The list of Dubai property owners obtained by The ICIR from the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), a US-based nonprofit organisation, has thrown up name of one of Nigeria’s longest-serving senators, Ike Ekweremadu; former Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi; minister of state for budget and national planning, Clement Ikanade Agba and his son, Bennet Ikanade Agba.
Nigerians, particularly the politically exposed Nigerians, own over 800 properties in Dubai, a city designated as one of the havens for ill-gotten wealth, according to C4ADS.
The ICIR had earlier reported how William Fowler, a former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Tukur Buratai the immediate past Chief of Army Staff (COAS); Mbu Joseph Mbu, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) made the list of politically exposed Nigerians owning properties in Dubai.
Also identified on the list is jailed Olisah Metu, former National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and his spouse, Kanayo Olisa Metu, Tafa Balogun, a former Inspector General of Police (IGP), as well as Former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka and his spouse, Chidinma Chidoka.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu
Ike Ekweremadu, one of Nigeria’s longest-serving senator and three-time deputy president of the senate, is linked to seven properties in Dubai, a city described as a ‘Money Laundering Paradise’ due to the heavy flow of illicit funds into the city which is one of the seven emirates of UAE.
The ICIR record shows that Ekweremadu, a Nigerian politician and lawyer from Enugu State who has been serving in the Senate of Nigeria since May 2003, owns seven choice apartments in Dubai.
Two of the flats, which are a bedroom flat each owned by Ekweremadu are located at The Signature-Burj Down, just adjacent to the Dubai Mall, the largest shopping center in the world. The flats are 12A07 and 608.
He also has a bedroom flat with flat number 3901 at The Address Boulevard, and another flat on the second floor of Meadow 2
In 2018, Ekweremadu was charged to court over a corruption case when the Federal Government sought an interim order to seize 22 properties/assets belonging to him that were located in London, Dubai, Florida and Abuja.
Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja, in February 2020, later struck out the case.
Calls and messages sent to Ekweremadu’s mobile number by The ICIR did not go through.
The ICIR reached out also Uche Anichukwu, media aide to Ike Ekweremadu, who did not deny the fact that his principal owned seven apartments in Dubai. He instead said Ekweremadu has declared his properties before the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB.
“The important thing is for a public officer to declare his or her assets every four years as constitutionally required. This, the Senator has duly complied with. So, you can always cross-check with the Code of Conduct Bureau,” says Anichukwu
Clement Ikanade Agba and son
Also on the list of politically exposed Nigerians owning properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE) is Clement Ikanade Agba, the minister of state for budget and national planning and his son, Bennet Ikanade Agba.
The minister and his son co-owned an apartment at The Bridge in Dubai Sports City.
Until his appointment as minister Clement Agba served as the commissioner in the Edo State ministry of environment and public Utilities from January 23, 2009, to July 25, 2010.
On July 26th, 2010, Agba was appointed as the commissioner of lands, survey & housing in Edo State before being redeployed to the ministry of environment & public utilities on December 2, 2010.
Agba resigned from his position in 2012 and returned to Chevron Oil, where he had been given a leave of absence.
In 2019, he was appointed as minister of state for budget and national planning by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Bennet Ikanade Agba, one of his four children, is a music producer, who studied Economics at the University College, London (UCL).
Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi
The ICIR record shows that former senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi owns three flats in Dubai. The former senator has a 3-bedroom flat with flat number 5506 and another 2-bedroom flat with flat number 5501 at The Paramount Tower hotels and residences in Dubai.
Hunkunyi is a former senator, who represented the Kaduna North Senatorial District between 2015 and 2019.
Prior to the 2015 general election, Hunkuyi served as deputy national organising secretary of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as well as chairman, campaign council in Kaduna State in 2015.
Under the same platform, he served as a senator representing Kaduna North Senatorial District in the National Assembly before decamping to PDP in 2019.
In 2018, the Nigerian police invited Hunkuyi and the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Kaduna State chapter, Adamu Ango for questioning in connection with a N369 million failed project.
Calls and messages sent to Hunkuyi ‘s mobile number by The ICIR were not going through till the time of this publication.
…by the time the dust settled, about 11 were writhing in fresh blood. Of these, one died instantly, three survived for a few hours but died eventually. Six were critically injured with gunshot wounds, among them a 9-year-old boy.
ON Thursday, April 9, 2020, ten days after Nigeria entered a partial lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officers of the Nigeria police, army, correctional service and others had extra-judicially killed 13 while enforcing the curfew – the virus had only claimed six lives by then. By May 4, when the government eased the lockdown, about 20 persons had been killed in similar circumstances. For three months, investigative journalist, Kemi Busari, followed the trails of these arbitrary killings which have left many families devastated, with no hope of justice.
Final burial rites for Umar Musa
The journey between Layin Tanki, where Sani Umar lives and his father’s residence at Sabon Garin Nasarawa, both at Trikania, Kaduna takes only six minutes. Being the breadwinner of his extended family, Umar frequently visits his father and others. His intention, on April 4, 2020, was to do the routine.
He was about three minutes into the journey, by a google map estimation, before he was caught in a binge of gunfire unleashed by police officers at Bakin Dogo junction, the intersection of Gwagwada Road and Hakimi Road, just close to the railway line. Multiple slugs penetrated his cranial bones, smashing and exposing the internal organs and dismembering the skull.
Umar did not complete the journey on the familiar road, instead, remains of his shattered skull, packed in a black plastic bag, were sent to his father – then tears followed.
Amid the bedlam that engulfed Trikania that high noon, another body fell at Wakili Road. That was Aliyu Abubakar, a teenager. The bullet entered through his chest, tearing first his pectoralis muscle before rupturing the upper right pairs of his vertebrosternal ribs and ultimately his lungs. The 18-year-old was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Then 31-year-old Musa Aliyu was shot at close range, about 10 metres to the front door of his family house at Dokaje Street. The bullet entered through his vertebrochondral ribs leaving him with no chance at surviving. He died in pains some two hours after.
One street away, a fourth body fell to the hail of bullets. Yusuf Mukhtar was shot multiple times right at the door of his house at Hakimi Road. He didn’t survive the bullet that entered first through his chest, rupturing some life-holding organs, and then at his hand, tearing the hand from other parts of the body.
A fifth person, which PREMIUM TIMES could not trace despite some efforts, was shot dead in the gunfire that lasted about one hour, bringing the fatalities to five. Residents say the fifth victim, a male, does not reside in the area.
Apart from the five dead, six others; Ibrahim Abdullahi, Isah Saleh, Mujahid Saminu, Isah Ibrahim (Al-Amin), Abdul Abass and Mohammed Mohammed suffered various degrees of gun-shot injuries during the unexpected onslaught carried out by police officers on April 4, 2020, at Sabon Garin Nasarawa Trikania area of Kaduna State.
Map showing where each victim was killed.
Connecting the dots
Five dead, six injured and a permanent scar left in the hearts of loved ones but what led to this offensive?
The popular Monday Market holds on the fringes of Kakuri in Kaduna South Local Government Area of the state. Due to proximity, residents of Trikania in Chikun Local Government, also join in the trading every Monday. The two communities, existing in different local governments, are only separated by a railway track.
