Ten persons were killed by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Yobe State, SaharaReporters learnt.
 
The terrorists, reportedly sneaked into Geidam town Wednesday night and slaughtered 10 persons, both men and women at a brothel. 

SaharaReporters had reported that Geidam, which is the hometown of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali-Baba and located 177 kilometres away from Damaturu, the state capital, shares a border with the Niger Republic and Damasak.

This latest attack comes exactly one year after the sect wreaked havoc on the town.
 
The terrorists were said to have entered through the eastern part of the town and set Government Science and Technical School, Geidam ablaze.
 
A source said the gunmen also targeted ‘Kwari’, a popular brothel in Geidam, where they slaughtered 10 persons, both men and women.
 
“They took us by surprise this time around; they entered in silence without firing shots or using vehicles.
 
“Upon their entrance, they asked some of the residents to recite verses of the Qur’an before they either allowed them to live or get killed.”
 
The spokesperson for the state police command, ASP Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed the attack and the casualty figure, saying, "Ten persons were killed including a retired police inspector."

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The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) has appealed to Nigerians to refrain from making unsavoury comments about the viral sex video of some pupils of Chrisland School, Lagos.
 
Yomi Otubela, the National President of the NAPPS who made the call, said people should stop making unsavoury comments on the issue for the sake of the mental well-being of the minors involved in the saga.

NAPPS recommended that the “children involved should be taken to experts in mental health for adequate intervention and rehabilitation”.

It also commended the “swift intervention of the Lagos State Government and the police by taking over the investigation of the matter”.
 
While reacting to some sections of the media apportioning blame to the school, Otubela noted that the issue of moral decadence cuts across every aspect of the society, stressing that a more concerted effort is needed to nip the malaise in the bud.
 
He also stated that parents must take a greater role in shaping their children's future by inculcating morally acceptable behaviour in them. Otubela also urged schools to take decisive actions on the issue of morally bankrupt learners without fear and favour.
 
According to him, schools must take appropriate and well-documented steps to deal with deviant behaviours noticed in their learners.
 
He also suggested that schools should have a child protection policy in place and properly engage parents, staff members, students and other stakeholders on how to ensure strict adherence.
 
He stated, “The attention of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) has been drawn to the viral sex video involving students of Chrisland schools Lagos while representing their school at the World School Games held in Dubai recently and the resulting public outcry it has since generated over the social media.
 
“While we condemn in its entirety the act as depicted in the said video involving the minors, we appeal for caution from members of the public and enjoin them to refrain from making unsavoury comments over the issue for the sake of the mental well-being of the minors involved.
 
“Moreover, we have confidence in the ability of the police authority, the officials of the ministry of education and the school authority to do the needful on the issue.
 
“Going forward, we wish to address the issue of moral decadence in schools with a view to minimising the occurrence of issues around it.
 
“The acts portraying moral decadence are not exclusive to schools as the issue cuts across every aspect of our society. Since children are a reflection of the society they live in, it, therefore, shows that a concerted effort will be needed to nip the malaise in the bud.
 
“Sadly, moral decadence has eaten deep into the moral fabrics of the society and the result is what we are witnessing today in the society including our educational institutions.
 
“Most studies show that parents are to take the larger portion of the blame for children's behaviour, hence, parents must take a greater role in shaping their children's future by inculcating morally acceptable behaviour in them.
 
“They must bear in mind that children's moral development begins at home. The school is to complement their efforts. Unfortunately, parents are shying away from this responsibility rather they prefer to shift this responsibility to the schools.
 
“This neglect of parental responsibility from home has made it a herculean task for the school to achieve much progress. For instance, when the background of a child is already faulty and without the needed support from home to effectively collaborate with the school management to address the identified challenges, one can only imagine how such a child will turn out to be in society.
 
“It is only effective collaboration between the school and the home that can bring out a morally rich child. It is sad to note that this much-needed collaboration has been lacking in our educational system due to societal pressure which has created a communication gap between the school and home.
 
“Parents are not usually present to monitor their children at home due to pressure from work and unending heavy vehicular traffic, especially in the city. This makes many parents leave home as early as 5 am and return home from 9 pm in the evening. No quality time with the children. 
 
“Given the gross reduction in moral values, parents are advised to pay special attention to the emotional needs of their children.
 
“Also, we are aware of the fact that we are in an era where the use of technological devices has become imperative to advance the course of mankind, parents must ensure that they devise a means to monitor what their children watch to restrict them from accessing adult sites at home.
 
“Some television programs, including the reality TV shows, should be properly censored by appropriate government agencies before allowing them on cable TV.
 
“The school management must be alive to its responsibility by taking decisive actions on the issue of morally bankrupt learners in their schools without fear and favour. Appropriate and well-documented steps must be taken to deal with deviant behaviours noticed in their learners.
 
“Every school should have a child protection policy in place and properly engage parents, staff members, students and other stakeholders on how to ensure strict adherence to the instructions contained in the policy. Technological devices used by students in schools must be restricted to ensure students are limited to educational sites only.
 
“Parenting programmes should be organized periodically by the school authorities periodically to sensitise parents and the school on how to appropriately deal with negative issues regarding their children.
 
“The society should pay equal attention in counselling boy child as we do for the girl child. They both need to be fully guarded and provided for as they approach puberty. 
 
“More worrisome is the unabated use of substances among teenagers in primary and secondary schools. The situation is already getting out of hand. Except the relevant government agencies restrategise and double their effort in combating this ugly situation, we are all in for trouble."
 
Speaking further on the closure of the school units in Lagos State, Otubela said this may further affect the students, whose parents are not always available to cater for them.
Otubela, however, suggested that the Lagos State Monitoring and Supervisory committee be introduced to the Chrisland Schools Management team.
 
He added, “While we are in support of the swift move by the Lagos state government to investigate the issue, we view with concern the recent announcement of the state government to shut down all branches of Chrisland Schools in the state over the said sex video.
 
“We feel shutting down all the branches of the school might deny other children their rights to learn more and for those in the terminal classes the right to continue their preparation for their final examinations.
 
“Equally of concern is the fact that the parents, as observed above, are not always available for the upkeep of these children. So, we are disturbed about what becomes of these children for the period of the closure.
 
“However, we support that Lagos State Monitoring and Supervisory committee be introduced among Chrisland Schools Management team pending the conclusion of the investigation.
 
“We await the outcome of the government investigation on the alleged gross negligence on the part of Chrisland Schools to allow students of such age bracket sleep alone without the presence of a teacher of the same sex, as well as the allegations of the school poor communication, the delay for over a month after the incident before calling the attention of the minor's parents to the exact issue. This will help us make informed decisions.”

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Yiaga Africa notes with utmost concern the high cost of nomination forms being charged by political parties in preparation for the 2023 general elections.

