The Guards Brigade of the Nigerian Army has said that the lady identified as Juliana Gumel who was arrested in Abuja on Friday operated an unregistered clinic at the Dutse area of Abuja.
A statement signed on behalf of the Guards Brigade by Major Abdulahi Abba stated that the 42-year old woman had been operating the illegal facility identified as El-Sone Clinic and Maternity located at Buki Village, Dutse, off the Bwari Expressway, Abuja since 2014.
Abba said that the fake major lived in a makeshift apartment as a doctor in the area.
He said that troops recovered a pair of Nigerian Army Woodland Camouflage with a Nigerian Army rank of major, a pair of combat boots, a jungle hat, a fake, outdated Nigerian Army identity card and a fake current Nigerian Army identity card.
Other items recovered from the woman included a camouflage T-Shirt, a pair or camouflage trousers, a pair of handcuffs, a pepper spray and passport photographs and pictures of her in military uniform.
He said that the mother of one, who hailed from Kaduna State, produced the Nigerian Army identity card at a business centre where she claimed to be a major.
He said that the house and the clinic of the impostor had been sealed off by the military as a crime scene, adding that the case would be handed over to the police at the end of the ongoing investigation.
Abba dismissed the claim that the woman was arrested along the Abuja Keffi Road with children strapped with bombs.
He gave her real name as JUMMAI ANN (surname withheld.)
Tuesday 24 January 2017
Vehicle plunges into dam, husband escapes, wife missing
There was weeping and wailing along the Ife-Ibadan Expressway on Monday after a vehicle conveying three persons, including a couple, plunged into the Asejire Dam.
Asejire Dam separates Osun and Oyo states.
Our correspondent observed that two male occupants of the car, which was completely submerged in the river, were rescued alive by local divers, but the only female occupant in the car could not be brought out of the water for over one hour after the accident.
Eyewitnesses at the scene told our correspondent that the blue colour vehicle first hit the concrete at the edge of the bridge before somersaulting into the river.
One of the people at the scene said the vehicle landed on a rock inside the river before it eventually submerged in water.
Our correspondent overheard the husband of the woman, who was trapped inside the submerged car ,asking for his wife’s whereabouts after he was rescued.
He said, “Where is my wife? She is wearing the same dress like this. Where is she? Is she dead?”
Sympathisers assured him that his wife was slightly injured but she was okay.
A police van on patrol was stopped and the van took the victims to a hospital in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Motorists and other persons, who trooped to the scene, called on the Federal Government to erect railings on all the sides of the bridge to prevent vehicles from plunging into the river.
Some of them said such accident was common on the bridge because there was nothing to prevent any vehicle that skidded off the road from falling into the river.
Copyright PUNCH.
Asejire Dam separates Osun and Oyo states.
Our correspondent observed that two male occupants of the car, which was completely submerged in the river, were rescued alive by local divers, but the only female occupant in the car could not be brought out of the water for over one hour after the accident.
Eyewitnesses at the scene told our correspondent that the blue colour vehicle first hit the concrete at the edge of the bridge before somersaulting into the river.
One of the people at the scene said the vehicle landed on a rock inside the river before it eventually submerged in water.
Our correspondent overheard the husband of the woman, who was trapped inside the submerged car ,asking for his wife’s whereabouts after he was rescued.
He said, “Where is my wife? She is wearing the same dress like this. Where is she? Is she dead?”
Sympathisers assured him that his wife was slightly injured but she was okay.
A police van on patrol was stopped and the van took the victims to a hospital in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Motorists and other persons, who trooped to the scene, called on the Federal Government to erect railings on all the sides of the bridge to prevent vehicles from plunging into the river.
Some of them said such accident was common on the bridge because there was nothing to prevent any vehicle that skidded off the road from falling into the river.
Copyright PUNCH.
‘Trump plans to keep Comey as FBI director’
President Donald Trump intends to keep FBI Director James Comey in his post, the New York Times reported on Tuesday, as the bureau continues its investigation into potential ties between Trump aides and the Russian government.
Comey drew furious criticism from Democrats for announcing the FBI was looking at additional emails related to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton emails 11 days before the November election.
He told his top agents Trump asked him to stay on, the Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Comey drew furious criticism from Democrats for announcing the FBI was looking at additional emails related to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton emails 11 days before the November election.
He told his top agents Trump asked him to stay on, the Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
EFCC re-arraigns Dasuki, Bafarawa for diversion of N13bn arms fund
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday re-arraigned the immediate-past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), and his co-accused, before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama.
The accused persons, including a former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, and his son, Sagir, were re-arraigned before Justice Baba Yusuf on 22 counts involving alleged diversion of N13bn said to have been meant for purchase of arms.
Others named in the case as accused persons are a former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda as well as Sagir’s firm, Dalhatu Investment.
Dasuki was produced in court for the re-arraignment on Tuesday from the custody of the Department of State Service, where he had been remanded for over one year despite meeting his bail conditions.
He and his co-accuse persons, pleaded not guilty to all the charges, when read to them on Tuesday.
The 22 counts comprised alleged criminal breach of trust, receiving stolen property and misappropriation of funds involving N13bn.
The case was transferred from another judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Peter Affen, last year.
The transfer which necessitated the case starting afresh by a way of re-arraignment before the new judge, followed a letter by Dasuki, through his lawyer, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), requesting that the case like, a similar one already pending before Justice Yusuf, be tried in one court.
Before the transfer of the case, there was a similar case comprising 19 counts bordering on similar allegations of diversion N32bn arms money, pending before Justice Yusuf.
The case was also filed against Dasuki and others by the EFCC.
The two cases will now proceed simultaneously before Justice Yusuf.
The accused persons, including a former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, and his son, Sagir, were re-arraigned before Justice Baba Yusuf on 22 counts involving alleged diversion of N13bn said to have been meant for purchase of arms.
Others named in the case as accused persons are a former Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the NSA, Shuaibu Salisu, a former Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda as well as Sagir’s firm, Dalhatu Investment.
Dasuki was produced in court for the re-arraignment on Tuesday from the custody of the Department of State Service, where he had been remanded for over one year despite meeting his bail conditions.
He and his co-accuse persons, pleaded not guilty to all the charges, when read to them on Tuesday.
The 22 counts comprised alleged criminal breach of trust, receiving stolen property and misappropriation of funds involving N13bn.
The case was transferred from another judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Peter Affen, last year.
The transfer which necessitated the case starting afresh by a way of re-arraignment before the new judge, followed a letter by Dasuki, through his lawyer, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), requesting that the case like, a similar one already pending before Justice Yusuf, be tried in one court.
Before the transfer of the case, there was a similar case comprising 19 counts bordering on similar allegations of diversion N32bn arms money, pending before Justice Yusuf.
The case was also filed against Dasuki and others by the EFCC.
The two cases will now proceed simultaneously before Justice Yusuf.
Nigeria deports 792 illegal immigrants
The Nigeria Immigration Service, Cross River Command, says it has repatriated no fewer than 792 illegal immigrants to their countries and rescued 65 trafficked victims in the state in 2016.
The State Comptroller of NIS, Mrs Funke Adeuyi, said this when when the Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Mrs Cristina Albertin, paid her courtesy visit in Calabar on Tuesday.
Adeuyi told Albertin that the illegal immigrants were arrested at different border posts across the state.
She said that the command did a thorough profiling of the said immigrants and found them lacking valid travel document to enter Nigeria.
