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The jihadists said the biggest bombing in Iraq's capital for three years was aimed at Shia Muslims.

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The world's first coronavirus lockdown began in Wuhan a year ago - how has China changed since then?

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The trial of Israeli businessman Beny Steinmetz is seen as the biggest corruption case in mining.

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The new board will decide whether the former president can use Facebook and Instagram again.

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Africa will have to wait "weeks if not months" before getting WHO-approved vaccines, officials say.

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The author behind the book speaks exclusively to the BBC about the news of a second series.

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Vanessa Pérez, 25, and her siblings lost their mother to Covid. She's now the primary caregiver.

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Doctors in the Amazon's biggest city, Manaus, are struggling to control rising numbers of deaths and cases.

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Democrat Ala'a and Republican Caleb, both 16, on whether President Biden's call for unity can be achieved.

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When her friends died in childbirth, a Nigerian woman hatched a plan to make a difference.

The Director General, Centre for Justice and Ethnicity in Nigeria, Pastor Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa, has urged governors of southern states to emulate a recent move by their Ondo counterpart, Rotimi Akeredolu, to prevent Fulani herders taking over their land.

Akeredolu had earlier banned night grazing and given an ultimatum to herders in the state to vacate forest reserves. 

The Director General, Centre for Justice on Religion and Ethnicity in Nigeria, Kallamu Musa Ali Dikwa

Speaking in an interview with SaharaReporters, the Borno cleric described Akeredolu's action as a step in the right direction.

He, however, urged governors from the South-East, South-West and South-South to follow suit.

He said, "The southern governors had better take charge of their lands and send the Fulani people back to the North. Must they stay in the South? I am speaking from experience because I am from Borno State and these people took all our land. They sent our fathers and mothers away from the farms. Our people are in internally displaced persons’ camps; they cannot stay in the villages for fear of being killed.

"Any Fulani you see in Borno is a settler, we accommodated them and see what we got. The target is Southern Nigeria and it is better the people speak up now, so that Fulani will not take over the land."

He also alleged that the Fulani people causing trouble in the country are from neighbouring countries with a mission to take over the economy. 

According to him, the majority of the bureau de change operators in Abuja hardly speak Hausa language as they either come from Mali or Niger Republic.

He added, "In Abuja here, the bureau de change operators cannot even speak Hausa, they are not Nigerians but Nigeriens. They have come to take over the economy and once they do that, they will start controlling us."

He revealed that a northern Christian cleric who was kidnapped and later freed was told by his captors that they planned to kill all the Christians in the North and thereafter storm Southern Nigeria.

He said: "That pastor will not tell you this, they are being diplomatic with this kind of information instead of speaking out so everybody will know. The problem of insecurity has come to stay, but we need to speak out so the narrative can change. We can't keep folding our arms while our people are being killed. 

"Two of the kidnappers who kidnapped the pastor here in the North are actually based in Benin City, Edo State; they are already in the South. The onus is on the governors to take charge. Federal government will not help anyone."

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Zeenat, the wife of the leader of Islamic Movement in Nigeria, has tested positive for COVID-19 in the Kaduna State Correctional Centre where both are being held.

SaharaReporters learnt from family sources that despite her testing positive, the government has refused to grant her access to medical care which is fuelling a lot of worries.

Zakzaky and wife Zeenat

“Please, my brother, Malama Zeenat Ibrahim Zakzaky has COVID-19 in Kaduna Prison. She has been denied all form of medical care! I'm quite worried,” a family source told SaharaReporters.

Also, El-Zakzaky’s son, Mohammed, in a statement he signed and sent to journalists on Thursday, said his mother had completely lost her sense of smell. 

He said, “Six days ago after a routine visit to the Kaduna State prison by my parents' doctors, my mother complained of fatigue, fever and a complete loss of the ability to smell. The doctors decided to carry out a number of standard tests in order to understand what the problem was. Among the tests that were carried out was a test for COVID-19.

“This was a routine procedure and it is important to understand that she has been denied treatment for acute medical conditions, including severe arthritis of the knee for years now.

“The COVID-19 test came back positive. I imagined that due to the diligent way in which the prison management had been conducting and managing the facility, a COVID-19 outbreak would be extremely unlikely. Because we have been doing our own due diligence and taking all possible measures at all times, we imagined that they were safe from the clear and present danger of COVID-19.”

Though a Muslim, El-Zakzaky spent his sixth consecutive December 25 in detention last year.

El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, were arrested by security operatives on December 14, 2015, after a clash between his followers and officers of the Nigerian Army.

At least 500 Shiites were killed during the incident with no army officer charged for the crime ever since.

But, El-Zakzaky and Zeenat have remained in detention despite several court orders calling for their release.

They are both facing eight counts of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly and disruption of public peace, among others.

The government accused the IMN of not recognising the Nigerian constitution and authority. 

His prolonged detention has fuelled several protests by members of the Shiite movement in many Nigeria cities.

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The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has apologised to Nigerians over the excesses of some police officers that resulted in last year’s #EndSARS protests. 

The police also said they have learnt their lessons and appropriate steps are being taken to ensure effective policing in the country.

