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Yoruba Group To S-W Govs: No Ranching For Herdsmen; Calls For Arrest Of Seriki Fulani |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Pan Yoruba Group, Apapo O’odua Koya, AOKOYA, have warned South West Governors sternly not to establish ranching for Fulani herdsmen in any part of Yoruba land.

Some Fulani leaders in the North asked the South West Governors to establish ranching for Fulani herdsmen as alternative to the ban on open grazing.

AOKOYA, a coalition of several Yoruba groups said it is a shame that while no State in the Fulani territories considers it necessary to establish ranching for the herdsmen, it is surprising that the same Fulani leaders want Yoruba land to be used for ranching of cattle for Fulani herdsmen. The group said such a suggestion does not make any sense.

The group also called for the arrest of Seriki Fulani, Saliu Abdulkadir, for complicity in the kidnapping, rape and murder of no fewer than 50 people in the Ibarapa area of Oyo State.

AOKOYA said the N500million worth of property the Seriki said were destroyed are proceeds of crime.

The Group said hiding in Ilorin is not enough for the Seriki. “Ilorin is Yorubaland. We advise the police to arrest the Seriki and let him face the full weight of the law. Hiding in Ilorin is not enough. That is Yorubaland and we ask him to leave any Yoruba territory in his own interest.”

In a statement signed by Ahmed Akorede on Friday, AOKOYA said the Fulani elders’ request for an alternative land for Fulani herdsmen on Yoruba soil is like asking a property owner who stopped the invasion of his house by criminals to provide alternative goods to be stolen by the same criminals.

Akorede said the statement credited to legal luminary, Femi Falana, that Sunday Igboho has no right to give quit notice to killer herdsmen is shocking

Falana is isolated from the sufferings of his own people and appears rather contended to be seen as a fool by his own people but worshiped as a hero by those who torment his people. Why he condemned Igboho, he remains silent on the kidnap and savage killings of Yoruba people. It’s a shame.

AOKOYA said any of the state Governors of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Kwara, Kogi and Itsekiri part of Delta State that provides land for Fulani will face the full wrath of the people.

“Let it be known that no inch of Yorubaland will be allocated to Fulani herdsmen to ranch. This was the mistake made by indigenous people in Kaduna and Plateau state. This was the mistake made by Hausa people. Today, armed FULANI are claiming ownership of land that was kindly ceded to them. We do not have enough land. We do not have the comfort to cede our limited land resources to Fulani herdsmen whose main agenda is  conquest by all means possible,” the group said

According to the AOKOYA “We have read reports by some Fulani leaders that the South West should not ban open grazing and that alternatives should be provided for them. This is an insult. It is appalling how insensitive, greedy and self centred the so called Fulani leaders are. The herdsmen invade territories not theirs, rape, kill and destroy farm produce. We ask them to leave, now their godfathers are telling the South West Governors to provide alternatives. This confirms that the carnage and terror unleashed on Yoruba people by the herdsmen are sponsored by Fulani leaders. This will never happen.”

AOKOYA said the Fulani leaders are desperate to have grazing land on Yoruba territories but remain silent on thousands of Yoruba people the armed herdsmen have killed, raped and farms destroyed. They are also silent on the need for disarmament of the Fulani terrorists who hide under pastoralism”

The group said that Bornu State alone has 70,898 square kilometer of land, Niger State has 73,636, Katsina has 24,192 square kilometer, Sokoto has 25, 973. Niger State alone has land some 20 times the land of Ekiti State with 6, 353, while Lagos has 3, 577 square km. This means that one state in the Fulani areas in the North is almost bigger than all the entire South West States put together, yet they want to annex the small Yoruba land for ranching.

The group said the Fulani are not contended with their vast land area but insists that ranching must be given to the Fulani in South West. “This is nothing but brute imperialism”, the group said. AOKOYA said what the Fulani people want is to establish and strengthen armed groups and armed cells across Yorubaland in preparation for the second phase of its 1804 Jihad to conquer and subjugate Yorubaland which is an impossible task.

