The ancient city of Kano is once again gripped with uncertainty as gunmen suspected to be members of the deadly Boko Haram embarked on bomb explosion and sporadic gun shots today.
Reports reaching us indicated that the explosion and gun fire took place at the Federal College of Education, near the old site of the Bayero University, Kabuga.
It was gathered that students of the school who were in classes receiving lectures and the people in the neighbourhood took their heels while traders in the nearby shops hurriedly closed and ran away from the place.
As at the time of this report, there is no official report of any casualty but many people were feared to have been killed.
It was gathered that most of the casualties were women.
The Nigerian Army has announced the retrieval of Konduga, a town in Borno state, from members of the fighting Boko Haram, killing about 100 of them.
A statement from the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Olajide Laleye.said that Nigerian troops crushed members of Boko Haram terrorists in their attempt to take the strategic town of Konduga, on Tuesday night, 16 September 2014, killing over 100 of them in the process.
This was confirmed today in a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major General Chris Olukolade in his twitter handle. Olukolade said that the troops successfully crushed another attempt by terrorists who were on a revenge mission to Konduga, after 12 hours of fighting in the outskirts of the Borno State community.
“Troops are now combing the vicinity, in a cordon and search operation to determine the heavy casualties suffered by the terrorists in the encounter.” [myad]
The Nigerian ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) kick-started its preparation for the 2015 general elections last night with President Goodluck Jonathan holding a closed door meeting with members of the party’s national caucus. The meeting, which held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential, Abuja, was a prelude to the National Executive Council meeting of the party billed for Thursday. Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta said shortly after the meeting that the party’s election guidelines in 2015 dominated discussions at the meeting, which ended in the early hours of today. “Most of the discussions were centred on the 2015 elections, that is, preparations of the party for the 2015 elections. There were presentations by the National Working Committee. You know we have our National Executive Committee meeting on Thursday, and the guidelines for the party were discussed. “But most of the decisions will be taken at the NEC meeting on Thursday. What we did here was to brainstorm on certain issues that will be presented at the NEC meeting. “So, it is on that Thursday that a lot of the decisions that will guide us for the 2015 elections will be taken.” Reports have it that a meeting of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) has also been scheduled to hold at the Presidential Villa later today, ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of the National Executive Council at the party national secretariat. Those who were at the last night caucus meeting were Vice President Namadi Sambo; the President of the Senate, Sen. David Mark, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha. Others were the Leader of the Senate, Victor Ndoma-Egba; the Deputy Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi; the PDP Chairman, Adamu Muazu; the Deputy National Chairman, Uche Secondus, and a former PDP Chairman, Ahmadu Ali. The Secretary of the PDP BoT, Walid Jibril; the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Rufai Alkali; the PDP National Women Leader, Kema Chikwe; the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, were also present. Governors in attendance were Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Jonah Jang (Plateau) and Theodore Orji (Abia). [myad]
“This is a particularly difficult time for South Africa. Not in the recent history of our country have we had this large number of our people die in one incident outside the country.”
The South African President, Jacob Zuma made these statements today as reacted to the collapse of Synagogue Church of Nations in Lagos, Nigeria on Friday last week. President Zuma put the number of his country men and women that died in the collapse building at 67, even as Nigerian authorities put the number at 63.
The fallen multistory building served as a shopping mall and guesthouse at the sprawling campus of televangelist T.B. Joshua’s Synagogue, Church of All Nations, on the outskirts of Lagos.. South Africa’s government said its diplomats were at the scene since at least five South African church tour groups were there at the time. In Johannesburg, a man called into Talk Radio 702 to complain that a family member who had gone to the church was missing and that they were unable to get any information from the church or Nigerian government officials. South Africa has set up a hotline for concerned family members. A staff of the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye said that members of the agency have rescued a woman, alive, at about 2 a.m. this morning, adding: “We found her under the rubble. She walked away with only a little dislocation on her hand. She is very, very lucky.” Farinloye said that the building collapsed, contrary to TB Joshua’s claim that the collapse was caused by Boko Haram, because of poor construction work. He said workers were trying to build two additional floors onto an existing four-story structure without reinforcing the foundations. [myad]
The Niger state government has extended the resumption date for both primary and secondary schools to October 10 as against the federal government announced September 22nd..
