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

Published

3 years ago

November 23, 2021

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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Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack

Published

12 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack

Early Wednesday morning, gunmen attacked an army checkpoint in Ekenobizi, a border community between Abia and Imo states, located in Umuopara, Umuahia South Local Government Area.

The assailants reportedly arrived around 6:18 a.m. in a white Lexus SUV (model 350/400) and launched an assault that resulted in the deaths of two soldiers.

A military source, who wished to remain anonymous, provided details of the incident but could not confirm the exact number of attackers involved.

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Confirming the incident in a press release on Wednesday, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Unuakhalu of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA said: “In the early hours of today, 13 November 2024, troops of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA, deployed at a checkpoint along the Umuahia – Owerri Road in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, came under attack by the irredentist group Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network.

“During the attack, the gallant troops were able to repel the assault, forcing the attackers to retreat in disarray with gunshot wounds, abandoning one Sienna and one Lexus Jeep used in the attack. However, in the ensuing firefight, two soldiers paid the supreme price.”

The Joint Task Force appealed to residents of the South East, particularly those in Abia State, for credible information to help track down the fleeing attackers and combat criminal elements in the region.

The force reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property in line with global best practices and the rules of engagement.

Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack

metro

94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters

Published

12 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters

At least 94 illegal occupants and squatters along the railway corridor from Pen Cinema to Fagba were arrested by the Lagos State Taskforce in an early morning sting operation on Wednesday.

During the raid, substances suspected to be hard drugs—such as Indian hemp, colorado, and other harmful drugs—were seized, along with various weapons.

It was gathered that those arrested attempted to resist the task force’s actions.

In a statement, Director of Public Affairs, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, confirmed that those arrested will face prosecution.

He added that the agency dismantled shanties and makeshift structures along the railway corridor, clearing a distance of some kilometers.

The Taskforce Chairman Adetayo Akerele explained that the eviction aimed to provide relief for residents around the Fagba, Agege, and Pen Cinema railway routes, following numerous complaints from the public about criminal activities in the area.

He noted that the squatting had violated environmental and sanitary regulations.

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Akerele also highlighted the health and safety risks posed by the presence of squatters along the rail corridor.

He warned the evicted individuals not to return and assured residents and train passengers that regular patrols and surveillance would be conducted to prevent the re-establishment of shanties in the area.

“The rail tracks are not meant for habitation or the sale of narcotics. Anyone caught converting this place into a den of criminals or an area of residence will face severe consequences according to the law,” Akerele was quoted as saying.

Speaking on the raid, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed that a locally fabricated short gun was recovered.

“94 suspects were arrested during the midnight operation; a locally fabricated short gun and several wraps of illicit substance suspected to be indian hemp, charm and a jack knife were recovered.

“The suspects will be charged to court accordingly,” Wahab stated in a post on X.

94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters

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Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo

Published

13 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State

Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has swept out all Board, Parastatal, and Agency appointees from his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, in a decisive move to overhaul the state’s public service.

A statement released on Wednesday by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, confirmed the immediate dismissal of all political appointees and Permanent Secretaries brought in from outside the state Civil Service.

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The statement reads:

“For the information of the general public, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State, has approved the dissolution of Executives of all Boards, Agencies, and Parastatals in the Edo State Public Service with immediate effect.

“In addition, all Permanent Secretaries appointed from outside the State Public/Civil Service and all Political Appointees are hereby relieved of their appointments.”

Affected individuals have been directed to return all government property in their possession to the senior Public Officers in their respective Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.