The world class pain doctor and PDP gubernatorial aspirant Dr Godwin Maduka (Okosisi Orumba) has declared total commitment to the Peoples Democratic Party and Anambra State in general, noting that a good leader should be able to combine political and public interest in order to contain the challenges of public administration and party leadership.
This statement was contained in an address delivered by Chief Sopulu Nwafor in the course of representing Dr Godwin Maduka in a meeting with PDP LGA Chairmen at the party secretariat today. The former party officer and present key stakeholder expressed satisfaction for the fact that the visit afforded him an opportunity to meet his political contemporaries in party leadership.
Speaking further, Chief Nwafor appealed to the party leaders to note that politics and political victory depends on many indicators which includes but not limited to capacity, antecedence, preparedness and acceptability. All indicated listed have been duly met by Dr Maduka according to him. He also quoted Dr Maduka as having said that his commitment to serve anambra state and recondition the party structure remains end to end.
He also assured the LGA party leaders that they are more or less harbingers sent to deliver anticipatory message of what is to come (Dr Maduka’s meeting with them). He also pleaded with them to look beyond the clannish or highest bidder mentality of some politicians and look inwards to elect Dr Maduka who has over time proved his mettle in community and human capital development.
Other members of the delegation like Chief Earnest Okafor, Chief ken Ejekam, Dr Mrs Kate Obioji and Dr Emezie Madu in their separate speeches aligned with the spokesman of the group Chief Sopulu Nwafor on the need to elect a credible person who will see them as his constituency, while they would have him as their candidate for the forthcoming gubernatorial election.
The PDP LGA chairmen of Onitsha North, Onitsha South and Ekwusigo in their reactions raised concern over perceived anomalies that needed to be reviewed and fine tuned in the delegation’s approach, which was consequently addressed by Chief Ernest Okafor who assured them of their principal’s willingness to address all genuine concerns raised in the meeting.
The chairman of Idemili North LGA and chairman of all local government chairmen welcomed the delegation and also made it clear that his colleagues and himself are tired of electing candidates, hence their present search for a governor who will deliver Aguoka to the party in the ballot.
Members of the delegation were on their way out when the State Chairman of the party Hon Sir Ndubisi Nwobu arrived at the party secretariat. They however exchanged pleasantries and departed with deep satisfaction for the successful proceedings.
The International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law-INTERSOCIETY is happily announcing another major breakthrough in its campaigns to expose and end a booklet of atrocity crimes that have ravaged the Nigerian Army particularly under the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai. This time, the major breakthrough recorded was the release on Monday, 15th Feb 2021 of 63 abducted Obigbo residents-all males. They were abducted by the Nigerian Army at Obigbo in Rivers State and held incommunicado for four months or since Oct 2020 in Mogadishu Barracks and other security dungeons in Abuja. Their abduction and confinement clearly amount to unspeakable illegality and unconstitutionality.
Their release followed the landmark consideration of their bail application filed on Wednesday, 10th Feb 2021 before an Abuja Grade 11 Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse. They were freed from four different Army, DSS and Police dungeons in Abuja and environs; namely: Mogadishu Army Barracks, Annex B at Asokoro, DSS Training Center at Central Business District and its abandoned facility at Zuba and the Nigeria Police College at Suleja in Niger State. The freed victims were part of over 400 innocent and defenseless Obigbo residents including over 60 girls and young women abducted between Oct and Nov 2020 at their work places or on their way home from work or while engaging in other lawful social activities.
Commendable Efforts Of Barr E.R. Okoroafor
The release of the 63 abductees was made possible through the lawyerly and activist doggedness of Barr E.R. Okoroafor. Barr E.R. Okoroafor is a British citizen of Igbo nativity and international human rights lawyer. The efforts of the leadership of IPOB in this respect are also worthily recognized and appreciated. While it is hopeful that the newly located 53 young women in the DSS dungeons will soon regain their freedom, bringing the total number of the located or freed to 261; searches are still on to locate the remaining abductees numbering over 140. This is owing to the fact that the Nigerian Army and DSS have refused to speak publicly on the whereabouts of the abductees, the freed ones and why the over 400 residents were abducted at the first place and kept out of public knowledge till date.
Nigerian Army’s Booklet Of Illegalities Source Of Our Anger
It must be boldly stated that Intersociety does not hate the Nigerian Army or the Nigerian Armed Forces or the Nigeria Police or DSS/NIA or the country’s Paramilitaries, but hates and frowns seriously at their current operational methodologies, clearly cloaked in booklet of illegalities. These methodologies are shockingly crude, unprofessional, hateful, unconstitutional, locally and internationally illegal, non human rights compliant, un-secular and ethnically and religiously discriminatory and motivated. Owing to our versatility and deep knowledge of criminal and civil versions of the local and the international human rights and humanitarian laws particularly those acceded to by Nigeria; Intersociety will continue to monitor and speak out authoritatively and knowledgeably against such grisly atrocity crimes and their perpetrators-ensuring that they are ended and their perpetrators get severely punished locally, regionally or internationally.
