Oyo state governor , Engr Seyi Makinde visits President Buhari over insecurity.
Oyo state governor, Engr Seyi Makinde has met with President Buhari over the state of insecurity caused by the Fulani herdsmen. He revealed this via his Twitter page;
“This afternoon, I met with His Excellency, President Buhari to brief him on the security situation in Oyo State and seek collaborations required for some of our intended security plans to work effectively.”
“I asked for greater synergy between the state and federal security agencies. Also, I requested collaboration with the Nigeria Immigration Service for proper documentation of foreign nationals working in mines in the state. Mr President promised to look into these issues.”
The military authorities have on Wednesday, deployed 300 female soldiers to provide security on the dreaded Kaduna-Abuja highway.
The female combatants would complement the existing operations along the highways and the environs.
The first batch of the troops who are of Nigerian Army Women Corps (NAWC), were formally received by Governor El-Rufai at their Kakau base on the highway.
Governor El-Rufai on the occasion, expressed optimism that, with the deployment of the female soldiers, the insecurity along the highways will soon be a thing of the past. He expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Army for deploying the troops and assured them of the continued support of the Kaduna State Government as they work for security in the State.
“The problem of Abuja-Kaduna road will be over with these female soldiers because what a man can do a woman can do better. We believe in the capability of women in this State. ”
“I am confident the road will be the safest in Nigeria. We will do everything possible to make this operation comfortable. We are very happy to have you. Your presence will inspire others girls to join the military. That is why we have female deputy governor to inspire other women,” he said.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Major-General Usman Mohammed, thanked Governor El-Rufai and the Deputy Governor Dr. Hadiza Balarabe for personally coming to receive the female troops.
He acknowledged the support the Kaduna State government has provided to the military in its internal security operations.
According to tweets shared on President Buhari’s , he stated the following;
I have accepted the immediate resignation of the Service Chiefs, and their retirement from service. I thank them all for their overwhelming achievements in our efforts at bringing enduring peace to Nigeria, and wish them well in their future endeavours.
I have also appointed new Service Chiefs, to replace the retired officers:
Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff.
Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff.
Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff.
Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao, Chief of Air Staff.
Major-General Leo Irabor, Nigeria’s new Chief of Defence Staff.
Major-General I. Attahiru, Nigeria’s new Chief of Army Staff.
The suspects were allegedly using a primary school building to commit the act.
The Bauchi State Hisbah says it recently arrested no fewer than six youths who specialized in organising sex orgies and fomenting trouble in Dolam village in Tafawa Balewa local Government Area of the state.
Malam Aminu Idris, the permanent commissioner in-charge of Hisbah and Sharia implementation, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi, on Monday.
Idris, who identified the culprits as Abdurrauf Kabir,25, Dabo Yusuf, 26, Abdurrazak Isah, 24, Habu Umar, 27, Yaron Nuhu-Maikaji, 30, and Abdurrashid Shehu, 31, said they were using a primary school building in the area to commit the act.
The department also recently confiscated and destroyed no fewer than 885 cartons of liquor (image used for illustration) [NTA]
He said the culprits were in the habit of organizing disco parties, locally called Gwaidu, during which they lured young girls into illicit sexual relationships, while at times they used force to intimidate innocent people.
Idris said the attention of his department was drawn by the local Hisbah office in the area, after which the office swung into action and arrested all those involved.
After discreet investigations, the commissioner said, the state Hisbah office summoned the parents of the culprits, counselled them and made them to sign an undertaking against repeating the offence.
Idris said the Hisbah department would, hence forth, not hesitate to prosecute such culprits in a competent court of law, stressing, “As a Lawyer I will do everything possible to ensure that our existing laws were not flagrantly violated.”
He appealed to the state government to hasten the appointment of the state Hisbah Board, as well as provide additional financial and logistics support to the department to enable it perform optimally.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that only recently, the Hisbah department also confiscated and destroyed no fewer than 885 cartons of liquor, as part of its efforts to implement Sharia law in the state.
Wife of Pastor Mike Davids who accused Apostle Johnson Suleman of sleeping with her, breaks her silence (video).
Pastor Faith Edeko, the wife of Pastor Mike Davids who in a viral video accused Apostle Johnson Suleman, of sleeping with her, has broken her silence.