March 31, 2020, was another market day but owing to a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by the state government to curb the spread of COVID-19 which by then the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, had tested positive for, residents could not trade as usual at the market.
Although the government only announced a temporary relaxation from 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 1st to Thursday, April 2nd, residents of Sabon Trikania still felt the need to stock up groceries two days after, April 4. A make-shift market was established at Bakin Dogo junction.
Buying and selling started early and on a peaceful note. Residents say, members of Sabon Garin Nasarawa local community security, officially named the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), were on hand, as early as 8 a.m., to ensure compliance with COVID-19 protocols.
Some hours into trading, members of Makera CJTF, from Kaduna South jurisdiction, came to the market to disperse the buyers and sellers. They were resisted by the youth in the community.
Usman Muhammed, the General Commander, Sabon Garin Nasarawa CJTF considers the move by the Makera CJTF as surprising as the unwritten rule is that ‘when we (CJTF of one area) want to go (to) another area, we’ll let the JTF in that area know.’ But the Makera CJTF didn’t inform of their operation that day, he added.
The General Commander of Makera CJTF, Muhammed Halliru, wouldn’t comment but directed PREMIUM TIMES enquiries to the chairman of the outfit.
The chairman, Alhassan Dahiru, said he was not aware of the killings when, in January 2021, he was asked questions about the role his men played.
CJTF office Makera
About one hour after the initial resistance at the market, the Makera CJTF came again, this time in the company of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Kakuri Police Station, Zubairu Abubakar. Witnesses say he addressed the traders and was assured of compliance with COVID-19 rules but he left unsatisfied.
Assault
Not long after his exit, police officers attached to Kakuri Police Station returned. The assault started, shortly after midday, with the police shooting tear gas into the make-shift market but resistance from traders and residents didn’t work this time. The defiance was met with maximum force by the police officers who not only shot to disperse but hunted some residents down to their houses. All hell was let loose.
By the time the dust settled, about 11 were writhing in fresh blood. Of these 11, one died instantly, three survived for a few hours but died eventually. Six were critically injured with gunshot wounds, among them a 9-year-old boy.
PREMIUM TIMES could not get details of one fatal victim, who was said to be residing at a faraway location.
Final burial rites for Aliyu, Musa and Yusuf
Although the police, in a statement shortly after the incident shifted the blame to the CJTF, evidence and accounts of witnesses counter this narrative.
Nine months after this incident, family members of the deceased and residents could only hold on to the memories of their lost loved ones – sad memories.
Distraught by what had become their pandemic; the police, cast down by the doom of a day inflicted on a once-happy people and the vacuum they are struggling to accept its emptiness, survivors of the April 4 shooting in Sabon Garin Nasarawa feel only pains. These memories become more excruciating as there appears to be no hope of justice.
‘Police officer killed my boy, threatened to shoot me’
Officially, Sabon Garin Nasarawa CJTF has 177 members. Musa Aliyu was one of them until his death. The 30-year-old worked full time at the Kakuri Makera branch of Eurofoam in Kaduna. He was in the bathroom when he heard the sounds of gunshots. A moment later, he was further jolted by the sight of two strangers who ran into his family house at Dokaje Street to take refuge.
After a slight interrogation, emboldened by his membership of the CJTF, Aliyu stepped out to find out what was going on. He never returned. He was just about 10 metres away from the entrance of his family house when he was shot.
Musa Aliyu
The shot, fired by a yet unknown officer, who was said to be chasing some people, pierced his vertebrochondral ribs. Blood was out in an instant. Fleeing residents who knew him were the first to come to his aid. His weakened body was hastily dragged on to a motorbike; one resident blocked the injured section with a cloth to prevent more bleeding. He was rushed to Ashmed Specialist Hospital, about 500 metres away.
Upon sighting his injured son, Ali Banki, said rushed in to dress up with the hope of going to the hospital. He couldn’t do that without confrontation, he recalls. Frequently, he shakes his head in sadness as he narrates events of the day.
“I see (saw) one police here, he laid down, everybody was running but he laid there…I couldn’t see his name. He told me ‘go inside’. I said to him? In front of my house? You kill my boy you still want to kill me? Go ahead, shoot me too,” Banki says of his encounter with a police officer he met before rushing to the hospital.
On getting to the hospital, there was no doctor to attend to the injured, then another journey to another hospital; Smart Hospital. Here, he was promptly attended to but he had lost a lot of blood.
By this time, Aliyu’s bloodshot eyes had started to close, his breathing difficult surrounded by loved ones – then he gave up. All efforts to revive him were not successful. He was buried the following day.
‘Bodies falling’, teenagers killed in cold blood
While scampering for his life, Ibrahim Abdulamid, a nurse, resident in Trikania, recalls seeing bodies fall. He prefers the community was hit by COVID-19 than experiencing the onslaught by the police officers.
“That very day, what the police did in this community, they were more dangerous than coronavirus at that specific time,” he said.
Aliyu Abubakar and Yusuf Muhktar are both 18. They are both Senior Secondary School (SSS) 3 students of Government Day Secondary School, Kakuri and they were both slated to write the secondary school leaving exams in 2020. They both aspire to become soldiers to defend their country but all these aspirations will only materialise in another world.
Slugs from yet-to-be-identified officers halted their dreams, just a few minutes apart on April 4, 2020.
It took some efforts to get Abubakar Aliyu (Aliyu Abubakar’s father) to narrate the incident of his son’s death, and when he did, his tone was filled with vile. For him, it is justice or nothing. His malcontent is understandable, given the circumstance the ‘child he loves most’ was snatched from him by the people employed and paid to protect him.
The aged man had gone to the market like many other residents on April 4. Around noon on that Saturday, the sad news came in.
Aliyu Abubakar
“I came back from the market where we were chased when a boy came running and told me that “your son Abba has been shot”, he narrated, struggling to hold back tears. “At that time, Abba’s (Aliyu’s) corpse was brought to me. It felt like a tale when I was told that it was the police that shot Abba.”
What was brought to Abubakar was a lifeless body with a bullet-ridden chest. The bullets had already damaged his lungs making passage of oxygen into cells an impossibility.
A bewildered Abubakar could not come to terms with his son’s death without a fight. His first instinct was to take him to a hospital and off they zoomed to Ashmed Hospital. On getting to the hospital, his death was confirmed as having occurred barely an hour ago.
Abubakar will never remain the same. “My mother passed away, but I did not feel so much pain like his passing, because he does anything I tell him to.”
Before their untimely deaths, Aliyu Abubakar and Yusuf Muhktar were friends, they both loved football which they played at the popular Bakin Dogo field, just by the railway. What more do they share? They died the same day, almost the same time.
Yusuf Muhktar
Muhktar was shot several times. He was in his family residence in Hakimi Road when the police officers went on a rampage. Right by the door of the house, he was shot first on his chest and then his hand. The bullets that hit Muhktar ripped off his hands.
