Falana said the order was in tandem with Section 42 (1) (e) and (g) of the Forestry Law of Ondo State which provided that whoever in any forest reserve, except with authority in writing of the prescribed officer, digs, cuts, turns or cultivates the soil or makes a farm or plantation; pastures cattle or permits cattle to trespass or trespasses in any part of forest reserves in which trespass shall be prohibited by an order of the government.
Human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), says the order by the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, that herdsmen should leave forest reserves within seven days is legal.
In a statement on Sunday, Falana said the order was in tandem with Section 42 (1) (e) and (g) of the Forestry Law of Ondo State which provided that whoever in any forest reserve, except with authority in writing of the prescribed officer, digs, cuts, turns or cultivates the soil or makes a farm or plantation; pastures cattle or permits cattle to trespass or trespasses in any part of forest reserves in which trespass shall be prohibited by an order of the governor.
Femi Falana (SAN)
The human rights lawyer said the Presidency ought to have studied the law properly before issuing a statement last week to condemn Akeredeolu.
“Without addressing the relevant provisions of the Forestry Law or reaching out to Governor Akeredolu, the Presidency rushed to the media to challenge the directive of the Ondo State Government as it might affect undocumented herders operating in the said forests. Regrettably, such official mismanagement of the crisis has been allowed to polarise the people along ethnic lines to the detriment of national security,” Falana said.
However, he urged the state government to extend the deadline given to the herdsmen while also calling on the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria to register with the state government.
Falana stated, “Concerning the brewing crisis in Ondo State, we call on Governor Akeredolu (SAN), to extend the seven-day ultimatum to allow all farmers and herders operating in the forest reserve to register with the state government without any delay.
“The Miyetti Allah and similar groups should ensure that all their members who have not registered with the state government do so without any further delay in the overall interest of the security of the people in the state.”
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to summon a Nigeria Police Council meeting to address the country’s heightened insecurity.
He added, “As a matter of urgency, the Federal Government should mobilise adequate police and other security forces to halt the menace of kidnapping, banditry, terrorism, armed robbery and other violent crimes in the land.”
Kaduna State Government has approved Monday, 25th of January 2021 as resumption date for tertiary institutions across the state but warned that the schools management must ensure strict adherence to all the guidelines and protocols put in place by the State.
A statement issued by the State’s Ministry of Education and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Phoebi Sukai Yayi stated that the approval came after an assessment team had gone round all tertiary institutions in the state to ensure their level of preparedness and plans for reopening are in full compliance with the state COVID-19 preventive protocols.
Reports have it that the state government’s directive came a few hours after the Management of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) hinted that it could not go on with its scheduled reopening date of Monday, 25th January 2021 as it was still awaiting the state government’s directive.
The Director, Public Affairs Directorate of ABU, Auwalu Umar had earlier stated that the state government had sent a verification team to the institution on January 20th, 2021 to assess the school’s compliance with COVID-19 preventive protocol.
However, the latest statement by the Ministry of Education on Sunday evening stated that: “All the measures which have been assessed and confirmed to be in place must be sustained as any lapse or bridge will lead to the closure of the erring Institution without notice.”
“Resumption by all Tertiary Institutions will be in phases as provided by the Institutions and according to their academic levels and subject to school’s compliance with guidelines in place,” it stated.
According to the ministry, unscheduled monitoring visits to schools across the state will be conducted by a Task Force team to ensure continuous compliance with the COVID-19 guidelines.
It stated that assessment based on COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health in the state for all other levels of Public and Private Schools is ongoing.
Israel has started vaccinating 16 to 18-year-olds against Covid-19, in an effort to enable them to sit exams.
More than a quarter of Israel’s population of nine million have received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine since 19 December, its health ministry says.
It started with the elderly and others at high risk, but people aged 40 and over can also now get the jab.
Israel hopes to start reopening its economy in February.
The inclusion of 16 to 18-year-olds – with parental permission – is meant “to enable their return (to school) and the orderly holding of exams”, an education ministry spokeswoman said.
The matriculation exams that Israeli students sit at the end of high school play an important role in deciding where they will go to university. Their results can also affect their placement in the military, where many young Israelis do compulsory service.
The education ministry has said it is too early to say whether schools will reopen next month.
Israel started its rapid vaccination drive – the fastest in the world – in on 19 December, reaching 10% of its population by the end of 2020.
Israel has recorded more than 596,000 cases and 4,392 deaths with Covid-19, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
On Sunday, the government said it would ban passenger flights in and out of the country from Monday night for the rest of January, in an effort to halt the spread of new virus variants.
“Other than rare exceptions, we are closing the sky hermetically to prevent the entry of the virus variants and also to ensure that we progress quickly with our vaccination campaign,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Foreigners have largely been blocked from entering Israel during the pandemic.
After graduating from law school in 1968, Biden moved to Wilmington, Delaware, to begin practicing at a law firm. He also became an active member of the Democratic Party, and in 1970 he was elected to the New Castle County Council. While serving as councilman, in 1971, Biden started his own law firm.
