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Tag: Taraba

  • Taraba needs APC now more than ever – Omar

    Alhaji Aliyu Omar (MON), a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is a career diplomat and former Nigerian Liaison Officer at the United Nations (UN). In this interview with Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, in Jalingo, Omar took a look at the performance of the current administration in the state and concluded that there is an urgent need for the people of the state to enthrone an APC government in 2019. Excerpts

    WHY are you, a well-known diplomat, in the race for the governorship seat of your state?

    First and foremost, I am in the race to address the widening divide between our two great religions. Not long ago, I met one of the top guns of the current administration; I said, ‘you are one of the leaders of the state. Look at the divisions we are having growing wider and wider. Why don’t you do something about it? He looked at me and said the divisions were far gone, and it would be impossible to get the state back to where it was.

    This could be the defeatist view of the government right there! A leader saying he had given up on trying to unite his people! I was very disappointed and started hoping that one of the next candidates for governor would focus on the unity of Tarabians. That was when I concluded there is a serious need for us to change the PDP administration in Taraba and install an APC regime in 2019.

    So when the people approached me and said it is a technocrat who had never run for office before that they desire to lead them, I took some time to think about it before I was finally persuaded. Like our people desire, I want to be the new face that will appeal to both Muslims and Christians; young and old.

    In the past, late Governor Danbaba had tried severally to get me into politics, but I politely declined. The same way some top politicians approached me to run for a political office, but I also declined that. All the people who know me also know my aversion to politics. I am in the race this time because of where Taraba State and Tarabians found themselves presently. I know it is normal for every politician to say he was called to serve, but you should wonder why I never joined politics during Governor Danbaba’s time, when it would have been an ‘easy pick’ for me. Again, you would have noticed that it took quite some time before I confirmed my candidature, even though some people went to the extent of putting up my banners.

    Our leaders now are making the people to concentrate on the things that divide us, which are religion, tribe and region, instead of the many more things that unite us like the yearning for fair and just governance, the need for peace and unity, potable water, good roads, good hospitals, and so many other things. This should stop.

    Number two is my very deep passion for Taraba State and Tarabians. Look at all the resources we have in Taraba. If you take out any one of them, it is enough to sustain the state. Take out timber, our several solid minerals, tomatoes, farm produce, anything you want but we are not concentrating on all those things, instead we are just relying solely on federal grant which is not very good. Tomorrow if the oil dries up, where are we going to? I believe it is high time somebody brings the people together.

    But do you think you can clinch the ticket of the APC in the state given the situation of things within the party today?

    Yes, we have two groups in the Taraba State APC today. I belong to the Integrity Group. I am not the spokesman for the group, so I cannot say much. However, both groups are doing their best to come together, especially with the efforts of our new National Chairman who is an astute administrator. I believe we shall soon settle or differences.

    The division in the party will soon be over and the party will come together. I am very sure of that and in the end we will be able to come up with one person that we will all support. With the way Tarabians are tired of the happenings in the state presently, I am sure the next government in Taraba State will be APC.

    As to my chances at the primary, I am not desperate. I am in the race for the people and fighting the system. I believe in politics without bitterness. At this point in time, we really need to bring the people together. I have reached out to many aspirants to let us come and bring forward the best, irrespective of who he is; someone with a vision and mission to take the state to the greater heights that we all will be proud of.

    Don’t you think presenting yourself as a Danbaba associate will affect your acceptability to some groups and persons within and outside your party?

    Yes, I am a Danbaba loyalist, but I think everybody in the end is an individual. Of course, Danbaba has influenced me greatly, and this happens when you stay with somebody. Whoever you stay with will rub off some of his traits on you. You could just choose the best of him, observe his shortfalls, and learn how to avoid them. Danbaba is indisputably the best governor Taraba State has had so far. So, yes I am his loyalist to the core, but I will try and improve on his shortfalls. The only thing is that when you say this guy is my friend then you know that whatever is the bulk of the things he does you like.

    When Governor Danbaba was in power, I was always in touch on developments in my state. I loved the way he governed by bringing peace and unity to the Taraba people, and I thought being his friend, and seeing how he did it, I could make an impact and unite the people of Taraba, and make the state how it should be.

    The quest for peace and security of lives and properties is one major desire of all and sundry in Taraba today. How can you achieve this if elected?