The comptroller also said that during the period under review 55 illegal immigrants were denied entry into Nigeria at different border posts across the state.
She said, “Between January and December 2016, we repatriated 792 illegal immigrants to their countries while 65 victims of traffick were rescued at different border posts in the state.
“During the same period, 55 illegal immigrants were refused entry into Nigeria for lack of valid travel documents and other related reasons.
“Due to the contiguous nature of borders (land and marine) between Nigeria and neighbouring countries, we have challenges of illegal immigrants coming in through irregular border lines outside regular control posts.
“We will, however, continue to police the borders to curb illegal migration, child theft and trafficking and other heinous crimes in the state.
“The UNODC is one of the partners of the NIS and we believe we can work together in the area of workshops and public enlightenment.”
Adeuyi said that the command would sensitise transporters, boat owners and local communities to enable them see the ills of child trafficking and child labour among others issues.
The NIS boss attributed the success of the command’s activities in the state to the sustained efforts of the Comptroller- General of Immigration, Mr. Muhammed Babandede.
The comptroller said Muhammed had provided the command with the necessary tools to fight trans-border crimes.
Responding, Albertin said UNODC had collaborated greatly with the NIS in capacity building of immigration personnel and donation of border equipment.
Albertin, who lauded the successes recorded by the command in 2016, said her visit was to strengthen existing relationship between NIS and UNODC and find areas that required further assistance.
“The UNODC and NIS have outstanding relationship. I am here to further strengthen that relationship.
“We will continue to support NIS in its efforts to combat child trafficking and child labour in Nigeria,” she said.
(NAN)
The State Comptroller of NIS, Mrs Funke Adeuyi, said this when when the Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Mrs Cristina Albertin, paid her courtesy visit in Calabar on Tuesday.
Adeuyi told Albertin that the illegal immigrants were arrested at different border posts across the state.
She said that the command did a thorough profiling of the said immigrants and found them lacking valid travel document to enter Nigeria.
The comptroller also said that during the period under review 55 illegal immigrants were denied entry into Nigeria at different border posts across the state.
She said, “Between January and December 2016, we repatriated 792 illegal immigrants to their countries while 65 victims of traffick were rescued at different border posts in the state.
“During the same period, 55 illegal immigrants were refused entry into Nigeria for lack of valid travel documents and other related reasons.
“Due to the contiguous nature of borders (land and marine) between Nigeria and neighbouring countries, we have challenges of illegal immigrants coming in through irregular border lines outside regular control posts.
“We will, however, continue to police the borders to curb illegal migration, child theft and trafficking and other heinous crimes in the state.
“The UNODC is one of the partners of the NIS and we believe we can work together in the area of workshops and public enlightenment.”
Adeuyi said that the command would sensitise transporters, boat owners and local communities to enable them see the ills of child trafficking and child labour among others issues.
The NIS boss attributed the success of the command’s activities in the state to the sustained efforts of the Comptroller- General of Immigration, Mr. Muhammed Babandede.
The comptroller said Muhammed had provided the command with the necessary tools to fight trans-border crimes.
Responding, Albertin said UNODC had collaborated greatly with the NIS in capacity building of immigration personnel and donation of border equipment.
Albertin, who lauded the successes recorded by the command in 2016, said her visit was to strengthen existing relationship between NIS and UNODC and find areas that required further assistance.
“The UNODC and NIS have outstanding relationship. I am here to further strengthen that relationship.
“We will continue to support NIS in its efforts to combat child trafficking and child labour in Nigeria,” she said.
(NAN)
BREAKING: Magu, SGF cleared of corruption, Buhari tells Senate
President Muhammadu Buhari has informed the Senate that the Acting Chairman of the Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, have been cleared of corruption charges following an investigation into allegations against them.
Buhari said this in a letter to the Senate re-nominating Magu as Chairman of the EFCC.
In the letter read by Senate President Bukola Saraki, Buhari said Magu and Lawal were cleared of corruption in a report by the Attorney General of the Federation.
Details later…
Buhari said this in a letter to the Senate re-nominating Magu as Chairman of the EFCC.
In the letter read by Senate President Bukola Saraki, Buhari said Magu and Lawal were cleared of corruption in a report by the Attorney General of the Federation.
Details later…
EFCC dehumanised me just to implicate Jonathan – Dudafa
Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, a former Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has pleaded with the Federal High Court in Lagos not to judge his case based on a series of statements he wrote while in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Dudafa, who is being prosecuted for an alleged fraud of N5.1bn, told Justice Mohammed Idris, before who he is being tried, on Monday that using those statements would occasion injustice against him, claiming that he did not voluntarily make them.
He told the judge that the anti-graft agency locked him up for about two months and subjected him to what he described as dehumanising treatments, thereby giving him no other option but to write and sign the statements against his will in order to secure his freedom.
Dudafa stated this while being led in evidence by his lawyer, Mr. Gboyega Oyewole, during a trial-within-trial to test the authenticity of the confessional statements and asset declaration form he filed while in the EFCC custody.
“After the 13th of May, 2016, they took me back to the cell and they continued taking me out each day so that I could go through agony.
“In the cell, I was isolated. I was not treated like any other detainee. All other detainees had access to their phones and food but me. My family members were stopped from bringing food to me and I accused the EFCC of planning to poison me.
“They wanted to break me down, to make me implicate some people. They asked me questions about former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan; they said I was not their targets and made all sorts of overtures but I said over my dead body,” Dudafa said.
Earlier, Dudafa, who now limps, narrated to Justice Idris how he got his spinal cord dislocated in the EFCC cell, adding that the condition deteriorated because the EFCC allegedly shunned the recommendation of the military hospital to transfer him to a specialist for treatment.
“The ailment I have today, a spinal cord dislocation, I want to state that it was within that period of torture and agony that my spinal cord got dislocated for sitting all through from morning till night and no one would talk to you, it was excruciating.”
He claimed that the EFCC also rejected the offer by his family to take him out for treatment and foot the bill.
He further claimed that no fewer than 30 of his friends and family members were arrested because of him.
He claimed that by the time they had frozen all his bank accounts, that of his wife and his children and he could not pay the tuition of his child studying in the US, while he was still in serious daily pain due to his dislocated spinal cord, he succumbed to pressure.
He said after being detained for many weeks he was taken before the EFCC’s Deputy Director of Operations, Mr. Iliyasu Kwarbai, who threatened and then made overtures to him that he would be released if he could cooperate.
“Eventually I had no objection to what he said, because I needed my freedom.
“I was dying at that time; my son was stranded in the university; my wife and children were hungry, everything became a yardstick to my freedom.
“These statements were largely dictated based on my freedom. The entire so-called asset declaration is a sham.
“I want to conclude that it will be unfair to use these statements against me. These statements that they themselves orchestrated and teleguided is what they want to use against me in a court of law? It was bad.
“Statements that were made under such dehumanising, agonising conditions are what they want to use against me in the temple of justice,” Dudada said.
Under cross-examination by the EFCC lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, Dudafa maintained that his statements were not voluntary despite the cautionary words written and read to him before he wrote the statements.
Justice Idris adjourned till Tuesday (today) for continuation of cross-examination.
Copyright PUNCH.
Monday 23 January 2017
Katsina varsity bans Christian groups, okays Muslim society
The authorities of the Umar Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina, Katsina State, have outlawed any other religious or tribal associations on the institution’s campus besides the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria.
The institution’s acting Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr. Sulaiman Kankara, conveyed the new directive to all students’ clubs and associations that were operating on its campus in an internal memorandum dated January 17, 2017.
