FULANI HERDSMEN ! ICYMI: Confusion as police arrest 47 herders ‘with firearms’ in Oyo

 

There was confusion on Sunday as operatives of Operation Burst arrested 47 herdsmen during a raid at Tapa/Igangan axis in Ibarapa North local government area of Oyo state.

Oladipo Ajibola, director-general of Operation Burst, confirmed the arrest of the herders alleged to have been on a reprisal mission.

The security operatives visited Ibrapa axis on Sunday following reports of unrest, subsequently apprehending the 47 suspects said to have been caught in the possession of arms.

According to Olugbenga Fadeyi, spokesman of the state police command, the suspects claimed that they were trailing some kidnappers who were about to collect ransom from relations of a kidnapped victim.

Fadeyi said the suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, Ibadan, and investigations are in progress.

HOW IT ALL STARTED

Seven people were killed on Saturday following a clash between some gunmen and men of the Oyo State Security Network Agency better known as Amotekun Ibarapa.

Amotekun was accused of targeting herdsmen in the region.

But it said the exercise carried out by the corps in four local government areas to rid the areas of criminals was done in collaboration with vigilantes, hunters and Miyetti Allah.

Reacting in a statement, Jide Ajani, special adviser on media to Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, said those claiming the Fulani were being targeted only wanted to create ethnic tension. 

“In fact, not just members of Miyetti Allah, but some Fulani were part of the operations, with the Seriki being fully briefed about the operations. Some lives were lost; some sustained injuries. Those killed in the process were criminals and not herdsmen.
And, the coalition, led by men of AMOTEKUN, succeeded in sending a very clear message to criminals terrorising the people: that enough is enough,” Ajani said.

The arrested herdsmen were said to be on a reprisal mission to avenge the killing of some of their colleagues by Amotekun.

But Ibrahim Jiji, chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in the state, in a statement on Monday said the 47 herdsmen arrested are members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) securing people in Ibarapa land.

He asked the state government to release the suspects whom he said have been instrumental in securing the axis.

“Those who were going to fight criminals are the set of the people they are parading as criminals. Those people are not criminals; they are the people securing us. They are registered vigilantes and they are working with the police and other security agencies,” Jiji said.

“Thief is thief and not Fulani. Tribe is different from criminals. We are ready to work with the Oyo State government to stop criminality in the state. I am appealing to the state government to leave these people. They are not thieves. They are the people who are securing us because we may need them another time. Why we want them to include our members in Amotekun is because of language barrier. We appeal to the Oyo State government to include people from other tribes in Amotekun for the job to be efficient.”

- THECABLE

Court halts process of hiring consultant to monitor spending of $311m Abacha Loot

 A federal high court in Abuja has restrained Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, from appointing a consultant to monitor the spending of $311 million Abacha Loot which was recovered on May 4, 2020.

The funds were repatriated from the United States and the Bailiwick of Jersey.

The federal government had committed the funds to support the construction of the Second Niger bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressways and the Mambilla Power Plant in accordance with the repatriation agreement.

A technical bid was set up by the asset recovery and management unit of the ministry of justice to select and engage civil society organisations that would oversee the implementation of the projects to ensure transparency and CLEEN Foundation, a Nigerian-based CSO, was selected.

However, PPP Advisories Consortium, a firm which submitted proposals during the technical bid, sued the AGF and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

According to the firm, 17 firms had submitted proposals but only four were qualified.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Daniel Bwala, counsel to PPP Advisories Consortium, informed the court that if the AGF and the BPP are allowed to carry on “it will most likely dent the image and name of Nigeria in the eyes of the international community and make a mockery of the requirements for competitiveness and transparency in all federal government procurements as outlined by the Bureau of Public Procurement Act, 2007.”

Giving a short ruling, Inyang Ekwo, presiding judge, ordered all parties in the suit to maintain status quo, taking no further steps whatsoever in the matter pending the hearing the motion on notice filed by PPP Advisories Consortium.

The case has been adjourned till January 21 for hearing the motion on notice.

