Nine mobile police officers on Wednesday in Kano escaped death by whiskers, when some gunmen ambushed their moving truck, resulting in their admission at the Armed Forces Specialist Hospital.
The Mobile police officers were now lying critically ill at the hospital as Doctors are battling to save their lives, following a gun duel with terrorists.
The victims were mobile police officers been conveyed to their various duty posts before the sudden attack by suspected Boko Haram militants.
The attack, it was gathered occurred in Sharada Industrial Estate, located in Kano suburb at about 7 am yesterday.
This is happening in the heels of Tuesday’s attack on a female police officer, Maimuna Yusf, who was shot dead by gunmen at the GSM Village at the Farm Centre, as she was fixing her car.
As at the time of filing this report, no arrest has been made, as the militants were said to have disappeared into a crowd of people, making difficult for other officers to confront them adequately in order to avoid civilian casualties.
However, some unspecified number of civilians, mostly passers- by was reportedly hit by stray bullets, allegedly fired by the militants, according to spokesman of the Police Command, ASP Magaji Majiya.
The scene of the attack was cordoned off immediately by the JTF and Police and combed for possible suspects. Majiya said there was no arrest yet.
One of the injured police victims on admission at the Armed Forces Specialist Hospital who demanded anonymity said for the courage of the driver, who was able to control the truck after it was hit severally by explosives and bullets, they would have all been killed. His bravery prevented the truck from somersaulting as they all laid flat to avoid been hit by bullet.
The Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and former Lagos governor, Bolaji Tinubu visited the victims at the hospital.
Tinubu was in Kano to sympathize with the Emir, Alhaji Ado Bayero over the attack on his convoy that kept him in London for 38 days.
The Oganiru Ndigbo Foundation (ONF) an umbrella organization of progressive Igbo men and women from all walks of life both at home and in the Diaspora notes with dismay the wanton lust for Igbo blood which has become the signature of the Nigerian State in the last four decades. Most especially we have noted the frantic efforts by the Boko Haram insurgents and other organization hiding under similar claims to unleash terror on mostly innocent Igbos at every little opportunity.
We state that what took place at the New Road, Sabon Gari, Kano, the Kano State capital on Monday is to say the least unwarranted, quite disgusting, but nonetheless not surprising to us as it is in line with similar patterns in the recent past to attack Igbo interests in different parts of the federation under the guise of fighting a phony religious war.
While the Oganiru Ndigbo Foundation takes exception to this development and calls on the Federal Government to be alert to its duty of protecting the lives and property of every citizen of this country, we warn that failure to stop this orchestrated attacks on Ndigbo will most likely lead this country to a land of no return.
We also express our disappointment at the lame response from the Office of the President that ‘’the Federal Government will not be stampeded, for any reason whatsoever, into abandoning its unrelenting war against terrorists in the country’’. We want to see visible evidence of that unrelenting war. More so, we want the government to move beyond mere rhetoric in its unusual assurance that the ‘Nigerian Government will continue to do all that is required to ensure the safety of lives and property, including continued collaboration with local and international partners and stakeholders to check the menace of terrorism’’.
But most shocking is the muteness of Igbo leaders from those at the National Assembly to the State Governors who waited until others have condemned the act before making comments. This level of political correctness which has been the lot of Igbo leaders is quite condemnable in the face of this recurrent desire by elements of Islamic fundamentalism to continue maiming and wasting Igbo lives. So shocking is the fact that members of the South East Caucus of the House of Representatives were quiet while Hon. Ibrahim Olaifa (Accord Party/Oyo) was the one who sponsored a motion on the need to end the activities of terrorist groups in Nigeria was adopted for a resolution.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s belated call on security agencies to fish out culprits of the crime and that those behind these wicked acts should come to repentance, embrace dialogue, patriotism and respect for human life as prescribed by our laws, cultures and religious faith is to say the least a repetition we are tired of hearing.
