Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Friday 2nd July 2021

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Friday 2nd July 2021

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 02/07/21

BREAKING: Nigeria’s Secret Police Declare Igboho Wanted, Parade His ‘Foot Soldiers’, Recover Arms, Charms During Raid

Igboho’s passport

The Department of State Services (DSS) has paraded some supporters of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, who were arrested during a raid on his residence at Soka in Ibadan Oyo State.
The spokesperson for the service, Peter Afunnaya, who addressed journalists on Thursday night in Abuja said the service got intelligence that Ighoho had stockpiled arms in his house.

Igboho’s passport

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He said DSS operatives came under heavy attack by nine men suspected to be his guards with six of them armed with AK- 47 and pump-action rifles.

Nnamdi Kanu Writes British Commission In Nigeria, Demands Full Protection, Unconditional Release As British Citizen

Nnamdi Kanu

The Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has written to the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Catriona Laing, asking that the British authorities file a Diplomatic Note with Nigeria’s Federal High Court indicating Britain’s sovereign interest in his trial as a British citizen.
Kanu, in the letter exclusively obtained SaharaReporters and written by his legal counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, on Thursday, said the British authorities must declare that he is not a criminal but “a person who possesses a political opinion which the Nigerian authorities are seeking to suppress using punishment of some sort.”

Nnamdi Kanu

The IPOB leader was arrested and detained since Sunday with the Department of State Services in Abuja and had been taken to court in chains and handcuffs while his trial was adjourned to July 26.
In a copy of the letter to the UK High Commissioner, made available to SaharaReporters on Thursday night, Ejimakor reiterated that Kanu, being a British citizen, did not travel with a Nigerian passport to Kenya where he was abducted.
Ejimakor, in the letter titled, “Re: Urgent Request for Consular Assistance to OKWU-KANU, Nwannekaenyi Nnamdi Kenny (a British Citizen)”, established legal, political and diplomatic reasons to defend the pro-Biafra secessionist Leader.
He also established that there was no extant order of extradition by any British court that was officially processed to deport Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria. He, therefore, asked the British Government to demand the release of Kanu urgently.
The letter reads, “We are solicitors to the above-named British citizen, on whose behalf and Instruction we write this letter to request urgent Consular assistance to him. Mr. Okwu-Kanu (aka Nnamdi Kanu) is the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Director of Radio Biafra, both of which are corporate citizens of the United Kingdom.
“Mr. Kanu resides in the United Kingdom, from which soil he departed on an overseas trip on or about June 19, 2021, on a British Passport No: 556543086 (copy of biographic page attached herewith).
“We are reliably informed that while he was on said overseas travel, he was intercepted in Kenya by Nigeria’s foreign security agents and brought to Nigeria against his will on or about June 27, 2021, and ‘arraigned’ before the Federal High Court in Abuja without the benefit of Counsel on June 29, 2031. Currently, he is being detained in the Directorate of State Security Services (DSS) custody in Abuja.
“Your Excellency, permit us to point to a few legal, political and diplomatic issues that have been implicated in this matter. They are;
“Mr Kanu is a British citizen travelling on a valid British passport when he was seized in a third country and forcibly brought to Nigeria. Such an act constitutes an unlawful rendition of a bonafide British citizen.
“He was not travelling on Nigerian passport or the passport of any other country, including that of Kenya. There is no extant Order of extradition by any British Court or any other foreign Court (including Kenya) and we are informed that no pending extradition proceedings are standing against him in Britain or Kenya.
“There is no deportation Order by any Kenyan Court or other authority that made him subject to deportation. But if there was, the country of his deportation should have been Britain on which passport he was travelling. Deporting him to Nigeria just because he was born in Nigeria, but not travelling on her passport, is unlawful under international law.
“The enterprise upon which Mr Kanu is engaged, which is: seeking the restoration of the defunct State of Biafra through a referendum is a protected political opinion (i.e. self-determination) under British and Nigerian Laws, where it is enacted at CAP A9, Article 20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
“In our view, the manner of his interception and forcible deportation to Nigeria is extra-legal and does not comport with the pertinent international laws and treaties to which Nigeria is subject.”
Ejimakor also asked the British authorities to view Kanu as a political prisoner entitled to a set of political opinions and not a criminal.
“Based on the foregoing, we hereby make the following Prayers; That Mr Kanu be granted every possible Consular assistance to which he is entitled as a British citizen; that Mr Kanu be categorized as a high profile political prisoner or a prisoner of conscience and be thus rendered the highest diplomatic protection under municipal and international laws.
“That the Nigerian authorities be prevailed upon to immediately allow access to Mr Kanu by his Lawyers, Doctors and Family members.
“That the Nigerian authorities be prevailed upon to immediately avail Mr Kanu the opportunity of being taken to any hospital of his choice for medical examination.
“That the British authorities file a Diplomatic Note or other legal processes with Nigeria’s Federal High Court and the Office of the Attorney General of Nigeria indicating her sovereign interest in Mr Kanu’s matter.
“That the British authorities declare that Mr Kanu is not a criminal but a person who possesses a political opinion the Nigerian authorities seek to suppress using punishment of some sort.
“That the British authorities urgently demand the unconditional release of Mr Kanu from detention. While we await your urgent and most favourable considerations of our Prayers, please be assured of our highest esteem for Your Excellency, the High Commission and the British Government,” the letter added.
DOCUMENT: Nnamdi Kanu – Consular Letter by Sahara Reporters on Scribd