In addition to his increasingly busy professional life, Biden had three children: Joseph “Beau” (born in 1969), Robert “Hunter” (born in 1970) and Naomi “Amy” (born in 1971). “Everything was happening faster than I expected,” Biden said about his life at the time.
In 1972, the Delaware Democratic Party encouraged a 29-year-old Biden to run against the popular Republican incumbent J. Caleb Boggs for the United States Senate. Although few thought he stood any chance, Biden ran a tireless campaign organized mostly by family members. His sister, Valerie Biden Owens, served as his campaign manager, and both of his parents campaigned daily. That November, in a tight race with a large turnout, Biden won an upset victory to become the fifth-youngest U.S. senator elected in the nation’s history.
BIDEN’S FAMILY TRAGEDY
Just as all of Biden’s wildest dreams seemed to be coming true, he was struck by devastating tragedy. A week before Christmas in 1972, Biden’s wife and three children were involved in a terrible car accident while out shopping for a Christmas tree. The accident killed his wife and daughter and severely injured both of his sons, Beau and Hunter. Biden was inconsolable and even considered suicide. He recalls, “I began to understand how despair led people to just cash in; how suicide wasn’t just an option but a rational option … I felt God had played a horrible trick on me, and I was angry.”
Nevertheless, at the encouragement of his family, Biden decided to honor his commitment to representing the people of Delaware in the Senate. He skipped the swearing-in ceremony for new senators in Washington and instead took the oath of office from his sons’ hospital room. In order to spend as much time as possible with his sons, Biden decided to continue to live in Wilmington, commuting to and from Washington each day by Amtrak train, a practice he maintained through his entire long tenure in the Senate.
Senate Years
From 1973 to 2009, Biden served a distinguished Senate career. During his time in the Senate, Biden won respect as one of the body’s leading foreign policy experts, serving as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations for several years. His many foreign policy positions included advocating for strategic arms limitation with the Soviet Union, promoting peace and stability in the Balkans, expanding NATO to include former Soviet-bloc nations and opposing the First Gulf War. In later years, he called for American action to end the genocide in Darfur and spoke out against President George W. Bush’s handling of the Iraq War, particularly opposing the troop surge of 2007.
In addition to foreign policy, Biden was an outspoken proponent of tougher crime laws. In 1987, Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork’s failure to receive confirmation was largely attributed to harsh questioning by Biden, who was then chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In 1994, Biden sponsored the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act to add 100,000 police officers and increase sentences for a host of crimes.
Presidential Ambitions
In 1987, having established himself as one of Washington’s most prominent Democratic lawmakers, Biden decided to run for the U.S. presidency. He dropped out of the Democratic primary, however, after reports surfaced that he had plagiarized part of a speech.
Biden had been suffering severe headaches during the campaign, and shortly after he dropped out in 1988, doctors discovered that he had two life-threatening brain aneurysms. Complications from the ensuing brain surgery led to blood clots in his lungs, which, in turn, caused him to undergo another surgery. Always resilient, Biden returned to the Senate after surviving a seven-month recovery period.
U.S. Vice President
In 2007, 20 years after his first unsuccessful presidential bid, Biden once again decided to run for the U.S. presidency. Despite his years of experience in the Senate, however, Biden’s campaign failed to generate much momentum in a field dominated by Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Biden dropped out after receiving less than one percent of the vote in the crucial Iowa caucuses.
Several months later, though, Obama — having secured the Democratic nomination after a hard-fought campaign against Clinton — selected Biden as his running mate. With his working-class roots, Biden helped the Obama campaign communicate its message of economic recovery to the blue-collar voters crucial to swing states like Ohio and Pennsylvania.
On November 2, 2008, Barack Obama and Joe Biden convincingly defeated the Republican ticket of Arizona Senator John McCain and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. On January 20, 2009, Obama was sworn in as the 44th U.S. president and Biden became the 47th vice president.
While Biden mostly served in the role of behind-the-scenes adviser to the president, he took particularly active roles in formulating federal policies relating to Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2010, the vice president used his well-established Senate connections to help secure passage of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation.
Biden seemed to relish the opportunity to play a crucial role in the Obama Administration. Following the 2008 election, he said, “This is an historic moment. I started my career fighting for civil rights, and to be a part of what is both a moment in American history where the best people, the best ideas, the how can I say it?—the single best reflection of the American people can be called upon—to be at that moment, with a guy who has such incredible talent and who is also a breakthrough figure in multiple ways—I genuinely find that exciting. It’s a new America. It’s the reflection of a new America.”
RE- ELECTION AND SECOND TERM
Running for re-election in 2012, the Obama-Biden team faced Republican challenger Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, and Romney’s vice-presidential running mate, U.S. Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Obama defeated Romney in the 2012 election, earning a second term as president and Biden another term as vice president. President Obama received nearly 60 percent of the electoral vote, and won the popular vote by more than 1 million ballots.