His brother, Aliyu Muhammad, heard the gunshots but had to take refuge inside the house. When the assault finally subsided and Muhktar was brought into the house, he had already lost several pints of blood. His hands ripped off, chest ridden of cavities, he was in excruciating pain and it was only a matter of time before he was expected to die. Nevertheless, he was rushed to the hospital.
There was little the medics at the Al-Ramadan Nursing and Maternity Home could do. Muhktar was dead before arrival. The medical report stated that he suffered a ‘significant gunshot to the chest.’
Relatives described Muktar as a ‘hustler’. While not in school or playing ball, the teenager engaged in carpentry, which he already learnt to a professional level. At other times, he was a rider and even a washer.
“Sincerely, he is a jovial boy, who believes(d) in hard work and relates(d) to (with) people well. He once rode a tricycle and sometimes stayed late at night to wash the tricycle. This is aside from his carpentry. Sincerely, he is (was) a hustler!” says Aliyu.
Umar never made it to the hospital
Unlike others, Sani Umar did not have the privilege of being taken for treatment nor a befitting burial. He was a regular at his father’s residence being the sole breadwinner. He had left his home on April 4, 2020, to visit his father but met his untimely death. Pictures taken afresh after his death shows a smashed skull crammed in a black plastic bag and a lifeless body.
Sani Umar
While the other three dead were taken for burial the following day, on the 5th, Umar’s burial could not be delayed due to its untidiness and the potential stink it could ooze overnight. He was immediately taken for burial. Umar suffered more. His disintegrated skull still had to be taken for a shave to enable proper documentation.
“I was in the market seated then my (other) son called me and said Sani has been killed,” says Babangida Umar, Sani’s ageing father. “He was shot on the head and it broke open. We had to fetch his brain in a polythene sack. When we were going to wash the corpse, we had to tie the head with a wrapper before clothing, taking him to the graveyard.”
Given his tenacious lifestyle, one would have wished he was still alive to fulfil his dreams. Although a welder, Sani was still sought formal education even in his 30s. Braving the shame of sitting in the same classroom alongside teenagers, some of who are young enough for him to sire, he finished his secondary school education in 2019 at the age of 32.
What now remains of Musa, Sani, Muhktar and Aliyu, once beacons of hope for their family, is 6-feet of earth where each of them was interred. The four suffered gruesome deaths by any sense of imagination. PREMIUM TIMES could not publish gory pictures of these victims alongside this copy as they require a prior warning before viewing.
Horrid images gathered in the course of this investigation can be viewed in a separate folder here. These are graphic pictures. Beware!
Apart from these four, residents claim a fifth victim, a man, who resides far away was also caught up in the carnage. A photograph of the victim shared with PREMIUM TIMES shows an elderly man, clad in white babariga (clothing) but we could not independently verify.
“He doesn’t live here,” some residents say in chorus. “His people have taken him (his corpse) away so we don’t know where he is,” Ibrahim Aliyu added.
This newspaper is still making efforts to contact the family members. We call on anyone who has a lead to reach out to us.
Hail of bullets, deaths
Shooting on April 4 started at Bakin Dogo, around the crossroad that joins Gwagwada Road and Hakimi Road, the location of the makeshift market but soon spread to other streets as gun-wielding police officers chased people.
On Hakimi Road, about 150 metres to the west by-pass, then 9-year-old Ibrahim Al-Amin was running an errand when two bullets hit him at opposite sides of his chest.
The bullets penetrated through his pectoralis, rupturing his ribs in the process. His two hands became temporarily paralysed. His dying body was found inside the culvert close to his house.
9-year-old Ibrahim Al-amin survived two bullet wonds
The first landing place for the boy, who had become unconscious, was Agwa Hospital. Here, the doctors revived him, stabilised his breathing and placed him on a drip. He was referred to Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital for further treatment as the private hospital lacked the facility to remove the bullets.
From there, he was referred to two other government hospitals, which both rejected him before the family settled for a private hospital. At Smart Hospital, Al-Amin was given emergency treatment but something else would later deter his further treatment.
“The next day, when the doctor arrived, he said he will not touch the boy till we deposit N30,000,” says Binta Ibrahim, his mum, now recounting the horrible experience with more ease nine months after. “After much struggle, we managed to pay the money before the bullets were removed.”
Binta said the family paid N105, 000 plus other unrecorded expenses to see Al-Amin alive today. His story was similar to that of Ibrahim Abdullahi, another survivor.
By the evening of April 4, news had already spread around Sabon Garin Nasarawa that casualty figures had risen to six. The sixth was 22-year-old Abdullahi, a student of the Kaduna State Polytechnic.
A bullet that penetrated his chest and forcefully exit his back threw him lifeless on Gwagwada Road axis of Trikania. Abdullahi was lucky the bullet spared his spinal cord. He said he saw a policeman shoot him. “He wanted to shoot me again when my mum come (came) and drag me down.”
Abdullahi would later spend hours at the hospital to regain consciousness and days to have his body mended.
The bullet entered from Abdullahi’s chest and exited at his back
Police complicit
Of the six victims (fatal and survivors) captured in this investigation, four was shot at close range, one shot at the head and the last shot at the ribs. Four were shot multiple times.
Shooting at close range, multiple times and at delicate areas suggest only one thing; the police acted out of annoyance in the confrontation and planned to kill, says a retired inspector of the Nigeria Police who analysed the situation
Horrid images gathered in the course of this investigation can be viewed in a separate folder here. These are graphic pictures. Beware!
The inspector, who doesn’t want to be named for fear of victimisation, said even if they were provoked, the officers ought to deploy tactical withdrawal and then reinforce to calm irking nerves.
“It is when you’re being shot or attacked by dangerous weapons and you don’t have any other alternative that you’re allowed to shoot as a policeman,” he said. “Even at that, you can’t shoot in the head or chest, you’re to shoot at the leg. But you know in most cases, police will lie that they aimed at the leg.”
A gunshot victim being hurdled on a bike
Although the 2020 Police Act is silent on the rules guiding the use of firearms, the Use of Force Order 237, which subsists as reference legislation, corroborates the former cop’s analysis.
The order authorises police officers to “only use (as last resort) objectively reasonable force, proportional to the threat or urgency of the situation, when necessary” and in this context, “only when 12 or more people remain violently assembled beyond a reasonable time after the reading of the proclamation, and that the persons conduct may lead to imminent death or serious injury to the police or other persons.”
The order notes further that “indiscriminate firing into a crowd is always unlawful” and officers must account for any use individually as stipulated Sections 25, 298 Criminal Code Act 1990. In cases when officers’ use of force leads to death or injury, such case is open to investigation by the court and such officer is liable under the Criminal Code.
Some bullets retrieved from the scene of the shooting were sighted by PREMIUM TIMES but the inspector says it is difficult to trace to individual cops as Nigeria lacks a register of ammunition and usage.
Some bullets retrieved after the attack
Blood, bullets yet no justice
The attack has mostly been kept away from the media with only a few reports based on a press statements existing as reference. In the statement, the Kaduna Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Jalige, said the investigation was ongoing ‘’while seven had been arrested’’.
But 10 months after, Mr Jalige could not provide details of the investigation.
