Justice Binta Nyako, in a judgment, also convicted Bello of paying tax of N20, 000 to Boko Haram contrary to Section 21 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013.

Justice Nyako, who found Bello guilty of the offence after he pleaded guilty to the two-count charge preferred against him by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, ordered that the sentencing shall run concurrently.

The federal government in the charge, marked: FHC/KNJ/CR/563/2026, sued Bello as sole defendant.

In count one, Bello of Mantari Village in the Bama local government area of Borno was alleged to have in 2023, rendered support by facilitating Nigerian currency notes of N750, 000 to Boko Haram contrary to Section 13 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013, and punishable under the same act.

In count two, he was accused to have paid a N20, 000 tax to the terrorist organisation contrary to Section 21 of Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013.

Bello, who pleaded guilty to the charge, begged the court to temper justice with mercy.

Justice Nyako ordered that Bello be rehabilitated and deradicalised.

In another case involving Hamat Modu, who pleaded guilty to being a member of Boko Haram group, Justice Nyako sentenced him to 10 years jail term in each of the four counts bordering on terrorism offences, following his guilty plea.

The judge, who directed that the counts must run concurrently, also ordered that Modu should undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation.

Also, Isah Ali, who was 18-year-old at the time of his arrest, pleaded not guilty to count one but pleaded guilty to count two of the two-count charge.

M. Jibo, lawyer to the federal government, applied that the court should strike out count one and accordingly convict Ali in count two.

She urged the court to also admit his confessional statement and investigation report as exhibits.

Ali, while pleading for mercy, said he was young when he was drafted into the terror group.

The defence lawyer, Aliyu Abubakar, the Director General, Legal Aid Council, also pleaded for mercy.

“The defendant was 18 years when he was arrested and had been in detention since three years now.

“It is another case of terrorism by association. We pleaded that the court should take this into consideration in sentencing him,” he begged.

Justice Nyako, who struck out count one, sentenced the defendant to 10 years imprisonment in count two and ordered for his rehabilitation and deradicalisation.

The judge, in another case, sentenced Shehu Bukar to 20 years imprisonment in count three in which he pleaded guilty out of the five counts preferred against him.

Count three accused him of rendering support as livestock rustler by selling goats to Boko Haram group contrary to Section 5 of Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013.

Bukar, however, pleaded not guilty to other counts, including count two where he was alleged to have participated in a terrorist attack at Konduga in Borno where scores of people were killed.

A 43-year-old Alhaji Kulle was sentenced to a five-year jail term in count one and three of the three-count terrorism charge which must run concurrently.

The prosecution had, in the count three, accused Kulle of paying the sum of N6,000 to Boko Haram weekly, knowing that the money would be used to finance terrorism activities.

Justice Nyako equally jailed Tasiu Yakubu seven years in a one-count charge preferred against him by the federal government.

The AGF and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who led other lawyers including Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the Director of Public Prosecutions, in the trial, tendered Yakubu’s confessional statement and investigation report as evidence before the court, urging the court to convict Yakubu in accordance with the law.

Abubakar, DG of Legal Aid, did not object but prayed the court to temper justice with mercy since the defendant had been remorseful.

But Fagbemi argued that based on Section 5 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, Yakubu ought to be given 20 years imprisonment though his sentencing might run from his date of arrest.

According to him, sentencing guidelines must follow what the law says.

After listening to the parties, Justice Nyako sentenced Yakubu to seven years jail term from the date of his arrest and ordered for his rehabilitation and deradicalisation.

In another development, Justice Nyako sentenced Abdullahii Ali to a 20-year imprisonment in a one-count charge filed against him.

Ali, who was alleged to have rendered support to the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, by assisting through logistic supply of fuel to the terror group, admitted committing the offence.

The offence is said to be contrary to Section 13 and 13(b) of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013.

Fagbemi urged the court to sentence him in accordance with the law.

The judge, in his judgment, sentenced Ali to 20-year jail term beginning from November 20, 2023, which was the date of his arrest.

Source: NAN

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The post Boko Haram: How court sentenced terrorists in Abuja trial appeared first on Frontpageng.

The trial, which usually takes place at Kainji in Niger, was moved to the Federal High Court, FHC, in Abuja since the court is currently on Easter vacation.

The vacation, which commences on Tuesday, April 7, will end on April 13 and regular court sittings will resume on Tuesday, April 14, across all divisions of the court.

The 13 courts at the Abuja FHC is currently busy with terrorist cases.

Some of the trial judges are Justice Binta Nyako, Justice Emeka Nwite, Justice Musa Liman, Akpan Ekerete, among others.

While Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, led the team of the Federal Government’s lawyers before Justice Nyako, Aliyu Abubakar, the Director General, Legal Aide Council, led the team of lawyers for the 20 suspected terrorists before Nyako.

