Television Nigerian

COSMBYLA, the Coalition of Southern and Middle Belt Youth Leaders Assembly, has criticized a three-day ultimatum purportedly issued by suspected Fulani herders to people of the Torkula village in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State to abandon their property.

Despite the presence of military forces, the coalition, which represents all youth groups in the South East, South-South, South West, and Middle Belt districts, raised concern about how the assailants operate in the area.

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The coalition’s President General, Goodluck Egwu Ibem, questioned why military commanders who claimed to have neutralized adherents of Gana (a known terrorist slain in 202), are unable to do the same with the bandits in a statement released and made available to press on Friday.

“The military and other security forces should know that Nigerians are not fools and cannot be duped by any strange antics,” Ibem claimed. How can the military be successful just when they see Gana youngsters, but useless when Fulani militia murder Benue natives in broad daylight?

“We have it on good authority that the Fulani militias plan to take over Benue State and capture the southern half of Nigeria.” They seek to take over communities along the Benue River, from where they plan to sail to the oil-rich states of the South-South.

“The scheme to sack the communities along the Benue River is to prevent the residents of those areas from witnessing them sailing down to the South-South with their Fulani militias to assault the people of the Niger Delta.”

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The coalition, according to the statement, urged Southern governors and other stakeholders to join Benue in combating the security danger, alleging that some persons are plotting to take over the South.

The coalition ordered Benue youths to reclaim their ancestral homes from the intruders, citing Matthew 11:12 (And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violence take it by force).

On behalf of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) congratulated the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed Al Nahyan, on his 61st birthday.

President Buhari’s birthday message was contained in a statement signed on Friday by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, headed “President Buhari sends birthday wishes to Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi at 61.”

“The President recognizes His Highness’ consistent commitment to Nigeria’s economic development, peace, and stability, exhibiting compassion for the country’s humanitarian needs, and lending a hand in dealing with the global COVID-19 pandemic,” Shehu stated.

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“President Buhari also commends the Crown Prince’s innovative leadership, which has brought economic development and prosperity to the people of the United Arab Emirates, establishing the Middle East country as a significant voice and strategic participant in regional and international affairs.”

“His Highness is also credited for persistently promoting religious tolerance and concord around the world,” the President said.

Buhari said the interaction has further cemented Nigeria-UAE relations, recalling a number of unique occasions he has shared with the Crown Prince over the years.

He wished the Crown Prince many more years of health and pleasure, and prayed for both countries’ progress.

According to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), N35.3 billion has been distributed to 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to help alleviate the impact of COVID-19.

Prof. Yusuf Suleiman, Team Leader, Physical Implementation Support Mission for NG-CARES Program, provided the figures on Friday.

Suleiman made the remarks during a courtesy call on Kebbi Governor Atiku Bagudu at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi’s capital.

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Vice President Yemi Osinbajo announced the $750 million Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) in February, which was funded by the World Bank.

The funding aid states in their efforts to minimize the effects of the coronavirus pandemic’s socioeconomic catastrophe.

“As of last week, we were able to transfer N35.3 billion to states, with Kebbi receiving N900 million,” Suleiman said, according to NAN.

“We did a desk review,” says the author. What you saw on paper paled in comparison to what had been accomplished at the state level.”

Before the money can be reimbursed, states must first deliver results, according to the official.

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According to Suleiman, the money allocated to the 36 administrations and the FCT should be repaid in full within the next six months.

He warned that if a state could not produce results beyond the N900 million it had received, it would be difficult to do so in the future.

Kano State Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje has claimed that his administration had eliminated the terrorist Central Command during his seven years in office.

According to Ganduje, the development has pushed militants out of the state.

The governor, who credited the synergy between his government and security for reducing lingering attacks and other similar criminalities, said other governors throughout Nigeria should take this method to address their own states’ security issues.

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The governor then asked his colleagues to work fully and effectively with their respective states’ security authorities to combat terrorism.

Ganduje stated this in a paper titled “Challenges of Insecurity and Nation Building,” which he delivered at the University of Ibadan Alumni Association’s 2020 Alumni Lecture, held at the university’s Dame Edith Okowa Auditorium on Friday.

“Let me emphasize that state governments must cooperate and engage with security authorities to address the current scenario (insecurity),” he stated.

