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World outrage as Jos buries kids, women
By Dele Anofi
Naomi Dung who lost her husband and three children crying
The global community yesterday condemned Sunday's killings in Dogo Nahawa, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The Vatican led the way. Then the United States, Britain. United Nations and France followed in expressing revulsion over the mayhem.
The condemnation came as villagers undertook the grim but necessary taste of burying the dead, mostly kids and women.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi lamented what he called "horrible acts of violence" in Nigeria.
The Vatican, he said, views with "sadness and concern" the violence.
Asked to comment on the nature of the conflict, Lombardi deferred to Nigerian Church authorities.
The Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, told Vatican Radio yesterday that the violence was rooted not in religion but in social, economic, tribal and cultural differences.
"Armed people, itinerant pastoralists ... attacked the village of farmers of the Berom ethnic group," he said, adding: "It is a classic conflict between pastoralists and farmers."
US urged the Federal Government to bring to justice the perpetrators of the crisis.
The US Mission in Nigeria, in a statement by the Public Affairs Section, said: "We continue to urge all parties to exercise restraint and seek constructive means for addressing the continuing cycle of violence in Plateau State.
"Such loss of life and destruction cannot continue to weaken the fabric of unity and peace that all Nigerians love.
"We also call on the Federal Government to ensure that the perpetrators of acts of violence are brought to justice under the rule of law and in a transparent manner, and on the Plateau State Government to ensure that all people and citizens in the Jos area feel that they are respected and protected."
UN chief Ban Ki-moon appealed for "maximum restraint" by all sides in the conflict.
Ban told reporters that he was "deeply concerned" by the latest outbreak of inter-religious violence "with appalling loss life".
"I appeal to all concerned to exercise maximum restraint," Ban added. "Nigeria's political and religious leaders should work together to address the underlying causes and to achieve a permanent solution to the crisis in Jos."
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Bob Dewar, condemned the incident and sent his condolences to the affected communities.
"I would like to express my condemnation of the killings that took place in Plateau State on Sunday. My condolences go out to the families of all those who were injured or murdered. I have today raised our concerns at senior levels with the Nigerian authorities and welcome their commitment to do everything possible to calm the situation, prevent any escalation in violence and to bring to justice those involved in violence. We continue to urge all parties to seek peaceful means to resolve their differences, including through inter-faith dialogue."
France condemned the violence and endorsed the government's plan to contain it.
"France firmly condemns the serious violence," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a statement.
"I express France's support to the Nigerian authorities in their efforts to restore calm and bring the perpetrators of the violence to justice."
Source: The Nation, 9th March 2010.
Tension reigns in Jos, offices, shops shut
- Govt vows to arrest culprits
- Senate brands killing terrorism
- Britain, Vatican condemn mayhem
- PFN seeks arms mop-up from fanatics
From Isa Abdulsalami (Jos), Alifa Daniel, Lemmy Ughegbe (Abuja), Kelvin Ebiri (Port Harcourt), Inem Akpan-Nsoh (Uyo) and Francis Obinor (Lagos)
BUSINESS and social activities were yesterday brought to a standstill in Jos, the Plateau State capital, as offices and shops were hurriedly shut over fears of another round of violence.
Weary residents fled suspected flash-points in the metropolis. The police quickly deployed armed officers to the spots and assured residents that there was no further threat to law and order in the state.
But the residents were not swayed as they kept off the roads, markets, offices and other commercial places.
The Executive and Legislative arms of the Federal Government, which deplored the crisis, ordered the immediate arrest of the perpetrators of last Sunday killing of about 200 persons in some communities in the state.
An angry Senate described the attack as an act of terrorism that must not be condoned. It asked the security agencies to rise to the challenge by bringing the killers of defenceless Nigerians in Plateau to book.
The Executive arm, which said the violence was one incident too many, declared that it would go after the suspects and bring the full weight of the law to bear on them to protect defenceless Nigerians.
Similarly, security personnel linked with cases of torture and extra-judicial killing across the country are to be investigated by the government and those indicted prosecuted in the law court.
The tension in Jos and Bukuru metropolis peaked in the afternoon when people started running helter-skelter over reports that armed youths had invaded the two towns.
