Category: Security

The First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has broken her long silence to express sorrow at the continued abduction of women and girls by insurgents and bandits in the country.

In a message she released to mark the 2021 edition of International Women’s Day on Monday, she said that she is not unaware of the impact the action has on reversing the gains already made on girl child education.

She stated: “Away from COVID-19, women and girls in Nigeria have continued to suffer abductions both in the hands of insurgents and bandits.

“As a mother, I share the sorrow and agony of the victims and their families. I am also not unaware of the impact that these abductions could have in reverting many successes we have hitherto achieved, especially in terms of girl-child education and early marriages.

“I call on all stakeholders to continue to exert their different levels of influence and bring these abductions to an end and to assure us that girls are safe anywhere they may find themselves.”

Mrs. Buhari, who has been out of the country for many months and had not been heard about, observed that the 2021 edition of International Women’s Day offers yet another opportunity for humanity to review and reflect progress made on issues of women and girls.

She observed that this year’s theme: “Women In Leadership: Achieving on Equal Future in a COVID-19 World,” is a strong call to appreciate the efforts of women and girls in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

She noted that COVID-19 has had a huge impact on women, disrupted education and careers, job losses, descent into povert, and proliferation of domestic violence.

The wife of the president added: “Many have also died or suffered due to lack of access to basic information on the pandemic. It is therefore important, not just to continue spreading the message of the COVID-19 protocol, but to also remember and support those who have been affected negatively by the pandemic in one way or another.”

She expressed her best wishes to women all over the world for their resilience, hard work, and commitment to the progress of humanity.

Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi has visited the homes of two farmers, Mr Toyin Akeju and Mr. Yusuf Onuche who were found dead on their farms with gunshot wounds suspected to have been fired by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Angry residents, comprising youths, women and the aged, chanted war songs, made bonfires and rained curses on the killers of the two farmers just as vehicular and commercial activities were affected for a greater part of Saturday while the protesters blocked major roads in the community.

Yesterday, two of our farmers from Isaba Ekiti, Mr Toyin Akeju known locally as Jisoro and Mr Yusuf Onuche were found dead on the farms with wounds from gun shots suspected to have been fired by Bororo herdsmen. This, understandably, generated a lot of anger in the community.

This morning I visited the families of the deceased in the community. In offering commiserations of the government and all our people, I reassured them that we will get to the bottom of this sad occurrence and bring all the criminals involved to book.

This is one killing too many and we must do all we can to protect all citizens. May the souls of the departed rest in peace. Amen.

Oba of Lagos Rilwan Akiolu has alleged hoodlums who attacked his palace on October 21, 2020 stole $2 million and N17 million.

Hoodlums attacked buildings in Lagos State a day after soldiers opened live ammunition on #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll plaza on October 20, 2020.

They vandalised vehicles and carted away artefacts located at Iga Idugaran, Lagos Island.

The monarch returned to his palace over two months after he escaped from an attack on his palace.

After about six days, the Leadership of Cattle and Foodstuff dealers under the aegis of Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria, on Wednesday, agreed to resume the movement of food supplies from the northern part of the country to the southern region.

It was gathered that the agreement was reached when the leadership of the trade union met with Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State in Abuja. Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode was also at the meeting.

About a week ago, northern traders had embarked on strike over the alleged killing of their members in the southern part of the country. Prices of food commodities like pepper, tomatoes, beef, yam, garri, amongst others, had gone over the roof with many southerners groaning and complaining about the increase.

The General Secretary, AUFCDN, Ahmed Alaramma, had said the President of the association, Mohammed Tahir, was with the Department of State Services over the blockade.

The northern traders had also called on the Federal Government to pay them billions in compensation while Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere; Activist Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho, and others had threatened to launch a campaign against cows in protest against the development.

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, on Sunday, disclosed that Nigerians will be shocked if those behind the attack on Government Girls’ Secondary School, Jangebe on Friday, when over 300 students were abducted are revealed.