None of the officers was on record subjected to internal probe nor was there any prosecution as stipulated by the law. Mr Jalige asked for more time to receive a briefing but never got back despite follow up.
PREMIUM TIMES also reached out to the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Muri, who directed enquiries to the PRO.
The DPO of Kakuri Police Station, where the assailant officers are attached at first said he was not aware of the killings. He later said he would require a ‘clearance’ from the state command to comment on the issue.
None of the Umar, Aliyu, Muhktar and Sani’s loved ones would ever be pacified by this injustice. Apart from grieving the loss of their loved ones, they are further dejected by the fact that no move for justice was initiated even 10 months after.
They said there was no contact from anyone except for the effort by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to document the events back in May.
The Kaduna State Coordinator of the commission, Gwar Terngu, said details of the documentation were sent to the headquarters in Abuja for further action. But it’s 10 months now and there has been no response.
Denials still pervade the horrible killings, accusing fingers are still being pointed, relevant agencies still tardy in their responsibilities but these won’t deter the families of the deceased from clamouring for justice. They want the trigger-happy officers brought to book and some compensation for their losses.
Umar Babangida was downcast by the picture of his son’s disintegrated body towards the end of the interview but showed fury when asked his demands.
“I want the government to arrest these people and charge them. If that’s not done, then justice is not served,” he said.
But a time-taking legal processes Nigeria is known for won’t do for Abubakar Aliyu. “Those who killed them should also be killed,” he said adding that although this will never bring back his Abba, “it has to be done quickly.”
This investigation was sponsored by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Reporting (PTCIJ)
FAISAL Shuaib, executive secretary of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), says Nigeria is to take delivery of 3.92 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, March 2.
The delivery will mark the first arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria and make the country the next West African nation to benefit from COVAX Facility after Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
A joint statement issued by NPHCDA, WHO and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) said the arrival of the vaccine would kick-start vaccination of Nigerians in priority groups, starting with the frontline healthcare workers.
“The arrival of this vaccine is the result of the commitment of the federal government of Nigeria, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, the support of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, and the guidance of the Hon. Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire,” Shuaib, who read the statement, said.
“We are fully prepared to receive and deliver the vaccine to eligible Nigerians as we have commenced the training of health workers and ensured that cold chain facilities are ready at all levels.”
Though there were concerns about Nigeria’s ability to maintain the appropriate cooling temperature, Shuaib assured that the country had a robust cold chain system that could store all types of COVID-19 vaccine in accordance with the required temperature.
The NPHCDA boss emphasised the agency’s resolve to prioritise health workers in the country while managing patients affected by the pandemic.
He said there were plans to vaccinate 70 percent of eligible Nigerians from age 18 above, in four phases within two years.
According to him, the delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine was part of an overall 16 million doses planned to be delivered to Nigeria in batches over the next months by the COVAX Facility. This, he stressed, was part of a global effort to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
“We are therefore confident that we will have a very effective roll-out of the vaccine, starting with our critical healthcare workers, who are in the frontline in providing the care we all need,” Shuaib added.
The COVAX Facility is co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the WHO, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), with UNICEF as a key implementing partner.
Ghana recently received its batch of the COVAX vaccine.
On February 11, the World Health Organisation (WHO) made interim recommendations for use of the vaccine, including the need to give priority to health workers, older people, especially those beyond age 65.
“The COVAX Facility has worked exceptionally hard to ensure that Nigeria gets the vaccine as soon as possible so it can start its vaccination programme to the largest population in Africa,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Nigeria country representative.
The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed multiple lives globally. About 114 million persons have been infected across the world, resulting in about 2.53 million deaths.
In the United States alone, over 500, 000 deaths have been recorded due to COVID-19.
In Nigeria, as of Saturday, February 27, 155,417 cases had been recorded in the country, with 1,905 deaths and 133,256 discharged cases.
According to the WHO, those with ‘a history of severe allergic reaction’ should not take the vaccine.
Moreover, “the vaccine is not recommended for persons younger than 18 years of age pending results of further studies.”
TANKO Yakasai, father of Salihu Tanko Yakasai popularly known as Dawisu who was arrested last Friday by Department of State Services (DSS) for criticising President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) over rising spate of insecurity in the country, has engaged attorneys to help free his son from custody of the secret police.
After news of his arrest went viral Saturday morning, Peter Afunaya, spokesperson of the secret police, confirmed his arrest in a statement.
Afunaya said Dawisu was being investigated over issues beyond the expression of opinions in the social media.
While in detention, Dawisu who was media aide to Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano state governor, was relieved of his job by the governor, for making “unguarded comments and utterances.”
It was the second time in four months that he would be punished by his estranged principal.
Dawisu was suspended by Ganduje for criticising Buhari in the wake of #EndSARS protests that rocked the country in October 2020.
He had attacked the president for lacking empathy and keeping mute over the protests that was against police brutality and poor funding of the police by government.
He had tweeted: “I have never seen a government with zero empathy like that of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“So many times when his people are going through a difficult time and expect some sort of tap on shoulder to reassure them that he is in charge, but he fails to do so. The ‘I don’t care attitude’ is on another level.
“To speak to your own people over issues that are bedevilling them has become something like a favour you are doing to them.
“Over and over again, you cannot spare five minutes to address the nation to calm them down, the same people you went to the 36 states to beg for their votes, it is heart-breaking.”
TANKO Yakasai and his son, Salihu Tanko Yakasai
His suspension lasted two weeks before he was reinstated.
Recently, Dawisu asked President Buhari to resign over his inability to prevent the abduction of schoolgirls in Zamfara State.
He tweeted: “Clearly, we as APC government, at all levels, have failed Nigerians in the number one duty we were elected to do which is to secure lives and properties. Not a single day goes by without some sort of insecurity in this land. This is a shame! Deal with terrorists decisively or resign.
“Just last week it was #freekagaraboys, today we have anew hashtag #RescueJangebeGirls, who knows tomorrow what hashtag we will come up with? Perhaps one for ourselves when we get caught up in one of these daring attacks.
“This is sad and heartbreaking, I feel helpless and hopeless. “I completely agree. Hypocrisy is in our DNA. Imagine what’s happening in the North now under GEJ or OBJ, what you will hear is he’s the enemy of the North and Muslims, but here we are, being ravaged by all sorts of insecurity but no collective rage…”
He has disappeared since he made that comment, and many of his friends and relations had raised the alarm over his sudden disappearance, but his father, was sure of the whereabouts of his son.
And he has secured the services of attorneys from H. A. Gudaji I & Co, who are requesting the director-general of the DSS, Yusuf Bichi, to grant the junior Yakasai an administrative bail.
Letter to the DSS by the attorneys
Predicating their letter, dated Saturday 27 February, 2021 on the 1999 constitution (as amended) and other relevant laws, the lawyers said as an agency created, governed and guided by law, they wanted the head of DSS to grant them attorney-client access to the detained politician and his release on administrative bail.
The letter was signed by Aremya’u Yusuf Abubakr (Esq.) for H. A. Gudaji & Co.
The ICIR reports that while Dawisu was punished twice by Ganduje within four months over his “unguarded utterances,” the governor picked no offence when his estranged aide attacked deposed Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi over the same incident in November 2019.
