Beatrice, wife of the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, is being held at HMP Bronzefield prison in the United Kingdom, SaharaReporters has gathered.

HMP Bronzefield is an adult and young offender female prison located on the outskirts of Ashford in Surrey, England. 

Bronzefield is the only purpose-built private prison solely for women in the UK, and is the largest female prison in Europe. 

The prison is operated by Sodexo Justice Services.

According to Sodexo Justice Services, the facility accommodates 572 women and comprises four house blocks housing approximately 130 women on each one.

“Each wing has a servery unit for women to collect their food which they can choose to eat together on the wing or take back to their cells. We provide telephones in each room which is integral in helping women to maintain their family ties,” the services said on its website. See Also News Organ Harvesting: Ekweremadu Appears Before UK Court, Date Fixed To Decide Location Of Trial 0 Comments 1 Week Ago

“The women are unlocked at 08:00hrs for breakfast and to receive any medication they may require. At 09:00hrs the women will go to their lessons or work. They will break for lunch at 12:00hrs for two hours. In the afternoon they will return to their work location. At 16:30hrs the women will return to their houseblocks for association and dinner before lock up at 18:45hrs,” it added.

The Uxbridge Magistrate Court last week denied Beatrice access to Ekweremadu who is being detained in another prison.

The Enugu West senator was arrested alongside his wife two weeks ago by the London Metropolitan Police for allegedly conspiring to take a child to the UK for organ harvesting. See Also Scandal Organ Harvesting: Nigerian Senate Joins Probe, Sends Delegation To London To Visit Embattled Senator, Ekweremadu 0 Comments 1 Week Ago

The couple were tried at the Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court in London and denied bail as the prosecutors reportedly informed the court that Ekweremadu procured a passport for the boy and claimed he was 21 years old only to discover that he was 15 years old.

The case has been adjourned to July 7 at Westminster Magistrate Court to enable the UK Attorney General, Suella Braverman, determine whether the case will be tried in the country or in Nigeria.

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Gunmen suspected to be Islamic terrorists have reportedly kidnapped the wife of the pastor in charge of the headquarters church, Evangelical Church of Winning All (ECWA) in Jos, Plateau State.

The incident occurred around 1:30am on Monday when the hoodlums invaded the church staff house in the Jos North Local Government Area of the state where Reverend Garba Andu Bawa and his family lived.

According to Nigerian Tribune, the bandits had on their arrival in the community shot sporadically to scare people away before forcefully entering the Reverend’s house.

He was said to have engaged the hoodlums and in the process escaped but the wife was not lucky.

After the pastor’s escape, the gunmen carried out a thorough search of the premises and discovered where the wife was hiding and took her away.

According to the report, gunmen around 8:50am contacted the family and demanded a ransom of N50million.

A resident of the area, who did not want his name in print, said the community was under the siege of kidnappers and armed robbers, adding that all security measures put in place to tame the situation had not yielded any positive results.

“Living in this place has become a nightmare, attack on this community has become daily occurrences, and most residents cannot go to sleep with their two eyes closed. We have engaged vigilantes and taken other security measures yet these elements keep having their way,” he said.

SaharaReporters’ efforts to get the reaction of state police command were unsuccessful as the Command's spokesman, DSP Alfred Alabo, could not be reached on the telephone.

He also had yet to respond to a text message.

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Presidential candidates for the 2023 elections are resorting to fuzzy math, half-truths, and even outright falsehoods to compete for media attention and votes. The worst offender so far, is Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, APC presidential candidate.

The lies that continue to dog Tinubu are not new. The lies have been part of his political diary since he joined politics. The authenticity of his certificates, the schools and university he attended, his parental background, his real names, etc., are hanging on his neck like the sword of Damocles.

“The issue of certificates is not the problem per se. It is about his character. How can Nigerians (thank God I’m a Yoruba, citizen of Yoruba Nation) elect a president they don’t know his names, his age, and names of his parents? How can they elect a president they are not sure which schools and university he attended? Tinubu cannot name one of his school mates or friends in primary, secondary schools and course mates at the university.

Beyond this cathedral of lies, the issue of his health is of grave concern. His age and medical condition are against him. His supporters always foolishly argue that US President Joseph Biden is in his 70s. True. Does Biden exhibit deteriorating health problems like Tinubu? No. Does Biden wear diapers? Of course not! Are Biden speeches laced with goofs like Tinubu’s?  Absolutely not. There’s no comparison between oranges and apples.

Whenever Tinubu speaks in public, he always goofed. A few examples will suffice: He said PVC has an expiration date. People are tweeting on WhatsApp. Fifty million youths will be recruited and fed with cassava in the morning, agbado (corn) in the afternoon, and garri in the night. Malami switched off phone lines on the national grid. I bet, Tinubu cannot even count 1-100 without skipping numbers. He can’t hold or handle any object without his hands shaking. He can’t leave home without diapers. All these are symptoms of old age. No one can fault him for these and other myriad health issues.

Tinubu believes 2023 belongs to him because he brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power. Nothing belongs to him. The presidency is not a compensatory gift for him. His die-hard noisy, brainless Jagabandits said he made Lagos a better city and Lagos State a state of pride. How? How many schools, hospitals, and roads did he build? How many jobs were created by him? Instead, he impoverished Lagosians. He made Lagos a mega slum metropolis. Tinubu, where are the cows? Where are the youths who were killed at Lekki Toll Gate? Tinubu, where were you when Yorubas were being killed, robbed, raped, and kidnapped in Igangan and other Yoruba states?

