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Lawan Urges Leaders Not To Ignore Concerns Of Marginalisation By Citizens

By
Alex Enemanna
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2023 Election: Senate President Cautions Against Vote-Trading
Senate President Ahmad Lawan

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has advised Nigerian leaders not to ignore concerns by some parts of the country over their alleged marginalisation.

Lawan disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday at a Public Presentation of a book titled: ‘ Foundation of Nigeria’s Unity’ authored by Prof. Sandy Onor, representative of Cross Rivers Central Senatorial District.

He warned that not doing so would decimate their patriotism and erect walls of division among the country’s regions, as well as further inflame calls for secession.

He said it behooved on leaders to lead in such a manner that the institutions and the citizens would feel their stewardship.

Lawan said that the unity of the country was a collective responsibility, hence must be created and sustained by all.

” Our founding fathers know they were not geographically separated but have differences in other areas, yet they decided to come together.

” They tried so hard to ensure unity in diversity. The challenge is not ours as they had done their best but now it is the challenge of leaders of Nigeria.

” When leaders decide to lead very well, religion, ethnicity, geographical location will not matter but what will matter is unity, security and this is doable.

” This book is telling us that we have to go back and discover where we missed the road and retrace our steps.

” With all the challenges we have, there are still people trying so hard to create and sustain the unity of this country and we must all work together to make Nigeria a united country,” he said.

He commended the author saying that the book wouldn’t have come at a better time than now when the country is moving towards another general elections.

Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi, also called for the establishment of a National Integration Commission to strengthen the unity of the country.

Agabi, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said, “We are one people, God gave dominion to man which is what we have as a country.Nigeria is not an artificial nation. We are praying for good leaders but let us not despair as we will get there.

” We are one people and this must begin by respecting our constitution. Though, the constitution may not be the best but it can be reviewed.

” We need a national integration commission for us to integrate the country and live in unity as a people,” he said.

” We need a national integration commission for us to integrate the country and live in unity as a people,” he said.

Also, the Governor of Rivers, Nyesom Wike, said that the country would not get things right until citizens begin to appreciate equity, fairness and justice.

Wike, who was represented by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, said it was important to pay serious attention to the federal system.

” In the beginning, there was no Nigeria, we had different ethnic groups and empires but we were brought together to become one Nigeria.

” Until we begin to make that Nigeria state on the premise of equity and fairness, then we can never get it right,” he said.

Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) National Women Leader, Prof. Stella Effah-Attoe, commended the author for dedicating a chapter of the book to women.

Effah-Attoe called on Nigerian leaders to address the issue of national integration by looking at the past and building the future.

The book Reviewer, Prof. Christopher Ogbogbo, who is the Director of Research, Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja, said that the fundamental purpose of the book was to bring into focus the unity of the country.

Ogbogbo said that the 10 chapters and 333 pages of the book examine the problems of political elites and the need to stay together in spite of options in differences.

” Unity is a deliberate efforts of deliberate people and it requires unwavering commitment of people.

” The book focuses on the role of women as strong pillars prepared to forge unity and this can only happen when there is inclusiveness.

” The unity of Nigeria is critical and we must understand this through our history by learning lessons to forge ahead. Hence, we should not allow individual interest to override collective interest,’ he said.

Ogbogbo called on Nigerians to make judicious use of their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to have a better and new Nigeria they crave for.

However, the author, Prof. Sandy Onor, said that it was wrong for anyone to describe Nigeria as an artificial nation.

Onor said, “You may be a Muslim, you may be a Christian or an Africanist, what matters is that we worship one God and so we must learn to love ourselves.

” There are good Nigerians everywhere, in the north, south. We must ensure we live together in love and unity,” he said.

Obi Best Presidential Candidate In Education, Performance, Character — Ortom

By
Alex Enemanna
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0

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has described the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, as the finest standard bearer in terms of education, performance, character, and passion to rescue the country.

Ortom is one of the five Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governors seeking the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, as a condition for backing the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The other four governors are Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifenayi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).

On Tuesday, Obi said he has an understanding with the PDP-5 to rescue and develop the country.

The LP flag bearer is the finest “in terms of education, in terms of character, in terms of performance, in terms of reaching out, in terms of accommodation, in terms of being a pan-Nigerian and in terms of passion to ensure that our country is liberated from where we are from insecurity to security and out of the economic woes to economic vibrancy and out of lack of adequate social life. You have the capacity to make things work,” Ortom told Obi during a visit to Benue.

The Obi-Datti Campaign viewed Ortom’s comment as one of the biggest endorsements and testimonial Obi has received on his journey to Aso Rock.