 

The group, which seeks to promote democratic governance, described the situation as a “huge disservice to teeming women, youth and persons with disabilities (PWDs) who nurse the ambition to run for elective office in next year’s general elections”.

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In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Samson Itodo and obtained by SaharaReporters on Thursday, the group said setting the cost of such forms at outrageous cost is detrimental to Nigeria’s democracy.

 

The statement reads, “It is imperative to state that this practice does not bode well for Nigeria’s fledgling democracy as it further marginalises women and youth, two vulnerable groups who make up the largest demography in the country from participating in the political process.

 

“The expensive nature of Nigeria’s politics has been established to be a structural barrier to women and youth political participation, thus, it is saddening to see that political parties, which remain the primary medium for contesting elections in the country continue to perpetuate this injustice.

 

 

 

“With the passage of the age eligibility (Not Too Young To Run) bill into law close to the 2019 general elections, it was envisaged that young people would take advantage of the Not Too Young To Run Act and contest for office en masse in the 2023 general elections, as this would give them ample time to prepare for the elections.

 

“However, going by the high cost of nomination forms that have been announced so far by some political parties ahead of the 2023 general elections, it is safe to say that this is a deliberate attempt to marginalise women, youth and persons living with disabilities (PWDs) from participating in the political process as candidates in the forthcoming general elections.

 

“It is no news that these marginalised groups are economically disadvantaged to compete fairly with the old guard, who have accumulated resources to be able to afford the cost of running for office. 

 

“We welcome the concessions made by some political parties to women, youth and PWDs and call for a further downward review of the cost of nomination forms to allow for an inclusive process without discrimination against any group or demography of the society.”

 

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday fixed N100 million as the cost for its 2023 presidential aspirants to obtain form.

 

The fee was approved at the ongoing National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party in Abuja.

 

Those eyeing the governorship ticket will purchase the form at N50 million.

 

“State House of Assembly Goes For 2 Million Naira. House Of Representatives Goes For 10 Million Naira. Senate Goes For 20 Million Naira. Governorship Goes For 50 Million Naira and Presidency Goes For 100 Million Naira,” the party had said.

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A man who identified himself as Alfred Ayo, has accused his physically challenged ex-wife, Ruth Matthew of using their two-year-old child who went missing in Christ MercyLand Deliverance Ministries (CMDM) for business.

A source in the family told SaharaReporters on Thursday that Ayo’s lawyer was already preparing to sue his ex-wife, Ruth; pastor of church, Jeremiah Fufeyin; and Ruth’s alleged boyfriend, Emmanuel Marcus.

Ayo in a video obtained by SaharaReporters also accused Ruth of conniving with one Emmanuel Marcus, who he referred to as the woman’s boyfriend of selling their child.
 
He insisted that the physically challenged woman and Marcus knew the whereabouts of his son, Testimony Ayo.
 
The factory worker who was at the Magistrate Court 2, in Effurun, Delta State on Tuesday said he only realised what was going on after his attention was drawn to some reports on the internet about the case.
 
While appealing for government intervention in the case, Ayo alleged that Ruth also ran away with his money, adding that he needs help in recovering his baby and money.
 
“Abeg, make them help me, I dey waka like person wey no get pikin, I get children. Make them help me, make this woman bring my children for me. If she no marry me again, I no worry to marry, make she just bring my children to me (Please, I need help in recovering my child from my ex-wife. I don’t mind if she doesn’t want to remarry, I just want my child).

See Also Christianity How Nigerian Pastor, Fufeyin Ordered Police To Arrest Physically Challenged Woman Whose Child Went Missing In His Church 0 Comments 1 Month Ago
“As she collide with Emmanuel Marcus, maybe they sell the child or anything wey they use am do, either na juju, make them provide my pikin for me, I know say my pikin they alive. My pikin no die, she dey alive (She connived with Emmanuel Marcus to seel my child or use him for ritual purposes. However, I know my child is alive).
 
“Make government help me ask Emmanuel Marcus wetin him use my baby do. The government should help me, I’m looking for my baby, Testimony Ayo, it’s over two years now, I no use my eye see my pikin (The government should help me recover my baby, it’s been over two years since my child went missing).
 
“Emmanuel Marcus and the mother know where they put my children. Na four children she born for me, all boys, na the small one they missing now. She and Marcus, them do meeting together, carry my baby away.
 
“For two years them no tell me, I no get Android phone, na where I dey work my colleague show me say Ayo, no be your pikin be this, na there I know say court sitting they today (Emmanuel Marcus and my ex-wife know where my child is. We have four boys; it is the youngest child that is missing. He had been missing for two years and nobody told me. I don’t have a smartphone, I learnt about my child’s disappearance from my colleague at work. That was how I got to know that there would be a court sitting today).”
 
Speaking to SaharaReporters on Wednesday, a family member accused the woman of not informing her ex-husband about the missing child for two years.
 
The family source added that the husband would soon sue Ruth and the church over the incident.
 
“She didn’t tell Ayo about the missing child till date, they had marital issues and she left him. She took the children to the church without informing him. One of them went missing in the church but this woman didn’t feel the father should be aware of it, for good two years. She didn’t tell the ex-husband. Then something is fishy.
 
“Either from the woman, church or somewhere, the missing son’s surname is Ayo but you didn’t let him know his son was missing. Assuming he was informed when the incident happened, we would not be at this stage at all. She handled the case for her selfish aim. Did she tell the world it was her boyfriend, one Marcus that took her to the church? What was she doing at the church in the first place? Was it not to collect money from the pastor who they said had been distributing money anyhow to people? So the woman needs to be asked many questions.
 
“Ayo will be taking all of them to court soon, he has informed his lawyer already. Even the boyfriend won’t be spared. He is an accomplice in this case.”
 
Ruth had accused the founder and senior prophet of the church, Jeremiah Fufeyin of abducting one of her sons after she took four of them to the church.
 
She was arrested by the police and charged in court by Fufeyin for allegedly defrauding the general public using his name.
 
“Three years ago, a physically challenged woman named Ruth Matthew went to the church of popular Warri-based prophet, Jeremiah Omoto Fufeyin with her four children (all boys),” an activist had said.
 
“She said when Jeremiah saw her, he asked if he was the mother of all these boys and she answered him yes, then from there at their “mercy land” shrine, the youngest of her son who was then 2 years old disappeared mysteriously. She began to look for him but couldn't find him.
 
“Jeremiah’s security couldn't explain where the missing child was and they have refused to show the CCTV footage of what transpired.”
 
According to the activist, Fufeyin and the church members told the woman to stop looking for the missing boy.

“Ruth refused and kept raising her voice to make sure she gets back her son. A South African-based preacher who has been exposing occultic and rogue African false prophets, especially in Nigeria got in contact with her and began to help her out to see that justice is done and she gets back her child.
 
