Nigerians were greeted with another orgy of killing in the South -East region of the country last Sunday, following the cold -blooded murder of Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, former Special Adviser on Political Affairs to former President, Goodluck Jonathan.
The deceased alongside one of his friends identified simply as Bernard, were in Owerri, the Imo State capital, for the constitution review sitting.
At the conclusion of the sitting, they left their hotel and headed for Sam Mbakwe International cargo airport, to catch a flight to Abuja, unaware of the danger that loomed ahead.
At Obiangwu junction in Ngor okpala Local Government Area of Imo state, their vehicle was intercepted by some gunmen . Gulak was shot in the forehead and died on the spot.
Fresh facts
Fresh fact that can help the Police in their investigations into the murder and unrest in the South East region has emerged following revelation that Gulak’s assailants spoke Ogoni dialect that fateful day. This was revealed by Bernard who was seated with late Gulak at the back of the Toyota Camry car that was conveying them to the airport.
In his statement to the Police, he gave a blow-by- blow account of how the assailants struck. He also identified the assailants among the suspects that were killed the same day by the Police.
The Journey
According to Bernard, “ We booked a flight to go to Abuja. The aircraft was United Nigeria Airline, an 8.30am flight. We requested the hotel people to get us a taxi that would take us to the airport. We joined the taxi arranged by the hotel exactly five minutes to 6am.
”As we were going along Aba road, we discovered that the road was blocked. I requested to remove the barricade, but they said five Air Force personnel were killed a day before for attempting to remove the barricade and that it would be dangerous to try to remove the barricade because nobody knows who is who.
“ The driver asked if he could take an alternative route and we… When I said we, I meant myself and my late colleague. We asked him(driver) how long it would take to get to the airport, he said about 20 to 30 minutes since the road was virtually free .
Ugly encounter
“ About 15 minutes later , we asked him if we were close to the airport, he said yes, that we had passed through Mbaise . About two minutes to the airport, we got to a place called obianu… obianuju or something,( Obiangwu ) at one sharp bend , we saw three vehicles; two men lying down , eight boys jumping up and down, one Lexus 360, one Toyota Camry and one other van.
“They were just jumping and came to our vehicle and asked the driver to come down, the driver obeyed. Before they took the key from the driver they checked the fuel gauge and said ‘oh.., there is fuel here’.
“They ordered the driver to lie down and asked why he was moving around when there was supposed to be a lockdown order by their people.
We were all shivering. At that time, my colleague and I were at the back . Then, two of them opened the door, one opened the side where I was seated and the other opened the side where my friend was seated. They said, ‘you people should come down , who are you? Lie down, lie down, lie down ‘. At the same time they were jumping up and down.
“One of them engaged the driver, another was questioning me while the third was questioning Gulak .
They spoke in Ogoni dialect and I made a comment. I could speak the language. That’s probably what saved me. The next thing I heard was, ‘oh my God!’ The second one had shot Gulak in the forehead! At that time, I was traumatized. I thought I was already dead. I didn’t know what was happening again. The next thing they did was to drive away. That is all I can remember”.
Identified suspects
Bernard further stated in his report to the Police that the gunmen whose bullet snuffed life out of Gulak, also attacked a truck loaded with onions.
In his additional account, Bernard, who was still dazed by the tragedy, stated that “ After the Police killed some of the suspects the same day, I identified the one that engaged me among them. I also recognized the burnt suspect as the one who shot at my friend, Gulak. Pictures of the suspects killed by Police which went viral on Youtube were the people “.
Police accuse IPOB
The Police have accused the Eastern Security Network, ESN, which is the paramilitary organization of the IPOB of being responsible for the Gulak’s murder. This is also the perception of some Nigerians, as the murder happened on the eve of the sit-at home order given by leader of the group, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, to mark the Biafra Day, to mourn those who were killed during the civil war.
Explaining Police encounter with the suspects, spokesman for the Imo State Police Command, SP Bala Elkana, said when the command received the distress call on the attack on Gulak, “Police Special Forces made up of Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Police Mobile Force (PMF) and Tactical Units from the command were deployed to the scene at Obiangwu Junction at Ngorokpala LGA of Imo state. The teams were given a clear instruction to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of the act with a view of bringing them to justice.
