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Air Crash That Killed Former Army Chief Attahiru Linked To Terror Financiers — Rtd. General Danjuma

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  • Calls on President Tinubu to probe crash

 

A former General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army, Danjuma Ali-Keffi, has asked President Bola Tinubu to investigate the death of former Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru, in a plane crash, which he linked to terror financiers in the country.

He also petitioned the president over his “illegal arrest”, detention and compulsory retirement from service for allegedly exposing how top officials were involved in terror financing during the administration of former President Mohammadu Buhari.

In an interview with ThisDay newspaper published on Monday, Mr Ali-Keffi said Mr Attahiru, under whom he served as GOC, and 11 other military officers, died in a “suspicious” military crash in Kaduna on 21 May 2021.

The tragic incident involved a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) plane which crashed near the Kaduna International Airport, amid adverse weather conditions.

Mr Attahiru was going to Zaria for a passing-out parade of army recruits.

Mr Ali-Keffi said the investigation of the crash was swept under the carpet, as the full report of the investigation was not made known.

He said the late army chief developed a strategy to end terrorism in the North, part of which was an infiltration of terror groups and the instigation of crisis among terror leaders, which resulted in the killing of the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, by a rival terror group, Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP).

“Let me put it succinctly, late General Attahiru showed strong commitment to end the insurgency ravaging the northern parts of the country,” Mr Ali-Keffi said.

He explained that a crucial aspect of the strategy involved disrupting the oxygen supply to terrorism, targeting both funding and logistics, while actively pursuing the terror financiers.

Mr Ali-Keffi, initially scheduled to receive the late army chief as GOC before the plane crash, pointed to significant deviations in the plans for Mr Attahiru’s trip.

These included an unexpected change in travel time, a switch in aircraft, a shift in the landing airport from a military airstrip to the Kaduna International Airport, the landing occurring in turbulent and stormy weather, and a preceding ear-shattering explosion before the crash.

He highlighted the absence of a crater or impact at the crash site, emphasising that the passengers’ bodies were ejected and burnt before the aircraft descended, strongly suggesting an “explosion.”

He said, “The Operation Service Wide (OSW), a presidential task force, which I was commanding at the time of Late General Attahiru’s headship of the Nigerian Army, had as its primary mandate to dismantle the terrorism financing network in order to aid the fight against terrorism and insurgency.

“Late General Attahiru appointed me as GOC 1 Div (whilst still being the Commander of OSW) to enable me to effectively discharge the task (OSW). It is important to note that OSW was not just an investigative outfit but also carried out covert operations to capture, or kill insurgents’ leaders and key fighters in the field; destroy insurgent camps and facilities, as well support the military and other security agencies’ operations.

“Furthermore, having command of 1 Div served as cover for me to carry out the task (OSW) without attracting unnecessary attention or making people aware of the existence of the outfit (OSW).

“About 2100 hrs on Thursday 20 May 2021, I spoke on the phone with the Chief of Staff (COS) to the late COAS regarding their impending trip to Kaduna the following day (21 May 2021). I had earlier spoken with General Attahiru on the same issue. We ended our conversation on the note that the late COAS and entourage would come by flight at about 1000 hrs the following day.

“About 0630 hrs the following morning, I called the COS to the late COAS to confirm if their travel plan was as we discussed the night before, as I needed to make arrangements for the Mosque that the COAS would attend Jummu’at (Friday) prayers.

“The COS informed me that there was a change of plan. He said after we finished speaking last night, they received a message that the late COAS was to attend a meeting either at the Honourable Minister of Defence (HMOD) office or at the Presidential Villa at about 1000 hrs on Friday 21 May 2021 and that the late COAS was to attend in person and not send a representative.

“It is important to note that the late COAS’ trip to Kaduna was part of his visit to Zaria to attend the Passing Out Parade at the Depot NA slated for Saturday 22 May 2021.

“It is worth noting that the movement of service chiefs out of station (Abuja) is with the prior knowledge of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the Honourable Minister of Defence (HMOD), and the presidency.

“So, why was a meeting scheduled for about the same time that the late COAS was to have departed for (or arrived) Kaduna and why the insistence that he (COAS) should not be represented?

“In any case, the COS informed me that in view of the meeting, they would depart the Flag House (official residence of the COAS) at about 1530 hrs (after attending the meeting and also after the Jummu’ at prayers) for the airport.

“They expected to arrive at the airport at about 1600 hrs, board the aircraft at about 1610 – 1615 hrs and depart for Kaduna. At about 1600 hrs, I was informed that they had arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Airport. I then set off from the Stallion House (official residence of the GOC) with my entourage in a convoy and arrived at the Air Force Base at about 1615 hrs.

