Boko Haram Top Commanders

Mustafa Umar

Yakubu Abdullahi with mic

Yaseer (wearing blue) and Musa Abubakar

…the other Boko Haram member in the red top was killed at the DSS headquarters during an attempted jailbreak in 2014.

SaharaReporters has obtained photos and identities of some top Boko Haram commanders who escaped during Tuesday’s terrorist attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) had in a video claimed responsibility for the attack.

Boko Haram Top Commanders SaharaReporters Media

In the video, the terrorist sect showed some of its men were shooting their way into the facility.

See Also Breaking News BREAKING: ISWAP Claims Responsibility For Kuje Prison Attack, Releases Video Of ‘Soldiers Of Caliphate’ In Action 0 Comments 1 Week Ago

Though the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi claimed that 64 Boko Haram members escaped, security sources told SaharaReporters that over 201 members of the group were unaccounted for.

“The prison management and Nigerian government are playing down the numbers of Boko Haram inmates for some reasons.

“Over 200 escaped not 64 as claimed. There were over 150 of them in that facility before, so they brought 46 from Kogi State after the Kanna Jailbreak. They were transferred to Kuje about 5 months back,” a top security source told SaharaReporters.

“Then another set of Ansaru members arrested by the police from Nasarawa State was taken to Kuje, about 17 of them. They were taken to Kuje around November last year.”

Below are some of the top Boko Haram Leaders that were freed;

Usman Abubakar Muhammad

Popularly know as Abubakar Sa'id. He was said to be the leader of all the Boko Haram inmates in Kuje prison.

Sa’id is the second in command to Khalid al-Barnawi, Ansaru factional leader who bombed the United Nations Headquarters, Abuja.

“He was their leader and very deadly. He doesn't mingle or laugh with other prisoners before the jailbreak,” a prison official told SaharaReporters.

“In fact, as soon as the terrorists arrived, six of them gave Abubakar close body protection as he gives commands and sermons. He was highly respected by those who carried out the attack.”

The source also dismissed the report that al-Barnawi was among the Boko Haram inmates set free by terrorists.

“Khalid is at the DSS headquarters, it was his 2IC called Abubakar that escaped.”
 

Muhammad Sani Yellow

Muhammad is another notorious commander of the deadly group. He was arrested alongside Abubakar Sa'id in 2012.
 

Mustafa Umar

Mustafa Umar

Popularly known as Baa Umaru. He was the one who threw explosives into a plaza occupied by Thisday newspaper and two other newspaper publishers in Kaduna, Kaduna State.

The Federal High Court in Abuja in November 2013 sentenced Umar to life imprisonment with hard labour.

He was arrested on April 26, 2013 and taken to court on a one-count charge of terrorism filed by the Nigeria Police Force.

Umar had driven a white Honda Accord car with registration number AL 306 MKA with improvised explosives devices into the premises of SOJ Plaza with the intention to detonate the explosive devices within the premises.

The incident claimed the lives of three persons and caused several degrees of injuries on others.
 

Isma'i Yusuf

Yusuf was arrested a few years ago. Before his arrest, he was the terror group commander in charge of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

“His left arm was amputated by an explosion at the point of bomb-making before his arrest. He is their top IED manufacturer, very intelligent,” an intelligent officer told SaharaReporters.
 

Yakubu Abdullahi
Yakubu Abdullahi with mic

Abdullahi was the leader of those who killed prominent Kaduna Islamic cleric, Sheikh Muhamman Auwal Albani Zaria, his wife, and son.

Albani, a Zaria-based Muslim cleric, was murdered on February 1, 2014, while returning from a preaching programme.

The then Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, had released a video saying the group was responsible for the murder.

Abdullahi was the sub-regional commander of the Boko Haram group in Kano/Kaduna/Niger state before his arrest.

Some other escaped Boko Haram inmates are identified as Tafseer Salihu, Musa Abubakar and Bilyaminu Usman.

One of the terrorists named Bukar Bukar also escaped but was brought back to prison by his lawyer. 
 

Yaseer (wearing blue) and Musa Abubakar

…the other Boko Haram member in the red top was killed at the DSS headquarters during an attempted jailbreak in 2014.

Boko Haram Insecurity Insurgency Terrorism News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe has died in hospital after he was shot at a political campaign event, say local media.

 

Mr Abe was shot at twice while he was giving a speech in the southern city of Nara on Friday morning, BBC reports.

He immediately collapsed and was rushed to the nearest hospital. Pictures taken at the scene showed him bleeding.

 

Security officials at the scene tackled the gunman, and the 41-year-old suspect is now in police custody.

 

In an emotional press conference earlier, prime minister Fumio Kishida told reporters that Mr Abe was in a "very grave condition".

 

"Currently doctors are doing everything they can," said Mr Kishida who appeared to be holding back tears, adding that he was "praying from his heart" that Mr Abe would survive.

 

 

He also condemned the attack, saying: "It is barbaric and malicious and it cannot be tolerated."

 

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency confirmed that Abe had a bullet wound on the right of his neck, and also suffered subcutaneous bleeding under the left part of his chest.

 

It is unclear if both shots hit him, or if a bullet hit him on the neck and travelled elsewhere.

 

National broadcaster NHK said Abe was "conscious and responsive" while he was transported to the hospital, citing police sources.

 

But it also quoted a senior member of Mr Abe's party as saying the 67-year-old's situation was "worrisome". Mr Abe's younger brother told reporters that the former PM was receiving a blood transfusion.

 

Ex-Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe had earlier said in a tweet that Mr Abe was in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest. The term is often used before a death is officially confirmed in Japan.

Mr Abe was giving a stump speech for a political candidate in Nara at a road junction when the attack happened.