- THECABLE

TERRORISTS !! Christmas message: Leave Sokoto or stop your malicious vituperations – Muslim group tells Bishop Kukah

 

Muslim Solidarity Forum, Sokoto, has advised the Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Hassan Kukah, to quickly and quietly leave Sokoto or stop what the group called “his malicious vituperations against Islam and Muslims”.

The group also enjoined Bishop Kukah to tender unreserved apology to the Muslim Ummah.

The group’s acting chairman, Professor Isa Maishanu, in a statement, noted that Kukah with his unbecoming callous statement, was trying to break the age-long peaceful coexistence between the predominantly Muslims and Christians.

The statement came amidst allegations by the Department of State Services of a plot to incite religious violence in some states by some elements working with external forces.

The group directed Muslim leaders, who out of magnanimity had been showing goodwill to the Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Sokoto to realise that he (Bishop Kukah) is taking their kindness for granted, stressing that Kukah doesn’t appreciate the gesture but fiercely attacks them at any given opportunity.

The statement noted, “In February 2020, he (Kukah) shamelessly staged a demonstration in the heart of Sokoto over the killing of a single Christian priest, presumably, by the Boko Haram insurgents, but did not consider hundreds of Muslims, Fulani herders that were mercilessly killed by the Christian militia in Taraba state in 2018.”

The group asked Bishop Kukah what he thought would have happened “if the peace-loving Muslims in Sokoto had responded to his provocative attacks on them and their religion like what happened in Kafanchan 1987, Zangon Kataf 1992, Tafawa Balewa in 1987, 1993, 1995 and 2001, Yelwa Shandam 2004, Zonkwa and Jarkasa in 2011.”

- DAILY POST

COVID-19 strikes 12 Nigerians dead in single day, cases go up again

 

COVID-19 struck 12 Nigerians dead on Tuesday as new cases go up again, with Lagos, Abuja and Oyo leading the pack.

The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, announced 1,270 new infections in the last 24 hours, with Lagos posting 435 cases.

The 1,270 new infections represent a slight increase from the 1,244 cases reported on Monday, while the 435 new cases posted by Lagos represent a sharp decrease from the 774 cases raked in the previous day.

In Tuesday’s infections, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, raked in 234 new cases, a sharp increase from the 125 cases posted the previous day.

Oyo reported 103 new infections after it recorded no case the previous day.

Others are: Plateau-86, Rivers-71, Enugu-51, Nasarawa-41, Delta-39, Edo-39, Osun-33, Niger-31, Sokoto-23, Ondo-16, Taraba-13, Ebonyi-12, Kano-10, Abia-9, Bayelsa-8, Bauchi-7, Imo-5, Katsina-3 and Gombe-1.

New cases were reported in 21 States, including the Federal Capital Territory.

Till date, 102,601 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed, 81,574 cases have been discharged and 1,373 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

See Tuesday’s infections below

Lagos-435
FCT-234
Oyo-103
Plateau-86
Rivers-71
Enugu-51
Nasarawa-41
Delta-39
Edo-39
Osun-33
Niger-31
Sokoto-23
Ondo-16
Taraba-13
Ebonyi-12
Kano-10
Abia-9
Bayelsa-8
Bauchi-7
Imo-5
Katsina-3
Gombe-1

- PM NEWS

Barcelona to continue paying Messi until 2025 even if he leaves this summer

 

Lionel Messi will receive a huge cash windfall from Barcelona in bonuses even if he departs this summer, Marca reports.

The 33-year-old’s future is still uncertain and it looks as if he will finally quit the Nou Camp.

In December, Messi admitted the club were in a “really bad situation” with “no money” to reinvest in the squad.

A candidate in the upcoming presidential election, Emi Rousaud, also claimed Messi’s current salary was “unsustainable” and Barcelona couldn’t afford to pay him the same rate going forward.

But it is understood they are still set to be hit in the pocket whether the Argentine remains at the club or not.

It is claimed Messi is in line to receive another €39million (£34.8m) at the end of the current season.

The fee is one half of a €78m bonus agreed when Messi signed his last contract in 2017, that came with a €100m wage rise.

