President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday summoned his Chief of Staff,
Abba Kyari, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation,
Winifred Oyo-Ita, over their clash at the Council Chambers of the
Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The fierce crossfire between Kyari and
Oyo-Ita, which occurred shortly before the Federal Executive Council
meeting, was believed to have been caused by the leaked memo, which
Oyo-Ita sent to Kyari on the controversial reinstatement and posting of
the embattled former chairman of the Pension Reforms Commission,
Abdulrasheed Maina.
A source at the meeting said Kyari accused
Oyo-Ita of leaking the memo, which she wrote to the CoS on the
reinstatement of Mr Abdulrasheed Maina into the Civil Service.
In
the memo, which was exclusively published by The PUNCH on Tuesday,
Oyo-Ita said that she warned the President against asking Maina to
return to the civil service, saying doing so could affect the
anti-corruption war of the Federal Government.
Oyo-Ita, it was gathered, also accused Kyari of being the brains behind the leakage.
The
altercation occurred in the presence of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo;
President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; National Chairman of the All
Progressives Congress, John Odigie-Oyegun; service chiefs and ministers.
Saraki,
Dogara, Oyegun and the service chiefs were present to witness the
inauguration of the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation,
Boss Mustapha, as well as the launching of the 2018 Armed Forces
Remembrance emblem.
A Presidency source, who spoke to our
correspondent on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, said the President
was embarrassed when he was briefed about the altercation between Kyari
and Oyo-Ita.
He said even the presence of the Vice President did not deter the two officials from the clash.
The
source said, “The President was embarrassed when he leant about the
altercation between the two officials. He, therefore, asked the two
officials to see him after the FEC meeting. It was a gory sight, seeing
the two officials almost fighting at the Council Chambers.
“Efforts
made by the VP to calm the two officials were rebuffed by the two
officials. It was apparent that none of them had faith in each other.”
In
the memo, Oyo-Ita had claimed that her warning was based on the
implications Maina’s reinstatement would have on the anti-corruption war
of the Federal Government.
The memo, with reference number HSCSF/HCSF/LU/COR/FCSC/750/T, was dated October 23, 2017.
The
memo, titled, ‘Re: Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina,’ was received in the
office of the Chief of Staff to the President on October 23.
The President had directed the HoS to investigate the circumstances that surrounded the return of Maina to the civil service.
He gave the directive following the public outcry that trailed Maina’s reinstatement.
Maina,
whose whereabouts are still unknown, has been accused of embezzling
pensioners’ funds running into billions of naira and is currently under
investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Explaining
further, the HoS said she met the President after the Federal Executive
Council meeting on Wednesday, October 11, and verbally warned Buhari
against bringing Maina back to the service.
She, however, did not say what the response of the President was after briefing him.
Oyo-Ita
said, “Please, note that the OHCSF was never in agreement with the
reinstatement and consequently never conveyed the approval of the FCPC
to Mr. A. A. Maina, nor approved his posting to the Ministry of Interior
or any other MDA.
“Rather, I sought audience with His
Excellency, Mr. President on Wednesday, 11th October, 2017 after the FEC
meeting where I briefed His Excellency verbally on the wide-ranging
implications of the reinstatement of Mr. A. A. Maina, especially the
damaging impact on the anti-corruption stance of this administration.”
The
letter also read, “Further to your letter Ref. SH/COS/100/A/1570 dated
23rd October, 2017 on the above subject matter, I write to inform you of
the circumstances leading to the irregular recall of Mr. Abdulrasheed
Abdullahi Maina.
“I wrote to place on record the following facts
as it permits (sic) to Mr. A. A. Maina who was dismissed from service on
21st February, 2013.
“The move to recall Mr. A. A. Maina was at
the instance of a series of letters from the Attorney General of the
Federation to the Federal Civil Service Commission requesting the
commission to give consequential effect to the judgment that voided the
warrant of arrest issued against Mr. A. A. Maina, which formed the basis
for the query and his eventual dismissal.
“The letters herewith attached as Annexes I-III are:
(a) Ref. HAGF/FFCSC/2017/VOL.1/1 dated 19th January 2017,
(b) Ref. HAGF/FFCSC/2017/VOL.1/ 2 dated 21st February 2017; and
(c)Ref. HAGF/FFCSC/2017/VOL.1/1 dated 27th April 2017.
“The
FCSC thereafter requested that the Head of the Civil Service of the
Federation should advise the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior
to consider the AGF’s letter and make appropriate recommendations to the
commission and this was so communicated to the Ministry of Interior.
“The
Ministry of Interior took the matter to the Senior Staff Committee of
the ministry and recommended the reinstatement of Mr. A. A. Maina into
the service as Deputy Director.
“The OHCSF forwarded the
recommendation to the FCSC which has the constitutional responsibility
for appointments, promotion and discipline for further action.