Breaking: Seven Years Later, More Chibok Girls Escape From Boko Haram – Parents |The Source

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The Source
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Chibok Girls

By Morgan Winsor & James Bwala

Nearly seven years after Boko Haram militants snatched them from their dormitory beds in the northeast Nigerian town of Chibok, more of the missing schoolgirls are said to be returning home.

Emmanuel Ogebe, a Nigerian human rights lawyer who practices in the United States and has previously worked with some of the freed girls and their families, said a parent told him that his daughter and others have escaped their captors.

“Mr. Ali Maiyanga’s two daughters were part of the few Muslim schoolgirls taken with the majority Christian Chibok girls. Information currently available to us indicates that there are other escapees with the army whom parents are anxiously waiting to identify,” Ogebe said in a statement to ABC News late Thursday. “We spoke and confirmed from Mr. Ali Maiyanga moments ago that he in fact spoke with his daughter today, who informed him that she along with others were rescued. Her sister who escaped four years ago and is on school break was overjoyed at the news of her sibling’s escape.”

Lawal Zannah, secretary of the Chibok Parents Association whose daughter was among those abducted, also relayed the news.

“We heard that some of our girls have escaped from the forest, but we are yet to get the detail about their number,” Zannah told reporters Thursday evening.

Another parent, Malam Madu Mutta, said the Chibok community is anxiously awaiting the girls’ arrival.

“We were told they are currently with the security operatives. We are yet to know the numbers, but we are happy that some of them escaped,” Mutta told reporters Friday. “So many other parents and relatives are coming from Chibok with hopes of meeting their daughters. Again, hope is risen that we can have some of them back again.”

Nigerian authorities have yet to officially confirm the matter. ABC News has reached out to the Nigerian military as well as local government officials.

In April 2014, members of the jihadist group Boko Haram ambushed an all-girls boarding school in Chibok in the middle of the night and kidnapped 276 students before vanishing into the forest. Some of the girls managed to escape on their own, while others were later rescued or freed following negotiations. But the fate of many has remained unknown.

Boko Haram, whose name in the local Hausa language roughly translates to “Western education is forbidden,” has waged a brutal insurgency in northeastern Nigeria since 2009. The group seeks to establish an Islamic state there, though it has spread its terror across the region’s mountainous borders over the years into Niger, Chad and Cameroon, all of which surround the Lake Chad Basin, where millions have been affected by the violence, according to the United Nations.

Boko Haram pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2015. Its leader, Abubakar Shekau, and several commanders split from the group in 2016 over ideological differences and formed their own faction.

Boko Haram’s uprising was fueled largely through the group’s systematic campaign of abducting children and forcing thousands of girls and boys into their ranks, according to a 2017 report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The group has been targeting Nigerian schools for a number of years, with the Chibok attack being the most well-known and widely publicized.

The kidnapping in Chibok shocked the world and led to the launch of a social media campaign in which millions of people around the globe, including high-profile political figures and celebrities, called for the girls’ rescue by tweeting the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. However, there has been little political action.

Rattled, Buhari Says Journalists Want To Destroy Him; Nigerians Allege Ploy Against Media |The Source

By
Adesina Soyooye
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President Muhammadu Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari

By Adesina Soyooye

In an unprecedented outcry, President Muhammadu Buhari is accusing some Journalists of planning to destroy his reputation.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari said some media  blogs and Online Newspapers have been mobilised to start an unprecedented attack against him in form of Editorials and alleged investigative reports. He said the coordinated write-ups would accuse him of bias in the handling of the atrocities committed by rogue herdsmen, and in the running of the country, generally.  He said they would also allege religious bias and much more.

But not a few Nigerians fault the President’s claim.  They insist that the allegations of bias against the President are nothing new. They say they see mischief behind the  Presidency’s statement, and challenge the Presidency to fault any of the allegations, and what makes them new now.

