UNIDENTIFIED gunmen have abducted 13 residents of Gaube community in the Kuje Area Council of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to a report, a resident of the area, Saidu Yahaya, said three women and two children were among those abducted by the gunmen during an attack on the community on Wednesday, April 19.
“The most pathetic thing is that a man called Shuaibu, who just returned from a condolence of one of his relatives that was killed by kidnappers at Kasada village, was also kidnapped with his two children,” he said.
Yahaya also disclosed that the gunmen had demanded a N10 million ransom for the release of a pregnant woman who was abducted in a separate attack earlier in the week.
He said the woman’s husband was killed by the gunmen while she, along with five others, were abducted.
The ICIR sought the reaction of the FCT Police Command on the incident.
However, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Command Josephine Adeh did not respond to calls at the time of filing this report.
Kuje, one of the satellite areas in the FCT, is notorious for kidnapping activities, as several cases of abduction have been recorded in the area council.
In February, gunmen attacked Munu community in Kuje, killing two people and abducting many others.
Also, in April 2022, gunmen invaded Shadadi community in the area council and abducted four family members.
Other parts of the FCT, including Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and Bwari Area Council, have also recorded cases of abduction in recent times.
Recently, gunmen attacked Grow Homes Estate in Kubwa, in the Bwari Area Council. The ICIR reported that about 20 armed men stormed the estate on March 10, and whisked at least nine persons away to an unknown destination after ransacking several houses.
Findings by The ICIRshow that 69 persons were abducted in the FCT over a period of 11 months in 2021.
THE Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command beefed up security in the nation’s capital on Friday, April 21, as residents marked the Eid el-Fitr celebrations.
Units of heavily armed policemen were seen at strategic locations in the FCT. Police patrol vans, conveying armed policemen, were also observed patrolling various streets as residents went about their activities.
At the Lugbe Praying Ground, a team of heavily armed police officers was seen providing security for the Muslim faithfuls who were observing the Eid el-Fitr prayers.
Security was also beefed up at the busy Berger Bridge Roundabout.
A team of heavily armed policemen in combat outfit was seen at the location.
It was the same scenario at several locations in the FCT, including Wuse Market, Banex, Area 1 bridge and others.
Police units were also observed at checkpoints along the expressway leading to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, had earlier on Thursday, April 20, charged Commissioners of Police (CPs) and Tactical Commanders in the 36 states and the FCT and their supervisory Assistant Inspectors, General of Police (AIGs), to beef-up security ahead of the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
The IGP also ordered adequate deployment of officers and assets to critical locations, especially Eid Prayer Grounds and recreation centres, to build confidence amongst the citizens and fun seekers.
The Police boss charged officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force to critically assess threat-prone areas, and engage in stop and search, raids on black spots, and other anti-crime strategies to sustain peace and public safety across the country during the festive period.
The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) Muyiwa Adejobi, who disclosed the IGP’s directive in a statement, said policemen deployed for the celebrations were warned to be professional and mindful of the fundamental rights of the citizens while discharging their responsibilities with all sense of decorum and alertness.
“The IGP congratulates the entire Muslim ummah in the country on the forthcoming Eid-el-Fitr celebrations, which is a culmination of the Ramadan period.
“He has also assured of continued efforts aimed at decimating crimes and criminality and improving Public safety and security across the country.
“In the same vein, the IGP enjoined Muslim faithful to celebrate and enjoy the beauty of the significant season while remaining security conscious,” Adejobi stated.
THE Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested two men for allegedly conveying arms and ammunition in Kano State.
In a statement issued on Thursday, April 20, by its Public Relations Officer, Peter Afunanya, the DSS said the unnamed suspects were in possession of two AK-47 assault rifles, two empty AK-47 magazines, a red Boxer motorcycle, and a sack of yams in which the guns were concealed.
The men were conveying the arms to an unknown destination when they were apprehended.
“The suspects were on transit to deliver the arms for a planned attack in one of the states in Northern Nigeria.
“This development underscores the need for citizens to be extra vigilant and report any unusual or suspicious movements, persons or acts to the security agencies nearest to them.”
The DSS, however, charged operators of public facilities public to strengthen security measures for the safety of lives and properties, especially during the festive season.
“Operators and patrons of fun, hospitality and tourism centres are enjoined to be cautious during the festive periods. They should scale up measures to ensure safety of their facilities.”
