A company of soldiers was recently deployed to the area, following reported attacks on the villagers by gunmen.
The troops, working under the army’s operation Safe Haven (OPSH), had in the past two months stopped the attackers from invading the villagers.
Insiders knowledgeable about the operation told TheCable that the attackers had written to the villages, asking them to inform the troops to leave their location as they planned to attack the community.
“We strategically put our troops in a border area between the village and the mountains from which their attackers come from,” one of the sources said.
“Many times, they have tried to jump on the village but they were stopped by the troops in heavy crossfires. In the past one month, we’ve had gunfights with them and lost two of our soldiers.
“Just a few days ago, the villagers brought a note from the attackers, asking the troops to leave that location so that they could attack. In fact, they threatened that if our soldiers didn’t leave, they would be the first to be attacked.”
Military sources said the development had already been communicated to the operation’s headquarters.
TheCable understands that part of what was sought from the headquarters is a reinforcement to avoid a situation where troops are overwhelmed when the attackers strike.
‘WE TRIED BROKERING PEACE THROUGH DIALOGUE’
Some army commanders in the area were said to have earlier attempted to broker peace between the attackers and the villagers, TheCable was informed.
One of the leaders of the attackers, sources said, was invited for a dialogue when some farmers were killed on their farmlands.
“Because they can’t enter into the village and launch an attack, as soldiers won’t allow them, they now wait for some farmers to enter their farmland and from there they go to attack them,” a source explained.
“It could be difficult to ask soldiers to now follow each villager to the farm, so we thought we could broker peace through dialogue with those guys.
“We made a call through, and an agreement was reached that they won’t attack the villagers again. Then at least, we had about three weeks gone and there was no attack on any farmer.
“It was shocking to see their latest threat, but our troops are on standby and we won’t allow them to take over that village.”
Onyema Nwachukwu, the army spokesperson, was not immediately available to comment on the development.
Foremost pro-democracy and Not-for-profit organisation-Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria-HURIWA has described as illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic the shabby impeachment of the Honorable Speaker of the Plateau state House of Assembly, Honorable Ayuba Abok by 8 out of the 24 members of the Assembly. The Group said the early morning show of shameless in Jos Plateau State can be equated to a sham marriage which in law is null and void. HURIWA said the removal of the speaker who had championed the need for the Ethnic Christians who are the bonafide owners of Plateau State to be protected from persisted Fulani terrorists and genocides, shows that the Plateau State Governor Mr. Simon Lanlong is a puppet of the Sokoto caliphate.
In a statement jointly signed by its National coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and National media affairs officer, Miss Zainab Yusuf, the group said the impeachment exercise that took place at the Plateau Assembly complex on Thursday morning is a mere display of political witch hunt against the speaker who has been very effective in checkmating the failures of the Governor Simon Lalong led administration in the state. Besides the Rights group said allowing the kangaroo impeachment to stand will portray Plateau State’s political class as people with medieval mindsets who lack the genuine interests of their people at heart just as the Rights group asked the Speaker deposed illegally to rush to the Court of competent jurisdiction to get the charade overturned or alternatively he can run a parallel state house of Assembly representing the majority of the State’s constituencies.
The Human rights crusader further alleged that the impeachment is not unconnected with the recent ultimatum given to the governor by the hitherto vibrant and pro-people Parliament following incessant killings of helpless and defenseless citizens in the state with Bassa local government being the worst hit.
HURIWA said since it has become very obvious that the governor has failed to address the issues of insecurity in the state and the only option left for him to survive inevitable impeachment is to illegally orchestrate a sham impeachment of the speaker of the Assembly.
The group, making reference to a publication by the News Agency of Nigeria where it was alleged that the 8 members gained access to the assemble chamber at 6am to carry out their illegality condemned the act and called on the Plateau Assembly to reverse the impeachment and follow democratically allowed procedures. The Rights group said the National Assembly can as well take over the control of the parliamentary activities for Plateau State if the illegal impeachment is not overturned on time.
HURIWA also berated the militarization of the assembly complex, saying it is against the tenet of democracy to militarize a constitutional democratic assembly just as HURIWA said the action of the minority is in conflict with Section 92(c) of the Constitution specifying that a speaker can only be removed from office by a resolution of House of Assembly by the votes of not less than two-third majority of the members of the House. “Are these politicians in Jos so mathematically incapable of knowing that 8 is not the two third majority in a House of 24 legislators?”
The leadership of the Boko Haram sect loyal to the Bakoura Buduma camps has relocated their bomb fabricators to a forest in Southern Kaduna State, PRNigeria has learnt.
The bomb makers, known as Amaliyyahs by the Sect authorities, were recently deployed to Rijana, Igabi, and Chikun town in the Southern Province of Kaduna.
