Six arrested over two bombs found in Winners Chapel

The Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Abdulmajid Ali, said on Sunday in Owerri that six persons had been arrested in connection with two improvised explosive devices planted at the Living Faith Church, popularly known as Winners’Chapel).

Ali, who spoke to newsmen at the church premises along Port Harcourt Road, Owerri, said the “two timed bombs” were planted at the church premises by unknown persons.

According to him, the command was alerted about the strange objects in the church compound.

He said: “We were alerted that some devices were seen in the church and immediately we deployed our anti-bomb squad.

:We are happy that the squad immediately defused the bomb on arrival and six persons have been arrested so far.”

Ali said the command would do everything possible to unravel the perpetrators of the act.

He urged the people to go about their normal activities as the two IEDs have been defused.

Also speaking, the Commander of 34 Artillery Brigade, Owerri, Brigadier General Lanre Bello, confirmed that the explosives were capable of killing many people at a time.

The Case AGAINST Sanusi Lamido Sanusi As Emir of Kano by Aguntasoolo

After SLS was announced as the new of Emir of Kano on Sunday (8th) evening, I noticed a couple of my friends from Kano were on different sides of the announcement i.e. one was happy about it and another wasn’t. So I reached out to them to write their opinions about it for the benefit of us non-Kano indigenes who might be missing some of the nuance and localised politics of the matter. 

I will be publishing the argument FOR SLS as Emir tomorrow but let’s start off with the argument AGAINST. As you know, I am probably SLS’ greatest living fan on the internet But gaskiya, I have not edited a single line or word from the post below. I have also chosen to keep them anonymous (they don’t mind being known) so that people can focus on the arguments and not attack the person making them as an agent of APC or PDP.

 

NIGHTMARE SUNDAY IN KANO: WHY LAMIDO BOBUWA IS NOT THE POPULAR CHOICE

“Ba ma yi! Kano Sai Dan Sarki Wallahi! Gwamma ba haka mukayi da kai ba”

Roughly translated into “We don’t support this. We want the son of the Emir (Ado Bayero). Governor, this is not what we agreed with you”.

These were the cries that spontaneously greeted the announcement of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (SLS) as the emir of Kano. In Kano, SLS has always been a divisive figure. People in Kano admire him as SLS the thoroughbred professional, and his achievements over the course of his career speak for themselves. However, a sizeable majority of people especially those close to the Kano Emirate are not fans of SLS, the prince. If Kano royalty was as straightforward as politics, then maybe he would have been the popular choice as emir.

But it is not as straightforward. And he is not the popular choice. Not by a million miles.

This was a clear imposition by the increasingly vindictive Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. It is public knowledge that Kwankwaso never forgave the late emir, Ado Bayero who in Kwankwaso’s view, did nothing to stop his defeat during the 2003 general elections. The slogan “Sabon Gwamna, Sabon Sarki” (New Governor, New Emir) was used abundantly during Kwankwaso’s 2011 campaign actively supported by the man himself. This “beef” was exacerbated by Ado Bayero’s perceived closeness to the former governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, Kwankwaso’s arch-nemesis and sworn enemy.

It is also public knowledge that Kwankwaso had on several times tried to instigate disagreement (which could eventually lead to dethronement) with the late emir in the past few years (much akin to “Release our girls” protesters trying to deliberately provoke “Bring Back Our Girls” protesters into fisticuffs, designed to herald an eventual ban on protests.). All who know Ado Bayero know him as a mature and peace-loving person, and he always took the option of being the bigger man in the face of deliberate antagonism & provocation throughout his long reign.

Genesis of The ‘Beef’ 

There was the incident shortly after Kwankwaso’s swearing-in in 2011 where the late emir Ado Bayero wrote to him informing him of his inability to engage in the Hawan Nassarawa, part of the traditional Sallah festivities, due to his illness becoming increasingly severe. The Hawan Nassarawa (which was modified by the colonialists to include royal horseback visits to colonial authorities first in their initial headquarters at Bompai, then later moved to Nassarawa) is a grueling 6-hour horseback ride around town in the hot sun, which involves visiting the Government House and paying homage to the Governor. 