Security agencies have beefed up security across the country as Nigerians mark the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
On Thursday, April 20, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba charged Commissioners of Police (CPs) and Tactical Commanders in all the states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and their supervisory Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs), to beef-up security for the Sallah celebration.
The IGP also ordered adequate deployment of officers and assets to critical locations such as Eid Prayer Grounds and recreation centres to build confidence amongst the citizens and fun seekers.
The Police boss equally charged officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force to engage in critical assessment of threat-prone areas, stop and search, raids on black spots, and other strategies aimed at sustaining peace and public safety across the country.
THE National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has established a Cybersecurity Response Team (CRT) to tackle online sexual exploitation and abuse in Nigeria.
The team was set up on Thursday, April 20, in Abuja, and Director-General (DG) of the agency Fatima Waziri-Azi charged its operatives to increase intelligence and undercover operations against exploitation of vulnerable citizens across the country.
Waziri-Azi stated that cyber attackers face minimal risk compared to that experienced by their targets, hence the need for efforts by the Agency to challenge the issue.
“We have seen incremental cases of Child Sexual Assault materials on the internet, child pornography, sextortion, and revenge porn, and these are all forms of sexual exploitation which is why as an Agency, we must take a proactive and collaborative approach to tackle online threats.
“So, NAPTIP, in partnership with International Justice Mission (IJM), Meta, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INLEB), National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), and UNODC, has trained 20 Officers from our headquarters and zonal commands on Child Sexual Exploitation Materials, Open Source & Social Media Intelligence as well as Online Investigation.”
She warned against sharing inappropriate content online, noting that perpetrators risk prosecution for sexual exploitation and extortion.
Waziri-Azi also said the unit would be working closely with other stakeholders for a more effective response to online exploitation due to the rising spate of cyberattacks against individuals and public organisations.
Online sexual exploitation and abuse have continued to surge with the growth of digital technology. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), children are particularly vulnerable and are more likely to fall victim to predators, who exploit the relative anonymity available online.
FEBRUARY 25, 2023, the date for the presidential and national assembly election was one which the residents of Tudun Wada Local Government Area (LGA) in Kano state anticipated as it was a time for them to exercise their franchise through the ballot, but little did they know that it would become the eve of a horror scene the community will not forget anytime soon.
On Sunday, February 26 while the collation of results was ongoing, mayhem struck Tudun Wada when thugs attacked. The office of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) located in Sabon Gari Ward was set ablaze, and scores were burnt to death. Some residents were shot dead, while some luckily escaped.
Many of the residents, survivors and eyewitnesses interviewed by The ICIR pointed accusing fingers at Alhassan Ado Doguwa, as the person “led the thugs and caused violence while possessing firearms” on that day.
Doguwa is the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives of Nigeria. He is an All Progressive Congress (APC) member representing the Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal constituency of Kano state.
Doguwa was first elected member of the House of Representatives for the constituency in 1992 and returned to the green chamber in 2007 where he was consistently re-elected and has been the representative of that constituency since.
Youths of Tudun Wada going to bury a deceased. Photo: Community member.
Approximately six weeks after the incident, 35-year-old Auwalu Bala survived the attack, but he is still incapacitated. The father of three can no longer work to fend for his family because, till the time of filing this report, he is unable to resume his job as a labourer. The injuries he sustained still affect his health and he now lives at the mercy of his extended family members who make provisions for him and his household.
“As I was about to perform my prayers in the mosque on that day, I heard people echoing ‘Doguwa’s Boys are here’ Bala told The ICIR “, but I was less concerned because I am not a party supporter, and I always mind my business.”
“When the tension was high, I made my way out of the mosque, where seven thugs surrounded me and started beating me ruthlessly with heavy sticks and other weapons”, he narrated.
“I pleaded with them to have mercy on me because I don’t participate in political activities, but they did not. All they kept saying was ‘sa mu aka yi’, meaning ‘we were sent’. While beating me, I got weakened, fell to the ground and then they macheted my back, after which I started bleeding profusely, with a hand broken.”
He said, adding that he is grateful that the injury didn’t affect his spinal cord.
“I thank Allah that my spinal cord wasn’t affected” Bala said. Photo: The ICIR / April 2023
Bala said he spent 10 days at the hospital and, while on his sickbed, was so worried about his mother, wife and children. “I prayed to Allah to keep them safe from the violence and also help me recover because the pain was too much. The hurt of not being able to provide for my household as a man because of my present condition weakens me mentally.”
