John Charles

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Saturday raised the alarm that herdsmen from neighbouring countries had concluded plans to unleash terror on Benue Valley.

Ortom, who raised the alarm at NSKT Church in Taraku, Gwer Local Government Area, during the burial of Mama Atese Rebecca, called on the Christian Association of  Nigeria in the state to keep interceding.

The governor, while hosting the country representative of the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees, Edward Kallon, a few weeks ago, had noted that over 1,878 Benue residents were killed while 200 persons were still missing as a result of herdsmen attacks in the last three years.

He added that 750 persons were critically injured and over 99,427 households had been affected in the attacks with property worth billions of naira destroyed.

An anti-grazing law was enacted recently by the state government, following herdsmen attacks on Benue farmers, which were said to have peaked during the dry season.

Ortom said he had received security reports that herdsmen across the West African sub-region were planning to invade the state “because of our stand on ranching.”

He added, “The anti-grazing law our government came up with was to protect both farmers and herdsmen. I have been saying that this government is ready for any superior alternative, but to me, the global practice is ranching of cattle.

“Let me appeal to our religious leaders, CAN, to organise prayers and fasting for peace to reign in the state.”

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Kamarudeen Ogundele and Femi Makinde

Residents of Oke-Ako in Ekiti State were thrown into mourning on Saturday as some gunmen attacked and killed a prince of the town, Dare Ogunbiyi, in a hotel, Olainukan Hotel.

The hotel, located on Irele-Ekiti Road, Oke-Ako was owned by the deceased. He was a son of the town’s late king, Oba Omotayo Ogunbiyi.

An eyewitness, who gave his name as Dayo, said the gunmen caught the victim unawares while he was discussing with one of the hotel’s workers.

“The two men wore masks. When he (Ogunbiyi) saw the gunmen, he tried to run away but the assailants pursued him and shot him dead. The assailants later escaped into the bush.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ekiti, Alberto Adeyemi, said he had been informed of the attack but was awaiting briefing from the divisional police officer.

Meanwhile, there was pandemonium at Orisunmibare Market area of Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Saturday when a woman whose identity has yet to be confirmed, was shot and killed during a clash among hoodlums.

An eyewitness told our correspondent that the deceased was hit by a stray bullet as the hoodlums exchanged gunfire.

The incident caused traders, buyers and residents in the area to run away from the scene to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

An eyewitness, Saheed Mohammed, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the incident happened at about 9:50 am.

He said some policemen from Dugbe Police Station later came to remove the corpse of the woman.

Efforts to confirm the incident from the Police Public Relations Officer in Osun State, Mrs. Folashade Odoro, were unsuccessful as she did not reply to calls made to her telephone line or reply to the text message sent to her.

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A four-month-old infant was found dead after she was left inside a vehicle for most of the day.

The incident happened in Oklahoma, United States of America.

Her grandmother had thought she had left the girl at a daycare centre before going to work.

“She apparently had thought that she dropped off the child this morning, which she had not,” Mark Opgrande, a spokesman with the Oklahoma County sheriff’s office told KFOR news channel.

“After she got off work, she drove back to Luther to stop by the child care centre.

“They informed her that she did not drop off the child and they went, proceeded to look for the child inside the daycare. They couldn’t find her. That’s when they went out to the vehicle, and then discovered her outside in the back of the car. She was deceased.”

The fire department was called to Apple Creek Learning Centre in Luther at around 5.30pm on Friday. The four-month-old was found still inside the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.

The grandmother, whose name has not yet been released, is being interviewed by police investigators at the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office who will prepare a report and send it on to the attorney’s office.

“She’s being questioned, she’s obviously distraught, this is a tragic situation and that’s why we remind parents all the time. It’s hot out and things like this aren’t supposed to happen, but they do.”

The grandmother has custody of the baby. No charges have so far been filed. (Yahoo News)

A renowned political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, has disowned a secessionist organisation, Biafra Zionist Federation, which nominated him and few others as cabinet members of the proposed Biafra Republic.

Utomi in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH said he ignored the group since it came up with its statement on the cabinet list because he didn’t want to attach any importance to their activities.

He said,  “I have never heard of those people before. I have never met them. Nnamdi Kanu was created by people who arrested him and we’re still making the same mistake all over again.

“When you people (media) give credence to those kinds of people and begin to discuss them, tomorrow, they get taken seriously. So, I think the best thing to do is to ignore those kinds of things.”

Utomi and some prominent Nigerians named as Biafra cabinet members by BZF, have been reportedly placed under watch by the Department of State Services.

The Federal Government according to reports wondered why none of those on the BZF list had reacted more than 72 hours after their names were announced by the secessionist group.

Utomi, was named the foreign minister while a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, was appointed as the Governor of the Central Bank of Biafra.

In the same vein, a former boss of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Arunma Oteh, was named the finance minister.

The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo, was named as the Ambassador of the Republic of Biafra to the United States, while a former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, from Niger State, was appointed the transportation minister.

Olalekan Adetayo, Adelani Adepegba, Leke Baiyewu and Olaleye Aluko

Civil rights groups on Saturday asked the Presidency to drop two newly nominated Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission members, being investigated for graft.

Civil rights groups and security experts, who commented on the nomination of the two ICPC members, in separate interviews with SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, said the President failed to conduct due diligence checks on the nominated ICPC members.

The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, and the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, asked the Federal Government to terminate the appointment of the indicted members of the ICPC if culpable or suspend them until the end of ongoing investigation.

The CACOL Director, Debo Adeniran, said, “It is reprehensible if the authorities didn’t carry out thorough investigations on the ICPC members. If anyone of them has questionable integrity, it is enough to discredit such individual, even if he has not been found guilty. As long as he is under investigation, such a person is no longer qualified.”

Also, the CDHR President, Malachy Ugwummadu, said, “While the presidency reserves the right to make such appointment, an institution such as the ICPC should have people with proven integrity.”

Speaking to SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday, the lawmaker representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Shehu Sani, said the nominees would be rejected, if the allegations were true.

Sani stated, “You know that at the end of the day, their names will be sent to the Senate. What happens if one makes his views known on the paper before they (nominees) appear before the Senate?

“If the allegations are true, definitely you know that the Senate will throw those people out. I read it and I was shocked, but it will not be appropriate for me to speak on that.”

When contacted the spokesperson for the ICPC, Mrs. Rashidat Okoduwa, said, “I don’t know about it. In fact, we are not even talking about the nominees at all. I have no idea.”

SUNDAY PUNCH, however, learnt on Saturday that the two new members nominated to be on the board of ICPC would be asked to step down.

A government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the affected persons would cease to be on the commission’s board.

“The two people nominated as ICPC commissioners but reportedly undergoing investigation will be stepping down and won’t be members of the commission,” he said.

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Punch Editorial Board

Nigeria places a very low premium on human life and safety. This is why crime proliferates in every nook and cranny of the country. This chronic nightmare is graphically illustrated by unremitting kidnapping, armed robbery, ritual killings, smuggling, street gang (or cult-related) violence, herdsmen killings, Islamist terrorism and militancy. The Federal Government should be concerned about its loss of the power of coercion to non-state actors and quickly roll out strategies to change the status quo.

