The kidnappers of the Emir of Kajuru, Alhaji Alhassan Adamu, have demanded a ransom of N200 million.
Recall the Emir and 13 other members of his family including grand children were abducted from his personal residence in Kajuru town in the early hours of Sunday.
The demand for ransom was disclosed by a spokesperson of the Kajuru Emirate Council, Dahiru Abubakar on Monday.
Abubakar said the bandits also gave assurances that all the victims are in good condition and were not being molested.
The Emirate Spokesman said the council is still appealing to the bandits to release the 85-year-old monarch and his relatives unconditionally, especially giving his fragile health condition.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has taken the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Uche Secondus, to the cleaners following the internal crisis within the party leading to recent defections of its governors and lawmakers to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Wike, who was a guest at the 60th birthday bash of former Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke, used the opportunity to tongue lash Secondus, who hurriedly left the occasion to avoid Wike’s verbal attacks.
After dignitaries including ex-Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Secondus and a host of others had taken to the podium to extol Imoke’s virtues and political savvy, Wike stole the show when he went hard on with the PDP Chairman, describing him as a serial liar and one that could not be taken for his words.
See also Nigeria Youth Movement Recommend Tinubu Ahead Of Buhari
Wike added that Secondus was fond of talking from both sides of his mouth and blamed him for the current woes in the party.
He said if Secondus, who came to the podium to talk about good leadership, had acted like a good leader, the party would not have been hit by the crisis that has started to consume it.
“Talking about leadership, unfortunately, the National Chairman (Secondus) left before I start. We should not be theoretical but be practical in what we practice.
“He goes to the church, you see the pastor, you pontificate him. He leaves the church, he does a different thing. What is the problem with this country: it’s leadership.
“If he (Secondus) had shown leadership in Cross River, our party would not have had the problem we have today.
“The National Chairman said we need good leadership in the country, but if you don’t show good leadership, the party cannot produce good leaders. That is the truth of the matter.
“We talk about character. What is leadership? Leadership is about character, boldness, selflessness and audacity.
“As a leader, you must have character. Not to speak white in the morning and you speak black in the evening. Is that leadership? What are we telling our youths? We are talking about the future of this country.
“How many of us have been bold to speak out for our party? Those who are bold, those who are fair, those who have characters, do you want them to exist? Certainly not.
“Leadership is that you must decide whether to stand for the truth or not. You must decide whether to do the right thing or not. Leadership is the ability to say the decision I took was wrong and I have accepted that I was wrong and now I am in the position to correct it.
“There is nothing wrong with you admitting that you are wrong. That is one quality of a leader. To be able to identify, when he is wrong.
“As the head of a family, you see crisis in your family, you take a decision that will keep that family together. Leadership is all about sacrifice.
“You put your ego down for the interest of the family. That is leadership. All the leaders, who are here should show good leadership.”
Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele of Inri Evangelical Spiritual Church has again restated his prophecy on Nigeria’s imminent break up, but added that the nation’s disintegration would be bloodless.
The foremost seer made this known in Lagos yesterday during the launch of the 2021/2022 edition of the “Warnings to the Nations,” a compendium of prophecies for countries of the world.
Ayodele who revealed that Nigeria would cease to exist as a nation between 2035 and 2040 said the disintegration of the country would be without bloodbath and added that neither the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, nor the Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a Sunday Igboho would spearhead the nation’s break up.
“The fact remains that Nigeria cannot survive till 2040; and neither Nnamdi Kanu nor Sunday Ighoho would spearhead the break up of Nigeria. But the fact remains that whether the government likes it or not; whether any section of the country wants it or not, this country cannot be together till 2040,” Primate Ayodele revealed.
The man of God also revealed that the security challenge bedeviling the country remained an intractable problem as a result of corruption, especially among those saddled with the responsibility of managing the security apparatus in the country, adding that unless the system was completely overhauled, the nation’s security challenge would persist.
“Unless past Service Chiefs are probed, Nigeria’s security challenge will remain. But who are those to probe them? The problem is that corruption remains the bane of our fight against insecurity. I pray that God will open the eyes of the president so that he will be able to do the right thing. I commend the military for doing their best. But the fact is that we need to get it right. Tribalism, nepotism, favouritism are other factors militating the fight against insecurity,” he said.
On 2023 general elections, Primate Ayodele dismissed the threat that there would be no elections in 2023, saying that the election could, however, be moved forward.