The history of the combined 23 years of Tinubu and his handpicked governors of Lagos State is a history of avarice. History of land seizure, confiscation of properties, monopoly of government contracts, recruitment, training, and retention of thugs, unrestricted looting of the state treasury, and other avaricious practices. Tinubu, iwo ko lo kan! Tinubu it is not your turn!

 

bjoluwasanmi@gmail.com

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Residents of Igbomotoru Community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have protested the alleged killings of indigenes of the community by Nigerian Army personnel attached to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC’s surveillance contractors.

The community also called on the state government to order the immediate withdrawal of soldiers allegedly stationed in a houseboat in the community.

According to the leadership of the community, the continued presence of soldiers in the community is causing panic, as indigenes and inhabitants are now living in constant fear and anxiety.

In a statement by the acting Paramount Ruler, Chief Goodluck Alagodei, the Chairman of the Community Development Committee, Ebipamunu Charles, CDC Vice Chairman, Goodnews Otobo, CDC Secretary, Justice Pronto, and other members of the CDC and compound chiefs, said no fewer than four community youths had been killed.

The community leadership lamented that since June 22, the community has been experiencing an unprovoked invasion and attack by armed military men allegedly attached to Darlon, a surveillance security company contractor to NAOC.

They said, "On June 22, 2022, there was an unprovoked invasion and attack on the Igbomotoru Community by armed military men allegedly attached to Darlon Oil and Gas Nigeria Ltd who came in on 6 no. gunboats and another 5 speedboats loaded with armed boys working with Darlon Oil and Gas Nigeria Ltd allegedly led by one Guyman Alex Bekewari shooting sporadically into the Community leaving many with grievous harm and wounds, burning down buildings and carting away cash belonging to the owners of the building thereby caused a great pandemonium with attendant chaos and cataclysm.

"Future likely events of the state government and the security agents do not act fast, there will be more killings of indigenes of Igbomotoru Community by the military aided by NAOC, Darlon Oil and Gas Nigeria Ltd and Chief David Lyon.

"The continued presence of the military men has made 12 corps members serving in Igbomotoru community to leave the community leaving only three corps members who will most likely leave the community. Before the invasion and the continued stationing of the military men, these corps members have lived their peaceful lives in Igbomotoru Community going about fulfilling their primary assignment.

“The corps members were the ones doing 90 per cent of the teaching in the schools and with their leaving, the educational system in Igbomotoru will collapse."

The community leadership urged the state government and the security agencies to take steps to remove the presence of the military men attached to Darlon Oil and Gas Nigeria Ltd and also the boys working with the company in Igbomotoru Community to enable the indigenes and inhabitants of Igbomotoru live and lead our normal life.

"Nigerian Agip Oil Company should not contract to Darlon Oil and Gas Nigeria Ltd, the surveillance or protection of pipelines or other facilities NAOC in the land of Igbomotoru as same is the root cause of all the problems and killings in Igbomotoru Community.

"That the Nigerian Agip Oil Company should give contract of surveillance or protection of pipelines and other facilities of NAOC in the land of Igbomotoru to only indigenes of Igbomotoru Community and not to any person not being an indigene of Igbomotoru community.

"That the State Government and the security agencies should investigate and bring the NAOC,Darlon Oil and Gas Nigeria Ltd, David Lyon and all persons working under the company to book for the various killings outlined above.

"That Darlon Oil and Gas Nigeria Ltd , Chief David Lyon and NAOC should return to Igbomotoru all the corpses of Gordon Jones, Akunama Francis Agunza, and Young Adolphus Major to Igbomotoru Community for proper burial.”

"Pay or compel NAOC and Darlon Oil and Gas Nigeria Ltd or Chief David Lyon to pay fair and adequate compensation to the Community and the Families of the deceased and those whose buildings and properties were destroyed.

"It is our belief that when the Bayelsa State Government and the Security Agencies look into these matters and consider our suggestions and take appropriate action to salvage the situation, peace and normalcy will return to Igbomotoru Community. We are confidence that the Bayelsa State Government and the Security Agencies will act fast," they stated.

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The Anambra State command of the Nigeria Police Force has said it arrested a 29-year-old woman, identified as Chinwendu Umegbaka, for alleged stealing of a three-year-old child.

It said the suspect was arrested on Saturday at about 4.30pm, at Nwawulu Street, Okpoko, Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed this on Monday in a statement, said the suspect hails from Isinkwo Abaomege Community in the Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Ikenga noted that preliminary information reveals that the suspect is a neighbour to the parents of the child, adding that Chinwendu when arrested initially denied knowledge of the whereabouts of the three years old girl.

"But on further interrogation, the suspect made confessional statement to the police of stealing the child with the intention of selling her."

The Command's spokesman further stated that the little child had been recovered and reunited with the parents

He said that further development shall be communicated to the public as investigation was still ongoing.

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Governors on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have demanded that the presidential candidate of the party and former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, pick one of them from the North-East as his running mate to serve as compensation for their roles during the party’s primary election.

The governors argued that one of them deserved the running mate position because Tinubu’s emergence as the party’s standard bearer was due to their resistance against the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, who attempted to impose on the party the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as a consensus candidate, Vanguard reports.

It was also gathered that the governors had insisted that the presidential running mate may come from Borno State or a sitting governor from the North-West but not from Katsina State the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Meanwhile, Tinubu has insisted on going with the former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima.

It was believed that Tinubu’s insistence on working with Senator Shettima was backed by stakeholders who want the North East, particularly Borno State, to produce the Vice President as a compensation for Senate Lawan’s failure to secure the party’s presidential ticket.