    Like I said before, if you rule people justly and fairly, peace will follow immediately; wherever you see a crisis, there is some kind of injustice. Some people feel short-changed that is why there is crisis. There is no way you will please everybody but when you treat the bulk and everybody right, then in the end there will be peace.

    You talk about change often. Are you dissatisfied with the performance of the current administration?

    I am in the race because I am not satisfied yet with what we have currently. I think the governor is doing something but he’s not doing enough. I mean his regime, and not himself. I don’t want to talk about just an individual. The government is not doing enough, they could do more, a lot more and that is why we are here. We have come more to fight the system than an individual.

  • Eid-el-Kabir: Peace remains most critical need – Ishaku

    Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku on Tuesday reminded Muslims that peace remains the most critical need in Nigeria especially in Taraba State where many residents have died and thousands displaced from their ancestral homes to crisis.

    He spoke in a statement while rejoicing with Muslims on the Eid-el-Kabir. “I wish all Muslims a happy, peaceful and delightful Eid-el-Kabir celebration,” the statement said.

    The governor’s Sallah felicitation message was delivered by his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media and Publicity, Bala Dan Abu.

    “I rejoice with the Muslim Ummah in Taraba State as they join their counterparts in Nigeria and all over the world to mark this year’s Eid-el-Kabir.

    “Peace remains the most critical need of the state and this can only be achieved and sustained if the people remain united against the agents of destabilisation; against those who are bent on causing breakdown of law and order in the land,” the governor said.

    Ishaku prayed for “Allah’s abundant blessings and benevolence upon Nigerians.” He thank God for the gift of life, and reminded Sallah celebrants of the need for them to continue to work very hard for peace in Taraba and the country.

    Read Also: Eid-El-Kabir: Embrace peace, love – Lagos APC women leader

    The governor re-assured them of government’s commitment to his “rescue agenda” which he noted, has already impacted positively in job creation and skills acquisition and also led to an unprecedented improvements in WAEC scores by Taraba students.

    “The provision of water to more than 250 communities, renovation and re-equipment of major hospitals in the state and construction of major roads in the three senatorial zone etc, are only a few of the numerous achievements my administration has put in place.

    “In the years ahead, a lot more will be done in terms of service delivery and in support of the welfare of the people. Let me urge all indigenes and non-indigenes of the state to continue to support this administration.”

  • 11 feared killed, many injured in Taraba crisis

    Eleven persons -all men, were reported killed in the ongoing crisis in Lau local government area of Taraba state.
     
    Killer-herdsmen went on a fresh rampage in Kunini village of Lau on Saturday, killing eight persons.
     
    The killers, who invaded at night, set many homes ablaze.
     
    But Sunday, soldiers  gunned down one of the mourning and protesting youths.
     
    Lau has been in crisis since January, leaving at least 141 persons dead and most of the settlements destroyed.
     
    Violence resurfaced on Thursday at a Masquerade Festival in Wailawa. Two residents were injured.
     
    On Friday, the Commissioner of Police, David Akinremi, deployed a team of policemen to join forces with the divisional police officer in the area and end the skirmishes.
     
    But the policemen were ambushed by the rampaging armed bandits. In a crossfire, however, two of the marauders were killed by the police.
     
    Two arrests were made, with some weapons, motorbikes and charms recovered.
     
    Soldiers deployed to the area for the purpose of maintaining peace, reportedly fired and killed one of the angry youths who had gathered to protest the invasion and killing of their people by herdsmen.
     
    According to eyewitnesses, this happened when the bodies of the eight persons murdered by herdsmen were being taken for a mass burial.
     
    Police spokesman, David Misal, in a statement on Saturday said: “On August 2, 2018, the Command received a distress call that during a traditional masquerade festival initiation in Wailawa, fracas erupted between the leaders of the festival in Waillawa and the Fulani community resulting to the injury of two persons.
     
    “The situation was brought under control as a result of the prompt intervention of the Lau Divisional Police officer.
     
    “However, the following day August 3, 2018 the commissioner of police deployed additional patrol teams to the area to complement the effort of the Divisional Police officer.
     
    “On arrival, a  peace meeting involving community leaders from both sides of the ethnic groups in the area was called. While the meeting was about to start a gunshot was heard from the surrounding communities which causedtension.
     
