A total of 1,618 workers whose letters of employment were either fake or illegal in the Federal Civil Service has been detected according to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation(OHCSF)
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, revealed this on Tuesday in Abuja during an oversight visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Service Matters,who came for monitoring of the 2021 and 2022 Budget performance of the office.
Yemi-Esan disclosed that this ugly development led to the suspension of 874 officers from the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) platforms for not updating their records and 3,657 workers detected by the Federal Civil Service Commission, who did not present themselves for the exercise.
In her Presentation,Yemi-Esan, said the introduction and implementation of the Human Resource component (HR Module) of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) has greatly assisted the Federal Government in bridging the gap created by the implementation of the IPPIS project.
She pointed out that it has also detected as well as corrected a plethora of fraudulent cases pertaining to personnel records of civil servants.
She further highlighted other achievements of her Office which include induction, SMAT- P and LEAD-P training programmes; Performance Management System (PMS), which is billed to replace the present APER in 2023, starting with the first MDA that completes its training.
Other achievements recorded by the OHCSF, according to her, include “Innovation; digitalisation; staff welfare, which has done very well in the provision of affordable housing through the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) programme, introduction of the Federal Civil Service Bus Scheme to ease civil servants’ transportation to and from their workplaces, agri-entrepreneurship programme; reward and recognition scheme and the provision of Group Life Assurance for Federal Government employees.
Former Super Eagles captain and Chelsea legend, John Mikel Obi, has retired from professional football.
The 35-year-old footballer took to his verified Instagram page to officially announce his retirement on Tuesday evening, September 27.
Obi, who won two Premier League titles, three FA Cup trophies, the 2007 League Cup, the 2013 Europa League, and other local and international recognition, shared photos of some of his wins and wrote,
“There is a saying that “all good things must come to an end”, and for my professional football career, that day is today.
I look back at the past 20 years of my career, and I must say that I am very satisfied with all that I was able to achieve and more importantly the human it has helped shape.
All of this would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my family, managers, clubs, coaches, teammates and most importantly my ever-loyal fans. You supported me through my highs and lows, even on days that I did not live up to your expectations. I say a big thank you.
I will also like to encourage everyone who I may have inspired one way or the other in the course of my career to never give up on their dreams, for every time you think about quitting, remind yourself why you started.
This is not goodbye, it’s the start of another journey, another chapter of my life. I look forward to what the future holds and I hope you will walk with me. Thank you.”
Award-winning Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, will receive Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Medal on October 6, 2022. This marks another return to Harvard for Chimamanda, who was the Harvard College Class Day Speaker in 2018, and was previously a Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow (2011-2012).
The W.E.B. Du Bois medal is the highest honour given by Harvard in the field of African and African American studies and is making a return with a new slate of honourees after a nearly three-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Past recipients include Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Muhammad Ali, Steven Spielberg, Ava Duvernay and Chinua Achebe.
The Hutchins Center for African and African American Research announced in The Harvard Gazette that Chimamanda, alongside six other honourees, will receive the medal as people “who embody the values of commitment and resolve that are fundamental to the Black experience in America.”
Other honourees include basketball legend, cultural critic and activist, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; groundbreaking actress, Laverne Cox; philanthropist and patron of the arts and education, Agnes Gund; business trailblazer, Raymond J. McGuire; former Massachusetts governor, Deval Patrick and pioneering artist and visual storyteller, Betye Saar.
University Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the Hutchins Center, in an official statement, said this year’s honourees represent “unyielding commitment to pushing the boundaries of representation and creating opportunities for advancement and participation for people who have been too often shut out from the great promise of our times.”
Chimamanda has received global recognition for her work, which has been translated into over 30 languages and won numerous awards and prizes.
She occupies a unique position combining a number of attributes. The New York Times T Magazine in its 2017 ‘Greats’ issue, described her as ‘one of those rarest of people: a celebrated novelist who has also become a leading public intellectual’.
Chimamanda is also a fashion and beauty icon and continuously promotes Nigerian designers, including through her ‘Wear Nigerian’ initiative. She was selected as the face of beauty brand Boots No7, and has been featured in numerous style publications including Vanity Fair’s ‘International Best-Dressed List’; and on the covers of British Vogue and Marie Claire Brazil among others.
