Gunmen have attacked Dong village in Plateau state, killing about 7 people.
NewsWireNGR gathered that the armed men were said to have invaded the village on Sunday night, and shot sporadically.
According to the State Police Spokesman, Gabriel Ubah, in a statement on Monday, the incident the police received a distress call about the attack around 8pm and immediately went to the scene of the incident.
He said the attackers had, however, fled into the bush by the time they arrived.
“On Sunday 23/05/2021 at about 2000hrs, the Command received a distress call that yet to be identified gunmen came out suddenly from a near by bush, invaded Dong Village, Jos South LGA and killed seven persons,” he said.
“A combined team of Policemen, STF, Vigilante operatives led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Department of Operation, raced swiftly to the scene but the hoodlums had already fled back into the bush.
“Investigation is ongoing, frantic effort is on to arrest the fleeing suspects.”
Recall that in April, eight miners were killed following an attack by gunmen in Kuru, Jos south LGA of the state.
Days before, gunmen attacked the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) staff quarters in Barkin Ladi of the state and abducted two workers of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NMA).
The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) has published the details of 108 passengers who arrived from Brazil, Turkey, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India, Persons Of Interest (POI) for violating COVID-19 quarantine protocol.
The PSC chairman, Mr Boss Mustapha, who is also Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), disclosed this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
He said that the persons arrived in Nigeria between May 8 and 15, through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after the new regulations had been put in place.
Mustapha noted that on May 1, 2021, the PSC issued a travel advisory for passengers arriving in Nigeria from Brazil, India and Turkey, saying that ”these precautionary measures are necessary steps to mitigate the risk of importation of variants of concern and break the chain of transmission to the population.
“Under the new measures, passengers arriving from/or that have visited any of these three countries within 14 days prior to the visit to Nigeria, are required to follow mandatory arrival quarantine and testing protocols in designated facilities.
“The PSC has, however, observed that while most of the arriving passengers dutifully observed the guidelines, some Nigerians and Foreigners have violated them in contravention of the provisions of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Health Regulations Protection, 2021.”
The SGF said that all the 108 passengers “have been declared Persons of Interest (POI)” as they posed considerable danger to overall public health.
He said they are POI also for violating Nigeria COVID-19 travel protocol by evading the mandatory seven-day quarantine for persons arriving from restricted countries.
“Members of the public are by this notice advised that these persons of interest constitute an immediate health hazard to the society.
”They must therefore transport themselves safely to the nearest state public health departments within 48 hours of this notice for immediate evaluation,” he said.
Mustapha said Nigerians should also call the Port Health Services, Federal Ministry of Health, on 08036134672 or 08032461990 for further directions.
He said that the PSC should, in addition, take further steps to sanction the violators, adding that the steps included disabling their travel passports for a period not less than one year.
The Chairman said the steps also included the “cancellation of the visas/permits of foreigners that have abused our hospitality and prosecution under the 2021 Health Protection Regulations”.
He said that additional list of Batch II defaulters would be published in subsequent announcement by the PSC.
”The identified passengers, their names, nationalities, passport numbers, airlines, and dates of arrival, will be published in national dailies,” he said.
NAN recalls that the Federal Government has said it is worried about happenings in India, Brazil and Turkey and is considering issuing travel advisory on international flights coming from those countries.
It has also warned that though the cases in Nigeria were not rising, the third wave of the pandemic might hit the country soon, hence the need to maintain the non-pharmaceutical measures protocols.
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has condemned the adoption of Oduduwa anthem in public secondary schools in Ondo State, describing it as a serious assault on the integrity of Nigeria.
According to a May 6 circular signed by the Permanent Secretary of the State Teaching Service Commission, Tolu Adeyemi and addressed to the Tutors-General, and principals of public secondary schools in the state, the Ondo State government had made it mandatory for students in public schools to recite the Oduduwa anthem in all functions in public secondary schools across the state.
“The present administration of Arakunrin Okuwarotimi Akeredolu has adopted Oduduwa anthem as part of the civic responsibility of all residents in the state.
