The Chairman of South East Governor’s Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, has said that the people of the zone are fighting two separate wars.
Umahi made this known on Saturday in Abakiliki on the 7th day which marked the last day of the fasting and praying declared by the Christians Association Of Nigerian (CAN) Ebonyi State chapter aimed to seek the face of God towards resolving the security challenges in the state and country at large.
He said the two wars in the east are the killings of security operatives by the yet to be identified group and the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (lPOB).
The governor stressed that the actors behind the mayhem facing security operatives hijacked the ‘geninue’ agenda of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Umahi, who distanced himself from the secession course of IPOB, said: “So we have brought war against ourselves, now it is two different agenda that are being fought for in the south-east and our people are pretending, we have brought war on ourselves. “The people that started this thing no longer has the control.
“Again, why are we killing security agencies? Why are we burning down police stations?
“The genuine agitations minus secession which started by a group of people has been hijacked.
He continued; “And if we don’t know, most of the security people that they are killing are from South East.
“And we say that they are being perpetrated from outside, [that] is not true.
“It is our people that are burning down the police stations, killing security agencies, snatching their guns, doing armed robbery and cultism.”
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged Muslims across the country to look for the new moon of Shawwal on Tuesday.
The Deputy Secretary-General, NSCIA, Prof. Salisu Shehu, said this on Saturday in a statement made available to newsmen
The statement reads in parts , “Following the advice of the National Moon Sighting Committee (NMSC), the crescent of Shawwal should be searched for on Tuesday, 11 May 2021 equivalent to 29 Ramadan, 1442 AH.
“In preparation for the 1442 AH ‘Idul-Fitri celebrations, the National Moon Sighting Committee (NMSC) of the NSCIA has advised the President-General that the crescent of Shawwal should be searched for on Tuesday, 11th May 2021 equivalent to 29 Ramadan, 1442 AH.
“If the crescent is actually sighted by informed persons on Tuesday night and His Eminence is so advised by the experts, he would address the Press to declare Wednesday, 12 May 2021 as the first day of Shawwal (‘Id day).
“If, however, the crescent is not sighted on Tuesday night, Thursday, 13 May 2021 automatically becomes the first of Shawwal, 1442 AH (‘Id day).
“A press statement to that effect would be issued on Tuesday night,” Shehu said.
He, therefore, urged Muslims across the country to be on the lookout for the directive of the Sultan on the completion of this year’s Ramadan fast.
The Operatives of the Edo State Police Command Saturday rescued Thirteen kidnapped people from kidnappers den in Ahor bypass along Benin-Auchi road, Edo State.
It was gathered that the rescue operation was carried out in collaboration with local hunters and members of the Edo State Vigilante Security Network.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped on Thursday while travelling from Lagos to Akwa Ibom State, and Onitsha, Anambra State.
Speaking to newsmen in Benin, the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Philip Ogbadu, said the command deployed drones and were assisted by hunters and members of the Vigilante in the operation.
He said the police acted on the information provided to track the kidnappers, adding that the officers took the courage to enter the forest for the successful rescue operation.
He said the police have identified up to seven kidnappers’ camps in the area, adding that they were going to carry out general combing of the areas so as to identify more of such in the forest and prevent the kidnappers from using the forest for their nefarious activities.
Ogbadu urged residents in the area to always provide relevant information about the activities of the kidnappers to the authorities, noting that the kidnappers always go to the communities to buy food and also interact with the people.
According to him, the rescued victims were taken to Magnus Eweka Police Cottage Hospital for thorough medical examinations before they will be handed over to the state government to assist them to proceed to their destinations.
Ogbadu assured that the command will carry out regular patrols and mount checkpoints along the road to dissuade criminal elements on the road.
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state has accused his Kaduna state counterpart, Nasir el-Rufai as one of the real enemies of Nigeria and the very few persons misleading President Muhammadu Buhari.
Saying, the Kaduna state Governor is a sycophant, ethnic champion and religious bigot who hated anyone who did not share the same faith with him.
The Benue state Governor who in a statement over the weekend in Makurdi by his Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Terver Akase, was reaction to a statement credited to the Kaduna state Governor who alleged that Governor Ortom was attacking the federal government over insecurity in his state to cover his failures
The Kaduna Governor made the statement while responding to a video showing Governor Ortom addressing protesters after some killings in Benue State. The video was played during a webinar organised by the Africa Leadership Group.
Responding, el-Rufai said, “I did not hear what Governor Ortom said (in the video) but I know him and he is not somebody I take very seriously, frankly. He has other issues of governance that he is using the Federal Government as a punching bag to distract attention from his failures.”