Barack Obama called her “one of the world’s great contemporary writers;” and Hillary Clinton has written that “she has the rare ability to sum up even the biggest societal problems swiftly and incisively.”
In 2018, she was awarded the PEN Pinter Prize, named after Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter, given annually to a writer of “outstanding literary merit who shows a fierce intellectual determination.” She chose to share the Pinter prize with imprisoned Saudi lawyer and human rights activist, Waleed Abulkhair.
She was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2015, and Fortune Magazine named her one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders in 2017. In 2018, she received the Global Hope Coalition’s Thought Leadership Award, and the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award.
Chimamanda has received 16 honorary doctorate degrees from some of the world’s leading universities; and is a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Her first novel, Purple Hibiscus (2003), won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Her second, Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), won the Orange Prize for Fiction (subsequently the Bailey’s Prize, and now the Women’s Prize for Fiction) – the world’s most prestigious annual book award for fiction by a woman. Her third novel, Americanah (2013), won the US National Book Critics Circle Award – the most respected literary award in the US, being that winners are selected by professional book critics – and was named one of the New York Times Top 10 Best Books of the year.
1. ”As the Chairman of Anambra Vision 2070,I have thought through our challenges and the disruptive changes needed to secure the future and I will vigorously implement the foundational phase of vision 2070”
2. ”If you employ me as your Chief Servant , I will devote every minute of my time to work with and mobilize all critical stakeholders to make Ndi Anambra proud and I will hit the ground running from Day one being 17th March , 2022”.
3. ”It is time to decongest the heavy concentration in Abuja and encourage most people who have something to offer Nigeria to go to drive development from the bottom”
4. ” Our manifesto derives from a firm belief that despite the defects of the current federal system , there is sufficient room to manoeuvre and fully exploit synergies and complementarities with the FGN, DFIs and others to build a liveable and prosperous State”
5. ” Our primary target is sustainable and inclusive wealth creation with jobs , jobs and jobs. We target at least 130,000 private sector jobs per annum for our youths and 1000 youth millionaires per annum in the medium term”
6.” We envision Anambra as an industrial-technology hub to lead Africa’s export market ”
7. ” We plan to position Anambra as a centre of excellence for human capital development and proactively our students/youths as Africa’s digital tribe , actively ensure planned cities , communities, and markets and a more sustainable , clean, green and liveable environment and a mainstreaming of the core Igbo values of integrity, hard work, competition, compassion and morality”.
8. ”We envision a public service that truly delivers timely and efficient service to the citizens and a State with guaranteed rule of law and property rights such that commercial disputes are settled within 30 days”
9. ” We envision Anambra whereby our homeland population will have no incentive to migrate to other places in search of opportunities”
10.” Every Kobo of Anambra’s money will be devoted to working for Ndi Anambra. I sincerely believe in integrity and due process meaning that I will always allow the machinery of Government to follow due process”
11. ”I believe in equity and fairness and will consequently maintain a policy of fair distribution of resources, appointments and amenities across the State and interest groups. Meritocracy will have pride of place and those who demonstrate that they can add value to Ndi Anambra will be given the opportunity to serve”
12. ” We will hold periodic Town Hall meetings with critical stakeholders and there will be the citizens’ hotlines( phone numbers,e-mail addresses and Facebook account) to interact with me”
13 ” We will collaborate with other states in South East and south south to deepen regional integration for economies of scale and shared prosperity”
14. ”I commit to a first rate execution of my manifesto .Change and challenge of the status quo are in my DNA”
15. ”My full agenda for prosperous Anambra , costed with timelines and delivery mechanisms will be published within the first 30 days on assumption of office ”
16. ”We plan to attract 2000 small, medium , large industries across the various industrial parks/clusters we will set up in the State”.
17. ”Under my watch ,Anambra will be the digital and creative capital in Nigeria’
18. ” We shall develop Africa’s largest ,safe and accessible entertainment- leisure resort- the African equivalent of the Disney world”
19.” We shall partner with reputable business schools and consultants to develop structured training / Mentorship programs on the business models/ opportunities of the future and deploy mult- media,including mobile ICT to give give our traders scalable skills that would keep them competitive”.