Some of the suspected terrorists in Nyako’s cause list include Hamat Modu, Isah Ali, Awal Bello, Shehu Bukar, Alhaji Kulle,, Mohammed Abacha Hassan, Aminami Mallum, Tasiu Yakubu, Abdullahi Ali, among others.

There were heavy security beef-up in and around the Abuja Federal High Court as all roads leading to the court were blocked by armed security personnel while police helicopter hovered around the Central Business District.

Source: NAN

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The post FG begins mass trial of suspected terrorists in Abuja appeared first on Frontpageng.

By BOLANLE BOLAWOLE

Neither Bob Nesta Marley nor Muhammed Ali (formerly Cassius Clay) needs any introduction – except, perhaps, to the Gen. Z and Alpha generations that know next-to-nothing of history. Marley was the widely-recognised king of philosophical-cum-political reggae music and Ali, the politically-conscious and philosophical greatest-ever boxer in modern history. Both were black. Both were conscious of this heritage – especially so its challenges. Both were determined to live and act as the champion of their heritage and its cause. And both actually did! The sacrifices they consciously made, made a difference for them as individuals, for blacks as a race, and for the totality of humanity.

Unfortunately, Bob died at the young age of 36 while Ali made it to 74. In life both were kindred souls not only in the ideas they enunciated and lived for but also in the practical demonstration of love and camaraderie – until death did them part. For those who may not know, kindred souls are described as “people who share a deep, natural connections, feeling they understand each other’s beliefs, attitudes, and feelings without needing much explanation; they are like-minded individuals who resonate on the same spiritual and emotional frequency, forming strong bonds, often feeling like family or past acquaintances, and finding immediate comfort in each other’s presence.”

It is this spirit of fellow-feeling between two iconic ideological soulmates that brought out, perhaps, the last nuggets of wisdom – including regrets – from Bob Marley, a man whose every lyric was a message. Savour it!

“Miami, Florida. Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. May 9, 1981. 4:47 pm. Muhammad Ali walked slowly down the hospital corridor, more slowly than he usually moved. At 39, the greatest boxer of all time was beginning to feel that something was wrong with his body. A tremor in his hands, a slowness in his movements, something he couldn’t fight with his fists.

But today wasn’t about Ali’s fight. Today was about saying goodbye to a friend. Bob Marley was dying in room 318. Ali had received the call two days ago. Rita Marley’s voice, calm, breaking: ‘Muhammad, if you want to see Bob, you need to come now. The doctors say days, maybe hours.’

Ali had canceled everything. He flew to Miami immediately because Bob Marley wasn’t just another musician to Ali. Bob was a brother in the struggle. The door to room 318 was partially open. Ali knocked softly. Rita appeared. Her eyes were red from crying…

Ali entered the room. Bob Marley lay on the bed, his body reduced to barely 80 pounds… But when Bob saw Ali, his eyes lit up. A smile crossed his face ‘Champ’, Bob whispered. ‘You came?’ Ali walked over to the bed and sat in the chair beside it. He gently took Bob’s hand. ‘Of course I came, brother. Do you think I’d miss saying goodbye to the man who taught me about true courage?’

Bob’s smile grew slightly. ‘I didn’t teach you anything. You are Muhammad Ali. The greatest.’ ‘The greatest boxer, perhaps,’ Ali said. ‘But you, you were the greatest warrior. You fought with music, you fought with words, you fought with your whole spirit, and you never backed down.’

Bob’s breathing was labored. Every word required effort. ‘Neither did you, champ. You gave up everything. Your title, your freedom, your best years, because you wouldn’t fight in Vietnam. Because you stood up for what you believed in.’

Ali nodded. ‘It took me three-and-a-half years. They took away my belt, they took away my license, they took away my ability to earn money, but I couldn’t fight in a war I didn’t believe in. I couldn’t kill people who never called me the N-word.’ ‘I know,’ Bob said. ‘That’s why you changed my life.’

Ali looked surprised. ‘I changed your life, brother? You’re the one who changed the world. Your music reached billions. You took reggae to every country. You united people across every divide.’

Bob shook his head weakly. ‘But I learned courage from you. 1967. I was 22. I saw you refuse to go to Vietnam. I saw them take your title away. I saw the whole world turn against you. And you stood there and said, ‘I have no quarrel with those Viet Cong.’ You were willing to go to prison for your beliefs.’

Bob paused, gathering his strength. ‘That taught me something, champ. It taught me that true courage isn’t fighting when the crowd is behind you. It’s standing alone when everyone thinks you’re wrong. That’s what I tried to do with my music. Stand up for something even when it costs me.’