“The APC governors are pushing that the presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, should pick his vice presidential candidate from among them because of the role they played to stop the action of the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who had already settled for the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, as the presidential candidate of the ruling party.

“There are strong feelings that though the governors want one of them, Tinubu wants Senator Kashim Shettima as his vice-presidential candidate,” a source told Vanguard.

 

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A motorist (name withheld) has narrated how he was extorted of N100,000 by Lagos State Task Force policemen.
 
Speaking to SaharaReporters, the man said he was also assaulted and brutalised by the power-drunk police personnel after illegally impounding his vehicle.

The policemen led by an officer identified as Ogar accosted him on July 1, 2022, in front of his office at Joke Ayo bus stop while his car was being fixed by a mechanic.
 
“I was in front of my office, where I packed my car, off the road. The security of the car refused to work and I called a ‘rewiring engineer’ (auto-electrician) to work on the car for me because it was a Marwa park, and the way they all park their tricycles there, hardly leaving any space, the ‘rewire’ (auto-electrician) asked me to move the car backwards.

“I did that but I was not even on the road (at Joke Ayo Bus stop). But immediately after they saw me move the car (because they were stationed there), they stepped out of their vehicle and dragged me out of the car.
 
“I told them my office was there, but they refused to listen. I told them I was not obstructing any traffic or driving against traffic and that I always park my car there, but they refused to listen and struggled to collect the car key from me. One of them drove the car back into the road and asked another officer to start recording. Then I asked him why because I wasn't even sure of what they were doing.
 
“They distracted me by talking to me and they disconnected the security of my car by damaging and tearing it off the compartment. He drove my car the way I had never driven it before and I asked them where they were taking the car to. They said Alausa. They took me to their office at Bolade bus stop Oshodi, and their boss (the head of Team C), Mr Ogar, asked me to approach a lady, that she would give me a ticket to go and pay. I told them I didn't do anything wrong and I had never been arrested by the police before.
 
“The lady was so rude to me and refused to even talk to me. She told me that I would need to pay N130,000, I asked her for what? She said it was for driving against traffic. I was not even driving when they saw me and they had parked there for a long time, looking at me working on the car. The insult was too much. Then I asked her what the money was meant for, she said it was a fine. Who fined me? She said it was the court. Then I said how can I be fined without appearing in court? I asked to see the judge who fined me and she got furious and started hurling insults at me again.
 
“She later told me to pay N100,000 and I begged her. She asked me to go in search of Mr Ogar, and I did but could not find any of them and their team members, including one who is an Alhaji and happened to be among them! I begged that I wanted to see the judge and they said the judge had already given me a fine. Then I asked them to give me their account, they said I should go and use POS to cash and bring cash for them, I said why? Does Lagos State government not have any account to pay into? She told me that was the only process. I went to the POS lady (inside their compound) identified as Glory, who asked me to do a transfer into her account. I did, and I took the money to the lady Mr Ogar, the team leader introduced me to, to discuss with me. “Immediately they saw that I had brought the money, all the team leaders came out and showed their faces, even the Alhaji who was one of their team leaders came out to witness the money given to her! She took me to Mr Ogar and he (stylishly) told me not to tell anyone or go on social media about it, I told him I won't.

“He asked me to go and see the lady and give her the money and I did. I asked for a receipt, and she wrote me a note and asked me to go to Alausa behind Shoprite (Ikeja City Mall).
 
“When she opened her big black bag to put the money inside it, the money I saw in that bag must be around 3-4 million naira which they had collected from people. This got me thinking. I’m still confused about the Judge who fined me without asking to see me.”
 
He added that when he finally had access to the car, the bumper and the air conditioning system had been damaged while his new battery and headset were nowhere to be found.
 
“I went to Alausa and did some short video recording. They asked for my phone and asked me to unlock it. They deleted the videos but unknown to them, I can retrieve them.
 
“When I was given the car, they had damaged my car key and the bumper. My AC stopped working, the battery which was new had been stolen and replaced with an old one. A ‘follow-come’ headset inside the car was also taken away.
 
“This got me angry and I think these people are thieves! Help me let this get to the appropriate authority. The governor is trying but these people are destroying the legacy and extorting innocent people like me. They are making three to four million naira in a day? Multiply that by seven days and multiply by 30 days? Look at the amount going into the wrong hands?
 
“I am ready to testify and bring out all available evidence and also call on witnesses to testify against them.”
 

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The Bauchi State deputy governor, Senator Baba Tela on Saturday threw caution to the wind by beating up and brutalising some travellers in Kari community in the state.

Policemen in the deputy governor’s convoy also opened fire on the travellers who were on their way from Bauchi, the state capital to Misau Local Government Area for a wedding.

SaharaReporters learnt that Tela ordered the torture of all occupants of the vehicles for attempting to overtake his convoy.

The deputy governor was said to have been begged by one of the security operatives attached to him to pardon the travellers.

“We were attacked by the Bauchi deputy governor and his policemen. On Saturday morning, at around 10 am, we were on our way to Misau Local Government for a wedding ceremony. We were in about 7 vehicles.
 
“When we got to Kira, we saw his convoy in front of us; it wasn’t even moving fast. So while trying to overtake the convoy, which we didn’t even know was that of the deputy governor, they opened fire on us.

“They stopped all other cars and started beating us; the deputy governor personally said we should be treated like criminals. They fired tear gas into our eyes and deflated all tyres.

