Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Saturday 3rd April 2021
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 03/04/21
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Tinubu: A Potentate @ 69 Or 79? By Ozodinukwe Okenwa
SOC Okenwa
Recently the former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, marked his 69th birthday with pomp and pageantry. From Kaduna to Kano Tinubu was celebrated by political friends and well-wishers. Back home in Lagos, his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, a Senator of the Federal Republic, ensured that guests at Bourdillon were taken good care of. Tinubu remains an enigma, a potentate in politics Nigeriana. Given his political ingenuity and godfatherism he has succeeded in becoming a colossus in Lagos politics, one without whom any guber ambition is dashed.
The Asiwaju of Lagos and the Jagaban of Borgu, by dint of hardwork, had worked his way to the top of local and national politics earning whatever vilifications or condemnations or commendations that come his way. His political sagacity has paid off handsomely in Lagos and elsewhere where his tentacles are spread across the federation. Like him or loathe him Tinubu knows the game and plays it professionally.
SOC Okenwa
But in his political career spanning decades he has courted controversy as same has come his way involuntarily. When you are in the eye of the storm everything could be thrown at you. Yet your ability or capacity to stay standing (staying power) could be said to be the barometer with which your success or failure is measured in the long run. Tinubu has paid his dues and no one can begrudge him for the publicity, negative or positive, that trails him whenever he intervenes on any issue of national importance.
At the 12th Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Colloquium held in Kano to mark his 69th birthday some sycophants had used the occasion to sing his praise to high heavens. And hisadversaries used same to splash mud on him. While many eminent personalities including the President (presently in London on medical tourism) had commended his forthrightness and leadership qualities others had sought to paint him black adducing minuses in his political trajectory.
One of the controversies that greeted the great man’s birthday had to do with his real age. Is he 69 or 79? Did he doctor his real age for political reasons? Well, a hard look thrown his way shows that he is indeed a year from attaining 70 in our reckoning. Yet the social media was agog with discrepancies over his age. Even Wikipedia erred ostensibly by attributing 79 to his age only to take it down when the heat became unbearable online.
Our position is that Tinubu looks his age, 69! While we are not his parents — who are in a better position to say with certainity when he was born — we hold that he could not have been 79 for whatever reason. If he is 79 that then means that he is older than President Muhammadu Buhari whose official age is put at 78? If that should be the case then Tinubu looks younger than Buhari in every physical and intellectual perspective.
Tinubu brand sells across the federation because of his large heart, generosity and resourcefulness. He appears completely comfortable engaging across ethnic, religious, and partisan divides. He engages both friends and ‘enemies’ alike maintaining an outlook that gives him away as a bridge-builder. He may have his shortcomings and strenghts as every politician of his generation do but what distinguishes him from the rest is his vision and experience.
From NADECO opposition to the June 12 political crisis to the Government House in Alausa, Ikeja, Tinubu has seen it all. Yet there are issues still sketchy about his ascendancy and continued relevance. From Chicago University certificate forgery to looting the treasury (leading to failed EFCC prosecution) Tinubu has weathered the storm. He brushes aside every challenge that comes his way and moves on thinking forwardand planning ahead.
Rumours had it that he is nursing a presidential ambition. Though he is eminently qualified to rule Nigeria what would put spanner in the works remains his association with the failed Buharian presidency in which he is still a major stakeholder. Even if he contests it will be near impossible for him to win the primaries given his controversial profile.
In Yorubaland he is more hated than loved. Up north some Arewa politicians detest his guts. Down to the south-east he is seen as a Fulani apologist who values cows more than human lives!
There were reports online hinting that the northern cabal around President Buhari are not favourably disposed to the Tinubu 2023 presidential project. There were rumoured subterranean efforts to weaken Asiwaju’s ambition by bringing on board his political foes like the former ‘disgraced’ Lagos Governor, Akinwumi Ambode.
Since Nigeria is not Lagos where Tinubu dictates the political pace and tune it would be a hard-fought battle for him to be accepted across the ethnic political divides. His godfatherism works wonderfully well in Lagos but that is another story at the national level.
Tinubu has committed some notable gaffes in the past for which he was called out by critics. He goofed when last year Funke Olakunri, the daughter of the 94-year-old National Leader of the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, was killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen. Reacting to the gruesome incident Tinubu was quoted to have asked: “where are the cows” refusing to pin the blame on the murderous armed invaders.
