Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Sunday 15th August 2021
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 15/08/21
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Nigeria: From Civilization To Barbarism, By Bayo Oluwasanmi
To be human is to be civilized. Those who behave inhumanly are called uncivilized or barbarians. From Sanni Abacha to Ibrahim Babangida to Muhammadu Buhari, the way Nigeria was ruled and being ruled it is evident that our civilization has been uprooted.
Their style of governance lacks cultivation of good habits, fine taste, and rationality. The northerners have rejected reason, dialogue, and communication, the bond that holds humanity together. Communication, discussion, and reason join people in a natural fellowship that lead to understanding between different people. They have stubbornly refused proffered solutions that would lead to a true federalism. The bond that should have held Nigeria together as one diverse country has been thrown into the lagoon.
Like I argued in one of my columns that whenever a northerner/Fulani is president, Nigeria is always plunged into dictatorship and anarchy. Remember the days of Abacha and Babangida? Take a look at the political and socioeconomic landscape of today’s Nigeria under a northerner. What did you see? A country turned into a slaughter field. A country turned into a safe haven for terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and armed robbers. It is being kind to say that the regimes of Sanni Abacha, Ibrahim Babangida, and Muhammadu Buhari brought unprecedented ancient evils upon Nigeria.
Oppression and anarchy form permanent features of their tyrannical regimes. Think of the violence, and killings in Yoruba land perpetrated by Fulanis. They go about plundering Yoruba land, killing, rapping, and kidnapping our people. They destroyed our lives and livelihoods. History tells us Fulanis are foreigners in Nigeria. They have no place of origin. They have no homeland of their own. They roam about from Senegal to Sudan, from Sudan to the Sahel, from Yemen to Yenogoa, from Conakry to Cameroon, from Cameroon to Calabar, from Lavun to Lagos. The acts of terrorism, lawlessness, violence, injustice, ethnic cleansing under Buhari have plunged Nigeria into the age of barbarism.
As John Adams warned us: “Those already civilized may once again become ferocious, barbarous, and brutal.” Indeed, civilized Nigerians have become “ferocious, barbarous, and brutal.” Which is why many unthinkable evils take place in Nigeria today. We have no peace. No one and no place is safe. The judiciary is on permanent vacation. Justice is not affordable, not accessible, and of course not obtainable by the poor. The country is disorganized, chaotic, unpredictable, full of different predators of different shapes and sizes!
Our free press has become a fraught press. Because of insecurity in the land, we have become prisoners in our own homes. We can’t go anywhere without being rapped, kidnapped, robbed or killed. We have become refugees in own country. Our morals, values, decency, and humanity are under attack. Brutality, cruelty, sadism, are the trademarks of the ruling class. How long shall we continue to tolerate savagery and barbarism? How long shall we subject and submit ourselves to animal cruelty? How long shall we continue to live with these ancient evils? We are at the abyss. What next? Where next?
bjoluwasanmi@gmail.com
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REVEALED: How National Youth Service Doctors Attended To Late Northern Statesman, Ahmed Joda Due To Resident Doctors’ Strike
The northern elder statesman, Ahmed Joda, who was rushed to the Federal Medical Center, Yola, Adamawa State, on Friday died after a surgical operation, SaharaReporters can report.
SaharaReporters learnt that Joda, who died at a time the National Association of Resident Doctors is on an industrial action, was attended to by doctors from the National Youth Service Corps and a few consultants who were the only ones on duty.
He was reported to have been admitted and operated upon last Monday for an undisclosed ailment, according to Adamu Muhammad Dodo, the Head of Information and Media Relations, at the FMC, Yola.
In the same week, President Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Tinubu, both leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), were in the United Kingdom seeking medical services.
However, Dodo told SaharaReporters that the hospital did not shut down despite the doctors’ strike, but many services were affected.
He confirmed that healthcare service delivery in the hospital usually suffered a setback whenever any branch of the medical professional services was lacking.
He said, “Healthcare service is normally affected when any of the professional groups down tools in a hospital setting, as it will translate to constraint in a given service window.
“The scenario is summarily the experience with the current industrial action embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors.
