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Lagos inaugurates panel on Opebi to settle the lingering land conflict

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The Lagos State Ministry of Justice has set up a panel of inquiry to settle the lingering land tussle involving a Lagos-based lawyer, Monday Ubani, Gilbert Oladehinde Meadows and Engr. Akeem Ariori over Monkey Village in Opebi area of the state.

Ariori, who is the chairman, Prosperous Ariori Golden Ventures, was given a mandate by the Meadows family to develop the land at Folorunso Kuku Street in Opebi area.

Recall that Ubani had accused the Lagos state government and its agency for being biased and working in connivance with Ariori for illegal encroachment of his client’s land.

The state government on January 10, 2021 had set up a panel of enquiry to look into the disputed land and all parties were invited.

The panel later submitted their report on the land.

The panel said Ubani’s purported Certificate of Occupancy was a paper that does not have origin.

Ubani had also begged the panel to instruct Meadows and Ariori to stop work on the land, but the panel declined as the original survey of the land proved it is owned by Gilbert Meadows, adding that Ariori is an attorney to the purported land.

Counsel to Ariori, Francis Monye in his remark, said Ubani should have known that a Certificate of Occupancy is mere evidence of title, that it is a nullity where no valid title exists.

He said the proposition of the law was fairly settled.

Quoting Nnaemeka-Agu JSC in Ogunleye v Oni, Monye said: “Proof of a grant is one of the five ways of proving title. But it would be wrong to assume, as learned trial judge did in this case, that all that a person who resorts to a grant as a method of proving title to land needs to do is to produce the document of grant and rest his case.

“Rather, whereas, depending upon the issues that emerged on the pleadings, it may suffice where the title of the grantor has been admitted, a different situation arises…where an issue has been raised as to the title of the grantor. In such a case, the origin of the grantor’s title has to be averred on the pleadings and proved by evidence.”

In the instant case, what is the origin of the title of Ubani’s client, he asked, insisting that he didn’t supply the details or particulars of the Certificate of Occupancy to the general public, so his claims may be verified.

When contacted, Ubani, via a telephone call, said the land has a certificate of occupancy of over 30 years and the matter is presently in court.

Resist attempts by elements in Diaspora to throw country into war, Nigeria First warns

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Nigerians have been alerted of a grand plot by “destructive elements” in the Diaspora to plunge the country into war by sponsoring terrorism.

Nigeria First, a social-political and economic movement gave the notice on Monday in Abuja at its inaugural press briefing on the state of the nation.

In his speech titled, “We must save Nigeria before the destructive elements achieve their aims”, pioneer president, Comrade Philip Agbese said all acts of socio-political or economic sabotage must be resisted in all ramification.

According to Agbese,  some Nigerians in Diaspora have constituted themselves into great danger to democracy back home, backing plots to overthrow a democratically elected government.

If not properly checked, Comrade Agbese noted that Nigeria might soon erupt in flames in fulfilment of the desires of those agents of darkness that are against the country’s soul.

Nigeria First, therefore, called on all well-meaning Nigerians to rise and save their country.

The group also urged Nigerians to rebuke the negative influence and interference by its compatriots in Diaspora who do not mean well for the country.

Nigeria First, however, vowed to regularly carry out activities that would name and shame these despicable Nigerians in the Diaspora that are working in hands with enemies of the country in undermining sustainable growth and development.

Read the full statement below:

First, I welcome you all to this inaugural press briefing convoked to shed light on the State of the Nation and the quest towards sustainable growth and development in the country.

It must be stated that Nigeria First is undertaking this venture as part of the overall strategic objective of contributing its quota to Nigeria’s growth and development in critical sectors of the Nigerian economy. We are also duty-bound to ensure that peace and tranquillity reign supreme in Nigeria through the periodic engagement of activities that foster peace and unity.

Nigeria First see the peace and tranquillity of Nigeria as a collective endeavour that should be undertaken by all well-meaning Nigerians. As such, all acts of socio-political or economic sabotage must be resisted in all ramification.

This is on the heels that recent events in the country have indicated a grand plot by some despicable elements to truncate our nascent democracy by the sponsorship of acts of violence in parts of the country.

