and equity, members of the group and their lawyers should be allowed to consult with their leader before presenting their position to the panel. After all, the mission of the panel is to find a lasting solution to the recurring clashes between the members of the sect and the larger society.

We think El-Zakzaky has a key role to play in this regard.

The deep suspicion of the Shiites that the government (both in Kaduna and at the federal level) would not allow for a transparent investigation of the tragedy should be proved wrong. While many fine points of the bloody incident are still vague, it is necessary that all sides, especially the government and the DSS, refrain from actions that can only compound the situation. Already, there is huge apprehension that given the pronouncements of key actors in government, including President Muhammadu Buhari, the panel would not be fair to the Shiite members. Such apprehension must be quickly allayed.

To ensure justice, all parties to the conflict must be given fair hearing, without any threat of coercion and intimidation. At the end of the day, anyone or group found liable for the violence must be brought to justice. But that cannot be done in an atmosphere where one party already feels it has been found guilty even before the commencement of the investigation. We believe that the demand of the Shiites that they be allowed to see their leader, wherever he is, is not unreasonable in the circumstance.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/03/30/access-to-sheikh-el-zakzaky/

BAN ON SALAFISM (Wahabism) IN THE WORLD. READ THE FOLLOWING FACTS:

Mass graves for '300 Shia Nigerians' in Zaria
23 December 2015 Africa
Nigeria's military killed and quickly buried the bodies of at least 300 Shia Muslims in an unjustified attack in the northern Zaria city earlier this month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.
The bodies were buried without family members' permission, it added.
Military spokesman Brig General Rabe Abubakar told the BBC the army had not killed anyone.
Reports of the deaths sparked outrage among Shia around the world and Iran called for their protection.
HRW said Nigeria's army version of events "does not stack up" and called for an independent judicial investigation into what happened.
The Shia have rejected a committee set up by the government to look into the incident, saying it would be biased.
"At best it was a brutal overreaction and at worst it was a planned attack on the minority Shia group," HRW Africa direction Daniel Bekele said:





The military accuses the pro-Iranian sect of trying to assassinate army chief Gen Tukur Buratai, which it denies.
It also released images purportedly showing Shia with sticks and some throwing stones at them when they tried to pass through a makeshift roadblock erected by the group.
But Human Rights Watch says there has been no "credible information" that any soldiers were injured or killed.
It is difficult to determine an accurate death toll but the information was gathered from hospital sources and eyewitnesses, the campaign group added in a statement.
Nigeria's Islamic spiritual leader, the Sultan of Sokoto, has warned that the raids on the sect, known as the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), could spark a new insurgency.
Militant Sunni Islamist group Boko Haram has killed thousands of people in its pursuit of an Islamic state, and has attacked the IMN.
The IMN said the military had destroyed its religious shrine and the home of its leader Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky during the raid.
Sheikh Zakzaky is currently being held by the police.
Those killed during the incident include the group's deputy leader and its spokesman.
Last year, three sons of Sheikh Zakzaky were killed in clashes between the army and pilgrims in a religious procession.
Source: www.bbc.com/news/world-africa

IPOB reveals what will happen to Buhari and Buratai

– The IPOB group issues a new statement alleging that Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai and his cohorts are murderers
– The IPOB group said President Muhammadu Buhari and Buratai would end up in jail for various human rights abuses
– The pro-Biafra group berated the federal government and the military for inaugurating a panel to investigate human rights abuses
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group clamouring for the sovereign state of Biafra has revealed what would become of President Muhammadu Buhari and the chief of army staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai.
The group in a statement issued on March 21, by its spokespersons, Barrister Emma Nmezu and Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya, a copy obtained by Daily Post, says Buhari and Buratai would end up in jail for several human rights abuses.
The spokespersons also took a swipe at the defence headquarters and the commander in chief for setting up a committee that is expected to investigate various complaints on human rights abuses, describing it as a waste of the country’s incomes.
According to IPOB, the government and the military that is being accused of human rights abuses cannot probe the same issue.
Below is the full statement:
“On Monday, the 21st of March 2016, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters represented by General Abayomi Olonisakin inaugurated what it called a 12-man committee on human rights. It is not clear if the Defence Headquarters is acting based on Section-5(1) CAP A20 L.F.N. 2004 or that General Olonisakin is trying to save the life and career of the never-retiring Lt.-Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai who will end up at the prison yard, courtesy of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, just like his Commander-in-Chief, Retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari would soon go to jail as well in The Hague for human rights abuses and extra-judicial killings. During the inauguration of the so-called human rights committee, General Olonisakin noted that “each member of the committee was invited to look into the complaints of human rights abuses levelled against the military” and “urged the committee to expand their focus beyond the North East, to also include other areas of contention including the issues emanating from clashes with the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and Rivers State election rerun amongst others.
“General Olonisakin also stated that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is “always guided by global best practices, Rules of Engagement (ROE) for military operations other than war as well as Codes of Conduct for internal security operations.” On the other hand, he warned that the Armed Forces “would not sacrifice professionalism on the platter of lawlessness or extra-judicial conducts of anybody or groups. “The terms of reference of this committee include “collation and documentation of written complaints, as well as investigation of all the alleged rights violations, interface with human rights bodies, recommend appropriate sanctions where necessary and advice generally on modalities to curtail violations of human rights by troops.
“It is very laughable that the so-called committee on human rights which was meant exclusively for the North-East of Nigeria was suddenly given the mandate to operate elsewhere in Nigeria as a face-saving measure to divert the attention of the public and the ICC from the upcoming criminal prosecution of Lt-Gen Buratai, Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Ehigiator Arase, and other accomplices to the massacre of defenceless Biafrans which started seven weeks after the swearing-in of Buhari as Nigeria’s president. Is it possible for General Olonisakin to point at any report in the public domain from any committee that was set up to probe any of the killings in Biafraland? In 2013, some committees were set up by the Senate and the NBA to investigate the mass murder of Biafrans and dumping of their bodies in Ezzu River but the committees‘ reports were never made public. Even former Governor Peter Obi’s Ezzu River Autopsy Report is still hidden in government house at Awka.
“On the other hand, how can the military be investigating crimes committed by itself and expect to get useful outcomes, in addition to the fact that this committee is not headed by a reputable Judge but rather the committee is mainly an assortment of retired and retarded members of Nigerian military? How can a murderer investigate his own crime? This is another waste of public funds in a country where the average citizen lives on less than half-dollar in a day.
“Instead of spending so much money on logistics and other related expenses on this committee, we STRONGLY advice the Defence Headquarters to use this money to hire a formidable defence attorney who will defend them at the upcoming court case at the ICC. Perhaps, the attorney may be able to reduce by a few years, the imminent long jail terms for Buratai et al. Therefore the public should not be deceived by the red-herring strategy of General Olonisakin and his cohorts because Buratai and his co-murderers are prison-bound irrespective of the so-called committee on human rights. This committee is nothing but a deceit and a charade.

The group’s statement might not be unconnected with the recent disclosure made by the Nigerian military as it would be recalled that Buratai, who was at the headquarters of the 82 Division in Enugu state, as part of his on-going familiarisation tour of military formations across the country, said the institution is investigating the alleged killing of pro-Biafra protesters in Aba, Abia state. He said the Nigerian army always investigates cases that involved loss of lives.
Meanwhile, the director of radio Biafra and leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, who is currently in detention has alleged that the DSS threatened to kill him, but he noted that killing him would not stop the Biafra agitation.
Source: www.naij.com

