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Tag: violence

  • ‘We’re not responsible for Ibadan violence’

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State yesterday denied claims by Accord that its supporters attacked Accord members at a rally in Odinjo, Ibadan, on Sunday.

    Two people died and scores others were injured when thugs attacked an Accord rally oranised by a House of Representatives candidate, Gbenga Adewusi and a candidate for the House of Assembly election, Ademola Ige.

    The APC said the political violence was a supremacy battle between thugs supporting one of the candidates and hoodlums in the area.

    The party, which called on security agencies to prosecute the perpetrators, emphasised that the pride of the Abiola Ajimobi-led administration was the peace it worked hard to achieve in the last four years.

    APC Chairman Chief Akin Oke said Accord was quick to blame the APC for the violence, when it was aware that its supporters and a group of hoodlums clashed in a battle for supremacy.

    The APC Chairman said none of the eight suspects arrested is an APC member, adding that none of them confessed to be an APC supporter.

    He said APC is a party of peaceful people who are constantly working for the peace and progress of the state.

    Oke said: “It is regrettable that the organisers of the rally and the Accord leadership are quick to blame our great party for the incident which, we understand, has been turned to another mantra by the opposition to make a mince meat of APC’s peace mantra in the state.

    “As a responsive party, we feel pained each time the agents of darkness achieve their goal of puncturing the prevailing peace and tranquility in the land by sponsoring violence.

    “The rally could have been held to disrupt the peace since organisers deliberately refused to obtain police permit or even inform any security agency as required by law.

    “The fact that only the two Accord  candidates were present at the rally, speaks volume.

    “We have it on good authority that the fracas which ensued during the rally was instigated by a supremacy battle between two groups of miscreants-one belonging to the campaign train of Akeem Ademola Ige and the other belonging to some urchins at Odinjo.

    “We also got wind of a clandestine meeting which was held among some leaders of the PDP, Accord and Labour Party, where it was agreed that APC members would be attacked.

    “We make bold to say that no APC member was involved in the mayhem. We are using this medium to warn the opposition against further breach of peace.”

  • We can defeat violence with education – Obaji

    We can defeat violence with education – Obaji

    Philip Obaji Jr. is the founder of the 1 GAME Campaigns advocating basic primary education for the over 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria. Obaji, who is also a Global Youth Ambassador, spoke to David Lawal on Boko Haram and it political undertone, Chibok girls and government’s role in education. 

    Kindly give a brief insight into your background?

    I was born on August 8, 1985 in a town called Ogoja in Northern Cross River State. I am the founder of the 1 GAME Campaign, which promotes basic primary education for vulnerable kids in Nigeria. I am widely known for my activism for rights to education for Children, especially in Northeastern Nigeria. I’m a graduate of Marine Biology from the University of Calabar; a Global Youth Ambassador for United Nations critical education partner, A World at School; a member of International Network for Education in Emergencies; and a champion of Global Partnership for Education. Back home, I am an Executive Committee member of the Cross River State Football Association. I am soft spoken, a Roman Catholic and a man of peace. I believe in Nigeria and in every citizen of this country. And I want to play a role in making it a better place for all of us.

    How long have you been into education advocacy?

    I’ve been working for close to five (5) years now in education advocacy. It all started in 2010 when 1 GAME Campaign was founded.

    What informed your decision to start education advocacy?

    In 2009, I travelled to Ogoja where I was born. I had not visited the town since my family moved in 1988 when I was just three years old. I wanted to learn more about the place I first lived as a child.

    I have had numerous conversations with my father about Ogoja, and he would often speak about its people, and how he missed them and their culture. Once arriving in Ogoja after a six-hour journey from Calabar, where I live, I was greeted by a group of young boys and girls at the bus stop, who rushed to me, begging for money.

    The children were between six and fourteen years. When I asked them where they came from, they confessed that they were ‘Almajiris’ from Northern Nigeria.

    They had followed a lorry transporting goods from Maiduguri in Borno State to Ogoja. They said they jumped into the lorry without knowing the driver and had no idea of where the vehicle was heading.

    I was overwhelmed by the presence of so many out-of-school children and could not stop thinking about their plight and how to solve this crisis.

    Thereafter I found 1 GAME Campaign aiming specifically at Almajiris helping them to enrol and complete their basic education. The name ‘1 GAME’ means that anyone involved in the campaign is asked to defeat violence, illiteracy and poverty – using education as a tool.

