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Sarkin Hausawa: Northerners ready to quit Anambra, accuses IPOB of incessant killing of kinsmen

Published

4 years ago

May 24, 2022

IPOB members

The Sarkin Hausawa of Orunba North LGA, Alhaji Sa’id Muhammad, says that northerners in Anambra State have made up their minds to leave the state because of the constant killing of their relatives by members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed wing of the outlawed IPOB.

Militants of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Sunday allegedly killed a woman, her four children and six others, all of them of northern extraction in Anambra State.

The pregnant woman and her children were killed at Isulo, Orumba North Local Government Area of the state.

The killings marked a new low in the heightened attacks on non-indigenes by IPOB terrorists who are also attacking the symbol of authority including the police and the military.

Natives of Anambra State and the South East, in general, have not also been spared by the IPOB terrorists who have been wreaking havoc for a long time amid agitation for secession.

The killing of the northerners was perpetrated by the outlawed group a few days after the discovery of the head of an Anambra State lawmaker who was abducted by the terrorists.

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In an interview with Daily Trust, Muhammad said the killing of the pregnant woman together with her four children by gunmen was not new to them as many of his people were killed in such a callous manner.

“The woman was from Adamawa State. Before her death, she lived in Orumba South, and on Sunday, she visited her friends with her four children.

“It was on her way back home in Orumba South that she was killed. She was being conveyed by a commercial motorcyclist when they were ambushed by the gunmen. They murdered her and her four children but the motorcyclist escaped,” he said.

In a gory video trending on Twitter and seen by Daily Trust, the victims were seen lying in the pool of their blood with bullets spread around and a narrator speaking in Igbo saying, “Everybody should look at this video that they have shot a woman and her four children. They are from the North. And they are shooting everybody they see on the street; so people should be careful.”

Our correspondents report that on that very Sunday, five commercial motorcycle riders were also killed and their bikes burnt at Onocha LGA. The bodies of four of the deceased were deposited in the morgue while the fifth one was burnt to ashes.

Mohammed said another man, Abdullahi, who was selling roasted meat by the roadside at Nnanka, was also killed at his suya spot.

“His body was by the roadside since Sunday evening until in the afternoon on Monday when I called the police DPO and informed him about it and requested him to help us recover the remains.

“He told me that he cannot send his men there because of the sit-at-home order. We are now planning to leave for North as we can no longer stay here…They are killing us on daily basis,” he said.

He said his younger brother, Aliyu, was also killed two months ago in a similar manner.

Daily Trust reports that some trucks conveying goods to the South were also set ablaze in Anambra at the weekend and the drivers and other occupants were killed, injured or disappeared without a trace. Some truck drivers of northern extraction said that they are now operating with fear in the South East region.

Adamu Shu’aibu, who works with a private company in the region said that the rate at which the militants were attacking and killing drivers was alarming.

“I lost many of my colleagues to the nefarious activities of the terrorists and the killings are not being reported. Many of our colleagues have abandoned the driving job. The gunmen mostly attack drivers on some routes that have few or no security personnel.”

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When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Ikenga Tochukwu, could not confirm the incidents, saying the details were sketchy.

He said the command would talk about the incidents when they receive a clear picture of what transpired.

However, a senior police officer who did not want to be named confirmed the Isulo attack.

‘Communities shielding criminals’

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Echeng E. Echeng, Monday, accused communities in the state of shielding criminals in their midst. He stated this while briefing journalists on the murder of the Anambra State lawmaker, Okechukwu Okoye, and his aide, Cyril Chiegboka.

Daily Trust reports that the IPOB militants have vowed to kill more lawmakers in Anambra State.

The group issued the threat in a note allegedly found where the head of the lawmaker was dumped.

The commissioner said, “Some of us have come out to tag these people ‘unknown gunmen’ while in actual sense they are known. We are trying to mystify something that is not just there.