Indeed, there is real fear of danger across the board, regardless of the ad hoc arrangements citizens make to protect themselves. All the police and the government offer the public are lame excuses. And, viewed from Section 14 (2b) of the 1999 Constitution, which says: “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government,” the pervasive security breaches expose Nigeria as a failing state.

The prevailing situation is a throwback to Thomas Hobbes’ state of nature, aptly described as “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” Even the well-heeled, who are somehow protected by a battery of police details, still feel insecure. One of them, Olufunke Kolawole, a permanent secretary in Osun State, was abducted by armed robbers on the Okene-Abuja Expressway in July and butchered. Her driver escaped with serious injuries.

Because of government’s insensitivity to the high rate of crime, travellers on the expressways like Benin-Sagamu and Akure-Ilesa, are in a permanent state of fear. The Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, a major link between the North-West and the Federal Capital Territory, is a den of bandits in spite of the heavy deployment of police officers. In June, bandits abducted 20 persons in one operation. Also, robbers raided a bank in Owerri, Imo State in February and killed police officers. In June, Osogbo, Osun State, witnessed a daylight bank robbery in which three police officers died.

All the police do is celebrate the occasional arrests they make. Such instances include the parade of 32 kidnappers arrested on the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway in July; and the March killing of Henry “Vampire” Chibueze, a notorious kidnapper whose accomplices executed his rescue last January on the premises of a High Court in Owerri, Imo State, where he was being tried for criminal offences. The Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector-General of Police also made a show of the arrest of Chukwudumeje “Evans” Onwuamadike in June. Evans, a serial kidnapper and armed robber, carried out major operations for years in Lagos, Anambra, Abia and Enugu states.

But these intermittent “victories” are pyrrhic. They delude the police and government into believing that crime is under control. No. Six pupils of the Lagos State Model College, Epe, spent 63 days in kidnappers’ den before their release on July 29. Badoo, a cult of ritual killers that specialises in wiping out entire families, has massacred more than 26 persons in Ikorodu, Lagos in the past year, according to estimates by this newspaper. Ritual killers butchered a pensioner, Adetutu Ajayi, 73, in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Tuesday. A monarch in Ogun State, Patrick Fasinu, was hacked to death a few metres to his house in Owo on July 26.

These breaches pale in comparison to herdsmen bloody attacks and the Boko Haram terror campaign. The herdsmen, on the pretext of seeking fodder for their livestock and protecting them against rustling, perpetrate heinous killings in the country. In its 2015 report, Australian think tank, the Institute for Economics and Peace, said Fulani herdsmen “are the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the world.” It is disturbing that the Nigerian state has yet to curb their gruesome appetite for shedding blood. Communal clashes continue to claim lives in thousands.

On its part, Boko Haram, which launched its brutal campaign in 2009, has slaughtered about 100,000 Nigerians, according to Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State. Last week, the insurgents, who abducted 276 Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014, wasted 48 lives – including 18 soldiers – in an ambush of a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation crude oil exploration team to the Lake Chad Basin in Borno. Some members of that expedition are still in captivity.

The underwhelming performance of the police is traceable to their out-dated operations. In the United Kingdom, America, Australia and Europe, the police drive their operations through intelligence. In the UK, automated surveillance is the name of the game. There are 5.9 million CCTV cameras deployed in surveillance activities. In the aftermath of the August 2011 London riots, police analysed 200,000 CCTV images to identify the suspects.

In Nigeria, police operations are mired in archaic mumbo-jumbo. Criminals are often a step ahead of police because the security agents lack the standard equipment like forensic laboratories, digitalised crime database and motorised patrols.

The defence of Ibrahim Idris, the Inspector General of Police, that the police need 155,000 new recruits to tame crime, is a red herring. The major problem is inefficient deployment of available manpower. Out of the current police strength of 298,735, over 100,000 or a third is deployed to guard a few privileged individuals and organisations. That is why many villages, communities and roads do not have police presence; therefore, crime thrives. Idris does not require a constitution amendment to perform the simple administrative procedure of withdrawing police officers wrongly attached to individuals. Private persons who feel the need should hire private security, while the number of serving and former public officers given personal police guards should be drastically pruned.

To bring crime under control, security agencies should mop up the arms in wrong hands. Crime suspects should be prosecuted quickly. More importantly, Nigeria cannot run away from state police. The current system is an anomaly in federalism. This will allow states and communities to build up their own security capacity to control crime.

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Friday Olokor

No fewer than 70 lecturers have resigned from the University of Maiduguri since the outbreak of Boko Haram insurgency in the North- East, SUNDAY PUNCH, has learnt.

Also, while five lecturers have been killed, three were said to have been held by the insurgents during the recent attack on oil workers.

The chairman, UNIMAID chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Dani Mamman, who said this in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH, called on the Federal Government and the university authorities to put in place adequate security.

Mamman said although closing down the university was the initial thought, it was resisted by the management.

ASUU added that as a union, it believed that if its demands made to the Federal Government were fulfilled, the idea of closure would not be an option.

Mamman said, “About 70 lecturers left, about five died and three are held hostage by Boko Haram. The admission figure of students have been dropping since insurgency started in 2012. We don’t know what will happen to the admission of students this year.

“The exit of some lecturers has affected research and learning because some are specialists in their fields. Usually, such exodus affects accreditation of some programmes and courses.

“We requested the government to increase security personnel, security gadgets and construction of the 23.7 km perimeter fence. In the interim, the state governor has started building a 10.3 km perimeter fence.

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Chukwudi Akasike

A coalition of Niger Delta militant groups on Saturday expressed readiness to fight for a Niger Delta Republic if the Federal Government failed to embrace devolution of power and fiscal federalism.

The militants, who spoke under the aegis of the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators, stated that they were prepared to mobilise other agitating groups in the oil rich region to actualise a Niger Delta Republic.

A statement signed by nine militant leaders cautioned that the people of the Niger Delta were prepared to secede if the total devolution of power and fiscal federalism were not put in place.

The statement was signed by John Dudu (Niger Delta Watchdogs and convener of the coalition); Ekpo Ekpo (Niger Delta Volunteers) Osarolor Nedam (Niger Delta Warriors); Henry Okon Etete (Niger Delta Peoples Fighters) and Asukwo Henshaw (Bakassi Freedom Fighters).

Others included Ibinabo Horsfall of the Niger Delta Movement for Justice, Duke Emmanson (Niger Delta Fighters Network), Inibeghe Adams (Niger Delta Freedom Mandate) and Abiye Tariah (Niger Delta Development Network).

The statement read, “The least considerable action on the part of the Federal Government is the total devolution of power and fiscal federalism. Anything short of that, the people of the Niger Delta will go their separate ways. The coalition will work to convince other agitators in the Niger Delta for a collaborative action to ensure the least acceptable demand, which is total devolution of power and fiscal federalism.

“The people of the Niger Delta will fully support the call for a referendum by other agitators in the country. Finally, the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators firmly resolves to pursue its decision(s) and actualise them by any means necessary.”

Faulting the leadership of the Pan Niger Delta Forum for what they termed poor handling of the agreement between it (PANDEF) and the Federal Government, the militants declared that they had withdrawn their support for the forum.

They maintained that the authority to represent the Niger Delta ethnic nationalities was no longer under the purview of the current leadership of PANDEF.