The young Yakasai told Sanusi to “stop opening his filthy mouth” while responding to his comments on abduction of children from Kano to the South-East for commercial purposes.
The deposed Emir had blamed parental irresponsibility in northern part of the nation on the crime, but Dawisu objected, using language culturally believed to be insulting to the elders, especially a revered monarch.
He had tweeted: “A very reckless comment to make. I wonder if any of his relatives get kidnapped or stolen, he will act the same way. The kids are not almajiris for goodness sake. SLS (Sanusi Lamido Sanusi) should have kept quiet instead of opening his filthy mouth to make such insensitive remarks. Nonsense!”
But the tweets attracted no condemnation from the government which was in serious rift with the Emir at the time.
After unresolved feud that lasted for at least two years, the governor eventually deposed Sanusi on March 9, 2020, revealing a year thereafter that the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria was removed because he could not guard his mouth.
A foremost Buhari’s critic, Aisha Yesufu said in a video seen by The ICIR that the arrest of Dawisu by the DSS was uncalled for.
She questioned the rationale behind the DSS action, and supported the comments of the detained politician.
Aisha Yesufu. Source: Daily Post
Yesufu said if anybody “says the truth” by criticizing the APC government, the government would be uncomfortable and order arrest of the critic.
She said Dawisu was arrested for saying the “truth,” adding that people who are dissatisfied with the government performance would not stop criticising it.
“If they will arrest all of us, we will not keep quiet. If they keep on picking us, there are people that will still talk, that APC government is a fraud,” she said in the video recorded in Hausa language.
According to her, she’s been demanding that President Buhari resign but he refuses because of the “comfort” he enjoys in office.
She said the APC government had been boasting that the president would not step down until he finishes his tenure.
The opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) also condemned the arrest in a statement.
Similarly, the Social Economic Rights and Accountability Projects (SERAP) frowned at the arrest of Yakasai.
The ICIR had reported how over 881 students had been kidnapped under the Buhari administration.
MUHAMMED Shehu, spokesperson for Zamfara State Police Command, on Sunday, denied the purported release of 317 abducted schoolgirls seized by their captors on Friday.
Shehu told The ICIR in a phone interview that the authorities were still on a search and rescue exercise.
“Honestly I’m not aware of that story,” he said.
“I don’t know where they got the story from but if there is anything like that, both the government and police will speak about it.”
The reporter further identified two major national dailies with correspondents in Gusau, the state capital, who reported the information. However, he insisted there was no such development.
“If there is any development, both the government and police will speak about it,” he noted adding that, “there is ongoing effort to secure their release. We are still on it.”
The state government, through Suleiman Anka, commissioner of information and culture, also debunked the girls’ freedom from their captors.
According to Anka, the state was still making efforts to ensure the safe rescue of the girls.
“I want to call the attention of good people of Zamfara State. They should disregard any fake news regarding the release of abducted students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, by one national daily.
“It is not true. But Alhamdulillah, the state government and securities are their trying their best.”
I want to call the attention of good people of Zamfara state, they should disregard any fake news regarding the released of abducted students of GGSS Jangebe by one national daily, it’s not true. But Alhamdulillah the state government and securities are their trying their best. pic.twitter.com/ZeQgFmK6nY
The ICIR had earlier reported on the persistent cases of kidnappings and abductions in the country, especially since President Muhammadu Buhari resumed office in 2015.
The general state of insecurity has also raised doubts on the competence of Buhari to safeguard lives and property in the country, hence demands for his resignation or impeachment by members of the National Assembly (NASS).
Northern group, under the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), has also demanded for Buhari’s sack.
On Saturday, February 27, the forum advised state governments to devise security measures that could help protect the lives of their people.
They asserted that Nigerians were becoming more endangered under the current administration of the president.
“In spite of assurances from the federal government that it will end banditry and kidnappings, the life of the Nigerian is becoming more endangered by the day, and citizens have lost faith that governments will reverse the successes of the criminal against defenseless citizens.
“The forum advises particularly Northern governors to explore all lawful avenues to improve the security of citizens,” NEF stated.
Areport by a British maritime security intelligence group Dryad Global has blamed weak response by the Nigerian government for the escalation of piracy attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.
Countries within the Gulf of Guinea – the northeasternmost part of the Atlantic Ocean – include Nigeria, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tomé and Principe, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. The Gulf of Guinea is a major route for petroleum products.
The Gulf of Guinea is considered as the most dangerous sea in the world for piracy and accounted for 95 percent of 195 seafarers kidnapped from their vessels in 2020, the highest ever number, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
Dryad Global, in its 2021 annual report, noted that the activities of Nigerian pirates were largely responsible for the escalating insecurity in the area. “The West African maritime security situation is at breaking point; seafarers’ lives are at risk from ever-increasing violent attacks and Nigerian pirates are operating with increased impunity,” the report said.
“If there is an epidemic of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, then Nigeria is undoubtedly the epicentre,” the report noted.
Dryad Global further observed that although Nigerian authorities had continued to implement programmes aimed at curbing piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, the measures had not been effective.
“Thus far, however, programmes aimed at tackling the root of the issue through social-economic coastal development and community regeneration are limited,” the report said.
As part of the non-binding Yaoundé Code of Conduct and the binding Lomé charter, Nigeria has several international obligations, which include investment in equipment, operations and training to improve maritime security and safety.
In 2019, Nigeria launched the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, otherwise known as Deep Blue Project (DBP), which aims to address insecurity and criminality in the country’s territorial waters. The Deep Blue Project is estimated to have cost 195 million dollars and will oversee all security matters in Nigeria.
If implemented in the expected timeframe, the DBP is likely to lead to a reduction in piracy in 2021.
Also, the Nigerian Maritime Safety Agency (NIMASA) has announced that the DB Abuja and DB Lagos – two multi-purpose surveillance vessels – would be deployed with eight fast interceptor attack boats in the Lagos Security Anchorage Area (SAA).
The federal government had enacted the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act (SUPMOA) in 2019, with a view to to suppressin piracy, armed robbery and other unlawful acts in the maritime domain. Going by SUPMOA provisions, piracy is punishable with life imprisonment and payment of N50 million naira fine, in addition to restitution to the owner of the hijacked vessel.
Nigeria’s campaign against piracy strong on rhetoric, short on substance
But the Dryad Global report said the efforts being made by the Nigerian government to counter piracy were lacking in substance.
“Unfortunately, whilst strong on rhetoric, Nigeria’s efforts to combat piracy are, thus far, short on substance,” the report said.
The report pointed to the unsatisfactory implementation of the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act as a sign that the federal government was not really committed to the fight against piracy.
The recent dismantling of the privately-run Security Anchorage Area at Nigerian ports by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari was also cited as a sign that Nigeria was merely paying lip service to the anti-piracy campaign.
A Secure Anchorage Area (SAA) is an area outside the Lagos port that the Nigerian Navy, with a private company, had established as a secure place where vessels could anchor safely from the threat of pirate attack. But Hadiza Bala Usman, managing director of the NPA, announced that henceforth, private security companies would no longer provide SAA services.
