The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Displaced Mubi residents relive Boko Haram ordeal

    IT is the second largest town in Adamawa State, and also a major commercial centre in the state. Mubi is also a town in agony. When it fell to Boko Haram insurgents, the invaders killed many of the residents. Several thousands were displaced, many taking refuge anywhere they found it, including the hills while some ran across the border into Cameroon. From there, some returned to Nigeria through safe routes but finding shelter in other states of the federation.

    Some of the displaced are sheltering in Kaduna State. They are bruised but are united by a common desire to live and tell their story and hopefully recover their town from the invaders and rebuild it. They live with  relatives and new friends.

    Thirteen-year-old Salamatu Muhammad is one of those who managed to find their way to Kaduna. For her, life will never be the same again. The horror of jumping over corpses in the bush will forever remain in the subconscious of the Primary Six pupil. Narrating how she and seven of her relatives managed to escape from the town when the Boko Haram insurgents attacked, the little girl wept uncontrollably.

    “When they invaded the town, we all separated,” she said. “I have since parted ways with my father and some of my junior brothers and sisters. My mother took us to the bush from Mubi to Maiha and my brother picked us up in his car to Yola, Kano and finally Kaduna. We have an extended family, but only seven of us are in Kaduna. Even though she is happy that they escaped unhurt, the fact that she does not know the whereabouts of her father breaks her heart.

    She told The Nation: “When we call my father’s number it doesn’t go through. I jumped over many corpses and many sick people in the bush while leaving Mubi. In my life, I have never seen a live snake, but I saw many and took to my heels inside the bush”.

    Like Salamatu, 10-year-old Abdulmalik Abdullahi also told a sad tale. He had gone out with his elder brother and were welcomed back home by the shooting of the Boko Haram insurgents.

    He told The Nation: “We were on our way coming back home when we heard gunshots. So we started running. We didn’t go home again, so we decide to run for our lives. We ran to Gumbi; from there we moved to Kaduna. It was like a war movie I used to watch. We ran in-between bullets to escape to the bush, in fact, I never thought we could survive it”.

    The little boy claimed to have seen young men who could not be more than 20 years old among members of Boko Haram who invaded their town, saying “their age didn’t really matter to us, because they were in control of sophisticated weapons. We had to run. We (me and my sister) trekked to Gumbi. We spent one night in the bush. We walked both day and night, no food to eat. It was when we got to a village that they gave us food to eat. We then left for a place where we boarded a vehicle to Kaduna.”

    The two kids are part of the many people that managed to escape from the clutches of the insurgents who invaded Mubi, the second largest town in Adamawa state recently. Many of them spent several days in the bush before help came their way. Many others could not make it out of the town or out of the bush, while the whereabout of many others remain unknown to their families. Many have questioned the ease with which the insurgents took over Mubi with Nigerian soldiers stationed there abandoning their duty posts and weapons shortly before the arrival of the rag-tag insurgents. Local hunters from the area have mobilised and retaken the town from the insurgents.

    Jamila Mohammed, 25, a resident of Kaduna had gone to Mubi to visit her sick father when the insurgents came calling and according to her, she found herself in a Cameroonian village while fleeing from the insurgents.

    She told The Nation: “My mother asked me to visit my father who has been down. I was already in Mubi for a week, taking care of my father and he was already recovering. So, on that fateful day, we were walking when we saw people running helter-skelter. It was after that time I received a call from my mother asking me if I’m aware of what is happening in town. She asked me to quickly go back home. We were on our way when we saw some persons numbering about four of them trying to barricade the road. We were allowed to go through. On getting home, I saw my dad seriously ill with leg pain. Initially we thought it was a minor sickness. We heard gunshots as they were shooting. Then, my uncle carried us in his car. When the gunshot was much, we had to abandon the car and enter the forest for safety. We spent three days in the dangerous forest. Luckily, after trekking for days, we eventually got a truck used to convey cow that agreed to help us. We were charged N1,000. Fortunately, I was holding a mobile phone. I sold it to pay for our transport fare. The three days inside the forest was like hell. We walked day and night without food or water. At a stage, we got unclean water in a village and they sold it for N20 per bottle. The cow truck conveyed us to a village in Cameroon where we slept. The following day, we were conveyed to another village and later moved to a border between Nigeria and Cameroon. We crossed through a river and later boarded a car that took us to Jakilamba and eventually found ourselves in Yola. So I called my mother who sent me some money for transport back to Kaduna”.