“There will be election in 2023. Nobody is going to stop the election. Though the date of the election might be shifted, but there will be elections,” he said.
On the rumoured presidential ambition of former governor of Lagos State and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Servant of God ruled out the chances of the former governor taking over from President Buhari.
“Tinubu taking over this country from Buhari is going to be another disaster. The best Tinubu should do for himself is to keep away from politics now. Tinubu cannot become the president of this country. APC will not even give him the chance,” he revealed.
Primate Ayodele, however, foretold that there are more troubles ahead for the leading opposition party in the country, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, saying that two more governors would desert the party for the ruling party to worsen the crisis rocking the party.
“If the elections were to hold today, APC would definitely lose out, but the question is does PDP have the right candidate for the election now? Nigerians are definitely tired of the APC, but the PDP does not have anybody, it’s only if the PDP can present a credible person.
“Mark my words. Malami factor will decide a lot of things in APC. Likewise in PDP, Tambuwal, Saraki, Kwankwaso and Wike will determine a lot of things in PDP. PDP will have a lot of problems because of the plot to remove Secondus,” he revealed.
A High Court sitting in Awka has declined to renew an order it granted embattled litigant Senator Ugochukwu Uba on the 5th of July, 2021 seeking the non-recognition of Mr Valentine Ozigbo as the authentic candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State.
The said order, initially granted by Justice Obiora A. Nwabunike, going by Order 40, Rule 3(3) of the High Court Civil Procedure Rules could only subsist for 7 days after which the Court may choose to renew it or it stands abated as a result.
Going by the proceedings of today, Monday, July 12, 2021 and the Courts refusal to renew the said order, it stands abated and vacated. Thus, the order which restrained “the Peoples Democratic Party from presenting, receiving, parading or accepting Valentine Ozigbo as the authentic Governorship Candidate for Anambra State” stands vacated.
The significance of the Court’s refusal to grant a renewal of the said order means in the eye of the law, Valentine Ozigbo remains the recognised PDP Candidate for the November 6 Anambra Governorship election.
The news of the vacation of the said order is eliciting wide jubilation across Anambra State as Ozigbo, a grassroots favourite, has been embraced by the masses of Anambra as the “brightest chance” of reclaiming their state from the decline of the last seven years under the failed leadership of Governor Willie Obiano.
It would be recalled that on June 26, 2021, Valentine Ozigbo emerged the flag bearer of the PDP in a keenly contested primary election conducted by the National Working Committee of the PDP. The primary, which was monitored by INEC, was adjudged as the most free, fair and credible in the history of the party.
Meanwhile PDP stalwarts across the country continue to congratulate Mr Ozigbo, who is regarded as one of the brightest entrants into politics in the South East. Top leaders like former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, former Senate President Pius Anyim Anyim, Bayelsa’s Governor Douye Diri, Enugu’s Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Senator Stella Oduah, and many others have congratulated Ozigbo and vowed to support his candidacy and the quest to reclaim Anambra for the party.
Most citizens of the important southeastern state, believe it is time to take Anambra from the stranglehold of the Uba brothers, who have been cited by a Harvard University report as “the lead actors in the destabilising and destruction of Anambra State”.
The President of Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), Prof Uzodimma Nwala has bemoaned the continued dependence of Ndigbo on other regions in Nigeria for food and other agricultural produce.
Nwala who was speaking during the launch of Aku rue Ulo Cooperative Movement (ACM), in Enugu on Thursday noted that it was time for the Igbo to reinvent agriculture in the South East.
“We invested a lot in agriculture in the past. We had farm settlements in Uzo-Uwani and other places but along the line, these things changed. I remember when I was traveling to the North and we had to travel in a vehicle transporting cassava from the East to the North. Today, the reverse has become the case. It is shameful that we can’t feed ourselves anymore. To the extent that they now threaten us with onions.
“ADF has now thought about the situation and decided that it is important for us inculcate how to produce what we eat as part of our programme and as part of our campaign. We have started it for sometime now.
“Despite the current situation, we are consoled to know that God has led some of our people into massive agriculture which is very necessary now.
Speaking on the root cause of insecurity in the South East, Nwala said that it was imperative for young men in every land to fight against external aggression, noting that any society where such aggression is tolerated was doomed.
