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Herdsmen are killing our people —Southern Kaduna Leaders

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40 killed, 254 homes razed

Leaders of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Kaduna chapter, are blaming each other for the devastations being done to lives and property in the state.

SOKAPU accused the Fulani of killing the people of Atyap extraction and burning down their houses and churches, while the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), alleged that the Atyap engaged in the killing of defenceless Fulani herdsmen and members of their families.

The two groups made their claims known in separate statements on Friday. SOKAPU, in a statement by its spokesman,  Luka Binniyat, said: “For the seventh day running, the nightly siege on Atyap community has continued with the death toll,  number of churches and homes burnt rising. “On 13th July 2021, two persons were killed as armed Fulani herdsmen invaded Magata and Magori villages in Atyap Chiefdom, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area (LGA) in Southern  Kaduna.

“The father and son were killed in Magata where the assailants also burnt eight homes and the Catholic church in the village. The attackers then moved to the next village, Magori, but met a deserted place. “They took their time, looted the village and loaded their bounty into the five Hilux vans they were driving in and burnt down all the 19 houses in the small village. The attackers then returned to Makarau that was attacked on Monday and burnt down the ECWA and Anglican churches whose two pastoruims were burnt in last Monday afternoon’s attacks.

READ  Herdsmen attack 77-year-old farmer in Ondo

“Our members of the Adamawa ethnic nationalities who settled in an Atyap community called Badawa, a remote farming community close to the banks of River Kaduna, under Gora ward, have reported that five of their kinsmen were killed,  12 homes were destroyed and 45 cows rustled on 11th July 2021 after they were attacked by armed herdsmen.

“This brings to 40 the number of persons killed, 254 homes and seven churches burnt in unbroken and unrestrained violence unleashed on poor,  armless innocent farmers in Atyap Chiefdom by armed herdsmen in the past seven days.

We have received information that the attackers are bragging that Atyap land and the entire Southern Kaduna belong to them and as such if our members would not leave, they would use terror and chase them out. “Currently, 108  Southern Kaduna communities are under the occupation of armed herdsmen invaders, some dating back to 2019.

“Another dimension to the wickedness on Atyap land is that in every community attacked, the invaders took time to cut down swaths of fields of growing crops. The intention is to see that survivors starve if they ever return. “Women,  children, the aged and infirmed are now moving out in droves in Atyap villages, some on foot carrying what they can salvage to wherever they may find refuge.”

MACBAN reacts But MACBAN, in a counter-statement, accused SOKAPU of resorting to blackmail against Fulani people who, it said, were forced to scamper to safety after their households were burnt. The association, in a statement by its chairman in Kaduna, Alhaji Haruna Usman Tugga, said: “We are all aware, violent conflicts have been ongoing in many of the villages in Atyap Chiefdom of Zangon Kataf Local Government.

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“Based on the information available to our association, what triggered the present round of disturbances emanated from the attack on a family by unknown bandits in Gora Gan village in the chiefdom on 7th July 2021. “As is characteristic of the misinformed youths who are indoctrinated to hate the Fulani pastoralists, attack on cattle rearers followed the unfortunate event.

“While security agencies moved swiftly to contain the violence around Gora Gan and adjoining villages, there was the mobilisation of Atyap youths by some ethnic chauvinists among the Atyap ethnic community and other non-peace loving organisations that resulted in attacks on Fulani settlements throughout the chiefdom. “Within a few days, all the houses of the Fulani in the chiefdom were burnt by mobs in broad daylight.

“In addition to the burning of settlements, an unconfirmed number of Fulani pastoralists were also killed. As a  consequence, the surviving victims of the arson are now internally displaced and scattered around in neighbouring local governments of Kaura, Kauru, Lere, Jema’a and Kachia.

“Due to the nature of attacks and displacement of the Fulani people, we are yet to ascertain the total number of people killed, even though there are confirmed reports of the killing of 16 persons, mostly women and children. Over 300  houses belonging to the Fulani were reportedly burnt to ashes in the different villages of the chiefdom. “Not only were our people and houses targeted, but cattle belonging to the Fulani also were not spared. There are reports of the killing of many cows, the number of which is yet to be determined because of the tense security situation in the area.

