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Camp Wike Gives Condition For Peace; Demands  Ayu’s Sack; Decries Lopsided Positions  In PDP

By
Adesina Soyooye
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By Adesina Soyooye

Camp Wike has given conditions under which its members would work for the Presidential aspiration of Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Camp Wike is made up of supporters of the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, during his failed Presidential aspiration.

Members of the Group are still together, and disappointed over Wike’s loss to PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Atiku’s failure to pick Wike as his running mate. Atiku picked Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa over Wike. Since then, Wike and his Camp have been cold towards Party activities and nobody could confirm whether they would support the Atiku/Okowa ticket or not.

On Sunday, they and Wike met for the first time since Atiku’s victory and Okowa’s choice, at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja.

Even though no official statement was released after the meeting, snippets from the meeting point to some decisions by the group. They have given conditions, this medium was told, under which they can work for Atiku.

One of the conditions is that the National Chairman of the Party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, must quit his high profile office for a Southerner. Ayu is from Benue State, a Northern State.

The Wike Camp is insisting that since the Presidential ticket has been given to the North, it is only fair that Ayu stands down for a Chairman from the South.

A member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Professor Jerry Gana who spoke to Journalists after the meeting said:

“We know that developments will unfold, and when they do, we shall brief Nigerians. We met together for the first time after the primaries of the PDP.

“We have frankly reviewed matters among ourselves. We want to confirm we are solidly together as a group.”

The group also lamented what it called the lopsidedness in the leadership of the party. It said it favoured the Northern zones.

The Group pointed out  that in addition to Atiku and Ayu coming from the North, Dr Ayu’s second in command  in the party’s National Working Committee, Umaru Damagum (Deputy National Chairman, North) is also from the North, as well as the Chairman of its Board of Trustees, Walid Jibrin, and the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State.

Said a member of the Camp who spoke to  The Cable:

“How can a party that is systematically one-sided sell itself in the South?”

According to the Cable,

“The leaders also accused Atiku of sidelining party leaders outside his core supporters in his decision-making. They said they were aware that those in Atiku’s camp have allegedly shared key Government positions among themselves, even before next year’s elections.”

It quoted the source as asking: “How can we work for a presidential candidate who is already sidelining other leaders who are not in his camp and expect that he would change when he becomes president?

“The candidate has not demonstrated good faith at all. The election is for Atiku to lose. If he wants to win, he knows what to do. The ball is in his court. We were clear at the meeting that he alone can decide if he wants to win or lose the election.”

The Governors who attended the meeting were Wike, Rivers, Seyi Makinde, Oyo State, Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia State, Samuel Ortom, Benue State and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.

In attendance, also, were former Governors Donald Duke of Cross River, Gabriel Suswam of Benue, Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo, Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa, Ibrahim Idris of Kogi, Jonah Jang of Plateau and Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe.

Also at the meeting were a former PDP Deputy National Vice Chairman (North), Suleiman Nazif; and a former Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Mohammed Adoke.

Others are sitting and former senators Hosea Agboola, Phillip Aduda, Zainab Kure, Garba Lado, Sandy Onoh, Olaka Nwogwu and many members of the House of Representatives.

There were, also, Mohammed Sani Abacha, the party’s governorship candidate in Nasarawa , David Ombugadu, and Mike Omeri, a former Director-general of the National Orientation Agency.

Obi’s Running Mate, Datti Yusuf, Flays  Buhari, Says He Is Ashamed Of the President Over His Insecurity

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Labour Party, LP,  Vice Presidential Candidate, Yusuf Datti Ahmed-Baba has expressed his disappointment over the inability and failure of the President Muhammadu Buhari Government to tackle insecurity in the country.

Ahmed-Baba said he was ashamed that President Buhari had failed to secure Nigeria despite all his talks about tackling the menace during his campaign in 2015 and 2019.

Speaking on Channels Television’s, Politics Today, Ahmed-Baba said the Buhari led – All Progressives Congress, APC, are just paying lip service in tackling this menace, unlike his Principal, Peter Obi, who has already mapped out a strategy to tackle the insecurity bedeviling the nation.

Assuring the readiness of the Labour Party to rescue the nation from the shackles of insecurity, he said Nigeria’s safety is secured and assured if Obi wins the 2023 presidential election.

