APC threatens Ogenyi with expulsion, gives 24hrs to withdraw allegations

The Benue state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has given one Okpoku Ogenyi up till 24 hours to withdraw some allegations he made against Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) or be sanctioned.

The said Ogenyi who is a member of the party from Benue state had addressed a press conference and later featured on a national Television on Friday where he made some “baseless allegations” against the National Caretaker Committee of the party.

But in a statement signed Saturday in Abuja by the Benue state chairman of the party Comrade Abba Yaro, described Ogenyi as an “impostor and a hired fifth-columnist.”

The APC Benue chapter where Ogenyi hail from urged the party members nationwide to disregard all made in the name of Concerned Members of APC.

“Our attention has been drawn to comments by one Okpoku Ogenyi on the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“From the APC membership registration, update, revalidation exercise to the successful and ongoing reconciliation efforts, among other ongoing activities of the CECPC, all identified stakeholders led by our President, Muhammadu Buhari as leader of our party, the Progressives Governors Forum, state chapters, National Assembly leadership are regularly consulted and carried along on all decisions by the CECPC.

“Okpoku Ogenyi is strongly advised to withdraw within 24 hours his baseless allegations which he made in a television interview on Friday or face disciplinary actions. He should tender apology to the Caretaker Committee over his tactless and ill-motivated attempt to bring the party to disrepute.

“We urge our teeming members and supporters to disregard Okpoku Ogenyi and his comments. He is an impostor and a hired fifth-columnist. Okpoku Ogenyi did not purchase the Benue State Governorship aspirant form as wrongly addressed as an aspirant in the television interview.”

Nigeria Without the Army

A Poem on the Nigerian Army

Nigeria, without the Army,
Africa’s queen of the Prairie,
The land of our proud forefathers,
Overtaken by killer vampires and hyenas,
Dangling in air minutely,
Devourers of your precious children,
Who descend like swarms of bees on honey,
Over your hapless children and,
battered souls so delightfully,
In brutal extermination,
This generation would have gone extinct,
Ancestors would have been long invited for a funeral feast.

Even in dazing fear of blighting enemy swords,
Of Boko Haram and their first cousins,
The sacredness of our lives violated;
Crude oil praying mantis of the Delta,
Explosively poured the black gold in our faces,
We burned and survivors’ deserted homes for fear.

Ruthless bandits of the North and cattle thieves,
Invaded our lands in millions,
Replacing the nostalgia of rural life,
With sounds of automatic guns;
Eastern mercantile secessionists,
Campaigned in bloodshed of kinsmen and strangers alike.

The electoral brigands and thugs,
Wished democracy seized in Nigeria in 2019,
As arranged guns and ammunitions floated,
Everywhere like shrubs on sea surface at peak of rains;

And virus Corona came with fresh troubles!
Snaking through foreign valleys,
Uncle Corona landed its fury in Nigeria,
Sparing no friend nor foe,
The foreign demons hungrily,
Foraged our hamlets;
Searching for the next victim.
Yes! searching for the next victim!

Luck Dube echoed it in mournful lyrics,
We were all the “next victims,”
Like blacks under apartheid South Africa.
Innocent victims of no evil on our hands,
But Golgotha awaited us,

With the hellish ambience of slayers
Killer vendors of herdsmen and farmers,
Caused forlornness of fertile lands,
The fields left uncultivated,
Hunger loomed monstrously in mama’s kitchen.

But alas, the lone soldier shadowed,
Smiling and stern simultaneously,
He brought peace and war against,
Our cursed enemies,
Of blood and perditions,
Vacated the war songs chanters on our graves,
Seized killer blades, knives and guns and bombs,
The assailants’ thrusted in frightened faces,
As we stood askance, helpless!

But the men in khaki buffered,
Enacted rehearsal of salvation from Almighty Yaweh,
Operation Delta Safe came,
And militants went on self-exile;
And day time dance of the Python,
Descended bliss in the East of South.

Soldiers sermons on “Peace by all means,”
Sent Boko Haramists to the land of ghosts and repentance “Dole,”
Operation Sahel Sanity,
dismembered the bandit’s clan

Uncle Corona balked from daring our lives,
With soldiers mounting sentinels,
At city and village gates,
The deadly virus paused infectious,
Campaigns, recoiled and cringed.

Election riggers and activists,
Of violence sneezed, rather than barked,
At Nigeria’s democracy, with frowzy faces,
In painful reminiscence of defeat,
A reunion renewed among herders and farmers,
In the grassy and greenish Middle Belt.

The fields became green with crops,
Dancing to the tantalizing breeze,
Awaiting harvest to fill empty bellies,
Looming starvation starved itself,
And migrated to other nations,
Far from us; far from us!

EndSARS hoodlums despoiled the land,

In pains and destructions,
But have regained lost senses,
Because the soldier! the soldier!! stood firm.

Eulogies of this soldier have filled heavens
Nigeria quakes; the earth quakes,
With joyful songs at dawn,
In tumultuous praises of these heroes,
As token of our appreciation,
Of the kindness and sacrifices,
To save us and preserve Nigeria!

Ooh! Soldier, your bed of roses,
Is set in our carnival of celebrations,
In expectations of your heroic home arrival.

Composed by Michelle Aluor

Group blames EndSARS chaos on Covid-19 Alliance, crisis merchants, absolves Army

A special report by the Centre for Human Rights and Crisis Management (CHRCM) has blamed Femi Falana-led Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond for the escalation of violence in the aftermath of the shooting at Lekki toll gate in Lagos State.

In the report signed by its special rapporteur, Dr Thomas Uzah, on Friday, the centre exonerated the Nigerian Army of any wrongdoing at Lekki or anywhere else in Nigeria.

The centre said it came to this conclusion after a detailed investigation and analysis of the chain of events that eventually led to the breakdown of law and order in Lagos and other parts of the country.

Among others, the report said Falana mobilised social media influencers to project the government as insensitive to the demands of the youths; mustered logistics for street protest and rallied celebrities through his musician son, Folarin Falana (Falz) to discredit the government’s efforts towards reforming the Police.

