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Heavily armed policemen stormed and shut down the Ogun digital market, causing confusion

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The traders in the well-known Tarmac phone and digital market in the Panseke neighborhood of Abeokuta, Ogun State, were in disarray on Friday morning when heavily armed policemen stormed the market and demanded that they leave because there was a court order requiring them to do so.

When TheNigerian Metro visited the market, it was seen that there were many police officers present, and the vendors were hanging out close to their locked and keyed businesses.

Some of the vendors who spoke with our correspondent highlighted that there had been repeated instances of land speculators showing up and asking them to leave the market, putting their livelihoods in danger.

Akeem Oyeyemi, a trader, claimed that the police came to his stores early on Friday to eject him and his employees after handing them a court order that they were not aware of.

 

“What occurred was that this morning at around five in the morning, we received a call stating that roughly 200 police officers had invaded the tarmac with about 20 cars, and our chairman also advised us to begin arriving. We all congregated here and traveled to the Olubara’s palace at around 6 o’clock in the morning.

“From the palace, we returned here to meet the police and inquire as to what had occurred. When the police arrived, they displayed a court order requesting that Tarmac be locked up, but we informed them that we had not received any notice of any court orders and that we thought we should have been informed if the need to lock this facility up ever arose.

The police opened fire, forcing everyone to flee for their lives when we agreed that we should be allowed to open our stores. We had been prohibited from opening our shops up until this point, according to Oyeyemi.

Another trader, who also requested anonymity, mentioned that land speculators had a habit of showing up at the market and asking the traders to leave.

She remarked, “Some land squatters have been to this market before to beg us to leave, but we will later learn that our authorities have reached a settlement with them. The situation is worrying and it is impacting our business.

It was unable to get the chairman of the market association, Ifebola Togunwa, to respond to calls and messages left at his phone.

Omolola Odutola, the public relations officer for the Ogun State Police Command, asked our correspondent via WhatsApp if she was at the scene of the incident. Our correspondent responded in the affirmative and even sent pictures of the scene, but she had not yet responded after reading the message when we filed this report.

TheNigerianNews had reported on Wednesday that the Ogun State House of Assembly claimed that police officers in the state were conspiring with some land speculators to unlawfully arrest and jail innocent citizens.

Olakunle Oluomo, the Speaker of the Assembly, made a request to the Inspector General of Police to intervene in the unlawful arrest and detention of hundreds of state residents after noting that they were still being held in various police detention facilities at Alagbon in Lagos and the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

UN is urgently seeking more than $71m to aid Libya flood victims

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After fatal flash floods ripped over Libya over the weekend, the UN is urgently seeking more than $71 million to aid those who are in the greatest need.

Hurricane-strength On September 10, Storm Daniel hit Libya, killing at least 4,000 people and leaving thousands more missing.

The United Nations Humanitarian Agency (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) stated it anticipates the death toll to grow in a quick appeal on Thursday.

Two upstream dams failed on Sunday, leaving the city of Derna, one of the worst-affected areas, to become a wasteland.

 

Estimates, according to OCHA, indicate that 30 percent of the city may have vanished. Because most of the city’s roads have collapsed, local officials are requesting the establishment of a sea corridor for relief efforts and evacuations.

In the meantime, the entire seaside town of Sousse is still underwater.

OCHA described the situation as “catastrophic” and stated that in order to meet the “most urgent needs of 250,000 persons targeted out of the 884,000 people projected to be in need,” its humanitarian partners require $71.4 million.

Martin Griffiths, the head of UN OCHA, had established a $10 million fund for immediate emergencies on Wednesday.

Whole neighborhoods have vanished off the map. In a statement, he claimed that the floodwaters had unexpectedly carried away entire families.

“At this difficult moment for Libya, getting lifesaving supplies to people, preventing a secondary health disaster, and fast restoring some kind of routine must supersede any other priority.”

A number of other nations, including the United States, the European Union, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, have either provided or promised assistance, and foreign rescue teams have been brought in to look for survivors and collect bodies.

Breaking: Supreme Court dismisses APC’s case of Mbah’s election victory

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for governor of Enugu State in 2023, Uche Nnaji, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) appealed the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate Peter Mbah as the election’s victor.