Though the letter clearly stated that the emir would not be embarking on Hawan Nassarawa ONLY (due to its length and general wahala not compatible with his deteriorating health) and would participate in other less grueling tasks, the governor took this as a slight and issued a statement in which he cancelled Sallah festivities in its entirety giving the official reason as due to the emir’s poor health. This was not what was agreed and the emir went ahead as he had planned, further creating lot of friction. Kwankwaso then made several subtle threats to the emir through intermediaries that he would be dethroned if he dares continue the festivities. It is a testament to Ado Bayero’s maturity that he instructed his entire district heads and titleholders to drive along with him in their cars along the same routes usually plied on horseback to go and pay homage to Kwankwaso. This defused the situation, but left Kwankwaso presumably bemoaning his inability to dethrone Ado Bayero.

Another incident still fresh in the memory of Kano people (and perhaps the most painful) is how shabbily Kwankwaso treated the emir in the last few days of his life. Ado Bayero had written to the governor informing him of his intention to turban a new Wazirin Kano, a position left vacant since the death of the renowned Islamic scholar, Mallam Isa Waziri. The governor allegedly wrote back to the Emirate asking it to suspend the turbanning for security reasons. The governor claimed to be acting based on unfavourable security reports of violent protests which may erupt following the turbanning,as the new Waziri was considered as an unpopular choice  (ironic now isn’t it?). In a classic display of treachery, it was alleged that the councillor who handles administrative matters in the Emirate (himself an aspirant to the Emirship) withheld the letter and gave the late Emir fabricated news of Kwankwaso’s “approval”, all in a bid to further strain their relationship. There is the unconfirmed allegation that he even forged a letter conveying approval.

The announcement of the planned turbanning of the new Waziri two weeks ago therefore presented an opportunity for Kwankwaso to exact his much sought revenge.  Kwankwaso’s deputy, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, a gentleman to the core, and a polar opposite to his boss tried to intervene by heading to the palace at 7am on the Friday the turbanning was to take place, one week before the Emir passed away. He was there to advise the Emir to postpone the event in the interest of peace. The same councilor who withheld the original letter kept the Deputy Governor of Kano waiting for more than 3 hours, without informing Ado Bayero. It was only at 10am when the emir came out for the turbanning scheduled at 11am that he saw Ganduje and was surprised and visibly displeased they had kept him waiting outside for so long. Having heard what Ganduje had to say, he apologized to him saying that the communication he got from Government House conveyed approval, and that having called people from all over Nigeria to witness it, it would be unfair to turn back now. He asked Ganduje to convey his apologies to the governor.

The turbanning went on as planned. What happened next is public knowledge, with Kwankwaso giving Ado Bayero a 24-hour ultimatum to reverse the turbanning or be dethroned. He also allegedly threatened to suspend the Emirate Council itself and freeze its bank accounts. It is worth noting that former Kano State Governor Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau was turbanned as Sardaunan Kano and member of council in the twilight of his administration by Ado Bayero, and this no doubt hurt the massive ego of Kwankwaso.

It was in the midst of all this turmoil that the late Ado Bayero passed away a few days later, having been forced (by the intervention of some elder statesmen) to reverse himself on the appointment of the Waziri, to avoid embarrassment to the throne. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso flew back from Rivers State upon hearing of Ado Bayero’s  death but still REFUSED to attend the funeral of the late emir. It is also worth recalling that this public display of enmity happened despite the fact that Kwankwaso’s father, Majidadin Kano, was upgraded from his Village Head status and appointed District Head of Madobi LGA by the late emir in a display of magnanimity towards Kwankwaso (during his first term), and at the request of Kwankwaso who drove to the palace at night in a single car and sought that favour from Ado Bayero. All these things happened while the common man on the street watched with keen interest. But for the Islamic faith which strictly preaches total belief in destiny, I am sure many would have concluded that the intense  antagonism displayed by Kwankwaso towards Ado Bayero finally pushed the old man with a weak heart off the cliff.

Anybody conversant with Kano knows that historically, nobody, no matter how highly paced, (from Abubakar Rimi to Muhammadu Buhari to Sani Abacha and now Rabiu Kwankwaso) moves against Ado Bayero without the common man taking his side. This is because for the half-century he ruled, he had generally sided with the cause of the downtrodden. He was a man of justice and equity, and was loved by all his subjects and commanded unparalleled respect.

This brings us back to SLS. Why are Kano people angry at his choice?