A copy of the memo, obtained by one of our correspondents, was captioned, “Re: Registration of Students Clubs/Associations.”
Sulaiman said the new directive was part of the resolutions of the institution’s management at its 59th meeting, which held on January 10, 2017.
The memo read in part, “The Muslim Students Society of Nigeria is the only religious association allowed to operate in the university.
“All tribal and local government associations are prohibited by the university. Duly registered departmental associations should be allowed to operate, but they should observe item (I) above.”
However, sources within the university told The PUNCH that that the new directive was unlikely to elicit any reaction from the students when the institution resumes its new academic session on January 30, 2017.
“The university has never hidden its posture to be an Islamic institution despite the fact that it is a public institution,” one of the sources said.
The state government had last week approved the construction of a new mosque for Fridays’ Jumat service at the state-owned Hassan Usman Polytechnic at the cost of N64m.
The state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr. Baddiya Mashi, in her contribution at a press briefing at the end of the state executive council meeting, made the disclosure.
But a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Norrison Quakers, who is a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, described the directive by the UMYU authorities as unconstitutional and one that could fuel crisis in the country.
Quakers, who argued that the directive was a specific affront to Section 10 of Nigeria’s constitution, called on the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), to immediately, as the country’s chief law officer, take issues with the UMYU.
Quakers said, “By virtue of Section 10 of the Nigerian constitution, we have what is called a secular society, meaning that the state has no official religion. No component state of the federating unit is allowed to promote any particular religion or place any particular religion above another.
“What the university authorities have done, in this case, is to promote a particular religion or prefer one religion above the others and that is actually calling for chaos and unrest.
“My position is that the decision of the university authorities is one one-sided, and what this has clearly shown is that this particular administration seems to be promoting ethnicity and religion and that, we must avoid.
“The constitution of Nigeria is very clear concerning our unity. My position is that all right-thinking Nigerians must rise up to condemn this directive; it is not something that should be condoned, it is not something that is acceptable. The Attorney General of the Federation should take it up; that policy is an infraction on the constitution and the Attorney General of the Federation is the Chief Law Officer of the country.”
Also, a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Wahab Shittu, who is a Muslim, said the directive by the university authorities had no foundation in the country’s constitution, stressing that it should be challenged immediately.
Shittu said, “Clearly, it is a violation of the constitutional provision, permitting freedom of association. There is no fundamental right that can derogate from that on grounds of public safety. The fundamental rights of the students to freely associate and express their views have been violated directly by that directive. By virtues of the constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, there is nothing to suggest that the directive can be accommodated in any of the exceptions or derogation from the fundamental rights as contained in the constitution. The directive is constitutional, null and void; it is ultra vires and it should be challenged.”
The institution’s acting Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr. Sulaiman Kankara, conveyed the new directive to all students’ clubs and associations that were operating on its campus in an internal memorandum dated January 17, 2017.
A copy of the memo, obtained by one of our correspondents, was captioned, “Re: Registration of Students Clubs/Associations.”
Sulaiman said the new directive was part of the resolutions of the institution’s management at its 59th meeting, which held on January 10, 2017.
The memo read in part, “The Muslim Students Society of Nigeria is the only religious association allowed to operate in the university.
“All tribal and local government associations are prohibited by the university. Duly registered departmental associations should be allowed to operate, but they should observe item (I) above.”
However, sources within the university told The PUNCH that that the new directive was unlikely to elicit any reaction from the students when the institution resumes its new academic session on January 30, 2017.
“The university has never hidden its posture to be an Islamic institution despite the fact that it is a public institution,” one of the sources said.
The state government had last week approved the construction of a new mosque for Fridays’ Jumat service at the state-owned Hassan Usman Polytechnic at the cost of N64m.
The state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr. Baddiya Mashi, in her contribution at a press briefing at the end of the state executive council meeting, made the disclosure.
But a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Norrison Quakers, who is a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, described the directive by the UMYU authorities as unconstitutional and one that could fuel crisis in the country.
Quakers, who argued that the directive was a specific affront to Section 10 of Nigeria’s constitution, called on the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), to immediately, as the country’s chief law officer, take issues with the UMYU.
Quakers said, “By virtue of Section 10 of the Nigerian constitution, we have what is called a secular society, meaning that the state has no official religion. No component state of the federating unit is allowed to promote any particular religion or place any particular religion above another.
“What the university authorities have done, in this case, is to promote a particular religion or prefer one religion above the others and that is actually calling for chaos and unrest.
“My position is that the decision of the university authorities is one one-sided, and what this has clearly shown is that this particular administration seems to be promoting ethnicity and religion and that, we must avoid.
“The constitution of Nigeria is very clear concerning our unity. My position is that all right-thinking Nigerians must rise up to condemn this directive; it is not something that should be condoned, it is not something that is acceptable. The Attorney General of the Federation should take it up; that policy is an infraction on the constitution and the Attorney General of the Federation is the Chief Law Officer of the country.”
Also, a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Wahab Shittu, who is a Muslim, said the directive by the university authorities had no foundation in the country’s constitution, stressing that it should be challenged immediately.
Shittu said, “Clearly, it is a violation of the constitutional provision, permitting freedom of association. There is no fundamental right that can derogate from that on grounds of public safety. The fundamental rights of the students to freely associate and express their views have been violated directly by that directive. By virtues of the constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, there is nothing to suggest that the directive can be accommodated in any of the exceptions or derogation from the fundamental rights as contained in the constitution. The directive is constitutional, null and void; it is ultra vires and it should be challenged.”
Buhari writes Senate, insists on Magu as EFCC chair
President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate, asking the lawmakers to confirm the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu.
Buhari’s letter was in response to the communication from the Senate on the rejection of Magu as EFCC chairman based on damning security report by the Department of State Services on the nominee.
Details later…
Buhari’s letter was in response to the communication from the Senate on the rejection of Magu as EFCC chairman based on damning security report by the Department of State Services on the nominee.
Details later…
Eko Atlantic developers complete 14 bridges
The developers and promoters of the Eko Atlantic City, South Energyx Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of the Chagoury Group,have said significant progress has been made with the completion of 14 bridge structures within the city in just two years of its development.
The firm said the bridges were built to international standards and extended over five million square metres, representing half of the entire planned city development, adding that work on the bridges commenced in December 2014 when the first deck was cast and project was completed on schedule in December 2016.
According to the firm, the city, which is divided into eight districts, is planned for mixed-use with commercial, residential, entertainment and leisure activities to make it a lively environment, adding that with the new bridges, all the districts were now accessible by road.
It added that the bridgeworks had formed a major element of the city project and had also enabled all major avenues to overpass the canal system running through the spine of the project, with all the bridges having between two and six lanes.
The Managing Director, South Energyx Nigeria Limited, David Frame, said, “We are fully committed to ensuring that the project is completed on schedule. With the successful completion of all the bridges, all the major avenues within Phases 1 and 2 of the city are now fully interconnected, with the comprehensive road network of the city defined and all zones accessible.”
Frame explained that the company had a lot of announcements planned for the year as it achieves more key milestones on the project.
Copyright PUNCH.
The firm said the bridges were built to international standards and extended over five million square metres, representing half of the entire planned city development, adding that work on the bridges commenced in December 2014 when the first deck was cast and project was completed on schedule in December 2016.
According to the firm, the city, which is divided into eight districts, is planned for mixed-use with commercial, residential, entertainment and leisure activities to make it a lively environment, adding that with the new bridges, all the districts were now accessible by road.
