Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Wednesday 24th March 2021
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 24/03/21
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Despite Frequent Attacks At Home, Buhari Vows To Help Niger Republic, Others Fight Terrorism
President Muhammadu Buhari and President Mahamadou Issoufou
President Muhammadu Buhari has said Nigeria is ready to help Niger Republic and other neighbouring countries in the fight against terrorism.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
President Muhammadu Buhari and President Mahamadou Issoufou
Shehu said President Buhari and Mahamadou Issoufou, President of Niger Republic agreed to strengthen sub-regional security as a way to push back against Boko Haram and Islam in West Africa, ISWA’s worrisome assertiveness in sub-Sahara and Sahel regions.
“President Buhari, who called his counterpart on the phone to sympathise with him and citizens of the neighbouring country, following the recent killing of 137 people, strongly condemned the terrorist attacks, describing it as heinous.
“Our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of victims and people of Niger Republic. Nigeria stands with all her neighbours in the fight against terrorism,” the statement read.
Recently, ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), also known as ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) claimed its fighters carried out 517 attacks around the world between January 1 and March 17.
According to the group, Nigeria is ranked second on the list with 112 attacks.
Other countries listed are Iraq (162), Syria (106), Egypt (30), Afghanistan (68), DRC (18), Niger (9), Pakistan (7), Tunisia (2), Chad (1), Mali (1) and Somalia (1).
Gun-wielding fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) had claimed different attacks in Nigeria within the 81 days.
The group has killed thousands and displaced millions in Northeastern Nigeria.
The Nigerian military has repeatedly claimed that the insurgency has been largely defeated and it frequently underplays any losses.
In the past months, soldiers have been targeted by the insurgents, who lay in ambush on their path.
Hundreds of soldiers and officers have been reportedly killed since January 2021.
At least 33 soldiers were recently killed when two explosive-laden vehicles rammed into a military convoy in Wulgo.
The suicide bombers were identified as Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Bana Jundullah. The group also claimed four military vehicles were destroyed.
In February, about 20 soldiers were also killed in Malari, Borno State by the insurgents.
SaharaReporters gathered that the soldiers were on patrol to clear some Boko Haram elements in the area following credible intelligence when they were ambushed by the group.
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Ex-Ondo Lawmaker Dies In Fatal Auto-Crash
A former member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Akpoebi Lubi, has reportedly lost his life in a fatal road crash.
The ex-lawmaker, who represented Ese-Odo State Constituency, between 2011 and 2015, breathed his last on Tuesday. He was the only member of the Peoples Democratic Party elected to the Assembly in 2011.
Until his death, he was the Special Adviser to the senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Nicholas Tofowomo on Strategy and Special Interest.
According to Punch, Olumide Akinrinola, media aide to Tofowomo, confirmed the incident.
Details of his death remain sketchy as of the time this report was filed.
Lubi was also a former Caretaker Chairman of Ese-Odo Local Government Area.
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Police Arrest Three Hunters For Alleged Killing, Burning Of Fulani Huts In Oyo
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested three local hunters in connection with the murder of three people and the burning of Fulani huts on March 14.
The arrested hunters were identified as Karimu Yusuf, Isaac Isaiah and Sunday Isaac.
They were alleged to have stormed the Fulani huts to retaliate for the killing of a farmer on March 12.
The farmer was reportedly attacked by Fulani robbers, who still killed him after his wife was able to give them N25,000.
The following day, March 13, another man escaped death by the whiskers, as he was also attacked by suspected Fulani herders, sustaining injuries.
The state police spokesman, Olugbenga Fadeyi confirmed the arrest of the three suspects.
Fadeyi said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigations.
Insecurity
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Again, Court Denies Bail To Pharmacist In One-year Detention For Criticising Buhari
A Federal High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has again refused to grant bail to Solomon Akuma, the pharmacist who criticised President Muhammadu Buhari on his Twitter page.