The coalition said, “The Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators will rally round all other agitating groups in the Niger Delta for the actualisation of the Niger Delta Republic. This will give us the freedom to develop ourselves and at our own pace.”

It also described the last meeting of the forum in Bayelsa as dismal, adding that serious issues were not presented for deliberation.

Describing the PANDEF leadership as clueless, the coalition observed that the forum appeared not to be cohesive and united in thoughts and actions.

“While a meeting is called by Pa E. K. Clark in Bayelsa, the secretary of the central working committee is calling for a constitution review meeting in Abuja the following day. We have no doubt in our mind that there are contending interests and positions that have become overriding in the leadership of PANDEF and we can no longer sit by and allow them to fester,” the coalition said.

It added that PANDEF leadership appeared to have lost track of the political development and the trend of agitations in the country, especially from the South-East and South-West.

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The lawmaker representing Ogun East Senatorial District at the Senate, Buruji Kashamu, tells LEKE BAIYEWU about his life and activities as a politician

What kind of politician are you?

I will say that I am a grass-roots politician and people describe me as a compassionate politician. But I think I am just a tool in the hands of the almighty God. There are also those who will say I am a controversial politician, but that is because I don’t condone injustice. I fight for any cause that I believe in even if I have to fight alone. I hate the politics of deceit and lies.

You reportedly invested heavily in the Peoples Democratic Party before contesting any elective position?

Well, that is because I don’t do anything in half measures. Whatever I set out to do, I do it with the whole of my spirit, soul and body. It is gratifying that those of you in the media recognised the fact that I had spent so much on the PDP. However, the facts are there to prove that no single individual in the PDP, either in the past or present, has committed his personal money and resources into building the PDP in the South-West as I have done. By the grace of God, I was already a successful entrepreneur and businessman before I joined politics.

People say a rich man and party financier like you have no business contesting National Assembly election.

I am not a rich man; I am just someone whom the almighty God has been kind to and I am contented with what he has done for me. I decided to contest the National Assembly election because I want to serve my people. That was why my people voted for me massively. I will forever be grateful to them. That is why I have remained a grass-roots man. I go home almost every two weeks to meet and interact with my people.

Some people are saying that you have been compensated for all you’ve done for PDP by getting a senatorial seat on its platform.

I did not join politics or the PDP in anticipation of any compensation. All I have done are borne out of a personal conviction to liberate our people who were suppressed and short-changed for so long. My idea of politics is that it must ensure fair and equitable distribution of opportunities for all. I am opposed to a privileged few cornering our common wealth and sharing it among themselves at the detriment of the masses. This is the crux of the problem I have with most of our political elite, especially those in the South-West.

How has your experience been as a senator?

It has been a worthwhile experience. This is my first elective position, and I must say that I am still learning the ropes. As an entrepreneur and someone coming from the private sector, I am used to taking and executing decisions with dispatch. But in the Senate, I have learnt that I need to be a process person. I have learnt that for any decision to be taken, it must get the buy-in of the majority. I have learnt the principles of consensus building and collective responsibility. In all, I will say despite the challenges, it has been a great experience.

Have you fulfilled the purpose for which you wanted to be a legislator?

My answer will be yes and no. Yes, because despite not being a noisemaker, I have given quality representation to my people. More than ever before, in two years, I have attracted a lot of projects to the Ogun East Senatorial District. Of the nine local government areas in my senatorial district, there is none of them that did not benefit from at least two projects that I have facilitated. Many of our youths have been employed at various places, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police, and Security and Civil Defence Corps, among others.

However, I regret the fact that I have not been able to deliver on my promise to lobby my colleagues at the National Assembly towards the creation of Ijebu State. I have also not been able to use the legislative process to ensure the completion of the Olokola Free Trade Zone and the cargo airport projects. This is mainly due to the loss of power by the PDP during the 2015 general elections. Yet, I have facilitated over 30 projects in various parts of my senatorial district. The projects cut across education, health care, rural electrification and the provision of potable water to communities.

Which notable motions or bills have you moved or sponsored?

I have sponsored at least four bills. They are the Mental Health Bill, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency Act Amendment Bill, the Federal Road Safety Commission Amendment Bill and the National Security Tax Fund Bill. While the Mental Health Bill seeks to provide a modern legal framework for mental health care in Nigeria since the first and only one was passed in 1902. The NESREA Act Amendment Bill is meant to tweak the enabling Act setting up the agency and bring it in tune with the present realities as they concern the environment. It is hoped that very soon the bills will be passed into law.

Your appearance in the Senate chamber and at committee duties seems irregular these days, what other duties are taking your time?

That is not exactly correct. It is just lately that I got a strained leg that made my doctors advise me to take some rest. Even at that, I have been forcing myself to do my legislative duties. I thank almighty God that I am feeling better.

How do you spend your average day?

My day begins as early as 4 am. I wake up to say my prayers and then go to the gymnasium. When I was still running my businesses, I would call my managers to get briefings from them and give directives. These days, I consult with my legislative aides. Thereafter, I will take my breakfast, make some calls, send replies to text and WhatsApp messages and, then, set out for work. Of course, I go to bed late.

If you are not carrying out legislative functions, what other things do you do?

Anytime that I am not performing my legislative duties I will be attending to one issue of injustice or another. At other times, God could be using me for many other positive endeavours.

If you have any time for leisure, how do you unwind?

I go to the gym. I read newspapers and try to monitor the news across various channels and platforms.

It appears that you have a penchant for exotic cars. Are you a car freak?

It is not that I am a car freak; I just like good cars and God has enabled me to have a few.

You’ve also been noted for your choice of wines. What can you say about this?

For health reasons, I really do not take much of wine. However, when I have an event and invite people, it is my duty to ensure that they are well taken care of and possibly get whatever they want.

There are instances where you move around with heavily armed security operatives and bodyguards. Is this for security reasons or a status symbol?

I do not go around with heavily armed security operatives. How many have you seen with me since you came to the Senate? I only employ the services of body guards and security personnel when the occasion demands especially when I am going for political events.

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Idris Adesina

Eleven time World Championship men’s 100m gold medallist, Usain Bolt, on Saturday night ended his individual career with a bronze medal after losing his title to bitter rival Justin Gatlin of the USA at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.

American Gatlin won his second world 100m title – 12 years after his first – to ruin 12-time Olympic champion Bolt’s final individual race.

Bolt, who retires after next week’s 4x100m relay, had no answer and was third behind Gatlin, who clocked 9.92secs and Christian Coleman (9.94secs).

It was the most anticipated race of the competition after home boy, Mo Farah, who is also retiring after the championships, won the men’s 10,000m gold on Friday.

Bolt’s 9.95secs equalled his best effort of 2017 but he always trailed. The 30-year-old world record holder, who before Saturday had never lost a final race in his entire career, has struggled all season and was first beaten by 21-year-old Coleman in the semifinals of the event.

He will now look to the 4x100m for a gold medal to finally celebrate his retirement from the sport.

Gatlin – banned twice for doping – was booed before the race and celebrated wildly, holding his hands to his ears.

The 35-year-old, who started in lane eight, was behind his compatriot Coleman from the blocks but picked up in the last 20 metres to wear down the margin and take his first major title since 2005.