“I don’t know why they attacked me because I don’t have anything to do with political activities aside from voting during elections,” Bala said.
He was, however, unfazed as he added that he would still vote in the supplementary elections slated for April 15.
Kano state was among the states the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) held a supplementary election.
The Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abdul Zango while speaking at a stakeholder meeting with the police, civil society, political party representatives and the media at the headquarters of INEC ahead of the supplementary elections in Kano stated that violence was among the major reasons why the supplementary elections were held in Kano.
He said, “The only reason why we are conducting the supplementary election is because of violence”.
Zango added that a lot of the violence unleashed on people isn’t always from a directive of the political class, as “some supporters can unleash mayhem on the opposition without getting a directive from a politician but one can’t tell the limit so please eschew violence.”
“We can never forgive, we want justice!”
Eighteen-year-old Labaran Sule escaped death by the whiskers. Not only was he shot in his shoulder, he was also macheted close to his neck. He was in a pool of blood by the roadside when help came his way, and was taken to the hospital.
He told The ICIR that he is still angry at the incident and cannot forgive Alhassan Doguwa and the thugs who he accused of attacking him.
“It was about 3 p.m. in the afternoon when I came out of the mosque and saw the office of NNPP on fire, and Doguwa had two guns in his hands. The distance between myself and him wasn’t much, and before I knew what happened, he shot me in the shoulder for no reason. I was crawling and trying to escape when he ordered a thug with a machete to cut me or give him the machete to do it.”
Sule said he would not participate in the supplementary elections on April 15. Photo: The ICIR/April 2023
“After I was cut, I used the last energy in me to escape by crawling on the floor, and I fell close to the house of a community member who tried to help me but got shot in the hand. I was in a coma for three days, and when I woke up, I discovered that I was in the hospital. I am always bitter whenever I remember what happened that day because I also lost a friend and fellow community members.” Sule said as he tried to catch his breath.
Sule’s mother, Zainabu, told The ICIR that she could never forgive her son’s assailants
“I leave all of them in the hands of Allah”, she said. “I was in my house when people rushed to tell me that my son was lying on the street but was taken to the hospital. This boy is my last born, and he is the one that always keeps me company in the house and whenever he goes out to work, he buys food and other things for me.”
“I cried for 21 days, and my eyes were always swollen. I am happy that he is alive and I am pleading with the government or those who can assist me to provide a job for my son so that he can be actively engaged,” she adds.
“I leave them in the hands of Allah, but i cannot forgive” Zainabu said. Photo: The ICIR /April 2022
A 30-year-old farmer, Sani Bala, still limps to walk after he was shot in the leg on that fateful day. He barely spent five minutes after leaving his house to pay his friend a visit when he saw a multitude of people running helter-skelter towards him, leaving him in a confused state he told The ICIR.
On realising that danger was abound when he heard gunshots, Bala tried to find the fastest escape route but wasn’t fast enough as a bullet pierced his feet.
”Before I could find a safe place to run to, I got shot, and I started limping to save my life. Luckily, a community member who was hiding in a container building saw my condition, opened the door, and I jumped inside, and he locked it.”
“We waited there till we were sure the assailants were gone and subsequently, we came out, and I was rushed to the hospital while bleeding. What surprised me the most and broke my heart is that I saw my representative Alhassan Doguwa when he pulled the trigger and shot me. Everyone saw it, so he can’t deny it because he shot other people too.”
“We have been listening to the news on the radio, and nothing concrete has been done to him. We could have taken laws into our hands, but the Constitution does not give us the right to do so. What we want is justice, and to date, I have not forgiven him for what he did. Yes I will not forgive! There is nothing that can make me forgive him, never!” Bala stated emphatically.
“Why won’t I be angry? I am not a politician, I don’t take part in political activities aside to cast my vote, why then will I be attacked? What offence did I commit? People were burnt at the office of the NNPP. I swear to God, we cannot forgive him,” he added.
Bala’s feet. Photo: The ICIR/ April 2023
The reporter made his way to Kasuwan Tudun Wada, where to speak with Abdul Sarkin-Power as he is fondly called. Sarkin-Power regrets the day his 25-year-old son Mumammed was in the office of the NNPP, where he got burnt to death.
For Sarkin-Power, he wants human rights organisations, the government and relevant authorities to get justice for his murdered son, whom he saw has a bright future in after completing his secondary education and getting his Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) certificate.
