NIGERIAN ARMY'S DECLARES INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF BIAFRA MILITANT TERRORIST GROUP

The Defence Headquarters has declared the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a militant terrorist organisation. Director, Defence Information, Major-General John Enenche, in a statement on Friday, said parents should dissuade their wards from joining the group and that the Armed Forces will confront “all security challenges facing the country.’’ Enenche listed reasons for the declaration to 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 roadblocks, and militant possession and use of weapons (stones, molotov cocktails, machetes and broken bottles among others) on a military patrol on September 10, 2017. “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,” it said. Based on the declaration, the army warned Nigerians against joining the group. “Therefore, parents and particularly unsuspecting residents of the South East and other Nigerians should advise their wards to desist from joining the group,” it said. “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.”

See full reasons for the declaration below: 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; 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 roadblocks. Militant possession and use of weapons (stones, Molotov cocktails, machetes and broken bottles among others) on a military patrol on 10 September 2017. Physical confrontation of troops by Nnamdi Kanu and other IPOB actors at a checkpoint on 11 September 2017 and also attempts to snatch their rifles. Attack by IPOB members, on a military checkpoint on 12 September 2017, at Isialangwa, where one IPOB actor attempted to snatch a female soldier’s rifle.

Nigeria Army vs IPOB: At least seven people sustained injuries in Abia

At least seven people have sustained injuries in a clash between members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and soldiers in Umuahaia, Abia state. There had been reports that some soldiers from the 14 brigade of Nigerian army invaded Kanu’s residence and shot at pro-Biafra agitators. But the army refuted the claim, saying it was the IPOB supporters that confronted them. In a statement, Oyegoke Gbadamosi, assistant director, army public relations, said IPOB supporters blocked the road the troops were passing. “It was a group of suspected IPOB militants that blocked the road against troops of 145 battalion while on show of force along FMC-Word Bank road in Umuahia town, Abia state at about 6.00-6.30pm on Sunday,” the statement read. “They insisted that the military vehicles would not pass and started pelting the soldiers with stones and broken bottles to the point of injuring an innocent female passerby and a soldier, corporal Kolawole Mathew.” He said the troops were prompted to fire “warning shots in the air” in other to disperse the pro-Biafra agitators, adding that “no life was lost”. “Therefore the public are kindly enjoined to disregard the rumours going round and the fictitious photographs of purported victims of attack. Both the soldier and the innocent female passerby have been evacuated to the unit’s medical inspection room and are receiving treatment,” the statement read. But on the contrary, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Kanu’s counsel, accused the army of attempting to take his client’s life. He said five members of Kanu’s family were “brutally wounded” during the incident, adding that some were also killed – though he did not specify the number. “Just to alert the world that the Nigeria military personnel under the command of chief of army staff is presently laying a siege on my client (Nnamdi Kanu) country home in Umuahia,” he said in a statement issued shortly after the incident. “They had continued to shot sporadically into the air through which assault, about five of his family members were brutally wounded and some unfortunately killed. There is no doubt that the present deployment of troops to the south-east is to haunt for my client and possibly eliminate him.” This is happening just two days after Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, ordered the deployment of troops in the south-east to stop “violent” secessionist agitations. The army had announced that a military exercise tagged ‘Operation Python Dance’ would commence in the five south-eastern states from September 15. Source:

I wish the oil would dry up so we could start thinking as humans says Kaduna State governor

Nasir el-Rufai, Kaduna state governor, says he desires for Nigeria’s crude oil to get exhausted so the nation can start to seriously develop other revenue sources. Describing the revenue generated from oil as “easy money,” the governor said when the oil dries up, Nigeria will regain its “thinking initiative”. He made the statement on Saturday in Ibadan while speaking at the 2017 town hall meeting/founder’s day celebration in memory of Ojetunji Aboyade, a renowned economist. “Because Nigeria gets easy money from oil, the nation has lost its thinking initiative on how to develop other sources of revenue and diversify the economy,” he said. “We get easy money, we do not collect taxes and our taxes are six per cent of Gross Domestic Product; that is an average of 21per cent. We stop respecting the intellectuals that we have in our universities because we get easy money. “This is very sad, I wish the oil will dry up so that we can begin to use our brains because we have stopped using our brains and we have stopped respecting intellects because of easy money.” The governor lamented the country’s failure to plan for the future, and its inability to curb the ongoing brain drain. He said: “How can we promote a national subscription to meritocracy? How can we ensure that the imperative of reflecting federal character does not become the enemy of merit and quality of appointments? Today, we don’t plan. We don’t have national plan and if we don’t plan, we are planning to fail.

“Having suffered brain drain, how do we attract back our Diaspora and the brain-gain associated with it like the Chinese and Indians have witnessed? These are the questions a distributive mentality around easy oil revenues is dodging. “The earlier the oil dries up the better for our national ability to think, be innovative and respect intellect and academic achievement.”

See how A ten-year-old girl was beaten, starved and dragged along a dirt road with a car by her mum

A little girl has been made to go through the excruciating torture of physical abuse after a gang tied her up and dragged her on the road. A ten-year-old girl was beaten, starved and dragged along a dirt road with a rope attached to a car in a sickening abuse case. Four people including the girl's mum Leslieann Raeder, 34, her boyfriend Gary Bubis Jr., 37, his sister Brandy, 18, and her boyfriend Shawn Whaely, 23, have been arrested. Police say the young girl has been tormented since April at her home in Albion, New York, but she finally managed to flee to a neighbour's house this week. According to sheriff's deputies, the girl was only fed one meal a day that was covered in hot sauce. She was forced to sneak in her own food to survive and was made to run for her tormentors' amusement. If she didn't go fast enough, they would bump her with the car they were following her in or tie her to it with a rope to make her go quicker, Oswego County Sheriff's deputies said. Before making her sprint, the girl was loaded up with heavy backpacks. The adults also allegedly kept the girl outside without access to hot water or a bathroom and beat her with a newspaper if she did not follow their twisted orders. The abusive practices were just passed off as punishments and disciplining techniques, police said.

Oswego County Undersheriff Eugene Sullivan told CNY Central: "Her offences amounted to sneaking food, trying to get food. This is awful. This whole thing is just awful. "I still can't wrap my brain around it. " The girl's mum is the only one facing child abuse charges, while the others were charged with assault in the second degree. Bubis is also accused of harming a three-year-old who police say he scalded with hot water. The ten-year-old lived in the home with the three-year-old and a 12-year-old but police say she had been singled out. All three children are now living with other relatives. *** Via The Sun UK

Biafra: Femi Fani-Kayode warns FGN Don't re-arrest Nnamdi Kanu

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has warned against the deployment of soldiers and police to the South East and South South, in a bid to arrest leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. In a series of posts on Twitter on Saturday, Fani-Kayode claimed Kanu was bigger than President Muhammadu Buhari. He tweeted: “I learnt that more soldiers and police have been deployed to the SE and SS to prepare for the re-arrest of Nnamdi Kanu. “For the final time, I urge the FG to be restrained. You cannot fight 2 wars on 2 fronts all at once. Nnamdi Kanu is bigger than Buhari. He is a real lion.” The Nigerian Police said it had increased the numerical strength of their personnel in the South-East and South-South zones of the country. According to the police, this was in a bid to prevent a breach of the peace, which may result from the activities of Biafran agitators ahead of the upcoming Anambra State governorship election. The police also said it was waiting for court pronouncement for the arrest of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.