“It is high time we went into demystifying the tag ‘unknown gunmen’. They are not spirits; they are our brothers and they live with us in our communities. That is the obvious truth. We know who these people are.

“The problem the state security has is a total conspiracy of silence when nobody sees something, nobody says something and nobody hears something.

“Security is collective; everybody has a battle. The crimes are committed in our communities and we should be able to say this is what is happening in our communities.

“We are glorifying people that we know and tag them as unknown gunmen,” he said.

The police commissioner also debunked insinuations that Fulani were behind the attacks and killings in the state.

He said available information and records of arrests made in the state showed otherwise, accusing the communities of shielding the criminals in their midst.

Meanwhile, tension has heightened in Anambra State following the incessant killings of people by IPOB militants.

Hate campaign

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) said yesterday that it had taken stock of events unfolding in Nigeria, noting especially, the unrelenting disturbances created by certain interest groups in the South East, in the form of violent attacks on people of other sections, particularly the North.

Spokesman of the group, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said in a statement that unprovoked evictions, attacks, killings, destructions of properties and other forms of violations against northerners in various parts of the South East had resulted from the hate campaigns and propaganda being conducted by regional and ethnic agitators.

“We are particularly disturbed by the reports of the brutal murder of a mother and her four children for the only sin of being northerners.

“These killings followed other coordinated attacks on northern traders and haulage trucks, killing some people and destroying millions worth of properties including the truck.

“We have watched and studied these events carefully and with considerable restraint and maturity, to the point of condoning and accommodating several unreasonable and unacceptable actions that have been perpetrated against Nigerians collectively, and northerners in particular.

“Everyone can see that the diabolical scheme planned and exhibited in the actions and clamours of IPOB/ESN terror groups are supported morally and politically by the vast majority of the pliant Igbo elites, politicians, traditional rulers, business persons, and the larger population of this ethnic group.

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“It is also a situation that feeds on the docility of the affrighted section of those who pose as northern leaders today.

“The recent attacks have pushed matters to a point whereby silence has become complicit and inaction is no longer an option, making it impossible for us to remain indifferent or silent in the face of such extreme provocations.

“As the representatives of various interest groups from northern Nigeria, the CNG today declares enough is enough. The North will no longer remain passive under such deliberate and sustained attacks on its people and interests and will henceforth be forced to react to every provocation and unwarranted violation,” he said.

The group also cautioned media operators to be more restrained and balanced in their reporting of all situations in the country particularly when matters coming from or affecting northerners were reported or commented on.

“We caution them to desist from and to eschew the slanted reporting of events with greater bias against a particular religious and ethnic group as is witnessed in the reporting of security situations recently.

“We warn that editorial policies and restraints imposed by ordinary decency and sanity must not be abandoned by the media establishment for sensational and often biased reporting that only inflame tensions in the country,” the northern group said.

Meanwhile, many social media influencers in the North took to Twitter condemning the killings of the northerners by IPOB in the South East.

Senator Shehu Sani twitted: “You condemn ‘the murder’ in Sokoto but you don’t have the courage and the conscience to condemn the murderous activities of gunmen and unknown gunmen in your area (shokoto), including the slaughter of a legislator; that is hypocrisy and cowardice.”

Gimba Kakanda also tweeted: “Last week, you were in support of mob justice because it is perpetrated by your kinsmen. Today, you are hurt and against it because your kinsmen are the victims. And you are calling out Arewa to seek justice for Deborah, your silence on IPOB’s killings of “Hausa Muslims” is telling.

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“Ahmed Musa Husaini speaks for me here in calling out the double standards of both sides of the Niger. The killings in Anambra, including the targeting of “Hausa Muslims,” are a tragedy that must be condemned by all. It also comes with a lesson to those who justify jungle justice.”

Jaybee @KhaleelJibreel said, “We should create our own media houses to publicise any atrocity meted to us. Stop crying foul, you are not expecting your staunch enemy to battle your insult or killing. If we don’t do the needful, this is how we will keep on staying on the defensive. North is not ready.”

