Sunday

Buhari under fire over directive on grazing sites


CC™ Global News

President Muhammadu Buhari drew flak from across the country on Friday following his approval of the recommendations of a committee to revive 368 grazing sites in 25 states.

The first salvo came from Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State who declared the grazing sites recovery plan unacceptable.

He accused the Presidency of seeking to turn Nigeria into a ‘cow republic’ through its grazing reserves policy.

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, all vowed in separate statements not to cede an inch of land in the South-south, Southeast and Southwest for grazing purpose.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also called for caution on the part of the federal government.

Ortom, who is well known for his long standing opposition to open grazing in his state, wondered why the Presidency “is only bordered about animals and their safety and is deploying all machinery and arsenals of government to impose grazing reserves and cattle routes on Nigerians” at this time when “insecurity has reached an all-time high with hundreds being killed by armed herdsmen, bandits and other terrorists.”

The governor, in a statement through his Special Adviser on Media Terver Akase, said the latest move could plunge the country into   crisis.

He said: “The Buhari administration has turned a blind eye to the unimaginable levels of encroachment on lands belonging to Nigerians by cattle. Mr. President has never come out even once to condemn the activities of herdsmen and the attacks they visit on innocent people.

“The only time the President is heard speaking about atrocities of the herders is when he defends them.

“It is now clear that the Presidency wants to plunge the country into avoidable crisis. Otherwise, what is the justification for President Buhari’s insistence that grazing reserves be established across the country when Nigerians have openly kicked against the policy and have embraced ranching in place of open grazing?”

He said “millions of Nigerians have been displaced following attacks by armed herders and are currently suffering in IDP camps” with Benue State alone, according to him, having “over 1.5 million displaced people with thousands living in camps and many more forced to flee their ancestral lands to stay under dehumanizing conditions in open fields.”

He added: “The Buhari administration does not seem to be worried about the food crisis already ravaging the country. Farmers have been chased into IDP camps by herders and children are dying of starvation in addition to being denied education, yet what is more important to their President is the wellbeing of cows.

“We expected the pitiable condition of the displaced people to be the preoccupation of the President whom they voted in 2015 and 2019. It is unfortunate that the people’s genuine show of love, trust and votes for Mr. President are being rewarded with hate, cruelty and dictatorial policies aimed at grabbing their lands to donate to herders and cows.

“We challenge the Presidency to name what it has done to alleviate the plight of those displaced by herdsmen in Benue and other states since 2018.

“What is the difference between the Buhari administration’s approach to insecurity and the Taliban agenda in Afghanistan? It is now evident that the government at the center prioritizes the welfare of cattle over human beings and is bent on taking Nigeria back to the pre-colonial era with some snippets of a society where in the words of Thomas Hobbes, life has become ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short’.

“The country has been turned into a cow republic by the present administration and the basic principles of equality, justice, fairness and equity which engender peace and suppress anarchy are non-existent.

“President Buhari has refused to prove wrong those who accuse him of being a Fulani President. He has instead proven that he indeed belongs to somebody.

“But Buhari is not the first Fulani man to be President of this country. Nigeria had Presidents Shehu Shagari and Umaru Yar’Adua who were also of Fulani ethnicity but were Presidents for all Nigerians and treated citizens of this country fairly and equitably.

“Our country has never been more divided on ethnic lines and sentiments as it is under President Buhari who was thought to be the most prepared to lead the country at this time. Under President Shagari and President Yar’Adua, Nigerians were not chided by a horde of presidential spokesmen and social media hirelings for simply expressing their views on government policies.

“Perhaps Mr. President is not aware that most of the northern states, including his home state Katsina and the entire southern states have unanimously rejected open grazing of livestock and approved ranching.

“The Presidency is therefore whipping a dead horse on the issue of grazing reserves. It is hypocritical for the Presidency to support and fund ranching in Katsina State and turn round to impose grazing reserves on other states.”

Ortom also did not spare the President’s advisers.

He said of them: “Those saddled with the duty of advising Mr President have apparently failed in their responsibility. They ought to have told the President that though grazing reserves existed in some parts of the country before independence, there have been several reviews and laws which, in addition to the years of social and infrastructural development as well as population growth, have superseded and rendered the reserves null and void.

“Additionally, the Land Use Act provides that governors are the custodians of all lands in their states. The Federal Government has no constitutional right to appropriate lands for itself or anyone else for that matter without the approval of state governors.

“Nigeria is practicing democracy; not despotism or feudalism. The President is obligated to listen to the yearnings of the people and lead according to the constitution. Leaders are elected to solve problems, not create more problems for the people.

“Nigeria is grappling with numerous security and economic challenges that should ordinarily worry the President. The Federal Government introduced the National Livestock Transformation Plan, NLTP and Nigerians accepted the policy. Why has the Buhari administration dumped the programme and opted for grazing reserves and cattle routes? That is the question agitating the minds of discerning Nigerians who suspect foul play.

