Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Wednesday 4th May 2022
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 04/05/22
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PHOTONEWS: Nigeria’s Corruption-riddled Attorney-General Malami Launches New Hotel Few Days After Being Exposed For Distributing Multi-billion Naira Vehicles As Bribes To APC Party Officials In Kebbi
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Nigeria’s Attorney-General Abubakar Malami Under Fire For Distributing Multi-billion Naira Vehicles To Ruling APC Supporters
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Nigeria’s Attorney-General Abubakar Malami Under Fire For Distributing Multi-billion Naira Vehicles To Ruling APC Supporters
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Aggrieved Anti-Narcotics Agency, NDLEA Officers Seek Nigerian Attorney-General’s Intervention Over 12 Years’ Delay In Promotion
No fewer than 800 officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have petitioned the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami over the refusal of the agency to promote them since they joined the agency 12 years ago.
The officers who were enlisted into the agency as NA 2011 intakes said they got direct appointments to narcotic agent rank (Level 5) in the second cadre of the agency’s ranking structure on July 1, 2011, having fulfilled all the requirements as provided by the NDLEA condition of service chapter 2, no 10.
The officers in a petition dated April 30, 2022, called for the intervention of the minister to prevail on the leadership of the agency and promote them to their next ranks.
The aggrieved officers noted that NDLEA had conducted three promotion exercises since they were enlisted but deliberately excluded them without any given reason.
The petition read in part, “The efficacy of this is that our immediate juniors are now our mates while our immediate seniors are two ranks above us, making us lose seniority and (become) objects of caricature in our working environments all over Nigeria.
“The NDLEA’s condition of service designated three cadres which are the Narcotics Superintendent Cadre, the Narcotics Agent Cadre, and the Narcotics Assistant Cadre. The service number index of the NA2011 intakes was first changed from 2011/NA/to 2011/NASS/ suggesting that they were employed as Narcotics Assistants in 2011 literally pushing them down to the last cadre being the Narcotics Assistant cadre.
“This was done to change the identity of the NA2011 intakes and further debase the children of this great nation.
“This singular act contravenes the provisions of the NDLEA condition of service, chapter 2 no 3 which states that ‘no employee shall, on being appointed be placed above or below the provision of the scheme of service for the post’.
“Your Lordship, we pray you use your good office empowered by the provision of sections 174 and 211 of the Nigerian constitution to address this injustice stated above and direct the agency to immediately promote the NA2011 intakes to the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics 2.”
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E2%80%98god-won%E2%80%99t-forgive-you-if-we-all-die-poverty%E2%80%99-ex-biafran-war-veterans-tell-buhari ‘God Won’t Forgive You If We All Die In Poverty’, Ex-Biafran War Veterans Tell Buhari Government
The Nigeria-Biafra War veterans, under the umbrella, ‘First Intake Able Voluntary Retired Or Discharged Ten Or More Years In Military Service’ on Tuesday asked the Nigerian government to pay their entitlements before they all died in poverty. The National Coordinator of the group, Pa Babawande Philips, who stated this at a press conference in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, said many of their members had died of poverty recently.
Babawande said since the government discharged them about 44 years ago, its members have not received their entitlements. According to him, the Nigerian government has compensated the Biafran soldiers who fought against them while fighters, mainly from the North, South-West and South-South, who fought for Nigeria, are struggling to survive. The war veterans who insisted that they worked directly under the supervision of Muhammadu Buhari during the civil war, urged the president to wade into the matter and ensure they are enlisted in the Nigerian Military Pensions Board. Babawande said, “Gentlemen, we are suffering. Many of us who defended Nigeria nation during the civil war cannot boast of a house. We laid out lives to defend Nigeria but see how they are paying us back. We have all the documents which qualify us to be on the pensions board. If all our people died in poverty, God won’t forgive Nigerian leaders. “We have done many biometric screenings but not fruitful. Are they waiting until we all die? At this age, the federal government is sending us up and down. I was in Abuja last month. But as we speak, we are at a crossroads. We are staging a protest to register our displeasure over the inability of the federal government to give us our entitlements. The protest is slated for the 11th of this month and we want every one of you to come around for coverage.”
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Buhari To Embark On Two-day Visit To Ebonyi From Wednesday
President Muhammadu Buhari will pay a two-day working visit to Ebonyi State from Wednesday.The state governor, David Umahi, in a statement on Tuesday said the President will inaugurate some projects during his visit.
The projects include Uburu-Mpu dualised Concrete Road, President Muhammadu Buhari 4-way Light Tunnel, State Shopping Mall, new Government House, new Governor’s Office and new State Executive Council Chambers. He said, “We acknowledge with the deepest appreciation, your fatherly love and support to Ebonyi State like you do extend to other states irrespective of their party affiliations and which has made our modest achievements possible. “As we welcome you and your entourage to the Salt of the Nation, please accept always, the assurances of the best regards of the Government and people of Ebonyi State.”
