Mailafia puts out his heart, soul, sweat, blood & faith in everything -Ballason

A Human Rights Lawyer, Barrister Gloria Ballason has described the late Dr Obadiah Mailafia, former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria as an extraordinary human.

In a soul touching tribute, the advocate of justice and good governance said Mailafia has ascended to the heavens where servants of God reside forever.

The tribute reads;

“For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep.”

My dearest O.M., now that was a courageous life! You put it all out there – heart, soul, sweat, blood, faith, excellence… everything! What a life of extraordinary commitment, brilliance, intelligence and then some more.

Like the patriarchs gone before us, you chose to share and stand against the sufferings of the innocent rather than the fleeting pleasures and corruptible treasures of this earth. Like David you have served the purpose of God for your generation and have now fallen…asleep.

You will now ascend to the place where kings, paupers, victors, villains, tyrants …all go! But in your case, there is a clear difference:

You are going home to a city whose builder and maker is the Just one. A Book will be opened and you will see the record of every act of sacrifice and your golden acts of courage and convictions against injustice.

You will stand before the Righteous Judge O.M. and having listened intently to your wife about your last moments, I know you will stand unashamed.

So let me thank you for the invaluable gift of your friendship and for obeying the Creation mandate to be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth for indeed, you are leaving behind a more replenished world than you met it. You have left behind in your mortal body indelible marks and our generations will follow in them and the trail of the dust you leave behind.

Your works as a peerless international civil servant, ivy league scholar, writer of writers, advocate of truth, lifetime pursuer of excellence will continue to light and inspire us. WE WILL NOT STOP until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a never failing stream.

Lokaci ya kai. Dr. Obadiah Mailafia , ka sauka lafiya ka kuma idar min da sakon gaisuwa da alheri ga mahaifi na, my beloved dad who left five days before you and who I am sure will show you round those golden streets.

Goodbye dearest big brother, friend, mentor and kindred spirit. I will see you on some bright and cloudless morning. Thank you OM. THANK YOU!!!

From Mabeiam (as you loved to call me)

Ortom Has Been a Great Governor To The Benue People -Group Says

A group, Coalition of Patriotic Idoma, Tiv, and Igede Youths in Nigeria (COPITIYN) has responded to a publication credited to a group, Tiv Youth Council Worldwide, describing it as malicious and mischievous.

The group in a statement obtained by TMS News signed by its National President, Comrade Aondona Tersoo, and its National publicity secretary Elijah Adamu said it is laughable for a group that does not reside in Benue and does not understand the yearnings of the people of Benue state to assume such a fallacious position.

COPITIYN said Governor Ortom has been a great leader to the people of Benue through thick and thin and deserves commendation instead of condemnation. It also said that even though the state like every other state in the country is struggling to meet certain financial obligations including pensions, it would be unfair to say that Governor Ortom has underperformed.

The statement reads in part;
“There is no state in Nigeria today that is not struggling financially including the more economically viable states. We want to state categorically that Ortom inherited backlogs of pensions from his predecessor.

“Ortom also inherited a state where insecurity has been the order of the day since 2015, this has negatively impacted the states’ meager resources as help hasn’t been forthcoming from Abuja to deal with the security challenges.

The group further said that only the living has the capacity to enjoy pensions.

“You need to be alive to enjoy pensions, those who have been killed by the terrorists ravaging our dear state cannot talk about pensions.

“Being alive is the primary thing and that is what Ortom has been working hard to ensure since he assumed office in 2015. Tersoo said.

While the group said it is not in support of pensioners who have served the state diligently being owed, it also questioned the sincerity of the Tiv Youth Council Worldwide, saying such a group is either not in touch with the existential reality in Benue or is just being economical with the truth.

“Where was the Tiv Youth Council Worldwide when Benue citizens were been massacred in large numbers? Why didn’t they lend their voice against the killings? Where were they when our leader, Governor Ortom narrowly escaped assassination?

“Their resurfacing at this time is clearly political and not in the interest of the Benue people.

COPITIYN also said that neither governor Ortom nor the Benue People have any problems living with peace-loving Fulani but that they have a problem with AK-47 wielding Fulani mercenaries who regularly attack communities in the state.

“We do not hate the Fulani, we have lived with some of them for many years peacefully and we appreciate their contribution to Benue state.

“We do have a problem with the Fulani mercenaries whose only desire is to cause tears, blood, and sorrow in Benue.” He said.

On the allegation that Ortom is obsessed with Buhari.

The group said the governor has the right to call out President Muhammadu Buhari if he deems it necessary, over his poor handling of the security situation in Benue and the general state of the nation Nigeria.

It also warned the Tiv Youth Council Worldwide to desist from making an inflammatory utterances that would further endanger the lives and properties of Benue citizens and other Nigerians.

Gunmen kidnap 4 women in Suleja

The Police Command in Niger on Thursday confirmed the abduction of four women  by gunmen at Haske Dabara community, Agwan Gwari Kwamba  of Suleja Local Government Area of the state.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Monday Kuryas, confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna.

“Yes it has happened at about 1 a.m. last night and already anti-kidnapping team, the army and vigilante had been deployed to rescue the victims.

“We will do everything humanly possible to apprehend all those miscreants undermining the peaceful coexistence among residents.

“I am appealing to residents, especially rural dwellers, to come forward with credible information on movement of strange faces among them to the nearest security personnel for necessary security action”, he said.

The commissioner solicited more working support by coming forward with intelligence information that could aid the security personnel deployed across the state in the ongoing fight against kidnapping, banditry and other criminal elements in the state.

