Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have intercepted 22 blocks of heroin weighing 23.55 kg concealed in packs of Nestle Cerelac baby food at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.

 

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

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 30th June at a logistics warehouse in Ajao Estate, Ikeja. Chike who hails from Anaocha LGA, Anambra state claims during a preliminary interview that he’s also into fish farming.

 

Before the arrest of Chike, NDLEA officers at the airport had on Monday 27th June arrested a former driver with a public transport company, BRT, Muyiwa Babalola Bolujoko for ingesting 90 pellets of cocaine. He was arrested at the screening point before boarding a Qatar Airways flight en route from Doha to Sharjah, with his trip expected to terminate in Dubai, UAE.

 

The 39-year-old from Ijebu South LGA, Ogun State, was placed under excretion observation after body scan results confirmed drug ingestion. 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.

 

Operatives also on Thursday 30th June intercepted an inbound consignment of khat leaves, which arrived at the NAHCO import shed of the Lagos airport on a Royal Air Maroc flight from the Middle East. A total of 71 cartons of dried khat leaves with a gross weight of 2,434.3 kg were discovered in the cargo.

 

In the same vein, anti-narcotic officers of the Agency also last Thursday seized 36 parcels of Colorado, a variant of cannabis with a total weight of 19.30kg which arrived at the NAHCO import shed from Los Angeles, US on a Delta Airlines flight.

 

After a series of follow-up operations in which four persons were arrested, the actual owner of the drug consignment, Abibu Afis Sola was eventually nabbed on Friday 1st July in the Gbagada area of Lagos.

Meanwhile, in Rivers state, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 29th June arrested a 68-year-old woman, Mrs. Celina Ekeke at Obunku community, Oyigbo LGA with 231.2kg cannabis, while one Shedrack Eze, was arrested the following day Thursday 30th June at Yankarfe, Zaria, Kaduna state with 250,000 tablets of Exol 5, weighing 75kg. 

 

In Borno state, Usman Haruna, 27, was arrested at BCG checkpoint in Biu on Saturday 2nd July with 19.7kg cannabis.

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Four vehicles were on Sunday crushed by a heavy truck along Abuja-Nyanya Keffi Expressway's Karu Bridge.

It was gathered that the multiple accidents happened at about 9:30 am and was caused by heavy traffic congestion on the road.

The Federal Capital Territory Sector Commander, FRSC, Mr. Samuel Ogar Ochibwhile confirmed the incident but said no one died in the accident.

He said, "Those that sustained injuries were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

"The Unit Commander of FRSC and some of our personnel were at the scene of the crash. Actually, our truck is on the way to remove the wrecked on the road but nobody died. 

"They will clear the road, they have diverted traffic from the main road to parking lane. FRSC Ambulance has evacuated the injured persons to Asokoro General Hospital, Abuja for treatment."

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Gunmen in military and police uniforms have reportedly kidnapped six residents of Mgbuji- Eha-Amufu community in the Isi-Uzo council area of Enugu State.

 

Eha-Amufu communities especially Mgbuji, Agu-Amede and Ebor have been facing attacks by suspected Fulani militias reportedly imported from Niger and Chad in November 2021.

SaharaReporters had reported that over 20 residents of the Eha-Amufu were kidnapped by terrorists and over 20 others killed between December and June 2022.

 

It reported that 14 farm settlements in Mgbuji community with over 3,000 inhabitants were sacked recently and hundreds of houses and properties were destroyed by armed men believed to be herdsmen.

 

Community sources told SaharaReporters on Sunday that the latest kidnapping incident happened on Saturday evening.

 

This comes two weeks and three days after the state police commissioner, Abubakar Lawal, alongside all other heads of security agencies in Enugu visited the troubled community and promised them adequate security.

 

The spokesman for Mgbuji community, Chijioke Ogbodo, who confirmed the abduction of six persons on Sunday, told SaharaReporters that all the abductors were in military and police uniforms. He said they wore uniforms to trick the people since their former methods of kidnapping people were no longer working. 

 

Ogbodo, while lamenting the constant killing and abduction of his people, disclosed that two people were first kidnapped on Thursday while three others miraculously escaped. 

"On Saturday evening they returned in military and police uniforms and kidnapped four other persons," he said. 

 

He said, "Three of our people who escaped the attack on Thursday, told us that the Fulani kidnappers wore military and police uniforms all through. We have reported to the police and all the authorities concerned, yet we have not seen any help coming. Our people have been contributing money to pay ransom to rescue those that were not killed. 

