The meeting, he said, would address the killings being carried out in the state by herdsmen.

The governor said no fewer than five northern governors would be at the meeting.

The meeting will be coming a few hours after a similar one was held with Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State in Ibadan on Monday.

The northern governors at the meeting in Ibadan are Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State; Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State; Abubakar Bello of Niger and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State.

Governor Dapo Abiodun announced the meeting on Monday when he visited Igbooro and other areas of the state affected by the crisis.

Said he: “I have called a stakeholders’ meeting tomorrow with my colleague governors who are Fulani and have people here.

“Five governors are coming to Abeokuta from the northern states. We will call some of you to the meeting to discuss the matter.”

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The governor issued the order during an ongoing inter sectoral security meeting with traditional rulers, security agents, religious leaders and journalists at the Government House, Gusau, on Thursday.

“It is sad to note that during this meeting, we have received two different security breach reports from two different areas.

“The emir of Maradun is hereby directed to leave this meeting, suspend the traditional rulers in which these acts took place and initiate ways to identify and bring the perpetrators of the act to the authorities within the next three days or face the consequence himself,” the governor declared.

He warned that, henceforth, any traditional ruler in whose area the outlawed ‘Yan sa kai (volunteer security members) attacked anyone whether voluntarily or by taking the law into their hands, the Special Adviser should immediately suspend the affected traditional ruler before setting up investigation.

“I am in receipt of report that l bought Hilux vans to repentant bandits which l never did.

“Brig. Gen. Bello, have l ever given any vehicle to even repentant bandits in the state as reported recently by Sahara Reporters,” the governor asked the 1 Brigade Commander of the Nigerian Army, Gusau.

The army officer however informed the gathering that soldiers in the state, including himself, were surprised when they saw the report and that the governor had never done anything like that apart from the 200 operational vehicles given to the security agencies by the state government last year.

The Zamfara State governor summoned the stakeholders’ emergency meeting immediately on his return from an official engagement outside the state following recent spate of armed banditry and reports which he described as mischievous speculations.

Source: NAN

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According to him, in view of the spate of killings, it had become a story when no one was killed in any part of the country in a day.

The sultan made the remark on Monday when he led other traditional rulers to pay a condolence visit to the governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, over the recent killing of some farmers by terrorists in the state.

He however said that it was time for all Nigerians to come together and fight the wanton waste of lives.

He also suggested that the military should occupy Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad region, from where the terrorists have been launching their attacks.

His words:  “So many lives have been lost in the past.

“We can’t even compute how many lives we have lost.

“It becomes like a daily occurrence, a daily event. A new normal.

“It becomes a story when in a day nobody was killed in a particular place of this country.

“We had various fora with our political leaders, mentioned these things out, how to take care of our security in various communities.

“We have written papers, sent our governors, we have discussed with all our leaders all the way forward.

“But we see things getting worse and worse.

“It used to be Boko Haram alone in Borno and Yobe.

“Now, it is all over the North in particular and generally all over the country.

“You have bandits and terrorists all over the North.

“You can’t even move freely.

“In the South, it is the same thing.

“The killings have taken new dimensions and we really don’t know what are the causes of these mass killings of innocent people.

“We decided to come together as the Council of Traditional Rulers to make this statement to all and sundry, not only to the Governor of Borno State, but to all our governors.

“Let’s rise up to the occasion and see how we can come together to fight this menace of shedding innocent people’s blood.”

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The forum disclosed this in a communiqué signed by its chairman and ogvernor of Ekiti State, KayodeFayemi, after its 22nd teleconference meeting in Abuja on Friday.

According to the communique, Buhari would particularly speak in the light of attack on farmers in Borno State.

The communiqué said the governors deliberated on issues affecting the country, particularly on national security and the killings of some 43 rice farmers in GarinKwashebe in Jere Local Government Area, Borno.

The communique said that the governors also endorsed two proposals on infrastructure development funds loans.

“The proposals were from Governor Nasir El- Rufai-led National Economic Council (NEC) ad-hoc committee on Leveraging Portion of Accumulated Pension Funds for Investment in the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), and the Governor of Central Bank Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele,” it said.

The communique noted that the El Rufai committee briefed the forum on a proposed National Infrastructure Investment Fund, NIIF, under the auspices of the NSIA such that N2 trillion at nine per cent interest could be accessed through the authority.