Up north during his recent birthday bash he had hailed Governor Ganduje for fighting corruption! The same ‘Gandollar’ that was caught on video stuffing millions of Dollars inside his flowing ‘agbada’? The same Ganduje who rigged his re-election? The same Kano Governor who dethroned the former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, on flimsy excuse of insubordination and lack of respect for constututed authority?
By taking the 12th Colloquium to Kano Tinubu stands accused of playing politics with his birthday. He cannot escape the accusation that he was trying hard wooing the core north towards his 2023 presidential dream. The Tinubu presidency post-Buharism (if it happens at all) may well turn out to be better than the present leadership muddle at the centre. He would be better than Buhari because for all intents and purposes he is definitely smarter and more intelligent than the so-called “Daura dullard”.
Yet getting there requires a whole lot of political brinksmanship and horse-trading. While Asiwaju is good at both he may find out that politics Nigeriana has had a long list and history of buried dreams and corpses.
SOC Okenwasoco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr
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Eight Killed, Many Injured As Boko Haram Terrorists Ambush Borno Government Officials
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At least, eight Boko Haram insurgents were killed on Friday when the group ambushed a convoy of Borno State Resettlement and Relief Committee officials.
SaharaReporters gathered that some policemen and soldiers in the convoy however sustained injuries during the attack along Monguno- Nganzai Road.
Boko Haram
Some top government officials in the convoy include Kakashehu Lawal, State Attorney General; Mustapha Gubio, Commissioner for Rehabilitation Reconstruction and Resettlement; and that of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Mai-Mele.
They were said to be returning from Monguno, where they went to distribute relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), when their convoy came under heavy attack by the terrorists.
A source said about eight of the terrorists were killed by soldiers with support from men of the Anti-Robbery Squad and Civilian Joint Task Force.
Governor Babagana Zulum’s convoy was attacked twice along the Baga Highway in September in 2020.
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One Police Officer, Suspect Killed In US Capitol Attack
A Capitol police officer was killed Friday after a man rammed a car into two officers at a barricade outside the US Capitol, Washington, D.C. and then emerged wielding a knife, law enforcement officials said.
Both officers were hospitalised, and one of them “succumbed to his injuries”, Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman told reporters. The suspect died at a hospital, officials said.
Pittman did not identify the slain officer or suspect. Authorities said that there was no longer an ongoing threat and that the attack did not appear to be related to terrorism.
There was also no immediate connection apparent between Friday’s crash and the January 6 riot, as reported FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters.
The crash and shooting happened at a security checkpoint near the Capitol while Congress is on recess. It comes as the Washington, D.C. region remains on edge nearly three months after a mob of armed insurrectionists stormed the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Joe Biden’s presidential win.
Television footage showed a blue sedan that had crashed into a security barrier on one of the streets leading to Congress, as what appeared to be the injured officers being loaded onto gurneys and into ambulances.
Dozens of police cars, marked and unmarked, raced towards the Capitol building. All roads leading to the complex were blocked by police or police officers.
A helicopter was seen hovering overhead and observers were ordered to leave the area.
Authorities have begun only in the past couple of weeks to remove the outer ring of high, razor-wire-topped fencing erected around the sprawling Capitol complex following the January 6 attack by thousands of supporters of then-president Donald Trump.
Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died in the assault inspired by Trump’s groundless claims that he had lost the November presidential election due to massive fraud.
Since then security officials have said there is an ongoing threat from extreme right groups and Trump supporters.
More than 300 people have been charged in the January attack, including members of armed extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, and 100 more are expected to be charged, according to Justice Department court filings.
In recent weeks some security has been loosened, with the number of armed National Guard troops at the Capitol reduced and a security fence that created a broad perimeter around the Capitol complex removed.
The danger on Friday was limited as Congress was in recess and relatively few people were in the building.
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Police Leave CCT Chairman, Umar, Arrest Trader For Assault
The FCT Command of the Nigeria Police Force has failed to arrest the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, who was caught on video allegedly assaulting a security guard, Clement Sargwak, around Banex Shopping Plaza, Wuse 2, Abuja, on Monday.
However, it was learnt that a trader, Peter Onyuike, had been arrested by the Department of State Services and then handed over to the police for allegedly assaulting the CCT chairman while other traders are being hunted.
A document made available to The PUNCH on Friday showed that the police were investigating traders for criminal conspiracy, joint act, assault, criminal force, and mischief.
