The popular gospel singer and minister, Osinachi Nwachukwu, died recently in Abuja following alleged domestic violence. Sister Osinachi whose hit song, 'Ekwueme', made melodic headlines around the christian world died untimely at 42 as a direct or indirect result of the bestiality and brutality of the husband. Osinachi died a sad agonizing death after suffering bouts of domestic conjugal abuse and violence for years. She was a lead singer at the Dunamis International Gospel Centre.
Peter Nwachukwu remains a beast of a man who never appreciated the fact that his late wife was a wonderful musical ministration talent, a rare gift to humanity. Or how better do we describe a primitive narcissist whose misogyny represents what many women experience in marital unions in Biafraland in particular and Nigeria in general? Peter, the glorified murderer, had since been arrested and interrogated following petitions from Osinachi's family and friends.
The man was said to have been married to another woman prior to encountering Osinachi and marrying her without her knowledge! The man is equally said to be her ruthless Manager. He must have elected to marry Osinachi because he saw in her a cash cow worth milking! And he milked her until she kicked the bucket unfortunately!
Those she confided in before her demise had given accounts of how household was a living hell for her. The husband would kick and slap and beat her. He was playing god in her life, sometimes single-handedly annulling her booked concerts or appearances on stage.

It is absolutely incomprehensible how a responsible mother and wife could be subjected to conjugal cruelty to the extent that she had to kick the bucket as a direct or indirect result of this exhibition of animalistic wickedness.
Reports had it that Osinachi suffered enormously while trying to keep her marriage. She was subjected to inhuman treatment by her husband. Credible accounts from different quarters indicated a wicked pattern of humiliation and savagery for years. Even sometimes these abuses occurred in the presence of their children who often partook in the abominable mistreatment.
Now, beyond her sad demise what comes to mind is the marriage culture and inconveniences in Igboland. Since divorce is rare and frowned at many women endure years of abuse and dehumanization in the hands of their ignorant husbands.
Igbos are predominantly Christians but there is a whole lot of hypocrisy and loathsomeness among its people. Divorce is seen generally as a failure and it seldom happens even in complicated situations.
Many women (and even men) are content pretending that all is well in their marriages when the very opposite is the case. It is not isolated a case seeing couples who go about their businesses without exchanging greetings or pleasantries in the morning before departure from home! Sometimes men of God or family members are called upon to intervene but their intervention could end up bringing more acrimonious hardening of positions.
The major problem confronting the average Igbo man or woman is that marriage remains a sacrosanct social culture for generations. And society imposes certain servile encumbrances to its mutual existence or dissolution. Worse still, true love is hardly any factor featuring seriously before marriages happen.
Take for example. A so-called 'big boy' goes to Europe or America and hits a sudden fortune through drug trafficking or digital fraud and upon his triumphant return back home 'loaded' many girls would swoop around him in search of 'Mr right' just because of his money! Besides, you find that with money an illiterate could go for a graduate wife!
Sometimes courtship hardly happens before the consecration of the marriage. What interests the girl and her mother or father is his bank accounts, the big house built by the future husband or the luxurious car he rides in. What follows is flashy traditional marriage and modern (christian) wedding.
In many homes around the country a lot of women are currently experiencing what led to sister Osinachi's brutal end. They are afraid to quit, fearful of what the larger society would say in the event of divorce or separation.
Among the major ethnic groups that make up Nigeria the Igbos pride themselves as a formidable people with great culture and entrepreneurial spirit. The are rich, organized and mobile. Again, among the ethnic groups in Nigeria marriage in Biafraland remains the most expensive from time immemorial.
Yet the high cost of marriage, instead of making conjugal homes safer or better, makes them living hell becoming practically impossible for many folks to get hooked up with girls of their amorous choice. You can see a girl fresh off university 'hustling' to marry a semi-illiterate moneybag!
In a nation where the President, Muhammadu Buhari, could afford to declare in far away Germany that the place of his wife, the First Lady, was in the kitchen and 'the other room' (whatever that meant) people are emboldened to maltreat women or visit violence on them.
We hold, in the final analysis, that Peter Nwachukwu (or Nwaekwensu) stands accused as the killer of sister Osinachi. Justice must be made to prevail in this despicable abominable matter. He must be brought before justice and tried and if found guilty jailed to serve as a deterrent to other brutes and ignorant idiots visiting their frustrations on innocent women.
Enough must be said to be enough! We grieve for Osinachi, the 'Ekwueme' gospel exponent gone home too soon! May Jehovah accept her in His bosom!
SOC Okenwa
soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Ozodinukwe Okenwa Disable advertisements : 

The Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has lambasted President Muhammadu Buhari's administration over the ravaging insecurity, corruption and division in Nigeria.
In his Easter Message titled, ‘To mend a broken nation: The Easter metaphor’, the clergyman condemned the way the government is going about the rehabilitation exercise for the so-called repentant terrorists. 

According to him, bandits and terrorists are clad in honourable robes and presented like heroes. 
He further said the current administration has divided the country on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and region.
Kukah explained that the greatest challenge for Nigeria is not even the 2023 elections but prospect for the reconciliation of the people of the country. 
He said, “Our dear country, Nigeria, still totters and wobbles as we screech towards a dangerous and avoidable canyon of dry bones.
“One would be tempted to ask, what is there to say about our tragic situation today that has not been said? Who is there to speak that has not spoken? Like the friends of Job, we stare at an imponderable tragedy as the nation unravels from all sides. The government has slid into hibernation mode.
“It is hard to know whether the problem is that those in power do not hear, see, feel, know, or just don’t care. Either way, from this crossroad, we must make a choice, to go forward, turn left or right or return home. None of these choices is easy, yet, guided by the light of the risen Christ, we can reclaim our country from its impending slide to anarchy.
“The challenge of fixing this broken nation is enormous and, as I have said, requires joint efforts. With everything literally broken down, our country has become one big emergency national hospital with full occupancy. Our individual hearts are broken. Our family dreams are broken. Homes are broken. Churches, Mosques, and infrastructure are broken. Our educational system is broken. Our children’s lives and future are broken. Our politics is broken. Our economy is broken. Our energy system is broken. Our security system is broken. Our Roads and Rails are broken. Only corruption is alive and well.
“The greatest challenge for Nigeria is not even the 2023 elections. It is the prospect for the reconciliation of our people. Here, the Buhari administration sadly has divided our people on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and region, in a way that we have never witnessed in our history. This carefully choreographed agenda has made Nigerians vulnerable and ignited the most divisive form of identity consciousness among our people. Years of friendships, cultural exchange, and collaboration built over time have now come under serious pressure from stereotyping.”
He also faulted amnesty granted to terrorists and former governors of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye; and Taraba State, Rev Jolly Nyame.
Kukah said, “We need to start thinking of a Nigeria beyond banditry and kidnapping and the endless circles of violence that have engulfed our communities and nation. We cannot continue to pretend that there are no religious undertones to the violence in the name of God that has given our religions a bad name.
“The way out is for the state to enforce the secular status of the Nigerian state so as to give citizens the necessary freedoms from the shackles of semi-feudal confusion over the status of religion and the state in a plural Democracy. We must be ready to embrace modernity and work out how to preserve our religions and cultures without turning religion into a tool for tyranny, exclusion, and oppression.
“I cannot be against a repentant sinner or criminals changing their ways. After all, the doors of forgiveness must always remain open. However, in this case, Nigerians have very little information as to the entire rehabilitation process. Have these terrorists felt the heat or have they seen the light or, is their repentance a mere strategic and tactical repositioning? So far, we have no evidence that these terrorists have been able to confront their victims not to talk of seeking forgiveness from them. Something is wrong.
“We see these terrorists adorned in our national colours in their green and white kaftans, trousers, and looking like heroes of the state! Are we to assume that they have become acknowledged models for Nigerian youth? Perhaps the next graduating set might be treated to Presidential handshakes, receptions at the villa with full national colours!”