“A service window is affected; this has led to what you have observed as skeletal services being rendered in the hospital. Note that NARD is only a category of medical doctors. Therefore, not all doctors in the hospital are on strike; there are doctors from the ranks of Principal Medical Officers (PMO) and above, the Consultants and the NYSC doctors are trying as much as possible to attend to the patients on ground.
“It is only that the workload is overwhelming on those who will also have to cover the duties of the striking doctors.
“It isn’t true that the hospital is completely shut down as it’s being speculated. You’ve gone round; you’ve seen it yourself.”
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Gunshots At Osun APC Meeting As Hoodlums Loyal To Governor, Minister Clash
There was pandemonium at the Osun State secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, on Saturday, as party members and hoodlums loyal to Governor Gboyega Oyetola and the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, clashed at a meeting.
The meeting was the sitting of the Ward Congress Appeal Committee in Osogbo, the state capital.
Gunshots were heard leading to tension after members stormed the venue to submit petitions on Saturday morning.
According to reports, supporters of the governor and the minister clashed during the exercise, leaving one member, identified as Muyideen Ajetunmobi, with head injuries.
However, heavily armed security operatives were forced to intervene as they rescued some members of the Appeal Committee from the building.
The Nation reports that some of the committee members were still held up in the office.
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Another Chibok Schoolgirl Returns Home, Surrenders To Nigerian Army
Chibok girls in captivity
The Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has received another Chibok schoolgirl who presented herself to the Nigerian Army.
The young woman, Hassana Adamu and her two children, were handed over to Zulum by the Commander, 26 Taskforce Brigade, Brigadier General DR Dantani.
Chibok girls in captivity
Zulum received the young girl at Gwoza from where he moved to Bama, undertaking humanitarian activities. He had just returned from northern Borno where he spent five days on humanitarian interventions.
Hassana was among the over 200 abducted by Boko Haram insurgents seven years ago.
On April 14, 2014, Boko Haram fighters invaded the Borno school and whisked away no fewer than 270 students.
It can be recalled that another victim, Ruth Ngladar Pogu and a man said to be her husband had presented themselves to the Nigerian Army on July 28, 2021, at a location in Bama.
SaharaReporters had reported that Ruth, alongside her husband, a Boko Haram-ISWAP terrorist, surrendered themselves to the Nigerian troop at a location in Bama.
Zulum’s spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau, in a statement, had said the governor received the Chibok schoolgirl at the Government House on Saturday in the presence of overwhelmed parents who reunited with her.
“I am extremely excited both as Borno’s Governor and father of all sons and daughters of the state, and also as a father to daughters. I know the feeling of families of those still under captivity but we have to remain hopeful especially with today’s development,” the governor was quoted as saying.
The Chairman of the Chibok Girls Movement, an association of all affected parents, Yakubu Keki, had expressed joy over the return of Ruth.
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Nigerians In UAE Lament Inability To Renew Labour Visa, Demand Government’s Intervention
Nigerians in the United Arab Emirates have complained of their inability to renew their labour visas in the country.
One of the affected Nigerians, who reached out to SaharaReporters, explained that the ban by the UAE government on Nigerian work permits resulted in the loss of jobs of many Nigerians in the country while others had been forced to return to Nigeria.
He stated further that it was now a difficult task for him and other Nigerian nationals to secure jobs in the country as he lamented that the non-renewal of labour visa was about to earn him a dismissal from his company.
He urged the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, to come to the rescue of Nigerians in UAE as the Nigerian Embassy was yet to make serious intervention ino the matter.
He explained that the majority of the companies in the country operated under labour visas for immigrants while a few others operated in a “free zone.”
According to him, those in the free zone were currently renewing their visa while those under labour were currently having a challenge.
He said, “We (Nigerians) have been denied work permits here in Dubai since last month. And this is affecting many Nigerians here in UAE. We are not able to renew our work permits once the ones we hold expire.
“The company I have been working for since 2015, that has been compensating me well, has sent me a letter that due to the inability to renew my visa, my appointment will be terminated on August 21, 2021, so that they won’t be implicated in legal matters. I have been working for this company since 2015.
