No fewer than eight people have been reportedly killed and two others injured by gunmen in Cinke and Zarama villages of Kwall district, Irigwe chiefdom, Bassa local government area of Plateau State.
It was learnt that the armed men attacked the communities on Thursday night.

Confirming the incident, the Publicity Secretary, Irigwe Development Association, IDA, Davidson Malison, said, “Residents of Cinke and Zarama villages of Kwall District woke up on the left-hand side of the bed following the unprovoked attacks launched by Fulani militia on Thursday, May 5, 2022, resulting in the killing of eight persons and injuring of two persons.
“The attack is no doubt the continuous perpetration of terror and mayhem in Rigwe land in an attempt to forcefully eject the peace-loving Rigwe people from their ancestral land as well as the complete annihilation of the entire tribe.
“The attack has become a daily affair as the marauders have assumed an immune set of people and are feeling untouchable daring the authorities concerned. This spate of wanton killings and destructions of lives and property, stealing of valuable items of the Rigwe people have passed a condemnable level and require a drastic decision and action that will call and treat the attackers in the language they comprehend to place them in their cocoons.
“We are yet again thrown into a deep mourning mood and sadly commiserate with the entire Rigwe people especially the immediate families over the loss. Once again, our call for the authorities concerned saddled with the responsibility of protection of lives and property of the citizens to step up and double efforts in safeguarding the Rigwe people cannot be overemphasised.”
“The National leadership of Irigwe Development Association (IDA)  and encourages her people to be security-conscious and alert,” and gave names of the victims as, “Irah Weyi 48yrs, Elizabeth Weyi 21yrs, Ladi Mandu, Mary Gya 4yrs, Esther La’aji 5yrs, Titus Agah 40, Aweh Ngwe 47 and Sunday Dada (Corporal). The persons injured are Munto Gado and Sarah Weyi. Destroyed and stolen items are three phones, Television, and an MP3 (Jambox).”

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Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan

The Federal Government has reiterated the prohibition of civil servants from partaking in primary elections.
This was contained in a circular by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Esan, obtained on Friday.

Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan
The circular came hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission asked political parties to conduct their primaries for the nomination of candidates from April 4 to June 3.
The circular dated May 5 was titled, “Clarification on the provision of public service vis-avis the Supreme Court judgement as it relates to participation of civil servant in partisan politics.”
It read in part, “The Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation has been inundated with requests for clarification on the provision of Public Service Rules vis-à-vis the Supreme Court Judgment as it relates to the participation of civil servants in partisan politics.
“In the light of the above, it has become necessary to draw the attention of all civil servants to the legal opinion of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (HAGF&MJ) on this matter. In his letter, Ref. No. SGF/PS/HCSF/210/11 dated 26th November 2018, HAGF &MJ asserted, inter Cilia that:’neither the 1999 Constitution nor the Supreme Court has authorized civil servants to engage in partisan politics. The provisions of Rules 030422 and 030423 of the Public Service Rules (2008 Edition) were not nullified by the Supreme Court, hence, they remain in force and binding on all civil servants seeking to participate in nomination exercises or party primaries’.
“He concluded that: ‘provisions of Rules 030402(g), 030422 and 030423 of the Public Service Rules (2008 Edition) should be enforced … and ‘hot the attention of civil servants (be drawn) to the fact that the Supreme Court judgment in INEC vs Musa did not set aside or nullify these provisions of the Public Service Rules, hence, they must be complied with by any civil servant who wishes to seek nomination or participation in party primary elections’.
“Accordingly, in the overall best interest of neutrality, harmony, integrity and development of Nigerian Civil Service, all civil servants are strongly advised to be guided by the provisions of PSR and the legal opinion of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation/Minister of Justice on the subject.”

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Former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Ahmed Yerima, has joined the 2023 presidential race.
Yerima disclosed this on Friday after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said he would be focusing on three critical areas of needs, including insecurity, poverty and ignorance.
Yerima, it was, who instituted Sharia law in controversial circumstances while he was governor in Zamfara, including punishment of amputation for arrested thieves.
The former governor said he would be picking the APC nomination and expression of interest forms immediately
“I’m here this afternoon to inform Mr. President of my intention to participate in the 2023 elections and to contest the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I’m going to, insha Allah, purchase my forms today and officially declare this afternoon.
“So, I have three points as well; to fight insecurity, fight poverty, and ignorance,” he said.
He said the President gave him the nod to contest the ticket.
 