In a letter with reference number CR:3000/FCT/X/D15/Vol which was addressed to the company in charge of security at the plaza, the police asked that another trader, Oyuho Augustine Samuel, be brought to the Anti-Vice Section of the Criminal Investigation Department at Wuse Zone 2 on April 6, 2021.
The letter which was signed by ACP Magawata Mode, and addressed to Jul Reliable Security Guards, is titled, ‘Letter of Invitation, case of criminal conspiracy, joint act, assault, criminal force and mischief: Oyuho Augustine Samuel’.
The letter, dated April 1, 2021, read in part, “The office is investigating the above-mentioned case in which the need to obtain certain clarification from one Oyuho Augustine Samuel, who operates a shop within your business premises became pertinent.
“In view of the above, you are kindly requested to avail yourself to interview the undersigned through CSP Njayo Yahaya Bawuchi, sectional Head, Anti-Vice Section, No. 34 Koforidua Street, off Ouagadougou Street off Accra Street, off Michael Opara Street, Wuse Zone 2 on April 6, 2021 at 10am prompt.”
Speaking with The PUNCH, the lawyer to the brutalised security guard, Mr. Samuel Ihensekhien, said it was unfortunate that the police had abandoned the substantive issue but were chasing traders who videoed the incident.
Ihensekhien said the arrested trader had been tortured to write statements to the effect that the CCT chairman was the victim of a mob attack at the plaza.
The lawyer said if the police compromised the case, he would be forced to institute an action in court.
He said, “There is a dangerous dimension to the matter. When the police came on March 30, the day of the incident, they were led by one Supol Moses Simdok. They interviewed Sargwak (the guard). They took pictures of the boy and the injuries. They asked for his uniform and we said we would provide it later.
“They said the CP of Abuja wanted to see us and I asked that an official letter be brought and we would all come. Subsequently, Simdok started insulting me. After taking my client’s statement, they said they needed collaborator witnesses so we went to search. One guy, who witnessed it first hand, and had a video, wrote statements as well as another trader. The police later said they should come to the station but I refused.
“Today, I was contacted by the manager of the security guard that there is an invitation letter to report to the Anti-Vice section for frivolous allegations. When he made further inquiries, they said the first guy that was arrested confessed in police custody that he beat up the CCT chairman. I was informed that the police wrote a statement for him and told him to sign it.”
The lawyer noted that the CCT chairman does not have immunity but the police have continued to take his side.
“Danladi is a private citizen and he has no right to arrest any private citizen. The Code of Conduct Tribunal has a very limited jurisdiction. The main case should be about the security guard that was assaulted but they are twisting the matter and trying to accuse people of assaulting Danladi Umar,” the lawyer said.
The spokesperson for the police in Abuja, Mariam Yusuf, did not respond to a telephone call on Friday. A text message had not yet been responded to as of press time.
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E2%94%80-akintoye Anyone Saying Nigeria Better Together Wants Some People To Perish ? Akintoye
Professor Banji Akintoye
Yoruba Historian and chairman of the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS), Professor Banji Akintoye, has said anyone who says Nigeria is better together wants Yoruba people to perish.
Akintoye stated this during an interview with Guardian in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Thursday.
Professor Banji Akintoye
He said people who want to benefit from Nigeria at all costs to the detriment of their people, are those against self-determination but are instead pushing for restructuring.
Akintoye said: “We are insisting on self-determination because it is the only solution now that is meaningful. Any other solution is not meaningful. We are facing an existential situation and the answer is not just to protect ourselves now but also to take the measure that will lead to perpetual protection. The only way to achieve that is to have a separate country of our own.
“There will always be some Yoruba leaders that believe in restructuring instead of secession: One, people who do not understand fully the enormity of the danger facing the Yoruba nation.
“Two, people who understand but are wondering what will happen to them to replace the benefits they are enjoying. People who have high ambitions and they have contributed high to Nigeria and they want to benefit from it at all cost. Even if their people perish, such people will oppose it.
“They are opposing, but we don’t blame them. They are human beings. What is important is that those of us who believe in our objectives will be strong in the struggle. Anybody who says Nigeria is better together is saying that some people must perish.”
Commenting on the statement by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, that there would be a need to obtain a visa to Kano if Nigeria is dismembered.
Akintoye said: “If we want to go to the Benin Republic, won’t we take a visa? There is no problem. Anywhere outside Yorubaland, we will take a visa. That is natural.”
The professor also faulted the insinuations that if Yoruba nation gets independence, sub-units in the region might also demand independence and what happened in Sudan, might repeat also happen.