“I am not the only one facing this problem. Many Nigerians at the company I work for and in other places are experiencing this; we are about 20 Nigerians at this company. Some have been out of jobs and considering this is not their country, they have returned to Nigeria. More Nigerians will still be sent back to Nigeria as long as this issue persists.
“Most companies here are under labour and it is not possible to renew the Nigerians labour visas for now. It is only free zone visas that are being renewed and this free zone visa is only issued to a few persons.
“Another thing is, it is difficult to secure jobs here in Dubai because of the high level of crimes our guys have committed here.
”But those of us who are working legally have had issues with renewing our passport. Please help us call on the NIDCOM Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, to come to our aid.”
A group representing the interest of Nigerians in the country, Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, UAE, also revealed plans to start an online protest to register the displeasure of those affected by this.
A post on the Facebook page read, “The Nigeria government should rescue her citizens languishing and frustrated in UAE due to long impasse between the two countries. #RescueNigeriansInUAE #EndTheLongImpasse #StrengthenLaborTies
“We have made submissions and forwarded to the respective Authorities for their perusal. But we wish to second it more with online protests.”
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#ENDSARS: Man Petitions Ogun Judicial Panel After Policemen Beat Him With Iron Rods, Sledge Hammers
A young man has petitioned the Chairman, Judicial Panel of Investigation in Ogun State seeking justice over the inhumane treatment meted out to him by officials of the banned Special Anti-Robbery Squad at Magbon area.
He noted that he was arrested by the defunct SARS officers on the request of a man who slept with his (the victim’s) wife with charms.
He alleged that the officers broke his leg, amid series of torture he was subjected to for 11 days.
According to him, officers tortured detainees with sledgehammers of various sizes, iron rods among others forcing untrue confessions from suspects.
He said he was tortured to the point that he confessed to a crime he knew nothing about and named other people so as to escape the pain.
His petition read, “On June 2, 2020, at about 02:17am, my wife called and told me some unknown fully armed, huge men burst our house looking for me as they searched and scattered everywhere in the house while I was on night duty in Sagamu as a fire service official.
“When I came back from work, I tried to find out who they could’ve been but there was no means of identification as they didn’t disclose where they came from to my wife whom they met naked in the house after they broke the door to the room in order to gain access to our house.
“I didn’t hear anything from them until June 14 when someone who was supposed to be an accused turned to the complainant and brought SARS to arrest me having claimed I was threatening to kill him; that I was a cultist.
“The man called Seun Akinwande slept with my wife and asked my wife to connive with him so they could kill my daughter to make money and so that they could marry. I confronted him with this on Whatsapp and physically. He was the one who paid SARS N170,000 to deal with me.
“SARS officials took me to my rented apartment, searched and scattered everywhere in my house as they were asking where I kept my gun, and I told them I didn’t have any gun. They collected my phone but when they didn’t see anything, they began to threaten they would kill me.
“Whereas, the person who complained to them is the adulterer who has been taking advantage of my wife with the influence of God-knows-what because according to my wife, whatever happened between them is like a dream.
“They handcuffed me and took me to Ayetoro Police Station. One of them beat me with an iron rod but after some minutes they drove me to Magbon, Abeokuta, on our way, one of the officers that took me to Abeokuta asked me to open my phone which I did, he heard the confession voice notes of my wife but he said the voice notes were nothing, we got there at about 12am in the midnight. They dropped me and put me to cell and drove off to Ayetoro immediately.
“They began asking me questions like; where’s your gun? Who killed that man in the video? Are you a cultist? All sorts of questions but when I told them I had nothing doing with all those things, then they began to give me serious torture using sledge hammers, different types of iron rods to the extent that I was just managing to talk.”
The victim said he became so weak that he was bleeding from many parts of his body.
“After I was tortured for about two hours and 45 minutes and I began to lie against myself and my immediate brother, mentioning names that came to my mind because I never wanted to die. Then I fainted, so they just called two guys from the cell to carry me inside. That was where they used my hand for thumbprint in the statement they wrote when they were torturing me.
