EFCC denies invasion of Urban Radio Enugu - ITREALMS

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied invasion of the Urban Radio Enugu, Enugu State, saying they were there merely to invite one Favour Ekoh, host of Prime Time, a programme at the station, reports ITREALMS.

EFCC in a press statement by Head, Media & Publicity, Mr. Dele Oyewale on Tuesday, entitled "EFCC’s Arrest at Urban Radio Enugu: Facts of the Matter" noted that on Monday, October 14, 2024, a team of operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of EFCC, comprising four officers were at Urban Radio 94.5FM, Enugu to invite one Favour Ekoh, host of Prime Time, a programme running at the station.

George writes Tinubu, cautions on planned military invasion, big brother posture - ITREALMS

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War tactician and former Military Administrator of Ondo State, Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George, has written the Nigerian president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the planned miliary invasion of Niger, and warning over unnecessary 'big brother' posture, reports ITREALMS.

On July 26, 2023, Chief George recalled that the Commander of the Presidential Guard in Niger Republic, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, seized power and is now the new strongman of the Nigerien Armed Forces.

Porbitas condemns military invasion of Dura Du in Plateau State - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Probitas, the Nigeria-based civil society group, has condemned the invasion of the Dura Du community in Jos South Local Government, North-Central Nigeria, by members of the Nigerian military, reports ITREALMS.

Communications Director, Probitas, Amaka Nwankwo in a press statement made available to ITREALMS, alleged that the soldiers who stormed the community three days ago, claim that they are searching for a missing retired General, Idris Alkali, who was reportedly last seen near a pond in the area. 

Probitas questions the legality of this action, which is capable of causing the loss of lives and property in an already volatile community.

The Nigerian Army must respect jurisdictional boundaries. The disappearance of a retired General is purely a criminal matter meant to be investigated by the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and not the Nigerian Army. The fact that Mr Alkali is a former Major-General, does not give the army the right to usurp the powers of the Nigerian Police.

This mission is being headed by Brigadier-General Umar Mohammed, the Chief of Staff of Operation Safe Haven. Brigadier-General Umar Mohammed's unilateral decision to drain a local pond, revered by community members, must be resisted by the government, civil society and environmental activists.

The right thing would be to hand this matter over to the police and to take into consideration the concerns of locals who fear that the army is planning a full-scale desecration of their community. The authorities must consider other alternatives to draining the community's pond such as using deep sea divers and underwater cameras. 

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

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Invasion of Zone C secretariat, unacceptable says NUJ

ITRealms:

The National Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has described as absurdities of the ongoing Operation Python Dance 2 of the Nigerian Army in the south-eastern part of the country with dissatisfaction and disenchantment, especially the unnecessary clashes with innocent citizens, reports ITRealms.

NUJ National Secretariat via its National Secretary, Shuaibu Usman Leman

noted that of grave concern to NUJ was the invasion of our Press Centre in Umuahia, Abia State by Soldiers on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 barely few days after three journalists were brutalized by the officials of Department of State Security in Osun State.

"The NUJ had on several occasions initiated moves towards fostering safety of journalists and building synergy with agents of the state but unfortunately, brutalization and impunity by security agents still pervades. 

"There is indeed an overriding need and urgency to promote safety of journalists and fight impunity against them, in order to create the enabling environment they require to optimally perform their fundamental functions in a democracy.

NUJ, thus condemned in its totality the conduct of the Army at the NUJ Press Centre in Umuahia, Abia State yesterday and demand for immediate investigation into this macabre act.

"Our Stand:

(1) The Union notes the apologies extended to the Abia State Council of the Union by the General Officer Commanding 82 Division of the Nigerian Army and the Commander of 14 Brigade of the Army.

We however demand for an unqualified apology from the Chief of Army Staff for the dastardly conduct of his soldiers, and call for punishment for those soldiers who carried out the attack.

(2) Although it may be impossible to estimate the extent of trauma caused our members by this despicable act, we however wish to demand for the payment of medical bills for all those who sustained physical injuries.