According to a source, a five-judge panel of the supreme court, presided over by Justice Tijani Abubakar, found that the legal team for the APC and Nnaji submitted an invalid brief of argument and failed to persuade the judge with strong arguments as to why the appellants’ inadequate brief should be accepted.

Read Also: Tinubu faults Buhari, Jonathan for farmers, herders crisis

According to Abubakar, the invalidity of the appellants’ brief also affects the appeal for which the appeal was filed because it was determined that the appellants’ brief was invalid.

Coming soon: more information

Tinubu faults Buhari, Jonathan for farmers, herders crisis

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The recurrent farmers/herders conflict in Nigeria has been attributed to his predecessors, according to President Bola Tinubu.

At the inauguration of a presidential commission tasked with reforming the livestock sector and finding long-term solutions to recurrent conflicts between herders and farmers, Tinubu made this statement on Thursday in Abuja.

After the National Conference on Livestock Reforms and Mitigation of Associated Conflicts in Nigeria submitted its report, the committee was formed.

“This crisis has persisted not because of herders and farmers,” Tinubu stated during the occasion. The failure of the leadership to find quick fixes for their issues is to blame. In order to be a leader, you must think and act.

“If you are careful, you will see an opportunity out of every tragedy,” the president concluded. This disagreement has existed between us for a while. We understand that it is a local issue. People find it very challenging to abandon their conventional, outdated practises.

“I tried in 2018 to find a solution to this issue, but it was difficult. But someone once advised me to never give up, and as of today, I think the answer is at hand.

Read Also: Police apprehend 288 robbers, 187 kidnappers, 198 murderers – IG

“The federal government is ready and willing to pay for the expense of purchasing the land. As a result of these prospects, our veterinary physicians will have lucrative work, and the private sector will have access to new educational options for herders and their children. There will be built medical facilities. We have a chance that could alter our lives forever.

“Consider that we produce enough milk for our students in the classroom. Imagine that we start to net export cheese and yoghurt. Consider how much skin we could produce if a significant Nigerian leather industry existed. Think about the jobs and cold storage facilities we could create around the country. According to a statement by his spokeswoman, Ajuri Ngelale, the president said, “These things are conceivable before us.

As previously mentioned, President Tinubu succeeded Muhammadu Buhari on May 29, 2023. After winning the 2015 presidential election, Buhari succeeded Goodluck Jonathan.

I was not elected to give excuses —Tinubu

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President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has stated that the Nigerian people did not elect him to provide excuses but rather to work diligently to guarantee that the nation is lifted out of poverty and positioned for economic prosperity.

On Thursday, President Tinubu made the remark in a statement that was issued on his behalf by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale. The statement was delivered at the State House in Abuja, where the President was hosting a 62-person delegation from Rivers State.

Nyesom Wike, a former governor of Rivers State who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Siminalayi Fubari, his successor, led the delegation, which included leaders of both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

During his talk to the delegation, Tinubu stated that he had made up his mind that Nigeria should not be linked with things like poverty, instability, or a lack of development. He gave the delegation the assurance that under his leadership, the narrative would be “permanently and positively transformed.”

“It is not God’s will for us to be in a position where we have to be impoverished. We are going to flip the tables! There must be a calm and tranquil enclave for us, hidden away somewhere in the midst of this tempest. He promised that they would find it.

“We are not a group of slackers. We have a plenty of resources. Simply looking out for one another and being respectful neighbors is all that is required of us.

“I am not a President who will make excuses for my administration. In order to generate prosperity for all Nigerians, I intend to labor arduously on behalf of our nation with focus, commitment, and dedication. There is no justification for our state of poverty! We won’t bother looking behind us; instead, we’ll go headlong towards the future.

It’s possible that we’ll be swimming against the tide today. But in a short while, the waves will pull us ahead from behind them. We will realize the objectives and hopes set forth by our ancestors. The citizens of the nation that I now govern serve as a source of motivation for me.

“I am the commander of the country as well as the chief marketer. We have to buck the current pattern and make progress toward our goals in a relatively short amount of time. “The expectations of our people are very high for us,” he stated.