“The Federal Government’s posture has emboldened armed Fulani herdsmen who go about maiming and killing innocent Nigerians. That the government has turned deaf ears to calls for the licensing of responsible Nigerians to own sophisticated weapons is another pointer to a hidden motive.

“We also read the President’s comments yesterday at the National Security Council meeting where he threatened to sack Security Chiefs for what he termed failure to tackle insecurity in the country. Why won’t the Security Chiefs fail when the body language of the Commander-in-Chief points to a clan of sacred cows who must be spared and given protection to perpetuate evil?

“How will the Security Chiefs succeed when their formations are not well funded and the troops are left to confront terrorists who have superior weapons? Why will the military commanders be decisive when those who kill their personnel and other Nigerians are given preferential treatment on the pretense of “repentance”?

“We hope that Mr. President was misquoted. But if indeed he made the statement attributed to him, he was not being fair to the security agencies.

“President Buhari’s spokesman Femi Adesina once asked Nigerians to choose between holding onto their lands or losing their lives. What is happening now is confirmation of that threat from the Presidency. They introduced Cattle Colonies, Ruga and National Water Resources Bill but Nigerians rejected all the policies. The latest push for grazing reserves and cattle routes is surely the final onslaught against majority of Nigerians who must be deprived of their God-given lands to accommodate foreign herdsmen moving into the country for the occupation agenda.

“Governor Samuel Ortom has repeatedly stated that there is no land for grazing reserves or cattle routes in Benue State. Though the Federal Government craftily concealed the names of the states where Mr President has ordered that grazing reserves be foisted on the people, we wish to categorically state that no part of Benue will be allocated for grazing reserves or cattle routes!

“The stand of the Governor is not personal; it is the collective decision of Benue people.  There is no gazetted land or cattle route in Benue State. Our state should be counted out of the proposed grazing reserves programme.

“If President Buhari must actualize his cattle agenda in Benue State, he should be ready to kill all of us! We know that grazing reserves and cattle routes are the only project that the President has for Nigeria, but Benue is not interested in such a project.”

The Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, dismissed moves to revive any grazing sites the Southwest.

Leader of the group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said no one in the geo-political zone will cede his land for grazing.

“This man (Buhari) is just stubborn, stubborn.  Nobody! We are not going to cede our land for grazing,” he told The Nation on the phone yesterday.

Asked what would happen if the Federal Government insists on seizing such land, Adebanjo retorted: “Which government? The government does not have any right on our land, and the governors would not give our land for grazing.”

In a separate statement on the issue, the Secretary General of Afenifere, Sola Ebiseni, said President Buhari was just wasting scarce resources on a programme that lacks all conceivable growth capacity.

The Afenifere scribe described the policy on grazing reserves as the implementation of a script by the Fulani intelligentsia.

His words: “We recall and support the Resolutions of the Nigerian governors, particularly from the South of the country, banning all forms of open grazing, and it does not matter to us that some elected governors, in a federation, would condescend so low to functioning as members of a committee presided over by an appointed aide of the President, no matter the name in which his office is painted.

“The concept of Grazing Reserves, otherwise known as Hurumi, which was introduced during the colonial and immediately after independence failed in the north, particularly in the Middle Belt provinces, notwithstanding a monolithic one North government and permissive land use regime.

“For the umpteenth time, let the President be told that the constitution which he reveres relentlessly and the Land Use Act which derives equal force therefrom extol the majesty of the people over their land.

“Even the governor who holds the land in his state in trust for the people cannot dispossess any citizen thereof, except for proven overriding public interest through the due process of law.

“The current exercise is not only a waste of tax payers’ money, it is a sweet pipe dream in a fool’s paradise. Every herder has a state of origin. Let the governments of the respective states make arrangements for settled life for them in the territory where the culture is fully appreciated.” 

It was the same song of no land here for grazing from the South-south and the Southeast.

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) representing the South-south and and Ohanaeze Ndigbo for the Southeast vowed that no inch of land in the two regions would be ceded to the Federal Government for the purpose of grazing cattle.

Spokesman of PANDEF, Hon Ken Robinson, in a telephone interview on Friday, said: ”Our simple response to that is that there are no grazing reserves in the South-south.  No grazing reserves at all to be reviewed.

“No inch of South-south land would go for grazing reserve. Cattle rearing is a business. If anybody wants to go into cattle rearing, the person should see it as a business. Do they reserve fishing reserve for us in the north? There is no grazing reserve in the South-south. That is our position.”

Öhanaeze Ndigbo’s spokesperson, Alex Ogbonnia, said: “Ohanaeze’s position is that Igboland does not have land for grazing. Every land in the Southeast is owned by God, people and shrines. I don’t understand what you mean by grazing reserve. Ohanaeze’s position on this is no.

“Nigeria runs a federal system of government. Many houses of assembly have passed bills against open grazing and some of them have been signed into law. I am sure that in some states where the open grazing law has been signed is in operation.

“Even in the northern region there are some states that have banned open grazing. If the Federal Government wants to impose its will on the states, that is where constitutionalism comes in. I am sure some states will resist.”