We warn that this disregard for lives and most especially the attacks on Igbos across the northern part of this country should be stopped henceforth. We are making every effort to restrain our youths from retaliatory acts as we know such will have a negative impact on an already bad situation. However, our restraining powers will not be there forever, as we too are human. Government should act, and act decisively by employing whatever means necessary to bring these criminals to book and take steps to make this country safe again.
LONG LIVE NDIGBO!!!
FOR AND ON BEHALF OF OGANIRU NDIGBO FOUNDATION
Architect LUCAS UCHE ONUH Barrister EMEKA MADUEWESI Dr.GAIUS ONUH NDUKWE
Whoever has keenly watched the goings on in Anambra State for sometime now would have got worried over the high rate of propaganda mounted by Gov. Peter Obi and his handlers over who is responsible for the woes of the only political party bequeathed to Igbos by late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and his associates. In doing this, Mr. Obi’s sycophants especially one Emeka Ndudi have employed all sorts of media weapons in their arsenal to cover their employer’s filthy deeds as well as assassinate the personality of their imagined or perceived foe. I have watched these without any further endurance lest a less critical looker mistakenly accepts the false as the obvious and consequently, if care is not taken, sells such falsehood to a great multitude. It is against this backdrop, do I come to rescue the public from a naive monster who from all indications has conclusively purposed in his mind to destroy Igbo political destiny. Let it be told Gov. Obi pointblank that he will surely fail.
There are too many falsehoods that Obi and company have actually peddled but because of want of space we shall point at those handfuls that have the capacity of bemusing the public from an apt comprehension of the true situation of things; I mean things as they really are with respect to APGA, Umeh and Peter Obi vis-à-vis the falsehood being circulated in the media by one Emeka Ndudi who claimed to be in the Peter Obi’s APGA caucus, which caucus INEC has vehemently faulted the procedures of its emergence and consequently the legality of its being.
In his well-worded notorious piece, the unfortunate Ndudi has devilishly dubbed it “Umeh the Emperor of APGA”, trying to put to the mind of his audience that Umeh’s highhandedness and draconian manifestations in the running of the party are directly responsible for the Peter Obi’s sowed crisis that has bewitched APGA these days. There is one thing which I perceived from Emeka’s writing especially with the matter under contention: that Ndudi wherever he maybe is notoriously insincere. Ndudi has said: “This has however taken a new turn in recent time when a day passes without the chief castigating one person or the other with righteous indignation”. He unabashedly continues: “Reading him these days through his actions one can conclude that he is fearless”. Indeed, the “the righteous indignation and the fearlessness” which are characteristic of Umeh are twin attributes which are lacking in most Nigerian politicians—including Peter Obi—and consequently Nigerian political space is therefore awash with politicians who cannot stand up for the common man of this country—men who are lacking in the spirit and character that transforms nations and countries. Ones cursory glance at the lives of the great masters of the earth must have revealed to Ndudi that in a world of so many wolves one need talk, if not roar like the ancient tigers. Concerning this wonderful attribute of “righteous indignation” Russell has criticized Jesus the Christ in his article entitled “why I am not a Christian”. Russell like most naïve empiricist denied the divinity of Jesus by his attribute of “righteous indignation”. This, Russell called “cantankerousness” “anger” if you prefer. Russell has said that it is far from being in the nature of God to be angrily cursing. Christ cannot be God as he talked with “righteous indignation” or “anger” as he did to the Pharisees and Sadducees when he says: “Woe to you Pharisees”, “Woe to you Saducees”. Indeed, history is replete with menu of great men of great moral standards, masters of the earth like Jesus of Nazareth, Socrates of Athens, Paul of Tarsus, Thomas Moore, Thomas Paine of the Americas, Boethius, Anaxagoras, Zeno, Soranus, Arrius of Seneca etc., who in the wake of their possession of these two great attributes have been able to rebuff and withstood cruel kings and corrupt kingdoms as Obi’s. Let me say it immediately, it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks and that is what is obtainable in Umeh’s case. Umeh’s courage and attitude of righteous indignation is not spawned by the kind of fearlessness we see in criminals but by that innate instinctual conviction that has driven the masters from ages past towards challenging wickedness, intimidation, injustice, corruption as are ubiquitous in the palace of Anambra kingdom.