The State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, said today in Minna, that the extension in date is to allow students and parents to celebrate the Ed-el Kabir together. The Muslim festival is expected to be observed on October 4th all over the Muslim world. [myad]
Senator Chris Ngige, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and former Vice President and Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar during the courtesy visit by the APC Senate Caucus to his residence in Abuja on Tuesday. [myad]
Nigerians woke up on Tuesday, September 16 to be confronted with a news that 12 out of 18 Nigerian soldiers fighting members of Boko Haram, especially in the North East, who have been court marshaled have been sentenced to death by firing squad for their attempt to kill their General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Major General Ahmed Mohammed. They were confirmed to have shot at his official car between May 13 and 14, 2014. They were found guilty of three out of the six count charges against them, which are conspiracy, mutiny and attempted murder of Major General Mohammed. The incident took place at the Maimalari Barracks, Maiduguri in the course of the ongoing counter insurgency campaign. The Maimalari Cantonment is the headquarters of 7 Division, the newest Division of the Nigerian Army. The court also found them guilty of preventing the movement of some of their injured colleagues to hospital and obstructing evacuation of their dead colleagues who were killed in ambush on their way from a operation in Chibok, Borno State. The court jailed one of the soldiers for 28 days with hard labour, while five were discharged and acquitted. Those who were sentenced to death are Jasper Braidolor, David Musa, Friday Onuh, Yusuf Shuaibu, Igonmu Emmanuel, Andrew Ugbede, Nurudeen Ahmed, Ifeanyi Alukagba, Alao Samuel, Amadi Chukwuma, Alan Linus, and Stephen Clement while those discharged were Naaman Samuel, Iseh Ubong, David Robert, Mohammed Sani and Sebastine Gwaba, as Jeremiah Echocho was sentenced to 28 days. The nine-member all military Court, headed by the President of the Court, Major General C.C. Okonkwo, found the soldiers guilty of insubordinate behaviour, use of abusive language, leveling false accusation against their superior officers, among others. Before their sentence, the legal team of the convicts had pleaded with the court marshial to “temper justice with mercy,” after narrating the pathetic stories of the family backgrounds of the convicted servicemen to the Court marshal team. One of the convicted soldiers was said to be the only son of his 80-year-old widowed mother, another, father of a five-month-old baby. The defence team in their argument prayed that giving the soldiers maximum sentence would do more harm than good, adding that it would increase the agony of their dependants. Of course, there is no doubt the fact that every military man has one of the two choices in war situation, the same as Nigeria is going through in the North East: to live or die, irrespective of the circumstances. And therefore, the question of an appeal to the authorities not to kill them would have been out of place. However, the fact that Nigeria needs as many soldiers as it can acquire to execute the terrorism war should make the government to have a rethink on this matter. The erring soldiers, though, argued that they were not well-equipped to face the superior fire-power of Boko Haram, a thing that infuriated them and made them to take arms against their GOC, did not have good point to want to live after the deed was done. We in Greenbarge Reporters appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan as the Commander-In-Chief, to consult with the superior officers in the armed forces with the sole aim of commuting the death sentence to either life imprisonment or otherwise. They could even be drafted back to the field of the battle with Boko Haram, with “guided attention.” One thing that needs to be stressed is that killing 12 Nigerian soldiers would amount to making Boko Haram to feel a sense of victory. That is to say that Nigeria needs everything, even including identified “devil” within, to win the war against the insurgents.
Nigeria Ministry of Aviation has confirmed that a private jet seized at the weekend by South African authorities stuck with $10 million (about N1.6 Billion) in cash meant for arms purchase, belongs to the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, even as the Pastor admitted that the jet was released on lease. Oritsejafor’s private plane with US registration number N808HG was one of two jets cited by South African officials on September 5. The jet arrived South Africa with $9.3 million cash loaded in several suitcases. News of the seizure of the cash broke over the weekend, triggering questions about the ownership of the jets and weapons they intended to purchase. Nigerian aviation authorities disclosed that one of the jets belonged to Pastor Oritsejafor while the second one was registered to Felix Idiga, the owner of Jafac Aviation Limited. Two Nigerians and an Israeli defense contractor, Eyal Mesiaka arrived in the jet when they were accosted in South Africa authorities. A South African source disclosed that Mr. Oritsejafor’s jet was released after top Nigerian officials intervened, claiming that the weapons to be purchased had the official blessing of the Nigerian government. The jet arrived with two plastic suitcases and two hand luggages with combination locks only known to the Isreali contractor, according to CityPress.
