Gun Men Suspected to Be Fulani Herdsmen Kill Five Members of a Local Vigilante in Benue

Suspected Fulani Herdsmen have killed no fewer than five members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF, in Kundav council ward of Ukum local Government Area of Benue State.

It was gathered that the heavily armed herders, who invaded Alabar, the ward headquarter ridding on BAJAJ motorcycles butchered five persons inside the office.

Victims of the herdsmen attack

 Read More at Idoma Voice

114 Militants Feared Dead After Bombardment by The Nigerian Airforce

At least 114 militants are feared killed and scores of others injured in attacks on their camps in Ogun and Lagos states.

The attacks by the Army, Air Force and Navy, began on Thursday night under the operation “Crocodile Laugh” in readiness for a confrontation with militants in the Niger Delta.

The Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Rabe Abubakar, confirmed the operation.
He said it was conducted to flush out militants and saboteurs from the area.

The attacks reportedly sent the local residents scampering, but they have been assured of safety and advised against sheltering any of the fleeing militants.

The creeks in Lagos and Ogun states recently became a safe haven and operational hideout for militants from Niger Delta.

Besides oil pipeline vandalism and petroleum theft in Arepo in Ogun State and parts of Lagos, the militants have been attacking innocent residents and stealing from them.

Military analysts say the dislodgment of the militants was carried out to drive them back to the Niger Delta where a full scale attack was imminent.
 

 Militants have in the last three months inflicted massive damage on the economy through the destruction of gas and crude oil pipelines.

Lagos police spokesperson Dolapo Badmos also confirmed the operation in a statement released early Friday.

“We are sweeping through the waterways where we share boundaries with Niger Delta to end the activities of the militants,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Governor of Bayelsa, Mr Seriaki Dickson, met with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday to ask for more time to initiate dialogue with the rampaging militants.

The Niger Delta Avengers have refused entreaties from government and have insisted on autonomy for the region or complete control of crude oil.

The Avengers, who emerged in May 2016, did not give the new government prior notice before embarking on massive destructions of oil and gas infrastructure. They have also resorted to killing and kidnapping of security personnel.

Source: Todayng

Clark to FG. Withdraw Your Military From Ijaw Land

ELDERS and Leaders of Thoughts of Ijaw ethnic nationality in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, weekend, warned Ijaw militants against their vow to declare a Republic of Niger-Delta, saying that what Ijaw nation wants is true federalism. 

Ijaw leaders at a consultative meeting in Warri, Delta State, hosted by Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, said: “The Elders and Leaders of Thought of the Ijaw nation call for the immediate restructuring of the Nigerian nation along the lines of peaceful federalism, and noticed that this is the panacea for the sustainable development of Nigeria.

” Bayelsa state governor, Hon Henry Seriake Dickson, Deputy Governor of Delta state, Mr. Kingsley Otuaro, former Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Sir Gabriel Toby, former Minister of Culture, Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas and ex-Minister of Police Affairs, Alaowei Brodrick Bozimo attended the meeting. 

Also at the meeting were former national chairman of the Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities of Nigeria, HRM Pere Charles Ayemi-Botu, Mbene III, Ama-Okosu of Ogbe-Ijoh kingdom, Alabo Tobin-West; Chief Boma Obuoforibo, INC National Chairman, and Sir NGO Martins Martyns-Yellowe, Chairman Civil Service Commission.

 On the current dialogue with militants and stakeholders in the region, they stated in a communiqué, “As a demonstration of sincerity of commitment to dialogue, Federal government should immediately withdraw the military from all occupied Ijaw communities, particularly Gbaramatu kingdom.

” Non inclusiveness of current FG

 

 The leaders also noted the “non-inclusion policies of the present administration, which has led to the alienation of some components of the federation, particularly the Ijaw nation from the main stream of national development” and called on Mr. President to “redress this ugly state of affairs.

” Furthermore, they said the prevailing trend of executive/legislature face off was negatively affecting governance and enjoined both arms to work in harmony in the interest of the nation. 