“They did not give us any reason for beating us. They intended to handcuff us and leave but some farmers and villagers had to go and meet the deputy governor to beg him. He didn’t answer them until one of his policemen begged him. We were ultimately unable to arrive at our destination due to what happened.
 
“They used the butts of their guns to hit and beat us to a pulp.”
 
When SaharaReporters called the deputy governor for reaction and clarification, he declined to address the issue, saying, “I don’t talk to people on phone, if you want to talk to me, come to my office,” he said.
 
When further asked if maybe his convoy passed through Kira community on Saturday, he angrily ended the call.

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The Nigerian Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari has faulted the call for the redesignation of Nigeria as a country of particular concern by American senators because of the alleged persecution of Christians.
 
SaharaReporters had reported that Republican Senators, Marco Rubio and Josh Hawley wrote to President Joe Biden to redesignate Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’ over increasing cases of violence against Christians in the country.

It reported that the letter was signed by another three senators, Mike Braun, Tom Cotton and Jim Inhofe.
 
In the letter to the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, the senators urged President Biden to immediately reinstate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act.
 
But reacting to the allegation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in London, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the call was based on a false premise and misunderstanding of what was going on in the country.
 
Mohammed, who is in London to engage international media and some non-governmental organisations, said it was only the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) that is targeting and killing Christians in Nigeria.
 
He said, “You will recall that only a few months ago Nigeria was taken out of the list of countries of particular concern because it was proven that there is no iota of truth in the allegation that Christians or any religion was being persecuted or people were not allowed to practise the religion of their choice.
 
“We want to say once again that Nigeria does not have a policy that denies people the freedom to practise their religion.”
 
“The country also does not have a policy of violation of freedom of religion and it is not true that Nigeria persecutes anybody on account of his or her faith,” he said.
 
The minister said contrary to the report, Christians in Nigeria like any other religion are practising their faith as the Constitution stipulates and the government has always safeguarded the constitutional provision jealously.
 
He argued that most commentators who don’t understand the politics and happenings in Nigeria took criminalities and communal clashes as issues of religious persecution.
 
“Nobody in Nigeria is being persecuted but we have issues of criminality going on and the criminals really do not make the distinction of any religion.
 
“They kidnap for money; they hold people on ransom irrespective of their religion and there are some issues of communal matters dating back to many years.
 
“If the statistic is to be taken, I can say confidently that as many Muslims as Christians have been victims of these criminals,” he said.
 
He said that ISWAP is attacking Christians and churches to create a religious crisis, saying the government has mounted large-scale military operations to wipe them out.
According to him, the onslaught is yielding results.
 
“What ISWAP is doing is that because of their dwindling influence, they are now attacking churches and Christians in order to create a crisis between various religious groups.
 
“But as a government, we are after them,” he said.
 
The minister said some NGOs were also feeding the international community with wrong information to get funds from donors.
 
Mohammed reiterated that the two major religions in Nigeria, Islam and Christianity, are also collaborating to find a solution to the crisis.
 
He gave the example of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) which is working to foster unity and better understanding between the Christian and Islamic faiths.
 
The minister, however, solicited support from multilateral organisations and foreign countries in tackling the challenges of insecurity.
 

ACTIVISM Insecurity International News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Before post-colonial Nigeria lapsed into its current unitary state, while still passing off as a federation, regional security was largely within the purview of the respective regions, not the federal government. And it worked pretty well.
This basic arrangement was not by chance but by well-considered design. Despite their many failings, Nigeria’s indigenous founding fathers and the departing British colonists knew too well that you cannot secure a people within their region without their participation. Even the mighty British empire knew that it couldn’t secure colonial Nigeria without the participation of Nigerians in vast numbers.
In a diverse federation of equals (or even near-equals or unequals), Northern Nigerians shouldn’t be the ones exclusively or dominantly securing Western or Eastern Nigeria, and vice versa. When you do that, it becomes counter-intuitive to security and begins to look like belligerent occupation or conquest. It also destroys the neutrality of the security personnel, engenders ethnic profiling and extrajudicial killings.

Truth be told, massacres won’t happen if there’s no premeditation, driven by sectarian impulses and lack of compatriot empathy customarily exhibited by some security personnel when it comes to law enforcement outside their regions, even when the targets of such law enforcement are unarmed and amenable to arrest.
The inherent dangers of an imbalanced security leadership and formations is the main reason the framers of the 1999 Constitution enacted Section 217(3) of the Constitution, which roughly states that ‘the composition of the officer corps and other ranks of the Armed Forces of the Federation shall reflect the federal character of Nigeria’.
In plain terms, it means that no region or tribe shall be markedly excluded from securing Nigeria or any part thereof, especially its own part. But today, the opposite is the case as Southeast officers and ranks are significantly redlined from all critical security formations, particularly the ones based in Southeast. It makes no sense and it is unconstitutional to boot.
Still, for the same reason of sectional balance, Section 14(3) of the same 1999 Constitution provides that, ‘the composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies shall ensure that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few States or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or any of its agencies’.
This means that the Southeast shall be equal partakers in the opportunities of the Nigerian enterprise. But it is not and uniquely so. To be sure, there’s no better contradiction to the oneness of Nigeria than this profound injustice that appears to have become the norm and persisted since 2015.
And this: Southeast being continually absent from the table partly explains why each time the witch cries at night in the Southeast and the baby dies in the morning, the authorities jump to conclusions that it’s the witch that killed the baby.
In other words, almost every incidence of insecurity, including by State actors and others, ends up being blamed on the people of the Southeast, such that they are now left with no other option than rampant resentment, widespread alienation and popular agitation.
Aloy Ejimakor, a Lawyer writes from Alaigbo.