Who is Afraid of Sheikh Zakzaky?
A hlulB ayt News A gency - It is about 100 days since the Zaria massacre by the Nigerian Army where hundreds of innocent lives have been lost to the bullets of the government that is supposed to protect its citizens.
The shallow minded military intelligence that planned and carried out the genocide surprisingly failed to cook up a palpablereason for theassault. The claim that members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) under the leadership of Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky wanted to assassinate the chief of Army staff lieutenant General Tukur Buratai has since been dismissed as untenable by simplest means of reasoning. How could armless civilians attempt to murder the whole chief of Army staff moving in a convoy of military arsenal? At what point in the history of the IMN has it attempted to murder any one talkless of an Army General? How does the claim tally with the orderly manner in which IMN has been known to conduct its affairs and in what way could it have helped the members of IMN achieve their objective of conducting their lives according to the tenets of Islam? Surely who ever fabricated that allegation must be either dull or sick in the head or both.
Now on the killings, one wonders what could have justifiedthe merciless actions of the military. Suppose it is true that the members of IMN “attempted” to murder the Army chief, what is supposed to be the punishment for attempted murder and what are the procedures set by the Nigerian constitution in dealing with case of attempted murder? What brought about the hundreds of armed military with all sort of warfare weapons? The simplest and most gullible mind will know that it was a premediated attack conceived and carried out on IMN.
After the killings at Husainiyya, the blood thirsty military proceeded to the residence of Sheikh Ibraheem at Gellesu to accomplish their mission of killing him. Hundreds of sincere and devoted disciples stood by their master until all have been killed or taken by the Army. What followed next was the unconceivable destruction of all the landed properties of IMN including grave yards.
The Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai went ahead to address the state on the Zaria massacre. El-Rufai in his speech accused and prosecuted Sheikh Zakzaky for what he termed “running a parallel government” and promised to set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the Zaria attack.
The thirteen man commission was inaugurated and swung in to action. The IMN has right from inception of the committee expressed its reservation on the membership, especially on three of the members who are known to be sincere enemies of Shiism and IMN and the deliberate exclusion of any member of IMN to serve in the panel of inquiry despite the fact that the Nigerian Military that carried out the crimes is visibly represented.
It is about five weeks since the commission has had its first sitting and has been characterized by shifting “to enable counsel to IMN have access to their client”. It is obvious that the commission has no power to order the state apparatus to allow the lawyers of IMN have access to Sheikh despite its command for four or five consecutive times.
Now, let us ask this question “who is afraid of Zakzaky”. A fair play will demand the presence of Sheikh Zakzaky at the tribunal to tell the world his stories of how he was attacked and short severally, how his three children were killed in cold blood before him. The Sheikh should be there to tell the world what degrees of injuries he sustained. It will be equally interesting to hear from him the colossal loss of properties he was made to bear. The historic library with rare collection of books, some of which he inherited from his grandparents that have been destroyed and the ruminants sold out by the Army deserves the audience of the world.
The mission of the IMN will best be understood from the spiritual leader and guide. The various allegations of running a state within a state or running a parallel government or “harassing” his neighbors will best be addressed by the revered Sheikh. So why is the government preventing him from making appearance to defend his case or at least have access to his lawyers. Even in the stories of animal kingdoms courts are run and fair hearing is granted, so why should Nigeria, a democratic nation for that matter fail to grant audience to Sheikh Zakzaky?
When the episodes of Prophet Moses (as) and Pharaoh were mentioned in the Quran, it was reported that when Pharaoh felt challenged by Prophet Moses (as), he did not only ask him (Prophet Moses) to select a day that people will gather around so that he (Pharaoh) and Prophet Moses (as) will bare their proofs to the public to decide who is telling the truth against the lair but Prophet Moses (as) should also select a convenient time. Prophet Moses (as) chose the day of grand festival of their community and selected day time shortly before noon for the public debate.
If a dictator such as Pharaoh can be so democratic to allow open contest with his opponents what is the big deal in a country with democratic government in allowing Sheikh Zakzaky present this case to the public like Prophet Moses did. Indeed before the assembly day selected by Prophet Moses, Pharaoh sent in to different parts of his country as at then to select and gather the most assorted magicians of the time, because he considered Prophet Moses (as) a magician. If the government of Nigeria is to be asked where are your assorted scholars and professors that hold various degrees in Islamic studies, law, philosophy, logic and semantics? Can’t you put up a team of these professionals and bring before them the severely wounded Sheikh so that they can cross examine him on Shiism and why he has been calling on Muslims to live as Muslims and implement Islam in their entire lives? They may also query him for shunning oppression and oppressors and abhorring injustice. Similarly he could be made to explain why he does not compromise his principles and why he has never been seen in the corridors of government houses for worldly materials? They may as well ask him what makes him so firm and consistent on his call that has earned him over nine years in different jails of the past governments in addition to losing his six children to the Nigerian government’s bullets. I for one and believe many Nigerians and beyond will look forward to the day Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky will be made to answer these questions.
Bolaji Abdulhakeem
Concerned Muslims Group of Nigeria
Source: www.abna24.com.

MOHAMMED ABACHA TO BUHARI: YOU ARE THE CHANGE WE DON’T NEED.

Mohammed Abacha: “Buhari..the Change We Don’t Need“

1.I have never seen any school built in his name.

2.I have never seen any borehole constructed by him.

3.There is no record of any scholarship awarded by him or for him nor through him.

4.I have never seen him use his popularity to canvass for any charitable work nor any humanitarian effort, not even at the height of the polio scourge where other purposeful and prominent leaders led the campaign for immunization.

5.No single text book has been donated to any school either by him, for him or through him.

6.Asides from doing nothing for others.

7.He has not even improved himself since his exit from office.

8.No book written, no memos, no lectures, nothing!

9.The only thing of note he can point to are his numerous interviews on BBC Hausa Station.

10. He never championed for a University in his state

11. Nor has he ever been involved in any kind of development program to better the lives of the Almajiris in Daura.

12. His entire existence has not led to any meaningful development in Daura,

13. Yet they say he can change Nigeria.

14. Doesn‘t charity begin at home anymore.

WRITTEN BY: MOHAMMED ABACHA

www.zubbyblog.com/mohammed-abacha-buhari-change-dont-need-2/

The Shiite ghost won’t go away

by Our Reporter, March 26, 2016

THE Justice Mohammed Garba judicial panel set up by the Kaduna State government to investigate the December 12-14 clash between soldiers and Shiites (Islamic Movement) in Zaria is making heavy weather of the task. The panel has adjourned sittings at least six times since it was inaugurated late January. The main reason for the adjournments is the refusal of the security agencies to allow the movement’s legal team access to the Shiite leader, Ibrahim el-Zakzaky, who, together with his wife, was shot and then detained. Now, following reports from the inquiry, the panel looks set to fail in its task of investigating the truth of what happened in those few bloody days of upheaval in and around the Movement’s headquarters in Zaria.

Apart from never reposing trust in the government’s judicial panel for reasons they have publicly stated, the Shiites now have no legal representatives in the panel after the withdrawal of their legal team comprising Femi Falana, Festus Okoye and Maxwell Kyon, among others. The implication is that the Shiites have withdrawn from the panel, and Justice Garba and his panel members must now decide whether to take deposition from the Nigerian Army and other witnesses and write their reports. Right from the beginning, the panel had looked ill-fated. The Shiites were distrustful of government’s intentions, and the government itself, speaking through the governor, Nasir el-Rufai, and the president, Muhammadu Buhari, seemed to have taken sides. Both President Buhari and Governor el-Rufai had suggested that the Shiites were lawless and displayed the effrontery of blocking access roads and attacking the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, during a trip to Zaria.

Indeed, in his statewide broadcast after the clash, which partly responded to the inevitable outrage that followed allegations of military high-handedness and extrajudicial killings, the governor all but suggested that the Shiites deserved what befell them. Shortly after the razing of the Shiites headquarters, the state government even sent in bulldozers to level the Shiites’ expansive premises and cart away the rubble, despite indicating in the terms of reference that the panel should ‘identify all property alleged to have been damaged or destroyed…’. By its actions, the state seemed to suggest a finality to what happened in those few bloody December days in Zaria, a finality it appears unwilling to revisit. In those circumstances, members of the Shiites movement were reluctant to even appear before the panel. That they finally did gave hope that the judicial panel would at last do a fairly credible job. That hope is now dashed, despite the panel’s best efforts.

Why the security agencies would continue to bar access to the Shiite leader is not known. After initial rumours of Sheikh el-Zakzaky’s death, fresh reports soon indicated that the severity of his injuries had led to his being flown abroad for more intensive medical attention. But either because his injuries were more extensive than the public had been led to believe or the government feared his lawyers would reveal his condition to the Movement’s members, and thence to the public, even six adjournments had failed to prise the security agencies’ doors open. What is important now is that the Shiites have withdrawn from the panel and are putting their faith in alternative judicial platforms, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). This step portends trouble for Nigeria, which is still grappling with how to respond to Amnesty International’s pressures to probe the 2014 extrajudicial killings of over 600 detainees in Borno State by soldiers engaged in the Boko Haram war. Amnesty has backed its allegations with documentary and video evidence.

This latest ICC excursion by the Shiites appears set to open a more malodorous can of worms. A non-profit United Kingdom-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) group is presenting the case of the Nigerian Shiites before the ICC. The group backs its presentation with facts suggesting that 216 of the Movement’s members were known to have been killed in the invasion, 219 are still in detention, and 480 are still missing. Overall, said the IHRC, about 1,000 people, ‘mostly Shiite members’, were killed in the December clash, and hundreds injured. If the ICC heeds the request to wade in, Nigeria is sure once again to be embarrassed. However, the army claims only seven people were killed in the clash.