“Mumammed usually helps me out in my stall where I sell meat, but now, his younger brother Abubakar who isn’t mature enough, has to join me in the market. So much money was spent to send Muhammad to school, and when the time to reap the fruits of my labour is close, someone just murdered him for no reason.”
“I want the law to take its course on Doguwa and the thugs that caused the death of my son, and I cannot forgive him because he has cheated me. He feels like no one can bring him to order when he was walking around on that day, causing violence. My prayer and plea to the government and human rights defenders is that they should serve justice to my late son and nothing more”, Sarkin Power stated.
Inside the NNPP building where residents were burnt to death. The inscription means “May their souls rest in peace and may God forgive their sins. Photo: The ICIRApril 2023
The pain of losing a friend
Twenty-one-year-old Kamisu Usaini, an eyewitness, lost two of his friends, Alaska, 32, and Amiru, 27, to the fire at the office of the NNPP. He wished he could save them from the fire but couldn’t do so, and watched how his friends got burnt before he hurriedly left the scene out of fear.
On a normal day, Usaini, would watch how Alaska and Amiru make jest of themselves and make him laugh. Irrespective of the fact that they were older than him, they took him as their friend and spent long hours with him to the extent that age didn’t matter in their relationship because they discussed personal things as well as happenings in the community, he told The ICIR.
Photo of Alaska and the site where he was buried. Photo: Community member, The ICIR/April 2023.
“Sometimes we hang out till about past 10 p.m. after which Alaska sees me off to my house. They were just like big brothers to me, but now they are no more,” Usaini said, with a teary face and a cracked voice.
“When the building was burning, many community members told those trapped inside to come out, but the assailants said they would kill whoever helped them. I was scared and couldn’t bear to watch the incident. Whoever did this to my friends, may Allah do the same to them”, he said.
Usaini couldn’t continue to answer the questions the reporter asked him as he tried not to give in to his emotions and then bent his head to avoid his younger sibling from seeing his teary face.
Two of Kamisu Usaini’s friends were burnt to death on that fateful day. Photo: The ICIR /April 2023
Aliyu Rabiu, the ward head of Tsohon Gari ward in Tudun Wada isn’t happy about the incident.
According to him, intolerance was the cause of the event that cost lives and, thus, urged community members and party supporters to tolerate each other and desist from fueling violence in the name of politics.
Aliyu who spoke to The ICIR before the supplementary election said “As regards the forthcoming supplementary elections coming up on April 15, I am confident that the electorate in Tudun Wada will come out to cast their vote, and hopefully, there will be no rancour. During the governorship elections that took place recently, there was no violence of any sort. Therefore, I am confident that peace will reign in Tudun Wada.
“Some family members of the deceased, like Sarkin-Power who I saw, voted in the governorship election, and I believe there will be no violence going forward. I urge all community members to come out and vote and not involve in anything that will disrupt the peace of the community,” Rabiu stated.
The supplementary election held with no incident.
This reporter subsequently went to Tudun Wada General Hospital, where the victims were taken to, and a source in the hospital who pleaded anonymity said two people were confirmed dead in the hospital from bullet wounds while another was referred to Kano for further treatment but died.
Fatalities…
The source also stated that two burnt victims were brought to the hospital but didn’t survive and were subsequently buried. The ICIR couldn’t ascertain the number of burnt victims because another staff of the hospital prevented the source from accessing the records of the victims.
Tudun Wada General Hospital, Kano. Photo: The ICIR/ April 2023
Arrest of Alhassan Doguwa
Following allegations of murder, the Kano state police command arrested Doguwa. The police spokesperson Haruna Kiyawa said the lawmaker was arrested in connection to a suspected case of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, causing grievous hurt, mischief by fire and inciting disturbance.
He was subsequently charged to court, after which a federal high court in Kano granted him bail of N500 million with two sureties. The case was adjourned till April 10 for the continuation of trial.
On April 10, the court didn’t sit, and when contacted, the registrar of court two, where Doguwa was tried, said the case was adjourned to May 10.
However, a coalition of over 140 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the aegis of the Kano Civil Society Forum (KCS) led by Ibrahim Waiya, who is also the chairman of the Kano Peace Committee, recently raised concerns over the seemingly slow pace in the trial of Doguwa.
In a public petition signed by 500 members and issued by Waiya, he urged the Kano state government to accelerate the legal process to establish the role of the Doguwa in the murder case.
