₦airaland Forum

The Founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, Temitope Joshua, better known as Prophet TB Joshua, died on the way to the hospital, SaharaReporters has gathered.

"He conducted a service yesterday evening. He had been sick for two days. He decided to go to the hospital after the evening programme. He died on the way to the hospital," a source told Saharareporters.

The church and his family have not officially announced his death. He was 57. Joshua was born on June 12, 1963, in Arigidi, Akoko axis of Ondo State. Plans were underway for his 58th birthday, which is six days away.

News of his demise became a trend on social media in the early hours of Sunday as many Nigerians took turns to mourn the late prophet.

The cause of his death was not immediately disclosed, but sources told Saharareporters he fell ill two days ago. His body is believed to have been deposited at General Hospital in Isolo, Lagos.

TB Joshua's megachurch runs the popular Emmanuel TV television station from Lagos, followed by many Christians worldwide.

Joshua is famous across Africa, Europe and America. His YouTube channel, Emmanuel TV, had over 1,000,000 subscribers and was the world's most viewed Christian ministry on the platform before it was suspended.

TB JOSHUA AT 58: Important Birthday Message!

"Happy Birthday to you! Viewers all over the world, June 12th is around the corner. As you know, I am a man of the people. So, the wound of one is the wound of all. pic.twitter.com/W0xYAzmUsw

— TB Joshua (@SCOANTBJoshua) June 3, 2021

A rights group had filed a complaint after reviewing videos showing the preacher conducting prayers to "cure" gay people.

He is well known for his controversial prophecies such as the Ghana terror attack, US presidential election, coronavirus and his influence in African politics. He recently predicted Nigeria would remain one despite instability in different parts of the country.

He recently wrote on his Facebook page about plans to celebrate his 58th birthday.

He said, "As things stand, you may have realised it will not be easy for me to celebrate my birthday under the present circumstances. Some of the people who want to come are troubled by the situation all over the world. We see their fear and their worry. I feel their pain; I feel their worry.

"Therefore, let us dedicate this day to prayer and fasting. Don't forget the needy. By the grace of God, more birthdays are ahead. God bless you! Emmanuel. Jesus is Lord! Happy Birthday."

1. They log and sell your data

As mentioned, free VPNs may provide relatively decent security (depending on the service) and help you hide from outside threats. But, what about the service itself? Since free VPNs do not receive money from their users, they have to find alternative methods of funding themselves. They often end up logging your data, such as location, browsing history, and alike — and selling it to advertisers. They won’t openly announce it, but you might find that they keep the right to do so in their privacy policy.

2. They will ruin the experience with ads

Alternatively, they might bombard you with ads, as they can also profit from showing them directly to their users. Advertising is a big part of the online world of today, and advertisers are always looking for new methods to expose products and services to large numbers of customers. Showing them to users of VPNs won’t have the same impact as showing them on Facebook, but it will also cost them a lot less.

Meanwhile, the VPN itself is looking to earn money, and if that means showing a bunch of ads to their users, who are using the service for free — so be it.

3. They don’t have their own servers

Then, there is the fact that their servers are not their own. Everything costs money, and buying and maintaining servers is not especially cheap. Instead, free VPNs often use third-party-owned servers. Basically, this means that another company owns the servers, and it rents them out to other companies, such as free VPNs.

However, there is no guarantee that they will respect the privacy of the VPN users, and you can never know who else is recording the data that is being stored on the server. It is bad enough that the VPN is storing it, and doing whatever it wants with it. You don’t need to risk your data falling into the hands of a third-party company that you know nothing about, or even the government itself.

4. They could give your data to the government

Online surveillance is something that many governments around the world are very fond of. That way, they keep track of their citizens, monitor potential threats, and seek out gangs, criminals, terrorists, and alike.

However, there are many who just want as much data as they can get their hands on, such as the 5/9/14 Eyes surveillance alliance. There are 14 countries that are a part of the 14 Eyes alliance, and they all collect and share data of internet users. VPNs in their jurisdictions often receive requests for data, be they premium or free ones. The difference is that most premium VPNs do not record any data, so they have nothing to give. This is not the case with free VPNs.

5. Speed issues

VPNs reduce your internet speed. That is true for premium and free services alike. However, premium VPNs often have a much smaller impact, and if you have greater speeds, you might not even notice the difference. With free services, your speeds will be impacted heavily. In a lot of cases, streaming or downloading content will end up being a painful and frustrating process.

Not to mention the fact that their networks are not exactly stable, so slower speeds could be the least of your issues. Downtimes are more than a possibility, especially due to overcrowded servers.

6. Bad security

We mentioned that some services offer decent security, but that is by no means true for all of them. Some use weak protocols and bad encryption, which was cracked multiple times in the past. This means that, if your data ends up being stolen — even if it is encrypted, you might still end up being exposed. Hackers are known for trying to steal and sell such data, or misuse it themselves, whether for doing bigger hacks or for stealing your money and personal data.

7. 38% Free VPN Comes with Pre-installed Malware

Who does not love the free word, it does not matter which country you make a visit if you ask people that they like free products the answer must be the same. Actually, it is a common thinking of all the people worldwide. But compromising the privacy and security to save a few bucks is not thing you should do.

If you google “the top 30-40 free VPN” then you will find at least 38% of them come with the pre-installed malware. Yes, you read it right, a malware that is capable to destroy the whole network of an organisation and spread sensitive information.

You may be thinking that how the company is using malware on its products. Well, most free VPN comes with advertising banners or we can say Malwartising. A normal user can not easily identify about it and that’s how the company took advantage of it. They release the free VPN trails for the users that already inbuilt malware kit and when the users using the software all the data goes to the company.

8. Land you into Trouble: Use Your Internet Connection To Serve Other Users

Normally a VPN uses our internet connection to access all the things over the internet. But that does not exactly happen when it comes to the free VPN and some more factors matter when we discuss about the workflow of a VPN.

A free VPN uses your internet connection to access the internet on other user devices. Maybe some of you thinking that what is so dangerous about this matter, it just using the internet protocol. Well, it’s not so simple as it look like and there is a really complicated concern that you must know. Let’s understand this in a simple language with an example.

Let assume that you are using XYZ free VPN foto stream online videos. But at the same time, the VPN is offering your internet connection to that user who is currently performing some illegal activity on the internet. If the guy who is using your internet protocol steals something from the government sites and when the officers will look for the IP and the source then you are the one who gets caught. Because the attacker used your IP to breach government security and you are responsible for that. Thousands of free VPN users face the same thing and they don’t have an idea who performed such things with their internet protocol address.