Pastor Davids in the viral video shared on Sunday, January 24, alleged that he was a former Pastor with Omega Fire Ministeries, presided over by Apostle Suleman.
He alleged that while he was still in the Ministry, Apostle Suleman slept with his wife and then transferred her to Abuja where she is now heading the church’s branch. He also alleged that the clergyman has stopped him from seeing his three children and has also been threatening his life. He also alleged that Apostle Suleiman cast a spell on his wife.
In a video she shared online, Pastor Edeko described her husband’s allegations as cheap blackmail. She said it was Davids who walked out of their marriage and that she suffered so much abuse while she was still living with him. She said she even contemplated suicide but her son stopped her.
She stated that she did not abandon her marriage but rather, it was her husband who abandoned the family and even demanded a refund of her bride price from her family.
“I don’t know what you hope to achieve, I don’t know who paid you but the only thing I will say is haven’t you done enough? Are you not tired of flogging someone’s daughter in pain?
You left me in Kano. You called me on a certain day that you were going to leave the marriage. I thought you were bluffing. I called my people and they can testify. My elder brother called you from the UK. You told them you were leaving the marriage. My elder brother told me you were bluffing.
I remember I begged you and then I got to the office and I collapsed, according to what my principal said because I found myself in the hospital.
There are recordings which I will upload. You told my brothers that I would crawl in the gutters. I told them not to do anything to you, that you are still the father of my kids. At some point, I contemplated suicide. I had written my suicide note, I had bought sniper because I could not fathom how I would live life in so much pain. I won’t drag you because of my children… you have done too much and it is enough. I am not hypnotized. I am not under a spell.”
The attack by the soldiers was said to be a reprisal after members of the ESN engaged them in a shootout last Friday.
Operatives of the Nigerian Army on Monday again attacked residents of Okporo, Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, killing about five persons.
SaharaReporters gathered that many persons were also injured when the soldiers stormed the community suspected to be the operational base of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) security outfit, Eastern Security Network (ESN).
The attack by the soldiers was said to be a reprisal after members of the ESN engaged them in a shootout last Friday.
SaharaReporters gathered that one person died at the community market square during the security operation last Friday.
Also, about 10 buildings, including a church, Blessed Holy Trinity Sabbath Mission, were allegedly set ablaze by the soldiers.
“They came back today and started killing our people, I can’t confirm the number of casualties now but they are more than five. They were here last Friday and killed one person at the market square. About 10 buildings were also burnt by these masked security agents on Friday.
“Imo State is not safe presently; Governor Hope Uzodinma shouldn’t allow soldiers to kill all his people,” a source told SaharaReporters.
IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, had in December 2020 launched ESN to protect the people of South-East and South-South regions from terrorists and bandits allegedly trooping in from the North.
Kanu described the outfit as a replica of the Western Nigeria Security Network, also known as Amotekun, earlier launched by the governors of the South-West to curb insecurity in the region.
“The sole aim and objective of this newly formed security outfit known as Eastern Security Network is to halt every criminal activity and terrorist attack on Biafraland,” Kanu had said.
“This outfit, which is a vigilante group like the Amotekun in the South-West and the Miyetti Allah security outfit, will ensure the safety of our forests and farmland which terrorists have converted into slaughter grounds and raping fields.”
He added that the establishment of the security outfit became necessary following what he described as the “failure” of the governors of the South-South and South-East to put in place measures to protect the people in those regions.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Nigerian Army had deployed combat helicopters, gun trucks and soldiers to search some forests in the South-East states where the ESN was suspected to be camping.
SaharaReporters reported that the military search had been ongoing for days, and had no time frame, as the army was acting on “orders from above.”
From drones and hidden cameras believed to be installed by the ESN, a video captured the Nigerian Army helicopters and their vehicles and soldiers searching for the camp of the ESN to make arrests.
Recently, it was learnt that some Nigerian soldiers resigned and joined the ESN, on the grounds that the ESN, being funded by both international and local donors, had better welfare packages for its officers than the military.
“The Kanu ESN boys are not a bunch of rookies and untrained fellows brandishing guns. I personally know five guys from my hometown in Anambra State who left the Nigerian Army to join the ESN. Two of them were formerly serving in Operation Lafiya Dole, Borno State, before they quit.
