The Nation Newspaper

Tag: killings

  • Governor denies fresh killings in Nasarawa

    Governor denies fresh killings in Nasarawa

    The Governor of Nasarawa State, Tanko Al-Makura  on Friday denied report of fresh killings in the state.

    Speaking with State House Correspondents after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, he said that the present peace in Nasarawa has been unprecedented.

    He said “People, I mean citizens of Nasarawa State are jubilating and are happy that the peace that has been attained through community-based mechanism that everybody was participating has yielded results.

    “We are enjoying unfettered peaceful co-existence in the state. So it will be surprising for anybody to speculate and raise an alarm where there is none.

    According to him, the rate of crime in the state has drastically reduced to a point of no criminality.

    He said: “We don’t have anything like that, even the rate of crime in the state has really subsided because the security operatives and the residents are working in synergy to ensure that miscreants and bad eggs amongst us find another environment.

    “So I think that is speculative and that is casting aspersions that is negative and it is very unkind for anybody to insinuate that there is anything like that in Nasarawa State,.

    “I’m telling you with every sense of responsibility that the citizens of Nasarawa State are enjoying better than ever before a peaceful environment where they are working in synergy with security operatives.” He stated.

    He also said that his government was doing everything possible to address the flooding in Mararaba and other parts of the state.

    If not for the rains, he said that a major road in Kabayi area of the state would have been completed towards reducing the hardship of residents.

    He said: “Flood issues have been national issue and you know as much as I do what the causes of floods are and a lot of it have to do with lack of proper conduct by residents. Where residents use gutters and water ways as dumping grounds for waste and other things, so when rains come, such problems become more profound than there were before.”

    “However, I want to limit myself to the issue of Mararaba, particularly where floor this year appears to have gone a little more than what happened in the previous year, with particular reference to certain areas, I’m talking about Kabayi, the people in Kabayi are really complaining about flood and water has caused so much disruption in their activities.

    “I took upon myself to ward contract to ensure that people living along that axis benefit from good roads. I therefore awarded contract worth over N800 million to have a road that will contact them with the main arteries so that it will reduce the problem of traffic.

    “But unfortunately while the work was hobby on, the rains arrived and there is nothing we could do, it’s force majeur we can’t stop the rains from coming, because we have projects, so the people have to be a little bit patient until the rains subside.” He added

  • Hate killings in the U.S.

    Hate killings in the U.S.

    •Another reminder that America must check access to assault weapons

    Intriguingly, while science professes insignificant differences in the make-up of races, man rather prefers to promote huge differences between races. The result sometimes is insipient hatred; the type that apparently led Dylann Roof, a 21-year old white American man, to shoot to death, nine black-Americans who were holding a prayer meeting at Emmanuel African-American Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America. The murderer who walked into the church and stayed for about an hour at the back seat, spewed words of hate, before using his semi-automatic gun to kill his victims at close range.

    Our heart goes out to the families of the victims, and to the American people, as they grieve over these senseless killings. We identify with the mournful admonition of President Barak Obama when he said: “There is something particularly heartbreaking about death in a place in which we seek solace and we seek peace, in a place of worship”. That Mr Roof could carry his hate against fellow human beings, just because of the colour of their skin, into the house of their common creator, without appreciating the irony, shows the level of his depravity.

    But there is the need for the United States to do a soul searching, as to why its society provides opportunity for such mass murders. On this score, the observation of President Obama is important when he said, “Once again innocent people were killed because someone who wanted to inflict harm had no trouble getting their hand on gun”. A similar killing of nine persons at a place of worship, also took place at the Wat Promkumaram temple near Phoenix in 1991. There are several other mass killings by individuals who can be better described as mentally deranged. But whether for any reason or none, what is shocking is the easy access to assault weapons, by American citizens.

    That is the point President Obama was making in his speech after the tragic shooting. For us and we guess many others, it is unacceptable that the American society, despite its boast about sophistication, has been unable to bring the debate on gun control to a positive closure. Over the years, despite the significant abuses to which guns have been put by private citizens, American lawmakers have continually shied away from reining in one of the gravest consequences of the American version of liberty. The reason for such incapacity is bribery and corruption, which they euphemistically call gun-lobby.

    Mr Roof who has been charged to court for the Charleston shooting, is a high school dropout from Eastover South Carolina, and the church established in 1816 is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church, which is why it is called Mother Emmanuel. The shooter, according to his social media account, wore a dress bearing patches of the flag of the defunct apartheid regime in South Africa, and according to reports, was hoping to ignite a race war by his nefarious conduct. Significantly, the relations of the victims, at the first court hearing against Roof, offered words of love and forgiveness, in exchange for the miserable taunts of the racist.