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The Enugu Command of the Nigeria Police Force has vowed to unravel the cause of the fire that razed the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Igbo-Eze North Council Area of the state on Sunday night.

 

The Command made the vow in a statement issued by its spokesman, Daniel Ndukwe (DSP) titled, "Fire outbreak at INEC Office in Igbo-Eze North LGA: CP Abubakar orders thorough investigation, assures unraveling cause of the incident".

Ndukwe said that the Commissioner of Police, CP Abubakar Lawal, had ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to conduct a thorough investigation to establish the cause of the fire outbreak.

 

According to the statement, the fire started at about 11 pm on Sunday at the INEC office, Ogrute in Enugu-Ezike community.

See Also Breaking News BREAKING: Hoodlums Set Office Of Electoral Body, INEC Ablaze In Enugu, Ballot Boxes, Others Burnt 0 Comments 6 Days Ago

The statement partly read, "The fire, observed to have started from the back of the building, was put out by Police Operatives that swiftly mobilised to the scene on receipt of the information, with assistance from personnel of Nsukka Office of Enugu State Fire Service, thereby averting further damages within the vicinity.

 

"Consequently, the CP, while assuring that the Command will do all it can to unravel the cause of the incident and take necessary action, has enjoined residents of the area to support the Police with credible information and/or intelligence in the ongoing investigation.

 

"Meanwhile, the area has been cordoned off for preservation and further investigative actions."

 

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Omoyele Sowore

The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) and convener of #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore, has faulted the presidential candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, for already jetting off to foreign countries while none of them is yet to emerge as Nigeria’s president.

Atiku who emerged as the PDP candidate for the 2023 general elections has been in the United States of America for some days now, with reports saying he took the trip to rest and strategise on how to resolve the controversy surrounding his choice of Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.

Omoyele Sowore BBC

Similarly, Tinubu left for Paris, France in June shortly after he held a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

A statement by his spokesman, Tunde Rahman, stated that “He is off to Paris, France to hold some important meetings. The APC standard-bearer is expected back in the country shortly,” but SaharaReporters learnt he flew to France to seek medical attention.

Atiku is 75 years old while Tinubu is 70, and there are already fears that if either of them becomes Nigeria’s President in 2023, a large chunk of public funds will be spent on medical tourism to keep the leader alive or fit, like the country experiences with President Muhammadu Buhari.

For instance, Buhari has spent over 200 days abroad for treatment since becoming President in 2015.

Meanwhile, the presidential candidates of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi and his New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) counterpart, Rabiu Kwnakwaso have been wrangling over who will be the presidential candidate and who will be the running mate, as the two political parties consider a merger ahead of the 2023 general elections.

We are still in July, already two Presidential candidates have disappeared into thin air!
Another two are engaging in “Two-Fighting.”
WE KEEP MOVING!#SoworeForPresident #WeCantContinueLikeThis

— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) July 4, 2022

While Kwankwaso from the Northern region, who defected from the ruling APC to the NNPP has ruled out being Obi’s running mate, Obi from the Eastern region, who defected from the opposition PDP has also refused to bow to Kwankwaso.

 

Reacting to all the dramas, Sowore who has on several occasions pointed out that he is the most qualified candidate to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023, said, “We are still in July, already two Presidential candidates have disappeared into thin air!

 

“Another two are engaging in ‘Two-Fighting.’ WE KEEP MOVING! #SoworeForPresident #WeCantContinueLikeThis.”

 

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Nigerian Anti-narcotics Agency, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a man identified as Muyiwa Babalola Bolujoko, a former Lagos BRT driver, for trafficking cocaine.

He was on his way to Dubai, United Arab Emirates with 90 pellets of cocaine, the agency said.

Bolujoko was apprehended at the screening point of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, where he was to board a Qatar Airways flight en route from Doha to Sharjah. His trip was expected to terminate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson for the NDLEA, disclosed on Sunday that the 39-year-old man was placed under excretion observation after body scan results confirmed drug ingestion.

He said, “While in custody, the suspect excreted all the 90 pellets in four excretions. He claimed he left his N60,000 per month job as a BRT driver in February and decided to work as a drug courier to raise funds to buy a shuttle bus popularly called ‘Korope’ in Lagos to continue his transport business.

 

Babafemi also disclosed that NDLEA operatives intercepted 22 blocks of heroin weighing 23.55kg concealed in packs of baby food at the MMIA in Ikeja, Lagos.

He said the consignment with a street value of over N4.5 billion came from Johannesburg, South Africa on board a South African Airways flight on Wednesday, 29th June as part of a consolidated cargo that arrived at the SAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport.

After a series of follow-up operations that led to the arrest of two freight agents, the actual receiver of the drug consignment, Chike Okeke Eweni who distributes the substance for his South Africa-based partner was arrested the following day, Thursday, June 30 at a logistics warehouse in Ajao Estate, Ikeja.

Chike said he was into fish farming.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that operatives of the NDLEA, arrested a Brazilian returnee, Igwedum Uche at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos with pellets of cocaine concealed in his private parts last week.

Igwedum, according to a statement from the NDLEA spokesperson, Babafemi, was arrested on Monday, June 20 as he arrived from Sao Paulo via Ethiopian Airlines.

The suspect was said to have swallowed 50 wraps of cocaine before departing Brazil and excreted 48 pellets in Addis Ababa after which he handed them over to another person.

