The leadership of Cattle and Foodstuff dealers under the aegis of Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN) has agreed to end the blockade of supplies to the south.
They reached the agreement at an ongoing meeting with Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State in Abuja on Wednesday.
Abdullahi Tom, a youth leader of the cattle dealers who is attending the meeting, told Daily Trust that the union has agreed to shelve the strike.
Femi Fani-Kayode, former Aviation Minister, is attending the meeting.
Last week, the union commenced strike to protest the attack on some of their members during the #EndSARS protests and the recent Shasha market crisis in Ibadan, Oyo state capital.
They had initially given the federal government a seven-day ultimatum to weigh into the situation and look into their demands.
Baskets of tomatoes waiting to be loaded for movement to the southern parts of the country at Kwanar Gafan Tomato Market in Kano State.
The Union had demanded protection of its members, and payment of N475 billion compensation for lives of members and properties lost during the #EndSARS protest and the Shasa market crisis.
They also demanded the dismantling of all roadblocks on federal highways where their members are harassed and money extorted from them by security operatives.
The strike entailed closing all routes between the North and South for vehicles conveying cattle and food items. Such vehicles were stopped from reaching the Southern region.
Both sides have been affected by the strike. Food prices soared in the South, while farmers in the North complained of poor patronage.
Daily Trust had reported how onion traders lamented over the crash in the price of the item.
A bag of onion which sold at N35,000 before the strike, plummeted to N7000
As preparations are in top gear for mass vaccination in Nigeria, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has said COVID-19 cannot change the DNA of recipients.
There have been allegations that chips have been implanted into COVID vaccines.
When he featured on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television breakfast programme, on Wednesday, Faisal Shuaib, Chief Executive Officer of NPHCDA, dismissed the allegations.
He said it is the responsibility of health workers and scientists to address any concern that Nigerians may have regarding the vaccine.
“We as health workers; we as scientists have been working in the last few years to make sure that we don’t take for granted any questions or concerns that Nigerians will have. It is our responsibility not to just offer the vaccine but we also have to put in the hard work to convince Nigerians, to provide them with the information around their questions.
So is there a chip for example? No there is no chip in the vaccine. Is it possible that this will change your DNA? No, that doesn’t happen.”
”We have not already allotted these vaccines to the rich people or the people in the urban areas. Absolutely not. The president has been very clear and the vice-president has also added his voice.
Chairman of the presidential task force (PTF) has communicated this, and in our PTF media briefing, we’ve made it very clear in terms of who we’re going to prioritise. The first group of people who are going to be taking this vaccine are the frontline health workers,” he said.
On Tuesday, Nigeria received its first batch of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine containing close to 4 million doses.
A Porsche car owned by Argentina’s soccer great Diego Maradona during his “forgotten” final season in Europe will go under the hammer this week.
Maradona drove the 1992 silver Porsche 911 to and from training and matches when he was playing for Spanish club Sevilla in the 1992-93 season, his last in Europe, after serving a 15-month ban over a failed drugs test.
Diego Maradona
“It was delivered new to ‘El Diego’, Diego Armando Maradona, and because of this provenance this car probably could be worth double or three times the value of a standard car,” Gregory Tuytens, car specialist at auction house Bonhams, told Reuters at a storage facility in Belgium.
The online auction will last from Wednesday until March 10. The price estimate is up to 200,000 euros ($240,800) but Tuytens said Bonhams felt it could go for a lot more.
“It will definitely appeal not only to car collectors but also football fans and just people who loved the person, the football god Maradona in general,” he said.
Maradona was as much in the headlines off the pitch as on during that season, including when stopped by police for jumping a red light and speeding at 180 km per hour (112 mph) in the city centre, Tuytens said.
The car spent 20 years with another owner on the Spanish island of Majorca before it passed through the hands of several French collectors.
It comes to auction with about 120,000 km on the clock.
Maradona died in November and was honoured with a period of lying in state when thousands of people turned out to pay their last respects.
South Korea’s first transgender soldier, who was discharged from the military for undergoing gender reassignment surgery, has been found dead at her home.
The cause of death of Byun Hee-soo, a transgender rights campaigner, is not yet known.
She launched a landmark legal challenge against the military in January last year over her dismissal.
Her petition for reinstatement was rejected in July.
South Korea remains conservative on matters of sexual identity.