 

"Our community is under siege of foreign Fulani militia. They sacked us from farms and settlements and now we cannot move freely on the road. Garrison commander, police commissioner, state director of Department of State Services (DSS) and other senior security chiefs were here in our community on June 17, 2022. 

 

"They promised us heaven and earth, and how they are going to flush out these criminals. As we speak we haven't seen a single security agent or the security equipment they said they were bringing to track down the hoodlums. Our local security guards don't have guns and sophisticated weapons to match the bandits. They always come with military grade of weapons like submachine guns, AK-49 rifles among others," he lamented.

 

Ogbodo, however, appealed to the state government to provide them with sophisticated weapons to match the arms used by the terrorists if security agencies cannot protect them.

 

"We cannot defend our community and ourselves with bare hands," he said. 

 

The Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Daniel Ndukwe, did not answer when SaharaReporters called his mobile line to seek clarification on the latest incident. 

 

He also didn't respond to a text message sent to him. 

 

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General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye says he never asked Christians to buy guns for self-defence.

According to the cleric, Christians can acquire less dangerous weapons for self-defence when they come under attack.

Adeboye, who spoke in a sermon on Sunday, was responding to reactions that trailed an earlier message in which he asked Christians to defend themselves against frequent attacks on churches in Nigeria.

At the July Holy Ghost Service, on July 2, he urged members of the church not to be afraid to attend church programmes because of the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on a church in Owo, Ondo State. See Also Christianity From Now On, It’s Fire For Fire – Redeemed Church Overseer, Pastor Adeboye Asks Nigerian Christians To Defend Themselves Against Attackers 0 Comments 1 Week Ago

Some terrorists attacked Saint Francis Catholic Church, Owo, on June 5, killing about 40 worshippers and injuring many others.

Adeboye urged Christians to rise to the occasion and call the bluff of the devil.

But in his latest sermon on Sunday, the pastor said he did not ask Christians to buy guns.

According to NAN, Adeboye noted that they don’t require permission to get the jawbone of a cow.

“Don’t buy guns. You don’t want to kill anybody. We just must make sure that unwanted visitors don’t come to our churches, so don’t go and buy guns,’’ he said. 

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Three police officers have been shot dead in the US state of Kentucky while trying to serve a warrant on a man accused of domestic violence, BBC reports.
 
Police took the 49-year-old suspect into custody after the shooting.

Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt said the officers had faced "pure hell" when they arrived at the man's home.
 
Four other people were injured at the scene in Allen, a small town in a mountainous part of eastern Kentucky with a population of just 166.
 
The officers who died in the shooting late on Thursday have been named as Capt Ralph Frasure, Deputy William Petry and dog handler Jacob Chaffins.
 
K9 Drago, one of the dogs that Mr Chaffins handled, also died.
 
Capt Frasure had been with the Prestonsburg, Kentucky, Police Department for 39 years.
 
The department said he had served "with honor and glory up until the last second".
 
The men ran into a barrage of gunfire from a rifle when they went to the house on Main Street shortly before 19:00 local time (midnight GMT).
 
The shooting continued for nearly three hours before suspect Lance Storz was taken into custody, having surrendered after negotiations involving members of his family.
 
He has been charged with two counts of murdering a police officer, five counts of attempted murder of a police officer, one count of attempted murder and one count of first-degree assault on a service animal.
 
"This is a tough morning for our commonwealth," Kentucky state governor Andy Beshear said in a social media post.
 
"Floyd County and our brave first responders suffered a tragic loss last night."
 
Kentucky State Police troopers are leading an investigation into the shooting.
 

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A group under the umbrella of Southern Kaduna New Faces has demanded 65 percent inclusion in the campaign organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Isa Ashiru, to promote equity and fairness.

The group made the demand in a seven-point communiqué issued at the weekend shortly after a crucial meeting of the group over the emergence of Isa Ashiru and Dr. John Markus Ayuba as the PDP governorship candidate and running mate respectively in the forthcoming governorship election in Kaduna State, among other related matters.

The communiqué which was jointly signed by the group's chairman and secretary, Tanko Rossi Sabo and Barnabas Musa Chawai respectively also issued a two-week ultimatum to the PDP governorship candidate and his running mate, the state working committee of the PDP and other party leaders in the state to implement their demands, failure of which would force them to reconvene and redefine their political future.

The communiqué explained that the Southern Kaduna New Faces is a coalition of concerned southern Kaduna youths with a shared vision of promoting and actualising the political, social, and economic interests of youths across the state.