He said: “What have Nigerians not heard in the past? What has APC not told Nigerians? What did Buhari not say about restoring security? Are Nigerians not tired of hearing people talk and doing the opposite?

“Peter Obi and I are a completely different mix, that is why we are seeking this opportunity and when we get it ,we will deliver.

“The importance of talking has been destroyed by this administration, I feel ashamed to talk because someone like Buhari has talked and he failed.

“I don’t want to talk but act, we have the solution and by the grace of God, Nigerians will be safe and secured.”

Osun: Aregbesola’s Faction Of APC Mocks Gov Oyetola Over Election Loss, Demands Party Restructuring

By
Ayodele Oni
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Osun Protest

By Ayodele Oni

A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), loyal to the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, on Tuesday, embarked on a protest, against the leadership of the Party in the State and to celebrate the defeat of Governor Gboyega Oyetola in July election.

The placard-carrying Aregbesola supporters under the aegis of The Osun Progressives (TOP) embarked on the protest in Osogbo, the State capital, from under the iconic Olaiya Flyover junction, where they were publicly mocking the governor and the leadership of the party over the loss of the July 16, 2022 Governorship election in the State.

The State Chairman of the Party, Prince Gboyega Famodun, in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Kola Olabisi, in Osogbo,described the protest as shameful, callous, primitive, selfish, wicked, misplaced and inconsiderate for the Aregbesola supporters, who glaringly worked against the success of Governor Oyetola at the polls to now be canvassing restructuring of the party through a sponsored protest.

In Famodun’s words: “When I heard that the supporters of the immediate past Governor of our State, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, were protesting, I thought my memory was playing me false as they cannot insulate themselves from whatever might be the current plight of the APC in Osun State.

“Assuming, but not conceding, that there are challenges within the party, protesters should be told that  they lack moral right to either suggest or effect any likely solution as it is on record that they massively and collectively worked against Oyetola, the APC Governorship candidate in the just-concluded election in line with the series of their threat.

“One would have thought that the appropriate place for them to canvass for the restructuring of any party is Senator Ademola Adeleke’s Ede country home whom they voted for with flaunted pride.

“If I may ask, at what point did it occur to you that the political party that you had abandoned for about three years which you have been working against needs restructuring?

“Did the Adeleke Dynasty not fund your series of campaigns of calumny against Oyetola and the leadership of the party at the Aregbesola Campaign Office where you converge every Thursday with the task of scrambling to outdo one another in lampooning Oyetola’s administration and the leadership of the party?

“If you all have conscience, I will enjoin you to do individualistic soul-searching and ask yourselves if you are worthy to be called the members of our party again by your actions and inactions which partly contributed to our  temporary loss of the Osun State governorship election.

“Was it after you were rebuffed by the Pathfinder group faction  leadership of  the PDP  which pungently refused you patronages after the governorship election as it was witnessed by the composition of its Transition Committee membership that you thought of coming back into the party with a sing-song of restructuring?

“It is however, pertinent to state here that there is a free entry and free exit in any political party which memberships are bonded by common interests and ideals.

“Since politics is a game of number and the more the merrier; continuous membership of our party is not foreclosed to any genuine member whose interest would not be counter-productive to the interest of our party as you cannot be an outsider and be canvassing for the restructure of the party.”

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the protest embarked upon by the supporters of the Interior Minister, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, against the state leadership of the party and the administration of Governor Gboyega Oyetola.

It would be recalled that the placard-carrying Aregbesola supporters under the aegis of The Osun Progressives (TOP) embarked on the protest in Osogbo, the state capital, from under the iconic Olaiya Flyover junction, where they were publicly mocking the governor and the leadership of the party over the loss of the July 16, 2022 governorship election in the state.

According to the state chairman of the party, Prince Gboyega Famodun, in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Kola Olabisi, in Osogbo, this morning, the protest was shameful, callous, primitive, selfish, wicked, misplaced and inconsiderate for the Aregbesola supporters who glaringly worked against the success of Governor Oyetola at the polls to now be canvassing restructuring of the party through a sponsored protest.

In Famodun’s words: “When I heard that the supporters of the immediate past governor of our state, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, were protesting, I thought my memory was playing me false as they cannot insulate themselves from whatever might be the current plight of the APC in Osun State.

“Assuming but not conceding that there are challenges within the party, protesters should be told that  they lack moral right to either suggest or effect any likely solution as it is on record that they massively and collectively worked against Oyetola, the APC governorship candidate in the just-concluded election in line with the series of their threat.