The report noted that fake news in the form of press statements and social media trends were deployed by Falana and his group to ensure that the protests gathered momentum despite the government’s assurances.

As part of its recommendations, the centre, however, called on relevant authorities to identify those individuals and groups that incited the people into resorting to acts of violence.

It also suggested that Falana should appear before an investigative panel of inquiry to give an account of the activities of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond.

Read full report below:

Introduction:
There has recently been an astronomical level of violence across the country, especially in Lagos state; from looting and destruction of public and private properties to social amenities and business concerns.

This indeed necessitated the imposition of a 24-hour curfew by the Lagos state government in a bid to bring the conflict in the state to a halt. Consequently, the Centre for Human Rights and Crisis Management commissioned a special rapporteur to investigate the immediate cause of the escalation of violence in Lagos and other parts of the country.

The report looked extensively on the various conspiracy theories at play and indeed separated the facts from the falsehoods, as well as those individuals and groups whose actions and inactions were responsible for the escalation of violence.

The issues:

The peaceful protest by the youths demanding for the reform of the Nigerian Police Force was ostensibly hijacked by some thugs and hoodlums that went on rampage looting, maiming and killing innocent persons going about their normal businesses.

The crisis was further escalated by the activities of fake news merchants that utilized the social media space in propagating fibs that eventually heated the polity to boiling point.

It was also observed that the protest was hijacked from the moment the protesters refused to leave the streets even after the government had agreed to their five demands and initiated moves for dialogue, which was turned down and instead police formations and units became subject of attack, leading to deaths and injuries.

It was also observed that some individuals and organizations were discreetly propelling the youths to remain on the streets in defiance of the peace overtures made by the government at the federal and state levels.

Indeed groups such as The Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, led by Femi Falana (SAN) prominently heated the polity in several ways that include but not limited to; mobilizing social media influencers to project the government as insensitive to the demands of the youths; mobilizing logistics for street protest; mobilizing celebrities through his musician son, Folarin Falana (Falz) to discredit the efforts of government towards reforming the Nigerian Police Force as well as a host of other despicable acts that includes inciting press statements and communique.

The Facts:

The Centre for Human Rights and Crisis Management after a detailed investigation and analysis of the chain of events that eventually led to the breakdown of law and order in Lagos and other parts of the country identified that proponents of fake news indeed had a field day in ensuring that the protests gathered momentum.

The government of Nigeria as a matter of urgency and in response to the demands made by the youths directed the Inspector General of Police to disband the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and begin the process of evaluating the mental and psychological state of operatives of the disbanded outfit, and consequently the training and retraining of these operatives before redeployment to other police units and formations.

The various state governments also instituted a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate cases of human rights violations by the Nigerian Police and the recommendation of appropriate sanctions to erring officers.

The various law enforcement agents deployed to maintain law and order utilized minimal force and only in extreme cases of excessive looting of public and private concerns and arson that force was exerted to restore law and order.

The Nigerian Army indeed rose to the occasion as the personnel deployed to various hotspots was able to restore law and order without the use of force as multiple pieces of evidence indicates that troops utilized persuasion skills rather than force as erroneously reported in the social media space and other traditional media news mediums.

The Lies:

It remains incomprehensible how a segment of the population would elect to spread outright falsehood in the country to encourage crime and criminality at the detriment of peace and unity.

The Lekki TollGate incident was one of the means that was latched on to escalate violence in Lagos state and other parts of the country. The Centre for Human Rights and Crisis Management in its analysis of events indeed identified the ignoble role played by organizations such as The Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, led by Femi Falana.

The organization indeed issued statements that were provoking and inciting, wherein it alleged that the government was not responding to the demands of the youths and that it was business as usual in the operations of the disbanded SARS unit.

The Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond did instigate the protesters through statements credited to it on the pages of newspapers and other news dissemination channels. It was also observed that the organization had formed a strategic alliance with Sahara Reporters to indiscriminately disseminate information that is inaccurate and to heat the polity and discredit the efforts of government towards the restoration of law and order in the country.

The Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 also made several attempts at painting a picture of plans by the government through the Nigerian Army to kill protesters on the street, which indirectly charged the already tensed atmosphere.

Conclusion:

The Centre for Human Rights and Crisis Management as a result of this investigation concludes that indeed the immediate cause of the escalation of violence in Lagos state and other parts of the country were are a result of incitements by individuals and organizations. The Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, as led by Femi Falana was notorious in this regard with the multiple press statements and releases that were either mischievously or intentionally placed in the media in a manner that suggests ulterior motives.

It must also be noted that the government lost the narrative when it failed to realize that the peaceful protest was being hijacked by some forces when mobs began to target police units and formations, as well as policemen and women on duty.

Recommendations:

The Centre for Human Rights and Crisis Management as a result of the findings in this report makes the following recommendations:

That the government must identify those individuals and groups that incited the people into resorting to acts of violence

That the Femi Falana led Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond should be held liable for the escalation of violence in the country and for leading an uprising against the country and plunging the nation into a crisis of unimaginable proportion.

That Femi Falana should appear before an investigative panel of inquiry to give an account of the activities of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond.

That the government should trace the transactions of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond in the past one month towards ascertaining the level of complicity in the funding of the street protests across the country.

That the security agencies must begin the process of mopping up small and light weapons in circulation in parts of the country.

Understanding Amnesty International and Nigeria’s Divorce

By Philip Agbese

Amnesty International, the all-knowing international non-governmental organization, is apparently experiencing the human equivalent of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) going by the way it is suffering an increase in hallucinating things that do not exist. It suddenly struck on the idea of accusing the Nigerian Army of sponsoring other NGOs against it instead of addressing the real issue, which is the sustained war of attrition it has been waging against the Nigerian state while posing as a partner.

The NGO broke even its own record for bold face lying as it claimed, in its trademark manner, that 78 people were “massacred” at Lekki Toll Gate on Tuesday October 20, 2020. The Oxford Learner Dictionary defined massacre as “the killing of a large number of people especially in a cruel way.” Amnesty International deployed all its assets in Nigeria to perpetrate the lie of a massacre. That lie was amplified by contractors and consultants on Amnesty International’s payroll.

