The National Working Committee and the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday held separate emergency meetings at the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja.
The NWC meeting which is presided over by the Deputy National Chairman (south), Yemi Akinwonmi, had in attendance most of its 19 members.
The NWC which has most of the 19 members in attendance, is being presided over by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Yemi Akinwonmi.
It was gathered that the meeting started around 12.00 pm.
Others at the meeting include the Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Suleiman Nazif, National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, and the National Youth Leader, Sunday Ude-Okoye among others.
Meanwhile, the BoT meeting which is being held at the party’s National Executive Committee Hall, has in attendance former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former Senate Presidents David Mark, Bukola Saraki and Pius Ayim, former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd), former Niger State Governor, who is also the Chairman of the Ex-PDP Governors Forum, Babangida Aliyu among others.
Naija News reports that the meetings are following the suspension of the PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus by a court.
The Rivers State court had ordered Secondus to stop parading himself as the national chairman or a member of the party.
Justice O. Gbasam of the State High Court sitting in Degema LGA said that the suspension remains pending the hearing and determination of motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
Shocking! Family Of Seven Found Dead After Eating Suya with Juice In Abia
No fewer than seven persons have been confirmed dead after eating the popular barbecue known as suya with juice in Umueze Umuakanu Umuahia North LGA, Abia State, ABN TV reports.
Father of the house Mr. Jessey was said to have bought the suya from where all the family members, including extended family who came for holidays ate.
ABN TV gathered that only the Wife Mrs Ogba Jessey, and his son survived.
She is currently receiving treatment at Federal Medical Centre Umuahia.
Our correspondent gathered that she is not aware that other members of the family have passed on.
They were said to have started throwing up after eating the suya suspected to have been poisoned.
The deceased have been deposited in the morgue while the surviving victims are currently receiving treatment.
Exclusive! Boko Haram Terrorists Finally Mention Names Of Governors, Senators, Aso Rock Officials Sponsoring them
A former Navy Commodore, Kunle Olawunmi, has said that Boko Haram terrorists mentioned names of current governors, senators and Aso Rock officials as sponsors during interrogation but the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has demonstrated an unwillingness to go after the high-profile politicians for reasons best known to him.
Olawunmi spoke on Wednesday when he featured on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ breakfast programme monitored by The PUNCH.
He described as an “aberration”, Tuesday attack by bloodthirsty bandits on the Kaduna campus of Nigeria’s foremost military university, the Nigerian Defence Academy, where two military officers were killed and another kidnapped.
“It is an aberration; you don’t attack the Nigerian Defence Academy and get away with it,” he lamented, adding that the NDA, like other military environments in the country, carelessly opens its doors to everyone on Friday for Jumat prayer.
‘Terrorists profile security environments during Muslim prayer on Friday’
Olawunmi said terrorists and criminals profile military environments during the weekly Muslim prayer on Fridays.
He said, “In 2017, I carried out an investigation by the minister of defence that wanted me to check what was going on with the training and the security there (NDA). I remember I spent about a week in the NDA with the commandant and the staff but something struck me: every Friday, the gate of NDA is thrown open and everybody has access to pray in the mosque.
“On Fridays, you are going to see the same thing happening across all military formations in the country…If you go to Defence Headquarters, I served at the Defence Headquarters as the Deputy Director, Defence Administration between 2015 and 2017, throughout my two years at the Defence Headquarters, I received visitors twice because of the strict security architecture there but every Friday, the gate of the Defence Headquarters is thrown wide open for everybody to come in and observe Jumat.
“That is the time the terrorists have the time to profile our security environment. It has always been the case. I have served the military intelligence for the past 35 years. Our problem is religion and socio-cultural.”
Furthermore, Olawunmi, a Professor of Global Security Studies, said he was a member of the Intelligence Brief at the Defence Headquarters during the leadership of the then Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin (retd.).
The intelligence expert said he told the then CDS that the centre of gravity of the Boko Haram insurgency ravaging the North-East and spreading to other parts of Nigeria was the sponsors.
“I told General Olonisakin then that the centre of this problem cannot be solved the same way we solved the problem of the Niger Delta. The Niger Delta problem was solved during (Ex-President Umaru) Yar’adua basically by me and I told them that we can’t use that same template for Boko Haram.
“I told General Olonisakin to look at the centre of gravity of the problem. I was made a member of the committee in 2016-2017 including (the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim) Attahiru that died.
“I told them that the centre of gravity of Boko Haram in Nigeria is the sponsors of the programme. It was beyond us because the job we needed to do was kinetic but we cannot resolve issues of sponsors of Boko Haram that were in Buhari’s government that we know them. That was why we couldn’t pursue that aspect that could have resolved the issue (insurgency) because we need to arrest people.”
BREAKING: Robbers Kill Two In Fresh bullion Attack in Ondo State
At least two persons, including a mobile policeman were on Wednesday shot dead by gunmen suspected to be armed robbers during an attack on a bullion van in Ore, in Odigbo local government area of Ondo State.
The incident was the second within two weeks in the state, as a bullion vans was earlier attacked by suspected armed robbers.
The incident, according to an eye witness occured at Costain area, few kilometers from Ore in Odigbo Local Government of the State.
According to the source, the dare-devil armed robbers opened fire on the bullion van and the escort van while on motion.
One of the sources said the bullion van was conveying undisclosed amount of money to Ore, when they ran into the hail of bullets of the suspected armed robbers who had laid ambush for the them.