It remains the candid opinion of Nigeria First that the bulk of those engaged in this despicable enterprise is in the Diaspora where they have been sponsoring acts of violence against the country to fulfil the desires of their paymasters.

It is quite sad that some Nigerians have elected to be blinded by filthy lucre by availing themselves as willing tools for use by those vested interests against Nigeria’s peace and unity.

It is also said that some Nigerians in Diaspora constitute the bulk of these groupings that have been engaged in this despicable act aimed at undermining national security in Nigeria. It is expected that Nigerians in Diaspora would carry themselves as worthy ambassadors of the country. However, the reverse has been the case in light of the recent revelations in the country.

It is instructive to state that some of these individuals are known faces who have been carrying out like advocates of good governance. While in truth, they are promoters of violence, crime and criminalities.

These individuals have also perfected the acts of using all available mediums to spew hate and innuendos that aims to cast the government of Nigeria in bad light before the populace and the international community.

Without mincing words, it is the considered opinion of Nigeria First that some Nigerians in Diaspora have constituted themselves into great danger to democracy in Nigeria; they are the brain behind plots to overthrow a democratically elected government in Nigeria,

They are also behind the escalation of fake news in Nigeria as evident in the EndSARS protests across the country where wild allegations were made without any tangible evidence to back such claims.

Nigeria First is stating in unequivocal terms that should these acts be allowed to go unchecked, Nigeria might one day erupt in flames in fulfilment of the desires of those agents of darkness that are against the soul of Nigeria.

Consequently, Nigeria First uses this medium to send a clarion call to all well-meaning Nigerians to come together and save Nigeria before the destructive elements in our midst, and the Diaspora achieve their aims.

Nigerians must see this as a challenge to our continued existence as a country and the urgent need for us to speak in one strong and united voice on sustainable growth and development in this critical point of our existence.

Nigerians must rebuke the negative influence and interference by Nigerians in Diaspora who do not mean well for the country. The fact that they have elected to be against Nigeria is a shame that should require that they bury their heads in shame.

Nigeria First wishes to reiterate that moving forward it shall regularly be carrying out activities that would name and shame these despicable Nigerians in the Diaspora that are working in hands with enemies of Nigeria in undermining sustainable growth and development in the country.

Nigeria First shall also endeavour to demand decisive actions to be taken against those in Nigeria and the Diaspora to preserve our nascent democracy and save Nigeria disintegration.

Nigeria First shall also utilize all necessary means to ensure that those against the interest of Nigeria are exposed and made to face the full wrath of the law.

We thank you all for your kind attention. We desire that all well-meaning Nigerians come together to save Nigeria against those who have elected to cause crises of unimaginable proportion.

Nigeria First is using this medium to pledge to champion the cause for the restoration of Nigeria’s glory in fulfilment of the strategic objective of sustainable growth and development in Nigeria in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity.

Thanks and God bless.

General Buratai: Why Leadership Is Key In The War Against Insurgency

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Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff

By David Onmeje

Leadership is an art meant for those that understand the intricacies involved in bringing about positive change in every society. I say this for the fact that in Nigeria, one of the banes of our numerous challenges remains the lack of sound and credible leadership by those saddled with the responsibility of translating our hopes and aspirations into tangible realities.

The recent commendation of the Air Task Force, Operation Lafiya Dole by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen TY Buratai for playing a decisive role in repelling the Boko Haram attack in Marte, Borno State, recently brings to fore why leaders in Nigeria must rise to the occasion when the need arises.

The action of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai is such that should inspire hope in Nigeria on the commitment of the security agencies towards addressing the security threats in the country. I can’t but commend this display of professionalism in the prosecution of the war against Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. The synergy level that has existed amongst the Armed Forces is exceptional and contrary to the insinuations in certain quarters of a lack of cooperation and other acts that undermines the winning of the war against insurgency in the country.