The government’s case against the Movement rests implausibly on preconceived notions on who the Shiites are and what their modus operandi was. In his maiden media chat, President Buhari told his interviewers he would not make any substantial comment on the clash until the police and Kaduna State governor had investigated the matter and given him their reports. He did not say how the police would investigate the military. However, he argued that the Shiites had imposed on their neighbours and tested the will of the military, adding quizzically, “How can any group create a state within a state? I saw a clip in which some dissidents were virtually hitting the chest of Generals.” It took about two weeks after the clash for the president to say something, and what he had to say all but indicated what his conclusions were, including describing the Shiite protesters as dissidents.

The Kaduna State governor was even more dramatic. In his state broadcast after the clash, Mallam el-Rufai said among other things: “Recently, they (Shiites) took over major highways for days without permission. In the process of their trekking they took over our schools and stopped the studies of our children. Their Hussainiyya compound was built without the permission of the government. And despite being served with demolition notice, they continued their building.” With the exit of the Shiites from the panel, and the internationalisation of their grievances, the problem is going to be compounded. There is no doubt the Shiites conducted themselves in a manner that exasperated their neighbours. And there is little doubt they blocked roads, and on the day of the clash, attempted to resist the passage of the Chief of Army Staff’s convoy, a fact alluded to by the president. But the problem is whether that misconduct, if proved, necessitated and justified the killing of scores of Shiite members.

Hospitals sources have given their estimate of the corpses deposited in their mortuary, which numbered about five dozens, and the Shiites and soldiers have also given their own figures. Since the judicial panel will now likely be one-sided, Nigeria may never accurately establish the truth, or anything close to the truth, at least from the angle of official inquiry. Should the ICC agree to wade in, no matter the resistance put up by the Nigerian government, and no matter how long it takes, some people will be called to account eventually. And, like the Yugoslavia war crimes trial just witnessing its culminations, many Shiite witnesses are alive to testify to the tragedy that took place last December. All this was, however, preventable had both the army and government displayed the right attitude to public issues, especially the need to redress grievances and manage conflicts with the dispassion and professionalism the law and constitution demand.

As the Agatu killings also demonstrate, over which the government has behaved with worrisome aloofness as so-called revenge killings take place under the noses of security agencies, Nigeria may be confronting either incompetence at very high levels, or conspiracy, weakness, lack of character and complicity in high places. Or all of the above. The Agatu killings are especially emblematic of the bitter crises confronting the country. Some Fulani herdsmen had alleged that in 2013, some Agatu people murdered two leading Fulani men in the area and stole some 200 cows. After months of skirmishes in which many people died on both sides, the herdsmen finally mobilised early this month and razed Agatu, killing in the process some 500 people, by some estimates. The herdsmen who carried out these last killings have publicly identified themselves and claimed responsibility. But neither the police, nor the army, nor yet federal government, has ordered their arrest, let alone prosecution.

The symptoms of a failing state are manifesting everywhere in the polity, starting with the misconception by government officials and security agencies of the incongruent powers they believe they wield. Then there is of course the enervating performance of public institutions, including the security and judicial systems. And finally, having judged that Nigerian leaders are themselves unable to rise above their private and primordial interests, aggrieved and embittered people everywhere are embracing and nurturing self-help as a system of redressing wrongs. In the Zaria killings, the Shiites may be guilty of misconduct, but nothing justifies the horrendous attacks members were subjected to or the misinformed and partisan arguments of President Buhari and Governor el-Rufa'i.
Soure:www.thenationonlineng.net

WE AREN’T CHILDREN: WHERE IS OUR RECOVERED MONEY AND HOW MUCH IS IT?, NIGERIANS ASK BUHARI.

NEWSRESCUE  MARCH 27, 2016

   

As March draws to an end, Nigerians are beginning to ask the President of Nigeria to give a total sum of moneys recovered from looters; give a list of the looters and the amounts they returned and also inform the nation on where the money is.
Nigeria’s ruling administration has kept recovery of loot as some form of secret and continued postponing telling the citizens what was being recovered and from whom, “sort of like we are children,” a NewsRescue commentator said. “I bet you President Buhari will first reveal this abroad somewhere, when interviewed by a foreign Press,” she went on to say.
A lawmaker representing Ihiala Federal Constituency, Anambra State, Rep Emeka Anohu said, ”All the money repatriated, where are the monies, how much so far repatriated and recovered? Nigerians need to know, we don’t know where they are keeping the money.”
President Buhari is not doing us a favor. He is doing his job and a job he is extremely well paid for with so many perks in million dollar gifts when he travels among other things. We are not asking his help, simply that he does his job which includes fighting corruption, recovering loot and telling us. if he wants he can abdicate his duty. Then the same way we are today getting our pound of flesh from Jonathan and his team for corruption, and the same way Obasanjo dealt with many corrupt men, so also one day we will deal with him too. So it is not a favor but a job and he should do it well and dutifully to earn our support.
Source: www.newsrescue.com

Governor El-Rufai,Deputy Bantex Exchange Slap at Cabinet Meeting [THE WHISTLE]

Governor of Kaduna state Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and his deputy, Architect Barnabas Bala Bantex allegedly traded slaps during an argument at a cabinet meeting in the state.
READ EXCERPT FROM THE WHISTLE :
The Whistle has been monitoring reports that the Governor of Kaduna state Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and his deputy, Architect Barnabas Bala Bantex had traded slaps during an argument at a cabinet meeting in the state. According to a reliable source via a telephone conversation, the Governor and the deputy have been having a cold war over the plans by the governor to sack top civil servants in the state.
The governor who is embarking on a civil service reform agenda had decided to retire these top civil servants, who still had some years left in service but the deputy was said to have been disturbed and deeply uncomfortable with the situation.
The deputy governor had confided in his close associates that the list of top top civil servants marked for this retirement exercise reflected a majority of up to 70 per cent from the Southern Kaduna extraction. During the cabinet meeting, the deputy governor bared his mind and told governor El-rufai he is not in support of the exercise, he said that he cannot control the backlash that will arrive as a result of that action. Arc. Bantex was quoted as saying “I cannot go home, they will stone me”
The governor had insisted that the decision was without prejudice and in the best interest of the state but the deputy insists that on equality as his constituency already feels marginalized. At this point the conversation became heated between the Governor and his Deputy and words were traded between both leading to Governor Elrufai landing a slap on the face of his deputy. The deputy governor was said to have immediately taken his seat and told the governor that since having arguments and counter views has earned him a slap, he thinks the right thing to do was to let everyone know and resign.
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www.nigerianbulletin.com

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Soldiers beat woman, damage her car in Edo
March 22, 2016
Alexander Okere, Benin
Soldiers on Monday assaulted a motorist, Joy Agboghide, for allegedly obstructing traffic on Forestry Lane, Benin, Edo State.
It was learnt that the incident occurred at about 4pm in front of the headquarters of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company.
It was learnt that an officer, a Major, was said to have emerged from the premises of the company and instructed the woman to reverse her vehicle in order to ease traffic on the narrow road.
Sources said Agboghide, a mother of six, however, explained that she had initially allowed about five vehicles to go due to the indiscriminate parking of vehicles on the road.
An argument was said to have ensued between the soldier and the 51-year-old woman, after the army officer insisted that she must reverse her vehicle.
The major, who was said to have been angered by the development, returned to the BEDC premises.
The source said he later returned with some soldiers said to be attached to the BEDC and allegedly ordered them to beat the woman up.
She was said to have been rushed to the Central Hospital in Benin where was receiving treatment as of the time of filing this report.
Agboghide, who later spoke to our correspondent, said, “I went to Lagos Street to get some food items. So, I passed through Forestry (Lane) to the road beside former NEPA. As I was going, the driver of the vehicle in front of me and some traders around told me to stop. I stopped and about four vehicles passed. Later, the traders told me to go.
“As I moved on, a soldier told me to reverse and I explained that I had waited for some vehicles to pass. But he said, ‘Do you know who you are talking to? Reverse!’ Before I knew it, he used his gun to hit my windscreen.
“I came out and asked him what I had done and he said I should wait. He went into the BEDC premises and came out with some soldiers who descended on me.
“He said they should clear me off the road. But as he tried to enter his vehicle, I pulled him and told him to pay for the damage done to my car.”
Agboghide alleged that she was also assaulted by a woman said to the wife of the officer.
She said, “As the man jumped inside his vehicle and tried to drive off, I hit his windscreen. He came down and damaged my windscreen and the rear screen.
“Suddenly, he came out with a whip and beat me. The lady inside the vehicle also sprayed tear gas into my eyes.”
Spokesman for the 4 Brigade Command of the Nigerian Army, Captain Jonah Unuakhalu, told our correspondent that the officer involved was not in the Army.
“He is a Nigerian Air Force officer. But we are investigating,” Unuakhalu said.”
www.punchng.com