Bolt’s compatriot, Yohan Blake, took the fourth position in 9.99secs, South Africa’s Akani Simbine was fifth in 10.01secs while France’s Jimmy Vicaut was sixth in 10.08secs.

Great Britain’s Reece Prescod — who qualified for his first major final with an impressive time of 10.05secs in the semifinal — finished seventh in 10.17secs and China’s Bingtian Su was eighth in 10.27secs.

Bolt told BBC Sport, “I tightened up at the end and that is something you should never do. I didn’t execute when it mattered.

“I am not fully comfortable in those blocks but you have to work with what you have. I can’t complain about that. He (Gatlin) is a great competitor. You have to be at your best against him. I really appreciate competing against him and he is a good person.”

“I tuned it out [the booing] through the rounds and stayed the course. I did what I had to do. The people who love me are here cheering for me and cheering at home.

“It is Bolt’s last race. It is an amazing occasion. We are rivals on the track but in the warm-down area, we joke and have a good time. The first thing he did was congratulate me and say that I didn’t deserve the boos. He is an inspiration,” gold medallist Gatlin said.

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Olaleye Aluko

The Nigerian Army on Saturday begged religious, traditional and community rulers in the North-East to dissuade parents from donating their children to Boko Haram.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, who said this in a statement, noted that this appeal was consequent upon some “revelations” made by some arrested suicide bombers.

He said, “The Nigerian Army wishes to appeal to religious, traditional and community leaders, as well as all well-meaning Nigerians, especially in the North-East of our country, to help dissuade people from donating their daughters or wards to Boko Haram terrorists for indoctrination and suicide  bombing missions.

“This appeal became expedient in view of recent revelations by some intercepted female suicide bombers during interrogations. It was discovered that most of these hapless minors were ‘donated’ to the terrorist sect by their heartless and misguided parents and guardians, as part of their contribution to the perpetuation of the Boko Haram terrorists’ dastardly acts against the Nigerian society and humanity.

“The acts of these parents and guardians are not only barbaric, but condemnable and unacceptable. Nigerians have a responsibility and obligation to collectively mould our children and wards.

“Consequently, members of the public are kindly requested to be more vigilant, security conscious and report any suspicious persons or those whose daughters or female wards are missing or have not been seen recently. The public is also kindly reminded that the Nigerian Army’s offer and reward of N500,000 to anybody that brings information about suicide bombing is still available.”

B’Haram used 145 girls for suicide attacks in seven months — Investigation

Meanwhile, Boko Haram terrorists have so far used more  than 145 girls in suicide bombing missions between January and July 2017, a SUNDAY PUNCH investigation has shown.

The figure, sourced from the military anti-insurgency operation, Operation Lafiya Dole, the National Emergency Management Agency and the Borno State Police Command could be higher as some suicide missions might not have been reported to the agencies.

SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that while Boko Haram terrorists also made use of male bombers to attack mosques and military locations, there were more females deployed in the months reviewed.

The other locations where the terrorists deployed the girls strapped with locally made Improvised Explosive Devices were, internally displaced persons camps and villages.

It was learnt that the most affected areas where the radicalised girls struck in the seven months included Muna Garage, Mammanti village, Jiddari Polo, Ummarari and Dalori, all in Borno State.

A breakdown of the statistics showed that in January, at least 15 girls died, while 10 casualties were recorded in February.

Also, there were estimated 15 deaths of the female bombers for March, April and May.

June and July, however, witnessed an upsurge and claimed about 30 girls each.

Some highlights in January indicated that, on January 16, two female bombers were killed in Baran Kaura village, Borno, while two other girls were killed in Kalari area, while trying to gain entry into a mosque.

Also in February, two female bombers died behind the Mega Filling Station, along Maiduguri-Damboa Road, while on February 17 and 24, four female bombers were killed in Muna Dalti and Banki areas, respectively.

The Defence Headquarters admitted that the Boko Haram terrorists sent out the girls on suicide missions with babies and IEDs strapped to their bodies.

Some of the incidents in March were two female bombers killed on March 13, while attempting to enter Maiduguri through Ummarari area, while  four female bombers died after detonating in Usmanti area along Muna Garage, two days after.

In April, two female bombers died in a mosque in the Jiddari Polo area, while on April 26, NEMA confirmed the death of four female bombers, who attacked Muna Garage and Muna Usmanti areas of Borno.

On May 3, three teenage female bombers were killed, while trying to attack a military base known as Gontanamo in the Muna Garage area. The corpses were evacuated by NEMA workers.

Four female bombers died on June 19 in the Dalori IDPs camp and Dalori Kofa village, after killing 16 people.

It was also observed that in July, there was a further upsurge in the spate of female suicide bomb attacks, also attested to by the police and the army authorities.

The Borno State Police Command on July 12 confirmed the death of four female suicide bombers who detonated at a funeral, killing 12 Civilian Joint Task Force members and injuring 23 other persons.

Also, the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, and 7 Division spokesman, Lt.-Col. Kingsley Samuel, confirmed that eight female bombers were killed in another incident in just one week.

He said, “Two female bombers trying to infiltrate military locations in Mammanti Village, Borno on July 16 were neutralised.

Also, three bombers were killed by troops on July 22, while trying to attack Kawuri in the Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.

“The bombers were unleashed by the remnants of the desperate Boko Haram insurgents to cause mayhem to the civilian populace,” he said.

There were, however, a few occasions when the girl bombers were rescued before detonating their IEDs.

The Borno State Police Command had on February 7 arrested an 18-year-old female bomber, behind Mega Filling Station in Molai, Maiduguri area, among other cases.

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Ninety-year-old lawyer, Chief Agboola Akintan, shares the story of his life and career with TOLUWANI ENIOLA

Briefly introduce yourself.

I am the Ojomo of Idanre and the Lisa of Kosofe in Lagos. I clocked 90 on June 6, 2017.  My father was Chief Joseph Akintan and my mother was Janet Ola Akintan. My parents, like many other Idanre indigenes, lived on top of the hill. I am the fourth or fifth child of my father. My father had four wives. I am one of three children from my mother.

Where were you born?

I was born on the top of the Idanre hills in Ondo State. At the age of five, my uncle, Gilbert Akintola, took me out of Idanre. We climbed down the hill and trekked 10 miles to Owena to connect the motor road from Ondo to Akure. For the first time, I saw a motor lorry. Idanre was not accessible to motor vehicles then.

What was it like growing up?

We were living on the hill and cultivated crops many miles away at Oniserere. Oniserere was about 40 miles from the top of the hills. It is a village under Idanre. I started school in 1930 in Oniserere. People started coming down from the hills to settle on plain lands in January 1933.  During this period, I saw about 15 houses in Idanre. It may be more than that. Then, my family was still up the hill. It would take you about 30 minutes to climb the hills. The only school up the hill was infested with yaws. My uncle decided to take me to Alade, another four miles from Idanre. I continued schooling there in 1934. I was short in stature but I was lucky to gain admission to the school. When I got to Alade, new pupils were asked to move their hands across their heads until the tip of their palms could touch their ears. Fortunately, I didn’t experience this.