    What is your disposition to the target on children across the world?

    There is absolutely no justification for the target on children. Terrorists all over the world target children in order to strike fear and gain publicity.

    Boko Haram for instance, gained global acclaim after the Chibok abductions. They got exactly what they were looking for. There are lots of similarities between Boko Haram which operates here in Nigeria, and the Taliban which operates in Pakistan.

    While they both want to enforce full Sharia Law all over Nigeria and Pakistan respectively, they also wanObajit to ensure that there is no place for western education in the areas they operate.

    But let’s not also forget that beyond these things, there is a political undertone to their existence.

    About a year since the abduction of school girls from Chibok, what are the chances of seeing the return of these girls?

    Honestly, no one is sure about the where about or wellbeing of the Chibok girls except their captors. There have been lots of rumours about them.

    In fact, as we speak, there’s a video circulating around Maiduguri purportedly showing Boko Haram militants raping young girls and shooting those who refused to get laid.

    Many people who have seen this video say the girls in the footage are the abducted Chibok girls, but I haven’t been able to get anyone to confirm if that’s true.

    I can’t really say for sure if the Chibok girls are alive or dead or if they are safe where they are. Since there hasn’t been a word for some months from Boko Haram about the girls, no one can be sure about their wellbeing, and whether or not they’ll return.

    Considering the present state of education in Nigeria, where do you think we got it wrong?

    It started from the attitude of the government, and the trend is still continuing. The problem with Nigeria’s education has to do with poor planning, poor funding, and in some quarters, corruption. Take primary education, for instance, the Universal Basic Education Scheme was designed to provide compulsory, free education up to Junior Secondary levels, to be funded by both the Federal and State Governments. The Federal Government keeps 2 percent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund into the scheme and allocates money to the states when the states contribute its matching amounts.

    However, we’ve found out that most of the states never made their matching grants, denying themselves access to the funds; and in states where they had been given the grants, the education sector there is still pathetic. That tells you that these governments are not making education their priority.

    The population of out-of-school children in Nigeria according to UNESCO is equal to the total population of the entire Czech Republic (10.5 million), who do you think is responsible for this?

    The government has the biggest role to play in ensuring Education for All. In 2000, at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, 180 countries including Nigeria signed up to make the six goals of Education For All happen, committing to putting legal frameworks, policies and finance in place so that everyone, no matter what their circumstances, could have an education – one that is available, accessible, acceptable and adaptable.

    The richest countries pledged to help make Education for All a reality by committing to principles of international cooperation towards those countries with fewer financial resources.

    Commitment towards the right to education was also reflected in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, set in 2000 with a deadline for achievement by 2015.

    Out of the eight Millennium Development Goals, two focus on education. Both the EFA and MDG goals are all centred on what governments should do, and not what parents or children should do to create access to education.

    But as much as the government has a huge role to play, we as citizens must encourage and drive our children to education. Teachers must inspire. Principals must lead. Parents must instil a thirst for learning. And students have got to do the work in school. And if we can all do this together, I assure you we will build great ideas and push this nation away from the stronghold of extremists.

    What’s your advice to government on providing education for all?

    The government must show more seriousness in achieving the goals of Education for All. Education is achievable if government mobilises the political will and available resources. The government must recognise that education is a universal human right; that it is the key to poverty alleviation and sustainable human development; and of course, education is its core responsibility. In doing so, it must ensure increased provision of quality early childhood education and care; the eradication of adult illiteracy and a second chance to learn for youth and adults who miss out on formal schooling; an end to child labour; democratic participation of, and accountability to, civil society, including teachers and their unions, in education decision-making at all levels; fair and regular salaries for teachers; properly equipped classrooms and a supply of quality textbooks; inclusive and non-discriminatory provision of services for all; the mobilization of political will and new resources in support of National Education plans to realize the EFA Goals, including adequate public expenditure of at least 6 percent of GNP. Without this in place, it would be difficult to achieve Education for All.

