VIOLENCE: Islamists Kill More Than 20 In Northern Nigeria

Suspected members of Nigeria’s Islamist group Boko Haram shot dead more than 20 civilians when a vigilante group attacked them in the northern Borno state, a military spokesman said Sunday.

“The suspected sect members came armed and fired sporadic shots that killed over twenty innocent civilians,” Haruna Mohammed Sani, spokesman for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) said. The violence took place on Saturday in Dawashe village, the army lieutenant said in a statement.

He said men from the Civilian Joint Task Force, a vigilante group formed in Boko Haram’s bastion Maiduguri to combat the Islamist gunmen who have been terrorising the region for years, entered Dawashe to search for suspects. Suspected Boko Haram members subsequently opened fire in the village, the spokesman said, adding that the 20 victims were mostly fishermen and traders. Sani said a dozen other civilians sustained gunshot wounds during the incident but provided no information on casualties among the belligerents. The toll and circumstances of the incident could not immediately be verified independently.

Born Without Skull: US Doctors Create Fresh Head For Nigerian Child

With much expectation, the world is waiting to see OkikiJesu Olawuyi grab a fitting place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Many across the world want to see this happen. And what that means is that a Nigerian child is well on her way to making history once she scales the mountain of surgeries standing in her path of life.

OkikiJesu Olawuyi was born without a skull but not without a will to live. Bones from her hands are being obtained to construct a skull bone to help her live. Amazingly, she is winning this battle for her life at John Hopkins University in far away United States of America. There, the best hands the world can assemble are with her every passing hour fighting a medical war to give life to a miracle child who has announced to the entire human community that she has something different to offer. First grade surgeons – irrespective of colour, race and tongue are tasking their expertise to see that this wonder of the 21st century lives to tell her story and reports say that they are doing a great job to save her. OkikiJesu is getting moral and material support from across the world to help her live. An avalanche of support is coming her way. Her parents are carrying the burden of pain and anguish with stoic patience. They are fighting to remedy a medical case they cannot tell how it all started. The child needs a lot more financial assistance to pull through, her father, Mr. Caleb Olawuyi, says. He disclosed that she needed an additional $500,000 to undergo the final operation that would enable her live a normal life. Experts say that is possible and they can achieve that. While appealing for generous support from government, corporate organizations and private individuals to help the baby live, Mr. Olawuyi, has equally urged government to set up funds to assist babies afflicted with critical ailments. Speaking straight from the heart, he noted that one needed to be close to a child in pains to know how it feels.
Since news of the child’s medical condition was disclosed, the world has been aghast. She was born on May 11, 2010 with a rare birth deformity which means over 50 per cent of her skull doesn’t exist. The world has not seen anything of this stuff. In recorded history, Sunday Sun gathered that this medical condition has never been reported anywhere. The child’s condition is one that appears to have turned medicine on its head, having thrown up tremendous professional challenge to the human race. Now, the very best the world has known are fighting a crunchy battle to overcome this, leaving many – particularly those with hearts of stone- wondering if there is nothing they can offer to help.
Now from the home sector, help is coming for three-year-old Okiki and her parents. Since the condition of the baby became public knowledge, a non profit organization had stepped in to assist. Global Initiative for Peace, Love and Care (GIPLC) has been doing all it can to give life to the child whose medical condition is not traceable to her parents. With the assistance of the organization’s Coordinator and Project Manager, Mr. Nuhu Kwajafa, the child and her parents were on May 4, 2013, flown to the United States. There, she is currently undergoing skull reconstruction surgery at the John Hopkins University Medical Centre.
Now, the child’s and her father’s cry for help comes ringing through the airways asking Nigerians to help her live. Here is a child the world is interested in. The non-profit organization is doing its best at that level to help her survive. Sunday Sun gathered that while the world was a short while away from screaming uhuru at the wonderful breakthrough, an unforeseen complication arose after over 14 hours of surgery. This followed inconsistencies in her medical history. Besides, her case marked a maiden attempt in paediatric neurosurgery. This, therefore, led to a further accumulation of medical bills totaling over US$500,000. This bill is spiraling every passing day OkikiJesu and her parents spend at the Johns Hopkins facility.
Specialists in the USA have identified the rare birth deformity which OkikiJesu is suffering, as Conprivate part Cranial Deficiency. Before now, she had been to several hospitals but not cured, but luck flashed on her pathway when GIPLC, which is based in Abuja took up her case. Sunday Sun learnt that since then, the organization has recorded significant success in efforts to get medical care for her. Within just a week, it raised about $234,000, an equivalent of N37 million through kind gestures from individuals and groups for her treatment at John Hopkins Hospital.
Kwajafa , just back from the United States, told Sunday Sun that “prior to the complications which arose, what made a determination of the full cost of Okiki’s surgery difficult is that in modern times, it is an extremely rare (perhaps singular) medical condition with no precedence to draw estimates from.
“This latter fact also means that it is equally difficult to tell what other medical complications may arise. An example are fluids that were retained in her cranial cavity which have posed an unforeseen challenge and may have led to a fatal infection.”
Kwajafa’s worry is that, “OkikiJesu may not be released from hospital until all outstanding bills have been paid. We and her parents are desirous of her condition being fully remedied before she leaves the hospital.” Against this backdrop, he said “We would like to appeal to the global public to support our cause in ensuring that OkikiJesu Olawuyi lives.”
Medical analysts believe she will be a living testimony if she recovers. According to GIPLC, her case remains the only one of its kind in the world.
When OkikiJesu’s father, Mr. Olawuyi spoke to Sunday Sun on telephone from John Hopkins Hospital, he expressed optimism that the girl was doing well and had remained in stable condition. He said “We thank God that she is responding positively to every operation performed on her. The doctors attending to her are also pleased with her present condition. They said she is a miracle child,because she is so far the only child in the world with this kind of health condition.
“They told us that there is no case of her type in medical history at their disposal the world over. There are three renowned doctors attending to OkikiJesu and the experience is so great.