Army Lacks Power To Arrest, Detain & Investigate Citizens Not Subject To Military Matters
In arresting citizens wrongly or rightly suspected to have offended punishable laws bordering on Crimes against Persons or Crimes against the State or Crimes against Properties-all categorized globally into “mala inse” and “mala prohibita”; the soldiering and policing authorities in any democratic Member-State of UN including Nigeria are inexcusably prohibited and barred from abducting citizens outside public knowledge and records, hatefully labeling them and taking them into custody, torturing, shooting and raping them to death and disappearing their corpses and detaining them ad infinitum and beyond the limits prescribed in written laws. Such prohibitions also include stripping the abductees half naked and exposing their body systems to unfriendly weathers and other hostile circumstances including insect bites and infections; in addition to totally blocking them from their families, physicians and lawyers.
In Nigeria, apart from the country’s written laws restricting the activities of the military particularly the Nigerian Army to issues of defense of territory in situation of interstate or intra state armed conflict and barring them from trespassing beyond their defined duties including usurping the key duties of the Nigeria Police Force such as arrest, detention, investigation and prosecution of suspected civilian offenders and their offenses; there have also been several Decided Cases barring the Army/Military from “arresting, detaining and investigating citizens who are not subject to the Armed Forces Act or any other Military law”. As a matter of fact, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had in a landmark judgment delivered on Wednesday, 17th Feb 2021 held that “the Nigerian Army lacks the power to arrest, investigate and hold in custody anyone who is not subject to the Armed Forces Act or any other military law”. For more details, see the link here: https://thenigerialawyer.com/nigerian-army-lacks-power-to-investigate-crime-arrest-or-detain-suspects-court-rules/?fbclid=IwAR3mSxZyofU1wLgovP1VpO3P0AjTFd88kdD6y2yHnCq4Gln3Dtp6kTIeF_w
Names Of The 63 Freed Abductees
Their names are: Paul Uche, Anozie Obinna, Ebubechukwu Kaima, Andrew Ekpere, Uka Obinna, Uche Emmanuel, Ekene Anayo, Bright Emma, Ikenna Uzoma, Olisa Chukwudi, Somtochukwu Ibe, David Joe, David Chukwu, Chikadibia Paul, Blessed Friday, Nwaogu Ekene, Charles Ikeogwu, Igwe Samuel, Gozie Samuel, Simeon Mbanefo, Eze Chike, Godwin Umeh, Tochukwu Umeh, Desmond Alphonsus, Ukauwa Irim, Sabinus Ula, Riguma Friday, Ekpan Sunday, Kezie Kelechi, Ifeanyi Otutu, Ambrose Anyanwu, Paul Chike, Tochukwu Obiekwe, Elochukwu Moses, Mike Anya, Echefuna Chukwu, Echefuna Uche, Gift Onyenkachi, Alozie Chukwunonso, Chukwuma Ibeano, Friday Nonso, Nebechi Kennedy, Imma Ochi, Stanley Igwe, Okoro Benson, Emeka Nwaogugu, Uchechi Emmanuel, Joe Boniface, Gregory Amokachi, Daniel Erinne, Samson Chinda, Victor Enrinne, Christopher Kachi, Uzoma Philip, Kainene Ernest, Ikechukwu Isaiah, Isaac Oriaku, Ekpere Mmadu, Uchenna Chris, Ebuka Silas, Honesty Gift, Osita Ifeanyi and Chibuike Robinson. Attached below are their photos taken after their release in Abuja.
Signed
For: International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law
Emeka Umeagbalasi, Board Chair, Chinwe Umeche, Esq., Head, Democracy & Good Governance, Obianuju Igboeli, Esq., Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law and Chidimma Udegbunam, Esq., Head, Campaign & Publicity
Defence Minister Maj- Gen. Bashir Magashi, on Wednesday sent out a message to Nigerians on how to stop kidnappers and other criminals elements in the country: “stand and face them.”
”Is it (security issue) the responsibility of the military alone? We shouldn’t be cowards,” Magashi added while reacting to the news of the killing of a student and abduction of 27 of his colleagues from a government college in Niger State.
He said it was a thing of surprise to him that Nigerians often took to their heels on hearing gunshots fired by bandits who sometimes strike with only three rounds of ammunition.
As he spoke on the sidelines of the screening of Service Chiefs by the House of Representatives, the Senate called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency on the insecurity in the nation.
Also, opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) advised the Federal Government to drop its rhetoric on ending insecurity and act proactively.
Magashi, who was responding to questions on the kidnap of the students, wondered why Nigerians always run away from what he called “minor, minor aggressions.”
He said: “It is the responsibility of everybody to be alert and ensure safety when necessary.
“We shouldn’t be cowards. Sometimes bandits come with about three rounds of ammunition and when they fire shots everybody will run. In our younger days, we stand to fight any form of aggression.
“Why should people run away from minor, minor aggressions?
“We should stand and face them. If these people know that the people have the competence and capability to defend themselves, they will run away.”
He however, assured that the school children would be rescued through the government adoption the same strategy used to free the over 300 pupils of a secondary school in Kankara, Katsina State two months ago.