“I’m talking about our young men who in their youthful zeal and trying to protect our farmlands. They are trying to see that our farmlands are not taken over by strangers. We’ve been in touch with them, doing all we can to encourage them and also to show them the way to go.
“Any land that do not have courageous young men is a land that deserves pity. The youths are the this primary target of this our Akurue Ulo Movement.”
On his part, the Governor of Enugu State, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who was represented by the state Commissioner for Information, Chief Chidi Aroh said that his government has prioritized agriculture in the state.
He assured that the state was willing to play an important part in the process revolutionizing agriculture in the South East.
Also speaking at the event, the former Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Sam Egwu who was the chairman of the occasion recounted his agricultural intervention in the state during his administration.
He however regretted that subsequent governments failed to build on the foundations he laid. He pledged to support the Aku rue Ulo Cooperative Movement in its drive to make the South East self sufficient in agriculture.
Azikiwe, Okpara and Ojukwu were not crazy to have been identified the indigo with a political party”
The above is the advice from Edo State-born engineer and industrialist A.K Mohammed, to Ndigbo. A.K as he is fondly called, is a senior friend and famous for his forthrightness.
We must as a matter of necessity, keep APGA alive for the reasons A.K adduced and more.
The fierce and in some cases, healthy competition noticed in the run up to party primaries signalled the interests of leading Anambra politicians in the party. But there is time for everything. To me, this is the time to put all behind and fight for the continued existence of the life of this party which has brought so much happiness and joy to Ndi Anambra. This is also time to stop the hawks, who desire to prevent the state from going higher and higher, which the Cee Cee Governorship portends. We won’t also allow the hawks destroy the pride of Ndigbo.
It is worthy of note that the party leadership anticipated these and have taken actions to ameliorate the negative impacts. First, the four cleared aspirants signed a peace document that bound them to accept the outcome of the primaries. Happily, the duo of Barr. Okolo and Thankgod Ibe have shown great sportsmanship along this line. Hon. Okwudili Ezenwankwo should reflect deeper, take a more global picture of the configuration of things on ground and see reasons why he should sheath his sword and join the party in its fight for victory.
Now, the governor has put together a Peace/Reconciliation and National Outreach Committee to deepen peace and harmonious relationship in the system, so the party can go to the polls as a united family. This is a smart move and we believe that that the committee, led by veteran Senator Victor Umeh, who knows the party inside-out, will help calm frayed nerves and allow the party to focus on winning the election.
In summary, we see a stronger APGA in the days ahead, that is moving with confidence to retain power. The aura of the offerings of its flag bearer, Cee Cee Soludo are irresistible, plus what the party represents in the heart of the voters will surely swing victory to the party, so that it will continue to bring happiness to the State and beyond.
After all, our life struggles are nothing but quests for happiness.
Identities Of 300 Of The 3000 Civilians Abducted & Still Detained By Security Forces In The Past Eight Months In Eastern Nigeria
…four of the 112 abducted Obigbo civilians held by Nigerian Army at its Commando Base in Niger State have died in custody
Intersociety, Nigeria, Tuesday, 6th July 2021
The combined forces of Nigerian Army and Nigeria Police Force, joined by DSS, Naval and Air Force personnel have in the past eight months or November 2020 to June 2021 abducted and detained or disappear no fewer than 3000 unarmed and defenseless civilians (all Christians) in Eastern Nigerian States of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers. The abductees include 112 mostly Igbo civilian citizens residing in Obigbo, Rivers State, abducted and secretly disappeared by the Nigerian Army since October/November 2020 and later found to be held in Niger State. ‘Abduction’ is technically used in the instant case because their families and lawyers have till date been denied knowledge of their whereabouts and blocked from visiting and seeing them in custody or having them charged to Court and given fair trial and fair hearing. The 112 mostly Igbo civilian citizens of Obigbo residency have for almost nine months remained in the Nigerian Army’s Alpha Military Commando Base located along Bida-Suleja Road, Bida in Niger State in Northeast Nigeria. They have also been held secretly without administrative or court bail. The most shocking part of it is that four of them (Ekwueme Thomas, Pius Onochie, Obinna Akapuru and Monday Ifeanyi) have died in custody and whereabouts of their bodies are not known to the public or their families.