“They keep assuring us that everything will be fine soon. We are also hoping positively and asking God to deliver our child.”
In a voice laden with emotion, he appealed to Nigerians to assist the child to live through their generous donations, pointing out that with money available, the baby was sure to survive.
“But our greatest challenge here is the cost of her treatment in the hospital. It’s indeed a very tough experience for us as parents.
The medical bill keeps increasing daily and has since been piling up. The treatment has over-shot the initial bill that was given to us before we came, because her condition exceeded their estimation.
The major issue is the hospital bill and not really our up-keep, that is, myself, my wife and our 15-month old baby, (Okiki’s younger sister). She is currently at the intensive care unit (ICU). This costs between $6,000 and $10,000 daily. Sometimes, two nurses are stationed to take care of her daily and it costs a lot of money.
“The good thing is that they are not taking any chance. They are all over her all the time. They are monitoring her regularly especially as she is an international patient. The bill is growing higher,” he lamented.
Okiki’s father further stated that for “every parent of a child with this critical health challenge, one only manages to sleep and to wake up hoping that the next day would be different. We have gone through this trauma all this while. Though, we have faith in God but every passing day, we are afraid for her life. Here in the hospital, as critical as her condition is , we are living and sharing her pains more so that the bills pile up every moment.
“ We appeal to Nigerians not to give up on Okiki. With their support, God will not disappoint us because she keeps improving daily. All the operations have been very critical. They took bones from her hand and leg to construct her skull. And she is doing fine.
“We appreciate efforts by all Nigerians including individuals, groups and corporate organizations. Everybody has been very supportive. We thank the Nigerian government, the National Assembly, and particularly the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal and other kind-hearted people and members of our family for their support
“On behalf of our daughter Okiki, and other children and parents in this condition, we urge government to institute a Special Trust Fund to take care of such rare and critical cases in the country. This fund should be adequately funded to cater for such critical needs.
“For us, Okiki’s parents, we are in this condition but hope that one day God will deliver us.
“In this situation, we repeat our appeal for quick intervention from the government and other Nigerians. Our wish here is that others should be spared this experience. We plead further with government to establish a fund to cater for such children in this condition.”