BUHARI Ranked As African Most Incompetent, Unserious And Clueless Leader – UK Study
 March 23, 2016 
President Muhammadu Buhari’s election victory in the opinion and expectation of majority of Nigerians and African was seen as an opportunity for a total transformation of Africa’s sleeping giant, but the events in the last 10 months have shown otherwise.
According to a study by Nigerian Governance Watch, a United Kingdom (UK) based Nigerian Professionals group, revealed that President Buhari is beret of idea to manage, have no focus, unstable and extremely incompetent in every sphere to shape the affairs of any Nigeria.
The group comes short of blaming the President, but Nigerians who knew the antecedent of Muhammadu Buhari while in office in 1984 to 1985 and blindly went for a man who has not created anything, but only destroys the gains of his predecessors through his thoughtless policies and zero understanding of the workings in a public sector.
As a military leader, Buhari killed the Naira, killed the Economy, destroyed our relationship with the rest of the world, polarized the country on tribe and religion, impoverished Nigerians to the extent that Nigerians were queuing up for essential commodities like Milk, Rice and Bread.
On Buhari’s return in May 2015, he has within this short period, turned Africa’s biggest and fastest growing economy to a shrinking one. Crashing the GDP from about 7.0% to 2.4%, Inflation jumping to 11.6% from 9%, over 2 million Nigerians losing their jobs, FDI dropped by over 85%, Maternal and Infant mortality is at all time high as result of poverty, malnutrition and diseases.
In a dwindling revenue, Buhari did the unheard of, instead of reducing the budget, he increased the budget from N4.3trn to N6.07trn. He presented the most fraudulent, inflated and irredeemably padded budget.
The Nigerian Governance Watch stated that they were not surprised, as President Buhari they described as a “very serious” leader, in a recession period did not deem it fit to appoint a single Economist among the 36 names in his cabinet.
They frowned at the president’s inability to set up an economic Team after 10 months in office and only resorting to intuition, thumb rules and application of Adam and Eve economies in this 21st century.
On the political front, the condemned President’s deliberate interventions in the electoral process and his use of security agencies to intimidate the opposition and the assassination and killing of people of diverse opinion.
The UK based group, according to Hope For Nigeria is worried that President Buhari who benefited in one of the best organised elections in Africa just few months ago have been unable to successfully organise any election in the country.
His determination to ensure that his party members and cronies win all the elections has lead numerous killings, kidnapping and in most cases annulling results or declaring them inconclusive where his party is losing hopefully, like the case of Rivers state re-run election.
In conclusion, according to Hope For Nigeria, the group advised President Buhari to swallow his pride and recall some of the experts from previous governments that meticulously guided the Nigerian economy to be the largest in the continent. They added that It is not about Buhari as the leader, but the paramount thing is the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.
www.newsflashnaija.com

READ 83 PAGE IHRW DOCUMENT SUBMITTED TO ICC AGAINST NIGERIAN ARMY, FG ON #ZARIAMASSACRE
AFRICA , HEADLINES BY
NEWSRESCUE  MARCH 22, 2016
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NewsRescue
On Monday 21st March, the Islamic Human Rights Commission, IHRC announced that it had formally reported the Nigerian government to the International Criminal Court at the Hague for crimes against humanity in the events of the Zaria massacre of December 2015 that left no less than 1000 Muslims dead, detained or missing.
IHRC is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
The full 83 page document that charged the court to investigate Nigeria’s Army Chief, General T. Y Buratai, the Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari and several other politicians and named soldiers.
The document presented 216 names of victims, most being youth, and the locations where they were killed, be it in Hussainiyyah, Gyellesu, Kaduna, Dogarawa or Darul Rahma. It also had a list of 219 in detention and 480 missing names with where they disappeared from.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL 83 PAGE REPORT
Dead list
The named politicians requested to be investigated include:
1. Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai
2. Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman
3. GOC 1 Div Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade
4. Commander Nigerian Depot
5. Chief of Defence Staff
6. Director Military Intelligence
7. Chief of Defence intelligence – AVM Riku Morgan
8. Col. AK Ibrahim – Commander 1 Div Garrison, Nigerian Army, Kaduna
9. Lt. Col. FM Babayo (Promoted after the operation to Col – 1 Div Kaduna)
10. Capt Ben – Adjutant Depot, Nigerian Army
11. Maj. Gen. Adeniyi Oyebade – General Officer Commanding, 1 Div Garrison
Kaduna – He received orders for the whole operation from Kaduna State
Governor Malam Ahmad Elrufa’i
12. Brig Gen CG Musa – Commander Depot, Nig Army
13. An unnamed officer – Who was the intelligence officer Nigerian Army
Prominent politicians
1. Governor Kaduna State – Malam Nasir ElRufai
2. Emir of Zaria – Alh Shehu Idris
3. President Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
4. Emir of Kano – Muhammadu Sanusi II
5. Professor Umar Labdo
6. Sambo Yusuf Rigachukun
7. Bala Lau
8. Yahaya Jingir
9. Kabir Gombi
Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL 83 PAGE REPORT
IHRW- The Nigerian army carried out massive attacks over the course of the 12th and 13th December 2015 which targeted the Islamic Movement of Nigeria in Zaria.
The operation resulted in the deaths of at least 1000 unarmed civilians, mostly IMN members, killed by gunshots attributed to soldiers. Hundreds more were injured. There were reports that the military blocked access to medical care for the injured and shot at and killed wounded persons. Witnesses and victims reported signs of widespread force and cruelty with allegations of looting, arson, mutilation, mass graves, torture, rape and other inhumane acts levelled at the Nigerian army.
The supporting materials and eyewitness accounts further indicate that such massive acts of violence were carried out in the context of a widespread and systematic attack against the Nigerian civilian population. The violence unleashed on members of the IMN has a history and it is a history of premeditation. There is also sufficient evidence to suggest an official plan by Nigerian government officials to cover up these crimes and indeed perpetuate the same.
IHRC is of the view that there are reasonable grounds to believe these crimes fall within the jurisdiction of the court in accordance with the Rome Statute. The crimes of the Nigerian army meet all the relevant criteria to warrant further investigation by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
In view if the above, IHRC calls on the Prosecutor to open a preliminary investigation proprio motu on the incidents reported.
This IHRC communication aims to provide a solid understanding of the events and crimes committed by the Nigerian Army, and it is based on eyewitness accounts and other supporting materials. The second part focuses on the legal parameters against which crimes against humanity are assessed, in respect of articles 7, 12, 13, 15, 17, 53 of the Rome Statute.
Attachments:
ICC Report – investigating Zaria massacre
[PDF] 8148 Kb.
www.newsrescue.com

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Thieves steal handset of visiting World Muslim League scribe
by Yusuf Alli, March 20, 2016 at 12:10 am in
Featured , News
Barely 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari declared the international conference on peace and stability open in Abuja, thieves reportedly stole the handset of the Executive Secretary of the World Muslim League Saudi Arabia, Dr. Abdullahi Bin Abdul.Security agencies which are said to be hugely embarrassed by the development, are currently probing the alleged security breach which led to the theft.
The victim himself is said to be worried by the incident.
Investigation showed that Bin Abdul had been accorded the honour of leading the Jumat prayer at the National Mosque on Friday.
A heavy security ring was therefore formed around him and his entourage by the relevant agencies.
After the Jumat service, many dignitaries and worshippers tried to move closer to Abdul which led to the alleged security breach.
It was gathered that the Secretary of World Muslim League later discovered that his handset had been stolen.
A top source said: “Despite tight security for him, some thieves made away with the handset of the Executive Secretary of the World Muslim League.
“The theft occurred after the Jumat prayer session suggesting that there was breach of the security wall at the National Mosque. Some smart guys took advantage of the relaxed atmosphere to strike.
“This incident created an embarrassment for the cleric, diplomats and most of the dignitaries that accompanied him to the service.”
Responding to a question, the source added: “The visitor from Saudi Arabia was shocked.
www.thenationonlineng.net