 

Eyewitnesses said they saw a man carrying what they described as a large gun and firing twice at Mr Abe from behind.

 

Security officers detained the attacker, who made no attempt to run, and seized his weapon which was reportedly a handmade gun.

 

The suspect has been identified as Nara resident Tetsuya Yamagami. Local media reports say he is believed to be a former member of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, Japan's equivalent of a navy.

 

Mr Abe's speech came as part of a campaign for his former party, the Liberal Democratic Party, as upper house elections in Japan are due to take place later this week.

 

Ministers across the country were later told to return to Tokyo immediately, according to local reports.

 

On Japanese social media, the hashtag "We want democracy, not violence" was trending, with many social media users expressing their horror and disgust towards the incident.

Gun violence is very rare in Japan, and guns are extremely difficult to own. Political violence is also extremely rare.

 

Mr Abe did have a team of security police with him. But it appears the shooter was still able to get to within a few meters of Mr Abe without any sort of check, or barrier.

 

The shooting of such a prominent figure is profoundly shocking in a country that prides itself on being so safe.

Mr Abe, who was Japan's longest-serving prime minister, held office in 2006 for a year and then again from 2012 to 2020, before stepping down citing health reasons.

 

He later revealed that he had suffered a relapse of ulcerative colitis, an intestinal disease.

 

While he was in office, he pushed hawkish policies on defence and foreign policy, and has long sought to amend Japan's pacifist post-war constitution.

 

He also pushed for an economic policy that came to be known as "Abenomics", built on monetary easing, fiscal stimulus and structural reforms.

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

Operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun have killed a student of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo.

The student was identified as Alayori Folarera Ademola.

He was shot by the operatives of Amotekun corps, who invaded a students’ area around the school last week.

Sources told SaharaReporters that the deceased was rushed to Federal Medical Centre in Owo where he died on Thursday night.

“Amotekun busted their villa and this guy got shot. He was taken to FMC but died last night,” the source told SaharaReporters on Friday.

It was learnt that the security operatives also killed another person in the town during the operation but the identity of the deceased could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report.

Another source added, “This set of useless Amotekun (personnel) came to Owo to kill my church member; till now, none of them has been arrested.”

The National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Committee Chairman in Ondo State, Omotosho Surprise, confirmed Ademola’s death to SaharaReporters.

Omotosho said the association henceforth would not tolerate the barbarism and unprofessionalism of Amotekun operatives.

The security outfit was recently accused of randomly checking mobile phones and laptops of residents of the state.

They were also said to be arresting drivers without licences and impounding vehicles without tinted permits.

Breaking News News AddThis :  Featured Image :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, new York Disable advertisements : 

A Northern youth group under the umbrella of Arewa Youths Progressive Alliance has dissociated itself from a statement by the presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, that Northerners would not vote for Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Kwankwaso had a few days ago said that voters from the North would not vote for the former Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of Labour Party, Obi or any candidate from the Southeast but rather vote for presidential candidates from the Northern region, when they have such an option.

Reacting to the statement, the group’s spokesman, Alhaji Sambo Galadima, in a statement released in Kaduna on Thursday condemned Kwankwaso’s comment, saying that “the North is neither anti-progress nor xenophobic against other Nigerians.”

 

According to Galadima, the statement by Kwankwaso who is a former Governor of Kano State was not only disrespectful to the Northern region but also misrepresented the true characters of an average northern voter.

 

The group noted that Kwankwaso’s utterances portrayed the North as retrogressive.

 

The spokesperson said, “Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s utterances portray the North as retrogressive and the average northern voter as insensitive and unconcerned about the sufferings of Nigerians and the high rate of insecurity and economic woes bedevilling Nigeria, and rather concerned about having ‘fellow northerner and fellow Muslim’ perpetuate themselves in power.

 

“Nothing can be farther from the truth. The northerner experiences the same level of frustration with the state of governance in the country that the average Nigerian from any part of Nigeria experiences and wishes like every Nigerian that things improve for the better and that the most capable and most prepared individuals take charge of governance at different levels, including the presidency of the country, for the betterment of Nigeria.”

Galadima asked if the “North fared any better in infrastructure or living standards merely because a Northerner or a Muslim is the President of the country”.

“The former governor of Kano State insults the North by portraying us as some insensitive group of people without the capacity to think for ourselves. This is not true. He sends the impression out there that our votes are owned by some elites and that it is these elites who will decide how we will vote in every election.

 

“If that was true in the past, that is set to change, because we are not slaves. We are capable of dreaming and holding strongly to our dreams. We are capable of working for and participating actively in political activities, independently and with the aim of bringing about the kind of government that shall serve the best interest of the average Nigerian.

 

“In the last seven years, more than 100,000 Northerners have been killed by bandits and terrorists, and thousands of our daughters, wives, mothers and sisters have either been raped, abducted or forcefully married out.

 

“Our farms are lying fallow and our harvests haven’t been poorer. Yet, a Northerner is the President. We voted for this Northerner, not because he is a Northerner, but because we believed he had the best of intentions and had the capacity to turn things around for good, for the benefit of all Nigerians. But we are disappointed,” the group added.

 

“We want to assure fellow Nigerians that Northern Nigeria is not some kind of slave colony where some elites drag us by the neck to vote on the basis of sectionalism or religion. We shall vote for the best candidates who hold the best promise to recharge Nigeria and get her working again, because, like every responsible citizen, we want the best interest of our country and we want a brighter future for our children,” the group assured.

 

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, new York Disable advertisements : 

Ali Ndume

The senator representing Borno South in the National Assembly and Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to address the Nigerians directly instead of issuing statements through his aides.