The headmaster at Alade was well trained and didn’t tell me to take the exercise. I was able to read the English alphabets before I came to Alade.  I was extremely lucky to go to school. Pupils up the hills were infested with yaws. Yaws is like leprosy but not actually leprosy. It would leave a scar on your skin. But once you contract it, it would be hard for you to have leprosy. Lepers were hard to find in Idanre at the time. But those infected with yaws were common in Ondo division then. Because of that, I was moved to Alade to avoid the disease because it was waterborne. It was cured with penicillin and I was lucky to be the man in charge of its eradication in 1956 in Idanre. I had graduated and taken up an appointment as the chief executive of the district council at the time.

How was life during the colonial era?

I only knew of the top of the hills in my early days. The people were highly primitive. We knew little or nothing about civilisation. All we knew in Idanre was the traditional religion and celebrating festivals. Everybody on top of the hill was involved in one form of traditional ceremony. It was either death, birth or marriage ceremonies. No one could farm on the hill but the population was huge. I was not  privileged to meet a white man until I was over five years. The first time I saw a white man was at Osogbo, Osun State. It was all rocks everywhere. Idanre people settled on the hills because of the fear of attacks by neighbours around. Before the colonial era, there was inter-tribal warfare in Yorubaland.

Tell us more about your education.

I travelled to Owo, Ondo State, in 1941 to continue my studies at St. Patrick School, under the headmastership of D.O Fagunwa, the late author of the famous Yoruba novel, Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmole.

I crammed Fagunwa’s Ogboju Ode and won a prize for being able to recite some portions of the book. Fagunwa was between 30 and 40 years old then.

He was fond of me. He was from Oke-Igbo, Ondo State. Incidentally, the father of the present Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, was my classmate. He was a man of God, an archdeacon of the Anglican Church. We were good friends. He was the tallest boy in the class and I was the shortest. We were close friends. I studied local government administration at the University College, Ibadan, Oyo State, before I travelled to the United Kingdom. I attended Holborn College, London to study law.

Were there Nigerians among your classmates in the UK?

The late Gani Fawehinmi and Chief Edwin Clark were my classmates in London. I was 11 years older than Fawehinmi. Clark was a gentleman like me. We were very quiet in the class, unlike Fawehinmi who was very smart. Fawehinmi was a fire heater. In class, he would ask many questions whenever he was in class. He was not regular in school but he passed his examinations. He was very critical in mind. I knew from then that he would be a brilliant lawyer. He would ask questions, particularly on criminal and constitutional law. He would not allow any other person to ask questions. We would raise our fingers but he would insist his questions should be answered.  Clark was a sober person like me, reserved in school but critical in mind. We were not too intimate but we knew each other and talked in the dining room. We were called to bar two days after the military took over in 1966.

How did you meet your wife?

I came to Lagos on January 4, 1948. There was an Idanre man in Lagos, Claudius Akintan. My wife was his younger sister. She was schooling at Obalende, Lagos. I least expected I would marry my wife. We were living like brother and sister. She was taller.  If I had a girlfriend, she knew about it. When a new house was completed at Ebutte Meta, I rented a room there. My wife’s uncle lived on the second floor and my wife was with him there. We were there for two years. Later, I travelled down to Idanre where my wife was a midwife in training in 1954. She was handling the maternity home. The intimacy got renewed. One day, when we were going to Benin City, she went with me and we bought fish and gave to her father who was in a village called Owena Akintan. We got there around 12.30am. Then my wife’s father said to us, “You have been together for the past 10 or 15 years. What stopped you from marrying each other?” I looked at my wife. She got up and started arranging the table as if she didn’t hear. In another 30 minutes, we were back in the car. Then I asked her, “Did you hear what your father said?” She said, “Yes. I would not mind marrying you.” I continued driving without answering her again. When we got to her house, I said I would not leave that night. She laughed. She said, “Do you want the wedding to start this night?” I said, “I don’t mind.” We laughed. We got married three months after. She died November 11, 2015. She was 83. We were married for 58 years.

What do you miss about her?

I miss her so much. Two weeks before she died, she attended a morning service and came to me where I was lying down. I have not been able to use my legs well. I used to lie on a couch. She sat down and carried my two legs and put them on her legs. I felt moved. I told her when I die, she knew what to do with the children. I told her not to mourn my death for three months as is the custom in Idanre. If they would mourn me, it should not be more than seven days. She shook my legs and said, “Don’t talk about death now.”

Can you share your memorable experiences?

It was my experience during the Second World War in 1938. In Idanre, a religious group started to cry around that the war was Armageddon. People were describing the late dictator, Adolf Hitler, as the man who would destroy the whole world. I remember there were 21 pupils in my class. Parents started withdrawing their children from school because ‘the end of the world was near.’ My uncle insisted I remain in school. There was hardship. There was petrol scarcity and it affected transportation. I had to trek from Idanre to Akure by foot to go to school. Things were really difficult.

Another memorable encounter I had was during the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo’s burial. When I left the university and started working, I abstained from politics. I was 60 years old in 1987 when Awolowo died. I was in my living room in Ketu, Lagos. The rain was pouring. I switched on my television. They were bringing Awolowo’s corpse to the stadium. They focused the camera on a mammoth crowd waiting for Awolowo’s corpse. The rain did not prevent people from seeing his corpse.

The people started singing, “All we are saying, give us Awo.” I told myself that it was not sufficient for one to educate his children, have a good life, save money and become comfortable. One must make an impact in one’s community. I told myself that I would join politics, not to contest positions but be a kingmaker. The following week, I attended my ward meeting in the Social Democratic Party. Awolowo’s burial touched me.

What bothers you most about the state of the nation about at 90?

If only we can get Nigerians to value this country and its potential and our ability to lead the black race, we could make lots of impacts. I am currently reading “From Third World to First: The Singapore Story, 1965-2000” written by Lee Kuan Yew. Nigeria has no excuse to fail. We don’t need to fight. We are all blessed. No state is poor. We can evenly distribute our wealth. There is enough to go round.

What’s your view about life after death?

I can’t claim to know heaven until I get there. I don’t bother myself about going to heaven at all. To me, there is no hell. There can’t be hell. I know I don’t do evil. When I get to heaven, I will know how it is but now, I am here. I focus my attention on this earth. Yes, I am a Christian, an Anglican yet I don’t allow the debate about heaven or hell to bother me. I would do everything while alive to help a lot of people. I want to live a good life. When I die, I told my children not to cry because I have had a good bite of life. I have done more good than evil. When I get to the gate of heaven, I will hold my resume. The ultimate and the supreme judge will look at it. He will deduct my mistakes from my good deeds. I am confident that he will allow me to enter (heaven).

I don’t let God do for me what I can do for myself. My prayer is usually short. I pray this way, “Oh God, help me to help those who will help me.” If you say you love God, and you don’t love your neighbour, you are a liar. Love is important.

What are the secrets of your good health?

I have been diabetic for 40 years. Diabetes has helped me a lot. Before the diagnosis, I thought the world was worth enjoying. I was doing everything I could lay my hands on. I played as much as possible. When I was told I was diabetic, I had to regulate my life and eat well. I thank God, not for having diabetes but for knowing how to manage it. It was after the diagnosis that I realised that life had to be nursed and nurtured. One has to be moderate. The most important is to be clean in body and mind. I don’t go to my bed with bad thinking. When I want to rest, I allow my trouble to stay aside and sleep. I wake to meet my troubles. I eat the food good for my body and seek advice. How to live well at 90 depends on nature and of course what you do to yourself. I couldn’t use one of my ears well. I went to the US for two months. I spent much money to treat it. Two weeks after, the pain in the right ear started. I lost hope. I went to India again. Yet, I still can’t hear clearly.