Christian Elders to Buhari: ‘Don’t make Nigeria a satellite state of Saudi Arabia’
Kolapo Olapoju
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The Nigerian Christian Elders Forum, has criticised the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari on a number of issues- one of which is the decision of the government to join the Saudi Arabia-led coalition against terrorism.
Chairman of the NCEF, Solomon Asemota, while addressing journalists on Friday, accused the present administration of trying to make Nigeria a satellite state of Saudi Arabia.
“Including Nigeria in the Saudi Arabia Military coalition of Muslims/Arab nations would appear that the foreign policy thrust of the current administration is to make Nigeria a satellite state of Saudi Arabia. Any nation in which Islamists believe that they are sufficiently strong to exercise influence rarely experiences peace.”
“Mr. President should kindly remember that over 50 per cent non-Muslims of Nigeria did not vote for the nation to become Sharia compliant.”
The NCEF said the inclusion of Nigeria in the Organisation of Islamic Conference, OIC, in 1975, as well as its recent inclusion in the Saudi-led coalition was an attempt by Muslim leaders to dominate the country, with the teachings of Islam.
“While Islam is a religion; Islamism, otherwise called political Islam, is a set of ideologies that hold that Islam is not a religion, but a political system meant to dominate the environment in which it is practised.”
Furthermore, the NCEF said the religious bill enacted by the Kaduna State government was shocking.
“We wish to express tremendous shock at the proposed Kaduna state bill. The proposed bill contravenes section 38 (1) of the 1999 constitution.
www.ynaija.com

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The bill is simply titled, ‘A Bill for a Law to Substitute the Kaduna State Religious Preaching Law, 1984.’ It is the intention of the state government that when it is signed into law, it will be known as ‘The Religious Preaching Law of 2015.’
But with the controversy generated by the bill which has passed the second reading on the floor of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, there are indications that the piece of legislation may not enjoy a smooth passage like previous bills.

Since the provision of the bill became public, umbrella organizations representing the two major religious groups, Christianity and Islam, in the state, whose members will be the target of the proposed law, have reacted to it, with some of them opposing it completely.
The executive arm of the government in Kaduna State has submitted 21 bills to the current Assembly, out of which 13 has been passed into law.
But the bill, which has generated a lot of interest within and outside the country, has proved a hard row to hoe, compelling the state government to hold consultations with major stakeholders.
Both the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Council of Imams and Ulamas in Kaduna State, have expressed various reservations at certain sections of the law.
Last week the state government met with members of the CAN, where it made efforts to explain to them the details of the bill.
Before going into a closed door, the state deputy governor, Barnabas Yusuf Bala, expressed surprise at the magnitude of reactions that trailed the proposal, noting that it had been given all sorts of interpretations.
He said the state government was aware of certain preachers who had even passed what he called a fatwa (a ruling on a point of Islamic law) on the state governor on account of the details of the bill, saying it was time to educate the populace about what it entails.
Sources in the meeting revealed that the CAN officials, after listening to the deputy governor, stuck to their positions on certain aspects of the bill that did not go with the grain of their religious practice and would want them amended.
It was learnt that the deputy governor could not make any conclusive statement on the matter, since the governor was not around and that the two sides decided that dialogue on the issue should be continuous.
The state’s council of Ulamas has equally described the bill as replete with grey areas.
A source in the Kaduna Government House, who spoke with our correspondent in confidence, blamed the controversy on the manner it was handled by the government agency responsible for sensitizing the public on such issues.
He said when the bill was submitted to the House, the Kaduna State Bureau for Religious Affairs did not do proper ground work to educate the people to set the mood for receiving the law, adding that this gave the people the latitude to interpret the law ‘the way they liked.’
Our correspondent confirmed from a reliable source that Governor Nasir El-rufai has not been happy with the reactions to the bill.
But the Kaduna State Government insisted that the bill was only aimed at protecting the state from religious extremism and hate speech.
While hosting the CAN delegation, the deputy governor said the government had a duty to ensure that religious violence no longer threatened the state, stressing that the Kaduna State government was committed to ensuring that religion can be practised in a safe and secure climate.
“We swore to uphold the Constitution which recognizes the freedom of religion and thought as fundamental rights. The same Constitution obliges us to ensure the safe exercise of these rights by legislating in the interest of public safety, public order, public morality or public health, and for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom of other persons.
“This is not a new law. It has existed since 1984, with amendments in 1987 and 1996. The military governments which created the law were responding to outbreaks of religious violence, such as Maitatsine in 1983 and the riots after the Kafanchan incident of 1987.
“This is the first time that the legislation is passing through a democratic process, with all the transparency that the public hearing and other legislative processes of the House of Assembly entails. Proposing this amendment is a deliberate decision by the government to subject the law to a democratic process, rather than just enforce the provisions of the edict as passed since 1984.
“Kaduna State has a history of religious/sectarian crisis and what this bill seeks to do is not anything new but to learn from the painful experience and discourage the use of religion for violence and division. The bill, by virtue of Section 45(1) of the 1999 Constitution, is in order and does not offend the provisions of the Constitution.
“There is nothing in the bill that suggests any effort to abolish, stop or derogate on the freedom of religion and religious beliefs. It merely seeks to ensure that religious preaching and activities in the state are conducted in ways that do not threaten public order, public safety, and to protect the rights and freedom of other persons.”
What the bill proposes
A copy of the proposed preaching law seen by Daily Trust on Sunday shows that the law, if passed, will regulate the activities of the followers of the two main religions in the state.
According to the document, the regulatory bodies shall be a committee of Jama’atul Nasril-Islam (JNI) with equal representation of Izala and Darika religious groups in the case of Muslims’, a committee set up by the Christian Association of Nigeria in the case of Christians, and an inter-faith ministerial committee to be appointed by the governor.
It further says that the inter-faith ministerial committee will interface between the JNI and CAN committees, in addition to exercising supervisory control over them.
The members will comprise a chairman, to be appointed by the state governor on the recommendation of the Secretary to the State Government; the Special Adviser to the Governor on Internal Security; the most senior official of the government advising the governor on interfaith matters; a member representing JNI and CAN; representative of the Ministry of Justice; and one representative each from the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Security and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps not below the rank of Superintendent of Police or its equivalent.
The committee will have the power to approve licences for issuance to religious preachers by the religious bodies, with such licences covering a period of one year.
The bill also proposes the establishment of committees in all the local governments in the state to screen applications for licences from preachers and make recommendations to the ministerial committee for approval.
On their parts, the local government committees will be responsible for ensuring compliance with the terms of the licences issued and registering accredited preachers of all religious groups and organizations operating in the local government areas.
It also places the responsibility of keeping records of churches and mosques in the state on the shoulders of the JNI and CAN.
Also, the proposed law provided guidelines for the use of cassettes, CDs, Flash drives or any other communication gadgets containing religious recordings from accredited preachers, stating that such materials may only be played inside one’s house, inside entrance porch (zaure), inside the church and any other designated place of worship.
“A person who commits an offence under the provisions of this law shall be liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years or an option of N250,000 [fine] or both; and have his licence revoked,” the bill states.
It lists offences under the law to include preaching without a valid licence, playing religious cassette or using a loudspeaker for religious purposes after 8pm in public place, using a loudspeaker for religious purposes other than inside a Mosque or Church and the surrounding areas outside the stipulated prayer times and using a loudspeaker in vehicles plying the streets with religious recording.
Other punishable offences under the proposed law are: abusing religious books, inciting disturbance of the public peace, abusing or using any derogatory term in describing any religion and carrying weapons of any description whether concealed or not in places of worship or to any other place with a view to causing religious disturbance.
The bill also seeks to empower Sharia Courts and Customary Courts to try violators summarily and “shall, on conviction, give orders for the forfeiture or destruction of any vehicle, equipment, instrument, gadget or book or other materials carrying any offensive message.”
It’s totally unacceptable - CAN
Reactions to the proposed law have varied according to understanding, perceptions and interpretations of the intent of the bill.
The Secretary of the Kaduna State Chapter of CAN, Reverend Sunday Ibrahim, said the association had decided not to accept the bill.
“We are saying ‘no’ to the bill because there are a lot of issues in the bill that we are not comfortable with. It says a preacher is a person duly licenced by JNI or CAN. The truth is that CAN has no right to licence any preacher because every church and ministry has been registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
“The Book of Mark 16:15, says: ‘Go into the world and preach to every creature.’ That is a general call on everyone and as such, everyone is a preacher. We also have the specific call, which has to do with people that are called to be pastors, evangelists, prophets, teachers and the rest of them. These categories of people undergo training with a particular denomination, while they are licensed and ordained by those churches. So, it is not going to work for anyone to say he is going to license them,” Rev. Ibrahim declared.
The CAN secretary explained that the association is made up of five blocs, including the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), TEKAN-ECWA, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Organization of African Instituted Churches (OAIC),which is the body for white garment churches, then the PPFN made up of The Apostolic, Christ Apostolic churches, while the PFN is made up of other pentecostal churches.
CAN also quarrels with restricting religious activities to particular times. “As Christians, Jesus taught us how to pray always. We do all-night (night vigil), which cannot work based on what the bill is providing,” the secretary said.
He said CAN was also not comfortable with the composition of the committee. “The portion that says: ‘The Sharia Courts and Customary Courts shall have jurisdiction to try violators of this law summarily and shall on conviction give orders for the forfeiture or destruction of any vehicle, equipment, instrument, gadget or book or other material carrying any offensive message.’ The bill did not tell us who is to be prosecuted by which court.
“Furthermore, we discovered that there is no fairness when you say you are summarily prosecuting someone without giving him/her a fair hearing that he/she can appeal. We are also saying that as a church, it is on record that we have never caused any problem in terms of going out to preach. We are well organized; we know those that come in and those that go out. We often have programmes involving preachers from outside the state, but the bill is saying such preachers must get a ‘permit’ before they can come in to preach. Again, this is against the African Charter, as all the African leaders have agreed on that, that there is freedom of association. But this bill will infringe on the constitutional rights of the Christians.”
He said since the 1984 law had not been enforced, the issue of saying it was only amended did not arise.
It’s full of grey areas – Kaduna Ulamas
The chairman of the Council of Imams and Ulamas, Kaduna State Chapter, Sheikh Abubakar Usman Babantune, in his reaction said, it was not possible to establish such an important law that affects religion without consulting Ulamas.
“But the government told us then that the bill is not with them because it has been forwarded to the state House of Assembly. Therefore, the Council of which I’m the leader decided to send a letter to the state House of Assembly demanding to know the situation of the bill. Thanks be to Allah the council met with the lawmakers and they promised to look at it carefully and that there is no way the bill would be passed into law without hearing the position of the Council of Ulamas and what the people think about it.
“This is why presently we cannot say anything with regards to the bill because we have a lot to say about it. First of all, there are many grey areas in the bill which we feel need to be amended.
“Another thing is that after we got a copy of the bill, the council of Ulamas decided to translate the bill into Hausa language for proper understanding, because it was written in English. We distributed the bill to all the Imams and Ulamas that we knew would need it in the state. We told them to read through, after which we all met and set up a committee to study the bill and come up with a solution or advice on the way forward.”
He said the council was not happy with the section that said, an Interfaith ministerial committee shall inter-face between the JNI and CAN and exercise supervisory control over them and be responsible for issuance of licence to preachers.
“That the state governor will establish the state committee and appoint the leader; that the person to chair the committee would be the governor’s adviser on internal security; and that among the members of the committee are representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Nigerian police, DSS, Civil Defence Corps, a member each of JNI and CAN.
“When you look at all those representatives in the committee, only one is representing Muslims - and that is the same as Christians. They now said these are the people that will speak on behalf of preachers in the state. This is only one example out of so many grey areas that we found in the bill,” he said.
He also expressed reservations on the parts of the law banning preaching and the use of loudspeakers after 8pm in places of worship in the state. “This is wrong and there are similar sections in the bill. We will do our best to ensure that they are corrected,” he said.
It’s not a new law – JNI
However, the Kaduna State branch of the JNI, through its chairman, Malam Ja’faru Makarfi, holds a different view.
Speaking to Daily Trust on Sunday in Kaduna, Ja’faru said the proposed bill was not new to the body, adding that the JNI had been regulating public preaching by its Muslim scholars for over five decades.
“We at the JNI have been regulating public preaching since the era of the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello. When Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi was the governor of Kaduna State, he wanted to propose a bill on preaching and we told him that we already had a bill restricting preaching.
“Unfortunately, the Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN) protested it when Joseph Hayab was the Secretary (you may wish to call him for further information). They even went ahead to make a publication in the New Nigerian Newspaper, saying they will not regulate preaching and the government should let them be,” he said.
The chairman said when the Kaduna State Pilgrims Board was established, the leadership also wanted to put a law in place for public preaching, but the JNI reminded them that there was a law which had been taken to the State House of Assembly but was not passed into law ‘because the Christians opposed it.’
“Now that the present government is trying to regulate public preaching, our position still stands the same; we are solidly behind the regulation of public preaching, because as Muslims, we are taught to follow rules and regulations, a Muslim preacher should not go out in the public and start abusing the citizenry all in the name of preaching,” he said.
It’s illegal to place JNI, CAN above others - Okoye
Human rights lawyer, Festus Okoye, in his reaction described the bill as a direct affront to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“My candid advice is that the bill should be withdrawn, properly aligned and cleaned up before it is represented to the state assembly for passage into law. This is because almost all the provisions of the bill are a direct affront to the constitutional order and this may affect the positives of the bill, including the mischievous positioning and use and misuse of loudspeakers in mosques and churches to the annoyance of others.
He said since the Constitution was the Supreme Law of the land, when it covered a field in relation to an issue, no state assembly was permitted to legislate on and or refine or contradict its provisions.
“They know that Section 38 of the Constitution guarantees that every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom (either alone or in a community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.
“This particular bill fails all constitutional tests and cannot for all practical purposes be said to be a bill which when passed into law will be justifiable in a democratic society in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom of other persons.”
He said it is also illegal and unconstitutional to elevate the JNI and the CAN to a preeminent position over and above every other religious group or Association.
“The Jama’atu Nasri Islam (JNI) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) enjoy the same incidents of registration and incorporation as any other association registered under part B and C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act. They are associations just like any other association recognized by the Constitution and the bill cannot confer them with a special status over and above any other groups similarly registered.
“For the Christian association of Nigeria there is nothing that makes it mandatory that every Christian denomination must belong to the association. As at now, the Catholic Church has suspended its membership of CAN at the national level. What that means is that if it suspends its membership at the state and local government level, it will become a pariah and cannot be issued with license.”
www.dailytrust.com.ng