“One would have thought that the appropriate place for them to canvass for the restructuring of any party is Senator Ademola Adeleke’s Ede country home whom they voted for with flaunted pride.

“If I may ask, at what point did it occur to you that the political party that you had abandoned for about three years which you have been working against needs restructuring?

“Did the Adeleke Dynasty not fund your series of campaigns of calumny against Oyetola and the leadership of the party at the Aregbesola Campaign Office where you converge every Thursday with the task of scrambling to outdo one another in lampooning Oyetola’s administration and the leadership of the party?

“If you all have conscience, I will enjoin you to do individualistic soul-searching and ask yourselves if you are worthy to be called the members of our party again by your actions and inactions which partly contributed to our  temporary loss of the Osun State governorship election.

“Was it after you were rebuffed by the Pathfinder group faction  leadership of  the PDP  which pungently refused you patronages after the governorship election as it was witnessed by the composition of its Transition Committee membership that you thought of coming back into the party with a sing-song of restructuring?

“It is however, pertinent to state here that there is a free entry and free exit in any political party which memberships are bonded by common interests and ideals.

“Since politics is a game of number and the more the merrier; continuous membership of our party is not foreclosed to any genuine member whose interest would not be counter-productive to the interest of our party as you cannot be an outsider and be canvassing for the restructure of the party” Famodun explained.

Group Tasks Ondo Govt On Kidnapping, Banditry

By
Ayodele Oni
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Rotimi Akeredolu in a Prayer Session

By Ayodele Oni

Worried by the spate of kidnappings for ransom in Owo/Ose axis of Ondo state, a socio cultural group, Diamond Group Nigeria, has advised Ondo state government to fortify its security network with modern gadgets and equipment.

Diamond Group said in a statement that the rate at which kidnappers operate in Owo/Ose Federal Constituency in Ondo North Senatorial District is fast becoming the epicentre of terrorism and kidnapping in Ondo State.

A statement signed by Toyyib Musa-Omoloja on behalf of the Group noted that “Apart from the horrendous massacre of worshippers in Catholic Church on Sunday, 5th June, 2022 there was also another attack on Wednesday 27th July, at Craneburg Construction Company office located at Folahanmi Junction, Oke-Ogun.

“But this bizzare development is not restricted to dangerous attacks alone, kidnapping for ransom has taken a strange dimension in Owo/Ose axis of the state.

“On 22nd June, a full bus of passengers were kidnapped along Owo-Ikare road.

On Monday, 25th July, a young man coming from his workplace was kidnapped at Ago Omokewu in Upenmen.

“Barely a week before this, two other people were kidnapped along the same area. And there were many other cases in Owo/Ose communities that were not reported in the media.

“All the victims of these abductions were ordinary Nigerians struggling to eke out a living in an inclement environment.

“And in most cases, families and communities had to run helter skelter to raise hefty millions of naira in ransom to bail them out of captivity.

“Diamond Group Nigeria is of the view that if these atrocities are not quickly nipped in the bud, the already fragile economy of these communities will further be atrophied to feed the economy of the jungle run by terrorists and bandits living in our forests.

“The consequences are dire in terms of starvation, economic collapse and general fear and insecurity for the affected communities and Ondo State in general.

“Diamond Group Nigeria appreciates the efforts being made by the government to combat insecurity in the state, however, the Group encourages the government to do more by adopting more sophisticated measures to confront this looming anarchy.

“Matter of factly, a hundred thousand -strong Amotekun infantry will not solve this growing security menace without complementing them with modern gadgets and technologies.

“The Group recommends the deployment of drones and CCTV camera around the nooks and crannnies of the state, in addition to using aerial and motorized surveillance to decisively flush the terrorists out of our forests where they presently live.

“The danger in not following this advice is that these terrorists will continue to wax stronger as they accumulate more fund to buy ammunition through ransom payments.

“Diamond Group Nigeria believes that it is not too late yet, but that is only if we learn from the catastrophies bedeviling the northern part of Nigeria. A stitch in time saves nine.”

NDLEA Storms Drug Labs, Arrests Barons, Cook

By
The Source
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By Uche Mbah

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has stormed two drug manufacturing laboratories in Lagos and Anambra state. These labs, according to the NDLEA boss, Mohammed Buba Marwa, are the production spots for the illicit drug, crystal methamphetamine, also known as Mkpuru Mmiri in local parlance.