    “The teams promptly brought the situation  under control but some houses had been burnt from both sides, with two people killed and six injured.
     
    “While  effort was ongoing to restore peace, information was received that Garin Tafida Village came under attack bysome hoodlums in a reprisal attack and  patrol teams were drafted to the area.
     
    “While on their way they were ambushed by armed men on motorcycles who  engaged the team in  gun battle.
     
    “The team in a show of bravery Confronted the hoodlums and shot two of them to death. Two were arrested while some of the attackers escaped with bullets wounds.
     
    “Items  recovered included two motorcycles, five cutlasses, and assorted charms.” 
     
     In January, 68 persons were killed by herdsmen in Lau, Taraba state. When Benue state lowered its flag half mast to bury 73 victims of herdsmen attack in brown boxes, Taraba committed their dead to earth in mass graves, without caskets.
     
     Last month, the Yandang Community in Lau, led by Alfred Kobbiba, a Special Adviser to Governor Darius Ishaku on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), said it has 62 persons in the renewed hostilities.  
     
    The latest violence has displaced over 5000 persons, some of them sustaining severe injuries.
     
    The Chairman of Lau local government council, Weni Yafi Weni, who once took reporters to the scenes of destruction, has cried out that the state and federal government should wade in with honesty and all seriousness to end the crisis.
     

  • When hell visited Taraba

    • Communities in North East state smart from deadly communal clashes.

    • Scores dead, 3,000 displaced in attacks on 50 villages.

    • Outrage over fresh killing of six alleged cattle rustlers at market square.

    It is a season of blood flow in Taraba State. People are killed on a daily basis in violent confrontations impelled by drive for grazing fields, farmlands and allegations of cow rustling. The Northeast state which prides itself as nature’s gift is enveloped in fear.

    No fewer than 73 persons were believed to have died from communal clashes between the Hausa-Fulani and Yandang communities in Lau Local Government Area of the state. About 50 villages were also burnt. By the time the dust settled, more than 3,000 people had become homeless.

    Only last Sunday, residents of the local government area were preparing their evening meals when they heard bone-chilling sounds of gunshots. The staccato sound of gunshots was not new to residents.

    A killer militia masquerading as herdsmen had invaded the vast swathe of the council area. Without being told, they ran helter-skelter for dear lives, but it was too late. Forty-two persons, mainly aged men, women and children, were reportedly fell by bullets from the guns of the gunmen.

    A heart-rending story was told of how a septuagenarian woman ran to hide herself in a flowering shrub but had her throat sliced by another set of herdsmen who had laid ambush.

    In all, more than 20 villages were sacked, crop farms destroyed and homes torched.

    When our correspondent visited the scenes of slaughter on Tuesday, the affected villages looked like ‘ghost towns.’ Lau was completely deserted. Not even security personnel were seen, even though police spokesman, David Misal, said SARS and MOPOL commanders had “temporarily” relocated to the affected areas to calm the situation.

    Among the affected villages are Bujum-Yashi, Bujum-Wagure, Bujum-Waya, Wagure, Bujum-Kasuwa, Bujum-Centre, Yoti, Galadimawa, Bamga-Dutse, San-Turaki and Mayo-Lope.

    Others are Yilti, Bunzung, Sabon-Gida, Kwajafa, Sobon-Layi, Budon, Bawa-Garki and Kpanti Ladi.

    “They came and began to attack and kill, without provocation. You can see how they have burnt down all the villages,” lamented Bitru Dare, a resident of Bujum-Kasuwa.

    The Chairman of Lau Local Government Council, Weni Yafi Weni, who conducted reporters round the rubbles, cried out that the state and federal government should jointly wade in and stop the crisis.

    He said: “I see no end to this crisis, and I can see hunger looming because we are in rainy season and nobody is farming. The little farms made have been destroyed.

    “I am calling on the government to provide enough security for displaced people to return to their homes.”

    In January, 68 persons were killed by herdsmen in the same Lau villages. When Benue State lowered its flag as it buried 73 victims of herdsmen attack in brown boxes, Taraba committed their dead to earth in mass graves, without caskets.

    The latest attacks have displaced more than 3000 persons, some of them sustaining severe injuries. The bulk of the displaced persons are taking refuge in Negatavah Primary and Secondary school in Jalingo while others are camped in Pupule and Pantisawa, all in neighbouring Yorro Local Government Area.