Wahabiasm have no link with Islam and Muslims,they are puppets of enemies:Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi
Tehran:The duty of all religious scholars and Islamic seminaries is to engage in intellectual and scientific confrontation with the Wahhabis we need to prove to everyone that the Wahhabis are the agents of the enemies of Islam and that their ideas are anti-Islamic in nature.
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi took part in a ceremony held this afternoon for the launching of a new specialized website on “Wahhabism review” which is affiliated with the “Dār al-E‘lām Li madrasah Ahl-al-Bayt (‘a)” institute.
During this ceremony, Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi thanked all of the projects and activities done by this institute and he also thanked all of the individuals who worked hard for the creation of this website.
Stating that the Wahabis are the greatest danger and threat for the Muslim world, he said: “terrorist groups such as the ISIS, al-Nusrah, and other such Takfiri groups are the inauspicious offspring of the Wahhabi school of thought”.
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, then, continued: “by studying the history of Wahhabis and their ideology, one clearly realizes that the emergence of these terrorist groups should not have come as a surprise. It was quite expectable that one or some groups with the Wahhabi ideology would put their deviant beliefs in to practice and cause so much bloodshed and destruction in various Muslim countries.
His eminence also noted: “some have analogized the Wahhabi trend with the Kharijites; however, we believe that these two currents are incomparable because the Wahhabis pose a much greater threat to ‘Islam’ than they do to the Muslims”.
Grand Ayatollah Makārem Shirazī also added: “the Wahhabis portray Islam as a religion of violence and severity, and they provide the enemies of Islam with the proper excuse and the means which they need to further their plots of Islamophobia in the world”.
He, then, continued: “today, the world is ready to embrace the Islamic faith, and the only hindrance to this great achievement is Wahhabism”.
Emphasizing the fact that we should not be indifferent regarding such deviant groups, and that we must fight against their inhumane and anti-Islamic ideology, Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi stated: “these people are completely alien to Islam and they know nothing of Islam. Yet, it is our duty to spread this fact all around the world and raise the awareness of the people all over the world in this regard”.
His eminence further stated that Sunni Muslims are separate from the Wahabis and noted: “Wahhabis are a group of deviant individuals who have created a lot of evil innovations in religion; these people have turned in to the puppets of the enemies of Islam”.
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi also stated: “Those who have studied the resources of the Sunnis know that they have authored much more books against the Wahhabi ideology than have the followers of the Ahl-al-Bayt (a) school (i.e. Shias)”.
His eminence further stated: “we should unite with the Sunnis in this battle, and we should all j o i n forces and stand up against this danger which seriously threatens the very existence of Islam”.
Dividing the battle against the Wahhabis and the Takfiri Salafis in to intellectual, political, and military fronts, Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi noted: “The duty of all religious scholars and Islamic seminaries is to engage in intellectual and scientific confrontation with the Wahhabis; we need to prove to everyone that the Wahhabis are the agents of the enemies of Islam and that their ideas are anti-Islamic in nature”.
www.wilayattimes.com