9. Free VPN And No VPN is Equal

Perhaps, If you have read the article till now, you may realise that free vpn does more harm than benefit. Its better not to use vpn than using free vpn. Free VPN is almost equal to no vpn. But at the end of the day it is your choice to make. I believe we spend $50 easily on so many non essential items than why not on vpn. A lot of VPN’s are priced fairly, in fact you can get more discounts using our best vpn deals.

Some daredevil armed men were reportedly on a rampage in Ikire and Apomu in Irewole and Isokan local government areas of Osun state, allegedly killing five persons in Ikire .

It was gathered that the armed robbers had earlier robbed a bank in Apomu town around 3pm before proceeding to Ikire where they killed three persons at a commercial bank automated teller machine.

Also, two other persons were said the have been killed in the community during the sporadic shooting.

Police spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola while confirming the incident said she cannot confirm the casualty figure, but the Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode is already at the scene of the incident.

The Onion Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (OPMAN) has announced its decision to suspend onion supply to the Southeast over insecurity.

The National President of OPMAN, Aliyu Isah, made the announcement on Wednesday.

He said the association’s decision was based on the recent hijack of two of their members’ trucks by gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

Gunmen suspected to be members of IPOB have been attacking critical public infrastructure in the southeast for some weeks now while also killing security operatives.

Last week, they hijacked two truck-full of onions from the North in Imo State and distributed their contents to the public.

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FIRE DESTROYS N2b ONIONS

Meanwhile, farmers and marketers said they have lost onions worth N2.4 billion to fire in Sokoto State.

The cause of the fire was still unknown but one of the victims, Umaru Aliyu Gidan Fadama, said that the fire started from Yan doya market otherwise known as Ramin Kura.

According to him, it started around 12:30 am on Wednesday.

“We were told that it started from a Golf vehicle that was offloading yams at the market and later spread to other places including where our storage facilities are.

“I personally lost 60 bags of onion and I know some that have lost more than 100 bags,” he said.

The National President of OPMAN told our reporter that 200,000 bags of onion worth N2 billion were lost to the fire.

“We are only praying to God to bring succour to them but it was a terrible and unfortunate incident,” he said.

He noted that the problem could lead to a serious onion crisis in the country because most of the affected producers and marketers had lost their investment.

“Some of the farmers sell their produce to buy input for the upcoming season and with this development, they cannot go back to the farm,” he said.

He appealed to the federal and state governments to assist them so that they could sustain their businesses.

A lawyer, Dr Daniel Bwala, has said social media giant, Twitter, deleted a post by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), out of malice but failed to delete the inciting posts of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

Bwala, who spoke in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, accused Twitter Chief Executive Officer, Jack Dorsey, of supporting a process that could have led to insurrection in Nigeria since last October during the #EndSARS protest.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that the President, on Tuesday, condemned the attacks on police stations, prisons and offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission, especially in the South-East, warning that those supporting insurrection and violence in the country would be shocked.

Buhari had tweeted, “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”

The President’s tweet riled some persons who felt he was insensitive to have made an analogy of the civil war. His critics subsequently reported the tweet to Twitter and the microblogging site later deleted the post with a comment, “This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules”.

Commenting on the matter, Bwala, a member of the All Progressives Congress, argued that what the President said and what he tweeted was not against the people of the South-East but was in relation to criminal elements involved in the burning of government installations and the killings of uniformed men and private citizens of the country.

He said, “The President did not violate Twitter rules. Twitter deleted Buhari’s tweet out of malice. The founder or owner of Twitter is a known and interested party in Nigeria forgetting that you cannot be a jury and a judge in your own case.

“You will recall during the #EndSARS (protests), Jack Dorsey did not only support the #EndSARS protests but also retweeted the means of contributing to the funds used for the protests.

“That incident cannot be treated in isolation; it has never happened anywhere in the world where the owner of Twitter takes part in the protests of private citizens.

“So, tacitly or obviously, he had indicated expression of dissatisfaction towards the President.”

“Kanu has tweeted what has obviously created crisis that has led to so many loss of lives in Nigeria yet his tweets have not been removed. Do you need any further case to establish that the owner of Twitter is an interested party?” the lawyer asked.

Bwala also urged the Federal Government to launch an official complaint with the United States Congress to invite Twitter CEO to explain his recent role in the activities in Nigeria that are widely regarded as agitation for secession.

Twitter had in January banned former United States President, Donald Trump, for his inciting comments which led to the attack on the US Capitol.

Investigation by Vanguard revealed that three persons were killed on Monday night, by suspected assassins including a youth leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Awonmama, Oru East Local Government Area of Imo state, Kenneth Amukaamara.

A family source to one of the victims who craved anonymity disclosed this to Vanguard in Owerri.

He pleaded with the security agencies to help in uncovering the perpetrators of the wicked act. The source added that it’s good for members of the public to know that those killed were three in number and not one as being speculated.

According to him, “We lost three persons in the family, Kenneth Amukaamara, a youth leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oru East local government area, Eugene Anyia Amukaamara and Adaeze Anyia Amukaamara. The matter is that they were murdered and we cannot say those who carried out this wicked act.

“Four houses burnt including two cars. However, it is the duty of the security agencies to find those responsible. This is what I can say, for now, the security agencies will need to unravel those behind it.”

“We are pleading that the security agencies will be fast enough to bring those behind this act to face the law. This is wicked and it is not acceptable by anybody.” he said.

When contacted by Vanguard, the Imo state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Bala Elkana, asked for more time to make inquiries on the incident.

Some Islamic adherents from the South-West region have started signing a petition on ipetitions.com, kicking against the proposed breakaway of a separate Yoruba nation.

According to some signatories of the petition, Muslims in the South-West are not reckoned with in the agitation for the Oodua Republic.

The petition, which was started by Oyedeji Owoseni, on May 30th had garnered 273 signatures and 181 comments as of the time of filing this report.

The brief on the petition read, “Muslims' concerns are not important to Oodua agitators; Muslims were not even involved at all in their agenda. A Muslim is not safe in their scheme.

“Do you agree with this position?”

SaharaReporters observed from the signature section that the petition was signed primarily by Muslims in Nigeria while a few others signed from the United States, Burkina Faso, Sweden, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.

A signatory, Abibat Adebisi Sanusi wrote, “We are better together as a Nation, one Nigeria, one people. All we need to do is harness the opportunities in our diversities.”

Adesina Kareem wrote, “I am not pleased with those spearheading the agenda. Most of them cannot be trusted with power.”

Sulaiman Abdul Majeed said, “I am not in any way considered in the Oodua republic agitation equation.”

Baba Lola Moshood opined, “I am not in support of Oodua nation because those agitating for it are thugs, oppressors, and thieves.”

Ayinde Ibrahim wrote, “It's a suicide mission to allow the secession to fruition rather it must be disembarked and allow peaceful coexistence (sic).”