    Of note, the culprit was apprehended less than 15 hours after the shooting, in North Carolina. He has also been taken to court and charged for his offences, without the kind of delay and laxity that we witness in our clime. Significantly, the American justice system is swiftly moving to rein in the dastardly conduct of the killer. Nevertheless, we join others to admonish the United States, that acts like that of Mr Roof should have no place in a civilised society.

    ‘Of note, the culprit was apprehended less than 15 hours after the shooting, in North Carolina. He has also been taken to court and charged for his offences, without the kind of delay and laxity that we witness in our clime. Significantly, the American justice system is swiftly moving to rein in the dastardly conduct of the killer’ 

  • Ogbeh blames Fed Govt’s laxity for killings

    The former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Audu Ogbeh, has accused the Federal Government of not doing enough to stop the killing of women and children by suspected Fulani herdsmen at Agatu in Benue State.

    He told reporters in Abuja that it was unfortunate that the attacks had been going on for a long time, with security men looking the other way and telling the people that it was not their business.

    Ogbeh lamented that owing to the constant attacks, farmers could no longer go to the farm, while the people live in fear.

    He said: “I just want to speak on the endless attacks on the people of Agatu in Benue State by the Fulani herdsmen, who kept coming from time to time. On Sunday, about 80 people got killed, mostly women and children going to church. It does seem that the security agencies have been able to do much. We do not know what to do next, but I think it is getting really out of hand.

    “This happens almost every three months and the Federal Government does not respond much. We heard that even when the people tried to get to some security agents, they tell them it is not their business. We hope this is a wrong report, but it is getting very worrisome.

    “We learnt that the Fulani herdsmen said they are looking for grazing lands and the idea may be to drive people away so that they can have access to fertile land good for agriculture.”

    Now, farmers can no longer farm, they have been dislodged. So we have tried to raise money and put them in camps. So far there has been not much response from any of the government agencies.

    “People have tried to resist them on their own, but they always come with very heavy weapons, AK -47 and nobody really knows the source. Once, many of them were caught and some of them are Mauritanians and others, who came into Nigeria, speaking languages other than Nigerian.

    “They speak neither Fulfude nor Hausa, but they were among the attackers. One of them said they were told that there was a Jihad and that they should come in and kill. This is very strange indeed.

    “Security agencies have not responded adequately to the people’s desperate calls for protection against the attackers. People rushed to the security agencies for protection and they were told it is their business. I think it is the responsibility of the government to protect the people, otherwise they are inviting us to take up arms and fight to protect ourselves. I think it is unnecessary as we do not want to build an army of our own. But if the defenceless people are to be attacked ceaselessly, then we are in serious trouble.”

     

     

  • Govt: anti-democratic forces plot killings, mayhem in Edo

    Govt: anti-democratic forces plot killings, mayhem in Edo

    The Edo State Government said yesterday it had uncovered a plot by “anti-democratic forces” to start high-profile killings ahead of the March 28 and April 11 general elections.

    The objective, the government alleged, was not only to sow fear in the minds of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters but to also make the state ungovernable for Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

    In a statement in Benin, the state capital, by Information and Orientation Commissioner Louis Odion, the government said: “The new evil agenda is akin to the one unleashed in 2012 ahead of the governorship election in which the Principal Private Secretary to the governor, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, was brutally murdered. Till date, the killers are yet to be brought to justice.

    “On the latest hit list are key figures in the administration, APC leaders, a vocal palace chief as well as journalists considered too independent-minded and unwilling to file fabricated stories to promote the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “To achieve this, hard-boiled cultists, who were contracted to attack and vandalise the Edo House of Assembly quarters last year, have again been recruited and given mobilisation running into millions of naira and other logistics support from Abuja early this week through a local cleric-politician.

    “The destabilisation scheme is conceived, funded and directed by a group of PDP leaders based in Abuja alongside their underlings in Edo State in the cold calculation that once the teeming supporters of Comrade Oshiomhole were frightened away, the PDP would then dominate the Edo space.

    “The vocal palace chief being targeted, we gathered, is the Esogban of Bini Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri, who is also the leader of the influential Benin Forum. The PDP leaders were said to be uncomfortable with Chief Edebiri’s unrelenting criticism…”

  • Amnesty: JTF behind extra-judicial killings

    Amnesty: JTF behind extra-judicial killings

    There have been concerns about how the Joint Task Force (JTF) is carrying out the task of curtailing the Boko Haram insurgency. Allegations of human rights violations have been rife. Amnesty International, in a report issued yesterday, says it has evidence that the military is committing gruesome murder

    Gruesome video footage, images and testimonies gathered by Amnesty International provide fresh evidence of extrajudicial executions and other serious human rights violations being carried out in north-eastern Nigeria as the fight by the military against Boko Haram and other armed groups intensifies.

