Tag: herdsmen

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HEADLINES POLITICS

IPOB’s attacks on security personnel, denting quest for Igbo Presidency

Detained IPOB member being treated to be able to stand trial – Enugu CP

A university don, Prof. Salihu Niworu, has said that attacks on security personnel and innocent Nigerians by the proscribed IPOB, was denting the quest for the emergence of Nigeria’s President from the South East in 2023.

Niworu, who is the Director, Institute of Maritime studies, Ibrahim Babangida University, Lapai.

“The criminal genocide they are committing is politically motivated without any recourse to the fact that such bloody agitation will not result to Igbo presidency.

“If presidential aspiration is by the barrel of gun, the north and south west have more population than the east.

“The earlier the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) realise this fact, the better for their political agitation,” Niworu said.

He also expressed concern over the unending security challenges across the country.

”The entire country is inundated with security challenges; the situation is more worrisome in the north where criminals are killing innocent Nigerians in broad day light with impunity,” the director noted.

Niworu urged the Federal Government to take more concrete measures to tackle the security challenges.

”Nigerians must be seeing to live in peace with one another irrespective of tribe, religion and political differences.

Also read;Ataga’s dead body was first blocking the door when I tried to enter the room – Security guard

“This will only be possible if miscreants undermining the nation’s corporate existence are brought to justice,” he added.

According to him, more political commitment is needed to effectively contain the security problems.

“I only hope that the court’s declaration of bandits as terrorists will enable the security personnel to wipe them out.

“This is for the peace, progress and political stability of the country,” Niworu said.

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FEATURED STORIES NEWS & LIFE Prison

Court sentences man to 8 months imprisonment for internet fraud

Drug peddling: 37-year-old pleads guilty to crime, begs court for mercy
File photo

Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna High Court, on Wednesday sentenced one Gabriel Kingsley to eight months imprisonment for internet fraud.

Justice Khobo sentenced Kingsley, after he pleaded guilty to the allegation of fraud brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He however gave the convict an option of N300,000 fine.

Khobo ordered that an iPhone 12 Pro max, iPhone X Pro max, iPhone 11 and one Samsung galaxy, being proceeds of crime recovered from the convict be forfeited to the Federal Government.

Alsoread;”https://phenomenal.com.ng/2021/11/youtube-to-support-2-nigerian-creative-outfits-with-fund-capacity-building/”

Earlier, the EFCC counsel, P. C. Onyeneho, told the court that the convict was arrested based on intelligence information received by the agency.

According to Onyeneho, sometime in Jan. 2021, Kingsley fraudulently deceived an American, Damian Frank of the sum of $2000 by posing as a female.

He said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 321 of the Penal Code

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NEWS & LIFE

APC condemns attack on Jos Correctional Centre, commends security agencies’ gallantry

APC

Chairman of Plateau chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Rufus Bature on Monday in Jos condemned Sunday’s gunmen’s attack on the Jos Correctional Centre.

In a statement issued by Mr Sylvanus Namang, APC State Publicity Secretary, Bature also commended security agencies in the state for their gallantry in handling the attack.

He said the quick response and collaboration by security agencies was what was needed to tackle the insecurity bedevilling the state and country.

“The daredevil attackers, some of who are still trapped inside the custodial centre should not be treated with kid gloves when arrested.

“They must be made to pay dearly for their action as a deterrent to other criminals in our midst,’’ Namang quoted Bature as saying.

Bature also commended security agencies for promptly re-arresting some escaping inmates.
One of the escapees submitted himself to the police.

The chairman said jailbreaks that had become a new trend of criminality in the country should be checkmated as it poses a great threat to national security.
He called for serious re-strategising, remodelling and modernising of the correctional service system in the country.

Bature advised youths against allowing themselves to be used by enemies of the state to destabilise Plateau.
He urged them to engage in productive endeavours and be useful to themselves.