“To this end, the singing of the Oduduwa anthem has become mandatory at all functions, in all public secondary schools in the state.
“Therefore, all school principals and other top functionaries in the public secondary schools are enjoined to adopt, teach and encourage the singing of Oduduwa anthem at all functions, especially at the morning assembly in all schools,” the circular had read.
But reacting in a statement by the NEF Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the northern group faulted the move and said it had the capacity to further divide the country.
“If this is true, it represents a very serious assault on the integrity of the country by people who have sworn to uphold and protect it.
“There’s only one anthem our children should sing and recognize. If there are other symbols with cultural significance they should be made to identify with, it should not be elevated to the level of a national anthem, or even supersede it.
The NEF further charged the Federal Government to protect the integrity of the country by challenging the directive in court.
“It the federal government is on its toes protecting the boundaries of our unity and national integrity, it would challenge this in court.
“It would also raise its levels of vigilance over the drift by politicians enjoying the benefits of our constitution who are pandering to very dangerous divisive tendencies.”
NewsWireNGR recalls that in February, the Ondo State Executive Council had approved the adoption of the Oodua Indigenous Anthem which projects the tradition and culture of the Yoruba nation.
Crowds of protesters have blocked the Gauraka Abuja-Kaduna Highway in the Tarfa Local Government Area of Niger State protesting the incessant kidnappings, banditry and general insecurity in the area.
The protesters barricaded the busy road with bonfire, stones and wood, while demanding that government address the issue of insecurity in the area.
According to a report by Sahara Reporters, the residents complain that bandits have been picking people up from house to house without any intervention by the security agents in the area.
Despite the presence of the military barracks – Zuma Barracks– in the area the residents said they were helpless and cannot sleep well.
Monday’s protest reportedly started at about 6am and is already causing heavy traffic congestion.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has insisted that its aircraft were in good health.
According to NAF, most of the aircraft in the arsenal of the force were in good health, and adequately maintained.
While speaking to ThisDay Newspaper in an interview on Monday, Air Force Spokesman, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the planes involved in recent military crashes were purchased brand new in 2015.
His comments are against the backdrop of three aircraft belonging to NAF involved in fatal crashes in Abuja, Borno and the latest one that claimed the life of the army chief, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru in Kaduna on Friday.
A total of 21 personnel of the air force and army have been killed in the three crashes this year .
But according to Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, air force aircraft, especially Beechcraft, the brand that crashed were not outdated.
“You can even debunk that by going to the internet. Beechcraft is an American aircraft.
“They were purchased brand new. The aircraft are new considering some other aircraft. The age of an aircraft does not determine its serviceability,” he said.
He called for continued support for the air force.
“The air force belongs to Nigerians and we need their support,” he added.
Speaking on the latest incident, he said: “It is an unfortunate situation. The chief of air staff is not happy that air crashes happened under him.
“The weather was not good that evening and the plane had almost landed but there was strong wind,” he said.
Bunmi Oladuntoye, the fiancee of Flight Lieutenant T.O Asaniyi, who died alongside the Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other military officers in the air crash at the Kaduna airport last Friday, May 21, bid an emotional farewell to her fiancee.
Taking to her Twitter account on Sunday night, Bunmi in a series of tweets revealed that she and Taiwo Olufemi Asaniyi had concluded their wedding introduction two months ago and were preparing earnestly for their wedding.
“Femi I have not regrets walking this journey with you, you asked me to he your wife last year in August and I gave you a resounding yes. One of the last things to said to me was to keep on being humble and continue to give. You were a giver, oh you were such a giver,” she tweeted.
“Femi mi, Femi mi, Olowo ori mi, who will hype me now when I make a new hair, who will call me fine girl, who will call me the most beautiful woman in the world. I have cried and cried and cried. People have spoken to me, James and Kamal have told me you wouldn’t want me to be sad and I and I know that for sure because whenever I am sad and I cry, you will be like “what’s the meaning of this now”.
