Connect with us


BIG STORY

Train Attack: El-Rufai Carpets Military, ACF Laments, DHQ Fails To Deploy Tucano In N’West

Published

on

Nasir El-Rufai on Wednesday, said he was frustrated and helpless, adding that the military knew the location of the bandits wreaking havoc in the state, but was refusing to bomb their hideouts.

It was gathered that five months after a Federal High Court designated bandits as terrorists, the Nigerian military had yet to deploy the Super Tucano aircraft in the North-West.

Recall that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), had on November 25, 2021, obtained a judgment designating all gunmen in the North-West as terrorists. This was said to be a condition by the United States government for the deployment of the aircraft outside of the North-East.

However, top sources confirmed that the Super Tucano had not yet been deployed in the North-West.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday when the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, visited the state to assess the situation following a terrorist attack on an Abuja-Kaduna train that left at least eight persons dead, El-Rufai said the terrorists’ hideouts should be bombed.

He said the location of the terrorists was public knowledge and even the Department of State Services usually monitors their telephone lines.

The governor stated, “We have enough intelligence for us to take action. The Air Force undertakes enough ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance); and the DSS has informants all over the place.

“We know what they (terrorists) are planning. We get the reports. The problem is for the agencies to take action. Don’t wait until they attack before you respond. The Army should go after their enclaves to wipe them out. Let the Air Force bomb them.

“Before, they were categorized as bandits and if you bombed them, you would have issues with human rights organizations and international criminal courts and so on. But, now that they have been declared terrorists by the court, they can be legally killed without any consequences from international human rights organizations.”

The governor insisted that the camps and phone numbers of the terrorists were known by the military agencies, stressing that Kaduna State was currently in a state of war.

“We know where their camps are, we know where they are; the SSS have their phone numbers, they listen to them, and they give me the report. We know what they are planning. We shouldn’t be waiting for them to attack; why can’t we go after them?” El-Rufai asked.

The governor said the bandit areas should be declared a warzone, adding that he was ready to allow a few innocent people to lose their lives in the process.

“We are in a state of war; this place should be declared a warzone. The Army, Air Force, and the police should go in there and kill them. Will there be innocent casualties? Yes! In every war situation, there are casualties,” he added.

The governor stated that train services should stop at 4 pm as nighttime had become too dangerous.

El-Rufai stated, “We have written to the Nigerian Railway Corporation twice to stop the evening service. The last train from Kaduna to Abuja should leave by 4 pm so that it will get to Abuja in daylight.

“If anything is to happen, the response time will be quick, maybe in 30 minutes. When something happens, the response time will be faster in the daytime. We were lucky the military response was just within an hour because it (attack) was dead in the night.”

The governor expressed his frustration about the situation, saying, “I’m angry, frustrated, and feel helpless. Let us establish military bases within Katari and Rijana (in Kaduna).”

On his part, Amaechi said the Nigerian Air Force would start escorting trains, adding that repair works on the bombed rail track would commence immediately as efforts were now on to install security sensors on the tracks.

He said, “I will speak with the President. He is already giving directives. I’m sure by the time we finish the repair of the rail tracks, we would have got approval for the security equipment and we would possibly have installed it.

“But even if it hasn’t been installed yet, we have spoken with the management of the Nigerian Air Force to escort the trains. They were previously escorting the trains, but recently the weather has been very bad and visibility dropped to below 500 meters, so they couldn’t fly.

“So, they’ve not been flying and this is why this (the attack) was successful. They have resumed flying and will escort the trains when we resume.”

The minister said the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had approved that the ministry should employ people who would work on rail tracks for the next six to seven months until the security equipment was installed.

“We intend to employ villagers on the corridor so that they can report any suspicious movement to us and the security agencies,” he stated.

Amaechi said the Army had given maximum medical care to the patients, who were brought to the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna.

He stated, “They treated the patients with bomb wounds and for the lady with gun wounds in her heart, they are bringing in a specialist, a cardiologist, to attend to her.

“They have just seven patients left; the rest have been discharged. The Federal Government is grateful to the military for the assistance. We will liaise with the hospital to see how much money we can contribute to the victim’s medical bills.”

On when the repairs of the bombed tracks would be fixed, Amaechi said, “We will commence work immediately and the military has promised us security as we work. It is less than 2km of rail tracks. We will complete the work as soon as possible.