“We are being reliably informed that there are other soldiers, particularly of the South-East extraction, who will soon leave for other various reasons and they are likely to be recruited into the fold,” a military source told SaharaReporters.
In July 2012, about 356 soldiers in the North-East and other theatres of operation had resigned from the army – some on voluntary retirement, while others cited loss of interest as their reason for disengagement.
The soldiers had written to the army chief, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, on July 3, 2020, under Reference NA/COAS/001, quoting the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service soldiers/rating/airmen (Revised) 2017.
The approval of the voluntary disengagement of the 356 soldiers was contained in a 17-page circular from Buratai, AHQ DOAA/G1/300/92, signed by Brig Gen T.E. Gagariga for the army chief.
Again, this January, another batch of 127 soldiers resigned from the Nigerian Army and are due to leave by May.
They comprised one Master Warrant Officer, three Warrant Officers, 22 Staff Sergeants, 29 Sergeants, 64 Corporals, seven Lance Corporals and one Private.
SaharaReporters had also reported how a cross-section of Nigerians criticised the Nigerian Army for deploying aircraft and gun trucks to locate Kanu’s ESN camp, saying it was a misplaced priority in the security challenges facing the country.
Watch video below!
Nigeria soldiers are killing people (Biafrans) in Orlu local govt area of Imo state of Biafra land.
A few others, however, supported the military saying the ESN could become a regional security threat since the South-East governors had also dissociated themselves from the outfit.
On Twitter, several Nigerians believed that the military action was a misplaced priority and such enthusiasm and energy were not seen in the North-East against the Boko Haram terrorists nor against the bandits in the North-West.
Nigeria was the top Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) destination in Sub-Saharan Africa for 2020 ahead of South Africa and Ethiopia, the United Nations Trade Association (UNTA) said on Monday.
In its World Investment Report for 2020, UNTA said Africa’s largest economy attracted $2.6 billion investment last year, a 21.21 percent decline from $3.3 billion recorded in 2019.
South Africa and Ethiopia received $2.5 billion each.
However, Egypt remained the top recipient of FDI in Africa with about $5.5 billion in 2020.
The report describes Nigeria as among the most promising poles of growth in Africa and attracts numerous investors in hydrocarbon, energy, building, and other sectors.
It said: “Poorly developed transport and energy infrastructure (lack of electricity), which result in high operating costs is one of the weak points for investment in Nigeria if this can be addressed, Nigeria has the potential of attracting more.”
The report added that investors in the country are from the United States China, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France.
“FDI flows to Africa declined by 18 percent to an estimated $38 billion, from $46 billion in 2019. Greenfield project announcements, an indication of future FDI trends, fell 63 percent to $28 billion, from $77 billion in 2019. The pandemic’s negative impact on FDI was amplified by low prices of and low demand for commodities,” it added.
Securing an apartment for rent in Nigeria is more expensive than any other country in Africa except for Seychelles, according to data by global data service provider Numbeo.
The ranking released over the weekend, surveyed 23 African countries and showed that renting an apartment in Nigeria is five percent more expensive than last year, increasing to 28.91 index points in 2021 from 23.59 index points in 2020.
Number rankings are based on the average price of rent with New York City in the United State of America acting as the “100” baseline on the scale.
Over the years, Nigerians especially those trying to settle in major cities, renting an apartment have formed the major core in the cost of living.
Another increase was also seen in the food index. Nigeria rose to 14th and 19th as the most expensive country in Africa to buy groceries and pay for a restaurant meal compared to the 11th position and 17th respectively in 2020.
Numbeo’s index also includes local purchasing power, which shows relative purchasing power in buying goods and services in a given country for the average net salary in that country.
Nigeria ranks second in Africa and fourth in the world, suggesting salaries of Nigerians buy less than in other countries.
Despite the increase in rent, food, and low purchasing power, Nigeria still ranks as 5th most affordable country in Africa and 125th globally.
The headline cost-of-living index includes the costs of consumer goods, including groceries, restaurants and transportation.
Global rank shows Nigeria dropped from 115th place in 2020 to 125th in 2021 in the Cost of Living Index only ahead of Tunisia, Algeria, Zambia and Libya.
Nigeria’s cost-of-living index for 2021 is 29.74 index point compared to 31.00 index point in 2020.