She described the deceased pilot as a great man who dedicated his life to serving this country and further asked Nigerians to pray for her and his family in this trying time.
“The world deserves to know how great you are. To Nigerians and the world at large, my fiance FLIGHT LIEUTENANT TO ASANIYI was a great man who dedicated his life to serving this country. Pls pray for him , pray for his family and pray for me. Adigun miiiiii, Femi miiiiii, Hot choco miiii sun re o!!!!
“I want your blue diary so bad because you had lots of intelligent things written in there. You treated me already like we were married.
“You would always say “babe don’t worry, everything will be fine, don’t worry” Hot choco miii, jo ma fimisile OLUFEMI TAIWO ASANIYI I love you now and forever.
“To Nigerians and the world at large, my fiance FLIGHT LIEUTENANT TO ASANIYI was a great man who dedicated his life to serving this country. Pls pray for him , pray for his family and pray for me. Adigun miiiiii, Femi miiiiii, Hot choco miiii sun re o!!!!”
Doctor, Anuoluwapo Adepoju, of the MedContour Services Limited is a controversial cosmetic surgeon in Nigeria who has been in the news since at least 2019.
She was arraigned in Lagos State, South-West Nigeria last year (2020) after a failed cosmetic surgery that allegedly led to the death of a client, one Miss Nneka Onwuzuligbo.
In mid-May 2021, an allegation of another botched surgery sprung up.
In viral pictures of her blighted buttocks, a client of Dr. Anu explained that she had engaged the services of the medical practitioner because she had no knowledge about previous allegations against her.
According to the lady, she is based in New York, USA, and had returned to Nigeria 10 years after she left the country.
She noted that it was after the surgery that she became aware of Dr. Anu’s past records.
Dr. Anu (1st from left)
NewsWireNGR reports that with this development, Dr. Anu – whose case is alive at the law court – may be breaching terms of bail, by still consulting and conducting procedures.
NewsWireNGR gathered from a top source at the FCCPC that the Commission is in the process of filing to revoke her bail and remand her in custody for the rest of the trial. However, lack of access to court occasioned by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) strike hampered the move. Hence, FCCPC Nigeria is considering the law enforcement option.
Trials not holding in Nigeria’s top courts
Rundown of JUSUN strike
JUSUN workers nationwide (except Edo judicial workers) have been on strike since April 6, 2021.
The judiciary staff are agitating for the financial autonomy of that arm of government in Nigeria, particularly at the state level.
Courts at both the state and federal levels across the country have now been shut for over 40 days as a result of the strike.
Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad
Meetings between Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, the head of the judicial arm of the government of Nigeria, and the leadership of JUSUN over the ongoing strike have not yielded any positive outcome.
The last time Nigeria witnessed the JUSUN strike was 2015, and it was a four-week action (except for Edo state chapter which lasted for six months).
No justice for rape in ‘courtless’ Nigeria
The current situation in the Nigerian judicial sector is clearly thwarting the administration of the law.
A rape case involving two young men, one, a son of an affluent Nigerian, and which has the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) as complicit is being clogged.
The rape suspects
Don-Chima George and Rasaq Oluwasegun are the suspects. Their case, which was to go down on Tuesday, 18th of May, was postponed – due to the ongoing industrial action by JUSUN.
The two men had gang-raped a 23-year-old lady in 2019 at the De Lankaster Hotel, Lekki, Lagos.
The hashtag #JusticeForRapeInNigeria had been used to canvass for justice across social media. However, many people on social media were stunned to discover that the case involving George and Oluwasegun is still in court.
Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) did a report on March 29, where it exposed how the DPP had bungled up the case by failing to call in key witnesses who could have helped in getting a conviction. The case (Suit Number ID/8813C/2019) was brought to the Sexual Offences Court, Lagos High Court, Ikeja headed by Justice Abiola Soladoye.
The last hearing for the two men was held on March 23 and lasted barely 10 minutes before the case of the prosecution was closed.