    The footage, obtained from numerous sources during a recent trip to Borno State, reveals graphic evidence of multiple war crimes being carried out in Nigeria.

    It includes horrific images of detainees having their throats slit one by one and dumped in mass graves by men who appear to be members of the Nigerian military and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), state-sponsored militias. It also shows the aftermath of a Boko Haram raid on a village that resulted in almost 100 deaths and destruction on a massive scale.

    This shocking new evidence is further proof of the appalling disregard for humanity in north-eastern Nigeria, where war crimes are being committed with abandon by all sides in the conflict. What does it say about a country when members of its military carry out such unspeakable acts and then deliberately capture the images on film, said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

    These are not the images we expect from a country which sees itself as having a leadership role in Africa. The ghastly images are made worse by the numerous testimonies we have gathered which suggest that extrajudicial executions are, in fact, regularly carried out by the Nigerian military and CJTF.

    More than 4,000 people have been killed by all sides in the conflict during armed attacks this year alone. Civilians who are not directly participating in hostilities make up the majority of this death toll.

    In recent months, the conflict has intensified in north-eastern Nigeria, spreading to smaller towns and villages which are now increasingly on the front line. In July 2014 Damboa in Borno state became the first town to fall officially under the control of Boko Haram since President Goodluck

    Jonathan declared the State of Emergency in May 2013.

    The heavy-handed behaviour of the military also caused shock waves in Kaduna state in July. A fatal crackdown was carried out in response to a peaceful protest by the Shiite Zakzaky sect in Zaria. Thirty-three people were killed, including two children; 12 were killed while held in detention.

    Amnesty International is calling on the Nigerian authorities to ensure that the military stops committing human rights violations. All reports of extrajudicial executions and other war crimes and serious violations must be investigated promptly, thoroughly, independently and impartially, with those responsible; up the entire chain of command brought to justice.

    Members of Boko Haram and other armed groups are responsible for a huge number of heinous crimes like the abduction of the schoolgirls in Chibok more than three months ago but the military are supposed to defend people, not to carry out further abuses themselves, said Salil Shetty.

    A state of emergency must not give way to a state of lawlessness.

    Sadly, the same communities are now being terrorised in turn by Boko Haram and the military alike.

     

    Grisly extrajudicial executions

     

    The footage obtained by Amnesty International includes a gruesome incident that took place near Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, on 14 March 2014.

    It shows what appear to be members of the Nigerian military and CJTF using a blade to slit the throats of a series of detainees, before dumping them into an open mass grave.

    The video shows 16 young men and boys seated in a line. One by one, they are called forward and told to lie down in front of the pit. Five of them are killed in this way; the fate of the remaining detainees is not shown on video, but eyewitness accounts confirmed that nine of them had their throats cut while the others were shot to death.

    Additional footage featuring some of the same perpetrators, taken earlier that day at the same location, shows two detainees digging a grave under armed guard before the killing is carried out. One is told to lie down in front of the pit, where his legs and head are held by what seems to be CJTF members. The individual who appears to be the commander of the group puts his right foot on the man’s side, raises his knife, kisses it and shouts and cuts the throat of the restrained young man.

    All other military and CJTF shout: “Yes oga (boss), kill him.”

    Amnesty International spoke to several military sources who independently confirmed that the armed captors in the video were indeed military personnel, and according to two credible sources, they may be part of the 81 Battalion, which is based in Borno State.

    No buildings, roads or other infrastructure can be seen in the video but the noise of cars confirms that it is near a road. Several of the armed captors are wearing military uniforms, one of which has the words

    “Borno State Operation Flush” emblazoned on the front. The ID number on one of the guns is also clearly identifiable.

    Eyewitnesses also confirmed to Amnesty International that the videos were taken on 14 March 2014, the day of Boko Haram’s attack on the military detention centre in Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri. Boko Haram forces reportedly released their members and told all other detainees to either join them or go home. After Boko Haram had left the town, more than 600 people, mostly recaptured detainees, were extrajudicially executed in various locations across Maiduguri. The detainees in the video were rearrested by the CJTF in Giddari Polo, near the Barracks, where various sources have confirmed that a number of them were shot and killed by soldiers after being handed over to the military. The military then took the corpses and the detainees to a location outside Maiduguri, near Giddari where the executions are reported to have been carried out.

     

    Military roundups in Bama

     

    Further video evidence obtained by Amnesty International reveals atrocities carried out in Bama, a town 70km south-east of Maiduguri.

    Bama is one of the many communities that has been a focal point of the violence over the past two years. It has frequently been targeted in armed raids by Boko Haram and has also been singled out at least twice by the

    Nigerian military for mass arbitrary arrests of people whom they allege are Boko Haram members.