The 23-year-old had been receiving counselling from a mental health centre in her home province of Gyeonggi, north of Seoul. Her counsellor became concerned after not hearing from her since 28 February and called emergency services.
Ms Byun’s case triggered debate about the treatment of transgender troops and soldiers from the LGBTQ community in the country.
She previously told reporters that apart from her gender identity, she wanted to show everyone that she could also be one of the great soldiers who protect the country.
All able-bodied South Korean men are required to carry out military service for nearly two years.
In December, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea said the decision not to allow her to continue to serve in the military had no legal grounds.media captionIn March last year, Byun Hui-soo said she would fight to remain a soldier
South Korea is far less tolerant of the LGBTQ community than its East Asian neighbours.
Byun Hee-soo
Being LGBT is often seen as a disability or a mental illness, or by powerful conservative churches as a sin, and there are no anti-discrimination laws in the country.
In Ms Byun’s case, anti-LGBT campaigners had attempted to identify her online. They also held demonstrations urging the military to dismiss her after news about the case emerged and have called for further demonstrations.
Sowore who spoke to BBC Pidgin said that the man who wore the traditional attire normally associated with ‘Juju men’ is not a herbalist or a ‘Juju man’ as many described. He said the man is an African man who accompanied him to court dressed in what represents his belief.
The human rights activist stated that the reason for the man being there was to discourage people who always look down on African traditions, cultural beliefs, and fashion.
Sowore and the man in traditional attire
According to Sowore, another reason for the man’s presence was to change the belief that European cultures are better than those of Africans.
He dished that the statement he was trying to make while making his court appearance was “Pan Africanism”; breaking the stereotype that African traditions, cultural beliefs, and fashion are inferior to those of the white man.
Speaking further, Sowore added that the man appeared in court to show him solidarity, the same way Christians and Muslims follow him to courtrooms to show him support.
Pictures of Sowore and the man in the traditional attire had gone viral, with many calling him names like ‘Sowore’s herbalist’, ‘Ifa Priest’, ‘Bodyguard’, etc.
While some had hailed the man, saying that he was promoting his African heritage, others had said that Sowore had resorted to fighting the federal government through traditional means.
The US will have enough coronavirus vaccines for every adult by the end of May, President Joe Biden has said.
This will be two months earlier than previously expected, but Mr Biden said the vaccination drive must be extended, too, and people convinced to take it.
And he warned people to “stay vigilant” because “this fight is far from over”, with new variants a major concern.
His caution is at odds with some states, which are relaxing restrictions in order to boost their economies.
Although there has been a sharp fall in confirmed cases since the start of the year – the figure of 68,000 a day now is well down on the 8 January peak of 300,000 – that drop has levelled off over the past week, fuelling fears of another wave.
More than 76 million vaccination doses have been administered – covering 15.3% of the population and the US remains on track to meet Mr Biden’s pledge of delivering 100 million Covid-19 vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office.
Some 1.74 million doses are being administered every day.
“We’re now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May,” he said, adding it was “the type of collaboration between companies we saw in World War Two”.
But the president acknowledged that supply was only one issue, with the nation needing to extend its vaccination drive and convince people to take the shots.
“We need vaccinators, people who put the shots in people’s arms, millions of Americans’ arms,” he said.
“Great news, but stay vigilant,” Mr Biden said. “It’s not over yet.”
Another key announcement was the pledge to give every teacher at least one shot by the end of March, and speed up the reopening of schools.
But on a general reopening, President Biden was more cautious, saying he was unsure when a return to normal would be possible, although he did then say before “this time next year”.
What are the states doing on reopenings?
Some are now relaxing rules, despite a warning from top federal health officials last week not to ease up.
Mr Biden repeated that, saying: “We cannot let our guard down now or assure that victory is inevitable. We can’t assume that.”
Individual states are in charge of public health policy in the US. At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, most introduced restrictions on businesses and travel.
About 35 required face coverings to be worn in public places, although enforcement of these mask mandates has been patchy.
image captionDrive-through vaccination in Texas. The governor says it is time to open the state “100%”
The governor of Texas on Tuesday issued an executive order, effective from 10 March, that rescinds most of the coronavirus measures he imposed.
“It is now time to open Texas 100%,” the Republican said. “Too many small business owners have struggled to pay their bills. This must end.”