Internal sources say the two Boko Haram groups may take advantage of the mountainous forest as hideouts.
In a related development, the ISIS Shura Council, have planned to visit the West African Wilaya of the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP), PRNigeria was told by credible intelligence sources.
The visit, it was learnt, was on the instruction of ISIS Leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as part of the group’s effort of reorganizing its global structure.
The source told PRNigeria that the purpose of the ISIS trip was also to provide training, funding as well as to deploy more mercenaries to fight in sub-Saharan Africa after losing a lot of it terrorist fighters.
“They are also to join forces with ISWAP to eliminate terrorists of the Bakoura Faction of Boko Haram,” they said.
The Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Nuhu Abok, has been impeached by eight members of the legislative arm of the government.
The member representing Pengana Constituency, Yakubu Sanda, was named as the new Speaker.
He was removed in the early hours of Thursday by the lawmakers from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who were escorted into the chambers amidst tight security.
Members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were, however, prevented from entering the Assembly complex.
An angry mob has killed a man, his wife and son in Zangon Aya community, Igabi local government area of Kaduna State for allegedlyfpor giving information to bandits.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has condemned the act and ordered a thorough investigation into the incident.
Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna State, said on Tuesday that security agencies reported the killing to the state government.
According to the report, Abdullahi Mohammed Gobirawa, his wife Binta Abdullahi and his son Hassan Abdullahi were killed when a mob stormed their home on Monday afternoon.
“The mob action was in response to the trio’s suspected collaboration with bandits, especially in relation to recent kidnappings in the area. After killing the trio, the mob looted and burnt their home.”
While “receiving the reports, Governor Nasir El-Rufai expressed his sadness and deep worry at the violent actions of the citizens, and strongly condemned the extra-judicial killings. He stressed that lawful means alone should be adopted in confronting suspicions of criminality, as the destructive practice of self-help would only result in greater harm.”
“The Governor directed security agencies to conduct thorough investigations into the incident and urged citizens to maintain order. He cautioned against stereotyping of any sort and appealed for consistent recourse to the constituted agencies.
“Investigations into the incident are in progress,” he said.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has accused the Nigerian police of not being willing to arrest errant herdsmen in Ondo.
“Yes, you have criminal trespass. It should be treated by the state. All we had before Amotekun was the police that had the duty to arrest and were not prepared to make an arrest. Things are changing and have really changed in Ondo state,” said Mr Akeredolu. “Today, if you trespass on other people’s land, the Amotekun will go after you and arrest you. They pay compensation to the farmers, and when they fail, they are in court. It is the only way you can send signals to the people.”
The governor was quoted as saying this on Monday at the 27th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja with the theme ‘Securing Our Future: The Fierce Urgency of Now’.
He pointed out that “when you commit a crime, and the hands of law don’t catch up with you, another person will repeat it.”
On open grazing, Mr Akeredolu said nomadic pastoralism was a culture that must be discouraged in the interest of those involved.
“Speaking for those of us who have put in place anti-open grazing law. We have our reasons, and we have no apologies,” the governor stated.
Mr Akeredolu, Governor Nasiru El-Rufai, and other panellists spoke at the summit centred on addressing the country’s protracted security challenges.
According to him, a nation with failed security and justice systems is set to fail.
“In Ondo state, we don’t have terrorism. Our problem is farmers and herders clashes and kidnapping for ransom. We have drug abuse and agitation for self-determination. We have always preached multi-level policing in Ondo state. We believe in layers of security,” he said.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s media aide Garba Shehu says he agrees with the UK-based publication, The Economist, that Nigeria’s insecurity has taken a turn for the worse since the ex-military dictator was elected as a civilian president in 2015.
“The Economist is also accurate to state that they (insecurity challenges) have come to a head under President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration,” the president’s media acknowledged in a statement reacting to the report.
The publication noted that under Mr Buhari, Nigeria had become a crime scene of destructive magnitude on the African continent, pointing out that terrorists and armed bandits are running wild because Mr Buhari is corrupt and lazy, failing to do anything but render lip service following every deadly attack.
“Yet they do so, because for so long, under previous administrations, whether military or democratic, tough decisions have been ducked, and challenges never fully met – with the effect of abetting these dangers and allowing them all to fester and grow,” the presidential spokesman claimed. “It is only the Buhari leadership which has sought – ever, in over one hundred years – to identify the root causes of the herder-farmer clashes and find durable solutions.”
In July, the bandits shut down a Nigerian Air Force jet in Zamfara and invaded the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna the following month.
Although Mr Buhari acknowledged bandits have been terrorising the country, his administration has been reluctant to declare bandits as terrorists because they have yet to declare a political or religious goal, a key requisite in designating a movement as terrorists under international regulations.
Islamic Cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi on Sunday warned that declaring bandits as terrorists will mark the end of Nigeria as a sovereign and united entity.
