The Nigerian Air Force has announced the death of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh, from gunshot wounds sustained when his vehicle was attacked while returning from his farm along Abuja-Keffi Road.
a two paragraph statement by about 11 pm of December 18, by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said that Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh died on the same day.

Part of the statement reads: “It is with a heavy heart that I regretfully announce the unfortunate demise of former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh.
“On behalf of officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, commiserates with the family of the late former Chief of Defence Staff over this irreparable loss. We pray that the Almighty God grants his soul eternal rest.

“Details later.”

An Igbo socio-cultural group, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has accused the deputy senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu of not using his lofty political position to enhance the political and economic situation in Igbo land. Deputy MASSOB leader, Mazi Ikechukwu Ekwe, in a statement today, Tuesday, accused Ekweremadu of allowing his personal ambition and political ego to undermine the collective interest of the people, alleging that the senator had suddenly started canvassing for Igbo presidency 2023 because he lost out in the race for the vice presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“We frown at the lukewarm and nonchalant attitude of the current highest Igbo political office holder, who has not utilized the opportunity and government access legally and constitutionally attached to his office as deputy senate president towards attracting fair and just betterment of the people. “How can MASSOB and other pro Biafra groups that have thousands of block votes, grass root support base and massive people- oriented command, support or vote for Igbo political office seekers into the National Assembly, state Assembly and as state governors, when people like Ike Ekweremadu and his Igbo colleagues in the National Assembly are mere political errand men to our oppressors?

“MASSOB wishes to remind our people that Ike Ekweremadu, as the chairman of senate committee of constitutional review and amendment, has not deemed it fit as chairman of the highest committee and as deputy senate president, to push or influence an additional state to South East or influence the insertion of political referendum into the Nigerian constitution or push for massive infrastructural development of Eastern Nigeria.

“MASSOB frowns that our brother, Ike Ekweremadu has forgotten to showcase his Igbo traditional attires and cultural heritage in the floor of National Assembly and cling to Hausa- Fulani traditional and European attires. “He only remembers that he is an Igbo man with Igbo traditional attires whenever he appears in court over his matter with ICPC. We condemn such blatant hypocrisy and sabotage against our Igbo traditional and cultural heritage.”

Source: Vanguard.

The Nigerian Army has insisted that the Amnesty International (AI) has proved beyond doubts that it is out to destroy Nigerian and that its offices in the country should be closed down

In a statement, the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier- General Sani Usman said that Amnesty had deviated from the core values, principles and objectives of the outfit, adding that the army arrived at the conclusion due to Amnesty’s fabrication of allegations of human rights abuses against the Nigerian security forces.

The spokesman said that the Amnesty had engaged in clandestine sponsorship of dissident groups to make unfounded allegations against the military.

“They have tried over the years using Boko Haram terrorists’ conflicts, Islamic Movement in Nigeria, some activists and now herders-farmers conflicts. The NGO is on the verge of releasing yet another concocted report against the military, ostensibly against the Nigerian Army.

“Consequently, Nigerians should be wary of Amnesty International (Nigeria) because its goals are to destabilise Nigeria and to dismember it. The Nigerian Army has no option than to call for the closure of AI’s offices in Nigeria, if such recklessness continues.”

The army’s statement came a few hours after Amnesty, alleged that failure by the Nigerian authorities to investigate communal clashes and bring perpetrators to justice fuelled bloody escalation in the conflict between farmers and herders across the country.

According to its report, the conflict has resulted in at least 3,641 deaths in the past three years and the displacement of thousands more.

In the report titled: “Harvest of Death: Three Years of Bloody Clashes Between Farmers and Herders,” Amnesty found that 57 per cent of the 3,641 recorded deaths occurred in 2018.

It said security forces were often positioned close to the attacks, which lasted hours and sometimes days, yet were slow to act. In some cases, security forces had prior warning of an imminent raid but did nothing to stop or prevent the killings, looting and burning of homes.

“The Nigerian government has displayed what can only be described as gross incompetence and has failed in its duty to protect the lives of its population and end the intensifying conflict between herders and farmers. The authorities’ lethargy has allowed impunity to flourish and the killings to spread to many parts of the country, inflicting greater suffering on communities who already live in constant fear of the next attack,” said Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria.

Also in reaction to the report, the presidency accused Amnesty of taking deliberate actions capable of killing the morale of the officers and men of the Nigerian military as the troops prosecute the war against Boko Haram.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement said that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government is increasingly becoming concerned on the role being played by the human rights watchdog in the crisis faced by Nigeria, especially in the North East region.

“While Buhari cherishes and encourages the noble ideals on which institutions like Amnesty International are founded, the organisation’s operations in Nigeria seem geared towards damaging the morale of the Nigerian military.”

Meanwhile, troops of Operation Lafiya Dole at the weekend killed four terrorists and recovered arms and ammunition at Maibukarti village in Borno State.

The Boko Haram insurgents attacked the village at about 5pm, before they were repelled into the north fringe of Sambisa Forest.

Brigadier General Usman said in Maiduguri, that the terrorists were neutralised when they were engaged by ground troops and a helicopter gunship in the evening along Maiduguri-Damboa road.

“Unfortunately, one soldier paid the supreme price during the encounter with the terrorists.”

Senator Buruji Kashamu has questioned the court of appeal’s ruling which sacked him as Ogun State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying that despite the ruling, nothing has changed.

Reacting to the ruling of the panel, headed by Justice A.B. Bada, which set aside the judgment of a Federal High Court in Abeokuta, holding that Kashamu and those who emerged from his faction were the PDP candidates for the 2019 general election, the candidate, through his spokesman, Austin Oyinokor claimed that the Court of Appeal did not declare Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu or anyone as the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State.

He said that such was not the prayers of PDP, the appellants in the matter, and such a prayer could not have been granted.

“The Court specifically held that it was not a pre-election matter where the nomination of candidates is in issue since the matter was filed by the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Ogun State PDP and not aspirants.

“Having held that it was not a pre-election matter, the Court of Appeal could not have made a pronouncement on the validity or otherwise of the nomination of candidates for the 2019 general election.

“What is more, the 25th of October, 2018 letter written by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) emphatically stated that its decision to accept the list of candidates submitted by the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Exco was predicated on three court suits, namely FHC/L/CS/636/2016, FHC/L/CS/1556/2017 and FHC/AB/CS/114/2018. It is only the interlocutory orders in FHC/AB/CS/114/2018 that were set aside.

“The full and final judgments in FHC/L/CS/636/2016 and FHC/L/CS/1556/2017 in favour of the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Ogun State PDP Exco which are yet to be set aside and do not have any subsisting appeals against them still remain.

“It should also be pointed out that based on the judgments in FHC/L/CS/636/2016 and FHC/L/CS/1556/2017 in favour of the Engr. Adebayo Dayo-led Ogun State PDP Exco, INEC had in an earlier letter dated 12th April, 2018, informed the PDP of the commission’s with the two judgments of the Federal High Court.

“The extant judgment of the Court of Appeal in this appeal does not finally determine the matter. That is why it ordered that the case file should be returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment of the case to another judge who will hear and determine the originating summons.

“Flowing from the above, we wish to reassure our teeming supporters, party leaders and elders, friends and associates that nothing has changed. The nomination of Senator Buruji Kashamu and all other candidates of the Ogun State PDP based on the valid and subsisting judgments mentioned above has not changed.

“Finally, our lawyers have taken steps to immediately appeal the judgment of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.”