Emmanuel, 29, was arrested on April 2, 2020, in Aba, Abia State for allegedly making a social media post against the President and his late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.
Akuma had spent three months in detention without a court order or trial until he was eventually arraigned for charges bordering on terrorism, sedition, criminal intimidation of the President, and threat to the life of Buhari.
He had been languishing at the Force Criminal Investigation Department before police lawyer, Victor Ogbudo filed an application seeking the permission of the court to transfer the young man from police custody to a correctional centre.
The prosecution counsel claimed that the defendant was flouting the order of police and could not cope with his behaviour in their custody any longer.
The defence counsel argued that his client was being punished for the alleged offence adding that even citizens who were accused of terrorism in the past were granted bail.
Hence, he stated that there was no reason why Akuma should not be granted bail by the court.PHOTONEWS: Again, Court Denies Granting Bail To Pharmacist Who Criticised Buhari, After Spending One Year In Detention#FreeSolomonAkuma pic.twitter.com/A2PlTuk2PU— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) March 23, 2021
He asked the court to exercise its discretion and admit him to bail.
The presiding judge, Justice Folashade Giwa-Ogunbajo, on Tuesday in her ruling dismissed the bail application filed by his lawyer, Emmanuel Ukaegbu and ordered Akuma to be transferred and remanded at the correctional centre.
She added that the court had earlier ordered an accelerated hearing of the matter.
The Buhari government is notorious for clamping down on voices of dissent, shrinking the civic space, disobeying court orders and violating citizens’ fundamental rights.
Activists, lawyers and civil society groups have condemned Akuma’s continued detention just as they called for his release, saying he had not committed any crime to warrant such a punishment.
The matter was therefore adjourned to April 23, 2021, for continuation of trial.
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Eight More Women, Including Sisters Accuse Prophet Bushiri Of Rape
Prophet Shepherd Bushiri
Eight more women have alleged that the Malawian leader of Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG), Prophet Shepherd Bushiri raped them.
The rape charges, dated back to 2016 would be added to the existing allegations of fraud, money laundering, jumping bail and breaching of the foreign policy.
Prophet Shepherd Bushiri
Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG)
He was accused by prosecutors of raping women and girls as young as 16, including two sisters; drugged some, bribed them into silence, and vowed to kill others.
All the alleged rape cases took place in and around Pretoria, particularly at the Sheraton Hotel. He was accused of enticing his victims into hotels after befriending them and their families at church with offers of special prayers and gifts of cash.
Some of the women later were involved in what seemed to be consensual sexual relations, after Bushiri allegedly promised to marry at least one of them. But the majority, particularly those who were very young, were threatened with death by Bushiri or his bodyguards, the victims claimed. One of the victims reportedly got pregnant but was forced to terminate the pregnancy.
It was gathered that the ECG church was used as an employment facility for Bushiri through his network of “sons” and “prophets”. They would eavesdrop, record and engage in subtle conversations with congregants to collect information later used by Bushiri to entice women into sexual relations.
The court records disclosed that Bushiri promised to marry one of the women he raped between May 2015 and June 2016, and allegedly paid her parents substantial sums of money.
Another woman alleges that between June and July 2015, she was raped by Bushiri in his hotel room after “the prophet” took pictures of her in her underwear and in naked poses. He allegedly handed her cash.
One of the prosecutors said she was invited into Bushiri’s hotel room and given a drink that made her dazed. She fell to the floor, after which Bushiri took her clothes off and raped her. Another victim was allegedly impregnated and given cash to register a construction company.
The youngest of the victims who are sisters shared the most traumatic incidents. The girls say they were choristers in Bushiri’s church, and he assisted their parents before starting to text them on WhatsApp.
It was alleged that Bushiri first sent his “sons” who took the sisters and their brother to meet him under the guise that they were going for choir rehearsals, and offered them money. During a second visit, Bushiri handed them huge amounts of cash and told them not to tell anyone.
One of the girls said: “After two weeks, my family and I met prophet Bushiri in his church after the evening service that ended at 11 pm.