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File photo used to illustrate story.

One person has been killed in an attack by gunmen on the Gabari community, Samaru village in the Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The victim identified as Yarima Mohammed of Kufena village, Wusasa was killed when he resisted an attempt by the gunmen to abduct him. 

File photo used to illustrate story.
The state police command confirmed the attack in a statement.
According to the spokesman for the command, Mohammed Jalige, the bandits were dressed in military uniforms and armed with sophisticated weapons.
The gunmen were said to have invaded the Gabari community, Samaru area of Sabon Gari, and started shooting sporadically. 
They also kidnapped four persons who were taken into the forest.
Meanwhile, two people have been rescued by the police and men of Operation Puff Adder II and local vigilantes; who courageously ambushed the bandits.

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Joshua Bamiloye, son of Mike Bamiloye, founder and President of Mount Zion Faith Ministries and Mount Zion Television, is currently under fire for making a tweet condemning Marvel movies.
The young man, some days ago described Marvel movies as having characters who are possessed by an evil spirit. 

https://twitter.com/jay_mikee/status/1513571863917649926?t=laguWXd-PUrUiGrnqsjOLg&s=19
His tweet attracted the outrage of Nigerians who claimed Mount Zion movies caused them more trauma as kids compared to the effect of Marvel movies. 
Some tweeps urged the Christian filmmaker to focus on making movies in his niche and stop criticising what he cannot control. 
He, however, made a follow-up thread to explain his intent stressing that he had not called for a ban on such movies but to encourage Christians like him to be more cautious with the entertainment content they consume. 
He tweeted, “So I made a tweet on Marvel movies, and I think it's time to expand on that because there's something we need to hammer home in the body of Christ. What exactly is it? The impact some of today’s films have on our generation, and even more so on our (future) children. 
“Let me preface this by saying I watch Marvel films as well, so this isn't a topic to completely ban, dissociate, or cancel Hollywood films from our homes (because you can bet some people won't read half of this thread but still come to their silly conclusions just to cause chaos).
“Rather, this is a plea for us to be more deliberate in how much of God we pour into ourselves and subsequently into the lives of our children, so their thought process isn’t shaped by these movies. 
I'll go over a few of the characters who sparked that concern. 
“Scarlet Witch, a superhero, was my first source of concern. I'm not going into details, I'm just pointing out who our children will refer to as superheroes. Characters they would want to copy.  
Doctor Strange is in the same boat (who is a sorcerer, same-same).
“Over the years, foreign films have beautified witchcraft & sorcery. 
We may know that witchcraft is a no-no, regardless of how many movies we see about it, but believe me, it is harmful for a child to grow up with this kind of orientation without proper knowledge of God's word.
“The message is consistently the same: there are "good witches" and "evil witches. NETFLIX KIDS is also known for these types of shows. 
That’s by the way, let’s go back to marvel.
”Another example is Venom, which was released in 2018, followed by a sequel in 2021. The plot revolves around a man whose body was fused with that of a "symbiotic alien" (a funny euphemism for a demon, in my opinion) named Venom.
"The sheer gore in the sight of this monster that was supposed to be the hero of the story freaks me out.
Venom is a creature that dwells inside a man and manifests in times of battle. Venom can also take control of a man's activities without visibly appearing. 
"Last year, I had the opportunity to talk to a gathering of high school students.
I casually asked, "Who has seen Venom?" Hands were raised. 
"Who likes Venom?" I asked again. Almost all hands were raised again. When they observed my surprised expression, they dropped their hands.
"This year, Morbius was released. I haven’t seen it but from research, it’s the story of a Dr with a blood disorder who sought help from a means that turns him into a vampire; a blood-sucking demon.
That’s the Hero. He is possessed by and manifests another being inside of him.
"And finally the presently trending series: Moon Knight. A regular guy shares a body with a mercenary that possesses Egyptian powers and he asks for control over his body from time to time. 
He, like Venom and Morbius, is possessed by and manifests another being inside of him.
"These are just a few instances; let’s not even get started on Disney's ambitions to fully integrate LGBT themes into their children's materials, which will no longer be a coded affair. (Side note-Disney owns Marvel).
"Again, I'm not advocating for a ban on Hollywood films or a boycott of Marvel films (though, if you can, good for you). 
I'm requesting that we become more sensitive and vigilant than we have ever been. The world is getting darker, and the devil is becoming increasingly crafty.
"Make a firm commitment in your heart to nourish your heart with God's word as much as possible so that you can pass it on to your children and younger siblings. 
"This will function as a powerful deterrent to the negative content that’s out there.
"We can’t completely prevent germs in the air, water, or food, but we can strengthen our immune system to combat them when they get in the body. 
In the spirit, it's the same way. Spiritual germs are present in the media, but your spiritual immunity is the most important factor.
"So, dear Christians, What are your thoughts on the matter? I'd be delighted to hear it. Also, anyone who comes with the aim of twisting this topic into nonsense or brings Mount Zion into it just for mockery will be promptly blocked. This is a discussion for believers only.”
https://twitter.com/jay_mikee/status/1514948585481195532?t=AmAOaMWSjVos4Iwk_nMiLA&s=19
However, his explanation further attracted condemnation from many Nigerian tweeps who encouraged him to keep mute on the topic. 
Below are some of the reactions:
https://twitter.com/Zeemiey/status/1514003168279019532?t=BnqC6h7asaxqDIF1oH4cbA&s=19
https://twitter.com/PreciousAzalea1/status/1515287562419638272?t=n0Axw05WgJ7BO55mPQDemQ&s=19

https://twitter.com/Amudalat20/status/1515240813034418176?t=o1HyzkJbyoBT2X9KlqfXCw&s=19

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No fewer than two persons have been killed after gunmen invaded communities in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.
This was made known in a statement by the spokesperson for the Coalition of Shiroro Associations (COSA), Salis Sabo.

According to the statement, the gunmen in their hundreds attacked communities surrounding Gwada town on Saturday when locals were breaking their fast.
One policeman and a civilian in Tapila were killed during the attack. He added that two persons were kidnapped including the son of a staff member of the North-South Power of Shiroro Dam and a girl. 
The communities attacked are Chiri, Kwakwa, Jewi and Kaduna, all of which are located some kilometres from Gwada and the local government headquarters.
The attackers also looted a business centre and carted away many phones. 

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The Zanzibar Commission for Tourism has reacted to the allegation of sexual assault made by a Nigerian lady, Zainab Oladehinde. 
Oladehinde, in a Twitter thread on Saturday, shared her horrific experience at the Beach Hotel Nungwi, Zanzibar, Tanzania.