    In doing so, it must ensure increased provision of quality early childhood education and care; the eradication of adult illiteracy and a second chance to learn for youth and adults who miss out on formal schooling; an end to child labour; democratic participation of, and accountability to, civil society, including teachers and their unions, in education decision-making at all levels; fair and regular salaries for teachers; properly equipped classrooms and a supply of quality textbooks; inclusive and non-discriminatory provision of services for all; the mobilization of political will and new resources in support of National Education plans to realize the EFA Goals, including adequate public expenditure of at least 6 percent of GNP. Without this in place, it would be difficult to achieve Education for All.

  • Count Peterside out of violence, says Campaign Council

    Count Peterside out of violence, says Campaign Council

    The Greater Together Campaign Organisation (GTCO) has debunked claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, had a hand in the alleged attack on its governorship candidate last Saturday. The campaign organisation not only described the allegation against Dr. Peterside as “tissue of lies and libellous provocation”, but accused PDP of seeking an infamous route to escape its summons before Nemesis.

    A statement by its Director of Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said the PDP stage-managed the “attack” – if it ever occurred – to rope in APC and its governorship candidate.

    The statement reads: “This tissue of lies and libellous provocation is wicked and callous, and should be disregarded. PDP couldn’t be visiting gross violence on Rivers State and its people only to turn back and pass the buck. We state categorically that Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, who has run an issue-based campaign, has no reason to direct his supporters or participate directly in any sort of pre-, during and post-election violence, let alone organise armed attack. The PDP, with no agenda for Rivers people, has resorted to mudslinging, but as responsible as he is, Dr. Peterside would not be caught in their trap. The APC governorship candidate remains what Rivers people know him to be – a gentleman with no record of violence; a decent man who respects the sanctity of life; a Christian who believes that God makes kings; a governorship candidate with the change message.”

    “PDP must have envisaged that ongoing police investigation into armed attacks, assassination of APC supporters and members and other politically-motivated violence in Rivers State,  would turn in a damaging indictment on it, and so as a diversionary tactic to misdirect the police, had stage-managed the said Bakana attack. PDP in Rivers State is never tired of mischief and can fabricate any to achieve its aim. We are the least surprised at this new tale”.

    “We blame PDP for presenting such a liability that is Wike for an exalted office as that of Governor. If Wike was the best PDP could present to Rivers people to elect as their governor, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should reconsider its status as a political party.”

     

     

  • NHRC to begin probe of pre-polls violence, hate speech

    NHRC to begin probe of pre-polls violence, hate speech

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has begun investigation into cases of pre-election violence and hate speech.

    Members of the governing council/management of commission will soon be dispatched to states like Kaduna, Benue, Lagos and Rivers, which had recorded high cases of pre-election violence.

    In a statement yesterday, the commission’s Chief Press Secretary, Mrs. Fatimah Mohammed Agwai, said the NHRC has so far received about 16 complaints from persons and groups on election related violence.

    She said the visit by the commission’s officials to the identified states would enable them interact with key political actors and security personnel on strategies to prevent election violence during the general elections.

    The NHRC urged “all stakeholders to avail it with useful information  to enable it take informed decisions on cases of election violence.”

  • Averting violence in Rivers elections

    Averting violence in Rivers elections

    The governorship battle in Rivers State has assumed a violent dimension. Party supporters have been dispersed, maimed and killed by bombs at rallies. What is responsible for the mayhem? All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Dr. Dakuku Peterside has said that the violence underscored the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) desperation for power in the oil-rich state. PDP leaders have denied the allegation, saying that it is a fabrication. The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, who visited the victims in hospitals, has vowed to bring the culprits to book. Stakeholders are worried that the March 28 election may be marred by violence. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU reports.

    It was a day the people of Okrika, Rivers State, will not forget in a hurry. Suspected thugs invaded the All Progressives Congress (APC) rally, flogging, beating, and wounding supporters. The crowd dispersed abruptly. There was stampede. Many vehicles were damaged. Campaign materials, including banners, posters and billboards, were destroyed. The podium was pulled down. Scores of supporters did not live to relieve the experience. The survivors are still in pain in hospitals trying to overcome the shock.

    “It was a peaceful gathering, but suddenly, the thugs came in large numbers with big sticks, broken bottles, cutlasses and guns. We started running. They started beating people,” said Ahiamadi Austin, a victim. “We can blame the police for the mayhem. We can blame the police for denying APC members protection. Police is partisan in Rivers,” he added.