“My parents and I were very excited to meet with the prophet and his wife, prophetess Mary Bushiri. Prophet Bushiri told my parents he wanted to sponsor my sister and me to start recording at his studio in Sandton Johannesburg and that he was going to be our spiritual father.”
They claim to have met him in July 2016 at the Southern Sun Hotel in Arcadia, Pretoria.
A man named “Aubrey” who appeared numerous times in the court papers as one of the people hunting women for Bushiri, was reportedly sent to pick up the young women from their home where they were with their mother.
After being informed by his daughters that Bushiri had sent for them, their father was unhappy but Aubrey spoke to him on the phone and he consented to the arrangement.
At the hotel, Bushiri allegedly kept the sisters in separate rooms, where he later prayed for them and gave them cash. He allegedly gave one of the sisters and the brother R5, 000 each. The other sister told prosecutors she was paid R10, 000.
A second meeting took place at the Sheraton Hotel, where Bushiri allegedly gave the siblings R20, 000 in January 2017. Bushiri invited one of the sisters to the Sheraton. She was taken to one of the upper floors by Aubrey who left promptly.
She said, “Usually, Aubrey and one or two bodyguards are always in the suite, but that day they were not there. Prophet Bushiri came from the bathroom. He greeted me and asked me how everything was. I told him everything was fine. He told me he would pray for me to get distinctions and open doors of blessings in my life.
“When praying for me … he started to touch my body and private parts. I started to push his hand away. He continued to touch me. I asked him to stop. I screamed. I was wearing a long dress. He used force to pull me to the bed. He pulled my underwear and threw it away.
“I was screaming all the time. He put his hand over my mouth and nose. I was fighting back. He overpowered me. He put his penis inside my vagina and … raped me. I kept screaming and crying because it was extremely painful because I was a virgin. He continued raping me, and I was screaming, fighting and crying. When he finished, he stopped. I noticed drops of blood coming from my vagina.”
After the rape, the victim who was 18 at that time alleged that Bushiri threatened to kill her if she reported the incident or told anyone, and gave her R10, 000. In June 2018, her sister told her Bushiri had raped her too and that’s when the two sisters agreed to report the incidents to their parents.
Bushiris’ extradition trial will begin in Malawi courts next week after chief resident magistrate Patrick Chirwa refused to recuse himself. Bushiri’s lawyers had objected to his handling of the case, giving possible predisposition because of the magistrate’s involvement in issuing the warrant of arrest police used to arrest the pastor and his wife.
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Nigerian Man In South Africa, Two Sons Die In Car Accident
A Nigerian man, Ifeanyi Mbah and his two children in South Africa have died in a car accident.
The accident occurred on Monday night.
His wife, Nomabandla Mbah, aged 33, was the only survivor in the accident at Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape.
It was gathered that the family was travelling along the N2, near Bluewater Bay, when their car skidded off the road and hit a barrier.
Ifeanyi, 42, and their two sons, Uchenna and Chinedu, who were six and one year old respectively died at the scene. Nomabandla was taken to a clinic in Motherwell, where she received treatment for a knee injury.
Police spokesperson, Captain Andre Beetge, who confirmed the incident, said it seemed that the husband was driving the vehicle when the accident occurred, but it was not known yet what caused him to lose control and veer off the road.
“At about 8.40pm, a white Volkswagen Polo was travelling along the N2, from Bluewater Bay towards Gqeberha, when it left the road and collided with a barrier. The vehicle overturned in the process and landed on its roof,” Beetge said.
A case of culpable homicide is under investigation.
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REVEALED: Why Aisha Buhari Returned To Nigeria After Months In Dubai
The return of Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari, to Aso Rock Villa from the United Arab Emirates last Thursday was partly due to the ailment of a top member of the cabal in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, Mamman Daura.
Daura has long been viewed as the leader of a powerful cabal or ‘powerful kitchen cabinet’ alleged to have hijacked the Buhari presidency since he came to power.