Ali felt tears welling up in his eyes. ‘Bob, you did more than defend. You changed hearts. You made people think. You made them feel. That’s bigger than anything I did in a ring.” ‘No,’ Bob said firmly, with more strength than he’d had in days. ‘What you did in that ring changed everything. You weren’t just boxing. You were showing Black people that we didn’t have to accept what the world said about us. You were beautiful. You were proud. You were unapologetically yourself. That gave the rest of us permission to be ourselves, too.’

Ali squeezed Bob’s hand gently. ‘We were fighting the same fight, only in different arenas.’ ‘The same fight,’ Bob agreed. ‘Freedom, dignity, the right to be who we are without apologizing.’

They sat in silence for a moment… Bob spoke again, his voice calmer now. ‘Champ, can I tell you something?’ ‘Anything, brother.’ ‘I’m not afraid to die. I’ve made my peace with Jah. I’ve done what I came here to do, but I’m afraid of what I’m leaving behind…’

Ali leaned closer. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘I’m afraid people will remember the music but forget the message. I’m afraid they’ll dance to *One Love* but not live it. I’m afraid they’ll make me a legend and miss the point.’

Bob’s eyes locked onto Ali’s. ‘Do you understand this? They made you a legend, too. Muhammad Ali, the greatest. But how many people remember why you were great? Not the boxing, the stance you took, the price you paid?‘

So, take good care of yourself! Rest well!! Live!!!

Ali felt the weight of Bob’s words. ‘You’re right. People remember the fights, the provocations, the spectacle, but they forget that I went to prison for my beliefs. They forget that I lost years I can never get back.’ ‘Exactly,’ Bob said. ‘So I need to ask you something, champ. When I’m gone, when they turn me into posters and T-shirts and nostalgia, will you tell them? Will you remind people what this was really about?’

Ali felt his throat close up. ‘Tell them what, Bob?’

Bob’s voice became urgent despite his weakness. ‘Tell them it cost something. Tell them courage always costs something. Tell them I didn’t die for the music. I died because I didn’t stop. I didn’t slow down. I didn’t compromise the message for my health. Tell them that’s what real commitment looks like.’

Bob paused, breathing heavily. ‘Tell them about 1976. About the assassination attempt. About seven gunmen breaking-in into my house two days before the Smile Jamaica concert. About bullets hitting me, hitting Rita, hitting my manager. About how we still did that concert 48 hours later, performed for 80,000 people with bullets still in my body.’

Ali had heard the story, but never directly from Bob. ‘Why did you do it? Why risk your life for a concert?’ ‘Because the message was bigger than my life,’ Bob said simply. ‘Because if I let fear stop me, then violence wins. Division wins, hate wins. I had to show that love is stronger than bullets, that music is more powerful than guns.’

Bob looked intently at Ali. ‘Just like you showed the world that principles are more powerful than punishment. You could have gone to Vietnam. You could have kept your title, your money, your fame. But you chose principles over comfort. That’s what changed my life, champ. That’s what I tried to live by.’

Ali dried his eyes. ‘Bob, you handled it better than I did. You never stopped, even when it was killing you.’ ‘And that’s my regret,’ Bob said quietly. ‘I should have stopped. I should have rested. I should have spent more time with my children, with Rita, with my mother. I thought the mission was more important than my life. But now, dying at 36, I realize the mission needed me to live. I could have done more if I had taken better care of myself.’

Ali felt something break inside him. Bob was telling him something important, something Ali needed to hear. ‘Bob, are you telling me to slow down, to take care of myself?’

Bob nodded weakly. ‘Champ, I can sense something’s wrong with you. I see it in your movements. You’re fighting something.’

Ali’s hands trembled slightly. He’d been noticing it for months. The trembling, the slowness. He hadn’t told anyone yet. ‘I don’t know what it is, but yes, something is wrong.’ ‘Then learn from my mistake,’ Bob said urgently. ‘Don’t sacrifice your life for your legacy. Take care of yourself. Rest. Allow yourself to be human. The world needs Muhammad Ali alive more than it needs another fight, another show, another performance.’

Bob’s breathing became more labored. ‘Promise me, champ. Promise me you’ll take care of yourself. Promise me you’ll live because your children need you. Your wife needs you. The world needs you. And you can’t help anyone if you’re dead.’

Ali felt tears running down his face. “I promise, Bob. I promise.”

Bob smiled. Then he said something that would echo in Ali’s mind for the rest of his life. ‘You taught me how to stand up. Now I’m teaching you how to rest. Both are courage, champ. Both matter.’