ZEENAT ZAKZAKY HELD BY BURATAI FOR 100+ DAYS: IS A YORUBA WOMAN AND WOMAN OF MUCH VIRTUE
AFRICA BY NEWSRESCUE  MARCH 19, 2016
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Nigeria’s military killed three of her sons in July of 2014 and a new government killed another three in December 2015
Zeenat been held incommunicado by the Nigerian government for over three months and is yet to see her surviving son and two remaining daughters
She has not been charged with any crime
By Shuaibu Ahmad
All forms of kindness to women are accepted in the world of humanity where sensibility and responsibility are the norm. It is considered an obligation to make women happy because they deserve to be respected and honored.
Their importance to the entire world in moral upbringing is immeasurable, that is why in the Islamic worldview, woman has a distinct identity, she is given the right to own property, the right to inherit her father and mother, the right to dispose her earnings and properties as she wishes within the bounds of lawful, reasonable and rational actions.
The Importance of women as mothers, wives and sisters is of high esteem that is why the Noble Prophet of Islam Muhammad(S) clearly stated that paradise lies at the feet of your mothers. Logically, every sensible person will agree with that it is the generous (in character) who is good to women and it is the wicked who insult and maltreat them. Surprisingly, I was reading my dear country’s online papers, Nigeria, eventually I happened to see this:
“Court asked to order arrest of El-Zakzaky’s wife – Vanguard News http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/court-asked-to-order-arrest-of-el-zakzakys-wife/ (Danbaba Gyang)”
Zeenat Ibraheem, the wife of the revered leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Shaikh Ibraheem Zakzaky(H) is a woman of virtue who cares about the dignity and wellbeing of women in general, she is a woman who so much cares about children to the extent that she sacrifices all what she has just to see children live in a better life; this is not a new thing to people who know Zeenat Ibraheem. She is a Yoruba Woman by tribe but never for once has been carried away by elements of tribal sentiment. All what she cares is serving her Creator Allah to be best of her ability, kindness to children and sympathizing with the oppressed people where ever they are.
Despite the dynamic influences of the present situation of the world today and busy schedules to deal with day to day activities, Zeenah Ibraheem made it a creative endeavor to see child raising as a process of leading children to develop in thought, strength to stand and work for themselves and also work towards establishing a profound personality that will strengthen the bond of love between parents and their children.
This elderly woman was shot twice by the Nigerian Army in her belly, dragged in blood after killing six of her male children in cold blood, her husband Shaikh Zakzaky(H) was shot several times before being abducted and finally the house was burned with people inside including the biological sister of Shaikh Zakzaky, Hajiya Fatima Ya’aqub and later, the house was demolished completely by Kaduna state Government under the executive governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufa’I . And the reason for all these atrocities was “road blockage” in a certain place far away from the house of Shaikh Zakzaky(H). Every sensible person will begin to ask, what are the civilized approaches that were supposed to be taken, constitutionally in relation to “road blockage “in general.
Zakzaky demolished house
Is Mr Danbaba Gyang not aware that for almost hundred (100) days now, since the 12th -14th Zaria massacre by the Nigerian Army, Zeenah Ibraheem has been held incommunicado with her husband Shaikh Ibraheem Zakzaky(H) by the Nigerian authority? Major General Adeniyi Oyebade has categorically said that the leader of the Islamic Movement Shaikh EL-Zakzaky have been taken into custody after raids on at least three locations (VOA, Press TV. 15/12/2015).
For what crime were her six male children massacred in cold blood? What is the crime of Zeenah Ibraheem to deserve this barbaric treatment? What is the crime of 1000+ of innocent and defenseless brothers and sisters of the Islamic Movement to warrant their murder? Please Mr Damb Gyang should summon courage and go through the events that happened with objective mind because whatever you choose to do will reflect on you – good or bad, sooner or later.
I will like to conclude by saying Allah Is the Protector of Shaikh Zakzaky and his wife, He Is the Creator of all things, always with His pious servants and forever He is the Strongest and the Creator of Power, He will break the backbone of blood thirsty evildoers anytime He wishes. Zeenah Ibraheem is a strong and God fearing Woman, courageous and generous, She Must be freed.
The Prophet of Islam said: “Fear the prayer of the oppressed, even if he is a disbeliever, for there is no barrier (between it and Allah [the God]).” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
www.newsrescue.com

‘INTEL: ARMY PLANS TO ATTACK ISLAMIC MOVEMENT IN KATSINA AND SOKOTO ANY MOMENT NOW’
AFRICA BY NEWSRESCUE  MARCH 16, 2016
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NewsRescue
The Islamic Movement has uncovered another devilish plan by the Nigerian army to replicate the gruesome murder it carried out in Zaria. This time around, our sources, said Katsina and Sokoto have been penciled down for the operation which will occur any moment from now.
A very reliable source confirmed to us that the Nigerian army has been uncomfortable with the way the atrocities they committed in Zaria last year is being exposed, drawing sympathy to the Islamic Movement not only in Nigeria but the world over. They attribute these to the activities of members of the Islamic Movement in other centres, especially those in both Katsina and Sokoto.
In Zaria, the Nigeria army attacked under the pretext of road blockage. It is not clear what they will use as an excuse this time in Katsina and Sokoto.
Since the unfortunate incident in Zaria, peaceful protests have been held in major cities across the country, demanding for the immediate and unconditional release of Sheikh Ibraheem Yaqoub Zakzaky along with other hundreds of members of the Islamic Movement being incarcerated in various detention centres across the country.
We condemn this newly planned operation, which seems to be in continuation of the one they started in Zaria. It is noteworthy that this is coming especially at a time when the Saudis, well known globally as financiers of ISIS and other terrorists organisations, are conducting a workshop on terrorism in Abuja.
From all these, one can see the hidden arms of some Wahabbi elements within the Nigerian army bent on obliterating the Islamic Movement whose majority of its members are followers of the Shia school of thought.
We wish to alert the public that while Nigerian army is supposed to be a secular army, it has so far acted as an arm of Wahabbis of Saudi Arabia in actions and thoughts. Nigerian government appears to be carrying out foreign policies of some Arab states and this will not augur well for the inter religious harmony that we currently enjoy in the country.
www.newsrescue.com

Fuel importation: You’re working against Buhari, resign now – Labour tells Kachikwu
By Wale Odunsi on March 18, 2016
@dailypostngr
Labour has asked the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachukwu, to resign over his comment that it was cheaper to import refined petroleum products than refine locally.
It said Kachikwu was working for foreign interest by making a statement against President Muhammad Buhari’s principle of local content promotion.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, at the 11th National Delegates Conference of NUTGTWN held in Kano yesterday, also advised the minister to tender public apology.
Speaking, NLC President, Ayuba Wabba said Kachikwu’s comment was not in the best interest of Nigeria.
According to him, Nigeria cannot develop when it imports all it needs, adding that “except Nigerian industries were brought back on track, the country’s aspiration to prosperity will remain a mirage.”
Comrade Issa Aremu noted that Kachikwu’s comment negates the mission statement of the Ministry “which is to maximise the benefits of the sector, oil and gas, so that we can use these resources for national development.”
He said the comment was “extremely dangerous,” wondering how Nigeria will grow when its Petroleum Minister holds the view that it was cheaper to import than to produce locally.
Aremu gave an example of Aliko Dangote who is spending over $10billion dollars to establish the largest refinery in the world with a capacity to refine 650,00 barrel per day in Nigeria.
“If the same amount spent on fuel importation yearly was reserved for the building of local refineries, Nigeria would have many refineries by now,” he stated.
www.dailypost.ng