What more do you wish for at your age?

I don’t pray to live a day more. Why should I ask God to give me more days when there are young people who need more years? God, don’t give me more days. My prayer is this, lord, let thy servant depart in peace. Let me go in peace. I thank God for this interview. If I still see tomorrow, I will thank God. I can only thank God for the day I see.

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A retired nurse, Mrs. Samba Greywood Dokubo-Briggs, recently delivered of triplets as her first birth, shares her story with CHUKWUDI AKASIKE

Tell us about yourself. 

I am Mrs. Samba Greywood Dokubo-Briggs, former Miss Bob-Manuel from Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

How old are you?

I am 61 years old.

When did you marry?

My marriage took place at Degema council area after my qualification as a registered nurse in 1983. We have been married for 34 years and we have been expecting to have a child. We moved from place to place to no avail.

Is this your first birth? 

Yes, actually, after marriage, I had miscarriages. You know when a married woman is not pregnant years after marriage, there is a tendency to run around from one clinic to another to seek medical help. I did that to no avail until God directed me to Save a Life Hospital in Port Harcourt, where proper investigation was carried out. They were able to detect the problems and took care of it.

How were you able to cope psychologically while waiting to give birth? 

It was not easy. The road was very long, but for God, it wouldn’t have been easy. After God, I want to thank my husband because he has been supportive and caring. He is one of the best men I have seen on earth.

What did people say when you have yet given birth?

People said many things. In my neighbourhood, people advised me to meet other men to have a child for my husband. I told them that because of my Christian life, I cannot do that and moreover, I believe in God. He is a God that never fails His own. His promise may tarry but it will never be denied.

Did you and your husband go for test at any point? 

We did. It was after sometime that God directed us to Save a Life. This success story that has started will continue and it will be heard worldwide.

What did doctors tell you while trying to have a child?

During the period, they used to tell us that there was hope. I went into menopause and we all know that when a woman gets to that stage, humanly speaking, all hope is lost. But within me, I knew God would not disappoint me. I was confident. I have always told myself that one day, God would visit me.

When did you give birth?

It was on Monday morning, July 24, 2017 and the following day, I started moving around and eating.

How did you feel when you saw and held your babies?

When I heard the cry of my first child during the surgery, I asked myself; God can this happen? I saw myself as the happiest woman on earth. Tears of joy began to flow from my eyes. I couldn’t talk. It was one of the doctors that wiped my tears and asked me why I was crying. I told him that for me to hear the cry of my babies was enough reason to cry.

How did you handle the first trimester?

It wasn’t an easy task. If I wasn’t in this hospital, I don’t know what would have happened. The first 16 weeks were terrible, but God took control. I was attended to by good hands and the moment I entered the hospital, God told me that he was the foundation of the place. I made up my mind that as far as the place was built on the right foundation, I would succeed.  After the first trimester, everything was under control; there was no problem. God was really in control.

You appear as a woman of faith. Does your husband have the same level of faith as you?

His (husband) faith may be higher than mine.

What did he do during the period of waiting to have a child? 

He tried. I give him kudos because not every man can bear the stress. Even the insults from his family were unbearable. I visited his family one day and a little girl, my husband’s niece, mocked me. I have forgiven her.

What has changed about you since you put to bed?

As you can see, I am Sweet 16 now. Everything about me is getting fresher and fresher. In fact, a man told my husband that he (husband) too is looking fresher. Nothing has changed, but right now, my breasts are lactating, getting ready to breastfeed at 61. I have asked the matron if I can breastfeed, but the fear I have is whether I will be able to produce enough milk for the three babies or whether I will cut short my exclusive period.

What things were you told before pregnancy and delivery, which turned out to be false?

Even now, there is still suspicion that it is not possible that a 61-year-old woman will give birth. Some people that I don’t even know do come here; they will say they have just heard about it and they want to come and confirm. I have always told them that one must believe that with God, all things are possible.

What fears did your nurse about labour?

I didn’t have any fears because I was in good hands. It is only that sometimes, when I didn’t see nurses around me, I became afraid. I was always anxious to see my children. The day of the surgery was actually my happiest day on earth.

How are your babies doing?

They are still in the theatre, but because of the joy, I don’t even know how to explain. It is as if I am daydreaming. I usually go close to them and just be watching them. The babies are very strong. I don’t have any regrets introducing this hospital to anybody. The God that did it for me shall do for those looking for fruits of the womb.

How does your mother feel?

My mother is late. She expected this long ago. A year after my marriage and being the last child who she had in their old age, my parents were really expectant. But sadly, none of them lived to witness this great miracle except two of my relations.

What are the names of the babies?

Their names are God is great, God is good and God is awesome. They are two boys and one girl. They are doing well. Before they were born, I dedicated them in the womb. I told God: From day one, I have dedicated them to God and whatever profession they will go into, they will become ministers of the gospel. Every year, there will be dedication until when they have come of age, I will now hand them over to the Almighty God.

Where do you work?

I worked with the Rivers State Ministry of Health, Primary Healthcare Management Board. I worked for 35 years before retiring. Now, I am on pension, though the gratuity is still pending.

How has your husband been helping to cater to the babies?

The babies are not with us yet. Maybe when we get home, he will start. I am sure my husband will assist me. He is more than capable to help me. He is very happy, In fact more than happy to do so.

Did your husband at any time contemplate marrying another wife?

Never. He never thought of doing that.

What would you want to do differently now that you are a mother?

Now that I am a mother, God helping me, there will be no more laziness. I will be waking up very early to attend to daily chores and the babies starting with prayer to raise them in the fear of Almighty God till they can stand on their own.

What did you do more during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, I was always on bed rest because I was carrying multiple babies. Since it started with bleeding, I was advised to always get rest. I find it difficult because I am the agile type but I tried to rest.

Do you want to have more children?

God has done His part. I don’t intend to have more children.

What is your advice to women praying to have babies especially older ones?

My advice to them is that there is nothing God cannot do. Even when everything seems to be impossible, we must always depend on Him because He is able to do all things. He is God of possibilities. In the course of waiting, they should be committed to the service of God. They should serve Him with their whole hearts and at the appointed time, He will answer them. We adopted a girl and they told her that we were not her biological parents and because of that, there were some problems. Today, she is happy that she now has siblings she will be carrying. It is God’s divine intervention as far as I am concerned because humanly speaking, it is not easy.

How do you intend to take care of the babies?

God, who has given me these children, will also provide for them. I am a retiree and my pension, by the grace of God, will be for my children. God will multiply the money so that I will be able to take care of the babies. God can even touch people to provide for them.

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Bayo Akinloye

An Islamic group, Muslim Rights Concern, has said Nigerian ladies need to avoid dressing in provocative ways in order to reduce the rate of rape incidents in Nigeria.

MURIC was reacting to a protest staged by another group, War Against Rape, in Lagos, demanding an end to rape.

The protesters had gone to the office of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, to demonstrate over frequent rape cases recorded in the state.