Obi, the former governor of Anambra State, was in Benue State to meet with the two topmost traditional rulers in the state, the Tor Tiv and Orchi Idom and paid a courtesy call on Governor Ortom who prayed that God who crowns to do it for Obi if it’s His will.

Governor Ortom noted that this is the first time a presidential candidate was meeting their two paramount rulers and commended Obi for his ability to reach out.

The Governor quoted from the Holy book of John 3:23 to buttress the fact that only God crowns, and told Obi: “If Nigerians were given a chance to make a choice, you are one of the finest candidates that we have in this country.”

Ortom, who reiterated his earlier position that political party should not be the consideration in this election, said: “Let me say this again, where we are in our country Nigeria today, we should not be looking at party or where someone comes from but we should be looking at the capacity of the personality that will be able to deliver us from the mess we are in Nigeria today.”

He said that Obi, from his antecedents, has the capacity and commitment to the well being of our people, noting that, “If I were God, but am not one, I would have said…but I am not God but I admire your courage, your capacity to deliver to our people.

“All I can say is that the God that sees the heart let him bless you. The God that blesses and crowns if it’s His will let Him crown you.”

He said that he is a living example of how no man can stop the crown God has destined for somebody. “I am a living example of the fact that God crowns and when He decides to do it nothing can stop it. How I became Governor in 2015 and 2019 is known to all”

The Governor advised Obi to reach out to his colleagues in the presidential race to solicit their support to be their servant if God crowns Him so that you all work together. We need everybody to work together for the good of this country.

Obi commended the Governor for his commitment to his people particularly caring for their security and welfare, and said that his heart bleeds that Nigerians are in IDP camps in a country that is not in any war.

3 Gunmen Killed By Security Operatives In Anambra

By
ABN TV EDITOR
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0
3 Gunmen Killed By Security Operatives In Anambra

Security operatives in Anambra State have killed three fierce-looking gunmen during a duel. 

The incident took place on Wednesday at Umunze, Orumba South local government area.

The gunmen had different charms on their bodies, including legs, necks, waists, and hands.

ABN TV gathered the gunmen were part of the group killing innocent citizens around the Orumba area.

READ ALSO: Resolution Of South East Governors To Mount Patrol On Highways Indication Of Poor Security Knowledge — Udensi

Anambra Police spokesman Ikenga Tochukwu could not be reached as his phone was switched off.

But one of the senior police officers in the Command confirmed the incident to ABN TV.

He said a combined team of the Police and Military carried out the operation around 4:30 pm.

Insecurity Under Control – President Buhari

By
ABN TV EDITOR
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Buhari Set To Unveil Redesigned Naira Notes On Wednesday – Says Emefiele
President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has dispelled insinuations that insecurity was on the rise in the country.

According to him, the narratives by some western countries on the security situation in the country are false.

The president spoke at the opening ceremony of a 3-day strategic communication conference for State Commandant and Public Relations Officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps on Wednesday in Abuja.

READ ALSO: Resolution Of South East Governors To Mount Patrol On Highways Indication Of Poor Security Knowledge — Udensi

Represented by his spokesman, Femi Adeshina, Buhari stated the insecurity witnessed in many parts of the country was under control.

He said, “While insecurity is not gone, it is not rising. To a large extent, there is control over the security situation in the country. This is irrespective of the western nations said about the security situation, we know that is not exactly the truth.

“Our security agencies have a firm grip and control of the security situation in the country. I oppose the word rising insecurity in the country, it is not rising, it is under control and it will further be under control till it is completely checked.“

The Commandant General of NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, said the Federal Government was leaving no stone unturned to eradicate insecurity in the country.

Audi, however, urged Nigerians to turn deaf ears to utterances meant to discredit the effort of the federal government in the fight against insecurity in the country, adding that securing the country requires the cooperation of the security agencies and the citizens.

He said, “Security is not an exclusive prerogative of Security Agencies alone but actually a symbiotic responsibility between security agencies and the civil populace.

“I enjoin all Nigerian citizens to work in concert with the security agents across board and discard the very insensitive utterances aimed at discrediting the efforts of the Federal Government. More importantly, politicians should not politicize the security situation in the country, just as the Federal Government resolutely show far more commitment in stepping-up strategies in the fight against terrorism and other crimes in Nigeria.“

Audi urged the participants to come up with strategies that would bring an end to the lingering solution to the insecurity in the country.