The senator during an interview on Channels TV on Thursday night, monitored by SaharaReporters, said the Buhari-led government should take responsibility for the terrorist attacks in the country as God will hold him accountable.

Ali Ndume

On Tuesday, an advance team in the President’s convoy was attacked by terrorists in Katsina State. On the same night, terrorists attacked Kuje Correctional Centre, killing some of the inmates and an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The armed assailants also freed hundreds of inmates including Boko Haram terrorists held at the prison facility.

The Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack on the prison facility.

ISWAP in a video released on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the video, the terrorist sect showed some of its men shooting their way into the facility.

Recently, there have been terrorist attacks on hard targets including March 28 attack on a Kaduna-bound train in which no fewer than eight people were killed and several others injured. Many passengers were also abducted by the terrorists, with some of their victims still held in captivity three months after the incident.

Ndume said, “The president is supposed to or whoever is responsible should sit some people down and get results, not just making statements.

“When it comes to issues like this, it is the President himself that’s supposed to be talking to Nigerians, not some advisers.

“The President of course and all of us, religiously by the time you take responsibility or you ask people to elect you as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, anything that happens to any Nigerian, God will hold you accountable for it, the President knows that.”

Ndume said he was disappointed with the response of some leaders who failed to see the terrorist attack on Kuje prison as their responsibility.

 

“I’m really disappointed with the response of our leaders and it’s our responsibility. The responsibility of government is the security and welfare of its citizens and then you have leaders responding as if it’s a casualty, it’s not their responsibility.

“It’s our responsibility, I feel pained to be called a senator and I’m almost like helpless and many of us are like that sitting down as observers,” he said.

According to Ndume, the government is not doing enough on the issue of security as the police force is almost non-existent.

“We are not doing much or we are not concentrating or we are not prioritising the key issue of security in the government properly. Nigeria with 200 million people, we have less than 400,000 police (personnel) and you have all the security agents put together at that, their number is not up to 1 million, go and check it. How can you police a country of 200 million with this?” he asked.

“People come from wherever, up to now two days nothing, no trace, no information, no situation room, nothing, the people that were abducted on the train attack, no information, nothing.

“I’m part of the government, I take responsibility. I’m just saying people are not responsible for what they are supposed to be,” he added.

 

News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, new York Disable advertisements : 

Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

The Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, has disclosed that terrorists are relocating southward to take refuge in the forests.

Akeredolu asserted that the only way to end insurgency in Nigeria is to have state police in the country,

Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

He contended that a regional security scheme will ensure the security of lives and property because the Nigeria Police Force is overstretched, understaffed and lacks the capacity to adequately secure the people.

He said this in his office on Thursday, while hosting the new Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 17, Yunnus Akeera.

He said, “We do not run away from the fact that the police force is overstretched. The same thing, we do not run away from the fact that a single police command in Abuja will not be adequate to police the large populace of the country. This has led to our demand for state police.

"We can complement each other. I have had senior police officers who agree on state police. Maybe they can’t say it in public. Go to Ekiti and even here in Ondo State, most of the police stations have no vehicle. Look at the unfortunate incident that happened in Owo, police said they had no vehicle to pursue the perpetrators.

“Let us all sit down and agree that we should have a system that will create division of labour. We can have the federal police and then, the state police. You can face a major task like intelligence gathering and pass it to the state police to work on.

“What is happening, if not for lack of intelligence people will not go to Kuje and attack the place in Abuja. We need your cooperation too in this our cry for a dual police system that we can work together. People are moving down south to take refuge in our forest. You don’t have the men and officers to secure the country. Police is understaffed. We appreciate your limitations in terms of men, ammunition and so on.”

 

 

Insecurity News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, new York Disable advertisements : 

Mr Samuel Onuigbo, the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) candidate for Abia Central Senatorial District, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain his party from substituting his name for the 2023 election.

 

Onuigbo sued the APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Mr Emeka Atuma as 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively over the alleged substitution of his name with another name.

The suit, dated June 21 and initially marked FHC/ABJ/CS/963/2022, was filed on Onuigbo’s behalf by his counsel, Chief Emeka Obegolu, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

 

However, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, transferred the suit to Justice Evelyn Anyadike of FHC, Umuahia Division, under suit number FHC/ABJ/UM/CS/113/2022.

 

The plaintiff, in the suit, sought an order of court nullifying the unilateral substitution of his name as the validly elected candidate for that of Atuma, who he said never participated in the primary election of the APC for the Abia Central Senatorial District held between May 28 and May 29.

 

He is also praying the court to nullify and set aside the election result submitted to INEC on June 16, parading the name of Atuma as the candidate of APC for the senatorial district.

 

Onuigbo sought a court order mandating the APC and INEC to immediately include his name as the candidate of the party after he emerged as the winner of the poll, among others.

 

Meanwhile, Justice Anyadike, who granted leave to the plaintiff to serve the originating summons and other processes on the defendants by substituted means, directed that the court documents be delivered to the APC Headquarters.

 

“That time is abridged to 10 days from the date of service of the originating summons within which the defendants/respondents shall file and serve their counter-affidavit to the originating summons.

 

“That accelerated hearing is hereby ordered in this suit,” the judge ruled.

 

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements : 

A new Maiduguri Catholic Bishop, Rev. Dr John Bogna Bakeni has been ordained by Pope Francis of the Catholic Church at the Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The Bishop who was ordained on Thursday is now the 1st Maiduguri Catholic Bishop.