    Jamila had to abandon his father along the way apparently not to compound his health situation and she is happy that she took that decision saying “he is in a village called Kauyen Kabila. I called him yesterday and I was told he is doing fine”. She claimed that most members of the insurgents are young men. She said “They are young boys. Some of them look like Fulani and the others like Burgo. They were shooting sporadically and killing people”. She expressed appreciation to Pastor Buru who has found it necessary to present relief materials to many of them who were able to find their way to Kaduna, saying that, he was the first to come and visit them and the first to give them any form of relief material. “We are grateful with the gesture by Pastor Yohanna Buru”.

    However, while in Kaduna, they have found a saviour in one Pastor Yohanna Baru, coordinator of the Peace Reconciliation and Revival Foundation. Pastor Yohanna Buru became the first person to visit and donate relief  materials to them.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Traumatized, many of them could not hold back tears especially when asked about the other members of their family. The clergyman lamented the successes being gained by the insurgents, adding that the Boko Haram insurgency appeared to be beyond the control of the government. He said “the government said it has entered a ceasefire pact. But the reverse is the case as Shekau denied that there was no ceasefire pact. We are under a government but yet they can’t come out to tell us the truth. We believe what Shekau said is the truth and it is evident in the recent happenings. I am begging Shekau for God sake, because of his believe (Imani), his prophet and the holy Qur’an. He should have mercy on Nigerians and not for the sake of government. He should please for God sake have mercy on innocent Nigerians. The government had said the abducted Chibok girls would be released on Monday and this is three weeks after nothing has changed. I am a Christian and a Nigerian and we have to be our bothers’ keeper because the  Boko haram would  not discriminate between Muslim or Christian when they strike. That is why I am calling on government and other individuals to come to the aid of these vulnerable children now in Sabon Tasha  Millennium City in Chikun Local Government, Tudun Wada in Kaduna South local Government, Malali in Kaduna North Local Government and Rigasa in Igabi local government. I call on all to assist these people, as Nigeria belongs to all of us”.

     

  • Nyanya bomb blast victim needs N5.3m for surgery

    Nyanya bomb blast victim needs N5.3m for surgery

    Monica Solomon did not anticipate what befell her in the evening of May 1, 2014. It was a day Nigerian workers joined their counterparts worldwide to celebrate Workers’ Day. But when she left home that evening, it was to go and earn a living at Domo Casino in the highbrow Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja where she works. Unfortunately, she never got there. She was caught in the explosion, which  hit the Nyanya Bus Stop for the second time in less than 30 days.

    Unlike many other victims, she came out alive with severe burns and she has spent  six and a half months on hospital bed. Her nearly seven-month hospitalisation began  first at the Wuse General hospital, where she spent two weeks before she was relocated to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital for referral service. Monica said though her pains had been much, she does not wish that even members of the dreaded Boko Haram, who were responsible for her predicament, to experience the anguish which had been her lot.

    Narrating her ordeal amidst pain at the Female Surgical Ward, Monica said only 10 minutes at a bus stop changed her story from a beautiful damsel to a bedridden burns patient.

    She said: “On the 1st of May, I was going to work in the evening. I went to Nyanya bus stop to enter a cab to the office. I was not up to 10 minutes there when the bomb blast occurred. I was in front of the car and it was by the grace of God that I came out of the place alive. Since that day, I have been in the hospital”.

    Even though the government promised to take care of the medical bill of all the victims of the explosion, the help was not forthcoming. Only Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi Central) and a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf, have come to her rescue and the Solomon’s family from Ayetoro-Gbedde. And the most outstanding is the hospital management, which is striving with lean purse to stabilise the victim. Monica has not been able to undergo surgery, which is needed to overcome the pains. She has not been able to sleep for more than two hours daily since the incident happened.

    She said: “I spent the first two weeks in Wuse with the hospital providing almost everything for us, including feeding. There was a promise that government was going to take care of our treatment. After those two weeks, we were brought here. When we came here, it was a battle before we were even given dressing materials for our wounds. Sometimes, when they prescribe drugs for us, we will go to the Pharmacy and they will tell us that they don’t have the drugs. We will have to use our money to source the drugs outside. We have also been responsible for our own feeding.