He claimed he was unable to excrete the remaining two wraps at the hotel room in Addis Ababa before boarding his flight but later excreted them in the aircraft restroom during the flight from Ethiopia to Lagos

 

 

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File photo used to illustrate story.

Another Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Silas has been kidnapped by terrorists in Kaduna State.

The priest was said to have been abducted from the parish rectory at St. Charles Catholic Church, Zambina, in the Kauru Local Government Area of the state on Monday.

File photo used to illustrate story.

The Chancellor, Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Uchechukwu Okolo, who confirmed the development in a statement made available to journalists in Kaduna said the incident happened in the early hours of Monday.

It was noticed that the priest was missing when he did not turn up for the morning mass.

He said, “It is with great pain that we announce to you the kidnapping of our Priest, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Silas. The event occurred in the early hours of July 04, 2022, when he could not turn up for morning Mass.

“He was abducted from the parish rectory at St. Charles Catholic Church, Zambina, in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Okolo asked for intensified prayers for the safe return of the priest and advised members of the church not to take the law into their hands.

“We solicit for intense prayer for his quick and safe release, we equally wish to call on all and sundry to refrain from taking the laws into their hands.

“We will use every legitimate means to ensure his quick and safe release.

 

“May Jesus crucified on the Cross, listen to our prayers and hasten the unconditional release of His Priest and all other kidnapped persons.”

This comes about a week after Rev. Fr. Vitus Vaishima Borogo, 50, was killed by terrorists on his farm in Kujama, along Kaduna-Kachia Road on Saturday, June 25, 2022.

The Kaduna-based cleric was killed by the terrorists during a raid on a farm known as Prison Farm at Kujama, along the Kaduna-Kachia Road.

 

Rev. Fr. Christian Emmanuel, the Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna, in a statement, said, “It is with a heavy heart, but with total submission to the will of God that we announce the death of Rev. Fr. Vitus Borogo, which sad event took place today (Saturday), at Prison Farm, Kujama, along Kaduna-Kachia Road, after a raid on the farm by terrorists.”

 

The priest was laid to rest on June 30, 2022.

Two Catholic priests, Rev. Father Udo of St. Patrick Catholic Church, Uromi and Rev. Father Philemon Oboh of St. Joseph Retreat Centre, Ugboha, were similarly kidnapped by gunmen on Saturday.

 

The clerics were abducted along Benin-Auchi Expressway between Ehor and Iruekpen communities on Saturday night, the state police command said on Sunday.

 

The police statement signed by the spokesperson for the state command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, said, “This is to confirm the kidnap of two Catholic Rev. Fathers; Rev. Fr. Udo Peter of St. Patrick Catholic Church Uromi and Rev. Fr. Philemon Oboh of St. Joseph Retreat Center, Ugboha in Esan South East LGA of Edo State.”

Also on Sunday, June 26, 2022, some gunmen killed Rev. Fr Christopher Odia, the priest in charge of St. Michael Catholic Church, Ikabigbo, in the Etsako West Local Government Area of the state.

 

Odia was abducted from his home while he preparing to leave for mass.

 

The Director of Social Communications, Catholic Diocese of Auchi, Rev. Fr. Peter Egielewa, in a statement last Sunday confirmed that the cleric had been killed.

 

The statement said, “With heavy hearts but with total submission to the will` of God, we announce the death of our priest Rev. Fr. Christopher Odia, who was killed by his abductors after being kidnapped this morning, June 26, 2022, around 6.30 am in his rectory while coming out to go for Sunday mass at St. Michael Catholic Church Ikabigbo, Uzairue, Edo State.”

 

On Sunday, June 5, 2022, some terrorists stormed St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State during service, killing about 40 congregants.

 

Many congregants were also injured during the deadly attack.

 

Attacks on churches and priests across the country by suspected terrorists seem to be on the increase even though President Muhammadu Buhari’s government has repeatedly denied that Christians are being targeted by Islamic jihadists in the country

 

 

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The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called on the Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, to speak up against the alleged killing of innocent people in Ogbaru and Nnewi South local government areas of the state by the Nigerian military.

 

SaharaReporters reported on Saturday how troops of the Nigerian Army killed dozens of innocent young men in some communities in the Ogbaru local government area last Tuesday and Wednesday.

It reported that bodies of young men who were shot in the foreheads, heart regions, stomach and back and even penis littered one of the community's playgrounds in Ogbaru after the military invasion. Another person who was seen sitting down and surrounded by soldiers was later shot in the head and neck by the soldiers.

 

Following the report, reactions have continued to trail the massacre. Some have described the incident as extrajudicial killing while some called it ethnic cleansing by the Nigerian military.

 

However, the separatist group in a statement in reaction to the killings, alleged that the ‘Fulani-controlled’ military was responsible for the killings. It, therefore, condemned the extrajudicial killings in the Biafra Land.

 

IPOB in the statement issued by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said that Governor Soludo's “silence” in the reported massacre showed that he is now competing with his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodinma, in using the military to kill his people.

 

While admitting that there are some pockets of petty criminals in the State as obtainable elsewhere in Nigeria, IPOB, however, said “it is not enough reason for the Nigerian military to randomly be slaughtering our people like chickens.”

 

The statement partly read, “The military started shooting innocent people sporadically on the road and some were gunned down in their homes in Ogbaru and Nnewi South.

 

“Soludo, are you aware of the military exercise? Is this kind of military depopulation of your people part of the deal you entered with the enemies of Ndigbo before being voted into office as Anambra governor last November?”