Rev. Antonio Filipazzi, the Apostolic Nuncio of the Catholic Church, who represented Pope Francis at the event, told the members that they must root out seeds of division, and discord among them, Channels TV reports.
Borno is the most ravaged state in the country by the Boko Haram terrorists who started their assaults on towns, communities and security agencies since 2009 and have since split into deadlier factions including the Islamic State West African Province.
Rev. Filipazzi congratulated the new Bishop for his dedication and commitment to God, urging members to pay allegiance to him in totality.
He said, “We Catholics are one family not because we have black ties that unite us. We are one family because we are saved by the one redeemer Jesus Christ, washed by the one baptism marked by the same Holy Spirit, nourished by the one heavenly bread.”
“Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you, rejects me, and whoever rejects me, rejects the one who sends me.”
“And now, who you have been chosen by the Lord, consider that you are chosen from among men and appointed on their behalf for those things that pertain to God.
“The title of Bishop is one of the services, not of honour and therefore a Bishop should strive to benefit others rather than lord it over them.
“As the church entrusted in you, be a faithful steward, moderator and guardian of the mysteries of Christ. As one chosen by the Father to rule over his family, be mindful always of the Good Shepherd, who knows his sheep and is known by them, and who did not hesitate to lay down his life for them.
“With the charity of the father and brother, live all who God places in your care, especially, the priests and deacons, your co-workers in the ministry of Christ, but also the poor and the weak, immigrants and strangers.”
He however urged the new Bishop to ensure material growth of the church and members, adding that spiritual growth is the most critical in the diocese.

  News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, new York Disable advertisements : 

President Muhammadu Buhari who is currently in Senegal will on Friday depart the country for Nigeria. 
The President is scheduled to be in his home state, Katsina for the Eid-El-Kabir celebrations, SaharaReporters learnt on Thursday night.

Buhari had on Wednesday departed Abuja for Dakar, the Senegalese capital to participate in the International Development Association for Africa Summit.
The trip came barely 24 hours after a convoy of cars carrying the Advance Team of security guards, protocol and media officers ahead of the President’s trip to Daura for Sallah, came under terrorist attack.
The attack by the terrorists left two persons in the convoy injured.
“The attackers opened fire on the convoy from ambush positions but were repelled by the military, police and DSS personnel accompanying the convoy.
“Two persons in the convoy are receiving treatment for the minor injuries they suffered and few personnel, who lost their lives have been deposited at the hospital. All the other personnel, staff and vehicles made it safely to Daura,” Garba Shehu, a presidential spokesman had said in a statement.
Also on Tuesday night, terrorists attacked Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, the nation's capital, killing some of the inmates and an official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). 
The assailants freed hundreds of inmates including Boko Haram terrorists held at the prison facility.
The Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on Wednesday claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack on the prison facility. 
In a video, the terrorist group showed some of its men shooting their way into the facility.
However, a source on Thursday told SaharaReporters that the President would be in Daura on Friday for the Eid-El-Kabir celebration despite the terrorist attacks.
“Buhari will return to Daura tomorrow for Salah. And he’ll be there till probably July 16th because the officials are returning to Abuja on the 17th.
"Even after the attack, they still proceeded for the Salah preparation and they are currently waiting for him to come back tomorrow," the source said. 
In December 2020, bandits abducted scores of school children at Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State a few hours after Buhari arrived in the state for a week-long private visit.
Kankara is about 190 km (a two and half hours drive) by road from Daura while Abuja is some 384 km away.
The President who refused to visit the scene was seen days later in a video checking up on his cows.

Travel News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, new York Disable advertisements : 

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer in the United States, has bagged a separate 21-year jail term for violating George Floyd's civil rights.
According to TheGuardian, Chauvin was found guilty of this offence by a federal judge on Thursday.

In June 2021, SaharaReporters reported that Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd, and he was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Chauvin, 45, was convicted in April on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for his role in Floyd's death.
All his jail terms will run concurrently and will see Chauvin moved to a federal prison.
US district judge Paul Magnuson’s sentence came after Chauvin had agreed to a plea deal that called for a sentence ranging from 20 to 25 years.
Federal prosecutors had sought the top end of that range, arguing that Chauvin, who is white, killed Floyd in cold blood when he pinned the Black man to the pavement outside a Minneapolis corner store on 25 May 2020, for more than nine minutes as Floyd pleaded that he could not breathe.
Chauvin’s attorney had sought 20 years, arguing that Chauvin was remorseful.
During Thursday’s hearing, Chauvin told Floyd’s family that he “wishes all the best” for Floyd’s children. But Chauvin’s brief remarks included no direct apology or expression of remorse to Floyd’s family.
The plea deal called for Chauvin to serve the sentences at the same time and to be transferred from a Minnesota state prison to a federal prison, where experts say he likely will be safer and may be held under less restrictive conditions.
 

Human Rights International News AddThis :  Original Author :  saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements : 

It is now an open secret that the reign of Mr. Sunday Akin Dare (SAD), as Minister of Sports is a monumental disaster, a miserable adventure and an embarrassment to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He has successfully sunk the country’s sports sector to an unimaginable depth of despair, as against the little hope of optimism the sector hinged on before his appointment.

 

Dare has been a meddlesome interloper, a skillful sleeky dribbler and a higgledy –piggledy fellow with a racketeering mindset. The highly venerated office of a Minister is being treated with disdain, no thanks to SAD’s pettiness and incompetency. Twitter just did the needful, by removing the blue badge attached to his handle, because of his numerous blunders that negate the core values of the microblogging site.

 

His tactics is to woo individuals with contrary views, and if they fail to capitulate, he then employs legal threats. Infact, his hands are blessed with transmittable failure to anything he comes across; from the National Sports Festival, Olympics in Tokyo and other crisis rocking some sports federations are traceable to SAD.