Those words hung in the air between them… Bob’s voice grew even calmer. ‘Muhammad, I need you to know something else.’ ‘What, brother?’ ‘Meeting you changed how I saw myself. You were a Black man who refused to be anything but proud, refused to be silent, refused to back down. You made me believe I could do the same with music. You made me believe one person standing up for the truth could change the world.’ Bob paused. ‘So everything I did, every song I wrote, every stage I stood on, that was partly because I saw you stand in that courtroom in 1967 and refuse to go to war. You inspired millions, champ, including me. And I just needed you to know that…

Ali completely collapsed. This man, this warrior, this voice of a generation was using his last breaths to thank Ali for the inspiration. ‘Bob, I don’t know what to say.’ ‘Don’t say anything. Just remember that when they ask you about Muhammad Ali, tell them about the cost. Tell them about the years you lost. Tell them it was worth it because you stayed true to yourself. And when they ask you about Bob Marley, tell them the same thing. Tell them I paid the price for the message and I would do it again’.

Ali held Bob’s hand tighter… They sat together for another hour, talking less, simply being present… Finally, Bob grew too tired to stay awake. Ali got up to leave. ‘Champ’, Bob whispered, his eyes closed. ‘One more thing…’ ‘Yes, Bob.’ ‘It floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee, but also rests like a human. Promise?”

Ali smiled through his tears. ‘I promise.’ Bob Marley died two days later, on May 11, 1981, at 11:45 a.m. He was 36 years old.” But Ali went on to live for another 35 years, dying on June 3, 2016 at 74.

“If you are reading this and you are consumed by a cause, a career, a mission, listen to Bob Marley’s last words to Muhammad Ali: You can’t help anyone if you are dead!”

So, take good care of yourself! Rest well!! Live!!!

*Bolawole (turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533), former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, was also the Managing Director/ Editor-in-chief of the Westerner newsmagazine. He writes the “ON THE LORD’S DAY” column in the Sunday Tribune and “TREASURES” column in the New Telegraph newspapers. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.

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He was arrested while travelling with full body mannequins for his clothing business in Cameroun.

A search of the mannequins revealed that they were stuffed with pills of tramadol weighing 5.3 kilogrammes.

The suspect claimed he resided in Cameroun and was reportedly returning to his base after the Christmas and New Year holidays when he was apprehended.

It was revealed that he bought the drugs in Onitsha, Anambra State, and was trafficking them to Cameroun to sell, using two mannequins to conceal the opioids.

In Oyo State, raids across different locations led to the seizure of dangerous illicit drugs and arrest of notorious dealers, including 45-year-old Remi Bamidele (Alias ‘Aluko the Mafia’) at Sasa, Ibadan, with a total of 10.696 kilogrammes of Colorado, Scottish Loud, Ghana Loud, Canadian Loud and skunk, all strains of cannabis.

At the time of his arrest on Thursday 8th January, two vehicles: Toyota Venza and Toyota Yaris marked HG 06 LYD were recovered from him.

At Adegbayi area of the state capital Ibadan, NDLEA officers on Friday 9th January arrested Adeola Toheeb, 27, with various quantities of Colorado, Ghana Loud and skunk while Habeeb Ali, 29, was nabbed at Ring road, Ibadan with 1.264kg Colorado, Scottish Loud and skunk.

Not less than ₦1,307,100 cash exhibit was also recovered from him at the point of his arrest on Saturday 10th January.

A dispatch rider, Osagbovo Edigin, 30, and two other suspects – Ebimi Labo, 28, and Akhimie Success, 25 – were on Friday 9th January arrested at Ihama/Airport road GRA Benin City, Edo State in connection with the seizure of 118 grammes of Canadian Loud and a wrap of Colorado.

While Jimoh Agbonmhegbe, 49, was arrested at Irrua with 17.552kg Colorado, Loud and skunk, another suspect Evelyn Okoyomon, 38, was nabbed at Ubiaja with 930 grammes of skunk on Wednesday 7th January.

In Niger state, no fewer than 4,000 pills of tramadol 225mg were recovered from a suspect Nazifi Umar, 22, at Dakwa town, Tafa local government area, while another suspect Yusuf Usman, 41, was nabbed with 100 blocks of skunk weighing 47kg Lankaviri, Yorro local government area, Taraba State on Wednesday 7th January.

Not less than 30,950 capsules of Tramadol were recovered from the home of a suspect, Ugwoke Chibueze, 40, in Bachure area of Yola South local government area, Adamawa State following his arrest at the Lamido Aliyu Mustapha International Airport Yola on Tuesday 6th January.

With the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.

These include WADA sensitisation lecture to students and staff of Government Day Science and Technical College, Babura, Jigawa; Abiayubal Ansari Islamiyya School, Layin Indo Mai Tuwan Tara, Fagge local government area, Kano; and youths of Oshituma Umuogudu Akpu Ngbo, Ebonyi state, among others.