I know for sure that the ground troop in warfare requires air support in advancing because of its considerable advantage. The Army increasingly views airpower as indispensable to its warfighting concepts. It seeks mechanisms to ensure that it is available and responsive to the needs of the land forces. This much has been exhibited in the war against insurgency in Nigeria. Needless, I mention that the recent commendation by the Chief of Army Staff indeed buttresses this strategic alliance which is an indication that the overall operational strategy deployed is yielding the desired results.

For those of us conversant with the dynamics involved in asymmetric warfare, I say that the Chief of Army Staff’s posture has indeed indicated that the Boko Haram war would come to an end sooner than we think for all the indices shows so.

I am of the firm conviction that the appointment of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai as Chief of Army Staff was not an accident as he has continually provided that leadership that turned the tides against the Boko Haram insurgents. And the fact that there has been no grandstanding or taking personal credit is an attribute of a leader that understands that success is a function of teamwork and not individual efforts.

This also brings to the fore that a true leader leads even within leadership. Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai has been providing leadership even amongst equals which also confirms the Nigerian Army’s contributory role to the war against insurgency. This is noble and must be emulated by others in the security sector in the prosecution of the war against insurgency in Nigeria.

What I am saying, in essence, is that credit must be given to whom it due. For example, the Inspector General of Police must commend the Nigerian Army whenever successes are recorded in internal security operations. And likewise, the Chief of Air Staff must also commend the Nigerian Army whenever successes are recorded in joint operations in the prosecution of the war against insurgency and other acts of criminalities in the country.

The Nigerian Air force case is pronounced because they must work with the Nigerian Army to address the security threats in the country. Both institutions must sustain this alliance which remains crucial to ending the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. Make no mistakes; I am not by any stretch of imagination insinuating that there hasn’t been that synergy between the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force. However, instead, I am bringing out the positive gains that would be attained if the present synergy is sustained and built.

This piece is consequently an appeal to the Armed Forces’ leadership in Nigeria to see the task at hand as a collective endeavour rather than a solo run. There must be a synergy that leaves no room for individual glory. That has remained the norm in successful outings in warfare globally. The Air Force uses air power to clear the path for ground troops and provide that critical cover in battle.

This example provided by the Chief of Army Staff is indeed noteworthy. It must awaken us to the reality that for Nigeria to work, we must imbibe the principle of structural functionalism which requires all playing their role in the task at hand. We must also realize that the Nigerian Army cannot do it all alone. Like the Nigerian Airforce played a decisive role in repelling the Boko Haram attack in Marte to support the ground troops.

We must learn to commend the security agencies when they do well to encourage them to carry out more exploits in addressing the security challenges in the country. I can bet that if this is the order of the day, Nigeria can defeat acts of terrorism in no distant time.

At this point, my commendation goes to the leadership of the country’s security agencies for their great sacrifices thus far. It can only charge them to continue to give in their best in service to our fatherland.

I also want to commend the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai who has exhibited credible leadership since he assumed office. His level of professionalism and dedication to duty has seen the numerous successes recorded in the prosecution of the war against insurgency and other criminalities acts across the country.

The leadership qualities of the Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai were also in focus on the involvement of the Nigerian Army in internal security operations across the country in support of the efforts of the Nigerian Police Force. This is also commendable and gives us a peep that leadership entails that what you do has a far more significant impact than what you say. This is the Tukur Buratai style that should be imbibed by leaders across Nigeria in our quest for the Nigeria of our dreams.

As I mentioned earlier, the commendation by the Chief of Army Staff might seem a simple task. However, it goes beyond that for it is indeed strategic and sends a strong message to those in the business of perpetuating crime and criminalities in the country that there is a synergy amongst the country’s security agencies. And no matter how hard they try; the ranks of the security agencies can’t be broken.

I can go on non-stop. But the take away is that with sound leadership, Nigeria would defeat its adversaries. The Chief of Army Staff has indeed done well so far, and I expect that other security heads would toe this path in the country’s overall interest.

The war against insurgency has recorded tremendous success so far, and I am of the firm conviction that the end must be seen in our time with the efforts so far. It consequently behoves on us to see to the fact that the efforts of our security agencies are appreciated. We should do well not to join the bandwagon of mischievous elements whose actions are propelled by the support they have been receiving from crisis merchants in their despicable and desperate plot to cause Nigeria’s disintegration.