20. ”We shall upgrade and modernize existing markets for the future by ensuring minimum standards ”
21. ”We shall re-invent and strengthen the Igbo apprentice system ,consistent with the evolving business models of the future by offering mobile education system on business management skills and global business opportunities. We shall work with the legislature and key stakeholders to provide a legal framework for the system in order to safeguard the rights and obligations of both the apprentice ” Nwaboy” and the boss ” Oga” ”
22. ”We shall standardize and control the quality of made in Anambra State products ”
23. ”We shall support cluster farming operations across the three senatorial zones on a comparative crop advantage basis”
24. ”We will designate new locations as industrial/ technology parks with 2000 hectares of land” .
25. ”Soludo Government will create over 2000 new medium to large businesses which will be incubated within these industrial areas within the lifetime of the administration”
26. ”Soludo Government will embark on an ambitious digital skills acquisition and empowerment program that will train and support up to 10,000 youths annually”
27. ”Soludo Government will establish a business incubation hub and a N5 Billion venture capital fund to incubate and provide additional growth capital for the most promising start – ups and ventures either by way of grants or direct investments”
28. ”Soludo Government will resuscitate and empower the creative economy council to drive innovation and partnerships to grow the industry in the state”.
29. ”Soludo Government will partner with private sector cinema and multi- use facility developers to develop entertainment centres in key cities in the state to drive the creative economy”.
30.” Soludo Government will train at least 3000 youths yearly under a skills development program in the creative industry value chain to give them exportable skills that can be harnessed for their personal development in the state”.
31. ”Soludo Government will reactivate all inactive tourist sites and work with other independent travel tours to ensure they meet the international standards for travel destinations”.
32. ”Soludo Government will complete Awka and Nnewi shopping malls ,upgrade and modernize existing markets by ensuring minimum standards such as parking spaces, conveniences ,firefighting facilities,waste disposable and hygiene,access to wi-fi ,health centers etc”
33. ”Soludo Government will procure and distribute one million high yielding palm seedlings to 100,000 farmers/ households per annum ( 10 seedlings each per annum and over a four year period ,each will have at least 40 seedlings of high – yielding varieties which start fruiting in 2-4 years”
34. ”Soludo Government will support cluster farming operations across the three senatorial zones ”.
35. ”Soludo Government will deploy a centralized e-GIS Web portal with supporting ICT infrastructure,a portal for real – time information on mining activities”.
36. ”With an estimated 1 billion barrel of crude oil and 1 trillion cubic square of natural gas ,Soludo Government will maximize the opportunity in oil and gas market to create wealth for the people of the State”
37. ”Soludo Government will construct overhead bridges (flyovers) in strategic locations such as Onitsha, Nnewi, Awka, Ekwulobia, Nkpor, Nnobi, etc. that will decongest
traffic and provide a better transport experience ,
Invest in social transport schemes for urban mass transport for the poor
and vulnerable/subsidized transport.
, Invest in transportation targeting those living in the riverine areas, Improve the inter and intra community road networks”.
38. ”Soludo Government will crack the nuts on power to achieve a 20-24 hour uninterrupted power supply in
Anambra State”
39. ”Soludo Government will pay special attention to the Anambra state tertiary institutions, to ensure that the
curricula and programmes train graduates with the requisite knowledge and skills for the 21st
c e n t u r y” .
”Government will work actively with the Management of these institutions to seek and institutionalize linkage and exchange programmes with universities
and polytechnics abroad. We want to see our tertiary institutions play the role that Stanford
University plays in the development of the Silicon Valley in California, USA, and Anambra
would want to see them rated among the best in the world. Government will modernize public schools in the State and make Teaching Profession attractive”
40. ”Soludo Government will create a N100 billion
(approximately US$200 million) fund (in the first
instance), and a target to scale up to US$ 1 billion
over time to invest mainly in a diversified portfolio
of bankable infrastructure projects and high
growth, return-yielding assets relevant to the
economy of Anambra”
41. ”Soludo Government will deploy technology and responsive public services to achieve optimal service delivery ,that is, requests/inquiries by citizens should not be responded
to/concluded within 48 hours” .