Bashir Jamiu Aina stated, “Where there is no mutual consultation for coexistence, there is bound to be no peace. Muslims were not carried along with the Oodua agitation and even before then, Muslims were found to be sidelined in some decisions affecting the Yoruba community."

Olawuyi Abdul Akeem wrote, “I don't believe in Oodua Nation's agenda. It is suspicious, cultist and Christian inclined."

Bashir Olawuyi said, “It's not a good agenda. They used some Muslims to campaign for them by promising certain things and also giving some amounts of money in order to have Muslim followers. This is a decisive act. I reject it."

Sanusi Wasiu wrote, “I am not safe under Oodua nation agenda because they will deny me my right to practise my religious aspect of life, they have been depriving our female children their right to use hijab in public schools; also, our wives are being maltreated because they chose to be modest by following the Quranic injunction.

“My religion is not safe with Oodua nation. To crown it all, I preach peace and unity, calling for Yoruba Nation or Oodua republic means calling for disunity among us, peace be unto you."

Abd'Raheem Maruff said, “Shariah is condemned in Oodua agitations. I cannot live without Shariah.”

Gbadamosi Ibrahim Ayinde wrote, “Indeed it's a dangerous mission like wanting to colour self to a suicidal adventure which in any case must be discouraged at all cost."

Adeniyi Liadi Oyedele said, “Their (agitators) target was to suppress Islam and Muslims as well in South-West so they have hidden agenda and no true Muslim must support it.”

bencr7:
d same Satan u worship at d end he will abandon u

Simplyleo:
If you check, you will discover the remote cause is the same set of intolerant homeless lamidi cownu's ipob pigs.

Is one of their foolish strategies of bringing down the zoo.

There was an uproar at Gangare area beside the popular Mile 12 International Market in Kosefe Local Government Area of Lagos State on Friday as a vigilante commander in the area, Haladu Muhammed, was attacked over alleged blasphemy.

Daily Trust gathered that some youths who accused Muhammed of blasphemous comment against Prophet Muhammad (SAW), attacked him.

Before security operatives could come to the victim’s aid, his vehicle had been set ablaze while his house had been vandalised.

An eye witness, Usman Adam Sarauta, told Daily Trust that the youths also attacked security operatives who rushed to the scene after a distress call.

“They accused him of using words against the messenger of Allah, but this cannot be ascertained. Only God knows if this is true or not.”

“I witnessed how they vandalised his house and office and how they also burnt his car. I lived in that area and noticed how residents used to complain about the conduct of the vigilante commander. Some accused him of maltreating them… I think they may have ganged up against him because of this,” he said.

Another witness said Muhammed narrowly escaped but some of his boys were harmed.

“I learnt that the commander narrowly escaped after some security operatives came to his aid but some of his boys were not so lucky as they were brutally attacked. People are even saying they were killed but no evidence yet.

“The youths were seen in large numbers throwing stones to the security agents and I also heard that a stray bullet hit a woman who died immediately.”

Daily Trust gathered that security personnel are currently positioned in strategic places in the community.

Vulcanheph:
So all the live videos making rounds online aren't enough evidence?
Naija is a joke.

“There is no way we could act based on social media reports. It is only the President who could decide to appoint and remove ministers. As far as we are concerned, we only hear people talk about the issue we don’t have any fact about the so-called allegation. We don’t have any fact, we did our job based on facts available to us.’’

He further said, “Those who are talking have not pointed to a particular law upon which he ought to be removed as a minister.

“Even if the information about him now, assuming it was available then (during screening), does it constitute a disqualifying factor of being a Minister under the Nigerian law?”

He also dismissed the call on Buhari to sack Pantami based on moral grounds saying that controversy was a normal thing in politics.

He said, “All over the World, controversy is part of political existence. There is a difference between legality and political consideration which is not in the purview of the National Assembly.

“He was screened publicly and there was no objection. The exercise was aired live on the national television stations. The Constitution stipulates requirements to be a Minister and he hasn’t run foul of any as far as we are concerned.”

The Senate has declared that nobody, group or organisation has approached the upper chamber of the National Assembly with any concrete evidence that could warrant the sacking of the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami.

The Minister has been in the news since the audio clips of his alleged support for terrorism in the past surfaced on social media recently.

Many concerned Nigerians and religious organisations have demanded his immediate resignation from the cabinet of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).

Some Nigerians have also blamed the Senate for not doing a thorough screening on Pantami before his appointment was confirmed by the red chamber.

But speaking with Sunday PUNCH in Abuja on Saturday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Dr. Ajibola Basiru, said the upper chamber should not be blamed for clearing Pantami for appointment.

He said apart from the fact that it did not receive any petition against the embattled minister, there was no security report that indicted him as of the time of his screening.

Basiru added that no petition had been sent to the Senate, detailing specific allegations against Pantami, since the matter came to the limelight penultimate week.

He nevertheless said the current controversy around the minister does not constitute any grounds for his sacking which only Buhari had the exclusive power to do.

Basiru said, “To start with, there is nothing that disqualified him from contesting an election based on the constitution of Nigeria.

“The Senate can only act based on the information at its disposal as of the time of the screening. We have not acted in any way against the law. No security agency approached us to give us any information that could indict him, both at the time of his appointment and even now. The Senate does not have the power to remove a minister. We can only screen, based on the information available to us and based on the report that we have from the security agencies.

“There is no way we could act based on social media reports. It is only the President who could decide to appoint and remove ministers. As far as we are concerned, we only hear people talk about the issue we don’t have any fact about the so-called allegation. We don’t have any fact, we did our job based on facts available to us.’’

He further said, “Those who are talking have not pointed to a particular law upon which he ought to be removed as a minister.

“Even if the information about him now, assuming it was available then (during screening), does it constitute a disqualifying factor of being a Minister under the Nigerian law?”

He also dismissed the call on Buhari to sack Pantami based on moral grounds saying that controversy was a normal thing in politics.

He said, “All over the World, controversy is part of political existence. There is a difference between legality and political consideration which is not in the purview of the National Assembly.

“He was screened publicly and there was no objection. The exercise was aired live on the national television stations. The Constitution stipulates requirements to be a Minister and he hasn’t run foul of any as far as we are concerned.”

The Central Regional Police Thursday rounded up 340 suspected criminals in and around the Kasoa township.

According to reports by Graphic Online, the suspects, who are mostly Nigerians, included five females.

Nine of the suspects were found in possession of substances suspected to be Indian hemp.

Items retrieved included 245 laptops, 142 assorted mobile phones, and six Nigerian passports.

The police swooped on them at various locations in Buduburam, Adade, CP, Akwele and Ofaakor.