READ  Man, wife, son killed over allegations of being bandits’ informants in Kaduna

“Additionally, thousands of cows were abandoned by the fleeing cattle owners, which exposed the animals to the danger of rustling. “This is the situation at the moment in those affected areas. The Fulani pastoralists are at disarray, at the mercy of God, with no support from any quarters. Their livelihoods and habitation have been totally destroyed.

“It is against this background that we found a press statement issued by the Southern Kaduna Peoples  Union  (SOKAPU) most surprising. We are shocked on the sources of their information, and for resorting to total blackmail against the victims of aggression. “We appeal to media organisations to be impartial and to listen to all sides, visit the scenes across the divides and speak to people on all sides to provide Nigerians with accurate accounts of what is happening in the affected areas.

“What is most needed at this stage from SOKAPU and all other stakeholders is partnership and cooperation that will  lead to durable peace and social harmony.”

 

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Nigerian who relocated to UK in 2022 beats wife to death

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A United Kingdom-based Nigerian man, Olubunmi Abodunde, has beaten his wife, Taiwo, to death with their son’s skateboard, Daily Mail reports.

The couple, who had three children, arrived in the UK from Nigeria in 2022 and always clashed over alleged affairs and arguments about bills.

According to the news platform, 48-year-old Abodunde had been repeatedly investigated by Suffolk Police about domestic violence and was due to go on trial for murder but changed his plea to guilty on Wednesday after a jury had been sworn in.

During the abuse, officers heard ‘a number of bangs’ inside the house, which Abodunde had gone into, despite bail conditions imposed the day before that banned him from the property following another violent episode.

 

When they finally entered 25 minutes later, they found the wife, 41-year-old Taiwo, with her ‘skull smashed in’.

However, Judge Martyn Levett, sitting at Ipswich Crown Court, warned him the only possible sentence was life imprisonment.

 

Suffolk Constabulary has referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct, which confirmed three officers were under investigation.

An IOPC spokesman said, “We advised two Suffolk officers that they are under investigation for potential breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour at the level of gross misconduct.

READ  Suspected herdsmen kill two Ekiti monarchs

 

“We advised another officer that they are under investigation at the level of misconduct.”

 

Abodunde had a history of jealousy and suspicion and accused his wife of having affairs. He had been investigated by police a number of times over alleged domestic violence incidents before his wife’s death.

He was arrested on April 27 last year when police arrived at the couple’s home in Newmarket, Suffolk, and found Mrs Abodunde with a split lip.

Later that day, he was freed on police bail with the condition that he stayed away from the marital home and didn’t approach his wife.

But after working a night shift at Tesco, he went home just after 9 am to allegedly pick up his mobile phone.

 

Two officers arrived at 9.20 am to take a statement from Mrs Abodunde about the previous night’s incident and heard repeated banging noises inside.

 

But it wasn’t until 9.55 am that they forced their way in after getting approval from senior officers and found Mrs Abodunde ‘obviously dead’ near the front door.

A post-mortem examination later showed she had been throttled until she fell unconscious, then stamped on until her ribs were broken before her husband used the skateboard to finish her off. The blows were so violent that the skateboard was damaged.

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Prosecutor Simon Spence KC told the court the banging officers heard was likely to have been Abodunde continuing to attack his wife after she was unconscious or dead.

Mrs Abodunde had a job as a care home assistant in Cambridge, but her husband, who had trained as a civil engineer, was unable to find work in his profession and took shifts at Tesco and Wickes.

 

After his arrest for the murder, Abodunde was taken to hospital “because he appeared to have some sort of mental episode”.

 

He later claimed in a police statement he had acted in self-defence, saying, “My wife has subjected me to physical abuse for a number of years.

“On November 28, we got into an argument. She ran at me with a knife, I grabbed the knife and cut my hand. I was defending myself.”

 

But the court heard while he did have an injury to his hand, there wasn’t a knife near his wife’s body.

 

Nneka Akudolu KC, defending, said the level of violence was ‘completely out of character’ for her client and might have been affected by medication he was taking. But she said no medical evidence would be provided to support this claim.

READ  Jonathan leads ECOWAS monitoring team to visit Tinubu

 

Detective Inspector Dan Connick, of Suffolk Police, said after the hearing, “This was an awful attack on a woman that has had a lasting impact on the community and, most importantly, on the victim’s family.

