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1,400 People Killed In South-East By Security Agents Under 14 Months – Report

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In 14 months, security forces commanded by the Nigerian Army are said to have killed 1,400 people and destroyed 1,000 homes in 100 Igbo communities, according to a report.

The Nigerian Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigerian Air Force, and Nigerian Navy are among the security agencies accused of being engaged in the killing.

The report, titled “Massacre in Eastern Nigeria: A Special Investigative Report,” was written by the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety) and released by the organization’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday in Enugu.

The report was signed by the Board Chairman, Intersociety, Chief Emeka Umeagbalasi; Head of Campaign and Publicity, Chidimma Udegbunam; Head of Democracy and Government, Chinwe Umeche; Head, Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Obianuju Igboeli; and Head of International Justice and Human Rights Programme, Chinaza Bernard, among others.

It claimed that 4,800 civilians were arrested, while 1,000 were missing and could not be accounted for within the 14 months spanning October 2020 till December 2021.

The report stated, “The Nigerian security forces, presently structured along northern Muslim lines and deployed in Eastern Nigeria, had in 14 months or between late October 2020 and December 2021, killed no fewer than 1,150 defenseless citizens of Eastern Nigeria.

“All the victims were members of the Judeo-Christian faith and mostly ethnic Igbo citizens. Their killings represent a monthly average of 85 deaths and a daily average of three deaths and could be a monthly average of 155 and a daily average of 5.5 deaths if the presumed dead 1,000 missing citizens are added.

“The security forces also abducted and disappeared till date in the same past 14 months at least 1,000 unarmed civilians arrested alive and unarmed and taken into security custody outside the knowledge of their families or lawyers, from where they have gone missing till date.

“Soldiers of the Nigerian Army are found to be responsible for at least 70 percent of the abduction and disappearance, while the DSS, NPF, Nigerian Navy, and Nigerian Air Force are separately and jointly responsible for the remaining 30 percent.

“In the area of ‘perpetrator ratio’, soldiers of the Nigerian Army and various ‘special squads’ of the Nigeria Police Force are the lead killers or perpetrators.”

The report added, “The trio of governors Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, and David Umahi of Ebonyi State are the most vicariously culpable governors that aided and abetted the killings and property destruction, including the burning of civilian homes and sanctuaries.”

When contacted, the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, described the allegations as outrageous and defective.

Nwachukwu said, “These allegations are not only outrageous but cannot hold water. The joint operations led by the Nigerian Army and other security agencies have never targeted any defenseless and innocent Igbo person or group of persons as alleged.

“Rather, the troops have operated with a very clear mandate to rid the South-East of criminals and stem the violent activities of members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and other dissident groups.

“These are groups that claim they are fighting for the emancipation of Ndigbo, but sadly their activities have been characterized by violent annihilation of Ndigbo, cold and bloody murder of security operatives and other innocent Nigerians. These are criminals, who have used the force of arm to rob, loot, and dispossess people of their earnings and belongings.

“We are talking about lawless people, who have desecrated the sanctity of Ndigbo traditional institution by abducting, torturing, and murdering their very own traditional leaders in cold blood. These are cannibals, who killed Nigerians, butchered their bodies, roasted and feasted on them. Most infuriating is that they video recorded and disseminated it on social media.

“How could any right-thinking person refer to these callous criminals as innocent and defenseless? This, apparently, smacks of mischief and possibly has ominous undertones. These criminals and murderers cannot by any stretch of imagination be tagged innocent or defenseless Ndigbo. To do so will amount to an assault on the psyche of Ndigbo, and Nigerians, who have been victims of the violent activities of these dissident groups.

However, the NPF spokesman, Frank Mba, did not take his calls and had yet to respond to a text message.

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National Assembly Passes Life Imprisonment Bill For Nigerian Drug Traffickers

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In a bid to tackle drug-related crimes, the National Assembly has amended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act, introducing life imprisonment for drug offenders and traffickers.

This comes after the Senate and House of Representatives adopted the harmonised report on the amendment.