    Responding to a question, Monica’s husband, Solomon said: “Even when a government delegation came to the hospital from the First Lady, it left out my wife from the list of beneficiaries of assistance. But the visit has added to my burden because immediately all our creditors heard the news on radio and television, they bombarded my residence to prevail on me to refund the soft loans advanced to us. I told them that we have not received any financial assistance from the government, yet some of them disbelieved and insisted on the refund of their loans.”

    It could not be immediately ascertained why assistance had not come to Monica. The Chief Medical Director of the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Dr. Peter Alabi, said since Monica and the second victim were admitted, the hospital had done its best to take care of them. He said even when doctors were on strike, the hospital did not send them away, but kept attending to them. Dr. Alabi said although no help has come from anywhere in the last four months when she was admitted, the hospital had tried to source for drugs to take care of her.

    He said: “She is not alone. Two of them were admitted here and we cannot send them away because it is our responsibility as a social sector institution and especially  because of the circumstance of their admission. We have spent a lot on them, hoping that one day, help will come our way and from there, we will be able to recover what we have spent. Don’t forget that we don’t manufacture these drugs and other consumables. We have to buy them. We have the expertise to take care of them until they are better. But we need help to do this successfully.”

    Solomon can be reached on 08171212616 while donations can be sent to his ECOBANK account no. 2241025676.

     

  • ‘Sambo not a liability’

    ‘Sambo not a liability’

    An Abuja-based civil society organisation, Initiative for Promotion of Civil Obligations and Sustainable Peace has said that Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo is not only an asset to the present government, but a true northern leader who deserves everyone’s support.

    Addressing a news conference in Abuja, chairman of the organisation, Daniel Nkpanam and Secretary, Danjuma Bello Sarki said recent campaigns against the Vice President were mounted to disparage and discredit him.

    While reacting to a recent statement credited to the deposed Emir of Gwandu, Mustapha Jokolo that the Vice President was a political liability to the President, the group said that Sambo and President Jonathan have enjoyed a cordial working relationship unrivalled in the history in the history of democracy in the country.

    They said the level of confidence reposed on the Vice President by President Jonathan has seen him undertake series of assignments which has yielded positive results.

    They said that “The President and his Vice have been enjoying a cordial working relationship since the inception of their administration which is no doubt second to none since the advent of the current democratic dispensation. So, it would be foolhardy for a spent force like Jokolo to attempt to use this as an opportunity to bounce back into reckoning in our nation.

    “For Jokolo to claim that the Vice President is a liability to the President and is not fit to run with him in the 2015 General election has exposed his level of mischief against the Presidency and sheer ignorance of the art of governance or it is an attempt to truncate the sustainable peace and mutual trust existing between Jonathan and Sambo so as to enthrone anarchy and distrust.

    “The President and his Vice are obviously a perfect and divine combination. The mutual understanding between them is what had translated into the successes of the transformation agenda, thereby putting smiles on the faces of Nigerians.

    “It is no longer news that all assignments assigned to the Vice President by the President are being discharged effectively. This is evident in the achievements of the committees he chaired which gave birth to SURE P which today is greatly empowering our teeming youths, providing remarkable infrastructure and drastically reducing unemployment in our nation.

    “The power sector reform committee that engineered the successful privatisation of the sector which has since improved power supply to Nigerian homes was also piloted by the Vice President. These are just few amongst many of his impact full contributions to the development of our country.

    “Also based on the confidence revised on the Vice President by the President, he recently approved the sum if 220 billion naira under his leadership for small and medium scale enterprises development in addition to the task of creating 2 million jobs in collaboration with t he private sector.

    “We want to state categorically that Arch. Namadi Sambo is an asset and a leader not NLC to the north, bit to Nigeria as a whole and only second to the President. We call on Nigerians to be mindful of the fact that when you disparage or dishonor the office of the President or the Vice President, you are not only denigrating the holder of the office, but the image of our nation.

    “We urge all Nigerians to disregard the deposed Emir,his likes and his sponsors, but continue to rally the required support for the President and his Bice as they strive towards achieving the targets of the transformation agenda”.

