Don’t succumb to pressure to release Nnamdi Kanu, Northern Coalition warns Buhari – Newstrends
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Don’t succumb to pressure to release Nnamdi Kanu, Northern Coalition warns Buhari

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3 years ago

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Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has rejected Igbo leaders call on President Muhammadu Buhari to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Igbo leaders had visited the president at Aso Rock on Friday, demanding that Kanu should be released.

Buhari, who described their request as heavy, had said he would consider it.

But CNG has described the request as an attempt to subvert the course of justice, saying those who made it should be treated as “accomplice and sponsors of the atrocities and crimes Kanu committed against humanity and the Nigerian state.”

At a press conference in Kano on Monday, spokesman of the coalition, Abdul-Azeen Suleiman, criticised Buhari’s response to Igbo leaders, saying “the North would hold Buhari responsible for the blood of its people unlawfully shed through the activities of Kanu in the event he succumbs to the Igbo pressure to release him.”

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Suleiman said the coalition on the ground research in the South East showed hat from 2017 to 2020, IPOB under the leadership of Kanu triggered  the “killing of more than 1,230 northern Nigerians living in parts of the South East.

“Several millions worth of businesses, properties and valuable assets belonging to northerners and citizens of other regions were destroyed across the South eastern cities on the instructions of Nnamdu Kanu within the same period.”

The coalition said it observed that “the demand (by the Igbo elders) and Buhari’s disturbing promise to consider it without minding the number of soldiers, policemen and thousands of other innocent Nigerians already murdered and presently physically threatened by IPOB militants  on the express orders of Kanu suggest a lack of sense of responsibility on the part of those in power.

“Buhari’s response to the Igbo leaders’ demand could also signal a dangerous endorsement of the amassing of the huge number of arms already imported by IPOB terrorists and their sponsors, which are already being used to cause mayhem across the country.”

“This has also further exposed the extent of complicity and docility of our clerics and other community leaders who were in the forefront of urging tolerance from northerners when they came under incessant attacks, but could not find the voice to speak today.”

Suleiman said the coalition, therefore, resolved among others that any attempt to release Kanu “will inadvertently reduce Nigeria to a completely lawless state where criminals of all shades will commit crimes against the country, and then ask their traditional rulers and other regional or tribal leaders to press for their release.”

The coalition also warned Buhari to reclaim his statesmanship by “refusing to be cajoled into interfering with the standard principle of separation of powers and independence of the judiciary.

“Warn that the North would no longer remain idle when its people are deliberately targeted and massacred while the perpetrators are shielded by criminal tribal bigots who pose as leaders.

“Warn President Buhari that the North has today realized that he places more premium on the pursuit for votes and political popularity for his party, than he does for the sanctity of lives of northerners and security personnel who stake their lives and welfare of families in the service the nation.”

Daily Trust

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Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

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6 minutes ago

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April 27, 2025

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Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf

Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of weaponising the EFCC to silence him, alleging he was treated like a criminal for criticising the government.

Speaking in an interview with Arise Television on Sunday, Yusuf alleged that his recent detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was part of a deliberate attempt to silence him. “This government deliberately denied me bail to shake me up… all to try and silence me. But I am not someone who can be silenced,” he said.

In February, the EFCC arraigned Yusuf before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on a five-count charge of alleged fraud. He pleaded not guilty.

Recounting the events that led to his detention, Yusuf said EFCC operatives stormed his home on 29 January without presenting an arrest warrant. “They walked into the house and said they wanted to see me, claiming I was expecting them. They only later showed their badges,” he said.

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He described how the operatives prevented him from changing clothes and blocked his wife from providing him with alternative clothing. Yusuf also recounted how, during transport, officers treated him “as if they had captured a notorious criminal like Kachalla Bello Turji,” a notorious bandit leader.

Yusuf spent six days in EFCC custody before his arraignment and was subsequently denied bail, a move he said was unconstitutional. “Bail is a constitutionally guaranteed right for any accused person, except in cases of capital offences or terrorism, and my case was neither,” he said.