“The NGF chairman said that the CBN governor has a similar proposal to access N15 trillion for national infrastructure funding through INFRACREDIT at a lower interest rate of five per cent,” it said.

The communique further said that both proposals were not mutually exclusive and could be adopted simultaneously with one streaming into the other.

The communique also said the NGF maintained its stance that stamp duties belonged primarily to states and the various collection platforms were channels of payment to the states, while aligning with the guidance provided by its lawyers and experts.

The forum agreed to: “direct State Attorneys-General to review the Water Resources Bill and send their input to the NGF secretariat as quickly as possible;

“Agreed to keep active and operational the State COVID -19 Task Force Teams and Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs).

“This is in addition to ensuring the prompt release of funds as outlined in the State Incidence Action Plans (IAP), keeping temporary treatment centres open, ramping up COVID-19 testing across the country.

“Also to support the planned “COVID-19 Testing Week’ to be launched by the Presidential TaskForce.

“Commit to achieving the second Eligibility Criteria (EC) requirement of publishing online their approved financial year (FY21) Annual State Budget, prepared under the National Chart of Accounts, by Jan. 31, 2021.

“Governors also restated their commitment to implement reforms associated with the programme including the deployment of a Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to support effective land administration and an efficient property tax system,” it said.

On strike, the governors encouraged the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to hasten implementation of the truce elements in their resolutions to allow schools reopen immediately.

It added that the forum was currently intervening in resolving the lingering ASUU strike and had secured certain concessions from the federal government with the hope that the strike would be called off shortly.

Source: NAN

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The House of Representatives had summoned the president over Friday’s killing of 43 farmers in Zabarmari community in Borno.

The lawmakers took the decision on Tuesday while adopting a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Rep. Satomi Ahmed.

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, gave the indication in a chat with State House correspondents on Wednesday, after a closed doors meeting with Buhari at the State House, Abuja.

He said the president had agreed to honour the invitation of the House to answer questions bordering on the nation’s security.

He said the leadership of the house and the president had agreed on a date for his (Buhari) appearance at the National Assembly, saying the date would soon be made known to Nigerians.

He said “We came to see the president on developments in the country. He was so willing to listen as typical of the president, the usual democrat that he is.

“What we basically sought was to convey the resolution of the House and to fix a date which we did not fix, out of respect for Mr President and his very tight schedule, what date will be convenient.

“We have agreed on a date and he will meet with the House to address the situation. We have fixed a date but we will communicate with you.

“He is a perfect democrat; he will come to the House to address members in the nearest future.”

On the feelings of the president on the nation’s security challenges, the Speaker said: “I think he is more concerned than me and you. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.

“We will leave everything until when he comes to the House. Let me not pre-empt him.

“All I can tell you for now is that he is fully committed to the security of lives and property of Nigerians.’’

Source: NAN

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Lawan stated this against the backdrop of a motion considered on Wednesday on the “need to check the culture of arbitrariness and brutality of security operatives to Nigerians.”

Accordingly, the Senate during plenary mandated its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to investigate human rights abuses by Nigerian security agencies.

The upper chamber, while urging the various security agencies to establish hotlines to enable Nigerians report abuses by their agents, called for the establishment of a Special Bureau Unit that monitors the conducts of its officers, arrests and charges erring ones.

It also mandated the Committees on Police Affairs, and Judiciary and Human Rights to investigate allegations of extrajudicial executions and make recommendations for reparation.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, while commenting on the recent activities and extrajudicial killings by men of the Special Anti-robbery Squad, SARS, called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of those involved.

According to him, any security personnel involved in the killing of innocent Nigerians must be made to face the full weight of the law.

“I think that this is a situation that should be properly investigated. The recent incident should not be swept under the carpet.

“Those involved in the recent incident should be arrested and prosecuted. There are good people in all the security agencies just as there are bad people.

“Scrapping of agencies might not be the right thing to do. Rule of law should be the guiding principle. If anyone does the wrong thing, they must be prepared to face the consequences.

“Like some of us indicated, there are good elements in SARS, and they have been doing a wonderful job. If you scrap SARS for example, you lose the chance of getting those that are doing well to continue to do so.