It added that the bridgeworks had formed a major element of the city project and had also enabled all major avenues to overpass the canal system running through the spine of the project, with all the bridges having between two and six lanes.
The Managing Director, South Energyx Nigeria Limited, David Frame, said, “We are fully committed to ensuring that the project is completed on schedule. With the successful completion of all the bridges, all the major avenues within Phases 1 and 2 of the city are now fully interconnected, with the comprehensive road network of the city defined and all zones accessible.”
Frame explained that the company had a lot of announcements planned for the year as it achieves more key milestones on the project.
Copyright PUNCH.
Ambode’s Lake Rice: Matters arising
While the euphoria that greeted the sale and distribution of the Lagos/Kebbi Rice initiative begins to wind down, one will not forget in a hurry, the news of the Memorandum of Understanding which was recently consummated between the two aforementioned states on the production and marketing of this fast-growing Nigeria’s most staple food – rice.
Needless dabbling into the nitty gritty of the agreement. It is pertinent to point out here that the consuming public was kept longer than necessary while the speculation lasted, concerning the delivery date, modalities and pricing and name. Not much was done to bring things to the public knowledge until a few days preceding the Christmas and New Year period when the true picture began to crystallise.
At the end, decision was taken by the state government to the effect of distributing the commodity across designated centres, mainly at local government areas.
There is no doubt that the delay might have been occasioned by certain logistics such as adoption of appropriate name for the product, channel of distribution, pricing among others.
Before the final decision, feelers had brandished different names such as Ambode Rice, Laskeb Rice, etc, ostensibly to reflect the nomenclature and mutual interest of the states involved in the collaboration, until the name ‘Lake Rice’ eventually emerged. On the lips of many Lagosians, let there be rice! It does not matter in whatever name, but enough of the commodity to go round to desiring citizens.
It is important to equally note that at the unveiling ceremony, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, in his magnanimity, further crashed the price from the speculated N13,000 to N12,000.
Frankly speaking, the governor deserves encomium for blazing the trail in this arrangement, no matter the shortcomings. Those within Lagos State may not appreciate what it took an average Nigerian outside the state to procure a bag of rice during the last festive period, in terms of psychological stress and cost. While I may stop at that, it is also instructive to appeal to the Federal Government to take a leaf from the Lagos example, in order to ameliorate the excruciating pains and hunger ravaging the suffering masses.
In short, with the position of Lagos State as a mini-Nigeria, the Federal Government owes a lot of gratitude to the state for making the Yuletide period worth the while for some of its inhabitants, notwithstanding that I have neither seen a grain of the said Lake Rice, (except in the press) nor encountered anyone who can attest to its quality. This is against the backdrop that it is needless for residents of major rural communities to embark on the rice adventure beyond their catchment areas, since it would have amounted to a futility. For instance, any prospective buyer coming from the adjourning towns of Ijagemo, in the Iba LCDA to and fro Ijegun – Ikotun would have spent not less than N6,000 to convey the rice from the closest selling point in any of the urban areas.
It therefore, made no sense to go and queue for it.
Tinubu’s plane flew Jammeh into exile – Reports
The Gambia’s sit-tight ruler, Yahya Jammeh, reportedly flew out of the country he ruled for 22 years into exile on a plane owned by the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Jammeh, who had earlier rejected the outcome of a December 1 election where he lost to Adama Barrow, reluctantly agreed to leave office after two days of talks with Guinean President Alpha Conde and his Mauritanian counterpart Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz.
Initial reports said the Falcon jet which ferried Jammeh out of The Gambia on Saturday to Equatorial Guinea where he is expected to settle with his family belongs to Mauritanian president.
However, subsequent reports claimed the jet actually jet belongs to Tinubu.
“After agreeing to leave and save The Gambia from a major crisis, Jammeh was confronted by big challenge – how to fly out,” a report on The Nation said.
“The leaders, The Nation learnt, reached out to All Progressives Congress stalwart Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who authorised his private aircraft to be used to fly Jammeh out of Banjul, sources said.
“Tinubu’s VP-CBT Falcon Jet had been with President Conde, who is a close friend of the leading politician.
“Sources said Tinubu was contacted to allow the use of his jet to fly Jammeh out of Banjul.
“He reportedly gave a condition: it should only be used “if it will facilitate the quick exit of Jammeh and lead to the restoration of peace and democracy in The Gambia”.
“The plane eventually flew out with Jammeh, his wife, mother and President Conde on board.
“Senegal, it was learnt, insisted on knowing those on board before allowing it to overfly its airspace. This wish was granted. Jammeh was flown to Equatorial Guinea where he will be on exile.”
Ex-Gambia ruler Yahya Jammeh stole $11m, shipped luxury cars
The Gambia’s ex-ruler, Yahya Jammeh, plundered the state coffers in his final weeks in power, stealing millions of dollars and shipping out luxury vehicles by cargo plane, according to an aide to new president Adama Barrow.
Jammeh, who ruled the small West African country for 22 years, flew into exile late on Saturday to Equatorial Guinea.
He had refused to concede defeat in a December 1 election but eventually relinquished power after a delegation of West African leaders convinced him to step down, even as troops from neighbouring countries entered The Gambia.
On Sunday, hundreds of Banjul residents cheered a military force by ECOWAS, the West African regional bloc, as it entered the capital to provide security and allow Barrow, who has been in neighbouring Senegal for more than a week, to return and take power.
But amid growing controversy over the assurances offered to Jammeh to guarantee his departure, Barrow adviser Mai Fatty said the new administration had discovered that millions of dollars had recently been stolen.
“The coffers are largely empty,” he told reporters in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.
“Over two weeks, over 500m dalasi ($11 million) were withdrawn” by Jammeh, he said. “As we take over, the government of The Gambia is in financial distress.”
Fatty also said that a Chadian cargo plane had transported luxury goods out of the country on Jammeh’s behalf, in his final hours in power, including an unknown number of vehicles.
Presidency attacks Junaid Mohammed for criticising Buhari
The Presidency, on Sunday, said no sincere Nigerian could pretend not to notice the achievements so far recorded by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in its anti-corruption war.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this in a statement made available to journalists.
Shehu was reacting to a series of Buhari’s criticisms credited to a former House of Representatives member from Kano State, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, in the media.
He said although Mohammed was entitled to his opinion, he was not entitled to misrepresenting facts about the achievements of the Buhari administration since inception.
He listed the achievements to include what he called the crippling of the Boko Haram terrorists, saying the sect no longer had the capability to invade and occupy towns and villages unchallenged by the country’s military personnel.
The presidential spokesman said, “The fact that civil servants and political office holders are now afraid to steal with impunity is, itself, a major psychological boost for the anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari administration, which no sincere Nigerian can pretend not to notice.
“Contrary to Junaid’s claims that President Buhari doesn’t acknowledge mistakes, we wish to remind the medical doctor that the President publicly took responsibility and apologised for the dissolution of the governing councils of federal universities when it was discovered that due process was not followed.
“We must stress that taking responsibility for mistakes is one of the finest components of integrity, and that President Buhari has never failed in demonstrating this virtue in words and deeds.
“Since the coming of the Buhari administration, the country has saved billions and trillions of naira which could have been diverted to private pockets if the government wasn’t committed to transparency and accountability.”
Shehu advised Nigerians to be wary of “prejudiced and biased critics” like Mohammed, who he said, were more interested in personal publicity than respecting facts and figures about their claims.