42. ”Soludo Government will design and execute a reward system and public celebration of integrity, hard work, philanthropy, and personal responsibility”
43.” Soludo Government will Institute a good Governance framework that will
define a structure for allocating resources to the Ministries,
Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and ensure strategic
imperatives, planning, and operations are aligned. This will
ensure equitable resource management in the state, thus
encouraging investment (both local and international). An
effective Delivery Unit will be created to drive implementation. We will also strengthen the State Statistical Agency for
measuring progress. Transparency, especially of public
finance, will be key in building the kind of public confidence
required” .
44. ”Soludo Government will reform processes, improve skills, re-orientation, motivate and leverage technology to optimize the efficiency of service delivery; eliminate waste, capture and corruption. Our target is
to transit from manual operations to complete E-government in the medium term;
Deploy a digitally enabled land administration process with a view of achieving land transfer
of title within 72 hours;
Complete and operationalize the State integrated financial management system;
Review, amend, and operationalize the fiscal responsibility law for greater transparency and
sustainability of State finance;
Continue and strengthen accountability initiatives such as publishing state accounts regularly”
45.”Soludo Government, as part of her agenda for transparency and probity, will subject the State to periodic
assessment by international credit rating agencies and multi-lateral agencies”.
46. ”Soludo Government will complete the concession of water schemes in
the State to ensure that the first four major urban areas– Awka, Nnewi, and Ekwulobia have access to pipe-borne water within three years in office and to complete the Onitsha,
and Otuocha water schemes within 12 months
in office. Our target is to make access to clean
(pipe-borne) water a right of every resident of
Anambra”
47. ”Soludo Government will strengthen existing partnerships with communities to formalize the town administration as
the de facto local administration. The community governments are the closest to the people
in Anambra. Our government will empower the community governments to deliver services
to the people, including through matching grants scheme; and
review and reform the framework for succession plan for community leaderships such as
Igwes, Presidents- General of the Communities”.
48. ”Soludo Government will actively collaborate with legislators and judiciary in the promulgation of appropriate legislations
and speedy administration of justice”
49. ”Soludo Government will standardize and control the quality of made in Anambra State products (Best-inclass) through extra product certification. In addition to certification by the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Anambra will give extra quality assurance such
that any product with the signature of “Made in Anambra” will carry the imprimatur of best – in – class”
50. ”Soludo Government will be solution driven” .
Compiled by Ndubuisi Anaenugwu of Good Governance Ministry (GGM)
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has supported the move by Ondo Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to purchase sophisticated weapons for the State Security Network codenamed Amotekun Corps.
Akeredolu had said necessary laws would be put in place to back the purchase of arms for the Amotekun Corps.
Obi, who spoke when he paid a condolence visit to Akeredolu, described the Governor as a leader who speaks the truth at all times no matter the consequences.
The LP flagbearer, who charged Akeredolu to continue to take every necessary step to protect his people, noted that the Ondo Governor was doing the right thing.
Obi said the Governor must continue to do his best to defend his people.
He stated that things were going wrong in the country because people choose to keep quiet and commended the Governor for speaking up for the people.
According to him: “I urge you to continue in that direction. You represent one of those things Nigerians desire, ability to speak the truth no matter the consequences.
“What is lacking in Nigeria is that we choose to keep quiet when things are going wrong. You have a man here who always speaks when things are going wrong, and I urge you to continue.”
“Arm those special security people. Take every step to protect your people. It is important and it is your duty. I’m happy that you are speaking out always when necessary. May God Almighty continue to be with you and bless all of you.”
Akeredolu thanked Obi and his entourage for the visit.
He said he would miss his mother even though she died at 90.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities has filed an appeal challenging the ruling of Justice Polycarp Hamman of the National Industrial Court Abuja which ordered the lecturers to call off their seven-month-old strike and return to the classrooms.
The Counsel to ASUU, Femi Falana, SAN based their appeal on 14 grounds.
The appeal which Falana made available to The PUNCH was also accompanied by a request for stay of execution on the ruling by Justice polycarp Hamman.