As at press time, it is yet unclear, whether the robbers were able to cart away cash from the bullion van.
With the attack being the third within the space of six weeks, a total of three policemen have so far been killed in the attacks
Lalong Re-Imposes 24-Hour Curfew In Jos Communities
Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong has re-imposed a 24-hour curfew on Jos North Local Government Area following the massacre of 35 people in Yelwa Zangam village.
Recall that the governor had earlier imposed a curfew on the local government and two others in the wake of the massacre of some innocent travellers along Rukuba road in the state a few weeks ago.
In the early hours of Wednesday, bandits attacked the village, burned some family members alive and shot at others during the attack.
Lalong, in a statement by his spokesman, Makut Simon Macham, said the curfew begins from 4 pm on Wednesday and will remain in place subject to further review by the State Security Council.
The governor said he took the step to forestall threats to lives and properties within the local government
The statement reads: “The proactive decision became necessary following imminent threat to lives and properties within the Local Government Area and the need to forestall the breakdown of law and order.
“It will also enable security agencies to deploy appropriately to maintain security as they search for the attackers of the villagers continues.
“The Governor has appealed to the citizens of Jos North to cooperate with the Government by abiding to the 24-hour curfew commencing 4pm, 25th August 2021, as security agencies have been mandated to ensure that those who violate the curfew are arrested.
“Also, the 6pm to 6am curfew in Jos South and Bassa LGAs still remains in place until further notice. Only people on essential duties such as health personnel, journalists, fire service and paramilitary and others, are to be exempted from the curfew but should carry means of identification with them at all times.
“The Governor is calling for calm as he is seriously grieved by the attacks.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has said the attack launched on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) on Tuesday, will not dampen the morale of the Armed Forces.
On the contrary, he said, it will buoy their determination to make a decisive end of criminality in the country,
In his reaction. to the killing of three military officers, Buhari said the attack coincided with a time that the military had put insurgents, bandits, kidnappers, and other types of criminals on the retreat.
The latest heinous action, he said, would accelerate the total uprooting of evil in the polity.
He said members of the Armed Forces are solidly resolved to accomplish the goal in the shortest possible time.
Commiserating with the families who lost their loved ones, and praying God to comfort them, President Buhari vowed that the deceased would not die in vain.
He said the degenerate act would have consequences that will eventually clean the country of vermin, and emancipate the polity from deliberate, targeted and contrived atrocious acts.
The President thanked all Nigerians who value and appreciate the efforts of our military.
He urgesd those playing hateful politics with the dastardly act to desist.
Rather than recriminations, this is the time for all patriots and people of goodwill to support and encourage those who are in the vanguard of the battle against wickedness in the land.
EPL clubs risk FIFA ban after blocking 60 players from World Cup qualifiers
Premier League clubs will risk having their players banned from playing for them by FIFA after they decided not to release players travelling for international matches in red-list countries.
A unanimous decision was taken on Tuesday, to block up to 60 players from travelling to nations on the UK’s red list.
This is because it would involve them quarantining for 10 days on their return and potentially missing two rounds of fixtures, a European match and a third-round Carabao Cup clash.
Liverpool and Manchester City have already barred the likes of Mo Salah and their Brazilian contingents from going away with their countries.
Shocking: Major Abducted By Bandits At NDA Has Been Murdered
The military officer Major Christopher Datong abducted at Nigerian Defence Academy, Afaka in Kaduna has been murdered.
According to reports, his body was found on Tuesday evening, hours after he was captured by bandits.
The abductors reportedly demanded N200 million to set him free.
Datong who was from Pankshin in Plateau state, was born 4 January, 1978.
One of the photographs circulating in social media showed the officer with his pregnant wife.
The security breach of the Nigerian Defence Academy triggered shock across the nation , with people wondering if any one is really safe if bandits could operate so freely inside an elite military institution.
NDA’s Public Relations Officer, Major Bashir Muhd Jajira, who reported the attack earlier said two soldiers were killed..
A statement sent by Jajira said:
“The security architecture of the Nigerian Defence Academy was compromised early this morning by unknown gunmen who gained access into the residential area within the Academy in Afaka. During the unfortunate incident, we lost two personnel and one was abducted.
“The Academy in collaboration with the 1Division Nigerian Army and Air Training Command as well as other security agencies in Kaduna state has since commenced pursuit of the unknown gunmen within the general area with a view to tracking them and rescue the abducted personnel.
“The NDA community and Cadets are safe in the Academy. We assure the general public that these unknown gunmen would soon be apprehended and the abducted personnel rescued.”
Speaker of Kaduna State House of Assembly, Alhaji Yusuf Zailani, has described the invasion as an assault on the country’s territorial integrity
Zailani, who stated this in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ibrahim Danfulani, in Kaduna, on Tuesday, said that the incident must be treated with all seriousness and thoroughly investigated.
The speaker described NDA as the premier training citadel for members of Nigeria’s armed forces and pride to the country and Africa.
He said the attack on such an institution was unacceptable and must be investigated by the military hierarchy.
“It is disheartening and unfortunate for such an attack to have taken place, catching those in charge of its internal security off-guard,” Zailani said.
While commending security personnel for making efforts to decimate bandits and insurgents nationwide, he said that they should not let the NDA incident demoralise them.
“I sincerely commiserate with the families of those who lost their lives.
“I am, however, pleased that the NDA authorities have given assurance that the assailants are being trailed and that they will be apprehended,” the speaker added.