He said if Mohammed wanted to be taken seriously, he should speak truthfully about those he frequently attacked in his interviews.
While taking further swipe at the former federal lawmaker for his incessant criticism of Buhari, the presidential spokesman said Mohammed had nurtured the habit of insulting every leader Nigeria had produced in his time with his “jaundiced and malicious attacks.”
Shehu said Mohammed had taken it upon himself to criticise Nigerian leaders from former President Shehu Shagari till date, stating that he only retreated when his life was threatened when he attempted to criticise former military dictator, the late Sani Abacha.
He added, “It must be noted that President Buhari was not the only target of Junaid’s personal vituperations as former Presidents Shehu Shagari, Ibrahim Babangida, Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan had all been victims of his jaundiced and malicious attacks.
“When it came to the late Sani Abacha, he tried it, but once he saw the prospect of elimination, he retreated.
“A cursory library search will reveal that this man has nurtured the habit of insulting every leader this country has produced in his time.
“Like a narcissist, he is just interested in grabbing the headlines. Without publicity, Dr. Junaid would probably give up on life.
“It is unfortunate that Junaid Mohammed has been using his political retirement life to engage in insulting every President to grab the newspaper headlines, in addition to taking advantage of the gullibility of uncritical readers that don’t bother to subject him to facts-check.
“It is obvious that Dr. Junaid appears to be infected with pathological cynicism and these kinds of critics are toxic to national progress because they are only primarily interested in destroying every positive effort and achievements of the government.”
Copyright PUNCH.
12 housemates battle as Big Brother Naija opens
The reality TV series Big Brother Nigeria, was on Sunday re-launched as “Big Brother Naija” with 12 contestants also known as “housemates”, after 10 years of holding its first edition.
Award-winning Nigerian singers Yemi Alade, Flavour and ‘K9’ performed live during the launch.
The host of the show, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, a former housemate who introduced the housemates said he remains one of the biggest supporter of the show.
“Ten years ago I was a housemate, today I am one of their biggest supporters,” Obi-Uchendu said.
The Managing Director of MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, expressed delight on their choice of the host.
“We are particularly excited to have Ebuka as host of Big Brother Naija.
“This was the platform that unearthed his potentials and propelled him to stardom.
Every Sunday on the show, viewers are expected to witness an eviction of a housemate.
The winner of the 11-week contest will be given 25 million naira cash prize and a brand new Kia Sorento SUV car.
The series will run for 78 days and end on April 9.
The Big Brother Naija which was introduced in 2006, is a special Nigerian version of the continental show Big Brother Africa.
It was specially coined to suit the viewing interest of the Nigerian viewers who largely expressed displeasure over the controversial “Shower Hour” and nudity.
NAN
Power firms exploiting Nigerians with estimated billing – NLC
The Nigeria Labour Congress has said that the estimated billing of consumers by electricity distribution companies is a deliberate ploy to exploit the citizens.
The General Secretary, NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, said that it was inconceivable for the electricity firms to bill consumers who travelled and shutdown everything in their homes as if they were around.
The NLC scribe said that the time had come for the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to adopt measures in defence of the consumers of electricity being exploited by the Discos.
Ozo-Eson was reacting to reports that about three million households were not metered and were being given estimated bills out of over six million registered electricity users.
The NLC’s scribe called on the government to adopt a measure that would prevent the companies from billing consumers if they failed to provide meters during a specified period after payment for such.
He stressed that only such a measure would compel the companies to stop the habit of fleecing Nigerians and making them to pay for services not rendered.
He recalled that the NLC had earlier called the attention of the government to the disturbing trend during the nationwide rallies organised to protest the increase in electricity tariff last year.
Ozo-Eson noted that the situation had lingered in spite of the undertaking by the electricity firms that they would meter all consumers.
He said, “You will recollect that we have taken a position very clearly on this matter when we staged rallies against the increased tariff. We drew attention to the preponderance of customers in Nigeria still based on estimated billing. Estimated billing is just an avenue for the Discos to fleece Nigerians.
“So, this is just bringing out the fact and reinforcing that position. Because if you base everything on estimated billing, people travel and shut down everything for the period of Christmas and they come back and the bills are the same; that is part of the exploitation, which we have been drawing attention to.”
He added, “We drew attention to the problems of billing and metering, and part of the undertaking they gave was that they were going to meter. So, if they don’t meter, we call on NERC to exercise its authority on the side of consumer protection.
“The NERC should give a directive that anybody who has formally applied for a meter and within a stipulated time of three months and has not been delivered a meter should not be billed until meters are put in place. That is the way you are going to force them to put these things in place so that everybody will be charged according to consumption.”
Copyright PUNCH.
Sunday 22 January 2017
Christians will not sit down and allow themselves to be killed — Onaiyekan
The Metropolitan Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, speaks with FRIDAY OLOKOR on the killings of Christians in Southern Kaduna and the silence of President Muhammadu Buhari on the matter
Many Nigerians across ethnic and religious divides are worried about the killing of Christians in Southern Kaduna. What is responsible for these killings?
It would have been terrible if Nigerians were not worried. If we look back, we will find out that these things (killings) have been going on for quite some time. There was a major outbreak after the 2011 election. Southern Kaduna suffered a great haemorrhage during the post-election violence. The violence recorded numerous killings that were clearly ethnic and religious. We know that at the end of it all, many people were driven into refugee status in Kaduna. Many Hausa and Muslims had to take refuge in Kaduna because they were not safe anymore in the southern part of the state. What caused that? I don’t know if it was ever fully investigated. As usual, when they investigate an issue, we don’t get the full report. What we know is that late Governor Patrick Yakowa was said to have taken some effective actions that tried to calm nerves. We know Governor Nasir el Rufai very well. We expect that he would have devised ways and means of dealing with the situation.
I have passed through Southern Kaduna in the last few months, and when I travelled from here (Abuja) to Jos through those areas, my host in Kaduna was surprised that I passed through Kafanchan. He said, “That (route) is a very dangerous area, don’t take that road anymore.” It is a pity if the President is badly informed about the reality. I open my email and I see all kinds of horrible pictures. Maybe Mr. President does not have the time to check emails. But the President of Nigeria must have somebody who is checking emails for him and whoever is doing that should have the courage to let him see what he is seeing.
Of course, those who are being killed are Christians but whether they are being killed because they are Christians is another matter. For me, whether they are Christians, Muslims or pagans, what is important is that innocent people should not be killed. When did Nigeria become a place where we take the law into our hands? You say people did something wrong to you in 2011. Let us presume, does that justify the killing of women and children six years after? That worries me because in a situation like this, you need responsible leaders. I expected that these Miyetti Allah people, who claim to be speaking on behalf of the Fulani, will be responsible people we can discuss with, who can talk to their own people and let them know that if indeed they are the ones doing this, then it is not right.
Another news we got that made me worried and which the victims in Southern Kaduna have capitalised on was the allegation that the governor of Kaduna State said that he was surprised they are still killing despite the fact that he had given them money. If he said so, then the question is, so he knows them? You gave them money, then they still went ahead to kill? Surely, he can trace them and this is no longer a situation where you stay in secrecy. Bring them out into the full view of the whole world.
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs issued a statement about the killings in Southern Kaduna and demanded an investigation. But the statement was signed by Ustaz Christian Isa Okonkwo, an Igbo man who claimed to be the Director of Administration in NSCIA. Are you comfortable with that?