Police officers, Soldiers, DSS invade IPOB camp

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Police officers, soldiers, and Department of State Service employees invaded a camp at Eke-agbebor Isu in the Onicha Local Government Area of the Ebonyi State, which was allegedly home to the banned Indigenous People of Biafra.

The Police Public Relations Officer for the state command, SP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, released this information to the media on Thursday in Abakaliki.

According to Onovwakpoyeya, the team allegedly damaged a shrine in the IPOB camp.

In a coordinated operation with the military and the DSS on September 13, tactical team operatives of the Command attacked an IPOB/ESN camp at Eke-agbebor Isu in Onicha LGA of Ebonyi state based on reliable and actionable intelligence.

“While others managed to escape with wounds of varying severity, one IPOB/ESN member was shot and killed.

But two more people were detained. These two are Paul Ani’m’, also known as Osah, 38, and Emmanuel Chinedu’m’, also known as Patho, 26,” the PPRO stated.

Another development, according to Onovwakpoyeya, is that people of the Agba village in the state’s Ishielu local government area detained another member of the IPOB on September 14.

She claimed that the suspect attempted to flee the neighborhood but was apprehended and turned over to the police.

She said, “The Commissioner of Police is utilizing this opportunity to appeal to all hospitals, traditional healing centers, pharmacies, and all Ebonyi citizens to report anyone seeking medical assistance with bullet wound injuries to the nearest police station.”

Obasanjo’s wife counsels women to exercise patience

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s wife, Mrs. Bola Obasanjo, has urged women to turn to God in difficult times.

The former first lady announced this at the Reverend (Mrs.) Fola Achudume’s 55th birthday celebration, which was held on Wednesday at the Victory Life Bible Church auditorium in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

She urged people to be patient and concentrated no matter where they are by pointing out that when one trusts on God, especially during difficult circumstances, the impossible becomes achievable.

She also urged individuals, particularly women, to avoid envy and instead look for methods to uplift others.

“People can only truly understand the meaning of life and the purpose of human existence when they take the time to learn about the meaning of creation.

“The wife is a reflection of her husband,” she continued, “suggesting that women who marry famous men must always have in the back of their thoughts that the spotlight is always on their spouses.”

She asserts that Reverend (Mrs.) Achudume has made significant contributions to women’s empowerment and activism in addition to carving out a place for herself within the Christian community.

Chief (Mrs.) Obasanjo, who praised the Birthday Girl as her husband’s ideal spouse and a pillar of strength, exhorted women to always be submissive, honor their spouses, and be there for their kids at all times.

After thanking everyone for attending, the celebrant, Reverend Mrs. Achudume, said that she had chosen to utilize the occasion of her 55th birthday to pray and praise God for his mercy and kindness.

Hoodlums terrorize Lagosians, residents seek help

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The high crime rate in the Agege Local Government Area of Lagos State is currently paralyzing the residents of the communities of Akerele and Atobaje.

When our correspondent visited the neighborhood on Wednesday, he discovered that residents were constantly afraid to walk down the street, especially at night, due to the presence of vicious-looking louts who were frequently high on hard drugs or alcohol.

Further information revealed that when suspected hoodlums are high on drugs, they start committing all kinds of crimes, including rape, burglary, and robbery.

A trader going by the name Lekan claimed that drug-using youth posed the biggest threat to community peace.

Lekan warned, “You will see young boys and girls smoking and wasting away. These kids are seen by the parents, who never warn them. It’s extremely risky the way this threat is growing.

“You will see young girls, between the ages of 18 and below, using various illegal substances. Atobaje and Akerele, two important areas, are inaccessible at night.

In order to lower the rate of social menace in the neighborhood, he further urged the government to implement basic public services like street lighting and robust security.

Abiodun, a resident, claimed that it was difficult for people to move around freely at night because of the threat of suspected hoodlums committing various crimes, including robbery and theft.

The rate of hard drug use among young people in this area, according to Abiodun, is extremely concerning. When someone is high on drugs, they can do anything, including rape, fight, and other crimes.