The remaining 108 still secretly being held are part of no fewer than 550 civilians abducted by soldiers and secretly bundled to Niger State and other parts of the North between October and November 2020. Their abduction followed the Army’s invasion of Obigbo in October 2020 during which not less than 110 defenseless civilians were massacred, hundreds injured, dozens of young women raped severely and severally and civilian properties worth hundreds of millions of naira set ablaze or destroyed by the rampaging soldiers. Following the discovery of some secret locations where the abductees were taken to and held, in addition to public and media outcries and efforts of Barr Richard Okoroafor, Intersociety and leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra and others, 283 were judicially rescued and over 270 have remained in secret custody of the Nigerian Army and among them are the 112 abductees who were discovered in February 2021 in Niger State and another 26 secretly transferred by soldiers to DSS detention facilities in Abuja. It must also be remembered that it was in the course of locating the whereabouts of the 112 Obigbo civilian abductees that Barr Richard Okoroafor, an International Human Rights Lawyer, narrowly escaped being assassinated on 25th February 2021 by killer operatives suspected to be working for the Government of Nigeria along the Suleja-Abuja Highway. The Lawyer’s mother was also on 19th May 2021 assassinated by suspected Government hired gunmen at the entrance of her residence in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria.
Similar conduct atrocities by the Army, Police and others have been extended to the named nine Eastern States since January 2021. This followed targeted killing of some security personnel and destruction of Government facilities by “Unknown Gunmen” which the Nigerian Government accused the Eastern Security Network, a forest based anti Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen’s terror Vigilante Group, belonging to the Indigenous People of Biafra of being responsible; an accusation the group strongly denied. Intersociety had apart from investigating the Obigbo Army massacre, also conducted investigations into the atrocities by the Nigerian Government joint security forces in Eastern Nigeria and found as at date that “the security forces led by the Army and the Police had between January and June 2021 killed at least 370 mostly innocent and defenseless citizens or 480 of them if counted from Oct/November 2020, injured hundreds, abducted and detained no fewer than 3000, disappeared 762 (presumed killed in secret military, police and DSS custodies) and burnt or destroyed civilian properties worth hundreds of millions of naira”. Among the 3000 abducted and incarcerated civilians of Eastern Christian Nigerian citizens are over 300, located recently in Benue State where they were secretly transported by Army and Police and held in different secret and open detention facilities.
The Intersociety findings above are contained in the reports of 31st May (updated on 14th June) and 17th June 2021. On 20th June 2021, we released an investigative statement identifying names of the senior Army officers in Eastern Nigeria involved in the ongoing killings, maiming, abductions and disappearances. Missing in the list of the perpetrators is Col Abubakar Abdullahi, Deputy Army Public Relations Officer of the 82 Division, Enugu. On 29th June 2021, another investigative statement was released exposing the involvement of the Nigeria Police’s Force Intelligence Bureau led by DIG Tijani Baba in the attempted assassination of the IPOB Lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor which took place on 6th June 2021. It must also be noted that in the killings, abductions and disappearances above highlighted, Imo and Abia States are the worst hit, accounting for many of the state actors’ conduct atrocities. Till date, none of the perpetrators has been fished out by Nigerian Government or Court and held accountable. See www.intersociety-ng.org for more details.
Constitutional Safeguards Grossly In Breach
Rules of Engagement and constitutional safeguards have been breached with reckless abandon by the Nigerian security forces in Eastern Nigeria. Our several investigative findings specifically showed that soldiers of the Nigerian Army and other branches of the Armed Forces are the worst violators when it comes to abduction of civilian citizens and their incarceration or disappearance in custody. Despite the fact that the laws of Nigeria and several judicial pronouncements have ostracized the Military from constant arrest of civilians and their indefinite detention without trial and torturing and killing them in custody; the Nigerian Military has arrogantly remained above the law. This is to the extent that details regarding civilians abducted by them and access to them by their families and lawyers while in military custodies are hardly made public or communicated to their families and lawyers. Despite the fact that the Military lacks power and skills to detain, investigate and prosecute civilian citizens especially those abducted in peacetime security operations, they have resorted to holding their abductees indefinitely in their secret custodies leading to indiscriminate torture, sexual abuses and death of many in custody. The Obigbo Army massacre, abductions and sexual violence are a clear case in point.