“ Eye witnesses account, especially the driver of the vehicle that was conveying Ahmed Gulak to the Airport before the attack, he gave a vivid description of the assailants and the vehicles they used in carrying out the attack. The assailants were said to have used a Toyota Camry 2005 model with silver color; Toyota Sienna 1998 Model with golden color; Toyota Hilux with white color; and a Lexus RX 330 with golden Color. (Registration numbers are withheld for security reasons).
“Having established the identities of the assailants and the description of the vehicles used in carrying out the attack, the teams further got details of the direction the hoodlums took. With further leads, the team was able to establish the location of suspects. The suspects were rounded up at Afor Enyiogugu junction in Aboh-Mbaise Local Government Area. The hoodlums were met distributing onions to locals from a trailer they confiscated. The trailer was loaded with onions from the Northern region of Nigeria.
“On sighting the Police, the hoodlums providing security coverage to those sharing the onions, had already taken positions waiting for the arrival of any of the security agencies. They opened fire on the Police teams. The Gallant and battle ready Police officers swiftly returned the fire. The six hoodlums who carried out the killing and four other members of their gang were fatally injured..
Recovered
”Three out of the four vehicles used in attacking Gulak were recovered .Three AK 47 Rifles, one pistol, five AK 47 magazines with 92 rounds of live ammunition and criminal charms were recovered. The assailants were identified as members of the proscribed IPOB and ESN.
“The driver who drove late Ahmed Gulak and a co- victim who survived have identified the dead body of the IPOB/ESM members positively as their attackers and also identified the three vehicles recovered as those used by the attackers.
During the encounter, two of the police armored personnel carriers (APC) were riddled with bullets but survived the gun battle”
IPOB’s response
IPOB insisted it had no hand in Gulak’s murder, stressing that assassination of politicians was not part of the group’s agenda . IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful in a statement issued to that effect, said, ”We hereby state without equivocations that IPOB knows nothing about the said assassination. In the first place, what threat did the late Gulak constitute to our cause to warrant his elimination? We had nothing in common with him and could not have in any way killed him.
“Did IPOB have the itinerary of the late Gulak to have waylaid him at the airport? We are only after the restoration of Biafra. Assassination of politicians is not part of our agenda otherwise we would have killed the Efulefu politicians in the Eastern region sabotaging our struggle”.
“Pointing accusing fingers at IPOB for this barbaric act is only meant to divert attention from the real masterminds. This is the same way terrorists in security uniform commit various atrocities in South East and turn around to blame IPOB for their crimes just to tarnish our global reputation. This is purely a smokescreen to justify their long awaited plan to declare another special military operation in the Eastern region to kill more innocent Biafrans.
Task before security agents
IPOB had also stated at a time that some criminals had cashed-in on the accusation to commit crimes in the South East region. With the additional information from Bernard’s revelation that some of those who attacked them spoke Ogoni dialect, it is high time security agents started thinking outside the box , in their bid to clip the wings of perpetrators of the attacks in the troubled South-East region, as they keep close watch on IPOB.
OYC claim was contained in a statement issued by its President-General, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike and Secretary General Comrade Obinna Achionye and made available to Vanguard on Friday.
He alleged that there was a sinister plot to silence Mbaka over his recent outspokenness against the powers that be.
“Mbaka’s life is so dear and precious to millions of Nigerians and for that nothing should happen to him.
“We know that those after him have not given up, their next plan now will be to come for his life,” the group warned.
The group also accused the Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Bishop Calistus Onaga of allowing himself to be used against his own priest.
They said, “Former Bishop Eneje in all his holiness took care of the adoration ministry and handed over to Bishop Gbuji, who continued in like manner, by treating Fr. Mbaka as a loving father.
“But in the case of Bishop Onaga it has been a different thing; We ask the Bishop- what is going on, why should you allow the adoration ministry to suffer unnecessarily in your own time?
“The Bishop is busy doing atonement for the glasses broken at the hotel in the Bishop’s Court, but has there been any effort from him to remedy the broken hearts, souls of the poor masses who are beneficiaries of the adoration ministry and Fr. Mbaka’s charity? What of those in school on his charity and those who depend on him for their daily bread and daily spiritual nourishment, what of the poor masses?
“The adoration ministry is now like a sheep without a shepherd, the tension continues to heighten, as the whole country is in crisis.”