But the joke was on Amnesty International, its posse of chorus singers, commercial activists and the large following of clueless victims of groupthink, automaton components of the hivemind that Amnesty International is exploiting to trouble the peace of Nigeria. The staffers of the NGO are aware that not even hard facts will make these captive followers of its rouse from the deep intellectual and mental slumber into which they have fallen.

It is no wonder that Amnesty International believed in its own lies to the extent that it thought repeating these lies will elevate them into becoming the truth. Thus, the day after it crowed that over 78 people have been killed, it was unable to show any evidence. No bodies. No bloodstains. No families declaring loved ones missing. No grave to show secret burials like it always claim in other instances. The only proof Amnesty International has of its well-advertised Lekki Toll Gate massacre was to rehash its lie that the Nigerian military has a tradition of being complicit of the things Amnesty International accuses it of.

Interestingly, it is not a first for this NGO, which has the notoriety of once hiring a movie director to coach its witnesses in order to indict a targeted government. `It apparently has similar designs on Nigeria but for some of us that did not allow it the wriggle room as we kept on demanding that it backs its allegations up with facts, which it has never succeeded in doing till date.

Its insistence on being vested in Nigeria’s affairs is akin to a spouse that persistently express frustration in a marriage but is not willing to do the logical thing, which is to leave the marriage and find fulfilment under a different arrangement.

The marriage of convenience between Nigeria and Amnesty International broke down since the Goodluck Jonathan era when the organization authored a deadly report against Nigeria to the US government about human rights abuses that never took place. They had informed the US authorities that Nigeria and its Armed Forces had committed war crimes against humanity and will use arms sold to her to kill innocent Nigerians instead of fighting Boko Haram. That lie led to Nigeria being denied access to buy sorely needed military hardware to fight terrorism. The impact was that Boko Haram terrorists were able to carry out deadly attacks without being challenged, a situation that resulted in more civilian deaths than necessary, for which Amnesty International should accept responsibility but never does.

That embargo was in place before the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came on board. The implication was that Amnesty International’s report left at least 10,000 men, women and children dead between 2014 and 2015 when the current government came into power. For each single day that the misleading Amnesty International’s lies prevented Nigeria from buying weapons, people died. So, who will hold this nefarious NGO accountable for this murder of Nigerians by proxy?

The organization has remained above the law and openly in bed with terrorists through the falsehood it usually publishes as reports and the media appearances of its operatives. To counter its lies is immediately branded as “government sponsored” while those critical of its anti-Nigerian stance are hounded and vilified on social media and other spaces of public engagement. But this has not stopped those that have conscience from asking that this aberration leaves the land and allow Nigerians rebuild their country in peace.

The call for Amnesty International to leave Nigeria has been on for over a decade, well before the present dispensation came to office. The only thing that has changed is that more individuals and groups have sprung up across the length and breadth of the country making the same demand. That is what an organization gets when its motive in any country is not clear enough. It is what becomes of an entity like Amnesty International, which has been caught flat out on too many instances engaging in lies, manipulating respondents and interviewees and supporting terrorism under the guise of observing adherence to human rights requirements.

It is really simple. All Amnesty International has to do is to leave Nigeria and relocate to one of those countries it considers as perfect, likely one of those sponsoring it to destabilize Nigeria so that it can become a conquered territory. Afterall, these countries are in need of being monitored so that they do not descend to the level of Nigeria.

I am therefore at a loss as to why Amnesty International is behaving like a partner who wants to remain with their spouse at all cost, even when they gripe daily about not being satisfied with the state of affairs. Something simply has to give. My position is that the recent calls by some Nigerians for citizens to engage Amnesty International until it leaves is the equivalent of a couple becoming verbally abusive of each other; that Nigeria and Amnesty International have reached this point is an indication that it is time for them to amicably divorce. Amnesty International should up and go.

You cannot force anyone to love you. Amnesty International cannot force Nigerians to appreciate what it is doing in the country. No matter how useful it claims its work in Nigeria is at the moment, the citizens are simply saying that it is time for Amnesty International to quit. This is not too much for any nation to ask. This is my two cents.

Agbese is a human rights activist and wrote from the United Kingdom.

Northern group describes South West ministers as shamefully disloyal

The Coalition of Northern Patriots (CNP) says South-West ministers have displayed gross disloyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari with their demands in the aftermath of the Lekki toll gate shooting in Lagos State.

Describing the act as a “show of shame”, the coalition advised the ministers to apologise honourably else have seven days to quit their offices.

The group gave the ultimatum at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja.

Among others, the ministers had demanded that the Federal Government support businesses affected by the arsons and lootings in Lagos as well as commence a probe into the involvement of the military in Lekki.

In his address, Alhaji Nurudeen Dodo, leader of the Coalition of Northern Patriots (CNP), lamented that the ministers are pursuing destructive blackmail of the Presidency with their regional political agenda.

The coalition said the cabinet members’ demands are “extremely outrageous, insensible and a blackmailing stunt of the Presidency”, especially after they have abandoned their primary mandate.

It, however, warned that the Nigerian military can not be left in the mercy of these “selfish” ministers to use as political punching bags or diabolical manipulations.

It added that the forum has only proven to Nigerians that they are in Buhari’s Government for their selfish regional agenda.

Read the full statement below:

The Coalition of Northern Patriots (CNP) views with serious revulsion and objections from the outset to the position and demands of the forum of Southwest Ministers serving under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR in the aftermath of the #EndSARS violent protests which rocked some parts of Nigeria, particularly Southern states.

The Southwest Ministers were mandated by President Buhari to relocate to their home states to dialogue with aggrieved youths protesting over Police brutality and the excesses of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The Ministers were also mandated to pacify the restive youths and meet with other stakeholders have morphed into a pressure group who have jointly placed certain demands before the Federal Government as reparation for the deliberate damages inflicted on these areas by the insane demonstrators.