“The
FCSC in consideration of the letter from the AGF and the
recommendations of the SSC of the Ministry of Interior consequently
approved and conveyed the reinstatement of Mr. A. A. Maina with effect
from 21st February, 2013 vide letter herewith attached as Annex IV.
“(vi)
The letter of reinstatement, as communicated to HCSF Ref. FC.
4029.82/Vol. III/179 dated 18th September, 2017 attached herewith as
Annex IV, ostensibly also copied the Ministry of Interior which is the
one erroneously used to document Mr. A. A. Maina on a claim that he has
resumed work since 28th September, 2017. The Ministry of Interior
informed the OHCSF of this development vide letter Ref. MI/1436/II/24
dated 16th October, 2017 from Ministry of Interior stating that Mr. A.
A. Maina has resumed with effect from 28th September, 2017, is attached
as Annex V.
“Please note that the OHCSF was never in agreement
with the reinstatement and consequently never conveyed the approval of
the FCSC to Mr. A. A. Maina nor approved his posting to the Ministry of
Interior or any other MDA. Rather, I sought audience with His
Excellency, Mr. President on Wednesday, 11th October, 2017 after the FEC
meeting where I briefed His Excellency verbally on the wide-ranging
implications of the reinstatement of Mr. A. A. Maina, especially the
damaging impact on the anti-corruption stance of this administration.
“However,
I have requested the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, to
provide any documentary evidence to support the claim of reinstatement
and posting of Mr. A. A. Maina by OHCSF, since after his dismissal.
“The
letter to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior is attached as
Annex VI. The foregoing is accordingly submitted for your information
and further consideration.
“Please accept the assurances of my best regards.”
Reps invite AGF, HoS
An
ad hoc committee of the House of Representatives confirmed on Wednesday
that it was set to begin investigations into the circumstances
surrounding the reinstatement of the former Chairman, Presidential Task
Force on Pension Reforms, Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina.
The Chairman of
the committee, Mr. Aliyu Madaki, told The PUNCH that the first sitting
of the committee would be devoted to drawing up a work plan.
The
House had resolved on Tuesday last week to probe the Maina scam
following a motion moved by the Chairman, Committee on Interior, Mr.
Jagaba Adams-Jagaba.
The Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, named some lawmakers to serve on the Madaki panel.
Other
members of the panel are Abubakar Danburam-Nuhu, Jagaba Adams-Jagaba,
Ayo Omidiran, Solomon Adeolu, Kingsley Chinda, Yunusa Abubakar, Timothy
Golu, Kehinde Odeneye and Sergius Ose-Ogun.
Asked to give an update on the probe, Madaki said, “We are doing pre-sitting meetings before we invite them.”
Findings
by The PUNCH on Wednesday indicated that top on the list of persons to
be invited by the panel was the Attorney-General of the Federation and
Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami.
Also to be invited is
the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita,
Maina and other persons involved in the matter.
In its resolution
to probe the case, the House had also directed the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission to immediately arrest and prosecute Maina to
“serve as a deterrent to others who might have corrupt tendencies.”
President
Muhammadu Buhari had a day before the resolution, ordered the sack of
Maina after the news of his resumption of duty as a director in the
Ministry of Interior, reportedly embarrassed the Federal Government.
The
House specifically resolved to investigate the “disappearance,
reappearance and subsequent reinstatement/promotion” of Maina after the
EFCC had initially been on his trail.
The House motion read
partly, “The House recalls that Maina fled this country to the United
Arab Emirates in 2013 to avoid arrest and prosecution.
“The House
also recalls that he was formerly sacked from his position as an
Assistant Director in the Ministry of Interior in 2013 by the
administration of (former President) Goodluck Jonathan.
“The
House is concerned that Maina came back from self-imposed exile and was
posted to his former ministry of interior and given double promotion
from Assistant Director to Acting Director.
“The House is aware
that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed his sacking from the
Federal Civil Service with immediate effect.”
Don’t intimidate HoS, groups warn FG
Various
groups and individuals on Wednesday warned the Federal Government
against any attempt to intimidate the Head of Service, Mrs. Winifred
Oyo-Ita over the leaked memo on the Abdulrasheed Maina saga.
Speaking
on the issue, the convener of the Coalition of Northern Politicians,
Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, Dr Junaid Mohammed, said the
“verbal tirade” against Oyo-Ita by the President’s Chief of Staff, Abba
Kyari, was obviously an attempt to intimidate her into silence.
He
said, “This shameless act by the Chief of Staff clearly shows you how
desperate this administration can get. Most of the questions we as
Nigerians have been asking about what Mr. President knows about this
whole Maina saga have been answered by this leaked memo.
“We have
been asking what does Mr. President know about this whole thing and
when was it brought to his attention? Unless he comes clean, no attempt
by a chief of staff to intimidate a thorough bred career civil servant
whose record of performance he can never match can wash this
administration clean of this crime against the Nigerian people.