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Simon Ekpa

Simon Ekpa, a self-professed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has debunked media reports about the United Kingdom Government recognising IPOB as a terrorist organisation and violent group.

The UK Visas and Immigration office in its May 2022 policy update had recognised IPOB as a terrorist organisation and a group that uses violence to achieve its aims.

Simon Ekpa

UKVI referred to IPOB whose leader, Kanu, is currently in the custody of Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) as a terrorist organisation to be excluded from its asylum programme for violent crimes and human rights violations.

See Also Insecurity UK Government Recognises Nnamdi Kanu’s Indigenous People Of Biafra As Terrorist Organisation, Violent Group 0 Comments 1 Week Ago

However, Simon Ekpa on Friday on his social media handles described the report as media propaganda, stressing that it should be disregarded.

Ekpa asserted that UK Home Office has never declared IPOB as terrorist organisation. He noted that he had carefully studied the reports, saying at no point did they declare IPOB as terrorists.

He said asylum cases are handled individually anywhere in the world, affirming that he will address it on Friday evening.

"Disregard @MobilePunch media propaganda & reporting @ukhomeoffice declared IPOB as terrorists. @ukhomeoffice never declared IPOB as terrorists organisation. I have carefully studied the reports & at no point did @ukhomeoffice declare IPOB as terrorists https://t.co/S4IZVgbAcT

Disregard @MobilePunch media propaganda & reporting @ukhomeoffice declared IPOB as terrorists. @ukhomeoffice never declared IPOB as terrorists organisation. I have carefully studied the reports & at no point did @ukhomeoffice declared IPOB as terrorists https://t.co/S4IZVgbAcT

— Simon Ekpa (@simon_ekpa) May 6, 2022

"IPOB Autopilot reloaded media team is back & stronger! We’ve defeated all enemies & odds.

"Now, we are moving to the next stage of the Biafra liberation. Disregard the misleading report from @MobilePunch on @ukhomeoffice asylum cases are handled individually anywhere in the world," he said. See Also News UK Government Bars IPOB, MASSOB Members From Asylum Over Terrorism 0 Comments 1 Week Ago

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Aloy Ejimakor, a special counsel for the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has reacted to the designation of the group as a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom Government.
 
The UK government had in a May 2022 update of its asylum policy made a U-turn on its treatment of IPOB members, recognising Nigeria’s classification of the group as a terrorist organisation.
 
Members of the group were also excluded from seeking refuge in England.
 
The UK Visas and Immigration had in April 2021 said that it was planning to grant asylum to persecuted members of IPOB members whose founder, Nnamdi Kanu, was operating from London before his arrest in Kenya last year as part of its refugee policy published at the time.
 
The policy, at the time, was for asylum to be granted to “persecuted” members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB)”.
 
The UKVI, a division of the Home Office, directed its decision-makers to consider if a person “who actively and openly supports IPOB is likely to be at risk of arrest and detention, and ill-treatment which is likely to amount to persecution”.
 
If the person can prove persecution, then the IPOB member or supporter could be granted asylum.
 
However, in the latest update published on its website on May 3, titled, ‘Country policy and information note: Separatist groups in the South-East, Nigeria,’ the UKVI said, “IPOB had been proscribed as a terrorist group by the Nigerian government and that members of the group and its paramilitary wing – the Eastern Security Network – have reportedly committed human rights violations.”
 
The UK, therefore, said that persons who commit human rights violations must not be granted asylum.
 
“If a person has been involved with IPOB (and/or an affiliated group), MASSOB or any other ‘Biafran’ group that incites or uses violence to achieve its aims, decision-makers must consider whether one (or more) of the exclusion clauses under the Refugee Convention is applicable.
 
“Persons who commit human rights violations must not be granted asylum. If the person is excluded from the Refugee Convention, they will also be excluded from a grant of humanitarian protection.”
 
However, Ejimakor in a tweet on Friday said the organisation was not declared as a terrorist group.
 
“Britain DID NOT declare #IPOB a terrorist group. Sorry to disappoint those that have concluded otherwise,” he tweeted.
 
“Read that Report again & be guided.”

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Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba

A group has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, over alleged complicity of operatives of the Special Investigation Bureau (SIB), Lagos, in an over N10 million fraud case brought before it.
 
In a letter issued on Thursday by Okechukwu Nwanguma, its executive director, the group called on the IGP to allow the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Alagbon to take over the matter.
  Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba
According to the letter, Osuji Onyedikanne, a Lagos-based businesswoman who also runs a travels and tours company, had in a petition informed the Lagos State Commissioner of Police of being defrauded by one Gladys Gift Stephens in collaboration with others.
 
