Death toll rises to 17 in Southern Kaduna attack

The number of fatalities from last night’s attack on the Ungwan Wakili community in Kaduna State’s Zango Kataf Local Government Area has increased to 17.

Reports counted 14 corpses recovered this morning, aside from the one person killed yesterday and the two people that died in the hospital.

Addressing to reporters, Mr. Francis Sani Zimbo, the council chairman of Zango Kataf Local Government, denounced the brutal assault and reaffirmed that investigations are ongoing to identify the offenders and hold them accountable.

He expressed remorse over the decision to remove all Mobile Police checkpoints from the impacted villages before to last night’s attack.

While protesting, the locals questioned how an attack could endure for almost 40 minutes without a single attacker being shot by security personnel despite the presence of a forward operating base in the communities

Amnesty International asks Adamawa State Government to lift expulsion of NGO’s

Amnesty International has demanded that the state governors’ orders to exclude non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Adamawa immediately be upturned.

In a statement, Amnesty International’s Director, Osai Ojigbo, claimed that the decision will harm the states’ most vulnerable citizens.

The government of Adamawa state since outlawed NGOs’ operations as the organizations were charged with attempting to sway voters in the recently held presidential and national assembly elections.

Yet Mrs. Ojigbo underlined that the persecution of organizations that advocate or protect human rights in governments must come to an end.

“Amnesty International demands that the governors of Adamawa immediately reverse their arbitrary deportation of non-governmental organizations. When organizations are attacked for nothing more than carrying out their routine duties while saving lives, it primarily harms the disadvantaged communities they are assisting.

“This campaign of intimidation against independent groups and human rights advocates must halt. The governor of the states of Adamawa must permit independent organizations and human rights advocates to operate freely.

“The suspension of NGOs in Adamawa state, is repressive and a direct attack on the civic space. Authorities of the state must desist from the such arbitrary exercise of powers and focus more on rebuilding and resettling communities displaced by years of attacks by bandits and insurgents,” she said.

Yahaya Bello threatens to detain and charge anyone who refuses to accept obsolete Naira notes

Kogi’s governor, Yahaya Bello, has threatened to detain and prosecute anyone who refuses to accept the old Naira notes.

These details was disclosed in a statement made in Lokoja by Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, Bello’s Commissioner for Information and Media.
The old Naira notes of N1000, N500, and N200 should continue to be accepted as lawful money alongside the new notes in all transactions until December 2023, the supreme court declared on Wednesday.

The governor described as “wrong” and “demeaning” the ongoing rejection of the old Naira notes in spite of the supreme court verdict.

“This administration will not stand and watch some persons and businesses continue to reject the use of the old naira notes, even after the court judgement validating their use.

“To us, rejecting the old naira notes is a clear disobedience of the Supreme Court ruling, which shall be vehemently resisted.

“Anyone who rejects the old naira notes should be reported to the security and government authorities for immediate arrest and prosecution.

“Also, banks that refuse to accept old naira deposits shall be sealed up as the state government will not accommodate financial institutions that willfully disobey court orders, moreso, the orders of the highest court in Nigeria, ” Bello said.

The governor urged all Kogi people to try to accept the outdated notes for regular business transactions now that commercial banks had begun issuing them.

The Kogi people are required to accept it as patriots because we cannot keep killing our economy even after the Supreme Court has granted us independence.

“As a result, the state government has established a high-powered Committee to ensure full adherence and compliance to the Supreme Court’s order over the use of the old notes,” Bello stated.

Kaduna: Terrorists kill pastor’s son, abduct wife, three others

According to reports, some terrorists attacked the Karimbu-Kahugu Village in Kaduna State’s Lere Local Government District.

The son of the Baptist resident pastor was killed in the attack on Friday morning. They also abducted his wife and three other people.

The incident was confirmed to The Middle Belt Times by Peter Mukaddas, vice chairman of the Kahugu National Development Associations.

He revealed that the attackers broke into the community and proceeded to to the clergyman’s home.

It was said that the terrorists carried out their operations for more than an hour without being confronted, firing randomly towards the ceiling where the pastor’s kid was hiding.

Residents in the neighborhood are confused because contact has not yet been made with the kidnappers, according to Mukaddas, who claimed that they have already reported the incident to the police.

In order to ensure that our loved ones are saved, he pleaded with the authorities and security services.

Attack on LP Governorship Candidate Campaign leaves 4 injured

Assailants have reportedly attacked Hon. Jonathan Asake’s campaign vehicle in Kaduna State’s Gidan Waya, Jema’a local government area, on Friday. Asake is the Labour Party’s (LP) candidate for governor of Kaduna State.