It is also our investigative finding that right to personal liberty including right to administrative or Court bail and its principles of fairness in the arrest, detention, investigation and prosecution or discharge and acquittal of civilian citizens under suspicion of offending the law as contained in the Chapter Four of the 1999 Constitution, the Access to Criminal Justice Act of 2015 and the country’s acceded rights treaty laws have been observed in gross breach by the Nigeria Police Force, Army and other security agencies in Eastern Nigeria. Following indiscriminate false labeling, hateful policing and soldiering and lack of modern policing skills, civilian citizens in Eastern Nigeria, in their thousands, have been indiscriminately false-labeled and subjected to ‘prosecutorial vindictiveness’. In other words, they are frivolously suspected and falsely labeled; indiscriminately and wickedly arrested and thrown into detention after being slammed with phantom accusations bordering on offenses attracting capital punishments or several years’ imprisonments. To actualize their quest for ‘prosecutorial vindictiveness’, arrested and detained civilian citizens are arraigned in inferior courts with intent to secure the nods of such ‘courts’ to dump them in indefinite detention. These they do recklessly even it is in black and white that such ‘courts’ lack jurisdiction to entertain the phantom felonious charges.
The Nigeria Police, DSS and the Military also make reckless use of ‘remand orders’ without time limitations and use same to detain and keep civilian citizens in permanent detention. In many cases in Eastern Nigeria, the Nigerian Military and DSS abduct and detain civilian citizens in hundreds for several months without recourse to orders from courts of superior records such as State or Federal High Courts. Totality of the above is a clear and grave violation of the Access to Criminal Justice Act of 2015 and Sections 35 (right to personal liberty and its subsection 4: three months maximum detention timeframe in matters bordering on suspicion of capital offenses and right to conclusive investigation and indictment or discharge and acquittal), 36 (right to Court trial and its subsections 4 and 5: rights to fair hearing and presumption of innocence until judicially convicted) of the 1999 Constitution. Further provided clearly and unambiguously in the Laws of Nigeria are the fact that civilian citizens arrested and taken into detention must be accorded their rights to be investigated and tried, if indicted, in Court, but in practice in present Eastern Nigeria, these have been observed in gross breach by the country’s security forces to the extent that arrested civilian citizens are being kept in detention for several months, if not years without trial or ‘arraigned’ in inferior courts and dumped to rot in detention or ‘awaiting trials’
106 Innocent Civilians Decongested At Owerri State CID & Dumped To Rot In Detention At Imo Prisons
The innocent and defenseless citizens including several young women and under age youths, numbering 106 were massively abducted by Police in different parts of Owerri between second and third week of May 2021 and hurriedly “arraigned” using a “special mobile court” organized at the premises of the Owerri State CID and “remanded” at Owerri State Prisons (Correctional Center) on 21st May 2021. They were slammed with phantom charges of “treason”, “treasonable felony”, “arson” and so on. Their “arraignment and remand” was very controversial and generated uproars and outcries which forced the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, His Lordship, Archbishop Anthony Obinna to visit them at Owerri