Later that year, Biden showed just how influential a vice president he could be. He was instrumental in achieving a bipartisan agreement on tax increases and spending cuts to avoid the fiscal cliff crisis. With a looming deadline, Biden was able to hammer out a deal with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. On January 1, 2013, the fiscal cliff bill passed in the Senate after months of tough negotiations. The House of Representatives approved it later that day.
Around this time, Biden also became a leading figure in the national debate about gun control. He was selected to head up a special task force on the issue after the school shooting at a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school that December. Biden delivered solutions for reducing gun violence across the nation to President Obama in January 2013. He helped craft 19 actions that the president could take on the issue using his power of executive order among other recommendations.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Ms Sadia Umar-Farouk, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development to “publish details of proposed payments of N729bn to 24.3 million poor Nigerians for six months, including the mechanisms and logistics for the payments, list of beneficiaries, and how they have been selected, projected payments per state, and whether the payments will be made in cash or through Bank Verification Numbers or other means.”
SERAP also urged her to “explain the rationale for paying N5,000 to 24.3 million poor Nigerians, which translates to five-percent of the country’s budget of N13.6 trillion for 2021, and to clarify if this proposed spending is part of the N5.6 trillion budget deficit.”
Ms Sadia Umar-Farouk had last week disclosed that the Federal Government would pay about 24.3 million poor Nigerians N5,000 each for a period of six months to “provide help to those impoverished by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In the Freedom of Information request dated 23 January 2021 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “Publishing the details of beneficiaries and selection criteria, as well as the payment plan for six months would promote transparency and accountability, and remove the risks of mismanagement and diversion of public funds.”
SERAP said: “Transparency and accountability in the programme would improve public trust, and allow Nigerians to track and monitor its implementation, and to assess if the programme is justified, as well as to hold authorities to account in cases of diversion, mismanagement and corruption.”
SERAP also urged Ms Umar-Farouk to: “invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly track and monitor the payments.”
The FoI request, read in part: “We would be grateful if the requested information is provided to us within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions under the Freedom of Information Act to compel you to comply with our request.
“Providing support and assistance to socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians is a human rights obligation but the programme to spend five-percent of the 2021 budget, which is mostly based on deficit and borrowing, requires anti-corruption safeguards to ensure the payments go directly to the intended beneficiaries, and that public funds are not mismanaged or diverted.
“SERAP notes that the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended], UN Convention against Corruption, and African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party require the government to set the highest standards of transparency, accountability and probity in programmes that it oversees.
“The government has a responsibility to ensure that these requirements and other anti-corruption controls are fully implemented and monitored, and that the payments are justified in light of the huge budget deficit and borrowing, and whether there are better ways to spend N729bn to support poor Nigerians.
“Several questions remain as to the implementation and monitoring mechanisms for the payments, and whether this is the best and most effective way to spend N729bn to support socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians.
“Our requests are brought in the public interest, and in keeping with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the Freedom of Information Act, and UN Convention against Corruption, African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, and African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.
“By Section 1 (1) of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2011, and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, SERAP is entitled as of right to request for or gain access to information, including information on details of beneficiaries of the direct payments of N729bn.
“By Section 4 (a) of the FoI Act, when a person makes a request for information from a public official, institution or agency, the public official, institution or urgency to whom the application is directed is under a binding legal obligation to provide the applicant with the information requested for, except as otherwise provided by the Act, within seven days after the application is received.
“By Sections 2(3)(d)(V) & (4) of the FoI Act, there is a binding legal duty to ensure that documents containing information including information on details of payments of N729bn to N24.3 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians are widely disseminated and made readily available to members of the public through various means.
“The information being requested does not come within the purview of the types of information exempted from disclosure by the provisions of the FoI Act. The information requested for as indicated above, apart from not being exempted from disclosure under the FoI Act, bothers on an issue of national interest, public concern, interest of human rights, social justice, good governance, transparency and accountability.”
Prof. Akintola advised the Federal Government to consult widely with elders from all the states of the federation concerning the issue.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called for dialogue over tribal clashes in Oyo State and appealed to the Federal Government to apply caution in handling the fragile situation.
The group’s director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, made the appeal in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday,
“A tribal activist who gave quit notice to non-indigenes in Igangan, Oke Ogun area of Oyo State, allegedly led indigenes of the area to attack the latter on Jan. 22.
MURIC President, Professor Ishaq Akintola.
“The incident allegedly resulted in the destruction of houses and vehicles. The Igangan incident must be condemned by all lovers of peace.
“At the same time, we cannot close our eyes to the pain and suffering of farmers and indigenes of the area that criminals regard as soft targets for kidnapping, armed robbery.
“It is crystal clear that it is not a religion matter though some have been misled into labelling it as such. Our focus must be the criminals, not any tribe,’’ he said.
Prof. Akintola advised the Federal Government to consult widely with elders from all the states of the federation concerning the issue with a view to finding a comprehensive solution.
“Federal Government should also seek advice from other African countries where the same crisis has been on the front burner at one time or the other since this conflict is not restricted to Nigeria alone.