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BREAKING: Department Of State Services Confirms Killing Sunday Igboho’s Aides, Asks Him To Report To Nearest Police Station

The Department of State Services (DSS) has confirmed that the joint security operatives killed two allies of Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo popularly called Sunday Igboho during an invasion of his residence in Ibadan, Oyo state.
Briefing newsmen on the operation on Thursday night, DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya urged Igboho to report himself to the nearest police station.

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He said no one is above the law of the land, while adding that those apprehended at his residence would be charged to court.
The secret police also paraded no fewer than 12 suspects arrested during the joint operation.

Some of the items allegedly carted away from his house include passports, charms, guns and dollars.

SaharaReporters had reported how Ighoho’s house in the Soka area of Ibadan, Oyo state was attacked around 1am on Thursday.
At least 10 vehicles belonging to the self-styled activist, including his G-wagon, Prado SUVs, and valuable properties, furniture, and windows were destroyed.
Bullet holes were also seen on the buildings in the compound by our correspondent while blood was on the floor.

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One Killed, Many Injured As Gunmen Rob Bank In Ekiti

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A policeman has been reportedly shot dead and many people injured as a new generation bank was robbed in Otun-Ekiti, the headquarters of Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State on Thursday evening around 5:30 pm.
SaharaReporters gathered that an unspecified amount of money was carted away as the robbers shot into the air to scare people while they blew open the entrance door with dynamite.

File Photo

Confirming the incident was the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti State Command, ASP Sunday Abutu, who disclosed that the robbers attacked the bank with dynamite.
The men of the command and military personnel attached to the area engaged the robbers in a gun duel which he said resulted into the loss of the policeman, Abutu noted.
“There was a bank robbery incident today in Otun-Ekiti and in the process of shootout between our men and armed robbers, we unfortunately lost one of our men.
“The commissioner of police, Tunde Mobayo, has ordered a discrete investigation into the incident towards ensuring the armed robbers are arrested and brought to justice,” he said.

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Nnamdi Kanu’s Re-Arrest: Let the Law Take Its Course By Pelumi Olajengbesi Esq.

Nnamdi Kanu

There have been three distinct reactions to the sudden re-arrest of the Leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by Interpol working in conjunction with Nigerian Intelligence outfits.
Typically, there are his die-hard and closet supporters who have gotten over the initial shock of waking up to see pictures of the ‘Supreme Leader’ clad paradoxically in Fendi with crude police cuffs linking his shackled hands, and who have now taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with differing levels of gusto and animosity towards President Buhari and his Federal Government. This group are adamant that Mazi Kanu is a victim of Buhari’s targeted assault and ethno-religious belligerence against the Igbos. Not only do they fault the enigmatic secessionist leader’s re-arrest but query its relevance to solving the Nigerian security challenge which remain unresolved despite the government’s apparent glee in having apprehended the IPOB leader.
The second group are a curious mix of mostly northern groups and acclaimed south-eastern elites who have equally taken to social media to register their pleasure with the government’s successful apprehension of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to continue his legal trial from which he had ceremonious escaped some few years ago. This is simply stating the deductive fact from reactions that can be glimpsed online and offline.