The protests, held in some states, called for an end to police brutality and the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a police unit infamous for its notoriety and human rights abuses. 

According to Guardian, the new Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 11, comprising Oyo and Osun states, Agunbiade Oluyemi, stated this during his visit to Oyo State, where the new Commissioner of Police (CP), Mrs. Ngozi Onadeko, received him.

Oluyemi, who met strategic stakeholders in the state’s security architecture, including religious, traditional, and market leaders, as well as the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), also held a private meeting with top police officers in the state.

He maintained that some Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives missed the point when they started arresting suspected Internet fraudsters, undergraduates, and other youths with laptops in the country.

He also urged members of the public to report policemen in mufti, saying the Force Headquarters had mandated all officers who must carry out assignments on the road or highway to wear their uniforms.

The police boss cautioned people against tagging crime and criminal activities to some particular ethnic groups, noting that such acts could lead to an ethnic crisis.

He said, “We want all stakeholders to appeal to members of the public that the police are now back stronger and we are ready to work for the people. We will have a robust relationship with the public and we want Nigerians to have confidence in us and give us useful information.

“There is no way criminals will overcome us. The crimes they commit affect all of us in one way or another. We won’t allow criminals to have their way and we have rolled out new strategies in tackling the criminals.

“The new Police Constabularies that were just recruited will be complementing the Force in intelligence gathering for effective service delivery and we have also marked out some strategies that will make our job easier and more effective.”

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A newly recruited Police Constable, David Friday, attached to Olofin Police Station in the Idanre Local Government Area, has been arrested for armed robbery.

David was arrested alongside a soldier serving with the 32 Artillery Brigade, Nigerian Army, Owena Cantonment, Innocent Victor.

Ondo Police Commissioner, Bolaji Salami, who paraded the suspects, said David earlier stole an exhibit motorcycle at his duty post.

Salami said, “He was being tried for that motorcycle theft when he was caught conspiring with a soldier to rob some people with a dagger. We paraded them and the victims identified them. Other victims came and identified them. When we are done with our investigation, we will charge them to court.”

The soldier however denied involvement in the allegation, saying he stepped back at the scene of the incident.

Other suspects paraded were one Wasiu Lateef, who was alleged to have defiled a teenager in an uncompleted building in Lapanu village and a suspected teenage kidnapper, Bello Ali, who could not explain what he was doing in a forest between Uso and Ogbese.

Also, one Desmond Ikechukwu, who impersonating a soldier to intimidate members of the public, was also paraded.
 

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Two Nigerians have been deported from India for overstaying their visas, the Delhi Police said on Thursday.

In a statement on its Twitter page, the Dwarka Police said the two Nigerians and a Sudanese, were arrested by police from the Uttam Nagar during patrol duty. 

The trio were found living in India without valid visas and passports. 

The two Nigerians were among ten Nigerian nationals picked up by the police from the Uttam Nagar in Dwarka district on Wednesday, January 6. 
 
When the police team asked the Nigerians to show their visas and passports, they failed to produce them. 
 
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dwarka, Santosh Kumr Meena, who confirmed the development, described their action as a gross violation of the Indian visa norms.

"Their visas have also expired but they are continuously staying in India which is a gross violation of the Indian visa norms. They have not provided any suitable reason and supportive documents for their overstay in India," he said. 
 

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I have just read the text of a speech delivered by the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Mr. Seyi Makinde, threatening the Yorùbá sons and daughters in Ibarapa area of the Pacesetter State, who are trying to protect their families from the murdering Fulani herdsmen. He is asking the Ibarapa sons and daughters, in the mode of that sentry of misery, Femi Adesina, that they give up their freedom and liberty, their lives and land.

The speech which with enthusiasm, excoriated the Yorùbá victims of Fulani murders, kidnappings, raping and arson, smacks of rant of a favoured slave. For Makinde to come out with this kind of threat against his own people, shows that he is a collaborator with the enemies of Yorùbá Nation. He is an enabler of the fulani aggressors on Yorùbá land. Makinde, with that speech, shows that he is happy with the murdering of innocent Yorùbá sons and daughters. He is ready to fight on the side of Fulani herdsmen against the Yorùbá people who voted for him to protect them.

Remi Oyeyemi

Makinde, savouring the comfort of the Agodí Government House that Obafemi Awolowo  built, for the glory of Elédùmarè and the edification of the Yorùbá race, is actively conniving to destroy the Yorùbá Nation and foster the killings, kidnappins and raping of Yorùbá sons and daughters. He is using the comfort of Agodí Government House to empower the slave masters and  sell out the Yorùbá children who might survive the current killings and kidnappings. He is collaborating with the Fulani to subjugate Ibarapa Land and by extension, the Pacesetter State, and by implication, the entire Yorùbá Nation.