MURIC President, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, while condemning rape and all forms of violence and coercion, described the protesters as being ill-informed and misguided.

In a statement made available to our correspondent on Saturday, Akintola said that though rape was an affront to the dignity of womanhood and should be condemned in the strongest terms, taking a protest against rape to the governor’s office was a misdirection of the target audience, a waste of man-hour and mere window-dressing.

“Rape is on the increase mainly because moral bankruptcy has hit its peak. Women are no longer ashamed of exposing their bodies in public. Even dresses which do not expose their bodies are sewn so tight that no one is left in doubt about the objective. It is the age of dress-to-kill. But women forget that many of them will fall victim of stray bullets.

“Indecent dressing is a provocation and this is the issue which decent societies must address. MURIC invites WAR to launch a campaign against indecent dressing. The way you dress is the way you will be addressed. You cannot send out a letter without receiving a reply. WAR should tell women to elevate their self-dignity. Why do they pose half-nude in adverts, magazine covers, etc? Why are women so willing to expose their Allah-given ‘delicacies’ to naked eyes?” MURIC president said.

He noted further that the governor did not dictate women’s taste in fashion.

“Women who elect to cut their blouses low at the front and their skirts outrageously short above the thighs have deliberately entered into a contract with men who are sick upstairs. Women should be told in clear and unequivocal terms that indecent dressing constitutes sexual harassment,” Akintola argued.

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Success Nwogu

The Kwara State chapter of the Alliance for Democracy on Saturday described the claim by the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, that he had stopped collecting pension from the state government as a political gimmick.

The Chairman of the party, Biliaminu Aliyu, and Secretary, Micheal Ologunde, stated this in a statement made available to journalists in Ilorin, the state capital.

The party alleged that Saraki made the statement to win the sympathy of the electorate so that the All Progressives Congress could win in all the 16 local government areas of the state during the November 4 council polls.

It added, “We will not believe him until he tells Kwarans the total amount he collected as pension and other material benefits since 2011 and return the money to Kwara State treasury with immediate effect.

“Apart from that, Saraki should apologise to Kwarans and Nigerians for collecting pension from the state and other allowances from the Federal Government.

“We want the Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, to use Saraki’s pension, after being returned by the ex-governor, to buy bulldozers and tractors for peasant farmers in each of the 16 councils.”

The AD also said it would not take part in the forthcoming local government poll, describing it as a waste of time and money.

Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Kwara State Government, Isiaka Gold, confirmed that Saraki has stopped receiving pension from the state.

Responding through the Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara State Government on Media and Communication, Dr. Muyideen Akorede, the SSG said Saraki wrote the state government on August 20, 2015 that his pension should be stopped.

He added that the government had complied with the request.

Akorede said, “The Secretary to the Kwara State Government, Isiaka Gold has confirmed that the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, wrote to the state requesting that his pension should be stopped via a letter dated August 20, 2015 and the state government has since complied.”

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Kayode Idowu

Three persons were killed in a foiled suicide attack on Maiduguri, Borno State.

The attack, which was foiled by a detachment of a youth vigilante group, also led to two injuries.

According to a statement by the spokesman for the police in Borno State, Victor Isuku, three suicide attackers were prevented from detonating the explosive devices on them by members of the group.

He said two members were injured in the course of preventing the suicide attackers, who were killed by the explosion.

The statement read: “Yesterday (Friday), at about 2149hrs, three suicide bombers, a male and two females, attempted to infiltrate Usmanti Community in Mafa LGA.

“They were sighted by the vigilant Civilian Joint Task Force, who quickly alerted the joint security personnel deployed in the area. The suicide bombers were chased. In the ensuing stampede and an attempt to escape arrest, the suicide bombers hurriedly detonated IEDs strapped on their bodies, killing themselves.

“However, two CJTF members  sustained injuries and were rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. The police and visited the scene to sanitise and make the area safe.”

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Bayo Akinloye

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has said his administration spent over N15bn in 2016 to beef up security.

Ambode, who spoke at a dinner held at the Lagos House in Ikeja, in honour of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who was on a two-day working visit to the state, said his government was committed to ensuring safety of lives and properties.

Ambode attributed the development to the sustainability of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, a template, he said helped to champion funding of security agencies to carry out effective policing across the state.

“Like the Inspector General of Police said, the template we are using to run the security trust fund is worthy of emulation and he has also averred that they would like to replicate it in other parts of the country and also for men of the Nigeria Police Force,” the governor was quoted as saying in a statement issued on Saturday by his Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna.

Recommending the LSSTF model to other states, Ambode revealed that out of the N15bn spent on security last year, the private sector contributed over N5bn.

The governor particularly commended the efforts of a former Inspector General of Police, Musiliu Smith, who was the pioneer chairman of the LSSTF, pointing out that the model he midwifed in 2007 changed the face of security in the state.

Stressing that security remains fundamental to the development of the nation’s economy, Ambode promised to keep supporting the police.

Earlier, the police boss noted that despite the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos that makes policing difficult, police officers posted to Lagos were enjoying the best in terms of equipment and welfare.

Meanwhile, a security expert, Col. Gabriel Ajayi (retd.), has called on the Federal Government to embark on weapons buy-back from groups and individuals that are in possession of illegal arms.

He noted that any whistle-blowing policy on illegal possession of weapons would not amount to anything.

According to Ajayi, the police will need to be equipped with arms detectors and that illegal weapons recovered should be destroyed.

“The police are sometimes guilty of re-selling firearms to criminals. Therefore, the weapons recovered from those who illegally possess such should not be kept in police custody. The weapons should be destroyed,” he said.

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Minabere Ibelema

Judging from the amplitude of the Biafra advocacy, one would think that the Igbo are of one voice in support of an independent Igboland. In reality, it is, of course, not so. Yet, the ferocity of the advocacy has had the effect of essentially silencing those opposed to it. The German political scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann identified the phenomenon as the “spiral of silence” in explaining the rise of Nazism in pre-World War II Germany.

So, it was quite a relief the other day to read this headline in The PUNCH, “Youths warn Nnamdi Kanu against holding rally in Owerri.” Well, I don’t at all applaud the threat. An essential element of democracy is the right of people to advocate non-violently. What I applaud is that some Igbo groups are taking a high-profile position in rejecting the Biafra advocacy.

Regardless of one’s position on the quest for partition, this is a healthy thing. At least there is some public debate, not just between the Igbo and other Nigerians, but among the Igbo themselves.

It is an opportunity among the Igbo to openly debate the merits of separation, especially whether an independent Biafra will improve the economic fortunes of the Igbo.

So far the advocacy has been driven by passion and fury. Emergent Igbo leader Nnamdi Kanu has been hammering on the matter of inequity, real and perceived. What to my knowledge he has not developed is a substantive and credible economic vision. And so his teeming followers are left to go by faith and impressions rather than rational calculations.

When I raised this question some years ago, a passionate Biafra advocate responded with the contention that the former Eastern Region had one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. She didn’t make comparisons with the other regions, which presumably were all doing well given that Nigeria as a whole was surging.

That aside, I had some issues with the use of that bit of data as the indicator of the economic prospects of today’s Biafra. To begin with, such data are a very good example of how statistics lie. If an economy is relatively low to begin with, the slightest improvement yields a high percentage of growth. For example, with its very large economy, the United States is striving to attain a 4 per cent growth, and the forecast is that it is unlikely to attain it in the next few years. In contrast, a 4 per cent economic growth in Nigeria can readily be attained with little impact on the people’s welfare.