    Another victim, Sorbari Npebee, who was hit by bullets, narrated his ordeal. He said the attack was unprovoked, stressing that it smacked of intolerance by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “PDP and APC are holding rallies in this state. But, only APC rallies are disrupted and only APC members are attacked,” he said, adding that the peace accord signed by leaders of the two main parties have not worked.

    A chieftain of APC and former local government chairman lamented what he described as politics with bitterness in the Southsouth state. He said: “It is not by force. All of us cannot be in the same party. You say your own and I say my own. The people will decide who to vote for. This approach will not work. Violence is not the solution.”

    Beatice Deemug, one of the victims, is not even a party sympathiser. She was hit by bullet on the road. Narrating her experience, she said: “There are many casualties beyond the imagination of people. I was not at the rally. I was just going on the road when I was shot. I landed in the hospital.”

    Kennedy Friday is a Supervisory Councillor in Port-Harcourt Council. He was one of the mobilisers for the rally. Decrying the mayhem, he said the scars will not fade away for long. “People were ambushed by thugs. The bus rammed into the bush and crashed. Many people were injured. The rally itself was disrupted. Can’t we hold rally again? It is unfortunate,” he fumed.

    What bothered Basu Nkpobee, another victim, was the aloofness of the police. He lamented that thugs were not in a hurry to carry out their nefarious assignment with the speed of lightening. Nkpobee said the arsonists behaved as if they owned the state. “Cars were being burnt at will and human beings were beaten to coma. There was commotion. People take to their heels. The crowd was huge. So, you could imagine what would have happened under that situation. They succeeded in truncating the rally. But, our spirit cannot be cowed,” he said.

    Information Commissioner Mrs. Ibim Seminetari, who decried the violence, also described it as an unprovoked attack. She said the barbaric attitude was embarrassing, adding that it may give the state a bad name. “Thugs were chasing people, hacking them down, flogging them, pulling down campaign podiums, harassing APC leaders in their homes. These are condemnable,” she said.

    The APC governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, is worried by the turn of events. He said electoral violence has now become the greatest challenge in Rivers State, adding that anarchy was looming. “Thirty seven people have been killed across the state,” he lamented. The House of Representatives member added: “The situation is the greatest test to the sanctity of the electoral process. The security situation is degenerating on daily basis.”

    Since the PDP was seized by crisis, the state has not known peace. The crisis reached a peak when prominent PDP chieftains, led by Governor Rotimi Amaechi, defected to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). When five out of 32 members of the House of Assembly attempted to remove the Speaker, other 27 members who protested the move were dispersed by the police. The former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, was alleged to have worsen the situation when he took side with PDP leaders.

    APC Chairman Chief Daveis Ikanya has alleged that the PDP governorship candidate and former Minister of State for Education, Chief Nyesom Wike, was behind thuggery in the state. The PDP has denied this, saying that the onus of proof is on him.

    Ikanya, who has catalogued attacks on APC members, said the mayhem started when buses conveying supporters to the APC presidential campaigns in Port Harcourt, the state capital, were riddled with bullets. He said the police attributed the incident to armed robbery. However, masked gun men also attacked APC members in Degema and Sakpenwa, leaving victims in a pool of blood. Also, in Oro-Owo, Rumueme, Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, a party chief, Orerehim, an engineer, and other party members were beaten by thugs. The engineer was seriously injured. Ikanya said, lthough the incident was reported at Rukpakani Police Station, the police refused to investigate it.

    The party chairman also recalled that on January 11, some monarchs were instigated by the PDP to remove APC posters and billboards in Rumuolumuni. When an APC chieftain, Hon. Kingsley Emenike, protested the action, he was beaten up by thugs. The same scenario was enacted in Ogu/Bolo Council. But, in Tumuwike, the thugs invaded the residence of Cyprian Chukwu, a lawyer and a member of APC, destroying valuable properties.  in Ward 9 destroying valuable properties.

    However, Ikanya said that the Okrika incident was most shocking. He said thugs invaded the rally with guns and explosive devices, destroying the public address system, canopies, podium and chairs.

    Decrying the role of the police, the politician said: “Most of these heinous crimes have been aided and abetted by the police. In some cases, they simply looked the other way while the crimes were committed. In some others, they arrested the complainants and APC supporters on phantom charges just to neutralize the influence of the APC in the area.” Ikanya said, instead of taking decisive actions, the police has been harassing, intimidating, arresting and detaining APC members.