Marwa made the disclosure through the agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, Tuesday, while addressing the media in Lagos.

According to him, the action was a direct response to the cry for help across the nation, particularly in the south east, concerning the spread and devastating effect of the drug.

Their efforts spanning more than six months have resulted in many barons and vendors, including a cook, being docked.

“Now, we have added two barons and another cook”, Marwa said.

“This no doubt is a loud statement to those involved in the criminal illicit drug trade that it’s time for them to quit or risk losing it all; that is losing their freedom, investment and assets acquired through proceeds from the illegal business”.

He further said: “I am pleased to inform the public today that, after months of painstaking intelligence gathering, diligent tracking and coordinated offensive action, we recorded a breakthrough on Saturday, July 30, 2022, when officers and men of the Agency successfully busted two methamphetamine manufacturing facilities, called Meth Laboratories.

“The first one, located in Victoria Garden City (VGC) Estate of Lekki, Lagos, is owned by a baron, Chris Emeka Nzewi, while the second, in Nise Community of Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State was owned by Paul Ozoemenam. The owners of these two illicit meth laboratories were successfully arrested alongside Sunday Ukah from Aba, Abia State, the cook or chemist that produced the drugs for them.

“The laboratory in Lagos was set up inside the Boys’ Quarter building of a four-bedroom duplex. From there, we recovered a total of 258.74 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and various precursor chemicals used for the production of the toxic drug. The complete paraphernalia of laboratory equipment such as gas cylinders, giant gas burners, industrial face masks, industrial gloves, tubes and flat-bottomed conical flasks, among others were also found”.

According to him, “the owner of the laboratory in VGC, for instance, was producing this highly unstable and toxic drug in a house where he lived with his family. This speaks volumes about his insensitivity to the consequences of exposing his family, which includes a three-month old baby, to the danger of hazardous chemicals. If that is the case, that is an indication that public health was of no concern to him.

“In this particular case, aside from the laboratory being close to the kitchen of the main house, the waste from the laboratory was channelled into the septic tank and soak-away in the compound, with a high risk of contamination of the water table of the entire neighbourhood.

“On average, the lab produced 50 kilos of methamphetamine every week with plans underway to increase the capacity of production to at least 100kg per week. Where do these drugs end? From our preliminary interrogation, we now know the drugs from this lab were both for export and local consumption.

“We also know there is a supply chain of distributors and buyers for export and the domestic market.

“When you consider the fact that the price of this dangerous drug was going for as high as US500, 000 per kilo in the international market in recent time, you will understand why Nzewi cared less to put the lives of his own family at risk by producing this in the same house where they live.

Hence, taking these two labs out of operation is a major feat in our continuing effort to curb the meth problem”, Marwa said.

He urged members of the public to watch their environment.

“As we step up the offensive against drug traffickers, we want the public to be more vigilant and be aware of the fact that producers of methamphetamine always choose unsuspecting environments with tight security, like the VGC estate, in this case. And the reason is not far-fetched: They choose secured estates to prevent law enforcement agents from monitoring their activities. They also locate meth labs in remote unsuspecting communities where residents would not be aware of their activities.

“It is very important to note that the waste from methamphetamine production is dangerous to the ecosystem. The chemicals are toxic and once they seep into the soil, they contaminate the water table from which surrounding wells and boreholes draw their water.  And citizens who unwittingly consume the water from such sources are exposed to heart and kidney ailments and other organ diseases. Neighbours, too, who inhale gases from the lab, are also susceptible to the same risk. What makes it worse is that the production usually takes place in the middle of the night, between 11 pm and 4 am, and therefore, unsuspecting neighbours could have been exposed to the hazards for months or even years”, he said.

Ondo Amotekun Arrests Six Suspected Kidnappers, Herbalist

By
Ayodele Oni
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Amotekun Suspects

By Ayodele Oni

Six suspected kidnappers, that hypnotize their victims before abducting them, have been bursted by the Ondo state security network agency, Amotekun.

Also, nabbed is a herbalist and two women that prepare luck charms for the kidnappers before embarking on operation.

These are among 39 suspects paraded in Akure on Tuesday by commander of the security outfit, Adetunji Adeleye.

Adeleye disclosed that the six suspected kidnappers operate in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.