“For reasons that I cannot understand till today, the flight was delayed for over an hour and did not take off until 1730 hrs or thereabout. The reason for the delay, as I was informed, was that there was an issue with the aircraft that was initially assigned for the mission (to convey the COAS and his entourage) and that it had to be changed.”

Mr Ali-Keffi said they had received information that there would be heavy rainfall accompanied by a storm.

“Meantime, there was a meteorological alert that Kaduna airspace was going to experience heavy rainfall accompanied by storm (wind shear) and it was advised. Already, the cloud had formed in Kaduna, which was visible to us at the airport.

“As a matter of fact, the cloud was so thick, which was indicative of a massive storm. I began to nurse doubts about the flight. At some point, I voiced my doubts to Air Commodore Iyamu and Air Commodore Ilo, who were with me to receive the COAS.

“I even suggested that they should advise Abuja of weather conditions with a view to having the flight cancelled. At that point, I was informed that the aircraft was airborne (at about 1745 hrs). I became concerned as to whether the aircraft would be able to land at the airport in such a heavy rainfall, storm (the rain had started falling then).

“Thus, I was not surprised when Air Commodore Ilo informed me that we had to go to the Civil (International Airport) as the NAF runway was not long enough to enable the aircraft to land under the atrocious weather conditions. We then set off for the International Airport but at a snail’s speed due to the heavy rainfall, which was accompanied by shale (ice particles).”

He continued, “When we got to the vicinity of the airport, there was a thunderous sound, which I thought was the sound of thunder. We had earlier cited what I believed was the aircraft descending to land on the runway. When we turned the bend to enter the tarmac, the thought on my mind was that the aircraft had touched down and was taxing to the parking area.

“I couldn’t see any aircraft on the runway. I frantically looked around and by the far side of the runway, there was a fireball. It was the aircraft conveying General Attahiru! We got out of the vehicles, crossed the runway and approached the burning aircraft. Firefighters were on hand to put out the blaze. At some point, we had to pull back due to the fear of exploding cylinders.

“We later recovered the corpses of the 10 passengers on board the ill-fated plane far from where the plane wreckage was. Apparently, their bodies, which were on fire, were flung from the aircraft before it came down (already in flames). Furthermore, the aircraft (or what was left of it), at least what I could recollect, was on a relatively flat grassland.

“There was no crater. This was indicative of a mid-air explosion. So, what caused the aircraft to explode? I wonder what the Air Safety and Accident Investigation Bureau report says about the incident.”

He further queried, “Was the flight deliberately delayed in order to be caught up in the rainstorm? Was the aircraft sabotaged, which caused it to explode mid-air? Was the explosion caused by explosives? Was a bomb planted in the aircraft or contained in a parcel, which a passenger unknowingly (or knowingly) carried?

  • Arrested, detained and retired

In an earlier story by Daily Trust extracted from the interview and published on Sunday, Mr Ali-Keffi said he was arrested, detained and retired compulsorily from the army during the Buhari administration.

He said he headed the Presidential Investigative Taskforce set up by Mr Buhari, which exposed how top officials, a top banker and top military brass were involved in terror financing.

He said the revelation resulted in his illegal arrest and 64 days of detention in solitary confinement, where he slept on the floor with consequent health implications.

According to him, while he was in prison, the former president did nothing to rescue him.

His petition to President Tinubu reads; “I was the president of the Board of Inquiry (BOI) with members/secretary drawn from the NCS, NIS, SSS, NIA, ONSA, NFIU as well as from the Police.

“The Board of Inquiry, which largely conducted its work as an investigative body, was tasked to investigate circumstances surrounding the illegal smuggling of petroleum products contained in 168 oil tankers into Benin Republic through a single smuggling route in Ilesa Barbara in Kwara State.

“The BOI went further to uncover 295 oil tankers that conveyed Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and the major smugglers identified.”

The BOI, according to him, made relevant discoveries about the relationship between the smuggling racket, the terrorism besetting the North-east, and the banditry/kidnapping for ransom which was at its formative stage in the North-west and parts of North-central geo-political zones.

He said the involvement of illegal mineral mining in the North-west and North-central regions, coupled with extensive money laundering, primarily designated for ongoing counter-terrorism/insurgency operations in the Northern regions of the country.

He added, “A syndicate, which had an extensive network in the country as well as being affiliated to international criminal network, was as the centre of moving finances for terrorism for other criminal activities stated above.

“The most worrisome aspect was that some of the individuals involved in terrorism financing of Boko Haram terrorists and who were also involved in procurement and movement of arms and ammunition for BH (Boko Haram) and other criminal organisations had links with the military.

“It was thus apparent that terrorism and insurgency in the North-east, North-west and North-central were a criminal enterprise and were largely undertaken with profit rather than any ideology, as the primary motive.