“Jeremiah and his gullible followers didn't like that, so they began threatening her and also promising her millions and cars for her to stop talking about her missing son but as usual she refused.”

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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 on Wednesday night attacked Geidam community in Yobe state.

Geidam, which is the hometown of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali-Baba and located 177 kilometres away from Damaturu, the state capital, shares a border with the Niger Republic and Damasak.

Nine villagers were killed and the Government Technical Secondary School in the village was razed, witnesses and security officials said.

 

The insurgents were said to have come by foot at around 9 pm and moved straight to a drinking joint located at Kwari ward, where they slaughtered the victims and injured two others.

“They came into the community unawares as there was no gun battle, executed their mission and left,” a resident said.

Since the death of JAS leader, Abubakar Shekau, ISWAP has been consolidating its grip in the North East.

The sect’s membership has swollen with the defection of hundreds of Boko Haram fighters under Shekau.

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

The terror group has caused the death of tens of thousands of people and displaced millions of individuals mainly in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states.

It has also increasingly targeted farmers in their violence.

They accused them of spying and passing information to the military and the local militia fighting them.

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At least 1,884 persons were reportedly killed in Nigeria in the first quarter of the year in violent incidents, including attacks by Boko Haram members, other terrorists, militia herdsmen, bandits, and violent gangs.
 
This is according to a recent report by the SBM Intelligence, a socioeconomic research firm and EiE Nigeria titled, ‘Media Reported Killings in Nigeria report for Q1 2022, January to March 2022'.

According to the report, of the 1,884 documented, 896 were civilians; 370 Boko Haram members; 314 terrorists.
 
The other category of persons who suffered casualty are security agents, according to the report, at least 84 vigilantes were killed while 67 police officers and 67 soldiers lost their lives.
 
Cultists make up 52 of the total number of persons killed; 16 victims are members of the Indigenous People of Biafra; 6 members of the Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were killed; 6 suspected kidnappers and armed robbers and 2 immigration officers.
 
According to the report, the North-West region of the country suffered more casualties with 782 persons killed in the region. This is followed by the North-East region with 441 persons killed and 425 killed in the North-Central region.
 
For the South-East region, 104 persons were killed, 81 in the South-West and 51 persons were killed in the South-South region of the country.
 
Meanwhile, Borno State recorded 393 deaths followed closely by Niger State with 353 deaths and 329 deaths in Zamfara State.
 
One hundred and seventy-two (172) persons were killed in Kaduna State; 149 in Kebbi and 111 in Katsina State.

One of Persident Muhammadu Buhari's key campaign promises was to curb insecurity, but after spending about seven years in office, he has failed to fulfil the promise to Nigerians.

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The Makurdi branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Benue State has been gutted by fire. 

The branch is situated in the Old GRA area of the Benue State capital.

The fire, which reportedly started from the fuel dome of the bank, quickly became ferocious thus drawing the attention of some workers who immediately raised an alarm.

The cause of the incident has yet to be ascertained. However, it was learnt that the fire had been put out. 

In April 2020, a fire outbreak was recorded at the CBN office in Jos, Plateau State.

Three months after, a raging inferno gutted a section of the apex bank in Gombe, destroying the office of the Branch Controller.

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Nigeria's First Lady, Aisha Buhari.

The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has sent out invitations to aspirants gunning for the presidency of the country in the different political parties to show up for a Ramadan dinner with her on Saturday, April 23.
 
According to the invitation card, the presidential aspirants are expected to present their invitation cards at the gate of the venue otherwise they may be turned back.

Nigeria's First Lady, Aisha Buhari.

The presidential aspirants were also instructed to leave their phones behind when coming for the dinner.
 
“Please, bring this card with you. Phones are not allowed,” stated the invite.
 
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) currently has about 8 presidential aspirants.
 
Former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu broke the ice in January and declared his intention to run for the presidency when he visited Aisha’s husband, Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Villa, Abuja.
 
The Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, followed suit, and in a similar fashion, visited Buhari to inform him of his intention to run for the coveted number one position in the country.
 
It did not take long for others like a former governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Kalu; ex-governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha; Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State; and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to declare their interest in the presidency on the platform of the APC.
 
Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo has also joined the race.
 
Those who have declared for the top position on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) include the governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; a United States-based medical doctor, Nwachukwu Anakwenze; media entrepreneur and publisher, Dele Momodu; Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike; Investment banker and economist, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen; former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel and a Pharmacist, Sam Ohuabunwa.
 
Others are former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim and the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, as well as the only female aspirant in the race, Oliver Tareila Diana.

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Bandits on Wednesday kidnapped an unspecified number of persons from the Ijagbe community in the Mopa-Muro Local Government Area of Kogi State.
 
Sources told SaharaReporters that the bandits hijacked a passenger bus and abducted all passengers on board.

According to them, the bandits also kidnapped occupants of a newly-imported vehicle that was involved in an accident.
 
A source said, “There was a kidnap incident on the highway in Mopamuro local government area on Wednesday morning. The name of the village is Ijagbe, in Mopa-Muro local government area of Kogi State.”
 
While the number of kidnapped persons could not be ascertained, a source said the occupants of the passenger bus were all taken, including those in the car. He also noted that the bandits had yet to establish contact with the families of the abducted persons.
 
He said, “They hijacked passengers of a passenger bus and another car, it was one of these ‘Tokunbo’ (imported fairly used) vehicles; the vehicle even had an accident and crashed into a tree but they still entered and picked the occupants.
 
“It happened yesterday (Wednesday) morning around 7 am. They've not contacted anyone but police and vigilantes are in the bush searching for the bandits and victims.”

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The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, has indicted a professor of Yoruba Incantations and Stylistics in the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, Joseph Opefeyitimi, accused of sexual assault.

The departmental committee which sat on the matter recommended that appropriate disciplinary sanctions should be taken against Opefeyitimi.

A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the university, Abiodun Olanrewaju, noted that the victim, Boluwatife Bababunmi, of the same department, had petitioned the university management, alleging that Opefeyitimi, whom she had placed so highly by virtue of his position, sexually assaulted her in his office.

Olanrewaju said, “The unwholesome incident, which happened on March 18, 2022, prompted Boluwatife Hannah Bababunmi of the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, to write a petition to the university management against Joseph Ayo Opefeyitimi, a professor of Yoruba Incantations and Stylistics, of the same department, on March 21, 2022.
 
“Procedurally, after the receipt of the formal complaints, the first step was that the departmental committee sat on the matter and, after thorough investigation, Professor Opefeyitimi was found prima facie liable.
 
“Second stage was the faculty level and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Niyi Okunoye, referred the matter to the anti-sexual harassment committee of the university. The committee, which also sat and clinically deliberated on this same matter, recommended appropriate disciplinary actions against Professor Ayo Opefeyitimi to the university management.
 