But in a swift reaction, Governor Ortom through his CPS said, “we read the statement credited to Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai in which he accused Governor Samuel Ortom of using the insecurity in his state to attack the Federal Government in order to cover up what he termed as the Benue State Governor’s failure.
We want to believe that El-Rufai was wrongly quoted. A man who has failed in several aspects as Governor of Kaduna has no moral justification to accuse another Governor.
A Governor who has divided the good people of Kaduna against one another by not hiding his hatred for indigenes of the state on account of religion and ethnicity is not qualified to judge another Governor on any issue whatsoever.
“A Governor who chose a Muslim deputy in a state where Christians have a huge population is certainly not one to preach unity and peaceful co-existence.
“El-Rufai’s attack on Governor Ortom is merely to make him look good before the Presidency. He has apparently fallen out of favour at the Villa and wants to use Governor Ortom as a launch pad back to reckoning.
How has he handled his own problems in Kaduna? This is a man who has insulted almost every prominent Nigerian including the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and former President Olusegun Obasanjo; a man who is his former boss and one who brought him to limelight.
“Nigerians have not forgotten the unprintable things El-Rufai said during Goodluck Jonathan’s time as President. He insulted the then President and publicly supported terrorists attacking parts of the country.
“His statements on the abduction of Chibok girls and several other acts of terrorism are still fresh in our minds. El-Rufai is on record to have said repeatedly that Fulani people must retaliate any wrong done to them no matter how long it takes.
Is Governor Ortom responsible for El-Rufai’s inability to ensure peace in Kaduna State where bandits have taken over some communities while kidnappings and killings occur on daily basis?
“El-Rufai admitted to paying Fulani herdsmen whom he invited from other West African countries in the name of stopping attacks in Southern Kaduna. Since he made the confessional statement, attacks on the people of Southern Kaduna have escalated.
“This is why he wants men of good conscience like Governor Ortom to be silent to pave way for the conquest and expansion agenda to succeed.
“Kidnapping has become a common crime in Kaduna State under Nasir el-Rufai. Aside the much celebrated cases, it has been estimated that at every given time, not less than 300 persons are abducted in Kaduna by kidnappers who are always identified as El-Rufai’s kinsmen.
He pays them billions to embolden them. He has turned the state into one of the most unsafe places to live in Nigeria today.”
Continuing the statement read, “talking about taking someone seriously, if other Nigerians take El-Rufai seriously, we in Benue do not do same. A man who has no regard for humanity does not deserve our attention.
“Nasir el-Rufai is a sycophant, ethnic champion and religious bigot who hates anyone who does not share the same faith with him. He is among the very few persons who have misled President Muhammadu Buhari.
“El-Rufai is one of the real enemies of this country who do not hide their divisive tendencies by elevating nepotism and ethnicity above the good values that have held Nigeria together over the decades
Nasir el-Rufai doesn’t possess the credentials to counsel anyone on payment of salaries and the welfare of workers. This is a Governor who recently sacked 4,000 workers for no just cause. He ought to be ashamed of himself. What happened to the lofty promises he made to Kaduna people in 2015?
“The Kaduna Governor should know that only two days ago, the people of Benue State met at a stakeholders meeting in Makurdi and unanimously passed a vote of confidence on Governor Ortom in recognition of his performance. That meeting was attended across party lines with leaders of All Progressives Congress, APC also present.
El-Rufai and his conspirators must note that Benue State will not repeal the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law no matter the amount of blackmail, hatred and threats they wage against Governor Ortom.
“We advise the Kaduna State Governor to focus on addressing the numerous problems he has created in his state and leave Governor Ortom to lead Benue in peace,” the statement added.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Zubair Dada, has assured that Nigerians in the Diaspora would soon be able to vote from their countries of residence.
He gave the assurance at a webinar organised by Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) on Saturday.
The minister said the Federal Government was working with relevant authorities, including the National Assembly and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to achieve this feat.
He, however, noted that there were about 17 million Nigerians in the Diaspora making a significant impact on the country’s economy that could not be ignored.
He added that Nigerians in the Diaspora were critical components when considering the country’s development, saying that the need to effectively mobilise them could not be over-emphasised.
The webinar, held under the topic: ‘Mobilising Nigerians in the Diaspora for National Development’, was attended by Nigerians from across the world and was the first in the series.
Dada, however, urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to remain patriotic and committed to the country’s development irrespective of the current security situation which he said was being addressed.
“No matter how long you stay abroad, there is no place like home, I urge you to remain patriotic and committed to the development of your fatherland.
The Federal Government is doing everything humanly possible to address the current issues of insecurity in the country,” he said.