The group observed with dismay the process that led to the emergence of Dr. Ayuba for the deputy governorship role but noted that they have to accept the decision with pain because they do not have anything against his person.

The meeting also demanded a revisit of the 2003 substantive power-sharing document signed between the northern and southern leaders of the party as the only condition for the party to get the southern Kaduna people’s bloc votes for the governorship election in 2023.

They, however, pledged their loyalty and commitment to helping the PDP win the 2023 election.

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Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has described southeastern Nigerians as good businesspeople but poor in politics.
The former Kano governor also said the people of the South-East are well talented but need to learn politics, adding that “in politics, they are at the bottom line”.

Kwankwaso stated this in Gombe State during a visit to Gombe State to inaugurate the state office of NNPP and meet with elected members of the party on Saturday.
There has been pressure on the NNPP and the Labour Party to work together to produce a presidential candidate between them for the 2023 presidential election. Kwankwaso and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party have admitted that the parties have held talks, but the bone of contention is that the two candidates want to be the presidential candidate in the arrangement.
On the choice of his running mate, Kwankwaso said “we have options in the NNPP in the South to pick a good vice president and one of them is the Labour Party man you are talking about.”
He noted that his party had been in talks with the Labour Party for a possible merger but that the decision on who would emerge as the presidential candidate between him and Obi had hindered the progress of the talks.
“From the discussion with Labour Party, the main issue was who becomes the president if the parties merge.
 
“At the end of the day, some of our representatives thought that there should be criteria in terms of age, qualification, offices held, performance and so on.
 
“Of course, the other side wouldn’t want that. Most of the people from there believe that presidency has to go there (South-East).
 
“If now I decide to be vice presidential candidate to anybody in this country; NNPP will collapse because the party is based on what we have built in the last 30 years.
 
“I served for 17 years as a civil servant; we are talking of 47 years of very serious hard work that is what is rarely holding NNPP now,” he said.
Kwankwaso said the South-East had lost out on the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but had a chance with the NNPP, PM News reports.
According to him, some people are saying “even if my friend (Peter Obi) wants to accept vice presidential candidate, some people in the South East will not accept”. He described that as “not strategic.”
He said Bola Tinubu, who emerged as the presidential candidate of the APC in 2015 supported the party to produce a northerner as the President and “today he is the presidential candidate of the APC.”
According to Kwankwaso, the best option left for the South-East is to partner with NNPP, describing it as “a golden opportunity”.
“If they lose it, it will be a disaster,” he added.
On the chances of the NNPP in the 2023 elections, Kwankwaso said his party had the structure, organisation and population across the country to contest and win elections.
 

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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently recover "missing N105.7bn of public funds from ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs)". 

SERAP said when recovered, the money should be used to "fund the country’s public tertiary institutions, improve the welfare of staff members, and ensure that the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) return to class without further delay”. 

The group said, “Pending the recovery of the missing public funds, we urge you to redirect some of the presidency’s budget of N3.6 billion on feeding and travels, and the N134 billion allocated to the National Assembly in the 2022 budget to meet the demands by ASUU.”

SERAP also urged Buhari to “send to the National Assembly a fresh supplementary appropriation bill, which reflects the proposed redirected budget, for its approval".

In the letter dated July 2, 2022, and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Meeting the demands by ASUU would confront the persistent and widening inequality in educational opportunity, and promote equal protection for poor Nigerian children.”

 “The apparent failure by your government to agree with the reasonable demands by ASUU, implement the good faith agreement with the union and to satisfactorily resolve the issues has kept poor Nigerian children at home while the children of the country’s politicians attend private schools,” it said. 

The University lecturers' union, ASUU had accused the government of poor commitment to the payment of academic earned allowance (EAA); poor funding, the continued use of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System and refusal to adopt the Universities Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), among others.

According to SERAP, “Meeting ASUU's demands would also ensure protection against the harms of discrimination and educational deprivation.”

The letter read in part: “The poor treatment of Nigerian children in the country’s public tertiary institutions is inconsistent and incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s international human rights obligations.

 

“Widening inequalities in the area of education bear all the more dramatic consequences given the importance of education, as an empowering right, in giving the possibility to all to explore and realise their potential.

 

 

“Inequalities in education have a rolling effect, leading to even more and continued inequalities in the future.

 

“Apart from being a right in itself, the right to education is also an enabling right. Education creates the ‘voice’ through which rights can be claimed and protected, and without education, people lack the capacity to achieve valuable functioning as part of the living."

It added, “We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.

