The Federal Government, on Saturday, said its suspended talks with striking university teachers would resume immediately after the Sallah holidays.
Spokesman of Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Oloowokere, in a statement, in Abuja, said the parley was in line with the request of the Academic Staff of Nigerian Universities (ASUU).
“In view of its determination to end every disruption in the academic calendar of universities, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige wishes to inform all stakeholders and the general public that conciliation with the university teachers will resume immediately after the Sallah break as requested by ASUU,” the statement stated.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has been approached to stop leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOP) from disrupting the governorship and House of Assembly election in Anambra State scheduled for November 18.
Hearing in the suit filed by Dr. Richard Ndubuaku is ongoing before Justice Babatunde Quadri.
His lawyer, Smart Iyiazor has moved a motion exparte for an interim order against the defendants.
Details later
Nnamdi Kanu, Director of Radio Biafra, in a recent interview said that he will be in Abuja on the 17th of October saying: ‘I am taking IPOB to Abuja on the 17th of next month for my court case.
In the interview Kanu spoke on what is delaying Biafra saying ‘What is delaying Biafra is that the people (Igbo) have not turned away totally from worshipping idols.
I will be going to Arochuwku to build a temple there and we’ll worship God how it used to be. There was a time God loved us, we used to obey Him by going to Arochukwu to offer Him sacrifice.
We started suffering as soon as Arochukwu failed, because the people dabbled into idolatry The Igbo should turn away from idolatry and face God and Him alone, that’s the message he said I should give my people.’
He also said that the person ruling Nigeria currently was hired a look-alike to stand in for the presidentis Muhammadu Buhari. “The man you are looking at on the television is not Buhari, he is from Sudan.
After extensive plastic surgery they brought him back. The person was taught Buhari’s mannerisms and he came back deceiving all of you. I can stand and prove who I am but Buhari cannot do the same thing.
He cannot deceive Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB,” On his re-arrest Kanu said: ‘President Muhammadu Buhari was the one who broke the laws, he disobeyed the direct court order to release me unconditionally, not once, but twice.
Honourable Shuaibu of Wuse Magistrate Court granted me bail, Buhari did not release me. Hon Justice Ademola granted me unconditional bail, Buhari and his cousin, Lawal Daura refused to honour that court order.
They are the ones who should be detained for flagrant disobedience to court orders. I want the northern Arewa irredentists to call for the arrest of Buhari and Daura for flouting court order after court order, asking for my release.
Before now, Nnamdi Kanu is Igbo, he is a Biafran and can be arrested and nothing will happen but that would not be anymore, it would no longer happen. The worst mistake Buhari ever made was to arrest me.
I will break the zoo into pieces. I am taking IPOB to Abuja on the 17th of next month for my court case. There will be 2 million people in Abuja. We take the battle to our enemies. You are under oath and by virtue of that oath you are under direct order from me, any day you hear I have been arrested, to burn down Nigeria to the ground.” He also said: There is a superior force fighting for the Igbo in heaven, Chukuokike Abiama, the Almighty God in heaven is fighting. ‘This is His battle, it is not Nnamdi Kanu or IPOB’s battle.
God is fighting His battle for us. Have you ever heard of earthquake in Nigeria? It happened in 2016 in the North when I was arrested; have you heard of locusts swarming everywhere and damaging crops before? Comparing Buhari and Jonathan Kanu said: ‘Now, it is clearly demonstrated beyond every reasonable doubt that when former President Goodluck was in office, I went hard after him.
It was said that I was being sponsored by APC. APC came in, I went after Buhari, but Jonathan was very sensible not minding where we have disagreement, he was very sensible, he ignored me. You create room for people with diverse views and opinions and ideas. It’s better they are talking than fighting, that’s why you have parliament, people don’t know that.
Kanu further said that if he was looking for money, he would have settled with the Buhari government. ‘What am I doing with money? If I were looking for money, I would have settled with the Buhari government. I don’t need money, the only thing I need is Biafra… People give me stuff, the cars I use, people gave them to me. I don’t buy anything, so, what do I need money for? I don’t need to buy anything, the furniture in my house, people built them for me. I am serving my people everyday and today we have honour and prestige because of IPOB. Biafra is coming and that we must remain very strong and resolute. The only thing He requires of us is to worship Him, that’s all He wants us to do and not to worship idol and Biafra will come and the world will see and will testify it.
Daysafter the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, renewed an ultimatum to his men to either capture or kill Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, after a 40-day ultimatum failed, the insurgents have
issued fresh threats to attack the Nigerian military.
They also threatened to attack towns and cities as well.
Besides, Boko Haram, in an undated but fresh video, declared they celebrated Sallah in Sambisa, right after the 40-day ultimatum lapsed.
In July, Buratai ordered his men to capture Shekau within 40 days. The deadline passed without Shekau’s capture. The army chief simply made the ultimatum open-ended.
In the new video, Shuaibu Moni, one of the Boko Haram commanders, who was swapped with 82 Chibok girls released in May, taunted the military and issued threats on behalf of the sect.
“We have observed the Eid-el-Kabir prayers peacefully, with our brothers, wives and children in Sambisa, under the leadership of Abu-Muhammad -Ibn-Mahammad Abubakar Shekau.
“We thank Almighty Allah for sparing our lives, to witness this very wonderful day and good state of health. We want to tell the infidels of the world, infidels in Nigeria…and Buratai, who gave 40-day ultimatum, to kill our leader Abubakar Shekau that here, we are celebrating Sallah in Sambisa.
“I also want them to know that killing Shekau is not the end of us. With or without Shekau, Boko Haram will remain. They should know we worship God and Shekau is only leading us on the path of service to the Lord.
“They should know that just as they are giving orders to their military to invade our camps; we are also waiting for Shekau’s orders to invade their barracks, towns and cities at any giving time.
“I have said it before and you have seen what I have done. I am not making empty noise; I guess you know who is talking you; this is ‘Moni.’ You have seen what we did in the university and the city of Maiduguri and other places.
“We mean everything we are saying, and you should wait we are coming after you. We will never dialogue with the government.”
Attempts to get the Defence Headquarters’ Director of Information, Major General John Enenche and spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Col. Sani Usman were not successful. Calls to Enenche’s mobile line and Usman’s as well as text messages, were neither returned nor replied.
But, spokesman of the Nigeria Air Force, Air Commodore Adetokunbo Adesanya dismissed Boko Haram’s new threats.
He said: “NAF bases are well defended; NAF personnel are well-trained, equipped, motivated and committed to the defence of NAF bases and other assigned critical points.”
Founder of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Ralph Uwazuruike, has alleged that heads of security agencies are using leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu to destroy the struggle for Biafra.
Uwazuruike and Kanu are both Biafra proponents, but have been on war paths for sometime now.
About three months ago, Uwazuruike said he was disappointed that Radio Biafra, which he “handed over to Kanu was being used for purposes it was not created for.
The MASSOB founder, who spoke in the current edition of The Interview, further accused Kanu of waging war against the struggle for Biafra and regretted that his efforts to achieve a sovereign state of Biafra “through peaceful means,” were being ruined by Kanu.
Uwazuruike specifically accused Kanu of being used by “security services to destabilise the struggle for Biafra.”
The MASSOB leader further alleged that Kanu intended to ruin Biafra agitation, a plot he said will begin with the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State which the Kanu-led IPOB has advised its members to boycott.
“No election in Anambra state is aimed at favouring the All Progressives Congress (APC), to edge out Governor Willy Obiano, through destabilisation.
“That is the only thing and it is being arranged by the security agencies, using Kanu.
“I know the mansions that Nnamdi Kanu and people like him have abroad. Let Kanu keep disgracing himself as he’s doing now because I know he’s being funded and I know those funding him.
“Nnamdi is fighting against Biafra. The security agencies have seen him as somebody with a high value that they can use.
“They heard him shouting on radio and they approached him and he accepted to work with them,” Uwazuruike claimed.
He described Kanu’s arrest and bail conditions as “a set-up,” and wondered why Kanu, who was granted bail on health grounds “has not visited any hospital since his release from detention.”
The MASSOB leader also took a swipe at the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, which he said lacked “the capacity to govern.”
He said the APC won the 2015 presidential election, “but didn’t plan” for governance. Uwazuruike added that Nigeria would have been better if former President Goodluck Jonathan had won the 2015 election, for a second term in office.
“If Jonathan had remained the president of Nigeria till today, the US dollar would not have exchanged for more than N50. Nigeria will still beg Jonathan to come back.”