He has pitched his tent with the mercantilist politicians in the Yorùbá Nation, believing that selling Yorùbá land is the best way to advance his own political fortune in the God forsaken Nigeria. He has settled for the role of Afonja to betray Yorùbá sons and daughters. He made it clear in that speech that he does not give a damn how many Yorùbá sons and daughters were murdered in their land. He doesn't give a hoot, how many Yorùbá sons and daughters are kidnapped. He doesn't care how many hectares of farm lands are left desolate. He is calling himself a traitor before others get the chance to characterise him as such 

Gov. Makinde said the following:

"I had cause to call out members of the press who were allowing themselves to be used to stoke ethnic tensions among the good people of Oyo State. There have been stories in the press targeted at exaggerating the security situation in the state."

This is very irresponsible of Gov. Makinde. He is elected to protect the lives of the people of Oyo State and he is found wanting. He has not been able to give just one example of false report made by the press of a murder or kidnap by the Fulani. Makinde is not able to show that any of the persons reported killed is still alive to substantiate his false allegations of "exaggeration." He has not been able to falsify any report of kidnap in Ibarapa and elsewhere in Oyo State and yet he is making irresponsible and treacherous statements.

In an obvious contradiction of himself. In the very next paragraph, he said:

"... we cannot overlook the fact that there have indeed been instances that cause concern." 

He then followed up with this blatant falsehood:

"The fragile peace between the herdsmen and farmers in Oke Ogun is being threatened."

Which peace is Makinde talking about in Òkè-Ògùn? Is this the same Òkè-Ògùn that farms have been continuously destroyed by the Fulani and their cows? Is it the same Òkè-Ògùn where people have been repeatedly murdered and kidnapped? Does Makinde think that because he is a governor, then he has the right to tell stinking lies? Must he sacrifice the lives of people of Ibarapa because of his ambition? Does he think his falsehood about non-existent peace would be bought hook, line and sinker, because he is a governor?

Makinde, in a characteristic trait of a betrayal surmised as follows:

"Individuals who are not authorised are going around chasing people from their homes and causing mayhem. This assault on residents of Oyo State is not the way to further the Yoruba cause."

Could anyone imagine this kind of warped thinking? So, Makinde thinks he needed to authorize self defence for our citizens? Having failed as Governor of the State to protect the citizens who voted for him, he expects them to take permission from his directionless and treacherous Government, before they take care of their own safety and the protection of their lands? What kind of malodorous arrogance is this?

Then, he threatened:

"Let me state that we shall not sit back and watch anyone make any law-abiding resident of Oyo State feel unsafe in their homes, farms, or business places. We are aware of some people circulating flyers and giving people ultimatums to leave their land. This is totally unacceptable and will not be condoned."

People who preside on the affairs of others are not expected to exude this level of idiocy, that Makinde showcased in the above statement. Where has he been all these days, weeks and months that law-abiding Yorùbá sons and daughters have been subjected to killing, raping, maiming and kidnapping?  Where has Makinde been when the Fulani marauders have been making the law-abiding Yorùbá sons and daughters "feel unsafe in their homes, farms or business places"?

So, it is acceptable to Seyi Makinde that law-abiding Yorùbá sons and daughters are murdered or kidnapped? So, it is okay by him that our farms and lands are destroyed? Makinde is telling us that he had been deliberately condoning the dangerous activities of the fulani marauders. He is now talking to soldiers of the Caliphate, collaborating with them on how to subjugate the sons and daughters of Pacesetter State who are resisting subjugation and enslavement by the Fulani expansionists!

The way he ranted about the fake Constitution that he is brandishing as an empowering instrument showed that he has lost it. Where was the same Constitution when we were being murdered and maimed by the Fulani? Has Makinde just waking up to realise there was a Constitution? So, the Constitution did not empower him to protect the sons and daughters of Yorùbá land?

Governor Seyi Makinde is the new traitor to the Yorùbá Nation. Everyone should watch him very closely. He is the latest politician of mercantilist hue on the block. He could not and should not be trusted. Any politician that is willing to sacrifice his people for political ambition is a dangerous creature that must be watched closely and frustrated. He does not deserve our support.

We are watching all of them. We hear our own Aketi. The one and only Rotimi Akeredolu, the Governor of Ondo State. We know those who are standing for us. Those who are not driven by any morbid ambition at the expense of their people. We know those who are not bastards. We know those who are speaking up to protect our land, our heritage, our people. Each and everyone shall be rewarded for their roles in due course. It is a matter of when, rather than a matter of if.

© Rèmí Oyèyemí

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One of the victims of the recent tanker explosion that occured at Abeokuta, Ogun State died on Thursday, two days after the incident.

The deceased, a 42-year-old man, died at the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta shortly before he was about to undergo surgery, The PUNCH reported. 

The deceased, whose name was not disclosed, was among the six victims who were evacuated on Tuesday from the scene of the tanker explosion that occurred on the presidential Boulevard, Kuto, Abeokuta.

Three persons lost their lives immediately in the explosion while six others, including the latest victim to lose his life, were taken to the state hospital and the Federal Medical Centre.

The Head of Public Relations at the FMC, Abeokuta, Segun Orisajo, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. See Also News UPDATE: Three Burnt To Death In Ogun Tanker Explosion 0 Comments 2 Days Ago

‌He said, “On admission, he along with the two other patients were put on intravenous fluid resuscitation in accordance with the established protocols for the management of burns.