Mr Gumi, a retired army military officer and mufti, admitted that the devastation inflicted by rampaging bandits in Nigeria’s northwest amounts to terrorism, but President Muhammadu Buhari’s labelling them as such will invite additional consequences that will consume the entire country.
“The acts the bandits are committing now in NW have gradually over time become tantamount to terrorism because wherever innocent people are fatal victims it’s pure terrorism,” Mr Gumi said in a Facebook post on Sunday night.
The cleric warned that the moment bandits are designated as terrorists, “Islamic for that matter, the direct foreign Jihadist movements will set in in force.”
“Many teaming unemployed youths may find it palatable and attractive. Shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ plus AK47 against a ‘secular’ immoral society where impunity reigns are the magnet for extremists and downtrodden – the majority of our youth. Already these deadly terrorist groups are fighting for the soul of these bandits,” he said. “This will give criminality a spiritual cover and remove the stigma of discrediting them with such crimes since now they are fighting a ‘Jihad’ as they will claim.”
Mr Gumi said, since Boko Haram has already gripped the North-East, separatist agitators in the South-East and South-West will easily seize on the lawlessness sweeping the northern regions.
“NE is already and is still devastated by this madness for over 12 years. If we allow, terror, to set in into these raw naïve unexposed bandits, NW will be in ruins sooner than later.
“Already IPOB are destroying SE, and Igboho has set the ball of confusion rolling in SW. For those who want to destroy the NW, it’s a good recipe.
“Turn bandits into religious zealots. Tell me, what then remains of Nigeria?” Mr Gumi said.
The mufti also dismissed his critics as “illiterates” for their failure to see his position since he started holding talks with bandits in their hideouts and publicly advocating for a civil resolution to their deadly exploits.
Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina recently smalled Mr Gumi as a “terrorist lover” for his open association with bandits killing and abducting civilians across the North-West.
The bandits carried out abductions of schoolchildren that forced school closures in Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger and Zamfara. The Nigerian National Assembly also urged Mr Buhari to declare them terrorists.
In July, the bandits shut down a Nigerian Air Force jet in Zamfara and also raided Nigerians Defence Academy Kaduna the following month.
Although Mr Buhari acknowledged bandits have been terrorising the country, his administration has been reluctant to declare bandits as terrorists because they have yet to declare a political or religious goal, a key requisite in designating a movement as terrorists under international regulations.
See Mr Gumi’s full statement below:
Nobody doubts that sentimentalism today overrides sensibility in our polity. For the sake of posterity, some people will have to speak out. The acts the Bandits are committing now in NW have gradually over time become tantamount to terrorism because wherever innocent people are fatal victims it’s pure terrorism.
Yet, innocence these days is relative. We agreed if their children and women are also killed, they are guilty by association or collateral damage, so also the bandits may think the same way. It’s right for vigilantes to lynch Fulanis herdsmen or anyone that looks like them by profiling but wrong for the herdsmen to ransack villages in retribution. They are pushed to believe it is an existential war and in war, ethics are thrown to the winds.
Yet again, the only helpful part that is against Bandits is that no other than them are attracted to join them in the NW because of its ethnic tinge and coloration. However, the moment they are termed Terrorist – Islamic for that matter, the direct foreign Jihadist movements will set in in force. And many teaming unemployed youths may find it palatable and attractive.
Shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ plus AK47 against a ‘secular’ immoral society where impunity reigns are the magnet for extremists and downtrodden – the majority of our youth. Already these deadly terrorist groups are fighting for the soul of these bandits. This will give criminality a spiritual cover and remove the stigma of discrediting them with such crimes since now they are fighting a ‘Jihad’ as they will claim. In such a situation, does the larger society -as it is- has the moral high ground to fight back? This is the most probable consequence, the price of which is not worth it. Nothing stops the kinetic actions from going on without the controversy of semantics.
NE is already and is still devastated by this madness for over 12 years. If we allow, terror, to set in into these raw naïve unexposed bandits, NW will be in ruins sooner than later. Already IPOB are destroying SE, and Igboho has set the ball of confusion rolling in SW. For those who want to destroy the NW, it’s a good recipe. Turn bandits into religious zealots. Tell me, what then remains of Nigeria?
I have started to get these raw bandits out of their misadventure but unfortunately, I have few helpers and a mountain of antagonists. The psychology in fighting natives is to induce a motive for their struggle if they don’t have one already, a motive that is manageable, and it is so managed. Unfortunately, reactions to threat in our nation is always slow and incoherent.
I hope another Igbo clergy goes into the IPOB militants likewise and talk sense into them, and another Pastor of Oduduwa land talks against the Igboho secessionist tribal movement by way of sensitizing people to the values of a cohesive nationalism that will guaranty freedom, equality, and justice for all. Religious forces can permeate hardened hearts where secular forces cannot.