     

  • Kuje market for upgrade to check fire

    The Kuje Main Market will be upgraded with modern facilities to, among other things, check fire incidents. The modernisation project will be carried out under a build, operate and transfer contract.

    The chairman of Kuje Area Council, Hon. Ishaku Shaban Tete signed the contract.

    The multi-million naira project is a partnership between the Kuje Area Council and Greenhouse International Ventures Limited.

    In the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both parties, Greenhouse International Ventures Limited will rebuild the market and transform it into a market of international repute.

    According to a statement signed by the Managing Director of Greenhouse International Ventures Limited, the company is expected to rebuild the market, manage it for twenty five years and later transfer it to the Kuje Area Council.

    It reads: “It is expected that the developer will be able to recoup its financial resources put into the project within these twenty five years.

    “This contract is a great example of the Federal Government’s public, private Partnership initiative designed to promote the development of infrastructure in the country. When completed, the market will have facilities such as 532 lock up shops, two warehouse, 500 open shops, 72 Plaza stores, one modern Abattoir, Day care center, Medical Center, places of worship, police post, toilets and conveniences, one bank, fire service post, organized car park, central refuse evacuation point, modern and well secured gates, security cameras and other convenient facilities which will uplift the statues of the market.

    “The market under this new arrangement will cater for the needs of different categories of traders thereby giving the market a cosmopolitan profile. Even though the land area housing the market is limited to about 3.2 hectares, it will be designed to have most modern infrastructure that traders will be proud of because of the centrality of its location.”

  • 40,000 houses for Abuja workers

    Workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja are to benefit from a 40, 000 housing units, FCT Minister Bala Mohammed has said.

    The minister has laid the foundation for the development of the 40,000 housing units for workers in Abuja.

    The multi-billion-naira housing project, which is in partnership with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and some private developers have the capacity of alleviating the suffering encountered by workers in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Speaking at the ceremony, Mohammed said that President Goodluck Jonathan personally gave the FCT Administration a matching order to initiate a viable housing scheme that would cater for the needs of the Nigerian worker who are the engine of the country’s economy.

    Mohammed remarked that the project will contribute greatly to the reduction of the housing deficit in Nigeria particularly, in the Federal Capital Territory; adding that the project has been designed in a manner that would ensure affordability by the workers.

    His words: Ensuring affordability by Nigerian workers through the provision of wavers on premium for the plots by the FCT Administration”.

    According to him, the gigantic sites will also provide avenue for over 7,000 skilled and unskilled job opportunities to Nigerians, which will go along way to reduce unemployment.

    The Minister at the occasion directed the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) to immediately commence arrangement to provide basic infrastructure to the site in line with the instructions of President Jonathan.

    The workers housing projects are located on 329.93 hectares of land in parts of Lugbe District and 298.59 hectares in Apo Taphi District of the Federal Capital City.

    “The financing of the infrastructure aspect of the project is to be driven under the SURE- P Progaramme of the Federal Government,” he stressed.

    Also speaking at the occasion, the NLC President, Comrade Abdul-Waheed Omar thanked the Minister for his foresight and commitment to the workers welfare.

    The NLC President described the project as historic saying that no government has ever initiated a viable and sustainable housing project such as this for the Nigerian workers.

    He therefore urged workers in the country to take advantage of the scheme to own a house.

    The TUC Secretary General, Barrister Musa Lawal who represented the President Comrade Babboi Kaigama also commended the FCT Minister and the Administration for providing a land in strategic areas for the actualization of the scheme.

    The occasion was attended by the FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, Senator representing FCT, Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda, FCT Permanent Secretary, Engr. John Obinna Chukwu and well as other top management staff of the FCT Administration.

    Meanwhile, an agreement was signed between the FCT Administration and Good Homes Development Company Limited at the occasion for development of the houses.

  • ‘2015 elections will make Nigeria stronger’

    Though some think next year’s general elections will be a decisive one, perhaps witnessing the breakup of the country, Nigerians have been assured of even a stronger nation.

    The General Overseer of Abundant Life Gospel Church, Rev Jane Onaolapo gave the assurance, adding that those expecting doom are in for a shock. She blamed such negative dispositions on what she called lack of patriotism.