We are informed that the Southwest Ministers tabled to President Buhari at the last Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting demands such as initiating an investigation in the alleged shooting incident at Lekki Toll Gate with focus on the role of the Nigerian Army in the saga and should assist businesses affected by the arsons and lootings by the insane and violent #EndSARS protestors. But the Minsters were silent on the prosecution of the perpetrators.

Furthermore, and most uncharitably, the Ministers also imposed on the FGN the burden of supporting Lagos State to replace damaged facilities particularly the ones concerned with the administration of justice and also, consider short to medium term support to small and medium businesses affected by the looting and arson which took place in Lagos among a motley of other demands.

The Coalition of Northern Patriots is stating that based on the prevailing economic crunch precipitated by the negative hangover effects of Covid-19 pandemic on global economies and scarce national resources, these demands are extremely outrageous, insensible and a blackmailing stunt of the Presidency embarked upon by the Southwest Ministers. Not every struggle is achieved through violence and that’s why most Nigerians deemed the magnitude of the #EndSARS protests and its attendant violence unnecessary.

Conscientiously, we shall not bow to regional emotions or agenda by persons or groups and stampeding the Presidency with such illogical demands is most inappropriate at this time. The truth must be told that the leadership at the regional and state levels, especially in Southern part of the country sat back, and preferred to ginger and supervise the #EndSARS protests morph into violence, killings, arsons and destructions in the pretext of the expression of grievances under democratic freedom, only to excuse it as the infiltration of a hoodlum.

Worse of all, when the #EndSARS protests overly turned bloody, some veiled and overt political forces urged them on, instead of preaching peace and cessation of the mayhem. It is unfair and counter-productive to further stress a government already at the point of fiscal suffocation.

Nevertheless, we empathize with families of those who lost their lives in the mayhem and Nigerians whose businesses/investments were torched by the “protesting” hoodlums and vandals.

But the demands of the Southwest Ministers are completely callous and a further confirmation of the grand plots to undo the Presidency animated in another way after the organized violent street demonstrations to cause destabilization, compromise national security and possibly, dethrone the incumbent Government via undemocratic means.

The political undertones as marketed by instigators of the violent #EndSARS protests have not dissipated in our psyche and we perceive the weighty demands by the Southwest Minsters as a continuation of this unacceptable and regressive agenda.
Nigerians generally must never fail to understand that every action has repercussions.

The sponsors and instigators of the virulent #EndSARS protests had no cogent reasons to continue fueling the violent demonstrations’, especially when Mr President acceded and took practical actions immediately in addressing some of the Five-point demands of the protestors. We cannot allow anybody to push the real cost of the orchestrated “madness” they actively supported back to the Federal Government.

Some of the generative reasons adduced by the protesters reflected in hashtags like #EndPoverty or #EndBadGovernance and so forth. Nigerians witnessed the frustration of the efforts of the Buhari Presidency in alleviating poverty, including the shameful hoarding or warehousing of Covid-19 palliatives dispatched to states to cushion the effects of the lockdown, instead of distributing it to the targeted poor of the poorest Nigerians.

Much more, some of the Southwest Ministers who endorsed the propagative demands have been ex-Governors, Ministers or held other top leadership positions, but abandoned their people to poverty and misery, by also hoarding or misappropriating public funds meant for the development of their constituents. The side effects were the demons which sprouted in the guise of #EndSARS protests. They should bow their heads in shame and let everyone bear his brunt.

The Coalition of Northern Patriots minces no words to intimate these Southwest Ministers that President Buhari and the Nigerian Army cannot be abandoned to their mercy as political punching bags or diabolical manipulations.

The Ministers have only exhibited and shown to Nigerians that they are in Buhari’s Government for their selfish regional agenda. It explains why they have continued to undermine the President’s development efforts. And pushing for a special investigation of the Nigerian Army over the alleged Lekki shootings and killings is clearly outside mandate Mr President sent the Ministers on the mission and this should resound in their brains thunderously.

This is the first time Nigerians are getting to know about the existence of the shameful Southwest Ministers Forum in her history. Could these Ministers have ever mustered the courage to twist such a Presidential assignment to the pursuit of regional agenda, assuming Chief Olusegun Obasanjo or Dr Goodluck Jonathan were still President of Nigeria? Did any of the Ministers ever parroted in this manner when Obasanjo or Jonathan held sway at Aso Rock? The kindness of President Buhari should not be over-exploited for any reason.

The Coalition of Northern Patriots is hereby calling on the Southwest Ministers to honourably resign their positions from the cabinet of President Buhari to face the cherished individual and regional interests. Their actions have lucidly demonstrated that they cannot be trusted by the Buhari-led Federal Government of Nigeria.

If these Ministers fail to willingly resign with 14 days, the Coalition of Northern Patriots would not hesitate to call on President Buhari to sack them from his cabinet hence they have proved themselves as black sheeps in the fold.

Group seeks probe of Tinubu’s Alpha Beta over Lagos #EndSARS mayhem

The Coalition of Concerned Citizens (CCC) has called for a probe over a possible sponsored attack on a Lagos court and properties belonging to All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu during the EndSARS protest.

According to the group, it is likely that the ex-Lagos State governor may be behind the vandalism of the Igbosere High Court as well as his own investments.

Recall that Tinubu, Alpha Beta, and the current Managing Director of the firm, Akin Doherty had been dragged to court for money laundering by his business partner and former Managing Director, Dapo Apara.

It is alleged that Alpha Beta is being used for massive corruption purposes including tax evasion, bribery of government officials, diversion of funds and money laundering.

However, the case file marked LD/7330GCMW/2020 was burnt by hoodlums with Apara’s lawyer noting that a new court case will have to be filed at Ikeja High Court.

And according to the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, the attack appears to be a deliberate attempt to wipe away evidence and cover-up the APC chieftain’s top secrets.

The destruction of some of his business interests, the group reckoned could also be a calculated attempt to keep the ‘Jagaban’ political relevant in the buildup to the 2023 general elections.