Many say the statement by Adesina is aimed at finding reasons to clampdown on Online publications and blogs, revealing that already, there are strong reasons that the Presidency plans to do so.

For years, and especially, in recent times, there have been allegations of bias against the President especially, when it comes to the handling of issues concerning Herders, religion and appointments.

One of the most recent attacks came from the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, His Lordship, Mathew Kukah. The Bishop had accused the President of nepotism, favouritism and said that there could have been a coup if Buhari was not a Northern Muslim.

Kukah’s opinion attracted wide commendation from most Nigerians, and  condemnation from the Presidency and some Islamic groups.

Adesina’s statement  is seen  as the Presidency’s moves to preempt a pending publication that it says aims to cast the president as indifferent to the activities of killer herdsmen.

Following, the full text of the statement entitled:

UNRELENTING PLOT TO WAGE SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST PRESIDENT BUHARI

“There is a compelling reason to alert the nation of another orchestrated smear campaign against President Muhammadu Buhari, using some online newspapers and blogs.

“The campaign, scheduled to be launched anytime soon through editorials and purported special investigative stories, is designed to further exacerbate tension in the land, by portraying the President as pandering to ethnic and other primordial tendencies, contrary to his pledge to belong to all Nigerians.

“Impeccable security findings indicate that those behind the plot have procured online blogs and newspapers, which are to launch coordinated publications, alleging subjugation and suppression of a particular religion and ethnic groups.

“A specific medium has so far contacted some opinion leaders, especially those very critical of President Buhari.

“Part of the planned publication is to make unwary readers believe that the President has continually used the powers of his office to shield and protect an ethnic group against crimes of murder, kidnappings, rape and banditry in the southern, middle belt and some northern states.

“The publication will also refer Nigerians to a 58-page document, which chronicles purported atrocities of the ethnic group in the South since 2017, all of which it claims the Presidency has turned blind eyes to.

“Again, the hatchet job will allege that the President has continued to place members of his ethnic nationality in sensitive positions, so as to confer undue advantage on them. This allegation is by no means supported with reasonable facts and figures.

“Just on Thursday, President Buhari, while meeting with the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), led by Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, restated his even-handedness on the issues of ethnicity and religion. Said the President:

“The Federal Government under my leadership does not, and will not, allow religious prejudice or partisanship to influence any of its decisions and policies. It is my solemn decision to be fair and just to all segments of society.”

Those who are bent on stoking ethnic and religious unrest in the country remain deaf to reason, and impervious to reality. They are hell-bent on distorting reality, and Nigerians are urged to be wary of them. It is all about quest for power, and filthy lucre.”

Lamido, Says There Will Be No APC In 2023 |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has come hard on the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. Lamido says the Party will disintegrate, and probably go into extinction before 2023. The ruling APC will be in ruins, he insists.

Lamido, a chieftain of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the declaration in Kano at a meeting with the newly elected Chairmen of the PDP in the 27 LGAs of Jigawa State.

He said the APC will disintegrate because President Muhammadu Buhari, the main appeal for the party, will no longer have any use for them and will, therefore, no longer be able to serve as the magnetic force for the party.

“He (Buhari) was the magnet, the character and the aura that led to the formation of the party,” he said.

He added that Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu’s former party, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) had the major share in the formation of APC with Buhari a small shareholder with his Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), yet he (Buhari) was made president.

“They used Buhari to be what they are and he also used them to be Nigeria’s president. They mutually used each other and there are no more obligations on any of them. Their agenda is concluded, it is now over,” he declared.

Lamido, however, noted that unlike other parties that have come and gone since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, his party, PDP, remained the only party of reckon in the country. He said it would return to power in 2023 and return Nigeria to the path of growth it started before it was derailed by the APC-led government from 2015.

“What will be the unifying factor in APC in 2023? Unlike PDP which is a household name, which is Nigerian ownership. In 2014 when we were doing campaign, I said if I could kidnap Buhari and Tinubu and hide them somewhere, the party is dead and people were condemning me.