Zaria clash: Investigation ‘ll be fruitless without our leader –Shi’ites
— 16th March 2016
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
BARELY 48 hours after the Judicial Commission of Inquiry investigating the December 2015 Zaria clash between members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) known as the Shi’ites, and the Nigerian Army, the Shi’ites said the exercise would be a fruitless exercise without their lawyers having access to their leader, Sheik Ibraheem Zakzaky, before submitting a memorandum to the commission.
The commission had on Monday, adjourned again for the fifth time till March 21, to enable counsel to the IMN get access to Zakzaky.
Chairman of the commission, Justice Muhammadu Lawal Garba said the commission was running out of six weeks allotted to it by the Kaduna State Government and has little or no time to wait for the Shi’ites.
However, in a statement issued yesterday by its spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, IMN said: “We find this directive perplexing. What will our lawyers submit to the commission if our leader is denied his fundamental human right of access to his lawyers for proper and professional briefing?
“We advise the commission not to engage in a fruitless exercise if it cannot secure access to the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. The Nigerian people should note that the leader of the movement and the wife are held in solitary confinement and have not been charged with any offence since they were wounded on December 12 and 13.
“If the public is not allowed to hear his own side of the story, whose story will do justice to the terms of reference, given to the commission?
“We find it strange that the commission that is aware that the military and the Department of State Services (DSS) are holding the leader, spokesperson and custodian of the property of the movement will go ahead to issue such an order.
“We thought the commission will insist that the security agencies should obey its order and grant access to the lawyers of the movement to see him. What impact will the commission make if its orders are not obeyed by the security services? We are of the view that the commission must establish its independence by enforcing its order and directive rather than threatening to go ahead with its supposed assignment when the leader of one of the parties and his wife are held in solitary confinement.
“We urge all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the government to release the leader of our movement to enable him tell the Nigerian people and the world the atrocities committed by the Nigerian military.”
www.sunnewsonline.ng

Apostle Suleman Curses El- Rufai – “Revoke Preaching Regulation or Die” Apostle Johnson Suleiman, the Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries (OFM), with headquaters in Auchi, Edo State and President of Celebration TV has rained curses on Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, over his directive that pastors and churches must be licenced to preach. In a video that is being circulated on social media, he warned the governor: “Revoke your law or die!” Recently, Governor El-Rufai sent a bill to the State House of Assembly to regulate religious preaching across the state. The bill titled: “A bill for a law to substitute the Kaduna State religious preaching law, 1984” is also aimed at banning the usage of loudspeaker for religious purposes “other than inside a Mosques or Church and the surrounding areas outside the stipulated prayer times.” Government wanted the Assembly to enact the law that will stop the playing or circulating of “all cassettes, CDs, flash drives or any other communication gadgets containing religious recordings from accredited preachers other than inside one’s house, porch, Church, Mosques and other designated place of worship.” The bill seeks to ban sales or playing of any cassette containing “religious recordings in which abusive language is used against any person or religious organisation or religious leaders (past or present).” The bill, if pasted into law, will prohibit sales of religious books, usage of abusive and derogatory terms in describing any religion. The bill propose that any person found guilty of preaching without a valid licence and other offences under the law “shall be liable to two years in prison or pay a fine of N200, 000.” Although Pastor Suleiman did not oppose sanitising the state in many areas, he was angry about the issue of “preaching by licence.” Suleiman said further that there were men of God before El-Rufai was governor and there will be men of God after he leaves. “Why not tell herbalists to obtain licence before they practise their herbalism? Why not tell witches that they need licence to fly?”, the pastor asked rhetorically. He added that asking a pastor to obtain licence is against the Constitution of Nigeria, “When you say licence, you are acting against freedom of worship”. He asked the governor to stay off his plan, “unless you want your cabinet to reduce… people may just sleep without waking up”. www.spynigeria.com

Apostle Suleman Curses El- Rufai – “Revoke Preaching Regulation or Die” Apostle Johnson Suleiman, the Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries (OFM), with headquaters in Auchi, Edo State and President of Celebration TV has rained curses on Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, over his directive that pastors and churches must be licenced to preach. In a video that is being circulated on social media, he warned the governor: “Revoke your law or die!” Recently, Governor El-Rufai sent a bill to the State House of Assembly to regulate religious preaching across the state. The bill titled: “A bill for a law to substitute the Kaduna State religious preaching law, 1984” is also aimed at banning the usage of loudspeaker for religious purposes “other than inside a Mosques or Church and the surrounding areas outside the stipulated prayer times.” Government wanted the Assembly to enact the law that will stop the playing or circulating of “all cassettes, CDs, flash drives or any other communication gadgets containing religious recordings from accredited preachers other than inside one’s house, porch, Church, Mosques and other designated place of worship.” The bill seeks to ban sales or playing of any cassette containing “religious recordings in which abusive language is used against any person or religious organisation or religious leaders (past or present).” The bill, if pasted into law, will prohibit sales of religious books, usage of abusive and derogatory terms in describing any religion. The bill propose that any person found guilty of preaching without a valid licence and other offences under the law “shall be liable to two years in prison or pay a fine of N200, 000.” Although Pastor Suleiman did not oppose sanitising the state in many areas, he was angry about the issue of “preaching by licence.” Suleiman said further that there were men of God before El-Rufai was governor and there will be men of God after he leaves. “Why not tell herbalists to obtain licence before they practise their herbalism? Why not tell witches that they need licence to fly?”, the pastor asked rhetorically. He added that asking a pastor to obtain licence is against the Constitution of Nigeria, “When you say licence, you are acting against freedom of worship”. He asked the governor to stay off his plan, “unless you want your cabinet to reduce… people may just sleep without waking up” www.spynigeria.com

Stop Deceiving Nigerians – Emir of Mubi Advises APC The Emir of Mubi, HRH Alhaji Isah Abubakar, has advised the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop deceiving the electorates if it wants to excel. The first class Emir said this when he played host to the entourage of APC acting chairman in Adamawa, Ibrahim Bilal, who visited him as part of his tour of the 21 Local Governments in the state. Isah said that if APC works with God- fearing and qualified people irrespective of religion, gender and status, the country will witness tremendous growth. “I’m a Father to all of you here. If cannot tell you the truth, I’m not a good father. Do what your electorates wants you to do, that is what democracy is about.” The monarch advised party officials to stop imposing candidates on the electorates as it could have a bad effects on the people and governance in Nigeria. He called for peaceful co-existence among APC members, saying only such will unite the party. The Emir said APC will only stand the test of time if it is fair to all and sundry without any favor of tribe, ethnicity or religion. Earlier, Ibrahim explained that his visit was to seek royal blessings and prayers for APC to succeed in Adamawa and the country at large. Bilal also told the Emir that he and his delegation were going round to fraternise with party officials in all the 21 LGAs so that the APC will be more united to face future challenges. www.thebreakingtimes.com

A federal high court sitting in Abuja has been asked to order the immediate arrest and prosecution of Mrs. Zeenat El-Zakzaky, wife of the leader Shi’ite movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakyzaky.

In suit number FHC/ABJ/CJ/189/2016, dated March 10, 2016, Mrs. El-Zakzaky was said to have made inciting statement after the killing of the members of the Movement and the arrest of her husband.

The plaintiff in the suit, Danbaba Gyang, who is also the Secretary General of Lawyers Alliance for the Defence of Democracy in Nigeria is also asking the court to declare the Iranian Ambassador in Nigeria, Saeed Koozechi, a security threat to the country.

Joined as defendants in the matter are the Inspector -General of Police, Director-General of the DSS, the minister of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Counsel to the plaintiff, Samson Esekhaigbe, asked the court to determine whether the statement contained in an exhibit before the court is not capable of causing unrest and breach of the peace of Nigeria.

He also asked the court to determine the various threats issued by the Ambassador, also contained in an exhibit before the court as treasonable and should be investigated and if found wanting, the President should be advised by the AGF to severe diplomatic ties with Iran.

The plaintiff also wants the court to declare that the IGP, DSS and the AGF have abdicated their duties by failing to investigate, arrest and prosecute members and leaders of the Shi’ite Movement for breach of public peace and attempted assassination on the life of Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen. Tukur Buratai in Zaria on Dec. 15, 2015.

He asked the court to prosecute Mrs. Zeenat and her husband for allegedly promoting acts, capable of causing unrest and public peace and also to declare the Iranian Ambassador to Nigeria a persona non grata.

In the affidavit attached to the suit, deposed to by the plaintiff, he said that the lawlessness exhibited by the movement could have led to the death of Lt.Gen. Buratai, the COAS when they barricaded the Kaduna-Zaria Road in December last year when the convoy of the COAS was passing by.

He also said shortly after the leaders of the movement was arrested, the Iranian Ambassador took the front seat in the agitation for his release and in the process made inciting statements capable of undermining the sovereignty of Nigeria and fomenting trouble withing the Nigerian territory.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of suit as at the time of extracting the file.

Court asked to order arrest of El-zakzaky's wife - Vanguard News http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/court-asked-to-order-arrest-of-el-zakzakys-wife/