    Residents told Amnesty International about a operation which took place on 23 July 2013. Scores of Nigerian military and CJTF from Maiduguri arrived in the central market around 11am and told all the adult men to gather in one area and take off their clothes.

    According to eyewitnesses, the men were then lined up and, one by one, told to close their eyes as they were pushed in front of a man seated in a vehicle. The man then indicated left or right. Up to 35 men who were sent to the left were alleged to be Boko Haram members. The remaining 300 or so were sent to the right, deemed to be innocent.

    The video evidence obtained by Amnesty International corroborates multiple eyewitness accounts of what happened next. The Nigerian military and CJTF members ordered those alleged to be Boko Haram members to lie down side by side on the ground, and then beat them with sticks and machetes.

    One eyewitness told Amnesty International the military officials shouted:

    “You have to beat, even kill these; they are Boko Haram.”

    The footage shows how during this operation, the military and CJTF fired celebratory shots in the air. Up to 35 detainees were then loaded onto a single military vehicle and taken away to the local military barracks in Bama.

    Several days later, on the afternoon of 29 July, military personnel took the men out of the barracks and brought them to their communities, where they shot them dead, several at a time, before dumping their corpses. One local resident told Amnesty International how the gunshots rang out from around 2pm into the evening as soldiers shot and deposited the bodies in different places around the town.

    A relative of one of the extra-judicially executed men described the aftermath: “At that time everyone was aware that these people (had been) killed, (and) started running to look. We found (our relative) near Bama bridge. Plenty of people were with us. They (had) shot five of them (in that location alone). There were five bodies including (my relative).

    He had a bullet hole in his chest and no clothes, only trousers. We took the body and buried it. There is no death certificate; Bama hospital is not functioning. There is no place to complain; the town has restricted movement. Everybody left what happened to God.

     

    Deadly Boko Haram raid

     

    Like many other communities in north-eastern Nigeria, Bama’s residents have been living in constant fear of attacks by Boko Haram and other armed groups. These are sometimes believed to be in retaliation for what the armed groups deem to be the local residents; co-operation with the Nigerian military. Many of the attacks are met with little resistance by the military.

    Boko Haram staged its most deadly assault on the town over the course of several hours early in the morning of 19 February 2014, which locals report left almost 100 people dead and more than 200 injured. Improvised explosive devices and grenades were used to destroy huge swathes of the town.

    The insurgents had a field day, killing, burning and demolishing, one Bama resident told Amnesty International.

    Video footage taken in the aftermath of the attack shows the charred remains of numerous cars and buildings, including fire damage to the top floor of the local Emir’s palace. Eyewitnesses told

    Amnesty International that schools and other administrative buildings were also bombed or torched, and more than 100 residents’ vehicles were destroyed.

    The footage from the aftermath shows scores of corpses wrapped for burial.

    Amnesty International is calling for an immediate, independent, impartial and thorough investigation into the pattern of serious and systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that is emerging in north-eastern Nigeria. The Nigerian government must publicly condemn such acts, including reports of arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention, enforced disappearances, torture and other ill-treatment, and extra-judicial executions carried out by the Nigerian military.

  • Sultan to insurgents: end your killings

    Sultan to insurgents: end your killings

    A section of the Muslim Ummah in Nigeria yesterday marked Eid el Fitir the end of Islamic month of Ramadan – with prayers after the 30-day fasting period.

    The celebration continues today in other parts of the country.

    In his Sallah message, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, urged perpetrators of terrorism in the country, especially in the north, to fear God and stop such heinous acts.

    Speaking in Sokoto, he said insecurity in the country had led to loss of many lives and property.

    According to him, the massive losses of innocent lives and property were highly regrettable and “un-Islamic”.

    He noted that Nigerians were facing various forms of difficulties as a result of the recurring insurgency and other criminal acts.

    He charged Nigerians to sustain prayers “for God to either touch the hearts of the terrorists or expose them.”

    The Sultan commended security agencies for efforts being made to contain the insecurity, and urged them to remain unrelenting.

    He appealed to the people to complement the efforts of the security agencies of maintaining peace and unity with their support, adding that the task of doing so should be regarded as a collective responsibility by all Nigerians.

    He appealed to political leaders in Nigeria to ensure that social justice prevailed, saying that it was the “condition for sustainable peace and unity”.

    “We should all fear God and regard leadership as a trust and we will be accountable to Him,” he said.

    “We are also commending Governor Aliyu Wamakko for initiating and successfully implementing various welfare programmes for the people of the state,” he added.

    The Sallah celebration in Sokoto was attended by former President Shehu Shagari, Governor Wamakko and the National Security Adviser Col. Sambo Dasuki.

    Vice-President Namadi Sambo urged Nigerians to sustain their prayers for peace and stability in the country.