A faction of Ohanaeze Ndigbo interpreted the federal government’s directive as a response to the recent ban on open grazing by Southern governors.

It said it was meant to arm-twist southern governors to reverse the ban.

Secretary of the faction, Okechulwu Isiguzoro, asked the Southeast governors to resist any attempt to make them change their stance on open grazing ban.

He also warned Southeast governors that they would be taking a huge risk if they donated land for grazing.

He said: “Ndigbo will not condone further obnoxious policies from the Federal Government aimed at helping the enemies, especially the murderous herdsmen, to erect a” TALIBAN STATE” in southeastern Nigeria.

“Southeast governors’ forum had in the past given the region’s verdict that there are no available lands for grazing reserves or Ruga in anywhere in the East.”

“So we hope that no Igbo governor will sabotage this verdict, as it won’t go without sanctions.

Another Igbo group,  Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), said it did not believe Buhari was taking the action in the best interest of Nigeria and the majority  of Nigerians.

Its spokesman, Abia Onyike said: “Approving grazing reserves is not the solution to the attacks on farmers by herdsmen. The federal government knows the problem.

“Herders have been grazing their cattle for decades without any confrontation with the farmers. The question is why did they start attacking farmers and villages with guns and machetes?

“As far as we’re concerned, there’s no problem between herders and farmers. Rather, it is hegemonists and their blood-letting herdsmen that are killing innocent people in their farms, raping hapless women and using their cattle to graze in those areas without any form of control.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) called the Federal Government’s move an open invitation to civil war.

The group in a statement accused the federal government of “doing everything outside of the law to arm-twist other ethnic groups just so the President’s kinsmen are awarded the ancestral lands for their private commercial business of grazing cattle.”

It advised the President to avoid actions that are capable of pushing Nigeria into a long drawn civil war.

It added: “For the avoidance of doubt and from the abundance of scholarly submissions, Mr. President should note that the Land Use Act enacted in 1978 was meant to standardise land administration systems across the country.”

Human rights lawyer, Barr. Emperor Ogbonna, described open grazing as obsolete.

He said: “The truth is that open grazing and grazing routes are outdated. No sane country still allows cows to migrate from one place to another grazing on grazing routes.

“The modern trend is for cows to be ranched in ranches.

“Since the President is keen about the security of the country, any directive that may increase the chances of insecurity should be avoided.

“Insisting on the grazing routes when there are other options like encouraging northern governors to give out land to the farmers or herders to ranch is a better option.”

The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, announced on Thursday that Buhari had approved  the recommendations of a committee to review “with dispatch, 368 grazing sites across 25 states in the country and to determine the levels of encroachment.”

The committee headed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, called for the collection of field data collection on 368 Grazing Reserves across 25 states to assess encroachment and encroachers, stakeholder engagements and sensitization.


THE NATION

Saturday

Obstruction of Justice: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says he is hiding a pro-Trump election official to help her dodge an FBI investigation

CC™ Politico News

By Joshua Zitser

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has said he is providing a safe house for a Colorado county clerk amid an FBI investigation into her role in an alleged plot to leak election data to a QAnon leader, according to Vice News.

The official at the center of the probe, Mesa County clerk Tina Peters, is accused of compromising voting machines and allowing someone to share sensitive data with QAnon figurehead, Ron Watkins, Insider previously reported.

Peters, a so-called "Trump Truther," permitted surveillance cameras to be turned off for up to two months, it is alleged.

She is under investigation by the Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, and on Tuesday, the FBI said it was also looking into it. The FBI announced that it was working with Colorado's District Attorney's office "to determine if there was a potential federal criminal violation," FBI Denver office spokeswoman Courtney Bernal told the Denver Post.

Two weeks ago, when Griswold issued an order authorizing her staff to travel to Mesa County to inspect the election system, Peters was on her way to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's "cyber symposium" in South Dakota, Vice News reported.

Lindell told Vice News on Wednesday that, following the symposium, a member of his own security team leaked the secret location she was staying in, the media outlet reported.

Peters is now "holed up" in a new safe house, Lindell said.

"She's worried about her safety. These people are ruthless," he told Vice News.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Friday

Nigerian, girlfriend arrested in Thailand for drug possession

CC™ Global News

By Wale Odunsi

A Nigerian, Obimma Kelechi Anthony, and his girlfriend, Marisa Noipitak, have been arrested with drugs in Thailand.

They were apprehended in the capital, Bangkok, while shipping 490 grams of crystal methamphetamine to Australia.

The Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF) caught the couple when they brought the drugs in a spindle photo frame and a Buddhist monk offering to a company to send to Australia.

During a search of Marisa’s residence in Ramkhamhaeng, 985 grams of meth were found in another spindle frame.

In Obimma’s house in Samut Prakan, security agents discovered 35 grams of heroin, 89 grams of meth and 82 grams of cocaine.

The duo are being held by the Narcotics Suppression Division 3.