“Once they get drunk, they start robbing and fighting locals with cutlasses and other sharp objects. She emphasized that some of the local youths had the ability to do and undo.

When contacted, Benjamin Hundeyin, the state police public relations officer, stated he was not available for comments because he was in a meeting at the time this report was filed.

Police apprehend 288 robbers, 187 kidnappers, 198 murderers – IG

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The Nigeria Police Force has disclosed that in the last five weeks, it has detained 288 suspects in armed robberies, 187 suspects in kidnappings, 198 suspects in homicides, 59 suspects for possessing illegal firearms, 168 suspects in rape, defilement, and other sexual offense cases, 265 suspected cultists, and 1891 other suspects for various crimes.

Additionally, 127 firearms of various calibers, 612 different types of ammunition, and 89 stolen vehicles were all found by police across the country during the same time frame. Meanwhile, 71 kidnapped victims were freed unharmed and later reunited with their families and loved ones.

A total of 89 stolen vehicles have been found by the police in the past five weeks, while 1,244 vehicles have been registered overall through the Central Motor System, 234 of which have been discovered to have been reported stolen on the platform. The police high command added that 46 stolen vehicles have been recovered so far out of a total of 89 vehicles recovered due to the quick response of the CMR desk officers working with field agents.

At a meeting with strategic police managers, including Deputy Inspector Generals of Police, Assistant Inspector Generals of Police, and Commissioners of Police on Thursday at Force Headquarters in Abuja, Olukayode Egbetokun, the acting Inspector-General of Police, announced the development.

He said that the Nigeria Police had experienced both good and bad times over the previous five weeks, but that overall crime in Nigeria has been steadily declining over that time period, despite pockets of unpleasant incidents that have been reported in some regions.

“The accomplishments would not have been possible without the combined efforts of our officers, government backing, support from state governments, and public assistance. In order to address the various facets of crime and criminality in Nigeria, I must reiterate that the Nigeria Police Force, under my direction, will continue to adopt and embrace modern policing strategies.

Despite the threats of political and socioeconomic instability that accompanied the removal of fuel subsidies and post-election tribunals across the country, he also noted that the internal security situation of the country over the past month or so has been relatively calm. He added that, in comparison to the past, the country recorded a lesser number of violent crimes and other major offenses nationwide.

“Over the past five weeks, our dedicated officers have shown unwavering resolve in upholding law and order,” Egbetokun said. The Nigeria Police Force has successfully dismantled numerous notorious criminal syndicates involved in organized crimes through meticulously planned and well-coordinated operations driven by actionable intelligence, leading to the arrest of 288 armed robbery suspects, 187 kidnap suspects, 198 homicide suspects, 59 suspects for possession of prohibited firearms, 168 suspects involved in cases of rape, defilement, and other sexual offenses, 265 suspected cultists, and

“Overall, 127 firearms of various calibers, 612 different rounds of ammunition, and 89 stolen vehicles were found across the country, while 71 kidnapped victims were freed unharmed and later reunited with their families and loved ones during the same five-week period.

“In the interest of public safety and general security, we have established an ad hoc committee tasked with the comprehensive review of firearms licensing and regulations in accordance with the Firearms Act and other existing laws.

“The committee’s mandate will include a comprehensive analysis of the rules and procedures currently in place for firearms licensing, with the goal of enhancing their effectiveness, accountability, and transparency. To ensure a thorough and knowledgeable review, this will be carried out in collaboration with the pertinent stakeholders.

He also urged those who were in possession of firearms illegally to turn the weapons in to the local police station, where they would be safe from punishment.

All people involved in the illegal possession of arms and light weapons are hereby advised to turn them in to the police at the local police stations. There will be no punishment for this.

“By this announcement, all State Commissioners of Police and supervising Assistant Inspectors General of Police in charge of Zonal Commands, as well as Tactical Commanders, are required to start an immediate, all-out crackdown on the manufacture, sale, possession, and use of illegal firearms in the nation.

“All Nigerians are hereby requested to report to their neighborhood police stations any suspicious firearms-related activities. For quick response and action, they can also report through the various NPF social media platforms.