In another instance, Emeka Ndudi did not hesitate in demonstrating barefaced jiggery pockery. Ndudi ambivalently blunders: “the other day he was up in arms against Governor Peter Obi, the man believed to have made him”. There are two issues here. One is Emeka’s equivocal assertion that Peter Obi made Umeh, and secondly, is the veracity of the claim that Obi made Umeh. First , we notice that Emeka was in doubt of the falsehood Obi has sold to them: “that he made Umeh”. Small wonder, he makes that assertion without having the courage of being responsible for that claim thus he says “the man believed to have made him”. Who believes? Believed by who? Which people? Perhaps, the Obi’s boys! The truth is that Emeka is undoubtedly a man of no circumspect; otherwise he should have considered the ethical norm that says “in doubt do not act”. For, indeed, Ndudi, for no single time, even in the heart of his heart do know that Obi didn’t make Umeh rather the contrary may be the case notably as it pertains to Obi’s political successes.
Concerning the former, that is, the veracity of the claim that Obi made Umeh, we notice yet another blatant fib. If we reason that Obi cannot make claim that he sent Umeh to the University as both attended the same university and graduated the same year (1984); if we also reason that Umeh and Obi came in the know of each other as a result of the referral given to Obi in 2001 to meet Umeh at Umeh’s Enugu residence at that time; if we reason that Umeh was already deep in National as well as Anambra politics before Obi came to the knowledge of Umeh as, he was one of the founding members of PDP (verifiable), “was the chairman of the PDP panel that conducted the primaries for the first local government election that took place in this country in Imo state,” (verifiable) “was elected state treasurer of PDP in Anambra state” (a position that can only be apportioned to men of honesty, integrity, stable character), “was appointed a member of board of directors of Nigeria film co-operation Jos by former president of Federal Republic of Nigeria” because of his uncommon contributions to the growth of the party (verifiable), then our conclusion can easily be conjectured: that the peddlers of the rumour that Obi made Umeh are shameless liars of a great gut, falsehood peddlers par excellence. What shall we then say? That it is far from being the truth that Obi made Umeh rather Umeh made Obi politically knowing full well that the story of Obi’s political successes cannot be exhausted without talking about the wisdom of the man who contributed so immeasurably in the elevation of the man all of us know to be a fulltime merchant in Lagos
Ndudi’s-Obi’s insincerity and falsehood continues: Ndudi says: “for discharging his function as a judicial officer at a High court in Enugu state, Justice Innocent Umezurike became a victim of Umeh’s blackmail.” You see, sometimes it baffles me how these people have sadly descended to this level; calling white, black. Ndudi left what he knows is the issue into saying that Umeh attacked Umezurike just for the mere reason that Umezurike carried out his duty as a judicial officer, thus evading the matter of utmost importance. The contention is that Innocent Umezurike’s judgment is questionable: Umezurike has approbated the 2006 convention of APGA that elected Sir Victor Umeh as Chairman with “voice vote” and at the same reprobated the 2010 convention that elected Sir Victor Umeh as Chairman with “voice vote” saying that Umeh’s election as Chairman is unconstitutional on the basis of “voice vote” instead of secret balloting the Umezurike’s supposed mechanism of electing the Chairman. This contradicts simple laws of thought, law of identity, law of non-contradiction and the excluded middle. It is simple: a thing cannot be and not be at the same time. Thus, in lieu of justifying Umezurike verdict, Ndudi was busy chasing the wind. And in his mind Ndudi thinks he has done very well; he represented his master very wonderfully. The truth is that Ndudi undoubtedly is not skilled in matters of logic , its principles and application in all human reasoning processes otherwise he would not have spared much time for much blabbing; saying nothing: not even one thing either in favour or against the judgment as it is the matter and not as he insincerely peddles. And what shall we now say? That a man who functions as one of the writers of the governor and consistently falls guilty of one of the most pronounced fallacies of all times is not competent to be the writer of our king and should be relieved of his commission.