Kano has experienced the benefits of this synergistic engagement with security services at all levels, according to Governor.

“Through it, we were able to identify and dismantle the feared terrorists’ central leadership and caused a blow to their operations in Kano, among other criminalities,” he continued.

“They (security) were equipped with supplies and equipment, as well as the establishment of a Police Anti-Cattle Rustling Squad, Ambush Squad, and Tactical Observation stations around the Falgore Forest, which was hitherto the lair of rustling,” Ganduje stated.

“The state government has spent over N1 billion on security operatives in the state, including gadgets and operating vehicles.”

“The state government has also reorganized Vigilante Groups to improve community policing and supplement the work of traditional security operatives.”

Ganduje also praised President Muhammadu Buhari, claiming that he was responsible for the establishment of a permanent military training camp where the Nigerian Army conducts regular military drills.

Governor Ganduje emphasized that the threat of insecurity necessitates a new strategy based on reliable intelligence collection.

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“The government must not only continue to engage security professionals, but it must also understand the necessity to give greater attention to security intelligence, capacity building to match global best practice standards, and procurement of current technology than ever before,” he says.

While acknowledging the need to modernize security organizations through training, intelligence sharing, new technology, logistics, motivation, and a shift in mindset, he emphasized that such efforts will result in far more effective operations.

Rupiah Banda, Zambia’s former president, died on Friday at the age of 85 following a protracted battle with colon cancer, according to his son Andrew.

Andrew Banda told an AFP correspondent in Lusaka, “He is gone.”

From 2008 to 2010, the country’s fourth leader since independence from Britain lasted for three years, a period marked by economic progress and charges of corruption.

Banda was vice president when his predecessor, Levy Mwanawasa, died suddenly after a stroke, thrusting him into the presidency.

Despite supervising significant economic progress throughout his tenure, the senior diplomat was defeated in the 2011 elections.

During Banda’s brief presidency, Zambia’s economy grew, owing mostly to increased copper prices and a rise in Chinese investment.

He continued Mwanawasa’s construction spree, constructing much-needed roads, hospitals, and schools.

Banda took credit for Zambia’s 7.6% increase in growth in 2011, up from 6.4 percent the previous year.

He had anticipated that the improved economy would persuade voters to keep him in power.

The majority of Zambia’s 17.9 million people, on the other hand, did not benefit from the mining and construction booms.

As corruption allegations appeared, wealth increased in the hands of a few, tarnishing his reputation.

Michael Sata, the opposition leader, defeated him in a landslide in September 2011.

– ‘A farmer’s son’ –

Banda was born on February 19, 1937, in the little village of Gwanda, then the British territory of Southern Rhodesia, in neighboring Zimbabwe.

His parents had relocated to Zambia, previously Northern Rhodesia, in search of work.

Banda returned to his homeland after completing his studies in Ethiopia and Sweden, getting a bachelor’s degree in economics.

Banda began his diplomatic career in Europe in the early 1960s. Following that, he was named ambassador to Egypt, the United States, and the United Nations.

When Zambia’s first president, Kenneth Kaunda, appointed Banda as foreign minister and subsequently mining minister in 1975, he became embroiled in domestic politics.

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Banda was a famous businessman and enthusiastic football lover who was a long-time member of Kaunda’s United National Independence Party (UNIP).

He was the proprietor of KB Davis, a company that supplied mining equipment in Zambia’s north-central copper-belt region, and he oversaw various state-run companies under Kaunda.

He also dabbled in sports, serving as vice-president of the Zambian Football Association at one point.

Despite his triumphs, Banda continued to portray himself as a people’s leader.

In a 2008 interview with AFP, he said, “In addition to my political expertise, I am also a farmer, a man of the land.”

“I’ve experienced what it’s like when the rains come late and a crop fails.”

– ‘A thief’s friend’ –

Banda had planned to retire from politics and finish his years of active engagement with UNIP by settling on a farm in Chipata, in eastern Zambia.

Mwanawasa, on the other hand, drew Banda back into the fold, choosing him vice-president shortly after his 2006 election triumph over Sata.

When Mwanawasa died two years later, Banda outmanoeuvred a dozen other candidates from the now-ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD) to become the late president’s replacement.

He was quickly accused of giving his children government contracts and ignoring Mwanawasa’s anti-graft fight.