 

 Dare started his administrative malfeasance with the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) in 2019, and then stretched his hands toward the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) in 2021; currently he is having a stopover at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). Certainly, any encounter with SAD ends with endless crisis and sadness. 

 

 In October 2019, less than 2 months in office, SAD ordered the sack of the former Technical Director of the AFN, Mr. Sunday Adeleye, citing poor performance of team Nigeria at the World Athletics Championships, held in Doha in September 2019. His directive was contained in a letter addressed to the President of the AFN, Engr. Shehu Ibrahim Gusau. A directive that he lacks the power to give (only the AFN Congress has such powers).

 

 “Consequent on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee, I am further directed to convey the directive of the Honourable Minister for the immediate removal from office of Mr. Sunday Adeleye as Technical Director of the AFN on account of ascertained gross misconduct.” Dare’s directive reads.

 

Engr.Gusau’s stance that the right thing should be done led to his persecution, as SAD employed various 'guerilla tactics' in an attempt to bring down an innocent man. The Minister did set up a parallel AFN, and disregarded the constitutionally recognized AFN board, despite two concurrent courts judgments.

 

Unfortnately, his action led to the disqualification of 10 Nigerian athletes for missing the three (3) compulsory Out of Competition Testing (OCT), as Mr. Sunday Akin Dare had been earlier notified about the consequences of not carrying out three out-of-competition Doping tests on all athletes competing at the Olympics level, eight months before the ban. The Ibrahim Gusau-led board drew the Ministry’s attention to Rule 15 of the Atheletics Integrity Unit (AIU) which classified Nigeria as a Category A Federation, but the minister turned a deaf ear to the warning bell in a bid to override and intimidate Gusau.

 

 Just before the 2021 Olympics, Mr. Sunday Akin Dare dissolved federation boards before expiration of their tenure, and then created a 3 man Caretaker Committee in each federation (an aberration). The Minister failed to explain the reason behind the dessolution. Although, some alleged that sole reason for the dissolution was to gain control of Olympic funds. This singular action of his, gave birth to the present day crisis in Basketball, because he created legal grounds for those who were not in sync with NBBF constitution.

 

Again, before the departure of the women’s basketball team DTigress to Tokyo, the former Team Manager Mactabene Amacheree had called out the sports Ministry for failing to pay them their entitlements for winning the women’s Afrobasket in 2017. It started like a rant but Ms Amacheree insisted that since the Minister had claimed that money owed basketball has been paid to the federation; this was the genesis of D’Tigress protests video that went viral late last year.

 

Despite not being paid their full entitlements, D’Tigress in early 2022 went to the World Cup Qualifiers in Serbia, and picked Africa's sole ticket. The 3 Peats obeyed the clarion to serve their fatherland with a condition to reject AFA Sport Kitt, as the deal is currently under investigation by anti graft agencies (it is alleged that the sports minister benefitted from the deal). Few months before the World cup, the Sports Ministry announced the withdrawal of Nigeria from international Basketball for two years on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari, citing some elements whose tactics was to use the Federation of International Basketball Association (FIBA) to bully Nigeria. Again, this was globally condemned, but the Minister went ahead to inaugurate an Interim Management Committee (IMC), saddled with the responsibilities to oversee basketball in Nigeria. Then, FIBA announced that it has replaced Nigeria with Mali following the inability of Nigeria to confirm that it will participate at the World Cup in Sidney, Austrilia. Days later, the Ministry made a U turn and announced a return to international basketball.   

 

This state of confusion by the Sports Ministry was viewed by many as a personal vendetta against the D'Tigress, whose sin was their last year's outburst. Others, questioned the sincerity of the sports ministry in dealing with the crisis in basketball, after the fortunes he made from the game.

 

In his reaction, the immediate past minister of sports, Barr. Solomon Dalung said the action of his successor against D'Tigress was just a vendetta, as he queried why Dare has not paid the ladies despite the release of funds for that purpose .    

 

"The girls are being punished today for being patriotic. These are young girls that Nigeria did not invest a dime on. Their parents live out of this country. But out of sheer love and patriotism, they sacrificed to try to rebuild the image of this country and this is how their future has been ruined. I will agree with those speculating the Minister (Dare) is on a vendetta for the girls exposing the crises of honesty rocking the issue of their money which was applied and approval gotten by me." Dalung stated.

 

The former beret wearing Minister has consistently asked Dare to be bold, come clean and explain to the ladies (D’Tigress) the reason for not paying them in full, despite the release of two billion naira for that purpose.

 

Only recently, the Minister recruited some mediators to plead with some adversaries, especially those who petitioned him to anti graft agencies. For those who are unware, the Minister has plenty of cases at the anti graft agencies, with some cases dating back before he became Minister as one of his aide was detained for 6 days. Unfortunately for SAD, this aide of his, has left him out of anger.  

 

 In football, Nigerians should know that SAD was solely responsible for Nigeria not picking the 2022 world ticket; he ensured that Gernot Rohr was fired as the Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles; as this was against the wish of the Nigeria Football Federation, and also, forced the clash between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Blacks Stars of Ghana to be played at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja, because he wants to make a political statement.

 

 

 

More details in part 2…………

 

 

 

Sleekysly5@gmail.com

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Sylvanus Ofekun Disable advertisements : 

Dr Nasir Aminu

The prison break of Kuje is the ninth since October 2020 across the country. That means, on average, a prison break occurs every nine weeks in Nigeria. While prison breaks are happening, other deadly terrorist attacks keep happening in the country. 