25 Killed In Civilian JTF, Boko Haram Clashes

Over 25 civilians, including five vigilante youths, have been killed by suspected members of Islamist sect Boko Haram, when the youths attacked the sect members in Dawashi Village of Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, a border town with Niger and Chad Republic. The vigilante youths, also known as Civilian JTF and popularly called Yan Gora, in Maiduguri, who have been assisting the men of the Joint Task Force, JTF, in arresting suspected Boko Haram members, were also said to have been ambushed and killed, weekend, in Mainok Village of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State. The Mainok incident took place when some volunteer youths from Ajilari, Gomari and Bulunkutu Kasuwa wards of Jere and Maiduguri metropolis, stormed the village in their patrol vehicles to arrest suspected sects members, according to sources. The Civilian JTF, who went without the cover of the military task force were however overpowered as the terrorists fired gunshots on their convoy, killing five of them, with one injured. Mainok, about 50 kilometers away from Maiduguri, is one of the areas dominated by suspected Boko Haram members until last month when JTF raided the village and killed over 40 terrorists, burning of over 100 motorcycles suspected to have been used for terrorists activities. As the corpses of the five victims arrived Umaru Shehu Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri, yesterday, some members of the vigilante youths mobilised to Mainok village with the back up of military JTF and set the entire village ablaze. JTF spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, confirmed the incident in a statement to newsmen, saying the vigilante youths were on operation in Mainok town over the weekend, adding that they were attacked by suspected Boko Haram members in the course of their operation. Sagir said both the deceased and the wounded were in Shehu Umar Specialist Hospital Bulumkutu in Maiduguri metropolis. According to him, on hearing the news at about 11p.m. last Friday, JTF troops were drafted to the area and have been operating on Mainok and surrounding villages to apprehend the bandits, pointing out that the situation in the area was now calm. On the killing of 20 innocent civilians in Dawashi, it was gathered that a group of volunteer youth from Maiduguri stormed Dawashi village in search of Boko Haram members when the suspected sect members came armed and fired sporadic shots that killed over 20 innocent civilians, while a dozen had serious gunshot injuries. The victims, it was gathered were mostly fishermen and traders. It was also gathered that the Dawashi, Daban Masara and Malan Karanti of Kukawa areas were considered stronghold of the sect. Media Coordinator of the Multinational Joint Task Force, MJTF, in Baga town of Kukawa Local Government, Lieutenant Haruna Mohammed, also confirmed the incident. He said: “At the time of compiling this report, the victims were still lying within the premises of MNJTF Field Ambulance, receiving medical treatment from the injury sustained during the attack.”

No Plans To Call Off The Strike – ASUU National President

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has described as baseless and speculative, reports that the strike embarked upon by the union would be called off this Thursday. National President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagge, said he was surprised to hear that the union was going to call off the strike on Thursday when the issues tabled before government had not been resolved. ASUU had embarked on an indefinite strike over the inability of the Federal Government to implement the 2009 agreement it willingly entered into with the union. “There is nothing like that (suspending the strike). I am also surprised to hear people say that we are going to call off the strike,” Faggae said. “Our members have made it categorically clear what they want. This meeting we had with government on Friday at the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, is just exploratory. “We are trying to look at issues holistically and see how we are going to address them. So assignments were given to various people that attended the meeting and the expectation is that we will meet tomorrow (today), Monday and look at the assignment given and also look at it on Thursday again. “So, that is why I’m surprised to hear people say that we are going to suspend strike on Thursday. The mandate of our members is very clear. So, we will wait and see what the Monday and Thursday meetings unfold and then we report back to our members.” Fagge however said convening meetings with members was never a problem as ASUU was in constant consultation with its members, and would convene another meeting after deliberations with the government on Thursday. “After the meeting, we will decide when to link up with our members depending upon what is placed on table on Thursday.” Fagge did not refute the speculation that the union might suspend the strike if the government met up to 50 per cent of the agreement, but he said the union would prefer to get to the bridge before crossing it. Speaking further, Fagge commended the positive disposition of the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Education towards the resolution of the crisis. “For us, the interaction we have had with the Joint Committee clearly indicates that they are concerned like other Nigerians.

“This is expected of the representatives of people. You see the problem has always been that the executive arm of government does not really hearken to advise that are given on how best to address the problems on education in this country. “We are convinced as a union that the only thing the government can really do for Nigerians is to avail them of education. “Once you are able to do that, you will see that people will be able to generate jobs and they will be able to take care of themselves and contribute to nation building. So that is the argument we are placing on the table,” Fagge said.