Four youths were injured in the attack, including two males and two females, according to a statement issued by Mr. James Swam, the media aide to the LP governorship candidate.

The incident allegedly occurred when the campaign team was touring the local government while the campaign convoy was traveling through Gidan Waya during the Friday Juma’at prayers on its way to Godogodo and other towns.

He claimed that as soon as the first three vehicles in the convoy passed through the used tires that had been used to mark the path, thugs began hurling rocks, sticks, and other dangerous objects at the extensive convoy.

“It took the timely intervention of the security personnel attached to the candidate to forestall a crisis,” he stated.

6 LGAs in Benue Under Fulani Terrorists Siege — ALGON Chairman

The Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria in Benue State, Mike Uba on Thursday raised said that six local government areas of the state are under siege by Fulani herders.

Uba stated this during a press conference held in Makurdi and added that the attacks were being carried out simultaneously in the past two weeks.

According to Uba, the affected six local government areas include; Kwande, Agatu, Gwer West, Guma, Makurdi and Logo.

The ALGON boss who is the chairman of Guma LGA said that the attacks started shortly after the presidential and national assembly election, adding that several communities have been deserted and occupied by herders.

He said, “This is the first time in the history of Fulani herders, terrorists attacks in the state that six local governments are under attacks simultaneously.

“These are Guma, Makurdi, Gwer-West, Kwande, Agatu and some forays in Logo. In the past, attacks would be in two or three; Guma, Gwer West and Agatu.

“The new dimension speaks volumes of Command Room Coordination and Strategy. This is a strategic attempt that is also politically timed to coincide with the electoral season,” he added.

Uba, however, appealed to  President Muhammad Buhari to protect the lives and property of the people of the state.

(Nigerian Tribune, header modified) 

Rivers Governor, Wike Vows To Chase Presidential Candidate, Atiku, Ayu, Others Out Of PDP

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s national chairman Iyorchia Ayu, and a few other party leaders, according to Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, have no role to perform for the party.
Wike swore to expel them from the party and begin its reconstruction.

At the commissioning of a road project in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State on Thursday, the governor made it known that he placed the blame for the PDP’s defeat in the recently concluded presidential election on those who, in his words, failed to abide by the PDP Constitution.
As the “second phase of the battle,” the governor referred to the action.
“These people left our party in 2014-2015, and our party lost. They returned, and our party lost again,” he remarked. Our celebration has been devastated by them. They will be driven from our party by us. They don’t participate in our celebration in any way.

Wike also criticized the PDP leadership for allegedly refusing to abide by the party’s constitution while accusing Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Election Commission, of breaking election rules.

He continued to make fun of the PDP leaders for organizing the demonstration against INEC by referring to them as “student unions.”

PANDEF Worries About Christians’ Fate Under a Muslim-Muslim Presidency

Olorogun Vincent Oyibode, the national deputy youth leader of the PAN Niger Delta Forum, has expressed grave concern over the results of the 2023 presidential election, in which Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress was declared the victor. He has warned that with a Muslim-Muslim presidency which has no place for Christians, Christianity may face difficult times in the future.

Olorogun Oyibode, Commissioner for DESOPADEC, Delta State, spoke at a global press conference on Monday in Warri on the subject of “Outcome of 2023 Presidential Elections: Implication for National Unity, the fate of southern Nigeria and Christians,” and expressed concerns about the political and religious “temperament” of Kassim Shetima, the Vice President-elect, as well as his fanatical Islamic identity. This indicates that Nigerian Christians are under significant risk. Oyibode said, “We ought to be prepared for what is to come.

According to him, “We canvassed a position that was against the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC and drummed support for the PDP before the general election. But our elders decided to back Peter Obi of the Labour Party, which we counseled against since we thought it was not strategically sound for the nation’s political environment. Today, the Obi movement succeeded in splitting the PDP vote in South-South and South-Eastern Nigeria, resulting in the election of the APC, whose appalling performance caused Nigeria to experience untold suffering.

‘’ In spite of our misgivings, we voted for the Muslim-Muslim ticket, and the results would be disastrous for Nigerian Christianity. The inference is that a Christian would probably not be there when issues regarding religious peace are being discussed in the presidency. Church tax decisions might simply be made by executive order, and our churches should be prepared for tough times in the near future because they will undoubtedly have to start paying taxes.

The Islamist agenda is taking shape, and Nigerian Christians may have a grim future. It may have been avoided if Atiku Abubakar had had complete backing. Sadly, the majority of church leaders served as shills and recruiters for the Peter Obi movement. The center can no longer support the situation as it currently stands, Oyibode continued.