“I said then that APC is not organic, it is an association of interests and it is centred around Buhari, with his personality and Tinubu with his constituency. By 2023, that which joined them together is no longer there,” he added.

FMOT Set to Implement a National Maritime Policy |The Source

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The Source
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Gbemisola Saraki

By Sandra Ukele

The Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT) is committed to providing the necessary framework to implement a maritime transport policy.

This, it assured, would be done through the approval of the Federal Executive Council.

The Minister of State for Transportation, Gbemisola Saraki, revealed this at a stakeholders validation forum to draft a national maritime transport policy.

Saraki admitted that the absence of a maritime national policy is responsible for the poor performance of the industry.

The Minister of State represented by the Permanent Secretary, FMOT, Magdalene Ajani, explained that whereas boundless economic opportunities in the industry exist, poor regulation and underutilized resources call for a workable maritime transport policy.

Saraki Asserts:

“In the maritime industry in Nigeria we do not have a national policy document on which our activities are regulated so we need to have this document that we can use to operationalize our activities and regulate the activities in the maritime industry is something that is quite important to us.

” It is instructive to note that the performance of the sector is further constrained by the challenges posed by insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, bureaucracy, weak laws, corrupt practices, inadequate capital for investment and maintenance of ships, poor incentives for investors, lack of indigenous carrier vessels, sea unworthiness of indigenous vessels where they are available, poor integrated water transport systems; among others.

” While aknowledging the existence of a number of strategies and associate policies relevant to the governance of the nation’s maritime environment, there is no all-encompassing policy at the national level to holistically address the afore-mentioned challenges in the maritime sector.

“This informed the need for this current administration and the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Transportation to embark on developing an all encompassing and all-inclusive national maritime transport policy that will stand the test of time and foster a robust maritime industry that will guarantee sustainable socio-economic development of the country.”

Saraki continued that:

“This has been under work for seven years but now it has become a huge priority for both the Ministry and government of President Muhammad Buhari.

“We hope that with the buy-in of stakeholders in the Western Zone and with a similar stakeholders meeting in the Eastern Zone by the end of February, we should be coming up with a clean document between the end of first quarter of 2021,” she explains.

Oyo crisis: Wike Meets Makinde, Supports Him

By
Bayo Bernard
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Nyesom Wike

By Tosin Olatokunbo

Oyo state governor Seyi Makinde has received commendation from his counterpart in Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, for providing good leadership in the state. Wike was on a visit to the Pacesetters state, and his admonition came on the crest of the clashes between Fulani herdsmen and some indigenes of the state.

Mixed reactions have trailed Governor Makinde’s handling of the issue after Sunday Adeyemi aka Igboho issued a 7 day ultimatum to Fulani herdsmen to leave the Ibarapa area of the state, and further went to ensure the enforcement of the eviction order, despite the state’s government warned him not to tale law into his hands.

Governor Makinde said the ability of state governors to tackle insecurity has been hampered because they are not in control of the police.

In spite of this, Wike said the Oyo helmsman has shown, through his actions that he meant well for his people judging from the developmental projects he has embarked on since he came to office in 2019, adding that the state and the south west remains crucial to the political development of Nigeria.

This was contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Taiwo Adisa who said the Rivers helmsman was in Ibadan for a South-West Peoples Democratic Party, PDP unity meeting. He urged political leaders in the state to cooperate with the governor for development to take place.

He said: “Well, let me say clearly, there was no stakeholders’ meeting that was held here today. Yes, there ought to have been a stakeholders’ meeting but there are two things that made me come today; Governor Makinde is not only a good friend but also an in-law and I told him I would come to Oyo State.

Seyi Makinde
Makinde

“Yesterday night, we realized that because of some specific reasons, some persons were not around and we didn’t want to have a half meeting whereby we would need to reconvene. But we had the understanding that it would be necessary to also say hello to those who would come here. It is our culture to respect leaders and that is why we have come to greet them and move on to inspect some of the projects.