She said she was sexually assaulted by a stranger despite having locked the door to her hotel room. 
The young lady said she was almost raped by the stranger. 
According to her, she escaped because she lied that she was HIV positive, a move that stopped the attacker from penetrating her. 
She wrote on Twitter, “Around 12:00am, a few friends and family called to wish me a happy birthday and then I went back to my room to sleep. A few hours into my sleep, I started to feel a strange hand touching my breast.
“Now, this was me sleeping naked on my bed in my hotel room with my doors locked so this was definitely a dream.
"I told myself and went back to sleep a few minutes afterwards.
"I started to feel my hands stroking someone’s penis. At this moment, I opened my eyes to confirm if It was actually a dream or if I was in real danger.
"Lo and behold, it wasn’t a dream. There was a naked man lying on my bed and touching me at 2:00am in my hotel room!
“He started calling me “baby” and then I became scared cause the room was dark as I had switched off the lights before I went to bed. Now, I was extremely scared.
"I asked the man “who are you?” But all he kept saying was “baby, baby”. I asked in a louder tone this time around cause I was getting angry and then he quickly stuffed his hands over my mouth in an attempt to stop me from shouting.
"At this moment, I became very scared as I didn’t know who this was and why this person was in my room.”
She added: “So I continued begging him and telling him I’d allow him to have sex with me but he’d need to go get a condom so as not to get HIV.
"I saw that he reacted to the word “HIV” so I kept on saying HIV whilst crying profusely at this point.
"His belt fell off the bed so I got an instant feeling that this man came into my room fully clothed before removing his clothes right on my bed. He wore his shoes and came back to press my neck against the bed.”
While making efforts to nab the culprit, Oladehinde said she reported to the police but the complaint was dismissed after a medical report established that there was no penetration. 
She also said the owner of the hotel put the blame on her and claimed that she was lying.
She wrote: "I got back to the police station and the policemen said they have no issue with the sexual assault since I wasn’t raped. That the only issue here was my stolen money.
"The policemen at the Nungwi Police Station in Zanzibar kept on bullying and harassing me. They told me to leave their police station that I wasn’t raped and they had confirmed there was no penetration from the nurses...
“The hotel has closed off its comment section on Instagram but I won’t stop till everyone boycotts this crazy hotel.
"The owner and manager said I lied about my experience."
Reacting in a statement issued on Sunday, the Commission says it is shocked and disappointed to learn of the incident. 
It, however, noted that an investigation has commenced into the incident, stating that it does not condone ill-treatment of visitors.
The statement signed by Hafsa H. Mbamba, the Executive Secretary of the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism reads: “On 16th April 2022, the Zanzibar Commission for Tourism has been made aware of a statement made on social media by Ms Zainab Oladehinde, a Nigerian national regarding an incident of assault, that is said to have taken place in April 2021 at Warere Hotel in Nungwi, Zanzibar.
“The Zanzibar Commission for Tourism is shocked and disappointed to learn of this incident and take these allegations very seriously. An immediate investigation has commenced and we will report its findings. We condemn any harm or threat to our visitors to the peaceful islands of Zanzibar.
“On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism & Heritage, we would like to inform our visitors that the Ministry abhors any ill-treatment of any persons on the isles as this is not the Zanzibari hospitality nor the treatment we want our visitors to receive.
“It is a regrettable incident we are following closely.”

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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently withdraw the pardon recently granted to former governors of Plateau and Taraba states, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame respectively, serving jail terms for corruption. 

SERAP urged Buhari to use his “good offices to urgently review and withdraw the pardon granted to former governors of Plateau State, Senator Joshua Dariye, and Taraba State, Rev Jolly Nyame who are serving jail terms for corruption.”

The group in a letter dated April 16, 2022, and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare also urged the President to “propose constitutional amendment to the National Assembly to reform the provisions on the exercise of the prerogative of mercy to make the provisions more transparent, and consistent and compatible with Nigeria’s international anti-corruption obligations.”
Mr Dariye and Mr Nyame were jailed for stealing N1.16 billion and N1.6 billion respectively. However, the National Council of State last week endorsed the pardon of Mr Dariye, Mr Nyame and 157 others serving jail terms following the recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy.
In the letter, 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.
“Indeed, the presidential pardon power must be exercised in good faith, and in line with the provisions of Chapter 4 of the Nigerian Constitution on fundamental rights.
“We would like your government to clarify if the pardon granted to Mr Dariye and Mr Nyame would entitle them to the return of the stolen assets already forfeited to the government.
“The pardon also constitutes an interference in the exercise of judicial power. Because the pardon appears to be arbitrary, it undermines the authority and independence of the judiciary, and access to justice for victims of corruption."
The letter, copied to the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption, also read in part: “The pardon is clearly inconsistent and incompatible with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution, and the country’s international obligations including under the UN Convention against Corruption.
“Presidential pardon for corruption cases is inconsistent with the rule of law, and the public interest, as it undermines the principle of equality before the law. It will undermine public confidence in your government’s fight against corruption, and the justice system.
“SERAP is concerned that while the pardon power is routinely exercised to shield influential politicians and politically exposed persons from justice and accountability, ordinary people who have committed petty offences but with no money or influential politicians to speak for them, languish in prisons and are rarely considered for pardon.
“While there is no doubt that Section 175 of the Constitution vests wide discretionary power in the Nigerian president to grant pardon, it does not stipulate the conditions under which such power should be exercised.
“However, when section 15(5) of the Constitution is read together with the oath, it would seem to impose some ethical conditions on you to ensure that the exercise of the discretionary power of prerogative of mercy is not such that it will encourage corruption or impunity of perpetrators.”
According to the organisation, Dariye and Nyame should have been allowed to complete their jail terms. 
It described the presidential pardon as "unfair and undeserving.”

It further said, “The investigation and prosecution of the corruption cases involving the pardoned former governors Dariye and Nyame reportedly cost over N300 million of taxpayers’ money. The cases went from the High Court to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution provides that ‘The State shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.’ Similarly, article 26 of the UN Convention against Corruption requires your government to ensure ‘effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions’ in cases of grand corruption.
“Article 26 of the convention complements the more general requirement of article 30, paragraph 1, that sanctions must take into account the gravity of the corruption offences.

“SERAP notes that in your inaugural speech on May 29, 2015, you stated that, ‘We are going to tackle pervasive corruption head-on. Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national responsibility to us.'
“However, the latest Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index shows that Nigeria scored 24 out of 100 points, and ranked 154 out of 180 countries surveyed, falling back five places from the rank of 149 in 2020. This places Nigeria as the second most corrupt country in West Africa.

“The pardon power, if properly exercised, can help to protect citizens against possible miscarriage of justice.
“SERAP, therefore, urges you to urgently withdraw the presidential pardon granted to Mr Dariye and Mr Nyame, and to propose an amendment to section 175 of the Nigerian Constitution that will make the exercise of the power to pardon more transparent and consistent and compatible with the country’s international obligations.
“Any proposed amendment should also empower the citizens to challenge the legality of any arbitrary exercise of the power of prerogative of mercy.”
 