The spirit of Ndudi-Obi’s insincerity and falsehood continues, “In a nation where those that made first class do not brag about it, the piece was telling us how Umeh narrowly missed first class”. The man blatantly continues: “Do they know the academic pedigree of Udah. With a 2nd class upper probably better than Umeh’s, has three masters and is now undertaking his PhD”. Before I come to dismantle this falsehood, let me say that it appears, very clearly it seems to me, that Anambra seraglio has been turned into “The Axis of Liars”; somebody whispered to me, what of “Liars Incorporated.” The managers of the king’s palace have sadly turned the palace, the headquarters of a behemoth, even that of the “Liars incorporated”. Let’s take the matter one after the other.
Ndudi has said that “in a nation where those that made first class do not brag about it, the piece was telling us Umeh narrowly missed first class.” It is only in the mind of Ndudi, his cronies and his masters that first class is not a source of pride. The importance of first class still remains intact even here in Nigeria let alone the developed world. Let Ndudi and company be told that from Addis Ababa to Kremlin, from Washington to London to Beijing the story is the same that first class still remains a source of pride. Little wonder, that in virtually all the universities in Nigeria it is an extant rule that first class graduates be given automatic employment in the same department from which they graduated and for Umeh to say that he narrowly missed first class depicts the mind of a man who knows the relevance of academics unlike their master who narrowly escaped being issued a certificate only indicating “attempted university.” Thus, it is clear that the people who sadly preside over the affairs of Anambra palace have no single regard for academics. That clearly informs while the Imo state Government is busy working strenuously to empower the Ndi Imo with free education from primary to university level and ours is busy seeking for more avenue of extorting money from the financially straitened Ndi Anambra.
We would have kept mute on this particular occasion but we need to say this to bring to clarity what we have for long tried to established which is the fact that those in the Anambra palace has sadly turned that holy perch the bureau of a behemoth understandably dubbed “Liars incorporated”. Emeka Ndudi has said: “Do they know the academic pedigree of Udah. With a 2nd class upper probably better than Umeh’s, has three masters and is now undertaking his PhD”. The point is that at the class of Umeh which as I have pointed out obliquely, is the class of the masters, the great teachers like Socrates, Boethius, Zeno, Thomas Paine, etc getting a PhD is no longer relevant. What is important is Umeh’s consistent holding unto the truth: Umeh’s possession of the kind of enlightenment that was manifest in the life of Jesus Christ, Mahatma Ghandi, etc. In any case, if Umeh has said that he narrowly missed first class how true is it that Udah’s second class upper is better than that of Umeh. Even within the heart of heart of Ndudi, he fully knows that Umeh’s second class upper is better than that of Udah and that informs his use of the word “probably” as is typical of all unsound claims or dubious lies. Similarly, that Udah is portrayed to be more brilliant than Umeh ought not to be mentioned here but for the sake of bringing to the knowledge of the public that the seraglio of Anambra kingdom has sadly become the “Axis of Liars”, we shall once more endure this analytical exposition.
Udah was my classmate. Both of us did our master’s degree at the department of Philosophy, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria. Udah I know could not make more the required minimum CGPA and as a consequent did not qualify for PhD programme. During this period of our study (master’s degree programme) we were divided into groups. I and Udah were in the same group. I wrote all the seminar papers that the group was supposed to write. But my fallout with Udah was his nonchalance and little value for academics. It is a common rumour that Udah did not author his thesis as he could barely defend it. So, it surprises one when people begin to say that Udah is academically sound; and worse still comparing him with a person who is far ahead of his master in all things save in his unbridled hankering for the filthy lucre of this world. And what is special about a man undertaking a PhD after over two decades of graduation? And those falsehood peddlers should know that Mike is not eligible for PhD programme in any University in this country unless it is another “Toronto”.