Regrettably, people just sit down in the comfort of their rooms or parlors and make useless passing comments that only add fuel to the inferno of ethnic jingoism and bigotry. In the 21st century, Nigeria is hijacked by semi-illiterates and half-baked tribal heroes that have nothing to offer besides promoting tribal xenophobia.
Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groupings, it’s not possible to divide such a nation into tribal enclaves. Nigeria is multi-religious, even with one same religion or sect there is no harmony and understanding that can build a prosperous unified nation where tranquility and development will flourish. We are tired of these bogus destructive fruitless slogans! Nigerians are in a daydream so long they act by Nerval impulses not by the dictates of their cerebral cortex. May Allah protect us all. Amin
Afenifere Group in the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe has faulted the Nigerian government for linking secessionist leader, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho to terrorism. The group in a statement on Saturday, October 23, 2021 by its Secretary, Engr. Anthony Ajayi said the move has further exposed the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government of giving “skewed priority to issues of national importance”.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami, while reading out the findings of the Presidential Committee set up to investigate Sunday Igboho and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu on Friday, October 22, 2021, linked Igboho to a Boko Haram sponsor, Surajo Muhammad, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the United Arab Emirates for financing terrorism. The committee was made up of personnel of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Federal Ministry of Information, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). The group accused the Nigerian Government of plotting to change the narratives against Igboho in their quest to silence him and other Nigerians for exercising their rights.
The group said, “The development is a sad one at this time of Nigeria’s history. Over these years, terrorists, Boko Haram, bandits, herdsmen and unknown gunmen have invaded Nigeria, killed hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens and are still killing daily yet none of them has been arrested and prosecuted. “Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has been holding meetings and making utterances against the Nigerian state for the bandits yet he has not been linked to terrorism nor arrested and prosecuted. “These are the same bandits who are carrying Ak-47s, submachine guns, general missile processor vehicles and anti-aircraft guns. These are the same bandits who have declared an Islamic state and are holding territories and collecting taxes in the North. These are the same bandits who attacked and killed Nigerian soldiers at the Nigerian Defence Academy. These are the same bandits who shoot down Air force jets. These are the same bandits who are kidnapping schoolchildren for ransom. These are the same bandits who bomb and destroy rail tracks and trains built with heavily borrowed funds. These are the same bandits who are killing and raping women in their homes and farms and sacking villages. Yet, Gumi is a free man in Nigeria while Igboho who only resisted herdsmen’s incessant attacks on his people, thereby agitating for self-rule because he had lost hope in Nigeria in 2020, is being linked to terrorism. “The United Arab Emirates has jailed a number of Northerners found to be financiers of Boko Haram and also published names of some sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria. Why has the government not investigated and prosecuted them？ “The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said publicly some days ago that terrorists who tried to overthrow him are in Northern Nigeria. Why did the government not set up a committee to investigate this？
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said publicly some days ago that terrorists who tried to overthrow him are in Northern Nigeria. Why did the government not set up a committee to investigate this？ “Is the Nigerian government saying that because Igboho transferred over N12 million business money through a registered Bureau De Change operated by Surajo Muhammad, that made him a terrorist financier？ Is the Nigerian government also saying that anyone who had transferred money through Surajo Muhammad’s Bureau De Change firm is a terrorist financier？ “Injustice like this has been the bane of agitations for self-rule in Nigeria. The government needs to wake up to tackle the real problems of Nigeria because we do not see how Igboho constituted a threat to the country.
“We as Yoruba people have our values. We are the Omoluabis. We do not compromise values. Our values do not include violence or killing people. “We are not in support of secession from Nigeria. We want to further protect our values through a restructured Nigeria.”
The Sokoto State government has urged the Nigerian Government to lift the suspension of mobile phone services in the state.
In September, the government shut down telecommunications services in 14 of the 23 local government areas of the state, to block the communication channels used by killer bandits.
The state government has however written to the Nigerian Government after a security council meeting on the terror attack on Goronyo market which left 43 people dead last week.
This was disclosed in a press statement on Saturday and signed by Malam Mohammed Bello, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Governor Abdullahi Tambuwal.
This came after Tambuwal received a delegation from the North Eastern Governors Forum who was in Sokoto on Saturday to offer their condolences to the people of the state over the recent terror attack at Goronyo market.
The statement noted that the North-East Governors Forum (NEGF) were represented by the governors of Borno and Gombe states, Prof. Babagana Aymara Zulum and Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya respectively.
Governor Tambuwal explained that the suspension of the blockage became necessary because of concerns expressed by security outfits in the state that the blockage was seriously affecting the smooth conduct of their work.
The state government has already forwarded a letter to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami to review the network blockage, the statement said.