He added: “Sudan has the problem we don’t have. Sudan is made up of small ethnic groups. They were fighting as different ethnic groups. When independence came, despite the assurance that they were going to hold together, the leaders could not do it. Therefore, they were fighting among themselves. And they have been killing one another since then.
“That cannot happen in Yorubaland. We are one people, one culture and one language. That is a deliberate distortion. Ethnic factors have never played a part in our history.
“We can get out of this Nigeria without violence. We don’t have to insult any people. We don’t have to insult other ethnic groups.
“We don’t have to be hostile towards other people. We don’t have to disobey the government or disrespect the laws of Nigeria. We can achieve our purposes by being ourselves. We are civilised people. That is my message to the Yoruba people. We are sophisticated people.”
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E2%80%93 How Nigerian Passports, Black Skin Brought Me, Others Discrimination At Cape Verde Airport – Female Traveller
A Nigerian woman, Teni, has taken to her Twitter handle to allege discrimination against her and other African nationals at the airport in Praia, Cape Verde Capital.
Teni T. @aloinett said she had set off from Dakar, Senegal to Praia and on arriving at the city, was set aside alongside other passengers who had come on a visit.
According to her, the group included an Italian couple, a Sudanese-American, a Spanish couple, a Kenyan, an Ivorian, a Jordanian, a Guinean and four Nigerians.
She alleged that the whites and every other person with a Western passport were allowed to go through.
The lady said the rest of the group had their passport seized without an explanation.
Her tweet read, “So I got deported today. Mostly because I am black but also because I am Nigerian.
“I got on a flight to Praia, #CapeVerde from Dakar, Senegal but have now been sent back to Dakar.
“Everything was fine until we got to the airport in Praia. Then some of us were pulled aside because we were there to visit. This group included an Italian couple, my Sudanese-American friend, a Spanish couple, a Kenyan, an Ivorian, a Jordanian, a Guinean and four Nigerians.
Everything was fine until we got to the airport in Praia. Then some of us were pulled aside because we were there to visit. This group included an Italian couple, my Sudanese-American friend, a Spanish couple, a Kenyan, an Ivorian, a Jordanian, a Guinean and four Nigerians.— Teni T. ð??· (@aloinett) April 2, 2021
“All of the white people were allowed to go through as well as my black friend with an American passport. Then some woman came and snatched the passports from the rest of us without any explanation. Another guy came and told us that they were sending us back.
“Why? That we were not allowed to visit because of COVID. Then we asked why the white people and my American friend were let through. They said they decided who could stay and who could go. So, everyone with a Western passport went through. In West Africa. In #CapeVerde.
“I guess the first sign that something was off was when my AirBnB host asked my nationality then told me to come with some evidence of funds if I was travelling with a Nigerian passport. The funny thing is the only thing they looked at was our passports, didn’t ask for anything else.
“The only non-black person that was deported with us, a Jordanian, thinks he was lumped with us because he has Nigerian visas in his passport. Before we left this morning, my American friend was joking about her passport privilege. Who knew we were about to learn how true it was?
“Anyway, we’re still at the airport waiting for our passports like criminals. Glad for the experience because pushing for ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) is one thing, and seeing the reality of integration is another. I just wanted to check Cape Verde off my West Africa list and happy to stay in Dakar.”I’ve been having a lot of conversations with friends that have been unsuccessfully trying to convince me to “get a second passport”. So this was a stark reminder about the reality of being a Nigerian in the world and in Africa. Good bye #CapeVerde. Shame on you. pic.twitter.com/4U9lIdsvPM— Teni T. ð??· (@aloinett) April 2, 2021
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Passenger Train Derails In Taiwan, Killing At Least 50, Injuring Many Others
A busy passenger train carrying 490 people has derailed in a tunnel in eastern Taiwan, killing at least 50 and injuring dozens more, authorities said.
The eight-car train, travelling to Taitung, came off the rails in a tunnel just north of Hualien Friday morning, causing several carriages to hit the wall of the tunnel, the government-run Central News Agency (CNA) reported, citing the fire department.
WSJ
The train driver was among the dead, the fire department told the government’s executive office, and at least 69 survivors were being treated in several hospitals in the surrounding Hualien County.
Some of the dead are still awaiting identification, the government added Friday, but authorities believe that everyone trapped within the train’s heavily damaged carriages have been removed. Officials said a French citizen was killed in the crash, while two Japanese citizens and a citizen of Macau were among those injured.