While commending the officers and men of Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Taraba, Edo, Oyo, and Niger commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.

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The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, made this known in a statement on Thursday.

He stated that Musiliu Olalekan Oseni, PhD is the chairman the reconstituted board.

Oseni started his service as a Commissioner in January 2017.

He was subsequently appointed vice chairman of the commission.

His appointment as chairman took effect from 1 December 2025 and shall subsist until the completion of his ten-year tenure at the commission, in accordance with the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2023.

Yusuf Ali, PhD is the vice chairman.

Ali was first appointed as a Commissioner in February 2022.

His designation as vice chairman took effect on 1 December 2025 and shall remain in effect until the completion of his first term.

Mr Nathan Rogers Shatti is a commissioner.

He is serving a second term as commissioner and was first appointed in January 2017.

Mr Dafe Akpeneye is also a commissioner, and he is serving a second term.

He was first appointed as a commissioner in January 2017.

Aisha Mahmud Kanti Bello is another commissioner.

She is serving her second term, having been first appointed as a commissioner in December 2020.

Dr Chidi Ike is a commissioner and is serving his first term, having been first appointed as a Commissioner in February 2022.

Dr Fouad Animashaun, another commissioner is serving his first term, effective December 2025.

An energy economist, Animashaun, has extensive experience in the Nigerian power sector and most recently served as Executive Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu charged the board members of NERC to deepen and consolidate the ongoing transformation of Nigeria’s power sector, in strict alignment with the letter and spirit of the Electricity Act, 2023.

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The colourful inauguration took place at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, and was attended by top Islamic scholars, professionals, traditional leaders and members of the Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria and Overseas.

Other trustees inaugurated alongside Kekere-Ekun include Alhaji Sulaimon Adedokun; Alhaja Kafilat Araoye; Mallam Yusuf Ali, SAN; Dr. (Mrs.) Mosun Belo-Olusoga; Alhaji Abdulfatah Babatunde Bank-Anthony; and Alhaji Rabiu Isyaku Rabiu.

In his address, the President of Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria and Overseas, Prince Mosediq Adeniji Kazeem, SAN, described the inauguration as “a historic milestone” in the over 100-year journey of the Society.

“This Foundation represents the continuation of our Society’s century-long journey of faith, knowledge and service to humanity,” Kazeem said, adding that “It is built on the vision of our founding fathers, who believed that education, moral discipline and service to mankind are the keys to the progress of the Muslim community.”

He explained that the Ansar-ud-Deen Foundation was created as a transparent and sustainable platform to support the society’s religious, educational, welfare and developmental programmes.

According to him, the Foundation aims to build a ₦20 billion legacy endowment fund that will be used to rehabilitate mosques, improve Ansar-ud-Deen schools, support Summit University, Offa, and fund health, welfare and empowerment programmes across the country.

“Our mosques must be welcoming and well-maintained. We must be proud of any Ansar-ud-Deen mosque we visit,” the President said. “This Foundation will ensure that every donation is properly managed, transparently reported and invested in halal and ethical ventures for long-term benefit.”

Kazeem charged the newly inaugurated trustees to see their appointment as a sacred trust.

“You have been entrusted with a serious amanah,” he said. “I charge you to uphold the highest standards of transparency and accountability, ensure that all investments are halal, and develop innovative ways for people across the world to support this noble cause.”

He added that the success of the Foundation would depend on the collective support of all members of the Society.

“This Foundation belongs to all of us. Let us contribute our resources, time and prayers, because the best of people are those who are most beneficial to mankind,” he said.

Also speaking, the Chief Missioner of Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Sheikh Abdulrahman Olanrewaju Ahmad, urged the trustees to remain faithful to Islamic principles in managing the Foundation.

He warned against raising funds through means that are not in line with Islamic teachings.

“Allah is pure and He will not accept anything except that which is pure,” the Chief Missioner said. “This Foundation is important because it will support dawah, education and community development in a halal and sustainable way.”

Sheikh Ahmad explained that the idea of the Foundation was rooted in the Islamic concept of waqf (endowment), which allows charitable works to continue benefiting people long after the donor is gone.

“This is a cheap ticket to the hereafter, and not an economy ticket but a first-class one,” he said, drawing applause from the audience. “Through waqf, we can build institutions that will outlive us and continue to serve humanity.”

He prayed for divine guidance and strength for the trustees, adding that no contribution was too small. “This is not for the rich alone. Everyone can contribute, because all of us desire a better future for our community,” he said.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Kekere-Ekun who is also the husband of the country’s Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, while accepting the responsibility on behalf of members, pledged that the Foundation would operate with “absolute transparency, honesty, discipline and accountability,” and focus on supporting projects in health, education and welfare as approved by the society.