RCCG Pastor’s Daughter Insists Islam Is Her Religion Of Choice

Daughter of Pastor Raymond Uzoechina of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Charity Uzoechina, whose father alleged was hypnotised and forced into converting to Islam has finally spoken on her conversion. Charity, who has been living at the palace of Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, since converting to Islam has called on Nigerians to leave her alone to practice the religion of her choice. Speaking on telephone to Vanguard yesterday, Charity insisted that nobody forced her into Islam, and therefore urged everyone concerned to hold their peace and let her practice her new found faith. “I did it on my own. Nobody forced or enticed me to become a Muslim. I converted to Islam on my own. Am I the first to convert to Islam in Nigeria? So what is it?” Pastor Raymond Uzoechina, had earlier claimed that Charity was abducted and hypnotised to say and do what she was doing. He went on to challenge the Etsu Nupe to produce Charity in court for cross-examination by his lawyer. Charity however said; “I know people are influencing my father and I am praying for him and other members of my family to know that this is the right religion.” Charity whose father has been fuming about her continued stay at the Etsu Nupe’s palace also said she was not interested in going back to her father’s house. “I am not going back to my father because of his actions in recent times. He has been threatening me and at my age (25), I am free to practice any religion of my choice and so, I should be left to decide. “If I want to sue him to court, I can at this my age because it is my right to practice any religion I want.” A Sharia court had earlier granted Etsu Nupe custody of Charity who now wants to be called Aisha, a ruling her father appealed on grounds that a Sharia court has no jurisdiction of a matter concerning a Christian in a free state like Nigeria. The appeal ruling is slated for August, but the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Niger State Chapter would love the issue settled out of court. Speaking to newsmen, Niger State CAN Chairman, Rev. Musa Dada, said CAN had visited the Etsu Nupe’s palace along with other CAN officials from Abuja officially on the matter and that plans were on to settle the case out of court. “We have met with the Etsu Nupe and other stake holders involved at the Etsu’s palace and we have made progress. “I can assure you that probably before the August 1 (Thursday) date, when the case is expected to come up at the Sharia Court, Bida, something positive is likely to come out which will put an end to the rift,” Dada said.

Why I Don’t Want To Go Back Home, Girl Who Converted To Islam Tells Her Story

It is no longer news that the conversion to Islam of 25-year-old Charity Uzoechina, daughter of Pastor Raymond Uzoechina of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Kwankwashe, Suleja, is generating a lot of controversy. It is also no longer news that the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has been accused by Pastor Raymond of hypnotizing his daughter, who has since changed her name to A’isha, to embrace Islam just as the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) also claimed the girl was kidnapped and forced to renounce Christianity. All these allegations have since been denied by the Emir, who insists the girl’s conversion is of her own free-will and he is only giving her protection since she ran to him in fear for the safety of her life. A’isha (or Charity), who hails from Asaba in Delta State, came to Abuja at the age of 10 when her father relocated from Lagos. She had her secondary education at Army Day Secondary School Asokoro, Abuja, got admission to study Public Administration at the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, but withdrew from the school in her first year. Her present ordeal could be traced to her decision to embrace Islam on February 15, 2013 and her subsequent seeking of asylum on March 1 at the Etsu Nupe’s palace in Bida following claims that her father threatened to kidnap her. A’isha has taken the matter to a Shariah court in Bida which is expected to deliver judgment on August 1, 2013, whether the 25-year-old should be released to her parents or not. 

Excerpts from her exclusive interview with Weekly Trust.

Did anybody force or enticed you to join Islam?
I joined Islam on my own. Nobody enticed me with anything to join Islam.
 

What informed your decision to join Islam?
I converted to Islam because I love the character of Muslims, particularly the way they behave. You know Muslims believe in God. I have Muslim friends and I watch what they do, that enticed me to join Islam. I used to read Qur’an when I was a Christian. I always join them to read Qur’an and through that I found out that it is the same one God they worship. So I embraced Islam.
 

How did your father come to know about your change of faith?
When I ran to the palace, I told you, it was very difficult before I could see the Emir. When I saw him, the emir refused to accept me, because my father did not know about it. He, therefore, collected my father’s number from me and called him. The following day my father came and said he wanted to see me. When we met we talked one on one.
 