“Following the observed difficulty in passing urine, he was scheduled to be put on dialysis but he died in the early hours of this morning before he could go on dialysis.

“The FMC Medical Director, Prof Adewale Musa-Olomu, lamented the loss of the patient and sympathised with his family over the unfortunate development.

“He described as very critical the 96% flame injury presented by the deceased.

“Musa-Olomu, while checking on the two other patients, said they were in stable condition and responding to treatment.”

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Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has denied claims by Deborah Okezie, mother of Deeper Life Schoolboy allegedly assaulted by senior students, that he threatened her.

SaharaReporters earlier reported how Okezie, in a Facebook post on Thursday, alleged that she was threatened by Omokri and some Deeper Life church members for going public with allegations that his son was abused in the school. 

Reno Omokri

"Reno Omokri called me that I should go and apologise on national newspaper and on TV, that if I do not do that, anything I see, I take. To me, that is a threat," she had said.

But reacting hours after the post, Omokri said he was willing to pay Okezie N100 million as compensation if she could show proof he ever threatened her. 

The post read, "I have never called Don-Davis’ mother or communicated with her in any way, shape or form and I will pay the N100 million she demanded from Deeper Life If she proves I threatened her."

In a video, Omokri said, "This morning I got up and saw a video by Don-Davis' mother alleging that I threatened her life and asked her to apologise to Deeper Life and to take out a newspaper advert apologising to Deeper Life. I have never done anything like that. It's not true. I don't have any contact with Don-Davis' mother. I am not even a member of Deeper Life, why will I do that?

"Three weeks ago, when she accused Pastor (William) Kumuyi of being after her life. She said if anything happens to her, Nigerians should hold Pastor Kumuyi responsible. I did come out in defence of Pastor Kumuyi because Pastor Kumuyi, although I'm not a member of Deeper Life, is somebody that has had an influence in my life since I was a child and I'm now almost 50 and I knew Pastor Kumuyi would not do that. That was all I did."

He added, "Provide the evidence and N100 million will be paid to you today."

The case of the minor, who was allegedly assaulted in the school owned by Deeper Christian Life Ministry, has continued to make the headlines with Okezie demanding justice for her son.

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The appeal division of the Kano State High Court has set aside the death sentence passed on Aminu Yahaya Sharif, a Kano singer, charged with blasphemy.

The two-man panel of the court, in a judgment on the appeal filed by Sharif, ordered a retrial of the case on the grounds that the whole proceedings at the lower court were characterised with irregularities.

Yahaya Sharif Aminu

The court, in another appeal, also set aside the judgement and sentencing of Umar Faruk, a 13-year-old boy who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on the charge of blasphemy.

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Seriki of the Fulanis in Ibarapa, Oyo State, Saliu Abdukadir, has claimed the Fulanis are peaceful people who obey the government and not criminals.

He disclosed this in an interview with the BBC while responding to the Yoruba freedom fighter's vacation order, Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho, to herders in Oyo State.

Igboho had earlier warned of impending doom if the herders did not leave Ibarapa by Friday.

He claimed that the Fulani herders have more sophisticated weapons than the Western Nigeria Security Network's operatives, codenamed Amotekun.

Reacting to the order, the Seriki dismissed a claim that the Fulanis working with him are the kidnappers and murderers terrorising the area.

Buttressing his point, the monarch said he and his people are also victims of the attacks. 

He, however, admitted that some of the arrested kidnappers are indeed Fulanis.

He said, "When Igboho came here, his men were shooting, he broke this man's hand. I've been here for over 45 years (crying). 

"Truly, some of these kidnappers are Fulani, but when they arrest some and ask them where they had come from, they will say Zamfara, Kebbi. We are also victims. They take our cows and us; we just paid the ransom for one of our people."

He alleged that the Yoruba leaders had not looked inwards to solve insecurity in the state.

"What they are supposed to tackle is not yet tackled. At Igangan there, scavengers are plenty there, some of them are not scavengers but thieves.

"We don't go against the government; we do their bidding."

In an earlier report, Igboho had alleged that Fulani people in Ibarapa are killing people. 

He said, "Look at this Doctor Fatai, who went abroad for many years to work. He made his money, came back to his father's village in Igangan, built farms and employed people to work with him. Fulani people ruined the farm for him. He approached the Seriki of the Fulani that this ought not to be, and they tied him and butchered him.

"There are many others like that; the Fulani people killed and kidnapped some. The least they accept as ransom is N7 million, N10 million, N11 million on our soil. This hurts me. I said if I should keep quiet because it has not got to me or because I have those who are guarding me, how about people who do not have any form of protection?

"That was why I went there to ask the Seriki if this thing his men are doing is good. They have been living with us on our soil for years, and we accommodate them. I talked to the Seriki, and one of his men pointed a gun at me. I collected the gun. Another one brought out an axe; we collected it. Another one brought out another gun and shot at me. I told them I was not there to fight but to tell them that if they would not find a lasting solution to the problem of kidnapping and killing, they should leave our land."