He was never popular within Kano metropolis mainly due to the fact that he was always rancorous, argumentative and disrespectful right from childhood and was never seen to be a genuine person with genuine friends or genuine intentions. He is seen as everything a Kano prince should not be. The behaviour of a Kano Prince is guided by the 16th Century treatise, “On The Obligation of Princes” written by renowned scholar Muhammad Al-Maghili at the behest of the then Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Rumfa who contracted him to draw up a code of conduct for the Emirate.

An emir of Kano should exhibit maturity, tact and bridge-building traits, which his subjects usually draw upon for inspiration. Lamido Bobuwa (as was his derisory nickname in childhood) is not believed have those traits, based on his antecedents. People from outside Kano may think SLS is popular there, but it was a common sight during the few durbars conducted in the last few years for a sizeable chunk of spectators lining the routes to be brandishing new N1,000 notes chanting “Kudin Mu ne, zaka dawo da su wallahi” roughly translating into “it is our money, you shall return it” in reference to his renowned ostentation. He was even stoned and insulted publicly on horseback during the Hawan Daushe of Sallah 2012 at Galadanci Quarters, a sight rarely associated with traditional titleholders.

Secondly, the imposition of his candidacy after the king makers had submitted a shortlist of 3 names, consisting of the first three sons of the late emir, leaves a bitter taste. The first being Ciroman Kano, Sanusi Ado Bayero, second being theSarkin Dawakin Tsakar Gida, Aminu Ado Bayero and the third being Turakin Kano, Nasir Ado Bayero. The kingmakers in consultation with the Sultan of Sokoto, Emir of Gwandu and other highly placed northern emirs settled for the eldest of them, the Ciroman Kano and communicated same to Kwankwaso on the night of Saturday, June 7, 2014. The people were generally happy with the choice, and celebrations began. So unlike the belief that it was a PDP ploy to cause public disaffection on SLS’ selection, it was actually in response to the very public knowledge within the metropolis that Sanusi Ado Bayero had been selected. That same night, Kwankwaso allegedly called the kingmakers and asked for the list to be revised and for Sanusi’s name to be included, even if Ciroma was to be the next emir, so as not to convey a feeling of disrespect to the Sanusi lineage by them not being considered entirely. The list was modified, with Sanusi Ado Bayero still as the preferred candidate, at the behest of Kwankwaso. He then allegedly refused to see the kingmakers the next day when they went to Government House to await the announcement. Allegations of financial inducement, harassment and threats to the kingmakers have been making the rounds, but cannot be taken as gospel.

The third is more sentimental than anything. The general feeling on the streets is that Ado Bayero was betrayed by both the governor and his acolytes, and do not feel SLS is mature enough to handle the throne. They feel the late emir was not treated fairly by Kwankwaso (when alive and now in death) by overlooking his sons for what seems like a vendetta against Ado Bayero coupled with political calculations. It could be seen more as an incident of Kwankwaso cutting his nose to spite his face by appointing SLS to spite his Abuja detractors. The cry of “Kano Sai Goodluck” by protesters yesterday after the announcement was made and today drives home the point. There is no place Goodluck Jonathan is more despised in Nigeria than Kano. Kwankwaso is, by this absurd appointment, certainly on the verge of displacing him in the unpopularity stakes.

 

The deed has been done but it is indeed a very bitter pill to swallow. With the politicization of the selection of an Emir by Kwankwaso, what we fear now is the demystification of the revered office of the emir and bringing it into disrepute. What happens now if the Presidency decides to move against him? What happens if the Emir of Kano is arrested by the SSS or EFCC and is made to come and testify in court? What happens to the common man now when his only ally and resort against injustice is now firmly and permanently indebted to Kwankwaso? Or worse still, what happens when the next governor in 2015 adopts “Sabon Gwamna, Sabon Sarki” as his campaign motto?

I wrote this piece to counter the absurd suggestions making rounds yesterday that opposition to SLS is was a PDP financed plot or that it is opposition to modernisation of the emirate and the North, opposition to girl-child education and all of that emotional blackmail. The simple reason why Kano Emirate remains such a big deal is because it has remained what it is: a TRADITIONAL institution warehousing a people’s collective culture and heritage, and has not gone down the “hip & cool” route.

The simple truth remains that Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is not popular with the very people he was imposed to rule.

I even make bold to predict that Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso will be the first person to regret this appointment. There is abundant precedence here.

Gunmen abduct 20 Fulani women from community near Chibok

About 20 Fulani women were reportedly abducted on Thursday by gunmen believed to be Boko Haram members from a nomad settlement near Chibok town, Borno State, where over 300 schoolgirls were abducted on April 14, security sources and local residents have said.