When I read his name, I said, ‘Since when has this man reached that level that he is now speaking in the name of NSCIA.’ The Secretary-General of NSCIA, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has not spoken and this man who is an Igbo man called Christian Isa Okonkwo, is speaking. I don’t know when he became that and if he is a real Muslim, maybe he used to be called Christian and decided to retain the name just as we have Christians who used to be called Mohammed and have retained Mohammed in their name.
Some people think that it was mischief …
That is part of the problem, immediately you play into a religious matter, nobody can intervene in any serious way and that is really a pity. This is why the statement attributed to the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), is generating ripples. He tried to say we should not give this any religious colouring but the fact is that there is now a religious colouring and that is what he must admit and tackle. Whether it is in Southern Kaduna or in Plateau State, all these conflicts are a continuation of the tribal wars of the last century and those tribal wars have some religious connotation. After all, they are called Jihad. We are in a situation now whereby, for historical reasons, any conflict in that area takes up a religious tone which is why it becomes very difficult to handle.
A Catholic Priest in the area stated that over 800 lives have been lost. Do you see it as a religious, ethnic or political crisis?
The whole thing goes together; now, it is political, ethnic and religious. The statement of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan was issued more than a month ago. I read it and I even referred to it at the message I delivered at the International Christian Centre at Christmas. This is a serious allegation from the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan. It is clear (from), concrete statistics of damage done, lives lost, homes destroyed, people displaced and I am sure they have evidence of all these allegations. For the governor and indeed the President to still say everything is okay is dangerous because it means that it is okay that people are getting killed. For me, it is better, easier, and more effective if the president simply insists that no human being should be badly treated. Any Nigerian should have the right not to be killed.
I have no reason to doubt the statistics which my colleague has put together. I believe that he just did not sit back in his house and draw up those numbers. I believe in those numbers and I am very worried about them. He sent it to all the bishops in Nigeria and we are all in one way or the other reacting to it. What exactly can we do? I don’t know besides what I have been doing all the time; talking. Here I talk to the people in Abuja and we are considering getting a bit of interfaith work on this perspective. There should be a meeting of people who are not just Christians or Muslims. I will go beyond religion, just a group of well-meaning Nigerians who can sit and say ‘no, this shouldn’t continue.’ We believe that if what is happening in Southern Kaduna is not stemmed, it can become very dangerous for the whole country.
Do you intend to take this up at the Vatican?
The Vatican is very well informed about this because they are following the news about Nigeria and the memo which the Bishop of Kafanchan has spread round has been sent to the Vatican long ago. Pope Francis will sue for peace, he will beg people to please respect human life and the Pope certainly won’t concentrate on ‘please don’t harm my Christians,’ he will not speak that way. The Pope will simply say ‘do not kill human beings who are innocent.’
How can this violence be stopped?
We must find a way where we can all put our heads together and admit that this is wrong, like the statement attributed to the NSCIA says it is wrong. We will be more able to deal with it if we are ready to deal with it from the level of human dignity. Nigerians are being killed and whatever their religion, it is not right to kill.
Going by the prolonged silence of President Muhammadu Buhari, is he sincere in dealing with the Southern Kaduna crisis?
I am afraid, he is the only one who can take responsibility for his level of sincerity because sincerity is in the heart. But we can generously give it to him that maybe he is not being properly briefed. You know how difficult it is to get to Aso Villa, so it is possible for the President to sit there looking through all kinds of papers because there are a lot of issues to deal with in Nigeria: economic, climate change, diplomatic relations, Boko Haram and then somebody brings a file on Southern Kaduna and it depends on how the person who brings it presents it and it is possible that Mr. President can sit there and not know how bad the situation is. The President doesn’t send someone to the newsstand to buy newspapers. Somebody looks at the newspapers and brings him the items that he is supposed to pay attention to.
There is no excuse for Mr. President to be kept in the dark about it and if I were Mr. President and I finally found out that all these things have been happening and I was not told, then all those who should have informed me would be fired immediately. They are destroying his work. I am saying this because it will be difficult for Mr President to know all these things and keep quiet. If he does, it means that he is happy with what is happening. Some are even suggesting that maybe he is behind it all, well if he does nothing, he cannot stop people from speculating that.
Nigerians know the Sultan is your friend, but most times he seems to be on the defensive by insisting that the people who perpetrated the killings are not Fulani herdsmen, even when there is glaring evidence.
Well, if he is my friend, that doesn’t mean I won’t tell him the truth. I heard that the Sultan said that those who are doing these things are not the Fulani herdsmen. I will like to read that in the sense that we know those Fulani herdsmen with whom we have been living with. The Sultan may be probably right when he said those who are causing these problems are not the Fulani herdsmen that are on the road carrying sticks with small children. But he cannot deny that terrible things are happening and I would have hoped that my friend, the Sultan, would also be interested in the efforts being made to identify who they are. At some point, I heard he said they were terrorists, he also suggested they were coming from foreign countries. Which foreign countries? Because at this point, we want to know who they are. Where are they coming from? We cannot allow them to continue. Maybe if we give the Sultan time and refrain from putting him too much on the spot, he may be able to make some progress. If they are not Nigerians, where are they coming from? We have the immigration department to unmask these people if they are not Nigerians.
Do you think the security agencies have done well?
They have failed because they are supposed to stop these kinds of things from happening and if by chance they didn’t stop it from happening, they are supposed to pursue and bring back those who did it. Look at what happened in Turkey just this (last) week, one lone man came with a big gun into a night club and killed 40 people and maimed over 60. Within three days, they identified him. He ran away, they put his photograph everywhere and in another three or four days, they will know who he is and when they know who he is, they will also know who sent him. This is what security agencies are supposed to do.
In this case of Southern Kaduna, it is not enough for the governor of the state to declare a state of emergency and curfew. If you declare curfew, then you must be ready to enforce the curfew. You cannot say, ‘Let nobody come out after 8 0’ clock’ and then criminals are moving about freely with nobody stopping them. The result is that innocent law-abiding citizens are imprisoned in their houses while criminals come and kill them. This is what I am hearing that is happening over there and when people there say ‘we can’t sit down at home like this and let people come and kill us,’ and people come out as vigilantes to keep watch over their villages, some of them are even arrested for breaking the curfew. This is the kind of thing that creates doubt in the minds of people. The government cannot afford to operate in a way that people no longer trust government. If people no longer trust the government, they are left on their own and you end up with the law of the jungle and we have not seen the end of the story.
If this trend continues, do you foresee a situation whereby Christians being killed will embark on revenge?
I am hoping that this trend will not continue. I am hoping that efficient actions will be taken to stem the tide and stop the activities of these groups. I am hoping that efforts will be made to actually trace those who have committed those atrocities, prosecute them openly and bring to justice whoever is behind it, no matter how highly placed. What happens is that when the security agencies are doing their investigations and then they need to interrogate a big person, they are afraid, if he is an archbishop, an imam or emir. In this matter, the security of the nation is at stake, nobody should be a sacred cow and nobody should be exempted, everybody should be ready to explain his or her actions.
I foresee a situation where those who have been badly damaged and who are being killed daily will be saying, ‘I cannot sit here and be killed’ and they will organise themselves, not because they are Christians but because they are human beings who cannot sit down and allow themselves to be killed. If we put it in Christian terms, then we are making religion responsible and religion is not responsible. If religion is made to be responsible, it means then that we bishops are organising crusades to buy guns and distribute them to the people. Everybody has a right to self-defence when they are left without any alternative. This is why we are warning the government that they should not allow people to reach a stage where they can no longer count on government to protect them and this has nothing to do with whether you are a Christian or a Muslim.