“If the Ministry of Finance releases the funds, then we can know the number of those to employ. But we will involve the DSS in screening the people we will employ.”

On passengers and other persons on the ill-fated train, who had yet to be accounted for, the minister said, “We are still contact-tracing to establish those missing.”

The Chief Medical Director, 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna, Col Stephen Onochukwu, said the patients received by the hospital from the incident were all stable.

“We had 25 of them that were admitted. We discharged some of them that are stable but we are still following them up. Currently, we have seven of them left in the hospital,” he stated.

Attempts to get a reaction from the military proved abortive as the Director of Defence Information, Major General Ohwonigho Akpor, did not respond to calls or text messages.

Reps slam Amaechi, Sirika, service chiefs

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives investigation of terrorist attacks on the Kaduna International Airport and an Abuja-Kaduna rail line and train suffered a setback over the failure of the ministers and leaders of the security and intelligence community to show up at a meeting called for Wednesday.

The House had at the plenary on Tuesday resolved to invite the relevant ministers and those in charge of the nation’s security to an emergency meeting over the attacks.

Those to appear before the House were the National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (retd.); Minister of Defence, Maj-Gen Bashir Magashi (retd.); Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Leo Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Farouk Yahaya; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao; Director-General, Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi; and the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba.

Other is Amaechi; the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika; the Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Musa Nuhu; Managing Director, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Rabiu Yadudu; Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Authority, Matthew Pwajok; and General Manager, Nigerian Railway Corporation, Fidget Okhiria.

However, all the ministers, security chiefs, and other officials sent representatives except the NAMA boss, who appeared in person, a development that miffed the lawmakers led by the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Wase noted that the meeting was called a sequel to the motion adopted in plenary on Tuesday, adding, “This became a matter of urgent importance for us to tackle because Nigerians no longer have respite in terms of means of movement, ease of communication and many losses of lives.”

While also noting that the lawmakers did not have any doubts about the capacity of the representatives, Wase stated, “But as a House, I am constrained as a Deputy Speaker to continue the meeting because the accounting officers that were supposed to be here, while you give them the necessary support, are not here.

“So, we cannot proceed. And I am saying with a heavy heart that no matter the assignment that our generals are handling, I believe the parliament deserves a listening ear. This is the House of the people. I am saddened; I am not happy. I am expressing my disappointment.”

Responding, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Abel Enitan, said, “My minister is out of town on official assignment as approved by Mr. President before this incident.”

Wase, however, interjected, dismissing the excuse for Amaechi’s absence.

“Please, do not use the name of the President. If he is out of the country, he is out of the country. This institution is not under the Presidency. It is an institution of its own,” he said.

Also, the Chief of Operations, Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen Oti Akinjobi, said the service chiefs were in a meeting based on the directive of the President.

“The express nature of the assignment demanded that they hold a meeting immediately and they have been in session since last night up to this time,” Akinjobi added.

Not satisfied, the Deputy Speaker said while the lawmakers appreciated the directive given by Buhari to sort out the matter, he noted, “We also believe that their being here, even for 10 or 20 minutes, would not have reduced anything in terms of what should have been done.”

Wase also dismissed the excuse given by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Operations), Sanusi Lemu, for representing the IG.

The lawmakers consequently dismissed the representatives, asking those directly invited to appear in person today (Thursday).

Buhari orders speedy resumption, NRC workers kick

In a related development, the President has ordered that the bombed rail track be immediately repaired so that operations can resume even as he said security should also be improved along the affected corridor.

This is according to a post by the President’s Assistant, Bashir Ahmad.

The post titled, ‘FGN response to Monday terrorist attack’, outlined seven responses by the President.

“The Nigerian Railway Corporation management is to speedily repair the damaged lines and resume normal service without delay,” it read in part.

However, the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers said it would be demanding improved security on the route as part of the conditions for the workers to resume work.

The NRC had on Tuesday suspended the Abuja-Kaduna train operations following an attack by terrorists on Monday night.

However, speaking with one of our correspondents, the President-General, NURW, Innocent Ajiji, said the workers were worried about the attack on the train, adding that they would not be resuming except the security structure on that axis improved.

Ajijic said, “We are going to be demanding an improved security structure before going back to work. Our workers are concerned about the attack on the train. Everybody knows how bad the security is in the country.