Having said all these it is now clear that all the stories being circulated in the media by Ndudi-Obi are all falsehoods, falsehood raise to power ten. And it seems to me, very clearly I suppose, that the real person sponsoring APGA crisis, both proximately and remotely is the Governor of Anambra State. I had said it before even when the matter was not as public as it is, much more than now when even every child in APGA knows that Peter Obi is a mole in the party. He is the veritable instrument deployed by PDP to ensure that APGA is comprehensively decimated. But, as I have said in the beginning, this unfortunate mission which Obi has sadly embarked on will teach him a lesson that, he, unfortunately at his age, and coupled with the political position attained in the Nigeria political history, is yet be learnt. When these lessons will be fully made manifest then will Peter Obi and the coterie of persons he has successfully befuddled will come to this belated enlightenment—even though many are already in knowledge of this—That there is a limit to how far and how long Obi’s weapons of propaganda can endure.
The United Progressive Party (UPP) is shocked over the killing of over 100 people by suicide bombers at a luxury bus park in Kano. It is obnoxious and
detestable. We strongly condemn this man=92s inhumanity to man.
It is obvious that the executive arm of government is fast losing public confidence in its ability to protect lives and properties which is the primary purpose of government. UPP calls on the federal government to take national security serious to avoid unnecessary reprisal attacks by those whose loved ones had been slaughtered by these heartless felons.
The insecurity in the country has reached a level we believe the federal government should seek assistance of friendly countries that are better equipped to handle the Boko Haram insurgency. UPP urges security agents to rise to the occasion and justify the huge funds allotted to security in the 2013 budget.
We enjoin Nigerians to remain calm and eschew violence that will impede our democratic process.
We share the grief of all those affected by this wicked attack on fellow Nigerians. May God grant them the fortitude to bear it. We also pray for speedy recovery for those wounded.
*Chief Ogbuehi Dike*
*National Publicity Secretary, UPP
Hundreds of striking workers of Aero Contractors erupted in jubilation on Wednesday after learning that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, had grounded Nigeria’s second largest airline until the crisis between management and staff is resolved.
Aero Contractors had grounded itself on Friday, after management and striking workers failed to reach an agreement, and had planned to resume flight operations today, but was grounded by NCAA.
NCAA Acting Director General, Mr. Nkemakolam Joyce Daniel, confirmed the grounding of Aero Contractors in an interview with our correspondent.
He said Aero Contractors had previously written NCAA to inform that it had grounded its operations but later called to inform that it wanted to start flying again. But the request was rejected because the crisis is still on.
“As it is now, they remain officially grounded by the NCAA,” the NCAA boss said.
“We told them that based on the issues that led to them grounding their operations they cannot start flying.”
“NCAA told them they cannot start flying while their workers are still protesting. I believe it is a fantastic decision in the interest of safety,” said Comrade Benjamin Okewu, President Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN.
Aero began dismissing hundreds of staff at the weekend and some of them still had their ODCs (On-Duty-Card) which give them access to the air site of the airport.
“This is not good for safety. Some angry workers could be suicidal and do anything. It still not good to start flying in such conditions,” said Ebosele Rhizoji Smith, a dismissed driver at Aero Contractors.
“If they want me to go, they should just pay me off,” he said.
Workers stormed the headquarters of Aero Contractors on Wednesday morning after learning that the airline was planning to resume flights today.
“There was information that they wanted to resume today and we came to see how that would happen,” said a worker who did not want his name mentioned.
The crisis has now entered its seventh day and all Aero aircraft remain grounded while passengers who had booked flights online were still stranded and unable to get refunds.
“We will not leave until all the issues are settled. NCAA’s decision is a great decision. It is a very just decision in the interest of safety. Aero should be on ground until all the matters are resolved,” said Comrade Olayinka Abioye, ATSSSAN Acting Secretary General.
Workers claimed that their colleague, Okonkwo Ndubusi, has passed on as a result of the crisis. His wife who was part of the protest said that he died after facing the disciplinary session not long ago.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday (Wednesday) began the trial of Mr. Vincent Usiahon, a Deputy Director with Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), over alleged oil business fraud.
Usiahon is facing a 29-count charge of intent to defraud and obtaining about N15.8 million under false pretenses from the complainant, Mr. Sonny Atumah.