At a press briefing after the arrests, the Central Regional Police Commander, Mrs Habiba Twumasi-Sarpong, said the police and personnel from the Ghana Immigration Service were screening and profiling the suspects, after which those found guilty would be dragged to court.

Aborigines in Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River (BRAC) have warned the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to leave their communities, saying the attacks in their communities are provocative and unacceptable.

The organization said that within the last couple of weeks they have witnessed the invasion, harassments, raping and killings of innocent citizens, and disruption of peace and socio-economic activities in BRAC coastal territory by IPOB elements.

The General Coordinator of BRAC, Doris McDaniels, said on Wednesday in Abuja that the attacks first witnessed last year at Oyigbo and the Port Harcourt areas of BRAC territory following the instruction of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu through incessant, inflammatory radio broadcast.

“Recently, in Essien Udim LGA of Akwa Ibom State wanton destruction of properties, raping, killings and total institution of anarchy were enacted in some communities there, hence paralyzing the socio-economic life of our people.

“In the last few days, Omuma, Elele, Omagwa and Abua Odual areas of Rivers State were visited leaving a trail of tears, blood and horrific killings. All the unprovoked violence was not necessary.

“These attacks on BRAC territory are provocative, totally unacceptable and highly condemnable. These are likely acts to lead to another angle that will affect the cordial relationship and peaceful cohabitation between the coastal minorities and the Igbos,” Mcdaniels said.

According to her, it should be noted that their traditional fathers, leaders and the generality of their people have severally and at one time or the other distanced themselves and their territory from IPOB and their Biafra dream State.

She said, “We are not Igbos. We are completely distinct sets of people in character, culture and all, from the Igbos.”

She said that it is annoying and offensive for the Igbos to continue to assume their territory as part of their dream nation.

“We consider such posture of greed and annexation an insult, overbearing and disdainful arrogance. We here put it to them that their oppression, killings, dominance and disruption of the lives of our people during the Erstwhile Eastern Region of Nigeria ended on 27 May 1967, 54 years ago, when South Eastern and Rivers States were created following decades of perpetual agitations and protests from our ancestors and forebears, under the umbrella of Various Minority States Agitators and COR State Movement, to be delineated from the Igbos into a separate State. COR represents Calabar, Ogoja and Rivers Provinces.

“As a warning therefore, let them note that their investments in our territory could be preliminary target. Would they in all honesty have allowed our people own stalls or shops in Onitsha or Ariaria markets? But we have been magnanimous to reabsorb the Igbos back to our BRAC states despite their brutal attack on us. IPOB should not allow old wounds to reopen,” McDaniels said.

There is outrage on social media over the failure of relevant authorities to speak on the brutal killing of a family of 19 herders in Anambra State on Sunday, April 24.

Some prominent Nigerians have also voiced out reservations over the “silence of the graveyard” that trailed the incident. They said those that have the power and resources to stop the orgy of violence against Fulani herders in the South have refused to talk.

The Fulani herders were reportedly killed by suspected members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Commentators were particularly horrified with the way the victims were gruesomely murdered.

The video showed that the victims were trailed to their settlement in Ukpomashi village, Awkuzu of Oyi Local Government Area where they lived with their cattle and shot at close range.

The father of the house, Ibrahim Medium, nine women, six children and three men were killed during the attack.

While some of the dead bodies were thereafter beheaded, the hands and legs of others were severed and their stomach ripped open.

The animals of the herders including cow and sheep were also killed and their house and other belongings vandalised.

While some commentators described the attack as the height of man’s inhumanity to man, others berated both the federal and Anambra State Government for not calling out the perpetrators and arresting them.

Two notable northern groups have also expressed anger that five days after the needless killing at the Fulani settlement, both the print and broadcast media looked the other way as if nothing happened.

They said the “I don’t care attitude” of relevant stakeholders to the ugly events in the South portend danger to the corporate existence of Nigeria.

ANGER ON THE WEB

On social media, especially on the microblogging site, Twitter, Nigerians have been critical of the killings of the 19 herders.

Reacting to the videos of the slain family members that have been trending on social media since Monday, a Twitter user, Bash Farhan, wrote: “The video of the remains of 19 Fulani women and children massacred in Anambra State is the worst thing that anyone can see today.”

A user, F.S. Yusuf, wrote: “No killing is permissible irrespective of tribe or religion. I utterly condemn the killing of that peaceful Fulani family in Igbariam. It is high time we take action against such acts very seriously. The polity is already heated.”

Another user, Rayyan, said: “Now you see the hypocrisy in this country. 19 Fulanis have been slain in cold blood and no media is reporting it. It is quite disheartening as no one is talking about it. Meanwhile, conspiracy theorists are accusing the same Fulani of the killing.”

Muhsin Ibrahim described the killing as “Very illogical.” He said, “IPOB terrorists murdered 19 members of the same Fulani family, including babies. What a country! What a people! What have we done to these folks?”

Abubakar Muhammed blamed both the federal and Anambra State Governments of not protecting the family as well as others that have been killed in the state.

“Entire Fulani family of 19 have been wiped out by IPOB militia in Anambra State. A very sad development as the authority at both state and federal levels couldn’t protect them,” he said.

For Baba Ali: “The killing of 19 Fulani family members in Anambra is an act of terror; Nigerians should unite against any form of terror.”

TARGETING NORTHERNERS A DANGEROUS GAME – NEF

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has warned that targeting and killing northerners in the south-eastern part of the country by IPOB members can trigger a bigger mayhem for the future of Nigeria. The NEF on Wednesday sounded a warning against what it described as a “dangerous development” following the gruesome murder of 19 members of a Fulani family, mostly women and children in Anambra village.

“Those who are singling out Fulani people and killing them, singling out policemen, the military and customs, targeting the softer underbelly of the nation should better realise that they are playing with fire” said the NEF’s Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed.

Speaking to Daily Trust on phone, he said: “Those who target northerners in the southern part of the country are playing a dangerous game. It is not a game anybody can confidently say he can control but it is getting to a point where even we cannot find enough reason to justify why people should continue to exercise restraint.”

He said while it was tempting to ask Fulani and Hausa people who are being attacked and harassed almost on daily basis to leave the southern part of the country and return home, Baba Ahmed said: “We would not do that for many reasons. One is that we believe they have a right to stay there and they have a right to security and to live in peace and we believe that the Nigerian state has a duty to protect them.

“And if we ask them to leave, we will be playing into the hands of the people who believe that they can engage in ethnic cleansing; pick which ethnic group, which religion they do not want to see and they will weaken the foundations of the Nigerian state and so we are reluctant to do that,” he said.

He reminded governors in the South East that IPOB had already taken a huge chunk of their territory and political terrain, saying with their recent agitation to be trusted with the leadership of the country in 2023, they needed to prove that they could secure their region.