Authorities earlier said 51 people had died before revising the figure down to 50, according to additional reporting by CNN and Reuters.
The derailment could have been caused by a vehicle which slipped from a slope near the tunnel and hit the moving train, according to CNA.
A video on social media showed parts of an industrial vehicle heavy equipment, along with what looks like a car door beside the derailed train. In the video, a man can be heard saying, “Our train hit the truck. Where is this place? Qingshui Tunnel, the accident happened at Qingshui Tunnel. The train hit the truck, the truck fell off. It’s lucky that I was at the later carriage — I was at the fourth carriage.”
“Is everyone out in carriage four?” a woman is heard shouting from inside the tunnel, in videos provided by the fire department.
Images of the crash scene show carriages inside the tunnel crumbled and ripped apart from the impact, passengers gathering suitcases and bags in a tilted, derailed carriage and others walking along the tracks littered with wreckage. Photos show the rescue operation underway, with passengers walking on top of the train to leave the tunnel and being helped down.
At least 156 people were injured in the crash, a local government official said during a news conference. The official said rescuers believed there was no one left in the train, but that rescue efforts would continue and authorities were checking to see if anyone was still unaccounted for.
“In response to a train derailment in Hualien, Taiwan, our emergency services have been fully mobilized to rescue & assist the passengers & railway staff affected,” Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Twitter. “We will continue to do everything we can to ensure their safety in the wake of this heartbreaking incident.”
The government has also laid out a compensation plan for every passenger, which will see NT$5.3 million ($185,500) provided to the families of each fatality. Those badly injured will each receive $91,000 and other injured passengers will receive $14,000, officials said.
The accident coincided just as a long weekend kicked off for the Tomb Sweeping Day public holiday. One couple who were on the train told CNA they were on their way to Taitung to sweep tombs and pay their respects to deceased family members, as is traditional for the event. The train was so full that many people were standing.
The crash site is located just east of the picturesque Taroko National Park, a popular tourist destination on the island’s mountainous east coast.
Leaders of nearby countries extended their sympathies to the victims and offered assistance to Taiwanese authorities. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he would “sincerely pray for the souls of those who have died,” while Japan’s former leader Shinzo Abe tweeted: “As a friend of the Taiwanese people, we will do anything we can to help, if needed, in this difficult time.”
In 2018, 18 people died and 175 were injured when a train derailed in northeastern Taiwan, in the island’s worst rail disaster in more than three decades.
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Ibadan Residents Protest Compulsory Payment Of N5,000 For National Identification Number
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Residents of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital have kicked against the imposition of N5,000 on them as fee for the registration for National Identification Number (NIN).
SaharaReporters gathered that residents pay between N4,000 and N5,000 to register for NIN in the state.
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Some students who protested at the Iyaganku Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Thursday lamented that all the centres visited charge for registration.
Led by John Ocholi, a 300 level student of the University of Ibadan, who hails from Kogi State, the protesters said they were disturbed by the attitude of workers at NIN offices in Ibadan.
He said, “We have gone to almost five centres in Ibadan and all of them charge between N4,000 and N5,000 for enrolment for national Identity number. I am only disturbed because of many people who cannot afford to pay such money.
“I am still wondering why the goverment insisted on national identity number for transacting all our businesses when they have no provision for production of the card.”
A resident of Apata area of Ibadan, Adetayo Joel, told SaharaReporters that he paid N10,000 for himself and his wife before they could get it done at Challenge area of the ancient city.
“It is unreasonable but we had to do it because we needed it urgently. My wife and I paid N10,000 before we could do it. This thing is fraud and government officials know about the fraud. Are they saying they are not aware that their staff members are charging money for it?”
Another resident, Kemi Adeoye said many applicants at Dugbe centre almost beat up one of their workers for shutting down their system when the applicants refused to pay him.
“Those workers are criminals. Some students almost beat up one of their staff members in Dugbe on Wednesday. Government must stop this nonsense,” she said.
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BREAKING: Boko Haram Claims Responsibility For Missing Nigerian Fighter Jet, Releases Video Of Dead Pilot
The Abubakar Shekau-led faction of Boko Haram, Jama’atu Ahlussunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, has released a footage of it shooting down the missing Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet Aircraft.
The jet had on Wednesday evening lost contact with radar in Borno state.
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BREAKING: Nigerian Alpha Jet Goes Missing During Boko Haram Operation
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The aircraft was on a mission to provide support for troops on the ground fighting Boko Haram insurgents.
