Nigerian Newspapers
My take on police extra-judicial killings
It was a rude shock after turning to CNN recently to see that Nigerians are on the street protesting thus shutting down once again the nation’s economy.
All the airports, seaports, road transports, banks, schools, markets, shops, offices have all been closed down in protest of the rise in killing of Nigerians by people that are supposed to be protecting them. The demand of the protesters is just one thing, reforms in Police sector.
In response to Christiana Amanpour reporting live from Lagos, Nigeria, “The NLC chairman has declared that they are not going back to work until all the police officers that perpetrated this criminal act are brought to justice.”
“Festus Keyamo, Pastor Tunde Bakare of Save Nigerian Group (SNG), leaders of all civil society groups and members of opposition in Nigeria, had vowed that occupy Nigeria will not stop until the police men face trial and significant reforms are carried out in the Nigeria Police….”
Despite the fact that more than 15 Nigerian students have lost their lives to Nigeria police bullets this year alone, the so called activists, opposition groups and trade unionists are only interested in issues that deal with politics, corruption of a lawmaker, useless Governors Forum Elections among others that can only serve their interest.
After the death of four Nassarawa state University students during a protest 3 months ago against lack of water in their hostels, no reasonable action was taken to put a stop to this madness, even no comments from the fire brand activists and oppositions warming up for Aso Rock in 2015.
Just last week, four University of UYO, students were killed by police officers in another protest against a hike in transportation fees by the school authorities. Yet the so called hope of Nigeria sees this event as non-relevant, they preferred to be paper tigers.
Same story goes for Olabisi Onabanjo University, OOU, student victims of police arbitrary and illegal act of impunity in Ogun State and the recent University of Benin final year student that was killed.
The only reaction to this madness came from the Education Right Campaign (ERC), issuing statements to condemn the killing and National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) who actually protested the killing of Nigerians with little or no support, even though NANS as an organization is battling with credibility problem
Imagine that ASUU, NASU, NLC, NBA, NMA, TUC, SNG, NURTW, PENGANSAN, CIVIL SOCIETIES, Opposition Parties, Nollywood stars and a host of others joined hands with NANS in the campaign against police brutality and extra-judicial killings, my dream news on CNN might come true.
Also, the dead five students’ leaders which include the Senate President of NANS might be alive today. There would have been no reason for them to respond to the urgent call from UYO after the killing of 4 students by Nigerian police force; they would not have died in that accident on their way to UYO.
Police brutality is not only against student, it also affect the whole populace as No section of the society can claimed that they have not lost members to the brutal killings of the Nigeria Police Force(NPF) and yet, it was greeted with silence and energy was directed toward frivolous issues
I think it is high time NANS realized that, they have no allies in the struggle with all these so called mushroom civil societies and opposition groups. How many times have students joined ASUU, NLC, Anti-corruption crusaders, to stage protest marches? It is uncountable and students have even lost comrades in the process or spent times in prisons. But when it came to issues that pertain to students, all these fire brand activists and groups that mobilized students for their own cause always abandon them and left them to dance to the music of sorrow alone.
Talking to many of these people both in Nigeria and in Diaspora always makes me sick. They address you with little respect because you carry the tag of student as if students are different from human beings; the students killing cannot be treated in isolation and the NLC, TUC and others should stop acting as if being a student is a crime. I know some people will argue that, the culture of killing innocent students is not just something that started today, but my concern is why Nigerians don’t make use of this type of event to demand for reforms in relevant public institutions so that people that died will not die for nothing.
Turkey has been witnessing a massive uprising that started from a peaceful protest on relocation of a garden. But they quickly make use of the event to demand for reforms in many sectors when the police responded with force which in turn has threatened the Prime Minister’s job. We don’t need to wait for fuel subsidy to be removed or till free and fair elections are nullified before we realize that killing of students that are the hope of the country is the beginning of the end of Nigeria.
The increasing rise of the spate of police brutality in Nigeria, not only poses dire consequences for the stability of the Nigerian polity, but also undermines the policing and judicial processes. The situation appears to have significantly deteriorated today.
A detailed new report catalogued by many international organizations, demonstrates that the assault, brutality and extra-judicial killings are still going on under the watch of the Nigerian police. Widespread corruption in the Nigeria Police is fuelling abuses against ordinary citizens and severely undermining the rule of law in Nigeria.
On a daily basis, countless ordinary Nigerians are accosted by armed police officers who demand bribes and commit human rights abuses against them as a means of extorting money. These abuses range from arbitrary arrest and unlawful detention to threats and acts of violence, including sexual assault, torture, and extrajudicial killings. Police also routinely extort money from victims of crimes to initiate investigations and demand bribes from suspects to drop investigations.
I am so sad to even go to the in-depth analysis of the decadence in the Nigerian Police Force because it will become boring, a street vendor can give adequate summary on the characteristics of Nigerian police and the danger it poses.
According to Robert F Kenndy “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring whose ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance”.
I hope the Nigerian opposition groups; human right activists, labour unions and civil societies will come back to their senses of reasoning and understand that in any society, the hope of the people hinges on their ability to act according to the interest of the masses and not their own selfish interest.
Rest in peace the NAN’s five. I just hope you don’t die for nothing.
Egbeleke, is a masters student in development studies at the Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University the Hague, Netherlands
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.
The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.
According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.
This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.
Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.
Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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