Prisons on 26th May 2021. Identities of the 106 victims are: (1)Chidi Udechukwu, 42years old, 2. Chinyere Okoroji (female), 40years old, 3.Festus Ernest, 40 years old, 4. Tochukwu Ejiba, 35years old, 5. Chiboy Ogbonna, 23years old, 6. Ifeanyi Opara, 22years old, 7. Yusuf Bello, 20years old, 8. James Mmereole, 26years old, 9. Ada Oguamanam (female), 30years old, 10. Henry Oguamanam, 48years old, 11. Odunze Chukwu, 21years old, 12. Sunday Victor, 25years old, 13. Ozioma Chibuike, 26years old, 14. Ugochukwu Iwuchukwu, 26years old, 15. Chijioke Ndubuisi, 45years old, 16. Uwadiegwu Kingsley, 29years old, 17. Emeka Leechi Stephen, 34years old, 18. Aguh Chukwuemeka, 31years old, 19. Alex Ejike, 31years old, 20. Bright Umezuruike, 34years old, 21. Ikenna Egwuatu, 31years old, 22. Felix Ferdinand, 38years old, 23. Obinna Uzor, 33years old, 24. Osondu Orji, 34years old, 25. Chibueze Chimezie, 23years old, 26. Opara Mmaduabuchi, 28years old, 27. Kelechi Edward, 21years old, 28. Promise Emmanuel, 28years old, 29. Ogbonna Paschal, 28years old, 30. Anthony Gbadamosi, 45years old, 31. Nwachukwu Chilota, 25years old, 32. Chinedu Osuji, 26years old, 33. Chinonso Onyeka, 26years old, 34. Emmanuel Nwosu, 22years old, 35. Ugochukwu Ojinnaka, 21years old, 36. Ifeanyi Nwachukwu, 37years old, 37. Chukwuma Anukam, 30years old, 38. Ikenna Eke, 38years old, 39. Ogbonna Obasi, 42years old, 40. Okechukwu Anusionwu, 36years old, 41. John Musa Bawa, 35years old, 42. Udoka Chukwukere, 22years old, 43. Lucia Ezebuike (female), 22years old, 44. Obinnwanne Cynthia (female/underage), 17years old, 45. Chinasa Ike (female), 22years old, 46. Calista David (female), 56years old, 47. Chinazaram David, 18years old, 48. Kingsley Ozumba, 31years old, 49. Daniel Gabriel, 31years old, 50. Emmanuel Justice, 35years old, 51. Obinna Nwadike, 25years old, 52. Ihechi Ibekwe, 42years old, 53. Ishaya John, 21years old, 54. Leonard Chizoba, 29years old, 55. Chinedu Nwadike, 38years old, 56. Ofili Chukwuemeka, 22years old, 57. Agbagwa Chidubem, 25years old, 58. Wisdom Kelechi Orjinta, 35years old, 59. Promise Ezeukwu, 20years, 60. Ifeanyi Duruaku, 49years, 61. Chinedu Nwalaka, 34years old, 62. Onyebuchi Abasirim, 28years old, 63. Onyii Ugo, 35years old, 64. Osaze Prince, 20years old, 65. Desmond Stanley, 45years, 66. Daniel Akan, 28years old, 67. Onyekachi Nwachukwu, 32years old, 68. Princewill Obinna Odoemena, 33years old. 69. Nwaenyi Mmaduabuchi, 22years old and 70. Uma Onyemaechi, 25years old. 71. Orji Solomon, 27years old, 72. Uzoma Johnson, 19years old, 73. Onyeocha Chukwuebuka, 20years old, 74. Chukwuemeka Michael, 35years old, 75. Chika Amadi, 32years old, 76. Bilo Ujunwa, 29years old, 77. Chimenka Nwaoguru, 28years old, 78. Kenneth Nwosu, 52years old, 79. Godwin Ekeada, 37years old, 80. Barode Adesuyiode, 29years old, 81. Oke Kahinde, 29years old and 82. Emmanuel Egwuonwu, 35years old, 83. Awurum Mbanu, 29years old, 84. Anthony Okechukwu, 59years old, 85.Mmadu Anthony 36years old, 86. Onyeoziri Alphonsus, 40years old, 87. Iheeme Victor, 22years old, 88. Kenneth Udensi, 38years old, 89. Okparaugo Uchenna, 38years old, 90. Chibueze Nwokeji, 29years old, 91. Uche Nwachukwu, 30years old, 92.Chika Osuji, 39years old, 93. Last-Born Echenwozor, 62years old, 94.Anyanwu Nnaoma, 25years old, 95.Chigozie Onyeka, 28years old, 96. Okebanama John, 28years old, 97. Ohamara Clinton, 21years old, 98. Ohagim Chibuike, 20years old, 99. Mathew Odunaka, 20years old, 100. Peter Mbah, 45years old, 101. Ruya John, 26years old, 102.Innocent Chinazor, 19years old, 103. Ugonna Dike, 25years old, 104. Onyebuchi Aguzie, 64years old, 105. Chibuzor Onuoha, 38years old and 106. Nkemakolam Okoro, 20years old.