On the same day as the Kuje prison attack, the Presidential convoy was attacked on its way to Katsina. Some of the military personnel in the fleet were shot and wounded. President Buhari's Tweet on the Kuje prison break did not mention the attack on his convoy. The statement was unsurprising. It was in the usual tone with emotions, sadness and prayers. Buhari's comments did not change the country's temperament in any way. 

Dr Nasir Aminu

The insecurity situation in Nigeria remains a dark cloud for everyone connected to the country. But, as the saying goes, every dark cloud has a silver lining. Buhari's tweet may have translated a sliver of hope. He asked a critical question – How can terrorists organise, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it? It is a question that everyone has been asking since the rise of insurgency in the Northern province of the country, the rise of militancy in the Niger-Delta and secession agitation in the South-East region of the country. If anyone can help the President with clear objective answers, I believe we will solve half of the problem if the question is answered. The President's last sentence provided a clue to his security subjects that he expects a comprehensive report on this shocking incident – the Kuje prison break.

In a sane society, such comments would be relieved that an immediate cause of action would be implemented. But there is no optimism that this will happen. The lack of optimism is that it is very unlike this government to demand accountability for failure. The recent Abuja-Kaduna train attack had raised alarms, with several key government figures blaming each other for the failure. But it looks like it was done for the media show only because we have not heard anything from the issue since. The attack, the ones before it, remains a mystery, with many victims still in the hands of the terrorists. The government chose to suspend rail transportation indefinitely. The Kaduna State Governor, el-Rufai, used the opportunity to displace an entire village, contributing to the socio-economic issues in an already fragile state and region. 

The point here is that an objective investigation would have been carried out in a sane society, and the outcome would be made public. If the government is incapable of such actions, it would have been good to see the Ministers taking the initiative. The should be a time when the leaders take a step back and draw a line. For example, the Ministers of the UK government understood that their Prime Minister could not continue to remain in power, and they demanded he resigns. They realised he was incapable and incompetent, and 59 Ministers tendered their resignations to force the change in government. It is understandable that, in such societies, people are more interested in maintaining their integrity and are not afraid of losing relevance. Their resignation is a cost they paid to save their democratic system with little thought for reciprocity.

For Nigeria, it is a lot more difficult for the current government to defend democracy when they are not its best role model. The leaders seem to despise engaging in collective actions; they are more self-serving. They feel resigning from a government position is an option. Doing so will lead to losing relevance in society. We have seen it with the Central Bank's Governor and some Ministers during the party primaries.

Ethically speaking, it is in the interest of the people and the country to not continue like this. And if people should find themselves in a compromising situation, moral conscience should govern their decisions. The Nigerian society must accept that integrity matters more than remaining relevant in a failed system. Everyone who supports failure is complicit. The Ministers, Governors, Security Chiefs, and even the Vice-President always try to explain the government's failure by saying their hands are tied. But it seems their hands are only tied when it is about serving the people – they actually have free hands whenever it's about self-service.

It will be good if the public uses Buhari's statement to hold the government to account. The success of this will mean the next government will not be able to use such behaviour as a governance tool. 

Sometimes the public can get it wrong, and it goes without saying for Nigeria in 2015 when the country desperately needed a change. The conventional wisdom is that countries led by self-serving leaders without integrity eventually become unstable unless they are changed. Having Buhari at the helm is a drawback, but, on the bright side, a democratic government is a self-correcting system.

If Nigerians were to elect a government like this again, they would not reconsider their actions and policies. That is because they cannot recognise or learn any lessons from the past seven years. They are not going to change. 

 

Dr Aminu - Cardiff Metropolitan University

 

Opinion AddThis :  Original Author :  Dr Nasir Aminu Disable advertisements : 

Senate President Ahmad Lawan

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Thursday said Tuesday’s attack on the Kuje Prison facility by terrorists speaks volumes about the failure of the country’s security architecture.
According to Lawan, he was disappointed that there were no Closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera devices at the Kuje medium-security custodial centre in Abuja.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan

The Senate President, who made this known after touring the facility, queried how a correctional facility of Kuje’s standard did not have any CCTV.
He asserted that the Kuje’s lack of facilities meant that other medium security custodial centres across the country lacked facilities.
“Having gone round the facility itself, we are disappointed that there are no CCTV, something that will record or at least give you a view of what is happening and sometimes record the event,” Lawan said.
“Now this is a medium security custodial centre. How on earth does a centre of this magnitude in the FCT not have any CCTV? It means we can say that all other medium security custodial centres across the country do not have CCTV.
“So we have asked the Comptroller-General to ensure that the request for CCTV in all the maximum and medium custodial centres across the country are included in their 2023 budget because this is essentially indispensable.”
SaharaReporters had on Tuesday reported that the facility was under attack by gunmen.
According to one of the sources, the terrorists invaded the facility around 9:05 pm and operated till 1:30 am on Wednesday morning.
He added that over 800 inmates including terrorists escaped during the attack by gunmen.

Insecurity Terrorism News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

ISWAP Soldiers

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, has vowed to attack more prisons in Nigeria and other parts of the world.
The group had earlier claimed responsibility for the attack on Kuje Prison in Abuja.

ISWAP Soldiers

SaharaReporters on Tuesday reported that the facility was under attack by gunmen.
According to a source, the terrorists invaded the facility around 9:05 pm and operated till 1:30am on Wednesday morning.
He added that over 800 inmates including terrorists escaped during the attack by gunmen.
However, ISWAP in a video released on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the attack.
In the video, the terrorist sect showed some of its men shooting their way into the facility.
The terror group in a post added that its fighters who attacked Kuje prison were divided into three groups.
The first group stayed at the prison gate, the second one raiding the prison facility while the last one was tasked with blocking the nearby roads.
ISWAP added that its fighters would continue attacking prisons in different parts of the world.