It later turned out to be a mild demonstration by the youths in Bukuru and parts of Barkin-Ladi over the killing of their kinsmen in Dogon-Nahawa, Jos and Ransat on Sunday morning by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
As the demonstration went on, security personnel were drafted to the scene where commotion ensued between the operatives and the youths.
The stampede that resulted led to the desertion of Jos and Bukuru.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mohammed Lerama, who confirmed the stampede, said it arose from the Sunday attacks on Dogon-Nahawa village where hundreds of people were killed.
"Immediately this strange movement happened, we deployed more armed policemen to patrol all the streets of Jos and its environs. That is why the situation is now returning to normalcy."
A statement yesterday prepared by the Commissioner of Police, Mr, Ikechukwu Ayo Aduba, could not be read to journalists because he was summoned to Abuja yesterday.
The statement said that the information received from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Anglo-Jos on Sunday revealed that a group of Fulani invaded Dogon-Nahawa and other nearby villages maiming and killing innocent men, women and children, naming the villages as Zon and Ransat.
Lerama said: "So far, the casualty figures reported are about 55. A combined team of mobile policemen and Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) were drafted to the area around 4.00 p.m. to maintain law and order.
"From evidence so far gathered, this is a reprisal attack and a fall-out of the incident of January 17, 2010 where some Fulani were killed with their cattle at Vom, Tim-Tim, Kujenta, Barikin-Ladi and other villages," Lerama said.
The statement disclosed that two categories of arrest were made, the first comprises Fulani who were arrested after the Sunday incident with daggers and knives at Angware village in Jos East Local Council.
On interrogation, Lerama said they claimed that they were on revenge mission. Four Fulani were shot dead at Barikin Ladi by the joint patrol team.
According to the statement, the second category comprised 74 persons from Mangu village, who were arrested with prohibited firearms by the joint patrol team after a hot exchange of fire.
The statement further said that the attackers were from Fuburu village in Jos East Local Council, which shares a boundary with Bauchi State.
During the commotion that ensued during the demonstration between the youths in Bukuru and the soldiers, one Dunk Sambo was shot dead. The youths thereafter called for the removal of the soldiers and the curfew imposed on the area. The Federal Government, which declared the frequent killing of Nigerians and the violation of their rights under whatever guise as unacceptable yesterday, said life is sacred and no responsible government would tolerate such unprovoked attack on unarmed citizens.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Justice Minister, Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN), who hinted of the government's resolve to prosecute the masterminds of the latest Plateau crisis in his office during the presentation of the Draft National Policy on Torture, further said the present administration was disturbed by allegations of torture and extra-judicial killings by some security personnel.
"The Federal Government of Nigeria is not insensitive to allegations of torture and extra-judicial killings by a few officers of our security agencies. That is why this administration is moving swiftly and aggressively to investigate and where necessary punish perpetrators," Kayode said.
In a reaction to the latest killings, the Senate through its spokesman, Ayogu Eze, said: "The Senate as an institution cannot reconcile this latest mayhem where armed men invaded harmless communities in the wee hours and opened fire on defenceless civilians. We cannot understand this at a time efforts are being made to find a solution to the previous crisis. As in the previous case, we condemn these acts of terrorism on the Plateau in no unmistakable terms.
"All the security operatives should by now be challenged and should urgently deploy their expertise to bring this to a halt. Their efforts would have been in vain if the perpetrators are not unmasked and brought to judgment.
"The Senate and indeed the Federal Government can no longer tolerate this lawlessness and continued terrorism in Nigeria. "At a time efforts are being made to restore our nation's battered image, some miscreants, disgruntled and misguided people are dragging the hand of the clock backwards.
"We condemn this yet another eruption of crisis and demand that the security operatives fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime against humanity, no matter whose ox is gored."
He said government remained "committed to achieving the spirit and purpose of the Convention Against Torture and its optional protocol," which it demonstrated through the establishment of the National Committee on Torture as a "national mechanism to investigate allegations of torture, extra-judicial executions and other unlawful killings."