He allegedly collected the monies in installments over 16 months by deceiving Atumah, his friend of over 25 years that he would invest them in oil allocation business.
The alleged offence is contrary to Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.
At the trial before Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday, the Prosecution Counsel, Austin Emumejakpor called the first Prosecution Witness (PW1), Mrs. Lolade Longe.
Longe, an Assistant Detective Superintendent with the EFCC recalled that the agency on January 17, 2011, received a petition from Chris Nwonu, a legal practitioner.
“After receiving the petition, we wrote an invitation letter to the accused which he honoured. In honouring the interview, he volunteered a statement under caution. At a time he admitted that all he had been saying was a lie. He said he would like to discard it and tell the true story, and he did so.
“I countersigned the statement as a witness my lord after which I took him before a senior officer to endorse statement. He made an additional statement staing the existence of one Dave Agbai”, she told the court.
The matter has been adjourned till May 23 for continuation of trial.
Usiahon’s trouble began when a lawyer, Chris Nwonu petitioned the anti-graft agency.
Nwonu stated that “sometimes in or about May 2008, the suspect approached the petitioner with a proposal for international oil business with in which he was involved with some foreign partners whose identity he did not disclose to the petitioner. He painted a glossy picture of the business ….stressing the enormous profit to be made there from which will be denominated in U.S Dollars over a short period of time.
“For the period the petitioner was releasing these monies to the suspect, he was a constant guest in the petitioners’ home, staying sometimes as late as 12 a.m in the midnight, using the petitioner’s laptop to browse the Internet under the pretext that he was following up on the business through his partners overseas.
“The suspect sustained heist, giving false assurances and phony deadlines to the petitioner when he claimed the business will be sealed and his invested sum with the profit therein paid to him.
“With the onset of reality and truth, the petitioner started making frantic efforts to recall his money from the suspect but to no avail.
The call by the Sultan of Sokoto and National leader of the Muslim faith, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, to grant total amnesty to the dreaded Boko Haram members was rather outrageous and unfortunate. In what has become a public show of genuflection, prominent Nigerians from the north has since echoed the sentiments of the sultan to grant amnesty to a terrorist sect that has received funds and training from global terror groups, such as al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab. The insurgents have almost collapsed the economy of North-East, leaving more than 4,000 people dead and thousands injured. The sultan has emboldened others in the drum beat of amnesty that has eclipsed public discourse in the weeks that ensued, and surely for a long time to come. One would have expected to hear a better argument than the reframe that suggests; If the Niger Delta militants were pardoned to bring about peace and security in the country, why would same not be extended to Boko Haram? I will revert to this shortly.
My first thought on President Jonathan’s disapproval of the sultan’s amnesty call was commendation. I reasoned he struck the right note for once but on a closer look at his remark, I was crestfallen. President Jonathan said: “For you to declare amnesty, you have to be communicating with people. You cannot declare amnesty for people that are communicating under a veil…” This can be rephrased to insinuate, as soon as they identify themselves and declare their intention, the government will consider granting them amnesty. And with the pardon gate flung open by him for Alamieyeseigha and others, this might prove to be a tricky one for the president, particularly as there are cheap political points to pick up from the north ahead of the 2015 general elections.
The amnesty that was granted to the Niger Delta militants should not in any way translate or equate to same for the Islamist fundamentalist. The agitations of the militants then, to some extent, were germane save for the violence. They were been ripped off by multi-nationals leaving them and their environment marginalized and underdeveloped even though their zone produced the oil that provides for the entire country. They agitated for resource control. They wanted their lives to be touched by the oil that was been explored daily from their neighbourhood. We all agreed, at some point in their struggle that the Niger Delta region has been neglected for too long. Regardless of the sympathy their plight elicited, their resort to armed banditry was condemned in strong terms.