Travellers ‘attacked’ and some allegedly kidnapped by unknown men along Benin-Ore Road .
An empty bus with the doors open wide was found in the middle of the expressway along Benin-Ore Road.
According to locals, the occupants of the bus were attacked and kidnapped, leaving behind the vehicle and luggage of the victims.
Footage shows that the windows of the bus were broken during the alleged attack on the travellers.
Locals who claimed to witness the attack said the kidnappers came out of Fulani herdsmen bush.
Other travellers that witnessed the alleged attack abandoned their vehicles and ran in different directions.
A particularly moving moment in the video shows a little girl rejoicing when she finally sighted her father after everyone started coming out from their hiding places when they were sure the attackers had left.
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.
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 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.
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”.
Nigeria on Friday recorded 1,483 fresh COVID-19 cases.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which disclosed this on its Twitter handle, said the new COVID-19 cases were recorded in 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It added that the number of COVID-19 fatalities in Nigeria stood at 1,490 as of Friday night.
Also, the total number of confirmed cases increased to 118,138.
Meanwhile, 94,150 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from various isolation facilities in the country.
The breakdown of the figure on a state-by-state basis revealed the following: Kaduna (545), FCT (235), Plateau (127), Nasarawa (80), Oyo (72), Delta (65), Rivers (64), Kano (46), Ogun (46), Bayelsa (30), Gombe (30), Abia (28), and Osun (27).
Others are – Edo (25), Ondo (14), Sokoto (12), Zamfara (10), Bauchi (8), Imo (5), Jigawa (4), Ekiti (4), Borno (4), and Niger (2).
The traditional rulers were reacting to a statement credited to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, over an ultimatum Governor Rotimi Akeredolu gave to herdsmen to leave forest reserves in the state.
The Ondo State Council of Obas, on Thursday, called on the President Muhammadu Buhari to caution his aides who comment on security of the country.
The traditional rulers were reacting to a statement credited to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, over an ultimatum Governor Rotimi Akeredolu gave to herdsmen to leave forest reserves in the state.
In a communiqué issued and read by a former Chairman of the council and the Olukare of Ikareland, Oba Akadiri Momoh, at the end of a meeting in Akure, the monarchs said Akeredolu’s action was not to chase out the Fulani in the state but to save it from the activities of the bandits.
The monarchs said, “We are calling on President Buhari to show to the world that he is a father of all irrespective of ethnic affiliation as well as caution his aides to exercise restraints on issues that border on insecurity in the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari
“The governors in the South-West region, the South-West caucus in the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly should use constitutional means to rein in the rampaging criminals masquerading as herdsmen across the region.”
Akeredolu had on Monday ordered Fulani herdsmen to vacate all forest reserves in the state within seven days.
Apart from ejecting the herdsmen, the governor also banned underage grazing, night grazing, movement of cattle within the cities and highways.
He had said, “Today, we have taken major steps at addressing the root cause of kidnapping, in particular, and other nefarious activities detailed and documented in security reports, the press, and debriefings from victims of kidnap cases in Ondo State.
“As the chief law and security officer of the state, it is my constitutional obligation to do everything lawful to protect the lives and property of all residents of the state. In light of the foregoing, the following orders are hereby issued: All forest reserves in the state are to be vacated by herdsmen within the next seven days with effect from today, Monday, January 18, 2021.”
Reacting to Akeredolu’s order, Shehu said the order could not stand because it is a violation of the constitution which gives citizens the right to choose where they wish to reside.
The Presidential ambition of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State got a boost on Thursday as the Niger State House of Assembly endorsed him.
The Niger State lawmakers also said it was the turn of the North Central geopolitical zone to produce the next President of the country come 2023.
The assembly made the endorsement during a visit by the 25 members of the Kogi State House of Assembly led by their Speaker, Matthew Kolawole to the Assembly, to solicit support for Bello.
According to the lawmakers, it was time for the zone to come together to support Bello’s ambition, adding that as a young and vibrant governor, and with the ‘not too young to run bill’ already assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, he remains the best candidate for the number one position in 2023.
With all the state lawmakers making contributions in support of Bello’s ambition, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Bawa Wuse, said: “We must come together from the North Central states to support this laudable and worthy project for the benefit of the people of the North Central and Nigeria in general.