Onmeje is the Managing Director, TheNigerian News and is based in London.

ICC, AI’s planned fraudulent report against Nigerian military hierarchy exposed

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The Centre for Justice in Africa the International Criminal Court, ICC, Amnesty International and others of planning to release fraudulent report against Nigerian military hierarchy.

The Centre for Justice, said it is worried over the planned escalation in the onslaught of subversive activities against the Federal Republic of Nigeria by organizations that ordinarily are expected to promote the corporate integrity of nation states.

Comrade Dauda Owolabi Abdullalteef, Director of Communication in a statement on behalf of the group, urged on the Federal Government to immediately call Amnesty International and Transparency International to order, which includes writing formal complaints with cease-and-desist orders to the international headquarters of these organizations.

It also urged the Federal Government to immediately set up a committee to review Nigeria’s continued membership of this monster.

See full text of his statement below.

The organizations we are referring to are: (i) The International Criminal Court (ICC) (ii) Amnesty International (iii) and Transparency International. These organizations have turned themselves into tribunals that exist only to preside over the affairs of Nigeria. They are specifically targeting the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in a manner that undermines the ability of Nigeria to address the problem of terrorism and extremism besetting it.

It is interesting to note that these organizations have perfected the subversive operation they are running against Nigeria in a manner that makes it appear as if they are running their legitimate day to activities. The ICC for instance hounds Nigeria’s military officers and commanders in a way that appears as it is legitimately investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity; Amnesty International keeps up the charade of pretending to monitor adherence to human rights protocols while Transparency International has perfected the strategy for finding corruption in transactions that never took place.

Several Nigerians, groups and organizations had in the past expressed concerns about the true intents and agenda of these organizations without Nigerians paying heed. The recent declaration by ICC that it has grounds to investigate Nigeria’s military for rights violation in the war against terrorism in the northeast of Nigeria. However, this is merely a facet in the misguided report from the ICC. The other subversive contents in the report included that it placed the Nigerian Armed Forces on the same pedestal with Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists. This was no error or accident; it was a calculated attempt to diminish the country’s military and elevate Boko Haram fighters to the level of a national army ahead of when its Amnesty International allies will market a negotiation programme. Nigeria will then be cornered into negotiating with terrorists as if they are a sovereign country.

Worryingly, book Haram/ISWAP is merely a card in the evil plot put together by ICC with its Amnesty international and Transparency International collaborators. The ICC report clearly identified other wildcards in the nefarious agenda. It listed the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB) as victims without acknowledging the crimes they have committed against Nigerians and continue to commit. It also failed to properly name them as terrorist groups, which suggests that ICC is prejudiced to the point where it has refused to recognized Nigeria’s competent judiciary that proscribed these groups.

ICC had consequently lived up to its billing as a lynch mob that exists solely to vilify, victimize and humiliate African countries by dragging their leaders before it even when no crimes are committed with the flip side that leaders of some countries can order drone strikes that kill women and children on industrial scale or invade sovereign nations to ruin them without being held to account. This racist disposition has been repeatedly reinforced by the ICC and it seems it is now on the path to becoming rabid with its latest incursion into Nigeria.

Additional facts about the ICC’s activities are that the so called evidence it relied on to arrive at the decision to investigate the Nigerian military was largely produced by Amnesty International. The negligible portion of the evidence that was not produced by the international NGO was sourced from its local affiliates that have sub-contracts to malign the reputation of Nigeria’s security forces.

A lot has been said about how Amnesty International sources its tainted evidence. It coaches respondents on what to say and has even gone as far as using paid actors as interviewees. Its Nigeria country, Osai Ojigho, during recent protests in Nigeria, infamously accused the military of committing genocide but could not provide a single shred of evidence other than to retort that the Armed Forces have a practice of taking away evidence when she was pressed for proof of her claim during a television interview.

This same Amnesty International had been implicated in passing military intelligence obtained in the course of its work to Boko Haram terrorists such the insurgents were then able to evade military operations launched against them and simultaneously able to launch deadly attacks. Whenever the military issues classified advisories about areas that humanitarian and rights groups should avoid, Amnesty International passed same to terrorists until it was found out, which promoted it to become more antagonistic of the military.