The Dryad Global report said, “The prosecution of a private company involved in the transfer of a ransom payment as the first conviction under the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act is symptomatic of a wider trend in which the Nigerian government appears more focused on holding the commercial balance of power over third-party security providers than combating piracy.
“Recently, President Buhari ordered the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to dismantle the privately-run Security Anchorage Area and cancel the commercial contract facilitating its operation, referring to it as a ‘threat to national security,’ despite the anchorage effectively being operated by the Nigerian Navy.
“The NPA maintains that commercial maritime fleet transiting through Nigerian territorial water should rely solely on the Nigerian Navy for its protection, yet expressly forbids the embarkation of armed security including Nigerian Naval personnel.”
Following the dismantling of the privately-run Security Anchorage Area, the Dryad Global report noted that the Nigerian government issued a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to 17 security companies allowing them to cooperate with the Nigerian Navy to arrange armed security escorts for commercial vessels whilst at the same time expressly forbidding the use of private security within Nigerian waters.
Faulting the development, the report observed, “With some vessels continuing to embark guards, albeit Nigerian Navy personnel and others not, this is far from an opaque policy. Indeed it has created a situation of legal ambiguity that stands only to benefit Nigeria as it chooses when and where to apply these laws.”
The report advised that Nigerian authorities must strike a balance between restrictions for the sake of national security and creating space for third-party security providers to complement the Nigerian Navy’s security activities in support of commercial operations.
“The current restrictions serve only to complicate the process of implementing appropriate security measures,” the report further said.
136 seafarers abducted in Gulf of Guinea in 2020
According to the report, 136 seafarers were abducted in 27 incidents in the Gulf of Guinea in 2020 and evidence showed that attacks were becoming increasingly violent – the use of guns was reported in over 80 percent of kidnapping incidents.
In addition to the 27 cases where seafarers were abducted, the Gulf of Guinea recorded 132 incidents in 2020. These included robbery, kidnapping, violent armed boarding and hijack.
In comparison, only 36 incidents occurred in the entire Indian Ocean, of which none was tangibly linked to issues of piracy.
The number of personnel and vessels impacted by kidnapping incidents in the Gulf of Guinea has been increasing since 2017, with 140 personnel kidnapped in 2018, 135 kidnapped in 2019 and 136 in 2020.
So far, in 2021, 15 seafarers have been kidnapped while one was killed.
One Azerbaijani sailor killed, 15 Turkish crew kidnapped in January 2021 attack
In the January 2021 incident, MV Mozart, a Liberian-flagged vessel, was on its way from Lagos to Cape Town when it became the target of a pirate attack that resulted in the death of one Azerbaijani seafarer and kidnapping of 15 Turkish crew members.
The Turkish government disclosed on February 12 that the 15 men had been freed and would be returned to Turkey as soon as possible. Turkish officials suggested that ransom was paid to secure the freedom of the 15 crew members.
Between piracy in Nigeria and Somalia
The report looked at comparisons being made between piracy in Nigeria and what was obtainable in Somalia, where the activities of pirates posed a threat to international shipping vessels in the late 2000s.
However, the Dryad Global report noted that Nigeria should have a greater capacity to combat piracy than Somalia, which was largely a failed state, following the Somali Civil War.
“Comparisons between piracy off the Horn of Africa and that of the Gulf of Guinea are common, but ultimately of limited benefit. The principal difference being that Somalia, as a failed state, was largely exempt from its legal and moral obligation to provide security within its waters.
“By comparison, Nigeria is a considerably more developed state with the largest economy in Africa. The difference between the path to piracy and the capacity to act could not be more profound,” the Dryad Global report said.
Piracy in Gulf of Guinea poses serious threat to global trade, IMO warns
Meanwhile, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has said the increasing number and severity of attacks and vessels by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea are posing a threat to global trade and the safety of seafarers working in the region.
Kitack Lim, IMO secretary-general, in a letter to all United Nations agencies, dated February 10, 2021, noted that piracy in the gulf presented a ‘serious and immediate threat’ and called on governments in the region, including Nigeria, to “make good on their commitments to deter pirates with a strong naval and coastguard presence.”
THE Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has expressed concerns about President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, saying that Nigerians are becoming more endangered by the day.
The group has also warned state governors, especially those from the northern part of the country, to design their security architectures while maintaining cooperation with the existing national security operatives.
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, NEF’s director in charge of publicity and advocacy, in a statement, stressed that the current administration had lost the initial confidence reposed in it by the citizenry.
This is coming on the heels of Friday kidnap of 317 schoolgirls attending Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Talata-Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
“It has become painfully obvious that the federal government is unable to muster the will or the capacity to limit exposure of Nigerians to violent criminals,” the forum stated.
The statement said that “in spite of assurances from the federal government that it will end banditry and kidnappings, the life of the Nigerian is becoming more endangered by the day, and citizens have lost faith that governments will reverse the successes of the criminal against defenseless citizens.
“The forum advises particularly Northern governors to explore all lawful avenues to improve the security of citizens.”
“While they should improve their support to the military, the police and security agencies, they should also explore avenues which give them more powers to secure citizens within the confines of the constitution which gives states powers to establish policing structures, including those with specialisation such as forest rangers. This should now be pursued as a matter of national priority.
“Bandits who refuse to submit to mediation and cessation of criminal activities should be treated in accordance with the laws of the country,” the forum advised.
The forum expressed concerns on the implication of continuous child abduction on the education sector in northern states.
The group urged parents to remain resolute and not be discouraged from sending their wards to school.
It further urged state governments to also ensure adequate security around school premises.
“Apart from the likelihood of similar abductions reccurring as bandits engage in copycat crimes in a region that is basically unprotected, these abductions will severely damage the poor state of education in the North, particularly girl-child education,” it said.
The recent incident is one of the series of abductions that have occurred in the country since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office.
NO fewer than 881 students have been kidnapped since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in 2015, findings by The ICIR have shown.
Buhari had struggled to clinch the presidential seat three times, until he eventually made it in the 2015 presidential election.
The thrust of his campaign promise to Nigerians was to tackle insecurity, apart from fighting corruption and boosting Nigeria’s economy.
Nevertheless, most Nigerians believe not much has been achieved, especially in the area of security.
Reports have shown that terrorist attacks, kidnappings and all forms of insecurity have been on the rise.
Worse still, kidnapping has become a sudden attractive enterprise under Buhari’s government.
Recent report from the SBM, an independent research and strategic communications consultancy outfit, disclosed that between June 2011 and March 31, 2020, at least 18.34 million dollars were paid to kidnappers as ransom.
“Even more frightening is that the larger proportion of that figure (just below 11 million dollars), was paid out between January 2016 and March 2020, indicating that kidnapping is becoming more lucrative,” the report read.
However, beyond the various kidnap and abduction incidents, The ICIR highlights those involving school students which are summed to 884 students.
Kidnappings under Buhari’s Administration
3 Schoolgirls Kidnapped in Lagos
In March 2016, three schoolgirls, Timilehin Olusa, Tofunmi Popo and Deborah Akinayo, were abducted by kidnappers in Ikorodu, Lagos State. The girls were taken from their boarding school – Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary School–to a hideout, according to a BBC report.