The denial of bail forced Yusuf to spend an additional 24 days at Kuje Prison. He characterised his imprisonment as a period of “retreat for rest, prayers, and reflection,” insisting it only strengthened his spirit.

“The whole purpose was for the government of President Bola Tinubu to try to silence any form of dissent,” Yusuf said. “This is coming from a president who himself was once a NADECO activist — someone who fought against the military dictatorship.”

He warned that the current administration is attempting to stifle democratic criticism and create a “one-party dictatorial state.”

Yusuf was appointed executive secretary of the NHIS in 2016 by former President Muhammadu Buhari. He was suspended in 2017 and again in 2018 by the health minister and the NHIS board over allegations of corruption, and was eventually removed from office in 2019.

Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

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NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

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36 minutes ago

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April 27, 2025

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NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have raided an 80-room hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, which was allegedly being used as a front for the distribution of illegal drugs.

After an extensive search, agents reportedly recovered 589 bags of Canadian Loud, a potent cannabis strain, totaling 417.3 kilograms. The haul is valued at approximately One Billion Forty-Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira (₦1,042,500,000) on the street.

In a statement released on Sunday, NDLEA spokesperson Femi Babafemi confirmed the arrests of three individuals during the operation, which took place between Friday, April 25th, and Saturday, April 26th, 2025.

The suspects—Eze Ayitu, Ofuokwu Samuel, and Emmanuel Ameh—were detained in the raid at the five-storey building, located in Victoria Island. Two other individuals, Noble Philip and his accomplice Kenneth, were said to be currently being sought by authorities.

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The NDLEA also disclosed that items believed to be linked to the alleged drug trafficking were seized from the premises of the hotel, known as The Hook Hotel or Caesar Hotel and Caesar Lounge.

According to the statement, among the recovered items were several vehicles, including a Toyota Prado Landcruiser Jeep, a Toyota Sienna Vehicle, a Volkswagen Delivery Van, a Kia Ceranto Car , and a Grand Caravan Dodge. Additionally, 74 new television sets, 10 used televisions, and 13 refrigerators were found.

In a separate operation on Sunday, April 20th, at the Seme border near Badagry, Lagos, NDLEA operatives apprehended three Ghanaian women allegedly attempting to smuggle 4.8 kilograms of Ghana Loud into Nigeria.

The individuals arrested were Haziza Zubairu, 42; Samirat Mustapha, 43; and Jamila Salifu, 26.

NDLEA discovers N1.04bn drugs in Lagos hotel

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Tompolo speaks on Fubara planned return as Rivers gov

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42 minutes ago

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April 27, 2025

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Government Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo

Tompolo speaks on Fubara planned return as Rivers gov

Government Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo, says President Bola Tinubu and Nyesom Wike, the federal capital territory (FCT) minister, are doing everything in their power to restore Siminalayi Fubara as governor of Rivers State.

Tompolo, who serves as the chairperson of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, an oil pipeline surveillance firm focused on combating crude oil theft in Rivers and the Niger Delta, shared his views during an interview with Arise TV on Saturday.

On March 18, Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers, citing a prolonged political crisis. The president suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all members of the Rivers Assembly for an initial six-month period. Tinubu appointed Ibok-Ete Ibas, a retired vice-admiral, as the sole administrator for the state.

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This emergency rule has sparked public protests, with many citizens demanding a prompt return to the previous political structure.

Tompolo expressed his belief that Fubara will soon resume his duties as governor.

He emphasized that the ongoing political tension in the state is being addressed by all relevant parties. “The duly elected governor of Rivers is coming back,” Tompolo affirmed. “The problem between Wike and Fubara is between ‘boy and oga’. Our president is one person who has been protecting democracy, and there is no way he is truncating it. We are doing everything, including the president and Wike. Fubara is coming back as governor.”

Reports indicate that Fubara met with President Tinubu in London in early April.

The meeting was reportedly initiated by the suspended governor, who is eager to return to office. During their talks, Fubara is said to have made certain promises to help resolve the ongoing political crisis in Rivers.

Tompolo speaks on Fubara planned return as Rivers gov

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