We have not also lost sight of the fact that Nigeria was denied access to buy weapons on the basis of lies that Amnesty International packaged as reports. This denial allowed the terrorists to boldly operate for a while until the military leadership that came with President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration found innovative ways to get the needed hardware and logistics to prosecute the anti-terrorism war. This ability to fight the war against Boko Haram, ISWAP and other brands of terrorists is what has riled Amnesty International to a point where it will tell just any lie to undermine the fighting capacity of the Armed Forces.

Revealed: How compromised ICC plans to release a trumped-up report on alleged indictment of Nigerian Military leaders

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By Lawrence Audu 

Fresh facts have emerged on how the International Criminal Court (ICC) has perfected plans to release a report indicting some members of the military hierarchy for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the prosecution of the war against insurgency in Nigeria.

According to credible sources, the ICC is planning to indict some military hierarchy members, especially those at the forefront of the war against insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria. The source who is a member of an international network of intelligence gathering organization scooped that the bulk of the report was trumped up with little or no evidence to back their position.

“In the coming weeks, the ICC would attempt to cause a global stir by alleging that some military commanders in Nigeria have been found wanting in committing war crimes. We know the ICC report is laced with illogical conclusions as there were no evidence to back the claims. However, some vested interest in the ICC has vetoed for the report to be released” he said.

He further stated that the report did not get the required consensus, but plans have been perfected to make it public.

“From the foregoing, I think that Nigeria should brace up for what to come from the ICC as it would indeed cause some discomfort and distractions in the ongoing war against insurgency.”

This medium also gathered that in a bid to give the report some semblance of credibility, the ICC is relying on some perceived human rights organizations to amplify the report in the public domain through press statements in support of the ICC report.

Another top security source who pleaded anonymity stated that the ICC report is targeted at a top Military commander for his tough stance in the prosecution of the war against insurgency.

“We have credible Intel on who the target of the ICC is, and we also know that the ranks of the ICC must have been infiltrated by some very powerful interest in the middle east who have devoted large sums of monies to ensure that the ICC indicts Nigeria for an incidence that happened some years back that almost sparked a diplomatic row between Nigeria and the country which has considerable interest in the affairs of Nigeria.”

“I tell you that at this stage there is no turning back for the ICC because the body has been compromised greatly with massive monetary inducement. But I tell you that the plot will fail because there would be a backlash as there is no tangible evidence that suggests that crimes against humanity were committed; instead, it is the other way round.”

According to some correspondence seen by this medium, Amnesty International and Transparency International have been conscripted into the plot to provide backup to the ICC. In one of the mails tagged “ the urgency of now” the focus is to recruit willing individuals and groups in Nigeria to lend support to the cause that is tailored towards bringing about ” necessary change” in Nigeria.”

This fact was also corroborated by a top intelligence source who pleaded anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issues at stake. He stated that “Amnesty International and Transparency are part of the ICC’s plot to discredit Nigeria. They have been covertly mobilizing willing individuals and groups under the tag of 2021 retreat for enhancing human rights compliance in Nigeria.”

“I tell you that the plot is real. It is a destabilization plot that if allowed to succeed, the consequences might be severe as it would greatly affect the efforts towards addressing the security challenges in the country.”

“The involvement of the ICC is the height of the desperation as all previous plots have failed and due to the global image of the ICC, an indictment would open a flurry of opening for scathing attacks on the Nigerian Military towards ensuring that there is a distraction that would enable insurgent and terrorist groups to regain lost grounds.”

The source further advised Nigerians to be vigilant and wary of invitations for seminars and capacity building workshops by some known civil society organizations.

“Nigerians must be vigilant as in the coming weeks; there would be invitations for capacity building workshops by some local and international organizations, especially from Amnesty International, Transparency International and their proxies. These workshops aim to serve as recruitment avenues towards the grand plot to launch an offensive against Nigeria.”