“Of course, the university administration would have to present its recommendations to the governing council which has the final say on the matter, considering the status of the staff involved.”

The first lecturer to be dismissed from the school was from the Department of Management and Accounting, and the second was from the Department of English Language.

The third, who was dismissed in March 2022, was from the Department of International Relations.
Victim’s Account
 
Bababunmi, in her account, said she was “violated” by the professor.
 
She said Opefeyitimi sexually molested her during a visit to his office on March 18, 2022.
In a letter addressed to the Department of Linguistics & African Languages, OAU, titled, ‘Report of Sexual Assault and Molestation Against Professor Ayo Opefeyitimi,’ she said the professor invited her to his office and as she was leaving, he grabbed her from behind and asked her to be his lover.
The female student said the professor continued to grope her after which he exposed his already erect penis which he forced into her hand.
 
She said the professor pleaded with her to give him a ‘hand-job’ and despite her pleas to be left alone, the professor pulled her to himself, rubbing his penis on her buttocks.
 
The aggrieved student said she was so petrified and traumatised all through the period of the incident as she called for justice. She said the Professor is the lecturer-in-charge of one of the courses she's enrolled in and might fail her.
 
She wrote, “My name is XXX with matric no. XXX. I am writing to inform you about the unpleasant experience I had with one of my lecturers in the person of Prof. Opefeyitimi on Friday, 18th of March, 2022.
 
“He sent me a WhatsApp message on Thursday, 17th asking me to see him in his office the following day between 8 am and 2 pm. As a lecturer who I respected so much, I obliged and never questioned his order.
 
“I got to his office around 1: 23 pm. He told me that he only wanted to ask about what was going on on the campus since he wasn’t on campus the previous day.
 
“I was astounded to hear that but I told him to take the Road 7 route when ready to go home because Road 1 was blocked.
 
“He asked me to sit down and he asked me the reason why the road was blocked then I told him that I didn’t really know and heard that it was all about the appointment of the new VC.
 
“He decided to leave the office immediately and he packed his things, saying that I was a godsend to him because it was almost 2 pm and he needed to pick up his son from school.
 
“He carried the bag and as we were about to leave the office, I offered to help him with the bag but he declined and I headed for the door.
 
“He grabbed me from behind and held me so tight. At this point I was in shock, then he said and I quote “Mo fẹ́ kí èmi àti ẹ jọ wà papọ̀ ni [thrice] but problem tí mo ní tẹ́lẹ̀ ni boy XXX yẹn but mi ò rò pé ó yẹ kó jẹ́ problem mọ́” meaning ‘I want us to be together, the problem was that boy (name withheld) but I don't think that should be a problem any longer’.
 
“At this point, he had already dropped the big bag he was carrying and he held me with his other hand.
 
“He made me sit on his lap and was groping me, he then said again “Mi ò mọ bí a ṣe fẹ́ ṣe é tí o fi máa graduate pẹ̀lú 2:1 kí o lè padà wá ṣe master’s” (I don't know how to ensure you graduate with a 2:1 so you can come back to this school for master’s degree).
 
“Then I told him that he should let me go and that I will come back to see him some other day just to free myself of him.
 
“He didn’t answer me when I said that but he stood up from the chair still forcefully holding me and dragged me to the couch in his office.
 
"By this time, he had already pulled down his trousers, (and) brought out his erect penis. He grabbed my right hand and used it to rub his sexual penis. It happened so quickly that I was petrified.
 
“He continued to rub his penis and I was so distressed by the entire situation that I lost count of time. In order to appeal to him to release his hold on me, I then told him that I needed to leave his office immediately because I was already taking too long and someone was patiently waiting for me downstairs.
 
“But he replied me and said ‘Gbogbo time tí mo ní pẹ̀lú ẹ báyìí kò ju 5mins lọ, jọ̀wọ́ bá mi ṣe é mo kàn fẹ́ come ni (I won't stay longer than 5 minutes, please do it, I just want to come); I won’t touch you today please because I didn’t inform you before.’
 
“I begged him that I was not comfortable at all that he should please let me go, but he didn’t listen to me. He laid down on his couch and was using my hand to stroke his penis.
 
“At some point, he stood up, dragged me to his table, turned my back to him and was rubbing his manhood on me. At this point, all my pleas to him to please release me fell on deaf ears.
 
“He pinned me there against the table, rubbing his penis on my back, repeating over and over again, “O ṣe é, O ṣe é” (thank you).
 
“Taking advantage of my vulnerability because he is physically stronger than me, he sexually assaulted, molested, and violated me.
 
“He used both his physical strength and high office and power as a professor in the Department of African Languages and Literatures to sexually impose himself on me, despite my pleas to him that I did not want his violent actions and forced attack on me.
 
“For how long he was doing this to me, I could not tell because my heart was beating so fast out of fear, and I was drenched in sweat from a panic attack.
 
“When he finally freed me, he asked me if I would see him 8 am on Monday and I said ‘No’.
 
“He asked me why? Out of fear for my life and safety, I told him that it was because my place was far. I was trying hard to say whatever would make him release me. I had never been so terrified as I was that day in his office.
 
“He asked me where my place was. And I told him that I live at Aba Iya Gani. He then offered to come and pick me (up) but I declined, after which he asked me if I knew Olatoke Hotel at Opa. I said I did not know the place and he said that was no problem; that anytime I’m free to come on Monday, nobody will disturb him and then he gave me a thousand naira (N1,000) for transportation.
 
“I collected the money because I believed he wouldn’t have allowed me to go if I didn’t collect it from him. When we finally left the office, he sent me a message on WhatsApp thanking me and he asked if I would be on campus by 10 am on Monday and I told him that I didn’t think so.
 
“Then he said, ‘Okay, hope you are not traveling?’ And I didn’t reply him till now. The entire situation has left me feeling so traumatized. This is an obvious abuse of power in which my faith in someone who has been a teacher and mentor, someone that I look up to and had maximum respect for since the very day I entered this University, has been exploited.
 
“Professor Opefeyitimi teaches a class that I currently take, and he has the power to fail me or give me any grade that he pleases. In addition, I took another class with him, and he has not yet released the grade for that class.
 
“My career depends on the grades he gives me. I believe his failure to fully penetrate me in his office frustrated him, and I was lucky that I wore tight trousers that he was unable to yank down.
 
“I remain grateful to God that I was not wearing a dress or a skirt that day, otherwise, he would have succeeded in penetrating me, while rubbing his penis on my buttocks.
 
“Sir, I am writing this message to call your attention to this defiling act and wrongful use of his professorial power and influence.
 