Senator Tahir Monguno, Chairman of the Senate Conference Committee, presented the report, highlighting that the amendment introduces stricter penalties to deter drug-related crimes.

“Any person who unlawfully engages in the storage, custody, movement, carriage or concealment of dangerous drugs or controlled substances and, while doing so, is armed with an offensive weapon or disguised in any manner, commits an offence under this Act and is liable, upon conviction, to life imprisonment,” Monguno said.

The Senate approved the amendment through a voice vote during Thursday’s plenary, which was presided over by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin.

In addition, the Senate passed the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission Bill, 2024, aimed at replacing the 2004 RMAFC Act. Yahaya Abdullahi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs, stressed the need for the commission’s reform, citing Nigeria’s declining revenue and increasing population.

“The Act, last revised over 20 years ago, no longer reflects Nigeria’s evolving economic realities. This bill proposes additional funding and a restructured operational framework for the commission to improve its efficiency,” Abdullahi explained.

He further emphasised the need for adequate funding from the Federation Account for the RMAFC to effectively carry out its constitutional duties.

The bill, passed after deliberations and a majority vote, now awaits President Bola Tinubu’s assent to become law.

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UPDATE: We’re Ready To Provide Evidence For Trial Of Simon Ekpa — Enugu Government

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The Enugu State Government has expressed its readiness and willingness to provide evidence to assist in the prosecution of Simon Ekpa, who was arrested in Finland on Thursday over allegations of sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria.

Enugu State Government made this offer in a statement released by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, on Friday.

In the statement, the Enugu State Government also commended the Government of the Republic of Finland for the arrest of Ekpa, whom it described as “the Finland-based leader of the criminal gang, Autopilots.”

The Enugu State Government further referred to Simon Ekpa as “a common criminal, con man, and terrorist, who has no interest of Igbo people at heart.”

It added that Ekpa “is a murderer and fraudster, who delights in killing his people and living large off their misery.”

“Enugu State was ready and willing to provide evidence of Ekpa-sponsored atrocities against Ndigbo to aid his trial and conviction, whether in Finland or Nigeria.”

“The Enugu State Government welcomes the arrest of the Finland-based terrorist, Simon Ekpa.”

“His arrest and trial will no doubt go a long way in strengthening peace, security, and stability in all parts of the South East.”

“This arrest is in line with the demand of Governor Peter Mbah Administration, which has repeatedly made it known that Ekpa is a megalomaniac, common criminal, murderer, and fraudster, who takes joy in feeding fat on the manipulated emotions of Ndigbo and inflicting misery on the South East region.”

“Ekpa has for long, and unfortunately from Finland, made a living by creating a siege climate and mentality in the South East, destroying lives, property, and the Igbo trademark of entrepreneurship and hard work.”

“He thrives on manipulating, exploiting, and extorting the people on the pretext of fighting for their interest and for the restoration of Biafra,” the government said.

Ekpa was arrested and detained alongside four other suspects by the government of Finland on charges of sponsoring terrorism in Nigeria, according to local newspapers in the European country.

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Much Ado About Meddlesome Minions, And Messengers Of Misinformation — By Tayo Williams

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There is a growing phalanx of pseudo-intellectuals parading the social media space with faux and fictitious knowledge of the indigenous oil and gas industry, and it is scary because of the grave danger they portend and present for the average Nigerian.

From X (formerly known as Twitter) to Facebook and even the photos and videos-sharing site, Instagram, they abound, in their inglorious number, lending their platforms to deliberately distort facts and spread misinformation especially to favour the narratives propounded by popular Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote, owner of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

Since the refinery began operations earlier in the year, it has been one week, one controversy allegedly orchestrated by Dangote in a brazen attempt to arm-twist the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, into playing by his rules.

Those conversant with the modus operandi of Dangote and his refinery say the long-drawn warfare with every institution and individual in the oil and gas value chain is nothing but a self-seeking and mindless profit maximisation tactic.