“The target of this recruitment drive are youths between the ages of 25 and 40 and some of those with considerable social media leverage whose platforms would also be utilized in mobilizing the youthful population in Nigeria for a repeat of something in the mould of the #EndSARS campaign.”

It would be recalled that Nigeria has been under constant criticism for the Nigerian military’s role in the war against insurgency and other acts of militancy in parts of the country.

More Boko Haram fighters suffer casualties as NAF jets bomb locations at Mainok in Borno State

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The Air Task Force of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has dealt another blow on Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) operating in the North East of the Country with the destruction of no fewer than 3 gun trucks and neutralization of several insurgents at Mainok in Borno State.

According to the Coordinator Defence Media Operations Major General John Enenche, the air operation was sequel to intelligence reports indicating that the Boko Haram Terrorists, in several gun trucks, were traversing the Jakana-Mainok axis of the State.

”Accordingly, the Air Task Force scrambled NAF helicopter gunships to engage the convoy of BHT gun trucks and logistics vehicles. The helicopters delivered accurate hits in the target area, resulting in the destruction of 3 of the BHT vehicles, some of which were seen engulfed in flames.

”Several of the terrorists were also eliminated in the process.

”The Armed Forces of Nigeria will not relent until all enemies of the nation are neutralised and normalcy is restored to all troubled zones of the country.” He added.

SPECTACLE:-SOUTHEAST; FOR PRESIDENT OR SECESSION

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Centre to UK House of Lords: Attaching religion to insecurity crisis in Nigeria for any sanction will harm humanity

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The Centre for International and Strategic Studies (CISS) has warned the House of Lords in the United Kingdom against attaching religion to Nigeria’s security challenges, as any sanction would do the country more harm than good.

The centre, which gave the warning in a press conference on Wednesday, in Abuja, also advised the British parliamentarians to be properly guided in their assessment, noting that any wrong move could lead to a crisis of unimaginable proportion.

In his address, special rapporteur, Professor Peter Maidoki rubbished the call by some lawmakers for sanction on Nigeria over an “erroneous report of the rising number of killings of Christians by terrorists and state actors”.

According to Prof Maidoki, it is wrong to reduce security threats in Nigeria to the fault lines of religion.

The special rapporteur noted that the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and his service chiefs have made the most impact in addressing the country’s security challenges and it is unfair to even mutter the idea of sanction.

Prof Maidoki added that both Christians and Muslims have been at the receiving end of the crisis in northern Nigeria.

The CISS, however, advised the House of Lords not to play into the hands of the terrorists based on the ignorance expressed in its report.

The centre further demanded that the lower chamber of the UK’s parliament treats the letter calling for sanctions on Nigeria in a similar manner the world rejected the invasion of the US Capitol.

Instead of such sanction, the CISS urged the parliamentarians and the entire world to join hands with Nigeria to stamp out terrorism.

Read the full statement below:

You are aware that some members of United Kingdom House of Lords have called on the UK Government to apply sanctions on Nigeria based on an erroneous report of the rising number of killings of Christians by terrorists and state actors in Nigeria.

The call, which was contained in a letter to Dominic Raab, MP, UK’s Foreign Secretary, House of Commons, London, was signed by David Patrick Paul Alton, the Lord Alton of Liverpool, a Liberal Democratic member of UK Parliament; Caroline Annex Cox, a  cross-bench member of the UK House of Lords; and others but most remarkably, the former Nigeria President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

We had thought that since one of our own is involved in writing the letter, that at least the UK parliamentarians would be properly guided in their assessment of the security situation in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, this has not been the case as we have seen traces of partisanship and deliberate attempts to twist facts to arrive at a predetermined conclusion.

THE ISSUES

The petitioners, rather than be objective in their analysis, reduced the entire Boko Haram terrorism and other criminal activities by armed groups to a religious conflict.

They also alleged cases of human rights abuses against a particular faith by the armed groups and state actors.

While it is true that more needs to be done about the security situation in Nigeria, it is definitely misleading to reduce the challenges to the fault lines of religion and to accuse the Nigerian military of either collusion or inaction or perpetrating human rights abuses.

The most uncharitable is to use such baseless allegations as a basis to call for sanctions against Nigeria.