“So my family later found out that I was taken to Magbon; my sister and my wife came on the 18th but they told them to go and bring N300,000 for my bail. After that, what I noticed was they didn’t allow anybody to see me again. Since the day my sister came, maybe because I was too wounded to be seen the way I was, because my left leg is almost condemned, my sister and wife who saw me were crying uncontrollably.
“In fact as I write this, I am still nursing something unknown in the leg, my chest and my back. So, after a long time of negotiations, they later collected N100,000 from my sister, even apart from the money for bail, their second-in-command collected money personally from my sister.
“I was released on Friday, June 26, 2020. Meanwhile I was arrested June 14. I landed in the hospital for treatment the second day that I was released and I spent six days in the hospital. The pictures I took after I was released are still with me; my wife’s confession records are with me too. The man gave her juju poison to put in my food to kill me so that she would be his and they would then use my daughter for money ritual.
“Magbon was hell on earth and Muhammed Tijani was the devil and chief executioner. They didn’t care about the truth, they always went for the highest bidders, and the least money they collect for bail was N50,000. The place where they tortured me as I heard from those I met in the cell was where they do their killings anytime there was a victim. And I must note that I was chained and handcuffed while they tortured me.
“When I was released, they didn’t release my ring, shoes, money and my necklace. Even my phone was released the seventh day after I was released. I had to come back for my phone. I strongly plead for justice,” he added.
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E2%80%93-unicef-reacts-deaths-borno-children North-East Kids Can Mistake Grenades For Toys – UNICEF Reacts To Deaths Of Borno Children
UNICEF
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund has condemned the deaths of some children in Borno State, North-East Nigeria, who were reportedly killed by explosive devices.
SaharaReporters had on Friday reported that some children were killed on Thursday while playing with a disused grenade outside Ngala community, a town that shares the border with Cameroon.
UNICEF
UNICEF, in a statement on Saturday, said the death of the children was unavoidable as it stressed that children should not be victims of conflicts they never started.
The body stated that children remain direct and indirect targets of the conflicts in northeast Nigeria as it called on all sides to the ongoing conflict to ensure the protection of children and prioritise their wellbeing at all times.
The statement reads, “The avoidable deaths of the children – as young as 12 years – who were playing on Mblu Bridge in Ngala, is yet another sad reminder that children remain direct and indirect targets of the protracted conflict wrecking North-East Nigeria. While three children have sadly lost their lives, three others are in critical conditions while two other children sustained mild injuries.
“In 12 years of protracted conflict in the north-east, thousands of children in the region have been killed, maimed, abducted, displaced, and experienced multiple violations of their human rights. UNICEF is deeply worried that conflict-affected children continue to be casualties of war.”
Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria Representative added, “First of all, we extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathy to the families of the children killed. No family should have to go through this – and no child should fall victim to unexploded remnants of war while playing.
“Children are at particular risk from unexploded ordnance, which are small enough to pick up or kick around, and which children can mistake for toys or objects of value. Such weapons account for over half of those killed or injured by landmines and other explosive remnants of war globally.
“These deaths are unacceptable. All sides to the ongoing conflict must protect children and prioritise their wellbeing at all times. Playing fields, schoolyards and communities must be safe and habitable for children.
“Children’s lives should not be at stake in a conflict they didn’t start. We must address the shrinking safe spaces for children and ensure that children – especially those already affected by conflict – are protected and have a chance to survive and fulfil their potential.”
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E2%80%99s-labour-minister-ngige-drags-striking-doctors-court Nigeria’s Labour Minister, Ngige Drags Striking Doctors To Court
The Federal Government has dragged the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria over the ongoing industrial strike action.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, disclosed this on Friday in a letter addressed to NARD and the Federal Ministry of Health.
The minister had given the NARD leadership till the end of work on August 11 to convene a virtual meeting of its National Executive Committee to brief its members on the efforts of government with a view to calling off its strike.
“Whereas trade dispute has arisen and now exists between NARD and the Federal Ministry of Health/Federal Government and whereas efforts to promote settlement through conciliation were ongoing but had now failed.