“Thus, we, at the BOI arrived at the obvious conclusion that progress cannot be achieved except the financiers, collaborators, supporters and the leadership of the terrorists and insurgents groups are identified and the network dismantled.”

He further stated in the petition that recommendations on the findings were made and submitted to the presidency, which led to the successful infiltration of the leadership of terror groups in the North-east, which culminated in their decimation.

Asserting that key terrorism financiers were linked to the individuals convicted for terror financing in UAE, Mr Ali-Keffi said trouble started when the Task Force became “victims of unfair attacks” including starvation of funding for its operations.

“This substantiates the argument that some powerful persons in and outside government as well as from the military were uncomfortable with the task force and specifically my humble self as commander,” he said.

Mr Ali-Keffi sought reward for the pains and injuries inflicted on him during his incarceration and the approval of personal security for his safety.

 

Credit: ThisDay

BIG STORY

65% Of Nigerian Households Can’t Afford Healthy Meals — NBS

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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that food scarcity, insecurity, and high prices have led Nigerian households to reduce consumption, with 65 percent unable to afford healthy meals due to financial constraints.

These findings were released in the NBS’s latest General Household Survey Panel (Wave 5) report, conducted in partnership with the World Bank.

The report reveals that 71 percent of households were affected by rising prices of major food items, while food shortages impacted more than a third of households over the past year. These shortages were particularly severe in June, July, and August, worsening the food insecurity crisis.

As a result, 48.8 percent of households reported cutting back on food consumption, according to the NBS data.

“In the past 12 months, more than one-third of households faced food shortages, which occurred more frequently in the months of June, July, and August,” the report states.

“Price increases on major food items were the most prevalent shock reported by households, affecting 71.0 percent of surveyed households.”

“Households’ main reported mechanism for coping with shocks was reducing food consumption (48.8 percent).”

  • ‘62.4% Nigerian Households Secured Less Food’

The report also notes a significant increase in the number of households concerned about not having enough food to eat, with the figure rising from 36.9 percent in Wave 4 (conducted in 2019) to 62.4 percent in Wave 5.

According to the NBS, this surge reflects a rise in food insecurity, with more than half of Nigerian families struggling to meet their dietary needs.

“Approximately two out of three households (65.8 percent) reported being unable to eat healthy, nutritious, or preferred foods because of lack of money in the last 30 days. 63.8 percent of households ate only a few kinds of food due to lack of money, 62.4 percent were worried about not having enough food to eat, and 60.5 percent ate less than they thought they should,” the report adds.

“Furthermore, 12.3 percent reported that at least one person in the household went without eating for a whole day, and 20.8 percent of households had to borrow food or rely on help from friends or relatives.”

“In general, households in the southern zones report more incidents related to food security than those in northern zones.”

“For example, in the southern zones, the proportion of households reporting that they had to skip a meal ranged from 50.1 percent in South West to 62.4 percent in South East, while in the northern zones this share varied from 34.0 percent in North Central to 48.3 percent in North East.”

The report further highlights that residents in the south-south zone experienced the highest rates of food insecurity across five out of eight indicators. In contrast, the north-central zone had the lowest rates in six of the eight indicators.

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BIG STORY

POLITICS: Rest 31-Year Presidential Ambition — Bode George Tells Atiku Abubakar

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A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has advised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to end his 31-year-long bid to be President.

Noting that Atiku’s bid to be President dated back to 1993, George said it was high time the former Vice President retired from such a contest, especially in the 2027 election.

Addressing a press conference at his Ikoyi, Lagos office, on Thursday, George urged Atiku to assume the position of an elder in the nation and leave his bid to posterity.

“To Atiku, my advice is this, you will be 81 years old in 2027, and you have been contesting for the presidency since 1993. This is the time for you to calm down and act like an elder. I appeal to you in the name of the Almighty Allah, that you serve, to take it easy and leave everything for posterity,” George said.

George decried that the PDP was on the verge of crumbling because people uplifted their personal interests and individual ambitions above national interest.

He criticised the “divisive, arrogant, haughty” members of the party romancing the ruling All Progressives Congress yet failing to defect from the PDP, describing them as cowards.

“We are where we are today because of a self-inflicted crisis; we should bury our individual ambitions now and not allow the PDP to crumble, please. Elders of the party should tell some of these funny characters to cool off and think of our national interest instead of their personal interest.

“Nigerians are angry and hungry. Instead of telling the APC the truth, some divisive, arrogant and haughty members are busy romancing the ruling party and they are quick to refer to themselves as elder statesmen. Instead of instigating a crisis in our party, why are they not bold enough to defect to the APC? Do they really fear God at all? No member is big enough to hold the party to ransom,” George added.