“To douse tension immediately, both the Federal Government and the Oyo State government should undertake to speedily and adequately compensate victims of the latest conflict in Igangan, Oyo State.
“MURIC’s avowed motto is: `Dialogue, Not Violence’. We, therefore, advocate wide-scale dialogue in the present circumstances,’’ he stated.
Oyo police command says one police officer was killed during the mob action in Igangan on Friday.
As the police begin an investigation into the violence that erupted in Igangan, Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday, January 22, 2021, the state Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko has appealed to youths in the state to remain calm.
The police boss also vowed to bring those responsible for the burning of properties in Fulani settlement and other criminal activities in the town to justice.
Recall that following the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum a Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo issued to the Fulani in Oyo state, the activist and his supporters stormed Igangan to eject Seriki Fulani and herdsmen accused of perpetrating crimes in the town.
Two people were reportedly killed during the confrontation between the Yoruba youths led by Adeyemo better known as Sunday Igboho and the Fulani community in Igangan.Some properties belonging to the Fulani in the area were also reportedly set ablaze by the youths.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko.
Following the clash, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu ordered Onadeko to arrest Igboho and bring him to Abuja.
However, in a statement signed by Olugbenga Fadeyi, the Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo on Sunday, January 24, 2021, the Oyo police command said one officer was also injured while discharging his duty during the mob action.
The statement reads in part; “Sadly, the relative peace and calmness, being enjoyed, due to the visibility patrols of the security agencies were truncated by the visit of Sunday Igboho to Igangan, at about 1630hrs on 22nd January 2021.
“The visit had culminated in a mob action by some youths in the town, who, armed with different types of weapons, embarked on arson and a breach of peace. In the process, grievous hurt was committed against one of the police officers, while discharging his statutory duties.
“The commissioner of police will like to reiterate that the security agencies will not watch while some criminal elements take laws into their hands.
“Investigation into the arson and the breach of the peace, which occurred at Igangan will be investigated to logical conclusion and culprits shall be brought to justice.”
Meanwhile, former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has cautioned the Inspector-General of Police and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State against the plan to arrest Igboho.
He advised them to use dialogues to solve the herders-farmers crisis in Oyo rather than arresting the activist.
He stated that all regions would combine efforts to prevent the suspected killer Fulani herdsmen from taking over their lands.
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has advised the youth of the Middle Belt area of Nigeria to produce a capable leader to work with other regions in resisting Fulani people suspected to be working to forcefully take over their lands. Kanu said this on Sunday through a statement released by the IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, and made available to SaharaReporters.
He stated that all regions would combine efforts to prevent the suspected killer Fulani herdsmen from taking over their lands.
“It gladdens my heart that all #Nigerians, especially those blinded by political patronage, have come to the realisation that all peoples and ethnic nationalities indigenous to ‘Nigeria’ have one common enemy which is #Fulani Janjaweedism,” he said.
He continued, “To complete the spiritually important triangulation necessary to ensure success, there is a need now, more than ever, for the emergence of an equally vibrant youthful leader from the Middle Belt as we now have in Yorubaland.
“Nupe, Tiv and Jukun, yoked by years of Fulani emasculation are more than capable of producing an uncompromisingly astute young leader to defend their land. Our promise remains that no indigenous tribe or ethnic group in #Nigeria will be left behind if we work in tandem to rid our various lands of this infestation from the Sahel in the name or Fulani herders.
“East, West and Middle Belt together and its game over for the Satanic Fulani Caliphate and their Miyetti Allah terrorist foot soldiers.
The National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Abdullahi Bodejo, has declared that nobody has the power to remove Fulani herdsmen from Ondo State’s forests.
Bodejo stated this in an interview with The Sun, noting that all lands in the country belong to the Fulani.
He also said only Fulani herdsmen could tackle the bandits kidnapping and killing people across the country.
The Fulani leader stated this just as the seven-day ultimatum the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, issued to herdsmen to leave forest reserves in the state expired today, Sunday.
He said, “The Ondo State governor doesn’t have any right to give such ultimatum to our people. People, including Fulani voted for him to be the governor; so he should be the governor of everybody in the state.
“Fulani have been in the forests he is talking about even before he was born; they have been there for over 250 years. No matter how dangerous a forest may be, Fulani would go and settle there.
“After staying there for a long time and their cow dung has made the place fertile, people would begin to come there to farm and settle and after then, they begin to make claims that our cattle are destroying their farms.
“We are suing the governor and seeking an injunction restraining him and others from carrying out his threat. But even at that, nobody, no power can send the herdsmen out of Ondo State.
“We are making consultations with our legal team. But before then, the governor and his people should stop embarrassing our people in the forests and all their businesses. No herdsman will obey the governor; the herdsmen will not step an inch out of Ondo forests; they are going nowhere.”
The Miyetti Allah leader added that his group was also against the herdsmen kidnapping and robbing people while also operating from forests.
“We are not in support of any form of criminality — armed robbery, kidnapping, gun running, etc. These crimes are the reasons why we have the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Department of State Services, and even the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps to nab perpetrators. And there are courts everywhere to try them and if found guilty, appropriate punishments should be meted out to them.