“It has come to our notice that there were reported political violence at Doguwa and Tudun Wada local councils and other areas in the state during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
“We are deliberately giving prominence to these two local councils because they happened to be the theatre of killings and burning of property, as reported. Doguwa, member of the National Assembly representing Doguwa/Tudun Wada Federal Constituency, was accused and arrested on the allegation of leading thugs and unleashing attacks on some innocent people, which led to the death of scores and left many seriously injured.
“As concerned groups and those that believe in the sanctity of human lives, we are worried by the slow and unprecedented delay to frame charges and arraign the suspects, particularly Doguwa, who was accused of playing the lead role in the destruction of life and property. He ought to have been arraigned before a competent court of law by now to face the music,” the coalition chairman said.
The graveyard where some deceased victims of the violent attack that took place in Tudun Wada were buried. Photo: The ICIR/ April 2023.
Alhassan Dogowa
In November 2022, the deputy governorship candidate of Kano state under the APC accused Doguwa of attacking him with a tea cup during a meeting. He told the BBC Hausa that “When he invaded the meeting, he started disagreeing that he was not involved in the meeting because it was a time of sharing money but when it comes to the difficult task of the party he will be invited,” Murtala Garo said.
“But the deputy governor replied that they are not sharing money because nobody gives them money to share, he then asked why he was not invited despite his position as the majority leader, and that is how the argument turned into quarrel. “Mr Doguwa accused me of destroying his banners which I denied, he grabbed a teacup in front of the deputy governor and threw it at me,” Garo said.
On his part, Doguwa denied the allegation, stating that he was asking the Deputy Governor why he wasn’t invited, but Garo responded to him abusively and “in the process, he broke a teacup and slipped into it, injuring himself.”
“Contrary to what people are saying, I did not throw a teacup at him,” Doguwa told BBC Hausa.
Doguwa was also reported to have slapped Abdullahi Yakubu, a correspondent of Leadership newspaper in Kano, during a press conference. The journalist dragged the lawmaker to court, and the duo subsequently settled their rift.
Later that year, there was outrage when a video uploaded by the Leadership newspaper showed the lawmaker telling his constituents to either vote for his party or be dealt with.
“This is mere political forgery, Doguwa is a responsible man” – Kano APC chieftain
Ahmed Aruwa, the publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which Dogwa is a member, believes that the lawmaker is falsely accused of causing violence in Tudun Wada, pointing out that Doguwa’s political opponents are trying to paint his image in a bad light.
“Doguwa won the election in his constituency, which comprises Doguwa and Tudun Wada LGA, so can anyone who won the election take a gun and shoot his constituents or burn down a property where they reside?
“Assuming he lost the election, it could have been a different story. The opposition are only trying to blackmail him because he is a very strong political figure and is a prominent APC member. His opponents are trying all means to stop him from advancing his political career.” Aruwa said.
Similarly, Shamsu Sani the spokesperson to Doguwa when contacted, told The ICIR that “the case is before the court, Doguwa was charged has been prosecuted.”
INEC, Police
While speaking at a stakeholders meeting for the conduct of the supplementary polls, the REC Ambassador Abdul described the violence that took place in Tudun Wada as abysmal as INEC staff, and party agents were attacked and were taken to the hospital.
“I give credit to the collation and the returning officer who ensured that the results were intact. He told us that he was made to declare the election results under duress. Irrespective of the violence which also took place in other parts of the state, we are ready to conduct the election, which will be rancour-free and will gradually change the narrative in Kano.” The REC said.
Similarly, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Department of Operations Mu’azu Muhammed, hinted that the will secure the now-concluded election with armed and unarmed police officers.
“Don’t be surprised if you see more than 10 unarmed police officers in a Polling Unit (PU) as well as multiple armed police officers 300 meters away from the PU because I know that as we are making plans for a hitch-free election, the thugs and their sponsors are also making plans”, he had stated.
The NNPP building which was on fire. Photo: The ICIR/ April 2023.
Following the gory event that trailed the election, the poll was cancelled by INEC on the basis of electoral violence. It was rescheduled to April 15 for a supplementary election, which held and Alhassan Doguwa was declared the winner after polling 41,573 votes to defeat his closest rival, Yushau Salihu Abdullahi, the candidate of the NNPP, who got 34,831 votes.