“Recovering the missing N105.7bn of public funds and redirecting the funds, as well as some parts of the presidency and National Assembly budgets to meet the demands by ASUU would end the protracted negotiations between ASUU and the Federal Government and improve access of poor children to education.

“Recovering the missing N105.7bn of public funds and redirecting the funds, as well as some parts of the presidency and National Assembly budgets to meet the demands by ASUU would also be in the public interest.

“The proposed spending of taxpayers’ and public funds would also be consistent with constitutional responsibilities and oath of office by public officers, as well as comply with Chapter 2 of the Nigerian Constitution relating to fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy.

“Recovering the missing N105.7bn of public funds and redirecting the funds, as well as some parts of the presidency and National Assembly would be entirely consistent with your constitutional oath of office, and with the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution, as it would promote equal opportunities for poor children who rely on public schools and have no opportunity for university education elsewhere.

“SERAP is concerned that Nigeria’s public tertiary institutions have continued to experience a steady decline. The quality of public education offered is low and standards have continued to drop. The learning environment does not promote effective learning.

“Public school facilities are in a state of extreme disrepair, requiring major rehabilitation. Basic teaching and learning resources are generally not available, leaving many lecturers and other staff members profoundly demoralized.”

SERAP said the government's failure to "end the ASUU strike has hugely contributed to denying poor Nigerian children access to quality education, opportunities and development. The enjoyment of the right to education for millions of poor children remains a distant goal". 

It continued, “The failure to meet the reasonable demands by ASUU cannot be justified especially given the failure and/or refusal by the Federal Government to recover trillions of Naira reportedly missing in ministries, departments and agencies, and the huge funds allocated to the presidency and the National Assembly in the 2022 budget.

“According to our information, N105.7bn of public funds are missing, as documented by the Auditor-General of the Federation in his annual audited report for 2018. Also, while the presidency has budgeted N3.6 billion for feeding and travels, N134 billion has been allocated to the National Assembly in the 2022 budget.

“Furthermore, ASUU and other university workers’ unions have been on strike for several months. The unions’ demands, among other things, include better funding for the nation’s public tertiary institutions and improved welfare for their members.

“While your government has reportedly released N34 billion for the payment of minimum wage consequential adjustments from 2019, ASUU has maintained that until its core demands are met, it will not suspend the strike. 

“In protest of the continuous use of IPPIS and refusal by the Federal Government to implement the renegotiated 2009 agreement that was completed in May 2021, ASUU resumed nationwide strike on February 14.”

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File photo used to illustrate story

Fighters of the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād have opened fire on a military helicopter belonging to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

MNJTF is a combined multinational military formation from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.

File photo used to illustrate story

It is headquartered in N'Djamena and is mandated to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency.

The force is structured in four national sectors: Sector 1 (Cameroon) headquartered at Mora; Sector 2 (Chad) headquartered at Baga-Sola; Sector 3 (Nigeria) based in Baga; and Sector 4 (Niger), based in the town of Diffa.

The militants were said to have used “sophisticated anti-aircraft rifles and GPMG” during the attack on the helicopter last Thursday.

The pilot and the co-pilot who were the only ones onboard however landed the aircraft successfully and were unhurt.

Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, have been ferocious in its insurgency.

The Nigerian Army has repeatedly claimed that the insurgency has been largely defeated and it frequently underplays any losses.

Nigeria's conflict with Islamist insurgencies had killed nearly 350,000 people as of the end of 2020, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said in 2021.

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Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has explained why he cannot be a running mate to Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) or any other person.

NNPP and LP are currently discussing a possible coalition ahead of the 2023 presidential election in a bid to defeat the two major political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). 

While Kwankwaso’s candidacy is currently gaining momentum in the northern part of the country, Obi is gaining popularity among the youths.

Speaking while inaugurating the Gombe State office of NNPP on Saturday, the former Kano Governor said his political profile built over the years and his wealth of experience having served in various capacities in the country have helped in bringing NNPP to the limelight within a short time.

He stated that with the fame the party had achieved within the short time, anything short of his presidency under the party would mean its collapse.

“From the discussion with Labour Party, the main issue was who becomes the president if the parties merge.

“At the end of the day, some of our representatives thought that there should be criteria in terms of age, qualification, offices held, performance and so on.

“Of course, the other side wouldn’t want that. Most of the people from there believe that presidency has to go there (South-East)

“If now I decide to be vice presidential candidate to anybody in this country; NNPP will collapse because the party is based on what we have built in the last 30 years

“I served for 17 years as a civil servant; we are talking of 47 years of very serious hard work, that is what is really holding NNPP now,” he said. 