NORTH WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE PROVOCATION FROM IPOB – CNG

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has warned that the North will no longer remain tolerant in the face of persistent provocation from IPOB members.

CNG stated this in the wake of the gruesome killing and decapitation of 19 members of a Fulani family in Anambra State on Sunday.

The CNG yesterday described the South East as the most aggressive section of the country whose members are comfortably accommodated and protected in the North.

It said “Enough is enough as those responsible for the butchery in Anambra shall be called to account in the fullness of time.”

CNG spokesman Abdul-Azeez Suleiman said: “The nature of the killings, which involved decapitation of limbs and the complicit silence of the entire leadership of the Igbo at home and in the Diaspora confirms that the entire people of the South East are in support of IPOB’s violent secessionist agitation for Biafra.

“We are also worried that a section of the media, which has traditionally been hostile and biased whenever matters that affect the North or people that come from the North are reported or commented on are desperately attempting to conceal the extent of the killings and the true identity of those who instigated them.

“This cover-up is to the extent that the massacre, when reported, is attributed to ‘unknown gunmen’ and not IPOB terror militia,” he said.

Suleiman described as unfortunate, a situation when only those who commit crimes around the northern region or criminals who are northerners are identifiable by their religious and ethnic labels. “Otherwise these IPOB killers should be addressed appropriately because this act of cannibalism is worse than any ever committed by Boko Haram or the marauding bandits.”

Daily Trust recalled that on the day of the attack, the Anambra Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its spokesman, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, but said only nine people were killed.

THERE was pandemonium at the Igbariam campus of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Monday as students and residents ran to safety following the alleged killing of nine persons and about 23 cows by unknown gunmen.

Although the chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Alhaji Gidado Sidikki claimed that 19 persons were killed, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Ikenga Tochukwu confirmed that nine persons lost their lives.

The incident, which took place at an area known as Modiyam Umaru camp in Awkuzu, Oyi local government area of the state, is a stone throw to many hostels housing students of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.

Following the development, tension has heightened in the entire Awkuzu and Igbariam communities, with many students and other residents already packing out of the area for fear of being caught in the web of the seeming battle.

Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Monday Kuryas, who asked the people to remain calm, has already deployed a large number of policemen to the area, even as he assured that the state police command would get to the root of the matter.

In a statement, the PPRO said investigations had commenced to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.

He said: “The Commissioner has ordered the immediate deployment of the command’s operational and intelligence assets to identify and apprehend the unknown armed men, who violently attacked Ukpomachi Village, Awkuzu in Oyi LGA of the state in the early hours of 26th, April 2021.

“Meanwhile, a crack team of police operatives of the command led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, had visited the scene and conducted on- the- spot-assessment of the incident In the meantime, the command has successfully restored normalcy in the area.”

According to Tochukwu, “the assailants were armed with machetes and other dangerous weapons, when they invaded the village in their numbers and attacked the residents, adding that the attack resulted in the death of nine persons (whose identities are yet unknown), injured some others and destroyed buildings and livestock.

Speaking on the incident, the Miyetti Allah chairman, Sidikki, said the gunmen shot repeatedly, which, according to him, scared students of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, who ran away for fear of being harmed

He said that the residents were taken unawares, recalling that they have been living in peace with their host communities since they found a base in the South East.

The Department of State Service (DSS), on Thursday dismissed comments made by its former Assistant Director, Dennis Amachree, on how the embattled Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, scaled the screenings of the secret police before his confirmation as minister in 2019.

DSS through its spokesman, Peter Afunanya, via a terse message sent to journalists, said Amachree’s views were personal positions.

Afunanya maintained that the position of the service’s former director, did not in any way represent the stand of the secret police, urging the Nigerian populace to disregard all his views.

”Opinions expressed by Mr Dennis Amachree on sundry national security issues are his personal positions and do not in anyway represent the stand of the Service (the Department of State Services),” the DSS spokesman said.

Lots of factors

Amachree, who spoke on Wednesday while featuring in on online interview programme, had said the minister must have sailed through the DSS and Senate screenings due to a lot of factors including federal character balancing.

The former secret police official, while also demanding Pantami’s resignation, had said the DSS had information on all individuals of interest, adding that the minister’s past extremist views were communicated to the Federal Government and the legislature.

Amachree had said, ”There is no information that escapes the DSS, we have all of it, all. When I was working there, we keep a catalogue of anybody of interest that comes up to limelight in this country.

”During the vetting process for anybody to be appointed a minister or commissioner or anything, your name is sent to the SSS for vetting. They check your background up to the extent of your grandmother. They check your schools up to the extent of your primary school.

”And of course, they keep a tab on you online and offline. We get a lot from open-source intelligence and I can tell you that in Pantami’s case, we have it. But there is a political angle to it.

”When somebody is being appointed, if the security agencies see that there is something wrong with his name, they will send it to the appointing agency. The appointing agency will now decide amongst other variables either religious variable, federal character balancing variable, or political variable and say that, ‘Oh, yes, we know that this guy has this and that but let’s appoint him.

”So, the political decision is not taken by the SSS. Even when you go to the Senate for confirmation, there is party by party and you can see that there are some political candidates that the opposition party will say that this one will not be appointed but because he belongs to that party, they will appoint him.

”So, these are political and federal balancing where they will say that there is nobody from this place that has been appointed, so let’s appoint him.”

Pantami, a former Director-General with the National Information Technology Development Agency, has in recent time come under fire over his past controversial comments on terrorist groups including Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

The Coalition of Civil Society for Good Governance said the ongoing call and social media campaign for the sacking of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, is a well funded program aimed at heightening insecurity in the country.

The coalition stated that the individuals have continued to profit from the security challenges, being experienced in some parts of the country.

Addressing a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, 20th April 2021, the coordinator of the Coalition, Comrade Declan Ihekaire, which is an amalgamation of various Civil Society organizations, said it is alarmed, by the sustained campaign against Pantami.

The coalition described Pantami as a principled, innovative and a key member of the team of the incumbent administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ihekaire said: “We are forced to publicly condemn the ongoing well coordinated campaign of calumny against Dr. Pantami, by those, whom we have discovered, are opposed, not only to the digital revolution of our economy, but also the efforts of the ministry, under his Leadership, particularly the compulsory National Identification Number NIN, which these unpatriotic Nigerians, have exploited over the years to fester insecurity in the country, when the use of mobile telecommunication devices, became a veritable tool for kidnappers, terrorists and other criminals, who operates under the cover of being anonymous to perpetrate evil unhindered.

“We dare say that Dr. Isa Pantami’s sincere admission of once holding views, which were supposedly is support of some radical groups, during his growing up years, is an unusual display of sincerity, patriotism and we see this, has a welcome step.