The PUNCH reports that the NIC had in a judgement that was delivered last Wednesday by Justice Polycarp Hamman, ordered the striking varsity lecturers to return to the classroom, pending the determination of a suit the Federal Government filed to query the legality of their strike action.
The interim injunction directing ASUU members to resume work, followed an application FG filed through its lawyer, Mr. James Igwe.
Justine Hamman held that the order was both in national interest and for the sake of undergraduates in the country that have been at home since February 14.
He held that the strike action was detrimental to public university students that cannot afford to attend private tertiary institutions.
One of the grounds of appeal filed by the union through its counsel goes thus, “The learned Trial Judge erred in law and thereby occasioned a miscarriage of justice when he decided to hear and determine the Respondents’ motion for interlocutory injunction when he knew or ought to have known that the substantive suit filed by the Claimant was not
initiated by due process of law.
The appeal also faulted the judge’s order that the strike was an infringement on the right of students.
The appeal further stated, “The learned trial Judge erred in law when he held that the roll over strike is an infringement of the right of the Nigerian students and the government who is the owner of the universities.
The learned trial judge erred in law and occasioned a miscarriage of justice when he granted the order of interlocutory injunction in favour of the Respondents without exercising his discretion judicially and
judiciously.
“The learned trial judge erred in law in holding that ‘there is no doubt that the balance of convenience tilts in favour of the Claimants/ Applicants’.
“The learned trial judge erred in law when he held that ‘there is no undue delay on the part of the Respondents in bringing the application for interlocutory injunction’.
“The learned trial judge erred in law when he held that ‘pursuant to Section 17 of the Trade Dispute Act, Section 18(1) E mandates the members of the Defendants/Respondents not to take part in any strike pending the determination of the suit”.
The leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has disclosed the group’s reason for not supporting the presidential candidates, Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar.
Adebanjo said in a statement on Monday that Afenifere stands on justice and fairness and believes in true federalism and the Federal Character principle.
The group has been receiving backlash since announcing it was supporting the candidacy of Peter Obi.
Adebanjo, however, said in the statement that Afenifere “is the Yoruba interpretation of the social welfarist ideology of Action Group, a political party founded by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and his colleagues in 1951 with strong advocacy for federalism as the best form of government to give the federating units the requisite autonomy to thrive and peacefully compete among themselves for the ultimate development of Nigeria.”
He said other founding fathers of Nigeria — Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo — agreed to the system with the endorsement of colonial secretary Sir Oliver Littleton in 1954 “and embodied in the 1960 independence constitution. This is the modest contribution of Afenifere in shaping Nigeria into a federation where no person or ethnic nationality is oppressed.”
The nonagenarian said Afenifere had always advocated and insisted on restructuring of the country “long before the parties conducted their Conventions to elect their National Executives and candidates,” and had proposed “a synthesis of the identical Resolutions of the 2014 National Conference and the APC El-Rufai 2018 True Federalism Committee.”
Adebanjo said Afenifere and the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum “unanimously proposed that the minimum condition for a peaceful transition from the disastrous eight years of Buhari’s government headed by a President of northern extraction was to have the next President from the South,” a position which, he said, was supported by southern governors irrespective of their political parties.
He added, “In this quest for peace, based on equity and inclusiveness, the Yoruba took the first turn at the zoning arrangement in 1999, and that led to the emergence of Chief (Olusegun) Obasanjo, the current Vice President is a Yoruba man and equity forbids us for presuming to support another Yoruba person for the presidency in 2023.
“The current President is a Fulani from the North-West and by virtue of the zoning arrangement that has governed Nigeria since 1999, power is supposed to return to the south imminently.
“The South-West, as I have pointed out, has produced a president and currently sits as VP, the South-South has spent a total of six years in the Presidency, but the Igbo people of the South-East have never tasted presidency in Nigeria, and now that the power is due back in the South, equity demands that it be ceded to the Igbo.
We cannot continue to demand that the Igbo people remain in Nigeria, while we at the same time continue to brutally marginalise and exclude them from the power dynamics.”
Adebanjo, therefore, condemned the ceding of the PDP presidential ticket to “a Northern Fulani Muslim to succeed General Muhammadu Buhari, another Fulani Muslim, who will soon complete eight years of uneventful and disastrous rule. One can imagine such a high degree of political insensitivity.”