“Anybody in SARS or any security agency that commits excesses should be prosecuted. The law should take its full course.

“It is not enough to dismiss them from service, what does the law say if he kills someone? This is not acceptable. In fact, it makes Nigeria like some of our colleagues have said, a laughing stock.

“We have the jurisdiction and constitutional mandate to review the laws governing the operations or establishment of these agencies,” Lawan said.

The Senate President added that, “those involved must be arrested and prosecuted, and Nigerians need to know what happens. It is not enough to suspend the activities of SARS.

“What happens to those that have killed innocent Nigerians? If someone is killed by the law that is understandable. But when someone who is supposed to protect Nigerians kills a Nigerian unduly, without any due course of process, he probably loses his life too. And that is what we expect to see happen.”

Earlier, sponsor of the motion, Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC – Lagos Central), said that Nigeria, despite being a party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, still recorded the unabated brutality of security operatives towards Nigerians.

The lawmaker expressed concern that, “Nigerian youth can no longer move freely for fear that they will be profiled and accused of being ‘yahoo boys’ or fraudsters, merely because they look good, own laptops, iPhones, nice looking cars, or profiled for having dreadlocks and certain hairstyles.

“Only recently, the global and social media was awash with the #EndSARS Campaign and stories of brutality of the men of the Special Anti-Robbery Response Squad.”

Tinubu added that “with more Nigerian youth being involved with software development, fintech and doing more remote jobs in ICT, profiling by policemen is a major problem.”

She expressed worry that “despite assurances by the Inspector-General of Police in 2015 and 2017 that there would be reform of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Nigerians are daily, still being abducted and extorted, under duress, with no mechanism in place for complaints and resolution of same.”

According to the lawmaker, “SARS operations have degenerated into intimidation, harassment and extortion of innocent Nigerians.”

She noted that as a bye-effect of the fear of the Nigerian Police, Nigerians cannot report occurrence of crime to the police without being made to part with cash or fearing that they will be detained for the commission of the same offence they have come to report.

Contributing to the motion, Senator Adamu Aliero (APC – Kebbi Central) said, “what is currently going on is a violation of all conventional agreements that Nigeria has signed on fundamental human rights, and even a violation of our constitution. We should not allow this kind of thing to continue.

“Suffice to say that we cannot afford extrajudicial killings in a constitutional democracy we are operating today. It should be condemned and nobody should be killed without a just cause.

“Let us go through the judicial process, let the Judiciary determine that a person has actually committed the offence and its beyond any reasonable doubt before a person can be killed.”

On his part, the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege (APC – Delta Central) said, “we have a Constitution which guarantees the privacy of our citizens, if nothing else, at least protects them until there’s a warrant for their arrest before they can be searched.

“But now these people have become more like extortionists taking money from people by going into their phones, not because they want to provide law enforcement, but they are looking for ways to force these people to part with money.”

The Senate while mandating the Committee on Police Affairs to organise a stakeholders’ meeting to investigate implementation of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act, 2019, urged the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to review the objectives behind the establishment of the tactical squads with a view to permanently restricting their interference in daily activities of Nigerians.

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No fewer than five persons were raped and murdered in Akinyele local government area of Ibadan in the month of June.

The 19-year old suspect was among the 19 suspects paraded on Friday by Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Nwachuckwu Enwonwu, for various offences ranging from armed robbery, defilement, motorcycle theft, among others.

The suspect said that he was sent on the mission by a 50-year-old herbalist, who, he claimed, was his master.

“Anytime I’m to go for the killing, Baba will give me some charms and also teach me some incantation to be recited so that nobody will see me at the scene of the crime.

“I will hit the victims with a shovel and recite the incantation immediately I saw blood coming out of the victims’ body.

“Baba instructed me to always move around the victims at the scene after killing them and then turn my back on them, staying there for like three minutes; which I did and nobody will see me.

“Baba said the spirits of the victims will come to him after I killed them.

“Baba did not tell me the reason for the killings, but do buy me food and gives me N500 after each of the killings I carried out for him,” he said.

On his part, the herbalist denied ever sending the suspect on the mission to kill, but confirmed that the suspect was brought to him by his parents to learn about herbs.

“The boy was brought to me in 2016 and only spent six days with me and I sent him away and since then I have not seen him.

