The leader of Boko Haram’s main faction, Abubakar Shekau, has admitted killing the group’s purported spokesman over an apparent plot to oust him, he said in an audio recording obtained by AFP.
In the 50-minute tape of a meeting with the inner circle of his militant Islamist group, Shekau said he killed “Tasiu” — also known as Abu Zinnira — who appeared in several video messages.
“You should hear me: I killed Tasiu, hear me well,” he told the gathering in Hausa, which is widely spoken across northeast Nigeria.
Shekau states the date of the meeting — December 18 — and said it had been called to discuss “those elements grumbling over the killing of Tasiu”.
AFP received a copy of the recording earlier this month. The tape appears to have been meant for circulation only within the armed Islamist movement.
Shekau’s claim appears to lend weight to reports of infighting within Boko Haram, whose insurgency has killed at least 20,000 in northeast Nigeria since 2009 and left 2.6 million homeless.
Nigerians have been warned by the Federal Government against the consumption of frozen chicken as such process chicken causes kidney and other diseases.
Minister of State for Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri, told State House correspondents that the warning was given during a meeting with Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo held with the president of the Poultry Farmers’ Association of Nigeria Mr Ayoola Oduntan.
The minister noted that “Most times, they use what they use to preserve dead bodies (to preserve frozen chicken) and it causes harm to the kidney.”
Lokpobiri said the meeting specifically charged the Nigeria Customs Service to improve its surveillance in order to stop importation of frozen chicken.
On those hoarding maize, he said government will not buy from them.
“What we have is a programme that’ll deliberately grow more maize which will satisfy local and international markets.”
Lokpobiri said government had partly compensated poultry farmers whose farms were destroyed due to avian flu, adding that Osinbajo directed the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance to sort out the outstanding of N1.7 billion.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun; the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele and the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed Ali.
Boko Haram terrorists’ location at Tagoshe/Mandara Mountain general area about 10km Southwest of Gwoza in Northern Borno was bombed yesterday, February 24 by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).
Air Force spokesman, Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, confirmed the development in a statement to DAILY POST.
He said, “intelligence report by Sister surface forces had it that remnants of fleeing BHTs were gathered at the location.”
“This report was confirmed by NAF Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft before combat platforms were called in to strike the location.
“Follow-up battle damage assessment confirmed that the air attack was successful as shown by the enclosed declassified footage of the operation.”
Policemen attached to a bank in Asaba, Delta State reportedly ran for their lives as unknown gunmen shot a middle-aged man who came to deposit money at the bank.
The bank customer who gave up the ghost while being rushed down to the hospital, was shot at a close range after he refused letting go of the bag that contained the large sum of money he came to deposit.
According to eyewitnesses, the 8:15a.m incident left them defenseless as policemen attached to the bank, fled the scene while 3 of them removed their uniform, as the men of the underworld who came in a blue golf car struck their first shot as the deceased arrived the bank in a tricycle popularly known as Keke Napep.
“Three of them sat close to my shop for hours, before a man was coming towards the bank and they quickly walked towards the man (victim) who carried a black bagco bag of money and started dragging the bag with him at gun point while urging him to release the bag.
“We saw them dragging the money with the man, I thought it was one of the movie scenes, you know these Nollywood people do use Asaba very well for acting movies.
“But before we knew it, they shot the man. It was at this point that everyone, including the policemen took to our heel while the victim held on the bag of money and struggled into the bank where he fell on the ground.
The bank thieves left the money bag which the deceased held on to after he was shot and drove off immediately. The body of the deceased has been deposited at the mortuary of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC).
“They were in the car for sometime before the car refused to start to immediately. But nobody, not even armed policemen who had removed their uniforms dared to challenged them until they finally zoomed” the eyewitness who pleaded anonymity added.
The Sun reports that the Public Relations Officer of the state police command, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, has confirmed the incident, and also said the incident was already being investigated.
A lecturer from the English Department of the Ibrahim Badamosi Babanginda University in Niger State was on Friday, February 24 caught while trying to sleep with a female student.