He said the National Committee on Torture had been charged to swiftly investigate reports of unlawful killings and torture across the country with a view to fishing out culprits and prosecuting them. "I have already clarified the terms of reference of the National Committee on Torture and I have asked that the committee immediately puts administrative and logistic measures in place to enable it begin to receive and investigate communications from Nigerians on cases of torture and extra-judicial executions", he stated.
"For emphasis, the committee will investigate reports from the National Human Rights Commission and local and international human rights groups. The documentary of Al-Jazeera and the reports of Amnesty International are relevant materials in this regards", he added.
The chief law officer also observed that some of the recourse to jungle justice could be traced to a "deficit of trust in our criminal justice system," but warned that "the solution to these concerns cannot lie in the use of extra-judicial means because we are a country of laws."
Presenting the draft policy to the minister, the committee's chairman, Dr. Samson Sani Ameh (SAN), said "the problem of torture cannot be addressed by mere enforcement alone. Education and enlightenment are necessary."
Also yesterday, eminent Nigerians met in Jos to find lasting solutions to the incessant crisis in Jos and its environs under the auspices of the Institute of Governance and Social Research (IGSR) in collaboration with the British Department for International Development (BDID) and the state government.
The theme of the one-day conference was "Peace in Jos: Arresting the cycle of violence" under the chairmanship of former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon.
The participants included Second Republic President Shehu Shagari, Head of the defunct Interim National Government (ING), Chief Ernest Shonekan, pioneer Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Solomon Lar, Ambassador Bagudu Hirse, the Gbon Gwom Jos, Jacob Gyang Buba, Nasarawa State Deputy Governor Michael Abdul and IGSR President, Prof. Isawa Eliagwu.
Britain and the Vatican have also deplored the heinous killings of hundreds of Christians in Jos.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Bob Dewar, in a statement yesterday, condemned the violence and sent his condolences to the affected communities.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the Catholic Church felt "sad and concerned" at what he called the "horrible acts of violence."
"I would like to express my condemnation of the killings that took place in Plateau State on Sunday. My condolences go out to the families of all those who were injured or murdered. I have today (yesterday) raised our concerns at senior levels with the Nigerian authorities and welcome their commitment to do everything possible to calm the situation, prevent any escalation in violence and to bring to justice those involved in violence. We continue to urge all parties to seek peaceful means to resolve their differences, including through inter-faith dialogue."
Meanwhile, Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Akwa Ibom State, Bishop Cletus Bassey, has asked the government to take a holistic look at reports on previous religious crises and act on them.
While condemning the resurgence of the Sunday crisis in Jos, CAN warned that adequate attention be given to the matter before Christians are pushed to the wall.
He told journalists in Uyo yesterday that Nigeria was not an Islamic state and wondered why some Islamic fundamentalists would want to exterminate Christians in the North.
Also, the National Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (Youth Wing), Dr. Abel Damina, has urged the Federal Government to grant amnesty to the Muslim fundamentalists as a way of retrieving the guns in their possession and stop the incessant carnage in Plateau and other states in the North.
In a statement made available to The Guardian yesterday, he described the weekend killings and destructions in Plateau as unwarranted and another show of the resolve of fundamentalists to cause religious disharmony in the country.
Source: The Guardian, 9th March 2010.
Jonathan Fires NSA Over Jos Mayhem
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Jos Massacre: 387 Bodies Given Mass Burial
•Reprisal by Berom youths curtailed •Special legal team for trial of suspects, says AGF
From Funso Muraina in Abuja and Seriki Adinoyi in Jos
It was all wailing and weeping yesterday in Dogo-Na-Hawa village in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State as bodies of over 387 people killed last Sunday in the resurgence of violence in the area were given mass burial.
They were buried near the village around 3pm.
Plateau State Commissioner for Works and Transport, who is also the Chairman, Recovery and Evacuation Committee, Mr. Solomon Zang, described the killings as gruesome.
He said more corpses of those attacked in the nearby bush in the affected villages while trying to escape were being discovered.
Zang lamented that Jos, the state capital, which used to be a home of peace had been turned into a theatre of war.
Over 300 people, mostly women and children were murdered in the early hours of Sunday following attacks on Dogo-Na-Hawa, Ratsat and Jeji villages in Foron district of Jos South Local Government.
