IPN News

10/01/2024

I know she was pandering to racist to here but she has a point.

02/05/2024

Fulani terrorist herdmen militia attack and massacre people in Apa Local Government Area, Benue state.
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By Akioyamen Josephine

On Sunday, a brutal massacre by terrorist herdsmen militia took place in the border area of Opaha, Iwilli and Omogidi, where Benue people of Idoma origin live.

A survivor of the attack, who lost his family members, said they were caught in a deadly trap, forced to flee into the bush, and then shot dead by the terrorists’ bullets.

He said they have not been able to recover the bodies of his loved ones from the bush, as the terrorists are still roaming around.

Several corpses of youths who were counted as missing from the community were found in the bush along the Adoka axis.

He urged Father Alia to treat this as an urgent call for help and to gather men to act quickly.

01/29/2024

01/20/2024

Two kidnapped in Oyo community
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Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has confirmed the kidnap of two persons in the early hours of Saturday in Otu town of Oyo State by unknown gunmen.

The Public Relations Officer of NSCDC in the state, Samuel Opabiyi, gave the confirmation in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan on Saturday.

“Yes, it is true, but the police have taken over the investigation because it falls under their purview,” Opabiyi said.

Otu is one of the towns in the Itesiwaju Local Government Area of the state.

NAN further gathered that the two victims were identified as Dayo Olayanju and one Mrs Obasola, whose husband, Kehinde, was said to have escaped with gunshot wounds.

A community leader in the local government area, who preferred anonymity, said the incident happened in the early hours of Saturday.

“They were kidnapped in different areas. One was kidnapped on Okeho road.

“I have confirmed it. Two people were kidnapped, but we don’t know where they have been taken to as at now,” the community leader said.

However, efforts to get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer of the Police Command in the state, Adewale Osifeso, proved abortive, as calls put through to his telephone line were not answered as at the time of filing this report.

NAN

01/20/2024

Row over auctioned stolen SUV bought by retired AIG
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A stolen Toyota Sport Utility Vehicle found in the possession of a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) who claimed he purchased the vehicle through a public auction has sparked a row. The car’s original owner faulted the public auction of his vehicle to the ex-police chief, saying the information provided for its auction did not add up, reports KUNLE AKINRINADE.
It was around midnight a decade ago when some dare-devil robbers broke into the home of Eye Ayo Samuel in Erusu Akoko, Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State. The hoodlums broke into his apartment through the kitchen window and shattered his sleep.

“The incident occurred on January 24, 2014. I was sleeping in my house when the two armed men broke into my home through the window of the kitchen and threatened to shoot me and my family.

“The intruders made away with five phones including Tecno, Samsung, Blackberry and Nokia brands.

“If you look at the auction paper, you will see that there was no registered vehicle number or number plate and no car chassis number displayed or written on the Toyota Highlander auctioned to him.

“On the contrary, my car was a hybrid Toyota Highlander and it has a registered number and number plate as well as a chassis number.”

Samuel said last year, he was alerted by the FRSC office in Lagos that the vehicle was brought in for registration.

He said: “I was shocked when FRSC called me on my mobile phone repeatedly that my car was discovered among the vehicles whose documents were submitted for number plates, and I was furious.

Vehicle’s registration number missing from auction notice

The approval for the public auction of the vehicle was issued on August 25, 2015, by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Boniface Onyeabo, in a memo to the Assistant Director of Police Pay Office, Obalende Lagos. The correspondence mentioned one Godwin Okafor as the registered police auctioneer approved to handle the public sale of the vehicles including the Toyota Highlander SUV.

Subsequently, in the exhibit vehicles due for public auction released by the police, 17 vehicles, including a Toyota Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle, were listed as approved for auction. However, the controversial car was listed as number 6 without any registration number.

The Sun newspaper of Tuesday, July 21, 2015 had noted that no fewer than 19 vehicles were recovered by the defunct Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FEDSARS) Adeniji Adele, Lagos.

Eventually, the car, which Samuel claimed was worth more than N3 million at the time it was snatched at gunpoint, was sold for a paltry N20,000 to one Wosola Akinkuowo at the public auction held on September 7, 2015, according to the receipt issued in respect of the transaction sighted by our reporter.

How I got the vehicle – AIG

When our reporter contacted AIG Akingbola, the retired police chief explained that he had been invited by the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State to clarify his complicity in the controversial vehicle a few months ago.

He said: “I think the man (Samuel) is just out to destroy himself and not my name.

“I am a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG).

“In 2014, I was the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of FEDSARS, Abuja. I was incidentally moved to Adeniji Adele annex of FEDSARS for six months during which there was an auction sale of recovered vehicles.

“I was not there when the vehicle was auctioned, but the person to whom the vehicle was sold via auction approached me, saying that the car was a hybrid Toyota Highlander and that the battery was expensive. Hence, he said that he was willing to sell it to me.