According to the group, Onyedikanne revealed shortly after she petitioned the police commissioner that Gift Stephens and her alleged accomplices were arrested by the command.
 
She, however, said that to her surprise, the suspects were soon released. The distraught businesswoman claimed several efforts to get justice in the case have proven abortive with operatives of the SIB allegedly protecting the suspects.
 
The petition reads: "Mrs. Osuji Onyedikanne informed the Lagos CP in her petition that she met the said Mrs. Gladys Gift Stephens in an event in Lagos sometime in 2019 and they familiarized and remained in communication.
“Sometime in April 2022, Gladys Gift Stephens came to her with Mr. Chigbu Kenneth, Chika, Ovuozor Desmond Oghenefejiro, and Nwosu Emeka Charles (whose claims to being a lawyer is doubtful), and lured her into funding a business which she was meant to believe she would be part of.
"They used the name of a dubious company given as Golden Knights Ltd./Golden Knights International Sports Ltd., and claimed that they use the company to recruit upcoming football stars for trial in Spain. They printed and distributed fliers and made claims of collaborating with the Nasarawa State government as well as the Embassy of Spain for which they tendered several documents that made her feel convinced about the genuineness of the business.
"They collected from her the initial sum of six million naira (6,000,000.00), and seeing that they had won her confidence, Mrs. Gladys Gift Stephens later came back and collected another sum of about four million, five hundred thousand Naira (4,500,000.00) in the pretence that she was investing it in another business for her.
"She informed us that what convinced her to facilitate the last loan of 6 million naira for them was because they showed her a document written in Spanish which they claimed was an MOU they reached and signed with the Consular, Spanish Embassy, Lagos. They claimed that the Consular had agreed to be issuing them visas if they register the company in Spain and then fund the account with about €10,000 - €20,000 and leave the money in the account for two weeks as proof of funds.
 
"After receiving the money, they absconded and were no longer taking her calls. It was then she realised that they are a syndicate of fraudsters who specialize in defrauding innocent citizens in the guise of investments in the importation, exportation, and business establishment.
“She said she later found out that there are other victims who had been defrauded by this same syndicate and who are still making efforts to recover their money but to no avail as they seem to be enjoying the cover of a particular senior police officer who always intervenes to get them released whenever they are arrested by the police.
“This has emboldened them to continue in their criminal activities. One of the syndicate members Nwosu Emeka Charles who lays doubtful claims to being a lawyer always boasts of being a member of the Buccaneers secret cult and threatens to send his cult member after their victims if they press too much for refund. This has been the fate of Mrs. Osuji Onyedikanne."
 
The group said Onyedikanne had already declared that she no longer trusts the SIB operatives in handling the matter. It called on the IGP to intervene in the case and ensure justice.
 
The letter added: "Mrs. Onyedikanne informed us that she has lost confidence that she can obtain justice from the police investigators at the SIB Lagos State Police Command, despite her huge financial support to them to enable them to carry out a diligent and effective investigation; hence her appeal to the IGP to kindly and urgently direct the AIG FCID Alagbon, Lagos to take over the investigation with a view to ensuring a prompt, impartial and exhaustive investigation, ensuring that these fraudsters pay back her money, release her clients’ International passports, and are also fully unravelled to identify other crimes they have perpetrated against other unsuspecting citizens."

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Presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina says the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres during his visit to Nigeria hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for transforming the country despite various visits by some unpatriotic Nigerians to the UN and parliaments of leading countries of the world to de-market the country.
 
Adesina disclosed this in an article titled, ‘They claim Buhari has done nothing, UN Scribe, Antonio Gutteres, says not so’ which he shared on his official Facebook page on Thursday.

He added that President Buhari has performed excellently and Nigerians shouldn’t wait for an outsider to come and tell them the achievement of the current government.
Below is the article in full:

The Yoruba people of South-west Nigeria have a saying: when a child rejects instructions at home, it is from outside that such child is trained.
 
And that was exactly what happened on Tuesday and Wednesday, this week, when United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Gutteres visited Nigeria as part of a three nations African tour. He said it was “a visit of solidarity with all Nigerians, particularly the victims of terrorism.”
 
The UN Scribe was visiting Nigeria for the first time, and he had probably fallen for the antics of the Western media, and some unpatriotic Nigerians who have nothing good to say about their own country. They even visit the UN and parliaments of leading countries of the world, to de-market Nigeria.
 