The Amotekun Commander, explained that other 39 other suspects were arrested for various criminal offences ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, stealing, snatching of motorbikes among others.

He said that the 45 suspects included 10 kidnappers; eight burglars; 10 armed robbers; one minor rapist; three motorcycle snatchers; eight illegal possessors of firearms; one car vandal;  one generator robber and three cattle rustlers.

“The six kidnap syndicate uses spiritual means to hypnotize passengers they carry on their motorcycle and divert them to unknown location.

“We have a case of one of them that specializes in killing motorcycle riders and taking over the motorcycle, dismantling the parts and sending them out of the state.

“We tracked him to Ore in Odigbo and we arrested  his accomplice and the ring leader escaped to Ogun state.  We contacted the Amotekun in Ogun state who assisted us in apprehending him.

“We also have another group that specializes in kidnapping. They actually kidnaped a lady in Ore, but we were able to get the victim out alive without ransom and we were able to apprehend the suspected kidnappers.”

He disclosed that the suspects will be charged to court after completion of investigation.

One of the kidnap suspects, Mrs Adesanya Folasade, explained that she only sought the assistance of the gang to help her kidnap a mad pregnant woman.

The 45-year-old mother of one explained that she intended to take custody of the baby after delivery because she hasn’t been able to conceive after her first child.

2023: INEC Raises Alarm Over Fake Online Voter Registration

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

The Prof. Mahmood Yakubu led Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned Nigerians over a fake online registration portal urging Nigerians to enroll for Permanent Voters Card Registration, claiming that it was a Federal Government initiative to avoid unnecessary crowd at NIMC Centers.

The Commission stated unequivocally that the site is not linked to the Commission and is a dubious move by mischief makers, fraudsters and enemies of democracy to truncate the electoral  and registration process.

In a Statement by the Commission’s National Chairman and Commissioner , Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, it said INEC is the only constitutionally and legally mandated body to conduct registration of persons qualified to vote in any election in Nigeria and to update and revise the register when the need arises.

It added that the Commission is the only body recognized to organize, undertake and supervise any National election in the country and does share it responsibility with anyone or any organization.

It advised Nigerians to be careful and not succumb to the antics of online scammers, fraudsters and criminals impersonating the Commission.

It would be recalled that the Permanent Voters Registration Exercise closed on Sunday July 31, 2022, as there hasn’t been any extension of the exercise by the Commission.

Insecurity: Former Federal Perm. Sec. Raises Alarm; Alleges Plot To “Fulanise” Nigeria

By
The Source
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Tola Adeniyi - High Chief

By Akinwale Kasali

A former Federal Permanent Secretary in the Presidency, High Chief Tola Adeniyi is alarmed by the unprecedented attack by terrorists in the nation, most especially,  the nation’s seat of power, Abuja, where it has forced the National Assembly, Government institutions and schools alike to close down activities to escape a possible attack by rampaging terrorists.

Extolling the move by the Members of the Hallowed to close shop because of fear of possible attack, he said there is need for the Government to strengthen the security apparatus of the nation following the

unprecedented assault on Kuje Maximum prison in Abuja which led to the escape of over 600  criminals in the correctional centre and the brazen attack on the elite Presidential Brigade of Guards.

Adeniyi said it has never been this bad, and lamented that the situation has  worsened under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a Statement,  the former Managing Director and Editor- in -Chief of the Old Daily Times Conglomerate, said that events in the last few months which were just an escalation of the preceding gory security challenges point only to one direction: that the imported terrorists unleashed on Nigerians are up to something more calamitous than was ever imagined.

He added that It is now crystal clear to all discerning minds that the hyperbolically hyped purported political party primaries, preparations for invidious population census, and mindless bills on Constitution Review and Water Resources were just a ruse and monumental distraction to cover up the gargantuan plan of Fulanisation of the country and worse, annihilation of indigenous nationalities.

The Syndicated Columnist and Public Policy Strategist said “it is obvious to even the dullest in the country that the taciturn General who gleefully invited all possible terrorists from all over West, North and Central Africa to empty themselves on Nigerian soil without passport or Visa was definitely up to something; perhaps the motivating desperation for seeking Nigerian presidency on four trials.

“The chicken has now come home to roost with everything running out of control and both the puppeteers and their puppets are in mutual confusion and ecstasy. But there is method to their madness and that message is not lost on trained minds.