    Sambo spoke to reporters in Abuja after the Eid-el-Fitr prayer.

    “We extend our sincere happiness to Almighty Allah that has made it possible for us to see this important day and to pray that he continues to grant favour to our country, Nigeria, for peace and progress.

    “We thank Almighty Allah for what he has granted us and we pray that we continue to be given good health and the wisdom for the development and progress of Nigeria,” he said.

    He called on Muslim faithful to strengthen the bond of friendship and unity across the country and to always exhibit the good virtues of Ramadan for the progress of the society.

    The vice president urged Nigerians to be security conscious always and report suspicious individuals or groups to security agents.

    He also advised Nigerians to be thankful to God for His mercy, and avoid acts capable of causing social unrest.

    The Eid-el-Fitr prayer, which held at the Karamajiji ground on Airport Road, was led by the Chief Imam of Abuja, Ustaz Musa Mohammed.

    In his sermon, Muhammed charged organisations and wealthy Nigerians to always assist the less-privileged in the society “in order to reduce the level of poverty in the country.”

    Dignitaries at the prayer included the Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Aji, serving and former ministers and members of the Diplomatic Corps.

    The Emir of Kano Alhaji Muhammadu  Sanusi, urged Muslims in the state to imbibe the spirit of tolerance and sacrifice.

    The emir made the call yesterday while addressing Muslims after the Eid-El-Fitr prayer at the Kofar Mata ground in Kano.

    He appealed to them to emulate Prophet Muhammed’s life, stressing that the one month fasting should be seen as a period of cleansing and atonement.

    “After the Ramadan, we should be more determined to live in the path of Allah as true believers.

    ‘’We should also continue to emulate the exemplary attributes of Islam which are love, tolerance and peaceful co-existence”, he said.

    The monarch also called on the people to continue to pray for peace, unity and progress of the state and the country.

    In his sermon, the emir, who led the prayer, stressed the need for Muslims to fear God and continue to use all the lessons of the Ramadan to foster unity in the state and country.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the prayer which started at about 9 a.m. was attended by the state’s Deputy Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, members of the State Executive Council, members of the Emirate Council and some members of the Diplomatic Corps.

    The Emir at the weekend paid N3 million at the Central Prisons, Kano, to secure freedom for 11 inmates of the prison.

    According to a statement from the Media Officer at the Emir’s palace, Alhaji Sha’aban Ibrahim, the amount was fine options given the inmates by the courts at the time of their convictions.

    It explained that the monarch secured the release of the inmates on humanitarian ground, “”due to either ill health or old age.””

    The statement quoted the emir as urging the beneficiaries of the gesture to be of good conduct when they resumed public life and avoid issues that would take them back to prison.

  • 13 arrested for Taraba killings

    The police in Taraba State are interrogating 13 suspects over the attacks in Mayo-Kan and Nahuta villages of Bali Local Government Area.

    Five people, including two policemen, were killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

    Commissioner of Police Kalafite Adeyemi said the suspects would be transferred from Bali Divisional Headquarters to Jalingo, where they will be charged to court.

    Adeyemi said many other insurgents accused of  violence in Wukari, Ibi, Gassol and Takum local governments were in police custody.

    It was gathered that over 35 suspected insurgents terrorising Taraba South were apprehended.

    Tiv farmers have been the principal target in the onslaught, but as government began to crack down on the insurgents, hostilities have been extended to the police, military, government officials and other security personnel.

  • When will these killings stop?

    Gradually, life is disappearing in Baga Town, which used to be a lively neighbourhood in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. Given its proximity to Lake Chad, the town used to be a business hub and abode for farmers and fishermen. The story changed last year when DoronBaga fish market, located about six kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital, came under attack by the Nigerian troops.

    Doron Bagais one of the biggest fish markets in the region.

    It was on a Friday evening. Corpse of a military officer was discovered by residents, who immediately called in soldiers to identify the body. From account of residents, the deceased may have been killed by gunmen suspected to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect and dumped in the town.

    A few hours after the corpse was taken away by soldiers, the troops returned and overran the town. They shot sporadically and at anything on sight. By the time the dusts were settled, over 200 innocent citizens had been massacred. Over 2,000 houses and businesses worth millions were destroyed

    Recently, the same episode played out in Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, where about 30 Fulani were sent to their early graves while they gathered to mourn their village head. Eyewitnesses said 10 Toyota Hilux pickups allegedly belonging to the Joint Task Force (JTF) on “military operation” drove into the community and opened fire on the victims.

    All these bore the hallmark of pogrom against defenseless citizens whose only offence is that they never belong to ethnics in the majority. Disturbing is the fact that the government of the day has not shown readiness to investigate these cases of arbitrary killing. The people of Baga Town Dust have since move on but they may have been taken aback to learn that nobody has been brought to book. Little wonder why Keana came under similar attack by assailants suspected to be uniform men.