Enforce anti-terrorism law in S/East – Expert

A security expert, Kabiru Adamu said to end the excesses in the South East, the legal status of IPOB and its armed wing, the ESN, is that of a terrorist group and therefore the people killing in that part of the country should be treated as such.

“I am therefore of the view that the government should apply the provisions of the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST) and the Terrorism Prevention Act 2022 fully on it.

“This should include using all the elements of Nigeria’s national powers to identify its membership, sponsorship, funding, and weapons supply channels and blocking them as well as arresting and prosecuting them. Only this full application of the law can contain the atrocities of the IPOB.

“To do this effectively, the government needs to enhance its intelligence gathering capabilities both human and technological to allow it to understand who are involved, what their interests are and why the involvement.

“Intelligence gathering will help clarify whether there are truly other gunmen groups behind the atrocities in South East or it is IPOB operating under the anonymity of “unknown gunmen”.

“Additionally, intelligence will allow government open back door channels of addressing the challenge but from a position of strength,” he said.

Related Topics:anambra Featured IPOB kills Northerners woman

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Petrol Subsidy Return Could Cost Nigeria Over N20tn Yearly—Oyedele

Published

2 hours ago

October 8, 2026

Trends Admin

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele

Petrol Subsidy Return Could Cost Nigeria Over N20tn Yearly—Oyedele

The Federal Government has warned that returning to a blanket petrol subsidy regime could cost Nigeria more than N20 trillion annually, as the administration seeks alternative ways to cushion the impact of rising fuel and transportation costs.

Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has maintained that reversing the petrol subsidy removal would place a huge burden on government finances and potentially undermine the fiscal gains of the 2023 reform.

The warning comes amid renewed calls for government intervention as petrol prices, transportation costs and inflation continue to put pressure on households and businesses.

An earlier estimate by the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) put the potential annual cost of restoring a universal petrol subsidy at about N19.16 trillion, based on an assumed daily petrol consumption of 50 million litres and an indicative subsidy of N1,050 per litre. The organisation rounded the figure to nearly N20 trillion and warned that the actual cost could vary depending on crude oil prices, exchange rates, consumption, refining or landing costs and the regulated pump price.

The estimated burden translates to about N52.5 billion daily and N1.575 trillion monthly, according to the CPPE calculation.

The group warned that such spending could compete with funding for infrastructure, healthcare, education, security, agriculture and social protection, while potentially widening the fiscal deficit and increasing borrowing and debt-servicing pressures.

Oyedele has also said the removal of the subsidy generated significant fiscal resources. The Federal Government has put the savings mobilised between June 2023 and December 2025 at N15.8 trillion, with about N5.4 trillion accruing to the Federal Government and N10.4 trillion shared among states and local governments.

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However, the subsidy debate has intensified as Nigerians contend with renewed increases in the cost of petrol and the knock-on effects on transportation, logistics and household purchasing power.

The Federal Government has therefore introduced a series of measures designed to provide relief without returning to a blanket fuel subsidy.

Among the measures is a 30-day discount on petrol sold through NNPC stations, with public transport operators expected to receive priority. The government has stressed that the arrangement is not a subsidy but a temporary discount intended to ease the immediate pressure on consumers.

The government has also proposed a N1,350-per-litre ceiling on petrol landing or ex-gantry costs, with the mechanism expected to be reviewed monthly. Under the proposal, refiners and importers would absorb temporary cost increases above the ceiling and recover the difference when market conditions improve.

Another major component is the planned use of forward crude sales to domestic refineries, aimed at providing refiners with greater certainty over crude supply and helping to moderate the impact of international crude prices and foreign-exchange fluctuations.

The government is also accelerating the deployment of compressed natural gas (CNG) as a cheaper alternative for transportation. Officials say more than 120,000 CNG-powered vehicles, over 400 conversion centres and dozens of refuelling facilities are already part of the programme.