Matawalle made this known when 17 Emirs in the state paid him a sympathy visit over the abduction of the schoolgirls.

During the visit, the Emir of Anka and Chairman of Zamfara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Attahiru Anka, criticised President Buhari, over the increase in killings and kidnappings by bandits in the country.

Recall that gunmen on Friday attacked GGSS Jangede, and abducted over 300 girls, while seven of the girls escaped while they were being taken into the bush.

The attack occurred almost two weeks after bandits abducted 27 students and 15 workers of Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State.

Before the attack in Kagara, bandits had struck in Kundu village, also in Niger State, and abducted passengers of the state transport service bus.

In his reaction to the rising insecurity in the country, the Emir of Anka blamed the Federal Government..

He said, “The Federal Government is in total control of the security operatives in the country and not the state governors, as such the President is the one who has failed to address the issue of insecurity.”

While responding, Matawalle thanked the Emirs for the solidarity visit and assured them that he would not abandon his peace accord with the bandits no matter what the people would say.

He said, “As we await the arrival of the released kidnapped students of GSSS Jangebe at the Government House today, I want to inform you that there are many revelations in relation to the abduction of these students.”

“Many people will be surprised to hear those people behind the abduction of these innocent children.”

“They are not comfortable with the progress I am getting as a result of my peace initiative and they want to do all they can to sabotage my efforts”.

“I will Insha Allah succeed at the end of the day and they will bury their faces in shame,” said the governor.

NEF Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, in a statement yesterday, called on northern governors to devise means to address the problems.

Baba-Ahmed, added that government should decisively deal with bandits who have refused to jittison kidnappings and killings despite enough to rehabilitate them.

“Northern Elders Forum shares the profound shock and outrage of Nigerians at the spate of kidnappings of boarding school children in different parts of the North.

“The latest reported kidnapping of more than hundreds of female students in Zamfara State follows the abduction of student of GSC, Kagara, Niger State.

“Apart from the likelihood of similar abductions re-occurring as bandits engage in copy cat crimes in a region that is basically unprotected, these abductions will severely damage the poor state of education in the North, particularly girl-child education.

“It has become painfully obvious that the Federal Government is unable to muster the will or the capacity to limit exposure of Nigerians to violent criminals.

Sunday Igboho, has urged Yoruba people to defend themselves when attacked by Fulani herdsmen.

Igboho, who spoke yesterday when he received former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode at his Soka home in Ibadan, said all he wants is peace in Yorubaland.

Both men held a three-hour closed door meeting after which Igboho said, “I don’t have anything to say for now, my uncle (Fani-Kayode) has said everything for me.

“What we want in Yorubaland is peace. We don’t want banditry, we don’t want Fulani herdsmen to continue to kill our people, we want our people to be free.

“My message to my people in Yorubaland is that they must try to defend themselves.

“Don’t let anyone come to your farm or your home to kill you, you must try to defend yourself, which was what the minister said too.”

Sunday Igboho had vowed that all killer-herdsmen in Yorubaland must be evicted from the South West region

The activist became popular when he rose up with a seven-day ultimatum to the Fulani community in Igangan, a town in Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo State to vacate the area.

At least one person has been reported killed, as Hausa and Yoruba people clashed at Shasha in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday.

Eye witness said that trouble started when an Hausa man reportedly beat up a pregnant woman who accused her of littering the frontal part of her shop, while the deceased man, a cobbler popularly called Adex intervened but met his untimely death as the Hausa man allegedly hit him with a magic charm.

According to eyewitnesses, Adex slumped immediately and started foaming in the mouth before he was rushed to a nearby hospital where he gave up this morning.

Meanwhile, a combined team of Amotekun and Operation Burst have been drafted to the area but normalcy is yet to return as arson and destruction of property continued as of the time of filing this report.

The incident occurred at Ago Sanusi, along Ute Road, Owo local government area (LGA) of the state.