Ex-Nigerian petroleum minister’s corruption case impeded
Former Nigerian Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke is facing money laundering charges – since 2017.
Alison-Madueke was a prominent member of former president, Goodluck Jonathan’s cabinet from 2010 to May 2015 – a period when US$ 20 billion went missing from oil receipts, according to Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, a former Central Bank governor.
Her scheduled hearing did not hold on Monday, May 17 due to the JUSUN strike.
Alison-Madueke
The case against Alison-Madueke, who is believed to be in the United Kingdom (UK), last came up before Ijeoma Ojukwu, the trial judge at the Federal High Court in Abuja, on March 3.
Without anticipating the JUSUN strike would start on April 6, Mrs. Ojukwu had adjourned the matter till Monday, May 17 for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to appear and report on its effort to have the former minister extradited to Nigeria to face her charges. The adjournment was the latest in the series of postponements the case has been suffering due to the absence of Alison-Madueke who is believed to have fled to the UK shortly after exiting office in December 2015.
JUSUN strike effectively scuttles possibility of closing out another matter involving the Nigerian government
The Federal High Court was supposed to deliver judgment on Monday 17th of May concerning a criminal matter that commenced in 2017: the Federal Republic of Nigeria vs Mabman Oil and Gas Limited.
NewsWireNGR scooped that the petrol tanker of the company was confiscated and the company was charged to court for illegal oil bunkering.
The JUSUN strike effectively scuttled the possibility of closing out the matter. Now, it is until further notice.
‘People held in police cells have a lifeline, but no remedy for inmates’
Congestion is expected to get worse. A legal practitioner, Cyprian Adikpe tells NewsWireNGR what the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is doing to ensure the correctional centres are not overcrowded.
“The NBA through its state branches is providing legal services pro bono to assist those held in police cells across the country,” Adikpe told this reporter.
“Every branch of the NBA has a human rights committee headed by the Vice-Chairman. The mandate of the committee at the moment is to visit the police and other detention facilities, interface with heads of such facilities and offer legal service where appropriate. However, not all cases can be covered by this arrangement.
“Yes, those held in the correctional centres (formerly called prisons), unfortunately, there’s no remedy for them because they’re there lawfully either after conviction or are awaiting trial, and so the NBA cannot help.”
On the effect of the strike on him, Adikpe bemoaned a lack of income: “Personally, as a private legal practitioner, I’m affected. When courts are not open how do you earn fees?” he asked rhetorically.
Another lawyer, Fejiro Umukoro, who is based in Warri, Delta State, South-South Nigeria described the impact of the strike as “unimaginable”.
“The impact of the strike is simply unimaginable,” Umukoro said to this reporter.
“One month of judicial time was lost due to COVID-19 last year. After the lifting of the lockdown, courts didn’t all resume immediately. Only specific classes of matters were being handled here. So there has been so much backlog.
“In all of this, courts went on annual vacation something between July and September (2020) depending on the state.
“After the annual vacation, things became to pick up then #EndSARS came along.
“On October 19th, one of my matters was adjourned because I could not make it to court. And it was adjourned to January 2021. This is just an instance of the backlog already existing.
“Now, to the different impact of the strike on cases. One of the duties of the police is to arrest and prosecute alleged suspects.
“Usually, police arrest, detain, and then charges the suspect to court, and the suspect is either remanded or granted bail.
“Now, courts have been on strike. The Police have been arresting folks. They can’t charge them to court. They can’t keep them in detention indefinitely. But trust the Nigeria Police Force to capitalise on the situation. It’s either you play ball or you suffer in detention. You either pay over the odds to secure bail or stay behind bars.”
The police cannot detain anyone for more than 48 hours without a court order. Now that courts are on strike. What happens? Does it mean people are held on?
Umukoro explained that because there are no courts to charge people to, “the 48 hours rule can’t count”.
“The 48 hours rule can’t count now. There’s no court they can charge anyone to because of the strike.
“The police are eating good this period.