Nnamdi Kanu

The third group are the legalist and moralist, being those who are patently curious about the nature of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s re-arrest, especially whether said extradition met, on all fours, the requirement of international protocols for same or if this processes were circumvented in a manner that invokes the Umar Dikko abduction of the ‘80’s. Was he apprehended by his host country and handed over to the Nigerian government, or was he trailed, abducted and crated back to the shores of Nigeria? Not a few believe that unravelling the manner of his arrest will reveal the government’s latent intent; to act within the boundaries of the law in its criminal claims against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or to prosecute with malice aforethought to a predetermined end.
What I have done above is a lose but broad categorization of the reactions that have trailed Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s re-arrest and arraignment before the court to answer to the government’s charges against his person. While it suffices to read the room, it is hardly exhaustive. There is the non-categorized group who are spinning the crystal balls and scrying for portends to demystify what the re-arrest of Mazi Kanu means for the fragile unity of Nigeria especially in light of the country’s chequered history with the region where he draws his most support. How would his loyalist react? What is the ripple effect on his strain of agitation for the State of Biafra, and how does this bear on the potential of an ideology that is at least 50 years old and which courses through the vein of even the most passive Igbo men and women? We shall see.
As a legal practitioner, and one with an earnest interest in the form of justice which isn’t just done but is manifestly seen to be done, I would like to caution the Nigerian government through its prosecutors and, respectfully also implore the Court not to lend itself to external influence nor considerations that are malicious in intent and against due process. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, hate or like him, reserves the right to the presumption of innocence that is the bedrock of our criminal judicial processes and as such must be treated with requisite dignity while the matter against him tarries before the court.
Also, extra precautions must be taken to safeguard his life and care for his health while in prison as his death while in federal detention would be a fatal slip by the government. While his methods and utterances at certain times have been unsavoury, he indeed represents, some would say in questionable fashion, the shared ideology and ambition of one of Nigeria’s major and strategic ethnic group. The Biafran agitation, to risk a take, is indeed more than a dot on an ideological map. It is a protest against perceived non-inclusivity, targeted discrimination and oppression.
I advise the Nigerian government to proceed with wisdom and caution not just in its prosecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu but in dealing with the tireless agitation of secessionist south-easterners that have metastasised into a pro-national fervour with adherents with similar group ambition such as in Yorubaland (Oduduwa Republic), South-South (Ibom Republic & the Niger Delta Nation) and tentatively in the Middle-Belt region, too.
Pelumi Olajengbesi, Esq is a Legal Practitioner and the Principal Partner at LAW CORRIDOR. Lawcorridor@gmail.com

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Niger Assembly Passes Death Sentence Law For Kidnappers, Cattle Rustlers

Niger State House of Assembly

A bill prescribing a death penalty for informants, kidnappers and cattle rustlers has been passed into law by the Niger State House of Assembly.
The bill was passed into law in Minna, the Niger State Capital, during the plenary on Tuesday.

Niger State House of Assembly

Titled ‘A Bill for Law to Amend Kidnapping and Cattle Rustling (Special Provision) law 2021’, prescribed death sentence by hanging in public to informants.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Security, Intelligence and Judicial Matters, Jibrin Baba, noted the committee convened a public hearing to derive opinions from key players on security management.
He said the public hearing was to create public awareness about the proposed amendment to the law on kidnapping and cattle rustling in the state, Tribune reports.
Baba however stated that after the public hearing, the committee carefully studied the proposed amendment and came up with the following findings:
That the bill seeks to address the challenges of informant and its penalty which was not provided in the principal law.
That lack of provision to deal with informants in the law, intelligent information is being held for fear of safety, lack of evidence or provision to prosecute the culprit in the court of law.
That activities of informants have helped bandits in small measure to perpetuate their nefarious activities unabated.
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Bawa Wise, while responding, said the bill shall come into operation on June 29, 2021.