The Coalition of Concerned Citizens, however, urged the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency unravel the circumstances behind the EndSARS protest and the arson committed in Lagos State.

It also expressed confidence that indeed a nexus exists between the protest and the arson committed in Lagos State.

Read the full statement below:

We welcome you all to this press conference convoked to demand a thorough probe of the arson that was committed in parts of Lagos State during the EndSARS protest. We wish to state that the circumstances that led to the escalation of violence in Lagos State are indeed suspect given the action of the hoodlums that touched some select properties, especially that of some private concerns including the business interest of the former governor of Lagos State, Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The leadership of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens feels compelled to inform the generality of Nigerians that indeed from the look of things, there appears to be something fishy when the inventory of the properties destroyed are taken into account.

It is our considered opinion that what happened in Lagos State leaves more to be imagined because it is too much of a coincidence for some select properties to be destroyed by suspected thugs.

The selectiveness of the hoodlums is indeed suspect and an indication that some individuals and groups might be trying to insult the intelligence of Nigerians through their despicable actions.

We are consequently constrained to ask critical questions as concerned citizens of Nigeria hence this call for the relevant authorities to carry out a detailed probe of how the hoodlums would selectively touch properties especially those linked to a particular individual, including a court of competent jurisdiction slated to hear a case of fraud against Alpha Beta, a company of the former governor of Lags State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Our curiosity aroused when the hoodlums burnt down the Igbosere High Court after scores of hoodlums carted away computers, printers, files, fans, air conditioners and other items. The question we beg to ask is why the Igbosere High Court was targeted and burnt down?

This is on the heels that the Mr Tade Ipadeola, the lawyer representing the former managing director of Alpha Beta, Dapo Apara alleged that the court papers filed against Bola Tinubu’s Alpha Beta were burnt in the process.

The lawyer stated that “Everything in Igbosere High Court got burnt including the registrar’s copy of our application.”

This is indeed a strange occurrence when it is realized that the Igbosere High Court was the only Court that was burnt by the suspected hoodlums.

We are also constrained to add that aside the burning of the Igbosere High Court, some select properties of Bola Tinubu was also burnt by the hoodlums. Could this be deliberate?

The Coalition of Concerned Citizens wishes to state that indeed Nigerians have a right to know what truly transpired and if indeed it was sponsored to destroy evidence and cover up some top secrets that might be detrimental to Bola Tinubu’s political relevance in the buildup to the 2023 general elections where it is speculated that he is nursing an ambition.

If indeed this is the case, it is unacceptable and must be thoroughly investigated as no individual or group should take Nigerians for a ride in this critical point of our existence as a country.

The Coalition of Concerned Citizens is using this medium to call on the federal government to as a matter of urgency unravel the circumstances behind the EndSARS protest and the arson committed in Lagos State.

We have no doubt whatsoever that indeed there is a nexus between the protest and the arson committed in Lagos State and why it is expedient for Nigerians to know the truth and bring to justice whoever is trying to cover his tracks.

We believe that indeed Nigerians are not gullible in this regard hence the need for a thorough investigation into the activities of the hoodlums that committed arson, which has every colouration of deliberate sponsorship by some highly placed individuals that claim to be democrats and working the interest of Nigeria.

The Coalition of Concerned Citizens believes that there is indeed a nexus between the protest and the arson that was committed in Lagos State and the relevant agencies in Nigeria must act in the overall interest of the country.

We also wish to state that there should be no sacred cows and the government must not be seen to be protecting the interest of a select few at the detriment of the destinies of over 180 million Nigerians.

The exigency of time requires that urgent and proactive steps are taken in our pursuit of the country of our dreams. The Coalition of Concerned Citizens is confident that at the end of the day, the truth shall prevail.

We also wish to state that our commitment to building the Nigeria of our dreams remains unwavering; hence this press conference which remains in the best interest of our dear country.

The Coalition of Concerned Citizens appreciates the government and other relevant stakeholders for their efforts in the restoration of law and order in the country.

While thanking you all present for your time and attention, please be assured that in the fullness of time Nigerians shall know the truth and those trying to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians shall be brought to face the full wrath of the law.
Thank you all, and God bless.

General Buratai’s Doctrine on Probity

By Okanga Agila

Love or hate Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, but what catches that attention of everyone around him is his sagacious endowments and infectious aura are his admirably constant leadership qualities. It has secured and led him to break new grounds to the bewilderment of his contemporaries in Nigeria.

He directs timely focus to catchy areas and adopts the necessary modalities to achieve his intended results. Gen. Buratai has excellently dispensed himself in leadership as an inseparable stickler, conformist and advocate of acquiescence with the highest standards of probity, public morality, transparency and accountability in the Nigerian Army.

Gen. Buratai is the self-effacing Borno born soldier, leadership pundit, Boko Haram’s greatest adversary in recent times, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and helmsman of the counter-insurgency operations in the country. He rolls in patriotic ambience all the times and repeatedly, he has proven his prowess not only in the trenches, but in leadership as an administrator with immense treasures.

Gen. Buratai has a resonant intolerance for corruption, like his principal, the Commander-In-Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari. Therefore, the Army Chief aggressively observes and pushes for the entrenchment and commitment to the culture of responsiveness, probity, prudence and accountable responsibility in the Nigerian Army.

In the last five years, the reformist Gen. Buratai has relentlessly implanted in the heart and psyche of every Nigerian soldier, the values of public morality, probity and accountability in the service of the nation. Where he sights a schism that might serve as a stumbling block to the attainment of these values, he quickly bridges them to raise a platform for smooth compliance.

A few days ago, in Abuja, Gen. Buratai did the needful. He consented to the Nigerian Army’s collaboration with the Code of Conduct Bureau for a two-day workshop on “compliance with assets declaration and Code of Conduct for Officers and Soldiers.” Assets declaration by some public leaders in Nigeria has been a thorny issue, especially for those who acquired stupendously suspicious wealth while holding public office.