“Considering the facts that members of NARD who are classified as essential services workers/employees had embarked on strike on August 2, over the issues under conciliation.
“Contrary to the provisions of Section 18 of the Trade Disputes Act CAP T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004, after attending a Conciliation and Agreement Review meeting on July 22.
“Further considering that the Federal Ministry of Health claims to have and produced evidence to have met most of their demands based on the various Memorandum of Action reached during past conciliations, especially that of July 22.
“Now therefore, I, Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 17 of the Trades Disputes Act , CAP T8 laws of the Federation of Nigeria.
“‘I, hereby refer the matter for consideration, and the issues in dispute to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria for adjudication,” he said.
LABOR/WORKERS’ RIGHTS
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E2%80%99s-sit-home-order-%E2%80%94-ipob Why We Suspended Monday’s Sit-at-home Order — IPOB
File photo used to illustrate story.
The Indigenous People of Biafra has explained why it suspended the weekly sit-at-home order in the South-East states which it earlier instructed.
The secessionist group had announced a total lockdown of social and economic activities every Monday starting from August 9 in the South-East region of the country.
File photo used to illustrate story.
According to the group, the sit-at-home protest had been planned to be observed weekly to demand the freedom of its incarcerated leader, Nnamdi Kanu who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services for over a month.
However, speaking on Radio Biafra, IPOB’s executive, Chika Edoziem, announced the suspension of the action.
Edoziem said the sit-at-home would be declared whenever Kanu would be making appearance in court and not every Monday as earlier directed.
Reacting, the group’s media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, explained that the suspension was a directive from the leader, Kanu.
He said the group had taken into cognizance the concerns expressed by Biafrans all over the world over the suspension of the sit-at-home directive.
He, however, stated that should there be another directive from the group’s highest command requiring a reactivation of the suspended weekly sit-at-home, there would be no hesitation to lift the suspension.
The statement reads, “The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) understands the concerns being expressed by the global IPOB family on the suspension of the weekly sit-at-home earlier announced by the IPOB Head of Directorate of State of the Indigenous people of Biafra.
“We know that our people embraced this civil action wholeheartedly and without any compulsion. The leadership sincerely appreciate the innate desire of Biafrans to sacrifice their time, resources and energy in ensuring that our leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is released unconditionally from the illegal custody of the Nigerian State who criminally gave him away from Kenya to Nigeria.
“The suspension of the sit-at-home by the IPOB Head of Directorate was as a result of a direct order from the leader of this great movement, Nnamdi Kanu.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that one of the major fundamental guiding principles of IPOB is command and control. This simply means that all commands from the supreme leader of IPOB will be obeyed and implemented to the latter by the Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
“Bearing in mind therefore that this principle has enabled this movement to surpass even the expectations of both Biafrans and non-Biafrans alike, the leadership wishes to encourage Biafran to focus on the most pressing issue confronting this great family presently which is ensuring the safety of our leader while still in the illegal custody of the DSS and to secure his unconditional release from detention.
“In accordance with the directive from our leader, our sit-at-home will in the meantime be observed on the date of our leader’s court appearances.
“The lPOB leadership urges Biafrans worldwide to take note of the next court appearance of our leader which is the 21st of October 2021.
“Any other information regarding Sit-At-Home in Biafraland not emanating from IPOB through our main channels of information dissemination should be disregarded. The Nigeria government should heed now to the voice of reason coming from within Nigeria and from outside the shores of Nigeria to unconditionally free our leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and announce a date for Biafra referendum or plebiscite where our people will choose where they wish to be long before it is too late.”
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Bandits Kill Eight Farmers In Fresh Attacks On Southern Kaduna
At least eight farmers have been killed in Buruku and Udaw?a villages of Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The victims, it was gathered, were attacked while working on their farmland, Daily Trust reports.
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Both Buruku and Udawa are located along Kaduna-Birnin Gwari highway and have been under bandits’ invasion.
A resident of the area and a community leader, Muhammed Umar, confirmed the attacks on Saturday.
“Five farmers were killed in Buruku while three were killed in Udawa. We are tired of burying our men daily. We need help,” he said.
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