The youth urged the Bishop to consider millions of people affected by the 30 days punishment given to Fr. Mbaka, including orphans and the less-privileged.
“Fr Emmanuel Obinna (Ebube Muonso) of Onitsha Archdiocese and Fr. Smart Nwosu of Nnewi Diocese and other catholic priests have in one way or the other blessed Mazi Nnamdi Nkanu, why is Fr. Mbaka’s own different?
“Why is it difficult for Bishop Onaga to hands-off Mbaka and stop playing the card of the federal government and Princess who want to destroy the church and cause a crisis in Enugu,” the said.
AS Nigerians continue to hope for peace in parts of the country, a Civil Society Organization, Concerned Nigerians Group, CNG, Friday, condemned action of the Federal Government over suspension of Twitter operations in the country.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Convener, CNG, Comrade Deji Adeyanju, where the group pointed that the action of the Buhari-led administration was taken to far as it is a deliberate act to silence the voice of the media.
The statement reads in part, “We condemn in strong terms, the suspension of Twitter operations by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“Twitter and Internet shutdowns in general are increasingly becoming a tool for governments all over the world to silence media reporting and restricting the fundamental right of citizens to have free access to information.”
The group concluded, “It is worthy of note that Information is essential for the functioning of modern societies and access to information denotes the right of citizens to obtain information regarding how they are governed.”
It also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to lift the ban on Twitter, “Freedom of Information Act allows openness and transparency in public governance, therefore, we urge President Buhari’s Federal Government of Nigeria to lift the ban on Twitter.”Meanwhile, the group reacted following Federal Government’s announced suspension of operations of Twitter in Nigeria, by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture via Twitter, which reads thus, “The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.
“The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.
Also the Minister said, “The Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.”
Gbajabiamila seeks stronger diplomatic ties with Canada
June 4, 2021By Bankole
By Tordue Salem, Abuja
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has adviced the Federal government to forge stronger diplomatic relationship with Canada.
Gbajabiamila, who expressed appreciation for the existing relationships between the two countries which led to a significant rise in trade, education, and technology over the years, however, emphasized the need for Canada to explore areas of security, cybersecurity, biosafety, energy as well as parliamentary diplomacy to the benefit of both countries.
Speaking while hosting the Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Nicolas Simard, in his office on Friday, Gbajabiamila said, “This is important because Nigeria and Canada go back a long way in terms of symbiotic and beneficial relationships.
“It is important that we sustain and continue these engagements to the benefit of our countries. As we know, the world is a global village now, and everybody feeds off everybody and we are all interdependent one way or the other,” he said.
According to the Speaker, the National Assembly prioritizes certain issues, not only for the development of the country but also in conformity with global demands.
He said the issue of security, gender parity, violence against persons, rape, in addition to the economy are well articulated in the 9th House Legislative Agenda to help drive the attainment of the set goals of the Green Chamber.
Noting that the House has taken bold steps to address the gender issue through legislative means, including the ongoing constitutional review exercise, the Speaker said: “Gender parity is an area that this 9th National Assembly, I think more than any past Assembly, focuses seriously on. We are not just talking, we are walking the talk”.
The Speaker, who noted that Nigeria is facing serious security challenges like other countries, said the assistance of Canada towards addressing it would be of benefit to both countries.
Earlier, the Canadian High Commissioner, Simard, informed the Speaker that the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries had resulted in more than $1 billion trade exchange between the two nations last year, while about $115 million per year in form of humanitarian and development assistance from Canada to Nigeria to several sectors has been given.
To underscore the importance of the relationships between the two countries, the Canadian Governor-General visited Nigeria in 2018.
Simard also expressed Canada’s readiness for more robust engagement with Nigeria, while he inquired about how Nigeria is dealing with issues of women empowerment and inclusion as well as human rights situation and what steps the House was taking towards the issues.
The diplomat, however, congratulated the country on the adoption of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and its domestication by several states.
While hoping that a virtual meeting of the bilateral bi-national commission of both countries would hold soon, he also expressed the readiness of Canada to offer assistance in the area of security and biosafety.
Present at the meeting were the Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Rep. Babajimi Benson; the Chairman Committee of Legislative Agenda Monitoring and Implementation, Rep. Henry Nwawuba; the Chairman, Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, Rep. Wunmi Onanuga, and the Chairman, Committee on Maritime Safety and Education, Rep. Lynda Ikpeazu.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday rejected what it called the unwarranted suspension of the social media platform, Twitter, by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government, describing it as a draconian action and a slide towards a fascist regime in our country.