“I ask that justice be served and to ensure that he does not further harm me physically or in any other way: including removing from my grades; shaming me during classes and learning activities, because I did not cooperate during his molestation, assault and molestation that fateful day in his office, which will never be erased from my memory.
“I expect that Prof. Opefeyitimi is brought to justice. His action was so quick and immediate that I believe I am not his first victim.
 
“He seemed to have practised this assault before because he seemed to know exactly what to say and what to do, as I looked stupefied before him, and he kept manipulating my body and using his genitalia as a weapon of assault.
 
“I look forward to hearing from you soon. Thank you."
In a letter addressed to the school’s vice-chancellor, Prof. Tope Ogunbodede, Opefeyitimi denied the allegation of sexual assault, saying the female student was his fiancée and that ‘all that happened in my office was consensual’.

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A former head coach of Nigeria, Gernot Rohr has dragged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) before FIFA and is awaiting a ruling on a $1m compensation claim for unfair dismissal, BBC Africa reports.
 
Rohr, Nigeria’s longest-serving manager after taking charge in August 2016 was sacked in December 2021, a few weeks before the delayed 2021 Nations Cup kicked off in Cameroon.

The NFF had agreed to pay Rohr’s salary until the end of his contract, which expires in December 2022, but he went to football’s world governing body to demand an additional sum for damages.
 
That claim was contested by the NFF, and a FIFA tribunal looking into Rohr’s claim for damages concluded last week.
 
However, a verdict is yet to be communicated to either party.
 
Rohr led the West African nation in 58 matches, winning 31, drawing 13 and losing 14.
 

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The owner of Fagoma hotel at Aragba, Otokutu in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, Edwin Etareri and his wife, Mrs Grace Etareri, have been arrested over alleged child trafficking and use of sex slaves in the brothel.

The state police command last Friday rescued the alleged sex slaves including an underage girl.

The command also arrested 10 suspected female sex workers and 10 of their male colleagues during the sting operation in the brothel around midnight.

The underage girls were identified as Happiness Johnson,13; Esther Godspower, 21; Angel John, 22; Miracle Bishop, 19 and Happiness Isreal, 19.
 
However, confirming the incident was Delta State Police Command, led by CP Ari Muhammed Ali in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe.
 
“Investigations revealed that one Joy ‘f’ surname unknown now at large trafficked the underage girls from Rivers State, took them to Patani where they were forced into taking an oath before they were brought to Otu-Jeremi and harboured by one Edwin Etareri, the owner of the said brothel and his wife, one Mrs Grace Etareri currently in custody.
 
“Ten other male suspects and ten female suspected prostitutes were also arrested during the raid.
 
“Investigation is ongoing,” the statement noted.

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File Photo

An airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force targeting ‘bandits’ has killed six children and wounded others by mistake in Niger State.
 
The incident took place in the Kurebe area of Shiroro Local Government Area on April 13, Salis Sabo, spokesperson for the Coalition of Shiroro Association (COSA), said in a statement on Wednesday.

File Photo

Sabo said the children were hit by the airstrike when they were returning home from where they had gone to fetch water, adding that two of the victims were orphans whose parents were killed during a bandit attack on the village.
 
“A man who lost two of his daughters and granddaughters in the incident said there was no single bandit within the village at the time the aircraft bombarded the innocent children,” Sabo said.
 
He added that the terrorist camps are well known. He said the terrorists around the community are of two groups, with two different camps.
 
“One links up with the community through Unguwan Zomo, the other through Kwantan Yashi area. Therefore, they do not understand why fighter jet would be targeting the community where civilians live,” he added.
 
“The two other children who lost their lives in the incidents have for long lost their parents. One of them is a daughter of late Malam Isah Kurebe and the other is a daughter of late Malam Adamu Kurebe, who was killed by the terrorists two years ago. The innocent child he left behind has now been taken away by a similar fate. This is the second time this type of incident is happening.”
 
In Nigeria, villagers have in the past reported some civilian casualties in near-daily bombardments in Northern Nigeria.
 
In 2021, a military jet that came to repel an attack by Boko Haram dropped a bomb that landed in a compound where civilians were having child christening.
 
A fighter jet also on a mission against Boko Haram extremists in April 2021 mistakenly bombed men of the Nigerian Army, killing over 20 officers.
 
The soldiers who were reinforced from Ngandu village were said to be on their way to Mainok, headquarters of the Kaga Local Government Area of Borno state which was under attack by militants from 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.
 
Some of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014 and freed last year also said three of their classmates were killed by Air Force bombardments.
 
In June 2021, an offensive aerial bombardment of the NAF Alpha jet carried out around Genu town in Niger State resulted in the killing of some wedding guests.

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The Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (CANUK) has written to the Nigerian Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola to lament the hardship caused by the scrapping of the fast-track passport application express service in the UK.
In the letter dated April 19, 2022, CANUK, the umbrella organisation of all Nigerian organisations in the European country, said the passport application process had been “hampered by the recent suspension of the fast-track express service, which enabled applicants to receive their passports within 72 hours”.

The letter was signed by members of the executive committee of CANUK namely Ayo Akinfe, Chairman; Jumoke Ariyo, Vice Chair (Passports); Titilola Danso, Secretary; and Judy Akuta, Welfare Secretary.
Titled ‘Scrapping of fast-track passport applications for Nigerians in the UK’, CANUK, in its letter, urged the Nigerian government to lift the suspension of the express service. It said the suspension had reopened the doors for touting and exploitation in visa processing in the UK.
The statement reads, “We, the undersigned members of the executive committee of the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (Canuk), the umbrella organisation of all Nigerian organisations in the UK are writing to you on an urgent matter having consulted with other sister organisations like the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (Nido) and several other stakeholders.
“There are about 2 million Nigerians resident in the UK who are heavily dependent on the London high commission to obtain the required documents to travel back home. As the umbrella body representing all Nigerians in the UK, Canuk is saddled with the responsibility of being the go-between that acts as a bridge between the community and the high commission.
“We in Canuk helped popularise the new enhanced 10-year passport, which you launched in London in November 2021 and are pleased that the take-off of the passport has been immense. However, the application process has been hampered by the recent suspension of the fast-track express service, which enabled applicants to receive their passports within 72 hours.
“This suspension of the fast-track express service has caused untold hardship for Nigerians in the UK who need to travel urgently. Furthermore, the taking away of the right to book appointments from the London high commission and handing this responsibility to a private company in Abuja has caused nothing but chaos.
“Under the new system, it takes between eight to nine weeks to get an appointment for biometrics capture and a further one to two weeks for a passport to be processed. As a result, those who need to travel urgently are forced to apply for even more expensive visas or an Emergency Travel Certificate.
“Others are simply taking the alternative of travelling with expired passports. This compares to a situation under the previous regime whereby they actually received their passports within 72 hours of submitting their application forms. To make matters worse, the current post-fast-track regime has also resulted in the return of touts as desperate Nigerians have resorted to extreme measures in a bid to get their passports.
“We are now seeing criminal elements emerging and offering to obtain passports for applicants at a cost of £350. With the fast track service, touts were taken out of the system as people who urgently needed
their passports paid the £120 fast-track service fee straight to the government. However, with the scrapping of fast-track, people in desperate need of their passports are forced to resort to using the illicit services of touts. Given all of this, we are appealing to you to immediately reinstitute the fast-track express service and also return to the London high commission, the right to fix appointment dates.
“Canuk would highly appreciate it if you use your good office to end the suffering of the 2m Nigerians in the UK who are reeling from the punitive effects of this new policy.”
 