The attacks, believed to be reprisal following that of last January 17, were visited on the Berom villages by men suspected to be Hausa-Fulani fighters who had descended from the hills from where they launched the attack around 2am.
Meanwhile, early yesterday, Berom youths had also attempted a reprisal on the Hausa in Jos, a development that forced residents who had come out for their daily chores to beat a retreat.
The youths in their hundreds trooped out from Bukuru area, chanting war songs, setting bon fires and barricading major roads, but the joint military and riot police emerged immediately to disperse them.
The rampaging youths had burnt three trucks at the Angle-D area of Jos before the security agents arrived.
They also made to disrupt the ongoing peace conference at the Hill Station Hotel Jos, where former head of states and presidents namely General Yakubu Gowon, Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Chief Ernest Shonekan as well as other dignitaries were in attendance.
It took the intervention of heavily armed security men before the youths were turned back.
The state police command has, however, confirmed that Sunday killings in the villages were a reprisal launched by the Fulanis in the aftermath of the January 17, 2010 crisis in which some Fulanis were killed in Kuru and Barkin Ladi.
Police Public Relations Officer ASP Mohammed Lerama said in a press statement that 19 Fulanis had been arrested with daggers and knives in Angwari village of Jos East Local Government Council and upon interrogation they allegedly admitted that they took part in Sunday's killings.
The police said four Fulanis were also shot dead in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area by the joint security task force in Jos, while 74 persons from Mangu village were found with the prohibited firearms by security operatives and arrested.
Lerama said the Fulanis, who carried out the Sunday attacks, might have come from Forbur district of Jos East Local Government Council of the state.
He denied that the attackers came from neighbouring state of Bauchi as there is no motorable road linking Bauchi to the area.
He said the security teams had recovered nine single barrel guns, four double barrel guns, two locally made double barrel guns and three locally made single barrel pistols.
Other weapons recovered, according to Lerama, are five AK 47 live ammunition, five 9mm ammunition and 34 live cartridges.
The police, however, put the casualty figure of Sunday's killing at 50 though 387 bodies are known to have been given mass burial.
In the meantime, Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN) has said a special legal team to complement the work of prosecuting suspects in the sectarian crisis in the state and others suspected to have been involved in previous crisis in Jos will soon be constituted.
The AGF said the legal team would be expected to speed up the trial of the suspects.
He disclosed this when he presented the National Policy on Torture.
He said any of the suspects found guilty would be punished accordingly.
Kayode said those arrested in the aftermath of the mayhem of last January 17 in Jos were at present facing trial in Abuja and the law would take its course.
He said the Federal Govern-ment was deeply worried about the incessant crisis in Jos with its attendant destruction of lives and properties each time it occurs.
The AGF said Nigerians in Jos should be consoled by the fact that Acting President Goodluck Jonathan had already put the security on red alert to ward off any reprisal.
He said the Federal Government is committed to achieving the spirit and purpose of the convention against torture and its optional protocol.
"Our national action plan for the promotion and protection of human rights contains explicit provisions on how we intend to achieve this.
"In addition, the establishment of the National Committee on Torture is our national mechanism to investigate allegations of torture, extra-judicial executions and other unlawful killings," he said.
Source: The Nation, 9th March 2010.
Residents recall bloody Sunday
A day after the Dogo Nahawa killings, some survivors yesterday relived their ordeal.
Mrs Ladi Thuwang (27) and Nyam Davou said they were asleep when the attackers came.
They said they were woken up by sounds of gunshots.
Of Mrs Thuwang's three children, one was burnt to death, and another missing.
Davou lost his mother, wife and two children.
Mrs Thuwang said: "The shooting started around 2a.m. We were sleeping when they (attackers) came. When I heard gboom! Gboom!!! I quickly stood up but I had nowhere to run to. Everywhere had been surrounded. I took my three children and tried to escape. One of the children was set ablaze; another is missing. I am left with only Anthony (pointing at the boy).
"The shooting lasted till about 5a.m. Many people were killed because they were still asleep when they (attackers) came. It was a horrible scene."