Terrorism News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Ohanaeze Ndigbo

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has called for the dismissal of the Service Chiefs and Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, over persistent terrorists attacks on government institutions and their failure to provide adequate security for Nigerians.
The factional Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, made the call in a statement on Thursday in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, while insisting that President Muhammadu Buhari must dismiss the security heads as they had failed the nation.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo

He condemned the terrorists’ attack on Kuje Correctional Centre, describing it as a national disaster and shame to the country.
Isiguzoro maintained that President Buhari must replace the Service Chiefs and the Minister of Defence in order to improve security in the country so as not to endanger the lives of Nigerians.
He said that “If that is not done, Nigerians will continue to live in fear” adding that “Mr. President has chosen to be adamant and has continued to appoint service chiefs from one side of the nation.”
“So, we wish to condemn and express our condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones in the Kuje Prison attack by suspected members of Boko Haram sect.”
Furthermore, he said, “Also, we wish to use this opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to do the needful by dismissing the service Chiefs including the minister for Defense and make fresh appointments in which the three major regions will be represented.
“Just three months ago, bandits attacked an Abuja-Kaduna train, killed dozens of passengers and abducted many and until now those abducted have not been released or rescued by the military.
“Last week, in what we considered as major blow was the killing of 37 soldiers and policemen in Shiroro in Niger State by terrorists.
“And two days ago, it was Kuje Prison and the convoy of Mr. President. We are no longer talking of the Chibok schoolgirls and the rest, again.”

Terrorism News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Organisers of the popular television reality show, Big Brother Naija (BBNaija), have announced that season seven (7) of the show will begin on July 23.
Teeming millions of Nigerians, as usual, who are fans of the show have been waiting for such news as the activities in the BBNaija house are always among the highest trending topics across the country especially among the youths.

The spokesperson for Multichoice, Busola Tejumola, on Tuesday while announcing the date also announced that the winner of this season which is expected to run for 72 days would be blessed with a grand prize of N100million.

A breakdown of the prize according to Tejumola, showed that the winner will receive a N50 million cash prize and N50 million worth of other prizes from the show’s sponsors.
Meanwhile, apart from the grand prize, BBNaija housemates usually have the opportunities to win various games worth millions of naira, cars and foreign trip tickets.
Some past participants and winners of the reality TV show have also come out as millionaires and nationwide celebrities.
Not a few have been won endorsements from companies while some have been offered appointments by their state governments.
SaharaReporters observed that this is in stark contrast with best graduating students and First Class graduates from various federal and state-owned universities in the country who have repeatedly been awarded paltry sums of N2,000 and N5,000 after four to six years academic labour.
Worst of the unfortunate reality in the Nigerian academic sector is that there is no government-owned university in Nigeria where undergraduates or even postgraduate students enjoy half of the luxury of life the BBNaija participants enjoy in the BBNaija House within the period they spend there.
SaharaReporters last year reported how the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) in 2021 rewarded three best graduating students with 4.63 GPA each with a cash prize of N500 each.
The award tagged Sir Odumegwu Memorial Prize for the best graduating student was valued at N1,500 in which the institution boldly indicated that the three best graduating students were to share the prize among themselves including Nwankwo Esther Nnenna of Department of Accountancy, Okoye Emmanuel Obinna and Ugwuanyi Chinenye Callista of Department of Banking and Finance.
Similarly, a Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation Prize valued at N1,000 was given to the same best graduating student.
More ridiculously, the Anambra State University, Igbariam, now Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), in 2017 rewarded a Mass Communication Department best graduating Student, Best Somadina, with a tuber of yam and a fowl.
Somadina in an interview with the BBC after his graduation said people wondered if he was a native doctor to be given yam and fowl for a sacrifice.
“People expected me to get a gift related to books, but when I got yam and fowl they started laughing, wondering whether I’m a native doctor. If I had got a laptop, or N500,000 to help me for Master’s degree, it would have made more sense,” he said.
But that was not all because the Ekiti State University (EKSU) in the same 2017 awarded the best graduating student of the Department of Civil Engineering, Bamisaye Tosin N100 (one hundred naira) on award tagged ‘AdoEkiti Patriotic Front Prize Award.
Also, the University of Ibadan prides itself with Chief M.K.O. Abiola Prize in University Sports with an annual prize of N200 awarded to the best all round sportsman and sportswoman of the year in the entire University, and Dr. Moji Oyebola Prize for the best disabled graduating student in the University, valued at N750.00 (seven hundred and fifty Naira).
The ridiculous list is numerous from various federal and state-owned universities in Nigeria, the “giant of Africa” and the most populous African country with over 60% of its population as youths, most of whom are graduates.
Only few private universities, for instance, Caleb University, Imota in Lagos, which have gone as commendable as awarding the sum of N5 million each to its 2020/2021 three best graduating students, including Iredia Ejehi of the Computer Science Department who was the overall best female graduating student with a 4.92 CGPA, Ifezue Humphrey of the same Computer Science Department who was the overall best male graduating student with a 4.84 CGPA and Mrs. Olufunso Fasuyi who came out as the best graduating Post Graduate Student.
Despite the country’s richness in mineral and human resources, the Nigerian education sector has not only continued to deteriorate but is completely dead and forgotten.
The Nigerian university students have been at home for over four months because the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike since February 14th over numerous issues including funding of government-owned universities; but the current priority of Nigerian leaders is the 2023 general elections, with unrewarded, forgotten and jobless graduates being used by the politicians for one destructive selfish interest or the other.
In the 2022 federal budget, only N355.47billion was allocated to the Ministry of Education for 44 Universities; N112.46 billion allocated for 33 Polytechnics and N77.62 billion allocated for 27 Colleges of Education across the country. This sums up to a total of N545.55 billion allocated to universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in the country, whereas the country is expected to spend N3.87million on debt servicing based on revised budget.
While the National Assembly - the Senate and the House of Representatives were allocated the sum of N139billion with N5billion for a Library project and another N300 million for e-Library projects.