The gunmen invaded a nomad settlement known as Garkin Fulani at about 12 noon and compelled the women at gunpoint to enter their vehicles, in which they then drove off with them to an unknown destination.

According to members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria and local hunters deployed to the Chibok area to guard schools in the area, the gunmen arrived Garkin Fulani when the men of the community were not around and abducted the women.

“We got the information that they went there and took away the women at the time none of the males were there. The three young men they met there could not help the women, as the gunmen also ordered the three of them to enter the Hilux vans and took all of them away,” said one of the vigilante officials, Alhaji Tar, who returned to Maiduguri from Chibok yesterday.

“We tried to go after them when the news got to us about three hours later, but the vehicles we have could not go far and the report came to us a little bit late,” he added.

A top security officer who craved anonymity, because his job does not include speaking directly to the press confirmed the incident, but said: “The details are still sketchy for us to make any serious statement on it. We are still investigating to ascertain its veracity.”

Leadership.

BREAKING NEWS: Dora Akunyili Is Dead

Dora Akunyili

By Saharareporters, New York

Former Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and ex minister of Information, Professor Dora Akunyili, has died according to a family source.

 Dr. Akunyili died in an India Hospital where she has been receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment. She was aged 59.

Boko Haram, Muslims and Northerners, by Yushau Shuaib

After the Chief Imam ended the prayer in the mosque, his deputy collected the microphone and delivered strong worded condemnation on insurgents for the killing of innocent people in the name of Islam. The deputy ended by saying: “Terrorists will roast in hell-fire!”

Surprisingly, the Chief Imam retrieved the microphone from his deputy and declared to the bewildered congregation: “Salam Alaikum. I am the Chief Imam of the mosque. The man who just condemned Boko Haram ‘citizens’ is the deputy Imam and his house is the one painted in white and blue behind the Emir’s palace by the right-hand corner…”

Sometimes the silence of Northerners and Muslims over monumental atrocities being committed in some parts of the North, is being viewed either as a sign of complicity or endorsement of atrocities being perpetrated by insurgents. The reality however, is that most of the victims of the attacks are actually Northerners and many are even notable traditional rulers and Islamic clerics who dared to condemn such activities just like the killing of Emir of Gwoza.

On the contrary, challenges against complacency should rather be directed at the political class who have the resources and network to address the insecurity even during its infancy. It became clearly evident that there was trouble earlier on when there was proliferation of some groups that are now challenging our corporate existence.

In a widely publicised article penned by this writer in March 2006 during President Obasanjo’s era titled: “Killing in the Name of the Devil”, which coincidentally was in response to an ethno-religious crisis in Maiduguri, Borno State following a controversial Danish cartoon, I pointed out: “Probably out of fear and to sustain loyalty of followers, some leaders adopt subtle approach to comment on the mayhem instead of condemning it in the strongest possible terms. The holy scriptures have several verses that denounce those horrendous anomalies. Even our cherished cultures are rich in expressions that could be deployed at this moment of tribulation and vengeance.”

Few years later, precisely in June 2011, in an article entitled: “Asari Dokubo: Another View on Boko Haram”, this writer joined the maverick Niger Delta militant, in total condemnation of the extra-judicial killing of Mohammed Yusuf, his father-in-law and a former commissioner for Water Resources in Borno, Buji Fai, who were murdered in cold-blood while in police custody.

There is no doubt that leaders from the North have failed to tame excesses and recklessness of religious bigots and extremists, which have led to insecurity in the region. Rather than wake up from their slumbers and tackle the poverty, ignorance and insecurity in the region, some Northern political class and elites, deliberately cover their failures by spinning conspiracy theory that some groups and individual outside of the region are instigating the atrocities. It will be difficult for an outsider to manipulate a household whose members are disciplined and in the right frame of mind.

There are various conspiracy theories being parroted about the crises being engineered by outsiders against the North and Northerners. This is a cheap argument that someone will use northerners to fight northerners in the North where ringleaders and arrested suspects are mostly Northerners without a trace of the so-called outsiders or Southern collaborators. It is also doubtful if top Northern security officers at the national level and commanders on the battlefields will be willing tools in the plan to destroy their own region. Could the so-called Northern conspirators intend to relocate to the South after the total destruction of the North? Some conspiracy theories don’t just make sense.