This is most unfair because if there is an administration that has given the issue of security a deserved attention, it is the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Since May 2015 when the Buhari administration was inaugurated, it has taken bold steps to curb terrorism, insurgency and other crimes in the country hence cannot at all, be accused of sleeping on the matter.

Within the last year, the Nigerian military has neutralised over 2,000  terrorists across the northern part of the country, arrested over a hundred of their members and informants and destroyed their weapons and operational facilities.

This is in addition to major feats it recorded in the previous years which have restored normalcy to most parts of the region.

Nigerian troops, for instance, have entered the base of the terrorists at Sambisa Forest and captured their centre, called Camp Zero.

The troops have also recaptured territories seized  y terrorists including 20 local governments spread across the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe and brought them back to Nigeria.

They have retaken captured military bases in  Bama, Monguno and Gwoza as well as recapturing territories captured by the terrorists while the efforts of the military have made it impossible for the insurgents to launch further attacks on communities.

Added to that, Nigeria’s annual military expenditure has grown from $1.8bn in 2016 to $2.1bn by 2021, at a compound annual growth rate of 3.73%, according to a report by Strategic Defence Intelligence.

To boost its preparedness and resolve to flush out the terrorists, the Nigerian Army last year purchased more equipment including the Chinese Rotary Wing AVIC AV500 drone to carry out ISR missions at medium altitude, carry out strikes and stay airborne for nine hours while fighting terrorists.

The Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai at a time, even relocated to the centres of the conflict and stayed in the trenches with troops until substantial damages were inflicted on the ranks of the terrorists.

The battle was so fierce against the terrorists that the leader of the Boko Haram terrorists, Abubakar Shekau was heard weeping in an audiotape about how his men have been subdued by Nigerian forces and had even considered surrendering.

For a government that has taken these steps and has made it a priority to defeat terrorism, it is most unfair for anyone to contemplate taking sanctions against them.

We recall that it was similar gestures based probably on such misleading reports that led the US government and other nations to stop selling weapons to Nigeria during the past administration which gave the insurgents an upper hand in the fight and enhanced their recruitment drive.

But the impression given by this letter is that the Nigerian Government is not doing anything about exterminating the problem.

We do not want the UK to be misled by the current report into believing that the Nigerian government is either lax about the situation or supporting the insurgents.

This is far from the truth.

THE RELIGIOUS CARD

The most misleading aspect of the letter is the claim that the attacks are purely religious and targeted at only Christians.

The letter reads in part: ‘’We write following the publication of a new report by Nigerian human rights group`, Intersociety (December 14, 2020,  Intersociety, an estimated 34,400 Christians have been killed in Nigeria since 2009 – including 17,000 by Boko Haram (and its splinter groups) and 15,500 by Fulani militia.”

We ask, what is the total number of people that have died as a result of terrorism in Nigeria since 2009 that only Christians would be up to 34,400.

We, therefore, a state without fear of contradiction that the report is not only misleading but is an attempt to incite the people against religious lines.

While some terrorists have tried to use primordial fault lines to instigate a large scale crisis in the country, it is wrong to conclude that the victims of the crises have been only Christians.

Attacks in the northern states and the Middle Belt have been visited on all persons in those areas irrespective of religious beliefs or ethnicity.

In fact, the demographics of the affected areas, indicate that non-Christians have been more at the receiving end of such atrocities like killings, rape, abductions, arson etc by the terrorists.

The areas worse affected by the attacks in the Northeast include the Northern and central parts of Borno State which are populated mainly by Muslims.

Same with the other parts of the Northeast like Yobe and Adamawa States.

In the Northwest, all the areas affected like Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina with the probable exception of Kaduna State are almost hundred per cent Muslims.

Even in the Middle Belt states, the crisis cannot be termed religious as people of different faith in states like Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau and Benue have suffered similar fates.

It is also not true that Nigerian security forces have committed crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The Nigerian Army has conducted itself most professionally by always observing the rules on engagement.

The chief of Army Staff to check the few reported cases even set up a desk for civilians to report cases of abuse and since then there have been no reports of human rights violations.