Particularly pointing to the crisis between Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, George urged Wike to immediately “cool off” from wanting to “bring down” Fubara.

George said it was worrisome that some party members, rather than bringing the two parties to mediation, further fuelled the Fubara/Wike crisis for their selfish interests.

“My advice to Wike is very simple. You are my political son. I am therefore appealing to him to cool off immediately. I know he was injured by friends during the last PDP presidential contest, but I am advising him as a father to please take it easy. Nobody is bigger than any party. Forget what happened in the past and let us work together in the interest of this party.

“I want to ask the elders at the helm of affairs of our party today, ‘What exactly is the offence of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State?’ What exactly is the offence of this gentleman that some elders of our party are trying to throw him under the bus because of political expediency? What exactly is going on that some party members don’t feel bothered about the happenings in Rivers State? Governor Fubara was helped by Governor Wike to become the number one citizen of the oil-bearing state. The governor himself acknowledged this on several occasions.

“Must the governor now behave like a slave to his predecessor and other characters because of this concept of godfatherism which is a misnomer in our politics? Why are some party members encouraging his predecessor to bring him down? He is in Abuja; he wants to control what goes on in Rivers State.

“Did the governors before him behave this way? Why are the party leaders not eager to mediate and bring both groups to normalcy? The PDP cannot continue like this. Why can’t we learn from our past mistakes? Is our party jinxed? Why can’t we tell all these troublemakers to go and sit down if they don’t want this party to move forward?”

The National Assembly has amended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, prescribing life imprisonment for drug offenders and traffickers.

This decision followed the adoption of the harmonised report by the Senate and House of Representatives on the NDLEA Act amendment.

Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Senate Conference Committee, Senator Tahir Monguno, explained that the amendment sought to impose stricter penalties to deter illegal drug activities.

The amendment specifically stated: “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.”

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

In addition to the NDLEA amendment, the Senate also passed a bill to empower the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission.

The proposed legislation, known as the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission Bill of 2024, sought to replace the existing RMAFC Act of 2004.

The updated law revises the commission’s composition and operational framework to ensure federal, state, and local governments receive constitutionally mandated resources to address governance and developmental challenges.

Presenting the bill, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs, Yahaya Abdullahi, highlighted the urgency of reforming the commission in light of Nigeria’s dwindling revenues and growing population.

Abdullahi explained that the bill aims to strengthen RMAFC’s mandate as the constitutionally recognised body responsible for monitoring revenue generation and ensuring its equitable distribution among the three tiers of government.

“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,” he said.

He further emphasised that adequate funding from the Federation Account was critical for RMAFC to perform its constitutional responsibilities effectively, noting that funding challenges had previously hindered its performance.

The Senate endorsed the bill following deliberations and a majority vote.

It now awaits President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to become law.

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BIG STORY

Man, Girlfriend Arrested For Kidnapping, Murder Of 70-Yr-Old Woman In Enugu

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A 33-year-old man, Ikechukwu Okoye, and his 39-year-old girlfriend, Juliet Ogbodo, have been arrested by the Enugu State Police Command for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a 70-year-old woman, Mrs. Mary Nwatu.

The suspects, both from Onuorie-Obuno in Akpugo Community, Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state, are accused of killing the victim and burying her in a shallow grave before demanding a ransom of N6 million from her children.

They were apprehended after receiving N20,000 from the family, ostensibly to facilitate a phone call with the victim.

In a statement issued Thursday night, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, revealed that the arrest was made by the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Tactical Squad, based on credible intelligence.

According to Ndukwe, preliminary investigations showed that Mrs. Nwatu was reported missing on September 15, 2024.

“On October 5, 2024, the principal suspect, Ikechukwu Okoye, who is also a kinsman of the victim, contacted her children, demanding a ransom of N6 million,” Ndukwe stated.

Okoye was later arrested and reportedly confessed to the crime.

“He admitted abducting Mrs. Nwatu on September 14, 2024, at about 8 am when she came to their house to look for his mother.

“He further confessed to killing her and burying her in a shallow grave inside an uncompleted building in the compound,” the police officer said.

The suspect also admitted to demanding a ransom from the victim’s children, initially requesting N6 million before negotiating it down to N3 million.

However, he accepted an initial payment of N20,000 on the condition that the family would hear their mother’s voice over the phone before making further payments.

Juliet Ogbodo, Okoye’s girlfriend, also confessed during interrogation that she was aware of the crime but claimed she did not report it to authorities out of fear.

The victim’s remains have since been exhumed and taken to a mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

Ndukwe assured the public that the suspects, along with any others found complicit, would be arraigned in court once investigations are concluded.

“The Enugu State Police Command remains committed to ensuring justice for the victim and her family,” Ndukwe said.

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