“If
anybody feels strongly about what she said in her reply to the query
issued to her such a person should produce a superior counter-argument
instead of trying to intimidate her into silence. Nigerians are
watching. This woman was queried, she merely replied, what tells you
that it was not members of the cabal that leaked the document to make
her look bad?”
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights has
also flayed Kyari for attacking Oyo-Ita, saying it was an embarrassment
to the Buhari administration.
The CDHR President, Malachy
Ugwummadu, said, “The Maina issue has become very scandalising and
embarrassing. It is not unexpected. Some of us have repeatedly expressed
our resentment over the poor coordination of the entire affairs of this
government.
“The height of that resentment was the show of shame
that characterised the altercation and near fisticuffs of the Chief of
Staff and the Head of Service. I think the President at this point needs
to address the drift.”
The Director, Centre for Anti-Corruption
and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, however, said, “What happened
between Abba Kyari and Oyo-Ita was a private discussion which we should
not worry about, except Kyari was seen to be an interloper in matters
which concern the President.”
Maina hiding to save his life – Aide
Mr.
Olajide Fasakin, who is one of the aides to the embattled former
chairman of the defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reform, Mr.
Abdulrasheed Maina, has said his boss was hiding to protect himself from
being killed.
Fasakin claimed that some people were after
Maina’s life, saying they attempted to assassinate him during the
administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
Fasakin, who stated this
on Wednesday while featuring on Channels Television, insisted that he
did not know the whereabouts of the embattled former pension reform
chairman.
He said the people that wanted to kill him shot at him
five times, adding that it was after the shooting that he had to go
underground.
When asked whether Maina would come out if the
Senate President promised to protect his life, the aide said, “I would
not advise him to come on the basis of the fact that there was a
petition against some members of the 7th Senate of having collected some
N3bn from the pension thieves. The petition is with the ICPC and the
EFCC; we haven’t got the report up to this moment.
“ The only way
out, most likely, would have been for Mr. President, in his position as
the President of the country to put together a commission of enquiry
like Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Panel, do all the activities on the
television, then we would advise him to come out.”
On the eve of his trial, the leader of the outlawed IPOB group, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is nowhere to be found - A justice ministry source has disclosed that whether the trial goes ahead would be determined by Kanu’s appearance and the judge - Kanu’s younger brother and his counsel, both insist that the army knows where the IPOB leader is, as they say he (Nnamdi Kanu) was at his country home when the property was attacked by soldiers Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the outlawed pro-Biafran separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), remains missing on the eve of his trial. Kanu, who has been leading IPOB’s agitation for a sovereign Biafran state, is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, October 17; however, his whereabouts remain unknown. It was noted that the IPOB leader has not been seen in public since the invasion of his Abia country home, by troops of the Nigerian army. In a telephone conversation, his counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, stated: “Only the Army can tell us where he is. Either they arrested him or they killed him. “If he is alive, they should bring him to the court on Tuesday.” Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu, has also accused the army of holding his brother in secret. He insisted that his older brother was at the family home when it was attacked by soldiers carrying out the Operation Python Dance operation. He stated: “They were so numerous. They started to shoot from 200 metres (650 feet) away. “People were running for their lives. We had no guns with us.” Speaking further on the hot-button issue, Salihu Othman Isah, a justice ministry spokesman, stated that whether the trial goes ahead would be determined by Kanu’s appearance and the judge. He added: "I can’t tell you specifically what will happen.” Nnamdi Kanu had been in detention since October 215 until April this year, when he was released on bail.
- Junaid Mohammed has warned Igbos against engaging in another civil war
- The former lawmaker said some people tricked Igbos into a war in the past
-
He said he has nothing but contempt for all Nigerian governors and the
so-called northern governors do not speak for the region
Junaid
Mohammed who is a second republic lawmaker has challenged the
Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) to start another civil war saying
they are bastards if they don’t.
Mohammed
made this comment while speaking with The Sun saying the Igbos will be
foolish to go into another war after what happened to them during the
Biafra war.
He said: “We have to be very careful.
We know the history of those who are making agitations in Lagos. At
first, they told the Igbo: ‘Go. When you go, we would go.’ The Igbo
left. You know what happened? They took over all Igbo premises, all Igbo
businesses, Igbo bank accounts.
“If
Igbo are not stupid, will they like to go and do the same thing again?
It was MKO Abiola who said that if you volunteer your head for some
people to break coconut, you will not be alive to eat the coconut.
“The Biafra side lost about
one million people and all the destructions. If the IPOB people want to
try it again, I challenge them to try it. If they don’t try it, they are
bastards. Let’s see what happens.”
The social commentator also faulted those saying northern governors spoke on behalf of the north.
