The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja police command has confirmed the arrest of another suspected kidnapper amid the growing insecurity in the nation’s capital city.

Speaking during a press conference yesterday, the FCT commissioner of police, Haruna Garba, disclosed how, on Sunday, the Iddo division received a distress call regarding armed men in a black Toyota Corolla vehicle who had shot the tires of a moving Prado jeep.

According to him, the jeep driver, Suleiman Sabo, was compelled to stop the vehicle while on his way home in the Sabon Lugbe area.

Sabo was then forcibly taken by the kidnappers, leaving his wife and car behind.

Garba said the police swung into action and successfully tracked down and apprehended the suspect.

“The effort paid off on January 21 when the DPO received information that something abnormal is happening in a particular house at Sauka village. The DPO moved in and cordoned the house; behold, the kidnapped victim was found with the suspect, armed with Mark IV rifle and 10 rounds of live ammunition,” Garba noted.

He added: “He was promptly arrested, and the arm recovered from him. The victim was rescued but with gunshot injuries.”

According to him, the victim has been admitted to a hospital and is currently undergoing treatment.

The police commissioner further mentioned that ever since the establishment of the police Special Intervention Squad (SIS), there have been no incidents of kidnapping reported in the Bwari region of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Garba stated that the police have successfully blocked all known routes used by bandits, particularly in the Bwari area council. Additionally, numerous individuals suspected of being involved in kidnapping and armed robbery have been apprehended, and their victims have been rescued.

Furthermore, Garba highlighted that the police have recovered various firearms and live ammunition, as well as vehicles that were previously stolen from victims.

The report was treated like a footnote in the main press, but social media and online news platforms gave it a wider play. It’s the story of the launch of a nomadic vigilante service by Miyetti Allah, a group of herders turned political pressure group, comprising mostly Fulani.

The national president, Bello Bodejo, said in Lafia, Nasarawa State, where the launch took place, that the vigilante service, which had already recruited 1,144 Fulani youths, would assist security agencies in the state to combat criminal activities.

Four years ago, the Nnamdi Kanu-led separatist group, IPOB, made similar doubtful claims when the group set up the Eastern Security Network (ESN), for the South-east states. But federal security agencies crushed it. Yet, in a move that seemed to suggest that one vigilante group is greater than the other, the Nasarawa State Police Commissioner was a special guest at the Miyetti Allah vigilante service launch last week.

There was a report on Wednesday that Bodejo had been arrested by the DSS, but the DSS has since denied. While no one is sure of the whereabouts of Bodejo, he appears to have launched a vigilante service that, regardless of the pretence of confusion surrounding it, bears the mark of official approval.

It would be a mistake, however, to think that this once mostly feared and despised association of herdsmen and the police are in bed after only one evening of flirting. Of course, Miyetti Allah may have been motivated more by group self-interest, relevance and survival. But the dalliance with the police, the indifference of the main press, and the muted public response, are not an accident.

Epidemic of desperation

They are a reflection of the despair and desperation over the growing insecurity in the country, especially its latest franchise in form of widespread kidnappings, even in places once thought to be safe havens.

As a result of multiple internal security challenges from banditry and insurgencies in the North-east, North-west and North-central, the unrest and violence by separatist groups in the South-east, not to mention pipeline vandalism in the South-south, the police have almost been reduced to Boys Scouts, while the military is doing more for less.

A recent report by The Economist, citing ACLED, a global monitor of conflict, said more than 3,600 people were kidnapped in 2023, with the sharpest rise in May – the most ever – while almost about 9,000 Nigerians were killed in conflict last year.

In a horror story that spooked memories of the Chibok girls, the family of Mansoor Al-Kadriyar was attacked in their home in Bwari, Abuja on January 2, and six of the girls were abducted. The eldest was killed and the other five released after 19 days in captivity and N55million reportedly paid in ransom.

It’s in light of this widespread misery and what appears to be a general state of helplessness that Miyetti Allah, a symbol of Fulani hegemony, launched its nomadic vigilante service in a region fraught with a variety of deadly clashes, the latest of which has been the murderous rampage of ethnic violence in Plateau State that has, so far, claimed nearly 200 lives in less than two months.  

Ostrich game

Thanks to elite hypocrisy, after years of playing the ostrich, we are back where we started: a realisation that the current policing model is not working. With broken noses, bleeding hearts, and a variety of poor imitations, we’re dragging ourselves back to the very thing that we have always tried to run away from: state police. State police is not a silver bullet, of course. But in the last 25 years, we have seen improvisations that have barely dented the monster.

The Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), for example, founded by Fredrick Faseun and Gani Adams was a citizen vigilante-led attempt to curb insecurity in the South-west. It’s still active in many parts of the region. But former President Olusegun Obasanjo with those close to him who feared it was a South-west agenda towards state police, kept OPC in check, often deploying an iron fist.