As Northerners we should be wary of those playing politics with the life of our people and face the real challenges of good governance. We should realise that only very few states in Nigeria can survive without revenue from the Federal Government in the name of the Federation Account. We should question our leaders about what they have done with all the resources which are meant to address the stark backwardness of the Northern region. We should also urge them that rather than merely expecting monthly revenue from Cheap oil Money, they should diversify and invest in the productive sector that could improve the economic bases of their respective states and make our people self-reliant and independent from revenue from the central government.

Our leaders should also stop flaunting ill-gotten wealth through accumulations of mansions and ostentatious marriage ceremonies to the envy of the uneducated and poor in the society which to some extent also provoke militancy.

We should deemphasise debate on imaginary conspiracy theories by being constructive in our engagements as well as work on practical actions to tame widespread insecurity presently threatening to completely destroy our region. Our leaders should not exhibit traits that portray them as overly ambitious and selfish. We can’t continue to remain silent when this crisis is razing and may consume everyone.

As a Muslim, I believe Islamic leaders need to do more to promote and protect the faith from activities of some followers that give a contrary image to the Religion of Peace. Common sense dictates that Daawah or preaching for good conduct and morality should start within by advocating religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence so that our great nation will not disintegrate by 2015.

Do they care when it is the North (East)?, by Garba Shehu

Beyond the issue of the 200+ missing schools girls in the North-Eastern state of Borno, what is rarely talked about these days is the execution of innocent villagers in those areas bordering Cameroon. With Boko Haram making these raids a daily occurrence, killing 10, 20, 30, 40 or even 50 ordinary people in their places of worship, markets or on the highway, many cannot escape the sense of déjà vu. Human beings have become mere numbers. The Sunday Trust reported that 1,140 Nigerians were killed in May alone, and that thousands of Borno State indigenes are stranded at the boarder as Nigerians make desperate moves to escape into Cameroon. Why is the Nigerian government showing an unwillingness to take ownership or responsibility of what is happening there? What is our government doing to stop the country’s slide into medieval lawlessness?

The screaming headline on the Saturday May 31 edition of ThisDay sums up the point we are making: “Boko Haram’s relentless killings continue, kills First Class Emir.” Barely 24 hours after the killing of the Emir, gunmen, in 20 Hilux vehicles and motorcycles, attacked three border villages in Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State, with that, killing 42 people. The day after, some say 18, others say 60 were killed in a bombing incident at another border town Mubi, this time in Adamawa State. As Adewale Kupoluyi wrote in the Punch edition of March 5, 2014: “Why are they really fighting? Is it the government?… What does Boko Haram really want?”

As for the government, which has overall responsibility for security in the federation, you sometimes wonder whether our current rulers have the will and capability to run the state. This daily massacre of innocent citizens, is not greeted by arrests, trials or retribution on the part of the outlaws. No, killings are greeted by empty condemnations released by Dr. Reuben Abati, presidential Special Adviser on Media and Publicity. Is it the United Nations that will come to defend the lives of citizens in Nigeria?

On those occasions, leaders of government are forced to give an account of the daily lives that are being lost, Nigerians are told to be thankful that it could have been worse. At a recent event, the President, Dr. Jonathan Goodluck delightfully told his audience to thank God that the nightmare of Sunday-Sunday Church bombings had been overcome (which is commendable). In his seventh “Media Chat” on May 5, the President pushed this point further, saying that a majority of states had been rid of the scourge of terrorism, and that they had been pushed to the North-East corner of the country, restricting them thereby to only three states in the atrocities that they commit.

When she spoke at length on the economic and security questions facing the country on May 6, that is in the run-up to the World Economic Forum for Africa, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, conveyed a same sense in line with the President’s argument. Trying to reassure the anxious and clearly apprehensive global community about the safety of WEFA delegates against the backdrop of the second Nyanya bombings, the ongoing slaughter in the North-East as well as the kidnap of those girls, Okonjo-Iweala launched an emotive line of defence by first describing the girls as “our daughters. It’s like my daughter is missing. Every single one of those girls is my daughter.” But the country, she argued, must move on as did England in the face of the IRA attacks and went on and on.