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Israel Adesanya has defeated Jarred Cannonier to retain the UFC middleweight championship.

Adesanya fought against middleweight contender Cannonier at UFC 276 at the T-mobile Arena, Las Vegas Sunday morning.

He defeated his opponent via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) to retain the UFC middleweight championship.

Adesanya controlled the fight in four out of five rounds.

Cannonier did his best but he simply wasn’t on the same level as Izzy. It was therefore an unanimous decision for ‘The last Stylebender’.

The Nigerian-born New Zealander's only loss was during his unsuccessful step up to light heavyweight, losing to then-champion Jan Blachowicz.

On Sunday, he successfully defended his middleweight title for the fifth time.

While Adesanya defeated Robert Whittaker in February for the second time to retain his middleweight strap, Cannonier knocked out Derek Brunson in the second round in February to become the weight’s No.1 contender. 

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The Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) party, Omoyele Sowore, has scolded a former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, for riding a commercial tricycle, popularly called Keke NAPEP in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Sowore, a human rights activist in a Facebook post, said the action of the former President wasn’t a sign of simplicity but a tale of depravity occasioned by the wickedness he unleashed on the people during his tenure.

Obasanjo was in charge of the Nigerian government between 1999 and 2007 – the foundational years of the economic recession, corruption and instability which the country is still grappling with.

The former president had on Saturday turned himself into a commercial tricycle rider, picking and dropping passengers across parts of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. See Also Sahara Reporters Former Nigerian President, Obasanjo Rides Commercial Tricycle In Ogun, Picks Passengers 0 Comments 6 Days Ago

He had in June donated tricycles to 85 persons as part of an empowerment programme in honour of his 85th birthday.

Obasanjo clocked 85 on March 5, 2022.

Reacting, Sowore said, “Former President Olusegun Obasanjo riding “Keke NAPEP” in Abeokuta is not a sign of simplicity, it is the tale of depravity occasioned by the wickedness he unleashed on the people during his tenure and subsequently after as he kept “choosing” leaders for Nigerians.

“Nigeria should not be celebrating keke napep in 2022. We should be in full mass transit mode with intercity and intra-city urban mass transit trains-clean energy powered and affordable. #WeCantContinueLikeThis.”

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A former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Saturday drove a commercial tricycle, popularly called Keke, picking and dropping passengers across parts of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Obasanjo had, in June, donated tricycles to 85 persons as part of an empowerment programme for his 85th birthday.

The former president clocked 85 on March 5, 2022.

Obasanjo, who was president in Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, and reportedly laid the foundation for the economic recession and crisis the country plunged into, drove one of the tricycles on Saturday, catching the attention of residents and motorists.

The elder statesman, who offered rides to citizens, moved through Moshood Abiola, NNPC Mega Station, Kuto Market, among others.

The activity was part of OBJ @ 85 Free Keke Programme of the Youth Development Centre of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL).

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At least 77 children have been rescued by police officers from the basement of a church in Valentino area of Ondo town, Ondo State.

SaharaReporters gathered that the victims include 25 children and 52 adults making a total of 77 people.

Speaking while being paraded at the police headquarters, along Igbatoro Akure, the Ondo State capital on Saturday, the Pastor in charge of the church, David Anifowose, said he received the instruction from God that they should camp in the church until his second coming.

“I was the one that received the instruction from God that the people can stay in the church and wait for his second coming. And my members were waiting for the second coming of Jesus when the policemen invaded the church and arrested us.”

One of the church members, Olasunkami Olafisoye, a 24 years old university graduate, said she disobeyed her parents because they were leading her away from God.

Olafisoye said, “My parents are not attending the church again. When we left our former church, they usually stayed at home and before then, I am not comfortable with the Bible teaching of the church.

“I later joined this church because my parent is leading me away from God and I want to make heaven. I love the way the church followed Jesus and the way they hold on to Christ.”

This is coming few days after the Department of State Security (DSS) raided a house located at JMDB quarters, in the Tudun Wada community of Jos North LGA of Plateau State and rescued 21 young people, including almajirai.

The victims alleged that they were forcefully brought to the house and converted to Christians.

In April, the Ekiti police command also invited Nuah Abraham, the pastor of Christ High Commission Ministry, Kaduna State, for questioning over allegations of asking church members to pay N310,000 to prepare them for “rapture.”

According to the police, Abraham had asked his church members to relocate from Kaduna to a camp in Araromi-Ugbesi in Omuo-Oke, Ekiti State.