    Rev. Onaolapo was speaking with reporters in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at an event marking the 30th anniversary of the church. She was optimistic that the country would triumph over its current daunting security and other challenges.

    The cleric, who said the nation needed good-spirited individuals to lead the country to glory, added that the church has been doing its best to teach people in public office to be righteous, saying, “when the righteous rule, there’s peace”.

    She also said that the country has potential to be greater than its present level of development, adding that leaders must have love of their people at heart to overcome the scourge of poverty, joblessness and insecurity.”

    The general overseer said the church has spent N2.1 million to sink boreholes “for our host communities in Ibadan and Ilorin.”

    She said further that it also sand-filled and graded a 1km road leading to the church premises from Oko-Erin Junction at the cost of N300,000.

    “We have also provided 1,150 bed-sheets at Ifako Ijaiye General Hospital last year, about 25 beneficiaries are also enjoying scholarships in Abundant Life Nursery and Primary School,” she said.

    The cleric said that plans were underway to establish a leadership training school to be used as a platform for training and preparing young men and women desiring to take up leadership positions in various arms of government.

    She was confident that God will be sending the church to revive the nation and be an instrument to effect the much-desired and awaited change in the country, even as she warned politicians to always discharge their duties in line with the mandate of God.

     

  • Day Jonathan shut down Abuja

    Day Jonathan shut down Abuja

    Many thought the declaration was insensitive, coming just after the killing of 47 schoolchildren and three teachers by a teenage suicide bomber on the assembly ground of Government Comprehensive School in Potiskum, Yobe State.  For Abuja residents, however, the day President Goodluck Jonathan told the nation he would seek to retain the presidency for another four years was one they will remember for all the wrong reasons.

    Although announcements had been made on air by the police that some of the roads leading to the Eagle Square would be closed, residents did not imagine the effect of the closure would be so devastating.

    Abuja metropolis was tense. Many people could not go to work because they could not access their offices. Those who attempted to get to the office ended up going through so many hurdles and mostly arrived late to work.

    Major roads leading to the Eagle Square venue of the event were blocked. Others were diverted.

    Since the ban of the 14-seater buses popularly called ‘Araba’ in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and with insufficient buses to convey residents, residents of Kubwa, Zuba, Deidei have learnt to supplement the transportation system with unpainted private taxis.

    Since most of the Abuja drivers of these private or unpainted taxis are civil servants and knowing well how civil servants enjoy free holidays and not having to show up at work, most of them did not drive into town that day. They knew well that the Central Area will be shutdown, which resulted in most residents in most areas being stranded especially since most of the el-Rufai buses that where to be used in transporting residents were used to transport Jonathan’s crowd from outside town.

    Their was a great lamentation from the frustrated  people especially those who were stuck in holdups for almost four hours. For those coming from the Mararaba Nyanya and Kubwa axis, they described the day as one of those that will not be easily forgotten. They described their experiences as hellish, especially since most residents had to walk for miles to arrive their destinations or get transportation.

    In spite of the heavy security operatives in town, The Nation observed that the roads were still not accessible.

    Although it was a smooth ride for those coming to town from the Airport Road, they also got stuck at the central area where the occasion took place.

    Many blamed the Jonathan administration for the inadequate arrangements that led to the heavy traffic jam in Abuja.

    Others were of the opinion that Jonathan would have shifted his declaration to mourn the dead Potiskum students and their teachers.

    Lanre Oba, a business man who was held up in the traffic for almost three hours while coming to town from Nyanya, told The Nation that he missed an important interview for a contract bid because of the event.

    Oba said: “I am not saying that President Goodluck Jonathan should not declare but there was not proper arrangement to avert traffic jam. The road was blocked and everybody was in a hurry to get to their various destinations.

    “Jonathan should even have shifted this declaration to mourn the dead Potiskum students and their teachers. Things should be done at the right time and the feelings of the masses should be considered at all time.”

    At the Kubwa 2nd gate, residents had to wait for over two hours on the side of the road and in most times struggle to eventually board vehicles into town, most of the El-rufai buses that drove by where filled to the brim, with more people standing than those seated and these buses most times where already filled up from Zuba and Dei-Dei, by the time these buses arrive Kubwa, it will be too filled up to bother and stop to the pleas of hysterical residents.