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Troops of the Multinational Joint Task Force have said they killed over 20 Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.

According to the Task Force, the terrorists were killed on the fringes of the Lake Chad basin in Nigeria, Niger Republic, and Cameroon in collaboration with Air Task Force.

As part of Operation Lake Sanity at Forward Operations Base Arege, the troops said six female hostages were also rescued.
According to the spokesman for the Multinational Joint Task Force, Colonel Muhammad Dole, the female victims were kidnapped by the insurgents in Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, and Yobe states between October 2020 and April 2021.
Dole said about 20 terrorists were neutralised by the Air Task Force which identified intelligence-driven targets and engaged them, using multiple sorties in the vicinity of Tumbun Fulani and Tumbun Rago.
A statement by the spokesperson reads, “The ATF identified intelligence-driven targets which they engaged using multiple sorties in the vicinity of Tumbun Fulani and Tumbun Rago, where about 20 terrorists were neutralised.
 
“The criminals, on sighting the advancing troops, fled and abandoned their checkpoint, pulled off their uniforms and left their rifles and other equipment behind.
 
“Tunbun Rago was found deserted with Boko Haram corpses and a shallow grave containing Boko Haram corpses discovered, as the criminals beat a hasty retreat.
 
“Ground forces then advanced and reached Tunbun Fulani but could not access Tunbun Rago due to marshy terrain.”
 
It said two terrorism suspects were also killed in another encounter with Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents in the course of further clearance operations by MNJTF troops of Sector 1 (Cameroon) in the vicinity of Toumbuma, Kerenua, and Chikingudu,
“At the end of the earlier battle engagement around Tunbun Fulani and Tunbun Rago, six traumatised female BHTs hostages managed to escape and were found by own troops who then assisted them and brought them to own troop’s location.
 
“They were professionally handled and given medical care in the bush. The rescued women have been moved to Maiduguri for further processing and handover to the civil authorities before they rejoin their families
 
“Sadly, one soldier paid the supreme sacrifice and few others were wounded in action, currently receiving treatment at a military hospital,” the statement added.
 
Also, the MNJTF Nigerien troops of Sector 4 while on patrol in the general area of Ngagam – Kabalewa and N’guigmi reportedly engaged a group of fleeing terrorists, neutralised five BHT/ISWAP insurgents, destroyed two gun trucks, and also recovered a large stock of arms and ammunition.

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Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu.

President Muhammadu Buhari has defended granting pardons to the former governors of Plateau and Taraba states, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame respectively, who were jailed for stealing public funds.

The two former governors and 157 other convicts were recently pardoned by the President through the Council of State.

Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu.

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, who clarified the recent note presented to the Council of State after the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM) report, on Wednesday said it was a culmination of a process begun by the convicts and others concerned in line with the constitution.

According to him, Buhari would have appeared insensitive if he had not pardoned the convicts.

PACPM was constituted on August 28, 2018, to assist the President in the discharge of his responsibility of granting pardon/clemency.

The committee filed its first report in March 2020 and reconvened in September 2021 to attend to pending applications.

Shehu said Section 175 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) empowers the President to exercise his constitutional powers to grant a pardon.
 
The cases, Shehu noted, followed the established process of applying for pardon or clemency, first to the Correctional Service, which must certify claims made.

The 159 convicts who were pardoned include Dariye, Nyame, John Joshua Uloh, Umar Bamalli, Sa’adu Ayinla Alanamu, Charles Ihenatu, and Akinwumi Ajayi.
According to Shehu, the PACPM, led by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, followed up the recommendations with a visit to selected persons across the country.

The presidential spokesman said the visit appraised and identified “potential cases of convicts and ex-convicts before nominating them for presidential pardon/clemency and reduced sentences”.
 
The presidency explained that during the exercise, 412 inmates were interviewed and 162 were presented to the Council of State by the President.
 
He, however, said it was natural for the cases of the ex-governors to generate public criticism, noting that “the President would have come across as insensitive were he to have ignored compelling cases recommended for pardon because someone is a former governor”.

He denied that the convicts were pardoned to use them for politics and to strengthen the chances of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in their respective states ahead of the 2023 general elections.
 
Meanwhile, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had said it was suing President Buhari’s administration for pardoning the former governors.
SERAP earlier on Sunday called on Buhari to urgently withdraw the pardon recently granted to former governors.

The anti-corruption group Tuesday posted on its official Twitter handle, “Presidential pardon: We're suing the Buhari administration over the unlawful pardon for former governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, who are serving jail terms for corruption.”
 
The Council of State last Thursday granted a state pardon to Dariye and Nyame, along with 157 others.
 
Dariye and Nyame were imprisoned for stealing public funds to the tune of N1.16 billion and N1.6 billion respectively.
 
Both were governors of their respective states from 1999 to 2007.
 
Dariye was sentenced to 14 years in prison but his prison term was later reduced to 10 years by the Court of Appeal in Abuja. His conviction was affirmed by the Supreme Court.
 
The Supreme Court in February 2020 upheld the conviction and 12-year jail term given to Nyame, for misappropriation of funds while he was governor of Taraba State.
 
In its earlier letter dated April 16, SERAP said: “Impunity for corruption will continue as long as influential politicians escape justice for their crimes. The constitutional power of prerogative of mercy ought not to be an instrument of impunity.
 
“The pardon power ought to be exercised in a manner that is consistent with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], particularly the provisions on oath of office by public officers, and section 15[5] which requires your government to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.”
 
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) and many other Nigerians have also been very critical of the presidential pardons granted to the thieving former governors.
 
Speaking as a guest lecturer at an event organised to celebrate one year of remembrance of the late Yinka Odumakin and the launch of the Yinka Odumakin Foundation at Sheraton Lagos Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos last week, Falana accused Buhari of failing to keep to his word.
 
“They are pardoning themselves right now. The same man who said he came to fight corruption has been granting pardons to people who were convicted of stealing billions of naira.

“My reaction is that all thieves and other criminals in our prisons should be released.

“Under section 17 of their constitution, it says there shall be equal rights for all citizens and section 42 says there shall be no discrimination on the basis of class, gender, whatever, so you cannot take out two people and leave the rest there. In particular, the government has been prohibited from conferring advantages on any group of citizens to the exclusion of others in the same category,” he had said.