In a watered-down attempt to devolve more policing powers from the centre, we’ve seen attempts by the Federal Government at so-called community policing end up with greater Federal control, with the notorious pay-as-you-go police protection being enjoyed by the rich, especially politicians, who can afford them. It was only when the farmer-herder clashes threatened to ruin some states in the South-west that governors in the region, led by late Rotimi Akeredolu, rallied to form Amotekun.

The South-east followed this lead with Ebubeagu, and a number of states in the North-west, especially, also set up their own vigilante services. In August 2022, then Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, launched the Community Volunteer Guard.

In spite of states drifting towards it, in spite of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) including state police in its manifesto, and in spite of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu being one of the most notable champions of it, the idea is still something of anathema.

Constitutional Conference report

Ten years ago, state police was one of the most hotly debated issues at the Goodluck Jonathan-brokered National Conference, a conference whose report, unlike those of a number in the past, has proved quite durable.

A summary of the 2014 conference report presented at the Second Chris Ogunbanjo Lecture Series in 2017 by a member of the conference and Chairman Emeritus of PUNCH, Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, said, “Any state that requires it, can establish a State Police for that state, which should operate in accordance with the provisions of the law setting it up, to be passed by the State House of Assembly.

“Its powers or functions will be determined by such legislation and should not be in conflict with the duties and powers of the Federal Police.”

The conference also made suggestions about changes in nomenclature and structure of the police and also in the relevant sections of the constitution. Of course, nothing significant has been done since, which is not a surprise. Former President Muhammadu Buhari whose lot it was to get it off the ground, told me during an interview nearly two years after he took office that he had not read the report and was not interested.

If Buhari preferred treading the beaten path, Tinubu cannot pretend that we can continue the same way, or that he is unfamiliar with the merits of state police.

There’s a familiar trope against it, and I have heard it over and over again: that state police in the hands of the states would be used by governors against their opponents. That’s a genuine concern, especially in a country where governors behave as if the states were their fiefdoms. But isn’t it warped to argue that it’s OK for the Federal Government to use the Federal police against its own opponents in the centre and in the states while we’re all held hostage by the fear that the states would abuse it?

Bull by the horns

In the case of Miyetti Allah’s nomadic service, which potentially is worse for regulation than Amotekun which is at least under the control of the states, whose weapon would the vigilante be? The Federal Government’s, the states’ or the battering ram of an unrepentant ethnic militia called Miyetti Allah?

Ethnic militias are festering because the elite, especially members of the National Assembly, that are supposed to take the bull by the horns have refused to do what they should do to emplace structure and regulation by amending the constitution to allow the states play a more active role in policing.

Tinubu cannot afford to allow the drift to continue. He cannot manage the country’s security the same way that Buhari did for eight years and expect a different result.

 Azu Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP. 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has generated a substantial sum of N265 million from the sale of Nomination and Expression of Interest forms to 11 aspirants vying for the Edo State governorship ticket.

The party set the price for the Nomination Form at N30 million, while the Expression of Interest Form was pegged at N5 million, with exemptions made for female aspirants and those with disabilities, who were granted the Expression of Interest Form free of charge.

The deadline for the sale of these forms is today (Thursday), as per the schedule released by the party.

The PDP commenced the sale of forms on January 17, 2024, and January 27 was marked as the cut-off date for form submission by aspirants.

Among the 11 aspirants who have so far purchased the forms from the PDP national headquarters at Wadata Plaza, Abuja, are two women who were only required to pay for the N30 million Nomination form.

Notable figures in the race include Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shuaibu; former Chairman of Sterling Bank, Asue Ighodalo; and Blessing Igbinedion, daughter of the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion. Other aspirants are Anselm Usiose Ojezua, Felix Akhabue, Martin Uhomoibhi, Umoru Hadizat, and Omoregie Ihama.

According to Punch, PDP has opted for the indirect primary method to select its candidate for the Edo State governorship election scheduled for September 21, 2024.

This method involves delegates who will cast their votes to decide the party’s flagbearer.

A high-ranking member of the PDP National Working Committee, who spoke to the platform anonymously, said “The PDP will not zone its ticket in Edo State. The NWC has also approved delegates and three ad hoc, indirect primary.

“It means members will elect delegates at ward and local government levels. These delegates will then move to Benin, the state capital, on February 22 to elect our party’s candidate.”

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, assured aspirants of a level playing field, stating, “What the aspirants and Edo State stakeholders should expect from our party is a free, fair, credible, and acceptable primary that the PDP is known for.”

Ologunagba in an interview with The PUNCH stated, “Edo State is a PDP state, and we will maintain it. So, we will not disappoint our members; the party leadership will follow due process and we are very sure that people will support our party in Edo State. We are ready.”

On the question of reducing the number of aspirants, he said, “What we do is always to have a conversation. The issue of pruning the number of aspirants will not come up because these are processes that will come up among members, and I am sure that is going on. So, we are prepared for the primaries, and the more, the merrier. It will be a fair process, and there will be no rancour.”

The governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, has reiterated that his ambition is not backed by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Recall that on January 17, the former Chairman of Sterling Bank officially declared his intention to contest in the Edo State Governorship Election.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise News on Wednesday, Ighodalo said he is independent and not backed by the governor.

The PDP chieftain asserted that Obaseki could not compel him to do it as his third-term project because the governor had not informed him of any such plan.

He said: “Yes, I have indeed known Governor Godwin Obaseki for a long time, we are friends I met him at university. He’s an investment banker and I’m a lawyer, we have worked on the same sides or opposite sides of big corporate transactions.

“However, I’m not sure that if Gov. Obaseki is looking for a third term he will come to me. I’m fully independent, and I don’t see any way he can dangle me at the end of a rope. I’m loyal to the people of Edo State.”

Naija News reports that Ighodalo hails from Ewohimi in Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo Central District, an area that Governor Obaseki wants power to shift to.

• For 30 alterations, NASS expends N24.8b in 24 years
• Lawmakers set for fresh rejig, as state police, VAT, electoral reforms top agenda

The National Assembly is set for a fresh amendment to the constitution – an exercise that has routinely cost the country an average of N1 billion yearly.

The Guardian findings showed that the review has been consistent in the last 24 years, with at least 30 alterations made to the 1999 Constitution and at the cumulative cost of N24.85 billion.

And in line with the tradition, both the Senate and House of Representatives will next week resume further amendments to the Constitution, with emphasis on State police, Value Added Tax (VAT), and electoral reforms.

The urgency of another amendment is not unconnected with the issue of VAT collection that has been generating a legal battle between the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and some state governments.

Specifically, Rivers and Lagos state governments had enacted laws and called for decentralisation of collection, while some states pushed for centralised pool. The case is still pending at the Supreme Court.

The two chambers would inaugurate separate committees to be led by deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau and the deputy speaker, Benjamin Kalu, when they resume legislative activities from their three weeks Christmas and end of the year recess.

Although efforts to commence amendment to the 1999 Constitution began in the 4th National Assembly (1999 to 2003), actual exercise began in the 5th National Assembly (2003 to 2007) led by the then deputy president of the Senate, late Ibrahim Mantu. It was marred by reports of a third term agenda by the then administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

To date, every tenure of the National Assembly has initiated a fresh constitution amendment project for which some N4 billion is approved, to be appropriated and released based on N1 billion per year. This is in addition to some extra funds released to the committee for unforeseen expenditure.

Concerned lawyers, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and statesmen have argued that the perennial exercise of alterations to the constitution had amounted to mere waste of resources since the National Assembly had failed to achieve comprehensive review.

Issues such as rejig of the nation’s security architecture in the form of creation of state police, restructuring the Nigerian State and resource control agitations, are among several demands, which the 24-year-old constitution amendment exercise has not been able to resolve to the satisfaction of all.

Immediate past deputy president of the Senate, Victor Ovie Omo-Agege, who was also the chairman of the Senate’s committee on constitution review at the last Assembly, had at the peak of his committee’s frustration blamed the failure on governors whom, he claimed, had refused to allow the state Houses of Assembly to endorse the 44 bills sent to them.

The failure was later confirmed by the then Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, when they pleaded with the then Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State to persuade his colleagues to allow Houses of Assembly endorse the proposed alterations.

But the state Houses of Assembly rejected allegations of frustrating the Constitution review and accused the leadership of the National Assembly of resorting to blackmail, after failing to carry them along on key issues for amendments.

Speaking through the Conference of State Assembly Speakers, the Houses said the National Assembly rejected the state police option, which they canvassed.

To successfully alter any section of the Constitution, at least 24 of the 36 Houses of Assembly must approve the bill to that effect with two-thirds majority.

The new constitution review committees, according to findings, will address previous failures of the National Assembly by revisiting such issues as independent candidate to contest for an elective office; creation of state police; federal structure and power devolution; fiscal federalism and revenue allocation; judicial and electoral reforms; immunity for presiding officers of National and State Assemblies; full local government fiscal autonomy; state creation agitations, among others.

The new constitution review committees will also face the challenge of revisiting the age-long quests to separate the office of the Attorney General of the federation/state from the office of minister/commissioner for justice; change in procedure for the enactment of an entirely new constitution, which includes referendum; inclusion of basic education and primary healthcare in fundamental and justiciable human rights.

Other issues requiring attention are the inclusion of electoral offences as a ground to disqualify candidates from future elections; mandatory presentation of the yearly state of the nation address to a joint session of the National Assembly by the president; and removal of presidential assent to constitution amendment bills.

Lamenting the failure to achieve meaningful amendments to the constitution, the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) has said that corruption and related problems are getting worse because of failure to remove and alter impediments in the Constitution against anti-corruption fight.