He said that with increased vaccinations and improved treatment for Covid-19, the state was “in a far better position now”.
The Democratic party in the state said the “crazy” move would throw away all of the gains.
Mississippi has followed Texas in removing the order on mask wearing, but it will come into effect even earlier – from Wednesday.
Other states have also announced a relaxation of some rules.
Michigan, which has a Democratic governor, is to ease capacity limits on restaurants, and on public and residential gatherings.
South Carolina has removed limits on large gatherings, while capacity limits on restaurants in Massachusetts were removed.
Some cities have also acted. Chicago has reopened public schools and San Francisco announced the easing of rules on museums, cinemas, gyms and indoor dining.media captionThe ‘colourful’ lives lost to Covid – how obituaries are helping us all mourn
Health officials have warned that the pandemic is far from over and cases could pick up if curbs are lifted too soon.
On Monday the director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned of a “potential fourth surge of cases” if the country lapsed into complacency.
Covid-19 data shows that, while infections and deaths have declined in recent weeks, they are still at high levels relative to other countries.
The emergence of new variants could also require booster shots for those already vaccinated.
At least ten people, including the two pilots, died when a plane crashed at an airstrip in South Sudan’s Jonglei state, the region’s governor and the airline said.
It was reported that the commercial plane crashed late afternoon Tuesday, March 2, when it took off from the airstrip at Pieri on a return flight to Juba.
According to aviation authorities, all aboard the commercial plane lost their lives.
It could not give a specific death toll, saying up to 24 people could have been on the flight.
“It was with great shock and horror to receive the news of the plane crash (HK-4274) of South Sudan Supreme Airline,” Governor Denay Jock Chagor said in a statement sent to AFP Wednesday.
Ten people including the two pilots lost their lives,” he added.
Ayii Duang Ayii, director of South Supreme Airlines, told AFP Wednesday that it was “not clear how many people” were on board the flight.
“But the first information communicated to us was that there were 11 people on board,” the director said.
“We are still working to send a team… to establish for us the facts. All onboard died,” he said.
“The plane left to Pieri well, landed well and when it was taking off back to Juba that was when it crashed,” Ayii Duang Ayii added.
Over 100 cultists have renounced their membership of various confraternities in Orimekpang community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The repentant youths said they were tired of living in bondage and that there is no gain in cultism.
The renunciation programme which began on Saturday, February 20, 2021, was held at a church premises and was hosted by Rev Fr Emmanuel Ukwa in the presence of Pastor John Ewa, Chairman of Boki Local Government Area; Pius Kejuo Osang, Councillor of Abo Ward; the Clan Head of Orimekpang and his Chiefs; Youths and Women Leaders, among others.
Speaking at the denunciation event, Pastor Ewa emphasised on the need for peace and unity which according to him is paramount to the development of every society.
Ewa explained to the youths how his children and other politicians’ children are in good private schools, some schooling abroad and that no politician will allow their children to be a cultist.
He advised the repentant cultists to never return to cultism as it adds no value to their lives and that of society.
On his part, the Local Government chairman promised to ensure that those who denounced cultism “will be speedily reintegrated into society through training and empowerment programmes from ITF, UNICEF, RED CROSS and others.”
He asked the repented cultists not to allow any political leader to lure them back to such devilish acts again.
Rev. Father Emmanuel Ukwa, who handed over the denouncees into the hands of God by praying and baptising them, advised them to fully surrender to God who according to him, is ready to accept them.
The Brazil coronavirus variant now found in the UK appears more contagious and may evade immunity provided by past infection, scientists say.
Experiences from Manaus – the Amazonian city hit hard by the P.1 variant – suggest it could be up to twice as transmissible as earlier Covid there, the first detailed study suggests.
The preliminary work puts the chance of reinfection at between 25% and 60%.
But experts say this should not be used to predict what may happen in the UK.
Indeed, one of the lead researchers said it was unlikely P.1 would quickly take off in Britain when only six cases had been identified and these were being closely monitored.
Infectious diseases expert Prof Ester Sabino, from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, said: “You need many introductions [of a virus] to start an epidemic. Six is very few. I would say if you take care and do contact tracing, this is going to decrease.”