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General Yakubu Gowon(Rtd)

General Olusegun Obasanjo(Rtd)

General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida(Rtd) [My Principal.]

General Abdusalam Abubakar(Rtd)

Lt. General T.Y. Danjuma(Rtd). 

 

Dear Nigerian Elders,

 

Good Morning this morning Sirs, as most, if not all of you are Generals. 

 

I must start out by saying it is with utmost sense of patriotic duty I write you all. It is not for self adulation or clout chasing. 

 

I have never hidden my affiliation and loyalty to you elders as I am pro-establishment and will forever be one. 

 

I will not also deny the fact that I have access to some of you if I saw the need to pass this message across to the establishment, I chose this route so that posterity will be kind on you all.

 

Sirs, before I go further with the issue of discourse which is the reason for this open correspondence, let me start by expressing my sincere condolences to you all over the transition to the great beyond one of your elders; Lt. General Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi (Rtd) CFR GCON who died on December 4 2021. My prayers is may almighty Allah grant you all and his family the strength to bear the loss and may Allah in His infinite mercy grant him al-janaat firdaus. Amin.

 

Your Excellencies, another dispensation is upon us and the choice we make collectively as a nation will, in great measure determine the fate of the sovereign integrity of Nigeria beyond 2023. 

 

Sirs, it is expected that your homes will play host to most, if not all of the aspirants jostling for the top position in the country, in a bid to seek not only your blessings, but also your support and endorsement which guarantees them victory. This is not to say the voice and votes of the masses do not count, it is believed that as people of enormous influence, your words are laws which will sway things and events to take a particular course without any disregard to the sovereignty of Allah/God in the affairs of men. 

 

Your Excellencies, many Nigerians based on the information available to them have always blamed you all for the poor state of the nation citing your roles as heads of government at various times in the course of our history. I believe this dispensation present a unique opportunity to you all to let Nigerians know that all decisions you took till date are in the best interests of the country. 

 

Dear Elders, we were faced with a situation like this in the build up to 2015 and you all spoke in unionism as you felt there was an urgent need to pull this country back from precipice. 

 

Like every human being, and like most patriotic Nigerians did, we imagined we were taking the right decision best for the country, as it was the best based on the circumstances at that time. 

 

As we speak, Nigerians are more divided than ever, the integrity of our nation's sovereignty is been questioned at will, our Armed Forces which you all served in is no longer a pride of the nation, but now a compromised force at the mercy of insurgents. 

Our national economy is in tatters, the economic outlook is not good to look at, Nigeria is in a state of chaos. Need I say corruption is so much, and bankruptcy looms. 

 

As one who is never ashamed of his belief and association with you, and who is also very proud to be called "your boy", I come to you with a passionate plea to please put into consideration the destinies of almost 200m Nigerians like you have always done when deciding on the way forward for us in 2023. 

 

Sirs, without any intention of sounding like I am issuing you a direct order, You are duty bound to take a patriotic stance which will pull us out of doldrums and set us on a recovery path as a nation. Your choice must also bring about national cohesion and further help us rediscover our peaceful coexistence.

 

Your Excellencies, we need a Commander-in-Chief for all.

 

 We need a President with a sense of duty and not one with an innate sense of self entitlement.

 

We need a President who will see that the economic recovery and growth work for all Nigerians and not a selected few. 

 

We need a President who will be kind to all Nigerians irrespective of tribe and religion which will make Nigerians reward him with another mandate, not one who is kind to few and feel he should be rewarded with Presidency

 

Sirs, we need a choice who will recognise our diversity and accommodate our differences, and not one which will further cause a chasm among Nigerians. 

 

We need a Presidency which will serve all Nigerians.

 

We need a Presidency which will give us the Nigeria of our dreams and a nation to be proud of. 

 

We need a choice who will further amplify your desires for a great and united Nigeria.

 

 

Semper Fi Generals.

Long Live the Generals...

Long Live the elders of Nigeria. 

 

While I await my orders, I remain forever loyal.

 

Deyemi Saka

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Residents across the United Arab Emirates on Saturday reported strong tremors for a second time after a string of earthquakes hit southern Iran some hours earlier.

It was learnt that the intensity of the tremors forced several residents to gather in open areas near their homes.

Other residents reported being woken out of their sleep by the tremors or witnessing their furniture shake, according to UAE-based newspaper, Khaleej Times.

According to the directory of expatriates in the UAE by Wikipedia, the country is home to between 20,000 to 50,000 Nigerians, particularly, Nigerian political leaders and elites have often been accused of stealing government funds to buy properties in the Emirates.

