HURIWA PRAISES COURT FOR SENTENCING TO DEATH KILLERS OF DAUGHTER OF YORUBA LEADER

…TASKS Federal High Court to free itself from executive shackles

As news emerged that Killers of Afenifere Leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti’s daughter, late Mrs. Funke Olakuri, have been sentenced to death by hanging by Ondo High Court, Akure, Ondo State, the leading Civil Rights Advocacy Group- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has applauded the Ondo State Judiciary for this uncommon feat and phenomenal justice. 

HURIWA said the sentencing of the armed Fulani terrorists in Ondo State is a signal that although Justice may be very slow but with determination and diligence in prosecution, the judiciary that is not encumbered by executive interference would surely deliver Justice and bring closure to such a case of mindless murder of a completely innocent person. 

The Rights group wonders why this is not the same with the way the office of the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice prosecutes terrorists even as the Rights group accuses the Federal Attorney General and the Inspector-General of Police of cover up in casesnof terrorism and kidnappings in which many Fulani armed herdsmen were involved, arrested and paraded by the force headquarters in Abuja. “We suspect that the IGP often parades arrested armed Fulani herdsmen but as soon as they are reported in the media it would seem that those paraded are released from the backdoor and return to carry out more of their mindless killings all over the Country. This is because there is no openness regarding the fate of all the armed Fulani terrorists previously paraded by the Force Headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force”. 

HURIWA also accused the Federal High Court of becoming an appendage of the office if the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by giving up its powers and independence especially in cases in which the Federal government is the defendant. 

HURIWA has therefore asked the Federal High Court to exorcise itself of executive interference and become independent so cases brought to them by Nigerians seeking redress from human rights violations are not impeded by corrupt bureaucratic bottlenecks tearing down the Federal High Courts.  

The Rights group showered encomiums on the Ondo State Judiciary for standing up to be counted amongst those who have defended their inherent independence.  

“We call on all other State jucial arm to wake up and bring Justice to mass murderers and terrorists who are unleashing devastating violence on innocent People. States such as Plateau, Kaduna, Benue States whereby Fulani terrorists have massacred thousands of Indigenous farmers and natives  must wake up from slumber, shake off executive slavery and become independent so as to deliver Justice to the thousands of victims of terrorism in those States. The police must be allowed by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to carry out their law enforcement functions in all cases of mass killings even when armed Fulani terrorists are implicated because for 7 years, these Fulani terrorists have been enjoying executive protection and pampering which endangers the rule of law. 

HURIWA recalled that the deceased, Olakunri, was killed in July 12, 2019 along Ore/Ijebu-Ode Road in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state when she was traveling to Lagos from Akure for a social function by armed Fulani terrorists.

Her driver, Femi Ajayi, was kidnapped and released after he had spent seven days in their captivity.

HURIWA recalled that Justice Williams Olamide convicted and sentenced Muhammed Shehu Usman, Mazaje Lawal and Adamu Adamu, to death by hanging for offences ranging from conspiracy to murder, kidnapping and armed robbery just as the prosecution established beyond reasonable doubts that the same convicts attacked and killed a hunter identified as Matthew Ogunbiyi in the forest and took a German-Nigerian hostage, who was released after payment of ransom.

HURIWA citing news report stated that the now convicted terrorists were also charged with conspiracy to commit armed robbery and actual commission of armed robbery contrary to Section 1 (2a&b) for the Robbery and Firearm Special Prohibition Act CAP R11, Volume 14, Laws of the Federation. Besides, they were charged with conspiracy to commit felony to wit kidnapping, contrary to and punishable under Section 516 of Criminal Code CAP 37, Volume 1, Laws of Ondo State.

HURIWA recalled that the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Charles Titiloye, had levied eight-count charge against four suspects, listing them as aiding and abetting, armed robbery, kidnapping and murder. The first to three suspects were charged with murder contrary to Section 316 and punishable under section 319 of the Criminal Code CAP 37 Volume 1, Laws of Ondo State, Nigeria, 2006.

HURIWA recalled that the judge convicted them on the eight count charges while he discharged the fourth suspect, Awalu Abubakar, for conspiracy, aiding and abetting even as Justice Olamide ordered the convicts to die either by hanging on the murder counter, and added that they would spend the remaining part of their lives in prison for the offence of kidnapping.

British Parliamentary Debate On Terror In Nigeria: Building Upon False Narratives Whilst Blinded By Vested Self-Interest

Being a Rejoinder by Tony Nnadi on behalf of NINAS Secretariat, to the Debate in the British Parliament following the Pentecost Day Terror Attack on worshipers at a Catholic Church in Owo

– issued June 10, 2022.

Reviewing the video recording of the Debate in the British Parliament in the immediate aftermath of the June 5, 2022 Terror Attack on worshippers at a Catholic Church in Owo, the overall impression is that of a determined effort by Britain to distort, obfuscate and possibly deflect attention from the self-evident complicity of the Government of Nigeria under the watch of their ward, Muhammadu Buhari, in the widespread Campaign of Terror being perpetrated by Fulani invaders against the indigenous peoples of Nigeria. 

Guided by its own vested interests, that cock and bull Debate in the British Parliament is built on the long-disproved false narrative about farmers/herdsmen clashes, prompted mainly by the consequences of climate change. 

This false narrative avoids the true nature of what the problem is, which in the main, is the murderous Fulani Conquest Invasion as well as the complicity of the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari (a Fulani man), his Government and the high command of the Nigerian Military over which Buhari presides as Commander-In-Chief.

