Katsina school attack: FG ‘has not learnt from Chibok, Dapchi incidents’

 

Plan International, a non-governmental organisation focused on girls’ rights, says the Nigerian government has not learnt from past experiences.

Making references to the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014, and a similar incident in Dapchi Secondary School in 2018, the organisation said government should have put in place adequate security to prevent the attack that occurred in Katsina over the weekend.

Gunmen had, on Friday, attacked Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina, with over 300 students still missing as of Sunday afternoon.

Hussaini Abdu, Plan International’s country director in Nigeria, said the government should have learnt from previous incidents and put in place security measures to ensure safety in schools.

“The abduction of students of Government Boys Science Secondary School in the Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State by unknown abductors in an unfortunate indication that the nation and government has not learnt from the unfortunate incidents of abduction of 276 girls from the Chibok Secondary School in Borno State in 2014 and another set of 110 girls at the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College. Dapchi, Yobe State in 2018,” he said.

“Following the two previous incidents and other occurrences of kidnap of students in boarding schools across the country, the Nigeria government by now should have put in place adequate security arrangements to ensure safety of children learning and kept in the care of schools and education authorities everywhere in the country, especially in such locations susceptible to attacks by non-state armed groups.”

According to Abdu, Nigeria is one of the first countries to endorse the Safe School Declaration on May 29, 2015, where governments promised to ensure protection and continuation of education in conflict situations.

He called for a headcount of the students to determine how many of them are missing, and urged governments at all levels to ensure the safe return of the missing students.

“It is time that the governments at both federal and states across the country prioritise ensuring protection of schools, and also build capacities of communities to protect schools as well as in early warning signals,” he said.

“It is unacceptable that students in our schools are still being abducted and the whole nation appears helpless.”

- THECABLE

333 Kankara schoolboys likely kidnapped, largest abduction ever

 

Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina revealed Sunday that 333 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara are still missing or kidnapped.

This was after the audit of the students that he ordered on Saturday, following the attack by bandits.

Masari gave the figure when he received a Federal Government delegation led by the Minister of Defence, Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi (retd.).

The delegation which also comprised Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Air Staff, and the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, came on a sympathy visit, after Friday’s abduction of the students of the school.

“The children so far kidnapped cut across the state because the boarding school houses all children from all parts of the state and some even from outside the state.

“It has a population of 839 and so far we are yet to account for 333 students.

“We are still counting because more are coming out from the forest and we are calling those parents that have phone numbers to find out whether or not their children have gone back home.

“Based on the available record we have, we are still searching for 333 students.”

Masari said the bandits were yet to contact either the government or anybody on the abduction.

If the students were found to have been eventually captured, it will be the biggest kidnapping incident, since the Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014.

The schoolgirls captured were 276. Till date, 112 have not returned home.

On 19 February, 2018, Boko Haram came for 110 Dapchi schoolgirls in Yobe.

Five of the schoolgirls died on the same day of their kidnapping.

The others were released in March 2018, except the lone Christian girl Leah Sharibu.

She remains in captivity.

On Sunday, the leader of the Federal government delegation, Bashir Magashi, who is the defence minister, asked the armed forces, the police and other security agencies to move faster to ensure the speedy rescue of the students.

“Today we are here also to sympathise with you over the recent abduction of secondary school students which is a more or less ruthless exercise conducted to tamper with the education of the students,” he said.

“With the brief, we received from the sister security agencies in the state, this task will be very simple to accomplish.

“Within the next few hours, we will ensure that these people are back without any collateral damage to the people of Katsina State.

“All hands are on deck to ensure we accomplish our tasks within the armed forces and the police.”, he said.

- PM NEWS

How aid worker captured by Boko Haram ‘was killed’ two weeks after wedding

 

Emmanuel Peter, a humanitarian aid worker, who was abducted in the north-east region, has reportedly been killed.

The insurgents abducted him at Jakana along Damaturu-Maiduguri road in Yobe state, on Wednesday, and two days later, Peter’s death was announced on his Facebook page.

At 12:25am on Friday, Peter’s Facebook profile picture changed to an image with a black background. His cover photo also changed.

Screenshot of the change in his profile photo

Posted by Emmanuel Peter Birdling on Thursday, December 10, 2020

 

Some minutes later, an obituary was shared on his timeline. It’s unclear if the post was shared by Peter or one of his abductors.

“Hey fellows…am already dead..dnt work any me..jst worry any ur self’s..papa..sorry I can’t get d corps in other to bury..c u in d hereafter.bt am in hell.n j hope u guys wl come n mit me soon,” the post read.

Peter’s last update

Hey fellows…am already dead..dnt work any me..jst worry any ur self’s..papa..sorry I can’t get d corps in other to bury..c u in d hereafter.bt am in hell.n j hope u guys wl come n mit me soon.

 Posted by Emmanuel Peter Birdling on Thursday, December 10, 2020

The insurgents were said to have killed him after finding out that he worked with a humanitarian agency, though he reportedly denied his link with the agency.

His captors reportedly browsed through his iPad where they found adequate information on him.

They probably didn’t know that it would be a short journey

Two weeks before his reported death, Peter wedded his wife at Eyn state low-cost in Jimeta, Yola, capital of Adamawa state.

A flurry of congratulatory messages followed the wedding ceremony on November 28.

On Facebook, one Hannatu Ali Buba Thilza, wrote: “Let’s me drop it here, congratulations baby.  am happy for you.”

The wedding invite

If truly he has been killed, then Peter literally walked out when his journey was supposed to begin.

The north-east region has been plagued with insecurity crisis, with several individuals abducted and killed while government has repeatedly said it is on top of the situation.