The Afenifere leader also stated that the group would not jettison equity, inclusiveness and justice just because one of their own — Asiwaju Bola Tinubu — was in the contest.
“We will not compromise this principle of justice, equity and inclusiveness because one of our own Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a frontline candidate,” Adebanjo said.
Adebanjo, who said Afenifere had “no apologies but due courage of our conviction that Nigeria can only prosper in righteousness,” reiterated that, “To keep Nigeria one, everyone should be Obi/Datti compliant,” and advocated that that should be the slogan henceforth.
Not satisfied with the choice of words of Festus Keyamo, President Muhammadu Buhari and members of the Aso Rock cabal have called for his removal as the spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress (APC)/Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council.
SaharaReporters quoting a presidential source, said Buhari and members of the cabal accused Festus Keyamo of always de-marketing the current administration despite being a serving minister.
“Buhari has asked for the removal of Festus Keyamo as the party’s campaign spokesperson. The President accused him of always de-marketing his regime, describing the government in which he is a minister as a failed regime. He has been described as a loose cannon who is daily demarketing his regime as a failed regime. The cabal members are not happy,” the source said.
For instance, on Sunday, during an interview on Channels Television, Keyamo said Nigerians are hungry and can’t wait to have a new leader who would satisfy their hunger.
When asked to discuss the APC’s campaign issues for the 2023 elections, Keyamo said, “Nigerians are hungry, they want to see how that hunger will be addressed, not how their Christian faith or Muslim faith will be addressed.
They want to see our policies on agriculture and what Asiwaju has done before as governor of Lagos state, how he improved Lagos and how he will bring that kind of dexterity to Nigeria as a whole.
“That is what they want to see. How do we want to run the country? What do we want to tell Nigerians?”
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha was also said to have insisted on his removal following the latest interview on Channels Television.
The SSG had to insist on Keyamo’s removal after his reckless outburst on Channels TV yesterday (Sunday). They have already informed the party leadership about this,” the presidential source added.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe, has expressed worry over the class of people the party recognises, stressing that APC reward system is poor.
Though Igbokwe didn’t mention why he made the statement, but it’s coming shortly after the party released its Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) for the 2023 general elections.
The 422-member council list, was released on Friday by the PCC Secretary, James Faleke; a member of the House of Representatives.
The likes of Femi Fani Kayode, who defected to the APC last year and Senator representing Enugu East Senatorial District, Chimaroke Nnamani, who is a member of the PDP and the candidate of the party (PDP) for Enugu East senatorial zone made the list.
Reacting, Igbokwe in a post on his Facebook page said, ”All things considered APC Nigeria poor reward system in Nigeria worries me to the marrows.
The party rewards idle people, hangers-on, layabouts, interlopers, cowards, onlookers etc.”
After 48 hours the list was released, the former governor of Enugu State is yet to distance himself from the inclusion of his name in the list.
The Chief spokesperson of the APC presidential campaign council, Festus Keyamo dismissed insinuations that the name of Senator Nnamani appeared as a member of their Campaign Council in error.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, the junior minister of Labour said there has not been any refutal from the other side (Chimaroke Nnamani’s), adding that that’s where it should come from if the addition of that name is rejected.
The Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād has claimed responsibility for the killing of two businessmen in Kano State.
Gunmen on Saturday night killed the duo around Azubros Plaza, off France Road, Sabongari in Kano.
The deceased are Ifeanyi Elechukwu, aged 41, who was the target of the attack and his friend, Chibuille Emmanuel, 33, who was shot in the leg, but eventually died at a private clinic in the state capital.
Elechukwu, a battery dealer, was said to have been lured to his shop by one of the gunmen, who pretended to be a customer. He was shot at close range and killed while his friend was chased and also shot.
However, ISWAP in a statement said the attack was carried out by “soldiers of the caliphate”.
The terror group described Elechukwu as a Nigerian Army spy.
The latest claim by ISWAP comes a few days after it said its men attacked police checkpoints in Ondo and Edo states.
ISWAP had claimed expansion into Abuja, Kogi, and Taraba in the last six months.