 

‘We are pleased that Taiwo’s family will no longer have to go through the pain of a trial.

 

‘Our thoughts remain with Taiwo’s family and friends and hope this result will bring some small comfort to them.’

 

Taiwo Abodunde worked for Cambridge Manor Care Home, which provides dementia care and residential and respite care.

 

A spokesman for the facility, which is owned by TLC Care, said: ‘We are all deeply shaken and upset by the tragic death of Taiwo, who was a much-loved member of our home community.

 

‘Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with her family. Taiwo always cared for those we support with compassion and kindness, and she will be greatly missed by all of us and our residents.’

 

Abodunde was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on May 9.

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Alleged procurement fraud: Court adjourns Emefiele‘s trial to June 24

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A federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Maitama has adjourned the trial of Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to June 24. 

 

When the case was called on Thursday, neither the prosecution counsel nor the defendant were in court. However, Emefiele was represented by one of his counsels.

 

I.D Ahmed, who represented the defendant, told the court that the prosecution served him a letter praying for an adjournment.

 

He also apologised to the court for the absence of his client.

 

Hamza Muazu, presiding judge, said: “Because you have a letter of adjournment from the prosecution does not mean the defendant should not be in court.”

 

Muazu then adjourned until June 24 and June 25 for continuation of trial.

 

The federal government, on January 18, amended the criminal charges filed against the former CBN governor.

 

The charges, formerly six counts, were increased to 20 counts.

 

READ  Kidnappers of 65 Adara natives demand N350m ransom – SOKAPU

The amended charges border on alleged criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, procurement fraud and conspiracy to commit a felony.

 

At the previous hearing, the court agreed to vary Emefiele’s bail condition which previously restricted him to the FCT.

 

The court granted the application permitting the former CBN governor to travel within Nigeria but restrained him from leaving the country during the pendency of the case.

In some of the counts, the EFCC alleged that Emefiele, in January 2023, forged a document titled: “RE: PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE ON FOREIGN ELECTION OBSERVER MISSIONS,” dated 26 January 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201.

 

The EFCC said Emefiele made the claim despite knowing it to be false and committed an offence contrary to section 1(1) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act.

 

According to the amended charge marked CR/577/2023, Emefiele, on February 8, 2023, connived with one Odoh Ocheme, who is now on the run, to obtain $6.2m from the CBN, claiming that the SGF requested it “vide a letter dated 26th January 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201″.

 

READ  Woman raped, killed in her farm by suspected herdsmen in Ondo community

Meanwhile, the EFCC had also declared Magaret, Emefiele’s wife, wanted for money laundering.

 

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Mother, son, one other electrocuted in Ogun market

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No fewer than three people, including a mother and child, were reportedly electrocuted at Mowe Market in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The incident reportedly happened on Monday following the restoration of power after the Sunday downpour.

 

The Chairman of the Local Government, Ambassador Adesina Ogunsola, during his visit to the market on Wednesday gave a seven-day notice to all the traders with shops and stalls under the high-tension powerline to vacate to forestall a repeat of the tragic incident.

 

An eyewitness said that the electric shock was from the step-down transformer suspended on an electrical pole next to the shop where the incident happened, just as the shop owners arrived for their daily sales in the market.

 

The woman and her son were said to have been burnt beyond recognition.

 

The Director of Information at the Obafemi Owode Local Government, Segun Soneye, confirmed the incident on Thursday.

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Soneye, in a statement, blamed the incident on the erection of shops made of iron under the powerline by the traders.

 

He said, “The chairman of the council had visited the affected shop owners and commiserated with them over the incident.

“The LG boss has already given shop owners a seven-day ultimatum to evacuate their make-shift shops built under the high tension powerline to forestall the recurrence of the incident.”

Speaking during his visit to the market, Ogunsola who commiserated with the families of the victims, also blamed the incident on the nonchalant attitude of the.

 

The LG boss wondered why people would disregard safety rules and have their shops close to electrical poles that carry step-down transformers.

 

Ogunsola, while giving the vacation order to the traders with shops and stalls under the powerline, said, “Let me also say that everyone that has extended its shop beyond where it should be, particularly those under high-tension cables should start removing it from today.”

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The police spokesman, Omolola Odutola, also confirmed the incident but said only the mother, Ujuwa Okechukwu, died from the incident.

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