Gutteres had probably thought he was coming to a country where hopelessness and despondency were order of the day. He started from Maiduguri, Borno State, once the epicenter of the Boko Haram insurgency in the country. When he saw what the Muhammadu Buhari administration, in conjunction with the Babagana Zulum government had done, he had a quick rethink.
 
At a meeting with President Buhari on Wednesday afternoon in Abuja, he declared: “I was extremely surprised. The image that exists is of a hopeless situation. But what I saw was a Borno of hope.”
 
I chuckled as the international public servant expressed his consternation. He said he visited a centre where former Boko Haram fighters were being rehabilitated, and also camps of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
 
“It is necessary to provide a vision of the future for the people. Vision of jobs, schools, health institutions, and the like. And that was what was being done. It is a remarkably wise and well conceived strategy.”
 
But the naysayers, the wailing wailers, always say President Buhari has not achieved anything in the country. They see roads, rail, bridges, airports, but they say he’s not doing anything. Well, like the contumacious child, who refused to take instructions at home, an outsider has come to tell them the home truth.
 
They say Nigeria is good for nothing. Gutteres says the country “is a pillar of continental and global cooperation-and a steadfast partner of the United Nations.” He added: “Nigeria is a country where Africa’s promise and potential come to vivid life.”
 
That is the same country that a clergyman, who should inspire hope and faith, says has been broken, completely destroyed and thrown to the dustbin. Well, when a child refuses to take instructions from home...
 
The UN scribe said Nigerians were fantastic people, and the country has “solid institutions, and a vibrant private sector.” But that is not what some ever cynical Nigerians say about their country, and that is not the picture they go abroad to paint of their country. Shame, I say again; shame.
 
President Buhari said Boko Haram was the major security challenge his administration inherited in 2015. “They will kill people, and shout ‘Allah Akbar,’ (meaning God is great). But when you do that it is either you do not know that God, or you are being stupid. God is justice, and you can’t take an innocent soul, and say God is great.
 
“We began to educate the people, and gradually, they understood that Boko Haram was not about religion. The group is largely decimated today, and government is trying to resettle the people. We are trying to get them back to the land, and things will get better in the near future.”
 
Yet they say Buhari hasn’t achieved anything. When your adversary sees your robust horse, standing in all its grandeur, he turns up his nose, and says; see this dwarf horse.
They have eyes and see nothing, they have ears and refuse to hear. Well, an outsider will one day come to tell them the truth.
 
The Secretary-General said the people he saw in Maiduguri “remain hopeful and committed to returning to their communities and resuming their lives.”
 
Still commending the Buhari administration, he welcomed “the establishment of the Presidential Committee on the Repatriation, Returns and Resettlement of Displaced Persons in the North-East.”
 
But to some of our people, the country is broken, destroyed, and nothing is working. Well, when a child refuses to accept instructions given at home, an outsider knocks sense into his head eventually.
 
Hear Gutteres again: “And I thanked President Buhari for his unwavering support of the Multinational Joint Task Force and the Lake Chad Basin Commission.”
 
Yet, to the permanent critics, Buhari is not doing anything, and has not achieved anything. I hear.
 
In 2011, Boko Haram bombed the United Nations building in Abuja, killed many people, and completely wrecked the structure. The Buhari administration undertook the rebuilding of the facility, and got it delivered in good time.
 
The Secretary-General described it as “an impressive edifice, “ stressing: “I want to thank the Government and people of Nigeria for not only hosting the United Nations, but for rebuilding and reopening the United Nations House in Abuja in 2019 following the terrorist attacks in 2011.”
 
That’s an outsider appreciating the good works of the Buhari administration, which the willfully blind have refused to see, and the deliberately deaf have refused to hear. If a child stubbornly spurns instructions at home....
Let’s conclude with this very inspiring one from Mr Gutteres.
 
“My trip to Nigeria is not to visit people in despair, but people filled with hope. When there’s political vision, good things can happen.”
 
If you have been deluded, brainwashed, hoodwinked into seeing your country as broken, destroyed, good for nothing, then begin to have a rethink. Those who fed you with that narrative have their own sinister agenda. Our country has challenges in security, economy, and other areas, yes, but it is neither broken nor destroyed. “If you don’t say you are, nobody would say thou art.”
 
President Buhari has worked for this country, and continues to work. Let not an outsider come and tell us the home truth that is right before our eyes.

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Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele has picked up the expression of interest and nomination forms to contest the presidential ticket on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He picked up his forms on Friday morning from the party’s organising secretary, at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja.