    Most angry residents were heard saying, “all these suffering because Jonathan is declaring, what will happen then if he wins?”

    Another resident who refused to state his name, said, “See how we are suffering in this country just because a human being like me is declaring for office; apart from all this struggle for vehicle, solders have also mounted a check-point around Dutse Junction, just to waste people’s time because they are not checking anything; I feel sorry for this country, honestly.”

    Most of the stranded residents spent the time arguing over the country and government in power, while others insisted that the masses have been suffering so much in recent times and something needs to be done  urgently.

     

  • Aspirant says corruption is Nigeria’s biggest challenge

    A presidential aspirant has reminded Nigerians what they have always known: a country so endowed with many natural resources is crippled by corruption and criminality.

    Speaking to reporters, Williams Ad’ojo Jedidiah explained that the level of corruption in the country has pushed him into deciding to run for the highest office in the land.

    Speaking further, the Kogi State-born chemical engineer noted that if given the opportunity to lead this country, he would tackle corruption within the first two years of his presidency.

    He however noted that he is ready to lay down his life for Nigeria and  ready to forfeit all the salaries and entitlement meant for the office of the president up until his administration tackles corruptions.

    While revealing his abilities and qualifications, Ad’ojo Jedidiah noted that he has been a researcher in leadership, management, governance and human nature for the past 13 years and urged any top-level expert in leadership, management and public administration to engage him in order to prove his worth.

    Speaking further on the insecurity situation in the country, Ad’ojo Jedidiah said explained with the new internal security system also known as “watching eyes security system”; which is developed ýlocally and by Nigerians, the issues of crime, corruption and insecurity would be a thing of the past if only there is political will to handle that.

  • Fisticuffs at Jonathan’s declaration

    It is unclear whether it was for the love of the President or the money they hoped to get. Whatever the case, people came to blows right under the white mobile canopy at the Eagle Square where President Goodluck Jonathan said he would seek reelection.

    If not for Providence, your correspondent would have left the venue with red or swollen eyes as blows were freely exchanged over my head where I sat near the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) contingent from Abia State.

    To digress a bit, I had to take refuge at the Abia stand to rest my legs before the event started around 11.00a.m., as almost every seat at the venue was already taken up as early as 8.45 am. No area or stand was earmarked for journalists as they were just a part of the crowd.

    Trouble first started at the Abia stand where the Abia women in green wrappers, green headgear and green blouses were already seated under the canopy in white plastic mobile chairs.

    The party men from Imo State wearing white T-shirts, who were seated on the right side of the Abia delegates, looked for trouble by trying to take the unoccupied seats in the Abia people’s space.

    The Abia women tried hard to explain to them that the seats were reserved for their colleagues who had gone to dance round the venue. But the explanation fell on deaf ears as the Imo men helped themselves to the unoccupied seats.

    The Abia women, who reminded me of the Aba women’s riot of 1929, rushed forward with great strength and grabbed the Imo men to prevent them from taking the seats.

    The struggle between the two sides, which lasted for almost six minutes, was prevented from degenerating into a free-for-all by the policemen standing by the canopy.

    Just as the dust was settling, party men from Cross River State in white T-shirts seated on the left side of the Abia women also started another commotion with another group of Abia men and women in orange- coloured T-shirts seated on their left side.

    The Abia men tried to take some unoccupied seats in the Cross Rivers people’s space and that resulted in exchange of blows between two men from the two sides. It again took the intervention of the policemen and civil defence officers around to bring sanity to the area.

    The next commotion took place in the front of the pavilion where the Abia women and the Cross Rivers party men were seated. A Northerner carrying some PDP booklets was rushed by some people in attempt to get a copy of the booklet. The man had no choice than to throw the booklets on the floor to save his head.

    Another bigger commotion ensued again at the stand hosting the  Abia women in green wrapper, green headgear, and green blouse attire.

    When they returned from dancing round the venue, they found that their seats, which they kept in the custody of some boys have been taken by another Abia group.

    Some of the women first scrambled among themselves for the remaining few empty seats, while others had to face the intruders.

    After much shouting in Igbo language, the intruders had to leave the area for the women in green attire.