“This is where the so-called Governors who in reality are mere glorified servants and serfs of the unpretentious Emperor in Abuja come in. They were severally warned when terrorists armed to the teeth were being off-loaded on their states by Dangote trucks.  They saw with their eyes when hundreds of thousands of motorcycle saddled terrorists were being strategically distributed to their cities, towns, villages and hamlets and yet feigned blindness and deafness”.

Adeniyi stressed further that “for over 40 years, since his days in the Nigerian Tribune, the cry for the decentralisation of the extremely parochial and partisan Federal Police Force [in an obvious Unitary  system of government] and the establishment of regional, state, local government and even metropolitan police to address safety and security challenges has continuously been neglected and shelved aside because of a plot to Fulanise Nigeria.

“ We had all these tiers of policing before the Jack-boot dictators and tyrants killed the Federal Government our founding fathers bequeathed to Nigeria.

“Governors in the states of indigenous nationalities were not unaware that various forms of armed police were proliferated in some sections of the country and yet could not, definitely out of timidity, stupidity, lack of political will and gnawing servitude, stand up to the ghost that was blocking the desideratum, even when the entire country said loud and clear that they wanted state police.

“Now, with Abuja under severe credible threat of being overrun, and citizens all over the country exposed to terrorist attacks and abduction everywhere including in their homes, is it not clear that governors are lame ducks that can be slaughtered with relative ease?

“If the gallant members of the Presidential Brigade of Guards could be easily worsted and the President’s advance Convoy attacked, who is there to stop 1000 heavily armed Okada terrorists from abducting any governor from their offices or homes? This is the crux of the matter. Instead of Lagos state government donating helicopters and over 2-billion-naira worth of equipment and ammunitions to Abuja controlled police, and Government in Ogun state giving thousands of guns to Abuja, why didn’t these states establish their own police to protect their Orisas as Sharia states created Hisbah police to protect their faith?

He added that “It is clear that the country known as Nigeria is about to collapse, disintegrate, and the original nations will emerge, stressing that It is therefore imperative that Governors must act now.

“ With the Abuja legislators on the run, probably in hiding in various locations in the Capital Territory since fear of terrorist attack would not allow them to travel to their constituencies, and with the President living in the air, it is only the poor Governors that are left on ground.

“They must cry out to the world. They must speak out. They should not leave it to Governors Matawalle, Akeredolu, Ortom and Obaseki alone. Governor Ortom went to the US and Europe. Each and every one of you should go out and expose the shenanigans that are about to send Nigeria to its grave.

“State Governors should as a matter of utmost urgency get their Assemblies to pass a law for the establishment of state police and go ahead to arm such recruits to the keel.

“Dare the Sharia lawyer and second husband to Buhari’s daughter and his shadowy patrons and godfathers. Governors have immunity, and besides, you cannot be law abiding in a lawless country. No one can accuse anybody of treason or attempt to overthrow a Federal Government that is patently absent and unseen”, the statement reads.

Osama Bin Laden’s Successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in US drone Strike

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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0

The US has killed the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, in a drone strike in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden has confirmed. He was killed in a counter-terrorism operation carried out by the CIA in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday.

He and Osama Bin Laden plotted the 9/11 attacks together, and he was one of America’s most wanted terrorists. Mr Biden said al-Zawahiri had “carved a trail of murder and violence against American citizens”.

“From hiding, he co-ordinated al-Qaeda’s branches and all around the world, including setting priorities for providing operational guidance and calling for and inspired attacks against US targets,” the president said in a live television address from the White House.

“Now justice has been delivered and this terrorist leader is no more,” he added. The FBI updated its Most Wanted Terrorist poster on Monday with Zawahiri’s status: “Deceased.”

The 71-year-old Egyptian doctor took over al-Qaeda after the death of Bin Laden in 2011. Mr Biden said he had given the final approval for the “precision strike” after months of planning.

Officials said Zawahiri was on the balcony of a safe house – where he reportedly often sat for hours – when the drone fired two missiles at him. Other family members were present, but they were unharmed and only Zawahiri was killed in the attack, they added.

Mr Biden said Zawahiri’s killing will bring closure to families of the nearly 3,000 victims of the 2001 attacks in which hijackers crashed passenger jets into landmark buildings in New York and Washington – including two skyscrapers in Manhattan.