HEDA’s Executive Secretary, Sulaimon Arigbabu, had said that “Corruption is Nigeria’s issue and the root of the country’s problem. We are in dire need of a constitutional review. A lot of the things happening are because there are lacunas in the Constitution.

“All agencies are hindered by one thing or the other in that constitution. There are not enough provisions in the constitution to, at least, help to reduce corruption. It’s so unfortunate that those who have been saddled with the power to help make this happen are using such power to aid corruption rather than abate it.”

Arigbabu further lamented: “Some of the people whose corrupt cases were reported in the past have found their way into high offices in the country. Some have become governors, some have been appointed in high places, and these often happen because Nigerians tend to forget.”

Also reacting, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) believes that the disagreement between the National Assembly and State Assemblies on some areas of the amendments arose from failure of the National Assembly to display responsive leadership.

It tasked Nigerians to demand that the National Assembly deliver on its assignment and give Nigeria an altered constitution for which billions of taxpayer’s money has been sunk.

HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, explained that the discord showed the lack of seamless dialogue and partnership between the National Assembly and the State Assemblies.

“If the leadership of the National Assembly has been very effective and efficient over the last four years, it would have been so easy for both sets of legislators to have a meeting point and hammer out their differences.”

However, past constitution amendment exercises succeeded in some issues, which included the financial autonomy of the National Assembly, which gave it the power to draw its funds directly from the federation account, otherwise known as the first-line charge.

Sections 145 and 190 were amended successfully to compel the president/governor to transmit a letter to the National Assembly/State Assembly to enable their deputies to act whenever they proceed on vacation or are unable to discharge their functions.

Another amendment was the one that enables a person sworn in as president or governor to complete the term of an elected president or governor but disqualifies the same person from election to the same office for more than one more term.

Sections 135 and 180 of the constitution were amended to straighten the remaining term of office of a president/governor who won a rerun election to include the period already spent in office.

Amendments to sections 81, 84, and 160 of the constitution were also made to make the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) financially and administratively independent.

Section 156 of the constitution was amended to remove membership of a political party as a qualification for appointment into INEC, thereby insulating members from partisan politics.

Other successful amendments were effected to section 285 (5) to (8) to set time limits for the filing, hearing and disposal of election petitions to quicken justice, and sections 76, 116, 132, and 178 to provide for a wider timeframe for the conduct of elections.

There were also alterations to section 285 and the Sixth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution to reduce the composition of tribunals to a chairman and two members and the quorum to just a chairman and a member were also successfully done.

Other amendments included those on sections 66(h), 137(i), and 182(i) to delete the disqualification of persons indicted by an administrative panel from standing for election.

The stipulation of timeframes for filing, adjudication and disposal of pre-election lawsuits in order to quicken justice was also amended, and the reduction of age qualification for political offices (Not Too Young to Run Bill).

Also, amendments to sections 134, 179 and 225 of the constitution were made to extend from seven to 21 days the period within which INEC shall conduct a run-off election between the two leading presidential/gubernatorial candidates.

Sections 6, 84, 240, 243, 287, 289, 292, 294, 295, 216, 318, the Third Schedule and Seventh Schedule to the constitution were amended and a new section 254 inserted to make the National Industrial Court a court of superior record and equal in status to the Federal High Court.

Very recently, before the end of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, other constitution alterations were effected including state assembly, judiciary independence amendments.

Other alterations approved by the president are the removal of the railway, prison and electricity from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list.

Others are the alteration to regulate the first session and inauguration of members-elect of the National and State Houses of Assembly; and for related matters; the alteration to delete the reference to the provisions of the Criminal Code, Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Act, Criminal Procedure Code or Evidence Act; and for related matters.

Also approved is the amendment to exclude the period of intervening events in the computation of time for determining pre-election petitions, election petitions and appeals; and for related matters; alteration to provide for the post-call qualification of the Secretary of the National Judicial Council; and for related matters.

The amendment to delete the item “prisons” in the Exclusive Legislative List and redesignate it as “Correctional Services” in the Concurrent Legislative List; and for related matters was also achieved. Another amendment to move the item “railways” from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List; and for related matters was successful too.

The constitution was also amended to allow states to generate, transmit and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid; and for related matters.

Also approved is the alteration to require the President and Governors to submit the names of persons nominated as Ministers or Commissioners within sixty days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or State House of Assembly; and for related matters.

Another alteration was done to require the government to direct its policy towards ensuring the right to food and food security in Nigeria; and for related matters.

[Leadership]

Nigerians have reiterated the importance of an accurate census in the country, saying the correct figures will help the country in planning for the citizens.

They noted that Nigeria could rank third largest in the world by 2050, after China and India, according to a United Nations forecast made in 2022.

Census was last conducted in Nigeria in 2006 and it has become imperative after almost two decades. Under administration of president Mohammed Buhari almost 90% preparation were for the conduct of Census and Housing Population in 2023 but shortly, the new administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu put it on hold.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Aerga Godwin, a graduate of Mass Communication said that a reliable, credible, acceptable and successful census’’ will help government in planning purpose for development, especially in bolstering the social security programme that targets more vulnerable Nigerians.