He said, “As the 2023 general elections draw close, I charge you to come out of this conference with strategies and templates that will bring about lasting peace and solutions to insecurity in the country via the NSCDC operations for a free, fair and credible election.“

2023 Presidency: Peter Obi One Of The Finest Candidates – Gov. Ortom

By
ABN TV EDITOR
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0
2023 Presidency: Peter Obi One Of The Finest Candidates – Gov. Ortom

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has said the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi is one of the finest presidential candidates for the 2023 general elections.

Ortom disclosed this on Tuesday when Obi paid him a visit in Makurdi, the state capital, to express support to flood victims in the North-Central state.

Governor Ortom said Obi has the capacity and what it takes to liberate Nigeria from economic and security challenges.

READ ALSO: APC Will Not Be In Govt House In 2033 – Zamfara PDP Chieftain

“If Nigeria needs to make a choice, you are one of the finest candidates that we have in this country. In terms of education, in terms of character, in terms of performance, in terms of reaching out, in terms of being a pan-Nigerian, in terms of industrialisation, and passion to ensure that our country is liberated from where we are; out of insecurity to security, and out of economic woes to economic vibrancy and out of lack to adequate social life, you have the capacity to make things work,” Ortom said.

Ortom further noted that once God decides on who to be Nigeria’s next President, nobody or structure can stop such a person.

He advised all the frontline presidential candidates to come together and agree on a candidate.

Resolution Of South East Governors To Mount Patrol On Highways Indication Of Poor Security Knowledge — Udensi

By
ABN TV EDITOR
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0
Collapse Of Security Has Made It Necessary For Nigerians To Protect Their Families, Businesses — Sir Udensi
Sir Chikwe Udensi

Interpol Systems Consultant and security expert, Sir Chikwe Udensi has berated the governors of the South East region for exhibiting poor knowledge of security as chief security officers.

He was reacting to the decision of the governors to mount a 24/7 security patrol in a major highway in the region.

The governors had on Sunday taken the decision during an emergency meeting at Government House in Enugu to forestall unabated killings in the region.

READ ALSO: Abia Polytechnic: N450m Not Solution, Flushing Out PDP Government Way Out — Chikwe Udensi [VIDEO]

But this is not the real solution to deal with security challenges in the region according to Sir Udensi.

Featuring on Love FM’s Open Parliament in Umuahia on Wednesday streamed on ABN TV, Sir Udensi wondered why the governors of the South East region have failed to employ the services of security consultants to assist in proferring solutions to security challenges bedeviling the region.

According to him, a recent report indicates that South East region has the highest number of killings resulting from insecurity compared to other geopolitical zones in the southern region.

He said Southwest is experiencing minimal security concerns as a result of the effectiveness of the Amotekun corps.

Sir Udensi said called on the governors to instead smoke the criminal elements out from their enclaves in the forest where they live instead of waiting for them to attack in the expressway.

39 Children Kidnapped By Gunmen On Katsina Farm

By
Victor Alade
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0
39 Children Kidnapped By Gunmen On Katsina Farm

Gunmen have kidnapped nearly 40 children working on a farm in northwest Nigeria and demanded ransom for their release, police and a local official said on Wednesday.

Dozens of gunmen on motorcycles stormed a farm outside Mairuwa village in Faskari district of Katsina State on Sunday and rounded up 39 children who were harvesting crops for a fee, the police and the official said.

Katsina is one of several states in northwest and central Nigeria that are terrorised by criminal gangs, locally known as called bandits, who raid villages, killing and abducting residents as well as looting and burning homes.

Hostages are usually released after ransom payment to the gangs, who reputedly hole up in the vast Rugu forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger States.

“Bandits invaded a farm in Mairuwa and took away underaged labourers working on the farm,” said Gambo Isah, Katsina police spokesman.

“Our personnel have mobilised to the area with the mission to rescue the hostages and apprehend the criminals,” Isah said, without providing further details.

A Faskari local government official said the bandits rode into the farm on motorbikes as scores of labourers were working.

“The adult workers who could run much faster managed to escape but 39 children who could not outrun the bandits were caught,” said the official, who asked not to identified for personal safety.

Thirty-three of the hostages, boys and girls, were from Mairuwa village and the other six were from nearby villages, he said.

He said the bandits used the telephone of one of the hostages to make a ransom demand.

The farm manager had previously struck a deal with the bandits, who demanded protection money to let the harvest go ahead and were given a down payment, the official said.

“It is obvious the bandits were angry that work began on the farm without being settled the balance,” the source said.

Faskari, which lies on the border with Zamfara State, faces recurrent threats of kidnapping by bandits crossing into the area from their forest camps, said the official.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has been under pressure to tackle security challenges before he leaves office next year after two four-year terms, the maximum permitted under the constitution.

Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, is grappling with bandit gangs in the north-western and central regions, terrorism in the northeast and separatist agitation in the southeast.

Suspect In Pelosi Attack Was On Suicide Mission – Court

By
Alex Enemanna
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0

The man accused of attacking the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a hammer told police he also planned to target several other politicians as part of a “suicide mission,” according to court documents filed Tuesday.

David DePape, 42, was arrested last week after he allegedly broke into the couple’s mansion intending to tie up Pelosi and break her kneecaps, but found only her 82-year-old husband.

He was ordered to be held in custody after he pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other charges during his arraignment Tuesday at a San Francisco court.

In new court filings, state prosecutors said DePape told police he was sick of “lies coming out of Washington” and had “named several targets, including a local professor, several prominent state and federal politicians” as well as their relatives.

“I didn’t really want to hurt him, but you know this was a suicide mission,” DePape allegedly told officers at the scene of his arrest, referring to Paul Pelosi.

“I’m not going to stand here and do nothing even if it cost me my life.”

According to the state prosecutors’ filing, DePape startled Paul Pelosi awake from his bed in the early hours of Friday, holding a hammer and several plastic zip ties.

He told Paul Pelosi he had come to find Nancy Pelosi because she is “number two in line for the presidency,” and “we’ve got to take them all out.”

Pelosi was able to call the police and open the mansion’s front door when officers arrived, before DePape struck him in the head with the hammer, leaving him bloodied and unconscious for three minutes, court documents said.

“This case demands detention. Nothing less,” prosecutors wrote.

DePape wore orange jail clothes and spoke only to answer procedural questions during the brief appearance, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

His arm was in a sling, which his lawyer said was a result of an injury he sustained during arrest.

Litmus test

The story of the attack quickly metastasized into a political litmus test in the highly divided United States.

Liberals blasted the dangerous coarsening of public discourse and the willing perpetuation of falsehoods by mainstream Republicans that has seen Nancy Pelosi cast as a figure of hate on the right, and a legitimate target for real-life violence.

Swathes of the conservative media ecosystem, meanwhile, set about questioning the narrative around the attack with lurid and unproven allegations.

New Twitter boss Elon Musk was among those who helped spread the misinformation after tweeting a link to a speculative opinion piece by an outlet with a history of unreliability.

Speaking outside the courthouse, DePape’s court-appointed lawyer Adam Lipson said the defense team would be looking into the swirling untruths that may have influenced his client.

“There’s also been a lot of speculation regarding Mr. DePape’s vulnerability to misinformation and that is certainly something that we are going to look into,” he told reporters.

“We are going to be doing a comprehensive investigation of what happened,” he said, adding: “We’re going to be looking into Mr. DePape’s mental state.”

‘Long recovery’

In an earlier court affidavit filed Monday, the FBI said DePape intended to hold Pelosi – who is second in line to the US presidency after the vice president – hostage and talk to her.

“If Nancy were to tell DePape the ‘truth,’ he would let her go, and if she ‘lied,’ he was going to break ‘her kneecaps,’” the affidavit said.

Nancy Pelosi was not in San Francisco at the time of the attack.

Following the attack, Paul Pelosi was sent to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands.

Late Monday Nancy Pelosi issued a statement saying her husband faced “a long recovery process.”

The suspect faces charges on both a state and a federal level.

DePape faces state charges of attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder, and threats to a public official and their family.

Federal authorities on Monday charged DePape with attempting to kidnap a US official and assaulting her family member.

AFP

 

How Gov Ortom Campaigned For Ayu To Become PDP National Chairman – Akase

By
ABN Editor 2
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0
Senate: Ortom Withdraws Case From Tribunal
Samuel Ortom

The Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr Terver Akase has revealed how his principal, Governor Samuel Ortom begged stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to elect Senator Iyorchia Ayu as the party’s National Chairman.

Akase who spoke on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, while speaking on Arise TV breakfast programme, “The Morning Show” said prior to the emergence of Ayu as Chairman of the party, Governor Ortom met with other governors begging them to give his state the position.

Reacting to the current face-off between Ayu and Ortom, Akase claimed his principal has no personal issue with the party’s National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu but was only insisting on equity, fairness and justice in the party.

According to him, Ortom remains committed to the amicable resolution of PDP’s internal wranglings at the national level.

He pointed out that “It was Governor Ortom who met with other Governors and persuaded them that the National Chairman should come to his state and that he will take responsibility. He convinced them and when they agreed, he brought Senator Ayu,” stating that Ortom is only committed to seeing the right thing done by the leadership of the party at the national level.