Juxtapose with the Boko Haram uprising and its attempt to forcefully impose a religious ideology on a secular Nigerian society. The terror, senseless and wanton destruction of lives and property they have unleashed on Nigerians in a gutsy bid to oppose not only Western education, but western culture and modernisation is despicable. Their acts of terror have gone from the horrendous to the tragic as reflected in the ghastly suicide attack on five luxury buses in Kano that left about 25 people dead and over 50 others injured. These attacks are based on a warped and shallow religious ideology; the islamisation of Nigeria. They ignorantly disdain anything western, but wittingly get by daily with the help of simple machines, the very symbol of western influence in our lives. The blood of Nigerians should not atone for such a cause that does not only trivialize what amnesty stands for, but it seems to suggest that the activities of the sect are legitimate and tolerable. Niger Delta militants focused their attacks on oil installations and multi-national oil expatriates hostage, but Boko Haram is engaged in indiscriminate killing and maiming.
There is a thin line between amnesty and negotiation (dialogue) in the light of the controversy raised by the sultan’s comments. To canvass for amnesty is to promote the culture of crass impunity that desecrates the sanctity of human life. The government can sit with the leaders of the sect, if they wish to reveal themselves, for dialogue. Whatever be their demands, excluding amnesty, can be met by the government. As Bill Clinton rightly pointed out recently while in Nigeria, deprivation, illiteracy and poverty are root causes of Boko Haram. The government can dialogue with the sect for a cease fire and then develop the region, by creating employment and putting infrastructure in place. At this juncture, we must all come to the realisation that sometimes battles are not won with brute use of military force but on the table of dialogue.
The United States and other developed countries posit that they don’t negotiate with terrorists because they have the capacity and intel to crush – in the case of al-Qaeda, the killing of Osama Bin Laden – the terrorists. Same cannot be said of Nigeria where there has been nothing to show for billions voted for security in the last few years. Security issues should be holistically approached because it takes more than JTF boots on the ground, armed to the teeth in troubled states to restore peace and stability.
There is a bigger picture to the diversionary and ill conceived amnesty being canvassed for the Islamic extremists. The government will be sending a wrong signal to the teeming population of unemployed Nigerian youths and yet another dangerous precedent after the amnesty to Niger Delta militants. It is akin to presidential pardon to felons, or a national honour which is a reward for criminality. It will only buck up splincter sects like, Ansaru, and new rebellion from other parts of the country.
And if the government were to give unconditional pardon to the Boko Haram, will the government use the same methods of rehabilitation and reintegration for the Niger Delta militants? Skill acquisition centres, training and re-training methods at home and abroad? How will the government change their mentality to prepare them for their return to mainstream Nigeria? Whichever approach the government intend to employ, it will be a clear negation of the sects’ ideology of abhorrence for anything western. It is not rocket science that their angst with the government has nothing to do with money. All they seek is that sharia be entrenched across the country.
Amnesty should not be a leeway for the Nigerian government to wriggle itself out of security challenges. Only a weak government, with its security and anti-corruption agencies bereft of ideas reward criminals, militants, extremists, rapists and ex-convicts with pardon. Granting amnesty to Boko Haram is a latent approval to other forms of social vices and a continuum of the vicious cycle of legalised lawlessness.
Finally, there is a need to understand the Boko Haram agenda before contemplating amnesty for the sect. They are part of a global network of terror. Their Jihad is not motivated by money but a relentless drive in their fanatical religious ideology of eradicating all forms of western influence on the African continent using Nigeria and Mali as springboards. The promise of material wealth that an amnesty holds for the sect is a disincentive. The counter-terrorism war has never been won anywhere in the world with amnesty.
Obiageli Ezekwesili has said that the oil economy has been mismanaged by the government of Nigeria over a decade now.
Ezekwesili however accused the federal government of squandering over the $67 billion foreign reserve which she claimed was left in the foreign reserve account while she was a serving minister.
She volunteered to prove the mismanagement of the funds but was turned down when she requested for a democratic accountability forum.
She further said that her believe in good governance, transparency and accountability still stands and her accountability credentials has not been questioned internationally.
According to Ezekwesili Nigeria never put to good use its oil resources during the five major oil booms that the country had as this can be seen by the level of development in the country compared to the progress that other oil producing countries have made over time, citing Singapore as an example. She said Nigeria’s income per capital is $1500, while that of Singapore stands at $50, 0000 presently.