He said, “The country’s inability to conduct a population census in the last 17 years has created an information vacuum as the data from the last census conducted in 2006 has been rendered out of date for planning purposes. It has therefore become imperative for the nation to conduct another national census to produce a new set of demographic and socio-economic data that will provide the basis for national planning and sustainable development.

“Population is a critical factor in a nation’s efforts toward achieving sustainable development. People are both the agents and beneficiaries of the development process. Knowledge of the national population in terms of size, distribution and socio-economic characteristics is required for planning purposes. This, therefore, makes the conduct of census an essential governance activity.

“With a projected population of 216,783,381, Nigeria is the sixth most populous country in the world and the most populous country on the African continent. Due to the rapidly growing nature of the population and large proportion of the youthful population, Nigeria is also projected to be the third most populous country in the World by the year 2050 after India and China.’’

Jemilu Mohammed, a resident of Kuje, Abuja said that the irregular and long interval of census taking in Nigeria has denied the nation the huge benefits of comprehensive baseline data for evidence-based decision-making.

[Leadership]

A woman simply identified as Zainab was delivered of a baby boy in the open in Mangu town of Plateau State as killings and destruction of properties continued unabated late into the night of Tuesday and yesterday, Daily Trust reports.

This is coming as some of the victims of the fresh violence that broke out in Mangu Local Government Area of the state continued to narrate their harrowing tales.

Also, leaders of Christian and Islamic religious groups are accusing the military and a vigilante group called Operation Rainbow of taking sides in the conflict.

It was gathered that the fresh attacks, which started early on Tuesday left many people dead, according to local sources.

Although security sources could not give official confirmation of the death toll, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) said it lost 13 of its members while the Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA) put the death toll of its members at 30.

 Efforts to verify these claims were unsuccessful as the Nigeria Red Cross officials said they were focusing greater attention to providing humanitarian relief than counting dead bodies.

 The attacks, it was gathered, continued on Wednesday morning despite the 24-hour curfew imposed on Tuesday by the state governor, Caleb Mutfwang. 

‘My baby dropped on the street’

Zainab, who was heavily pregnant when the killings started, narrated how she was frightened by the deafening sounds of guns and the sight of people being killed, only to suddenly feel a sharp pain in her lower abdomen.

The 25-year-old mother of two said out of shock, her baby slipped out of her while she was standing in the open, oblivious of what to do.

“When I noticed that the baby was coming out, I knelt immediately to ensure the baby was safely delivered.

“There was no medical assistance, sterilized equipment, or conducive atmosphere. It was a neighbour who stopped to assist me as everyone else fled,” she said. 

According to her, “There was no hospital nearby.  Even right now, we couldn’t take the baby to hospital due to the curfew and my stomach has been hurting badly.

“Right now (Wednesday afternoon) there are gunshots everywhere and as for the baby, we haven’t even bathed him since we can’t even get hot water. I also haven’t taken hot water myself,” she narrated to one of our reporters via a phone call.

 “As for my other children, I don’t know where they are; I don’t even know where my husband is,” she added. Shafa’atu, the only neighbour who stood back to help deliver Zainab’s baby also shared her version of the story with Daily Trust.

“It was in the process of running with the five orphans in my care that I saw her on the streets in a bad situation and everyone was running away. So, I decided to go and help her. I still don’t know the whereabouts of my husband and one of the orphans in my care,” she said.

Another woman, Maryam, narrated how she discovered the decapitated body of her husband.

“I could not (run?) because I had been sick for the past four months. But after fleeing to a seemingly safe place, we heard that our house was burnt, and my shop and belongings I bought in preparation for my son’s wedding worth millions of naira were burnt.

“So, I became worried about my kids and started calling my husband’s phone to know where he was. The phone kept ringing and no one to pick and thereafter, it was switched off.

“When I finally saw my kids, they also said they were looking for their dad. Then we met a woman who asked if I saw my husband, and she told me where she saw him but pleaded that I had to be patient because he had been killed,” she said. Husseina Salihu Maisaje, the sister of Maryam’s husband, also corroborated Maryam’s version of how they discovered that her brother was killed, and that they found his decapitated body burnt.

She said most of the women who escaped Tuesday’s attacks were looking for their children. 

How violence escalated

Killings and burning of houses continued in Mangu on Tuesday, despite a 24-hour curfew imposed by the state government.

Governor Celeb Mutfwang, who hails from the troubled local government area, had imposed a curfew after fresh killings were recorded in the area.

But the crisis continued yesterday as residents of Mangu confirmed that gunmen stormed several communities, shooting at everyone in sight.