Marisa and Obimma have been charged with illegal drug possession. Police investigation continues.

DAILY POST

Wednesday

'We welcome Taliban' say China as they begin building 'good relations' with terrorists


CC™ Global News

By Tom Hussey

China has made a harrowing declaration that it "welcomes" the Taliban with open arms as the new regime in Afghanistan and "wishes to develop good relations" with them moving forward. 

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying announced China's full support of the Taliban as the militants take control of Afghanistan. During the chilling speech, Ms. Chunying outlined how China "welcome" future efforts of "participation in the reconstruction and development" of Afghanistan as they seek "good relations" with the terror group. But China has sworn the Taliban must not host Uyghur Islamists who hail from China's western Xinjiang province, a group that have launched terror attacks against China.

During the speech at a press conference of China's foreign ministry, Ms. Chunying confirmed China had become the first nation in the world to pledge their support for the new Taliban regime.

Ms. Chunying said: “The Afghan Taliban have repeatedly expressed their wish to develop good relations with China

“That they look forward to China’s participation in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan.

“And that they will never allow any forces to use Afghan territory to endanger China."

And in a sobering moment, Ms. Chunying said: “We welcome this.”

It comes as the Chinese held talks with the Taliban at the end of July to discuss the future of their relationship.

Nine officials from the Taliban met China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, in the Chinese city of Tianjin on July 28.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar the Taliban’s co-founder was welcomed by Mr. Yi with open arms at the meeting.

During the talks the Taliban promised they would not allow Uyghur militants from China’s Xinjiang Province to come to Afghanistan and train as terrorists. 

In return China pledged support to the militant group.

And in a shocking statement, Mr Yi called the Taliban “an important military and political force in Afghanistan”.

Despite the comments US secretary of state Antony Blinken at the time claimed that Beijing’s interest in Afghanistan could be a “positive thing”.

The news comes as the Taliban have effectively taken control of Afghanistan after 20 years of western intervention in the country.

Taliban fighters have now declared “the war is over” after seizing the presidential palace, sending President Ashraf Ghani fleeing. Photos have now emerged of hundreds more Taliban fighters flooding into the capital Kabul as citizens scramble to escape at Kabul airport.

The declaration of victory follows a blistering advance across Afghanistan, which saw 20 provincial capitals fall to the Taliban in less than two weeks as the Afghan army failed to hold back their offensive.

It follows chaotic scenes that were unfolding on Sunday evening and Monday morning as thousands of desperate Afghan's swarmed into Kabul's Hamid Karzai international airport to try and board flights. While heartbreaking footage shows how some were so desperate to leave that they climbed on the outside of a US military plane as it took off and later fell tragically to their deaths.


EXPRESS

Tuesday

Ousted Afghan President Ghani fled with helicopter filled with millions of dollars


CC™ Global News

By Foreign Correspondent

As controversy trailed the whereabouts of ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, some reports said he fled with a helicopter filled with cash.

The report credited to Russian embassy in Kabul claimed that the helicopter could not contain all the cash as he had to leave some behind.

The report did not indicate the currency, but it was obvious he must have taken away U.S. dollars.

According to Mail Online, Ghani also escaped with four cars, which he plans to use in his country of asylum.

By Monday night, it was unclear where he had sought refuge.

Initial report on Sunday said he fled to Tajikistan, but local authorities in Dushanbe Tajikistan debunked this.

‘The plane with Mr. Mohammad Ashraf Ghani onboard did not enter airspace of Tajikistan and did not land in the territory of the country,’ said a Tajik source.

Al Jazeera also reported that Ghani fled to Uzbekistan.

But Russian sources are now suggesting that he is in Oman.

Monday

China's state media mocked the US withdrawal in Afghanistan, saying the Taliban takeover was 'more smooth than the presidential transition in the US


CC™ Global News

By Cheryl Teh

China's state media mocked the US troop withdrawal in Afghanistan, saying the Taliban's takeover of the country was "more smooth" than the presidential transfer of powers in the US.

The opinion was tweeted out on August 15 by Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a state-affiliated media outlet in China.

Hu was referencing posts made on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter.

People made posts saying that the Taliban takeover was "peaceful" compared to the US Capitol riot on January 6. when a pro-Trump mob swarmed the Capitolsieged the buildingsmashed and damaged property, and forced lawmakers into lockdown.

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani left Afghanistan for Tajikistan on August 15, leaving his presidential palace open to Taliban fighters entering Kabul. On Sunday, fighters were seen inside the presidential palace, holding assault weapons and posing behind desks.

Ghani, who became president in 2014, made a Facebook post upon his departure, saying he "thought it was best to get out" to avoid a "flood of blood" in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital and its largest city.

The Taliban is now positioned to formally take hold of power in the country once again and declare it the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan following a complete withdrawal of American troops and the evacuation of US diplomats.

"What a joke. In Kabul today, the new government takeover was even more stable than when the US changed presidents," wrote a Weibo user named Chen Zhen.