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele. Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

SaharaReporters had reported how Emefiele had been using funds from the apex bank to fund his presidential ambition.

The newspaper also exclusively learnt that a cabal led by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami was strongly behind the push for Emefiele to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, ahead of other strong contenders in the party.

Another prominent member of the cabal is media entrepreneur, Nduka Obaigbena.

Obaigbena is the founding Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of the THISDAY Media Group and ARISE News Channel.

Recently, Emefiele’s supporters, mainly youths, spotted white T-Shirts with the inscription MEFFY 2023 at an occasion held in Lagos, asked him to join the race.

Convener of the group, Wale Fapohunda, had told the gathering that since Emefiele’s appointment as CBN Governor, he had spent his energy building a resilient financial system that can serve the development needs of the economy, ignoring the glaring fact that Nigeria’s economy had dipped to its worst state ever during Emefiele’s tenure as CBN governor.

SaharaReporters in February reported how Emefiele was preparing for the 2023 presidential race by bringing in three aircraft for his campaign.

SaharaReporters learnt that Emefiele had also been asked by the cabal in the Muhammadu Buhari presidency supporting his infamous ambition to tender his resignation and focus on his presidential campaign.

Emefiele had allocated about N500 billion for his presidential ambition, leveraging his edge as the manager of the country’s most critical financial institution, SaharaReporters had also reported.

“Emefiele has brought in three airplanes for his campaign. He was asked to resign. He has allocated about N500 billion for his campaign,” a top source had revealed to SaharaReporters.

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A US-based pastor has joined the 2023 presidential race and purchased the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination and expression of interest forms.

The 40-year-old presidential aspirant, Dr Nicholas Felix on Thursday promised to tackle insecurity if elected as the president of Nigeria.

 Felix, after purchasing the forms in Abuja, said securing a nation would have ripple effects on its economic stability, NAN reports.
He also expressed concerns about the security situation in Nigeria, which he described as being a mess, saying the level of security a nation has would determine its prosperity.
“My primary aim and my number one agenda is security, and that is what I am bringing to the table trusting that 100 days after being sworn in, we will tackle insecurity with every force and every might.
“We have our military who are very strong, we need to empower them, equip them and give them the free will to be able to go and fight insurgency.
“I’m big on security. In America, I have a security company, where I have hired over 2,000 people. Security is my main strength.
“You must understand that there is no great economy without security, any country that is not safe, no matter how much you put in, you will not see it.
“For example, the moment Ukraine was invaded and the war started, the economy crashed, that tells you that when a nation is not safe, progress will be stalled,” he said.
 
According to him, Mexico and Canada border America, yet Mexicans are suffering.
 
He said, “Every nation that wants to experience economic growth must make sure that the security is there because we need investors.
 
“Most times, politician goes around that when you elect me, I am going to provide 20 million jobs; it is a lie, the positions at the federal level are filled up, the positions at the state level are filled up, who is going to create jobs?
 
“It is the private sector that will create jobs and nobody will come to a nation that is not safe.”
 
The General Overseer and Founder of Miracle Center International Inc., said his dream was to take over the helms of affairs in Nigeria and make a change.
“My decision to run for president of Nigeria stems from my desire to change the Nigerian narrative through the support of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run law.
 
“Also, bringing more young professionals home and abroad together to contribute toward the development of our great nation,” he said. 
Felix, who said that he was the only youth to purchase the form to contest for the position of the president, said that his intention to contest the country’s number one seat was to salvage the country and rescue it from the trenches for complete reformation.
 
Felix, a 2019 presidential candidate, described himself as a successful businessman, a philanthropist and a pastor who would reposition the country in the post-Muhammadu Buhari period.
 

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A pro-Biafra separatist group, Biafra Nations League (BnL) has accused the Nigeria Police Force of trying to execute its members arrested in Ikom, Cross River State, a few days ago.

Deputy leader of BnL, Ebuta Takon said the police tried to secretly execute the Ejagham supporters "if not for online bloggers who first published the information".

Takon, an Ejagham, accused the police of starving his people in detention while rejecting any form of visitation.
He warned that the situation in Bakassi and the South-East would be worse compared to what will happen if they are detained for long without trial.

He said the Ejagham people across the Southeastern end will align with their Ejagham brothers in Southern Cameroon to ensure that there is no peace around the borders which are inhabited by the Ejagham in Nigeria and Cameroon.