    Few minutes after the group settled down, another commotion started when it was time to share bottled water. They left their seats, pushing one another to get the water. Not all of them were lucky as they returned to their seats empty-handed.

    When it was the turn of the Cross Rivers state group sitting by the Abia women to dance round the venue, they folded all their chairs together in order to secure them. In the process, open space was created in their area.

    Before they returned back, some Abia state group have occupied the space by bringing seats from other areas to the open space. This caused another commotion when the Cross Rivers people returned from dancing round the venue.

    An Abia man in orange T-shirt sharing bottled water to his people was rushed by some Cross River state neighbours. This caused another exchange of blows

    Similar scenerio played out when minerals like Coke, Sprite, Fanta and food were shared in many areas under the white giant mobile canopy spanning over 100 meters.

    The people scrambled for anything in sight even before the programme commenced as they see it as part of the national cake.

    But there was much decorum at the permanent structures offering shelter and  immovable seats from the left and right sides of the state box.

    Another occasion when the true calibre of some of the people who masqueraded as party supporters was exposed was just before the end of the declaration ceremony.

    Just as the national anthem was been rendered to close the ceremony, the party supporters started to scramble for almost everything.

    They tore down and took away all the green, red and white coloured umbrellas used to decorate the podium.

    Most part of the red rug placed on the floor from the state box to the podium, which is about 50 meters, were fought for and taken away by the supporters.

    The rug with the seal of the president was not spared as the PDP ‘supporters’ made away with it.

    The red and white silk fabrics used for the decoration of the podium arena were also not spared. The supporters brought out razor to cut a sizeable portion for themselves.

    Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Shema, who did not get into the bus that brought him and other governors in the President’s convoy on time, was momentarily held hostage by the party ‘supporters’ along with the remaining dignitaries in the state box. The supporters rushed in as soon as the president and the security details left the venue.

    But it could not be ascertained if Shema and others parted with any belongings to secure their freedom.

     

  • Potiskum: Shattered, insecure after attack

    Potiskum: Shattered, insecure after attack

    Potiskum has been hit before but after the latest suicide attack on a boys school, residents of Yobe State’s largest city are shattered and deeply suspicious of one another, reports DUKU JOEL

    Some reckon that after the suicide attack on a school in Potiskum, it will take a long time for the wounds to heal. About  50 people died following the assault, while many more sustained injuries.

    The deeper wounds, however, are not physical. Residents of this once thriving town have been terribly shaken. Many have lost their appetite for social life. Worshippers are far less eager to gather in their mosques and churches, preferring to pray outside the town.

    The people have grown increasingly suspicious of one another since a bomber in school uniform detonated a devastating device at the assembly ground of a boys school in the town. Some residents have even fled. Potiskum is no longer the same.

    The residents are no more worried about bullets, nor about assassins as they once were. The immediate scare is Boko Haram’s suicide bombers. The soul of this hitherto vibrant commercial city, the largest in the state, has been dealt a crushing blow.

    Like many other towns in the Northeast, Potiskum has had its share of heinous attacks orchestrated by the Boko Haram insurgents.

    In May 2012, over 100 people were killed in an attack on a cattle market, one of the largest in West Africa. The attack took place in the peak of trading activities on a market day when traders were making their last minutes purchases.

    Apart from human losses, over 1000 cows, sheep and goats were killed and an unquantifiable amount of money lost.

    But for divine intervention, the Emir of Fika would have been a victim of a suicide attack in a mosque near his palace after Friday prayers. His police orderly was not lucky as he was killed alongside the bomber. The Yobe State Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly Abubakar Degubi was also brutally assassinated in Potiskum in the presence of his family. Churches have also been burnt in the area.

    Potiskum has not always been the target for violent criminals.

    Alhaji Yusuf Isa, chair of the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) who was born and brought up in Potiskum, painted an enchanting picture of the city.

    “Growing up in Potiskum was really fun,” he said. “Even as an adult, there was never a dull moment. Potiskum was a very vibrant city in terms of business, social and religious life. It’s a very commercially-oriented city that bubbled with life 24 hours.

    “Children were engaged with their Quranic or Western educational activities while the adults were busy buying and selling.