SaharaReporters learnt from Presidency sources that 81-year-old Daura, who is Buhari’s nephew, is now partially paralysed on the left side and managing his health presently in Kaduna.
SaharaReporters further gathered that the First Lady returned to the country, believing that Aso Villa was more secure with Daura out of the way and managing his health away from the State House.
It was also learnt that with Daura out of Aso Villa and less active, the power tussle in the Villa would be reduced and the place would be more conducive for her, although she still has a young man, Sabiu, alias Tunde “Idiagbon” to contend with.
Aisha returned last Thursday after spending about six months in the UAE. Buhari reportedly made her last known public appearance in September 2020 during the wedding of her daughter, Hanan.
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BREAKING: Aisha Buhari Returns To Nigeria After Six Months In Dubai
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Since then, she had conspicuously been absent from government activities and also stopped posting on social media platforms.
“Mamman Daura is sick. He is partially paralysed on the left side and managing his health in Kaduna State. It is partially the reason madam returned from Dubai because with the man out of the villa and less active, she knows she can take on Tunde Sabiu. She feels more secured,” the source stated.
SaharaReporters had on December 15, 2020, that the First Lady had been in Dubai since September after the wedding of her daughter, Hanan.
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EXCLUSIVE: Aisha Buhari Relocates To Dubai, Cites Insecurity In Aso Villa
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3 Months Ago
It had been also reported that the First Lady was not in a hurry to return, despite now spending over five months, as she reportedly stated that the Aso Villa was not secure for her family.
This is especially with a shooting incident which occurred in June 2020, and caused some panic among occupants of the Villa.
The First Lady and Daura’s daughter, Fatima, had an altercation in the villa in October 2019 which was videoed by the latter and later went viral.
The First Lady had admitted that she was angry in the video and went overboard because the Dauras were becoming overbearing in the Villa.
Fatima had also accused the First Lady of attacking her at the Villa.
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War In Aso Rock Villa: President Buhari’s Personal Assistant, Yusuf, Mamman Daura And Aso Rock Cabal Gang Up Against Aisha, Move To Strip Her of Security Details
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9 Months Ago
In her reaction to the video, Aisha had said Mamman Daura’s daughter, Fatima, laughed at her and mocked her inside Aso Rock.
During an interview with BBC Hausa, Aisha explained the circumstances behind the video, saying, “I was the one in that video and this person you see standing at my back are my security personnel.
“It was Fatima, the daughter of Mamman Daura that shot the video in front of my security and everybody there. She was actually recording the whole thing right in front of me and was laughing and mocking me.
“They did that because my husband sacked them from the house. He told them to get all their belongings and leave the house for my son (Yusuf) to occupy.
“I left them and wanted to get to one of the rooms but they prevented me from getting through, I left them and took another way yet I met the store locked.”
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Backstory Behind Aisha Buhari’s Gunfight With Sabiu Yusuf By Farooq A. Kperogi
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24-year-old Not Qualified To Be Commissioner, #NotTooYoungToRun Proponent, Itodo Tells Kwara Governor
Kaosarah Adeyi
One of the proponents of the #NotTooYoungToRun law, Samson Itodo, has faulted the nomination of Kaosarah Adeyi, a 24-year-old University of Ilorin graduate as a commissioner.
Adeyi was among the eight new commissioner nominees sent to the Kwara State House of Assembly on Tuesday for confirmation by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
Kaosarah Adeyi
Thenewsguru.com
She graduated from the Forestry and Wildlife Department, University of Ilorin in 2019, and had her National Youth Service in Oyo state.
The youngest commissioner-designate is a native of Ojuekun-Sarumi Ward in Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State and had served in many capacities, including as a Student Union Vice President in University of Ilorin and recently as a member of the Kwara State Judicial Panel of Enquiry on #EndSARS protest.
She is also the member representing Kwara State on the Northern Governors’ Forum Committee on Youth Engagement, Priorities and Inclusion in Government.