He had already cashed in the other €39m installment.

But rather than the money coming in one lump sum, the agreement will see Messi receive it in eight separate payments over four years.

That means Barcelona could still be paying Messi in 2025.

- DAILY POST

TRAILER: ‘The Village Headmaster’ returns to TV — after 33 years

 

‘The Village Headmaster’, a Nigerian TV series created by Olusegun Olusola, is set for a TV return.

The television drama series is billed to air on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) network on April 4 (8 pm to 9 pm on Sundays) in collaboration with Wale Adenuga Productions.

Originally a radio drama series in 1958, the TV version was Nigeria’s longest-running soap opera that aired on NTA from 1968 until it was rested in 1988.

Produced in 1964 and set in the fictitious Yoruba village of Oja, the series dealt with social problems and the effect of government policies in Oja. It was the first major TV drama with an ensemble cast from different ethnic groups.

In the series, the Nigerian Pidgin was mixed with standard English as the Oja residents’ language of choice, with most scenes occurring in the Oloja of Oja’s palace, the headmaster’s school, and Amebo’s palm wine shack.

It starred Ted Mukoro as headmaster 1, Femi Robinson as headmaster 2, Justus Esiri as headmaster 3, Dejumo Lewis as Oloja, Clara Olushola as headmaster’s wife, Albert Egbe as Lawyer, and Ibidun Allison as Amebo (gossip).

Others were Jab Adu as Bassey Okon (supplies store owner), Funso Adeolu as senior chief, Joe Layode as Teacher Garuba, Charles Awurum, Albert Kosemasi as Gorimapa among other peripheral characters that also featured.

Some new faces that have, however, emerged in the rerun are Jide Kosoko, Mide Matins, Rykardo Agbor, and 9ice.

Watch the trailer below:

- PM NEWS

US S/Court hears case of Nigerian student stopped from preaching on Campus

 

The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case of a Nigerian student, Chike Uzuegbunam and Joseph Bradford, who were stopped by Georgia Gwinnett College officials from sharing their faith publicly on campus in the summer of 2016.

Alliance Defending Freedom General Counsel Kristen Waggoner argued Tuesday before the U.S. Supreme Court in Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski, a case that asks whether government officials, including those at public colleges, will be accountable to victims when they violate constitutional rights.

“Our constitutional rights are invaluable and must always be protected,” said Waggoner. “When government officials treat our rights as worthless, those rights disappear. Changing unconstitutional policies is an important first step. But policy changes alone do not remedy the harm done to those whose rights were violated by the government.”

In the case, officials later changed their policies, then claimed that was enough to end the students’ lawsuit, even though the officials never did anything to remedy the past free-speech violations.

Many of the justices’ questions recognized that “nominal damages” are often the best way to provide a court remedy—in many contexts. For example, Justice Elena Kagan raised musical artist Taylor Swift’s recent sexual assault case, where she asked for $1 in damages because she did not want money, only a judgment that announced the harm done to her and other women.

Justice Stephen Breyer asked how the court should remedy past harm, such as a college not allowing a student to pray or to speak on campus. And Justice Brett Kavanaugh rightly stated that history, common law, Supreme Court case law, and the law in the other circuit courts of appeal all work against the college’s position. Nominal damages draw the proper line to protect constitutional rights.

The Supreme Court was also concerned with the college’s argument that a violation of a constitutional right was less valuable than even a 25-cent bus fare. The college argued that the loss of bus fare was sufficient to keep a case alive, but the past violation of free speech was not.

“Not everything of great value is monetary,” Waggoner said.

“Colleges and universities are supposed to be places where we are free to explore and debate ideas, but my college silenced me and are getting away with it,” said Uzuegbunam.

“Now that they have heard my story, I am hopeful that the Supreme Court will affirm my rights and the rights of all Americans, and that courts should hold officials accountable for violating our constitutional rights,” he added.

Groups across the ideological spectrum—including the ACLU, the Cato Institute, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and a wide range of other groups—filed legal briefs in support of this case.

- PM NEWS