“Dr Pantami’s great work and output at the ministry of digital economy where he took a Ministry that was sleeping and upgraded it to a 21st century Ministry, have become mitigating factors, against the expectations of those who are patrons of terror groups and their accomplices in the telecom business, who have over the years, profited from the insecurities being faced by our people.”

The group further asked President Muhammadu Buhari, to disregard the campaign against Dr Pantami, and not allow the government to be misled by those it described as selfish.

The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Reverend Samson Ayokunle, has urged relevant security agencies to investigate the allegation against the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami.

Pantami has been in the eyes of the storm for about a week over his controversial Islamic teachings which reportedly lent credence to terrorism activities and killings – a stance which has forced a cross-section of Nigerians to demand for his resignation or sack.

The minister admitted making such comments but blamed immaturity and limited knowledge for his views back then.

But speaking during a press conference on the 108th convention of the church which will hold from April 24 to April 29 at the 37,000- seater auditorium Baptist International Conference Centre, BICC along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Reverend Ayokunle prompted security agencies to act.

“What is the State Security Service doing? What are the police doing? What is the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency doing about the allegation? Such allegations should not be taken with levity. It should be taken seriously especially if we have data, written evidence, implicating statements or whatever. Why have they kept quiet? The question should not be directed at me as I am not in the security sector and I may not have the best information about the situation. I don’t want to make any statement that is not informed. Direct your question to DSS on why they have not investigated the allegation. Or is there no basis for it? Once they come out on the basis of empirical evidence, the situation will be settled,” he said.

The cleric, who said the church will continue to pray for the nation and her leaders, expressed worry over the high rate of unemployment in the country, noting that Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.

The CAN president said such unemployed youths can be easily recruited by bandits and other criminal elements.

He tasked the government to mop up illegal arms and investigate the sources of such weapons into the country.

He also called on the government to recruit more men into the security agencies as part of efforts to address the insecurity in the country, lamenting that the number of security personnel per citizen is abysmally poor.

Dr. Ayokunle, who will be rounding off his 10-year tenure as President of the Baptist Convention, said he has no regret as he was not ambitious about the position.

“I don’t have regret about being called by the Lord to lead the Nigerian Baptist Convention for the last 10 years because I did not take this assignment as what I desired, as an ambition. No, I wasn’t ambitious about it. I wasn’t at the national leadership of this denomination when God called me. I was serving in a little corner in the church. It was God that took me there. So, any day that I wake up, I know that I am in the will of God for my life,” he said.

The movement of vehicles and passengers along the Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway has been halted following heavy shootings at the Ezilo axis of the highway by suspected gunmen.

As of the time of filing this report, it was not immediately clear those responsible for the shootings.

The PUNCH reports that two persons were killed in a renewed boundary dispute between Eziulo community and its neighbouring Iyionu community, in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Equally, it could not be immediately established if the shooting is connected with the dispute.

A passenger from Enugu, who was billed for Abakaliki, Afam Cyprian, said travellers have been stranded at Okpoto for about one hour.

He said military patrol vans were patrolling the highway but have told them not to advance.

“Many people are looking for another route to take. Some have gone back to take Afikpo road. I am looking for a way to go back to Abakaliki,” he said.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs Loveth Odah, confirmed the shootings.

Odah said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Aliyu Garba, had dispatched police patrol teams to restore peace and open up the road for users.

She, however, said the shooting cannot be related to the boundary dispute as the disputed area is not close to the highway

Governor David Umahi had on Tuesday, confirmed the killing of two persons in the dispute after a Security Council meeting at the old Government House in Abakaliki.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, has assured staff of the National Identify Management Commission, NIMC, of improved salary scale.

Mr Pantami disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, when the board and management of NIMC paid him a courtesy visit in his office.

“We are working on the new salary scale approved by the Salaries and Wages Commission, as we make efforts to ensure an improved budget for 2021.

“I have furnished President Muhammadu Buhari with all the challenges face by NIMC because the President said we must get NIN right as we cannot continue to estimate our population and for national planning.

“We will make sure the agency delivers on its mandate. We need to do more for NIMC,” he said.

Earlier, Bello Gwandu, Acting Chairman, NIMC Governing Board, who led the team, thanked the minister for his innovations and also informed him of the challenges faced by the commission.

Mr Gwandu, however, said that the actualisation and implementation of an enhanced salary structure for staff of the commission should commensurate with government agencies in the same Information Technology sector.

He also said that provision and release of funds would address the huge infrastructural requirements of the commission.

The acting chairman noted that the commission had been grabbling with these challenges, which in spite of the concerted efforts to address these issues had not made a headway.

“We are here to convey to you our unreserved appreciation of what you have been doing since the transfer of the supervision of the activities of NIMC to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.

“The welfare of staff of the commission has been brought to the front-burner and attention of the Federal Government owing to your relentless drive to see a paradigm shift to their general working conditions.

“It shows you have the interest of our NIMC workforce at heart, and you understand and appreciate the magnitude of the commission’s mandate to the Nigerian people.

“We do this because of our firm belief in you as a technocrat with a very good grasp of the importance of digital identification in our country,” he said.

Mr Gwandu further said that the ongoing NIN-SIM linkage was yet another project that spoke volumes of the acting chairman’s unflinching resolve to sanitise and harmonise the silos of databases in the country.

“Let me say again for the purpose of emphasis, that as a commission, we never exuded such overwhelming relevance and have not been this connected to the Nigerian people like we have since you took over as our supervisory minister,” he added.

Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatis Sunnah, JIBWIS-Nigeria condemns the propaganda in circulation alleging that the Hon. Minister of Communications & Digital Economy Sheikh Dr Isa Ali Pantami supports terrorism.

JIBWIS is up to speed with recent speculations making the rounds in the public domain anchored by mischief makers to discredit the Minister of Communications & Digital Economy, Sheikh Dr Isa Ali Pantami indicating that he has ties with terrorists and shares extremists ideologies.

Without doubt, JIBWIS notes that these allegations are baseless and bogus especially in consideration of the following facts:

1. Sheikh Dr Isa Ali Pantami is an exemplary Islamic scholar with a track record of expertise in preaching Islam, a religion that stands for peace and does not support any form of terrorism or blood-shed.

2. Those who know Dr. Isa Ali Pantami are aware of his explicit stance against terrorism and extremism. This is clear in his series of debates with the foundation leader of Boko Haram in Nigeria, Muhammad Yusuf where Dr. Pantami grilled him with evidences from the Qur’an and Sunnah discouraging extremism, violence and terrorism. Video and Audio clips of this and many others are available for all to see.