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Seriki of the Fulanis in Ibarapa, Oyo State, Saliu Abdukadir, has claimed the Fulanis are peaceful people who obey the government and not criminals.

He disclosed this in an interview with the BBC while responding to the Yoruba freedom fighter's vacation order, Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho, to herders in Oyo State.

Igboho had earlier warned of impending doom if the herders did not leave Ibarapa by Friday.

He claimed that the Fulani herders have more sophisticated weapons than the Western Nigeria Security Network's operatives, codenamed Amotekun.

Reacting to the order, the Seriki dismissed a claim that the Fulanis working with him are the kidnappers and murderers terrorising the area.

Buttressing his point, the monarch said he and his people are also victims of the attacks. 

He, however, admitted that some of the arrested kidnappers are indeed Fulanis.

He said, "When Igboho came here, his men were shooting, he broke this man's hand. I've been here for over 45 years (crying). 

"Truly, some of these kidnappers are Fulani, but when they arrest some and ask them where they had come from, they will say Zamfara, Kebbi. We are also victims. They take our cows and us; we just paid the ransom for one of our people."

He alleged that the Yoruba leaders had not looked inwards to solve insecurity in the state.

"What they are supposed to tackle is not yet tackled. At Igangan there, scavengers are plenty there, some of them are not scavengers but thieves.

"We don't go against the government; we do their bidding."

In an earlier report, Igboho had alleged that Fulani people in Ibarapa are killing people. 

He said, "Look at this Doctor Fatai, who went abroad for many years to work. He made his money, came back to his father's village in Igangan, built farms and employed people to work with him. Fulani people ruined the farm for him. He approached the Seriki of the Fulani that this ought not to be, and they tied him and butchered him.

"There are many others like that; the Fulani people killed and kidnapped some. The least they accept as ransom is N7 million, N10 million, N11 million on our soil. This hurts me. I said if I should keep quiet because it has not got to me or because I have those who are guarding me, how about people who do not have any form of protection?

"That was why I went there to ask the Seriki if this thing his men are doing is good. They have been living with us on our soil for years, and we accommodate them. I talked to the Seriki, and one of his men pointed a gun at me. I collected the gun. Another one brought out an axe; we collected it. Another one brought out another gun and shot at me. I told them I was not there to fight but to tell them that if they would not find a lasting solution to the problem of kidnapping and killing, they should leave our land."

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Former Vice-President and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday wrote a message of goodwill to the newly sworn-in United States President, Joe Biden, urging him to assist Nigeria on some challenges.

In a statement titled, “Message of Goodwill To President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris”, Atiku noted that many challenges bedevilling Nigeria required the U.S. intervention.

He said, “As President Joe Biden begins his tenure as the 46th President of the United States of America, I am confident that this new era will mark America’s regeneration and her reaffirmation as the beacon of democracy to the world.

“As I congratulate President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, I urge them and their administration to strengthen US-Nigeria ties and help our beloved nation’s war on terror by providing every type of support required to win our battle against the insurgency we face and that threatens the peace of our sub-region.

“I also look forward to the removal of every travel restriction on Nigerian citizens, in keeping with the good relations that have existed between our two nations, beginning with the July 27, 1961 state visit of our first Prime Minister, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, to President John F Kennedy, and continuing over the decades since then.

“As the playwright, George Bernard Shaw once said, America and Nigeria are two nations divided by a common language. And millions of Nigerians and I wish to see that relationship sustained to the mutual benefit of our democratic countries.

“Congratulations once again and may God bless both our nations and bring about a beneficial tenure for your administration.”

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Former Vice-President and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday wrote a message of goodwill to the newly sworn-in United States President, Joe Biden, urging him to assist Nigeria on some challenges.

In a statement titled, “Message of Goodwill To President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris”, Atiku noted that many challenges bedevilling Nigeria required the U.S. intervention.

He said, “As President Joe Biden begins his tenure as the 46th President of the United States of America, I am confident that this new era will mark America’s regeneration and her reaffirmation as the beacon of democracy to the world.

“As I congratulate President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, I urge them and their administration to strengthen US-Nigeria ties and help our beloved nation’s war on terror by providing every type of support required to win our battle against the insurgency we face and that threatens the peace of our sub-region.

“I also look forward to the removal of every travel restriction on Nigerian citizens, in keeping with the good relations that have existed between our two nations, beginning with the July 27, 1961 state visit of our first Prime Minister, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, to President John F Kennedy, and continuing over the decades since then.

“As the playwright, George Bernard Shaw once said, America and Nigeria are two nations divided by a common language. And millions of Nigerians and I wish to see that relationship sustained to the mutual benefit of our democratic countries.

“Congratulations once again and may God bless both our nations and bring about a beneficial tenure for your administration.”

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The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a member of a gang planning to organise a nude party in selected places in Ilorin, the state capital.

Parading the suspect, Akinsola Babatunde, aka Mr White, in Ilorin on Wednesday, the state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Bagega, said credible intelligence on the gang's activities led to the arrest of the suspect at No. 16 Achimugu Street, Ilorin.