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E2%80%94-matsanga-kenyan-ugandan-journalist Why I Had Nothing To Do With Nnamdi Kanu’s Abduction From Kenya — Matsanga, Kenyan-Ugandan Journalist

A Kenyan-Ugandan journalist, David Matsanga, has debunked claims online that he aided the repatriation of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to Nigeria.
He stated this in a live video on his online Television, Africa World Media.

Kanu was reportedly arrested in Kenya and brought to Nigeria. He was taken before the Federal High Court in Abuja for a continuation of his trial on charges bordering on terrorism, treasonable felony, unlawful possession of firearms and management of an unlawful society.
Matsanga, in the video, said there have been allegations he aided the Nigerian government in Kanu’s arrest, citing Kanu’s interview with the African World Media.
He debunked this claim stating he had no ties with the Nigerian government or any other country’s government.
He said, “This morning, my attention has been drawn on the propaganda that is circulating on social media originating from Nigeria and from cohorts of the government of Nigeria talking about abduction, interception, kidnap by Nigerian security agencies together with international agencies of Nnamdi Kanu who was interviewed by our television station almost two months ago on 21st of May, 2021.
“And as a result of the propaganda churned by the (President Muhammadu) Buhari regime that Mr Nnamdi Kanu was abducted or taken from Kenya, I don’t speak for the government of the Republic of Kenya neither do I work for the government of Kenya. I run a media outlet online that works for Africa neither do I work for any government in Africa regarding activities that can …to be a conspiracy theory.
“We did not approach Mr Nnamdi Kanu for an interview, Nnamdi Kanu through his representatives in Australia approached me, telephoned my television station sometime in May, asking for Mr Nnamdi Kanu to be interviewed on our television station.
“My television station has been voluntarily and I repeat, voluntarily defending the people of Biafra, the people of Ambazonia from the forces that have oppressed them in Africa. Our TV station does not harbour any conspiracy theory, especially from myself regarding the suffering of the people of Ambazonia and the people of Biafra.
“We took interest in the Biafran issue and the Southeastern Nigerian issue because of the millions of videos that were sent to us as an online broadcasting institution.
“Nnamdi Kanu is able to say and I want to repeat, is able to say where who, how he was able to be arrested by Nigerian and other international Agents. If Nnamdi Kanu, who is still alive in a prison in Abuja, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will point a finger at our station or anybody working with my station or myself, I ask God to take me that day. When Mr Nnamdi Kanu says he ever talked to Dr Matsanga ever since 21st when we last had our interview.
“I want to make it categorically clear that abduction, seduction, kidnap of Kanu will not deter my television station from talking about the ill-treatment, human rights abuses, the poor treatment of the people of Biafra. I am not a Nigerian, I am not a Biafran, I am not paid by any Nigerian to speak my mind. I am a trained, highly trained journalist, investigative journalist worldwide.
“I have worked with a reputable organisation like Sky news, therefore I don’t engage myself in activities of the Buhari type of regime. Thank you very much.”

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E2%80%99s-arrest Biafra Groups Vow To Attack Aso Rock, National Assembly, Kidnap Buratai Over Kanu’s Arrest

Secessionist groups, the Biafra Think Tank, and The Biafra Watchdogs, have threatened to attack the Nigerian National Assembly complex, the Presidential Villa, the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, among others, over the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The groups also threatened to kidnap all the ambassadors of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, including the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Yusuf Burutai (retd.) and keep them hostage until Kanu is released.

The groups in a statement made available to Daily Post on Thursday stated these.
The statement partly reads, “Every landlord in Biafra land must send the names, phone numbers, pictures if possible, address of any police officers, army, DSS (Department of State Services), EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) and the military men living in their houses.
“We shall inform the public and the country and airlines that gave out our leader, Kanu’s details and ensure that the staff, plane, and the country pays dearly or we will give their own countryJihadists or ISIS useful information to attack their government complex.
“Today we have agreed and decided to kidnap all the ambassadors of Buhari government, including Buratai and keep them hostage till they release Nnamdi Kanu and until Buhari signs and declares Biafra.
“We hereby summon all the Biafran sons and daughters working in the diaspora to attend an important meeting in the United States of America.
“If Buhari refuses to release Nnamdi Kanu within 21 days from now, we shall attack the National Assembly, Aso Rock, Police Headquarters, Nigeria Army Headquarters, etc.”
Kanu, who was arrested, in Kenya at the weekend, was taken to court on Tuesday and is currently being detained at the Department of State Services, DSS.