3. The transformation brought about by Dr. Pantami in the Communications sector has quite commendably helped to check ongoing insecurity in Nigeria leading to various attempts to eliminate him by terrorists. 4. Dr. Pantami has equally plugged leakages in government activities saving more resources and positioning the ICT sector as a key driver for revenue generation. These and many other giant strides of Sheikh Pantami are what would pose these questions to all sensible Nigerians:

* Is this plot against Dr. Pantami not suggestive of a disguised war against Islam, where some misguided elements work tirelessly to bring down Muslim clergies who ascend to high positions of authority such as the one held by Sheikh Pantami Without finding any fault in clergies of other religions ascending to sensitive public positions?

* Is this plot to paint Dr Pantami black not an indication of a fight back from those who are not comfortable with the ongoing transformations spearheaded by Sheikh Pantami? * Are there no political, sectarian and ethno- religious colorations in the calls for the resignation of Dr. Pantami especially in view of the fact that most of the agitators have direct links to political parties and popular politicians?

* If the calls for Pantami’s resignation are genuinely motivated, why are we yet to hear the voices of these agitators in calling to order those champions of disintegration from their regions having promised to eliminate all those who do not support their sinister agenda? * Why haven’t they spoken out when terrorists broke into Police Stations in their regions and butchered innocent officers on their constitutional duty of protecting lives and property, set their stations ablaze and carted away security arms and ammunition ?

JIBWIS finally calls on Nigerians to disregard these unfounded allegations against the person of Dr Isa Ali Pantami, to be fair and just and promote peaceful coexistence at all costs.

We pray for peace and prosperity of Nigeria. May Allah SWT guide our leaders to do what is right for the country. May Allah protect our country from all evil, Amin.

Signed:

Sheikh (Dr) Abdullahi Bala Lau
(National Chairman JIBWIS Nigeria.

The launch of the biography titled, ‘Aisha Buhari: Being different’, was well attended even though some of the key persons invited were conspicuously absent.

The book was written by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Women Affairs, Dr Hajo Sani.

Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Muhammadu Indimi, and Jim Ovia were among those who sent representatives.

But Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and many governors were on ground.

Below is a list of those who bought copies of the book and what they donated.

• Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (N20m),
• Alhaji Aliko Dangote (N30m),
• Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu (N25m),
• Mrs Folorunso Alakija (N10m),
• Chief Kessington Adebutu (N10m).

The NGF Chairman and Deputy Senate President promised to send an undisclosed amount of money to purchase theirs on behalf of governors and senators respectively.

Sen. Daisy Danjuma and some others also followed the footsteps of the political office holders.

There was a drama yesterday, as suspected hoodlums again attacked a police station in Mbieri, Mbaitoli local government area of Imo state, and injured two police officers, in a gun battle.

According to the Imo state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Orlando Ikeokwo, who confirmed it to newsmen in Owerri, that occurred at about 23:30 pm on Wednesday.

Just as he said that no officer got missing or kidnapped in the attack, adding that the hoodlums were repelled by the officers on duty after engaging the bandits in a gun battle.

PPRO shortly said: “Mbieri divisional Police headquarters was attacked, at about 23:30 pm, but successfully repelled, two officers Injured and presently receiving treatment. The police station was not also set ablaze. No officer missing or kidnapped please.”

But an eyewitness who spoke to Vanguard said that there were more than four persons they kidnapped already in their vehicle when they arrived.

He said: “The hoodlums arrived in two vehicles as they tried to enter the station, the policemen on duty started shooting at them. The shooting lasted for more than 40 minutes.

“At the end, as they were about going we saw three persons they dragged into their vehicles around the police premises including the ones already in their vehicles shouting for help.”

When Vanguard asked him how many persons he was able to see he said: “I saw four persons and I also heard a female voice shouting for help. We don’t know whether they are police officers because they were in mufti. They may be some persons they kidnapped along the road as they were coming to attack the Mbieri police station.”

“When the fire was too much they hoodlums jumped into their vehicles with those they kidnapped and drove away,” he said.

Reacting to the Imo state government through the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba said: “We have urged security operatives in the State to expedite their investigations into the recent attack on Police and Nigerian Correctional Services facilities by hoodlums to ensure the perpetrators are fished out and made to face justice.

“The Government also called on the Security agencies to beam their searchlight on all possible suspects and avoid the temptation of focusing in only one direction to ensure that the brains behind the mayhem are fished out and prosecuted accordingly.

“Therefore, Council directed the security agents to expedite their investigation and make sure that no stone is left unturned and to beam their searchlight in all possible suspected areas and ensure that those who perpetrated this dastardly act are fished out and brought to book as quickly as possible.”

In the last 72 hours, many police stations had been attacked in Imo state, they included; the Imo state police headquarters, Ehime Mbano police station and that Mbieri police station. Also, the Owerri Correctional Center was also bombed by the hoodlums.

There was palpable fear in Imo State on Wednesday night after gunmen kidnapped the traditional ruler of Umueze Nguru in the Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of the state, Eze Charles Iroegbu.

The gunmen also kidnapped the cabinet chiefs of the kingdom who accompanied the Royal majesty to a public function within the state.

The respected monarch, who is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of All States Mass Transit, and his cabinet chiefs were kidnapped after attending a traditional wedding in Mbano, The PUNCH reports.

They were in three vehicles and were heading back to the kingdom when the gun-wielding men waylaid them and diverted their movement, our correspondent learnt on Thursday.

The abduction of the monarch and his cabinet chiefs had caused panic in the community.

A source said, “His Highness and his cabinet chiefs were on the back from a traditional wedding ceremony in Mbano when they were kidnapped. This is unbelievable and there is fear and panic everywhere.”

A community source, who confided in our correspondent, expressed worry that the kidnappers had not established communication since they struck.

He, however, said that the community was relying on God for the safe return of the king and his cabinet chiefs since police formations in the state were under serious attacks.

The police spokesperson in the state, Orlando Ikeokwu, said that he could not confirm the abduction when he was contacted by our correspondent.

There is currently tension in Aba, a commercial town in Abia State, over sounds of gunshots at the police area command.

Residents were going about their normal activities when sounds of gunshots blazed across the town.

All roads around the police command have been barricaded and residents have been ordered back to their houses.

A top police source in Aba told Daily Trust that security operatives got intelligence that the gunmen that unleashed terror on security formations in Imo State are currently on their way to Aba Area Command.

Imo has been under attack since the beginning of this week.

Over 1,800 inmates were freed when gunmen overran the prison headquarters in the state.

Vehicles were also set ablaze and detainees were released when gunmen invaded the police headquarters in Imo.

The police blamed the incidents on the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) but the group has denied being behind the incidents.

After, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo decorated him at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, Usman Alkali Baba, Acting Inspector-General of Police, said the force will change its strategies in order to meet up with the security challenges.

Security operatives have been under attack across the country but the development has taken a worse turn in the South-East.

The Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum has announced the donation of N100m to the victims of the Tutuwada Market fire incident in Zamfara State while warning the All Progressive Congress to desist from poaching its governors.

The Governor of Sokoto State and Chairman of the forum, Aminu Tambuwal, stated this on Wednesday when he led other PDP governors to the Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle.

Tambuwal, in a statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Governor of Rivers State, Kelvin Ebiri, noted that the APC had opted to play petty politics with the victim’s misfortune instead of genuinely commiserating with the people of the state who have been grappling with insecurity and the latest fire incident.

He said, “How many lives have been lost from when APC was in charge of this government House till now? How many of them came here to commiserate with the people of Zamfara State?

“This is our home. We the governors of PDP are not visitors. We are fully home and no visitor can replace or supplant the homeowner. We have come home, not as visitors but as owners of this home to commiserate with our people who have been affected by this inferno. I pity any leader who seeks to take advantage of a misfortune to play politics.”

He further urged the APC to desist from playing politics and save Nigerians from the prevailing high level of insecurity and poverty.

The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, also urged the APC to concentrate on solving the challenges confronting Nigeria and stop poaching PDP governors.

He said, “All of us know today the level of insecurity in Nigeria. Instead of APC concentrating and fight insecurity, what the party is doing is moving from one state to the other to poach people. Now, you can imagine the insult, a party in Federal Government that declared Zamfara a no-flight zone, the same party is coming to woo you to join them. I can’t understand it.”

Wike, however, urged Matawalle not to be intimidated by the antics of the APC which he accused of fuelling the crisis in the state.

The 119 villages in the nine autonomous communities in Nsukka town, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Wednesday, formalised the eradication of Osu Caste system in their communities.

The decision which was taken by the monarchs, town unions and other traditional institutions in the communities in collaboration with the Initiative for the Eradication of Traditional and Cultural Stigmatization in our Society, IFETACSIOS, was capped up with an interdenominational prayer session cum declarations and ‘Isu Oho’ by the chief priests and ‘Akpuraruas’ from the three quarters which make up Nsukka town.

Speaking during the interdenominational prayer session at the St. John’s Primary School, Ugwuorie, Nsukka, the Catholic bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Rev. Godffrey Onah, condemned the reprehensive traditional practice.

Quoting Galatians 3:28, the clergy explained that there was no need for discriminatory practices amongst people created by God.

The bishop who was represented by the Cathedral Administrator, Rev Fr. Eugene Odo, also said “this is the first of its kind in Nsukka cultural zone. There cannot be development amidst strife and discrimination. The Osu caste system needs to be eradicted to enable all memebers of the society contribute their quota in moving the communities forward because we cannot make progress when we discriminate against ourselves,” the cleric said.

He also called for other communities within the Nsukka cultural zone to emulate Nsukka town by initiating steps towards ending harmful cultural practices that are anti people.

Speaking to journalists during the event, the President General of Nsukka Town Union, Chief Joseph Onyeke, while commending the nine autonomous communities in Nsukka town for the landmark achievement, said “By history, we cannot forget the efforts of our noble men and women like William Wilberforce, Mary Slessor who, about 200 years ago, volunteered their lives to make sure slave trade was abolished. Even though they achieved great height in securing legal freedom for the enslaved, some deprivations remained in practice till this day.

“In practice, discriminations have continued even in this part of the continent. They include denials of intermarriage, title-taking_Oha and Umuada, placement of Oho and Oduatu together and ascending to the height of ‘Onyeishi Aruah among others. The consequences of the above were restiveness and underdevelopment in all sectors of life.

“In Nsukka town, the crises of 1946-1955 regarding the discrimination practices worsened the matter, and ever since then, the problems were managed and never solved,” he said.

Also in his remarks, the traditional ruler of Ihe Nsukka Autonomous Community, HRH, Igwe George Asadu said , that Osu was a creation of humans and not God.

“The segregation lives here on earth and not in heaven. Even the Bible upholds all humans as equal before God,” he said.

He also said that with the eradication of Osu caste system, there would be hitch free intermarriage and equal economic rights which hitherto were not the case before now.

His counterpart of Owerre Nsukka Autonomous Community, HRH, Igwe Emeka Ugwu, said he was happy over the development, adding that he was the first monarch in Nsukka cultural zone to initiate the move towards the abolishment of the discriminatory practices.

In his contribution, the Visioner and Coordinator of IFETACSIOS, Nwada Stella Ogechukwu, while expressing her joy over the abolishment of the practice said “I take full cognizance of other communities that have abolished the caste system, but I call the Nsukka people the pace setters because you came together in strength, might and love to jettison the evil practice.

“I know the kind of efforts that go into achieving such a milestone. Your actions towards achieving this feat are commendable and worthy of emulation,” she said.

Earlier in his address, the chairman of the committee on Total Eradication of Discrimination between Ohu and Amu in Nsukka Town, Barr Peter Odo, described the development as a new dawn in the communities.

“After elaborate deliberations, it was unanimously agreed that the discriminatory practices between ‘Osu and Amu’ be totally eradicated and eliminated,” he announced.

He said that the committee set up to effect the abolishment came up with three solutions of “appeasement, compensation and reparation, adding that those who felt wronged and those whose forefathers may have also wronged others have fully forgiven one another.

Zamfara Police Eliminate Notorious Bandit, Recover Weapons

The ongoing onslaught against the recalcitrant bandits and other criminal elements adopted by the Zamfara State Police Command to curtail Banditry, Kidnapping and other heinous crimes in the state is unwavering.

The Command in continuation of such kinetic actions against the recalcitrant bandits has Succeeded in neutralising a notorious armed bandit kingpin who specialised and has been on the radar of the Police for terrorising the innocent people of Maradun and other neighbouring LGAs of Zamfara State.

On 4th April, 2021, Operatives attached to Operation Puff Adder II of the command while on confidence building patrol along Tsibiri village, near Sububu forest in Maradun LGA intercepted group of armed bandits who were believed to be on attack mission to the village. On sighting the Police operatives, they engaged them in a gun duel which the personnel quickly returned fire. As a result, one of the bandits was gunned down, while other bandits fled into the forest with possible gun shot wounds.

In the course of profiling the scene, an Ak 47 rifle with breech no. Ak 103- 2051361627 and one Magazine containing Four (4) rounds of live ammunition, one operational Motorcycle and a bag containing bundle of charms and set of Military Camouflage uniform were recovered.

The command assures members of the public that, the ongoing operations against the recalcitrant bandits who refused to embrace the ongoing peace accord of Governor Dr. Mohammed Bello Matawalle MON will be effectively sustained to rid the state of all forms of criminal elements.

SP Mohammed Shehu ANIPR,
PPRO,
For :- Commissioner of Police,
Zamfara State Police Command,
Gusau.