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Parallel Congress: How Violence Marred 3-Man PDP Ad-Hoc Delegates Exercise In Enugu
The claims by the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Three-Man Ward Congress Electoral Committee for Enugu State, Prince Vincent Yandev Amaabai, that the exercise was peaceful, are far from the truth, SaharaReporters has learnt.Amaabai, after monitoring the exercise at Umunevo Ward 02, Ogui Nike, had said the congress was free, fair, and transparent.
SaharaReporters learnt that the exercise was overwhelmingly marred by parallel congresses, manipulations, palpable breaches of guidelines, and violence.Most notable was the non-availability of the result sheets in all the 260 wards of the state, leading to the recording of results in sheets of paper.This, it was learnt, fuelled the allegation that the Abuja panel was working with state authorities to submit to the party’s national headquarters doctored results rather than the outcome of the exercise in the fields.According to the party’s directive and guidelines, the congress was scheduled to take place at 260 ward collation centres in the state at noon with candidates recognised and accredited by the presentation of their forms. The party members would then vote, using the Option A4 system, with the aspirants with the top three highest scores, one of which must be a woman, declared the winners. The result in each ward was to be recorded in the presence of all, signed by the officers and an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission, who was also supposed to receive a copy of the results. But there have been reports that the results of the exercise were compiled by the state officials in a hotel behind the Enugu State Government House in connivance with the Abuja panel, hence the absence of results sheets at the designated venues. It was however gathered that loyalists of one of the major governorship contenders, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, went ahead to conduct the congress in the 260 wards. Although the party officials recorded and signed the results on sheets of paper, with the INEC observer signing also, in many cases, the party officials declined to record or sign the results. “We had no choice but to follow the party’s guidelines to elect the three ad-hoc delegates. Unlike them, our candidates came to the venue with their forms duly identified. “PDP members voted by queuing behind them. Even where the people sponsored by the other people came out, they were clearly trounced as was the case in Okpanku, the hometown of the Chairman of Aninri LGA, Hon. Benneth Ajah.” It was, however, gathered that the exercise was marred by violence in some places. In Awgu, for instance, the Council Chairman, Hon. Pedro allegedly invaded the venue with thugs, who broke the cameras used in recording the exercise and also beat up many party faithful, including the PDP Chairman in Awgu LGA, Hon. Okey Udeh, whose phones were taken away.Udeh’s phone was however said to have been returned to the Awgu Divisional Police Station, on the condition that it could only be released to him after deleting footage of the ugly incident captured with the phone. It was gathered that a petition has been formally lodged with the police over the incident. In Oduma Ward 4, a lawyer and candidate for the three-man ad-hoc delegate, Mr. Ejike Ekpete was attacked by suspected cultists allegedly led by the Deputy Ward Chairman, Mr. Boniface Egwu. “I had set up the canopies and chairs and was putting finishing touches to the arrangement for the exercise at Oduma Ward 4 when one Boniface Egwu, aka Egwueji led a gang of thugs and cultists to tell me that they had come to deliver an ‘order from above’ that I should leave the venue. “I told them that I bought a form to contest for the delegate’s position and if they had candidates, they should field them and let the people queue behind the candidates to decide in line with the PDP guidelines. “They descended on me with dangerous weapons, including machetes and started shooting sporadically in the air. People scampered to safety as the cultists and thugs who were acting on the instruction of the Aninri Local Government Council Chairman, Hon. Benneth Ajah, dismantled the canopies because they were not prepared for any congress. They believed in the one being compiled somewhere in Enugu. “They also attacked me with one of the canopy poles and as I was struggling to find my way to my car to escape, they gave me a deep machete cut and I lost a lot of blood. I was not the only one wounded or they wanted to kill. “Thank God I escaped alive, but I am not giving up. We thought Sullivan Chime ended the reign of thuggery, cultism, and political violence, but Enugu appears to have fully returned to the hands of thugs and cultists,” he stated. Some thugs had allegedly attacked Ekweremadu’s supporters during the April 2022 monthly meeting of the PDP. Many were left with broken heads and cuts on the head among other serious injuries, leaving many, including the member representing Aninri in the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Chinedu Okwu (Otaka) hospitalised. Meanwhile, at Agba Umana Ward, Ezeagu LGA, a House of Assembly aspirant, said to be working for a top government official, who is also aspiring to the House of Representatives, was seen freely wielding a pump-action rifle ahead of a congress to be held after Ekweremadu’s loyalists and the ward had conducted a congress in line with the time appointed by the party. In Ugbaike, Enugu Ezike, Igboeze North LGA, one Bertrand Ugwu simply identified as an Ekweremadu supporter, sustained deep machete cuts on his head as he was attacked by some suspected personnel of the Enugu State Government Neighbourhood Watch. He is said to be hospitalised at an undisclosed location.Some members of the party have alleged that governors have hijacked the PDP with the help of Senator Iyorchia Ayu-led PDP National Working Committee. Many party chieftains have also expressed worry that the party may witness its worst downfall if the 2023 process is not democratised and made transparent in line with the party’s founding ideals. Meanwhile, efforts to get the reaction of the state PDP Chairman, Hon Augustine Nnamani, were unsuccessful as he did not answer calls to his mobile line.