Davou said he did not know why Dogo Nahawa was attacked since there was no violence in the community in the past.
He said: "I don't know why they attacked our community since there were no killings in the area in the last crisis. Some of them (attackers) who used to live in the village decided to leave without anybody chasing them. It was a surprise to see one of them leading the attack.
"One of their (attackers) kinsmen was called two days before the attack and was again reminded an hour before the attack for him to evacuate his family. The attack was barbaric and satanic. Why? They killed my mother, wife and two little kids".
Women wailed in the streets as a refuse truck carried dozens of bodies past burned-out homes toward a mass grave.
Rubber-gloved workers pulled ever-smaller bodies from the truck and tossed them into the mass grave. A crowd began singing a hymn with the refrain, "Jesus said I am the way to heaven." As the grave filled, the grieving crowd sang: "Jesus, show me the way."
An Associated Press reporter counted 61 bodies, 32 of them children, being buried in the mass grave in Dogo Nahawa. Other victims would be buried elsewhere. At a local morgue, the bodies of children, including a diaper-clad toddler, were tangled together. One appeared to have been scalped. Others had severed hands and feet.
Chuwanga Gyang, 30, said he heard a gunshot and left his house through the back door but stopped when he realised that the attackers were shooting to herd fleeing villagers toward another group of attackers carrying machetes.
He recalled climbing into a tree and watching as villagers were killed and the attackers set homes alight over the course of 90 minutes.
The attackers asked people "Who are you?" in Fulani, and killed those who did not answer back in Fulani, he said.
Plateau State spokesman Gregory Yenlong said police are seeking to arrest Saleh Bayari, the regional leader of the Fulanis, alleging Bayari had made comments and incited the killings. He gave no details.
The chairman of the local Fulani organisation denied that his people were involved in the violence.
Christian evangelist Musah Paul Gindiri said the police and military provided no security to the villages attacked Sunday morning.
"We have seen our flock is becoming very restive as the government is not trying to protect them,'' he said, warning that Christians would fight back if attacked again.
Source: This Day, 9th March 2010.
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How corruption has wrecked Nigeria, by Waziri
From Betty Aderibigbe, Abuja
THE Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC Mrs. Farida Waziri, has said the high level corruption in the country at present has been the bane of the economic development of the country.
Mrs. Waziri made this remark at the National Stakeholders Forum for Private Guard Companies held in Abuja yesterday with the theme: "Strengthening the Capacity of Private Guards Companies in National Security."
The EFCC boss while lamenting the collapse of two of Nigeria's transport systems due to corruption, stated that the security of the nation was a collective responsibility of all the citizenry. She praised the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps for its zeal in the fight against crime despite working without arms.
She said: "This nation belongs to all of us and so we must defend it. Do not be scared to come up to me if you see something that is wrong. That is why our slogan at EFCC is 'See something, Say Something And Do Something.' We want this country to move forward and by that it means that the basic necessities of life must be made available so that our children will stop moving out to look for greener pastures. But it is the collective responsibility of everyone. No one can do it alone. The NSCDC cannot do it, neither the police nor even the Private Guard companies.
Listing the evil corruption has brought on the country, Waziri said: "As a nation, we have no national carrier. When we had the Nigerian Airways, Ethiopia had nothing. But now we are using the Ethiopian and Egypt airlines. The railways we inherited, we don't have them anymore. The rail lines are now been used as selling spaces. I will like to commend what the NSCDC is doing just like the British Police that do not carry guns, they are very friendly but extremely effective."
In his address, the Commandant General NSCDC, Dr. Ade Abolurin, said the forum was intended at "engendering effective performance, efficiency, productivity and professionalism in the private guard security industry."
"Prior to year 2005, the industry was infiltrated by quacks who operated without recourse to the rules guiding their operations and without regards to standards and the basic security principle. Most of the operatives did not even have the necessary orientation for security duties. ... Most of them end up recruiting criminals or people with criminal tendencies who ended up compromising and conniving with criminals."
According to Abolurin, the intention of the forum is to engender a kind of camaraderie and bring into focus the need for the operators to see themselves as part and parcel of a process aimed at developing and enhancing the country's security apparatus."