The power dynamics in Kano changed between a third force (NNPP) came into being to struggle for leadership of the state between the ruling APC and People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The NNPP which is led by a former Governor of Kano, Rabiu Kwankwaso was initially dismissed by pundits after he dumped the PDP but surprisingly took the political space by storm after clinching Kano state with over one million votes during the presidential poll but lost in general, to Bola Tinubu of the APC.
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has approved the suspension of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Hudu Yunusa Ari.
Ari will remain suspended pending when the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, concludes investigations into his illegal declaration of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Aishatu Dahiru Binani as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election.
Buhari also confirmed that the Adamawa State Police Commissioner, Directorate of State Services (DSS) officials, and their counterparts from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who aided Ari’s declaration would be investigated alongside the suspended INEC official.
The President ordered the Director-General of the DSS and Commandant-General of the NSCDC to probe their officials who were involved in the illegal act.
They will be prosecuted if found liable, said a statement signed by the Director of Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, on Thursday, April 20.
“The President has directed investigation by the IGP, Director-General of the Department of State Services, and the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, of the role of their officers in aiding and abetting the conduct/actions of Yunusa-Ari, and if found culpable, appropriate disciplinary actions should be meted out to them,” part of the statement read.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), whose candidate and incumbent Governor Ahmadu Fintiri was leading in the results already announced by the electoral body, protested the declaration of the APC flagbearer as the winner of the Adamawa poll.
The suspended REC illegally declared the winner while the collation of results had yet to conclude. According to Electoral Act (2022), the Returning Officer for the election, rather than the REC, has the power to declare the winner of an election.
Fintiri had the highest number of votes cast in the governorship election held on March 18, but some votes were cancelled, and the election could not hold in some parts of the state, forcing INEC to declare the exercise inconclusive.
Fintiri polled 421,524, while Binani secured 390, 275 in the March 18 election.
The incumbent governor won 13 of Adamawa’s 21 local government areas, while Binani won eight LGAs in the first round of the exercise on March 18.
Similarly, Fintiri was leading in the supplementary votes counted in 10 out of the 20 local government areas before the REC made his pronouncement.
The ICIRreported how the INEC headquarters in Abuja summoned Ari minutes after he declared Binani the winner.
The Commission also invited its other staff involved in the declaration to Abuja and consequently suspended the collation of results of the supplementary poll.
INEC eventually declared Fintiri the winner on Tuesday, April 18, after polling 430,861 votes to beat Binani, who got 398,788 votes.
The ICIR reported how the PDP had called for Ari’s removal over alleged malpractices during the elections in the state.
Many Nigerians reacted to the bizarre incident in the North-East state, where the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, hails from, and described the declaration by the REC as the height of the shortcomings of the 2023 elections.
TWITTER has removed blue ticks from notable accounts which were verified before Elon Musk announced that it would be a paid subscription.
The ICIR observed this development on Thursday, April 20 after checking various legacy-verified accounts.
Initially, Twitter created its verification system with the aim of boosting users’ confidence in the platform by placing a blue check mark next to the names of public figures, companies, journalists, and organisations.
However, currently, the blue check mark can be obtained by paying a monthly fee of $7.99. This move is part of Musk’s efforts to increase the company’s revenue, which he acquired for $44 billion nearly six months ago.
In addition to a check mark, Twitter Blue subscribers’ tweets are also prioritised by Twitter, meaning that they appear higher in users’ feeds.
Also, organisations seeking verification badges instead have to pay a monthly fee of $1,000 (£810) to receive a gold verification tick, while individual accounts must pay $8 (£6.40) a month for a blue one.
Twitter had earlier announced that it will phase out Legacy verification from April 20, meaning that only Twitter Blue subscribers would be eligible for the ticks
The ICIR observed that some notable accounts in Nigeria such as politicians, social media influencers, media platforms and journalists who had not subscribed to Twitter blue had their blue tick removed today.
For instance, the blue tick has been removed from the accounts of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obias of the time of filing this report.
Popular celebrities such as Ayodeji Balogun known as Wizkid and David Adeleke also known as Davido also had their blue ticks removed as of April 20.
This is not only limited to Nigeria, legendary footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo who is one of the most followed personalities on social media also had his blue tick removed.
The ICIR had earlier reported that Twitter announced the $8 blue tick fee on November 6, 2022, as a way of generating revenue after Musk took control.
But this led to increased emergence of fraudulent accounts, making the microblogging platform to pause the service temporarily.