If, for example, the Christian community in Southern Kaduna has lost confidence in government, they will not respond to any invitation from Governor el-Rufai who is a Muslim and who is seen as Muslim and a Fulani, and not as their governor.
It seems your members, Catholics, are the worst hit by this crisis?
The reason is simply because the Catholic Church is very strong in the Kafanchan area.
A mobile police unit was set up in Kafanchan to curtail the killings, do you have confidence in that?
I don’t know what this mobile police force is supposed to do but I imagine that when you have a situation where mass killing is going on by individuals that are not well defined, we expect the security agencies to marshal out adequate formations, whether mobile police or armed forces in the army to patrol even villages because a group cannot just enter villages at night without passing through somewhere. This is where the police and army must be complemented by good intelligence. Somebody must know where these people are coming from and must inform the right person who will inform the right people. Everything goes together. What is happening is that it seems that the government of Kaduna State has probably been looking at this thing as not very serious.
The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who had earlier faulted the 800 casualty figure, has set up a panel on the incident. Do you have confidence in him and composition of the panel?
He probably cannot believe it but he should not fault it until he has his own figures. I think what he should do is to challenge the Bishop to produce his records and I am sure the Bishop will produce the records. If he sets up a panel believing that nothing serious is happening, then nothing serious will come out of the panel. But if he sets up a panel to find out what exactly is happening, let us hope that the panel will try their best to find out what is happening. But I do not think you need a big panel to know what is happening in Southern Kaduna because we have seen dead bodies all over the place, that is what is happening. We know what is happening, that the area has been left at the mercy of marauding murderers. We don’t know whoever they are, where they are coming from or who is funding and paying them, and who has invited them. But the government should know and for government to know, it must do the needful, it must put in place the right kind of intelligence gathering mechanisms because you need all that before you begin to carry guns around marching and saying you are going to counter this kind of thing.
Do you have confidence in the present leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria led by Olasupo Samson Ayokunle?
I do not know what to say about the present leadership of CAN because our (Catholic) church is not fully involved now in CAN. We were not even party to the election that brought in the new leadership of CAN. The only position that I can take now is, I sit down and watch and by their fruits, we shall know them. I have been talking, I sent a copy of my message at Christmas to the CAN President and my message for New Year too, just to let him know what I am thinking.
Copyright PUNCH.
Many Nigerians across ethnic and religious divides are worried about the killing of Christians in Southern Kaduna. What is responsible for these killings?
It would have been terrible if Nigerians were not worried. If we look back, we will find out that these things (killings) have been going on for quite some time. There was a major outbreak after the 2011 election. Southern Kaduna suffered a great haemorrhage during the post-election violence. The violence recorded numerous killings that were clearly ethnic and religious. We know that at the end of it all, many people were driven into refugee status in Kaduna. Many Hausa and Muslims had to take refuge in Kaduna because they were not safe anymore in the southern part of the state. What caused that? I don’t know if it was ever fully investigated. As usual, when they investigate an issue, we don’t get the full report. What we know is that late Governor Patrick Yakowa was said to have taken some effective actions that tried to calm nerves. We know Governor Nasir el Rufai very well. We expect that he would have devised ways and means of dealing with the situation.
I have passed through Southern Kaduna in the last few months, and when I travelled from here (Abuja) to Jos through those areas, my host in Kaduna was surprised that I passed through Kafanchan. He said, “That (route) is a very dangerous area, don’t take that road anymore.” It is a pity if the President is badly informed about the reality. I open my email and I see all kinds of horrible pictures. Maybe Mr. President does not have the time to check emails. But the President of Nigeria must have somebody who is checking emails for him and whoever is doing that should have the courage to let him see what he is seeing.
Of course, those who are being killed are Christians but whether they are being killed because they are Christians is another matter. For me, whether they are Christians, Muslims or pagans, what is important is that innocent people should not be killed. When did Nigeria become a place where we take the law into our hands? You say people did something wrong to you in 2011. Let us presume, does that justify the killing of women and children six years after? That worries me because in a situation like this, you need responsible leaders. I expected that these Miyetti Allah people, who claim to be speaking on behalf of the Fulani, will be responsible people we can discuss with, who can talk to their own people and let them know that if indeed they are the ones doing this, then it is not right.
Another news we got that made me worried and which the victims in Southern Kaduna have capitalised on was the allegation that the governor of Kaduna State said that he was surprised they are still killing despite the fact that he had given them money. If he said so, then the question is, so he knows them? You gave them money, then they still went ahead to kill? Surely, he can trace them and this is no longer a situation where you stay in secrecy. Bring them out into the full view of the whole world.
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs issued a statement about the killings in Southern Kaduna and demanded an investigation. But the statement was signed by Ustaz Christian Isa Okonkwo, an Igbo man who claimed to be the Director of Administration in NSCIA. Are you comfortable with that?
When I read his name, I said, ‘Since when has this man reached that level that he is now speaking in the name of NSCIA.’ The Secretary-General of NSCIA, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has not spoken and this man who is an Igbo man called Christian Isa Okonkwo, is speaking. I don’t know when he became that and if he is a real Muslim, maybe he used to be called Christian and decided to retain the name just as we have Christians who used to be called Mohammed and have retained Mohammed in their name.
Some people think that it was mischief …
That is part of the problem, immediately you play into a religious matter, nobody can intervene in any serious way and that is really a pity. This is why the statement attributed to the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.), is generating ripples. He tried to say we should not give this any religious colouring but the fact is that there is now a religious colouring and that is what he must admit and tackle. Whether it is in Southern Kaduna or in Plateau State, all these conflicts are a continuation of the tribal wars of the last century and those tribal wars have some religious connotation. After all, they are called Jihad. We are in a situation now whereby, for historical reasons, any conflict in that area takes up a religious tone which is why it becomes very difficult to handle.
A Catholic Priest in the area stated that over 800 lives have been lost. Do you see it as a religious, ethnic or political crisis?
The whole thing goes together; now, it is political, ethnic and religious. The statement of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan was issued more than a month ago. I read it and I even referred to it at the message I delivered at the International Christian Centre at Christmas. This is a serious allegation from the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan. It is clear (from), concrete statistics of damage done, lives lost, homes destroyed, people displaced and I am sure they have evidence of all these allegations. For the governor and indeed the President to still say everything is okay is dangerous because it means that it is okay that people are getting killed. For me, it is better, easier, and more effective if the president simply insists that no human being should be badly treated. Any Nigerian should have the right not to be killed.
I have no reason to doubt the statistics which my colleague has put together. I believe that he just did not sit back in his house and draw up those numbers. I believe in those numbers and I am very worried about them. He sent it to all the bishops in Nigeria and we are all in one way or the other reacting to it. What exactly can we do? I don’t know besides what I have been doing all the time; talking. Here I talk to the people in Abuja and we are considering getting a bit of interfaith work on this perspective. There should be a meeting of people who are not just Christians or Muslims. I will go beyond religion, just a group of well-meaning Nigerians who can sit and say ‘no, this shouldn’t continue.’ We believe that if what is happening in Southern Kaduna is not stemmed, it can become very dangerous for the whole country.
Do you intend to take this up at the Vatican?