He said: “First,
I don’t speak for any governor. And as a politician, I have nothing but
contempt for all Nigerian governors. If you think those so-called
Northern governors speak for the North, you are deceiving yourself. When
the chips are down, those who speak for the North will emerge.
“I
believe no governor speaks for the North. If you think they speak for
the North, why don’t you say the governors in the South-south speak for
their geo-political zone? Why must you say it is the Northern governors
who speak for the North?
“As far as I am concerned, I am
prepared to engage in the debate on restructuring only if those who are
clamouring and agitating for it can tell us what it is they want by
restructuring and they define it so that somebody like me can
understand. I am not prepared to engage in a discussion with people who
are fundamentally dishonourable and dishonest.”
He insisted that the move will only prevent the southeast from producing a president because, “democracy is a game of numbers.”
He
wondered why the same people who caused the civil war that claimed the
lives of over one million people will now turn around to demand for
presidency.
He said: “We have to be
very careful. We know the history of those who are making agitations in
Lagos. At first, they told the Igbo: ‘Go. When you go, we would go.’
The Igbo left. You know what happened? They took over all Igbo premises,
all Igbo businesses, Igbo bank accounts.
“If Igbo are not stupid, will they like to go and do the same thing
again? It was MKO Abiola who said that if you volunteer your head for
some people to break coconut, you will not be alive to eat the coconut.
“The Biafra side lost about one million people and all the destructions.
If the IPOB people want to try it again, I challenge them to try it. If
they don’t try it, they are bastards. Let’s see what happens.”
The social commentator also faulted those saying northern governors
spoke on behalf of the north.
He said: “First, I don’t speak for any governor. And as a politician, I
have nothing but contempt for all Nigerian governors. If you think those
so-called Northern governors speak for the North, you are deceiving
yourself. When the chips are down, those who speak for the North will
emerge.
“I believe no governor speaks for the North. If you think they speak for
the North, why don’t you say the governors in the South-south speak for
their geo-political zone? Why must you say it is the Northern governors
who speak for the North?
PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on NAIJ.com TV
“As far as I am concerned, I am prepared to engage in the debate on
restructuring only if those who are clamouring and agitating for it can
tell us what it is they want by restructuring and they define it so that
somebody like me can understand. I am not prepared to engage in a
discussion with people who are fundamentally dishonourable and
dishonest.” Read more: https://www.naij.com/1129720-i-challenge-ipob-start-civil-war-junaid-mohammed.html#1129720
He said: “We have to be
very careful. We know the history of those who are making agitations in
Lagos. At first, they told the Igbo: ‘Go. When you go, we would go.’
The Igbo left. You know what happened? They took over all Igbo premises,
all Igbo businesses, Igbo bank accounts.
“If Igbo are not stupid, will they like to go and do the same thing
again? It was MKO Abiola who said that if you volunteer your head for
some people to break coconut, you will not be alive to eat the coconut.
“The Biafra side lost about one million people and all the destructions.
If the IPOB people want to try it again, I challenge them to try it. If
they don’t try it, they are bastards. Let’s see what happens.”
The social commentator also faulted those saying northern governors
spoke on behalf of the north.
He said: “First, I don’t speak for any governor. And as a politician, I
have nothing but contempt for all Nigerian governors. If you think those
so-called Northern governors speak for the North, you are deceiving
yourself. When the chips are down, those who speak for the North will
emerge.
“I believe no governor speaks for the North. If you think they speak for
the North, why don’t you say the governors in the South-south speak for
their geo-political zone? Why must you say it is the Northern governors
who speak for the North?
PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on NAIJ.com TV
“As far as I am concerned, I am prepared to engage in the debate on
restructuring only if those who are clamouring and agitating for it can
tell us what it is they want by restructuring and they define it so that
somebody like me can understand. I am not prepared to engage in a
discussion with people who are fundamentally dishonourable and
dishonest.” Read more: https://www.naij.com/1129720-i-challenge-ipob-start-civil-war-junaid-mohammed.html#1129720
He said: “We have to be
very careful. We know the history of those who are making agitations in
Lagos. At first, they told the Igbo: ‘Go. When you go, we would go.’
The Igbo left. You know what happened? They took over all Igbo premises,
all Igbo businesses, Igbo bank accounts.
“If Igbo are not stupid, will they like to go and do the same thing
again? It was MKO Abiola who said that if you volunteer your head for
some people to break coconut, you will not be alive to eat the coconut.
“The Biafra side lost about one million people and all the destructions.
If the IPOB people want to try it again, I challenge them to try it. If
they don’t try it, they are bastards. Let’s see what happens.”
The social commentator also faulted those saying northern governors
spoke on behalf of the north.
He said: “First, I don’t speak for any governor. And as a politician, I
have nothing but contempt for all Nigerian governors. If you think those
so-called Northern governors speak for the North, you are deceiving
yourself. When the chips are down, those who speak for the North will
emerge.