Some Weibo users also poked fun at the blame game currently unfolding between Biden and Trump on who should take responsibility for the Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan's major cities, making predictions about "what will happen next" in US politics.

One user with the ID DiGuaXiongLaoLiu wrote: "The script should read like this from here on. Step one: Trump asks Biden to resign and take responsibility for Afghanistan. Step two, Biden refuses to resign, and states supporting Trump will say if Biden doesn't resign, they'll leave the US! Step three, two years later the US government dissolves itself and becomes the Ameri-Russian Government."

Business Insider

Friday

THE MAN DIED! (REST IN PEACE, MOHAMMED FAWEHINMI)


CC™ Opinion News

By Yahaya Balogun

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

With shock and profound sadness, Mohammed Fawehinmi has succumbed to death at age 52. He was said to have died briefly after complaining about shortness of breath or breathing difficulties. Mohammed Fawehinmi was the older scion of our late indefatigable strong man, lawyer, and human rights activist, late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. Mr. Mohammed Fawehinmi was a graduate of Business Administration of the University of Lagos in 1991. The humbled man obtained an LLB degree from Buckingham University, England. Mr. Mohammed was called to Nigerian Bar in 1998. He has had over 20 years of experience in the practice of law.

In 2003, the amiable and humbled Mohammed had a terrible accident on a Lagos road that affected his spinal cord and permanently confined his ambulation to a wheelchair. Nevertheless, the young Fawehinmi managed his father's Law firm, though not to the best of his ability and the measurable expectations of his late father--Chief Gani Fawehinmi. The 2003 Lagos accident punctuated and changed Mohammed Fawehinmi's life and ambition forever.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Fawehinmi was not married before his death. With sadness, he said in an interview in 2018 that the Lagos accident affected his life in many profound ways. "I just felt that I shouldn't bother any woman with my condition. I didn't want anybody to marry me out of pity. Even though I always have females around me, not every woman can stay with a person with a disability of my kind. "Most of the women I have met in recent times are not the ones that can stay with a man, and they are the type who would want to attend parties and keep all sorts of friends instead of looking after me. Of course, a few have come close to what I want, but the temperament is nothing to write home about." Late Mohammed conclusively lamented.

In a nutshell, life is full of mysteries and joy. But the puzzles of life have always dwarfed the profundity of man to enjoy life to the fullest. Only a mind with mindfulness will be able to manage the mundane life with what life brings carefully. The sudden death of Mohammed Fawehinmi reminds every sane man and woman with mindfulness, the teachable moment in everyone's life. Life is what we make of it. Everyone who humbly understands life should be counted among the fortunate ones who have attempted to understand life.

Today, virtually everyone dwells ignorantly in the voids of the world. The hearts of homo sapiens are full of arrogance, ignorance, amnesia, and empty pride. But, at the same time, life is a teachable space for us. The fool will wake up every morning with the arrogance of empty-self; he goes out with ignorance and thoughtlessness of what the day will bring to fore. He gyrates around like a hydra-headed monster pushing an empty barrel around with amplifying noise. He grumbles, laments, and behaves with belligerency and idiocy as if the world belongs to him. He wines and dines with recklessness and forgets the certainty of his expiry date. The fool forgets that life is a mixture of a void full of nothingness. The fool only remembers the exigencies of life with consciousness only when he's confronted with threats, opportunities, challenges, and acts of selfishness. Only the smart and mused ones in the midst of the foolish understand life and thread it softly, softly with caution, love, and every act of human kindness. If only a man understands life, he will be concerned about his legacy and what posterity will bring after kicking the bucket. Every minute in a man's life inches him to his timely or untimely grave. The empty-headed one amasses wealth at the expense of his soul; he dwells a void globe with glorified beauty, so empty!

In reality, with the time difference, the dead ones alive cry for the dead ones being committed to mother earth. In contrast, both have appointed time to be answerable to the inevitable end--death. Death is a necessary end, and it will come when it will come. We all owe death a debt---the inevitable end! What will people say about you after you are no more in this void world? Folks, what legacy do you want to leave behind? These, among other questions, are crucial questions begging for existential answers. There are some names the future generations will ruefully avoid naming after their generational children. Likewise, some names will be jostling the next generation's minds to name after their children--amongst these names is the quintessential Fawehinmi. A golden name that has stood the test of times and etched its reputation for generations to come. How those of us mourning the death of this humbled man and who attempted with profound regret to outpace and replicate the beautiful legacy his father left behind will matter in the end. My undying message to the late Mohammed Fawehimmi and his numerous families is that:

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

To live in the hearts of the beautiful minds, you have left behind is not to die. Mohammed Fawehinmi and his father, Gani Fawehinmi, are on an endless journey to eternal life. Before their eternal exits, they have both become kindred spirits in the ethereal world. They have memorably played their parts quintessentially in this troubled world. Sun re, Mohammed Fawehinmi. Those who have created a hemorrhaged society for Nigeria should shamefully avoid attending your funeral. May they not sleep until the inevitable sleep catches their unending nightmares.