“I was not in charge of FEDSARS at Adeniji Adele Annex then. The person in charge of the office was DCP Boniface Onyeabo.

“So, I bought the car for N250,000 from the person who got it through a police auction, and I found that it cost a whopping $3,000 to get a new battery for a hybrid Toyota car.

“I was later introduced to a technician who could fix the battery and brakes of the vehicle. I also did a conversion of the vehicle from a hybrid to a normal car.

“Early this year, I gave it to someone to sell it for me and the person sold it to someone who took it to Abuja.

“I was later told that the vehicle had an issue when he took it to FRSC and I even gave my number to the new owner to call me at the FRSC office so that I could speak with officials there to resolve the problem.

“Suddenly, I was called by the Commissioner of Police, stating that there was a petition against me that a stolen vehicle was found in my possession. So, I visited the CP to explain my side of the story.

“I know that there are laws governing the sale of vehicles through public auction. I then gave the documents of the auction sale to the Ondo CP, who said that an investigation of the matter would be done.

“Recently, the CP called me to see him, and when I met him, he said the vehicle was auctioned via a public notice in The Sun newspaper where it was written as an unregistered Toyota Highlander.

“At a stage, the people handling the case asked him to seek clarification from FEDSARS Adeniji Adele annex, Lagos.

“The CP later asked that I produce the vehicle and bring it to the Ondo State Police Command in Akure.

“The car had been bought by a man for his wife and I had to refund the money paid by the man and the vehicle was returned to me.

“So, I promised the CP that I would send the vehicle to him through my driver.

“I don’t want to believe that he thinks that I was the one who sent robbers to rob him of the vehicle.

“I spent 35 years in the Police Force and I never received any query throughout my entire career. I have all the papers relating to the auction.

“The only thing that I changed in the car is the colour (from white to black),

“The same man (Samuel), perhaps thinking the Ondo CP would compromise again, wrote another petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and I was contacted.

“I have since explained my side of the story to an aide of IGP overseeing the matter, and I haven’t heard anything about the matter until now.

“In all, I followed all the necessary procedures in purchasing the car through public auction, and there are documents to validate that, which I provided during my meeting with the Ondo CP.”

Samuel however insisted that there was a foul play in the manner his stolen car was acquired by the ex-police chief, saying: “AIG Akingbola went to the FRSC office in Ojodu, Lagos to register the car with a new number, and he submitted the chasis number of my car, which was not displayed at the time it was being auctioned to him.

“It was the chassis number that the officials of FRSC saw that made them contact me on the phone, because I had requested that the car be flagged as a stolen vehicle immediately after it was snatched from me.

“If AIG Akingbola gave you the public notice where the vehicles were published for auctioning, it was only my car that was published without its registration number and chassis number.

“So how come he now went to the FRSC office to register the vehicle with my car’s registered number and chassis number?

“By the time the vehicle was brought to the state police command as requested by me when I reported to the Police Commissioner, the chassis number written on the windscreen had been erased, but they couldn’t erase the chassis number on the engine.”

“Not satisfied with their loot, they also took away my N3 million white 2006 model Toyota Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) marked EKY 850 AJ with chassis number: JTE DW 21A060004010,” he said.

Samuel, who runs a printing firm, said in the morning of January 25, he rushed to the nearby police division at Ikare Akoko to report the matter while he also contacted the office of the Federal Road Safety Corps to flag the stolen car.

As it has turned out, the car has now a subject of controversy between Samuel and one retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Olatunji Akingbola.

Samuel recalled: “In the morning of January 25, 2014, I went straight to the Ikare Police Station and reported the incident. But nothing came out of it until recently when I discovered that the car was bought by one Olatunji Akingbola, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG).

01/13/2024

"Stakeholders" is a perfectly cromulent word in many areas, just not in politics.

Every citizen is a "stakeholder".

“Stakeholders” replaces “interested parties”. Why is it so cloying? It’s the pernicious idea that those with interest in something own a piece of it. That’s not what “interest” means in any non-business context like politics.

We like beating terms to death in Nigeria and turn them into meaningless cliché or we overuse words in Nigeria until their meaning are hollowed out.

I have search for its use in politics elsewhere and came up empty.

Next ultramodern.

01/06/2024

Villagers flee as terrorists overwhelm Amotekun in parts of Ondo

Some villagers in Ondo State have begun to flee their homes, following incessant attacks suffered from the herdsmen-cum-bandits’ invasion.

01/05/2024

BREAKING: Boko Haram Terrorists Attack Yobe Community, Kill Pastor, 13 Others; Burn Church, Houses, Cars

The Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād, has attacked Kwari, a town in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State.



Geidam is the council area of the immediate former Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali.



It is located 177 kilometres away from Damaturu, the state capital, and is about 40 kilometres away from Nigeria/Niger Republic border.



SaharaReporters learnt that the gunmen during the attack killed the pastor of the Church of Christ In Nations (COCIN), Luka Levong.