And in a remark by the Chairman, House Committee on Interior who also doubled as the representative of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Jerry Mawea, reiterated the House's commitment to supporting the Corps and Private guard Companies to effectively carry out their mandate.
" No security agent in the country can claim to provide security in isolation of others. That is why the EFCC, the SSS are all here. We have amended the Act and we will provide the funds for the NSCDC to carry arms because we cannot claim to be the Giant of Africa if the internal security is not secured."
Source: The Guardian, 5th March 2010.
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US Seeks Extradition of Briton Over $132m Nigerian Bribes
By Our Reporter
The United States (US) is seeking the extradition of a 72-year-old British businessman, Wojciech Chodan, who gave over $100m bribes to some Nigerian politicians to win contracts for construction giant Halliburton.
A Westminister Magistrate's Court in London heard yesterday that Chodan conspired with others to pay $132m bribes to the politicians to get $6billion contracts to build liquefied natural gas plants at Bonny Island, Rivers Sate.
US prosecutors want Chodan flown to Texas to stand trial for his alleged involvement in the bribery.
He faces up to 55 years in jail if convicted. His barrister said that it was "unjust and oppressive" to "haul him out of his domestic bliss" with his wife in a Somerset village and send him to the US where he could die in jail.
David Perry, QC for the US government, said the bribes were paid covertly via bank accounts in Switzerland, Monaco and New York. Chodan worked as a sales executive for the London subsidiary of Halliburton.
According to US prosecutors, Chodan conspired to send a message to the "top man" in Nigeria saying that "we are ready to do business in a customary manner".
Perry said extradition was justified as Chodan's alleged crimes had "a substantial connection" to the US.
That argument was rejected by Chodan's QC, Ian Winter, who said: "almost none" of Chodan's alleged involvement was connected to the US.
He said the alleged corrupt conduct, such as meetings to arrange the kickbacks or the transfers of money, occurred outside the US, and mainly in the United Kingdom or Nigeria.
He said it was unnecessary and disproportionate to extradite Chodan as the US had already "investigated, arrested, prosecuted and convicted the principal corporate beneficiary of the crime and the principal American national responsible for it".
Halliburton and related companies agreed last year to pay a $579m fine, one of the largest in US corporate history, to settle the case after admitting making improper payments to Nigerian officials. Jack Stanley, an executive, has also pleaded guilty and faces jail.
Winter told the court that Chodan faced a "terrifying" jail sentence in the US when the British government had chosen not to prosecute him for crimes which allegedly happened in the UK.
The court heard that the US and UK governments had privately discussed which government should prosecute Chodan.
The US Department of Justice told the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in a private letter in February last year that "it has decided that the US should prosecute Mr Chodan".
Yesterday, District Judge Caroline Tubbs adjourned the hearing till April 20 when she is expected to give her verdict on whether Chodan should be sent to the US.
The US is also seeking the extradition of London lawyer, Jeffrey Tesler, who is accused of playing a leading role in the bribery. Tesler, 61, is alleged to have laundered the bribes to the Nigerians.
M.W. Kellogg Ltd. (MWKL), a British joint venture in which Houston-based Kellog, Brown & Root (KBR) owns 55%, is seeking plea negotiations with SFO to settle its investigation into the bribery.
"MWKL has informed SFO that it intends to self-report corporate liability for corruption-related offences arising out of the Bonny Island project," said Halliburton, which formerly owned KBR.
In a filing with US financial regulators, Halliburton said that MWKL, which held part of KBR's stake in the Nigerian project, expects to receive SFO confirmation that it will be admitted into a plea negotiation process.
Halliburton did not detail the potential impact of MWKL's SFO plea impact, but said it expected its remaining obligation to KBR was $72 million effective yearend 2009—excluding the remaining money to resolve the earlier US investigations.
Source: The Nation, 23rd Fed 2010.
Wife alleges plot to kill MASSOB leader
EMMA OGU, OWERRI and Alphonsus Nweze, Onitsha
Mrs. Ngozi Uwazuruike, wife of Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, arrested leader of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), has uncovered a plot by federal government to poison her husband in Kuje Prisons where he is presently detained on the allegations of kidnapping.