The administration has further announced plans to remove selected levies and regulatory costs that add to transportation and logistics expenses, while expanding targeted support for vulnerable households and small businesses.

The government is also considering an excess profit tax on businesses deemed to be taking undue advantage of current market conditions. Proceeds would be directed towards measures such as transport support and vouchers for vulnerable households.

Oyedele has repeatedly argued that these measures are intended to address the consequences of high fuel prices without recreating the fiscal and market distortions associated with the former subsidy system.

The CPPE has similarly urged the government to retain the downstream petroleum reforms while providing targeted relief through affordable mass transportation, improved electricity supply, food-production support, stronger social protection and measures to reduce energy and logistics costs for businesses.

The debate is expected to remain contentious as political parties and other stakeholders differ over whether Nigeria should maintain the current market-based petrol pricing system or introduce targeted intervention to shield consumers from further price shocks.

For the Federal Government, the challenge is to balance economic reforms and fiscal sustainability with immediate relief for Nigerians facing higher living and transportation costs.

The administration insists that its latest interventions are aimed at achieving that balance without returning the country to a blanket petrol subsidy regime.

Petrol Subsidy Return Could Cost Nigeria Over N20tn Yearly—Oyedele

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Man Allegedly Caught Using Old Tyres to Scam POS Operator

Published

2 hours ago

October 8, 2026

Trends Admin

Man Allegedly Caught Using Old Tyres to Scam POS Operator

A man was reportedly caught in an alleged attempt to scam a POS operator by presenting old and damaged car tyres wrapped in nylon as new ones in exchange for cash.

The incident, captured in a video circulating on social media, reportedly occurred after the man approached a Point-of-Sale (POS) operator seeking cash.

According to reports, the man claimed that he wanted to make a withdrawal but that a bank transfer had failed because of network problems.

He allegedly asked the operator to release the cash and offered several tyres wrapped in nylon as collateral, claiming they were new and promising to return later to redeem them.

The unusual arrangement reportedly attracted the attention of people around the POS stand, who became suspicious of the man’s explanation.

The packages were subsequently opened, revealing that the tyres were allegedly old, worn and damaged, rather than the new tyres he was said to have presented them as.

The discovery reportedly sparked a confrontation, with a crowd gathering around the man after the alleged scheme was exposed.

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The circulating video shows the man being confronted by people at the scene. Reports also indicate that he was at risk of mob action before the situation was brought under control.

It remains unclear where exactly the incident occurred, while the man’s identity has not been publicly established.

There is also no confirmed police statement indicating whether he was formally arrested, questioned or charged over the alleged incident.

The reported incident has drawn attention to the risks faced by operators in Nigeria’s expanding POS business, where agents routinely handle cash and electronic transfers for customers.

POS operators have previously been targeted by different forms of fraud, including fake bank alerts, disputed transfers and attempts to persuade agents to release cash before transactions are independently confirmed.

The alleged tyre scheme appears to have relied on a combination of urgency, a failed-transfer claim and the appearance of the wrapped items to convince the operator to release cash.

The incident has also highlighted the dangers of jungle justice, with observers urging people who encounter suspected fraud to alert law-enforcement authorities rather than resorting to violence.

For POS operators, the incident serves as another reminder to independently confirm that funds have been credited before releasing cash, regardless of screenshots, verbal explanations or items offered as security.

The allegation against the man has not been tested in court, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Man Allegedly Caught Using Old Tyres to Scam POS Operator

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BREAKING: FG Unveils 10 Measures to Cushion Fuel Price, Inflation Pressures

Published

2 hours ago

October 8, 2026

Trends Admin

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele

BREAKING: FG Unveils 10 Measures to Cushion Fuel Price, Inflation Pressures

The Federal Government has announced a 10-point intervention package aimed at cushioning the impact of rising petrol prices, transportation costs and inflation on households and businesses while maintaining its broader economic reform programme.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, announced the measures on Thursday during a media briefing in Abuja, acknowledging that Nigerians were still facing significant pressure despite various reforms introduced by the administration.