May, the souls of the impeccable Nigerians (Mohammed Fawehinmi and his dad) and other deceased and good Nigerians rest in perfect peace. May Almighty God give the Fawehinmi's families the fortitude to bear his irreparable loss. May God bless the souls of these vintage Nigerian generational figures (Mohammed and his father--Gani Fawehinmi). They fought for us to live in the mess of survival and swamped land they've tried to clean unsuccessfully.

Goodnight, Mohammed Fawehinmi.

Thursday

Rehabilitation of Boko Haram fighters greatest evil under the sun - Fani-Kayode

CC™ Global News

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Social critic and former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode on Thursday said the rehabilitation of Boko Haram fighters who have stained their hands with the blood of Nigerians is the greatest evil under the sun.

Fani-Kayode, in a statement, said the slaughter of the people of Nigeria by Boko Haram, ISWAP, foreign militias, herdsmen, bandits, unknown gunmen and other terrorists shall not go unavenged and unpunished.

According to him, every single one of them and those who covertly support and encourage them shall be brought to justice.

The statement reads: “The slaughter of the people of Nigeria by Boko Haram, ISWAP, foreign militias, herdsmen, bandits, unknown gunmen and other terrorists shall not go unavenged and unpunished.

“Every single one of them and those who covertly support and encourage them shall be brought to justice.

“The rehabilitation of Boko Haram fighters who have stained their hands with the blood of our people is the greatest evil under the sun.

“It gladdens my heart to hear that the Chief of Army Staff has ruled out such a dangerously stupid and indefensible policy.

“Evil must never be encouraged or rewarded.”


PM NEWS

Friday

Nigeria: At least 115 people killed by security forces in four months in country’s Southeast

Former Chief of Army Staff and alleged war criminal Buratai (L) and AG Malami (R)
CC™ Global News

• Police said at least 21 personnel were killed in three months in Imo state. 
• More than 500 arrested after police and military raids.  
• Widespread allegations of torture and ill-treatment.  

Nigerian security forces have committed a catalogue of human rights violations and crimes under international law in their response to spiralling violence in Southeast Nigeria, carrying out a repressive campaign since January which has included sweeping mass arrests, excessive and unlawful force, and torture and other ill-treatment, said Amnesty International.  

“The evidence gathered by Amnesty International paints a damning picture of ruthless excessive force by Nigerian security forces in Imo, Anambra and Abia states,” said Osai Ojigho, Country Director at Amnesty International. 

Nigeria’s government has responded with a heavy hand to killings and violence widely attributed to the armed group calling itself Eastern Security Network (ESN), the armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a pro-Biafra movement.  According to government officials, the ESN killed dozens of security operatives and attacked at least ten public buildings, including prisons and police stations, from January to June. In response, security forces comprising military, police, and Department of State Services (DSS) have killed dozens of gunmen, as well as civilians, where attacks have been committed. 

Eyewitnesses told Amnesty International that the security forces have engaged in excessive use of force, physical abuse, secret detentions, extortion, burning of houses, theft, and extrajudicial executions of suspects.  Human rights groups estimated that the death toll of violence between January and June 2021 in Anambra, Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi states might run into the hundreds. The police said ESN fighters killed 21 of its personnel in Imo state alone.  

Amnesty International carried out an extensive investigation to document the human rights violations and crimes under international law in Anambra, Imo, Ebonyi and Abia states from January 2021. The organization documented 52 incidents of unlawful killings and 62 cases of arbitrary arrest, ill-treatment and torture. Media reports, video and audio recordings reviewed show that the Nigerian security forces also employed excessive force and other unlawful means to address the rising violence. 

Spiralling violence

From January 2021, gunmen suspected to be ESN militants launched a series of attacks on government infrastructure, including prisons and public buildings, killing several police officers. Amnesty International condemned these attacks and called on authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. 

Nigerian security forces launched security operations in June, primarily targeting ESN militants or those perceived as such to decimate the group.    

Amnesty International documented at least 115 persons killed by security forces between March and June 2021. Many relatives of the victims told Amnesty International that they were not part of the militants that were attacking security agents.  Many of the victims were deposited at government hospitals in Imo and Abia state. According to several hospital sources all the victims deposited by the police had bullet injuries.

For instance, in two of the cases documented by Amnesty international, the victims were targeted with no apparent justification: 

  • Uguchi Unachukwu, a German-based businessman was killed by soldiers on 31 May at a checkpoint near Owerri airport on his way out of the country. The police are yet to investigate the crime.
  • Mathew Opara, a 45-year-old businessman, was shot by soldiers on 25 May 2021 in Orji, near Owerri. Witnesses told Amnesty International that he was returning from work when he ran into a team of soldiers in armoured vehicle and Hilux vans shooting at residents. He was shot in the chest and could not receive immediate medical help because of the violence.  His family said the military acknowledged the killing but did not launch an investigation or offer any apology.