    Now that lives of the citizens do not matter to the government, we should not be surprised that soldiers can just work in to villages and kill with relish. Forget about justice for the victims, such will never come because the cases will not be investigated. If the tempo of the attack is sustained, I am afraid Nigeria may end up like Somalia and Sudan.

    No right thinking man would support arbitrary killing of anyone, no matter what. In 2011, Mr. Mark Duggan was unjustly killed by Metropolitan police in Tottenham, a city in North London. Widespread riot greeted the incident, which left the United Kingdom unsettled for about two weeks. People called for thorough investigation and the police man, who shot Duggan, was charged to court for unlawful killing.

    In Nigeria, security agents, who are supposed to protect the citizens, get away with murder. If the government is serious about solving the insecurity riddle, it should not hesitate to investigate men in uniform, who visited Baga and Keana to kill innocent people.

    If the statement credited to the Director of Defence Information, Maj-Gen Chris Olukolade, is anything to go by, the killers of the 30 Fulani people may not be produced just the same manner the police are unable to prosecute high-profile murder cases.

    It does appear the right to life, as stipulated by the Constitution, is now subjected to the caprice of the military. Nigeria may be tottering towards precipice if the government does not rein in the security agents whose newfound habit is to invade people’s home and kill them in bulk.

    The Keana killing victims have joined the list of unfortunate citizens unjustly killed by people who are supposed to protect them. But when will these arbitrary killings of Nigerians stop?

     

    Ibrahim, 400-Level Zoology, UDUS

  • It’s been one year of sorrow

    It’s been one year of sorrow

    …Parents of UNIPORT 4 relive ordeal

    JUSTICE is yet to be dispensed after a mob at Umokiri Aluu community in Ikwerre LGA, Rivers State, meted out jungle justice to four undergraduate students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) who were accused of stealing. Today makes it exactly one year when a Geology student, Ugonna Obuzor (18); a Civil Engineering student, Lloyd Toku Mike (19); a Theatre Art student, Chiadika Biringa (20) and a Mechanical Engineering student, Tekena Elkanah (20) were killed by a mob that also burnt their bodies.

    The Nation reliably gathered during the week that even the lead suspect who reportedly raised the alarm that the murdered students were thieves was yet to be arrested. His alarm was said to have attracted the attention of the vigilance group that rushed to the scene to hold the victims and also strip them naked. They later paraded the deceased students naked on the streets of the community until they arrived at the palace of the traditional ruler and were later lynched for allegedly stealing laptop computers and cell phones.

    But after carrying out an investigation, the Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Mohammed, cleared the victims of the allegations levelled against them. At a news conference held in Abuja, the IG said the allegations levelled against the deceased students were false and baseless. The parents of the deceased students had invited the IG to take over the investigations after declaring that they had lost confidence in the police in Rivers State, having failed to rescue the victims from the mob before they were killed.

    The police had claimed that they were over-powered by the crowd, and that before they (police) could reinforce and storm the scene, the hapless students had been killed and burnt.

    Umuokiri community is widely referred to as university village because of its nearness to the university campus, particularly the Delta Park Campus. The community hosts more students of the institution than the other eight sister communities of Aluu because of its proximity to the school. Most of the private hostels are located in the community and the students patronise them more than the ones located elsewhere.

    Incidentally, many of the students in the community alleged that the natives of Umokiri were good at maltreating their tenants. Twelve of the suspects arrested in connection with the incident, including the paramount ruler of Aluu, Alhaji Hassan Welewa, are still in custody awaiting judgment. So also are the victims’ families and the world at large.

    The prosecution opened his case at the last sitting in August. The police officer who led the team that investigated the killing was also in court at the last sitting in August. His evidence was yet to be concluded. He was the first prosecution witness in the matter that has more than 20 witnesses.

    The parents of the victims are agitated. They want justice to be done in the case and very fast too. They believe that justice in the case would ease the pains they are suffering over the deaths of their children.

    Three of the parents who spoke to The Nation on life without their deceased children in the last one year, prayed that justice would soon be done in the case.

    Few days after the killing had elicited public outcry, students of UNIPORT and some members of the teaching staff embarked on a protest march, blocking the East-West Road of the school. The protesters also moved into Umokiri community, destroying houses in protest against the killing of their colleagues.

    To keep the memories of their deceased loved ones alive, the parents of the Aluu 4 plan to launch a foundation known as Four Friends Dream Alive today. According to them, apart from immortalising the deceased students, the foundation would form a platform for campaign against insecurity and insufficient hostel accommodation on campuses, among others, with a view to preventing a re-occurrence of the fate that befell their children.