The Twitter boss later rolled out new updates for the verification system on December 2, 2022.
Meanwhile, a News Guard’s ‘misinformation monitor’ report warned that Twitter’s “blue check” which was previously used to indicate an account’s authenticity, has now become a tool for propagators of false information to present themselves as credible.
GOVERNOR Samuel Ortom and the Presidency are trading blames over the endless killings perpetrated in Benue State by suspected armed herdsmen.
The presidency, in a statement released on Wednesday, April 19, by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, had labelled Ortom ‘incompetent’ as a result of the lingering insecurity in the state.
Shehu, in the statement, said President Muhammadu Buhari should not be held responsible for the attacks on Benue people.
“It is they who have experienced first-hand the mass killings, the torture, the litany of atrocities as Benue’s security situation plummeted ever further. It is they who buried their loved ones while watching their careless, irresponsible and incompetent governor politicise on those freshly dug graves.
“And it is they who turned to the last privilege they had left: their democratic privilege, to resoundingly kick out Ortom and his so-called Peoples Democratic Party in favour of a new governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Iornem Alia from Buhari’s party, the APC.”
The presidential spokesman said the Buhari administration had taken several steps to tackle the killings in Benue, noting that more results would have been achieved if Ortom had cooperated.
However, reacting to the statement, Ortom said the Presidency’s attempts to twist events and history in Benue is “unfortunate and reprehensible”.
Ortom described Buhari as a failure, noting that he was not able to secure the country.
The governor also accused Buhari of endorsing the killings in Benue State.
“Shehu Garba’s infantile statement on the security situation in Benue State has once again confirmed our position that the killings, mass murder in Benue has the full endorsement of the Buhari government. It also goes to confirm that the presidential spokesman does not only speak for Buhari but for some terrorist groups too.
“Indeed, the presidential spokesman’s futile attempts to twist events and history in Benue State is unfortunate and reprehensible. It shows how much he and others in that league have misled the government and Nigerian people in the last inglorious eight years.
“It is common knowledge that as the Commander-in-Chief, Buhari has empowered and emboldened the Fulani pastoralists in their expansionist agenda including killings. It is equally a known fact that President Buhari has failed woefully in securing Nigeria, and Benue state in particular,” he said.
Ortom added the Benue people will not forget the atrocities caused by the Buhari administration.
“What the Buhari administration has done to our people through the militants as confirmed by Shehu Garba is to spit on the graves of our compatriots mowed down needlessly by militia. We shall not forget these atrocities.”
He further stressed that besides unleashing killers on his people, the Buhari government denied Benue State any meaningful project in the last eight years, including the repair of Federal Government roads in the state which he said are now death traps.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Governor Samuel Ortom was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 to defend the interest of the people of Benue and never to be a lackey in the hands of expansionists using every means to perpetrate evil against the Benue citizens.
“By Garba Shehu’s latest statement, the Presidency has clearly demonstrated that Governor Ortom is right when he consistently accused the APC-led Federal Government of complicity in the killings orchestrated against Benue people by the herdsmen as represented by Miyetti Allah Kautal, Fulani Nationality Movement, FUNAM and other Fulani socio-cultural groups.
“If the Presidency can find it convenient to lay the blame of the massive killings that the Fulani have continued to perpetrate in Benue on Governor Ortom, what can it say of the massacre and kidnappings in Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Niger, Sokoto and President Buhari’s home state of Katsina among other states where the killing of innocent citizens has continued unchallenged?
“The Presidency has shown in this recent public statement that they have placed cows above human lives and made the animals to urinate on the graves of those they massacred in Benue and elsewhere across the country. If not, they wouldn’t have gone to town to mock the slain in their graves.”
Trends of Insecurity in Benue state
In March 13, 2023, The ICIR reported that 5,138 people were killed and 18 local government areas attacked by suspected herdsmen under Governor Samuel Ortom’s administration.
The Executive Secretary of the Agency, Emmanuel Shior gave the figure in Makurdi during a press briefing on the humanitarian situation in the state since the inception of Ortom’s administration about eight years ago.
Shior noted that the attacks which happened in 18 of the 23 LGAs of the state led to the death of 1,177 and 809 people in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
Also, according to him, 43 were killed in 2017; 440 in 2018; 174 in 2019; 88 in 2020; 2,131 in 2021; 172 in 2022 and 104 since January 2023.