"They know what Ejagham people are capable of doing, as inhabitants of major hinterland border towns, and members of two countries (Nigeria and Cameroon), we are capable of terminating business activities around our borders. This action might lead to what they don't expect.

“They should not play with our people because we don't bark but bite," Takon said.

Members of the group in Ikom had during the coronavirus lockdown flouted the Covid-19 rules by mobilising themselves to hoist the Biafran flag on the main border road, accusing the government of allowing Fulani people to be entering state borders to attack people despite the lockdown.

The group had in October 2021 ordered the shutdown of borders between Nigeria and Southern Cameroon, in solidarity with the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
 
The group in a statement by its National Leader, Princewill Richard, had said that the closure would be between October 19 and 22.

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Nnamdi Kanu

Leaders in the South East have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
 
They made the plea on Friday at a meeting with the President who is on a two-day visit to Ebonyi State.

Nnamdi Kanu

The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the South East, Reverend Father Abraham Nwali, made the plea on behalf of the South-East leaders in his address at the Ebonyi State Stakeholders’ Forum held at the Government House in Abakaliki, the state capital.
 
Nwali also urged IPOB to embrace peace and end its sit-at-home order in the region.
 
“We plead for a political solution that as a father; a kind father, a forgiving father, to grant Nnamdi Kanu freedom,” he said.
 
“We say that he should be granted pardon. And we call on all agitators to cease all forms of hostilities and rather demand a nation where the plights of the poor, the weak, the oppressed will be addressed.”
 
Kanu is facing terrorism charges before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
 
He has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
 
The IPOB leader was detained after he was arrested in Kenya and brought to Nigeria in June 2021.

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The minister of science and technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, on Friday, declared his intention to run for president on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
 
Onu, who declared his intention on Friday, said he deliberately delayed his announcement to allow Nigerians to return from the festivities considering the importance of his ambition.

While urging his party and the electorate to elect him as Nigeria’s “Chief Servant”, he said the country has the key to unlocking its own prosperity.
 
“This key is a knowledge economy driven by science, technology and innovation. This is so because no nation has ever become truly great, whether in ancient or modern times, without the efficient and effective deployment of science, technology and innovation to nation-building.
 
“I am convinced that I have the knowledge, the experience, the credibility, the education having been trained in one of the best universities in the world, the vision, the integrity, maturity and a man who can be trusted.
 
“I most respectfully ask my political party, the APC, to elect me as its presidential candidate, and the people of Nigeria to elect me as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for me to be the chief servant of the nation.”
 
The former governor of Abia further described himself as a “man of great compassion”, adding that under him the state provided free treatment in public hospitals.
 
“As a man of great compassion, and also believing that women are great builders of nations, I did not want any pregnant woman or child to die either during pregnancy or childbirth, which are the most challenging periods in any woman’s life, just because the woman cannot afford to pay hospital bills
 
“Hence, all pregnant women received free treatment in public hospitals,” the presidential hopeful said.
 
“I want all Nigerians, particularly the youth to know that Nigeria has a bright future. Let there be nothing that can make any Nigerian lose hope about the future of Nigeria.
 
“The Almighty God that created us, gave our dear nation, everything that she needs to be a leader in the world. Working together, we will make use of knowledge economy driven by STI to make Nigeria truly great.”

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File photo used to illustrate story.

A Muslim cleric has asked a Kenyan court not to release him from prison despite being acquitted of terrorism charges.
 
Sheikh Guyo Gorsa Buru was arrested in January 2018 in northern Kenya and charged with possessing material promoting a terrorist group and collaborating with al-Shabab militant group, AFP and BBC report.

File photo used to illustrate story.

But this week, the court released him saying the state had failed to prove their case.
 
He, however, refused to leave the notorious Kamiti prison saying he feared for his life.
 
The cleric alleged that he could be abducted and killed by the state once he is free.
 
The chief magistrate ordered that he could stay at the prison for a period not exceeding 30 days after which he would be set free.
 
He however has to pay the government for his stay at the facility.
 
Mr Buru has filed a different case at the high court seeking to have state protection once he is freed.
 
His case has reignited debate about enforced disappearances in Kenya.
 
A recent report by Amnesty International and other human rights groups blamed police for an increase in brutality and extrajudicial killings and abductions in Kenya. The police deny the allegations.
 
In 2013, Muslim cleric Ibrahim Rogo Omar was shot dead in the port city of Mombasa.

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The police in Lagos State have arrested one Samuel Msughter for impersonation.
The police spokesperson in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin, who disclosed this on Twitter said Msughter was arrested for falsely claiming to be a soldier.