Nonviolent IPOB Members Rotting In Prisons Without Trial: Ebonyi State 1. Ogbonna Jeremiah (disappeared), 2. Nwogo Nwulegu, 3. Nenwa Oghonna, 4. Nwobodo Nwinya, 5. Ogbonna Samson, 6. Obinna Nwojiji Ezeh, 7. Chubuike Nwoba, 8. Nwali Joseph, 9. Jude Mbam, 10. Naza Ogbonna, 11. Chibueze Nwali, 12. Edwin Ogbonna (abducted and killed). Abia State: 13. Mazi Chukwuma, Coordinator of St Paul’s Zone in Osisioma, abducted on the 26th of April 2021, 14. Mazi Emmanuel Ikechukwu, Coordinator of Stadium road zone in Aba South LGA, abducted on 8th of June 2021, 15. Mazi Chidiadi Dominic, a volunteer from Nsirimo Zone in Umuahia South, abducted on 4th of June 2021. State CID, Abakiliki: 16.Eze Daniel Obinna, 17. Offorbuike Nwambam, 18. Okorie Solomon, 19. Ikechukwu Igboke. Other abductees in Ebonyi: 20. Ama Otti (from Ekoli-Edda), 21. Orji Obasi (from Nguzu-Edda), 22. Okoro Olughu (from Ndi Olughu Edda), 23. Awah Ebube (from Ikwo), 24.Paul Ogbonna (from Uburu-Ohaozara), 25.Elom Daniel, 26.Basil Chukwudi, 27.Omenga Nwanne Nkpo and 28.Monday Chikaodi. Abia State: 29. Ejike Aniadi, 34years old (from Okija, Anambra State), abducted by Police on 19th April 2021 in Aba, 30. Ibeleme Tochukwu, 35years old, from Obibiochasi in Imo State, abducted on 15th June 2021.
Abandoned without trial At Aba Prisons: 31. Michael Tochukwu Orji, 32.Onwumere Nwokeke, 33.Chimezie Eze, 34.Paul Oga, 35.Anyazue Chukwudi, 36. Nwode Uchechukwu, 37. Ekene Okafor, 38.Ekene Egwu, 39. Chijioke Eze Okeke, 40. Eze Solomon, 41. Ugochukwu Okafor,42. Eze Mercy, 43. Ucha Sunday, 44.Chidubem Agu, 45.Nnadozie Ndubuisi, 46.Ayigbo Osita,47. Ifeoma Igwe, 48. Chimee Jideofor. Abandoned without trial at Afaraukwu Prison: 49. Prince John, 50. Ugochukwu Umeh. Abducted on 23rd April and taken to Mogadishu Barracks with five others (numbers 51-55) till date, Abuja: 56. Precious Uwaoma, 57. Michael Ukpai. Others: 58. Chinaza Gideon, from Obowo, Imo State and 30years old, abducted on 14th May 2021 and moved to Abuja on 26th May 2021, 59. Jude Chukwu, 60years old artist from Umulolo, Okigwe, abducted 23rd Feb 2021 and tagged “Unknown gunman”. Abducted and detained MASSOB members at State CID, Owerri since 18th April 2021: 60. Akachukwu Nwachukwu, 61.Chukwudi Okafor, 62.Kingsley Ukachukwu and 63.Ebuka Okafor. Also abducted and disappeared till date are: 64. Ibe Chisom Amadi, a Port Harcourt based surveyor and father of three, abducted by Police and DSS since 18th May 2021 at Umuegwum, Mbaise, Imo State, 65. Michael Tochi Orji, 22years old hawker, abducted by soldiers in Aba on 25th January 2021 alongside five others who were later tortured to death at the Ngwa High School Base of the 144 Battalion. He was wangled out by his family and transferred to Police from where he was dumped in Aba Prisons. Victims’ numbers 66-83 represent the names of 18 more abducted civilian citizens presently held at the Awka State CID in Anambra State.
Calls: The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law is hereby calling for unconditional release of all the Eastern Christian citizens named above as well as the remaining 2,700 others wherever they are being held across the country. To the extent that they have been held far beyond the constitutionally limited timeframes of lawful detention clearly set out in Section 35 (4) of the 1999 Constitution, irrespective of the offense gravity, their continuing detention in the Nigerian Government secret and open detention facilities is totally unknown to the Constitution and other laws of the country including the acceded treaty laws. The Nigerian Army is inexcusably called upon to immediately and unconditionally free the 108 surviving innocent and defenseless Obigbo residents abducted and secretly held since Oct/November 2020 at the Army’s Alpha Military Commando Base in Bida, Niger State where four of the 112 died recently possibly from custodial torture or shooting or starvation or lack of proper medical attentions. The authorities of the Nigerian Army must also account for their dead bodies and is forbidden from “transferring” or “handing over” the remaining 108 to Police or DSS so as to escape culpability. The abductees having been secretly held for almost nine months without trial are no longer ‘triable’ in any Court in Nigeria and must therefore be released unconditionally, properly catered for apologized to and adequately compensated.