“For folks already standing trial, their cases have suffered unusual delay.”
Umukoro’s stance was corroborated by a Nigerian Lawyer, Adetola Onayemi @adetolaov, who posits that arrested disadvantaged Nigerians are now “at the mercy of the Police”.
“The biggest threat to fair hearing and Justice for anyone arrested by Police today in Nigeria is that Judicial workers (JUSUN) strike means courts are closed and anyone arrested by the Police can’t approach the court to access bail promptly, and so are at the mercy of the Police,” Tola wrote on his verified Twitter handle.
The biggest threat to fair hearing & Justice for anyone arrested by Police today in Nigeria is that Judicial workers (JUSUN) strike means courts are closed and anyone arrested by the Police can’t approach the court to access bail promptly, and so are at the mercy of the Police.
“Now even when the courts were opened, it still took a lot of pressure to ensure arrested persons were taken before a court. Now the courts have been closed nationwide for over one month now. Just imagine the plight of anyone who has been arrested over the last one month.
“The court has served as the means to check the excesses of law enforcement, ensuring bail is granted and rejecting attempts to hold people wrongly as we saw during the #EndSARS protests. Now imagine what happens when there are no courts to hold the police accountable.
Many persons arrested, regardless of their innocence, are at the mercy of the Police, and in many cases have had to part with huge sums just to get their freedom. There is no justice when you have no access to the court to make your case. The court system has ground to standstill
“Many persons arrested, regardless of their innocence, are at the mercy of the Police, and in many cases have had to part with huge sums just to get their freedom. There is no justice when you have no access to the court to make your case. The court system has ground to standstill [sic].”
Commenting on the 48-hour rule, a serving Nigerian police officer, who doesn’t want to be named, told this reporter that the police – naturally – do not care about the rule. “Even before the court strike, ‘Nigeria Police no send you if you no get mouth’,” he said.
“It depends on the discretion of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), and the gravity of the offence.
“Offences like murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape etc are serious offences and the police can keep suspects beyond the 48-hour threshold, albeit with a court order (Section 294 of the administration of criminal justice law).”
NewsWireNGR understands that State Counsels in the DPP, State Ministry of Justice are mobilised to decongest police cells of suspects.
Magistrates under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law are also empowered to visit Police stations and detention facilities. And during those visits, they can grant bail to anyone who they think is deserving.
Ekiti-based Barrister, Temitope Omotayo, added: “The strike has caused a lot of havoc on the justice system in Nigeria. However, that does not mean people should use that opportunity to abuse human rights or to breach the rule of law in Nigeria.
“Ordinarily, there are some cases that bail is not as a matter of cause. For example, in robbery matter. Naturally, an accused person may not have a right to bail until legal advice is out, or until court grant such.
“And in capital offences for that matter, court hardly grant bail to suspects, for example.
“Since we found ourselves in this situation, the police and all other agencies concerned with security have the right in various laws that established them to grant bail, based on individual matters.”
NewsWireNGR‘s message to Frank Mba, spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, seeking his comments on the conduct of the officers at this time went unanswered.
Lawyers having a hell of a time
Israel Geraldine, a Realtor at SelVio Guaranteed Properties Limited, Nigeria, cited a couple working in the same law firm whose earning have been severely hit due to the JUSUN strike.
“I know couples working in the same firm. This is exactly where they earn and the strike is going to two months now,” Geraldine said.
“They haven’t been at work lately because of the strike.
“There have been peaceful protests, but then, nothing is being done.
“Some secretaries are asked to stay at home for some time. They can’t be paid from an empty account.
“So it’s basically affecting both the lawyers, secretaries, and since court isn’t sitting for now, we have worse cases of rape, abuse, kidnap and threats. But then, there won’t be court case for now. They will have to wait till sitting resumes.
“I really pity the abused women. They will be there, get no justice for now, till the strike is being called off. Until further notice.
“For a tenant facing unlawful eviction, this strike is a nightmare as the landlord could resort to self-help and throw the tenant out of the house.”