What did you tell him?
Well the emir told him that I have converted to Islam. When my father talked to me, he said let’s go home, but I refused. I told him that I will not change my faith, because I have already accepted Islam and this is where I want to stay. He, therefore, threatened me so much so that I became scared of him.
 

What did he do to you amounting to a threat?
In the first place you know, I put on Hijab (veil), he said I should remove the Hijab. He was angry and used some harsh words on me, directing that I should remove the Hijab, but I refused. He threatened to take me to a village where nobody will set his (sic) eyes on me. So I became scared of him, therefore I refused to follow him. That is it.
 

Did the emir intervene?
The emir gave him one week to come back, but he came back even before it reached one week. He said he must take me home. He will not take me to our house, but he’ll take me to somewhere that nobody will set his (sic) eyes on me. I quickly ran back to the emir and to the Shari’a Court for protection. I don’t want to go back to my father, because he is threatening me.
 

How did you come to know about the Shari’a Court?
I found out from people. I went to them on my own to formally lodge my complaint.
 

Why Shari’a Court?
They have to protect me. You know when you take a case to court over life threatening issue, the court must protect you. That is it.
 

Did your father come back after you refused to follow him?
He came back. He kept on coming back. The other time he even threatened to bring some people to kidnap me.
 

Is it true that at a time your father came with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) officials to you?
Yes.
 

Is it true that you also went to the Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI)?
Yes.
 

Why did you go to JNI?
I told you and I’ll still repeat it, though I don’t want to repeat my words again. I want them to intervene on my behalf, the threat is too much. Now I can’t go anywhere, I cannot even continue with my schooling. I cannot do anything because of the way he has been threatening me. He is still bringing people up till now to keep watch on me.
 

How do you know that your father has assigned people to keep watch on you?
There was a time that I wanted to go out, information came to me that my father was around and I had to stay back since I don’t want him to take me away. I know that if I go out anytime, he’ll pick me up.
 

How did you come to know about JNI?
I have been reading about them. That is why I went to them.
 

How did you present your case to JNI?
I wrote to them seeking for their intervention, because I do not know how to go about convincing my father. I also learnt that the emir wanted to hand me over to my father, because the burden of my case is becoming too much for him to bear.
 

If your father should promise to allow you to practice your new faith, will you go with him?
I’ll not. In a family that you are the only Muslim, how can you practice in that house? You know when he (my father) came along with my mother the other time, his actions and the harsh words he used, even if I go back home, my life will not be secured in his hand. That is why I said I’ll not go.
 

Did you start learning anything about Islam?
Yes, I started learning how to perform ablution. I have learnt how to recite Surah Al-Fatihah, I am now in my second surah.
 

Do you pray five times a day?
Yes I do. I am even fasting now. I have been fasting since the beginning of the month of Ramadan.
 

What is your massage to people wanting to join Islam?
I have only one massage. Islam is good. Muslims are truthful, everything they say, they believe in God and they carry people along. Once a person converted to Islam, he’ll be carried along until he is strong to stand on his own.
 

What is your appeal to your parent?
I am appealing to my parents not to be angry with me. My conversion to Islam will not separate us. I still love them, even though I am here. They can come and visit me and I can also visit them. They shouldn’t think my new faith will take away the love I have for them. It will not. I am very sorry.

70-year-old Retired School Principal Abducted In Delta

Unknown gunmen on Friday abducted a retired school principal, Mrs. Clementina Bakpa, at Ovwian in Udu council area of Delta State on her way to church in company of her husband, Mr. Emma Bakpa, an engineer. The couple, it was learnt, was on their way to morning mass at the Catholic Church, Ovwian when the incident occurred at about 6 am. The woman was whisked away to unknown destination, while her husband was left helpless. Mrs. Bakpa, a former principal of Dom Domingo College, Warri and Delta State University Demonstration School, Abraka is a mother of six children and proprietor of Holy Family School, Airport Road, Warri. No ransom has been demanded yet by the abductors of the 70-year-old. As at the time of abduction, Mrs. Bakpa was said to be without her telephone set. No officer of the Owvian police station was prepared to comment on the incident although sources revealed that investigation are in top gear to track the hoodlums.