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Last week we started with the spat between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Ekiti State governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose. Fayose had invited Obasanjo to his 65th birthday celebrations, where the former president made statements that irked the celebrant. Fayose afterwards responded in kind to Obasanjo in a “Thank You” message where he took the former president to the cleaners. Obasanjo also responded by topping it up for Fayose!

Going down memory lane, we narrated how relations went from good to bad between the two leaders, hearing, as it were, from the horse’s mouth – meaning, Ayodele Fayose himself – in his unpublished autobiography titled “Peter the Rock: Autobiography of Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose”, which was collated together with others and edited by this writer. Read on:

“Obasanjo returned from the USA on 17th June, 2006 and visited Ekiti on June 18th. He had quickly convened a meeting in Abuja in the early hours of 18th before coming to Ekiti. He was earlier scheduled to have visited Ekiti on the 17th and 18th. Realising that his third term agenda had been killed by the National Assembly, he quickly convened a meeting of the leadership of the party, denied the third term agenda, and called for reconciliation in the party. He then came to Ekiti and praised me to high heavens on the same day. Obasanjo assured the Ekiti people that I would be returned as governor and left. I later met with him at Ota in company with other South-west governors; he said he trusted me and believed in my judgment and, therefore, made me the chairman of a group that would search for his successor. He also reaffirmed his support for my second term bid.

“However, in late August of that year (2006), the then Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, in collaboration with my enemies who believed there was no way I would not win the 2007 governorship election, convinced Obasanjo that I was fraudulent and should be removed from office. Obasanjo bought into this and invited me to Abuja to ask me to step down as the governor of Ekiti state. I told him the step he was taking stemmed from conspiracy against my person. He finally said I should not contest for a second term as governor of Ekiti state, which was ludicrous. I was very much loved by my people who wanted me to continue in office; to be single-handedly short-circuited by one man was patently undemocratic. But unequal power relations made me succumb and we both agreed I should go to the Senate while they shopped for someone else to take my place. To avoid trouble, I said this was okay by me.

“Two weeks later, I was invited by the same Obasanjo to the Presidential villa and, in the presence of Chief Bode George and the then PDP chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali, the president said, ‘Ayo, you did not offend me but the powers-that-be in your state do not want you. So you have to resign now as governor.’ To my amazement, they brought out a letter on the letter-head of the Ekiti State Government, which they asked me to sign – a document I never prepared. I pleaded with the president but he insisted, in spite of entreaties by Chief Bode George and Ahmadu Ali. I then cleverly pleaded with him to let me go back home and tidy myself up so that I could leave honourably. He agreed. When I got back to Ekiti, Obasanjo called me to ask, ‘When are you bringing the letter of resignation?‘ He said, ‘If you think you can see light at the end of the tunnel, it is not with me! You better resign.’

“The ‘story behind the story’ of how I tactically dodged signing the resignation letter they prepared in Abuja was that I had been tipped off by Mrs. Mariam Ali, wife of Dr. Ahmadu Ali, whom I was close to. She had sent a message to me through Bukola Saraki and some other people that I would be invited to a place in Abuja to sign a letter but that ‘under no circumstance’ should I sign the letter. Had I signed the letter, I would have been arrested at the door of the Presidential villa by the EFCC. They would have used that letter in the media, saying that I resigned willingly after admitting that I was corrupt. With the Abuja macabre dance, I realised they had made up their mind to get me. The EFCC arrested everyone around me after they had withdrawn my Chief Security Officer, my ADC, etc…

Politics is truly a dirty game! The same Olabode George, who played a key role in how Fayose upstaged Babalola, later became Fayose’s punching bag during Fayose’s second term of office when Chief George took positions that were diametrically opposed to those of the Fayose/Nyesom Wike camp of the PDP.

“Initially, news of the collaboration of members of the state House of Assembly with my enemies came as a rumour. I summoned courage and invited them through the Clerk of the House. All entreaties to make them see reason fell on deaf ears. They made some unreasonable demands, obviously acting the script of their collaborators. During the heat, when it became obvious they were not ready to back down, having been coerced and at the same time mesmerised with outlandish promises made to them by their sponsors, I told them that if what they planned eventually happened and I was forced out of office; they, too, would sink with me. True to my courageous and prophetic pronouncement, the House of Assembly was suspended following the declaration of emergency rule.