Reminder that the role of the courts in the administration of justice is sacrosanct to the stability of human society. The judiciary is ideally regarded as the last hope for the common man, considering the lofty responsibility of justice dispensation assigned to them by society.
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress in the South-West have rejected calls for separation of Nigeria, saying that the country needs religious and ethnic unity to progress.
This is coming amid calls for the creation of a Yoruba Nation in the South-Western part of the country.
The APC leaders made their positions known in a communique issued after their meeting in Lagos on Sunday.
National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, South-West APC governors; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, among others are those that attended the meeting.
Part of the communique read, “The Leaders commiserate with and condole the President and Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari, the military authorities, families of the Chief of Army Staff and other officers who died, and indeed the entire nation over last Friday’s tragic plane crash in Kaduna.
“They express their strong opposition to separatist agitations and hate speeches. While urging those indulging in such to desist forthwith, they renew their belief in the unity, stability and sustainability of the country.
“We note with significant concern the security situation in the country. Terrorism and violent criminality threaten many areas, adversely affecting the lives and livelihoods of too many innocent and peace-loving Nigerians.
“While mindful of the resource and other constraints facing the nation, we urge the federal government to continue to make the necessary expenditures and allocate sufficient resources to enable the military and security agencies to tackle the difficult security challenges confronting us.
“For Nigeria to overcome these challenges, we must do so with unity of purpose and action. The desire for peace and the chance for a prosperous and just society is universal and transcends all regional, religious or ethnic divisions.
“Sadly, many public figures have made statements that spark division and undermine the needed unity of purpose. We urge government at all levels, security agencies, and public leaders across the country to do everything possible to prevent tension so that we sustain the necessary unity to defeat these challenges to our national security. All responsible Nigerians must speak and act in a manner that strengthens our common cause against these common threats to our collective peace, justice and development.
“We restate our abhorrence of violence as a means to achieve either political or economic power and influence. We strongly condemn violence of any form in any part of the country, regardless of ethnic or regional identity of the perpetrators of the violence or of the victims. Government must do all it can to protect potential victims and to assist those who have previously been victimized by terrorism or widespread banditry.”
The communique added, “We hold to the view that true federalism where more power and resources are allocated to the states will be an essential part in strengthening society and improving democratic governance so that we beat the present challenges but also engender durable peace and security.
“True federalism and the reallocation of resources and authority that comes with it will empower the states to solve localized issues before they spread and transform into national ones. In addition to mitigating political competition for control of the national government, greater federalism will empower grassroots economic development and political reforms that will stand as bulwarks against the terrorism and criminality now experienced in too many parts of the nation. A hallmark of this enhanced federalism will be the establishment of state police forces.
Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has recorded a growth of 0.51 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms in the first quarter of 2021.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed this in the latest Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report released on Sunday.
It noted that the new figure represented two consecutive quarters of growth following the negative growth rates recorded in the second and third quarters of 2020.
The rate of growth recorded in the first quarter of 2021 was slower than the 1.87 per cent rate recorded in the first quarter of 2020.
However, the figure was higher than the 0.11 per cent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2020, indicative of a slow but continuous recovery.
“Nevertheless, quarter on quarter, real GDP grew at -13.93% in Q1 2021 compared to Q4 2020, reflecting a generally slower pace of economic activities at the start of the year.
“In the quarter under review, aggregate GDP stood at N40,014,482.74 million in nominal terms. This performance is higher when compared to the first quarter of 2020 which recorded aggregate GDP of N35,647,406.08 million, indicating a year-on-year nominal growth rate of 12.25 per cent,” the report read.
It added, “The nominal GDP growth rate in Q1 2021 was higher relative to 12.01 per cent growth recorded in the first quarter of 2020, as well as the 10.07 per cent growth recorded in the preceding quarter.
“For better clarity, the Nigerian economy has been classified broadly into the oil and non-oil sectors.”