Some 344 firefighters were also killed. Andrew Ansbro, president of the New York Firefighters Association thanked Mr Biden for “helping to bring another level of closure to all impacted by these attacks”.

Mr Biden said that Zawahiri had also masterminded other acts of violence, including the suicide bombing of the USS Cole naval destroyer in Aden in October 2000 which killed 17 US sailors, and the 1998 attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, in which 223 people died.

Douglas Sidialo lost his sight in the Kenyan attack, and told BBC Newsday that while he never condones violence, news of Zawahiri’s death is welcome.

“It’s good that it has happened – that they’re bringing down those who were behind these heinous and barbaric acts of cowardice around the world,” Mr Sidialo said.

The attack in Kabul early Sunday morning rocked the centre of the capital – we heard it on our street nearby

Since then, speculation has swirled about who or what hit this “empty house” in the Sherpur neighbourhood known for its gaudy multi-storied villas.

Hours after President Biden announced news of Zawahiri’s death, workers in buildings nearby told us no one lived in the villa whose balconies are now covered with plastic sheeting. Adjacent shops were told by the Taliban to close their rooftops.

Taliban guards pushed journalists, sometimes forcefully, away from the scene.

The streets are quiet – this news is explosive. It again highlights the weaknesses of the 2020 US-Taliban deal.

The Taliban say they agreed Afghanistan would never again be a base to launch attacks against the United States. But they never agreed to sever all links to groups like al-Qaeda including their long-time brother-in-arms, Ayman al-Zawahiri.

A Taliban spokesman described the US operation as a clear violation of international principles – but did not mention Zawahiri. US officials maintained that the operation had had a legal basis.

Under a peace deal struck in 2020, the Taliban agreed not to allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to operate in areas under their control.

However, the Taliban and al-Qaeda are long-time allies and US officials said the Taliban were aware of Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul, and he lived freely and in the open in the Afghan capital.

Zawahiri’s killing comes nearly a year after Mr Biden withdrew US troops from Afghanistan, bringing an end to a 20-year military presence there, and allowing the Taliban to retake control of the country by force.

In background briefings, US intelligence officers accused Taliban affiliates of going to the safe house after the strike to try to cover up evidence of Zawahiri’s presence there.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that by hosting and sheltering Zawahiri in Kabul, the Taliban had “grossly violated” the peace agreement.

The drone strike is the first known US intervention inside Afghanistan since the military pullout last August and, despite the withdrawal, the decades-old “war on terror” grinds on, the BBC’s North America Correspondent John Sudworth observes.

Days before the withdrawal, a miscalculated US drone strike killed 10 innocent people in Kabul, including an aid worker and seven children. The US said it had been a “tragic mistake” and had been aiming to target a local branch of the so-called Islamic State jihadist group.

BBC News

Sanwo-Olu, Media Chiefs for Corporate Governance Workshop in Lagos

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, will on Thursday declare open a two-day workshop on Good Corporate Governance in the media, organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE).

The workshop, which would be attended by managing directors, publishers and editors of national media outlets, including print, broadcast and online holds at the De Rembrandt Hotel, Alausa, Ikeja and has “Journalism and Digitalisation: The Imperative of Good Corporate Governance” as its theme.

According to a statement by the President, Mr. Mustapha Isah, and the General-Secretary, Mr. Iyobosa Uwugiaren, the workshop is aimed at exploring the impact of digitalisation on journalism and the media industry, and prescribe practicable responses to its disruptions.

“Digitalisation has changed the face and the practice of journalism, eroding its space,” the NGE said, adding, “For the profession to thrive, it needs more efficient management models.”

It said a lecturer at the School of Media and Communication,

Pan Atlantic University Lagos, Dr. Pius Onobhayedo, will deliver the keynote address on the theme, while the former Managing Director of Guardian Press Limited, Mr. Emeka Izeze, would speak on the sub-theme: “Striking the Balance among Commercialism, Proprietary Right and Professionalism.”

The NGE added that the former Managing Director, The Sun Publishing Limited, Dr. Tony Onyima, and the former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of The Punch, Mr. Gbemiga Ogunleye, would deliver papers on “Surviving the Digital Onslaught,” and “Journalism and the Law: Who Watches the Watchdog?”

The workshop, which is supported by the Lagos State government, would attract 50 participants spread across Lagos, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Edo and Delta States.

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