- THECABLE

 

Katsina kidnap: Primate Ayodele warns of what God told him’ll happen if Buhari fails to sack Service Chiefs

 

Primate Elijah Ayodele, leader of INRI Evangelical spiritual church, has warned President Muhammadu Buhari over the issue of insecurity in the country.

Ayodele disclosed that God told him that there would be confusion and disorderliness in Nigeria if Buhari fails to sack his Service Chiefs by February.

The clergyman disclosed this in response to the abduction of students of Government Science Secondary School, GSS, in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State.

Primate Ayodele in a statement he forwarded to DAILY POST, on Sunday, lamented that Buhari was running Nigeria like he has no direction.

He said: “Unfortunately, President Buhari is running the country like he has no direction, look at how they kidnapped students in his hometown yet he has refused to remove the service chiefs and replace them with people that can act.

“I want to Say what the Lord said, I have said it before, If Buhari doesn’t change the service chiefs before February, there will be disorderliness and confusion in the country.

“Actually, there are lot of confusion in his government now and there are lot of internal trouble” in both the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The popular cleric said the confusion would lead Nigeria to “unforeseen anarchy and total disorderliness because this insecurity will affect the rich and the poor.”

He further warned that the anarchy and disorderliness may lead to “another protest that will cause the country to shut down.’’

- DAILY POST

Many senior army officers contract COVID-19

 

Late Major-General General Olubunmi Irefin, who died last week of COVID-19 complications has turned out to be a super-spreader of the virus.

Reports said many senior officers ordered to go into quarantine have tested positive as well.

According to Channels TV, quoting unofficial military sources, no fewer than 18 generals have tested positive.

They were among the senior officers who had contact with Irefin, when he came to Abuja last week for the Chief of Army Staff Conference, and fell ill.

Military authorities are yet to confirm this, but the results are for officers who came from army formations outside Abuja to attend the conference.

The results for officers based in Abuja and the army headquarters have not been released.

Out of abundance of caution, Chief of army staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai last week cancelled the remaining session of the conference.

He also went into quarantine as he disinvited the officers, who he had invited to his son’s wedding last Friday.

From all indications, Nigeria is now in the middle of a second wave of CoVID-19, with rising infections, especially in Abuja, Lagos and Kaduna.

Irefin, until his death was the GOC of 6 Battalion based in Port Harcourt

- PM NEWS

Seun Kuti gives reason for assault, shooting at Ikeja

 

Seun Kuti, son of Nigerian legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has reacted to allegations of assault and pulling out a gun at unarmed citizens in Ikeja, Lagos state.

There were reports on Saturday that Seun had threatened some persons on his street located at Allen Avenue, with gun and beat them up.

However, the singer while giving details of the incident in a video shared on his Instagram page, affirmed that there were gunshots on the street because one of the bouncers from a party threatened his life.

Narrating the incident , he said: “I don’t make new friends , I don’t go for events because I don’t vibe with the conversation and stay away from everything in my little lane but people keep testing and trying me.

“What happened yesterday, one woman came to invest in our street and built a hotel, they held a party and cars blocked the streets and the entrance of my house.

“Selfish people, they did not notify me and started a party at 9am with loud music, I tried to sleep by force with the noise but couldn’t and the party went on till 7pm.

“I decided to leave my house, time to leave I could not come out of my gate because cars from party goers blocked the entrance. I tried to get their attention and nobody answered for 20 minutes.

“One man that parked came to his car and was arguing with me so I slapped him, later as I was leaving another car blocked the street after it ran out of fuel, while waiting in my car one of the bouncers from the hotel came to meet me and threatened my life.

“He said he would come to the shrine and treat my f….k up that’s when the fight started, we beat them up with bare hands. There were gunshots because you cannot threaten me in my hood.

“If the government likes they should come and arrest me but no one should come to my house without arrest warrant from the court . Nobody can victimize me, its either you beat me and I will go down fighting.

“What if somebody was dying and wanted to move out of the house/street immediately? We can’t leave our homes because some people want to make money for themselves and have no regards for humans. If you cannot think communally and put fellow human beings into consideration when taking action then, you’ll bear the consequences.”

- DAILY POST

#EndSARS: Falana-led coalition sets up ‘citizen panel’ to hear petitions on human rights violation

 

The Alliance for Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), a coalition of 80 labour and civil society organisations (CSOs), has set up an “independent citizens’ panel” on human rights violation during the #EndSARS protest.

The group, led by Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, asked Nigerians to submit complaints of human rights violation witnessed before, during and after the #EndSARS protest in October.

In a statement on Sunday, Chino Obiagwu, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and chairman of the ASCAB panel, said the call is not restricted to victims who already submitted to panels set up by the government.

Obiagwu said the “citizen tribunal” will enrich the investigations into the abuses said to have been perpetrated by the disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS).

“The Panel is to receive complaints from the general public of violations, before, during and after the #EndSARS protests across Nigeria,” ASCAB said.

“To this end, the panel hereby calls on the general public, especially families of those who lost their lives or who suffer one form of human rights violation or another.

“The complaint is expected to contain the names of the victim(s), date, time and place of violations, type of violation suffered, name of the perpetrator (if known), name of agency of the perpetrator and any action already taken in the matter.

“All interested victims, regardless of whether they have approached the official commissions of inquiry set up by the State Governments or not, can submit memos to the Citizens Tribunal.

“To this end, all victims that have submitted a petition to the official commissions of inquiry should indicate if they have, and specify which of the commissions they submitted their petitions to. This will enable us follow up and track petitions at the official commissions.

“Where it is not possible to have physical meetings with any victim and his or her family, the panel will arrange virtual meeting.”

- THECABLE