He disclosed that the Nigeria 1999 constitution mentioned Sharia 73 times, Grand Khandi 54 times, Islam 28 times, Muslim 10 times and no single mention of Christ, Christians, Christianity or Church at all.

‘’The constitution has already skewed the legal identity of Nigeria towards an Islamic state. With the Muslim-Muslim president and Vice President, a full blown Islamic identity for Nigeria is on the way. They will be riding roughshod on the pains of Christians with impunity. The power distribution in the APC presidential ticket does not factor Christians at all. This is a source of worry for us at the PANDEF youth wing’’, he said.

The group also lambasted INEC for failing to deliver a credible election as promised, stressing that the manual collation of results against the transmission of same from the unit level was an aberration that could not guarantee the credibility of the process.

‘’However, we want to demand from Bola Ahmed Tinubu to recognize the secular identity of Nigeria as a nation. The president-elect must take the Niger Delta question as a cardinal agenda of his administration by taking the 16 point agenda raised by PANDEF before the FG in 2016 seriously.

Any failure to attend to our queries can lead to unrest in the Niger Delta area. Our zone harbors the liquid gold which is the mainstay of the Nigerian economy. We are watching as events continue to unfold. We pray and hope for the best for Nigeria’’ the group added.

Herders attack six Benue communities

Six communities in the local government areas of Kwande, Agatu, Gwer-West, Guma, Makurdi, and Logo have reportedly been attacked by alleged herders in the state, according to Mike Uba, chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria in Benue State.

In a press conference with media in Makurdi, Uba stated that the attacks took place concurrently over the course of the previous two weeks and that they began soon after the presidential and National Assembly elections.

He observed that some towns had been abandoned and were now inhabited by herdsmen.

He declared, “Six local governments are being attacked at the same time for the first time in the state’s history of herder assaults and terrorist strikes.

They include Guma, Makurdi, Gwer-West, Kwande, Agatu, and a few ventures into the Logo. Attacks in the past would be divided into two or three groups: Guma, Gwer-West, and Agatu.

“The additional dimension says a lot about command room strategy and coordination. This is a calculated effort intended to coincide with election season.

Uba, who serves as the head of the Guma Local Government Area, pleaded with President Major-General Muhammad Buhari (ret.) to safeguard the safety of people and property in the state.

Gov El-Rufai Suspends Village Head, Threatens Zazzau Emirate Traditional Titleholders, Others For Missing APC Campaign Meeting

The Kaduna State government is threatening traditional titleholders of Zazzau Emirate with suspension for not attending a campaign meeting.

SaharaReporters learnt that Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s government has already suspended a village head, identified as Sarkin Kwangila, under Sabon Gari Local GA, for not attending the meeting the governor organised on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at Kongo Conference Hotel in Zaria.

A letter from the Zazzau Emirate Council inviting District Heads to Wednesday’s meeting was obtained by Saharareporters.com.

The letter is titled, ‘Invitation to a meeting with the Governor of Kaduna State, His Excellency, Nasil Ahmed El-Rufai at Congo Conference Hotel, Zaria’.

The letter signed by Ahmed D. Abdullahi, Shugaban Ma’aikata, reads, “Greetings and well wishes to you all. I’m directed to inform all District Heads under the Zazzau emirate that the governor of Kaduna state, His Excellency Malam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai will have a meeting with them at Congo Conference Hotel as follows:

“Wednesday, March 8, 2023; by 11:am; Venue: A. B.U Hotel (Congo Conference Hotel) Gyallesu, Zaria.

It was learnt that El-Rufai and the APC governorship candidate in the state, Uba Sani had compelled the titleholders to campaign for the party in the upcoming elections.

Uba Sani is contesting under a Muslim-Muslim ticket against Isa Ashiru Kudan, a traditional titleholder (Sarkin Bai Zazzau) under the Zazzau Emirate.

One of the titleholders who refused to attend is Madakin Zazzau, Alhaji Munir Jafaru.

SaharaReporters learnt that he has been resolute that he would not sell the APC to the people as they blame the party and the government for their poor living standards.

The protesting titleholders are against the Muslim-Muslim ticket because they feel Isa Ashiru is also a Muslim and a traditional titleholder under the Zazzau Emirate.

It was learnt that they supported the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari, who had a pastor as his running mate, Yemi Osinbajo.

The APC government has sacked over 313 district heads and 4,453 village heads in Kaduna since El-Rufai became Governor in 2015, it was further learnt.

Saharareporters