Suleiman Muhammad, a resident, of Mangu, told Daily Trust that: “At around 9:30am this morning (Wednesday), gunmen armed with sophisticated weapons came and started shooting sporadically. They burnt a lot of houses and schools including the Sunnah Islamiyya School, Islamic Nursery, Primary and Secondary School, Arewa Model Private School, Arewa College of Health, Mangu, and Audi Musa Memorial School, Mangu.

“Some persons were killed; they have overwhelmed the security personnel currently in Mangu. We are surrounded by the gunmen. They burnt down all the religious centres and houses in Anguwan Fyemawa, Anguwan Hayi, Anguwan Kwata, and Anguwan Maijirgi – all in ward 2 of Mangu”, he said.

Operation Rainbow accused of extrajudicial killings, arson

Muslims in some communities are accusing the state-owned security outfit code named ‘Operation Rainbow’ of extrajudicial killings and arson within Mangu town. Salisu Mu’azu, a resident of the Kwata community told our reporter that gunmen led by Operation Rainbow stormed their community around 9:30am yesterday and started shooting and burning of houses.

Another resident of Anguwan Fyemawa, Ibrahim Isa, also accused Operation Rainbow and a mob of invading their community. 

He said: “There is lawlessness now in Mangu. Killings and gunshots are going on everywhere. We don’t know how many people have died. We have not been able to bury the corpses we have on the ground because of the situation. Now we are recording more deaths.” Musa Salisu, a resident of Hayi community in Mangu, also decried the activities of Operation Rainbow in his area.

He said: “We are begging the federal government to come to our aid. We are being killed; our houses are being burnt. Where is the security in Mangu? Is Operation Rainbow the only force we have to tackle this problem? Personnel of the Operation are only killing us instead of restoring peace.”

They’re hired killers – JNI

The Plateau State chapter of JNI has also accused Operation Rainbow of lop-sidedness in its operation.

A statement signed by the state Secretary of the group, Dr Salim Musa Umar, condemned the violence in Mangu, and called on security agencies to rise up to the occasion to salvage the lives and properties of the people in the area.

“Reports from Mangu town this morning are not encouraging, as places of worship and faith-based schools were torched and demolished while the killings continue. Residents are decrying the negative role of the state government’s security outfit codenamed ‘Operation Rainbow’, accusing them of glaring partisanship. 

“Security agents should be on the lookout for possible infiltrators as it is widely alleged that some hired killers are on the prowl with the intent to carry out massive attacks on Muslims in the community. This is an act that shouldn’t be allowed to happen”, Salim appealed.

However, the Public Relations Officer of the security outfit, Panam Gongden, denied the allegations labelled against it. 

He said, “Operation Rainbow belongs to everyone and it compromises of conventional police, immigration, Civil Defence and other security agencies.

“We wonder how some people will be accusing us of taking side. The dispatch of personnel is not done based on ethnicity or religion. It is a joined patrol. It is just baseless. People who have lost touch with what they are sent to do will definitely make such accusations”, he said.

Some members of Muslim communities in Mangu local government area have lamented the condition of the corpses recorded in the crisis, saying that the fluid security situation in the area does not allow them to bury their dead.

Adamu Abdulssalam, Deputy Chairman of the JNI in Mangu, said: “We have 13 corpses in the mosque but we cannot bury them. There is fear of taking the corpses to the graveyard for burial and they are now decomposing.”

We are going to fight – says CAN chairman 

In a video that went viral, the Mangu LGA Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Timothy Daluk, said yesterday that if the government did not listen to their plea, they were prepared to fight until the last drop of their blood.

The CAN chairman also said he would personally call a meeting of pastors to that effect, adding that they have tried all they could to ensure peace in Mangu but could not achieve such.

Rev. Daluk, who accused the Nigerian Army of lop-sidedness in their operation in Mangu, called for the withdrawal of all soldiers in the area, adding that their presence does not provide any positive impact.

In the trending video on social media, the religious leader called on the military to pack their loads and leave their communities.

Captain Oya James, spokesperson of the military team in the state codenamed Operation Safe Haven, did not respond to a message requesting for his response to the allegations.

Rev. Daluk said: “I am the CAN chairman of Mangu LG. I am here to report the situation in Mangu to the whole world to understand. What is happening in Mangu, at this particular point in time, the military are the ones chasing our people to allow militia to burn their houses. At this particular point in time, they have sent every Christian away from New Market.

“And they are leaving the Muslims to burn their houses. They said there is curfew but they only restricted the curfew to people within Christian domain. But the Muslim domain, they are free to move and do whatever they wanted to do. And not only that, the military has killed three of our young men in which I know. One is even from own Church. They killed one yesterday. And I reported to the security, he said he is a fake soldier.

“At first, he said I was lying, but when I proved to him beyond reasonable doubt, he finally accepted that he is not a fake soldier. I said it is the real soldier that killed him. Finally, he disappeared from the scene. Now that I am speaking to you, all of them have switched off their phones and they allowed the place to be burned and razed by the people and this is what is happening as I am speaking to you.