“You’re aware that on Saturday the airport was attacked in Kaduna. Of course, you’re also aware that roads are not secure to pass again despite the number of security spots on them. So, we will equally demand that our rail lines are beefed up.

“Build a security post on every section of our rail lines so that we can have the presence of security just like we have checkpoints on the roads. If we have that in place on our rail lines, I am sure it’s going to reduce attacks.”

FEC honors victims with a minute of silence

At the Federal Executive Council, attendees observed a minute’s silence at the meeting presided over by Buhari to honor the victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.

At the start of the meeting, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, called for a minute of silence for the eight departed souls, including a medical doctor, Ms. Chinelo Megafu; Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress, Musa-Lawal Ozigi; and the Kwara State Chairman of the TUC, Akin Akinsola, among others.

Present at the meeting were Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who was in Kaduna on Tuesday to visit survivors recovering at the 44 Army Reference Hospital; the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari; the National Security Adviser, Maj Gen, Babagana Monguno (retd.), and many ministers.

BIG STORY

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

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

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

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

FG Pushes For Simon Ekpa’s Extradition As IPOB Disowns Biafra Agitator

Published

on

The Federal Government will likely apply for the extradition of Simon Ekpa, the leader of the Eastern Security Network, the paramilitary organization of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

The Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau, who gave the indication on Thursday, said Ekpa, a self-proclaimed disciple of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, should be extradited to Nigeria to face criminal charges.

Also, many Nigerians online demanded his repatriation to Nigeria to face terrorism charges.

However, the IPOB dissociated itself from the embattled Biafran separatist, asserting it had no relationship with him.

Ekpa is one of the 97 individuals declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters in March 2024.

The Finland-based Biafran agitator is a close ally of the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is facing charges of terrorism, treasonable felony, and inciting violence through his Radio Biafra, amongst others.

He has been in the custody of the Department of State Services since 2021 when he was arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria.

A presidential spokesman, Daniel Bwala, said President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, have yet to be briefed on the arrest of Ekpa.

“The procedure is that the (Nigerian) Embassy in Finland has to have the information and it would brief the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the minister might brief the NSA or the President,’’ he explained.

Ekpa and four others were arrested in Finland on charges related to terrorism, Finland’s Central Criminal Police said in a statement on Thursday.

A report said the District Court of Päijät-Häme, Finland, ordered that Ekpa be imprisoned “with probable cause on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.”

Speaking on the development in a statement on Thursday, Gusau said the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Chris Musa, was pleased with the trial of the ESN leader.

Gusau wrote, “CDS is happy with his arrest in Finland, with the hope this will be a step towards his extradition to Nigeria so that he will face justice.”

Ekpa, a Finnish citizen of Nigerian origin, was accused of inciting crimes with terrorist intent, while the other suspects face charges of financing terrorism.

He was arrested in February 2023 for his inciting comments and sit-at-home orders to the people of the South-East.

Before his arrest, thousands of Nigerians worldwide signed a petition appealing to the Finnish and Nigerian governments and the European Union to arrest Ekpa.

He had asked the people to boycott the 2023 general poll, insisting there would be no election in the region.

Worried by his activities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, over his threats to stop the 2023 general election in the South-East.

The ministry sought the Finnish government’s cooperation to arrest Ekpa over threats to disrupt the exercise.

The Finnish police confirmed on Thursday that Ekpa and his accomplices were arrested earlier this week as part of an international investigation.

Ekpa, who describes himself as the “Prime Minister” of the Biafra Republic Government-in-Exile, is alleged to have used social media platforms to promote violent activities in the South-East, including attacks on civilians and authorities.

The police said the main suspect was arrested “on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent,” while four others were arrested “for financing a terrorist crime.”

The police added: “Claims will be heard in Päijät-Häme district court today, November 21. The detention demands are related to the preliminary investigation, in which a Finnish citizen of Nigerian background, born in the 1980s, is suspected of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent.

“The police suspect that the man has promoted his efforts from Finland by means that have led to violence against civilians and authorities as well as other crimes in the region of South-Eastern Nigeria” the statement read in part.

Speaking on the case, Crime Commissioner Otto Hiltunen stated, “The man has carried out this activity, among other things, on his social media channels,” suggesting that his online actions have fueled violence in Nigeria.

“Four other persons are suspected of financing the aforementioned activity. All five suspects in the crime were arrested at the beginning of the week.