In the Senate, members condemned in “strong terms,” the kidnap of the Kagara school students and called on Buhari to implement their March 17, 2020 recommendations on combating the multi-faceted security challenges across the country.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan said the frequent incidents of kidnapping of students would reverse the gains made in school enrollment over the years in the North.
Lawan said parents would no longer yield to persuasion to enrol their children and wards in schools with the level of insecurity plaguing the North.
He said: ”Almost all the incidents of abducting students from schools happened in Northern Nigerian and we all know our leaders of yesterday, probably right from independence, have worked so hard to ensure that children go to school in the Northern part of Nigeria.
“With incidents like these we will be reversing all the gains that were made in convincing parents to take their children to school.”
Senator Mohammed Birma Enagi described the Federal Government as “incompetent” in dealing with the insecurity.
Enagi said: “The enemies of God, bandits, terrorists, kidnappers are everywhere. Where are we heading to in this country? What else do we need as lawmakers that we are not doing?
“Can we rightly say that the government is incompetent? Because this issue has been discussed here over and over and there is no improvement. It is getting worse.
”Instead of creating economic opportunities that will engage the unemployed and generate employment, the government is giving palliatives.”
PDP tasks security agencies
In a statement on Wednesday, the PDP expressed worry over the Kagara incident and urged Nigerians to remain vigilant
It also called on patriotic Nigerians to continue rallying around the opportunities created by democracy in the effort to rescue the nation from misrule and ensure lasting security in the country.
The statement by the party’s spokesman, Kola Ologbodiyan, reads in part: “Bandits were reported to have on Tuesday, moved from village to village, supported by a helicopter, as they pillaged our compatriots, sacked major highways and held communities in Niger State hostage for several hours without any counter-attack.
”The lethargic stance of the APC administration towards the fight against banditry further validates reports in the public space that the bandits are connected to the APC and enjoying cover under the ruling party.”
Three Niger LGAs under siege
The NLC lamented that people cannot access three Local Government Areas in Niger State because of banditry and kidnapping.
Although the NLC didn’t name the councils, it noted that there are also many states that people cannot walk freely because of insecurity.
President of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, made the statement in his opening remarks at the National Executive Council meeting of the congress in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ayuba noted that Federal Government’s response to insecurity has not been effective.
He said: ”Clearly, I think the responses have not been effective and it has not been able to deliver.
“It has defiled any solution that has been proposed and even with the new Service Chiefs I am not sure that there is any impact that has been felt in responding to the insecurity issue. In fact, the situation has been going from bad to worse in many of our states.
“For you to travel from one point to another without having any hitches you must be able to thank God.”
He said for Nigeria to address insecurity squarely, it must promote industrialisation and mass employment in the manufacturing sector.
South East Governors’ Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), yesterday, said Nigeria’s former minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, will remain the pride of the Igbo and Nigeria in the global space.
Reacting to the emergence of Okonjo-Iweala as the first African and first female World Trade Organisation (WTO) director general, they said it was heart-warming that their daughter emerged meritoriously in the world contest at a time the globe needed extra-ordinary leadership to inject best principles that will enhance trade liberalizations and global economic management in the comity of international economic institutions.
A message by Chairman of the forum and Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, alongside his colleagues, paid glowing tribute to President Muhamadu Buhari for the support, solidarity and political will that launched a Nigerian to the apex seat of WTO.
They said: “This singular gesture of Mr. President has again demonstrated his progressive disposition to the dignity of Africa and his abiding faith and unflinching commitment to an egalitarian nation.”
Like the governors, Ohanaeze Ndigbo thanked the president and Nigerians for the support given to Okonjo-Iweala.
According to Ohanaeze spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia, her emergence has once more proved the only way to advance the course of humanity and compete favourably in the global community was through an unwavering commitment to competence, fairness and excellence.
Describing her ascendancy to the position as not only historic but a landmark development, ADF said it had no doubt she possessed the great pedigree and orientation to discharge her duties diligently.
to the service of humanity to usher in a new era of global trade and economic prosperity.
A statement by ADF President, Uzodimma Nwala and Chairman, Media and Publicity Bureau, Abia Onyike, expressed the optimism that “Ndigbo, Nigeria and Africa would benefit from your leadership of this important global economic institution.”
FOR THOSE THAT MUST COLLECT MONEY BEFORE THEY VOTE.
What is the real value of the money you receive on Election Day, in order to cast your vote for a candidate?
Note that the money you receive is all you will be paid in the 4 years the candidate will be in office. He has paid you in advance for 4 years service.
365 dys x 4 yrs = 1460 days.
1. You receive #5,000 ? OK
#5,000➗1460 = N3 per day.
= That is the value of the vote you sold, over 4 years.
2. U receive #1000..?Ok, now
1000➗1460 = 68 kobo per day.
3. You receive #500..?
500 ➗1460 = 34 kobo per day
3. You receive #200 to vote..?
See 200➗1460 = 13 kobo per day..!!
The question is how much do you value yourself..?
Is that what you are worth..?
They have bought your silence so that they and their children can live well.
Can you live on 13 kobo per day or even 68 kobo per day? Tom Tom sweet is 10 naira think twice before u decide.
GOD bless Anambra.