Signed:
For: International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law
The suspect arrested in connection with the death of Michael Ataga, CEO of Super TV, Chidimma Ojukwu has denied killing him.
The lover of Ataga was arrested in connection with his death last month.
When she was paraded by the police, the 300 level student of the University of Lagos had said she killed while he was trying to force himself on her.
She had sought forgiveness, saying she did not want to die.
But in a video which is currently in circulation, Chidima said she knows nothing about Ataga’s death.
“I didn’t injure anybody. I don’t know who must have come into the apartment ,and did that… I don’t know who that person is. I don’t know what happened. I did not kill him,” the suspect said in an interview.
The spokesperson of the All Progressive Congress, Lagos State Chapter, Joe Igbokwe, quoted a statement from a certain Abubakar Widi-jalo, regarding the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu.
The beginning of the statement says; “The most idiotic thing I’ve heard from people after Nnamdi Kanu’s arrest, is people saying “Government should put in the same effort to deal with Boko Haram and bandits” Really? So all the bombardment of Sambisa and other Boko Haram locations, and bandit hideouts, with Jet fighters, helicopter gunships and land troops, leading to the killing and arrest of many bandits (and terrorists) is no effort? Do you know how many security personnel we have lost in the fight against insurgents and bandits? Yet you say no effort was made to stop the Bandits
The statement also alleged that the government put little or no effort in arresting Nnamdi Kanu, adding that the IPOB leader was only told to come and collect $10 million in Addis Ababa, and he fell for it. The concluding part of the statement says that the real effort of the government is in Sambisa, Birnin Gwari, Zamfara, Katsina and other insurgents hideouts.
“Mind you, there was little or no effort made in the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu. They only told him to come and collect $10 million dollars in Addis Ababa, and the Mugu fell for it. The real effort is in Sambisa, Birnin Gwari, Zamfara, Katsina and other insurgents hideouts, where we have lost men and routed criminals in the process.” Joe Igbokwe wrote.
Details have emerged that there exists some level of acrimony and displeasure among top officers of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) after their detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu ordered Simon Ekpa, one of the arrowheads of the movement in Finland to take over the business of daily broadcast on Radio Biafra London.
Mr. Ekpa who has shown a justifiable level of commitment in the movement came under serious criticisms after a video of him condemning IPOB members for molesting former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu in Germany, surfaced online.
In the video, Ekpa was seen condemning the attack on Senator Ekweremadu while Nnamdi Kanu on the other hand was on Radio Biafra commending the attackers for a job well done.
Going by his recent appointment, some members of the group sees both their leader and Simon Ekpa as being navigating from varying angles.
“There are more competent hands than Simon Ekpa who would have taken over the business of daily broadcast. Ekpa cannot be trusted in a way but our leader has made his decision. There is no need questioning it,” a top source in the movement told our reporter.
However while responding to criticism against his appointment, Ekpa said whoever that have issues with it should check him or herself.
He reaffirmed that there is no vacuum in the leadership of IPOB and “there is also no vacuum in the position of the Director of Radio Biafra London.”
Ekpa further noted that the IPOB leader will continue to lead the struggle from anywhere he is being detained in Nigeria.
He noted that considering the precarious state of things, the directive of Nnamdi Kanu on the 8th of July 2021 was designed to maintain the legacy and sustain the momentum of the movement.He concluded by saying whoever that have issues with the decision should check him or herself.
“Let me categorically state that there is no vacuum in the leadership of IPOB, there is no vacuum in the position of Director of Radio Biafra.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu remain the Director of Radio Biafra and his directive is final as we maintain the command and control.
“Our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will continue to lead the struggle from wherever he is, be it in the prison, DSS custody, police detention or from Aso Rock detention.
“The directive of our leader on the 8th of July 2021 is that I, Simon Ekpa should start broadcasting from Radio Biafra with immediate effect, to maintain the legacy and sustain the momentum of the movement, a task I accepted without hesitation because the situation requires extra ordinary media war to sustain, expose the impunity of the Nigeria State, to expose the genocide and end the enslavement of indigenous people in Nigeria in a different level.
“Whoever have issues with this should check him or herself.
“The directive of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not just a wish, it is an order.
“I am Simon Ekpa, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s disciple on Biafra restoration. On this day, 10.7.2021.”