    Camps of despair

    A visit to the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps revealed a people in anguish and without hope. As the children can no longer attend schools in their ancestral districts, so their parents have abandoned their jobs, predominantly farming and teaching. They sleep on bare floor while they are bitten by mosquitoes and other insects.

    They look hungry, with symptoms of ill health. What about the rains that hit them when there is cloudburst? They have no basic utilities such as clothing items and cooking utensils. Yet, they live in fear that even in the camps, they could be attacked.

    The Nation gathered that the displaced persons are a distraction to pupils that school in those camps. Some women, for instance, bathe in the open, it was learnt.

    Police spokesman, David Misal, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations were shuttling the camps on a daily basis to monitor the situation.

    He added: “We are also engaging critical stakeholders from the area in series of meetings with a view to restoring peace.”

    Taraba State Deputy Governor, Haruna Manu, at the prompting of Governor Darius Ishaku on Monday visited the IDP camps in Pantisawa and Pupule, all in Yorro Local Government Area. He was accompanied by the Deputy Speaker, Mohammed Gwampo, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Anthony Jellason, the Military Commander, MS Adamu and the Commissioner of Police, David Akinremi.

    The deputy governor was received by the council chairman of Yorro, Joseph Sonweri; the chief of Pupule (Kpantin Kwaji), HRH Abubakar Buba Nyala and the chief of Mumuye, HRH Ado Adamu Mazan.

    Manu brought the affected ethnic groups, Yandang, Mumuye and Fulani, together, to listen to details of the crisis. After listening to all the parties, the deputy governor told them the hard truth: “Nobody can bring peace to you; you must crave for it.

    “Peace lies in your very hands. And the government is preaching peace but you prefer violence. You are the ones to suffer the consequences. We are tired of continuously begging you to embrace truce.

    “If you invite an outsider to come and assist you to fight, in the end, you are the one to feel the brunt. Peace is the prerequisite for sustainable development.

    “In crisis, you and your children will not achieve anything in life. You must shun the sentiments of ethnicity and religion. You must co-habit, whether you like it or not. So, don’t be deceived.” Manu noted that the crisis has brought Taraba State several steps backward.

    Herdsmen kill six in cattle market

    Despite the deputy governor’s warning on Monday, herdsmen struck at a suburb of Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, on Tuesday, killing six traders at Iware market. The deceased were also robbed of their cash, it was learnt.

    Five of the victims are natives of Mayo-Lope, Lau Local Government Area which is already sacked by herdsmen violence. The other victim, whose name was given as Ethan Nast, is a resident of Damsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

    The victims were accused of cow rustling. But a dependable source said: “The men, already displaced by crisis involving herdsmen in their area (Lau) on Tuesday came to Iware market with their cows to sell, do some other businesses and alleviate their suffering. But they were trailed by their assailants all the way from Mayo-Lope, who hacked them to death at the market square.”

    The source added that the killers disappeared immediately after the attack.

    Eyewitnesses said the killers invaded the market as though they were traders.

    A source said as the market began to swell with buyers and sellers, the attackers emerged from the crowd in large numbers and started attacking the victims with machete. Four bodies were counted immediately.

    One of the victims identified as Baban Lumu, a cement dealer from Mayo-Lope, was fleeing from his attackers to a nearby police post. But no sooner had he arrived the police station than he fell down and died from the multiple cuts inflicted on him. Police recovered N80,050 from him. Another victim died in hospital.

    “The market was disrupted as everyone ran for dear lives,” an eyewitness told The Nation.

    Armed policemen, led by a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Abubakar Inusa, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), arrived the scene in the nick of time. They were seen battling hard to restore normalcy and convey the injured to the hospital.

    Three persons who were seriously injured were taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Jalingo, but one of them died in the hospital of “excess bleeding.”

    Six bodies were deposited at FMC’s morgue. The arrival of the bodies threw the hospital into mourning with many patients, particularly women, wailing and weeping.

    Police spokesman, David Misal, who confirmed the attack and killings to our correspondent, said: “Six people were killed at Iware market by yet-to-be-identified persons.

    “Some people brought cows to the market to sell but were attacked and killed when information got to herdsmen that the cows were stolen ones,” he said.