    He also listed , what he described as cases of brutality by the police. The party chairman said: “In Omuma Local Government Area, Hon. Emeka Wogu, a former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, a former Commissioner and Chairman of Omuma Local Government Caretaker Committee, was arrested and accused of shooting at Mr. President’s billboard. On that day, 25th August, 2014, he was at Joint Allocation Committee meeting in Port Harcourt. He was nowhere near Omuma Local Government Area. He arrested on the 27th August, 2014 by over 60 armed policemen in a commando style, handcuffed in the presence of his children, and detained for two days.

    “In Soku Community, five APC supporters were arrested on November 28, last year, on spurious allegations of sea piracy held up in SARS. Only one was released while others are still facing incarceration. In Ahoada East Local Government Area, Mr. Grant Otis Ideozu, the APC party agent for Prison Barracks Unit 6, ward 4, Ahoada East Council,  was arrested on December 5, last on the allegation that he had an altercation with someone at the unit during the collection of the PVCs. He was beaten up and locked up for days, transferred to Port Harcourt for further detention and released on the 13th December, 2014 without a single complaint by anybody.

    “In Emuoha Local Government Area, Hon. Gowon Emma Wokea, a former Councilor and an APC stalwart in Ibaa, Emuoha Local Governmen,t was arrested on the 10th December, 2014 at Rukpokwu. They alleged that APC bought guns for Mr. Wokea and other APC supporters.

    “In Akuku Toru Local Government Area, Stanley Don Pedron, Ngoye Briggs and Sunny Ereme were arrested on “suspicions of having capacity to cause problems.” All arrests were to pave the way for the PDP to have an edge over the APC during collection of PVCs in the area.

    In Omuma Local Government Area, Hon. Justice Nwogu was arrested at Rukpokwu over framed up charges of illegal possession of firearms and attempted murder because he had a squabble with PDP members. In Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Mr. Pius Wosu, APC Ward 16 Chairman in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area was arrested and detained on on a trumped-up charge of malicious damage of the PDP billboard for two weeks.

    “On January 15, in Ward 5, Oyigbo Local Government Area, where PDP supporters removed posters of APC candidates, APC members led by the Ward Chairman, Monday Omezuruike, protested. The Chairman was arrested and detained in Afam police division.”

    Ikanya added: “As the general elections draw near, the magnitude and intensity of the orchestrated violence against members of the APC are assuming a frightful dimension. Our plight is akin to that of a people in a militarily conquered and occupied territory. PDP thugs and hirelings practically commit murders under the watchful and protective eyes of the police. The objective being to antagonise and intimidate our supporters into believing that it is unsafe for them to come out and vote, thus effectively disenfranchising them.”

    The Assistant-Inspector General of Police, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, who visited some of the victims in hospitals, promised to investigate the mayhem and bring culprits to book.

    Peterside, who condemned the attacks, said that the people are ready to resist intimidation. “They are attacking the APC because they know that we are wining. But, the people will refuse to be cowed. Votes will count in Rivers State. We will vote and defend our voted. It is not optional. We are wining. I don’t waste my time on anything that is not viable. APC will win the poll.”

  • Okrika violence: Peterside promises scholarships for slain policeman’s children

    Okrika violence: Peterside promises scholarships for slain policeman’s children

    Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside has assured that the four children of 33-year-old police corporal, Ifeanyi Okorie, who was shot dead in Okrika last Tuesday, will benefit from the government’s scholarships till they complete their education.

    The children, aged six, four, three and two and their 30-year-old mother, Gift, a police corporal, would not be allowed to suffer, Peterside said.

    The APC candidate spoke at the weekend in Port Harcourt, the state capital, at the home of the Okories, behind the Kala Police Station, off Ikwerre Road, when he and other party chieftains visited the widow.

    Peterside, who was represented by his running mate, Okorie Honourable Asita, was accompanied by the state APC Chairman Davies Ibiamu Ikanya; the Director-General of Peterside’s Greater Together Campaign Organisation, Chief Victor Tombari Giadom; Commissioner for Agriculture, Emma Chindah and APC leader in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Chief Tony Okocha, among other eminent personalities.

    Ifeanyi was shot dead last Tuesday at the playground of the National School, Okrika, venue of Peterside’s rally.