 
 
 

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A middle-aged man, simply identified as Kuryanga, has allegedly burnt his estranged wife in Adamawa State, SaharaReporters learnt.
The incident happened last Thursday, in Guyuk town in the Guyuk Local Government Area of the state.

Armed with Premium Motor Spirit, also called petrol and matches, Kuryanga, reportedly attacked and set ablaze his estranged wife, Janet John, while she was asleep.
"It was terrifying to wake up to see the burning; it was like a typical horror movie scene. It was more torture to hear my niece's cry for help while she burnt," John's aunt, Noyina, tearfully recounted in Hausa.
John and Kuryanga ended their 7-year marriage three years ago, with a court order prohibiting him from seeing her due to his violent behaviour, according to family sources.
"Despite getting married to another lady coupled with the court verdict, Kuryanga still refused to let go of her (my niece). Since then, he's been jealous, threatening her life and those of her suitors.
"After he eventually struck, he still joined sympathisers at my niece's bedside in the hospital the following day. He almost got away with it, fortunately, his pregnant wife later confirmed that a container of petrol left at the crime scene belonged to their family.
"He tiptoed to her sleeping area within our compound in the dead of night, poured petrol, struck the matches and fled; leaving her in flames. He got her because of the scourging hot weather; we all sleep in the open," Noyina further narrated.
Kuryanga has confessed to the crime and pleaded for understanding, according to Noyina.
However, when our correspondent called the spokesperson for the police in the state, DSP Suleiman Nguroje, he could not confirm the incident. 

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A young lady, Zainab Oladehinde, has shared her horrific experience at the Beach Hotel Nungwi, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
In a Twitter thread on Saturday, Oladehinde said she was sexually assaulted by a stranger despite having locked the door to her hotel room. 

The young lady said she was almost raped by the stranger but lied she was HIV positive, a move that stopped the attacker from penetrating. 
While making efforts to nab the culprit, Oladehinde said she reported to the police but the complain was dismissed after a medical report established that there was no penetration. 
She also said that owner of the hotel put the blame on her and claimed that she was lying. 
She wrote, "This incident happened a year ago in April of 2021. I haven’t been able to talk about it cause I’ve been in therapy for a year to heal from the psychological trauma.
"This experience has been the most painful and traumatic I’ve ever faced in my entire life.
"On the 15th of April 2021, I flew from Lagos, Nigeria to Zanzibar, Tanzania, for my 23rd birthday and I was extremely excited about it. I had my reservations about going to a foreign country as a solo female traveller but none of my thoughts would have prepared me for what I eventually witnessed and experienced in Tanzania.
 
"It was a two-day flight as we had a one-day transit time in Adis Ababa, Ethiopia. I arrived at my hotel, Warere Beach Hotel in Nungwi, Zanzibar, on the 16th of April, 2021 in the afternoon around 4pm.
"I had booked a night (of) accommodation. On getting to the hotel, I was welcomed by the staff and they showed me my room which had a pool and sea view.
"Now, this looked like heaven to me and I can remember being so excited as this was going to be my dream birthday holiday. I couldn’t do much except eat dinner as I was tired from my flight and I just wanted to sleep. My itinerary the next day was to spend some time exploring the hotel whilst I settle fully into vacation mode before I’d start my tourist activities which I never got the time to do
"I had breakfast and went to the pool and the beach which were very nice. I mingled with some Russian couples who were also lodged at the hotel and, by evening time, I was already in full birthday mode as it was just a few hours to my birthday.
"At around 12:00am, a few friends and family called to wish me a happy birthday and then I went back to my room to sleep. A few hours into my sleep, I started to feel a strange hand touching my breast.
“Now, this was me sleeping naked on my bed in my hotel room with my doors locked so this was definitely a dream.
"I told myself and went back to sleep a few minutes afterwards.
"I started to feel my hands stroking someone’s penis. At this moment, I opened my eyes to confirm if It was actually a dream or if I was in real danger.
"Lo and behold, it wasn’t a dream. There was a naked man lying on my bed and touching me at 2:00am in my hotel room!
"He started calling me “bab” and then I became scared cause the room was dark as I had switched off the lights before I went to bed. Now, I was extremely scared.
"I asked the man “who are you?” But all he kept saying was “baby, baby”. I asked in a louder tone this time around cause I was getting angry and then he quickly stuffed his hands over my mouth in an attempt to stop me from shouting.
"At this moment, I became very scared as I didn’t know who this was and why this person was in my room.
"A lot of things were going through my head at the same time. Who is this? Does he have a weapon? Will I get raped and killed on my birthday in a strange land?
"How did this man get into my room? Should I struggle for my life? Will he rape me and throw me into the ocean directly opposite my room? Should I let him rape me so he may spare my life? Should I run? Will he chase me?
"Who else is outside my door? Is he the only one? Does he have a knife? Will he stab me? While all this was going through my head, this man tried to climb on top of me in an attempt to force his penis inside of me.
"At this point, I became scared cause he was stinking so badly and that was the only thing I could smell.
"I couldn’t see his face so I started touching his body so I’d get some clarity on how to identify him if I ever get out of my room alive.
"I was crying profusely now and needed to find a quick way to distract him so I started begging him not to rape me but he didn’t understand English as he kept on speaking Swahili to me. I then lied to him that I have HIV and he’d need to get a condom before sleeping with me.
"He didn’t understand a word I said but immediately he heard HIV, he paused for a while.
"I quickly wanted to use the opportunity to run but then he started strangling my neck. I became very scared for my life as I saw my life flash right before me in an instant.
"So I continued begging him and telling him I’d allow him to have sex with me but he’d need to go get a condom so as not to get HIV.
"I saw that he reacted to the word “HIV” so I kept on saying HIV whilst crying profusely at this point.
"His belt fell off the bed so I got an instant feeling that this man came into my room fully clothed before removing his clothes right on my bed. He wore his shoes and came back to press my neck against the bed.
"As I struggled to not let him strangle me, he left the room and told me he’d be back with a condom.
"Immediately he left, I switched on the light, tried to call hotel reception but to my surprise there were no intercom or phone lines to reach the hotel reception through the room.
"How can there be no phones in the room in a hotel that was supposedly a 4.5-star hotel in Zanzibar?
"I immediately locked my doors, ran to the bathroom, and called my friend. I couldn’t talk well cause I was just crying but finally I could speak and then we decided I couldn’t stay back in the room and wait for the rapist to come back. Hell!
"Who knows what would happen to me this time around when he comes back to my room. Should I leave my room? I don’t know who or what is outside my hotel room either!
"All these thoughts I had while I tried to call the police but no one was responding to their calls. Then I sent a message to the hotel’s owner whom I had been speaking with weeks before my trip.
"I decided it was very unsafe for me to remain in the room. If I’d die, I’d rather die trying to escape rather than let the man come back to attack me a second time in my room.
"I quickly put some clothes on and left my room barefooted so as not to make noise when I get out.
"On getting outside the room, I wanted to make my way to the reception but then I saw two men who happened to be security men standing outside by the poolside having a conversation.
"I wanted to go meet them to tell them I had just been attacked by a stranger in my room but I thought to myself, “what if this was the person (s) who actually attacked me? ”
"I became extremely scared cause I’d have to find a way to get to the reception without those men seeing me.
"Then I started to crawl on my knees chest around the leaves so no one could see me. When I got to the hotel reception, I knocked on every door but no one answered me. I was crying profusely at this point cause I thought I wouldn’t survive this night.
"How could it be that there was no one in all these rooms at the reception? Almost immediately, I remembered the Russian couple I had spent some time with the day before and I could go to their room to seek refuge.
"The only issue was that the security men were directly opposite their room and I might get noticed if I go there. At this point, I put my phone on silence and started crawling on my chest till I got to their room
"I hoped their room wouldn’t be locked so, in case I get noticed, I would be able to call for help before anything happens to me.
"Fortunately for me, the room was opened and I ran inside. They woke up almost immediately and I told the guy ‘Alex ‘ how I was strangled and almost got raped in my room.
"He advised that I stay in his room till we sort out the issue by daybreak. I called my friend to tell him I was in another room where I felt safe and he told me had called the hotel owner. This was around 4:00am in the morning.
"At 6:00am in the morning, I left Alex’s room and went back to the reception. Still didn’t find anyone there. I called my taxi driver, Mr Suley, to come to pick me up and take me to the police station as I waited at the hotel reception/restaurant.
"I waited there for over two hours before I was attended to by the hotel manager, Mussa. He claimed to have received a phone call around 4:00am by the hotel’s owner to go check for me in my room after my friend had called them. He said he didn’t find me in the room so he went back to bed.
"My phone battery was low at this point, so I had to go back to my room to pick up my charger. On getting to my room, I checked my bag where I had kept my money and then I realised my money was missing!
"I was super livid at this point. Not only did these people try to rape and kill me, but they also stole my $1,100. I had one thousand, one hundred dollars in my bag and it was gone also.
"I told Mussa to call out all the security personnel that was on duty the night before so we’d get the hang of who the culprit was. They all came out. I couldn’t recognise any of them but I could smell the man that was in my room that midnight.
"The taxi driver arrived and we all left for the police station. The hotel manager and owner still hadn’t reached out to me yet. When I was talking and telling the staff that I was sexually assaulted and strangled that midnight, they all acted nonchalant about my story.
"When we got to the police station, I was asked to write my statement which I did. The policemen asked me to narrate the incident to them and they advised that I go to the hospital to do a check-up to see if I was raped or not.
"They were all speaking Swahili and were asking me questions instead of interrogating the suspects.
"When I decided to take a picture of the police station and the statement I had written, the policemen started shouting at me and threatening me to delete the pictures I have.
"I stood my ground and said I wouldn’t delete any pictures. The police chief at the Nungwi Police Station then said he wouldn’t let them take me to the hospital for a checkup if I don’t delete my pictures and videos.
"I didn’t delete my pictures and videos. Instead, I took more because this was the only weapon I had against them. I started to google Nigerian embassies in Tanzania. I called all of them but no one answered.
"They finally let me go to the hospital for a checkup.
"When we got to the hospital, the nurse confirmed that there was no penetration.
"I got back to the police station and the policemen said they have no issue with the sexual assault since I wasn’t raped. That the only issue here was my stolen money.
"The policemen at the Nungwi Police Station in Zanzibar kept on bullying and harassing me. They told me to leave their police station that I wasn’t raped and they had confirmed there was no penetration from the nurses.
"This was 3:00pm already. This day was my birthday.
"My friends and family back in Lagos didn’t know all that was happening to me in Zanzibar. I was so frustrated, sad, and scared. How could the police do this to me? How could the hotel do this to me?
"One of the Russian couples narrates how I ran into their room to seek refuge in the middle of the night when the security men at Warere Beach Hotel Nungwi Zanzibar Tanzania busted into my room.
"The hotel has closed off its comment section on Instagram but I won’t stop till everyone boycotts this crazy hotel.
"The owner and manager said I lied about my experience."