Mrs. Uwazuruike who addressed journalists in Owerri yesterday, queried the reason for moving her husband from Owerri where he was remanded to Kuje Prisons. She accused the federal government of plotting to eliminate her husband.
Quoting a source, she said the authorities were planning to poison Uwazuruike before bringing him back to Owerri for trial.
Mrs. Uwazuruike also lamented that as part of the plot to kill her husband, the authorities have denied him access to his family members. She also alleged that every effort by the family lawyers to fix a date for his suit to challenge his detention has been frustrated by the authorities as no date has been fixed.
She said: "My question is whether his alleged offence is greater than those of the militants. They just picked him up from here and dumped him in Kuje Prisons and nobody is talking about him. What has he done and why is his case always different from other people's own in this country?"
Meanwhile, MASSOB has joined the world in celebrating Nelson Mandela's freedom 20 years after, describing him as a symbol of "justice and freedom."
Briefing Newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra State, the MASSOB Director of Information, Comrade Uchenna Madu, said the group will continue to celebrate the virtues and contributions of Mandela in the emancipation of South Africans from the grip of Apartheid, adding that he is a Human Rights crusader and symbol of freedom that is worthy of emulation.
He said: "Mandela as an institution represents justice, equity and progressiveness. His consistency and total commitment on the struggle from the clutches of apartheid have become our propeller, energizer, motivation and hope.
"Today the world is celebrating Nelson Mandela. He has become a reference point for justice and a man who stands for truth, who sacrifices for his people, a man who risked his life for the future of his nation. This was done because he understood that the future of his people matters most as he could not fold his hands watching evil reign supreme in the land of good. We salute him and respect his courage and determination."
However, the spokesperson lamented that while millions of MASSOB members and the international communities are celebrating the freedom and achievements of the freedom fighter, their leader who is adored as the Mandela of the Biafran struggle, was still in detention on trumped up charges, saying: "Though millions of MASSOB members are celebrating Mandela today, we wish to inform the United Nations(UN), the international community, President Barack Obama and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon that the MASSOB leader is still languishing in prison for no just reason".
Source: Daily Champion, 12th Feb 2010.
Wife Seeks Release Of Husband
From Charles Ogugbuaja, Owerri
WIFE of detained leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign state of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralphael Uwazurike, Ngozi Omekadiya has urged the Federal Government to show her where her husband is detained and subsequently release him.
Briefing journalists on Wednesday at her Owerri residence, Ngozi regretted that it had been horrible for her since her husband was detained, adding that the family of Uwazurike was suffering from the absence of the breadwinner.
She regretted that despite all efforts made by Uwazurike's lawyer to see the authorities and get a day for his arraignment, nothing had been achieved yet.
Ngozi said they only heard from their lawyer, Festus Keyamo that the MASSOB leader was in Kuje prisons. "The Federal Government has not told us anything. There at the High Court, nothing is done. The Federal Government has not told us whether he is still alive or not. We don't know who is responsible for his arrest. Why is Uwazurike's case a different one? Please help me use your media and tell the whole world that we don't know where he (Uwazurike) is. I have become widow overnight when I am not a widow. Let the Nigerian government release my husband or let him appear in court. Let him speak." She lamented.
She also alleged that the Federal Government had perfected plans to poison her husband and kill him in detention or put him in an aircraft and cause it to explode.
She, however, stated that despite all the problems, the Movement would not relent in its cause.
Speaking also, the Regional Administrator of MASSOB in Owerri, Chief Okechukwu Nworgu noted that the commitment of the membership of the Movement was intact.
Source: The Guardian, 13th Feb 2010.
Aka Ikenga calls for Igbo unity
By Anote Ajeluorou
AKA Ikenga, a major Igbo socio-cultural group has called for the unity of the ethnic nationality and all Nigerians to facilitate development.
Its president, Dr. Silvanus Ebigwe, who made the call at the group's end of year dinner party in Lagos, said Aka Ikenga was striving for Igbo unity in all its programmes and tasked all other Ndigbo to do the same.