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If what we want as a country is development; if we desire to bring security and welfare to the people, then we must come to the conclusion that periodic elections in the manner we go about them in Nigeria today will not attain that goal.

 

The hope that democracy provides above other systems of governance is that, when an elected leader turns a villain, there is an opportunity to vote that leader out in the next election and replace that leader with another person of your choice. Once the opportunity to exercise that privilege is abridged whether directly or indirectly, the salt in the pudding is trampled upon.

 

Let's us take our situation for instance. It is only through the instrumentality of a political party you can get to power in Nigeria today. The two major political parties that are currently sharing power between themselves, PDP/APC, (because there is no democracy where all existing parties are in power), are not interested in allowing the system to produce leaders that can bring development to the country. Rather, they are consciously and deliberately building bulwarks against the yearnings of the ordinary people to taste good leadership.

 

They are merely driven by a longing to grab power. They only need people who can help them grab power. Not people who can bring development to our communities. Their recruitment process for both those who work for the party bureaucracies and the candidates they present for elections, is anti-growth. There is no deliberate effort by the parties to shop for good quality to field for elections. They accept people for contests not necessarily because they passed them through any process to gauge their commitment and competence.

 

Regardless of how unprepared for leadership a person is, once an aspirant has the deep pocket and the political dark-side that befits the parties as capable of grabbing power for them, you are headed for office at the expense of development. The source or propriety of your deep pockets is not their business.

 

Elsewhere, political parties, deliberately shop for good leaders from among their communities, groom them and raise their campaign funds to push them into office to perform. Nigeria's ruling parties and the ruling elites have looked us all in the face and made access to leadership position in Nigeria a millionaires club. If you are not a multi-millionaire, stop dreaming of becoming an elected leader in Nigeria. That's what they have told us in clear terms with the cost of their election forms. Yet, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation NDIC, says more than 80 per cent of Nigerians do not have up to 500k in their savings. It doesn't matter how good you are, they have weaponised money to take away our right to be voted for and they are fighting the introduction of Independent Candidacy, tooth and nail.

 

There is also the challenge of empty aspirations. Because of the lack of proper and challenging scrutiny in public interest, every shady character with some bucks is propping up to run for office because they know they are the only ones that will afford the requirements. They have all the requirements the system wants unless a clear agenda for where they want to go and occupy.

 

So you see people telling you, I am running for a legislative position for instance. Ask them what bills do you have in mind to pursue and what oversight functions that will improve our appropriation?

 

and you hear answers like, "We no need more laws for Nigeria. There are enough laws already."

 

"No be that one dey win election. I want to go and help my people. I have a program on infrastructure, sports youth development and empowerment already."

 

"Manifesto no dey win election for Nigeria. No be good program dey win election. Na to understand the system."

 

"The people who vote don't know what manifesto means. Make we just try win our party ticket for primaries."

 

Usually, it ends up these unprepared rogues are the ones who pick the tickets and they are nudged on to power by a transactional electorate who want their dividends in advance. Once you say you are running for office, you immediately become a public meal voucher. The bills of everyone's social events and medicals, plus family problems of everyone, are dumped on you, just because you are aspiring and once you cannot afford to service those bills, you are automatically not suited for office. Once you can service those bills, you ride to power and steal to recoup.

 

There are also the hatchet men and women who just want to whip ethnic and regional sentiments to complete the power grab scheme. Not because they want to bring development either, but because their own has not been able to get access to the till.

 

So we have continued in this circuitous rigmarolling, wasting resources every election cycle without attaining development. Rather the system only continues to produce sudden millionaires who are essentially just stealing from the renteer patronage and remitting pittances to their beneficiaries to sustain the cycle. But the system has reached it's elastic limit and there are two options, #RevolutionNow or we put elections on hold and sit down to re-write our Constitution which will restructure Nigeria, then we can call for the next election. For now, those waiting on the queue to enter and continue to steal are more than those already inside.

 

Yours sincerely,

Citizen Agba Jalingo.

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President Muhammadu Buhari says Boko Haram terrorists are either stupid or do not know God.

Buhari questioned how the terrorists kill innocent people and shout ‘Allah Akbar’ (God is great), saying it might be because of their stupidity.

The President also noted that Boko Haram insurgency had nothing to do with religion or ethnicity.

According to NAN, Buhari stated this when he received the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karin Ahmad Khan, at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.

 

“We came to office when things were very bad but we are educating the people. Education is fundamental. Religion and ethnicity are out of it,” he said.

 

The president said that with concerted public enlightenment, it had become clear to Nigerians that Boko Haram was a perversion of religion rather than an Islamic ideology.

 

“God is justice. You can’t kill innocent people and shout ‘Allah Akbar’ (God is great). It’s either you don’t know that God at all or you are simply being stupid.

 

“To say that Western education is unacceptable (Haram) is very fraudulent. That is why we are fighting them and educating the people, and we are succeeding a lot.”

 

He added, “Some people have just made it a lifestyle to cause confusion, destruction and death.”

 

On his part, the ICC prosecutor said that extremism was like cancer which spreads and can also recede.

 

He said what Boko Haram does in collaboration with the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) is a perversion of religion.

 

He said that ICC believed in “complementarity which promotes collaboration as against confrontation.”

 

Khan urged Nigeria, in concert with other Sahel/Lake Chad basin countries, to get the United Nations Security Council to refer the atrocities committed by the terrorist groups operating in the region to ICC for investigation and trial.

 

 

 

 

 

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Some officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) assaulted a driver and injured him in front of his children, wife and mother after seizing his vehicle particulars and mobile phone along Ejule Road in Kogi State.
The officers were also alleged to have invited some thugs to attack other motorists and passengers who had pleaded with the officers to take the driver to the hospital for treatment.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, April 19, 2022, when the victim was returning to Abuja from Okigwe in Imo State.

The victim, Okafor Dodoh who spoke to SaharaReporters on Wednesday in Abuja said they sighted a man with blood-stained clothes, standing close to the FRSC Patrol vehicle at a checkpoint on the road alongside two women and children who were crying.