Miyetti Allah Leader, Bodejo.
“I have just concluded a meeting with my fellow Fulani and we have found out that some people will adorn Fulani attire to carry out various crimes.
“How can a Fulani man living in the forest kidnap and ask people to pay ransoms ranging from N5 million to N10 million? What will he be doing with that kind of money inside the forest? If you pay herdsmen N20 million, N10 million, N5 million in the forest, where will he carry the money to and what will he be doing with such money?” he added.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed as fake and mischievous reports on the purported postponement of its membership registration and revalidation exercise scheduled to commence on Monday.
The reports which quoted an earlier statement claimed APC has postponed the membership registration exercise until further notice.
But in a statement issued late on Saturday night by the Secretary of its Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator James Akpanudoedehe, APC urged members of the public to ignore the reports.
The statement read: “The APC membership registration, revalidation, and update exercise remains on course and commences as scheduled in the attached timetable.
“As earlier announced, the CECPC has approved the constitution of State Membership Registration Committees for the party’s nationwide membership registration, revalidation, and update exercise. This will be followed by a train-the-trainer workshop.”
Meanwhile, the APC has released the timetable and schedule of activities for the exercise.
In the schedule of activities released by APC, the party national leadership would constitute and inaugurate the State Membership Registration Committees between Monday and Wednesday.
Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has advised Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde against calling for the arrest of Sunday Adeyemo, a youth leader better known as Sunday Igboho arrest.
He said Makinde should rather use dialogue and persuasion instead of escalating tension in his own state by calling for the arrest of Igboho.
Igboho had recently issued a quit notice to herdsmen in Ibarapa and Oke Ogun area of Oyo State over kidnapping and killing of the people by suspected herdsmen.
But his action was frowned at by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu, and the state governor, Makinde, both of whom ordered for the arrest of the youth leader.
However, Fayose, in a post on his Twitter handle on Saturday – @GovAyoFayose – listed some of the consequences arresting Igboho could come with and asked Makinde to employ dialogue in resolving the matter.
He wrote, “Gov Seyi Makinde should rather use dialogue and persuasion instead of escalating tension in his own State by calling for the arrest of Sunday Adeyemo or anyone at this time.
“If FG and some governors could ‘dialogue’ with Boko Haram terrorists, Gov Makinde calling all stakeholders to a round-table discussion will not be a misplaced action.
“Any attempt to arrest anyone will cause further threat to the already fragile peace in the West and the country as a whole. Above all, any unchecked escalation may lead to a state of emergency.”
The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has urged the federal government to engage in dialogue and consultation to end clashes between farmers and herdsmen.
MURIC made the call in a statement issued on Saturday by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola who was reacting to the quit notice issued to herdsmen in Oyo State by an activist, Sunday Igboho.
According to Akintola, those who make the mistake of profiling people of certain tribes will end up hurting decent elements within that tribe and this is against the law of natural justice.
He also added that government should also seek advice from other African countries where the same crisis has been on the front burner at one time or the other, since such conflict is not restricted to Nigeria alone.
Akintola said; “The Igangan incident must be condemned by all lovers of peace. But at the same time, we cannot close our eyes to the pain and suffering of farmers and indigenes of the area whom criminals see as soft targets for kidnapping, armed robbery, etc. It is however crystal clear that it is not a religious matter, though some have been misled into labeling it an Hausa-Fulani affair. Our focus must be the criminals, not any tribe.
“While we do not endorse violence, we opine that people whose farms have been destroyed have the right to express indignation. In the same manner, those whose relations or friends have fallen victims to criminal activities like kidnapping and armed robbery are justified to speak up. The only difference here is that no single tribe should be held responsible for all the crimes.
“This is because criminals abound in all faiths and tribes everywhere in the world, not only in Nigeria. We should therefore address crime and criminals. We should target kidnappers and armed robbers, not any particular ethnicity. Those who make the mistake of profiling people of certain tribes will end up hurting decent elements within that tribe and this is against the law of natural justice.
“With particular reference to the Oyo and Ondo State incidents and the quit notices, MURIC reminds people of the South West that the crisis cuts across ethnicities. The same herdsmen are involved in several states. Benue, Kaduna, Adamawa, Taraba, Enugu, Onitsha, PortHarcourt, etc, are facing the same problem of herdsmen versus farmers. In essence, the phenomenon is general and not targeted at the Yoruba per se.
“Almost all the northern states face the herdsmen versus farmers conflict, banditry and kidnapping. People of the South West must consider the fate of thousands of their kinsmen from Ogbomosho, Offa, Iwo, Ibadan, etc who have resided in the North for more than a hundred years before insisting on a general expulsion of Northerners.
“Truth is bitter, but the earlier we say it the better. Herdsmen have no right to destroy crops. This is where people have genuine grievances against herdsmen. But indigenes should not label all herdsmen as kidnappers because there are law abiding citizens among them. Yet the most disturbing thing is that many of the criminals are foreigners. Our suggestion is that it is these criminals and foreigners that the security agencies (including amotekun) should go after.