Tribune Online

The police boss, who said organisers of the party advertised the show on social media for prospective attendees for N20,000 per person, added that they planned to hold it in lounges, clubhouses and service apartments.

Bagega stated, "The immoral and illegal action of Mr White and his accomplices contradict the COVID-19 protocols and promote crime and criminality.

"Operatives of the State Intelligence Bureau attached to the command carried out a string operation involving tactical undercover and manoeuvre. We played along with them by posing as interested persons. We paid the advertised sum of N20,000 to a given bank account. With the other stakeholders' cooperation, we arrested the suspect while going to withdraw the money in the bank.

"Efforts are ongoing to arrest the fleeing members of the gang; the one in custody will be charged as soon as investigation is completed."

Also paraded were two suspected kidnappers of four Turkish nationals rescued by the police in July 2019 at Gbugbu village in the Edu Local Government Area of the state.

The CP stated, "In a concerted effort by the men of the command and members of the community, four of the six gang members were arrested with an AK-47 rifle and the victims were rescued without the payment of ransom.

"The suspects being paraded today mentioned two others as members of their syndicate. We are searching for the two fleeing suspects."

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The Zamfara State Government has accused former Governor Abdulaziz Yari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of sabotaging the war against insecurity.

In a statement on Wednesday, the government said Yari and other members of the APC are not happy with the peace so far recorded by the present administration and have been instigating residents against the security development.

Abdulaziz Yari

The statement read, "The general public has been hearing so many unconfirmed series of reports about the alleged plans of Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle of Zamfara State from PDP to the APC which is not yet officially confirmed.

"However, if Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle finally decides to join the APC today, that means, he will automatically be the party leader in the state. He will become the constituted authority of the APC in Zamfara State.

"At this point, it's important for former governor Yari to note that Zamfara State APC is not dedicated to a particular group or individual. He should have it at the back of his mind that the national leadership of the APC will be very glad to receive any PDP governor because national interest will and must supersede his interest as an individual.

"Finally, we would like to, at this point, advise the good people of Zamfara state, especially the APC, to please stop jeopardising, and politicising the ongoing operation to wipe out banditry in the state, by the team of patriotic security operatives.

"The APC should please stop bringing the Nigerian Army into Zamfara politics as we have seen it done recently by some educated illiterate APC members. Our hearts and prayers are always with our security operatives who are paying the grave price in the process of maintaining the territorial integrity of our dear country."

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A former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to divert the proposed N400bn for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines to tackle the worsening insecurity in the country. 

He urged the government to show more concern on insecurity than the pandemic that had barely taken 2, 000 lives.

In a statement on Wednesday, the former governor said northerners and indeed all Nigerians are not happy with the security situation in the country.

He said, "The government appears to have abandoned the situation and channelled all its effort to a pandemic that has taken barely 2000 lives in the country.

"When I see that things are not going well, I cannot keep quiet. If I keep quiet, other parts of the country would accuse us of promoting what is bad. The reality is that we in the North are not happy with the way things are going.

"I see Nigeria as one country; it is not a question of whether the president is a northerner. We are not saying this based on our interest. We are saying this on behalf of the people who do not have the opportunity to say it. I believe most Nigerians have the same feeling. 

"In my village, about 14 people were killed just two days ago; security has not improved."

He added, "About 2000 people died last year from Coronavirus, come to think of how many lives were killed within a year, 3000 to 400,000 people died from insecurity. 

"Now we are talking about 400 billion, and just about 2,000 people have died. Why can't we divert this money for security? Insecurity is Nigeria's Coronavirus because we don't have much COVID-19 in Nigeria.

"Coronavirus has taken lives less than insecurity. Insecurity has taken lives and property. Look at the danger the insecurity is bringing, if we use that 400 billion to buy security equipment, it will do a lot in curbing insecurity.

He also asked the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 to account for the N3.5bn spent so far by the taskforce.

Bafarawa said, "Nigerians need to know how this N3.5bn was spent, not just to hear figures. We need to have a breakdown; they should be transparent and tell the public what they have done."

He urged the government to prioritise sensitising the public before bringing the COVID-19 vaccines, saying 60 percent of Nigerians don't even believe in the virus.

"Instead of asking for N400bn now, let us sensitise our people. How do you expect to spend N400bn to bring the drugs when people are not convinced to take the drugs? Supposing people refuse to take the vaccines, the N400bn becomes a waste. So, we have to sensitise people to agree that this Coronavirus is real and the vaccines are real, let them be convinced. Remember what happened with the vaccine polio."

He said the money would be better used to tackle banditry, kidnapping, and other forms of insecurity in the country.

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The Worldwide Leader of the Yoruba global movement, Ilana Omo Oodua, Prof Banji Akintoye, has accused the Presidency of supporting criminality by faulting Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu's order asking herdsmen to vacate forest reserves in the state.

In an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, the historian asked people of the Yoruba race and Nigerians to prepare to defend themselves against herdsmen.

Professor Banji Akintoye

He accused Fulani herdsmen of engaging in full-scale criminality since President Muhammadu Buhari became Nigeria's president. 

The Yoruba elder wondered why the Federal Government had refused to prosecute many Fulani herdsmen engaging in criminal activities. 