“Stripped of my security details, I was naked and exposed security-wise. The next thing I saw was that my House of Assembly members were ‘arrested’ and taken over by the EFCC in an organised manner. They signed an impeachment letter at the EFCC camp, which they forwarded to me, and in the space of five days, they brought the ‘Honourables’ to the House of Assembly complex where the then (but now late) Speaker, Friday Aderemi, purportedly sacked the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Kayode Bamisile, which was beyond his powers and those of the House of Assembly, and got a consenting judge to act as Acting Chief Judge. The purported Acting Judge, JBK Aladejana, set up another panel after the first panel had absolved me of any guilt. After my acquittal by the first panel, that should have been the end of the matter, but the second panel then pronounced me guilty.

“The then Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Ehindero, who had a brother who was very close to me, phoned me that he had been ordered to effect my arrest and that lorry-loads of armed policemen were already on their way to carry out the order. He told me quite clearly that tipping me off was the very best he could do for me. If I waited and the men he had sent cornered me, he would not be in any position to assist me. His hands were tied over this matter, he told me quite emphatically. I had to run for my life. So, I escaped out the Government House in the night of 12th October, 2006 and went into exile”

How did Fayose escape from the Government House already surrounded by security forces? In the trunk of a jalopy car, disguised! And for the next eight years he suffered exile, later returning home to surrender himself to the authorities. He was incarcerated and faced trial but, in the end, he was exonerated and became a free man once again. Those travails must have been what Obasanjo referred to at Fayose’s birthday event; what he neglected to add, however, was that he, Obasanjo, was the chief architect of those travails! Fayose contested election again and was victorious, serving out his second term of office between 2014 and 2018. It was during the latter part of that period that our paths crossed, at his invitation.

The story that is yet to be told, but which Obasanjo alluded to in his controversial remarks at Fayose’s 65th birthday bash, is that it is the same Obasanjo – and Chief Olabode George – that was instrumental in Fayose becoming governor in his first tenure, in place of Obasanjo’s own personal friend, Chief SK Babalola. True, then, is the statement by Gen. Oluleye that Obasanjo has equal capacity to do both good and evil!

Politics is truly a dirty game! The same Olabode George, who played a key role in how Fayose upstaged Babalola, later became Fayose’s punching bag during Fayose’s second term of office when Chief George took positions that were diametrically opposed to those of the Fayose/Nyesom Wike camp of the PDP. Call it Karma or whatever, it is the same Olabode George who reportedly moved the motion to expel Wike, Fayose and other PDP leaders at the recent convention of a faction of the PDP at Ibadan.

Proverbs 30: 18 – 19 says: “There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: the way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid” A fifth must now be added: The mysterious ways of Nigerian politicians when they engage in their dirty games!

Listen to how Fayose himself narrated the story of the helping hand he received from Chief Olabode George: “These people still did not give up, despite the fact that I had been given the flag. Again, they set up machinery and started moving around, saying that ‘When Obasanjo comes, we will now allow him to present the flag formally to Fayose in Ekiti.’ They said Obasanjo was going to present the flag to Chief SK Babalola…They were working against me until Obasanjo finally arrived…The night before he landed, Chief SK Babalola and Chief Bamidele Olumilua had sewn the same uniform for themselves and Obasanjo…And I was supposed to be the candidate!

“So, Chief Bode George told us in the afternoon of the night before, when he came to wait for Chief Obasanjo, and got wind of their plan, to quickly go to Oje market in Ibadan to get Aso Oke (Yoruba local fabric) of the same colour for me and Obasanjo and bring it to him. The fabric was done all night and we brought it to Ado-Ekiti before Obasanjo arrived. We now took it to Akure and gave it to Bode George…”

Fayose narrated how Obasanjo ditched a flabbergasted Chief SK Babalola right there on the podium and threw away his aso-oke, reached out for Fayose’s aso-oke, ordered him to the podium, raised up his hand and formally presented the flag to him as the party flagbearer!

After I heard the story of the role Chief Bode George played in frustrating the plans and plots against Fayose becoming the governor of Ekiti state in 2003 straight from Fayose’s own mouth, I marvelled each time Fayose mercilessly tore into the same Bode George when both leaders stood in opposing camps within the same party, the PDP.

One fateful day I held up a proof of his autobiography to Fayose and said: ‘Concerning your relationship with Chief Olabode George, don’t you think your own words in this book indict you?‘

Characteristically, he stared at me, but said nothing! Those who said I was responsible for Fayose not eventually officially launching the autobiography have a point; don’t they?

*Bolawole (turnpot@gmail.com 0807 552 5533), former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-chief, was also the Managing Director/ Editor-in-chief of the Westerner newsmagazine. He writes the “ON THE LORD’S DAY” column in the Sunday Tribune and “TREASURES” column in the New Telegraph newspapers. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.

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Police spokesman, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed this in a statement issued in Damaturu on Saturday.

He said operatives of Nguru Division arrested two suspects – Jarma Hussaini Adam, 25, and Mohammed Abdusalam, 16 – both of Sabon Garin Kanuri, Nguru local government area.