“Instead of applying the big stick, MURIC advises the Federal Government to consult widely with elders from all the states of the federation concerning the issue of herdsmen versus farmers with a view to finding a comprehensive solution. FG should also seek advice from other African countries where the same crisis has been on the front burner at one time or the other since this conflict is not restricted to Nigeria alone. It is national, continental and universal in dimension.
“To douse tension immediately, both FG and the Oyo State government should undertake to speedily and adequately compensate victims of the latest conflict in Igangan, Oyo State. FG in particular should take greater responsibility because it is the nationwide lacuna in security matters that has been responsible for the breakdown in law and order.
“Instead of issuing threats and counter-threats, we appeal to the various ethnicities in the country to understand the nature of the conflict. Herders and farmers crisis is not a Nigerian problem alone, it is universal. Nigeria needs to seek an enduring panacea to its own peculiar problems instead of aggravating the conflict. We must learn from the war in Rwanda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, etc and the attendant humanitarian disasters. This is still avoidable in Nigeria.
“MURIC’s avowed motto is ‘Dialogue, Not Violence’. We therefore advocate wide scale dialogue in the present circumstances. MURIC advises the FG to apply caution in handling the fragile situation. FG should take responsibility, compensate victims of the attack in Oyo State and engage all stakeholders in dialogue. We call on governors in affected states to consult traditional rulers on the best solution to the crisis. All forms of confrontation and muscle-flexing should stop in the interest of peace,” the statement concluded.
The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) on Saturday said it was looking at possible areas the United Kingdom (UK) Government could support its insurgency fight in the Lake Chad region.
The Chief of Military Public Information for MNJTF, Col. Muhammad Dole, disclosed this in N’Djamena, Chad.
He said that during a recent meeting with the First Secretary Political for Lake Chad Basin, Dr Katharine Brooks and the Deputy Defence Advisor at the British High Commission in Nigeria, Lt.-Col. Bobby GilBrooks, in Maiduguri, possible areas of interventions by the UK Government in furtherance of MNJTF efforts at ending terrorism in the region were considered.
Dole added that the MNJTF commander also used the opportunity provided by the meeting to give insight on the successes and challenges of MNJTF.
On the critical areas the UK Government could support MNJTF, he said Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC), Information Operations as well as Counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED) capabilities, were considered.
He said, “A follow-up meeting was held in N’Djamena on Friday between the commander and the Commander, Operation TURUS and British Military Assistance Training Team West Africa, Col. Nick Abram.
“The meeting was a build-up on earlier discussions in Maiduguri with emphasis on areas for direct operational support.
“The UK Government had supported the MNJTF in 2015 through the provision of vehicles, rough terrain motorcycles, power generating set of different capacities, dental equipment and communication equipment, among other items.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to speak out on President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to go back on the party’s campaign promise of implementing an administrative restructuring of Nigeria.
The opposition party also tasked APC leaders to respond to their members in the Senate, who through their spokesperson, Senator Ajibola Basiru, claimed that restructuring as promised by APC was only a ‘slogan’, as well as the revelation that neither the APC nor its leaders had submitted any memorandum for the promised restructuring and devolution of power upon which they rode to power in 2015.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Saturday, the party called out APC leaders including its Caretaker Committee Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni, its National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Governor Nasir el-Rufai, Governor Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed among others, to speak out on Mr. President’s recent declaration on restructuring as well as the position of the Senate.
“Our party holds that the inaction of the APC in the face of the dismissive declaration by the Buhari Presidency that Nigerians, who they had promised restructuring, should now channel their demands to the National Assembly, only goes to further validate the assertions among Nigerians that the APC is a deceptive power-grabbing platform, which is not interested in governance or fulfilling its promises to Nigerians.
“It is very disappointing that almost six years after riding to power on the promise of restructuring, the Buhari Presidency has made no concrete effort towards forwarding an executive bill to the National Assembly on the matter, only to now ask Nigerians to carry their burden to the legislative houses.
“Our party asserts that beside President Buhari, other bigger culprits of the failure on restructuring are the silent leaders of the APC who, despite promising restructuring, are clandestinely supportive of its huge betrayal.
“The APC must therefore take responsibility for on-going challenges to our national unity, having failed to fulfill the promises they made on restructuring such as devolution of power and true federalism,” the state read in part.
The soldiers’ action has forced traditional rulers and monarchs in the affected communities to write a save-our-soul petition to the Nigerian Army authorities demanding protection from the harassment of soldiers and herdsmen.
There is tension in the Ketu-speaking villages in the Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State after soldiers escorted herdsmen to graze in the communities, and brutalised some residents in defence of the herders.
The soldiers’ action has forced traditional rulers and monarchs in the affected communities to write a save-our-soul petition to the Nigerian Army authorities demanding protection from the harassment of soldiers and herdsmen.
According to The Nation, one of the victims is Seye Mulero, who was severely injured in Ubeku village in Yewa North and is currently receiving medical treatment.