Professor Sharon Peacock, who is director of the UK’s centre leading on genetic testing of coronavirus, said: “We are taking appropriate action. These are very interesting and important findings for Brazil, but how they relate to the UK is yet to be determined.”
Updating MPs on the six cases of the Brazil variant seen in the UK, Health Secretary Hancock said: “We have no information to suggest the variant has spread further.”
One of the six people affected has not yet been identified, but the search has narrowed from the whole country down to 379 households in the south-east of England.
Mr Hancock said: “We’re contacting each one.”
The researchers have been tracking coronavirus in Brazil for nearly a year now. Manaus, like many other regions around the world, encountered a large first wave in the spring of 2020.
Lots of people were infected with the original version of the virus at that time, with blood test results suggesting as many as three-quarters of the population getting some degree of protection or immunity from this exposure.
Despite this, people in Manaus were hit badly by another wave of coronavirus in the winter.
The research team from Brazil and Imperial College London have been studying the genetic makeup of coronavirus in some of those who were infected between November and December, as well as modelling the pandemic outcomes.
They say the P.1 variant probably emerged in early November, dominated and spread quickly, and caused many reinfections.
The data is preliminary, but fits with what experts have suspected – that some of these new variants of coronavirus the world is seeing are more infectious and can evade some of the immunity people may have already built against Covid.
This raises questions about how well current vaccines, which were designed around earlier versions of the virus, might work and how countries can ease restrictions without case levels rising too high.
Work is already under way to redesign or tweak the vaccines to make them a better match for some of these new “variants of concern”, although existing ones should still provide some protection, particularly against severe disease.
Updated vaccines could be ready within months, meaning the UK would have millions of doses ready to give people a booster shot before next winter to make sure the population is protected.
The priority, along with mass vaccination, is to keep cases low to reduce the chance of new and emerging variants from spreading.
Mr Hancock said: “Our current vaccines have not yet been studied against this variant and we’re working to understand what impact it might have, but we do know that this variant has caused significant challenges in Brazil, so we’re doing all we can to stop the spread of this new variant in the UK, to analyse its effects and to develop an updated vaccine that works on all these variants of concern and protect the progress that we’ve made as a nation.”
One of reggae’s most important voices, Bunny Wailer, has died at the age of 73.
The musician, from Kingston, Jamaica, was a founding member of The Wailers alongside his childhood friend, Bob Marley.
Together, they achieved international fame with reggae classics like Simmer Down and Stir It Up, before Wailer left to go solo in 1974.
He went on to win three Grammys and was given Jamaica’s Order Of Merit in 2017.
His death was confirmed by manager Maxine Stowe, and Jamaica’s Culture Minister, Olivia Grange.
The cause of death is unknown, but he had been in hospital since having a stroke in July 2020.
The star, whose real name was Neville O’Riley Livingston, had been the last surviving member of The Wailers, following Bob Marley’s death from cancer in 1981, and Peter Tosh’s murder during a robbery in 1987.
His female replacement, Seiko Hashimoto, aims to have women make up 40% of the board members.
The changes – just five months before the games begin – come after public outrage over Mr Mori’s complaint that women talked too much in meetings.
The committee’s chief executive, Toshiro Muto, said on Tuesday the group planned to add 12 new female directors to its board, raising the ratio of women to 42%.
“It is possible to add 12 more members, so we decided to add 12 women to the board of directors.”
During a meeting of the executive board, the organisers agreed to a rule change allowing a maximum of 45 members, up from the current 35.
“We already have seven female directors, so 19 out of 45 will be female directors (after planned addition of new members). Based on the calculation, women will account for 42% of the board members,” Mr Muto said
Ms Hashimoto said the new members would be announced after being approved by committee members on Wednesday.
“Regarding promoting the gender equality, I believe that it is necessary to take swift action and provide solid results in order to rebuild trust in the organising committee,” the seven-time Olympian said.
Mr Mori had previously commented that should the number of female board members increase, they would have to “make sure their speaking time is restricted somewhat, they have difficulty finishing, which is annoying”.
He later apologised for his “inappropriate statement” and added that the priority was to make sure the Olympics were held in July.
The Summer Olympics will begin on 23 July, after already being postponed by a year due to the pandemic.
Zoom boss Eric Yuan, whose business exploded during the pandemic, says working from home is here to stay.
The video conferencing company expects sales to rise more than 40% this year, reaching more than $3.7bn (£2.66bn).