Thirteen other villagers including the church treasurer, Maina Abdullahi were also killed by the terrorists, an eyewitness said.



The source added that the gunmen burnt down the church, many houses and cars.



The attack, which occurred around 1 am on Friday was not repelled, another resident told SaharaReporters.



“14 people were killed in Geidam this morning, many houses and the church were burnt,” he said.



Other residents who had retired to their homes were forced to flee into the bushes as the gunmen stormed the village, shooting sporadically.



“The victims were taken to the Specialist Hospital, Geidam,” the source added.



Yobe, a state in Nigeria’s Northeastern region has experienced a series of brutal attacks that have resulted in the devastating death of thousands of people.



Since the death of JAS leader, Abubakar Shekau, ISWAP has been consolidating its grip in locations around Lake Chad.

01/05/2024

Terrorists kill 10 in Zamfara community for failing to pay N20m levy

A terror group led by a notorious kingpin, Damina, has killed 10 residents of Kwanar Dutse in Zamfara State after the community failed to pay the N20 million levy he imposed on them some weeks ago.

Damina led hundreds of fighters into the community a few minutes after 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

Kwanar Dutse in the Dansadau emirate of Maru local government area is one of the most attacked communities in the state.

A resident of Kwanar Dutse, who asked not to be named for security reasons told Premium Times over the phone that the attackers stormed the community after the early evening Islamic prayer.

“We were sitting down outside a mosque when the terrorists drove into the community from all corners and started shooting indiscriminately. Some of our vigilantes tried to fight back but the terrorists have more weapons. I ran into my house and waited for my fate,” the resident, a community leader,” said.

The terrorists burnt down some shops and houses in the community during the attack, residents said.

The community leader said his cousin was one of those killed by the terrorists during the assault that lasted for hours.

Another resident of Dansadau town who also asked not to be named for security reasons said his house is filled with refugees from Kwanar Dutse.

“Residents of Malele, Ruwan Tofa, Mutunji and Kwana and most of the communities in the northern part (of Dansadau) are in a critical situation because they’ve become easy targets for the terrorists especially those under Damina. They routinely impose huge levies running into millions of naira on the communities and when they fail to pay, they descend and kill them like animals,” he said.

Premium Times gathered that several people from the community were also abducted by the terrorists.

“It was terrible,” the Dansadau resident said. “One of the women in my house lost her son and two of her daughters have been abducted. The situation is critical. We could only help them with where to live temporarily.”

The police spokesperson in the state, Yazid Abubakar, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him on the attack.

In November last year, Damina’s group abducted over 100 residents of Mutunji and two other communities in Dansadau emirate after the community failed to pay levies imposed on them for allegedly revealing information on terrorists’ movements to security agents.

12/25/2023

Roman Citizenship and Plateau Killings
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Wishing everyone a joyous Christmas!

Today, a tragic massacre occurred in the NTV community near Bokkos Local Government Area in Plateau, claiming numerous lives. The question arises - what action will Nigeria take? Likely none, as the notion of citizenship appears to hold little value in the country.

The concept of citizenship as we understand it today originated in Athens. Rome adopted and expanded this idea by introducing naturalization, allowing anyone who met certain criteria to become a Roman citizen, regardless of their birthplace - a practice not observed in Athens, Greece. In other ancient Greek states like Corinth, Sparta, Macedonia, Thebes, and nearly all other ancient kingdoms, empires, and villages, with possible exceptions of the Igbo, and to some extent, the Idoma and Tiv, citizenship was a foreign concept. Instead, these societies were structured around a ruling monarch and their subjects, with rights granted at the monarch's discretion. In Rome, however, it was the state, not the Consul (the equivalent of a President), that conferred citizenship, complete with its rights and obligations. This allowed for theoretical equality in Rome, enabling anyone, even the plebeians, to ascend military ranks and join the ruling class.

A biblical story involving Saul of Tarsus, also known as Paul, illustrates the Roman view of citizenship. When Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and faced a hostile crowd, he questioned their authority to whip a Roman citizen. Recognizing the severity of their actions, the crowd immediately released him (Acts 22).

This incident underscores the understanding that any mistreatment of a Roman citizen could serve as a reason for war for Rome and that Rome takes citizenship seriously. Irrespective of whether a Roman citizen was a thief, a tyrant, or a commoner, any foreign entity - be it a prince, king, or priest - who dared to harm them would face severe consequences.

If a Roman citizen had to be punished, it was the Romans who would administer justice. All others were expected to refrain from intervening.

In contemporary times, the US has sought to replicate this practice, albeit with less success than Rome. In stark contrast, Nigeria appears to neglect its citizens, which is why the massacre in Plateau could occur without eliciting a significant response.

May Nigeria never happens to us.

Still, I'm tipsy.

12/21/2023

TRAGEDY OF ERRORS
Members of an Abuja-based musical band kidnapped in Kogi State after their release from kidnappers' den.