Whilst nobody begrudges Dangote’s drive for profit as a businessman, perhaps he needs to be reminded that the NNPC has a mandate to ensure and provide energy security in a way that is affordable and sustainable for the generality of Nigerians. And, the NNPCL management has declared in very unambiguous terms that it would not pander to the din of the market whether orchestrated by Dangote, his rampaging minions or anyone else.

The truth, however, is that there is an increasing army of vacuous, vicious, and vile individuals strutting the social media space defending and propagating outright and outlandish falsehoods. Of particular concern is one Kelvin Emmanuel who has become the unofficial mouthpiece of the Dangote Refinery. Going from one media house to the other, he pulls figures out of the air and projects obnoxious untruths on hapless Nigerians. With the backing of his paymaster’s billions, it is no surprise that this otherwise irrelevant and fatuous character now commands appearances on major television stations.

But it is on X that he has made lying glibly and gratuitously the Holy Grail. He once premised Dangote’s inability to secure feedstock for his refinery on the government and the NNPCL. While peddling this untruth, he conveniently forgets that the refinery had a seven-year window, during its construction phase, to lock in feedstock supplies that could last a minimum of five years. Dangote did none of that. As it would later unfold, his game plan, which Emmanuel glossed over, was to monopolise equity oil and production quotas to serve his business interests.

Another deliberate misinformation from the Dangote camp was the allegation that International Oil Companies (IOCs) and other industry players were trying to sabotage his interests. Apart from being an investor in the Dangote Refinery, the NNPC still supplies gas to various Dangote companies across Nigeria. How can anyone or any institution jeopardise their investment? What further proof of faith does Dangote and his minions need to know that the NNPC is their cheerleader, and is here to make operating in the industry seamless and a win-win for all?

Echoing Dangote’s baseless stance, Emmanuel also called for the sack of Mr. Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), regulators of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream value chain. By Emmanuel’s warped reckoning, Ahmed had no locus to speak against Dangote or his enterprise because the latter questioned the quality of the product from Dangote Refinery and other local refineries in comparison with imported ones. Of course, Emmanuel’s was a lone voice in the wilderness because those who understand the invaluable role that the NMDPRA plays in the industry did not as much as dignify his tirade with a glance.

In a robust response to Emmanuel’s groundswell of egregious lies, Ibrahim Y. Kabo, a petroleum engineer based in Abuja, described him as “Someone who has not seen the inside of a refinery before Dangote built one, let alone understood the mechanism of the energy industry, …(yet) assuming the role of an authority in oil and gas matters.”

He went further to lampoon Emmanuel for stating that only Dangote Refinery’s products meet specifications while others are all sub-standard. “The obvious question is: whose specifications? For a refinery that has barely made four of seven pre-inauguration certifications, it sounds somehow laughable to suddenly assume the role of regulator in an industry you’ve barely entered,” Kabo said.

In the article, entitled, “The Hand of Aliko, the Voice of Kelvin: Inside Dangote Refinery’s Media Stunt Lab”, Kabo declared that from all Emmanuel’s interviews and pretensions to be an industry expert, one thing is obvious: “He lacks an understanding of both the mandate and the reach of NNPC as a national oil company.”

Kabo adds that, “Downstream is the least of NNPC’s business interests. The mandate, as per PIA (Petroleum Industry Act), is to facilitate both the extraction and commercialization of Nigeria’s oil and gas resources. 20 billion dollars may be a lot, but NNPC and industry regulators routinely handle projects of that magnitude. At best, Dangote and (Emmanuel’s) ranting are an irritation. I believe that’s why NNPC openly declared it was not interested in being Dangote’s off-taker.”

Like the Yoruba saying goes, derision does not stop the sweetness of the honey. The meddlesome minions and messengers of misinformation can continue dancing naked in the marketplace, but what is most important is that the NNPCL has assured that it will not cease doing everything in its capacity “to harness the possibilities of oil and gas, address energy demand and drive the national economy, and become the number one oil producer and supplier in Africa.”

 

Tayo Williams is a Lagos-based media executive

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