President Goodluck Jonathan has assured the primary and secondary school teachers threatening to go on nation wide strike to protest the government declaration to open all the public schools in Nigeria because of the existence of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) that his government is not a fool to want to open the schools if the disease is still breaking. The President, who adressed some newsmen at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today said the government took decision to close the schools without consulting the teachers and would not need to consult them on when to open the schools. “Government is not a fool. It was not any labour body that asked us to take that decision (to shut the schools). We took it because we felt that we must protect our citizens. “I dare say Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) is not saying that until the world is able to end ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone before Nigeria should open our institutions? It is not right. “This is one government that discusses with anybody that has issues to discuss. Even NUT has no reason to threaten industrial action because of ebola, (because before) the governor took that decision, I called all the governors of the states to come with their commissioners of health. On the day of that meeting, I did not even allow them to speak because they will play politics. I asked all the commissioners, including the Secretary of Health in Abuja, to brief us on the steps they have taken and they listened to their colleagues because it was also a peer review process. If you are hiding certain things, by the time you hear your colleagues, you will go back and get things done. “We are sure that even if one mad Sawyer comes again, nobody will contract ebola. We have managed ebola very well, the world is happy. We must tell the world that no Nigerian should be suspected of ebola and that is the position of government.” President who appealed to teachers through the National Union of Teachers, to shelve any plan to go on an industrial action against the September 22 school resumption date. It is on record that the NUT had on Tuesday in Abuja, kicked against the September 22, 2014, resumption date for primary and secondary schools in the country, which the federal government fixed for resumption of schools. The NUT argued that the government is yet to put the necessary equipment in schools to prevent the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). The body also directed all its members nationwide to stay away from schools until they are convinced “beyond reasonable doubt” that the government has provided all preventive and protective gadgets, such as infra-red thermometers, sanitizers, running water, gloves and teachers adequately trained. The National President of the NUT, Dr. Michael Alogba Olukoya had also said that it is only a few states that have trained teachers on the EVD. But President Jonathan insisted that there was no longer cause for alarm as the country is now almost free and well prepared to stem any new cases that may emerge. “I will plead with NUT and other unions that this does not require industrial action. They should commend government. (hey worked with us; they are Nigerians, all Nigerians must work together to make sure that ebola is contained. Why do we want to create problems while it is not necessary. It is uncalled for. “Presently, there is no case of ebola in Nigeria. Nobody in Nigeria has ebola now. All the people that had the symptoms of ebola have recovered. Out of 19, we lost seven and the others have recovered. Yes they are few people we are observing. That is not to say we may not record ebola again as long ebola is still in the West Coast, it is there in Guinea Conakry, it is there in Liberia, it is there in Sierra Leone. “Presently, our airports are properly protected (so much that) if Sawyer were to arrive Nigeria now, no Nigerian would have contracted ebola because of the level of preparation” The President explained that the continued shutting down of schools will amount to the continous stigmatization of Nigerian citizens as it would send out the wrong signals. “You see, one thing people don’t know and that is why all these Labour Unions and NUT are making noise: if you are in Nigerian today and you travel to some countries, they don’t even want you to enter the countries. Our athletes were segregated in China and they had to return to the country. A place like China asked Minister of the Federal Republic to show prove of ebola free certificate, very discouraging. And what people don’t know is that as long as you close your institutions because of ebola, the ambassadors that are here with us and the high commissioners send what you call dispatches to their home states about what is happening in our country monthly. “As long as we Nigerians close all our public institutions because of ebola, the dispatches that go to the whole world is that ebola is a problem in Nigeria. And as long as we declare that ebola is a problem in Nigeria, any Nigerian that travels out will be treated as someone that has ebola. We have been able to manage ebola and the whole world is happy with us and we mus tell the whole world that we have managed ebola and no Nigerian should be segregated because of ebola. “In fact, Osun State was to have its festival and the news came to me that it should be cancelled and I said no, ebola is no longer a threat in Nigeria and we must tell the world that we have been able to contained ebola. “Yes, ebola is in the West Coast, it could happen in Ghana, it could happen in Senegal or any of the West African countries or beyond but they have not closed down their institutions. If we still have ebola definitely we will not open any of our institutions but we don’t have ebola.” The President commended Nigerians for their cooperation in the management of the disease, adding: “this is one thing that the whole country came together and worked together without issue of politics; there was no issue of religion and there was no issue of ethnicity. In fact, that was why we were able to contain the disease. If Nigerians did not agree, we wouldn’t have succeeded. “I use this opportunity to thank all the governors because I met with all the governors and all the commissioners for health and all the states set up mechinaries to manage the ebola, if at all it turned up. I have to specifically appreciate the governors of Lagos and Rivers State that had incidence of ebola and how they worked with federal government to manage the situation.”