    For fear of arrest after the incident, the community was deserted by its residents for several months, leaving only members of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF), who were drafted to secure it against the angry UNIPORT students.

    Following the students’ protests, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph A. Ajienka, shut down the institution and ordered all the students to vacate their hostels and go back home until peace returned. The school was under lock and key for close to one month to forestall complete breakdown of law and order which could lead to the destruction of properties in the school.

    Most of the students refused to vacate the school. Few days after the shut-down, a student and a youth corps member were shot by unknown gun men in front of the school.

    Parents of the four victims, popularly referred to as UNIPORT/ALUU 4, relived their agonies in separate chats with The Nation.

     

    I have memories of my burning son each time I see fire —Lloyd Mike’s Mother, Mrs. Jane Mike Toku

    “But for the grace of God, I don’t think I would still be alive today,” said Lloyd Mikes’ mother, Jane. “What happened was so sudden and devastating. Every Friday seems like a black Friday for my husband since the incident happened. The moment it is Friday, he slips into a kind of mood that seems like the world is standing still for him.

    “For me as the mother, it has not been easy for me either, because Lloyd and I were very close. There were things he could tell me which he would not tell the father. Going to the kitchen has not been easy since my son’s death, because I watched a little bit of what happened to my baby.

    “I saw how he was beaten again and again, and how he was tortured, torn and burnt. So, each time I go near fire, it brings back the memory. I go to the kitchen and feel a little bit of heat. It takes me back to that incident and the next thing is that I will begin to cry and walk out of the kitchen.

    “For this one year, to tell you the truth, it has not been easy. What would I say about his younger ones? No day passes without they remembering him. All they do is to sing and play his music. We had to move away from where we were living for this place to see if we can forget. There, it was as if his presence was everywhere around the house. As you moved from one part of the house to the other, it was as if he was around, and the next thing you remember is the pain he went through.

    “People die every day. If he was sick and died, there would not have been any problem. But the torture, the pain he went through is what has refused to leave my mind. The moment it is 3 am, my eyes are dried of sleep. All I do is to think about my boy and his three friends and what they went through.”

    She said her boy’s growing up days were good. According to her, although Lloyd was a bit stubborn, he was obedient and respectful.

    “He swept the house, bathed his younger ones and assisted in other house chores. But he did not know how to cook. Lloyd was the only child in the family for 11 years. My husband and I had already resigned to fate that we might not have another child. But when we least expected, the others came.

    “So, for a very long time, he was the only child we had. You can imagine the kind of love and affection that were poured on him. Even after the other ones came, our love for him did not wane. Lloyd was like my husband. Most people did not believe that he was my child.

    “My son had great dreams for us the parents and the younger ones. It was his desire to finish school quickly and start making money so he could send his younger ones overseas to study. He had always told them that the Nigeria school system and environment were not good enough, and that they shouldn’t worry, he would send them abroad to study.

    “You could imagine the kind of joy that overwhelmed my heart when I overheard him telling them that. My husband and I were not around. I just walked in when he was talking to them. I was like thank God, this boy is already making plans for his younger brothers. If so, then we had a shoulder to lean on tomorrow, I concluded in my heart.

    “The father was very optimistic of him, and kept challenging him to graduate quickly so he could begin to take responsibilities for his younger ones. But like a candle in the wind…”

     

    Life without my son is like food without salt, says Chiadika’s mother

    For Chiadika Biringa’s mother, Chinwe, one year without his late son is an experience she does not wish even her enemy.

    She said: “Honestly, I did not know that I could still be alive till today. This informed the reason for my giving praises to God Almighty every day. Life without Chiadika is like food without salt. But I won’t question God. He gave Chiadika to me. If He did not permit Chiadika’s death, He would have averted it. Since it pleased Him, I give glory to Him for my life.

    “I have always believed that jungle justice is not good. Nobody is guilty until he/she is found guilty. All I want now is justice.”

    She described her late son as awesome, brilliant, gentle, friendly, respectful and compassionate.

    She said: “I will always remember him for his care, love and observance. Chiadika was a child that each time I made my hair and stepped into the house, he would be the first to observe and admire me. When the father shaved his hair, he would be the one to observe first and commend it.

    “What am I talking about here? What can I say about my gifted son? There are lots of things to remember him for every day. He would rather go without food for his younger brothers to eat, if there was shortage in the house.

    “He loved me so much. You know he was my first son. So, we were very close. He was very instructive and took every piece of good advice given him.”

    Suspecting mysterious connection in the death of the four first sons of their parents, she asked: “Why must they be first sons, of the same age bracket? It is only God that can tell, and I want Him to unravel it.

    “He grew up with hard work and discipline. He attended Staff Nursery and Primary School, Federal Government College, Rumuokoro, and later proceded to the Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Borokiri, both in Port Harcourt, and then UNIPORT where he was in second year Theatre Arts before he was abruptly caught off in cold blood.