The Vatican is very well informed about this because they are following the news about Nigeria and the memo which the Bishop of Kafanchan has spread round has been sent to the Vatican long ago. Pope Francis will sue for peace, he will beg people to please respect human life and the Pope certainly won’t concentrate on ‘please don’t harm my Christians,’ he will not speak that way. The Pope will simply say ‘do not kill human beings who are innocent.’
How can this violence be stopped?
We must find a way where we can all put our heads together and admit that this is wrong, like the statement attributed to the NSCIA says it is wrong. We will be more able to deal with it if we are ready to deal with it from the level of human dignity. Nigerians are being killed and whatever their religion, it is not right to kill.
Going by the prolonged silence of President Muhammadu Buhari, is he sincere in dealing with the Southern Kaduna crisis?
I am afraid, he is the only one who can take responsibility for his level of sincerity because sincerity is in the heart. But we can generously give it to him that maybe he is not being properly briefed. You know how difficult it is to get to Aso Villa, so it is possible for the President to sit there looking through all kinds of papers because there are a lot of issues to deal with in Nigeria: economic, climate change, diplomatic relations, Boko Haram and then somebody brings a file on Southern Kaduna and it depends on how the person who brings it presents it and it is possible that Mr. President can sit there and not know how bad the situation is. The President doesn’t send someone to the newsstand to buy newspapers. Somebody looks at the newspapers and brings him the items that he is supposed to pay attention to.
There is no excuse for Mr. President to be kept in the dark about it and if I were Mr. President and I finally found out that all these things have been happening and I was not told, then all those who should have informed me would be fired immediately. They are destroying his work. I am saying this because it will be difficult for Mr President to know all these things and keep quiet. If he does, it means that he is happy with what is happening. Some are even suggesting that maybe he is behind it all, well if he does nothing, he cannot stop people from speculating that.
Nigerians know the Sultan is your friend, but most times he seems to be on the defensive by insisting that the people who perpetrated the killings are not Fulani herdsmen, even when there is glaring evidence.
Well, if he is my friend, that doesn’t mean I won’t tell him the truth. I heard that the Sultan said that those who are doing these things are not the Fulani herdsmen. I will like to read that in the sense that we know those Fulani herdsmen with whom we have been living with. The Sultan may be probably right when he said those who are causing these problems are not the Fulani herdsmen that are on the road carrying sticks with small children. But he cannot deny that terrible things are happening and I would have hoped that my friend, the Sultan, would also be interested in the efforts being made to identify who they are. At some point, I heard he said they were terrorists, he also suggested they were coming from foreign countries. Which foreign countries? Because at this point, we want to know who they are. Where are they coming from? We cannot allow them to continue. Maybe if we give the Sultan time and refrain from putting him too much on the spot, he may be able to make some progress. If they are not Nigerians, where are they coming from? We have the immigration department to unmask these people if they are not Nigerians.
Do you think the security agencies have done well?
They have failed because they are supposed to stop these kinds of things from happening and if by chance they didn’t stop it from happening, they are supposed to pursue and bring back those who did it. Look at what happened in Turkey just this (last) week, one lone man came with a big gun into a night club and killed 40 people and maimed over 60. Within three days, they identified him. He ran away, they put his photograph everywhere and in another three or four days, they will know who he is and when they know who he is, they will also know who sent him. This is what security agencies are supposed to do.
In this case of Southern Kaduna, it is not enough for the governor of the state to declare a state of emergency and curfew. If you declare curfew, then you must be ready to enforce the curfew. You cannot say, ‘Let nobody come out after 8 0’ clock’ and then criminals are moving about freely with nobody stopping them. The result is that innocent law-abiding citizens are imprisoned in their houses while criminals come and kill them. This is what I am hearing that is happening over there and when people there say ‘we can’t sit down at home like this and let people come and kill us,’ and people come out as vigilantes to keep watch over their villages, some of them are even arrested for breaking the curfew. This is the kind of thing that creates doubt in the minds of people. The government cannot afford to operate in a way that people no longer trust government. If people no longer trust the government, they are left on their own and you end up with the law of the jungle and we have not seen the end of the story.
If this trend continues, do you foresee a situation whereby Christians being killed will embark on revenge?
I am hoping that this trend will not continue. I am hoping that efficient actions will be taken to stem the tide and stop the activities of these groups. I am hoping that efforts will be made to actually trace those who have committed those atrocities, prosecute them openly and bring to justice whoever is behind it, no matter how highly placed. What happens is that when the security agencies are doing their investigations and then they need to interrogate a big person, they are afraid, if he is an archbishop, an imam or emir. In this matter, the security of the nation is at stake, nobody should be a sacred cow and nobody should be exempted, everybody should be ready to explain his or her actions.
I foresee a situation where those who have been badly damaged and who are being killed daily will be saying, ‘I cannot sit here and be killed’ and they will organise themselves, not because they are Christians but because they are human beings who cannot sit down and allow themselves to be killed. If we put it in Christian terms, then we are making religion responsible and religion is not responsible. If religion is made to be responsible, it means then that we bishops are organising crusades to buy guns and distribute them to the people. Everybody has a right to self-defence when they are left without any alternative. This is why we are warning the government that they should not allow people to reach a stage where they can no longer count on government to protect them and this has nothing to do with whether you are a Christian or a Muslim.
If, for example, the Christian community in Southern Kaduna has lost confidence in government, they will not respond to any invitation from Governor el-Rufai who is a Muslim and who is seen as Muslim and a Fulani, and not as their governor.
It seems your members, Catholics, are the worst hit by this crisis?
The reason is simply because the Catholic Church is very strong in the Kafanchan area.
A mobile police unit was set up in Kafanchan to curtail the killings, do you have confidence in that?
I don’t know what this mobile police force is supposed to do but I imagine that when you have a situation where mass killing is going on by individuals that are not well defined, we expect the security agencies to marshal out adequate formations, whether mobile police or armed forces in the army to patrol even villages because a group cannot just enter villages at night without passing through somewhere. This is where the police and army must be complemented by good intelligence. Somebody must know where these people are coming from and must inform the right person who will inform the right people. Everything goes together. What is happening is that it seems that the government of Kaduna State has probably been looking at this thing as not very serious.
The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who had earlier faulted the 800 casualty figure, has set up a panel on the incident. Do you have confidence in him and composition of the panel?
He probably cannot believe it but he should not fault it until he has his own figures. I think what he should do is to challenge the Bishop to produce his records and I am sure the Bishop will produce the records. If he sets up a panel believing that nothing serious is happening, then nothing serious will come out of the panel. But if he sets up a panel to find out what exactly is happening, let us hope that the panel will try their best to find out what is happening. But I do not think you need a big panel to know what is happening in Southern Kaduna because we have seen dead bodies all over the place, that is what is happening. We know what is happening, that the area has been left at the mercy of marauding murderers. We don’t know whoever they are, where they are coming from or who is funding and paying them, and who has invited them. But the government should know and for government to know, it must do the needful, it must put in place the right kind of intelligence gathering mechanisms because you need all that before you begin to carry guns around marching and saying you are going to counter this kind of thing.
Do you have confidence in the present leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria led by Olasupo Samson Ayokunle?
I do not know what to say about the present leadership of CAN because our (Catholic) church is not fully involved now in CAN. We were not even party to the election that brought in the new leadership of CAN. The only position that I can take now is, I sit down and watch and by their fruits, we shall know them. I have been talking, I sent a copy of my message at Christmas to the CAN President and my message for New Year too, just to let him know what I am thinking.
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