This is as the party asserted that the suspension of twitter, “is a vexatious, condemnable and barbaric move to muzzle Nigerians, particularly the youths, ostensibly to prevent them from holding the overtly corrupt, vindictive and divisive Buhari administration accountable for its atrocities, including human right violations, patronizing of terrorists and outright suppressive acts against innocent Nigerians.”
In a statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP expressed worry that government could exhibit “such primitive intolerance and power intoxication because the social media giant demonstrated international best practices in not allowing the Buhari presidency to use Twitter as a platform to propagate and spread the Buhari administration’s hatred towards Nigerians.”
The statement further read: “The PDP insists that rather than being a platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence, as claimed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Nigerians, particularly the youths, have been using the social media platform, largely, for activities that promote unity, as well as social, economic and commercial interaction in our country.
“Our party notes that Mr. Lai Mohammed, in his statement, failed to cite an example of where Nigerians used Twitter as a platform to promote acts that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence as he claimed.
“Of course, the failure to give any such instance, confirms that the federal government is only out to victimize Nigerians.
The Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress, APC, administration are only afraid of Nigerians on Twitter because of their evil machinations for which they dread the Nigerian youths.
“Moreover, freedom of speech is firmly guaranteed in our constitution and the Buhari administration should be ready to face Nigerians over its misrule.
“In the case of any infringement, our nation has adequate extant laws to deal with such and not this move to gag the people.
“The PDP therefore charges President Buhari to end this assault against Nigerians by immediately and unconditionally rescinding its decision to ban Twitter, as such amounts to pushing our citizens to the wall.
“After all, it was the same Twitter that provided President Buhari and the APC the platform to campaign in 2015 and 2019.
“It is also on record that President Buhari would not be the first President in the world whose tweet would be deleted.
“When it happened to former US President Donald Trump, he was not known to have deployed any act coercion against Twitter.
“Our party invites President Buhari to halt this international shame by rescinding this ugly decision.”
FAAN appeals to Airport users, as MMIA experiences check-in system challenge
June 4, 2021By Bankole
By Lawani Mikairu
Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, yesterday appealed to passengers to exercise patience and understanding following the temporal collapse of the check-in system at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
According to the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Mrs Herrietta Yakubu, efforts were already on to rectify the challenge.
Mrs Yakubu said : ” Following a temporary downtime in the check-in system of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) hereby appeal to airlines and passengers for patience and understanding.”
“FAAN has already mobilized necessary resources to address the challenge, and all hands are presently on deck to restore normalcy in passenger facilitation.”
“To avoid flight delays, the Authority will like to advise passengers to leave their homes early, so as to complete all check-in formalities in good time” she advised.
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Perm Secs: 10 directors fail ICT test, 11 cleared to face selection c’ttee
June 4, 2021By Bankole
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By Dirisu Yakubu, ABUJA
Only 11 of the 21 directors on salary Grade Level 17 in the Federal Civil Service who sat for the Information Communication Technology (ICT) proficiency test held on Thursday as part of the process of appointing them as permanent secretaries, have qualified for the last stage of the exercise.
This is contained in a circular, titled, ‘Re: Examination for the appointment of Permanent Secretaries in the federal civil service,’ dated 3rd June 2021, and signed by Arc Sunny Echocho, on behalf of the examination committee.
What this means is that 10 others failed to scale through in the quest to fill the permanent secretary vacancy in the five states of Ekiti, Katsina, Nasarawa, Enugu and Lagos.
The successful 11 directors were part of the 21 directors among the previous 46 senior officers who took the examination on Monday in the nation’s capital.
The names of the officials were not indicated on the document, but were identified by their service numbers would on Monday 7 June meet for an interactive session with a broad-based panel of experts who are expected to pick only five of the 11 directors.
The federal government had in May announced the shortlisting of 47 directors for the examination among the 51 candidates who earlier faced a panel, with only 46 directors scaled to the next stage.
Echocho noted that “The 11 shortlisted candidates for the oral interview are to report for the interview on Monday, 7 June at the Olusegun Obasanjo Hall” in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
GBSM.UAR 