An eye witnesses says a farmer whose name was given as Lanre had earlier been abducted by the suspected herders and his corpse was later found with his right and left hands cut off.

After discovering Lanre’s corpse, farmers in the area called on Amotekun operatives for intervention.

Operatives of the security outfit got to the scene and were also attacked by the suspected herdsmen.

A source said that a member of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria who joined the Amotekun in the operation was shot in the head.

Also, the head of operations of security outfit in Owo, identified as Oluwasesan Adebayo, was reported missing after the attack.

Adebayo Ayeni, public relations officer of the Amotekun Corps, confirmed the incident in a statement.

He said: “Men of Ondo State Security Network Agency has again made another major breakthrough in their strive to get rid of criminal elements in Ondo State.

“This cartel were piling up arms and ammunition to invade the entire state while masquerading as herders and using the forest as kidnappers den for negotiation and ransom, illegal mining activities and cultivation of Indian hemp.

“The security outfits in conjunction with the police, the army and other security agencies in the state however smoked them out of the forest, after it was discovered that the bandits had killed a farmer and a member of the vigilante group in the area.

They also went to the village where an Amotekun vehicle was parked and set it ablaze.”

‘EndSARS Season 2; Why we will #OccupyLekkiTollGate on Saturday – Campaigners’.

According to the statement, the cause of the planned protest is beyond the ruling of the Lagos State Judicial Panel probing alleged killings of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.

The organisers explained that they are undaunted by threats by security operatives and counter-protesters under the aegis of #DefendLagos.

“After commiting genocide by killing scores of people who were peacefully protesting at Lekki Tollgate and other parts of Lagos, Governor Sanwo-Olu and other oppressors wants to spit on the dead and dance on the blood of the innocent by reopening the yahoo gate to be collecting their blood money as again.

“We say NO! We are undaunted! We will be occupying Lekki Toll gate again starting from Saturday February 13.
We urge all well meaning Nigerians to storm back all the barricades as our rulers have shown that they can never change.
Since the #EndSARS, they are yet to effect any of the promises. Police brutality is still raging and SARS is still operating.”

“Despite overwhelming and highly compelling evidence showing how several protesters were shot by the military, no single military personnel has been brought to book.

“Deaths have been established and many victims of the Lekki shootings have surfaced, yet neither the victims or families of our deceased colleagues have gotten justice.

“After close to five months of sitting, the judicial panel meant to inquire into the Lekki massacre has refused to deliver justice to victims of the Lekki massacre most of whom have either lost their limbs due to gun wounds or have become deceased.

“Despite overwhelming grounds of involvement of Governor Sanwoolu and ex-army chief, Buratai in the Lekki Massacre, neither of them have been brought to book.
President Buhari instead appointed them ambassadors so they won’t be arrested and prosecuted for genocide and war crimes at the Hague.

Despite EndSARS, Police brutality and extrajudicial killings continue unabated.

“Government has refused to provide employment for young people, yet they went ahead to ban the most promising source of income of young people; cryptocurrency.

“Nigerians are extremely poorer and yet the cost of food is on the high side with increased cost of electricity that only produces darkness. Petrol price is being increased as marketers want it at #190 per litre.

“Nigerians are no longer secured in any part of the country; when they are not being harassed or extrajudicially murdered by police, they are being kidnapped, mimed and killed by bandits.

“Today, the life of cows has become more valuable than those of Nigerians even as our streets and communities have fallen to the rule of kidnappers and bandits.

The Nigerian government now negotiates and enriches terrorists and bandits while chasing after, arresting, shooting and killing protesters.

“It is to this end that we call on you all to come out enmasse to demand not just justice for victims and fallen heroes of the October 20 killings but that all involved in this heinous criminality be brought to book. Come out to demand the right to life and to exist in a country that respects our rights as citizens, abhors police brutality/extrajudicial killings, provides us with security, decent jobs with good wages and other such socio-economic rights that come with being a citizen.”