As usual, Gen. Buratai has staged out to severe the Nigerian Army from this damaging cusp of national malaise. The talk -shop, learning and brainstorming forum, facilitated by Go-Getters Consulting Limited, targeted all Nigerian Army personnel entrusted with leadership responsibilities to enliven their memories on the importance of Assets Declaration and adherence to prescriptions of the Code of Conduct as focal public servants.

It is to his glorious credit that from the outset when Gen. Buratai was appointed the COAS, he discerned clearly the prime position of public morality and its contribution to the credibility of government. Leaders of the Nigerian Military in the preceding administration had credibility problems because of alleged pervasive and baffling corruption in the prosecution of the then raging Boko Haram insurgency. Transparency International (TI) consistently had verbal battles with the Nigerian Government and Nigerian Military’s top hierarchy over same issues which some analysts claimed stifled the war on insurgency.

Therefore, desirous to win the war on terror, Gen. Buratai realized that the only option is the internal cleansing of the Nigerian Army of the proclivity to lucre. He believed without a doubt that the only action which would reposition the Nigerian Army to pride itself as a responsible institution is absolute compliance with the best etiquettes on transparency, accountability and probity.

The Army Chief therefore, immediately re-organized the Accounts Department of the Nigerian Army, migrated soldiers to IPPIS payment system and standardized procurements procedures by ensuring strict conformity with Public Procurement (BPP) laws as well as stamped transparency and prudence in financial management of the lean resources of the Army. Gen. Buratai’s renewed attention on assets declaration for officers and men at the leadership level in the Nigerian Army is the latest trademark badge of his administration.

Speaking at the two-day workshop, Gen. Tukur Buratai implored, officers and men of the Nigerian Army to absorb the culture of accountability, transparency and probity in their operations. In very certain terms, Gen. Buratai informed personnel of the Nigerian Army that they have no alternative than to fulfill their obligations as public officers in line with the provisions of the fifth schedule of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.

Gen. Buratai thundered, “the Nigerian Army under my leadership is desirous to maintaining the highest standard of accountability in the conduct of our activities, consistent with the requirements and behaviours of public officers which conform with the highest standard of probity, public morality, transparency and accountability.”

The workshop which was packaged to practically tutor participants on filling of assets declaration forms and all the nitty-gritty required to comply with assets declaration for Code of Conduct for public officers is to be replicated in all the Army Divisions in Nigeria by the directive of the Army Chief. He explained that “My directive is premised on the belief that every person of Nigerian army entrusted with leadership responsibility must understand the primacy of asset declaration and code of conduct for public officers and complying with all its provisions and requirements.”

Gen. Buratai has again distinguished himself as a rare gem in the leadership spectrum of Nigeria. Whereas, many heads of government establishments hedge accountability and declaration of assets, Buratai is leading from the front and by example as an ambassador of the Code of Conduct. Without any prompting, Gen. Buratai re-declared his assets when he was appointed the COAS in 2015.

And it is Gen. Buratai’s firm conviction that the fight against Boko Haram insurgency can never be successful unless corruption in the Nigerian Army is identified and uprooted from its source in consonance with the preachments of President Buhari. He reminded officers and soldiers at the workshop of its imperative because “…accountability is a prerequisite for driving the fight against corruption which is one of the major focus of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.”

The iconic Army boss works and dreams in the shadows of the thinking or replicate the actions of Mr. President. His identity has become synonymous with how a committed public officer should conduct himself in leadership by inculcating fiscal discipline in subordinates. He spares no officer or soldier who indulges in acts of sleaze. The Army Chief loathes anyone who does anything inimical to the success of the Nigerian Army in prosecuting a victorious war against Boko Haram insurgents, ISWAP terrorists and other criminal elements tormenting Nigeria.

Therefore, as the czar of accountable leadership, Gen. Buratai’s exemplary passion for the promotion of probity and transparency in the conduct of public officials is worthy of emulation by other Nigerians entrusted with leadership. As the old cliché goes, leadership is a collective responsibility and every Nigerian must strive to show a difference and the enthusiasm of selfless service wherever he superintends like the imprints or obsession in Gen. Buratai on making the difference in the Nigerian Army.

Okanga wrote from Agila, Benue State.

Group hails Army over rescue of kidnapped nursing mothers, children

The Arewa Citizens for Good Governance (ACGG) has commended the Nigerian Army’s Operation Sahel Sanity for rescuing nursing mothers and children kidnapped by bandits in Diskuru village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Aminu Abubakar, on Wednesday, the group said it is “impressed” by this feat, especially as the victims “regained their freedom without any harm even though five of the bandits that abducted them were killed during the operation”.

Recall that a statement by the Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig. Gen. Benard Onyeuko on Saturday said troops of Operation Sahel Sanity responded to a distress call at Diskuru village of Faskari Local Government Area in Katsina State and engaged bandits in a gunfire.

He noted that several of the bandits were killed while others escaped with gunshot wounds.

And according to the Arewa group, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai deserves adulation for continuing to provide the kind of leadership that allows the Army to perform its statutory functions in manners that attract admiration and commendation.

The Arewa Citizens for Good Governance further commended the dedication of the troops to the war against banditry and insurgency while noting that they would be able to post even better results if citizens demonstrated a similar level of dedication in supporting the troops to defeat evil.

The group also urged the Nigerian Army to work with other security agencies and the local authorities in the area to trail and apprehend several of the bandits who fled with gunshot wounds from the encounter.

According to the ACCG, the bandits must be discouraged from operating in the area because of their new tendency of causing international incidents for Nigeria like when they abducted an American in Niger Republic and crossed with him into Nigeria’s territory where the United States military had to work with Nigerian authorities to free the hostage.

It, however, appealed to Nigerians to increase the level support they are presently giving to the military and other security agencies since this is strategic to Nigeria defeating the forces that are bent on making life brutish and short for citizens.

CALSER gives Amnesty International 7-days quit notice over alleged fake news

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights (CALSER) has issued asked the International human rights group, Amnesty International to leave Nigeria within seven days .

The group which made this known at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja accused the international body of “peddling fake news which almost plunged the country into anarchy during and after the EndSARS protests.”