The meeting noted the impact of various activities of militant groups of the Niger Delta on the national economy and ordered them to cease further attacks on crude oil and gas facilities and embrace the offer of dialogue offered by the federal government. 

They also called on the FG to release the 10 innocent students of Gbaramatu kingdom. 

“The meeting passed a vote of confidence on the Chief Boma Obuoforibo-led leadership of the Ijaw National Congress. 

We condemn the move to scrap the Nigerian Maritime University approved by the preceding Federal Government with temporary site at Kurutie and call for the immediate takeoff of the university,” the leaders said in the communiqué. 

Chief Clark, however, noted in his opening remarks that any planned or ongoing dialogue between the federal government and militants amounts to a nullity without the involvement of Ijaw leaders.

 He emphasized before the leaders went into a closed-door session that they converged to reach a common ground on the renewed militancy and its impact on the Niger Delta and Nigeria.

 “This is not the first time this kind of crisis is happening. In 2008 and 20o9, similar incident happened and Gbaramatu was affected, elders, leaders intervened and we got Amnesty. “Today we hear that federal government is planning, already talking or negotiating with militants and nobody has consulted us. 

That will not work. These children are our children and we cannot fold our hands when they attack them and pretend not to notice. 

We must be involved in what government wants to do,” he said. I am vindicated – Gov Dickson In his remark on the occasion, Governor Dickson felt vindicated on the stance of the Ijaw leaders in tandem with his earlier position on the current situation in the Niger Delta and state of the Nigerian nation. 

“I have said there is no need for more wars in the Niger Delta, certainly not in Ijaw land as the matter is not for war-war but jaw-jaw. 

I am delighted that our leaders are thinking in that same direction. This meeting is like a prelude to a larger, more comprehensive Ijaw meeting of all our leaders that the government of Bayelsa state would host in no distant time.

Read more at: Vanguard 

APC Plots Ekweremadu’s Removal

The South-East caucus of the All Progressives Congress appears willing to work with the party to remove the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu from office, SUNDAY PUNCH, has learnt.

It was gathered in Abuja, on Saturday, that party leaders from the zone are particularly interested in his removal to boost the party’s strength.

They argued that Ekweremadu would use his position to further entrench the Peoples Democratic Party,  if they allowed him to remain

A leading party member from the zone, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution said, “We are not ignorant, we know that the new Senator from our zone, being a green horn and the only one, cannot unseat Ekweremadu.

“We will be willing to trade him in for a grade (A) ministry and a choice committee.

“Ekweremadu’s continued stay as the Deputy Senate President may hamper the growth of the APC in our zone.”

When contacted, the party’s National Vice-Chairman in charge of the South-East, Emma Eneukwu, said he was at a zonal meeting and was not in a position to take questions.

However, a chieftain of the party and member of the South-East caucus, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, said, “To be honest we candidly advise Ekweremadu to step down for our brother, Sen. Ben Uwajumogu.

“His first excuse for usurping the APC’s slot was to represent Ndigbo. Now that Ndigbo has secured a Senate seat, good conscience and equity demands his voluntary exist.”

Okechukwu, who is now the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria, in response to a question on why he was pushing the ethnic card, said, “He (Ekweremadu) is the one who boasted with the ethnic card. Honour dictates his exist simple and short.”

Also a member of the Senate APC caucus, Senator Adesoji Akanbi (Oyo-South), who is also a member of the anti-Saraki Senate Unity Forum, said the party was weighing its options on how to handle the Ekweremadu issue.

He told one of our correspondents, “The leadership of the APC will decide on who replaces Ekweremadu only after the party has succeeded in sacking him. But I think (the Majority Leader of the Senate) Senator Ali Ndume is qualified to replace Ekweremadu.

“The party will come up with several options and at that point in time, the replacement will surely come from the party. Nobody will move against the party. The party will liaise with us and we will all agree.”

Another member of the APC caucus, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said the ruling party was banking on the Senate Standing Rules forgery case to remove Ekweremadu.

He noted that the APC was aware that Saraki and Ekweremadu enjoy the backing of the majority of senators making it difficult to get a two-third of the senators to end their leadership.