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NEWS & LIFE

Give herdsmen amnesty, funds and blodshedding will stop – Gumi

Insecurity: The bandits were forced into criminality - Sheikh Gumi
Sheikh Gumi

Veteran cleric, Sheikh Gumi, has reitrated his call for amnesty for bandits.

He said they neded to betreated like former Niger Delta militants who stopped aggression after they were offred amnesty.

Many have accused Gumi of having an un holy sympathy and relationship with bandits as he has been meeting with them and repeatedly called for amnesty.

Yet, he insisted doing so is the way out.

Speaking at the enrolment of the third group of students into the free orphans’ healthcare and education support programme organised by the Kawo Islamic Foundation in Kaduna, he noted, “If there is anything that can stop the shedding of blood, it is better just like what happened with the Niger Delta militants, they were shedding blood and vandalising pipelines, but where they were ready to drop their weapons with an amnesty that will take care of them, I think the same thing can apply to herdsmen.

“We have met them and they are ready to put down their arms, but when they put down their arms if you do not educate them and provide them with funds to take care of them, they will go back to the same old ways.

“Still, we call for amnesty and stopping all hostilities because we know how we can deal with it peacefully.”

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NEWS & LIFE

Herdsmen lure natives with cows for sale in Oyo, kidnap them

Governor Seyi Makinde

Police in Oyo State have nabbed some members of a kidnap syndicate comprising herdsmen.

They specialise in luring residents of the Akinyele Local Government Area with imaginary cows available for sale and kidnapping them in the process of coming for it.

According to 16-year-old Umaru Muhammed, one of the two suspected herdsmen paraded on Monday, by the Oyo State Police Command for killing a community youth leader in Onidundun Village, revealed they planned to kidnap their victims for ransom.

The suspects were paraded alongside 31 other suspected criminals at the Oyo State Police Command Headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan.

The state Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko, noted that on July 9, 2021, one Taofeek Olaide received a phone call from one Umaru Mohammed, claiming to have several cows for sale on the instruction of his father at Kara market, Akinyele area of Ibadan.

She said, “Upon the receipt of the call, Taofeek Olaide and one Yusuf Taiwo boarded a motorcycle to Akinyele for the supposed business transaction.

“The duo upon arrival at an agreed spot picked up Umaru Mohammed and proceeded to Oni-Dundu village in Akinyele area where the ranch was supposedly located and a kidnap syndicate arranged by Umaru Mohammed was waiting in ambush.

“The duo innocently walked into the ambush and were greeted with gunshots where Yusuf Taiwo was kidnapped but his partner, Taofeek Olaide, managed to escape.

“Upon receipt of this information, officers from Moniya Division in collaboration with the Ambush team of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, AKS, swung into action, swiftly drifting to the scene and tactically combing the area.

“The display of gallantry led to the rescue of the kidnapped Yusuf Taiwo, who sustained gunshot injury on the thigh from his abductors, and the arrest of some members of the criminal syndicate.

“It is, however, regrettable that while these criminal elements took to their heels to evade arrest, they stumbled upon some youths from Oni-Dundun village and released gunshots at one Usman Mohammed, who was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead.”

Meanwhile, Muhammed claimed that he was forced into the crime.

He said, “I have not been involved in this kind of crime before, it was my people most of them are currently at large that called me to call some of my customers to come and buy cows from me and they said we can kidnap them for ransom so we can get money. They threatened me that if I don’t cooperate they would deal with me and I was forced to do as I was ordered.”

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NEWS & LIFE

Court remands farmer for allegedly shooting 18-year-old herder to death

Insecurity: Presidency frowns at Ondo quit notice to herders, urges dialogue
File photo

An Ilorin Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday ordered that a farmer, Segun Adebayo, who allegedly shot an 18-year-old header to death be remanded in Oke-kura Correctional Centre.

The police charged Adebayo with culpable homicide.

Magistrate Ibrahim Dasuki, who gave the order, adjourned the case until June 22 for further mention.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Insp. Zacheaus Folorunsho told the court that the deceased’s brother, Muhammed Adamu reported the matter at the police station when his brother failed to return from tending to their cattle.