“I believe no governor speaks for the North. If you think they speak for
the North, why don’t you say the governors in the South-south speak for
their geo-political zone? Why must you say it is the Northern governors
who speak for the North?
PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on NAIJ.com TV
“As far as I am concerned, I am prepared to engage in the debate on
restructuring only if those who are clamouring and agitating for it can
tell us what it is they want by restructuring and they define it so that
somebody like me can understand. I am not prepared to engage in a
discussion with people who are fundamentally dishonourable and
dishonest.” Read more: https://www.naij.com/1129720-i-challenge-ipob-start-civil-war-junaid-mohammed.html#1129720ehkd
He said: “We have to be
very careful. We know the history of those who are making agitations in
Lagos. At first, they told the Igbo: ‘Go. When you go, we would go.’
The Igbo left. You know what happened? They took over all Igbo premises,
all Igbo businesses, Igbo bank accounts.
“If Igbo are not stupid, will they like to go and do the same thing
again? It was MKO Abiola who said that if you volunteer your head for
some people to break coconut, you will not be alive to eat the coconut.
“The Biafra side lost about one million people and all the destructions.
If the IPOB people want to try it again, I challenge them to try it. If
they don’t try it, they are bastards. Let’s see what happens.”
The social commentator also faulted those saying northern governors
spoke on behalf of the north.
He said: “First, I don’t speak for any governor. And as a politician, I
have nothing but contempt for all Nigerian governors. If you think those
so-called Northern governors speak for the North, you are deceiving
yourself. When the chips are down, those who speak for the North will
emerge.
“I believe no governor speaks for the North. If you think they speak for
the North, why don’t you say the governors in the South-south speak for
their geo-political zone? Why must you say it is the Northern governors
who speak for the North?
PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on NAIJ.com TV
“As far as I am concerned, I am prepared to engage in the debate on
restructuring only if those who are clamouring and agitating for it can
tell us what it is they want by restructuring and they define it so that
somebody like me can understand. I am not prepared to engage in a
discussion with people who are fundamentally dishonourable and
dishonest.” Read more: https://www.naij.com/1129720-i-challenge-ipob-start-civil-war-junaid-mohammed.html#1129720
A group of Nigerian students were seen pouring water on other fellow graduating students who had just written their last exams in the Federal poly polytechnic Bida. According to our sources although the school had advised against such and promising to rusticate any student caught in the act, saying it is an assault on the student, the students still continue to participate in this activity saying it is a way of celebrating with the "Latest youth Corp members and IT students in town"
- The cost of business registration in Nigeria is now cheaper and its process simplified to enable small entrepreneurs register their businesses
- According to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), with the Company Registration Portal (CRP), any member of the public could now register businesses on-line at the comfort of their homes and offices
- Registrar-general, Corporate Affairs Commission announced this in a statement by Head, Public Affairs, CAC, Mr Godfrey Ike
The registrar-general, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr. Bello Mahmud, said on Tuesday, September 26, that the cost of business registration in Nigeria was now cheaper and its process simplified to enable small entrepreneurs to register their businesses.
Muhmud announced this in a statement by Head, Public Affairs, CAC, Mr Godfrey Ike.
Muhmud disclosed this while addressing the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Clinic.
He said that with the Company Registration Portal (CRP), any member of the public could now register businesses on-line at the comfort of their homes and offices.
“This has drastically reduced the registration cost hitherto charged by professional middlemen (lawyers, accountants and chartered secretaries), in the registration process.
“Entrepreneurs who had already registered their businesses have the obligation to file Annual Returns with the Commission as and when due.
”Failure to file Annual Returns will result to striking-off of such defaulting entities on ground of dormancy.
"The MSME clinic is an initiative of the office of the vice president, which is aimed at holistically addressing all the operational challenges and bottlenecks of MSME in Nigeria,” Muhmud said.
According to him, the commission is one of the critical government agencies that has been participating in the on-going nationwide MSME Clinic that commenced in Aba in January.
He added that the MSME clinic was expected to be held in all states of the federation.
“So far, the Clinic has been held in 13 states of the federation,” he said
According to him, other relevant agencies like FIRS, SON, Bank Of Industry (BOI), NAFDAC, SMEDAN participated in the clinic.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed announced this on Wednesday, during media interaction with State House correspondents in Abuja
The mInister said he would not join the debate over the legality or otherwise of the proscription of the group, saying “For those who are fixated with legality, I have good news for them: President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the process of proscribing IPOB, and the procedure is on as I speak.
“But I ask, if the President had been overly concerned with legality, where would Nigeria have been today? If attacks in the South-east had attracted reprisals elsewhere in the country, what would have happened?
“But for the quick action of state governors in the South-east and and the North, there would have been a conflagration of immense proportions.”