“I only saw him some days ago when he came with the police, though I do give him food,” he said.

The Commissioner of Police said that the 19-year-old suspect was arrested through a receiver on a phone he stole from one of the deceased victims, Azeezat Shomuyiwa.

Enwonwu said the modus operandi of the suspect was to target female victims and attack them with dangerous weapons, rob them before hacking them to death.

The CP said that the suspect confessed to have masterminded various criminal activities within Ojo’o, Akinyele and Moniya areas of Ibadan.

“He attacked and killed an 18-year- old, Barakat Bello, on June 1; attacked and killed 21-year-old, Grace Oshiagwu on June 13; killed a 5-year-old, Mojeed Tirimisiyu, on June 22, all in Akinyele

“His last operation was carried out on June 29 where he attacked Mrs Adeola Azeez and her daughter with a shovel.

“The duo were seriously injured on the head, carted away their phone and money; the victims are currently responding to treatment at the hospital,” Enwonwu said.

The police commissioner said that the suspect led the SARS operatives to the hideout of the herbalist that engaged him for the killings.

The police also paraded two teenage boys for allegedly defiling a seven-year-old girl.

Source: NAN

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The president gave the charge on Wednesday as he expressed deep shock over the killing by Boko Haram/Islam in West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.

The president, who was expecting a detailed briefing by the Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, on the outcome of his visit to the affected communities, said the “primordial nature of the killings is particularly shocking because it happened not long after the Ramadhan and Eid, and the country is preparing to celebrate the Democracy Day.”

He said apart from extracting a heavy price from the attackers, the military should bring back all those they kidnapped as well as the large number of cattle rustled.

He also expressed the sincere condolences of the government and people of Nigeria to the bereaved families, communities and the government and people of Borno State.

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The allegation was made by the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, on Thursday in a statement.

The group said it was unfortunate that ACF was assaulting the sensibilities of non-Fulani Nigerians on the killings.

The statement which was signed by Yinka Odumakin, South West; Prof. Chigozie Ogbu, South East; Senator Bassey Henshaw, South South and Dr. Isuwa Dogo, Middle Belt Forum, reads in part:  “The attention of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has been drawn to a press conference addressed by the Arewa Consultstive Forum(ACF) assaulting the sensibilities of non-Fulani Nigerians on the coordinated genocide being carried out by Fulani herdsmen /militia across the country .

“The level of insensitivity being displayed by the ACF on the serial crimes against humanity being carried out by their kinsmen shows clearly they are a group who think only about themselves while ignoring the interests of other citizens they jokingly refer to as “fellow Nigerians.”

“Internationally quoted figures say about 30,000 Nigerians have been killed in the last four years by these Fulani herdsmen/militia, with not a soul convicted even when we hear of people being charged to court for killing cows under this administration .

“It is childlike for ACF to blame Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum for the activities of these marauders bearing testimonies from victims on daily basis.

“As late as yesterday, there was kidnap on Lagos-Ibadan road during which the son of the CMD of Lafia Hospital in Ibadan and two staffers were kidnapped. Dr Oladopupo Sule, the CMD said: “The driver said one of the kidnappers communicated in English and others were speaking in Hausa of Fulani”.(Pg 52,Thisday ,25th July,2019).

“This has been the common thread in many of the kidnappings in recent time in many communities.

“Instead of ACF and their ilk showing empathy with the victims as humanity demands and contribute to finding ways to end the menace, it is only insults that flow from their mouths.”

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This is as he said the federal government would not relent in its efforts to put an end to terrorism and other related crimes in the country.

The president made the vow on Sunday in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu.

Buhari expressed deep shock and sadness over the death of scores of people in the banditry attacks.

The president, who was briefed about the killings and the arrests so far made by the Police, condoles with Governor Aminu Tambuwal and the people of the State over the tragic incident.

President Buhari strongly condemned all acts of violence and terrorism against innocent Nigerians.

The president prayed for the quick recovery of all those injured.

No fewer than 18 persons were reported to be killed by gunmen on Saturday night in some villages in Rabah local government area of Sokoto State.

Several other people were injured in the attacks.

The Chairman, Zakkat and Endowment Commission and member, state committee on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Malam Lawal Maidoki, made the disclosure.

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