The residents, including Nigerians, from various parts of the UAE felt the tremors early morning on Saturday following an earthquake measuring 6.3 in Ritcher scale in Iran.

It was learnt that there is presently panic among Nigerians who own humongous properties in the UAE over the natural disaster.

SaharaReporters had in the recent past done reports about the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai (retd.), the Nigerian First Lady, Aisha Buhari, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, among others who frequent Dubai and own choice properties in the UAE. 

The Social media is currently abuzz with people reporting how they felt tremors following the earthquake.

According to the UAE National Centre for Meteorology (NCM), the earthquake was recorded in southern Iran at 1.32am at a depth of 10km.

The NCM also confirmed that the tremors were felt in the UAE but without any effects.

Many residents took to Twitter to share videos of the impact on ceiling lights and other things after the tremors.

At least five people were killed and 49 injured by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake in southern Iran, the state media also reported, with the area also hit soon after by two strong quakes of up to 6.3 magnitude.

Some 24 tremors, two with a magnitude of 6.3 and 6.1, followed the 2am local time quake that flattened the village of Sayeh Khosh near Iran's Gulf coast in Hormozgan province.

The most recent tremor occurred around 8 am, officials told state TV.

"All of the victims died in the first earthquake and no-one was harmed in the next two severe quakes as people were already outside their homes," said Foad Moradzadeh, governor of Bandar Lengeh country, quoted by the state news agency IRNA.

Emergency services spokesperson Mojtaba Khaledi told state TV that half of the 49 people injured had been discharged from hospitals.

Saeid Pourzadeh of the Kish island crisis task force said Gulf shipping and flights had not been affected by the quakes.

State TV said 150 quakes and tremors had struck western Hormozgan over the past month.

Major geological fault lines crisscross Iran, which has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 quake in Kerman province killed 31,000 people and flattened the ancient city of Bam.

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Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has said political leaders whose parties make false electoral promises are fraudsters that deserve to be prosecuted in accordance with Section 419 of the Criminal Code.

Falana disclosed this at the 40th anniversary of the state-owned Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.

He called on the media not to renege in its duty of continuously exposing political parties in power, at any level, that make false electoral promises.

“The leaders of parties (that make false electoral promises) are no different from fraudsters, who obtain money under false pretenses, which is a crime under Section 419 of the Criminal Code,” Falana, represented by Dr Tayo Omitola, said.

“The media should campaign against political parties which violate their own constitutions. People, who violate the party constitutions they freely give to themselves, will not hesitate to rape the country’s Constitution and the Electoral Act.”

He added that apart from exposing criminally-minded politicians, the media should also mount pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to prosecute them in line with Section 145 of the Electoral Act.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria also maintained that the media should be fully involved in campaigning against the implementation of neo-liberal economic policies by the governments at the instance of imperialism.

 

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Omoyele Sowore

The Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has said his administration will seek to tackle the insecurity ravaging the country by employing short, medium and long term measures to bring peace.

Sowore stated that among the measures would be to “equip ourselves with modern technology that doesn’t require the troops to be on ground.”

Omoyele Sowore BBC

The AAC candidate, in an interview on Kaftan TV, queried why there were not drones flying on the crisis ridden areas of this country, adding that the police should also be paid and well-motivated.

Sowore said, “You can’t tackle insecurity without first knowing the cause, in tackling insecurity in Nigeria, you must have a short term goal, a middle term goal and a long term goal. The short term goal is to motivate, train and acquire equipment for security services. Let them share intelligence.

“The medium term is to start looking at how to equip ourselves with modern technology that doesn’t require the troops to be on ground, I don’t know why we don’t have drones flying all about the crisis ridden areas of this country. We make sure police are well paid and motivated. I can’t imagine people being kidnapped in Abuja and be driven to Delta or Abia State and nobody stops them on the way.

“The long term is to solve the economic and social problems that are causes of poverty and inequality that drive people into crime. We have a constitution that addresses the similarities and dissimilarities. Some of our insecurity issues are natural; we need to first of all solve the problem of inequality, hunger, salvation, unemployment and injustice.”

Sowore also lambasted the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for saying Sowore might not see more than 300,000 votes.

El-Rufai had said this recently in a Channels TV interview.

Reacting, the AAC candidate said, “El-Rufai is a clown, he always mocks everybody. When Buhari didn’t win election, he mocked him, now he is the first person to be on his knees anytime he sees Buhari.