He said, "The Presidency is now initiating a very dangerous doctrine of governance in Nigeria. The presidency is now saying that the state's authority no longer includes the security of the people of the state. 

"That is not only bad but dangerous to the existence of Nigeria. It is an assessment of the quality of governance in Nigeria by the rest of the world.

"All Nigerians who are being assaulted, raped, and killed by the Fulani must defend themselves; not only Yorubas or those living in Ondo. If we continue to wait for the Federal Government, these herdsmen will kill all of us. We must rise to defend ourselves.

"The Nigerian government has shown again that it is working for the Fulani. I don't think anybody should be afraid to say that because it is the truth. The Fulani has been committing crimes on a massive scale since 2015 in Nigeria. 

"The government has never owned up that they are committing the crime. They have been going around kidnapping, killing people, and destroying farms, properties, and villages on a persistent scale and those things are crimes under the laws of Nigeria. In some parts of the country, it looks as if the army is colluding with them (herdsmen)."

The Ilana Omo Oodua leader commended Akeredolu, urging Yoruba to support him. 

"Akeredolu should be commended for his decision, for his courage and show of knowledge of the land. We support what he is doing. We are waiting for what government would come and do in Ondo State," he added. 

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President Joe Biden said Wednesday that outgoing president Donald Trump had left him a "very generous" letter in the Oval Office, in keeping with tradition.

"The president wrote a very generous letter," Biden told reporters at the White House.

"Because it's private, I will not talk about it until I talk to him," he said.

President Joe Biden

It was unclear until Wednesday whether Trump would maintain the tradition of outgoing presidents leaving notes for their successors after he opted to skip Biden's inauguration and never formally congratulated him on his election win.

Donald Trump left a letter to his successor Joe Biden before leaving the White House, spokesman Judd Deere told AFP minutes after the outgoing president's departure. 

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Trump, who refused to accept his defeat for more than two months, never congratulated Biden on his victory.

"We are just temporary occupants of this office," Barack Obama wrote in his note to Trump four years ago, left in the Oval Office in line with presidential tradition.

"That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions… that our forebears fought and bled for. Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it's up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them," he added.

Touted as one of the classiest left by a president, the letter was written by Republican George H.W. Bush to Bill Clinton, who had made Bush a one-term president after defeating him in the 1992 election.

The letter, which Bush left as he departed the White House in 1993, recalled his "sense of wonder and respect" as he walked into the Oval Office four years earlier. 

"There will be very tough times … just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course," Bush wrote.

"You will be our president when you read this note. I wish you well. I wish your family well. Your success now is our country's success. I am rooting hard for you. Good luck," he told his opponent, AFP reports.

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Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says he has forgiven Americans for electing former President Donald Trump whom he described as a racist, monster and a xenophobe.

Soyinka said this during an interview with Arise Television on Wednesday.

Wole Soyinka DW

The Nobel Laureate, who had in 2016 torn his American immigrant visa to shreds over Trump's victory, said he would not be renewing the green card since he could visit the United States even without it.

The playwright, who displayed pieces of his torn green card, stated that America had redeemed itself with Trump's removal.

Soyinka said, "I feel honoured to be associated with the democratic forces of the United States for correcting the unbelievable error that they committed four years ago."

On the green card issue, he said, "I consider myself back in that community from which I dissociated myself four years ago and I am very glad to be back but I am not renewing my green card, it is not necessary. I go in and out as a visiting alien and that is good enough for me."

The Nobel Laureate said he was very much concerned with the US elections in 2016 because it has a huge Nigerian population, adding that America's history would not be complete without blacks.

He said he tried to warn them about the impending danger of a Trump Presidency but his advice was ignored hence his decision to tear his green cars to shreds.

Soyinka added, "The complacency was very painful and I said if you people are so careless as to let this racist, this monster, this xenophobic aberrant, this disrespect of the female gender, this serial bankrupt, this man who called your society a shithole country, if you are so careless as to let him become the next President, I am moving out."

He said in a way he was happy about the attack on the Capitol building by pro-Trump rioters.

The playwright said he wanted Americans to understand how fragile democracy is.

"So, you can imagine what I have felt over the last few weeks, the siege on the Capitol. In a way, it was rather heart-warming for the Americans themselves to feel that what they have been fighting for over a year is not really a given in their society and they had to confront it in a brutal unbelievable way. They came out of it in flying colours.

"It is not over, not by any means, I don't say that for a single moment but it has been a lesson for us in this continent and we should be grateful that it did happen. I am sorry, of course about the loss of life. 

"I regret the disruption of normal life but now we are placed on the same playing level, that we are all fighting for the same virtue in human conduct, the same system we all believe in that you cannot take it for granted, not anymore and for us here in Nigeria, it has been, I hope, it was a heart-warming occasion."

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The attackers detonated explosive belts at a clothing market in Tayaran Square, officials say.

President Joseph Biden’s inaugural speech says it all. The United States of America has overcome the attempted coup of January 6, 2021 incited by President Donald Trump. The country is set to re-assert itself as the citadel of democracy. “Democracy has prevailed.”  Democracy has truly prevailed! 

