Umahi accuses herders of complicity in Ebonyi attack, says youths at tipping point

David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, says there are indications that herders are complicit in the recent attacks in the state.

About 15 people were killed during the attacks by gunmen in some communities in Ishielu LGA of Ebonyi.

Umahi said the herders “deserted” the affected communities before the attacks started.

He spoke on Sunday during a visit by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to the state.

The governor warned that the federal government may be unable to hold back the youths of the state if there is a repeat of the attacks.

He said there would have been reprisals if not for the swift intervention of the state government.

“Your excellency, we are touched and we are encouraged by this visit, I’m told the murderers left a telephone which contains their contacts, their call logs and pictures,” the governor said.

“Your excellency, these things are enough to get these people apprehended, very shocking is that at the point of the attack, all the herdsmen living in Ishielu local government all deserted.

“This means that they were part of the attack on our people despite the governors of the south-east being called names because we are committed to giving them protection.

“It is very important we do anything possible to forestall further attacks not only in Ebonyi state but in the entire south-east.”

Umahi also announced the activation of local vigilantes to provide internal security in parts of the state.

- THECABLE

Guardiola blasts UEFA, FIFA for ‘killing’ players

 

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has hit out at UEFA and FIFA, accusing them of “killing” players with a hectic schedule.

Guardiola’s men are still on track for a historic quadruple of Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.

However, the Spaniard has the luxury of rotating players for matches in all of those competitions, as he left Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, Ilkay Gundogan and John Stones on the bench for the 2-0 weekend victory at Leicester City.

But Guardiola says he has no option but to rotate his players.

“UEFA and FIFA kill the players and it is too much,” he said after the win at the King Power.

“We haven’t had one midweek off since we started. They are human beings, not machines.

“Some of them want to play every day, but it is impossible to compete in all competitions.”

- DAILY POST

Why FG must leave Sunday Igboho alone now – Falana

 

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana has adduced reason why the Federal Government should leave self-acclaimed activist, Sunday Igboho alone.

He said the nation has lots of issues facing her which must be addressed urgently instead of seeking to arrest Igboho.

Falana, in a statement on Sunday said instead of asking the police to arrest Igboho and possibly detain him, the Federal Government should take urgent steps to address the allegations of lopsided appointments and violent attacks on farmers by armed herders.

He said as a matter of urgency, the Buhari administration should confront the worsening insecurity in the country.

According to him, the war on counter-insurgency should be extended to armed herders and bandits.

Falana stated that at the same time, the crises of youth unemployment and mass poverty should be addressed without any further delay.

He added that the Federal and state governments should implement pro-people’s programmes to discourage Nigerians from campaigning for the balkanisation of the country.

- PM NEWS

Gani Adams describes Oyo CP as ‘slow and biased’ over handling of security issues

 Gani Adams, Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, says Ngozi Onadeko, Oyo commissioner of police, is too gentle to handle the security situation in the state.

He called on the inspector-general of police to redeploy her and bring a sterner CP to the state.

In a statement signed by Kehinde Aderemi, his special assistant on media, Adams said Onadeko is playing politics with sensitive security issues.

He alleged that most of the killer herders and kidnappers apprehended in the Ibarapa area of the state have been released by Onadeko, stating that they have gone back to resume their criminal activities in the area.

“Last week, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo, expressed concern at the spate of insecurity in the state.

“Therefore, I am appealing to IGP Adamu and the police service commission to redeploy the Oyo CP, who according to my finding is too slow and biased, especially, on sensitive security issues.

“The Oyo state police boss had released many of the kidnappers apprehended by the OPC and other local security operatives and they have returned to their base to perpetrate more crimes.”

He also called on Seyi Makinde, Oyo governor, to cooperate with the IGP to secure the state, stating that intelligence reports at his disposal indicate that kidnappers are already taking positions at Ibarapa.

He added: “I want to also urge Seyi Makinde, the Oyo state governor, to cooperate with the IGP in ensuring that the state is safe for all and sundry because from the reports at my disposal, kidnappers are now returning to Ibarapa, because they know that with such a gentle cop as commissioner, they can easily get away with any crime committed in the state.”

- THECABLE

Gunmen storm, bomb Owerri prison, State CID

 

A correctional facility and police investigations department in Owerri, the Imo State capital were reportedly set ablaze by unknown gunmen early Monday morning.

According to multiple reports, the attackers struck the prison and police department shortly after midnight, freeing an unconfirmed number of inmates and suspects.

According to social media accounts what started as a mere shoot-out later resulted in a complete breakdown of law and order with people scampering for safety.

A Twitter user, Chidi Odinkalu in a tweet said “Reports of overwhelming attack on security & law enforcement establishments in Owerri, Imo State, SE Nigeria. State CID, Prisons. Perpetrators unclear but seem to have gone unchallenged for over 75 mins with discharge of high-calibre weapons. Possible detonations too.”

- PM NEWS

I don’t think any bandit deserves to live, says El-Rufai

 

Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna state governor, says he does not think anyone involved in banditry deserves to live.

He said any bandit operating in his state is “most likely going to end up dead”.

The governor spoke on Sunday during an interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.

He said: “I think that the bandits and their leaders decided to collectively target Kaduna state because of the position we have taken that we will not negotiate with them, that we will not give them a penny of taxpayers’ money.”

“And whoever comes to Kaduna for the purpose of banditry or kidnapping is most likely going to end up dead.

“We believe that the solution to this problem is to intensify military operations from the air or the ground and wipe all of them out. We do not think any bandit deserves to live.