The GDP report revealed that the oil sector contracted by 2.21 per cent, compared to the -19.76 per cent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2020, while non-oil GDP grew 0.79 per cent, lower than the 1.69 per cent positive growth in the preceding quarter.
The Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has denied the claim that he is in support of a Yoruba nation.
He, however, declared his commitment to a virile, united, and indivisible Nigeria as demanded by the Southern Governors’ Forum.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Richard Olatunde, made Governor Akeredolu’s position known in a statement on Sunday following a rally in Akure, the state capital.
“Unequivocally, the Governor’s opinion on the Akure rally or any other of its ilk, is only to the effect that he is not opposed to any civil protest which is not in breach of the extant laws of the nation.” – the statement reads in parts.
According to Olatunde, some group of persons who participated in the rally held on Saturday claimed to have had the governor’s support for the march in which they were calling for Yoruba nation.
He explained that the governor’s action of acknowledging the right of individuals and groups to hold peaceful rallies was misconstrued to mean support for the secessionist agenda, stressing that it was far from it.
“Governor Akeredolu wishes to state clearly that while he acknowledges the right of individuals and groups to hold peaceful rallies, it must not be misconstrued to mean support for secessionist agenda and or balkanisation of the nation. Far from it”.
The governor’s aide stated that his principal’s opinion on the rally in Akure was only to prove that he was not opposed to any civil protest that does not breach the laws of the land.
“It is important, therefore, to state without any equivocation that the Yoruba nation secessionist promoters do not enjoy any lending hand in Governor Akeredolu.”
He insisted that Governor Akeredolu, who is also the Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, never supported the quest for Yoruba nation outside of Nigeria, adding that the secessionist promoters do not enjoy any backing of the governor.
At the rally, a Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, was reported to have said Governor Akeredolu was aware and in support of their agitation for Yoruba nation.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have nabbed a Brazil-based drug baron, Ejiofor Enwereaku, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, seizing N8bn worth of cocaine and $24,500.
This information was contained in a statement released on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Publicity and Media, Femi Babalola.
Enwereaku was arrested at the Lagos airport on Friday for importing 27.95 kilogrammes of cocaine in a travelling bag
On May 8, 2021, narcotic agents at MMIA intercepted a bag that arrived in Lagos from Brazil through Ethiopia, which contained 27.95kg of cocaine and was disclaimed by the owner.
A follow up on the bag ownership led to the arrest of the suspect upon his arrival from Ethiopia on Friday.
According to the statement, Enwereaku leads a syndicate that specialises in planting drugs in the bags of innocent travellers.
To compromise the investigation, the suspect had offered a bribe of $24,500 to the NDLEA, which was seized from him.
The Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. General Buba Marwa (retd), who had monitored the investigation, commended the operatives for their diligence and resilience in tackling the drug baron.
“I have warned that we will henceforth not only go after the traffickers but, with the same vigour, target the cartels and the kingpins that operate them.
“The latest arrest is a clear confirmation that we will match our words with action and that we will come for those who will not back out of the criminal trade,” Gen. Marwa said.
The Police Command in Ebonyi State, on Sunday, repelled an attack on its division, killed one of the attackers and recovered an AK47 rifle.
DSP Loveth Odah, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abakaliki.
“At 1200hrs of Sunday, hoodlums, numbering about 20 in a Mitsubishi L300 Bus, and some others on foot, came in through the back fence and attacked one of our divisions at Ugbuodo Divisional Headquarters in Ebonyi Local Government Area of the state.
“The attackers entered and immediately opened fire, shooting sporadically at policemen on duty but were swiftly challenged and repelled in a gun battle that ensued. One of the attackers was killed.
“His AK47 rifle, GSM Phone and Jackknife were recovered while others escaped with bullet wounds.
“However, one Mobile Police Personnel paid the supreme price.
“Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi Command, Mr Aliyu Garba, has visited the division for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
“He ordered a manhunt for the fleeing hoodlums with a view to arresting them for prosecution,” the PPRO said.