Recent successes by the Nigerian Military against the raging insurgency in the North-East seem to inspire confidence that the nation can, afterall halt the loss life of innocent persons and of territory to a needlessly protracted conflict. The army has done commendable work in similar situations in West Africa in particular, and their failure at home had puzzled and baffled many. Until the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) weighed in with a strongly-worded letter to the President, signed by its Chairman, IGP Ibrahim Coomassie and Secretary, Col. J. P. Ubah (both of them retired), it is the conspiracy theorists who canvassed the view that the military was being denied the weapons to fight by a political authority that does not want to see an end to the war. In this letter (Front page, New Telegraph, Saturday, September 13, 2014), the ACF lamented that in spite of the emergency rule on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, “towns and villages are being sacked, people maimed and killed, while national territories are being seized by a group of insurgents.” The ACF criticized the President for not being on top of the situation, said the statement, considering that “there has been no decisive action to expose, contain and resolve the Boko Haram insurgency” adding that “the attitude of the President towards the plight of the (Chibok) missing girls is, to say the least, appalling and unpresidential.” The group flayed the role of the government in the crisis, saying that there is a widespread feeling that the crisis is being used as a ploy to punish the North and neutralize its advantages and potential by permanently destabilizing the region. It is perhaps for this reason that the involvement of the military in the war itself is portrayed as a favour to the North. The President, Dr. Jonathan once reacted to criticism of the army, by the Governor of Borno State, Bukar Shettima, with a threat to withdraw the army, saying that the state government will be swept away by the insurgents the moment that was done. Careless remarks such as this make Northerners feel that they are not treated as citizens but subjects. What then suddenly changed, that the military is now actively carrying out its moral and constitutional duty of protecting life, property and territorial integrity of Nigeria? Why now, after the five years of needlessly high human toll? In all five years that the insurgency was given time to nurture and grow into a threat to the international system, government never got tired of expressing their commitment to protecting life, property and national territory, while using at the same time, the terror campaign for maligning the opponents of the administration. “The Jonathan Government, a government of a minority Ijaw; a Christian from the South is the target of the insurgency” had been a constant refrain for quite a while. So back to my question: what is it that changed that the Jonathan government is now seriously battering and bettering the insurgents? Four case studies may offer a possible insight. One, there are election kudos to be won. As 2015 Presidential elections inch closer, Dr. Jonathan will gain a lot by rolling back the insurgency. He has a good chance of becoming a hero. To the South, he will be celebrated as the Commander-in-Chief who stemmed the South-ward march of the insurgency. In the North, he will be praised as the leader who has brought back peace and security. This is an enormous political asset going into 2015. The North, his ardent critic will no longer have any grand to oppose him. Two, regionally, Dr. Jonathan stands to equally gain much. His regional peers who have shown such a remarkable disrespect for a Nigerian leader; the type never seen before will call into reckoning his success in crushing the insurgency that threatens not only Nigeria but the entire region and the world. They will, thereafter give him his due regards. Thirdly, the Nigerian President will garner the respect of Europe and America. Their newspapers writing those raunchy and grimy editorials, calling Dr. Jonathan all sorts of names would have to treat him with “well-earned” respect. Four, political leaders in this country who behave rudely to one another might even suggest that this war could add to the gain of electoral war-chest. The view I hold is that it is better late than never. Government should get every encouragement to crush the insurgency. No effort to take away any part of the Nigerian territory should be allowed to succeed. While the decisive move against the insurgency is welcome, government on another hand should also give flip to law and order as enshrined in democratic norms. In a true democracy, law uniformly applies to the rich and the poor; the political leader or the ordinary person; the educated or the uneducated. People in power should have greater responsibility to conform to law but in Nigeria, political leaders behave very rudely and they feel they are a law unto themselves. That’s why crime is at its peak today. A politician found to be sponsoring terrorism should, in addition to serving jail, be banned for life from entering into any kind of public life including politics. For a custodian of the law sponsoring terrorism? Those ones should be punished so severely that others don’t even dare to break the law. All of us, and the whole world are watching the President in these very interesting times.
[su_heading size=”12″ align=”left” margin=”10″]Read More Articles From This Author:Garba Shehu
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Nigerians woke up on Tuesday, September 16 to be confronted with a news that 12 out of 18 Nigerian soldiers fighting members of Boko Haram, especially in the North East, who have been court marshaled have been sentenced to death by firing squad for their attempt to kill their General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Major General Ahmed Mohammed. They were confirmed to have shot at his official car between May 13 and 14, 2014.