    “But all that has changed now. I can say without mincing words that these crises have dealt a heavy blow on the soul of the town. People no longer trust one another. People are afraid of crowds because you don’t know who is carrying what next to you. The economy of the town and its religious and social lives are now negatively affected. You will be surprised to hear that some people prefer to pray outside villages than inside Potiskum town on Fridays for fear of the unknown,” Isa said.

    Mr. Daniel Omale who was in the town for his National Youth Service 10 years ago and later worked in Damaturu, was still fond of the Corpers Lodge in Potiskum. Now, he cannot even afford to spare one day to attend the wedding of his wife’s relatives in the town because of the fear of being caught up in a suicide attack.

    Omale how lively and enjoyable his service year went with the bustling life in Potiskum.

    “I still remember vividly how we used to hang out at places like Dorowa, Army Barracks and all of that. In fact people were very free to do what they wanted without any form of restraint, fear or molestation. As a Catholic we used to have procession for Palm Sunday in the town. All that can’t happen now with what is going on. The last time I visited Potiskum was in 2010 and I noticed that a lot of people had fled the town for fear of Boko Haram which has crippled business completely in the area,” Omale said.

    In August two suicide bombers launched what many described as coordinated attacks on two mosques in different locations of Potiskum town. The attack was targeted at worshippers during the evening prayer around 7:30.

    The affected mosques were the Alkali Kalli mosque just a few meters away from the emir of Fika Palace and the Sakafa mosque located at the busy Potiskum central market.

    Last week’s attack on Potiskum has more than ever left many devastated in the town with the killing of over 30 innocent students on a secondary school barely a week after a suicide bomber had his way marching along with some Shiite Muslim members before blowing himself up at the middle of the procession.

    The attacks angered the youths of the town who protested against security agents barring them from entering the hospital. The youths barred the commissioner of Police and the state commissioner of Education from getting access to the hospital to get first hand information on the blast.

    The Police Commissioner Marcus Danladi who was in Potiskum with all his security team and the Yobe State of Commissioner Mohammed Alamin could not go to the scene of the event for fear of being lynched by the angry mob.

    The CP however went to the palaces of the two Emirs in the town to solicit for calm of the residents to allow the security people do their job.

    The Emir of Fika, Dr. Muhammadu Ibn Abali Muhamadu Idrissa told the CP that he has sent some people to go to the scene and pled with the angry people to allow security do their job, adding that what happened with the Shiite people some days ago has aggravated anger in people”.

    He condemns the act describing it as “callous and wicked”. He called on the local people to collaborate with security in the fight against the insurgency.

    Irked by the attack on the school children, the Emir of Fika and chair of Yobe State Council of Chiefs, Dr. Muhammadu Ibn Abali Muhammadu Idrissa has summoned all the District Heads, Ward Heads and Village Heads under his domain to monitor the behaviour of their subjects.

    The monarch tasked his aids in a security meeting held at his Palace few days after the blast. The meeting according to an insider was geared towards minimizing attacks and killings of innocent souls in the town.

    According to him,  ”we are indeed disturbed with multiple explosions in Potiskum town within one week time, it is unfortunate and saddening that our young School Children were murdered while learning for their future, I therefore urge all of you to monitor the behaviors of your children, relatives, neighbors and tenants, anyone willing to occupy a house in your area must be thoroughly interrogated so that criminals would not hide in your places, you are expected to report to the security agencies any suspicious movements in your domains, I have always told you security is a collective responsibility, we need your maximum cooperation to return peace in our town, I also appeal to you to organize peace prayer,” the Emir charged..

    In the meeting, over 30 District Heads, Ward Heads and Village Heads were in attendance with a collective commitment to support the Emir in the attempt to ensure the return of peace.

    In his views, the Emir of Potiskum, Alhaji Bubara Ibn Wuriwa Bauya described as unfortunate that is happening in the Northeast and the entire country.

    He disclosed that he will call an expanded meeting of all his chiefs to discuss the way forward in collaborating with security to foster peace among the people.

    He regretted the mob action at the hospital and the school, stressing that it is alien to his domain.

    “We really don’t know these people that are protesting. It is very bad to stage this kind of action at this critical time in the event of what is happening is wrong. We need the security people around us and we need to cooperate with them to fish out the bad people among,” the royal father said.