Edward Gabkwet, the NAF spokesperson, in a statement on Friday, said the whereabouts of the two flying officers piloting the jet were unknown.
Boko Haram in a video released on Friday claimed its members shot down the jet.
According to HumAngle, the group also showed fighters carrying RPG and artillery equipment, as well as a corpse of the pilot and the aircraft’s debris.
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In February, an aircraft of the Air Force crashed at the Abuja airport — with all seven personnel on board dead.
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Community Leaders, Others Killed, Missing As Fulani, Atyap Clash In Southern Kaduna
There have been reported cases of killings and people’s disappearance, including community leaders following a clash between the Fulani and Atyap indigenes in Atyap Chiefdom in the southern part of Kaduna State.
In a press release issued recently by the Atyap community, three community leaders, including secretary to the district heads went missing after a meeting between herders and farmers over the destruction of farm crops by cattle.
Also, a press conference on Thursday in Kaduna by Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), condemned the alleged killing of their leaders, including the Wakilin Fulani of Atyap (Kataf) Chiefdom by Atyap people.
The Fulani group, led by the state chairman, Alhaji Haruna Usman Tugga lamented the purported fresh killing of innocent Fulani people in the Zango Kataf Local Government Area and destruction of their properties.
He, therefore, demanded justice and compensation for victims.
“It is on a very sad note that our association addresses you today. This is in relation to the renewed wanton killings of innocent Fulani people in Zangon Kataf LGA and the destruction of their properties.
“In the past few days, there has been a series of deliberately targeted killings by the Atyap communities on Fulani people, including two Ardos namely: Ardo Pate Kurmi (Wakilin Fulani in the Atyap Chiefdom) and Ardo Muhammadu Anchau, who were brutally killed in cold blood after embarking on a peace mission to Gora District of the Atyap Chiefdom,” the group said.
According to MACBAN, the killing of their leaders was allegedly done with the involvement of security operatives.
“Their killing was orchestrated in a systematic way with active connivance or tacit support of the officer in charge of Operation Safe Haven stationed at Gora Gan village, Gora District.
“This is because the attack that culminated in the brutal killing of the two Ardos and one other person started right at the camp of the Operation Safe Haven at Gora Gan when some Atyap women started a protest, attacking the Ardos and the other three Fulani people that were with them.
“Notwithstanding the violent protests, the officers of the Operation Safe Haven asked the Ardos to be driven by the Secretary to the District Head of Gora District (one Ayuba Bungwon) without any security cover.
“Unfortunately, they were intercepted on the road along Sagwaza and the two Ardos and one other person, named Muhammed Yakubu, were brutally killed.
“As the Almighty would have it, two young persons were able to overrun the attackers and narrowly escaped,” the Fulani group stated.
According to them, there were several other attacks on Fulani people and their livestock in Zango Kataf LGA and surrounding local government areas.
In Kagarko grazing reserve in the Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna state, MACBAN stated that, “It is imperative to also inform you; gentlemen of the press about the antics and deliberate destruction of Fulani settlements in the Kagarko grazing reserve by one Vice Admiral Iko lbrahim (rtd), who is a former Chief of Naval Staff. He has been going about intimidating, harassing and torturing Fulani community members of the grazing reserve on the pretext that he is the owner of over 30, 000 hectares in the grazing reserve.
The group alleged that the ex-naval chief has been conniving with the military personnel manning the roadblock at Kagarko to punish the residents of the grazing reserve.
The group, therefore, demanded that perpetrators of violence against its people should be identified, arrested and prosecuted, according to the laws of the land.
It also urged their members to be calm and law-abiding and not to take the law into their hands.
They also called on the leadership of Atyap Chiefdom in particular and the Southern Kaduna in general to caution their subjects from attacking, killing and maiming their members and destroying their means of livelihood.
“The government should pay adequate compensation for the lives of our members who were killed during the attacks as well as for their wealth that was heartlessly destroyed by the Atyap communities, among others.
“We appeal to the Kaduna State Government to take the necessary action by ensuring the arrest and prosecution of the said Vice Admiral lko Ibrahim (rtd) and his cohorts.
“We call on the Kaduna State Government to come to the aid of the victims of the violence perpetrated by Vice Admiral Iko Ibrahim and his agents which rendered them homeless making them to be living in deplorable conditions currently and at the mercy of neighbours and relations,” MACBAN stated.
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