Oyedele said the interventions include a 30-day petrol discount at NNPC stations, forward sales of crude oil to domestic refineries, a proposed ₦1,350-per-litre modulation on petrol landing costs, faster deployment of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles, removal of selected levies, targeted support for vulnerable households and small businesses, and the establishment of a National Strategic Fuel Reserve.

He stressed, however, that the measures should not be interpreted as a return to the former petrol subsidy regime, which he said created significant fiscal and market distortions.

“To be perfectly clear, none of these measures restore a blanket subsidy. To do so would amount to creating longer-term harm for a short-term cure,” Oyedele said.

According to him, the government’s objective is to provide immediate relief while protecting consumers from sharp price movements without recreating the long-term fiscal burden associated with fuel subsidies.

The first intervention is a 30-day discount on petrol sold through NNPC Limited retail stations, with public transport operators expected to receive priority.

Oyedele said the measure was designed to provide immediate relief to transport operators and commuters affected by rising fuel costs.

“It is not a subsidy. Government is just saying we sell to you at a discount,” he explained.

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The minister did not immediately disclose the exact amount of the discount or a single nationwide pump price that would apply during the 30-day period.

The second measure involves forward sales of crude oil to domestic refineries as crude production increases and previously committed volumes become available.

Oyedele said the arrangement would provide domestic refiners with greater certainty over crude supply and reduce their exposure to sudden movements in international crude prices.

Under the proposed arrangement, the government could agree to sell crude to refiners at a predetermined price for a specified period, enabling them to plan their operations and manage costs more effectively.

“If you can sell your crude forward, we sell to the refiners for the next six months. We are selling you crude at $80 per barrel, for example. That preserves your budget, provides certainty to the refiners and price stability to the consumer,” he said.

The third intervention is a price-modulation mechanism under which the government is negotiating a ceiling of ₦1,350 per litre on the landing or ex-gantry cost of petrol.

The objective is to prevent domestic petrol prices from responding immediately to every movement in international crude prices or the foreign-exchange market.

Under the proposed mechanism, when the actual cost rises above the agreed ceiling, refiners and importers would initially absorb the difference and recover it when market conditions improve.

Oyedele stressed that the arrangement was neither a subsidy nor conventional price control but a mechanism designed to smooth out price movements.

He explained that greater price stability would be preferable to sharp increases followed by uncertain reductions.

The proposed ceiling would be reviewed monthly, with relevant calculations and data expected to be published to promote transparency.

The ₦1,350 figure is therefore a proposed landing-cost or ex-gantry ceiling, rather than a declaration that petrol will sell at ₦1,350 per litre at every filling station nationwide.

The fourth intervention focuses on reducing dependence on petrol through CNG and other alternative energy sources.

Oyedele said more than 120,000 vehicles were already operating on CNG, supported by more than 400 conversion centres, 96 refuelling stations and 18 unified CNG stations.

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He added that the government had deployed hundreds of CNG buses, with commuters in areas where the buses operate benefiting from fare reductions of between 30 and 50 per cent.

The government has also removed taxes on electric vehicles and solar equipment and reduced import duties on vehicles as part of efforts to encourage the adoption of cheaper and cleaner alternatives to petrol.

According to Oyedele, Nigeria Customs Service data showed that imports of CNG-powered vehicles, including tricycles, electric vehicles and renewable-energy equipment, had more than doubled since May 2023.

He said the government had also granted tax and duty waivers worth more than ₦100 billion within the first nine months of the current intervention period.

The fifth measure involves the removal of levies and charges that increase transportation and logistics costs.

Oyedele said the Federal Government was working with state governments under the new tax laws to eliminate unnecessary charges that ultimately raise the cost of moving people and goods.

The government also plans to strengthen cash transfers to vulnerable households and provide subsidised credit to small businesses and consumers facing higher operating and living costs.