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BREAKING: Boko Haram Fighters Currently Attacking Chibok Community In Borno
Insurgents from the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province formerly known as Jam?’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jih?d, are currently attacking Kautikari village of Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State. SaharaReporters gathered that the insurgents invaded the town on Tuesday, shooting sporadically as residents of the community fled into the forest for safety.
Soldiers stationed at a military forward operation base (FOB) in Kada, just 2km away from Kautukari, were also dislodged by the insurgents.“My community is under attack, this is the fourth attack this year alone, please pray for us,” a resident told SaharaReporters.In December 2021 and January 2022, Kautikari was experienced attacks by insurgents who abducted many women and children. Also, a church in the community was razed by the insurgents during the attacks. Attacks in Chibok areas and particularly the recent one in January 2022 made the Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, visit the area to encourage the people as well as the security operatives stationed in the local government to remain strong. During his visit, the governor met with the families of 22 women and two men abducted by the insurgents and asked them to continue to trust in God through prayers. Since the death of JAS leader, Abubakar Shekau, ISWAP has been consolidating its grip in locations around Lake Chad. The sect’s membership has swollen with the defection of hundreds of Boko Haram fighters under Shekau. The Nigerian Army has repeatedly claimed that the insurgency has been largely defeated and frequently underplays any losses. The terror group has caused the death of thousands of Nigerians and the displacement of millions of others, mainly in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
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BREAKING: House Of Representatives Aspirant, Ogieh And Entourage Attacked By Thugs In Delta, Two Policemen Injured
Askia Ogieh, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant for Isoko Federal Constituency in the 2023 general elections and his entourage have been attacked by armed youths, SaharaReporters has gathered.
Ogieh is also a former Managing Director of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC).
SaharaReporters learnt that Ogieh and his entourage earlier on Tuesday paid a consultation visit to the Isoko North PDP chairman, Godwin Ogorugba, at Otor-Igho community but were attacked by armed political thugs allegedly working for Jonathan Ukodhiko, a fellow aspirant of the same party and Godwin Ogoruba, a PDP chieftain.
Ukodhiko is the immediate past state Commissioner for Energy.
SaharaReporters learnt that two mobile police officers attached to the former DESOPADEC MD and members of his entourage were severely wounded while their vehicles were damaged during the attack.
The wounded mobile policemen and other persons, it was gathered, were rushed to the hospital where they were treated and discharged.
A source who witnessed the attack told our correspondent that Ogieh and some of his supporters and party members were able to escape from the scene when the thugs went on a rampage.
Condemning the attack while addressing members of Ogieh’s entourage in his compound in Oleh, Chairman of Isoko South PDP, Godspower Obaro, said, “We from Isoko South have never and will never attack any aspirant from the Isoko North or anywhere across the state and Nigeria because we are very peace-loving people and I wonder why we from Isoko South should be attacked in Isoko North right inside the compound of the party.”
Efforts to reach Ogieh on his mobile phone were not successful.
Reacting to the attack, the Isoko North PDP chairman, Godwin Ogorugba, denied his involvement in the attack against Ogieh by political thugs in his compound.
He said, “I was very angry, I learnt it was some boys from Emevor, Owhelogbo and Ozoro that were stoning him because they said he didn’t give them money.
“My attention was drawn to the attack when I got to Warri, I was told they were saying when the immediate past Commissioner for Energy and Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) aspirant for the Isoko federal constituency in the 2023 general elections, Jonathan Ukodhiko came to Isoko South, he gave youths money so why should Ogieh refuse to give youths money when he came to Isoko North. I am not really aware of the attack and Askia didn’t call me either to inform me about it even till this moment I am speaking to you.”
Also condemning the attack, an executive member of the Isoko North PDP who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that the arrangement for the drafting of armed political thugs was handled by the Isoko North council chairman, Christian Iteire.
“What happened today has never happened and must be condemned by every reasonable person in the land. I was actually privy to the whole arrangement and I warned against it. The arrangement was carried out by the chairman of Isoko North council, Christian Iteire who paid the thugs N1,000 each,” he said.
The Isoko North council chairman, Christian Iteire did not answer calls to his mobile phone line and also did not reply to a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.