He further stated that , Nigerians in the Diaspora could also make suggestions and proffer solutions on how the situation could be addressed.
He, however, decried the lack of cordial relationship with the country’s mission abroad and Nigerians in the Diaspora, saying that Nigerians should not wait until they had problems before locating the mission.
Dada noted that though there may be some bad eggs in some of the country’s foreign missions, efforts were being made to address the situation.
He said NIDCOM had all the instruments it needed to serve Nigerians in the Diaspora.
“NIDCOM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one and the same, we are out here to serve you,” he said.
He said the Federal Government was doing everything to address the security and infrastructural deficit in the country
The minister noted that in spite of the country’s security challenges, foreigners had continued to come in droves to invest because of the benefits they stand to gain.
He said while there were some bad eggs among Nigerians in the Diaspora, the patriotic ones should come to join the government in developing the country.
About 10 suspected Boko Haram militants were reportedly arrested by troops of the Nigerian Army in Kano Saturday.
It was gathered that the troops arrested the persons when they stormed Filin Lazio in Hotoro area of Kano metropolis on Saturday evening and raided a mosque and some houses.
Sources in the area to Newsfocusng that the raid exercise was carried out while the Muslim faithful were breaking their Ramadan fast and that which send fears down the spine of the residents.
It was gathered that the mosque belongs to some Borno men that fled the troubled northeast due to the Boko Haram insurgency.
The troops, it was gathered, also took away some unidentified items from the surroundings of the mosque.
When contacted, the Army spokesperson, Captain Irabor promised to get back to newsmen by Sunday.
The raid happened on Saturday evening, when Muslim faithfuls were about to break their fast. The soldiers surrounded a mosque and took away some men inside the mosque.
Eyewitnesses report hinted that at least 10 people were taken away in the raid.
The mosque reportedly belongs to some people from Borno State who fled, due to the Boko haram insurgency, and settled in Kano.
Some unidentified items were reportedly taken away from the surroundings of the mosque by the security personnel.
The suspended Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman said the allegations of financial misappropriation levelled against her are false.
Usman in a letter to the Chief of Staff to the president, Amb. Ibrahim Gambari, dated May 5, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent , said the figures provided by the Budget Office of the Federation as the operating surplus for the respective years on which basis they arrived at the shortfall were derived from submission of budgetary provision and not the actual amounts derived following the statutory audit of the authorities financial statements.
She stated remittances of audited financial statements of the authority for the period 2017 and 2018 provided operating surpluses of N76.782 billion and N71.480 billion for 2017 and 2018, respectively, contrary to the sums of N133.084 billion and N88.79 billion arrived at by the office from the budgetary submission.
She said in line with the template issued by the Fiscal Responsibility Commission, the accessible Operating Surplus of the Authority stands at N51.09 billion and N42.51 billion for 2017 and 2018 respectively, adding that this amounts will give rise to a remittance due to the CFR in the sum of N40.873biIIion and N34.065 billion which represents 80% of the surpluses for the year 2017 and 2018 respectively.
“Accordingly, the authority consequently made a remittance of N42.415 billion and N33.969 billion for the years 2017 and 2018 respectively for the full amount required as remittance for the period (attached herewith are the treasury receipts).
“Based on the above, we wish to clarify the following: (1) The Authority’s computation of its remittances to the CFR are concluded arising from numbers from Audited Financial Statements using the template forwarded to the Authority from the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.
“That the Authority has remitted the full amount due it to CFR for the periods 2017 and 2018 arising from the Operating Surplus derived from the Audited Financial Statement for the period totalling N 76.384 billion as evidenced in attached treasury receipts.
“That the Authority has remitted a total of N 82.687 billion for the period 2019 and 2020 pending the audit of the financial statement at which point the amount so computed arising from the value of the Operating Surplus in the audited financial statement will be remitted to the CFR” she added.
Usman further hinted that she wish to request that the Chief of Staff requests the Office of the Accountant- General of the Federation which is the statutorily custodian of status of payment to the CRF to provide clarification on the above so as to establish the true position of the Authorities’ remittances to the CFR.
No fewer than , 15 people have died in a boat mishap in Tijana, Munya Local Government Area of Niger State while several others are still missing.
The boat mishap occurred at about 6:00 pm on Saturday when the villagers were returning from a local market in Zumba, in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.
The Sarkin Kasuwan (Head of the Market) of Zumba, Mallam Adamu Ahmed, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent said the local boat was carrying over 60 people, including women and children when it capsized due to a heavy windstorm.
Among the victims were some returnees who had earlier fled their homes with their children due to bandits’ attacks.