The minister therefore, commended the gOvernors in the southeast for being proactive and “making it clear to IPOB that it has no support for its violent campaign.
“By its action, the Governors have cut off the oxygen that IPOB needs to survive. If the elected Governors of all the states in the South-east have banned the activities of IPOB, who then is the organization fighting for?
Mohammed reiterated that “IPOB is a contraption against the Buhari Administration, and that it is being sponsored by those I call the Coalition of the Politically-Disgruntled and the Treasury Looters.
“I stand by that statement despite the noise emanating from the usual suspects.
Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB leader
“Finally, IPOB has decided to externalize its campaign. It has written to governments and parliaments in the West alleging genocide in the South-east. Even a dictionary definition of ‘genocide’ does not support that claim. IPOB has also engaged in using highly-emotive
videos of killings, which it harvested from other lands and were doctored, to hoodwink the international community.”
Prompt News recalls that South-East GOvernors had last week Friday proscribed IPOB activities in the region, asking the agitators to forward their positions on national issues through their governors or national assembly members.
It will be recalled that the Military High Command had earlier declared IPOB, led by Nnamdi Kanu, a terrorist organization.
The Nigerian military has declared the pro-Biafra separatist group, IPOB, a “terrorist organisation.”
The military made the declaration in a statement on Friday by the Director of Defence Information, John Enenche.
Clashes between soldiers on a military operation and IPOB members in Abia State have left several people wounded. Although there have been reports of deaths particularly of IPOB members, none has been confirmed.
IPOB and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu are campaigning for an independent country of Biafra made up of ethnic Igbos. Although they had said their campaign was non-violent, Mr. Kanu said this week that that stance would be reviewed, accusing the military of attacking unharmed members of his organisation.
PREMIUM TIMES also reported how the police in Abia State blamed IPOB for the burning of a police station in Aba, where a dusk to dawn curfew has since been imposed.
In his statement, Mr. Enenche, a major general, listed five reasons the military considered for labelling IPOB a terror group.
These include “The formation of a Biafra Secret Service, claimed formation of Biafra National Guard, unauthorised blocking of public access roads; extortion of money from innocent civilians at illegal road blocks, and militant possession and use of weapons (stones, molotov cocktails, machetes and broken bottles among others) on a military patrol on 10 September 2017.”
Read the military’s full statement below.
PUBLIC AWARENESS ON THE STATE OF INDEPENDENT PEOPLE OF BIAFRA
1. The Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) group which has posed to be a security challenge in the Country, has been metamorphosing from one stage to the other. After due professional analysis and recent developments, it has become expedient, to notify the general public that; the claim by IPOB actors that the organization is non-violent is not true. Hence, the need to bring to public awareness the true and current state of IPOB. In this regard, some of their actions, clandestinely and actively, that has been terrorising the general public among others include;
a. The formation of a Biafra Secret Service.
b. Claimed formation of Biafra National Guard.
c. Unauthorised blocking of public access roads.
d. Extortion of money from innocent civilians at illegal road blocks.
e. Militant possession and use of weapons (stones, molotov cocktails, machetes and broken bottles among others) on a military patrol on 10 September 2017.
f. Physical confrontation of troops by Nnamdi Kanu and other IPOB actors at a check point on 11 September 2017 and also attempts to snatch their rifles.
g. Attack by IPOB members, on a military check point on 12 September 2017, at Isialangwa, where one IPOB actor attempted to snatch a female soldier’s rifle.
3. From the foregoing, the Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to confirm to the general public that IPOB from all intent, plan and purpose as analysed, is a militant terrorist organisation. Therefore, parents and particularly unsuspecting residents of the South East and other Nigerians should advice their wards to desist from joining the group.
4. The Defence Headquarters restates its commitment to handling all the security challenges in the Country and further assures all Nigerians of the protection of lives and property.
•Says Boko Haram commander in Chibok girls’ abduction amputated
•’Surrendered terrorists claimed they were deceived by fundamentalists’ preaching’
Director of Defence Information, Major General John Enenche, in this interview, speaks on the military campaign against Boko Haram, the surrender of some top members of the terrorist group and the authorities monitoring of the social media for security information which has been interpreted in many quarters, especially in the camp of those critical of the Buhari administration, as an attempt to clamp down on the opposition under the guise of curbing hate speeches.
“
This new statement by some Boko Haram leaders saying they are tired of waging a war against the Federal Government, how is the military taking it?
We are actually following up because it is not unexpected based on the actions we had put in place in the past – the re-invigoration of the war on terror and what we have been able to do based on the directive given by the President and Commander-in-Chief. We started with the clearing of the areas, which is expected to dovetail into dominating the areas and we are now seeing the results. Once the lines of supply and communications to the terror group are cut off, there would be pressure on them and, from Sectors 1, 2 and 3, you will agree with me that even their epicentre in Sambisa Forest has been cleared. But the information we are getting now is yet to be converted into intelligence. We are not taking the statement at surface level because it might be a decoy. It is 60% closer to the truth that they are fatigued.