According to him, the suspect was arrested along the Epe-Ijebu Road.
“The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a fake soldier, Samuel Msughter, aged 28 on the Epe/Ijebu Road. The suspect specialised in escorting goods in full army uniform.
“Investigation is ongoing to unravel the full extent of his criminality, especially with the uniform. Suspect will be charged to court at the end of investigation,” he said.

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Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has sent a warning to gunmen terrorising the state and other parts of the southeast region that they will soon be harshly dealt with.
 
The governor, while addressing landlords on Thursday, said the so-called ‘unknown gunmen’ were not unknown as they claimed to be but were yet to be exposed because they were being pampered by landlords and other stakeholders.

He described them as criminals and not agitators, warning that they will soon be harshly dealt with by his government.
 
He admonished them to come out of hiding and embrace dialogue so the state can move forward.
 
He said; “Criminals kidnapping people for ransom, killings and destruction are not agitating but engaging in lucrative criminality. We know where these criminals are.
“It is better for them to repent, drop their arms and come for empowerment or else, we will come after them and when we come, no house, bush or forest inhabited by them will be spared. You cannot force people to stay at home without going to their various places of business, force our children not to go to school and call it agitation.
 
“It is not agitation, but a criminal activity and very soon, all those will be addressed.
 
“The task forces for the enforcement of traffic offences and stoppage of all forms of criminal activities will be established.”

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The Oyo state police command on Friday said a preliminary investigation revealed that a 30-year- old man, Bukola Adediji, who broke into the palace of Soun of Ogbomoso on Thursday afternoon was of unsound mind.
A statement by the police public relations officer, Adewale Osinfeso indicated that the suspect was taken for immediate medical intervention, where he was confirmed to be mentally unstable.

The last occupant of the throne, Oba Jimoh Oyewunmi died last December at 95 after spending 48 years on the throne.
Confirming the development to reporters on Friday, the Palace Secretary, Toyin Ajamu in a statement said there was no iota of truth in an online report that a suspected thief invaded the palace to steal crowns.
The statement read, “Our attention has just been drawn to news circulating on the social media about a man who is suspected to behave under the influence of hard drugs by destroying properties worth millions of naira at Ogbomoso Palace.
"The message is sent to debunk the rumours on the media that the man came to steal crowns at the palace.
"To put the record straight, there was no crown at the palace as the seat of Soun of Ogbomosoland is presently vacant with no crown and nothing whatsoever is being stolen except that he destroyed main entrance aluminium sliding doors and exit door leading to Soun Administrative office from the Palace.
“He also injured one of the Palace Chief: Aremole of Ogbomosoland.
“Members of the public are hereby advised to ignore the rumors peddling around that he was at the palace to steal crowns or any property and those circulating such news should desist from doing so.”
Meanwhile, the Police PRO in the statement said; "On Thursday 05/5/22 at about 1404HRS, Command Operatives attached to Owode- Ogbomosho on intelligence-led Visibility patrols responded to a distress call from the Palace of Soun regarding an invasion into its premises.
"Preliminary investigations revealed that the Suspect, one Bukola Adediji 'm' 30 yrs scaled through the palace fence late in the afternoon, damaging its entry and exit doors.
"He was also alleged to have attacked a Palace Chief in the process.
"The suspect who was almost lynched by an irate mob was promptly rescued and taken for immediate medical intervention, where he was confirmed to be of unsound mind.
"Updates would be provided accordingly, please."

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Ohanaeze Ndigbo

Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has criticised the unknown gunmen enforcing a sit-at-home order in the South-East region on Mondays.

President-General of the group, George Obiozor, while addressing the Ohanaeze’s Ameobi, the highest decision-making organ of the body on Thursday, described the sit-at-home order as a slur to the region.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo

According to Obiozor, businessmen in the region have already incurred multiple losses due to the sit-at-home order.

He also lamented the spate of insecurity across the South-East.

He said: “The Monday sit-at-home is a slur on the Igbo. It is strange for a group to face the barrel of the gun inwards. Many people have estimated the huge loss the South-East incurs on a weekly basis as a result of the sit-at-home order.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo has tried several times to persuade our youths to realise the consequences of their actions.

“Insecurity has pervaded almost all parts of Nigeria, but each geo-political zone has its own peculiarity.

“The advent of insecurity in the South-East is both bizarre and dramatic. The South-East had been adjudged the most serene and peaceful zone in Nigeria until April 5, 2021, when gunmen attacked the Correctional Facility in Owerri, Imo State and freed a total of 1,844 prison inmates.