The herdsmen, who had left the village after the villagers rejected their continued presence, suddenly resurfaced at about 2 pm on December 19, 2020, with a handful of soldiers from the 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta.
The soldiers headed straight for the palace of the community’s traditional ruler, Chief Olaleye Adigun, calling out the villagers and warning them against preventing the evicted herdsmen from returning to the village.
In the middle of this strange encounter, Mulero told the soldiers that the herders would not be allowed to remain in the community because of their brutal killing of residents and the destruction of their farmlands in recent times.
Mulero said, “Everyone was frightened by the action and utterances of the soldiers, but I summoned the courage to tell them how a Geography teacher Mr. Yomi Akinola and two students of Community High School, Ibeku, among others, were killed by the herdsmen while our women were raped and killed on their ways to the farm.”
But Mulero and Ubeku village were not the only person and area that tasted the bile of the soldiers who escorted the herdsmen in a military patrol van from one village to another. Innocent indigenes of Iselu, Ibeku, Agbon-Ojodu, Asa and other villages were also harassed and assaulted by the soldiers at the instance of the herdsmen.
After leaving Ubeku, the herders and the complicit soldiers moved to neighbouring Asa, where they reenacted the Ubeku scenario, causing the hapless villagers to panic.
At Asa, the herders sighted Mulero’s brother, Gabriel Mulero, accusing him of being among the crowd that jeered them after his brother was beaten up.
There and then, the soldiers seized the young man, giving him some deafening slaps and kicking him mercilessly before whisking him away to a neighbouring village, Agbon-Ojodu, where they dropped him off after elders of the community pleaded for his release.
Worried by the development, monarchs of the affected communities petitioned the Nigeria Army over alleged connivance of its men with herdsmen to assault and harass villagers.
The monarchs are the Oniggua of Iggualand, Oba Micheal Adeleye Dosumu; the Eselu of Iseluland, Oba Akintunde Ebenezer Akinyemi; and the Alademeso of Igan Alade, Oba Gabriel Olukunle Olalowo.
The petition titled ‘matter of urgency’ dated January 7, 2021, signed by their lawyer, Mr. Olaoluwa Folalu, was addressed to the Brigade Commander of 35 Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta.
On Saturday, the IPOB leader stated that it was better for the CP to resign than to allow the arrest and killing of Igboho and other protesting Yoruba youths, as had been subtly approved by the Presidency.
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has advised the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Ngozi Onadeko, not to superintend over the arrest and killing of a popular Yoruba activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, otherwise known as Sunday Igboho, and other agitators over the continuous herdsmen attacks.
On Saturday, the IPOB leader stated that it was better for the CP to resign than to allow the arrest and killing of Igboho and other protesting Yoruba youths, as had been subtly approved by the Presidency.
Oyo CP Ngozi Onadeko
Kanu added in a release by IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, that the CP, being an Igbo woman, must not succumb to the Federal Government’s devices to silence the South-West agitations.
He said, “You are an Igbo woman, so I expect you to be reasonable enough to know that the Fulani IGP posted you to Oyo to superintend the arrest or possible killing of Yoruba youths to ferment enmity between the East and the West at this critical juncture in the history of the liberation of all indigenous peoples across Nigeria, including you and your family.
“I will advise you to resign honourably from your position as a certain Yoruba CP did in Abia State when he declined to order men under his command to open fire on IPOB protesters.
“I am warning you not to do anything likely to jeopardise the safety or well-being of Sunday Igboho otherwise you and your family will have the might of IPOB to contend with. The silly game you people always play in that zoo will no longer wash with us.
“Suddenly Fulani have realised that appointing an Igbo woman as Police Commissioner is a good thing because they want to use you. Nothing should happen to Igboho.”
Afenifere says the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) cannot threaten the south-west with a civil war.
Following the call by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on the Federal Government to stop attacks on Fulani communities in South-west to prevent another civil war, Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere has told the ACF not to threaten the region with a war.
On Friday, January 22, 2021, some cars and houses inhabited by the Fulani at Igangan in the Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo state were set ablaze after a Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho and his supporters stormed the town.
Two people reportedly died due to the subsequent clash between Yoruba youths and the Fulani in the area. Reacting to the incident in a statement, Emmanuel Yawe, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACF said such act may destabilise the country. He added that the civil war started with such attacks.
The statement reads in part: “The Arewa Consultative Forum this morning received reports of an attack by Yoruba Youths on Alhaji Saliu Abdulkadir, the Serki Fulani in Oyo State. “In the reports, he was attacked and driven out of his house, eleven cars and his house burnt with his family members now living in the bush.
Chief Audu Ogbe and other members of the Arewa Consultative Forum.
There are allegations that one Sunday Igboho an agitator for Oodua Republic and who issued an ultimatum giving Fulani people seven days to leave Yorubaland is the instigator of the attack.
“The most disturbing aspect of the attack is the allegation that the security agents who were earlier warned about its imminence stood by helplessly as the attack was carried out.