Boko Haram Leader Shekau Sighted In Unsuccessful Gwoza Operation

The highly specialised operation by the Joint Task Force (JTF) to hunt down the leader of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, Sheikh Abubakar Shekau, believed to be holed up in Gwoza hills in Borno State was unsuccessful as a result of the difficult terrain, military sources have revealed. The operation, which took place last month, however, claimed the life of Major A.T. Fambiya on June 26, 2013. Fambiya, one the two officers and 13 soldiers recently given national burial at the military cemetery in Abuja, was drafted into the squad that carried out the operation due to his knowledge of the area, having hailed from Gwoza, a source said. “However, like the Tora Bora mountainous caves in Afghanistan where Osama Bin Laden hid before he later escaped from the US onslaught; the operation to capture Shekau was not successful because of the bad terrain”, the source said. The source declined to give details, saying that would be exposing “high security issues,” adding, however, that the area around Gwoza hills was dotted with lots of caves. “I want to tell you that there is a massive deployment of troops in that area but we did not succeed because you know there are lots of caves. I just know that, as at this moment, I don’t see him still being confined there”. However, another military source said Shekau might have been confined to a location where the military are in constant knowledge of his movement and that efforts are in top gear to capture him in spite of the failure of last month’s operation. The source said the Boko Haram leader is being figured out by the military and that his days are numbered as they are ever determined to finish the job despite the difficult environment around him. “Yes we can confirm that the goon is cornered and his days as a terrorist are certainly numbered. It’s not going to be easy though because Gwoza hill is a very long stretch of hilly terrain but the good thing is that the troops have an idea of exactly how to go about finishing the job,” the source added.The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen. Chris Olukolade, however warned journalists against reporting on operational issues that could jeopardise the military and security strategies, citing a report in one of the national dailies as an example.He vowed that the military would pursue the terrorists with vigour until they are captured, killed or forced to surrender unconditionally according to the mandate of the emergency rule proclamation. He said: “All I can say at the moment is that the mandate given to the security forces to hunt down all terrorists or insurgents is being pursued with all necessary vigour and sense of duty and responsibility. “Every vital breakthrough recorded in the process will continue to be duly communicated to Nigerians as and when appropriate. “There is no need to engage in speculation that could jeopardise the integrity of ongoing operations or mislead our citizens please.” The military had waved off claims by the Presidential Committee on Amnesty that it had reached ceasefire agreement with the Boko Haram, and had instead vowed to crush the insurgents. According to one of the military sources, “the main target now is to take out Shekau, and that is a matter of time now”

Boko Haram Weekend Killing Spree Leaves At Least 40 Dead In Borno Villages

At least 43 people have been killed in separate incidents by suspected Boko Haram insurgents in Kaga and Kukawa local government areas of Borno State over the weekend, locals and security sources say. In the bloodbath on Friday and Saturday, 23 people were killed in Mainok and 20 in Dawashi when the Islamist sect members launched reprisal attacks against the Volunteer Vigilance Youths Group (VVYG), popularly called ‘Civilian JTF,’ which has helped in tracking and hunting down insurgents since the declaration of a state of emergency. Many more were also injured in the attack, some of them with life-threatening gunshot wounds. Confirming the deaths in Dawashi, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) based in Kukawa disclosed that the incident occurred when Boko Haram gunmen opened fire on vigilantes who stormed the village in search of insurgents. “According to an eyewitness who pleaded anonymity, a group of Civilian Joint Task Force from Maiduguri stormed the village Dawashi in search of Boko Haram members when the suspected sect members came armed and fired sporadic shots that killed over twenty innocent civilians while a dozen secured serious gunshot injury,” MNJTF spokesman Lt. Haruna Sani said in a statement emailed to journalists yesterday. “The victims are mostly fishermen and traders who pursue their legitimate business in the area. As at the time of compiling this report, the (surviving) victims were still lying within the premises of MNJTF Field Ambulance receiving medical treatment from the injury sustained during the attack. “Meanwhile, heavily armed Quick Reaction Group from MNJTF had been deployed to ensure the safety of lives and property in the area. The general area of Dawashi, Daban Masara and Malan Karanti are known to be suspected Boko Haram infested areas.”