Reacting to comments credited to the party’s National Chairman where he was quoted as saying he had the powers to stop anyone including Governor Ortom from contesting election on the platform of the party, Akase said “the comments of Dr Ayu were needless as the constitution of the party and the Electoral Act does not permit such an action” stressing that Governor Ortom remains the PDP Senatorial candidate for the Benue North-West Senatorial district for next year’s general election.

“The blocs in the seven Local Governments that make up the Senatorial district have unanimously endorsed him. On several occasions, they have come to say he is the man they need to represent and speak for them and other Nigerians at the National Assembly,” Akase stated.

He maintained that the national leadership of the party has failed to use the conflict resolution mechanism to address the problems that arose from the national convention of the party as well as the circumstances surrounding the choice of a running mate for the Presidential candidate.

Akase pointed out that it was Ayu who willingly promised PDP stakeholders that if the presidential candidate of the party emerged from the northern part of the country, he would resign from his position, saying that the aggrieved Governors were only asking the National Chairman to keep to his words and honourably resign.

The Governor’s spokesperson, however, expressed optimism that the crisis could still be resolved as the five aggrieved Governors were open to peace talks, stating that “It is not too late for the national leadership of the party to correct the wrongs and make amends. A party that is seeking to rescue the country from the APC misrule, the PDP needs internal peace and unity more than any other party.”

According to Akase, the five Governors are critical stakeholders of the party who he noted: “have contributed greatly in building the party over the years, emphasizing that they cannot suddenly turn around to destroy the party they have built over the years.”

On the comments made by the PDP Presidential candidate about the recent killing of Benue people in Gbeji by armed Fulani herdsmen that the herders be integrated into Benue communities, Mr Akase described the statements as unfortunate and unacceptable.

“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is a former Vice President and we expect him to be the nationalist, patriot and unifier that he says he is. So for him to make such comments when people were killed in Benue State by the Fulanis, it is unacceptable,” he said.

Akase further stated that neither Governor Ortom nor the people of Benue State have any issue with the Fulani, adding, however, that what the people will continue to resist is the attempt by the marauding herdsmen to take over the land which is the heritage of the people.

EFCC Raids Kano’s Forex Market, Arrests Bureau De Change Operators

By
ABN TV EDITOR
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0
EFCC Arraigns Couple Over N410m Fraud In Kano
efcc

At least eight Bureau de Change (BDC) operators have been arrested following the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raid on Wapa forex market in Kano.

ABN TV gathered that operatives of the Kano command of the anti-graft agency stormed the forex market Tuesday evening with about eight vehicles and heavily armed personnel, a situation which threw the market into pandemonium.

This came after marketers in Kano said they heard that the anti-graft agency had earlier swooped on their colleagues in Abuja arresting some in relation to the recent hike in the dollar at parallel markets.

One of the marketers, who asked not to be named, said before the operatives of the EFCC stormed the market late Tuesday, some of his colleagues had partially closed their shops because of the development in Abuja, and as such when the operatives stormed the market, many of them quickly shut down and ran out of the market.

READ ALSO: Alleged Bank Fraud: EFCC Arrests Kogi Assembly Candidate With $610,500 Cash In Abuja

Speaking with our correspondent, another marketer said because of the development, many of them have decided to stay off the market for a while until things normalize, saying this was not the first time EFCC was raiding the market.

“Every time they raid this market, the price of dollars will go up. For instance, today (Wednesday) a dollar is N845 as against N835 it was being sold yesterday (Tuesday) before the EFCC raided us.

“In fact, last week we were selling it at N750 but before the end of the week, it went up to N780. Problem is that it is because the government is not releasing dollars. The hike is not our fault. We buy expensive, so we have to sell it in a way to make a little profit,” the marketer said.

Confirming the operation, a senior staff of the agency, who asked not to be named, told Daily Trust on Wednesday that the raid was conducted as part of the agency’s efforts to support the federal government to arrest the recent hike of forex.

The source said the anti-graft agency had been closely observing the roles of the BDC operators in the unfortunate hike and that money launderers have been using the BDC to obtain forex on the black market in order to avoid losing their ill-gotten funds in Naira to the newly announced redesign of Naira notes.

The senior staff, who is very familiar with the operation, confirmed that during the raid, eight suspects were arrested for forex racketeering and engaging into forex without a legitimate license, adding that the suspects are now cooling off in the Kano command where investigation is currently ongoing after which the necessary action would be taken.

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