“Since the April 5 episode, insecurity in the South-East has attained an unprecedented unbearable crescendo.”

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The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Rivers state over the disputed 17 oil wells with Imo state.
 
In its verdict delivered on Friday, the court decided that the oil wells located in Ndoni and Egbema communities belong to Rivers.

Joseph Daudu, counsel to the Rivers state government had earlier prayed the court to give judgment in favour of the state on the grounds that historical evidence from 1927 to date clearly indicates that the oil wells belong to the state.
 
Daudu drew the attention of the court to the boundary adjustment paper of 1976 in which Ndoni and Egbema were confirmed to belong to Rivers state.
 
He also disagreed with the Attorney-General of the Federation’s contention that the dispute should have been heard in a Federal High Court rather than the Supreme Court because locals should have testified orally in the matter.
 
According to Daudu, the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction and may easily examine all accessible historical documents dating back to the colonial era to identify which state owns the oil wells.
 
There was previously a political arrangement put in place by the Nigerian government for the revenue from the disputed wells to be shared equally between the two states.
 
However, when Emeka Ihedioha became governor in 2019, a presidential memo directed that all the revenue should go to Imo. The Rivers state government swiftly filed a suit against the presidential directive.

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The Supreme Court has upheld the Governor Abdullahi Ganduje faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State against the party’s faction loyal to former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau.

 

Ganduje and Shekarau have been at loggerheads over who controls the state's chapter of the APC.

But on Friday, the apex court held that the appeal against the earlier judgements of the Court of Appeal in Abuja lacked merit and is dismissed.

 

This was contained in a unanimous decision of the five-member panel of justices read by Justice Inyang Okoro.

 

The court further ruled that the two other appeals in the matter will abide by the decision.

 

The Court of Appeal had in February dismissed the three appeals also held that the originating summons were wrongly commenced in Abuja, adding that the matter was an internal affair of the party.

 

The appeals followed the two rulings of an FCT High Court in 2021 which upheld the ward and local government congresses believed to have been won by the faction loyal to Shekarau and Senator Jibril Barau (Kano North), numbering about 17,908 and 1,319 members respectively.

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The United Kingdom has barred the Indigenous People of Biafra, the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra and other Biafran groups from benefitting from its asylum programme.
 
In a May 2022 update of its asylum policy, the UK government excluded members of the groups from seeking refuge in England.

The UK Visas and Immigration had in April 2021 said that it was planning to grant asylum to persecuted members of IPOB members whose founder, Nnamdi Kanu, was operating from London before his arrest in Kenya last year as part of its refugee policy published at the time.
 
The policy, at the time, was for asylum to be granted to “persecuted” members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB)”.
 
The UKVI, a division of the Home Office, directed its decision-makers to consider if a person “who actively and openly supports IPOB is likely to be at risk of arrest and detention, and ill-treatment which is likely to amount to persecution”.
 
If the person can prove persecution, then the IPOB member or supporter could be granted asylum.
 
However, in the latest update published on its website on May 3, titled, ‘Country policy and information note: Separatist groups in the South-East, Nigeria,’ the UKVI said, “IPOB had been proscribed as a terrorist group by the Nigerian government and that members of the group and its paramilitary wing – the Eastern Security Network – have reportedly committed human rights violations.”
 
The UK, therefore, said that persons who commit human rights violations must not be granted asylum.
 
“If a person has been involved with IPOB (and/or an affiliated group), MASSOB or any other ‘Biafran’ group that incites or uses violence to achieve its aims, decision-makers must consider whether one (or more) of the exclusion clauses under the Refugee Convention is applicable.
 
“Persons who commit human rights violations must not be granted asylum. If the person is excluded from the Refugee Convention, they will also be excluded from a grant of humanitarian protection.”
 
The policy directed that decision-makers must also check if there has been a previous application for a UK visa or another form of leave, noting that asylum applications matched to visas should be investigated before the asylum interview.
 
According to the British government, establishing a convention reason is not sufficient to be recognised as a refugee.
 
“The question is whether the particular person has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of their actual or imputed convention reason,” it added.
 
For an asylum application to succeed, it said the decision-makers must consider each case on its facts, taking into account the legal status, profile, size, and organisation of the group/organisation to which the person belongs and its activities; whether a person in the UK would wish to continue their activism if returned to Nigeria (if not, why not) and whether the group/organisation has a presence in Nigeria as well as outside of the country and any evidence that it is being monitored by the government.
 

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