Al-Mustapha: I Could’ve Taken Over Power Immediately Abacha Died, But…

After his surprise visit to founder of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) upon his release from prison, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha on Sunday paid an unusual visit to the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujaheed Dokubo-Asari, in his Abuja residence. On hand to receive the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to late General Sani Abacha (rtd), were Ambassador Fanny Amu, Chief K.D Amachree, Chief Opaks Harry, among others. Dokubo, who said he was convinced that Al-Mustapha did not kill the late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, an allegation that led to his arrest and subsequent incarceration in the last 14 years, urged him to forgive his accusers and all those who made sure he was kept behind bars He said: “For me as a person, I was very convinced that you were not part of what happened because I was very close to Kudirat and I was very close to the Lagos group that was responsible for the judicial manipulation that was going on. And I wrote those things and people said we were paid to write. People believe that anybody who says the truth or has a contrary opinion has been paid to do it.” The militant leader thanked God for sparing Al-Mustapha’s life while in prison even as he expressed joy that truth had finally prevailed. According to him, “We just thank God that this is not a period for politics and making political statements but what is important is that the truth has prevailed and the hypocrisy of those who wanted to sacrifice an innocent man to satisfy their perceived interest. “As a brother, I will tell you to forgive all the people who have offended you over these years, those who have kept you there. In one way or another, they would have killed you if you have not been away but Allah who kept you alive this period of difficulty when it was quite easy to kill you didn’t put it in their mind.” “For me, forgive them. It is when you forgive that you gain more benefits from Allah.” In his response, Al-Mustapha recalled his days in detention and said of all the years he spent working with the late General Abacha, the only crime he was accused of was the murder of Alhaja Kudirat; one he said his accusers could not prove because he did not do it. He said: “You know there were 10 panels I faced in five years. None of these panels found me guilty of anything. My offence was just one: Mrs Abiola’s murder. All in all, I stayed for five years and two months in solitary detention.” While singing his self-praise for choosing not to take over the reins of leadership and chart a different course upon the death of the late despotic ruler, Al-Mustapha, lamented that some people cashed in on his humility and loyalty to the service of the country to punish him unjustly. He said: “Ours is to serve, preserve the country and I did. If I had wanted, after the death of General Sani Abacha, this country would have witnessed another thing. But in our character, ours is to serve the country and I did. Nobody fired one bullet the day General Abacha died. God gave me the courage. But there were so many confusion, so many agitation at that time. “But God used me to stabilise a course and it is the course that gave birth to this democracy. So, if I had not done so that time, we would have changed the course of history. Bur because we kept quiet, we were humble and committed to the country, people now turned it around.”

Boko Haram: Northern Nigeria Accounts For 70% Of Christians Killed Globally, Says Oritsejafor •Hails Civilian JTF For Joining Fight Against Insurgents

National President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oristejafor, weekend decried the policies and inaction of the United States of America which he said had helped sustain the persecution of Nigerian Christians in northern Nigeria. This he attributed to the failure of the US Government to designate the Nigerian radical Islamist sect, Boko Haram, as Foreign Terrorist Organization, FTO. The CAN President reeled out some statistics which revealed that 70 percent of all killings targeted at Christians globally occurred in northern Nigeria with 3,000 killed and over 500 Churches burnt between 2010 and 2012. Oristejiafor, who made this known while addressing the Christian Association of Nigeria in America, CANAN, in Washington DC, weekend, however commended the activities of some Muslim youths under the aegis of Volunteer Vigilance Youth Groups (VVYG) also known as Civilian JTF in parts of Borno State, for assisting the Military JTF in the state in tracking and hunting down fleeing members of Boko Haram sect. His speech read in part: “I was recently re-elected into my second and final term as President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, an aggregation of all Nigeria’s 80 million Christians. “The population of Christians in Nigeria is equivalent to the entire country of Egypt. The population of Christians in northern Nigeria is more than the entire population of Syria. “We are by no means a minority, which makes what we are going through all the more alarming and a warning to countries who believe Islamist terrorism and insurgency could never happen in their territories.” According to the CAN President, “In my first term, about 3,000 Christians were killed. Last year alone it averaged over 100 every month. In March 2010 about 500 Christians were slaughtered in one night on an attack on their villages. “In April 2011 we lost over 500 churches, thousands of homes and businesses in a 48-hour period and in 2012 about 70 percent of all Christians killed worldwide were in northern Nigeria alone.”