    The peaceful ceremony was disrupted with explosions and gunshots by suspected thugs allegedly working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Over 50 persons were injured and several property destroyed.

    The body of the slain policeman is still at the morgue of the government-owned Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH) in Port Harcourt. Arrangements are being made for his burial.

    Peterside said: “Your (Gift’s) husband laid down his life for the sake of Nigeria and democracy. We did not expect what happened in Okrika. We went to campaign but some criminals killed your husband in the presence of all of us. Even though you are mourning and crying, we owe him a debt of gratitude for the role he played in Okrika.

    “We will stand by you and your children. We will not forget you. We are all parents and we feel the weight of what happened. We feel the pressure that his death will expose you to. We know what you are going through. God will comfort you.

    “We are pleading with you to take the responsibility with courage and boldness, thereby moving forward. You need to brace yourself to the challenge. We will support you.

    “Your children will go to school and be trained properly. We are very proud of your husband.

    “APC leaders and members do not want violence. Serving the people should not be by force but through elections. Let the people freely decide the persons they want to serve them, not through violence, shooting, killing people, bombing, burning vehicles and houses.”

    Ikanya described the Okrika attack as unprovoked and condemnable.

    The APC chairman said four people were being treated at the hospital in Port Harcourt while 20 injured persons had been discharged.

    Mrs Okorie expressed gratitude to APC leaders for the visit and assistance.

    The widow described her husband as a fighter, who was always  wanted peace to reign in Rivers State and Nigeria.

    Mrs Okorie, an indigene of Cross River State, who married her late husband in 2008, said his death was painful.

    The policewoman was optimistic that God would bring peace to Rivers State and other parts of Nigeria.

    She said: “I knew him as a fighter. He always stood on the good side. He fought for peace to reign.”

    Peterside, a member of the House of Representatives, his allies and supporters narrowly escaped death at the Okrika rally.

    Okrika, the headquarters of Okrika Local Government Area, is the hometown of the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience, and the leader of the Niger Delta Vigilance Movement, “General” Ateke Tom.

  • Prosecute Igbemo violence suspects, says Ekiti APC

    Prosecute Igbemo violence suspects, says Ekiti APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has urged the police to prosecute the suspected thugs, who allegedly unleashed terror on Igbemo-Ekiti community last Thursday.

    APC’s Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatubosun, in a statement, said after APC members complained at the Igbemo police post and later at Iworoko Police Station, the victims were later re-invited to the Police Headquarters in Ado-Ekiti where they were arrested.

    He said the perpetrators of the violence rushed to the Police Headquarters to  complain that they were signage officials, who were prevented from carrying out their lawful duties.

    His words: “Our members were attacked and their houses destroyed. The attackers fired gunshots at them from Thursday night till early Friday morning. The abducted Igbemo citizens were dumped at the Special Anti- Robbery Squad detention cell since the wee hours of the morning and were only temporarily released Friday evening.

    “The thugs suspected to be working for Fayose were the first to rush to the State Headquarters to lodge a false complaint against them that they were on signage duty when Igbemo people attacked them.

    “One of the thugs who did most of the shooting with a pump action gun was seen in pictures with a bandage feigning head injury.

    “The victims who were released were rearrested on Saturday on the orders of the commissioner of police who said their houses should be searched because there was a complaint of gunrunning against them. We wonder the connection between signage officials and the petition against perceived opponents for gun running.

    “The people who languished in detention are the same people whose property and houses were vandalised and who were traumatised in the all-night shooting while the thugs who attacked them have turned the complainants and moving about freely. This is double jeopardy and injustice.”

  • Prosecute Igbemo violence suspects, says Ekiti APC

    Prosecute Igbemo violence suspects, says Ekiti APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has urged the police to prosecute the suspected thugs, who allegedly unleashed terror on Igbemo-Ekiti community last Thursday.

    APC’s Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatubosun, in a statement, said after APC members complained at the Igbemo police post and later at Iworoko Police Station, the victims were later re-invited to the Police Headquarters in Ado-Ekiti where they were arrested.

    He said the perpetrators of the violence rushed to the Police Headquarters to  complain that they were signage officials, who were prevented from carrying out their lawful duties.

    His words: “Our members were attacked and their houses destroyed. The attackers fired gunshots at them from Thursday night till early Friday morning. The abducted Igbemo citizens were dumped at the Special Anti- Robbery Squad detention cell since the wee hours of the morning and were only temporarily released Friday evening.

