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Soldiers arrest ex-militant leader, others ahead of Osinbajo’s visit

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Ahead of Tuesday’s visit by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, tension on Sunday enveloped the Niger Delta region over alleged arrest and invasion of some ex-militant leaders’ homes in the state by soldiers.

Our correspondent reliably learnt that scores of ex-militants, including a top ex-militant leader, Mr. Bounanawei Smith, alias King of the Forest, were arrested in a fresh crackdown in what sources said were not unconnected with renewed hostilities and fresh threat by the Niger Delta Avengers to attack oil facilities.

Osinbajo is scheduled to visit Gbaramatu Kingdom where the embattled ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, hails from.

Osinbajo’s visit is for the purpose of holding talks with leaders of Gbaramatu, which had become a hub of militants’ activities in recent times.

Security, ahead of the visit, has been beefed up both on land and in the sea, as gunboats and military personnel, dispatched to strategic locations in Warri South-West were seen, while military vans were also seen on Saturday and Sunday patrolling flashpoints in the state.

Sources close to Smith told our correspondent on Sunday that operatives of the Joint Task Force, code-named: Operation Delta Safe, invaded the ex-militant leader’s home at Esiso Estate along Effurun/Sapele Road in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area in the late hours of Saturday.

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The ex-militant leader was said to be holding a meeting with some members of the Ijaw Youth Council when the soldiers allegedly forcefully broke into his home before arresting him and seven others, whose identities were not known as of the time of filing this report.

It was further learnt that some other ex-agitators were also arrested on Saturday by the military and were held at the Warri Naval Base of the Nigerian Navy Ship Delta awaiting to be moved to the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

Smith was only recently appointed by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as a member of the state’s Land and Waterways Security Committee, charged with the responsibility of working with security agencies to ensure peace in the state.

The Commander, NNS Delta, Commodore Joseph Dzunve, when contacted on the telephone on Sunday, confirmed that several persons were arrested and were being held at the Naval Base Warri. He declined to give details of the arrest.

The spokesman for the IYC, Mr. Eric Omare, confirmed the arrest of the ex-militants in a statement issued on Sunday in Warri, describing the arrest as primitive and capable of fuelling restiveness in the region.

The statement read in part, “The Ijaw Youth Council states that the Federal Government is inciting crisis in the Niger Delta by the continued invasion, arrest and detention of Niger Deltans, especially ex-agitators, without any justifiable reason. The latest of such invasion and arrest is the commando-style arrest of ex-agitator, Bounanawei Smith, alias King of the Forest.

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“Mr. Bounanawei was arrested in his guest house by military men while hosting some Ijaw Youth Council members. They invaded and ransacked the whole of his guest house and some of the IYC members who were with him narrowly escaped death when the military officers shot sporadically into his apartment.

“The IYC condemn this naked, primitive and unwarranted display of force. It is on record that Mr. Bounanawei had since accepted amnesty and had been very active in maintaining peace and security in the Niger Delta especially in Delta State.”

The IYC recalled that the invasion, arrest and detention of Niger Deltans by the military had become a norm in the region.

“On January 1, 2017, while the entire world was celebrating the New Year, military officers invaded Gbaraun community, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, shot into the community, arrested a youth leader, Kalami Inakemeduo, under the guise that he is a militant and he is being detained up till this moment.

“This is in addition to several other Ijaw youths languishing in military detention such as Aboy Muturu, Ezekiel Daniel, Victor Odogu (the IYC spokesman, Abuja chapter) and several others. These persons have been in the DSS and military detention for more than eight months without trial and no reason has been given for their arrest,” the statement added.

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The IYC, in the statement, demanded immediate release of all ex-militants arrested by the security agents including Smith, Aboy Muturu, Ezekiel Daniel, Victor Odogu, Kalami Inakemeduo and other Ijaws in detention across the country.

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Auxiliary: Oyo APC wants NSA, IGP to investigate alleged cover-up by state govt

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A fresh twist has been introduced to the travails of the former boss of the Park Management System (PMS) in Oyo state, Mr. Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as Auxiliary, as the All Progressives Congress has called on the National Special Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbedokun, to carry out thorough investigation on the various allegations against the suspect to unravel his sponsors and other accomplices.

Lamidi popularly known as Auxiliary was paraded on Thursday at the Eleyele, Ibadan headquarters of the Oyo State Police Command following his arrest by the officials of the Department of State Security last week. The State Commissioner of Police, Adebola Hamzat, told pressmen during the parade that Lamidi would soon be arraigned in court on several charges which included; the murder of one Rahmon which happened in Ibadan in 2021, possession of a large cache of arms and ammunition among other crimes.