Adeyi and the seven other nominees will be screened by the House on Thursday.
Citing Section 106 of the 1999 amended constitution, Itodo in a Twitter post identified one of the criteria to satisfy to get appointed as a commissioner in any state in Nigeria as 25 years.For the records, the age requirement for being appointed a Commissioner of any state in #Nigeria is 25years. This is based on the #NotTooYoungToRun law which reduced the age criteria for State Assembly from 30 to 25yrs under Section 106 of the 1999 constitution as amended. pic.twitter.com/SJRTYshgfg— #NotTooYoungToRun (@DSamsonItodo) March 23, 2021
President Muhammadu Buhari had in April 2018 signed the #NotTooYoungToRun bill into law.
The amended law reduced the age qualification for president from 40 to 30; governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25.
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Gunman Opens Fire In Colorado Supermarket, Kill 10, Including Police Officer
A gunman opened fire in a Colorado supermarket Monday, killing 10 people including a police officer, authorities said.
One person was taken into custody at the scene in Boulder, where police said there was no ongoing threat to the public.
Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold identified the slain officer as 51-year-old Eric Talley, who had been with the department since 2010. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said Talley’s life was “cut much too short,” and said a “painstaking investigation is already underway.”No other victims were identified. Dougherty said the person in custody was the shooter, CBS news reports.CBS Denver helicopter footage captured authorities escorting a shirtless man in handcuffs who appeared to have a bleeding leg from the scene, but authorities would not confirm if that man is the suspect.Witnesses described a chaotic scene as several loud bangs went off in the store. One man said he first thought someone had dropped something but by the third shot, he said, everyone started running.”I can’t believe it’s happening in Boulder,” he told CBS Denver. Eric Talley’s sister Kirstin took to Twitter Monday night to express her profound grief. Talley, a father of seven, is the Boulder police officer killed in the mass shooting in a supermarket there Monday. Kirstin said, “Officer Eric Talley is my big brother. He died today in the Boulder shooting. My heart is broken. I cannot explain how beautiful he was and what a devastating loss this is to so many. Fly high, my sweet brother. You always wanted to be a pilot (damn color blindness). Soar.The Colorado chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action denounced the Boulder shooting. Both are part of Everytown for Gun Safety, which calls itself the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country.That group’s president, John Feinblatt, called it “absolutely heartbreaking.” “This is yet another in a long string of horrific tragedies, from Boulder today to Atlanta last week to the dozens of more people in the United States who are shot every day, but whose stories do not make the headlines,” he said. “To save lives and end these senseless killings, we need more than thoughts and prayers — we need federal action on gun safety from the Senate and the administration, and we need it now.” Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action said, “We can’t and won’t accept gun violence in our supermarkets to spas to our homes, as just another fact of life. It’s past time for our leaders to act and protect us from gun violence.”And Colorado Moms Demand Action volunteer Nicole LiaBraaten called it “yet another painful reminder of our nation’s urgent gun violence crisis. We should not have to fear for our lives doing something as simple as going to the grocery store. We must work to strengthen our gun laws and protect our communities from tragedies like this.”
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BREAKING: Bandits Currently Attacking Zamfara Community
Armed bandits are currently attacking Farin Ruwa village in Dankurmi District, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
SaharaReporters gathered that the heavily armed bandits came into the village on Tuesday evening, shooting indiscriminately.
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“Bandits are currently attacking our community, shooting at every available object,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
Deadly attacks have raged across Zamfara state where bandits have thrived.
Agrarian communities in the state have long been terrorised by gangs who raid villages, steal cattle and kidnap residents for ransom.
In 2019, the state government signed a peace agreement with the gunmen.
About 15 brand new Hilux vehicles and cash gifts were also given to leaders of different ‘repentant’ gangs of bandits by the governor in 2020.
But despite all these, communities in the state are still being attacked and residents kidnapped and/or killed.
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