Education News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

HAMISU BALA WADUME

A kidnap kingpin from Taraba State, Hamisu Wadume, has been reported to be among the inmates that escaped from the Kuje Prison in Abuja during the Tuesday night attack by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
In August 2019, SaharaReporters had reported that the Nigeria Police Force arrested Hamisu Wadume, a high-profile kidnap kingpin in Taraba State.

HAMISU BALA WADUME

He was transported to Abuja on August 6, 2019, after his initial arrest by police officers on a covert operation before they were attacked by troops of 93 Battalion based in Takum, Taraba State.
The attack led to the death of three officers including a civilian while Wadume was set free by the soldiers.
The incident led to a face-off between the police and the Nigerian Army with a panel set up to investigate the matter.
He was remanded in custody at the Kuje prison, for armed robbery, kidnaping and gun running after his arrest by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT).
He has, however, not been found since the attack on the facility on Tuesday, Daily Sun reports.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the United States government already issued a security alert to citizens resident in Abuja and environs to be cautious.
Also, the Nigerian Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, had on Wednesday said the 64 Boko Haram suspects who escaped from the Kuje Prison after the Tuesday’s night attack were still at large. 

CRIME News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

The Kano State Ministry of Education has approved 10 days of Eid-El- Kabir Sallah break for all public and private primary and post-primary schools in the state.

This was just as the ministry warned that appropriate disciplinary action would be taken against defaulting students.

Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje. Business Day

A statement issued by the spokesman of the state Ministry of Education, Aliyu Yusuf, on Wednesday, urged parents and guardians of pupils and students to take note that the break would commence on Thursday, July 7, to Sunday, July 17, 2022.

“The ministry, therefore, directed that all SS3 students writing NECO, NABTEB and NBAIS examinations as well as students on an exchange programme from other states at GSS Gwarzo and GGSS Shekara are to remain in their respective schools.

“Similarly the ministry has directed all Head Teachers and Principals to ensure that boarding students return to their schools on Sunday, July 17, while Day students resume on Monday, July 18, 2022, respectively, as normal academic activities will start on the resumption day,” the statement read in part.

SaharaReporters earlier today reported that the Nigerian government declared next week Monday and Tuesday as public holidays to mark this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

This had been announced by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, through a statement released on Thursday from his office.

Education News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has directed the suspension of the statement issued by the Directorate of Family Health and Nutrition on the “guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications.”
The Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi, in a statement released on Thursday titled, “Retraction on guidelines relating to safe termination of pregnancy for medical reasons in Lagos State” said the new guidelines will not be implemented until adequate deliberation.

Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

The governor added that the suspension would also allow for adequate public sensitisation and stakeholder engagement to reach a consensus required for successful guideline development.
The statement read, “Among the several factors that contribute to maternal mortality, illegal abortions and high-risk pregnancies leading to unresolvable complications rank high.
“The Lagos State Ministry of Health is seeking different methods to eliminate illegal abortions and ensure that a mother does not die at childbirth, thereby disrupting an entire family unit.
“In this regard, it became imperative to examine, in keeping with existing National and State laws and policies, if there are indeed justifications and medical reasons to offer abortion to a woman whose life is threatened by a pregnancy.
“Following this, the guideline was developed over four years through painstaking work by experts in Law and in Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a focus on creating the opportunity to reduce maternal mortality and in line with existing laws.
“These guidelines have generated immense public interest which has necessitated escalating it to Mr Governor, who has advised further sensitisation of the public and key stakeholders to ensure a clearer understanding of the objectives of the guidelines.
“To this end, we are suspending the implementation of these guidelines in the meantime for the Executive Council to deliberate on this matter and ensure adequate public sensitisation and stakeholder engagement to reach a consensus required for successful guideline development.
“The Lagos State Ministry of Health remains committed to planning, devising, and implementing policies that promote qualitative, affordable, and equitable healthcare services to the citizenry.”

PUBLIC HEALTH News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested two police officers who communicated with the Islamic State West African Province terrorists immediately after they had sacked Kuje Prison in Abuja on Tuesday night.

According to Daily Trust, the two officers have been detained by the police pending further investigation on the matter.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari expressed shock over the Tuesday’s terrorist attack on the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.

It was gathered that terrorists suspected to be members of Jamar Ansarul Muslimina fi Biladi Sudan, popularly known as Ansaru attacked the centre on Tuesday night and freed inmates including their members and Boko Haram terrorists held in custody.

Reacting on his verified Twitter page on Wednesday, the President had said he was disappointed with the intelligence system. See Also Exclusive EXCLUSIVE: How Terrorists Attacked Kuje Prison With Massive Firepower, Preached For 20 Minutes, Gave Us Transport Fare And Ordered Us To Leave – Escaped Inmate 0 Comments 1 Week Ago

“Saddened by the attack on the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje. I am disappointed with the intelligence system. How can terrorists organize, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it? I am expecting a comprehensive report on this shocking incident,” he said.

Though the Nigeria Correction Service’s spokesperson, Umar Abubakar, said one Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps personnel and four inmates died during the incident, a source had told SaharaReporters that 10 inmates were killed during the incident.

Another source also dismissed the claim by the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, that 64 Boko Haram members escaped, saying that over 201 members of the group were unaccounted for.

Terrorism News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements :