IPOB:2019: Ohanaeze leader, Nwodo Clashes with Rotimi Amaechi in Awka

Nnia Nwodo, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, faulted some of Amaechi’s claims and sparked angry reaction from the minister.  A convocation lecture at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, entitled, ‘The Igbo in the Politics of Nigeria’, given by Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation, provoked reactions on Wednesday.
Amaechi, in his lecture, had urged the Igbos to stop recriminating but fall in line and support President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the dominant political party in the state, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was a regional party that would not fetch the presidency for the Igbos.
He noted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was not dominant in any part of the country and could be described as a regional party.
He reminded the jam-packed audience that foremost Igbo politician, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, had always canvassed a national party.
Amaechi urged the Igbo to fight to assert their Nigerianness and go to the centre because no part of the country could stand alone without others.
He further argued that the Igbos should not continue to lament the civil war because that would draw them backward.
Amaechi began by saying that nobody should deny him his Igboness and called on Igbo people to stretch their handshake across the Niger if they wished to produce the president of the country.
The second advice he gave was for Igbos to vote for Buhari in the next election so that he could serve out his eight-year tenure. 
He warned that if they failed to re-elect Buhari and another person emerged as president, they would continue to shout marginalization.
He faulted the Igbo for agitating for restructuring of the country and wondered why they did not do that during President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
He slammed the Igbos over their separatist agitations.
At question time, Nwodo reminded Amaechi that after the civil war his people rejected their Igboness and renamed towns, streets, and their personal names.
Besides, Nwodo alleged that Rivers and Lagos had retained discriminatory laws against Igbo people in their statute books.
He wondered what manner of federation Nigeria was when the constitution was never written by Nigerians.
According to Nwodo, the Nigerian constitution was written by a group of military officers as a war booty.
“I have never seen a federalism where the security apparatus is domiciled in one part of the country just because they are from a certain area of the country.
“Unless our constitution is reviewed, we will be living under military hegemony,” Nwodo said.

BIAFRA:Why Nigeria needs Biafrans – Shittu

 
The Minister regretted that the nation failed to take advantage of the great innovations propelled by the three-year war, which ended in 1970, by making use of those he described as great minds that sustained the then Biafra army. Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, has urged the Nigerian Government to trace innovators of the defunct Biafra who are still alive for them to deploy their technological know-how towards the nation’s drive for industrialisation. 
Shittu, who spoke at the commissioning of Technology Orientation Centre, built by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), at Idu, Abuja, yesterday, urged the agency to go beyond the elite environment and trace those innovators, most of whom did not even have university education.
“I recall that during the civil war, we had so many innovators from Nnewi and other parts of eastern region then. So many people, who didn’t have university education, developed so many technological infrastructure in the East”, Sun quoted him as saying.
“But it looks like after the war, they were forgotten. I think Nigeria should look for these great minds that may not have had university education but in terms of innovativeness, they sustained to a great deal the then Biafra Republic Army.
“I think that NASENI should move beyond the elite environment and look for these people who I believe are going to add great value to what NASENI has been doing.
“Again, there is need for us to start challenging ourselves. Number one, up till today, toothpicks are still imported; serviette papers are still being imported. Up till today, so many small things are still imported into Nigeria.
“It’s not enough for us to look for the big targets in terms of engineering infrastructure. I think we should not leave behind those small items that we need on daily basis.
“These are things that ordinarily if we have them produced locally, will be patronised by virtually every Nigerian. I will suggest that our immediate target like the President has always said, is that we should produce what we eat,” he stated.

IPOB:Igbo groups pray at Ojukwu’s home, insist on Biafra

 

FROM BIAFRA NATION: No fewer than 16 pro-Biafran groups, on Saturday, converged on the home of the late Igbo leader, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, in Nnewi, Anambra State.

It was gathered that the agitators had a prayer session and insisted that there was no going back on their demand for Biafra.

This was contained in a statement by the leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, Uchenna Madu.

Other groups in attendance included the Eastern Peoples Congress, Biafra United Liberation Council, Joint Revolutionary Council of Biafra, Igbo Hebrew Cultural Restoration, and Biafra Actualisation and Defence Squad.

Others are Biafra Revolutionary Organisation, Biafra Liberation Crusade, Salvation Peoples of Biafra, Ekwenche Organisation, Biafra Peace Corps, Billie Human Rights Initiatives as well as Igbozurume Organisation.

The statement partly read, “All pro-Biafran groups agreed to work together as one for the purpose of Biafra actualisation and restoration. The groups also agreed on the unity of purpose for Biafra and that all pro-Biafran groups should maintain their individual status, name and internal running of their affairs.

“The groups rejected the proposals for states as federating units of Nigeria as part of restructuring; it is totally against the wish and desire of the people of Biafra.

“While we are reaffirming our total commitment to Biafra actualisation, we wish to state that the only kind of restructuring that will be acceptable to us is to recognise the six geopolitical regions as federating units, using the 1963 constitution as a template.”

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BIAFRA LAND:Police speaks on IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu’s whereabouts

 
Commissioner of Police in Abia State, Anthony Ogbizi, has said that sureties of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) should tell the world where he is.
Last month, an Abuja Federal High Court ordered Kanu’s counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor to produce his client.
Justice Binta Nyako ordered Ejiofor to produce the elusive IPOB leader during the next adjournment date of March 28, or for his sureties to explain his whereabouts.
Kanu was admitted to bail on April 25, 2017 and the Chairman, South East Senate caucus, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, a Jewish High Chief Priest, Immanuu-El Shalom and a Chartered Accountant, Tochukwu Uchendu signed his bail bond.
In a chat with the Punch, CP Ogbizi said the Police is not keeping the Biafra agitator.
His words: “Nnamdi Kanu was charged to court; he still has a case in court. He was granted bail by the court, but we heard that he jumped bail.
“The sureties, who secured the bail conditions for Nnamdi Kanu, should tell us his whereabouts.
On his parents whereabouts, the senior officer said: “They have the right to live anywhere they want. Nobody stopped them from going back to their house, but if they decide to live elsewhere, it is their choice.
“None of them is in the custody of the police; so, we are not in a position to say where they are.”
Ogbizi also confirmed that IPOB members were caught with arms
“We recovered weapons like petrol bomb, rifles and other weapons.
“We also recovered their insignias; we got a lot of information concerning the military wing of IPOB that they were training and teaching their members military tactics.”

 

A human right activist, Mrs Aisha Wakil, on Wednesday expressed joy over the release of the Dapchi school girls from Boko Haram captivity.

The News men reports the Federal Government announced the release of the girls abducted by the insurgents at Government Science and Technical School, Dapchi on February 19.

The insurgents transported the girls back to Dapchi in the early hours of today.

Wakil, popularly called “Mama Boko Haram”, who appeared highly elated, told the News men that she received the news of the release of the girls with “great joy.”

She commanded the Federal Government and other parties who contributed to the development, and expressed the hope that the remaining girls including Chibok girls would also be released soon.

“I am highly elated over the release of the girls, it is a welcome development,” she said.

The News men  report Wakil had earlier indicated interest to work towards the release of the abducted girls.

Also, Malam Bashir Manzo, the Chairman, Parents Association of the Dapchi Abducted Girls, said that they were happy over the development.

Manzo disclosed that they were currently taking head count of the girls, adding most of them had returned to their homes.

Similarly, Mr Maina Musa and Ayuba Alamson, parents of abducted Chibok school girls, expressed joy over the development.

They, however, tasked the government to secure the release of the remaining school girls in insurgents’ captivity.

“It is disheartening on our part to see that our remaining children are still languishing in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents in the past four years,” Alamson said.

Alamson noted that over 100 Chibok girls were in Boko Haram captivity since 2014.

He called on the international community to support the Federal Government secure release of the girls and others still in captivity.

The News men  reports also that representatives of the Chibok Parents Association had this morning paid a solidarity visit to Dapchi, to rejoice with the affected families.

NIGERIA PEOPLE:I have sex with 4 men every night for N1,000 – 17-year-old girl

 
The Lagos State Police Command yesterday paraded some underage girls allegedly lured into prostitution by human trafficking agents.
The victims told newsmen how they ended up being prostitutes in a hotel at Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos.
Some of the girls, between 15 and 19, disclosed that they slept with at least four men every night for N1,000 each.
One of them, aged 17 (names withheld), said: “I am an orphan. Someone directed me here from Calabar, Cross River State.
“I started four months ago. I attend to at least four men every night and collect N1,000 from each of them; but I use condom.”
Another 15-year-old girl claimed that she came from Oron, Cross River State, to collect money from her sister, Monica, alleged to be the trafficker.
Jovelin Edet, a mother of one, disclosed that she left her three-year-old child in her friend’s care in Akwa Ibom State, after she was assured of getting a job in Lagos.
“I have been in the hotel for seven months. But I attend to one or two men every night and I collect N3,000 from each of them, for short time. But when I follow customers home, I collect N5,000.
“My parents are not aware of what I do in Lagos. I use the money to take care of myself and also send to my friend on weekly or monthly basis, to take care of my baby.”
Destiny Itabasi, a mother of one who also abandoned her three-year-old baby back in her home town in Akwa Ibom, said she was invited to the hotel four months ago, adding that she makes at least N15,000 weekly from prostitution.
Meanwhile, the alleged coordinators, Thomas Emmanuel, 29, and Okon John, 34, denied bringing the girls from their villages, claiming that the girls came on their own.
They added that the commercial sex workers pay them N3,000 weekly as rent.

NEWS UPDATE:12 soldiers killed as gunmen attack Kaduna village

 
A source who is conversant with the development confided in PRNigeria that the well-armed bandits stormed a military post at Doka, an area between Funtua and Birnin Gwari and killed the soldiers on the spot and the bodies of the slain soldiers have been dumped in a mortuary. In what seems like a daring reprisal attack, bandits loyal to an assassinated gang leader, Buharin Daji, killed eleven (11) Nigerian soldiers Tuesday night in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Nigeria further gathered that the gunmen had earlier attacked Maganda District in the afternoon on a revenge mission over the killing of Buhari Tsoho where nine (9) members of security volunteer groups were critically injured.
After Maganda, the Armed bandits moved towards Kampanin Doka at the junction road leading to Gwaska and Dansadau and relaunched another attack leading to the death of the soldiers.
A leader of security volunteer groups in the town said that the community had notified Kaduna State government since last week of strange movements of bandits in Birnin Gwari through Funtua-Dansadau axis but no action was taken.
The source said: “With the killing of the bandit commander, Buhari Daji at Nabango area under Birnin-Gwari local government of Kaduna State just 16 kilometers to Dansadau in Zamfara state, there were strange movements of some of the armed men in the area.
“Suspicious of their movements with sophisticated weapons around Goron Dutse, Kuiga, Maganda, Unguwar Nachibi communities, we immediately sent alerts and warning signals to Kaduna state government to take action.
“In fact since the killing of Buharin Daji, kidnappers have been having field days along Birnin-Gwari-Funtua road on a daily basis. Some villagers being terrorized by armed bandits in Kirazo and Layin Mai Gwari had to relocate to Birnin-Gwari town.
“Surprisingly, shortly afterwards, some soldiers that were deployed for ‘Operation Karamin Goro’ in Birnin-Gwari were withdrawn, leaving behind few soldiers who stayed inside the town.
“We have been under intense fear of this armed group and have called for proactive government protection before the latest killing of soldies”.