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Seyi Makinde

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has declared that there will be no place to hide for looters of Oyo State's funds.
The governor, who spoke on a Splash 105.5 FM programme, State Affairs, anchored by Edmond Obilo, at the weekend, said that his administration was determined to retrieve every kobo stolen by some members of the immediate past administration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Seyi Makinde
Governor Makinde noted that his administration has been able to bring about a turnaround in the infrastructure of the state and other key sectors because it blocked loopholes and wastage of resources.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted the governor as saying that his government was on the track of some chieftains of the APC in the state, who used a certain company to siphon between N12 and N15 billion of public funds.
He added that the government would go after them and retrieve the looted funds for the people of Oyo State.
He maintained that his administration took the bold step of plugging every hole through which the state's funds could be siphoned, adding: "Without blocking loopholes, we could not have been where we are today."
He further stated: "First, we did verification for the workers and ghost workers, ghost pensioners were removed from the payroll. They were there before we came in but we decided that, as an administration, we would not spend our time chasing shadows."
Giving an example of how the state bled through such loopholes during the immediate past APC government, the governor revealed how about N8 billion Paris Club refund was siphoned within eleven months.
He said: "Let me give you an example - when I came in, I looked at how some monies were spent and I believed it was Paris Club refund they moved, which was about N7 billion to N8 billion to OYSROMA (Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency). 
"This is an agency that operates normally on a budget of about N40 million to N45 million every month but this money came in around November 2017, and in early 2018, they started spending the money.
"When we came in, we discovered they finished spending the money within one year on nothing. They stole the money and I know those behind the stealing and I am also after them right now.
"There is a company called Chinese Global. They said they are Chinese people but we know the people behind it. The company has been shut down as we speak.
"I asked the General Manager in charge of OYSROMA and said, look, your budget is N44 million every month and, in a year, it is less than N500 million. Did you employ new people? He said no. Did you give out contracts? He said no. But how were you able to spend about N7 billion in eleven months without employing new people?
"But he said the company supplied asphalt. And I said if the company did, was the asphalt used to repair roads without employing new people and giving out contracts? He said the money was moved from OYSROMA to Chinese Global and two other companies without any supply from the companies.
"As a result of that, I wrote to EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) and reported the matter about what we are facing here. 
"Chinese Global is also the company they awarded the Bembo-Apata Road contract to, and the same company got the Ido-Eruwa project. But I said to them, 'guys, you have Oyo State money with you. Go ahead and use the money to finish up the roads' and they promised to do it.
"But as soon as former Governor Abiola Ajimobi passed on, they reneged on all those projects. And I said, fine, for me, as long as you have Oyo State money with you, I will get it back and I am still saying it again that I will get back the money for our state.
"The money is in excess of N12 billion to N15 billion. Those who stole it are not Chinese but from Oyo State. 
"We know them, and very soon, wherever they have investment or property in the world, I will go after them and collect this money for our state.
"This is a promise I made and I am not saying it outside of what I have discussed directly with the people involved. Oyo State's money will come back. Those who stole the money are the members of the APC who were in the government then."