“International cooperation has been carried out during the preliminary investigation,” the statement added.

The four other suspects, whose identities have not been disclosed, are believed to have financed these alleged activities.

The Central Criminal Police revealed that the case involved extensive international collaboration.

The Finnish authorities emphasised their commitment to investigating the case thoroughly as part of their broader effort to combat terrorism.

Expressing delight over Ekpa’s arrest and ongoing trial, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen Edward Buba, said the military was pleased with the news.

The Chief of Defence Staff had severally called for Ekpa’s arrest, accusing him of sponsoring terrorism in the South-East.

Buba noted that the military was glad that the international community was supporting the country in its fight against terrorism.

He stated, “The CDS has always called for the arrest of Simon Ekpa following his deep involvement in fuelling terrorism in SE Nigeria. We are delighted about his arrest, and glad that the international community is partnering with Nigeria in our fight against terrorism.”

The ESN has been implicated in numerous violent activities in the South-East since its creation in December 2020.

While the ESN was initially formed to counter the activities of armed herdsmen and protect local communities, their operations have reportedly led to significant unrest in the region.

The group has been accused of ambushing and killing troops of the Nigerian Army, police, and other security personnel.

Police stations and military checkpoints in the South-East have been frequent targets, leading to loss of lives and property.

Also, the ESN has been linked to arson attacks on public facilities such as police stations, electoral offices, and government buildings, disrupting governance and public services in the region.

There have been allegations of extrajudicial killings by the ESN, including attacks on individuals accused of opposing IPOB’s secessionist agenda or cooperating with the government.

Some communities have reported being harassed or forced to comply with the group’s directives, including its Monday sit-at-home orders, especially during days commemorating Biafra or protesting the detention of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

Defiance of these orders had led to attacks on businesses, vehicles, and individuals, paralyzing economic activities in the South-East.

Conflicts between the ESN and local vigilante groups, including state-backed security outfits like Ebube Agu, have resulted in casualties and instability, escalating insecurity in the South-East.

The situation had led to heightened military operations in the region, sometimes resulting in collateral damage and further alienation of local communities.

The Federal Government labelled the ESN a terrorist organisation and launched several military operations to dismantle it.

On Monday, Anambra Central Senatorial Zone descended into chaos as gunmen enforcing the sit-at-home order attacked Abatete, Abagana, and Ukpo communities, leaving five people dead and several others injured.

At Abatete, three vigilantes attached to the town’s president-general were fatally shot. The victim sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

Also, vehicles were set ablaze by the attackers who repeatedly warned the people to respect the sit-at-home order.

Witnesses reported further violence in Abagana and Ukpo. At the Ukpo roundabout in Dunukofia Local Government Area, a vigilante member and a motorcyclist were reportedly gunned down.

Meanwhile, IPOB denied any relationship with Ekpa, saying it had publicly asked the people and relevant authorities to stop linking it with the embattled Biafran agitator.

Reacting to the arrest of Ekpa by the Finnish authorities, IPOB spokesman, Emma Powerful, maintained that his organisation had nothing to do with Ekpa and his group, Autopilot.

He said, “We are not interested in his arrest. All we want is for the release of our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, who has not committed any offence and who has been freed by the law courts. That is our concern.

“We have reiterated on several occasions that the Ekpa had no relationship with the IPOB from the formation to date and he had nothing in common with the Biafra struggle.

“For a long time, IPOB has maintained that there is nothing like autopilot in IPOB. More so, the criminal gang leader in Finland has no relationship with ESN from the formation of ESN to date or with IPOB. The authorities should stop linking IPOB with Ekpa and his group and IPOB is not interested in his arrest or whatever.”

“All we want is for the Nigerian government to release our leader who has been detained for no known crime other than fighting for the liberation of his people.”

Spokesman of IPOB’s Political Wing, Nwachukwu Emereonye, called for the immediate extradition of Ekpa to Nigeria to face the consequences of his actions.

While speaking to journalists on the development, Emereonye noted that Ekpa’s actions led to the death of scores of innocent people and destruction of businesses in the South-East.

He said, “We in IPOB Political Wing welcome the arrest of Simon Ekpa. His actions are unbecoming. Scores of people have been killed and properties worth billions of Naira destroyed.

“He should be handed over the Nigerian government for immediate prosecution.”

 

Credit: The Punch

Continue Reading



 

Join Us On Facebook

Most Popular