Ebigwe said the group was also doing a lot in the areas of economic emancipation and political advancement of the Igbo so they could attain their God-given potential within the Nigerian political space.
He also threw his weight behind all the governorship candidates in the South-East and Delta State, who are also members of Aka Ikenga. Ebigwe however enjoined such candidates to follow all the positive values of selfless service, peace, unity and compassion that the association is known for as guiding principles to their respective offices.
According to him, the association has certain invaluable training virtues, which Dr. Chris Ngige and Mr. Peter Obi, who just joined the association, have both upheld as governors in Anambra State. He urged the candidates to also lend themselves to the association's training in order to deliver good governance. Aka Ikenga has six governorship candidates and aspirants in the various states, he disclosed.
Ebigwe stated that the association had just set up its secretariat in Surulere, Lagos that is fully equipped with Internet facility, a library and a monthly magazine that it publishes to acquaint the public with its programmes and projects.
He thanked Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola for accommodating Ndigbo in his administration as a way of fostering unity in Lagos State.
Fashola's representative, Joe Igbokwe, told the group that the governor was poised to develop all aspects of Lagos and sued for their cooperation.
Igbokwe, who described Fashola as a friend of the house, said the governor was aware of the contributions of Ndigbo to the economy of Lagos and charged them not to default in tax matters. Igbokwe disclosed that the state has raised its revenue from N6.5 billion to N17 billion since Fashola assumed office.
In his goodwill message, Obi (the Anambra State governor) asked the group to continue in brotherly love to foster greater unity among the Igbo.
One of the candidates in the Anambra 2010 governorship race and a member of Aka Ikenga Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu of the African Democratic Party (ADC) promised to build a Things fall Apart museum to attract tourism to the state. As the first classic novel to have been written in Africa, Nwosu said the time had come to give the book its true historical status by building a befitting structure for it to which millions of visitors will flock to see each year. It is written by literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe, who hails from the state.
Other Ndigbo sons and daughters present were Chief Guy Ikoku, who was former president of the association; Lady Ucheoma Chiguzo, who represented Governor Obi. Prof. Pat Utomi, film actor Kanayo O. Kanayo, who is publicity secretary, Chizoba Omeokachie and Ashly Nwosu.
The dinner was hosted by transport magnate, Chief Chidi Anyaegbu, the Chief Executive Officer of Chisco Transport Ltd.
Source: The Guardian, 16th December 2009.
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Windows7 Makes African Language In-Roads
By G. Garza
Microsoft in an effort to reduce software piracy and increase computer literacy will make computer PC inroads with a commitment to add 10 African languages to its Windows7 repertoir. The 10 African languages are:
- Sesotho sa Leboa (North Sotho), which is spoken in the North-Eastern parts of South Africa.
- Setswana which is one of the official languages of South Africa, and it is a national language in Botswana.
- isiXhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa.
- isiZulu is the language of the Zulu people with the vast majority (over 95%) of whom live in South Africa.
- Afrikaans is an Indo-European language and it is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia.
- Hausa is spoken mainly in Nigeria and Niger.
- Igbo is a language spoken mainly by the Igbo people in southeastern Nigeria.
- Yoruba one of the largest ethno-linguistic or ethnic groups in west Africa, in the southwestern corner of Nigeria.
- KiSwahili is a major Bantu language spoken in East Africa.
- Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in North Central Ethiopia by the Amhara people.
Because of the historical colonial influence, in many regions of Africa the main spoken languages are English and French, and literacy unfairly or not is assumed to belong to those that read, write, and speak those main languages. But as a way down to break the barriers and provide technology to other groups, the Microsoft effort will bring millions of users into the technology by making software available to users in their respective languages. Literacy then will not be restricted to just the main legacy languages, English and French.
Another part of this endeavor is that Microsoft is interested in reducing software piracy by making the software available in their respective languages and hence offering additional value by getting updates and discounts. They recognize that this may not be enough to thwart the piracy problem, since in many third world countries it is a cultural problem and in many African governments it is not even recognized as a crime. In 2008 software piracy cost the software industry 53 billion dollars.
The roll out is expected by 2011.
Additional Sources:
http://www.africanews.com/site/list_message/23525
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