“As per the meeting, we had already decided that it would not hold today. We should not be in a hurry. Peace needs a lot of talking to people and you know in politics, you need to talk to people for people to understand. It is not something you think that because you met today and you are meeting tomorrow, everything must be resolved that particular day.

“Politics is about interest and you need to make sure everybody is fully involved. So, let us not be in a hurry. What is important is that South-West PDP, it is our belief and hope that the way they have been is how they will continue to be. The other time, we met with Imo stakeholders and, today, they are almost concluding. So, there is nothing like giving you an ultimatum. No. What is important is that, whether it is one week or one month, it is the peace that is important.”

As part of the visit Governor Wike inspected some projects in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, where he commended the state governor for embarking on the construction of the Iwo Road Bus Terminal and other life changing projects across the state.

According to him: “On the performance of Makinde as the only PDP governor in the South-West, you may say I am biased but I can tell you I am not. Coming from the airport, I can see the cleanliness of the environment. For somebody like him who came when things were down in terms of security and other things that are being grappled with, he is up to the task. As a private businessman who is in politics, it may take time. And people should be patient, because it is just one and a half years.

“I can say he is doing well. Look at the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether you like it or not, if you remove the whole of last year, how many months will you say he has used in the office? But that is not really an excuse. If the Federal Government is saying that is a problem to them, it should not be a problem for the state government?

“He means well for the people of Oyo State; they should just try and be patient with him and give him more time. You know in Nigeria, everything is politics. The opposition will always want to find something to say even when you mean well for the security of the people. If somebody dies on the road, they will raise the alarm. There is nowhere in the world where you will say insecurity has been totally been subdued.

FIFA Clears Adarabioyo, Ademola Lookman, Sheyi Ojo, Five Others For super Eagles |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0

By Akinwale Kasali

There is a sigh of relief for the Amaju Pinnick- led Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, following clearance from the Federation International of Football Association, FIFA, the international governing body of association football, for eight new players to dorn the green-white- green jersey of the Super Eagles.

The NFF had, for years, written FIFA for the clearance of Manchester City Football Club of England youngster, who is presently on loan to Fulham Football Club in the Barclays English Premier League and Ademola Lookman, also of Fulham Football Club.

Both players have represented the England National Team at Junior Levels, with Lookman winning the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2017.

Others on the list include: Jordan Torunarigha of Hertha Berlin SC Football Club in the German Bundesliga, and has also played for Germany at Youth level.

Southampton Football Club of England  prodigy, Nathan Tella has also been cleared to play for the Nigeria National team, alongside English Championship Ovie Ejaria, who plays Reading Football Club.

Liverpool Football Club of England loanee, Sheyi Ojo, who currently plays for Cardiff City Football Club in the second tier of England League after joining the Welsh Club from Rangers Football Club in Scotland is also eligible to play for the most populous Black nation in the world.

PSV Eindhoven Football Club of Holland sensation, Noni Madueke has also been cleared with Ike Ugbo of  Cercle Brugge Football Club in the Belgian League.

With the newly cleared players to play for the Nigeria Super Eagles, Coach Gernot Rohr now has a number of options at his disposal as the National team begins preparation for the Cameroon 2022 African Cup of Nations Qualifiers and the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

All hands are, however, on deck to see how the Franco-German tactician will use the new cleared players to his advantage as he begins the qualification series in a few weeks time.

Covid-19: UK Imposes Travel Ban On 30 Countries, Excludes Nigeria |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Boris Johnson

By Akinwale Kasali

Nigeria is excluded from the list of Countries banned by the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, from travelling to the country due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

30 countries were banned from entering the United Kingdom, following the rise in Covid-19 cases. 13 out of the 30 were African countries.

According to a statement on the UK Government’s website, people who have been in, or transited through the countries listed in the last 10 days will not be granted access to the UK.

British and Irish nationals or others who possess resident visas are, however, exempted from the restriction.

Those who hold valid UK credentials and have visited the banned countries are expected to self-Isolate for 10 days upon arrival with their household.