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Beginning with an anecdote, my friend- a teacher, once told methat his junior colleague –an NCE holder who was posted to his class by the school management to join him as class teacher, confided on him that he could not teach any subject; not even what he had studied at the NCE level.
According to my friend he asked this colleague the miracles he performed to graduate and be certified as a “trained” teacher andinfact secured a teaching job at a school where parents pay huge sums of money as term fees. But this fellow revealed that he did not undergo any interview process because the proprietor issued a “fiat” to the school management on the basis that he was a son to a “good friend” of the proprietor.
On how he graduated from the institution he attended, he said he got “assistances” at various levels from various quarters during the period of his program whatever “assistances” might mean in this context.
Having said this, it is difficult to deny that the narration above is not a near-reflection of the current educational system in Nigeria either public or privately held, urban or rurally situated, from the basic to the tertiary. Unfortunately, just like most of the systems in this country, our educational system is defective; a system from which this fellow under reference was made. That system, whichdangerously reserves admissions slots for highest bidders, friendsand families and “who-knows- who” can only produce shallow-minded, low-skilled, educated but not learned ill-equippedgraduates and teachers like my friend’s colleague in the narration above.

Today, it is saddening that higher educational institutions which are special temples and which developed societies owe their development and progress, innovations, skills, knowledge transmission and culture of enterprise, have lowered the bar in recruitment process of students. It is also illogical that most of them (private and public) only compete and strive not in research, strategic partnerships and academic excellence but to attract large students’ enrollments as only means for fat IGR through tuition fees, with less consideration for carrying capacities, available human resources among others.
It is a known fact that some private institutions’ Senate reject semester results under the guise of high failure rate and warningtheir lecturers to avoid what they would term as ‘drop’ in students’enrollments.
As a matter of clarity, this ugly culture has its roots from our basic schools who have in recent years discarded the principle of demotion of students with poor academic performance. The primary and secondary schools which are the foundations upon which tertiary education is built have adopted automatic promotion principles for all students regardless of their performances.
This is more practical in the manner our private schools give ‘academic excellence’ awards to almost all pupils and students in each class during their ritual speech and prize given day in order to please parents and guardians to sustain their patronage.
Given these unpleasant realities, relevant government bodies must be above board, ensure full adherence to quality assurance mechanisms and monitoring of both public and private schools. Schools especially those privately held must introduce demotion in practical terms as deterrence for poor academic performance; and update periodically, their quality assurance instruments in conformance with the current global standards. Private Schoolsshould also resist overbearing dictations by parents who select the class they want their wards to start from and when to write final certificate examinations. The private tertiary institutions (not all though), also engage in this mess as well, when they give prospective students course(es) of choice even when such students’ scores in such institutions’-based entrance exams are below the threshold they set by the institutions themselves. There is no doubt that private participation in our educational system should attract reasonable returns on investment but the private players in the system must know that educational institutions are ‘theatres’ that mould citizens for socio-industrial needs and life service.
Muhammad Danjuma  Abubakar , a public affairscommentator
writes from Minna, Niger State and can be reached via
muhammadcares4u@gmail.com
--

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Members of the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, now plant Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, on highways and operational routes in the North East.
The terrorists, according to a report by PR Nigeria, devised the new means of operations to frustrate the advancing of ground troops.

Troops succeeded in diffusing some of the landmines during their operations, however, many innocent travellers have been killed, mostly from locally-manufactured IEDs.
Notorious areas where terrorists plant IEDs are Maiduguri, Damboa, Biu, Bama, Banki, Gwoza, Buni Yadi, Malam Fatori and Kukawa, among others.
Military sources told the newspaper that it takes a long time for troops to defuse landmines with sweepers.
“Military movements that should take minutes, for instance, takes several hours and sometimes days in scanning and rescanning the environment for IEDs, so as to ensure the safety of troops,” a source said.
Recently, the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa identified the detection and defusing of IEDs as a major challenge in the fight against insurgency in the region.
He insisted that “troops must scan areas where it is conducting patrols before going for any operation, and scan again while returning.”

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The air components of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) have bombarded ISWAP commanders’ abode and training camps at the Lake Chad axis.
The aerial assault, according to a report by PR Nigeria, was led by the Nigerien Air Task Force at the Tumbun Rego axis in Borno State on Thursday.

A source said, “The Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) of the joint air taskforce on April 13, 2022, specifically sighted a large number of terrorists, a logistics and training camp, about 29 motorcycles and 4 vehicles concealed under trees at Tumbun Rego
“With the credible intelligence, that indicated that the location also served as an abode for some top ISWAP commanders, the joint airstrikes were conducted on April 14 April 2022 which led to the elimination of key ISWAP leaders including Ibn Usman, Hani Abdullahi, Abakar Shuwa, Abu Jibrillah and Abu Ali.
“Using a mix of NAF and Nigerien Air Force aircraft, the aircraft attacked the adjoining locations that serve as havens of their fighters, followers and families.
“On April 15, 2022, the mop-up operations were conducted by the Nigerian Army under Operation Lake Sanity who have already captured most of the terrorists’ enclaves in Sambisa Forest and with their ongoing onslaught in the Tumbuns.
“The airstrikes and the operations of the ground troops have led to the death of scores of terrorists where many others were seriously injured.”


 

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File photo used to illustrate story.

No fewer than two persons have been killed after bandits invaded Agban Kagoro community in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Kaura is in the Southern Senatorial District of Kaduna State.

File photo used to illustrate story.
According to reports, several members of the community sustained injuries in the attack and they have been taken to the hospital for treatment.
The latest incident came barely a month after a similar attack on two communities of the same local government area claimed 34 and left property worth millions of naira destroyed.

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Operatives of the Ogun State Police Command on Friday arrested one Sakiru Famuyiwa at the Ijeja area of Abeokuta, the capital, for allegedly stealing two children during a church service.
Famuyiwa alongside one other suspect now at large allegedly sneaked into the children's department of Celestial Church of Christ, Ijeja, and stole two children, who are two and three years old.

He was subsequently arrested following a distress call received by policemen at Ibara Divisional Headquarters.

“On their way out with the stolen children, a vigilant member of the church sighted them and raised alarm, consequence upon which the congregants pursued them and apprehended one of them,” the statement said.
“Upon the distress call, the DPO Ibara Division, CSP Nasirudeen Oyedele, quickly mobilised his men and moved to the scene where the suspect was rescued from an angry mob who were about to lynch him,” it added.
 
Commissioner of Police in the state, Lanre Bankole, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the anti-kidnapping unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation.
He also ordered that the accomplice must be hunted and brought to book.

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The University of Ibadan has continued to disregard a court order directing it to reinstate Dr Adenike Ogunshe, a senior lecturer in the Department of Microbiology, University of Ibadan.
Dr Ogunshe had instituted a suit against the University of Ibadan following her dismissal by the school's governing council in 2016 over her refusal to vacate an office space.