“The ACF is worried about this trend and calls on the Federal and State Governments in the South West to move quickly to avert a social upheaval that may destabilize the whole country.
“We recall that the civil war in the 60’s started with attacks and counter-attacks like this. The governments must be proactive and stop history from repeating itself.
However, Afenifere has described the ACF’s statement as insulting and arrogant.
The National Publicity Secretary of the group, Yinka Odumakin the ACF cannot threaten the south-west with a civil war.
“While we have gone to a great length to sue for peace and have appealed to our pained people to be law-abiding even with the daily provocations of the Fulani and harassment of our people, we frown at the very arrogant and insulting ACF statement, especially their reference to the event of 1966.
“We must make it clear to them that they cannot threaten us with a war at this stage as we will not provoke war but never are we going to run for anybody on our land.
“We are miffed that a body like ACF that has never shown any remorse over the killing of our people can open their mouths anyhow now because there are consequences for the irresponsible actions of their people,” Odumakin said.
Meanwhile, Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Mohammed has ordered the arrest of Igboho over the eviction notice he issued to herdsmen in Oyo.
The IGP has reportedly directed the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Ngozi Onadeko to arrest Igboho and transfer him Abuja.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered the arrest of a grassroots politician in Oyo State, Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho, for giving Fulani herdsmen a seven-day ultimatum to leave the state.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, who disclosed this in a chat with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), said the IGP had directed the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko, to arrest Igboho immediately and transfer him to Abuja.
The BBC quoted Garba as saying that he just got off the telephone with the IGP, who confirmed that he had ordered the arrest of the politician by the state police command.
At least two persons were killed and properties worth several millions of Naira were destroyed in Igangan, Ibarapa North local government area of Oyo State on Friday when Igboho, who is regarded as Akoni Odua of Yorubaland and his supporters reportedly stormed the Fulani settlement in the town and attempted to eject the Seriki Fulani, Salihu Abdukadir, and some other herdsmen.
The herdsmen were accused of causing problems in the area.
The incident came a few days after the Ondo State government ordered the herdsmen to leave the state’s forest reserves within seven days.
The government has promised to enforce the quit notice given to the herdsmen.
A former Governor of Oyo State, Chief Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala has advised Governor Seyi Makinde of the state, to without further delay convene a council of state meeting.
Alao-Akala noted that the meeting was necessary in view of the current security situation in the state.
DAILY POST gathered that Oyo State in the last few days has been engulfed by a series of unrest occasioned by kidnapping, attacks and killing of innocent citizens.
Alao-Akala, however, explained that such meetings would be relevant in order to brainstorm on the security challenges facing the state.
The former Governor who ruled the state between 2007 and 2011 made this call while speaking with journalists shortly after an expanded meeting of the Elders Advisory Council of the All Progressives Congress held on Saturday at his Awosika residence in Ibadan.
Alao Akala
He advised Makinde to convene the meeting which will have in attendance former Governors of the state, both military and civilian governors.
Alao-Akala said, “A council of state meeting consisting of all former Governor’s of the state both uniformed and civilian is necessary at this point to save our dear state from total collapse security-wise.
“A council of state meeting is a statutory organ of government and its function includes advising the executive on policy making.
“Gov. Seyi Makinde needs help in the area of maintaining law and order in the polity hence he should not shy away from that fact. He needs to sit down and brainstorm with people who have been there before him to share from their wealth of experience on how certain things are done especially in the area of security.
“Take for instance, at the National level, the President meets periodically with former heads of state and former Presidents, all former Chief Justices amongst others at the Nigerian Council of state meeting to review activities of Government and seek for advice and interventions where need be.
“This is exactly what he needs in Oyo state at the moment, the peace and stability of Oyo state is a collective responsibility of all, we are all stakeholders in the Oyo state Project.
“We have seasoned, well trained Retired Generals who have been Military Administrator of Oyo state at one time or the other who are still alive, we have civilian governors who have been on that seat before Governor Makinde so also are retired Chief Judges of the state who will have one or two advises to offer to nip in the bud all these security challenges before it gets out of control.
“Part of the duties of the council of state is also to advise whenever requested to do so on the maintenance of public order within the federation and any part thereof and in such other matters as may be desired so Governor Seyi Makinde will very much be in order if he convenes this strategic meeting as a stitch in time saves nine”.
The government of Zimbabwe has confirmed the death of two serving ministers who both died after contracting the deadly COVID-19 disease.
This was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the deputy health minister John Mangwiro who said that Transport Minister Joel Matiza had died after falling ill with COVID-19, less than two days after the country lost Foreign minister Sibusiso Moyo to the same disease.
He also revealed plans to intensify the current lockdown, which has been in place since early January and includes a strict nightly curfew.
“We are in a dark cloud that we have to clear very soon,” the deputy health minister said.
Mangwiro also said that restaurants, bars and gyms have also been forced to close.
“We have seen people not adhering to the lockdown regulations announced early this month,” he added.
Reports say Zimbabwe has registered 30,523 cases of infection since the start of the pandemic, including 962 deaths.
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