All the remediation actions and propositions by the British Minister taking the questions in Parliament, manifestly revolved around the jaundiced tales of the Government of Nigeria which is deeply complicit in the escalating violence. 

These contrast sharply with what the United States (US) did in getting to the root of the Nigerian terror crisis  by interfacing with the victims of the terror attacks as well as speaking with people in Nigeria who could have more insight into the nature and true cause(s) of the violence, including incidentally, myself.

I happened to be in the Delegation of Nigerians invited to the 2019 Round of International Religious Freedom Ministerial Roundtable on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, (June-July 2019) following the January 2019 Emergency Press Conferences on Nigeria at the National Press Club in Washington DC organized by a coalition of US Evangelicals, and facilitated by ICON, to call global attention to the widespread ethnoreligious killings going on in Nigeria. 

The aforementioned US Probe of the ethnoreligious killings in Nigeria, established a Fulani ethnic agenda, disguised with the garment of religion (Jihad) compounded by the complicity of the Buhari-led Government resulting in US Policy Actions on Nigeria which began with Nigeria being placed on a Special US Watch-List in December 2019 and the subsequent designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) in March 2020, amongst other actions.

NINAS will make an audiovisual response to that misleading British Parliamentary Debate on the Terror currently ravaging Nigeria. 

In the meantime, the public is invited to view on YouTube, two recent NINAS Broadcasts in its Alert Series under titles:

(1) “Train Terror Attack Demands: Evidence of Government Complicity”

( https://youtu.be/nx003Uu1fHA ) 

(2) “Nigeria: The Pyramid of Evil” 

( https://youtu.be/2lHGQl8nGa8 )

which relate to the subject matter and which both predate the Owo Terror Attack.  

These two videos above speak to the backdrop of the British vested interests and complicity of the Government of Nigeria and so what we see in the aforementioned British Parliamentary debate is basically a spin of the Caliphate, being marketed by their British Principals.

Tony Nnadi

NINAS Secretariat

June 10, 2022.

MUSLIM – MUSLIM TICKET : THE CASE OF NASIR EL-RUFAI’S GOVERNANCE OF KADUNA STATE

By
Emmanuel Gandu

EXCERPTS

[ Nigeria and Nigerians have been so much bastardized and killed respectively by religious intolerance that any sacrifice to reclaim our humanity, and country from the brink will not be too much.]

INTRODUCTION
The search for credible candidates that would bring democratic fortunes to Nigerian political parties have led to the emergence of alliances and scheming leading to issues like having a Muslim – Christian ticket, or Muslim – Muslim ticket.
Interestingly, the Moshood Abiola – Baba Gana Kingibe Muslim – Muslim ticket gave Nigeria the most nationally acceptable, best, and free election in history – the 1993 June 12 election that was annulled by General Ibrahim Gbadamasi Babangida.

However, Nigeria cannot dream of another Muslim – Muslim ticket because the country today is so polarized and divided along religious, ethnic, tribal and regional lines that it will come with catastrophic consequences.
Unfortunately, this is more so because Muhammadu Buhari (2015 – date) has put a knife on the things that held us together and we’ve fallen apart.

SOME CONSEQUENCES OF THE MUSLIMS-MUSLIM TICKET IN KADUNA STATE
(1) Development projects are concentrated in the Muslim dominated parts of Kaduna town, and also in Zaria.
These projects include major roads, township roads, neighborhood roads, flyovers, and markets.
(2) On the contrary, the Christian dominated parts of Kaduna town, and indeed the entire Southern Kaduna is totally neglected and abandoned.
The only semblance of road construction/renovation is the Muslim settlement in and around the Emir of Kafanchan palace.
(3) The 17 year old Kaduna State University have five Mosques on the Kaduna campus while Christians have no single Church.
Efforts by the Christian community to erect a structure was resisted with a June 6 2022 demolition allegedly supervised by military/security who collected the hand set phones of the few Christians present at the time of demolition.
(4) Kaduna State government declared a Friday work free day for its work force. If this was for the purposes of equity since Sunday is also a work free day which to me is commendable, then it behoves on the person who preaches equity to be fair and just to all concerned in all cases.
He who talks about equity must come with clean hands.
(5) Kaduna State has witnessed a dangerous and an unending religious crisis than any other state in Nigeria.
This got to a higthtened with catastrophic consequences from 2016 – date.
Consequently, killing in the name of God by both adherents of Christianity and Islam in Kaduna state became the norm rather than the exception.
Regrettably, cases of religious related attacks and killings are reported on daily basis, with government seemingly overwhelmed.
(6) This Muslim-Muslim ticket may be a catalyst for a feeling of superiority of Muslims over Christians who feel that they are in charge.
On the part of the Christians, they may have a feeling of a second class status and therefore resign themselves to any situation meted to them.
Consequently, this superiority and inferiority complex is the gunpowder for violence at any slightest provocation.
(7) It may be argued that Nasir El-Rufai’s concept of introducing the Muslim-Muslim ticket was to eliminate the age long dichotomy in the state, but it seems like the people from either of the two divides might not have been ripe for such a radical change.
Whatever it is, time and posterity will judge and or vindicate.

CONCLUSION
The experience of Kaduna State, and as highlighted above should not only serve as a lesson for all political parties in making the choices of their candidates for executive positions, but also as a guide in the governance and policies of state.
Nigeria and Nigerians have been so much bastardized and killed by religious intolerance that any sacrifice to reclaim our humanity, and country from the brink will not be too much.

                   Peace ?
                 11/6/2022