But the one that really got me sad was the pseudo-intellectual gymnastics by Oscar Nnamdi, the Director-General of the Nigeria Stock Exchange, who, in another interview with CNN’s Richard Quest, more or less ended up saying that Nigeria was two countries in one, one wracked by violence and the other an investors haven with a stock market offering the world’s best rewards. Inasmuch as these things said, whether by the President, the Finance Minister and the DG of the Stock Exchange are factually correct, helping to give assurances to many of the WEFA delegates who trooped in in their hundreds and thousands to attend the Summit, such remarks can be interpreted as being cynical and immoral. Perhaps unknowingly, they convey an impression that the region is not important and that he country is ready to move on irrespective of the situation or plight they are contending with. Such questions as are we not human beings? Are are we not equal under the constitution? will definitely be agitating minds there.

It is good news from Oscar that the aggregate foreign capital inflow into Nigeria continues its growth in spite of the terror campaign by Boko Haram, leading to increases in direct and portfolio investment. But for anyone to say that business and investments were located far away from where the trouble was taking place and that the rest of the country was functioning normally was the kind of drivel dominating discussions at beer parlours. This speech is definitely not smart on the part of any public official. Terrorism as persons more enlightened than myself have said is like the cancer cell. If it is not checked when it affects a part of the body, it affects all others.

Given the type of thinking, it is not far-fetched to assume that this is the explanation for the lower government vigil in the crisis areas, a government seeming clearly more inclined or answerable to the more prosperous parts of the country. The sad side effect of this episode is that people in those regions, “that little corner of the country” to which terrorism has been cornered will themselves start asking the question whether their rulers care at all about their suffering. Does being poor and lacking in mineral resources mean that their part of the country can be left to the terrorists to do as they wished? Killing lives every day, pillaging resources and kidnapping their maidens who are forced to convert; forced into marriages and the new, terrifying ordeal of being sold into slavery?

This then takes us back to the question: Do they care that it is the North (East)? Terrorism, everyone keeps saying is a global phenomenon. In the case of Nigeria, we know that the North-East is the most vulnerable; the most exposed. It is already proving very hard for the people of the areas affected to live with that. That is why they are emigrating to Cameroon even as they face closed borders. But the government leaders are definitely making it harder for them by implying that all is well with the country so long as you, in the North-East are those left to face the challenge.

We did not ban peaceful rallies – Police

The Police High Command on Tuesday denied that it ever banned peaceful rallies in the country.

The denial followed the uproar that greeted that pronouncement by the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Mbu Joseph Mbu, that members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign were no longer allowed to continue their protest in Abuja.

The members of the group, led by a former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, have since headed to the court.

However, contrary to the position of Mbu, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, said on Tuesday that the police never banned peaceful rallies.

Mba said no such order exists.

He, however, said there was the need to be cautious in view of the security situation in the country.

He said: “It (Police High Command) notes however that against the backdrop of current security challenges in the country, coupled with a recent intelligence report of a likely infiltration and hijack of otherwise innocuous and peaceful protests by some criminal elements having links with insurgents, the Police only issued advisory notice, enjoining citizens to apply caution in the said rallies, particularly in the Federal Capital Territory and its environs.

Mba said peaceful rallies are the rights of Nigerians, adding that the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has stressed the need for the organizers of such rallies to ensure that they seek proper advice and guidance from the Police before engaging in any such exercise so as to avoid any unpleasant circumstances.

He added: “The IGP calls on the general public to see the present position of the Force as a necessary sacrifice for the peace our nation needs, as security is a collective responsibility.

“Consequently, citizens are strongly advised to reconsider their positions on the issues of rallies and protests in FCT until the existing threats are appropriately neutralized and removed from our midst by relevant security agencies.

“Meanwhile, the IGP reassures citizens of the commitment of the Force to the protection of lives and property and advancing the course of democracy in Nigeria.”

Kidnappers killed former deputy governor, two others for offering N5m ransom, instead of N30m

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested three suspected kidnappers who allegedly murdered a former Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chudi Nwike, and two members of his family.

The kidnappers, identified as Monday Odieto, Godspower Ovwigho and Stanley Efetobor, were said to have killed Nwike in a blind rage after his family members brought N5 million, instead of the N30 million they had demanded for.

They had also killed the two men that brought the ransom.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, said: “Their confession revealed that one Kelvin emerged leader of the gang after he successfully rescued their former leader, Rufus, from the hands of prison wardens.

“They further revealed that the sum of N30 million was agreed as ransom for the kidnap of Dr. Chudi Nwike on March, 19, 2013.