    Misal, who said the police were able to restore calm in the area, disclosed that the Police Command was gathering intelligence on how to trace those behind the attack and whether the attack was a spill over from the violence in Lau.

    “We are trying to find out the perpetrators who took the law into their hands instead of reporting to us, if really a case of cattle rustling was established,” he said.

    Governor condemns killings

    Governor Darius Ishaku has condemned the killing of traders by herdsmen in the state. He said although cattle rustling is a crime that cannot be condoned by the authorities, the allegation that the victims had stolen cows was not enough reason to kill them.

    The governor visited the scene of the incident on Tuesday while returning from Makurdi, Benue State, where he had attended a function with the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, and Middle Belt leaders, calling for the restructuring of Nigeria, particularly the security architecture.

    The governor on Wednesday met with the Commissioner of Police in the state and the Divisional Police Officer of the area “to look into the details of the killings and for proper handling of the matter.”

    Speaking with our correspondent, Governor Ishaku said: “The victims were accused of stealing cows, but that is not enough reason to waste their lives. It is unfortunate that today, everyone has the audacity to kill at will. The security architecture of this country must be restructured.”

    The Yandang community in the state on Wednesday said the killing of six Yandang traders at Iware market square brought the total number of its natives killed by herdsmen to 62, only from last Sunday.

    Leader of the Yandang ethnic group, Alfred Kobbiba, who condemned the attack and killing, said the victims were not cattle rustlers.

    “All the six people killed in Iware cattle market are well known to me and I can attest to their good character. The cows they brought to the market for sale were their personal cows. Our people are in the business of cattle rearing too, contrary to the claims of the attackers.

    “If the cows were really stolen from them, why didn’t they report the matter for their cows to be returned? Instead, they killed the people and disappeared.”

    Kobbiba, a Special Adviser to Governor Darius Ishaku on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), said they were demanding justice over the dastardly act.

  • Communal clashes claim 73 lives in Taraba – Groups

    No fewer than 73 persons are feared killed and about 50 villages burnt in  renewed violence between the Hausa-Fulani and Yandang communities in Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State.

    The state chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Sahabi Mahmoud, told journalists in Jalingo yesterday that the hostilities, which started on July 5, have  claimed the lives of more than 23 of his members.

    He said that over 3,000 displaced Hausa-Fulanis, mainly women and children, who fled the area, are currently taking refuge at the Muslim Council Secretariat in Jalingo and other neighbouring local government areas.

    Mahmoud lamented that it was “unfortunate” that since the displaced persons arrived the Muslim Council Secretariat in Jalingo, no government official has visited the camp or provided any relief material to the victims.

    An  elder of the Yandang community, Mr. Aaron Artimas, said more than 50 persons from the side of the Yandang and other ethnic groups  in area are feared dead  as a result of the conflicts.

    Artimas noted that the Hausa-Fulanis, Yandang, Mumuye  , Yoti and others  had lived in the area as brothers and sisters without problems for centuries.

    He blamed the recent recurring conflicts on incitement from people outside the area who wanted to remain relevant politically.

    He said: “Some militia from neighbouring Adamawa State have infiltrated into Babagasa, a border village between Taraba and Adamawa, and have been wreaking havoc on all the surrounding villages in Lau Local Government in Taraba.

    “Villages such as Tikule, Bariki, Santuraki, Budong, Mbonding and Panti-Ladda, among others, were burnt by the militia.

    “Over 2,000 displaced persons from the affected villages are currently taking refuge at the Central Primary School, Jalingo.

    “Some are in other villages like Sunkani, Apawa, Zing and Bali all in Taraba, while several others fled to Gorobi, Sabon-Gida, Bujum and Mayo-Belwa in Adamawa State.

  • Plateau killings: PDP knocks Presidency for kicking against call for mourning

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed shock at a statement credited to the Presidency justifying its failure to stem the tide of killings and bloodletting in the country, particularly in the Plateau, Zamfara,  Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Borno, Kogi, Taraba and other troubled states.

    In a statement on Thursday by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, the Presidency had condemned PDP’s call for seven days mourning in honour of the over 200 villagers killed in Plateau State on Sunday.

    In a statement on Thursday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party said it’s reprehensible that the Presidency had displayed its usual arrogance and insensitivity too the mood of the nation.

    The statement said, “It is disturbing that even in death, the Buhari Presidency still wants to deny these victims of callous murder the honour of being mourned.