Speaking on behalf of the group, Executive Director, Princess Ajibola said Amnesty International amplified the claim that 78 persons were killed at Lekki toll gate even without any tangible proof.

According to Ajibola, the consequence was an arson which paralyzed Nigeria’s economy with many businesses destroyed and dozens of policemen killed.

Worse still, Ajibola lamented that Amnesty has continued on this path, hampering the rehabilitation efforts of the government.

The centre, however, noted that the human rights group must depart the country before the nation can begin to rebuild.

CALSER, therefore, handed AI a seven-day ultimatum to leave, cautioning that failure do so will attract civil disobedience at its offices in Abuja and Lagos.

It further warned that “Amnesty International’s offices and those of all its affiliated organizations and known supporters in Nigeria will be set upon the same way that its agents destroyed critical assets in the country. Its staffers will be treated the same way that innocent policemen lynched by mobs were treated”.

Read the full statement below:

Gentlemen and ladies of the press, the Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights (CALSER) welcome you to this press briefing, one of our interventions since the start of the #EndSARS protests that have now been hijacked, repurposed and deployed as a destructive force by individuals and organizations that do not mean well for Nigeria.

By way of a quick clarification, CALSER is not opposed to genuine, legitimate and orderly protests against the incidence of brutality and human rights abuses irrespective of who or what the offending entity is. Our members had taken part in the peaceful protests to demand a cessation to arbitrary profiling and abuse of individuals by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), whose operatives harassed Nigerians without end.

We were surprised but gladdened when the Federal Government accepted the original five demands without the expected stonewalling or delay tactics. We had hoped that the 5for5 would open the way for the government to implement the first round of reforms after which Nigerians would have again delivered the demand for more reforms, not just in the Nigeria Police Force but in other spheres of the national life, all of which are indeed in need of rejigging.

Our shock was consequently profound when infiltrators took over the protests, raise the demands to seven, 12, 20 and eventually 23 before they drafter thugs in to attack those of us that originally began the agitation. We were shocked even further when celebrities and paid activists not only became prominent in the protests but also used their standing as persons with a large following on the social media to incite people to violence.

Things degenerated quickly after that. From protests that initially focused on relevant locations like key government offices of interests like the police headquarters, we got to a point where protesters were railroaded into obstructing shared infrastructure like major roads that threw other Nigerians into hardship. Even people with life-threatening hospital emergencies were unable to commute to access healthcare. We are still trying to verify how many people died from these irresponsible tactics.

We still feel scammed that protesters unwittingly ended up as human pawns. As part of the protests movement, we have reviewed the video footages shared by colleagues at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos state. The incident at that location Tuesday, October 20, 2020, opened our eyes to the reality that we were manipulated to joining with people who would have willingly shot us or any other group that has joined the protest just so they can have corpses to display. Thankfully, things did not get to that stage before we found out that we had been in bed with the enemy.

Yes, soldiers shot into the air at Lekki Toll Gate. But, no, we did not witness any massacre neither did we see any, not one, of the 78 people that the protesters used social media to mislead the world into believing were killed. The vehemence with which falsehood was peddled about the so-called massacre is what alarmed us that our members or any other Nigerians present at that protest location might have been killed if those behind the fake news of Lekki massacre had the slightest inkling that they would come under scrutiny and their misleading claims subjected to fact-checking.

We had engaged in a lot of introspection in our attempt to understand why protesters, who claim to be interested in a new and better Nigeria, will resort to launching a coordinated attack of fake news on their own country. The only reassurance we gave ourself is the knowledge that these people will live in chaotic Nigeria they were trying to create since they will live with the consequences of the lawlessness they tried to create.

We do not, however, find such logic in why Amnesty International, an international NGO, with a serial history of weaponizing fake news and publishing jaundiced reports about Nigeria, will deploy disproportionate resources to undermining the integrity of Nigeria even at such a trying time. The protesters might have made the misleading claim of a massacre at Lekki Toll Gate and the lie that 78 people were killed, but it took Amnesty International’s amplification of that lie for the international community and supra-national organizations to wrongly accuse and condemn Nigeria and its government.

Shockingly, this credibility challenged organization has continued to amplify the fake news it earlier published. We have seen Amnesty International’s operatives running the circuit in media houses to continue advancing the claim that there was a massacre. Yet, when Amnesty International Nigerian chief representative, Osai Ojigho was asked on Arise TV by the anchor, Charles Aniagolu, what the NGO’s evidence was she failed to provide a single shred of evidence. She was asked for evidence that any person had been shot by the Nigerian army at Lekki Toll Gate, and she spectacular failed to substantiate the claims she and her organization are still making without proof today:

Charles asked her, ”Do you have any bodies?” Silence. ”Did you SEE any bodies of any dead victims?” Silence. ”Do you have any names of people that were killed, even ONE name?” Silence. ”Have you been contacted by even ONE family that claimed they lost a loved one?” Silence. Ojigho then began saying ”oh well, the army has a history of shooting people and then taking away their bodies and hiding them etc”, to which Charles Aniagolu retorted, ”Sorry madam, but THAT is NOT evidence of anything. Can you come back to us when you have REAL evidence of an atrocity committed by the Nigerian army at Lekki?”

We have waited for several days and Amnesty International has not gone back to Arise TV and Charles Aniagolu with evidence that the Army killed anyone. It has instead ramped up its fake news and has further undermined security in Nigeria in addition to the wave of arson and looting that its lies against the Nigerian authorities had triggered. That wave of arson threatened the Nigerian economy. The mob that was incensed on account of Amnesty International’s lies killed dozens of policemen in different cities of the country.

This tradition of lying is not new to Amnesty International. In 2015 it issued a fictitious report, in which it faked interviews and witnesses to taint the Nigerian Army. Like its outing on Arise TV, it has not been able to substantiate any of the lies it told in the past. So it is out now trying to destabilize Nigeria with the same strategy that failed in t

Even the measure of peace and stability that returned is now under threat as the international NGO is doing its best to escalate its incitement and again fill the streets of Nigeria by people that have been made angry by fake news that was developed and unleashed by Amnesty International.