The court, in its ruling on June 24, 2021 held that the defendants — the university and her governing council — had failed to comply with the applicable rules and regulations guiding the employment relationship relating to termination as stated in the university's staff information handbook of rules and regulations.
The court also held that the 'employment of a staff (member) with statutory flavour, who has been found guilty of misconduct cannot be terminated by the employer as presented in this case without full compliance with the established disciplinary procedure'.
Hence, the court ordered the immediate reinstatement of Dr Ogunshe to her position as senior lecturer in the Department of Microbiology.
It also held that the university should pay her a sum of N13,607,028.08 as salary arrears of the claimant from August 15, 2016 to the date of the judgment.
However, 10 months after the court order, the university has failed to comply with the judgment.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, Dr Ogunshe berated the university’s disregard for court order as she also narrated how the university has continued to render assistance to those who assaulted her.
She described the action of the university as a means of punishing her.
She said, “They are just trying to be funny. I got judgment as far back as June 2021 , and we are in April and they are still saying they want to appeal. They don’t have any date, nothing. If you want to appeal, there are certain things you ought to do, which they have never did. I think they just want to continue their show of power.
“It does not make sense to me because you sacked somebody who has worked for 15 years because when you told her to move from one office to another and she said the office you asked her to move into is not safe.
“Does it make sense anywhere n the world that you are terminating somebody’s appointment because of an issue of safety?
“As far as they are concerned, they are punishing me. So, they can continue to extend the punishment for as long as they can go on. We were at the Senate, they were not able to affirm that they are on any appeal process.”
She also explained how the Head of Department punched her in front of her students and how the university hired a lawyer to defend the HOD in court.
“The Head of Department then came to my class and told me to stop teaching, so I went to the class to carry my bag and my laptop which I was using to present to the students.
“I did not know he followed me and as I was trying to go out of the class, he was blocking my way. So, I said, please can you let me go? The next thing I saw was two fists in my stomach. He punched me in my stomach. He was going  to do it again, so I started screaming.
“I wrote the university three times but the university did not take any action. Funny enough, the first time we appeared in court, I found out that the university got a lawyer to defend that same lecturer.
“Also, In the residential quarters where I am staying, one of the tenants has been terrorizing me. I wrote the university about that also, but they have refused to do anything on it,” she said.
Dr Ogunshe said she has been unable to pay her lawyer the legal fees due to the school not obeying the court’s order by reinstating and her paying her.
“I have not been able to pay Barrister Femi Aborishade. He has been on the case for five years defending me but I did not have money to pay him,” she added. 
She urged the University of Ibadan to respect the order of the court by reinstating her to her rightful position and also pay all her salary arrears and entitlements.

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Crisis is currently rocking the Isoko South Peoples Democratic Party in Delta State over adhoc delegates list for the forthcoming primary elections of the party.
Governor of the state, Ifeanyi Okowa, had last week Tuesday in an enlarged stakeholders meeting of the party directed leaders, ward chairmen to work in synergy to produce the adhoc delegates list, warning against any form of hijack by any politician.

Trouble started when Chairman of Isoko South PDP, Godspower Obaro, a loyalist of Askia Ogieh, Managing Director, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, and PDP aspirant for Isoko Federal Constituency in the 2023 general elections, allegedly doctored wards adhoc delegates list to favour his principal.
SaharaReporters reliably gathered that Obaro on discovering that the Enwhe Ward 09 adhoc delegates list submitted to him was not favourable to his principal, got angry and tore the list.
Our correspondent reliably gathered that Vice Chairman of Umeh-Erowha Ward 08, Freeborn Ojobo, was locked up by the Isoko South PDP chairman at Eboh Hotels, Oleh, while the adhoc delegates list from the ward and Olomoro among other wards were rejected and doctored by the Isoko South PDP chairman.
Speaking with our correspondent, some aggrieved community youth from Enwhe Ward 09, vowed that there will be no elections in the town if the name of a former councillor, Friday Warri, was not on the adhoc delegates list and supported the action of the Isoko South PDP boss.
Obaro did not respond to calls and messages put across to him as at the time of this report.

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A Nigerian businessman, Emeka Ofor, has ordered the arrest of his son-in-law, Dr Ugochukwu Udu, 38, for allegedly refusing to apologise to him after an argument.
SaharaReporters reliably gathered that Ofor while taking out his anger on the young man framed Udu by claiming that he stole a car and thereafter invited the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring team from Abuja to arrest him in Lagos and take him to the Federal Capital Territory.

The businessman had earlier falsely accused Udu of harassment and domestic violence, a claim refuted by the medical practitioner's wife.
Despite the denial of Udo's wife of being maltreated by him, Ofor went ahead to use his network in the police to intimidate and unlawfully arrest the young man and have him taken to Abuja for further 'punishment'.
"Dr Udu was abducted and kidnapped by Ofor's men in the police under false pretext of a stolen car. 
"It was a false allegation, which his wife refuted. 
"This type of abduction is a common occurrence where innocent people are forcefully arrested without committing any offence.
"The police team from Abuja is currently taking the son-in-law to Abuja by road.
"God will expose the politician and his two sons and daughter for the false allegations against Udu," a source aware of the development told SaharaReporters on Saturday.
Spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, Muyiwa Adejobi, said he was not aware of the incident when contacted by SaharaReporters on Saturday evening over the issue.

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Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Director of MURIC

The Muslim Rights Concern has said that those criticising President Muhammadu Buhari over the state of insecurity in the country should be objective in their criticisms. 
This was contained in a statement by Director of the group, Prof Ishaq Akintola.