    Read Also: Oshiomhole to Presidency, National Assembly: I’ll uphold party supremacy

    “We are particularly appalled that instead of joining Nigerians in mourning the dead and seeking ways to stem the escalation of the bloodletting under its watch, the Buhari Presidency is engaged in morbid reference to past killings as if the lives of Nigerians have no value under President Buhari’s watch.

    “The PDP, as a party, will continue to identify with Nigerians at this troubled time irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliations and will therefore not allow itself to be dragged into a needless mire with the Buhari Presidency, which has shown by its statement, that it has no iota of regard for the lives of Nigerians.

    “PDP urges the Buhari Presidency to confront the challenge of fulfilling the basic responsibility of governance by providing security to the lives and property of all Nigerians, irrespective of their creed, tribe and political affiliations.

    “Finally, the PDP assures Nigerians that we will not be deterred in speaking out against the killings and the failure of the Buhari administration to take concrete steps to stem this ugly tide”.

  • $322m Abacha loot: Cash transfers to poor homes begin in July

    The Federal Government says it will commence disbursement of the recovered 322 million dollars Abacha loot through Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) to 302,000 poor households in 19 states in July.

    Mr Tukur Rumar, of the National Cash Transfer Office (NTCO), said this at a roundtable on assets recovery organised by the Swiss Embassy on Thursday, in Abuja.

    The event was organised to intimate citizens and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the efforts both nations were making on asset recovery after the Post-Global Forum on Assets Recovery (GFAR) held in Washington D.C. in Dec. 2017.

    At the forum, Nigeria made commendable commitments on beneficial ownership, tax transparency, asset recovery, transparency management of recovered funds and payments to victims of corruption.

    The states are: Niger, Kogi, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Kwara, Cross River, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarrawa, Anambra and Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) in Borno.

    According to Rumar, the benefiting households will receive N5,000 monthly and are derived from the National Social Register (NSR) that the 19 states are already on.

    He said the programme was designed to also train beneficiaries on livelihood skills, social skills and other programmes that would change their lives completely.

    Rumar, however, said that NCTO had been making payments to the 46,000 poor and vulnerable households across the 19 states since Dec. 2016, adding that the number had increased to 290,000.

    Mr Iorwa Apera, the National Coordinator, National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), said 503,055 households were already on the NSR register from the 19 states, adding that by July, there would be a social register for all the states of the federation.

    He said that of the Abacha loot, about 302,000 poor homes across the 19 states would be mined by the NCTO to begin to receive the Abacha loot.

    Apera told the participants that the Federal Government would begin with those states, because they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NASSCO to put in place certain infrastructure to empower the national register.

    “Some of the states delayed, but the other ones were quick enough to set up infrastructure that allowed us to start work there, but all the states are now on board as they have set up their state operating offices and donated office equipment to us.

    “As states come on board, we enroll and so they extend to the beneficiary register, and presently we are generating data in all the states now,’’ he said.

    Read Also: EFCC launches probe as $500m Abacha loot goes missing

    Mrs Linda Ekeator of the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment said the Abacha loot was invested in the social investment programme, because it was a programme that was already supported by the World Bank.

    She said that before the money was returned to Nigeria, there was an agreement with the Swiss government that it should be used for alleviating poverty and this was to be done with the supervision of the World Bank.

    The Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Eric Mayoraz said the 722 million dollars of the Abacha family money that was hidden in Switzerland was fully repatriated in 2005.

    He also said that the 322 million dollars that was repatriated in Dec. 2017, was money that was frozen by the Swiss Attorney-General, but was not domiciled in Switzerland, but in other countries, mainly Luxembourg.

    He, however, said measures had been put in place to ensure that Swiss banks were not used to hide stolen funds from other countries.

    “For possible new cases, the Swiss legislation has fundamentally changed.

    “The law in Switzerland does not allow bank secrecy anymore, and all banks and financial institutions have a due diligence duty to ask everyone coming with money where it is coming from.

    “That does not mean that there are no illegal or stolen assets now in Switzerland, but then there is another instrument I signed myself with the Nigerian Ministry of Justice and Switzerland two years ago on mutual legal assistance and this is for new cases.

    “Now, this agreement with our own Ministry of Justice and Nigeria is that there will be direct communication and exchange on mutual legal request and we are really collaborating with EFCC and other agencies in Nigeria,’’ Mayoraz.