The forecast pushed shares in the company up more than 6% in after-hours trade in New York.
Investors have been watching for clues as to how the firm would fare as more people get vaccinated and social distancing restrictions lift.
Eric Yuan
Zoom said it did not expect growth to continue at the pace it enjoyed last year, but so far business remains strong.
The firm’s sales in the last three months of 2020 were up 370% compared to the same period in 2019, hitting $882.5m.
“The fourth quarter marked a strong finish to an unprecedented year for Zoom,” company boss Eric Yuan said. “As the world emerges from the pandemic, our work has only begun.”
The pandemic, which prompted an abrupt shift to remote work for many businesses around the world, transformed Zoom into a household name practically overnight.
The firm, which charges businesses for its remote meeting software in addition to more limited free use for the general public, saw sales soar 326% to $2.6bn in 2020. Profits jumped from just $21.7m in 2019 to $671.5m.
While some companies have started to ease staff back into the office, many others have said they expect that some of the increased flexibility introduced during the pandemic will linger.
“The future is here with the rise of remote and work from anywhere trends,” Mr Yuan said in prepared remarks for investors. “We recognize this new reality and are helping to empower our own employees and those of our customers to work and thrive in a distributed manner.”
Susannah Streeter, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said Zoom’s fate would depend on how it manages to compete against firms such as Microsoft and Google, which have introduced similar features.
“Although it stole an early march on other players in the first few months of the crisis, it does now have much stiffer competition from the likes of Microsoft and Google who have significantly upped their game,” she wrote in a research note.
“It may be that we have become so used to pandemic habits that we will stick with our virtual social lives, particularly for long distance friendships and work relationships. But just how large a slice of the live video pie Zoom manages to hang on to will depend on how it matches up to its powerful rivals.”
“This follows the scaling of several hurdles laid against our efforts,” he added. “I enjoin all well-meaning Nigerians to rejoice with us as our daughters are now safe.”
The authorities said 279 girls had been freed, adding that a figure given last week by police that 317 had been kidnapped was no longer accurate.
One official told Reuters news agency that the discrepancy was due to the fact that some girls had fled shortly after being abducted.
The group’s release was secured through negotiations between government officials and the abductors, authorities in Zamfara state told the BBC.
Mr Matawalle has denied paying for the girls to be released, but last week President Muhammadu Buhari admitted state governments had paid kidnappers “with money and vehicles” in the past and urged them to review the policy.
President Buhari said he felt “overwhelming joy” at the news of the girls’ release. “[I am] pleased that their ordeal has come to a happy end without any incident,” he said.
Vinicius Jr marked his 100th Real Madrid appearance with a late equaliser against Real Sociedad in La Liga.
Madrid dominated the first half with Mariano and Raphael Varane heading off the bar in the space of two minutes.
Real Sociedad were much improved after the break and Portu scored an excellent header from Nacho Monreal’s cross.
Zinedine Zidane changed his front three after 61 minutes and one of the replacements – Vinicius – finished from Lucas Vazquez’s cross late on.
The draw brought to an end Madrid’s five-game winning run in all competitions and means they missed out on the chance to overtake Barcelona into second place.
Britain has drastically cut its aid to Yemen, which has been devastated by conflict for six years, saying the pandemic created “a difficult financial context for us all”.
The UK government said it would provide “at least” £87m ($120m) this year, down from £214m last year.
Yemen before and during the war
Aid officials have condemned the cut. The UN chief, António Guterres, said reducing aid was a “death sentence”.
The situation in Yemen has been called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The conflict began in late 2014, when rebels seized control of much of the west of the country and a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states launched a military operation to restore President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi’s rule.
About 80% of the Yemeni population – 24 million people – depend on humanitarian assistance. Some two million children are acutely malnourished.
In addition to conflict, Yemen has seen a collapse of its health system, leaving it incapable of coping with the coronavirus pandemic.
The cut in the UK’s contribution was announced on Monday at a virtual donors’ conference by Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa James Cleverly.
He said “recent global challenges” had “meant a difficult financial context for us all”. Funding has fallen off in recent years, just as the pandemic has made needs more acute.
Speaking at the event, UN officials warned that if the UN failed to meet its $3.85bn target for 2021, millions of Yemenis could face starvation. It is unclear how much has been raised so far.