The police confirmed the incident and later launched a search for the abducted school girls. Though it was not established whether it was abduction or kidnapping, an eyewitness said the abductors were heavily armed – a similar pattern adopted by kidnappers in other parts of the country.
The criminals destroyed part of the school fence, shot in the air to scare the people, before taking the schoolgirls away at about 8pm.
They were late rescued after six days in captivity.
Babington Macaulay Seminary School Photo Credit: PT
113 kidnapped Dapchi Students
In February 2018, about 110 schoolgirls from age 11 to 19 were kidnapped by the Boko Haram terrorist group. The students were taken from the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC) in Dapchi, a town located in Bulabulin, Yunusari Local Government Area of Yobe State.
Two other girls and a boy from another school were among those abducted by the insurgents which summed up to 113 students.
It was not the first time the insurgents would be kidnapping school girls. A similar incident had occurred in 2014 when the Boko Haram terrorist group stormed into Government Secondary School in Chibok and kidnapped 276 girls from their dormitories.
However, most of the Dapchi students were later returned after almost a month in the kidnappers’ den.
It is not clear if the federal government paid ransoms to secure their releases. Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, had said, “The only thing they asked for was that they should be the ones to drop them off.”
“They didn’t want to hand them over to any third party. Nothing was given in exchange for them,” he stated.
While most of the students have gained their freedom, Leah Sharibu, one of the kidnapped girls, who refused to renounce her faith, was held back.
Up till today, Sharibu is still believed to be in the custody of her abductors. As a result, religious leaders locally and from abroad have continued to call for her release.
In October 2008, Mohammed Khalid, chief Imam of Apo Legislative Quarters, and Yakubu Pam, chairman of the Northern region for the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) both appealed for a safe return of the girl.
About six days ago, Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, further demanded the safe return of Sharibu. He tasked clergymen within the church to intensify prayers for her release, but not much action has been heard from the government in recent times as new cases of kidnapping have continued to emerge.
344 abducted students from President’s Own State
Amid these incidents, there was an abduction of 344 students from the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State.
A viral video about the boys’ kidnap incident surfaced on the internet. The Boko Haram insurgents reportedly claimed responsibility for the incident which occurred on December 11, 2020. It was reported that the bandits who perpetrated the criminal act were under the instruction of the insurgents.
The boys were later released about a week after.
Abdul Labaran, director-general in charge of media to Governor Aminu Bello, also confirmed the release to the Vanguard newspaper.
80 abducted students from Islamiya School in Katsina
Barely 10 days after the last abduction of 344 school children, 80 students, mostly young girls, were kidnapped in Mahuta town, Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina state.
Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred while the students were returning from Unguwan Alkasim village where they went to celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad. They were ambushed by the assailants.
Gambo Isah, Katsina State Police spokesperson, also confirmed the incident that appeared to have become a regular occurrence.
The victims were later safely rescued by the police authority. It was probably the last kidnapping incident of the year 2020 that made it to the news.
27 students kidnapped in Niger State
On February 17, 42 persons were abducted by armed men in Niger State. The incident occurred at the Government Secondary School, Kagara, where the criminals, who reportedly dressed in military camouflages, stormed the school at about 2 am Wednesday and whisked their victims away.
Both teachers and the schoolboys were taken, but the figure of kidnappers’ students was 27.
“Information reaching us is that 27 students are still missing. We don’t know the number of teachers at the moment, we don’t want to put out numbers that will turn out contradictory, but efforts are being made to rescue them,” Mary Noel Barje, chief press secretary, told CNN.
The incident which forced the state government to temporarily shut down boarding schools in the state drew the attention of the federal government and civil society organisations.
After spending about nine days with their kidnappers, the victims were released to the state government. However, a boy was killed in the process of rescue.
“The abducted students, staff, and relatives of Government Science College, Kagara have regained their freedom and have been received by the Niger State government,” Abubbakar Bello, state governor, had disclosed.
317 schoolgirls kidnaped in Zamfara State
Last in the series of kidnapping incidents under Buhari’s government, at least for now, was the abduction of 317 of schoolgirls of the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Talata-Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The incident reportedly happened at about 1:00 am at midnight on Friday. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Bello Matawalle, state governor, in a special state broadcast, assured parents of the students’ of safe return of their children. “I wish to assure everyone that we are wholly committed to ensuring a speedy rescue of our dear school girls,” he stated.
Incidentally, the recent attack occurred barely days after Adamu Mohammed, inspector-general of police (IGP), had deployed 275 special police officers to the state.
Their task was to quell banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery among other criminal activities, in the state until the latest abduction.
Buhari, in a statement issued by Garba Shehu, his official spokesperson, told state and local governments to be more proactive and increase safety measures around schools in their respective states.
He challenged state governments that had adopted the style of rewarding bandits with cash and vehicles to reconsider, as the method “might boomerang disastrously.”
“Let them not entertain any illusions that they are more powerful than the government. They shouldn’t mistake our restraint for the humanitarian goals of protecting innocent lives as a weakness or a sign of fear or irresolution,” Buhari told the bandits, stressing that there were ongoing measures to address the situation.
Buhari’s assurance means nothing – Aisha Yesufu
However, Nigerians have continued to express their anger over the reccurring insecurity situations.
Aisha Yesufu, one of the popular critics of the current administration, described the president’s assurance as worthless
She alleged that Buhari was clueless, incompetent, and bothered less about the safety of Nigerians. “…the statement is absolutely nothing. We are used to a president whose words mean absolutely nothing. He says one thing and the opposite happens,” she remarked on ChannelsTV.
“The president should come out and tell us what is going on. The media should sit with the president and ask, what is the way forward? …He was voted to provide solutions; his salaries are being paid.”
She stressed further that the “body language of the president enables the terrorists, they know that we have an ineffective president and commander-in-chief. We have an incompetent one, we have a clueless one who does not even bother about what is happening in the country.”
While driving home her arguments, Yesufu criticised Buhari’s absence at the burial of seven military officers who died in an aircraft crash while on official assignment.
“Yesterday, we buried seven military officers, among them, the best that we had. The nation was in mourning, and the president was a few minutes away from where they were buried and he didn’t turn up.
“What does that mean to anybody, even the nation?” she queried. “It is time we began to make serious demands from the president. Let him know that if he is not ready to do this for us, he can resign and go away. Enough of the abductions,” she stated.
This is not the first time Buhari would be asked to leave the office for his perceived incompetence.
Resign from office – Nigerians demand
A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) last week also told the president to be more serious concerning the security situation in the country or resign from office.
The over 40 non-government organisations (NGOs) tasked the National Assembly (NASS) to impeach the president if insecurity persistee in the country.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had earlier called for Buhari’s resignation due to the worsening security situation.
Last December, northern elders under the umbrella body of Northern Elders Forum also told Buhari to resign over a similar concern.
Meanwhile, The ICIR contacted Muhammaed Salisu, police spokesperson for the Zamafara State Police Command, for an update about the missing girls. He said the police had already commenced aerial surveillance on the forest where the children might likely be taken to. The efforts, he emphasised, was being carried out by joint security operatives led by the state police commissioner.