Although the news broke on the internet on Friday, it was not immediately confirmed by the institution that the lecturer was caught while trying to have sex with a female student identified as Aisha (not real name).
The lecturer, whose identity was given as IG Yusuf was said to have been threatening to fail the victim if she failed to have sex with him.
However, nemesis caught up with the randy lecturer on Friday after the girl invited him to come over.
However, she had asked some male students to be on stand by.
It was gathered that the sex-crazy lecturer, on reaching the venue, without delay, undressed and was trying to force his way into the lady before the boys rushed in.
He was forced to mob the floor for the female victim. His photograph was also taken as he stood stark-naked.
Speaking on the incident, a student of the institution, who gave her name as Gonas said, “This lecturer has been pestering and threatening one of his students for some time but eventually he was set up by the girl and her boyfriend.”
“It has come to our notice that she has been failing his course since 300 level, so she wanted to put an end to all the atrocities he has been committing,” Gonas said.
Confirming the incident, the school management in a statement posted on its official portal said it had set up a committee to investigate what it described as ugly and unfortunate incident.
The statement reads, “The University Management is aware of the recent Unfortunate incident between a male lecturer and a female student. In view of this, Management has set up a Committee to investigate the immediate and remote cause(s) of the incident. The Committee is headed by the deputy Vice -Chancellor and involve all stakeholders in the matter.
“Accordingly, all parties involved are hereby advised to exercise restraint. The University community and the general public are assured of the Management’s resolve to take appropriate disciplinary action against any party found guilty after the investigation.”
Princess Chinwe Kanu, who is the younger sister of the detained leader of the Independent People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu had her traditional wedding in Umuahia, Abia State on Saturday, February 25.
She got married to her partner Joshua at her hometown, Afara-Ibekwu, in Umuahia, Abia state.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said the current Nigerian leader, Muhammadu Buhari, has not disappointed him since he assumed office in 2015.
Mr. Obasanjo stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria at his hilltop residence in Abeokuta. While reflecting on the Buhari administration since 2015, Mr. Obasanjo said that the president had done his best to move the country forward.
“Whatever anybody says, President Buhari has not disappointed me from what I know of him,” he said.
He said the president had delivered on his core areas of strength and ability, particularly in the anti-corruption crusade and the war against insurgency.
“In my book, I have said that Buhari is not strong on the economy and I did not write this to run him down. “I also used to think that he is not strong in the area of foreign affairs, but I have realised that he has improved very well
“He has actually done his best in the areas where we know him to be strong,” he said.
The former president urged Nigerians not to relent in their support for Mr. Buhari and not to give up on Nigeria. “Whatever you might see as bad in Nigeria, other societies have gone through the same at some period in their history.
“It is not for us to begin to condemn but to begin to join hands together and consider how we can make the best out of our present.
“Our present situation is a passing phase and we need to be resilient to ensure that we are not consumed by it. “I will be the first to admit that we have not been where we should have been, but note that we have also been far from where we could have been because it could have been worse.
In furtherance of the fight against the pollution of the Rivers environment by Particulate Matter, popularly referred to as ‘black soot’, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike on Friday ordered the arrest of 15 mechanics engaged in illegal burning of used tyres and condemned engine oil.
The governor who ran into the mass illegal burning of tyres and condemned engine oil on Aba Road around the Oyigbo axis was returning from Oyigbo where he attended the funeral service of Late Sir Precious Oforji was attracted by the inferno which emitted a tick smoke into the atmosphere.
Wike who was in the company of the Former Acting National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, Rivers State PDP Chairman, Bro Felix Obuah and Former Rivers State Governor, Sir Celestine Omehia directed the State Fire Service to put out the fire. He also stated that immediate steps be taken to ensure that the fire did not spread to neighbouring houses in the area. On the arrest of the mechanics polluting the environment, he said that the State Government will liaise with relevant security agencies to ensure they are prosecuted.
Governor Wike noted that his administration is working with all stakeholders to ensure that the black soot polluting the atmosphere is brought under control.
