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2023 Presidency: Tinubu Has No Problem In The North —– Miyetti Allah

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One of the umbrella bodies of herdsmen in Nigeria, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, says it will be easy for All Progressives Congress presidential hopeful, Bola Tinubu, to win the hearts of northerners in the 2023 election because he is well-accepted in the region.

The spokesman for the group, Saleh Alhassan, stated this in a chat with The PUNCH on Monday.

He, however, noted that his organization would not endorse any presidential aspirant till after party primaries have been conducted and candidates have emerged.

Alhassan also said as far as the Miyetti Allah is concerned, Nigeria’s next President can emerge from either the Southern or Northern parts of the country.

The Miyetti Allah spokesman stressed that the cattle breeders would only support “a President that would address the challenges facing the herders in this country. A President that won’t implement policies that would be hostile to our business”.

When asked whether his organization would support the presidential ambition of the ex-governor of Lagos State, Alhassan said, “Tinubu has invested politically; if his party deems him fit to fly, we will demand his agenda to address the challenges facing the pastoralists. We will also demand the agenda of other candidates.”

“Tinubu does not have a problem in the north, a lot of our elders are with him because he supported (President Muhammadu) Buhari but our organization’s position, for now, is that we are not endorsing anybody yet for President in 2023 until after the party primaries,” he added.

Similarly, a former Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in Jigawa State, Ya’u Haruna, said that Fulani communities were now being enlightened on the 2023 general elections.

“We are also scanning the people showing interest in the presidential seat with Bola Tinubu leading because he was the one that intervened in our matter while he was governor of Lagos and we had a crisis in Benue.

“Tinubu came all the way, got us on a round table, and reconciled us, so, someone who could do this at that time, we believe can do more when he is at the helms of affairs,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Haruna as saying.

With talks about a power shift from the north to the south becoming intense, the Northern Elders Forum had warned the 17 Southern Governors to stop “threatening” the north for Presidency in the 2023 elections.

BIG STORY

Two US-Based Nigerians Bag 30-Year Jail For $3.5m Romance Scam

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Two Nigerians, Anthony Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu, have been sentenced by a United States federal jury to a combined 30 years in prison for defrauding US citizens of $3.5 million.

The sentencing was announced in a press release made available on the US Department of Justice website on Monday.

According to the statement, Ibekie and Aniukwu deceived their victims by claiming they had received substantial inheritances that required money to be claimed. The duo would then ask the victims to send money with the promise of reimbursement once the inheritances were secured.

The statement also highlighted that the pair carried out romance scams, building online relationships with their victims to gain their trust, only to later demand money.

It read, “An undercover law enforcement investigation has resulted in federal prison sentences for two Nigerian nationals residing in the Chicago suburbs who conducted online inheritance scams and other fraud schemes.

“Using aliases, Anthony Emeka Ibekie and Samuel Aniukwu communicated with victims throughout the United States, convincing them they had received substantial inheritances and needed to send money to individuals associated with the defendants in order to claim it.

“In addition to the inheritance scam, the pair carried out an online romance scam that involved communicating with victims via social media and dating websites, building trust with the victims through a purported online romance, and convincing them to send money to a predetermined recipient. Aniukwu and Ibekie also orchestrated a ‘business email compromise’ scam that targeted corporate email accounts.

“The fraud schemes were uncovered by a covert law enforcement investigation. The scams resulted in losses to victims of at least $3.5 million.”

The statement further noted that after facing at least 14 charges, Ibekie and Aniukwu pleaded guilty to the accusations. As a result, Ibekie was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday, while Aniukwu received a 10-year sentence on November 8.

The statement continued, “A federal jury earlier this year convicted Ibekie, 59, of Oswego, Ill., on all 14 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank, and passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger on Thursday sentenced Ibekie to 20 years in federal prison.

“Aniukwu, 50, of Romeoville, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and money laundering charges. Judge Seeger on Nov. 8, 2024, sentenced Aniukwu to 10 years in prison.”

Meanwhile, an accomplice of Ibekie and Aniukwu, US citizen Jennifer Gosha, is set to be sentenced on December 18 following her guilty plea.

“A third defendant, Jennifer Gosha, 52, a U.S. citizen from Oak Park, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of wire fraud and making false statements to a federal agent. Gosha is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Seeger on December 18, 2024,” the statement concluded.

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JUST IN: Ebonyi Governor Suspends Health, Housing Commissioners Over “Gross Misconduct, Negligence Of Duty”

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The Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, has suspended the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Moses Ekuma, and his counterpart in Housing and Urban Development, Francis Ori.

The suspensions occurred on Monday during the State Executive Council meeting in Abakaliki, the state capital.

A statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Jude Okpor, on Tuesday morning, read, “Following cases of gross misconduct and dereliction of duties by some government officials and matters related thereto, the Chairman of Council directed the indefinite suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development and three months suspension of the Honourable Commissioner for Health respectively.”

Reports suggest that the suspensions may be linked to the alleged theft of government property by officials in the Ministry of Health and the reported underperformance of the Housing and Urban Development commissioner, particularly regarding his poor management of the Amaeze Housing Scheme in the Ishielu Local Government Area.

It is also recalled that the governor visited the health ministry’s premises on Saturday night, where six officials were allegedly caught diverting government materials. He subsequently ordered their arrest and prosecution.

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BREAKING: Finally, Port Harcourt Refinery Begins Production

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After multiple delays, the Port Harcourt refinery has begun fuel production.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited confirmed this on Tuesday.

NNPCL spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, stated that truck loading would begin today.

“Port Harcourt Refinery begins production. Truck loading starts today, Tuesday,” Soneye said.

 

More to come…

 

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