 

The group added that IPOB and its militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN) operatives were doing their best to stop those perpetrating criminalities in the region.

 

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A middle-aged man suspected to be a terrorist was arrested on Sunday at Arch-Angel Rapheal Catholic Church at Police Barracks, Garki, Abuja.

 

An eyewitness in a video seen by SaharaReporters said that commotion started in the church when the suspect who was in a turban and a police branded cap and faded military uniform suddenly drove into the church in a white Peugeot 406 car, claiming he was looking for his friend.

According to the eyewitness who did not mention her name in the video, when the worshippers raised an alarm and the young man was arrested, he claimed that he came from Abia State in the Southeast region of Nigeria but when he was asked the exact place he came from in the state, he could not say it.

 

He was eventually handed over to the police for further investigation.

 

The source said, “This is just happening now right here. A terrorist entered my church, Arch-Angel Rapheal Catholic Church, Garki, Abuja Police Barracks.

 

“He dressed up, turbanned his face, wore a police ‘face’ (baseball) cap and wore a dark shade. We started asking him to stop but he drove to where the men were having a meeting. We started shouting for people to come out and stop and they stopped him.

 

“He said that he was here to see somebody. So, they always have a pointer in the church. The guy came and said he (the suspect) was not his friend and that he doesn’t even know him from anywhere.”

 

According to the speaker, after much interrogation, he said he is from Abia State but when they asked him where in Abia, he could not say, rather, he said he was looking for one of his relations in the police barracks who was working with the Inspector General (IG). They had to call the FCT police spokesperson.

 

“I am videoing his car with drugs and everything. It is happening on July 3, 2022. It is like Catholic churches are their target. Please let us tighten our security belt. The boy is now in the police station in Garki here,” she said.

 

When contacted, the FCT Abuja Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Josephine Adeh, who confirmed the arrest of the suspect told SaharaReporters that no incriminating items were found on the young man yet, but further investigation was ongoing.

 

The police spokesperson said, “A middle-aged man was accosted by some of the worshippers after the mass, while the men’s fellowship was holding a meeting.

 

“The main object of suspicion was his dressing and the manner in which he drove in. Preliminary investigation however shows he had just returned to the country and had come into the barracks to seek an old friend whose address he cannot clearly remember.

 

“The church was not attacked, no arm or prohibited item was recovered in his possession except for a ‘face’ cap customized ‘Police’ which is neither an approved kit nor an accoutrement in the police dress order. He was also wearing a faded suspected US Army Fashion type camouflage trouser.

“Though fear and panic erupted due to recent happenings in some parts of the country, normalcy was immediately restored to the situation as the police were on the ground to swing into action.

“While the investigation continues, members of the public are urged to go about their lawful duties without fear or apprehension. Once again, we advise the good people of the Territory to eschew the habit of promulgating news blown out of proportion or outrightly fake in narration. We shall continue to ensure that the FCT remains safe and peaceful for all and sundry.”

There have been a series of attacks on Catholic churches and priests. For instance, on June 5, 2022, some terrorists attacked St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo where no fewer than 40 worshippers were killed.

Soon after, some gunmen also attacked St. Moses Catholic Church in Kaduna State.

 

Many Catholic Church priests have also been kidnapped with some killed while some including two kidnapped priests in Edo State are still in their abductors’ den.

 

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A chieftain of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima has ruled out the possibility of the party's presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso being the running mate of its Labour Party counterpart, Mr Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that Kwankwaso on Saturday claimed that while his NNPP is gaining momentum in the North, his Labour Party counterpart is only living on social media.

It reported that Kwankwaso had said that agreeing to be the running mate of Peter Obi would mean that his party, NNPP, a product of 32 years of political experience, which is gaining acceptance in the North, would die.

 

Amplifying Kwankwaso's earlier position, Galadima, a former member of the ruling All Progressives Congress and President Muhammadu Buhari's ally turned critic, claimed on Monday while featuring on Arise Television’s Morning Show that those calling for Kwankwaso to drop his presidential ambition to deputise Peter Obi are not politicians.

 

According to him, the Kwankwasian Movement has been in force for the past 32 years, while that of Peter Obi started just two months ago.

He, therefore, stressed that there is no way the NNPP candidate can become Peter Obi’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election.

 

He said, “Those who said Chief Peter Obi could not be Kwankwaso’s running mate are not politicians.

“They just started a movement two months ago while the Kwankwasian Movement has been on the ground for 32 years and the primary reason for the movement is for Kwankwaso to become President.

“No Nigerian has ever performed well while in office like Alhaji Kwankwaso. I understand that Peter Obi was the governor of Anambra State and he did his best but not like Kwankwaso.”

 

He claimed that in terms of educational qualifications, Kwankwaso is more qualified than any other presidential candidate of any political party.

 

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Hoodlums have attacked and burnt down the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.

 

The electoral commission has confirmed the arson attack in a statement on Monday signed by Festus Okoye, National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, and obtained by SaharaReporters.

The statement said the attack occurred on Sunday night.

It reads, “The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Enugu State, Mr Emeka Ononamadu reported that our Igboeze North Local Government Area office was set ablaze by unknown arsonists. The attack happened at 11.48 pm on Sunday 3rd July 2022.

“The arsonists overpowered the security guards, forced their way into the premises and set the building ablaze. Although no casualties were reported, 748 ballot boxes, 240 voting cubicles, office furniture and equipment were destroyed in spite of the best effort of the Enugu State Fire Service deployed from Nsukka.