A policeman has been killed while three others sustained injuries in a gun attack at Kolo police station in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The incident came barely a week after four soldiers were killed in an ambush at Letugbene, a community in Southern Ijaw local government area of the state.
Argument over desirability of Biafra by some Nigerians in India has been blamed for the death of N. Chigozie, a 33 year old who came to India with a student visa.
Indian police in Bengaluru are already probing the death.
The body of the Nigerian was found near the railway gate in Hennur, northeast Bengaluru, in the wee hours of Monday.
Chigozie, a resident of Hennur, was found with head injuries at 2am; his motorcycle had skidded off the road.
While the body has been shifted to Ambedkar hospital for autopsy. Kothanur police, based on his brother’s statement have registered a murder case, reports the Times of India.
“It seems to be an accidental death. Preliminary evidence shows Chigozie, who was speeding on his bike, crashed into a iron railing and died of head injuries. He was not wearing a helmet. But his younger brother Nieskho claims he was murdered,” police said.
On Sunday evening, Chigozie, Nieskho and four other Nigerians partied at African Kitchen restaurant at Byrathi near Hennur.
“The six revellers quarrelled over sharing food and assaulted each other. Nieskho went to a nearby hospital to treat his injuries and Chigozie followed him on bike. While returning from the hospital, Chigozie died,” police said.
But in another account given by BangaloreMirror, Chigozie’s brother, whose name was spelt as Nanso, claimed his brother was killed after an argument with other friends over Biafra.
Here is the report in the newspaper: A 33-year-old man from Nigeria was found dead under mysterious circumstances near Geddalahalli on Hennur Road in the early hours of Monday. The brother of the victim, identified as Chigozie, said he may have been murdered. Chigozie was found dead near the Railway bridge at Geddalahalli.
The victim, who came to India on a student visa, was doing some business in the city, according to police. The victim, along with his brother Nanso, is said to have partied with a group of friends at a house in Byrathi.
During the party, it is alleged that the brothers and their friends had an argument over a political development in their country. Police said both the brothers were allegedly beaten up.
An All Progressives Congress, APC, aspirant in the upcoming Anambra governorship election, Eze Harris Chuma, has faulted the method applied by the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu in his pursuit for the restoration of Biafra.
The APC aspirant noted that Kanu’s demand for “referendum that is presently not enshrined in the Nigeria constitution cannot be attained without due dialogue, and enduring intellectual gymnastics political persuasions.”
In an open letter to Kanu, Chuma said the IPOB leader should know that “the crowd you are talking to at every rally cannot lobby for the attainment of the set goals.”
He maintained that the crowd Kanu was always addressing at rallies, “know nothing more than ‘give us Biafra. Yes they sleep it, walk it, talk it and eat it but cannot provoke strategical and tactical means of achieving it.”
Chuma cautioned the IPOB leader on his style of agitation, saying people of the South East cannot settle for another Civil War.
Describing Kanu’s style of agitation as “stereotype” Chuma said the method of IPOB would not allow the achievements of Biafra to come to pass.
The letter reads in part, “Unarguably, the self-determination gospel was clear but the approach and methodology was uncouthly, the style archaic, and the struggle a hard buy. Soon, it became a battle for survival, the long arm of the law was visited on you, and co travellers.
“Many of us though not comfortable with your style began to cry out for your freedom. I still recollect and vividly too a YouTube video that went viral demanding for your release. Yes I had to make the demand to persuade a fast tracked litigation processes.
“Eventually, you were released on stringent bail conditions as it were, but you have thrown caution in the wind and relapsed into your stereotyped style of agitation.
“Mazi, you should know by now that Ndigbo have risen in demand for equity and freedom from the firm grip of injustices meted on the region by past and present political leadership in Nigeria.
“Also, You should know that Ndigbo cannot settle for another civil war because we are yet to recover from the last mortal combat that sucked innocent bloods. You should know that in politics, it is better to dialogue than to fight.
“Demanding for ‘Referendum’ that is presently not enshrined in the Nigeria constitution cannot be attained without due dialogue, and enduring intellectual gymnastics political persuasions.
“You should know by now that the crowd you are talking to at every rally cannot lobby for the attainment of the set goals. They know nothing more than ‘give us Biafra. Yes they sleep it, walk it, talk it and eat it but cannot provoke strategical and tactical means of achieving it.
“You should know that majority of your fans who now claim IPOB membership need to be given the right orientation for it has become clear to everyone that they are ignorant of what referendum is and the procedural approach.
“You should know that character attributes and dispositions of your fans and fanatic followers are getting issues hugely complicated. It’s high time you called them to order and let them know what you know.
“Mazi, when you told your fans and fanatic followers to boycott elections in Anambra, and they went about town shouting “no election does that not tell you what lies ahead is defeat against the original plan, against the struggle , against the dream of a better Nation devoid of injustices, inequities, and unfairness.
“Don’t you think your strategy this time will set you against the rights of people supposedly being fought for? Don’t you think your inability to step down from the emperor stool and dialogue with relevant Igbo associations, think thanks ,elder state men, Leaders of thoughts, seasoned legal luminaries, traditional rulers, clergymen, would give a clearer direction?
“Truth be told, your fans and fanatic followers need to be enlightened on the best and surest way to make the dream of a better nation possible. It is not late to call them to order and explain better in the language they understand.
“No one is more Igbo than the other. No one is more BIAFRAN in spirit than the other. There is no family in Igbo land without a scar of Nigeria/Biafra Civil war. Call your ardent followers to order. Civil disobedience is mostly better observed and or practised by civil minds!
“I hope that this letter will get to you before the commencement of electioneering campaigns in Anambra this September. I’m quite optimistic your fans and unrepentant followers have their benefactors in the race for Guber seat. Surely, they will do the needful to remain relevant, in the general scheme of things.”
Suspected militants, on Sunday night, killed a Policeman and injured others at Kolo community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
According to investigations the suspected militants in a vehicle apparently on a mission to steal arms and rifles from Policemen at check point were stopped just by the Kolo Police station for a stop and search exercise.
They were to have alighted from the vehicle and suddenly attacked the Policemen with machete killing one and injured two.
The Bayelsa State Police command confirmed the story and said the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) would soon issue a statement on the incident.
ENUGU – INDIGENOUS Peoples of Biafra, IPOB has denounced reports circulating on social media that it’s Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu was on the run amid moves by the Federal Government to re-arrest him following an alleged violation of his bail conditions.
In a press release issued by the spokesman of the group, Emma Powerful, the group dismissed the rumor as a “laughable fabrication designed to demystify our leader(Nnamdi Kanu)”.
“This wicked lie and malicious fabrication is the work of the enemies of Biafra, who enjoy their perfect slave status and will remain servants to Arewa North all their lives.” “Their cowardice is such that even when their mothers are literally being raped by Fulani herdsmen on a daily basis before their eyes, rather than fight off the attackers, they help the Fulani rapists in pinning their own mother to the ground while she is brutally assaulted.”
“These shameless individuals have allowed themselves to be used to advance the mission of the Caliphate in Biafraland which is total submission to Hausa Fulani Islamic hegemonic domination,” the statement read. The group, in the statement, insisted that Nnamdi Kanu was not ready to go on exile no matter the level of threats issued by the federal government noting that IPOB remains the most vibrant and intelligent mass movement in the world.
“Our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has made it abundantly clear to all and sundry that he is NOT going on exile as a result of these childish threats.” “IPOB is till date the most vibrant, indomitable and intelligent mass movement in the world over.” “IPOB and Nnamdi Kanu cannot be intimidated by anybody or group no matter how highly placed they think of themselves.
Our mission is to restore Biafra and nothing under the sun can stop us.” The statement also revealed that the agitation for state of Biafra by Nnamdi Kanu shall not stop until a referendum is conducted on a democratic manner. “Until the Nigeria Government fix a date for referendum to settle the issue of Biafra in a civilised and democratic manner, this raging agitation led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will continue.” With the situation on ground today concerning Biafra freedom, we pity the APC Party and Nigerian Government led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari for choosing the uncivilised path of brute force and intimidation as opposed to referendum.”
“We urge every Biafran, no matter where you are, to remain resolute and strong because Biafra is tantalisingly closer than we expect. It is crystal clear that IPOB led by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is ordained by (Chukwu Okike Abiama) God Almighty which no man can stop. We are winning this battle,” the statement concluded.