“People around Gindiri Junction, down from this side (pointing at a direction with his hand), their houses are now ablaze because the soldiers protected them and allowed them to burn people’s houses. They are not doing anything about it. So, we in Mangu LGA, as far as Christians are concerned, we don’t want the military in Mangu LGA. They should park their loads and go. We don’t want them. We don’t want them and we don’t need them because they have planned. They have been bought. They have been paid to carry out what they are doing. For that reason, I am calling on the whole world to understand that this thing should stop,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the CAN chairman said they were still collating the number of their killed members as well as those injured or displaced.

Rev Daluk said those injured were taken to Nanret Hospital in Mangu, but that they buried three dead victims yesterday (Wednesday).

According to him, some of the military personnel jumped through the fence of ECWA Church Number 1, Mangu, where he was, and then seized the light weapons some persons were carrying to protect the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the premises, and also harassed some of the IDPs around.

Mwaghavul group expresses sadness, deplores security personnel

On its part, the leadership of the Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA) had expressed sadness at the breakdown of law and order in Mangu town.

This was contained in a statement by its Director of Public Affairs, Mr Lawrence Kyarshik.

“The Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barr Caleb Mutfwang yesterday, in a swift reaction to curtail the situation imposed a 24-hr curfew in Mangu, only for the Fulani to unleash mayhem on Kwahaslalek, leaving over 30 people dead, houses completely raised down and properties, including food items, destroyed with fire.

“One then wonders how these criminals operated without any resistance from the security personnel already deployed in the area. Sadly enough, a security alert received on Monday, 22nd had shown that there were pending attacks in Mangu and other places, yet these carnages went on unhindered.

“The MDA frowns at the activities of some of the military personnel who appear to be complacent in carrying out the constitutional duties they swore to protect all citizens of the country, irrespective of tribe and religion,” he said.

The spokesperson said the Mwaghavul Nation and Christians in Mangu have coexisted peacefully with Muslims in the area for decades, and that most of them are even brothers who have inter-married.

He decried that their brothers have however allowed bad elements to settle amongst them and used them against their own brothers and sisters.

No comment from military

The spokesperson of Operation Safe Haven, maintaining peace in the area, Captain Oya James, did not respond to inquiries by our correspondent regarding the current developments.

However, the Plateau State government said it was working hard to restore peace, not just in Mangu, but everywhere in the state.

Musa Ashom, Commissioner for Communication and Information, who could not give casualty figure said: “We condemn the destruction of properties in totality and will not be cowed into making sensational statements.

“Religious bodies should do more to preach peace, tolerance, and harmonious co-existence than invest so much energy in fanning the embers of disaffection and misleading the public”, he said.

 [DailyTrust]

Bright Osayi-Samuel has said it is important for the Super Eagles to start converting their chances at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Super Eagles have struggled in front of goal in the competition despite the glut of attacking talents at the disposal of head coach, Jose Peseiro.

The three-time champions have scored two goals from open play, with the other coming from a penalty.

They were guilty of wasting several scoring chances in their three group games.

With the competition now at the knockout phase, Osayi-Samuel has harped on the need for the team to improve on their finishing.

“In general I think we played well; we had a clean sheet, so it’s positive in terms of the defence,” the Fenerbahce star said on NFF TV.

“Collectively we had many chances and we know we will get chances in every game with the quality that we have and I think it’s about converting those chances.

“Overall, the game (against Guinea-Bissau) was good, it’s a learning curve now to see what we can improve to do better in our next game against Cameroon.“

The Super Eagles will take on Cameroon in a Round of 16 contest at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, on Saturday night.

[DailyPost]

It is not just that politicians are the most distrusted group of professionals in the world, being a politician in itself is a nightmare as it carries a stigma of being an unprincipled, corruptible double-dealer. And as if to justify this, their zero-sum struggle for power is often anchored on the belief that ‘the end justifies the means’ or as John Lylys puts it in his novel Euphus: The Anatomy of Wits, ‘All, is fair in love as in war’.

Ironically, we need politicians more than they need us. We owe our survival as organized society to their brinkmanship and skilful exploitation of our infirmities. In a world where it is the survival of the fittest, politicians are the only people who are capable of reconciling private affluence with public squalor. It is they alone that can make us dream dreams and convert such dreams to reality.

It is this paradoxical nature of politics that is responsible for the dearth of politician statesmen. Committed politicians dedicated to the service of humanity often face what many regard as ‘politician occupational hazards.’  Nearer home, Awolowo in an effort to create a more egalitarian society for his people and the rest of the country, was framed up and jailed for 10 years by those, who because they did not share his world view, accused him of trying ‘to topple her majesty’s government’ citing as evidence, entries in his diary to the effect that he dreamt he became the Prime Minister of Nigeria. Adekunle Ajasin, Bisi Onabanjo, Bola Ige and Prof. Ambrose Alli whose only earthly possession was an empty plot of land at death, were jailed for a total of 400 years for creatively raising funds from state contractors to prosecute free education, free health and setting up of universities in their different states. Bisi Akande, Ige’s deputy was jailed 44 years.