    “My son was a brilliant chap for whom no heart quaked on whether or not he would pass his examinations and very well too, because he was above average in class. My child was in ‘B’ brain category. He went into Theatre Arts because of his passion for acting and dancing.”

     

    The vacuum created by Ugonna’s death can’t be filled —Father, Mr. Messiah Obuzor

    “One year without Ugonna has been quite difficult for the family. It is something that we didn’t imagine could happen. The vacuum created by Ugonna’s absence cannot be filled. I still have not actually come to terms with the fact that the boy is not there, because on a daily basis, the thought of him is there. Not just with me alone but with the other siblings. Words cannot capture it. We grieve over it every other day. It has happened. We look up to God.”

    Recalling the growing up days of his late son, he said: “Ugonna grew up under my own tutelage. The only time he had left my immediate environment was his early years in secondary school (junior secondary school). Thereafter, he came back and lived with me until he left secondary school.

    “He left my immediate environment again when he entered the university for two years before he was killed.

    “I knew him well enough. He never lied to me, irrespective of the situation. We were not just like father and son, we were like the best of friends. He was as tall as I am. He didn’t have any major lack that someone should tag him a thief and kill him. Well, I know that God knows the truth.”

    The soft-spoken father explained why the bereaved parents decided to float a foundation, which would be inaugurated in honour of the victims today.

    According to him, “We cannot continue to sorrow for life. What happened to us could have happened to any other child that is exposed to a similar situation in the university environment.

    “We have the feeling that if we just let it go, it will still continue to be happening. The essence for setting up the foundation is to fill some gaps within the university communities in order to forestall a re-occurrence of what happened to us.

    “We are of the view that if we float a foundation, we can intervene in certain areas where students are exposed to risk in the university environment, so that what we will not be able to do, the foundation can.

    “We are going to build hostels in the university, so that students will no longer live off campus to face what our children faced when they were killed.

    “Again, the foundation intends to carry a campaign that will sensitise the police enough such that if there is any activity going on within the school environment which the students are not comfortable with, they can reach out to the police. If any of the students had called or reached out to the police when they were killing our sons, maybe the police would have got there before they were killed.”

    On Ugonna’s unfulfilled dreams, he said: “As a young man, Ugonna dreamt of becoming a great man. He actually wanted to read Civil Engineering, but when that didn’t appear to be what he was realising, he opted for Geology. But he still kept his dream of becoming a civil engineer alive. He would always tell me that after his course in Geology, he would still go back to read Civil Engineering. And for his age, I assured him that he had no problem; he could still go on if he wished. And because he was an intelligent child, I knew he could do it. Unfortunately what happened just happened.”

    Eighteen persons, including the paramount ruler of Aluu community, Alhaji Hassan Welewa, a retired police sergeant, a woman and three students of the university were held and charged to court in connection with the killings.

  • Ijaw, Itsekiri denounce killings

    Hope for peace rose yesterday in the troubled Benin River of Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, following a peace meeting between the Egbema Ijaw and Itsekiri held in Warri.

    Tempers rose between the age-long neighbours in the wake of last week’s brutal killing of over 13 Itsekiri by armed Ijaw criminal gang. At least three infants were killed by the hoodlums.

    Yesterday’s meeting was convened by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and it was attended by prominent Itsekiri and Ijaw leaders. Uduaghan said President Goodluck Jonathan was on top of the security challenges in the area and has asked security chiefs to curtail the situation.

    Reacting to allegation of government’s perceived nonchalant attitude to the plight of the people, the governor said his decision was to avoid sending wrong signals, ostensibly because of his tribal background.

    He said: “Let nobody use this incident to blackmail anybody. Let me assure everybody here that what has happened, as we have agreed, is purely criminal. Some arrests have been more and more will be made.”

    Emmanuel Ebimami, who led the Ijaw team comprising Sunny Jero, Ezekiel Akpasibouwei and others, denounced the attacks, maintaining that it was neither an Ijaw agenda nor part of agitation for political posts in the council.

    He said: “We have been trying to ensure peace that is why the incident came to us as a surprise. Our position is that no reasonable Ijaw man will say what they (attackers) have done is good. If an Itsekiri kill my fellow Ijaw I will not be happy.”

    Speaking in the same vein, Michael Diden, a former chairman of the council, who led Itsekiri leaders, including Thomas Ereyitomi, Ayirimi Emami and Omolubi Newuwumi, called for a lasting solution to the problem.

    “They (perpetrators) want to cause commotion in the rivers so that they can continue to steal oil unhindered. This is not political; it is purely a criminal act that must be treated as such. The boys must be fished out and made to face the music.”