He said nobody will be allowed to endanger the lives of the people of the state through harmful environmental practices. The governor assured the people of Rivers State that the Task Force set up to tackle the black soot had been duly empowered to ensure that the state’s environment is safe for all residents.
Simeon Nwakaudu,
Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor, Electronic Media. 24th February, 2017.
According to the Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, the Federal Government will employ an additional 350,000 graduates in 2017.
The graduates will be employed under the N-Power Volunteer Corps, a component of the government’s Social Investment Programmes.
Akande disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, February 26 and that President Muhammadu Buhari had requested an appropriation of N157.75bn in the 2017 budget estimates for the N-Power scheme.
“350,000 unemployed graduates more would be hired and trained, alongside 50,000 non-graduates youths to be engaged as artisans and in other creative ventures,” Akande said.
He explained further that under the N157.75bn also, a sum of N4.5bn had been earmarked for science, technology, engineering and mathematics programme to support young Nigerians in building skills in those disciplines.
Akande noted that the SIPs’ budget proposals for 2017 would be discussed this week at the National Assembly and urged Nigerians to expect more initiatives especially in the area of implementation as virtually all of the SIPs are now undergoing different stages of implementation.
“While we were able to engage 200,000 unemployed graduates last year, we will do 350,000 more this year,” he said.
He added that some of the teething problems were giving way to lessons that would enhance the implementation under the 2017 budget.
He also disclosed that about N75bn had been allocated for the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme in the 2017 budget.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that God had been partial to him as he did not deserve the favour he bestowed on him.
The former president stated this in his remarks at the thanksgiving service organised in his honour by the Christian Association of Nigeria, Ogun State chapter, ahead of his 80th birthday scheduled to hold on Sunday, March 5.
Decked in white agbada, the former President said given the village where he hails from, Ibogun Olaogun, and the illiterate parents that gave birth to him, he never thought his name would even be known in the next village let alone the whole of Nigeria, Africa and the world in general.
Obasanjo also recounted his ordeal after he was alleged to be involved in planning a coup against the regime of the late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha.
He said it was due to divine intervention that he came out of prison alive.
He said, “God has been partial to me by showing me so much favour that I do not deserve.
“If you don’t know anything about me at all, go to the village where I was born. I was born by parents that were illiterates. There was no road to the village then. One could not boast of even being known in the next village.
“God has done so much more than I deserve. I thank God for this.”
Toke Makinwa is a Nigerian radio personality, television host, vlogger, and bestselling author of ‘on becoming’, where she walks us through her time with ex-husband, Maje Ayida.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has reiterated that President Muhammadu Buhari is neither critically ill nor in life threatening situation and there is no cause for alarm.
The minister reiterated this position on Monday in Umuahia at the second town hall meeting for the South East and the launch of national reorientation campaign, “Change Begins With Me’’ in Abia.
The minister, who was asked to tell the country about the health condition of the president and whether there was need for a regular briefing on his health stressed that there was no reason for such briefings.
Mohammed disclosed that the president spoke with him on Saturday in the afternoon and there was no reason for Nigerians to be worried. “ I can say here very boldly and confidently that there is absolutely no cause for alarm. “`Mr president called me at 2.43 p.m. on Saturday and we spoke.
“If Mr president is in the hospital or is critically ill, as minister of information, I will give daily bulletin on his health. “Mr president is neither critically ill nor in the hospital and there is nothing life threatening about the checks he is going through,’’ he said.
Speaking on the state of the economy, the minister said that it was corruption that made the prices of commodities to go up. He noted that no economy in the world could survive the blind and reckless looting perpetrated by the previous administration.
“If one person was found with almost 10 million dollar in an uncompleted house and another with 136 million dollar in fake account and other with N7 billion how can the economy survives the kind of looting. “Naturally the price of commodities will go up.
“These are funds meant for development of infrastructure and for provision of services. “That is why you cannot do anything with the economy without first facing corruption squarely.