The next step will be to encourage them to come out, using the Operation Safe Corridor, and surrender. After that – as we did in the case of the 96 that we have rehabilitated – we talk to them through the various channels to give the confidence that when they come out openly to surrender, they will be treated using the Geneva Convention. Furthermore, we would need them to hand over their equipment or we search for and recover them and destroy them to be sure the equipment does not fall into other hands.
Some people are wondering if it should be taken that amnesty has been granted to them?
It’s not amnesty. Amnesty is a different thing from Operation Safe Corridor. The latter refers to a procedure that once an armed combatant surrenders, you treat him as such. Amnesty is not a military thing; it is a political affair.
What does that mean?
The military profession obeys the law of armed conflict, the Geneva Convention, and it is something that is not really normal: Somebody that was your enemy, that shot at you, that killed your friends and colleagues, will now come out and say ‘I have surrendered’ and the law says you must show him love – let me use that word. So, there’s nothing you can do about it because it is geared towards peace because two wrongs don’t make a right, so it is not amnesty. Mind you, it is about all conflicts – there are conflicts that are not armed but there are some that are armed. It is the one that has to do with armed conflict and once he says he is no longer fighting, you give him all the courtesies that go with the Geneva Convention.
What about the cost in human lives and money?
Yes, some people will be concerned that how come people who have cost the nation so much in funds and human lives would just enjoy that. But that is the law and we obey it. That is the price that is always paid for war, for armed conflicts. That is why it is better not to go into a conflict.
For instance, the so-called Intelligence Commander, who claimed to have led the raid to abduct the Chibok girls, is now an amputee. He went into the operation as a full-bodied person but due to the war he’s now an amputee.
What is the disincentive for any other group from taking up arms against the Nigerian state and costing the nation so much?
It’s a collective effort and that is what the government is doing now. Several committees have come up with possible solutions that would serve as disincentive for people to take up arms against the Nigerian state and I believe that is a job for the Federal Government to keep the jobless out of the streets and monitor the religious leaders on the way they preach. These people (terrorists) give the excuse of being deceived by fundamentalists’ preaching.
Is there any intelligence about the location of the remaining Chibok girls?
No!
What about the location or intelligence on the whereabouts of Shekau? We understand that the military were given certain orders to fish him out?
Well, if you are talking about a certain Shekau, there have been so many Shekaus, and I believe that there will be more Shekaus because Shekau is a synonym and has also become a big name now, like we used to have Bruce Lee in those days or James Bond. So, to talk about a definite intelligence or the location of a Shekau now, I don’t think that is necessary but what we are committed to is that anywhere there is any Shekau, we will always knock him off. Once we got intelligence about somebody somewhere in Sambisa Forest, and the Air Force went and neutralised the whole place and, after the Battle Impact Assessment, I won’t be surprised to hear that another Shekau is somewhere else. But like I said earlier, the death of Shekau can only be confirmed through DNA. Osama Bin Laden was killed and this was confirmed using his DNA.
So, I don’t want this issue to be a source of concern to people any longer.
Are you saying, categorically, that Shekau has been neutralised and those we have now are like, in your words, Bruce Lee?
I don’t expect you to put words in my mouth that I said categorically that a Shekau or the Shekau, the one you know very well, has been neutralised. All I have told you is that there have been several Shekaus and that, on several instances, we have knocked out Shekaus and we will continue to knock out any Shekau that comes out.
A member of the House of Representatives from Madagali in Borno State claimed that the people there are still not safe and that the military was not giving Mr. President the right information?
My response to that comment, with due respect, is that the military cannot report the way every other person will report. The media has it way of reporting just as the honourable member has his way of reporting, and the people of that area also have their way of reporting. The military reporting is not sensational; it is real, factual and exact. There is a format for it. It is progressive, the way we see things as progressive cannot be the way others will see things. How was Madagali before? How is Madagali now? People go to farm and they’re attacked now. That is a spill over when the epicentre of terror was neutralised and we have been explaining that to the general public.“And please, never can the Chief of Defence Staff lead other Service Chiefs to go and present a different picture to the Commander-in-Chief. It can never happen, first and foremost, going by the training of the military, second by the oath of allegiance and third, if the CDS does that, he cannot get what he wants. In any operation, there are needs and wants. The needs we already have – the basic weapons and tools. But the wants are the incidentals. If you don’t tell your Commander-in-Chief the truth about the situation, how does he give you the wants? So it is not possible that the military does not give the President the right information. These are people (terrorists) who have been removed from their comfort zone and who are now spilling all over and fatigued because of hunger and the like. The truth is that some of them are surrendering and we are vetting them to be sure of their intention.“We have a multi-agency training centre in Gombe, where they will be trained and re-integrated after the 16-week course and the scheme is working.