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E2%80%99s-ongoing-constitutional-review-dead-arrival-praise-ohwofasa Why Nigeria’s Ongoing Constitutional Review Is Dead On Arrival By Praise Ohwofasa

The flag-off of a constitutional review exercise across the country has sparked reactions and debates from Nigerians. The plethora of insecurity, nepotism, poverty, social inequalities and ethnic bigotry in the Nigerian polity prompted the urgent need for a constitutional review.
The constitutional review was to be geared towards repairing the existing lacuna in the constitution. This was seen as a welcome development as it would act as a panacea to the country’s challenges.

It seemed the appeal for a constitutional overhauling from Nigerians including some elders statesmen across the nation has finally yielded results but it has been observed it is nothing but a humiliating defeat from the country’s political elites.
As a keen political observer and analyst and in reaction to the statement of the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo Agege, who stated that “we don’t have the power to repeal or amend the constitution”, I put this pen to paper.
The assertion from the DSP did not only sadden my heart but made me conclude that the constitutional review exercise was already going to be dead on arrival.
As a historian, I know that lawmakers are key players in the constitutional review of a country and the National Assembly of Nigeria is not excluded from this task.
However, other organs of government like the executives, the judiciary and as well the masses can also champion this course.
In advanced countries, absolute power lies with the masses but the reverse is the case in Nigeria, where the ruling elites consider the masses as inept, unfit and are in urgent need of psychological guidance.
The current constitution should be amended to suit the country’s challenges. But among the many political stakeholders across the country, there are already doubts about the envisaged outcome of this exercise.
Indeed the constitutional review exercise is still ongoing but one can conclude that it is going to be a mere National exercise and a political discussion that would dominate Nigeria’s political headlines for a while.
But if we desire to achieve the envisaged outcomes, the current constitution should be overhauled.

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E2%80%99s-wife-others-abducted-during-invasion-his-ibadan-house-released-ekiti%E2%80%94-aide Igboho’s Wife, Others Abducted During Invasion Of His Ibadan House Released In Ekiti— Aide

The wife of Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, and others abducted by some gunmen in military uniform who attacked his house in the early hours of Thursday have been released.
According to the media aide to the activist, Dapo Salami, the abducted victims were released by the gunmen in Ekiti state.

“Yes, they have been released. It’s true. They were found in Ekiti,” Salami told SaharaReporters.
One of the victims however claimed they were given N20,000 to board vehicles to Ibadan.

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Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Friday 2nd July 2021

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Friday 2nd July 2021

BREAKING: Nigeria’s Secret Police Declare Igboho Wanted, Parade His ‘Foot Soldiers’, Recover Arms, Charms During Raid

Nnamdi Kanu Writes British Commission In Nigeria, Demands Full Protection, Unconditional Release As British Citizen

BREAKING: Department Of State Services Confirms Killing Sunday Igboho’s Aides, Asks Him To Report To Nearest Police Station

One Killed, Many Injured As Gunmen Rob Bank In Ekiti

Nnamdi Kanu’s Re-Arrest: Let the Law Take Its Course By Pelumi Olajengbesi Esq.

Niger Assembly Passes Death Sentence Law For Kidnappers, Cattle Rustlers

E2%80%94-matsanga-kenyan-ugandan-journalist Why I Had Nothing To Do With Nnamdi Kanu’s Abduction From Kenya — Matsanga, Kenyan-Ugandan Journalist

E2%80%99s-arrest Biafra Groups Vow To Attack Aso Rock, National Assembly, Kidnap Buratai Over Kanu’s Arrest

E2%80%99s-ongoing-constitutional-review-dead-arrival-praise-ohwofasa Why Nigeria’s Ongoing Constitutional Review Is Dead On Arrival By Praise Ohwofasa

E2%80%99s-wife-others-abducted-during-invasion-his-ibadan-house-released-ekiti%E2%80%94-aide Igboho’s Wife, Others Abducted During Invasion Of His Ibadan House Released In Ekiti— Aide