The suspects allegedly attacked Cpl. Amani Ali while on guard duty at the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, on Friday.

Abdulkarim said the officer was found unconscious and bleeding, with his rifle stolen, before a tactical operation led to recovery of the weapon, magazines, and knife jacket.

“The injured officer is recuperating, while the suspects remain in custody,” he added.

READ ALSO: Gospel according to the teachers of Olubadan and Obasanjo

He described the incident as an affront to the Police Force, stressing that the command viewed such attacks as criminal acts and assaults on constituted authority.

In a separate case, Abdulkarim said personnel of Damaturu ‘A’ Division arrested a suspected armed herder, Ibrahim Alhaji Ahmadu, 24, of Dusuwa Village, on September 22.

The suspect was arrested after a farmer reported that a herder trespassed on his farm and allegedly threatened him with a firearm.

Abdulkarim said a shotgun and live ammunition were recovered from the suspect.

Similarly, Potiskum Division operatives arrested Dahiru Ali, 19, of Hayin Kwari, for allegedly defiling a three-year-old girl in the Mutawassada area of Potiskum.

“Investigations revealed that the suspect earlier defiled another three-year-old in the same neighbourhood. He confessed to the crime,” Abdulkarim stated.

Yobe Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Ado, condemned the acts and reaffirmed the command’s zero-tolerance stance on criminality.

The commissioner urged parents and guardians to monitor their children and appealed to residents to support police efforts with timely and credible information.

Source: NAN

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Maj. Samson Zhakom, the Media Officer of the operation, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Jos.

Zhakom said that the suspect was arrested over attempt to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

He particularly said that the suspect attempted to defraud the family of a notorious gunrunner in custody to secure his release.

“He was arrested when he fraudulently presented himself as a personnel of OPSH and deceitfully collected N400,000 from the family of a notorious gunrunner currently undergoing investigation.

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“He falsely claimed that he can stop the ongoing investigations and secure the suspect’s release from custody.

“But his fraudulent scheme was promptly uncovered by our operatives leading to his arrest.

“His arrest underscores our unwavering commitment to professionalism, transparency and zero tolerance for corruption,” he said.

Zhakom promised that the suspect would be diligently prosecuted upon completion of investigations in accordance with legal procedures.

He also called on residents of the state to be vigilant and wary of fraudsters who may attempt to exploit them through false claims.

Source: NAN

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The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, made this known in an update on military operations on Friday in Abuja.

Kangye said the successes underscored the military’s resolve to dismantle criminal networks and restore peace nationwide.

He said troops eliminated five notorious terror leaders, such as Yellow Danbokolo, Amir Dunkei, Kachalla Nagomma, Gurmu, and Ali Yar Daribiyar, during intensified offensives in the North East and North West regions.

“In total, 578 suspected terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements were arrested, while 134 kidnapped victims were rescued and reunited with their families,” he said.

Kangye also revealed that a wanted terrorists’ commander, Ibn Ali, alongside 151 terrorists and their families, surrendered to troops during clearance operations in the North East.

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He added that troops had, in a sting operation, apprehended a number of high-profile suspects, including gunrunners, kidnappers, cultists, and extremist figures.

According to him, they include Yakubu Jubril, Abubakar Yahaya, Isiya Sani, Haruna Abdullahi, Ali Abba, Mallam Aminu Idris, Mohammed Hamisu (aka Mamiyo or Officer Mohammed), Shuaibu Bulama, Isah Abdullahi, and Abdullahi Mohammed.

“Also arrested were suspected cult kingpin Prince Justin Ishimiri and an extremist cell leader, Liamdoo Douglas Adekpe (aka Bajor),” he said.

On the economic front, Kangye said that troops under Operation Delta Safe foiled oil theft and sabotage activities amounting to over N1.31 billion in the Niger Delta.

He added that the troops recovered 974,976 litres of stolen crude oil; 269,257 litres of illegally refined diesel (AGO); 1,759 litres of dual-purpose kerosene (DPK) and 3,447 litres of petrol (PMS).

“Troops also discovered and destroyed 126 cooking ovens, 107 dugout pits, 73 illegal refining sites, 39 boats, 83 storage tanks, 88 drums, and 35 vehicles used in crude oil theft.

“A total of 285 suspects were arrested, with large quantities of arms, ammunition, and explosives recovered,” he added.

Kangye said the armed forces, under the strategic guidance of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, remained committed to defending Nigeria’s sovereignty in line with the rules of engagement and respect for human rights.

According to him, the military is executing intelligence-led operations, grounded in professionalism and patriotism.

“The tide is turning against the enemies of the state, and we will sustain the momentum,” he said.

Source: NAN

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