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E2%80%99s-either-igbo-presidency-or 2023 Election: Ohanaeze Youths Deny Endorsing Tinubu, Says It’s Either Igbo Presidency Or South-East Separation From Nigeria
The National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) Igboayaka O. Igboayaka has denied ever supporting the presidential ambition of Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).According to Igboayaka, nothing can make the Igbo race jeopardise her project as regards the 2023 South-East presidency.
Tinubu, a former Lagos governor from South-West Nigeria, is running for President in 2023. Meanwhile, many southeasterners and some voices in the other regions have canvassed that the presidency should be zoned to the South-East. However, a statement by the OYC on Tuesday said its position is contrary to the recent report by some “unscrupulous element and self-acclaimed leader of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council, one Miracle Nwosu, over a purported endorsement of Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, by Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in his quest for the 2023 presidential race”. Reacting to a recent statement made by Miracle Nwosu, Igboayaka in the statement said, “The Ohanaeze Youth Council remains the apex youth organization of Ndigbo in the world that is championing the Nigeria president of South-East extraction 2023, and that there is nothing on earth that can make Igbo youths to jeopardize this project via 2023.”The statement also said, “If Mr. Miracle Nwosu is a man, let him identify who he is, tell us where he’s living, tell us his village if he is a man. We are using this opportunity to warn any politician that wants to use Ohanaeze Youth Council’s name to cajole Ohanaeze Youth Council in the name of endorsing any political presidential aspirants in 2023 that is not from South East Zone.”Igboayaka also warned Bola Tinubu and his presidential team “to stop this unnecessary media hype or trying to find some street boys they would entice with money, thus using them as a tool to write this type of trash on media”.“It’s better that Tinubu keeps his money because his money cannot change the minds of the Igbo youths thereby compromising this project.“Mr. Bola Tinubu should be very careful; we are warning Ahmed Bola Tinubu and his presidential team to be very very careful in trying to do anything that will malign the interest of Southeast in the 2023 presidential project.”The Ohanaeze Youth Council, under the leadership of Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka is 100% determined to actualize the Nigerian president of Southeast extraction by 2023. This project is timely and cannot be equated, sub-changed, or changed with anything, either it is South East presidency 2023 or Southeast ceases to be part of Nigeria,” Igboayaka added.
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Large Crowd Welcomes AAC Presidential Aspirant, Sowore As He Campaigns Inside Ondo Lake
Nigerians in large numbers on Tuesday welcomed human rights activist and presidential hopeful of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, as he paid a visit to his home state, Ondo.The supporters, mostly young natives of the town, trooped after his vehicle to show solidarity with a man they had adored and loved over the years for his unflinching support for equity, justice and rule of law.
Sowore, who paid a visit to Ondo Lake, said to him personally, that the lake was like home as it brought back pleasant memories of the past. The activist playfully plunged into the lake alongside his supporters, describing it as one of the most beautiful places in the world.
He further emphasised the importance of tourism of any economy, stating that had the industry been promoted in Nigeria, the Ondo Lake would have been receiving visitors from all over the world.Tourists can lodge in its various chalets, he said.
He, however, identified the problem with the lake as oil pollution, which makes it impossible for people to consume the water. He said: “This is where we go fishing and farming in our part of the world. It is one of the most beautiful places you can be in the country and even in the world. “This is the reason why we keep talking about tourism, imagine in this lake, there are chalets, places where people can come and visit and stay for weeks. “They can also fish, every fish here is natural. The only problem is oil pollution from the Niger Delta Area and people can no longer drink the water here. Everything you see here is natural. “This is how it has always been and this is a perfect ecosystem, it is an environment that suits the dream of environmentalists, we also have farmlands around the river. “This lake goes all the way to the Niger Delta region. This is a lovely place to be and anytime I come around, I always love to be here because this is for me, a home. “I heard the governor of Ondo State, in one of their jamborees was saying they want to create a fish pond inside the lake, they don’t have sense.”
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Nigerian Electoral Body, INEC Confirms Fire Incident At Office In Zamfara
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that one of its offices in the Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara was gutted by fire. SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the office was razed by fire.
According to local sources, the fire started at about 9 pm on Monday and razed almost the entire building. However, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Professor Sa’idu Babura Ahmed, who confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the tragic incident occurred around 11.00 pm on Monday, May 2, 2022. The statement signed by the National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, stressed that no casualties were reported while critical materials such as Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and registration machines for the ongoing Continuous Voter Register (CVR) exercise stored fireproof cabinets were saved. “The building was extensively damaged. A number of fixed and movable office furniture were destroyed in spite of the best effort of the Zamfara State Fire Service and the spirited efforts of good Samaritans to contain the inferno. “The attention of the Nigeria Police has been drawn to this incident. Together with the Fire Service, they have commenced investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire and advise the Commission for further action,” the statement noted.
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