David Beasley, Executive Director of UN’s World Food Programme, told the conference: “We’ve got famine knocking on the door.”
Mr Gurerres said that generous donations had averted a famine in 2018, but that “today, reducing aid is a death sentence”.
The US pledged an extra $191m at the event – bringing its total aid for Yemen to $350m this year.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the death of nine persons in a motor accident at Kunar Dumawa in Dambatta Local Government Area of Kano State on Sunday.
FRSC Sector Commander, Zubairu Mato, while confirming the accident in a statement issued on Sunday, said that 41 others were injured in the Sunday evening accident.
“We received a call at about 4:10p.m. on Sunday.
“On receiving the information, we quickly dispatched our personnel and vehicle to the scene of the incident for the rescue of the victims at about 4:17p.m. as well as clearing the obstructions,” Mato said.
He said that the crash occurred as a result of loss of control due to brake failure.
According to him, the accident involved three vehicles; a truck with registration number XA 111 SNN; a Volkswagen Golf 3 with registration number DAL 515 ZX; and a Mercedes Benz without registration number.
“The victims who lost their lives are three males, six females, while the remaining 41 victims sustained serious injuries,” he said.
The road safety boss said that the victims were evacuated to Dambatta General Hospital where the doctor on duty confirmed nine dead.
The 41 other victims, he said, are currently receiving treatment at the hospital.
Donald Trump says he has no plans to launch a new political party, telling a conservative conference in Florida that it would split the Republican vote.
In his first speech since Democrat Joe Biden became president, he also hinted that he might run for office again in 2024.
Mr Trump strongly criticised his successor, saying US policy had gone from “America first to America last”.
The speech comes weeks after Mr Trump was acquitted in an impeachment trial.
His appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando on Sunday was indicative of his continued influence over the Republican Party.
image captionEnthusiastic conservatives at CPAC applauded and cheered Mr Trump
The mood of the conference – which began on Thursday – has been extremely pro-Trump, with loyalists including Texas Senator Ted Cruz and his son Donald Trump Jr among the speakers.
The former president remains banned from social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, over his response to January’s deadly riot at the US Capitol.
He has been living at his Mar-a-Lago Florida golf resort since leaving the White House in January.
What did Donald Trump say?
The 74-year-old former president was cheered by supporters when he appeared on stage at the Hyatt Regency Hotel more than an hour late. Many people in the crowd were not wearing masks.
“I stand before you today to declare that the incredible journey we began together four years ago is far from over,” he said.
“We are gathered this afternoon to talk about the future – the future of our movement, the future of our party, and the future of our beloved country.”
He dismissed any idea that he might start a new political party – describing rumours he would do so as “fake news”.
“Wouldn’t that be brilliant? Let’s start a new party so we can divide our vote and never win,” he joked.
“We have the Republican Party. It’s going to unite and be stronger than ever before.”
Despite losing November’s presidential election and being deeply criticised over the January riot, reports suggest Mr Trump remains extremely popular among his voting base.
image captionPro-Trump memorabilia, including this golden statue, has been on display
In his CPAC speech, Mr Trump repeated his false claims that he lost November’s election to the Democrats because of electoral fraud and he hinted at another run in 2024, saying: “Actually you know they just lost the White House. But who knows – who knows? I may even decide to beat them for a third time, OK?”
He excoriated the new administration, criticising Mr Biden for reversing his hard line on immigration and border security.
“We all knew that the Biden administration was going to be bad but none of us even imagined how just how bad they would be and how far left they would go,” he told the cheering crowd.
“The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has been sleeping. If he has not, he should have known that Yewaland is being deserted. We are being frustrated by the herdsmen’s attacks”, says residents of Ogun.
Residents of Yewa and Imeko-Afon Local Government Areas who have been troubled in recent weeks by herdsmen’s attacks are now fleeing into Benin Republic towns as refugees.
SaharaReporters learnt that some of the residents have moved to Pobe, a Benin Republic town, and are looking for houses to settle in until the unrest in their towns is over.
It was gathered that despite assurances by the Ogun State Government, the security agencies such as the police and the army personnel in Yewa, Ipokia and Imeko Afon were believed to be compromised, and residents lamented that their lives were not safe.