Ahmed said 17 people have been rescued alive through the efforts of local divers who swung into action immediately after the incident was reported.
The local divers had defied the heavy downpour to continue their rescue operation as at the time of filing this reports as no help yet from the government.
Recall that a similar boat mishap in the area claimed 13 lives in 2017 when a boat carrying 30 people capsized midway into their journey to the same Zumba market.
Our Correspondent reliably gathered that the villagers were returning from a local market in Zumba in Shiroro local government area of the state when the boat capsized.
It was further gathered that the boat must have been overloaded as it was carrying no fewer than sixty passengers which were mostly women and children.
Heavy windstorm was also attributed to the ugly incident.
Speaking on the development, the Sarkin Kasuwan (Head of the Market) of Zumba, Mallam Adamu Ahme said part of the victims were part of the villagers who fled their different communities after bandits had recently sacked them from their ancestral homes.
He said , “the boat was carrying no fewer than sixty passengers and there was heavy windstorm and these two factors may have contributed to the fatality.”
Already,17 people have been rescued alive through the efforts of local divers who swung into action immediately the incident was reported and they are still on the rescue operation of several others,” he remarked.
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said no level of intimidation or attacks will make the State succumb to the secessionist agenda of those “bent on plunging Nigeria into another unwarranted crisis”.
Wike, made this disclosure when he presided over an emergency meeting of the Security Council at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Saturday, condemned the attacks by unidentified armed assailants on some police formations.
He called for calm following an overnight attack on police personnel in the State.
Wike,however, expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the Policemen that lost their lives in the attack and the Rivers State Police Command.
“On behalf of the Government of Rivers State, I wish to offer our heartfelt condolences and express our deep sadness in the wake of these horrific attacks,” he said
Governor Wike urged residents of Rivers State to be calm, as the Security Council had taken measures to secure the State.
He further enjoined them to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement or persons to security agents.
Newsfocusng gathered that the suspension of the Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, is causing ripples in the Presidency.
Recall that Hadiza was asked to step aside on Thursday while an administrative panel examines the books of the organisation.
Although the Presidency which ordered the suspension gave no reason for its action, sources said it has to do with the alleged non-remittance of N165.3 billion surpluses of the NPA into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) by the suspended MD.
Meanwhile, barely 48 hours after the announcement of the suspension, pressure is being piled on President Muhammadu Buhari by some stakeholders for the appointment of a co-chairman or alternate chairman for the probe panel.
Some governors who are pleading Hadiza’s case with the Presidency are said to have accused Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi of violating administrative procedure in getting the MD suspended and in the composition of the probe panel.
The stakeholders are also objecting to the appointment of all members of the panel coming from the Ministry of Transportation.
Following agitation for fairness, Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi was said to have approved a seven-man probe panel yesterday with three members from the ministry and the remaining four to be nominated by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
Besides, supporters of the suspended Managing Director of NPA have rejected the choice of the agency’s Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Mohammed Kolo, as acting MD.
They want Kolo dropped and returned to his desk as Executive Director because he was a nominee of Amaechi.
It was learnt that Kolo was not affected by the shake-up because Procurement Unit has been relocated to the office of the Managing Director.
Reliable sources said the division in the Presidency and government over the suspension of Hadiza stemmed from alleged support Hadiza enjoys from the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.
It was Gambari who wrote a memo to Buhari for the renewal of the tenure of Hadiza as MD of NPA on January 21.
It was learnt that Gambari acted without any recommendation for renewal from the Transportation Minister or the supervising Minister of State, Senator Gbemisola Saraki.
A source in government however said the Chief of Staff only raised the memo in line with the prerogative of the President to make any appointment.
One source said appointment and reappointment of any public officer can be done directly by the President.
An angry Amaechi however protested to the President alleging that the Chief of Staff was usurping his (Amaechi’s) duties.
In retaliation, Amaechi also took his memo on the unremitted N165.3 billion surpluses and request for the auditing of NPA to the President without routing it through the Chief of Staff.
Although Gambari later conveyed the letter of suspension of Hadiza to Amaechi, a source said “it was a burden he could not resist because it was a presidential directive.”
Despite the cracks, Hadiza was battling for survival last night with clarifications that all audit certified surpluses were remitted into the CRF.
Buhari had suspended Hadiza through a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
The statement said the President also approved the recommendation of the Ministry of Transportation for the setting up of an Administrative Panel of Inquiry to investigate the management of the NPA.
It said the panel is to be headed by the Director, Maritime Services of the Ministry while the Deputy Director, Legal of the same ministry will serve as Secretary.