Moreover, economic growth statistics are mere snapshots. They are not very meaningful except when sustained over a period of time, and that is never guaranteed. For example, Nigeria had one of the fastest growing economies in the world as recently as 2014. The country entered a recession about two years later. So the growth of Eastern Region in the 1966 says little about the fortunes of Biafra today.

In any case, even if a referendum is conducted and the Igbo vote to part with Nigeria, they will discover soon enough that parting is a lot more difficult than voting. It is estimated that about 45 per cent of the Igbo live outside Igboland. That is not including people of hybrid Igbo identity such as the Ikwere. And so in its projection of the viability of Biafra today, the Nigerian analysts SBM Intelligence declared, “This task will not be easy as the economy, politics, culture and society of the Igbo Nation are more- or-less fully integrated into the larger Nigerian nation.”

More important is that today’s Biafra will not include the resource-rich South-South states that powered the growth of then Eastern Region. And so, it has been noted that today’s Biafra will be very much the territory left of the old Biafra in 1969, that is the last months of the civil. Even conceding that his calculation is simplified, Chike Chukudebelu estimates that the new Biafra’s revenue will be about “a whopping N46.5 billion less than it received in 2014.”

Among the rosy assumptions of pro-Biafra advocates are that the Igbo abroad and elsewhere in Nigeria would relocate to new Biafra and give it an economic surge. But that raises the question as to why those Igbo left the area in the first place.”

It is truly difficult to imagine that majority of the Igbo residing in Lagos and other Nigerian cities will close their businesses and relocate to the new nation,” Chukudebelu writes in a summation of the SBM Intelligence study.

Igbo as foreigners 

And that leads to an interesting question. Despite their remarkable dispersion all over Nigeria, a common complaint of the Igbo is that they are strangers in their own country. How much more of strangers would they become in what remains of Nigeria?

Kanu recently asserted that the Igbo would have the right to live anywhere they please even with the creation of Biafra. But though international law may back him up, he still may be engaging in wishful thinking. In the Nigerian context, it is improbable that there wouldn’t be signs all around demanding, “Igbo Must Go.”

Quite significantly, about 60 per cent of the Igbo surveyed by SBM Intelligence are hedging their bet on the matter. In the event that Biafra becomes a reality, they would want to become dual citizens of Biafra and Nigeria. In other words, that proportion of the Igbo would still want to retain their Nigerian identity. If I were an Igbo, I too would do the same, while clinging on to my Nigerian identity more dearly. That is, if Nigerians would let the Igbo have their cake and eat it.

In pressing his case for an Igbo referendum, Kalu is quite glib. “I have not argued Biafra from the standpoint of absolutism,” he is quoted by The Punch as saying. “I am not saying you must vote for Biafra. I am asking the powers that be in Nigeria to allow the people to determine for themselves.”That sounds good enough. Problem is, would the people know what they are voting for?

“It is actually difficult to find positives in this independence story,” writes Chukudebelu, in summing up the SBM Intelligence study. So, if I were to write a prayer point for the Igbo regarding Kanu and other leaders of the Biafra advocacy, it would be along the lines of: Lead us not into damnation, but deliver us from undue expectation.

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Tofarati Ige

Diminutive rapper, Jude Abaga, aka MI, has been accused of abandoning an up- and-coming Abuja-based rapper, Young Incredible, after he promised the young chap a record deal with Chocolate City.

An Abuja-based entertainment promoter, Gaius TheConnector made this known when he uploaded a video of MI making the promise at a show in which the duo performed before a mammoth crowd.

In the said video, MI said, “I promise you two things. Number one: a one year development deal with Chocolate City. We would put you on TV and radio, and take you to shows. If you blow, we would sign you and the whole world would know you.”

Sunday Scoop reached out to Gaius to find out more about what transpired on the night MI made the promise. He said, “Videos don’t lie and the evidence is there for everyone to see. I think it’s better not to say anything than to promise and fulfill. There were over a thousand people at the venue where MI made that promise and most of them now would believe that MI has delivered on his promise, but that’s not true. Ever since that, MI has forgotten all about the boy and we’ve also been unable to reach him. Meanwhile, there may have been people at that event who wanted to help the poor boy but because of what MI promised, they stepped back, thinking that someone had helped him already.”

On his relationship with Young Incredible, Gaius said, “He is much younger than me and I am like a manager to him. I just like him because he is very talented and I don’t want his talent to go to waste. All we want is for MI to fulfill his promise because he has the capacity to do so. It has been over one year and I implore him to save this young man’s talent from going to ruins.”

Meanwhile, MI refused to answer repeated calls placed to his mobile phone by Sunday Scoop. He also ignored text messages sent to him.

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John Ameh

More than one week after commencing their annual vacation, many members of the House of Representatives have been unable to travel out of Abuja, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.

Investigations revealed that the delay in the payment of their salaries and other allowances was responsible for the cash crunch facing the legislators.

Findings by our correspondent indicated that after waiting for bank alerts in the last one week, many members had besieged their banks to find out what the problem was but their accounts officers reportedly told them that no money had been paid into their accounts.

It was gathered that the July salary of the legislators had yet to be paid as of Friday.

A member of the House of Representatives receives between N690,000 and N1.1m monthly.

They also receive a quarterly allocation of between N27.9m and N33m.

But a drop in flow of funds to the legislature in recent months forced the bureaucracy to reduce the lawmakers’ monthly package.

The disappointed lawmakers was said to have blamed the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation for the non-release of funds budgeted for the National Assembly.

As a result, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that the legislators had no immediate plans of travelling to their constituencies, where they would be faced with financial demands from their people.

A lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “As we speak, nobody has been paid July salary. It seems to be the normal thing these days not to pay lawmakers on time.

“Several meetings have been held with the leadership of the House on how to resolve the problem, but all that you hear is no money. Members have asked how other arms of government get funding to run their own operations and pay salaries promptly.”

However, sources at the finance ministry claimed that the country was facing some challenges which had affected the flow of cash.

“The truth is that there is a general drop in cash flow and efforts are being made to stabilise the system,” the source said.

A Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker from Edo State, Johnson Agbonayinma, confirmed to SUNDAY PUNCH that members were owed salaries.

Although he admitted that the delay in payment of their salary was a “major problem” workers in several agencies of government faced, Agbonayinma argued that the case of the National Assembly appeared to be deliberate.

He said, “I don’t know what else to say. We are suffering. Nigerians are suffering. The National Assembly is treated with levity; they don’t take our case seriously.

“The people in the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank tell us the same story every day. That is why I have been praying that President Muhammadu Buhari should get well quickly and return home.”

An All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Kano State, Bashir Baballe, also confirmed to SUNDAY PUNCH that members were facing “financial difficulties.”

Baballe said, “I am here in Abuja. We are still waiting for our salary. Travelling is not the issue now.”

When contacted, the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazak Namdas, said the salary issue was not handled at the level of the Committee on House Services but by the bureaucracy of the National Assembly.

However, the bureaucracy blamed the development on “poor budgetary releases” by the finance ministry.

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