    “The thugs suspected to be working for Fayose were the first to rush to the State Headquarters to lodge a false complaint against them that they were on signage duty when Igbemo people attacked them.

    “One of the thugs who did most of the shooting with a pump action gun was seen in pictures with a bandage feigning head injury.

    “The victims who were released were rearrested on Saturday on the orders of the commissioner of police who said their houses should be searched because there was a complaint of gunrunning against them. We wonder the connection between signage officials and the petition against perceived opponents for gun running.

    “The people who languished in detention are the same people whose property and houses were vandalised and who were traumatised in the all-night shooting while the thugs who attacked them have turned the complainants and moving about freely. This is double jeopardy and injustice.”

  • Agbaje warns supporters against violence

    Agbaje warns supporters against violence

    The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has called on his supporters to eschew violence.

    Agbaje, who spoke against the backdrop of a peace pact signed by governorship candidates, said no meaningful development can take place in an atmosphere of violence.

    He said not a single death has been recorded since his campaign across the state, the PDP abhors any form of violence, Agbaje, who spoke during his campaign in Mushin and Oshodi/Isolo urged party members to continue to be law-abiding.

    He urged them not to retaliate when his campaign materials were defaced on the third Mainland Bridge.

    “I want to let you know that there is no reason for us to be violent because whatever the form the coming election is going to take, we shall defeat them”

    “Everybody has seen that we have better ideas as a party, let us continue to be peaceful because victory is ours” he said.

    He blamed the absence of infrastructural facilities after sixteen years on the ruling APC in Lagos, saying the party’s performance has been far from satisfactory, as the people cannot boast of even potable water.

  • Anti-graft club advises students on violence

    Anti-graft club advises students on violence

    The Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS) chapter of Zero Tolerance for Corruption (ZTC), an anti-graft campaign initiative, has implored students to steer clear of corruption and electoral violence.

    The lecture with the theme: Role of tertiary institutions in the fight against electoral violence was held in the university auditorium. It was chaired by Dr Abubakar Matazu of Faculty of Law and attended by the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, his deputy, Prof Muhammad Lawal Ahmadu, Registrar, Mallam M.K. Jabbo, represented by Mrs K. Abdullahi, Chief Security Officer, Col Abdullahi Muhammad Gwandu (rtd), Dean of Students’ Affairs, Dr Adamu Aliero.

    Prof Ahmadu spoke on Corruption, post-election violence and the role of youths. He said corruption gave rise to underdevelopment, political instability, insecurity and collapse of infrastructure. He added that electoral violence was the direct outcome of a corrupt system.

    He said: “Discussions on Nigerian politics should address factual issues affecting the people, as against frivolities relating to religious or ethnic affiliations. The role of youth in curbing electoral violence include acquiring education and training on ethical conduct and imbib good moral behaviour. As students, you must be among the vanguard promoting justice and fairness in all areas of our national life.”

    A Christian leader, Reverend Father Onuh Ladi, represented by Prof I.S. Ogundiya, said havoc wreaked by electoral violence could not be quantified, stressing that there was the need for the youth to maintain high moral standard and discipline.

    Mallam Musa Aliyu Zuru, who represented Muslim community, suggested that ethical and civic education courses should be introduced in curriculum of tertiary institutions to train the youth on morality and ethics. He said it was pertinent for people to be tolerant and live in peacefully with others regardless of religion, ethnicity or language.

    The VC remarked that poverty, corruption and underdevelopment remained the cause of electoral violence. He urged students to shun violence, adding that politicians were fond of using religion and ethnicity to brainwash the youth and incite them to foment trouble.

    He said: “You must acquire education as youths and you must show a difference. I appeal to you to use your intellectual knowledge to promote peace and harmony. You must take the responsibility to educate some of your peers who are not in the school to learn the art of living together.”

    Col. Gwandu advised the students not to indulge in violence or vandalise properties. He said: “If you participate in violence and you lose your life, you are gone forever, and life will continue with those that are living.”

    Dr Aliero believed the seminar would open up the minds of the students against violence and any form of corruption.

    The ZTC chairman, Hassan Maikasuwa, a 500-Level Veterinary Medicine student, urged everyone to join in the fight against corruption.