The sixth intervention is an accelerated nationwide CNG infrastructure rollout.

Oyedele said the Federal Government would work with state governments to expand CNG deployment and urged transport operators to pass the savings from cheaper fuel on to passengers through lower fares.

The government wants the initiative to gradually reduce dependence on petrol while giving commuters access to cheaper transportation.

The seventh measure is the proposed introduction of an excess-profit tax on operators found to be taking undue advantage of prevailing market conditions at the expense of consumers.

Oyedele said proceeds from the proposed measure could be used to cushion the impact of food prices through transport support or vouchers targeted at vulnerable urban households and wage earners.

“We will collect it from them and give to the vulnerable people,” he said.

The minister added that the Federal Government would work with the National Assembly on enhanced tax relief for low-income earners under the 2027 Finance Bill.

The eighth intervention targets regulatory costs and red tape that increase the cost of doing business and are eventually passed on to consumers through higher prices.

Oyedele said the government had commenced discussions with regulatory agencies to identify unnecessary costs and processes that could be eliminated.

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The ninth measure is the establishment of a National Strategic Fuel Reserve to protect households and businesses from supply disruptions, artificial scarcity and excessive price volatility.

According to Oyedele, refined petroleum products would be released into the market under clear and publicly published rules whenever global disruptions, hoarding or other factors threatened supply and price stability.

He stressed that the reserve would not be used to fix petrol prices or subsidise the product.

“This is not a subsidy, and it does not fix prices. Rather, it secures supplies and reduces price volatility,” he said.

The reserve is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s energy security, reduce the risk of artificial scarcity and provide a buffer during periods of major supply disruption.

The 10th intervention focuses on traffic management and logistics, particularly in major urban centres.

Oyedele said traffic management agencies would be expected to improve traffic flow to reduce fuel consumption and transportation costs.

He also cited the recently launched digital addressing system as part of efforts to make logistics more efficient and reduce the cost of moving goods and services.

Beyond the 10 measures, Oyedele said the government was continuing other interventions aimed at reducing pressure on household energy and food costs.

He said the government continued to support electricity for vulnerable consumers and was also working to improve gas and fertiliser supply for producers.

Oyedele said the Federal Government had granted a full waiver of taxes and duties on petrol worth more than ₦3.3 trillion up to September 30, 2026, as part of measures to reduce the cost burden on consumers.

He said the government’s approach was broadly consistent with international responses to energy-price shocks, which increasingly favour targeted support, tax adjustments, improved energy efficiency and supply security over broad-based subsidies.

The minister acknowledged that the measures already implemented had not completely eliminated the pressure on households.

“We recognise that these measures, important as they are, do not fully relieve the pressure households feel today,” he said.

Oyedele nevertheless maintained that returning to a blanket petrol subsidy would not provide a sustainable solution, arguing that Nigeria had previously experienced fuel scarcity, smuggling, currency pressures and significant fiscal difficulties under the system.

“Because fuel is real, I will not dismiss it. The cost of reform came at a price, and many households are still bearing it,” he said.

He added that the government was working on a broader package of fiscal measures aimed at bringing inflation down to single digits sustainably in the near term.

Further details of the fiscal package, he said, would be released in the coming months.

The latest measures come as petrol prices remain a major driver of transportation and household costs, with changes in global crude prices, exchange rates, refinery pricing and distribution expenses continuing to affect the domestic market.

The government says it will continue to monitor developments in the energy market and introduce further interventions where necessary, while avoiding policies that could recreate the long-term fiscal pressures associated with petrol subsidies.

Oyedele said the ultimate objective was to combine immediate relief with structural reforms that would reduce Nigeria’s vulnerability to energy-price shocks, lower transportation costs, strengthen domestic refining and improve energy security.

He said the Federal Government remained committed to ensuring that the benefits of the economic reforms translated into tangible improvements in the living conditions of Nigerians.