Prof. Ishaq Akintola, Director of MURIC
Akintola claimed that the insecurity challenge ravaging the country at the moment was borne from the failures of the past administration.
He said Buhari's critics were simply being unfair to the administration. 
The statement reads, "It has been observed that critics of the Buhari administration on the state of insecurity in the country today have narrowed their perspective on attacks which occurred during the period of the current administration alone without considering the circumstances both in the remote and immediate past. Such a parameter is bound to produce a narrow, parochial and unfair assessment.
"We call on critics to be retrospective. Today was born from the wombs of yesterday. The current situation must not be judged in isolation. 
“There are precedents to be considered. Those who refuse to juxtapose past events with current happenings are being unjust to both the Buhari administration and history.
"Just as Nigerians must not trace the root of banditry and insurgency to Northern youths alone but go beyond them, so must commentators on the current insecurity trace the ugly phenomenon to past regimes if they want to be objective in their assessment.
"To that extent, therefore, Nigerians must interrogate what happened to funds meant for the acquisition of weapons for the military in the days of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. $2.1billion was diverted to the private pockets of politicians. That is the exact cost of the Lagos-Ibadan dual carriage modern rail line.  Unfortunately culprits are the same people shouting loudest over insecurity today.
“The Chibok girls would have been rescued hours after they were abducted if Jonathan had acted promptly. But he dilly-dallied for three weeks claiming it was a plot hatched by his political enemies. It was this procrastination that gave Boko Haram the chance to dig in. Characteristically today, critics cannot spell Jonathan's name.
"A structure can only be as good as it's foundation. Nullity upon nullity can only be nullity. You cannot build reality on sheer phantom. Those who stole the country dry and denied our military the much needed weaponry, including those who failed to act on time, laid the foundation for today's woes. Buhari is merely trying to salvage the situation.
"Yet our 'last look at the Moore' must not stop at the days of the Jonathan regime alone. For instance, Nigerians would not have been hearing of Boko Haram today if the threat had been nipped in the bud in the days of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Yar'adua. Insecurity has come a long, windy path. The blame should not be laid on the doorsteps of President Muhamnadu Buhari. The blame should go straight to where it belongs.
"We must also not forget the negative role played by fifth columnist politicians particularly the Saraki-led unpatriotic and anti-people senators and members of the House of Representatives of his days, including Saraki's co-traveller, Yakubu Dogara, ex-Speaker. These were lawmakers who sabotaged all efforts made by the Buhari regime to acquire arms for the Nigerian military for a whole four years (2015-2019). Saraki and Dogsra were planted in the National Assembly by those who feared an eight years of hurricane Buhari.
"They allowed Boko Haram to become too powerful. It is therefore paradoxical that the same Senator Saraki now wants to contest as Nigeria's president. It is certain that the affliction of the disease called collective amnesia has reached a pandemic stage in Nigeria. We forget so quickly that our numero uno public enemy becomes our hero as soon as our tears dry up.
"How could we have forgotten so soon? Bombings in Abuja reached high crescendo. The United Nations building, Nigeria Police'headquaters, EFCC headquarters, Nyanya motor park, mosques, churches, etc were not spared by terrorists. Suicide bombers had a field day between 2011 and 2015. Who was in power then? Was it Buhari? Why are critics now narrowing everything down to this regime?
"How can we be so ungrateful? Who did this to Nigeria? What crime have the security agencies committed that we refuse to appreciate them in spite of their huge sacrifices and successes? The US army is a great force to reckon with today because the citizens appreciate them.
"Where are the suicide bombers today? The security agencies stopped the menace of suicide bombing but we still don't want to appreciate them. Residents of Maiduguri are now sleeping with calm. Who did that?
"No Nigerian administration has acquired so much weaponry for the military like Buhari. We challenge those critics to draw up a honest comparative list of the performance and morale of the military under previous regimes and the Buhari administration. It is on record that Nigerian troops used to take cover in neighbouring countries on sighting insurgents who were always armed to the teeth.
"The reverse is the case today as Boko Haram fighters take to their heels when faced by our gallant soldiers. Thousands of them have also surrendered. Also no Nigerian government has recruited policemen in an aggressive manner like we have it today under Buhari. 
“The numerical strength of the police which was at a standstill (130,000) from 2003 to 2015 has been boosted by Buhari with 10,000 recruits annually. Can you beat that? Conservatively, Nigeria must have at least 136,000 men as at 2022.
"While it may be true that as President, Buhari is responsible for the lives and properties of Nigerians, we must remember that security should not be left to soldiers and policemen alone. 
“Every citizen must be security conscious and they are expected to feed the security agencies with useful information. We must be their ears and eyes.
"But what do we get from Nigerians? They are the ones cutting rails to sell them. They cut aluminium railings on bridges. They destroy infrastructure. Why do some people think Buhari must be blamed for sixteen years of recklessness, sixteen years of impunity, sixteen years of corruption without borders?
"Our assessment of the security situation must also be retrospective. Government is a continuum and the Buhari regime cannot be an exception. Therefore, it can only continue from where its predecessor stopped.
“The Jonathan regime bequeathed a legacy of insecurity to the Buhari administration. It is a relay race. What is passed to you is what you build on? 
 
“Unfortunately this regime received a disadvantaged baton and it is doing it's best to improve on it. Only a biased spectator from the stands will condemn a runner who received his own baton from an athlete who came last and far behind.
"MURIC is not saying anything new. Therefore we cannot be accused of referring to any particular critic or group of critics. We have been consistent in showcasing the good works of the Buhari administration and defending it when it is unfairly attacked.
"We are definitely not reacting to the comments of any of the Imams and Muslim leaders whose interviews were published in the Tribune of today. Neither are we referring to the comments of any Islamic organisation. A certain development compelled our outing today and this is a general comment to all Nigerians.
“Our appeal to critics is to be constructive. Comments must be balanced because anyone who says this administration has not done a single good thing since inception must have a heavy burden on his conscience.
"We are free to criticise Buhari, but let us swallow our pride and eschew the bitterness by admitting his achievements as well. Buhari is definitely not perfect and there is insecurity in the land. But fake news, politicisation, bias, bitterness, distortion and misinformation will not take us anywhere.
"As we drop the anchor, we doff our hats for the security agencies fof their many achievements and sacrifices. Gallant Nigerian soldiers and policemen. MURIC appreciates you. Great men and heroes of the secret police, we cherish your sacrifices.
"We reiterate that commentators on insecurity in the country must take retrospective looks at the Nigerian situation for a fair, constructive and comprehensive assessment. Any judgment passed on this administration without considering where it was coming from can only be described as jaundiced, myopic and parochial."

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The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) a non-profit organization that promotes peace and equitable economic growth in Nigeria's Niger Delta region through multi-stakeholder partnerships, has trained 374 Niger Delta youth in Warri and Asaba, Delta State on peacebuilding with a focus on volunteerism, conflict management and PIND’s SMS-based early warning reporting system.

The training, which took place in Warri from February 21 to 22, and in Asaba from February 24 to 25, was organized to make the youth understand the connection between peace building and economic development, recognize conflict causes, acquire basic skills on how to respond to conflicts to prevent its escalation and negative impacts of conflict on relationships and businesses.

It was also aimed at developing participants’ skills in being sensitive to issues with respect to cultures, environment and businesses. 

The participants – 270 in Warri and 104 in Asaba – were also trained on how to become peace monitors by sending conflict reports to PIND’s SMS-based early warning reporting system, which is a unique and robust grassroots-based conflict prevention system. 

Giving their feedback on the training, participants said the exercise was meaningful and impactful.

The youth were part of the 597 participants in PIND’s Delta Youth Employment Program (DYEP). 

The program which started in September 2021 aims at fostering youth employment in the Niger Delta by enhancing their employability and boosting their capacity for entrepreneurship thereby advancing the SDG 8. 

Participants were trained in 17 vocations within four sectors: information communication technology (ICT), building construction, agriculture and services. 

The vocations included digital marketing, computer hardware repairs and networking, carpentry and woodwork, footwear and bag making, and solar panel installation. Also, poultry, aquaculture, and snail farming. 

On the peace building training, one of the DYEP participants, Joy Oyowor, said she was grateful for the techniques on conflict management. “Already, the DYEP training which I’m receiving on the art and business of dressmaking has exposed me to more intricate aspects of tailoring that I’m certain will up my game in the fashion industry”, Oyowor said.

“I believe the added peacebuilding training especially on conflict management will be very useful in my interactions with not just customers but society at large” she added. 

Another DYEP participant, Olajumoke Motunrayo, a trainee in aquaculture at Aqua Green in Warri, said the peace building training was enlightening and had increased her interest in volunteering to resolve conflicts in her community. “I have gained knowledge on PIND’s early warning reporting system and I’m excited to become a peace actor in my community”, she said.

Pre and post-training assessments showed 84 per cent of the participants now have increased interest in participating in peacebuilding activities within their communities. A total of 78 per cent also believe they now have a better attitude towards reacting to conflicts based on the peace building training, while 65 per cent are convinced they will leverage the skills gained at the training to intervene in conflict issues in their businesses and communities. 

PIND Foundation is committed to changing the distorted notion that young people are a threat to peace and security in the Niger Delta by continually expanding its network of young peace actors in the region while empowering them with skills that increase their economic viability. The goal is to ensure a significant percentage of youth will not engage in violence but work to prevent conflict and sustain peace in their communities.

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