“We need somebody from the North Central for the Presidency in 2023, so since Governor Yahaya Bello has come out for now, he has our support, he has our endorsement and we will support him.”
The historian asked people of the Yoruba race and Nigerians to prepare to defend themselves against herdsmen.
The Worldwide Leader of the Yoruba global movement, Ilana Omo Oodua, Prof Banji Akintoye, has accused the Presidency of supporting criminality by faulting Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s order asking herdsmen to vacate forest reserves in the state.
In an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, the historian asked people of the Yoruba race and Nigerians to prepare to defend themselves against herdsmen.
He accused Fulani herdsmen of engaging in full-scale criminality since President Muhammadu Buhari became Nigeria’s president.
The Yoruba elder wondered why the Federal Government had refused to prosecute many Fulani herdsmen engaging in criminal activities.
He said, “The Presidency is now initiating a very dangerous doctrine of governance in Nigeria. The presidency is now saying that the state’s authority no longer includes the security of the people of the state.
“That is not only bad but dangerous to the existence of Nigeria. It is an assessment of the quality of governance in Nigeria by the rest of the world.
“All Nigerians who are being assaulted, raped, and killed by the Fulani must defend themselves; not only Yorubas or those living in Ondo. If we continue to wait for the Federal Government, these herdsmen will kill all of us. We must rise to defend ourselves.
Prof Banji Akintoye
“The Nigerian government has shown again that it is working for the Fulani. I don’t think anybody should be afraid to say that because it is the truth. The Fulani has been committing crimes on a massive scale since 2015 in Nigeria.
“The government has never owned up that they are committing the crime. They have been going around kidnapping, killing people, and destroying farms, properties, and villages on a persistent scale and those things are crimes under the laws of Nigeria. In some parts of the country, it looks as if the army is colluding with them (herdsmen).”
The Ilana Omo Oodua leader commended Akeredolu, urging Yoruba to support him.
“Akeredolu should be commended for his decision, for his courage and show of knowledge of the land. We support what he is doing. We are waiting for what government would come and do in Ondo State,” he added.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday urged the new United States President, Joe Biden, to help Nigeria in its fights against terrorism.
Atiku made the call on his Twitter handle while congratulating Biden who was inaugurated as the US 46th President on Wednesday.
The ex-vice president expressed optimism that Biden’s administration would mark a new era in America’s regeneration and her reaffirmation as the beacon of democracy to the world at large.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain stressed that he looks forward to the removal of every travel restriction on Nigerian citizens in keeping with the good relations between the two nations.
Atiku wrote: “As Joe Biden begins his tenure as the 46th President of the United States of America, I am confident that this new era will mark America’s regeneration and her reaffirmation as the beacon of democracy to the world.
“As I congratulate President Biden and VP Kamala Harris, I urge them and their administration to strengthen US-Nigeria ties and help our beloved nation’s war on terror by providing every type of support required to win the war against the insurgency we face.
“I also look forward to the removal of every travel restriction on Nigerian citizens, in keeping with the good relations that have existed between our two nations beginning with the July 27, 1961 state visit of our first Prime Minister, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, to President John F. Kennedy, and continuing over the decades since then.
“As the playwright, George Bernard Shaw, once said, America and Nigeria are two nations divided by a common language. And millions of Nigerians and I wish to see that relationship sustained to the mutual benefit of both our democratic nations.
“Congratulations once again and may God bless both our nations and bring about a beneficial tenure for your administration.”
The villages, namely Talli, Dutsin Gari, Mahuta and Munkuru, were deserted by the communities following an encounter between the bandits and the villagers which led to the killing of 15 people.
The residents of four villages in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State have fled to other places for fear of reprisal by bandits.
The villages, namely Talli, Dutsin Gari, Mahuta and Munkuru, were deserted by the communities following an encounter between the bandits and the villagers which led to the killing of 15 people.
The bandits, who were confronted by the four villages’ residents, could not succeed in abducting anybody due to the large number of people who turned out to defend themselves.
A resident of the area, Ibro Mamman, told The PUNCH that the bandits were currently hiding very close to the four villages waiting for the people to return to attack them.
He said, “The security situation is not favourable. As such, we will not go back until security agents are deployed to protect us.”
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