The coming of Biden, therefore, is not a welcome breeze to the temple of the world’s dictators, where President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria now has a permanent chair.  

Buhari, remember, defeated President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 with the support of the United States under President Barrack Obama, whose second-in-command happened to be Biden. It was believed that the change mantra of Buhari’s campaign could manifest positive change not only in Nigeria but Africa at large.  

But the world quickly found out the hard way. Upon assuming office, Buhari wasted no time before brandishing signs of brazen dictatorship, stocking abject political vendetta, gross human rights abuses, glaring inequity, as well as dizzying dimensions of malfeasance, as well as nonfeasance, especially in the areas of corruption, terrorism, and electoral malpractice. 

The Obama-Biden administration countered by initiating measurable sanctions against Nigeria commensurate with Buhari’s excesses at the time. There was also the hope that the succeeding regime in the United States would keep Buhari accountable.  

Unfortunately for Nigeria, but fortunately for Muhammadu Buhari, Obama’s successor turned out to be Donald Trump, whose foreign policy was diametrically opposite to those of his predecessors. Not only did Trump spearhead an ‘America First’ doctrine that generally viewed the outside world as a miasmic burden, he also equated the entire African continent as a “shithole.”  

Though the U.S. issued occasional rebukes of the Buhari regime, it was easy to read that Trump’s shitty notion of Africa was no joke. Any serious attention on Nigeria was appraised as a plain waste.   

Given that America—the only country he is said to fear—did not seem to care, Buhari quickly capitalized. He would carry on with gross abuse of office without fear of serious consequences for his behavior.  

But change has become inevitable with Biden as U.S. President. His people and policy thus far bear a striking resemblance with those of Obama. In short, pundits have already labeled the new American government as the Obama’s third term. Of no less importance is that Biden’s vice-president, Kamala Harris, is an African American with interesting family ties to Nigeria.  

As the world’s 7th most populous nation, Nigeria matters, and more so to the United States. Unlike the Trump regime, the Biden-Harris administration is keenly aware. The new team has a good grasp of the situation in the African country. They do not need to be told that Nigeria has taken a turn for the worse since the last time Mr. Biden was in government. Africa’s most resourceful nation becoming the home of the world’s poorest people is world news. 

Biden knows Buhari is the problem. As a leader whose inaugural address focused on uniting America regardless of political persuasions, Joseph Robinette Biden knows the problem began with Buhari’s divisive, vindictive, authoritarian, and unapologetic approach. Obama’s Vice-President vividly remembers Buhari’s state visit to Washington, DC late July 2015 where the Nigerian leader had the temerity to use the august occasion to declare that he would perpetrate political vendetta on the constituents who opposed him.  

Biden has seen a similar movie before. Donald Trump!  

Though Buhari is a goldbrick, slowpoke, and neither charismatic nor loquacious, the Nigerian president actually has more in common with Trump. For example, both assumed power; preaching integrity, only to gain the power to emerge as stone-cold bigots and, by far, the most authoritarian, vengeful, tribalistic, and toxic leaders their respective countries have ever known. 

Like Trump, Buhari not only enables election rigging, he has already left democracy worse than he met it. Needless to mention that the two men condone police brutality against certain tribes and creeds in their native countries. It was not a coincidence that the two deadliest protests of this century, Black Lives Matter and #EndSARS, were witnessed under Trump and Buhari, respectively.  

Biden has a sense of history. He remembers Buhari’s broken promises. He remembers the Chibok schoolgirls. The issues of kidnapping, terrorism, poverty, and corruption, which Buhari heightened to gain power, have only worsened. Fulani herdsmen menace, which was designated as a terrorist group under Obama-Biden administration in 2014, continues to kill and maim the Nigerian people with impunity.  

Significantly, unlike Trump and Buhari, Biden listens and has the appetite for in-depth analysis of issues. Instead of being teleguided by the daily doses of lies from the fascistic officials of the Nigerian government, Joseph Biden is broadly versed to consider the innocent opinions of Nigerian-Americans. I mean the very Nigerian ‘Josephs’, many of whom are captains of industries in the various strata of the American society, and some of whom are serving in the Biden-Harris government.  

The true degree of the Nigerian problem will unravel. Biden will learn that the widely publicized popularity of Trump in Nigeria is merely an opposition to Buhari’s bad governance. It is grounded in the reality that the former military dictator, who was greenlighted to democratic power by the Obama-Biden administration, turned out to be a huge disappointment. Take away many Nigerian Christians who thought the disgraced American leader was truly a man of faith, and others who bought his other daily lies, more gullible citizens had strongly believed that only a brutal dictator like Donald J. Trump could tame Buhari and restore Nigeria to a hopeful trajectory.  

Biden’s style is profoundly different. He understands diplomacy trumps dictatorship. Yet he knows true democracy goes with consequences for bad behavior. And while Buhari may appear balmy, the Nigerian president can still tell the difference between night and day. True change is inevitable. Gbam! 

SKC Ogbonnia writes from Houston, Texas, USA 

Twitter #SKCOgbonnia

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