OUR CALL

We, therefore, consider the call for sanction against Nigeria based on these inexact and misleading reports as callous and unacceptable.

such calls aim to further polarise the people of the country and set them up against each other on religious lines which is exactly what the insurgents have been praying for.

The UK Government should not be based on the ignorance expressed in this report play into the hands of the terrorists.

We have seen how a young UK parliamentarian goofed when he said a former Nigerian Head of State stole the Central Bank.

This is one of such faux pax that should not be allowed to stand.

We demand that the same manner the world rebuffed the UK parliamentarian for getting his facts twisted should be applied here.

Furthermore, we demand that the manner  the world treated the invasion of US Capitol as despicable, should be the same way it treats this letter as it tends to violate the right of the people of Nigeria to be protected by its government and armed forces.

We call on all to join hands with Nigeria and the rest of the world to stamp out terrorism.

NNPC commits to OPEC+ settlement, to concentrate on gas

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) on Wednesday reiterated its dedication to abiding by the output minimize settlement of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Nations (OPEC) and its allies aimed toward stabilising the worldwide oil market.

The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Mele Kyari, acknowledged this Wednesday whereas talking on the ongoing digital Gulf Intelligence “International” UAE Power Discussion board 2021.

Read also: Why we approved ‘slight increase’ in petrol price — NNPC

Mr. Kyari famous that regardless of the destructive results of the manufacturing minimize on authorities income, it was one of the best steps in direction of redeeming the worth of hydrocarbon sources on the world market within the curiosity of all.

Talking on the subject, “Outlook for Africa/Nigeria’s Oil & Gasoline Sector in Put up-Covid Period”, Kyari stated NNPC was hopeful that by the top of the 12 months demand for crude oil would choose up and there could be a marginal enhance in output, stressing that the Company was focusing extra on fuel, condensate and different income streams to sort out the income problem arising from the OPEC+ manufacturing minimize association.

Read also: PENGASSAN strike won’t cause fuel scarcity, NNPc assures

He defined that gasoline proved to be a gentle and dependable income stream through the top of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, including that gasoline manufacturing and utilization would stay key precedence for the Company in 2021.

Read also: Just In: Former NNPC GMD, Dr Maikanti Baru is dead

NECO result is out: 2020

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coic
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The National Examination Council (NECO) has announced the release of the 2020 Senior School Certificate Examination (Internal) results.

The registrar of the council, Godswill Obioma, made this known in Minna, Niger State capital, on Wednesday.

“Indeed, this is a defining moment for the Council, given the challenging circumstances in which the examinations were conducted the last year 2020. We are indeed grateful to the Almighty God for making this occasion possible,” he said.

Read also: JAMB Remits Another N7.8bn

“Pursuant to the mandates of Council in conducting credible examinations aimed at improving the overall quality of education in the country, the various stages in the conduct of our examinations from the pre-examination to post-examination stages have continually undergone improvement. It is gratifying to note that these processes have been concluded for the 2020 SSCE (Internal) culminating to the release of the results.”

Mr. Obioma said the COVID-19 pandemic and the EndSARS protest posed a challenge to the conduct of the examination.

“You will recall that the first case of Covid-19 in Nigeria was reported in February 2020 in Ogun State and since then a new norm has been introduced in the scheme of things. This new norm has altered not only our way of life but also affected our schedule of activities. For instance, our 2020 SSCE (I) would have been written from 28th May 2020 to 10th July 2020.

“However, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Examination was rescheduled to hold from Monday 5th October 2020 to Wednesday 18th November 2020. It is rather unfortunate to note that barely two weeks into the commencement of the Examinations, the ENDSARS protests erupted across some states in the country leading to the imposition of curfew and closure of schools by some State Governments in order to safeguard lives and property, thus truncating the process of examinations once more.”

He noted that the Council has made special arrangements for those candidates who missed some papers due to the #EndSARS protests in those states.

The affected candidates will now sit for those papers missed during the forthcoming 2020 SSCE (External) scheduled from Monday 1st February 2021 to Wednesday 3rd March 2021.

Read also: Over 200,000 withheld as WAEC releases 2020 SSCE results

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