“Other security operatives are also in support of the operation,” he said.
Moreover, The ICIR had earlier reached out to the Army spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima, about the incident, but he claimed he was unaware of it. The ICIR again reached out to him on Saturday evening, for an update about the kidnap victims but he queried why the reporter had to reach out on a constant basis. However, he said a press statement would be issued once there was an update.
“You can’t be calling me every hour over the incident. If there is any update, I will issue a release,” he stated.
DELE Olojede, founder of now rested NEXT newspaper and winner of Pulitzer Prize, says insecurity has persisted in Nigeria because the country is not being led.
Olojedesaid this when he featured on ARISE News programme on Friday to discuss ‘Reconciliation and Development.’ He questioned the motive of the Muhammdu Buhari for running for the presidency on four occasions.
“I have to be honest, I have many many friends in that administration, as well as governors. The frank truth is that we are not being led, we are not being governed, and it leaves one to question why Buhari wanted this job so much, why he ran four times for president before he finally made it. Then he made it and just went into Aso Villa and just closed the door behind him,” Olojede said.
He noted that what would be done with the power was more important than the power itself, stressing that he did not think that ‘most rational people’ would argue that Buhari’s presidency had not brought success to the country.
Olojede further noted that the root cause of abductions and kidnappings in the country was lack of proper governance.
“Just only a few years ago when the Chibok girls were abducted, it was such a shocking thing. We had never experienced that before in our country, and the whole world was in an uproar. Now, it has become almost every week, a larger number of school children are abducted throughout our country, mostly in the North.
“The suffering, especially in the North today, is unbearable for human beings and sooner or later the whole country is going to be engulfed in it. At the root cause of all of these is that we are not governed,” Olojede further said.
The veteran journalist noted that the government did not have control over its territory, and non-state actors had moved into the void with different mischiefs.
He compared the current situation of the country to the Rwanda crisis, stating that if not curbed, it could get to a point where “everything might collapse.”
GOVERNMENT of the United Kingdom, through its minister for Africa James Duddridge, has criticised the continuous kidnapping of secondary schoolgirls in Nigeria, describing it as disgusting.
Duddridge, who is also a UK member of parliament (MP) for Rochford and Southend East, said every child was entitled to safe access to education.
“The abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria is abhorrent,” the lawmaker stated at the weekend.
Recall that on Friday, February 26, over 300 students at the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, were kidnapped in Zamfara State.
The kidnap incident has elicited public outcry and huge criticism against Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, especially as it relates to the state of insecurity in the country.
Prior to the most recent kidnap incident was the capturing of 42 persons, among whom were 27 students of Government Science College, Kagara in Niger State.
The students’ kidnap also occurred this month – February 17.
During the Kagara incident, a student was shot dead, according to Abdullberqy Ebbo, director-general of Strategic Operation, an official of the state government.
On December 20, 2020, 80 students of Islamiyya Schools at Mahuta town of Katsina State were also kidnapped few days to Christmas.
The students, mostly girls, were later rescued by the military alongside other four persons held by the bandits.
On December 11, about 344 students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, in the same Katsina State, were kidnapped
The students were later released to the state government after spending six days in captivity.
The series of abductions and other forms of insecurity in the country have become a growing concern for Nigerians.
Kidnapping for ransom also appears to have become the new trend following recent insecurity incidents across the country.
As a result, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) consisting of over 40 non-governmental organisations asked Buhari to resign if he could not find a sustainable solution to the deteriorating security situation.
“Where the president fails to fulfil his constitutional duties as stated above, we demand he steps aside or the National Assembly initiate impeachment proceedings against him on grounds of gross misconduct as provided for in Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the group demanded.
Last year December, a group of leaders under the aegis of Northern Elders Forum (NEF) also told the president to resign from office due to state of insecurity in Nigeria.
“Under this administration, life has lost its value, and more and more citizens are coming under the influence of criminals. We do not see any evidence of willingness on the part of President Buhari to honour his oath to provide security over Nigerians. In civilised nations, leaders who fail so spectacularly to provide security will do the honourable thing and resign,” NEF said in a statement issued by Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, director, publicity and advocacy.
Meanwhile, some concerned Nigerians have challenged the UK government to intervene in Nigeria’s crisis.
Others have called for the disintegration of the country as the current security situation is unsustainable.
“Directly or indirectly UK is part of Nigeria’s problems. If you have conscience and feelings allow #Referendum in Nigeria. Stop this one Nigeria thing…,” Ifeanyi @ohakwegifeanyi stated.
Chris Ejimofor @chrisejimofor1 said the country was on the verge of collapse, thus called for peaceful disintegration.
“This useless amalgamation has expired because the country is on the verge. Calamity is underway if a peaceful division is not done now to save souls,” he tweeted.
Nnamdi @afamdi247 also shared a similar position.
“Uk divide Nigeria let everybody go their separate ways. UK divide Nigeria let everybody go their separate ways,” he stated.
“End Nigeria now to save lives. People are dying every day. A referendum is the only solution.”
Last year October, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) called for a referendum. Secretary-General of the forum, Murtala Aliyu, while reacting to the contentious issue of restructuring, said the north was in support of a referendum.
“We can restructure. We can become a confederation. We can devolve powers. We can have state police and all that we want. But I can tell you the thinking of the North now is that we should have a referendum if we want Nigeria or not,” he reportedly stated.
“Ohaeneze welcomes the idea of a referendum. This is what Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been calling for – a referendum for the aggregating geopolitical zones or the people to decide whether to still remain in the present unwieldy marriage of convenience or go their separate ways, John Nwodo, former head of Ohaneze Ndigbo, remarked while adding his voice recently.
Ladi Williams, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, also supported the proposal.
His words: “This (proposal for a referendum) is fantastic. In my humble view, the North is being sensible for the first time. Britain, which foisted the current arrangement on us, is even talking about Scotland seeking to go.
“Referendum and everyone working on his own, it means each man will govern himself. All these complaints of nepotism and ethnicity will not be there, that people from a particular zone in the country are being put in total charge of the security and so on. For me, I have always said if the entire military leadership is from a village, I won’t have a problem with it, as long as they can govern well and do the job very well. But it must also be noted that no village has the monopoly of competent people.
“We can now have healthy competition. We should have the referendum, conducted by United Nations and African Union, to avoid the situation of some people claiming it has been rigged from the beginning.
“The proposal is fantastic. Nobody will say he is a second-class citizen again because an Egba man would now be dealing with an Ekiti man. They are both Yoruba. The problem will now be how to manage the minority questions in each area.”
In 2016, the Niger Delta Avengers group also called for a referendum, asking the president to consider the idea.
Also on the list of politically exposed Nigerians owning properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE) is Clement Ikanade Agba, the minister of state for budget and national planning and his son, Bennet Ikanade Agba.
The ICIR record shows that former senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi owns three flats in Dubai. The former senator has a 3-bedroom flat with flat number 5506 and another 2-bedroom flat with flat number 5501 at The Paramount Tower hotels and residences in Dubai.