    The Executive Director, ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor, said for Nigerian citizens to not keep spreading rumours about the whereabouts of recovered loots, the government must be transparent in all the processes.

    He also said that CSOs should be given access to the social register to enable it monitor properly whether or not the beneficiaries received what was due to them.

  • ‘Government must stop killings’

    Pan-Igbo socio-cultural group, Igboekulie has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to address the orgy of killings in the country.

    The president of Igboekulie Prince Ben Onuora in a statement said last Saturday’s killings in Plateau State, where over 100 citizens were killed was condemnable.

    He said Nigerians were becoming hopeless on security

    He added:  “Our President cannot continue to do the same thing all over again and expect a different outcome. After each round of killings in Benue, Taraba, Zamfara, Nasarawa, Kogi, Enugu, Delta, Ondo and other places, Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari condemns the killings, promising to improve on the security of the nation.  These promises are hardly kept because nothing seems to change beyond the presidential commiseration.”

    The group said government’s failure to arrest and prosecute the killers and their collaborators was making the situation hopeless.

    “Igboekulie condemns in very strong terms the unabating massacre of innocent Nigerians by invading and rampaging herdsmen who appear to have immunity against arrest or prosecution.

    Read Also: Killings: Buhari to put more pressure on security chiefs

    “We also, condemn the unwholesome nonchalance of the Federal Government of Nigeria to the unprecedented loss of lives in the past three years.  An FGN that has successfully dealt with restive groups across Nigeria cannot suddenly be helpless, unless out of mischief, when it concerns the murderous herdsmen.

    “After three years of unrelenting bloodshed, it is time for the President, as Commander-in-Chief, to critically evaluate the performance of the security agencies and rejig same to reflect the diversity of the country in line with the federal character principle.

    “This nation is being brought to its knees daily with unprovoked violence by people who insist on illegally grazing their cattle on the farmlands of other Nigerians.  If this journey to anarchy is allowed to continue, no one is sure of how it would end.”

    “We call on all other socio-cultural groups to rise and condemn the spate of killings by the protected invaders against the weak in our society and the contrived helplessness of the FGN.  An injury to one is an injury to all.  If this madness is not halted, it could be the turn of your community tomorrow.”

  • Taraba bridge collapses after downpour

    Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing has announced the collapsed of a bridge linking Jalingo and Wukari at Maraban Gassol in Taraba State.

    Fashola, in statement signed by Mr Theodore Ogaziechi, the Director of Information in the ministry in Abuja said the incident occurred after downpour on Wednesday evening.

    He said the contractor on the axis had been mobilized to commence emergency palliative to ease flow of traffic on the road.

    The minister therefore, urged motorists to use alternate route through Jalingo – Garba Cheda – Bali – Takum – Katsina Ala adding that palliative work would commence on Thursday.

    He said the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi had deployed Road Marshals to the scene of the incident to ease the diversion of traffic on the route.

    Fashola said motorists and the general public would be informed of further developments on the route as the palliative work progresses. (NAN)

  • NiMet predicts thunderstorms, rains on Thursday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted prospects of thunderstorms with rains over the central states such as Makurdi, Jos, Taraba, Kaduna, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Abuja, Bauchi and Gombe on Thursday morning.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Wednesday also predicted day and night temperatures in the range of 26 to 30 and 18 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively.

    It added that Bida, Minna, Abuja, Lafia, Lokoja, Jos and Ilorin axis were envisaged to experience thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening hours.

    The agency predicted that the southern states would experience moderate rains over the entire coastal cities and southeast inland such as Enugu, Owerri, Awka and Abakaliki axis in the morning hours.

    It also predicted localised rain/showers over the coastal and inland states later in the day with day and night temperatures in the range of 28 to 30 and 21 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively.

    According to NiMet, northern states will experience thunderstorms with rains over Maiduguri, Nguru, Katsina, Kano and Dutse axis in the morning hours.

    “Sokoto, Gusau, Yelwa and Kebbi will have prospects of thunderstorm with rains in the afternoon and evening hours with day and night temperatures of 33 to 37 and 21 to 27 degrees Celsius respectively.

    “There are prospects of thunderstorms and rains over several parts of the country with varying intensities in the next 24 hours,” NiMet predicts.