In a statement issued today and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, Oyo APC cautioned against selective justice “as could not have committed the heinous crimes all alone and without the sponsorship or support of the powers-that-be in the state in view of the fact that he was not only a chieftain of the ruling party but also an associate of the PDP governor.

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“Arrest and prosecution of Lamidi was long overdue in view of the fact he has always been a thorn in the flesh of the residents of Oyo state and the good people of Ibadanland in particular. It is on this note that we commend the officials of the DSS who eventually got him arrested following a long time of distress calls from his numerous victims. Until recently when the bubble burst between him and Gov. Seyi Makinde, the same man (Lamidi) was untouchable as he got the full backing of the Agodi Government House landlords to run a separate government in the state.

“There is no denying the facts that Lamidi and his vicious gang have violated many innocent people’s rights since May 29, 2019, when Gov. Makinde came into power. Also, it is an established fact that he had in his possession a cache of arms and ammunition which no security agency in the state could boast of. He displayed these weapons at will just like he did on several occasions when he went on political functions and campaigns in the company of Gov. Makinde. There are even claims from certain quarters that weapons meant for the Amotekun Corps in Oyo state ended up in the hands of Lamidi and his gang members.

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“Apart from the 2021 incident in which one Rahmon was killed, Lamidi followed the entourage of the governor to Kogi state, Osogbo in Osun state, Ekiti state, Igangan in Oyo state, and many other places where he used the stockpiled arms and ammunition brazenly since he was under the state cover. The question on the lips of the people is; “why did Gov. Makinde keep Auxiliary so close to the seat of power for four good years only to part ways with him immediately he got his second term mandate?

“Many members and leaders of our great Party (APC) have fallen victims to Mukaila Lamidi’s reign of terror in the past but this cannot make us support selective justice. Both the NSA and IGP should wade into the matter and ensure that a thorough investigation is carried out to unmask those who sponsored or backed Lamidi’s criminal acts in the state. With thorough and unbiased investigation, a lot would be revealed and all those responsible for political violence, thuggery, and brigandage in the state over the last five years would be made to face justice.” Oyo APC stated.

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Insider Claims: Ex-minister Shittu reveals manipulations, fraudulent approvals under Buhari

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Former Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, has made startling claims regarding alleged manipulations and fraudulent activities during the previous administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.

Despite serving as a minister under Buhari’s government, Shittu has voiced concerns over what he perceives as individuals close to the former Nigerian president exploiting their positions for personal gain, resulting in adverse effects on the country’s economy.

In an interview on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, monitored by Mega Icon Magazine, the ex-minister asserted, “Let me tell you, there were a lot of manipulations and we even heard that a lot of the so-called approvals did not emanate from President Buhari.”

He addressed allegations circulating about the previous government resorting to printing money to sustain the economy, stating, “There were a lot of manipulations and fraudulent approvals which did not emanate from the President.”

Shittu remained resolute in his claims, emphasising, “I am telling you confidently that a lot of it did not get his attention.”

He further alleged, “There were a lot of people around the President who exploited their relationship with the President and conspired with the then-CBN governor.”

 

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Putin sworn in for unprecedented fifth presidential term

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In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian president-elect Vladimir Putin takes the oath of office during a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 7, 2024. (Photo by Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin was Tuesday sworn into office at a lavish Kremlin ceremony for a record-breaking fifth term with more power than ever before.

The 71-year-old has ruled Russia since the turn of the century, securing a fresh six-year mandate in March after winning presidential elections devoid of all opposition.

In his inauguration speech, Putin said that Russia would emerge from the current “difficult” period victorious and stronger, as he took power for a record fifth presidential term.

“We will pass through this difficult, decisive period with dignity and become even stronger,” Putin said at his inauguration ceremony at the Kremlin, attended by an AFP journalist.

“We are a united and great nation,” Putin said in an upbeat speech, to applause from an audience of around 2,500 people including officials and military top brass.

“Together we will overcome all obstacles, achieve everything we have planned, and together we will win,” he said.

He said after being sworn into office that he viewed the presidency as a “huge honour, responsibility and sacred duty”.

The Russian leader vowed to ensure “sustained and stable development, unity and independence of the country”.

Putin thanked soldiers taking part in what Russia calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine, more than two years after it began on February 24, 2022, at a ceremony attended by some of those fighting.

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“We are looking forward confidently,” Putin stressed in his speech, which was aired on national television.

Evoking the country’s “thousand-year history” as he spoke in the Kremlin’s gilded St Andrew’s Hall, the president said that present-day Russians owed a debt to previous generations who achieved “such triumphs that inspire us today”.

He said Russians shared a “firm conviction that we ourselves alone will determine the fate of Russia for the sake of present and future generations”.

Russia is “not refusing dialogue with western states” and is ready to talk about “questions of security and strategic stability”, Putin said, “but only on equal terms, respecting the interests of each other”.

 

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