“But the good news is that the government is doing both together, as we are fighting corruption, we are also making sure that we are ensuring we are out of recession by investing heavily on infrastructure. Mohammed also pacified the audience who lamented the spate of attacks on farmers by the herdsmen.
The Federal Government on Tuesday evacuated 41 Nigerian girls from Bamako, Mali, through the Ministry of Defence, the Nigerian Air Force, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
The 41 girls, according to the government, are victims of human trafficking to Europe but ended up in Mali.
They arrived the Murtala Muhammed International Airport , Lagos aboard a Hercules C-130 military transport aircraft at about 7. 55pm.
The Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the girls were trapped in Mali.
She said NAF was asked to bring them back after the government received a distress call to help evacuate the girls.
Dabiri-Erewa said their return home was part of the directives from President Muhammadu Buhari, who insisted that Nigerians stranded anywhere in the world, should be assisted to return home .
She said many Nigerians were still stranded in Mali and would be brought back home and urged the girls to make the best use of their lives as they had no business living in Mali.
According to Dabiri-Erewa, prior to their evacuation, NAPTIP officials had travelled to Mali for documentation and other logistics to ease the return of the girls.
She said, “NAPTIP will rehabilitate them and we have commenced profiling of the girls. We call on Non-Governmental Organisations to join us in tackling this problem.
“They were deceived into embarking on the journey. We will ensure we train them to the state of proficiency in different vocations, after which we trace their parents and counsel them.”
She said many of the girls came back with stories of woes, adding that they were evacuated alongside six suspected traffickers.
“We have arrested six suspects and have handed them over to security agencies for prosecution,” she added.
Some of the girls complained of not being allowed to take their belongings as they were literally brought home empty handed.
Reuben Abati, media adviser to ex-president, Goodluck Jonathan has said that he had no regrets working with Jonathan, because of the many lessons and quality exposure that he received under him.
Abati said this on Sunday night while fielding questions from the media on life in the Presidential Villa.
He described working under the former President as going to the ‘University of Life,’ saying that even those who were his critics would have had something to learn if they got into arena of state power at that time.
The former presidential spokesman said that in spite of the allegation that he received N50 million from ex-National Security Adviser, Dasuki Sambo, and his alleged promise to return N5 million out of the sum to the government, he still thinks his integrity and name are intact.
He said: “I do not regret working with the former President. If you worked with his government, it is a different kind of exposure. It is like going to the university. If you like, you can call it the University of Life.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to serve at that highest level in Nigeria and for the many lessons and quality exposure that I received.
“If you are on the other side, it is very easy to talk; it is very easy to analyze and criticize. But if you get into government, you will begin to gain knowledge of how government works. Many of the people out there who comment on government affairs, when they get into the arena they get to learn a lot.
“I think my integrity and name was intact when I left the villa. I don’t have any challenge in that regard. I think I did a good job.”
A Federal High Court sitting in Jabi, Abuja has ordered the forfeiture of a multi-million naira property belonging to Moroophat Obanikoro, the wife of a former minister of state for defence Senator Musiliu Obanikoro pending the outcome of investigations being conducted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission into her husband and children.
Her prayer asking the court to order EFCC to pay her the sum of N200m for violating her fundamental human rights was also rejected.
Moroophat has already filed an appeal challenging the court judgment.
The court ruling follows investigations into the $2.1bn arms scam involving the Office of the National Security Adviser in which the EFCC had traced the transfer of about N4.7bn to the Diamond Bank account of Sylvan McNamara, a company allegedly owned by Obanikoro’s two sons – Gbolahan and Babajide.
Sahara Reporters reports that out of the said amount, Obanikoro allegedly gave N3.880bn to Ayodele Fayose and Senator Iyiola Omisore in July 2014 when they were the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidates in Ekiti and Osun states respectively.
Already, the EFCC has seized a house in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State allegedly belonging to Obanikoro’s sons – Gbolahan and Babajide – and a property located at 44 Mamman Kotangora Crescent, Katampke Extension, Abuja, belonging to their mother.
However, Obanikoro’s wife argued that she bought the property over seven years before the alleged arms scam took place.