Some people say you want to go after people making hate speeches as part of the war on terror
That is not correct. That is a total lie. It was right in this place that I was interviewed and I said we are monitoring the media and social media to help us in our planning and you agree with me that, two days later, a fake Twitter handle came up to say what you are saying which is wrong. In the military, we don’t arrest anybody for that; we cannot and we don’t have the powers; so it is a perversion of information – misinformation. I don’t think I should respond to what is not true.
Okay, what is surveillance?
Surveillance is looking out for, observing, so that we can be proactive. When you get an order to move into a flash point, you don’t just move; you must have a plan in place ahead of the movement. You identify certain things as pointers to the troubled area. What I said was, in response to a question about what we were doing about the hate speeches going on in case we need to combat it, was that we are monitoring the media to be able to sieve information that is anti-government, anti-security and prepare for it appropriately. When the CDS came out of the meeting with the President and told the world about the issues they discussed, he did not mention anything like that (hate speeches). It is false assertion against the military and against my humble self that we will arrest or checkmate people. There is nothing like that.
Social media is an open platform where people communicate and anybody can join and you can get information. Nobody is banned from social media. If we don’t get information about flashpoint you will blame us for not doing our job.
You once said, “In the military, we are now taking on more seriously than ever before, we have our strategic media centre that monitors the social media to be able to sieve out and react to all the ones that will be anti-government, anti-military and anti-security”.
Yes, correct.
And you added, “We will tackle them appropriately and with appropriate responses”
Yes! What are the responses?
People are concerned when you say anti-government and when you add that we will tackle them with appropriate responses“The responses simply mean surveillance and then to be pro-active in preparation and making our plans in case of trouble; that we need to back up the police and other security agencies. That is in plain language.“
But when you say anti-government, people in opposition have a role to play because the opposition would feel that you want to clamp down…
(Cuts in) We don’t have the power to clamp down. No. One thing leads to the other.“Causes of unrest, I studied them very well at the National Defence College, NDC, studied them very well at the Command and Staff College; one of the causes of unrest in any nation is what you just mentioned…“
Criticisms targeting government?
Anti-government slogans lead to one group rising against another. It happens. It does not just happen overnight and people will start fighting one another and then they will call the police in and, if the police are overwhelmed, they call the military. Causes of unrest are about 20 if not more.
So, you are going to be monitoring it?’
Yes, so that you are pro-active, so that you are prepared because if you don’t prepare, there are five principles of ‘P’: Prior, Planned, Proper, Preparation, Prevent all performance, it’s an acronym used in the military. I need to say this because some people are already saying I am talking too much but I need to clear it to you – it’s part of our training. So, if we study causes of unrest, what do we do? That was what I said in addition to anti-security.
Has the military not been doing that before now?
What I said about Shekau, have I not been saying it before? You need to repeat it over and over when the question is asked.
So, the military is not going to monitor hate speeches?
Did I mention hate speech? Take it blanket: We have Strategic Media Centre. Our Strategic Media Centre monitors the media, simple. It’s like that all over the world and we do so because it helps in gathering information that we transfer into intelligence to help us prepare for whatever directive will be given.
Yes, that is what you should do. But your comment came shortly after then Acting President said, very soon, “we will be treating hate speech as terrorism” and you also heard from the minister of interior that “we will be looking into new laws to curb hate speech”. Then we heard the military say “we are now monitoring social media”. Was the military drawing from the political leadership?
Let me tell you without the fear of anybody, we do what is called threat analysis. Why was I trained for 31years – 34 years plus my cadet days? Why were we trained? We were trained to do threat analysis, anything that will threaten the security of this country and every day we do the threat analysis. Any person can interpret it to mean that it is a follow up to the speech of then Acting President and then minister of interior. Where do we get instruction from? Where do we get information from? One thing leads to the other. On the whole, it is about analysing the threat; that is what they have trained us to do.
Are you reassuring the opposition and any Nigerian who feels threatened that freedom of speech, freedom to criticise government is not going to be trampled upon?
I am reassuring them. The moment the fake Twitter handle came on we responded.“
But some Nigerians say they feel very uncomfortable and unsafe with the government threat and intimidation, “it is becoming too much, so we can’t even speak again?
It is not about clamping down on any Nigerian and I want to restate that it was misinformation to the general public by mischief makes and I was understood by some journalists out of context because of what you got from other sources. So have the assurance that the military will not go into doing what it is not used to doing and what it has never been directed to do by the authorities. That is not the aim. The aim is what I explained: It is about analysing the threat that can come up. It is not against any individual and of course the military does not have the power to arrest in that line.
Overwhelmed by negative reactions to some observations on the floor of the Senate, the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki on Thursda...