About two weeks after the report, scores of people were reported to have been killed while many others sustained injuries as suspected armed herders stormed some Benue local government areas.
Also, on Wednesday, April 5, at least 46 people were killed in an attack by suspected armed herdsmen on Umogidi in the Otukpo LGA of the state.
In another report, suspected herdsmen attacked Mgban community, in the Guma Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue state on Friday, April 7, killing dozens of residents.
Following the attacks, Ortom, on Tuesday, April 11, suspended the operations of Livestock Guards, the state’s security outfit that prosecutes herdsmen and impounds cattle for violating the Benue anti-open grazing law.
He also gave a two-week ultimatum to herdsmen who invaded rural communities after the 2023 general elections to leave the state.
According to the report, about 130 villagers were reportedly killed and several communities plundered as the state witnessed renewed attacks by suspected armed herdsmen few weeks after the election.
THE Federal government has withdrawn charges bordering on abuse of Nigeria’s immigration laws that it had preferred against Seplat Energy Plc, the company disclosed in a statement it released to the investing public on Thursday, April 20.
The notice of withdrawal of the action was dated April 6 and issued by the Director, Legal Services, of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), it added.
The statement was titled, ‘Notice of Withdrawal/Discontinuance of Immigration Suit against Seplat Energy and Its Directors,’ and signed by its Board chairman, Basil Omiyi.
Seplat quoted the NIS as stating in part that “the Claimant hereby discontinues all the proceedings in this charge against the above-named Defendants.”
The federal government had filed criminal charges against Seplat, the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), Roger Brown, the board chairman, Basil Omiyi, for alleged breach of extant provisions of the Immigration Act 2015.
In the lawsuit, with Charge No. FHC/AB/CR/149/2023, filed at the Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja on April 6, the federal government accused the defendants of allowing Brown to accept employment as the CEO of Seplat without the statutory approval of the Comptroller-General of Immigration.
The ICIRrecalls that the FHC sitting in Lagos vacated the ex parte interim orders against Seplat Energy Plc, its CEO Roger Brown, and Board chairman Basil Omiyi, and also vacated the order that restrained Brown from participating in the running of the company, filed by five persons who claimed to be minority shareholders of Seplat.
Seplat, however, said it would continue to engage with the ministry of Interior to close the allegations presented to the ministry as a result of which the residency status of its CEO was withdrawn.
The company also referred to its announcement of April 6 where it confirmed that the FHC sitting in Lagos vacated the ex parte interim orders against the company and its executives.
“This announcement is made further to the Company’s announcement of 13 March 2023 and pursuant to Rule 17.10 of the Rulebook of the Nigerian Exchange, 2015 (Issuer’s Rule),” Seplat added.
ANAMBRA State has the highest number of cases of Childhood tuberculosis (TB) in Nigeria, according to the Programme Manager of the Anambra State Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Management, Ugochukwu Chukwulobelu.
Chukwulobelu disclosed this on Thursday, April 20, at a stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Federal Ministry of Health, in partnership with the KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation and Breakthrough Action Nigeria, in Awka.
According to Chukwulobelu, Nigeria ranks number six in the world and number one in Africa, with every local government having tuberculosis cases.
He described tuberculosis as an airborne disease caused by a bacteria called “Mycobacterium tuberculosis”, which usually attacks the lungs and could also damage other parts of the body.
“Anambra has the highest burden of TB drug resistance cases and childhood TB contribution in the South-East and Nigeria. This is not a good thing for the state,” the programme manager said.
He noted that the government is planning to set up 14 laboratories with gene Xpert machines for diagnoses to reduce the rate of the disease in the state.
The planned project will be carried out in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP)
“We have about 800 Directly Observed Treatments (DOTS) Centres for TB, but the major problem is lack of awareness among residents about TB, its diagnosis and treatment,” he said.
Persistent cough for two weeks or more, fever, unexplainable weight loss and drenching night sweats are signs used to screen patients.
“Residents should report suspected cases of TB within their communities. TB patients should also adhere to their treatments to prevent drug resistance TB cases which are even more dangerous.
“Everyone has a role to play to reduce the burden of the disease.”
Findings have shown that tuberculosis is a prevalent disease in Nigeria.
The country is among the 30 high TB burden countries globally and has the highest number of cases in Africa, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The problem of TB in Nigeria has been made worse by drug-resistant TB and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
The report suggests that TB kills 18 Nigerians every hour.