“The Commission is working to ascertain the status of voter registration machines for the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise as well as uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) locked up in the fireproof cabinet.

“The incident has been reported to the Nigeria Police for investigation and further action.

“The attack coming in the middle of the voter registration exercise and other preparations for 2023 General Elections is worrisome. It will be recalled that on 23rd May 2021, our office in the neighbouring Igboeze South Local Government Area was attacked in a similar manner by unknown gunmen.

“This followed earlier attacks on Udenu Local Government Area office on 13th May 2021 and the State Headquarters in Enugu on 16th May 2021. The commission has since substantially recovered from these attacks and resumed normal activities there, including the CVR and collection of PVCs.

“The Commission will continue to work with the security agencies and emergency services to protest our facilities.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that one of the offices of INEC in the Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State was also recently razed.

Also in May 2021, it was reported that some unknown gunmen set ablaze the newly-completed INEC office located at Okwudor community in the Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.

 

According to Okoye, the arson attack took place around 11:30 am.

 

 

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The anti-cult operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have reportedly arrested and beaten to a pulp one Mr. Chekwube Nwodo for an undisclosed offence said to have been committed by his elder brother.

 

SaharaReporters gathered that the operatives on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, invaded Chekwube's house in the Enugu South Local Government Area of the state, in the dead of night. They broke his door to forcibly gain entrance before beating him till he almost became unconscious.

File Photo

The operatives, who didn't offer any explanation before the assault, had beaten the victim to a pulp before one of them thought to ask if he is the first son of the family. It turned out that they had beaten the wrong person.

After discovering they had attacked and beaten up an innocent person, they asked him to produce the suspect.

 

It was further gathered that when they couldn't find the brother (suspect), they asked the aged mother to bring N150,000 before they would leave him alone. When the Septegenarian couldn't raise the money, they took the son away.

 

When the mother visited the Anti-Cult Squad office at Premier Layout Enugu to see the son, the Officer-in-Charge, Keles Ekeleme allegedly demanded that she pay N5,000 before she could see him or give him food.

 

Meanwhile, a petition to the state police commissioner, Abubakar Lawal, by Kenneth Osogwu & Associates law firm which was signed by one Mr U.C Obetta, described the police action as unlawful, noting that under the nation's criminal jurisprudence, there is no vicarious liability in crime.

 

He called on the police commissioner to respect the human rights of their victim, arguing that "this is the height of injustice intentionally committed against our innocent client".

 

The petition is titled: "Petition To Address The Illegality Committed By Men Of Nigeria Police Force On The 28th Day Of June 2022 Against Mr. Chekwube Nwodo Herein After In This Petition Referred To As Our Client Following His Arrest And Detention At Anti-Cult Premier Layout Enugu In Substitution Of His Elder Brother For A Crime Allegedly Committed By His Said Elder Brother."                             

It partly reads, "That men of Nigeria Police Force Anti- Cult Premier layout Enugu invaded our client's house at No 7, Mbaeze st Gariki in Enugu South Local Government Area Enugu State on the 28th day of June 2022, broke his door, entered and forcefully arrested him after panel-beating him beyond recognition and detained him at the above-mentioned address and date first above written till date.          

"That at the point of arrest and when the men of Anti-Cult were beating our client, one of them asked if our client is the first son of Mr. Nwodo, our client's father, which the response was no.               

 

"That our client's response got the curiosity of the men of Anti-Cult satisfied that our client was not the person they intended to arrest but because they never wanted to go back empty-handed, our client was arrested in lieu of his brother.                                  

"That when our client's mother went to Anti-Cult Enugu to see and feed her son on the 29th day of June 2022, she was asked to pay the sum of N5,000 naira which she couldn't afford the said amount and she was denied feeding nor seeing her son.                     

"That I, Obetta Casmir U. Esq. on the 1st day of July 2022 visited Anti-Cult Premier layout Enugu, introduced myself and requested to have some words with our client and to demand his release from police custody but to my greatest surprise I was asked to go and produce the elder brother to our client before I can be allowed to see nor demand his release from police custody.

 

"With all due respect sir, this position is unknown to our law.                 

 

"We appeal that you use your good office to investigate the action of your men and to order the immediate release of our client from police custody since vicarious liability is not known to our criminal jurisprudence."                      

Obetta further disclosed that when he returned to the Anti-Cult office on July 2, 2022, that Officer-in-Charge personally told him that unless their client's elder brother comes to his office, their client can't be released."

 

 

 

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A man, whose name is yet to be known, has reportedly set his house ablaze while his family were inside, over a misunderstanding with his wife in Kwara State.

The spokesman for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters on Monday.

He said the man who is a resident of Lekki Phase 1, Eyenkorin Area of Ilorin, Kwara State, set his house on fire while his children were still inside.

Adekunle said the state fire service rushed to the scene to put out the fire and save the children who were inside the burning house immediately after they received the report from a man, simply identified as Kola.

"The children and the wife are okay. We were able to save them," he told SaharaReporters

He continued: “What we learnt was that the man and his wife had a misunderstanding about two years ago before he moved to another house, leaving the wife and children behind.

“All attempts to settle the matter by residents fell on deaf ears and the move to also convince him to allow the wife and children to live there since he has another house also failed.

“According to the report, the man suddenly appeared on Sunday and sprayed the three-bedroom flat with petrol before setting it ablaze with the children inside, claiming his wife was frustrating him.”

He, however, said the man's identity was not known yet as he was still unconscious at the time of filing this report.

 

 

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