He said their driver stopped to find out what had gone wrong and if there was any way they could offer help.
He said the driver narrated to them how he was manhandled and beaten to a stupor by FRSC officers, who also seized his vehicle particulars and mobile phone.
Okafor said, “We approached the senior officer in charge to plead that they return the man’s papers to him so that he could continue his journey as he was travelling with his family. We later learnt that the women wailing and crying were the injured man’s mother and wife. His children we saw were also crying inside his vehicle.
"An argument ensued when the senior marshal refused to release the man’s particulars. We insisted that the man needed treatment and has to be allowed to go treat himself or at least get some first aid since the men (FRSC officials) said they cannot offer any assistance to reduce the bleeding.
"While the back and forth went on, one of the men made a call in a language I did not understand but before he ended the call, I heard him say ‘now, now.’ By now more vehicles had stopped and several passengers and drivers joined in pleading that the man whose papers had been confiscated after he had been beaten should be allowed to go treat himself immediately.
He said to their surprise less than five minutes later a group of thugs arrived at the location on the order of the leader of the team in a 406 Sedan and beat up everyone in sight while dragging people out of their vehicles.
He explained further that their driver in the process tried to manoeuvre his vehicle with the aim of leaving the scene but was blocked and beaten to a pulp.
"I was inside the vehicle but the thugs, targeting me directly on the instruction of the marshals began to hurl objects at me. Many of the thugs and two of the marshals attempted to drag me out of the vehicle and damaged my wristwatch.
"A woman and her baby sitting next to me were also beaten. We only managed to escape when a police patrol team arrived at the venue before the driver was allowed into his vehicle to take off,” Okafor added.
Meanwhile, in a petition exclusively obtained by SaharaReporters, written by Okafor and addressed to the Corps Marshal  Federal Road Safety Commission, Boboye Oyeyemi demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and payment of compensation to the affected driver and the passengers of the attack.
He also called for disciplinary action against the officers involved in the assault, adding that their action had brought shame and ridicule to the commission.
The petition read in part, "I write to bring to kindly bring to your attention sir, a very ugly experience I had on Tuesday, 19th April 2022 at around 3 pm while travelling in an Imo Transport Corporations’ Vehicle from Okigwe in Imo State to Abuja. We had a smooth journey until we arrived at a certain bad portion of the road at Ejule where men of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) mounted a checkpoint where they performed their legitimate duty of inspecting vehicles’ particulars.
"I would, with all sense of responsibility sir, expect a full investigation into this matter within the next fourteen days after which if nothing is done, I shall have no option but approach the court to demand the enforcement of my fundamental human rights and those of other victims "
Also, the video and pictures obtained from the scene of the incident showed FRSC hilux patrol vehicle with registration number C. 45RS  and command code  8.31 ( A) with the driver soaked in blood and many other passengers with injuries.

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Achike Chude

So Laurel and Hardy, (Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu), presidential spokesmen have not gone into hiding as the government they serve grows in ever-increasing notoriety and infamy. One would think that the fact of their impending disengagement from the government after the 2023 elections would be enough to impose a reality check on them and elicit a change of approach and engagement. But in the twilight of their administration, they seem to have learnt nothing and forgotten nothing. Instead, they have grown more quarrelsome and pugnacious to comments they consider unfriendly.
 
Someone has said that given the level to which this government has fallen, they might very well flee the country or whatever is left of her by the time their government concludes its demolition job on our beloved Nigeria.
 
It is the nature of leaders and governments, especially in quasi democratic countries like Nigeria that as they increasingly fail to deliver on promises made to the people, they seek recourse to phantom enemies to explain away their ineptitude, parochialism, corruption, visionlessness, and provincialism.
  Achike Chude
We thought that we had seen the worst of terrible governments in this country. Surely, we said to ourselves, 'the worst is over.' But of course, the worst was surely not over. We needed to see and experience President Muhammadu Buhari. We needed to see what sometimes happens when a man marries a second wife. We have now seen it and experienced it, and it is not a pleasant experience.
 
It is no longer a rumour or conjecture that there is a conspiracy between Karma and Nemesis to exact retribution on the APC government of Muhammadu Buhari for making claims of virtues that they never had.
 
Think of it! In a whirlwind space of about three weeks, a deluge and avalanche of condemnations and criticisms have come the way of the ruling government from different power centres and opinion moulders across the country.
 
After the Chief Imam of the Apo Legislative Quarters Mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Nuru Khalid, was booted out of office for criticising the government's apparent failures in keeping Nigeria safe, the Sultan of Sokoto and leader of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III had questioned the continued existence of a government that could not protect its citizens. At the same time, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria was also accusing the president and his government of playing the Ostrich. Remember their famous statement to the president in 2018 when they accused him of "presiding over the killing fields and mass graveyard that our country has become.”
 
The Northern Elders Forum on their part about a week ago called for the President to resign for his many failures, especially over insecurity.
 
And just about two days ago, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos Adewale Martins was wondering how in a sovereign country supposedly governed by law, armed gangs have set up a taxation system where citizens pay taxes to them.
 
Now Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah has for the umpteenth time, kept another date with history. Crying and wailing for the pains and tragedies his country and people are going through has become his burden. Just like some of us who can still feel the pains of the deaths, kidnappings, and destructions wrought on our fellow citizens in their thousands by the fiends from hell, he just cannot pretend that the carnage and anarchy he sees happening all around him are a mirage.
 
But that is exactly what Laurel and Hardy want him to do - pretend that all is well - pretend that their principal, Buhari is getting it right when all around us, the Federal Republic of Nigeria is collapsing spectacularly under a president who is a general that bandits, terrorists, kidnappers are making 'yeye' of.
 
Now Laurel and Hardy have come after Hassan Kukah, tactfully avoiding critiquing the Sultan who has also rightfully spoken the truth about our state of affairs. In a paradox that only they and their ilk are capable of, they accuse the speaker of the truth of being a purveyor of falsehood just because he dared to say what all Nigerians have been saying - that this president has divided Nigeria and Nigerians in a way never before seen in our annals as a country.
 
Can we deny that while under Goodluck Jonathan Nigerians were dying in the dozens, under the general, Nigerians are dying in their hundreds?
 
We know what people like Kukah, Abdusalami, and others did to ensure peace in Nigeria between 2014 and 2015 when they got Jonathan and Buhari to sign a peace accord before the election, and how they worked tirelessly post-election to maintain that peace. We are not even talking about his service to the nation as Secretary to the Abdusalami set-up Human Rights Truth Commission headed by late philosopher-judge Chuwudifu Oputa, among other pan-Nigerian activities by him.
 
For Laurel and Hardy to now accuse the same Kukah of sowing division in the country because he spoke an unpleasant truth about their government and our government, is not really befuddling if we understand the dynamics of the human mind. Like the Bishop said, "Some people's bank accounts have now swollen."
 
After all, they were the ones that divided Nigerians by calling us 'hailers and wailers'.
 
Power dey finish oo.
 
In a few months’ time, they will come and join us Nigerians on the streets - Unless dey run comot from Naija.
 
What a legacy they will leave for themselves.
 
As for Nigeria, it is a minute to midnight. The last spark of light is almost gone. But just as it takes a spark to ignite the forest, perhaps that last spark might be all we need to renew our nation.
 
Don't give up yet!
 
Keep working to save our country.
 

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Achike Chude Disable advertisements :