For standing up against his fellow politicians who wanted to loot the resources of Osun State, Governor Akande was rigged out of office as governor of Osun State in the fourth republic. Long after some of those who fraudulently took over power have been found to be men with feet of clay, Akande was described by Buhari, his former persecutor, as “a man of inflexible integrity”. 

If there is anyone who truly understands occupational hazards of committed politicians in Nigeria, Bisi Akande fits the bill. With Ambrose Alli going blind in Buhari’s gulag and his colleagues’ untimely deaths as a result of their inhuman treatment in detention, Pa Akande is in best position to raise an alarm about the danger of allowing fraudsters posing as anti-corruption crusaders take over power in the country.

It is from this context we must understand his last week’s timely warning about the danger that lies ahead with the prospect of take-over of power by those he described as “the new brand of vagabonds’, the drug barons, crude oil thieves,” who he claims “are among you; are richer than you; are calling you corrupt and hiding behind the cloak that they are not corrupt, but they are more corrupt and they will fight you.” For him the danger is real because “we are in a Nigeria now where everybody is struggling to be corrupt and the mind-set of everybody is corruption, and they don’t point the fingers to themselves; they are pointing it at you, politicians.”

Successive administrations in Nigeria according Chief Akande, have failed to defeat corruption due to the mind-set of Nigerians. According to him, “In a country where everybody is corrupt like Nigeria, The mind-set is corrupt. The man who wants prosperity by miracle is corrupt. You want to own a car, or house by miracle. Such a community can never be prosperous except of course “Nigerians have a change of mind-set and embrace the virtues of dedication and hard work”.

Akande has been around long enough to also understand Nigerian miracle seekers have short memories. He also knows how vulnerable we are as a people, especially with the advent of social media and some unprincipled main stream media who after changing all the rules of journalism, pretend to be driven by national interest.

Two events during the 2023 election exposed their hypocrisy. Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi were leading light of PDP, a party that raped the country for 16 years. Atiku Abubakar, as Obasanjo’s VP presided over the mismanaged privatization programme and was accordingly indicted by a National Assembly report. Peter Obi, who moved from PDP to Labour on the eve of the 2023 election was mentioned by the PANDORA Papers as one of the rich people in the world “who clandestinely set up businesses operated overseas, including in notorious tax and secrecy havens in ways that breached Nigerian laws” Curiously, the duo were presented as anti-corruption crusaders trying to save the nation from Bola Tinubu who had never held public office or engaged in federal government contract.

There was also the case of Godwin Emefiele who as sitting CBN governor, wanted to contest for the presidency of Nigeria on the platform of APC. He was ably promoted and supported by segment of the media. However as soon as his ambition was truncated by the judiciary, he donned the toga of an anti-corruption crusader. In October 2022, he embarked on a political redesign of N200, N100 and N1,000 bills. He ordered depositors to take their savings to the banks. He claimed his target were some presidential candidates and governors he accused of stashing funds to buy votes. His media promoters were less restrained. They made it clear the target was Bola Tinubu who they alleged shipped monies in bullion vans to his residence on the eve of Buhari’s 2019 contest against Atiku Abubakar.

It turned out that enough new notes were not printed. The result was that banks and bank staff were attacked by angry depositors who could not access their deposits when needed. A number of people died on the queues while trying to make withdrawal. Intervention by the Supreme Court declaring the old note legal tender was ignored by anti-corruption crusading Emefiele. Even as Nigerians groaned, he was egged on by the social media and his mainstream media sponsors.

Now out of office, the full report of the Special Investigator on Management of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), under anti-corruption crusading Emefiele, has revealed that the redesigned Naira is

 “illegal and should be withdrawn from circulation with immediate effect while Emefiele and his group should be made to face criminal charges for an aberration that led to the loss of lives of many Nigerians, the closure of businesses and joblessness.”

That “The sum of N1,727,500,000, according to the Obazee report “was also spent on questionable legal fees on 19 cases that are directly traceable to the Naira Redesign and reconfiguration agenda”;

That in the UK alone, the Special Investigator said his probe led him to 543.4 million pounds kept by Emefiele in fixed deposit accounts. The report claims Emefiele manipulated the Naira exchange rate and perpetrated fraud in the e-Naira project of the CBN.

The investigator also discovered a “fraudulent cash withdrawal of $6.23 million” – about N2.9 billion at the then official exchange rate of N461 to a dollar.

With the above revelations, Nigeria would have been doomed under Emefiele and his promoters. Having experienced first-hand, the betrayal of corrupt elements in borrowed anti-corruption cloak, I suspect Pa Akande is trying to remind us of the danger ahead if we allow ‘a brand of vagabonds, powerful drug barons, crude oil thieves who share the same worldview with Godwin Emefiele, the fake anti-corruption crusader, to take over power.