Meanwhile, in a swift reaction, Senior Special Adviser to President Jonathan; Doyin Okupe has reacted to the comments made by Ezekwesili on Sunrise Daily saying the problem the FG has with Ezekwesili is that she misled Nigerians on the issue of foreign reserve, that the Obasanjo regime did not leave $67m in Oil Reserve.
Okupe said it is wrong for Ezekwesili to say oil reserve money was squandered by the present administration and with her recent statement in which cleared her points, the administration has been vindicated.
Some ex-militants have threatened to return to the creeks if the memorandum of understanding signed between their host communities and some oil companies operating in their communities is not implemented.
The ex-militants under the aegis of the Ijaw Youth Council staged a protest at the premises of Trans Ocean Oil Services and Lonestar in Rumukrushi, Port Harcourt demanding for the reinstatement and employment of their members with the companies.
The protesting ex-militants also accused the companies of marginalization in the companies’ employment process, adding that the companies that drill and operates in their companies employs only the Northerners, South-East and South-Westerners.
The IYC worldwide National Director of Mobilization, Strategy and Planning, Bristol Emmanuel Alagbariya said the manner in which the youths were sacked from these companies is illegal according to the Labour law, adding that it is capable of sending the youths into the creeks to fight.
“The Labour law states that if a company fails to its obligation, the principal takes over liability because it is the principle that prepares the guideline and rules the contracting company operates in. Trans Ocean refuses till today. We are here in a peaceful protest calling on this to pay the workers. As if that was not enough, the companies went further to sack these youths. The way they were sacked, so mysterious: they came to work and were prevented to enter the companies’ premises and were finally told that they have been sacked. They were not formally written to before the sack. Before now the Niger Delta youths don’t know how to press their agitations at the gates, they do it in the creeks. But after the amnesty and the training given to them, they take their agitations peacefully to the gates. If these companies refuse to adhere to our request, we will allow these youths to take laws into their hands by expressing their agitations in the way they feel deem. I know the Niger delta youths have the capacity to bring these companies to submission. They should not push these youths to that extent,” he said.
However, a source within the Ijaw clan told this 247ureports.com that the reason why Diepreye Alamesiegha was granted a state pardon was because it is only Alams that the Ijaw boys listen to; and owing to the rising up of these militants and their ranting such as that of the likes of Dokubo, and others, the Jonathan’s government has no option other than to grant him this as carrot being dangled to him.
Casualty figures in yesterday luxury bus park bomb blast have risen to 122, 247ureports.com can confirm.
According to someworkers of Mini-Bus Company in the garage, “it is obvious that no one will come out of the main targeted Luxury bus alive“. In the words of an Eyewitness account, “body parts were flying like chickens here and there“.
The 59-seater luxury bus [involved in the incident] was about to leave the Park on New Road Bus garage, when the bomb exploded into a ball of fire. The bus was also said to be carrying about 49 other passengers on small seats locally referred as ‘Attachments Seat”.
Many died instantly, many died on the way to a hospital, others outside of the bus sustained causalities. It is expected for “the death toll to rise above the 60 publicly announced by the police department“, states a medical practitioner at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital who explains that the critically injured were “large in number“, hinting that the death may near 150 when all the dust have settled.
Another source – within the security force, who points the primary objective of attack was the targeted premeditated killing of southern Nigerians in Kano, revealed to 247ureports.com that the death toll far exceeds the publicly stated numbers. “As of now, 122 are confirmed and more are expected“. The state’s Commissioner of Police, Musa Daura, on Tuesday, claimed that only 22 people were dead from the blast while 65 others sustained injuries.
The source went to call attention to rising tension within the ranks at the Joint Task Force [JTF] – noting that there appears a disquiet – of which – some Junior officers [under suspected sponsorships from unknown group or persons] have begun pointing accusatory fingers at The JTF boss in Kano, Lt. Ikedichi Iweha claiming he has began preparatory works to go on a revenge killing.