“And we have made that very clear to the security agencies. I am very pleased that the new chief of air staff has continued the bombardment of bandits in Nasarawa, Kaduna, Niger and Zamfara and the bandits are on the run.”

He said courtesy of the collaboration between police and the military, “we will get rid of these bandits in a matter of weeks”.

Two weeks ago, parents of students abducted from Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, had staged a protest demanding the release of their children.

Commenting on the development, the governor said it will be detrimental for the state to negotiate with the bandits.

He said: “We commiserate with those that have lost loved ones but the solution is not to put your own personal interest at the head of public interest.

“And what is in the public interest is to ensure that you don’t empower your enemies by giving them money to buy more advanced weapons.”

El-Rufai also reiterated his administration’s stance on tracing and prosecuting persons negotiating with bandits on behalf of Kaduna state.

- THECABLE

Fulani herdsmen killed 55 persons in Yewa – Ogun indigenes tackle Sarkin Fulani

 

Indigenes of Yewa axis of Ogun State have claimed that suspected Fulani herdsmen killed 55 persons in Ketu within the last 21 years.

The indigenes, under the aegis of Ketu Advancement Front (KAF) made this assertion in a rejoinder signed by Michael Abiose, the Coordinator-General and made available to DAILY POST.

The rejoinder, which included names and gory pictures of those allegedly killed by herdsmen, was sent to DAILY POST on Sunday.

The group was reacting to statements credited to the Sarkin Fulani of Eggua, Ibrahim Adamu, in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST.

Adamu had told DAILY POST that over 100 Fulani herdsmen, as well as countless cows were killed in Yewa by indigenes in the last five years, adding that this was the beginning of the recent attacks on the communities in Yewa North axis of the State.

Adamu also justified why soldiers escorted herdsmen to Ogun Communities, saying it was mainly to settle crisis.

Reacting, KAF said “without any fear of contradiction, everything Adamu said was blatant lies told in a desperate attempt to stand the truth in the head.”

However, the group said, “but in the end, we are glad for two things – First, the Sarkin Fulani has confirmed that it was Fulanis that carried out wanton killings and destruction in the area for over twenty years, including the coordinated assault between Thursday 11th and Wednesday 17th February 2021.

“The second is that he finally confirmed that he and his co-herders brought soldiers to Asa, Ibeku and Agbon-Ojodu on 19th December, 2020 to assault Ketu people with reckless abandon. Even the Nigerian Army has not dissociated itself from Adamu’s claim.”

On their part, the Ketu indigenes claimed that “the killings of Ketu people and destruction of their farms by Adamu and his people started over 25 years ago.”

According to them, “the herders have always provokingly invaded our people’s land, destroyed their farms, polluted their water, killed farmers, maimed and raped women as well as committed other atrocities against innocent Ketu People.”

KAF stated that it was in an attempt to find a peaceful way of taming the “violent herders” that the Onigua of Eggua, Oba Adeleye Dosunmu, wrote and got the State Government’s permission around Year 2000 to install Adamu as Sarkin Fulani of Eggua in order to help rein in his people.

“As their atrocious acts would not stop, some Royal Fathers, Baales and Community Leaders in the area instituted a case against Adamu and his people at a State High Court sitting in Ilaro, before Honourable Justice M. A. Dipeolu in 2007.

“The court established the link between Adamu and the nomadic herders and held that the activities of the herders in the area were illegal and should be stopped forthwith. However, Adamu and others persisted in their criminal acts even in contempt of the court ruling,” they revealed.

The group revealed that in 2013, the State Government midwifed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ketu people, the Fulanis and All Farmers Association, Ogun State Chapter.

“The MoU provided for banning of open grazing, registration of herders and their cows by the State Government and relevant security agencies before entering our area, grazing only in approved areas and a joint enforcement committee comprising all necessary security agencies.

“But, it may interest you to note that the recalcitrant herders brazenly breached all the terms of the MoU and reversed the gains of the process. All these and other gestures of Ketu people at promoting peace with the Fulani herders have been rebuffed and abused. This cannot be otherwise as Adamu himself said in his DAILY POST interview that “… some of the herdsmen no longer listen to us. They take laws into their hands,” the group alleged.

The group said further: “Adamu lied when he said over 100 herders were killed by Ketu people in the last five years. He tried to cover up his lie when he said he recently lost records of the dead. And we dare to ask Adamu if human beings were so inconsequential to have lost record of the dead? Who were they? Where were they killed? Where are their pictures etc.? On the contrary, we say without equivocation that it is the aggressor Fulanis who are killing Ketu people for opposing destructive grazing on their farms. Adamu too confirmed this when he said they (Fulanis) “brought Army so that anywhere there is crisis, they would settle it”.

“To prove our claim, we attached herewith documented pictures and list of 55 people killed by herders in the last twenty-one years for your information and records. Even three herders who were apprehended in the past were covered up by the Police.

“A case in point was that of Mohammed Bello (40), Muhammed Momoh (30) and Yisau Umoru (18) who were apprehended with AK47 and several ammunition in 2017 and personally paraded by the then Ogun Police Commissioner, CP Ahmed Illyasu. They were never prosecuted till date despite our ceaseless agitation.

“We like to conclude by stating that we have submitted detailed memorandum on the evil acts of the herders to the Peace Committee on Farmers-Herders Conflict in Yewaland set up by the Ogun State Government with our recommendations in the hope that we will get justice and renewed security for our local population from the genocidal activities of herders that have lasted for over 20 years.”

- DAILY POST