“The people of Yewaland are trooping into Pobe, Benin Republic. They can no longer trust our security operatives. They have to flee for their lives to that town to breathe fresh air. They have started fleeing since last week – women, children, men with sacks of clothes and no means of livelihood.
“The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has been sleeping. If he has not, he should have known that Yewaland is being deserted. We are being frustrated by the herdsmen’s attacks,” a resident, Mr Wasiu said.
Like Oyo and Ondo states, Ogun State has been at the receiving end of violent herdsmen’s attacks in recent weeks, leading to crisis in the communities and ethnic clashes between the indigenes and the herders. On February 13, herdsmen invaded Igbooro, Oja-Odan in the Yewa-North Local Government Area, killing three persons, including a mother and her child.
The herdsmen also injured two villagers, when they attacked the community which is close to Eggua in Oja-Odan around 11 pm on Friday.
Eyewitnesses said the herdsmen shot indiscriminately, set ablaze three houses and storehouses in the village.
“A mother and her child were among the three persons killed in their huts while two persons were said to be in critical conditions after they were shot by the herdsmen,” a witness had said.
Also, five persons were killed in Owode Ketu, a day earlier.
Confirming the incident, Baale of Igbooro, Abidemi Akorede, had said he had counted three corpses.
On February 8, gun-wielding herdsmen also attacked Oha village in Imeko in the Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State, killing a farmer, Dele Olowoniyi.
This is despite assurances from the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, that security operatives had been deployed to the troubled Yewa border communities, including Imeko, after two weeks of unrest allegedly caused by herdsmen.
Abiodun had promised that the deployment would ensure there was no violence again.
Olowoniyi had been slaughtered while asleep in his farm settlement at Oha village, Imeko, during the attack.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, had confirmed the incident, adding that there was no evidence that the man was killed by Fulani herdsmen.
The Ogun PPRO had later in another release stated that the police would not condone further assaults on herdsmen.
“The command also calls on both farmers and herdsmen, indeed the entire Yoruba and Fulani communities in Yewa and across the state, to fish out criminals, especially herdsmen visiting from other states and neighbouring countries,” the police spokesman had said.
He said new measures had been developed by the Nigerian government which would bring a complete end to all forms of criminality in the nation.
The abduction of female students from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State, will be the last of such to happen, President Muhammadu Buhari vowed on Sunday.
According to NAN, this was contained in a statement issued by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who led a high-powered Nigerian government delegation to sympathise with the people and government of Zamfara.
He said new measures had been developed by the Nigerian government which would bring a complete end to all forms of criminality in the nation.
“The President is saddened by the abduction of the students from Jangebe and reassures you that the government has all the resources and wherewithal to contain these criminals.
“Buhari also commended Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara for his efforts against armed banditry and promised continued support to bring lasting peace.
“The federal government will continue its partnership with the Zamfara government and its citizens in resolving the security challenges facing the state,” Buhari was quoted as saying.
President Buhari
In his response, Matawalle appreciated the federal government’s concern, noting that very soon the abductees would regain their freedom.
He said: “I strongly believe in the president and his effort in fighting all forms of insurgence and urge him to improve on the nation’s security.
”This is by ensuring synergy among the security agencies so that confrontations with criminals can be coordinated on the ground and (in the) air simultaneously.”
Images show relatively young children dressed in combat-style clothing and balaclava participating in martial arts training, weapon handling training, and religious education class.
The dreaded Boko Haram terrorist group has released some photographs showing children undergoing religious and combat training in a camp.
According to reports, the images show relatively young children dressed in combat-style clothing and balaclava participating in martial arts training, weapon handling training, and religious education class.
At least two instructors and one child had what appeared to be the Zastava M21, likely captured from Cameroonian security forces, HumAngle reported.
The Zastava M21, built based on the Kalashnikov design, has appeared in previous pictures shared by Boko Haram factions or reported to have been recovered by security forces. Some children were also shown holding different Kalashnikov pattern assault rifles with under folding, side-folding, and fixed wooden stocks.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State had in September 2020 warned that Boko Haram was recruiting children, saying the problem of insurgency could escalate.
He had said, “The only solution we have now is to ensure the safe return of our people to their homes in a dignified manner. If nothing is done believe me sincerely we shall face a very serious challenge even more than what we are facing now.”
“This is because right now the insurgents are recruiting many of our children into the sect because of the increasing unemployment rate.”
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