When we joined other Nigerians to protest against police brutality, we intended to demand a better country for ourselves, but not to begin killing policemen who are our fellow citizens. Our intention was not to destroy key institutions of our country like the Army, which is precisely what Amnesty International is attempting to achieve through the promotion of fake news.

Its refusal to desist from peddling these lies attests to its having a motive that is known only to those that gave it the assignment to compromise Nigeria and those working with it to achieve this evil agenda. It is a realization we cannot live with as patriotic citizens.

We want our dear country to begin rebuilding everything that has been destroyed in those days of violent protests when people could not filter truth from falsehood simply because they wrongly believed Amnesty International without realizing its larger agenda of destabilizing our country.

For Nigeria to rebuild, Amnesty International must be out of the way. CALSER, therefore, gives Amnesty International a seven-day ultimatum to leave Nigeria. The NGO’s failure to leave Nigeria will attract civil disobedience at its offices in Abuja and Lagos on a scale that will make the campaign of looting and arson it facilitated appear like child’s play. Amnesty International’s offices and those of all its affiliated organizations and known supporters in Nigeria will be set upon the same way that its agents destroyed critical assets in the country. Its staffers will be treated the same way that innocent policemen lynched by mobs were treated.

The countdown for the seven-day ultimatum has begun.

Lekki Shootings: GAW, others petition Lagos panel, seek sanction for fake news

Some human rights groups have approached the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution seeking the indictment of several Nigerian celebrities and international non-governmental organisations accused of inciting violence through fake news.

According to the groups, these Nigerians and NGOs must be punished for what it called gross misinformation which triggered the near-breakdown of law and order that accompanied the EndSARS protests, particularly in Lagos.

The Global Amnesty Watch (GAW) made this known on Monday in a memorandum to the Registrar, Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution on the #ENDSARS protests and subsequent escalation of violence across the country.

The memorandum was signed by Abdulmalik Alfa, Werigbelegha Zinake, Linda Etafia and Sadiq Abdullahi on behalf of International Human Rights Protection Forum (IHRPF), Centre for Human Rights Advancement in Nigeria (CHRAN), Global Integrity Crusade Network (GICN) and Make Nigeria Better Initiative (MNBI) respectively.

In its submission, the groups reasoned that the kind of donations the protests garnered confirms vested interests propagated by celebrities to cause anarchy.

” The EndSARS protest across the country is assumed in many quarters to be without a leadership structure. While this position has been canvassed in numerous quarters, however, there seems to be a link with regards to the provision of logistic support to the protesters across the country. It is instructive to state that the EndSARS protest was funded from a well-concealed network that raised over N75 Million from donations from individuals in Nigerian and outside the shores of the country through a group called The Feminist Coalition,” the memorandum read in part.

“Distinguished Chairman and Members of the Panel, let it be stated here that Global Amnesty Watch agrees with the position of the government that indeed some vested interest used the EndSARS protests to advance a cause that would have led to anarchy in Nigeria. This is on the heels that the victims of the violence are both public and private concerns, as highlighted by the Lagos State Government”.

The GAW noted that the continuation of the protest despite the government’s sincerity further proves that there was a premeditated plot to wreak havoc.

“The Global Amnesty Watch views these initiatives by the government as laudable and with intent to see to the end of the peaceful protest by the youths. Consequently and given the steps taken by the government, the atmosphere for a peaceful resolution to the issues at stake were conducive and ought to have been embraced. Sadly, this was not the case as the protest continued until it was hijacked by thugs and hoodlums that went on a rampage destroying properties and committing other despicable acts that brought socio-economic activities to a halt in the country,” the 63-page document revealed.

“We state in unequivocal terms that the continuation of the protest that eventually led to the escalation of violence was indeed premeditated and most likely sponsored with the ultimate aim of causing anarchy in Nigeria. It is instructive to note that some group of individuals undermined the peace initiatives introduced by the government towards finding a lasting solution by the continuous instigation of youths through the social media platforms”.

The GAW fingered musician, Folarin Falana aka Falz, disc jockey, DJ Switch, Feminist Coalition, Burna Boy, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Nnamdi Kanu to be at the forefront of this campaign to destroy the nation with fake news.

On the involvement of the Nigerian Military, the groups said it was in the overall best interest of the nation which averted an imminent collapse.

The memorandum added, “the Nigerian Army managed the EndSARS protest that was fast leading into anarchy in the country. Global Amnesty Watch wishes to frantically reiterate that but for the intervention of the Nigerian Army, the country would have erupted in flames with the violence that was witnessed in Lagos and other parts of the country.

“It must be noted that the involvement of the Nigerian Military in Internal Security Operations has been constant reoccurrences in the Nigerian polity and from all indices, law and order were restored in such instances. The EndSARS protest is one of such instances that indeed brought to the fore the strategic importance of the Nigerian Military in Internal Security Operations in the country in instances where the civil police are overwhelmed.

“It must also be stated that the involvement of the Nigerian Military in such operations are governed by extant laws with regards to the rules of engagement which expressly states that no officer or soldier must be found aiding or abetting any act of arson, vandalism or unprofessional conduct coming from the citizens. Troops are rather duty-bound to intervene in any situation to avoid a breakdown in peace, stability or order of an area where they are deployed. The Global Amnesty Watch uses this opportunity to commend various acts of bravery and professionalism displayed by officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army in the restoration of law and order in Lagos state as well as other parts of the country”.

According to GAW, the ability of troops to engage protesters in the most civil manner and without the use of force of any kind quelled the tension.

The groups expressed disappointment with the ongoing campaign of calumny against the troops by another set of celebrities led by Femi Falana, Genevieve Nnaji and Kemi Olulonyo.

The Global Amnesty Watch in its final analysis, however, called on the panel to compensate state actors; prosecute instigators; ban international NGOs; demand apology from fake news merchants as well as sanction broadcast houses.

In all, it absolved the military of any wrongdoing at Lekki toll gate, Lagos or anywhere in the country.