Banda refused to challenge the acquittal of former president Frederick Chiluba, who was convicted for alleged theft under his predecessor and acquitted.

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Mwanawasa’s corruption task team was disbanded as a result, causing Sata to call him a “buddy of thieves.”

In 2020, Banda disclosed that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer.

He had remarried with Thandiwe Banda, a political science teacher about 40 years his junior, many years previously.

When Banda took office, she made history as Zambia’s youngest first lady.

The Chairman of the National Drug Laws Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, was ordered by an Independent Investigation Panel on Friday to produce suspended DCP Abba Kyari on March 22, 2022.

The tribunal also directed the new IGP-IRT Commandant, Tunde Dirsu, to take all necessary steps to ensure that Kyari is produced before the panel on the specified date.

The panel is looking into allegations of human rights violations by the Nigeria Police Force’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other units.

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Mr. John Martins, speaking on behalf of the panel’s Chairman, retired Justice Suleiman Galadima, indicated that Kyari’s appearance before the panel was required because a petitioner’s witness had previously named him.

“The witness stated that Kyari purportedly promised to contact him with regards to the missing persons, but nothing has been heard about them to date,” he said.

“The above directives apply to three people who were purportedly arrested and held at the IGP-IRT detention facility.

“Yakubu Danjuma, Ibrahim Daniel, and Choji Dung’s whereabouts are still unknown.”

The panel’s decision was based on information from the panel’s lawyer, Halilu Adamu, that Kyari was being held by the NDLEA.

The Police Counsel, James Idachaba, told the panel that Kyari could no longer be produced because he was no longer in police custody after being suspended.

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According to NAN, the panel ordered the Office of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to bring the aforementioned three victims before it on March 8, 2022.

A Federal High Court, FCT, sitting in Gudu, Abuja, had ordered the release of the named individuals prior to the panel’s decision, but the order has yet to be implemented.

As terrorism and other sorts of vices persist rampant in Nigeria, Shehu Sani, a former senator from Kaduna Central Senatorial District, urged government officials at all levels on Friday against pampering bandits.

The hoodlums, according to Sani, deserve jungle justice, as he wrote on Twitter.

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He stated that the bandits should not be considered as friends, and that their heinous deeds should not be taken lightly because they pose a threat to the country’s survival.
“The most deadly terrorists in Nigeria today are Turji, Gide, and Manjagara, and they are all members of our Fulani ethnic group, killing, rapping, kidnapping people, and torching villages,” the ex-lawmaker wrote.

“They are evil men, and those who pamper or cover up for them are as evil.” Their crimes are inexcusable.”

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) remarked on Friday that Oba Olalekan Balogun is fully equipped for his new duty as the Olubadan of Ibadan, as the city’s supreme traditional ruler.

The VP further stated that the city of Ibadan is known for its many firsts, which spans the Yoruba people’s rich culture and the politics of the South-West area.

This was said by Osinbajo during his remarks at the coronation of Oba Balogun as the new Olubadan of Ibadan on Friday.

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After Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, presented the new Olubadan with the staff of office, the Vice President urged the Oba to remain diligent in carrying out the duties and responsibilities bestowed upon him, noting that “the privilege of your ascension to the throne of your fathers now places upon your shoulders a heavy obligation of history.”

According to a statement released by the Vice President’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, captioned “Why Ibadan remains the city of many firsts, Osinbajo says during the coronation of the 42nd Olubadan,”

While congratulating the new monarch on his coronation, Osinbajo reassured the people of Ibadan that the Olubadan possesses all of the necessary qualities to carry out the throne’s responsibilities, saying, “your shoulders are broad and sturdy as you come into this office better prepared than probably any monarch anywhere.”

“Everything in your amazing life and times has inexorably led to this auspicious day of your crowning as the Olubadan of Ibadan,” he remarked. And will be a valuable asset to you on the throne.”

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Among those in attendance were former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Governors of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi; Ogun, Dapo Abiodun; Kano, Abdullahi Ganduje; and other deputy governors and members of the Federal Executive Council.

His Imperial Majesty, Lamidi Adeyemi III, Alaafin of Oyo; His Imperial Majesty, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife; His Emminence, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto; HRH, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, Emir of Kano; HRH, Alhaji (Dr.) Yahaya Abubakar, Etsu Nu