“I’m completely happy that the political situation is controlled by some level of political consciousness. That more young people are pushing and saying they would be involved this time around.”

The activist also debunked a claim by an activist, Oluwatosin Adeniji, that he pocketed a grant meant for her.

Adeniji, a former associate of Sowore and a member of the #RevolutionNow movement had alleged that while she was in police custody in 2020, the activist applied for the grant in her name, without her knowledge.

Sowore said, “If you don’t want people to lie or say things about you, don’t live a public life, even in private life, you can get into trouble. It’s a complete lie, it didn’t happen, this was a young lady who was helping me through my detention and will completely be grateful to her where ever she is.

“She felt unhappy and decided that the way to go about it was to just make up a story. While in detention, she do bring food to me on daily basis, so if she made a mistake, I don’t think it’s enough to cancel her. That’s why I responded online the way I did.

“First, you can’t get a grant in another person’s name, if it’s that easy, people will be collecting grant up and down. Secondly, there is no grant, such didn’t happen, I made it clear to her, even people who give out grants don’t just keep quiet, they are foundations and also accountable to the people who put the money out there.

“It’s nothing new to me, when I was contesting in 2019, one lady came out to say I collect pictures and videos of kids being raped from her and I sold it to the Lagos State Government. When she couldn’t sustain it, she moved on. I think it was this year, she came out publicly to say she was working for Tinubu. That’s politics.”

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Students from the 19 Northern states of Nigeria have staged a protest in Jalingo, Taraba State, over the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Under the auspices of the Coalition of Northern Groups’ Students, the undergraduates blocked they ever-busy Jalingo Expressway, a situation that caused gridlock for motorists.

The said the protest became necessary because they were tired of staying at home.

Speaking to journalists, the National Secretary-General of the Coalition, Emuseh Gimba, accused the Nigerian government of failing to meet the demands of the striking lecturers.

Gimba bemoaned the high spate of kidnapping and banditry activities in the region, accusing the government of making life miserable for students by compounding their woes with the lingering ASUU strike.

“The Federal Government has refused to listen to ASUU or even consider their plea. This is something we are supposed to be responsible for,” she said.

“These same people in government have once been students. These people have enjoyed free education in the past. They are the same people that call themselves our parents. If they will not listen to the plea of our lecturers, why won’t they listen to the plea of the Nigerian students?

“Why won’t they consider the fact that they enjoyed free education and the students in this time are not enjoying free education they enjoyed?”

ASUU had embarked on a four-week warning strike on February 14 to press home its demands, with the prominent ones being the renegotiation of the ASUU/FG 2009 agreement and the sustainability of the university autonomy by deploying UTAS to replace the government-imposed IPPIS.

Other demands include the release of the reports of visitation panels to federal universities, distortions in salary payment challenges, funding for revitalisation of public universities, earned academic allowance, poor funding of state universities and promotion arrears.

On March 14, the association extended the strike action by another two months to afford the government more time to address all of its demands.

The union in a statement by its President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke on May 9 said it would be extending the ongoing strike by another 12 weeks.

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The Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Andriy Yetmak, has said that Nigeria and other African countries face an imminent food crisis due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Yermak in an interview with Legit said the war was mostly affecting African countries.

He said the rise in food and energy prices translates to higher prices for all goods.

Yermak said, “The rise in food and energy prices translates to higher prices for all goods. This aspect directly touches the interests of the majority of the inhabitants of the African continent. You are well aware that a critical rise in prices is very likely to be followed by political instability, unrest, and even war.”

When asked how the war would affect the Nigerian economy and Africa, Yerma stated that the effect had already begun.

He further gave instances of how the shortage of wheat supply had caused a sharp increase in the prices of bread in Nigeria and other African countries.

The presidential aide said, “Today, more than 90 million tons of grain are amassed in our storage facilities. Until recently, Ukraine was exporting over 50million tons of grain annually to different regions of the world. Over a quarter of this volume went to African countries.

“For example, Egypt heavily depends on food supplies from Ukraine and is the second buyer of Ukrainian grain after China.

“Ukraine, traditionally, has also been making large food deliveries to other countries of Africa, from Libya, Tunisia, and Morocco to Tanzania. Some of those grain deliveries from Ukraine have also been accepted by Cameroon, Uganda, Sudan, and a number of other countries.

“Even Nigeria, which in 2020 became the fourth largest wheat importer in the world, received part of this volume from Ukraine.”

Already, the war has affected the prices of staple foods, particularly, bread, in the country.

Russia and Ukraine are among the top five global suppliers of wheat, barley and maize.

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