“But instead, the sum of N5 million was brought to the kidnappers by the family of the former deputy governor.

“The second in command of the kidnappers, Rufus, got angry and shot and killed the two men who brought the ransom and also killed the deputy governor.

“The kidnappers then called and told the wife of the victim to use the remaining balance to bury her husband.”

It was gathered that sequel to the tracking and arrest of one Monday Odieto, from Benin, Edo State, by the Divisional Police Officer of Ikoyi Division, SP Aisha Haruna, for his involvement in kidnapping of the wife of a sitting Supreme Court Judge, Justice Rhodes Vivour, and his confession during interrogation to be a member of a 30-man gang of deadly kidnappers who operate in the South South and South East axis of the country, Manko ordered that the officer in charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SP Abba Kyari, should go after the suspects.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday at police headquarters, Manko said: “After a long manhunt, Godspower was tracked and arrested at Ikorodu on April, 23, 2014 by Kyari and a team of policemen.

“Godspower was identified by Odieto to be a top ranking member of the gang.

“Also on April, 24, 2014, Efetobor, who is also a gang member, was equally arrested by SARS.

“During interrogation, the suspects confessed to be members of the gang that participated in the rescue operation of their former gang leader, Rufus, at Okere Road, Warri in Delta State, when officers of the Nigerian Prisons Service were taking him to court from prison yard in early March, 2013, where several officers of the Nigerian Prisons lost their lives.

“The kidnappers also confessed to have kidnapped the wife and daughter of Justice Rhodes Vivour and also kidnapped the former Deputy Governor of Anambra State on March, 19, 2013.”

According to Manko, Rufus died in a gun duel with policemen.

He added that there is a manhunt to get other fleeing members of the gang.

Sad Moment For Pele As His Son Edinho Sentenced To 33 Years In Jail

The 43-year-old son, a retired footballer himself, will serve the sentence for laundering money raised for drug trafficking, the BBC has reported.
Edinho was first arrested back in 2005 and has served a sentence for drug trafficking
offences, in addition to having links with a notorious drug dealer in the city of Santos.
The son of the great Pele played as a goalkeeper for his father’s old club Santos in the 1990s.
Edinho, who currently works as a goalkeeping coach at Santos, reportedly says that he is a drug addict but denies the trafficking charges levelled against him.

Brazilian media have not been able to reach Edinho, whose real name is Edson Cholbi do Nascimento. He is expected to appeal.
Edinho is Pele’s third son from his first marriage and was just five when the family moved to New York with his father playing for the Cosmos.
He was the Santos goalkeeper in 1995 when the team reached the Brazilian league final, losing the title to Botafogo.
In 2006, Pele went to visit his son in jail and said: "God willing, justice will be done. There is not a shred of evidence against my son.”

Pele won the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970 and was acclaimed as the greatest footballer of his generation.

Why Northern Governors Has Considered Late Emir Idrisa Timta’s Murder As Declaration Of War?

The actions of the Islamist Boko Haram sect, which lead to the death of the Emir of Gwoza Alhaji Idrisa Timta, were described as callous, irresponsible and would be considered as the declaration of war on the whole institution of traditional rulers, the Northern Governors said.

The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) mourned the death of the Emir, expressed shock over attempts to harm two other rulers: Emir of Uba Alhaji Ismaila Mamza and Emir of Askira Alhaji Mai Abdullahi Ibn Muhammadu Askirama.

The Chief Press Secretary to NSGF Chairman Babangida Aliyu, Israel Ebije, announced forum’s condemnations in Minna, Niger State, on May 30, 2014, Friday.

Governor Aliyu lamented in the message that the ugly and vicious act came right on the next day after the Federal Government indicated its readiness to grant amnesty to sect members.

“This is indeed a sad development for us as a region and the nation at large. This is happening at a time we are all doing our very best to rescue our over 200 secondary school girls abducted by the Islamist terror group Boko Haram, from their school in Chibok, Borno State last month,” the statement added.

NSGF urged Boko Haram members to embrace the offer of amnesty promised by President Goodluck Jonathan, saying “dialogue remains the best option for resolving issues”.

The convoy of first class traditional rulers from Borno state was attacked in the morning of Friday. The Emirs were on their way to Gombe State for the burial ceremony of the late Emir of Gombe, Shehu Abubakar.

The Emirs of Askiria and Uba managed to escape from being abducted, while the Emir of Gwoza lost his life.