He said that Adebayo confessed at police station that he shot the herder because he was grazing on his farm.

Folorunsho said that the defendant confessed further that he shot the 18-year-old to death and tried to conceal the corpse.

He prayed the court to remand the defendant on the basis that his ffence was not ordinarily bailable.
The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

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NEWS & LIFE

Civil Defence arrests 50 arms-bearing herdsmen

Civil Defence arrests 50 arms-bearing herdsmen

Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), have arrested 50 arms-bearing herdsmen.

“We arrested 50 illegally armed herdsmen and realised that some of them are into cattle rustling and kidnapping,’’ Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Dr Ahmed Audi, said on Wednesday in Abuja

He made the declaration while presenting licences to private guard operators.

“The armed herdsmen were arrested in Ekiti, Borno and Cross River states and in some other parts of the country,’’ he said.

Audi added that the arrest of the illegally-armed herdsmen shortly after his assumption of office was an indication of his determination to reposition the corps for optimal delivery on its core mandate.

“It is part of our mandate to settle disputes between herdsmen and farmers and to also give some security protection to our agro-allied investments,’’ he said.

Audi stressed the need for synergy between security agencies, noting that the nation’s security challenges could only be addressed substantially through intelligence sharing.

He charged the private guard operators to ensure valuable contributions to on-going efforts at checking rising insecurity.

Lamenting the security challenges, which, he said were asymmetric in nature, he assured that all would be well once relevant stakeholders adopted unity of purpose as their main objective.

“The nation is bedevilled with a very serious insecurity crisis, and that is the asymmetric warfare.

“If you want to deal decisively with this, you must synergise with all stakeholders in terms of credible intelligence,’’ he stressed.

He read the Riot Act to the private guard operators and warned that their licences would be withdrawn if they engaged in unethical practice.

Some of the unethical practices, he said, were the adoption of ranks or other accoutrement used by the military or other regular security agencies.

Audi enjoined the operators to prioritise the welfare of their guards for optimal results.

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EDUCATION HEADLINES

Insecurity: The bandits were forced into criminality – Sheikh Gumi

Insecurity: The bandits were forced into criminality - Sheikh Gumi
Sheikh Gumi

The Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has said the Fulani herdsmen that have been in constant clashes with farmers across the country and also involved in banditry are peaceful people.

In an interview with Channels TV on Monday, Sheikh Gumi said the Fulani herdsmen were pushed into criminality.

According to him, the solution is dialogue and teaching.

He said: “When I listened to them, I found out that it is a simple case of criminality which turned into banditry, which turned into ethnic war, and some genocide too behind the scene; people don’t know.

There is no excuse for any crime; nothing can justify crime, and they are committing crime. The bandits were forced into criminality.

I think it is a population that is pushed by circumstances into criminality. And this is what we should look for, let’s remove the pressure, let’s remove the things that made them into criminals because we have lived thousands of years without any problems with the nomadic herdsmen. They are peaceful people. But something happened that led them to this.”

Karaye Emirate Council to republish 1963 Fulani history book –Official

It is a complex issue that Nigerians need to understand. The solution is very simple, but it’s not military hardware. The solution is dialogue and teaching.

These people are acting with natural instincts, not special knowledge. And they don’t have any ambition or anything. They don’t have a vision of the future. They are talking about existence; their livelihood is destroyed; because the cattle rustling that was going on for a long time, they are the first victims of it.

“So we need to investigate how cattle rustling became a big business in Nigeria and how it affected the socio-cultural behaviour of the nomadic Fulani. They were pushed into criminality.”

On the possibility of Boko Haram using the Fulani, Gumi said the Fulani bandits were not Boko Haram, noting, however, that “We have to be very careful.

Sheikh Gumi

“If the pressure is too much, I am afraid they can be influenced by Boko Haram. We have seen the signs that Boko Haram is going to infiltrate them.”