Unlawful and arbitrary arrests and ill-treatment

In May 2021, the Imo state government announced the arrest of at least 400 people allegedly linked to the violence. Amnesty International’s investigation indicates that most of them were randomly picked up in their homes and off the street and had nothing to do with ESN. Some victims told Amnesty international that they were arrested while walking in the street, at a public bar or simply for having birth marks or tattoos on their body.

A 37-year-old man who was arrested by the police at Orji, in Imo state, on 26 May 2021 told Amnesty International that he was arrested because his colleague had a birth mark on his shoulder. The police said the mark was a sign of membership of IPOB.  “The police arrested us on the road. They asked us to lie down on the road.  They checked our clothes to see if we have tattoo.  I had none but one of us had a birth mark.  He tried to explain but the policemen started beating him. They tied our hands backwards and took us in their van to the police station,” he said.

Another 36-year-old man told Amnesty International: “I was arrested on my way back from work. The policemen put me in a bus along with other young men including several students and an NYSC member in his uniform. They labelled us ESN members and took us to their station at the Fire Service. We were severely beaten. They said they will waste [kill] all of us. I told them that I work for the state government.  I was asked to pay N20,000. I negotiated and finally paid N15,000.  They allowed me to go at about 10.30 pm. I do not know what happened to the other people.”

On 23 July, soldiers from the 82 Divisional headquarters of the Nigeria Army, Enugu, invaded Akpawfu, Amagunze and Akpugo communities in Enugu state and arrested at least 20 residents after gunmen killed five soldiers and burnt their vehicle near the community days earlier. Eyewitnesses told Amnesty International that dozens of soldiers moved from house to house, arresting youths on suspicion that they had links with ESN militants.  

“What is needed is an impartial and open inquiry to determine what happened and bring to justice all those suspected of criminal responsibility in fair trials before ordinary civilian courts and without recourse to death penalty,” said Osai Ojigho.  

Background  

Since 2016, Amnesty International has documented violations of the rights to life, freedom of assembly and freedom from torture, and arbitrary arrests and detentions of suspected members of the IPOB

AMNESTY 


Thursday

Bloodbath in Southeast as gory killings spread to Enugu


CC™ Global News

•Foetus of pregnant woman removed, 7 others killed as herdsmen attack Enugu community

•Fear, suspicion pervade in Orlu as leaders flee community

•Relocate to your development areas to stem local security challenges, Ugwuanyi tells 68 newly sworn-in Administrators

•Follow round-table approach to resolve Orlu crises, PDP tells Uzodimma

At least nine persons, including a pregnant woman whose foetus was removed, were on Sunday afternoon killed by suspected herdsmen who attacked Mgbuji community in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State.

A resident of the community, Eberechukwu Agbo, who put the figures of the dead at nine, said many others might die from injuries sustained during the attack.

Following this development, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has directed the 68 newly sworn-in development area administrators in the state to relocate to their areas to stem local security challenges in the state.

In Imo State, the return of violent and barbaric killings, particularly in the Orlu area of the state, has caused fear, apprehension and suspicion in the area, resulting in residents and leaders fleeing the community.

Also yesterday, the Imo State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, called on the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, to adopt a round-table approach to resolve the Orlu crises.

Herdsmen killings in Enugu

On the Enugu killings, it was learned that after the herdsmen allegedly killed the pregnant woman, they ripped open her stomach to remove her unborn baby which they also killed and placed on her dead mother.

Vanguard gathered that the armed herdsmen invaded the community through a border with Benue State community, attacking several farm settlers and other unlucky people caught in the farm, including those returning from a marriage ceremony.

While a source who pleaded for anonymity, said the attack came from members of a border community of Benue State who are in a boundary dispute with Mgbuji community, the Bishop of Anglican Diocese of Eha-Amufu, Rt. Rev. Daniel Nkemjika Olinya, dismissed the boundary dispute claim, insisting that herdsmen attacks had been on the increase in the area and entire state.

He also lamented that the state and local government authorities had not put enough measures in place to stop the marauders

The cleric equally stated that members of the community stopped personnel of the Nigeria Police Force who came on Monday to evacuate the corpses because they had not released corpses of victims earlier killed by herdsmen in the community for burial.

He said: “This is the third time the armed herdsmen are invading Mgbuji community this year, apart from indiscriminate kidnappings on which we have lost counts. Most of the time, they invade the community, kidnap and kill the victims. The last attack before this Sunday’s attack led to the death of six people. Five of them have not been buried and now they came again this time and killed eight persons.

“Some people said the rising attacks in the recent time could be linked to the eviction notice given to the herdsmen and other conditions of operation that are, perhaps, unacceptable to the herdsmen.

“For instance, some of the people who were kidnapped and released recently by the armed herdsmen stated that the herdsmen insisted that they would continue their criminal actions until IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, dropped his agitations for Biafra.”

Members of the community alleged that the police asked them to sign an undertaking to allocate land to herdsmen and equally agree to live with them before they could release the corpses of those killed during earlier attacks.