An eyewitness said the gunmen entered the community at about 12.46 a.m. with gunshots that scared the residents.

(NAN

Terrorists abduct scores in Borno, free Muslims, take others away

Terrorists suspected to be ISWAP group on Tuesday evening abducted several passengers aboard 8 passenger vehicles along the dreaded Maiduguri-Damaturu express way after laying ambush on the road.

Vanguard news reported that the incident took place close to crossing point of terrorists near a bridge between Tamsu Kawu and Ndamdu town at about 3PM.

Vanguard also reported that most of the victims were freed by the terrorists after reciting some verses from the holy Qur’an confirming their Muslim identities. Three victims suspected to be Christians due to their inability to recite verses from the Qur’an were held by the terrorists.

Tamsu Kawu is just about 80km drive from Maiduguri and located north west, which has hitherto been razed down, before the former governor Kashim Shettima spent millions of naira, reconstructed and resettled it.

One of the victims who is a retired Director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Borno State confirmed that attack to vanguard under condition of anonymity.

He said, “it was when I was interrogated and the terrorists learnt that I was a diabetic patient, coupled with my old age that saved me, as the Commander of the terrorists told his members to allow me join those who were set free at about 7pm.”

He revealed that the terrorists during interrogations told them that they were among those who participated in the bloody killing of leader of Boko Haram sect, late Abubakar Shekau, adding that, they are members of the ISWAP group who are determined to protect the rights of innocent civilians.

“I have to thank Allah (God) for saving us from the hands of terrorists today.

“Our vehicle came into road ambush where several passengers and motorists aboard 8 different vehicles were abducted and taken to a nearby river at about 3PM

“After series of interrogations, many of us were released accept three persons who were detained for reason not based known to us.

“The terrorsists after interrogating us said that they were amongst those who killed Abubakar Shekau. They also said that they are out to protect all innocent civilians, accept those who chose to follow different faith or identified as infidels. ” he said.

The freed victim however said that he has since been reunited with his family, after the incident which lasted for about four hours.

BREAKING: Middle Belt Times Launches Language Options For Readers, Promises to Add Middle Belt Tribes Soon

Middle Belt Times, a newspaper established for the downtrodden in society has once again added innovation to its reportage. The platform said is has added language features to its website to make reading published articles easy for visitors. The platform announced the addition on Tuesday morning in Makurdi during a meeting with youth groups in the Benue state capital.

Steven Samuel, the Technical manager of the platform said the addition is to allow readers access to the same stories published on the site in different languages with just a click.

“Visitors on our site can now select either Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba or French languages to read published articles.

“This innovation is to make sure that Nigerians can effortlessly read articles without needing interpreters.” Samuel said.

Samuel also said that the platform is working round the clock to ensure that major tribes in the Middle Belt are also added to make it possible for them to read contents in their respective dialects.

“Imagen the joy for a Bajju man, a Tiv, Jukun, Idoma, Hausa, Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba or Atyap man switching to their respective dialects with just one click on our website.” He said.

The platform also said that is has introduced dark and light moods on its site to cater for the needs of those with sight difficulties.

BREAKING: Terrorists Invade University of Abuja, Abduct Professor, Others

Terrorists in the early hours of Tuesday stormed the staff quarters of the University of Abuja located in Giri and abducted a professor of economics and five others.

The FCT Police Command confirmed the attack via a statement issued on behalf of the Commissioner of Police Babaji Sunday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Josephine Adeh.

The statement reads in part:

“The CP noted that a combined team of the Police and personnel of the Nigerian Army 176 Guards Battalion were swiftly mobilized to the area to protect the citizens. Preliminary investigations however revealed that six persons were allegedly abducted into the forest by the criminals on sighting the security operatives.

“The CP, while calling for calm, further noted that the security forces are already working with the locals in the area toward rescuing the victims. He assured that the perpetrators would be arrested and brought to book.

“On this note, the Command pledges its undeterred resolve to ensure lives and properties of residents within the FCT are protected and urge them to report all suspicious movements, emergency or distress, through these numbers: 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653 and 08028940883”

Fulanis are outnumbering Kwara indigenes, Gov. AbdulRazaq cries out

Fulanis have spread into multiple villages in Kwara, with their population gradually outnumbering indigenes, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has cried out.

Mr AbdulRazaq, who spoke in an interview with Vanguard, attributed the influx of Fulanis to the ban on open grazing imposed by Southern governors.

The governor claimed that the open grazing ban had further heightened Kwara’s security challenges.

“Security challenges are huge, especially with insecurity in the North-West and the declaration by Southern Governors to ban open grazing,” said the Kwara governor. “Once they pronounced it and set a date, we saw a migration of herdsmen coming in, to the extent that if you go to Kwara South, Kwara North now, in some villages, the Fulani have moved in. They are more in population than the indigenes.”

Mr AbdulRazaq argued that legislation enforcing the ban could not be adopted, explaining that open grazing is a constitutional right enshrined in the constitution.

His comments came as Southern governors like Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, among others, continue to sign the anti-open grazing law in their respective states.

The 17 southern governors had met on three different occasions this year in Lagos, Asaba and Enugu, agreeing to enact the anti-open grazing laws to tackle worsening insecurity.

However, justice minister Abubakar Malami said the southern governors’’ open grazing ban is illegal.

According to the attorney general of the federation, the controversies surrounding open grazing are a constitutional matter that amending the constitution will address.

He advised the 17 southern governors to approach the National Assembly for the needed backing to effect the ban on open grazing.

[Gazette]