On why he can locate and hold dialogue with the bandits while government authorities cannot find them, Gumi said: “They (government) know. They see them (bandits) by aerial view.

“But the military has learned its lesson. The first approach they had— when they go in and start killing— they realised is the wrong way and that they were producing a monster. They are now careful.

“The only element I am adding now is ‘look, don’t just wait and watch, go in and negotiate’.”

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NEWS & LIFE

Benue people against terrorists, killer herdsmen, not any tribe – Ortom

Labour Day: Ortom assures workers of welfare notwithstanding paucity of funds
Ortom

Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue, says people of the state are fighting against terrorists, killer herdsmen and criminality, not against any Fulani as some Nigerians believe.

Ortom made the clarification on Monday in Makurdi, while briefing journalists on the state of insecurity in Benue.

“We are not against any tribe, especially the Fulani people, but rather against terrorists, killer herdsmen, bandits, kidnappers and all types of criminals within the state.

“We are actively supporting our security agencies, to ensure that all remaining pockets of banditry, kidnappings among others, are mitigated,” he added.

The governor said for any democracy to thrive, there must be enabling laws to support same, adding that his administration had in that regard domesticated and enacted more than 20 laws since 2015.

He said he would not join issues with his Bauchi State counterpart Bala Mohammed, over his comments on the issue of herdsmen, insisting that ranching remained the only solution to the lingering problem.

Ortom, therefore, said Mohammed owed Nigerians an apology over the comments that herdsmen should be allowed to carry AK47 rifles.

He, however, commended President Mohammadu Buhari, for deploying security personnel to handle the state’s security challenges, noting that because of that, Benue was enjoying relative peace at the moment.

On the issue of pensions and gratuity arrears, he said that his administration had already remitted more than N600 million to the state PENCOM, adding that pension issues would be over in the next two years.

According to the governor, in spite of the recession and paucity of funds, his administration was able to judiciously implement the state’s budget over the years.

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NEWS & LIFE

Quit Notice: Northern Governors, Elders, meet to resolve issues

Northern Governors condemn Gulak’s death
Northern Governors

The Northern Governors Forum and elders have met in Abuja as part of a concerted effort to address the quit notice issued to Fulani herders in the South-West.

Addressing newsmen after their meeting on Monday in Abuja, the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Plateau, Simon Lalong, said the meeting was necessary to douse tension and allay fears.

He said the meeting was to seek diplomatic measures of resolving the issues and chart ways of facilitating the progress of the region.

The chairman said the delegation of northern elders led by Prof. Ango Abdullahi was part of their engagement to address problems of quit notices and other problems in the country.

“Today (Monday) we just came from Kaduna after the North-West meeting with security organisations and we also had a very fruitful meeting and discussion with the northern elders this evening.

“Part of the meeting is to find ways of calming nerves and also to assure our northern brothers that measures are being taken, ” he said.

He said instead of asking people to go away, it was imperative to seek ways of moving forward and addressing the issues in a mature manner.

Lalong said the forum was seeking ways of addressing challenges in the north through engaging state and federal governments to facilitate progress in the country.

“We sent a delegation of governors to go to Oyo State, they are right now in Ibadan to assess the situation and see the truth of what is happening with the northerners in the South-West and bring back a report,” he said.

He said the report would form the basis of taking decisions that would douse the tensions and grievances.

While addressing the journalists, the Secretary of the Northern Elders Forum, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said the meeting was to present the complaints of the northerners to the governors for appropriate action.

He said the meeting with the governors was also to seek their support in some of the initiatives of the elders and to get an update from the governors on their efforts in defending the interest of the north.

Baba-Ahmed said the elders were happy with the outcome of the meeting, saying it was productive and constructive.

He urged the governors to collaborate with their colleagues from other parts of the country in ensuring peace in the country.

He appealed to northerners not to take laws in their hands but act in a responsible and mature manner.

He said Nigeria belonged to all of us.