Vanguard also gathered that the attacks followed an eviction order on the herdsmen resident in the community by Mgbuji community due to the continued attacks, killings, and destruction of farms by the herdsmen.

All attempts to hear from the spokesperson of Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe, at press time last night proved abortive as he refused to respond to telephone calls.

Relocate to your development areas to foster intelligence gathering

To stem the tide of insecurity in the state, the governor, Ugwuanyi directed that the new administrators engage all traditional rulers, presidents of town unions, religious leaders, youth and women organizations, Neighborhood Watch groups, Forest Guards, and, indeed, all stakeholders in their respective development areas, to inspire a grassroots security architecture underpinned by robust intelligence gathering and communication of same to security agencies.

The governor, who gave the directives when he swore in the administrators at Government House, Enugu, said the grassroots engagement strategy “is the only means of fully reclaiming our neighborhoods, and we expect no less”.

Harping on the imperative for this new paradigm of neighborhood-based intelligence gathering, the governor pointed out that the strategy “stares us in the face.

“If we must secure our communities/neighborhoods and fulfill our pivotal mandate of security and welfare of our people, as enshrined in section 14 subsection 2(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), then we must necessarily understand our neighborhoods and the residents; their means of livelihood, lifestyle and networks.

“Enugu State Development Areas can no longer be superintended by absentee or non-resident Development Area Administrators,” he said.

Governor Ugwuanyi reminded the administrators that they have to also ensure that their subjects are fully enlightened on government’s policies and programmes, and mobilize for a collaborative partnership in peacekeeping as well as implementation of policies and programmes of government.

Fear, suspicion pervade as Orlu leaders flee community

Meanwhile, investigation into the crisis in Orlu by Vanguard revealed that some leaders, especially those involved in politics, have fled the community for fear of being the next victim.

A strategy adopted by many within Orlu and beyond, as observed by our correspondent, is the resolve not to be vocal in speaking about the crisis to avoid being caught on the crossfire. Those who had been vocal in the past, are now gagging themselves.

A top traditional ruler in Orlu said it is risky to speak about the killings.

A top politician contacted also declined comment. “I don’t want to be involved in that”, he interjected.

A source in the community told Vanguard that it is difficult to say for sure the people behind the renewed killings.

“I can’t say for sure the people behind these killings. Initially, we suspected ritualists. Some people have tried to link it to the issue of Biafra. We don’t just know who is responsible, and for what purpose.

“But all we pray is for peace to return. There is so much fear in the community. Nobody knows what will happen next. We are living in fear. Many people have left the village, especially those who are into politics”, the source stated.

Speaking with our correspondent, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Orluzurumee, the apex socio-political organization in Orlu, Reuben Okoro, expressed deep worry over the situation.

“I am very worried over the killings. My knees are on the ground every day praying to God to restore sanity to Orlu. If we kill ourselves, who is going to stay back? The situation pains me”, he stated.

On what he thinks could help to restore peace, Okoro said: “You know it is difficult to talk now. If you talk, if ‘A’ does not misquote you, ‘B’ will do. I will suggest elders should be assembled to see what could be done about it. I am just praying to God. God has the solution to what is happening in Orlu, Imo State, and Nigeria in general”, he posited.

A former governorship aspirant who hails from Okporo Community, Leo Okolienta said he was saddened by the killings in his community.

Okolienta, based in the United States, appealed to those behind the killings to sheathe their swords for peace to return.

“I am saddened by the killings in my community. It is very worrisome how human beings are being slaughtered. I appeal to all parties to please give peace a chance. We can’t continue to lose our people.

“Government should handle this matter carefully, we just want peace to return so that people can live without fear”, he pleaded.

It would be recalled that in the past two weeks, about five persons have been killed within Okporo, a community in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State in what appears like well-planned attacks against perceived enemies. The latest was the beheading of a man suspected to be a leader in the area and the destruction of his vehicle. It happened the same day the unknown gunmen attacked Njaba police station, in which the police said they killed two, and succeeded in repelling the attack.

Follow round-table approach to resolve Orlu crisis, PDP tells Uzodimma

PDP through the State Youth Leader, Greg Nwadike, said a round-table strategy has been effective in the management of the Niger Delta crisis, adding that it should be applied in the Orlu insecurity issues.

According to Nwadike, “My stand is that the governor should approach this insecurity from a round-table strategy. He should meet with those involved and know what their problems are and look into it. This is the way to go about it. It is the approach we saw even in Niger Delta areas and it has worked well.

“It is not to be tackled with the use of gun and bullet approach. We, the leaders of Orlu are not happy about the killings in our area and we want it stopped. There is no security in Orlu and the government must be seen doing the right thing to secure Orlu.”

A source close to the series of meetings ongoing said: “We have met with some groups and the meeting is still ongoing. The traditional rulers are still meeting. This is the second time they are meeting.

“Youth groups are coming together to form alliance and protect their communities like you have seen for the past three days. They have taken over the security of the place.”


VANGUARD