The 30 countries banned by the UK include: Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Eswatini, French Guiana, Guyana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Panama, Paraguay, Peru.

Others are Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores), Seychelles, South Africa, Suriname, Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

With close to four  million cases and over 100,000 deaths, the UK is one of the top five nations with the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases.

It stated what needs to be done before travelling to the UK.as stipulated in the government’s website.

One must have valid proof of a negative coronavirus test to travel to England. You must take the test in the 3 days before you start your journey.

You will need to present proof of your negative test before you board to travel to England.

If you don’t present proof of a negative test result certificate, you may not be able to board your transport to England.

You could be fined £500 when you arrive at the border if you cannot provide proof that you have had a negative coronavirus test.

Lagos Places Ban on Truckers |The Source

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The Source
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Trucks

By Sandra Ukele

The Lagos State Government has banned trucks and trailers from playing its roads during the day time.

Speaking with truck owners, the State Commissioner for Transport Frederic Oladeinde said,

“Trucks and trailers are henceforth restricted to night operation on dedicated routes.”

The time stipulated are between 9pm and 6am daily.

This, he says, is to minimize further mishaps on the roads.

Oladeinde cited the constant gridlock encountered on the Apapa axis blaming it to the economical loss of investors.

Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Transportation, Oluwatoyin Fayinka, informed truck drivers that non-compliance by them would mean stiff penalties for offenders.

The Special Adviser advised operators to utilize the parks provided outside the Apapa axis and work in harmony with the State Vehicle Inspection Services (VIS) and the Federal Road Safety Corps to ensure the road worthiness of their vehicles.

According to the trucks restricted routes analysis, vehicles above 6ft with 3 sets of number plates are viewed as trailers and articulated vehicles. The analysis mentioned that Funsho Williams avenue, Costain, Maryland and Ikorodu roads are restricted.

The various Transport Associations jointly appealed to the Government  to provide necessary infrastructure to further review the directive with emphasis on the restriction to night movement.

Nsofor Was An Outstanding Justice, Says Buhari, Uzodimma |The Source

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The Source
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Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma consoling with the wife of Late Amb. Justice Nsofor, Mrs Jean Nsofor

The Hon. Justice Slyvanus Adiewere Nsofor, the late Nigeria Ambassador to the United States of America, was on Thursday laid to rest at his home town, Umudei Village in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria.

At the funeral,  both President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State described the late Ambassador and Jurist,  as outstanding.

 Addressing the congregation at the end of the funeral Mass in his honour, President Buhari in his condolence message read by the Governor Uzodimma, described late Justice Nsofor as “an outstanding Judge of a rare breed who was well known for his courage, dedication, transparency, honesty, trustworthy and sense of justice and fairness.”

Buhari said  the late Ambassador to the United States “served the country diligently and positively, projected the image of the country.”

In his address at the valedictory court session held at Court of Appeal Owerri Division earlier in the day, Uzodimma described late Justice Nsofor as an “outstanding judge of exemplary courage who stood firmly for the truth like the Rock of Gibraltar, always ready to dispense justice no matter whose ox is gored.”

He said he was  a shining light in the Judiciary whose judgments at the Court of Appeal “clearly demonstrated that Justice Nsofor was not afraid to voice out his conviction based on point of law hence his consistency as a judge for 28 years endeared him to many Nigerians and the world in general.”

In his funeral oration, a son of late Justice Nsofor, Mr. Cross Nsofor, said that their father prepared their mind before his death not to “expect so that they will not be disappointed or ask so that they will not be denied”. 

He informed that the late Jurist was self contented with what he had, was never moved by worldly things nor primitive acquisition of wealth and properties, hence as a Judge spoke and defended the truth. 

Nsofor, a retired Judge of the Court of Appeal, died recently in the United States of America, just before his replacement was announced by President Buhari who, surprisingly,  appointed him Ambassador in 2015, given his age. He was in his early 80s when he was appointed the Ambassador to the United States.

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