Speaking about the Special Intervention Squad, Egbetokun stated that a team of 25 trainers and instructors from various police colleges and training schools have been carefully chosen to travel to another country for specialized training. This is in furtherance of his administration’s resolve to see to it that all forms of violent crimes in Nigeria are adequately prepared for, identified, and dealt with, and in line with his earlier directive for the establishment of a 40,000-strong SIS.

He added that the Central Motor Registry, which was recently automated and implemented, has transformed how police in the nation respond to the problem of stolen vehicles.

The goal, according to Egbetokun, “is to provide them with pertinent training in the Special Intervention Squad program, a project designed to give our staff members cutting-edge skills and techniques for handling complex security challenges across the nation.

“We have made significant investments to upgrade our infrastructure and digital capabilities because we recognize the importance of cutting-edge technology in contemporary law enforcement, and these are showing promising results.

“Police response to the challenge of stolen vehicles in the nation has been revolutionized by the Central Motor Registry, which was recently automated and rolled out. The platform gives Nigerians the chance to register their vehicles online, increasing the likelihood that these vehicles will be found if they are stolen.

“During the review period, 1,244 vehicles were registered on the CMR platform, of which 234 were later discovered to have been reported stolen on the platform. So far, 46 stolen vehicles have been found thanks to the quick action of the CMR desk officers and field agents.

This figure is included in the total of 89 stolen vehicles found over the course of the previous five weeks. In an effort to recover everything, more recovery efforts are still being made. For the best security and safety, we hereby encourage members of the public to access the platform at cmris.npf.gov.ng and register their vehicles.

LP criticizes Soyinka for remarks about Obi, Datti

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The Labour Party’s leadership rebuked Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka for saying that the party was trying to trick Nigerians into thinking that Peter Obi, its presidential candidate, won the contentious February 25 election.

The protest follows Soyinka’s statement made on Wednesday at a symposium titled “The Lives of Wole Soyinka — A Dialogue,” which took place in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

The eminent author had emphasized that although the Labour Party leadership was aware that Obi finished third, they continued to play “gbajue” (to force a lie) on the populace, particularly the young.

However, the Obi camp and senior Labour Party members took issue with his statements.

Obiora Ifoh, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, responded in a statement released in Abuja on Thursday, describing Soyinka’s statement as not befitting of a man who is highly regarded as a detribalized statesman.

Ifoh further stated they could not imagine that the playwright could fall victim to the “groupthink syndrome” based on primordial considerations in the release titled “Soyinka: Statesmen are not double-faced, not blind to the truth.”

When a group of people agrees on something without using critical thinking or weighing the pros and cons, it is known as groupthink syndrome.

“Prof. Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian whose literary accomplishments are without a doubt intimidating,” he said. He predicts that our party will perform poorly in the general elections of 2023, and we respectfully disagree. The facts are in front of the courts, so we will hold off on commenting until the Supreme Court issues its ruling out of respect for our legal system.

We recognize that the literary giant was a human being with feelings, and that his statements were likely influenced by information provided to him by people who agree with the ‘Emilokan’ viewpoint.

“It is extremely perplexing and unsettling that a detribalized activist like Soyinka would fall victim to the ‘groupthink syndrome’ that supports state capture by those on the criminal fringe by any means, based on primal considerations.

We are very grateful that he at least acknowledged the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for ending the two other parties’ previous monopoly on power.

The spokesman continued by expressing disappointment that Soyinka chose a side rather than denouncing some irregularities in the lead-up to the most recent general elections and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s appalling performance.

Ifoh came to the conclusion that “Kongi” is a Nigerian and has a similar right to his opinion.

“The 2023 general election was watched by everyone in the world, and there was widespread condemnation of both the outcome and the process, particularly the “glitch” that only happened when transmitting presidential results to IREV. When Kongi urged INEC to keep its word, not even a whisper was heard.

We won’t blame Soyinka’s incorrect prognosis on selective amnesia, but we would have anticipated him to be a statesman, which we believed he was by erring on the side of caution.

He continued, “We want to also let him know that creating a new Nigeria is a dream whose time has come and Nigerian youths will not give up on such a dream until it is realized.