(3) We also demand for full compensation for all the furniture and office equipment destroyed by the soldiers at the Press Centre as well as all damaged gadgets belonging to members. Items seized must also be returned.

(4) For our members to trust the Army and deal with them in their professional capacities henceforth in Abia State and elsewhere, we wish to extract the commitment of the Army to ensure always the safety and security of journalists who cover their activities."

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Invasion @Abia centre: NUJ says Nigeria official into Police State

ITRealms:

The leadership of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Zone C, (South East) has condemned the unwarranted invasion of the Press Centre of NUJ, Abia State Council, at Umuahia on Tuesday 12^th September, 2017, by alleged Nigerian army personnel, saying the act has thrown the country into a police state officially, reports ITRealms.

Vice President Zone C, Comrade Chris Isiguzo,  and Secretary, Zone C, Comrade Kenneth Ofoma in a press statement joint endorsed by them, noted that the military personnel reportedly beat up journalists at sight and destroyed their working tools such as Samsung Tablets, mobile telephones, and mini-recorders.

“The military men also destroyed furniture, documents and other property yet to be quantified,” they said.

Describing this as unprovoked attack, NUJ said its barbaric and shameful, and a throwback to dark days of military dictatorship, which the media and other well-meaning organizations and individuals fought hard to change the regime and psyche.

“The attack on the journalists on the ostensible suspicion of taking photos and/or videos of the military on a “show of strength” in a highly populated busy street, without any atom of security threat, calls to question; whether Nigeria is still operating a civil democracy or military dictatorship? Has Nigeria returned to the dark days of police state? Or is Nigeria at war?” they wondered.

NUJ also asked “if indeed the military wants to “showcase her strength”, what is wrong in the media, if at all they took pictures or video, in helping them to showcase the military power? Haven’t they been calling for media support and collaboration?”

They urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call the military to order, stressing that Nigeria deserves peace and development, and South East is peaceful, as there is no evidence that Governors from this zone, who are the Chief Security Officers of those domain, had made any request for military deployment.

“Even the latest United Nation’s report indicates that South East geo-political zone is the most peaceful in the country,” the Council said.

 Equally, NUJ urged the National Assembly and the International Community to weigh into this fragrant abuse of human rights, and premeditated provocation of civil disobedience that might precipitate shedding of innocent blood.

“We also call on the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff and the General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Nigerian Army Enugu to take note of this unprofessional conducts and punish the unruly officers. They should also take immediate steps to replace damaged equipments/gadgets and compensate our colleagues manhandled. There must be rules of engagement in line with international best practices,” they appealed.

Just as the Council advised the Federal Government to adopt dialogue in handling issues of pro-Biafra agitations in the zone, which many have described as a metaphor for so many contradictions and the state of anomy in the economic and socio-political life of the country.

“All these had equally resulted in strident calls from different quarters for urgent restructuring of the country. The Federal Government cannot be impervious to the building tension, frustration and suffering of Nigerians and shouldn’t pour fuel into a gathering fire,” NUJ cautioned.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE 

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Python Dance II: Ohaneze Ndigbo wants exercise called off, says its provocative invasion

ITRealms:

The Ohaneze Ndigbo has decried the deployment of Python Dance II exercise to the South Eastern states by the Nigerian Army, describing it as a provocative invasion of a quiet homestead as well as continued policy of intimidation by the current government, reports ITRealms.

Reacting to the deployment by the Nigerian Army, Ohaneze Ndigbo through its President General, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, noted that there are crimes of monstrous proportions occurring in other parts of Nigeria, which the Army refused to deploy troops to those regions.

ITRealms recalls that on the 8th of September 2017, Major General D D Ahmadu, Chief Of Training And Operations of the Nigerian Army announced an exercise called Operation  Python Dance II which he said was going to take place in the five South Eastern States to address "rampancy of assassinations, attack on security personnel, theft of weapons, violent agitations, armed banditry and kidnapping."

Ohaneze pointed out that operation Python Dance 1 has been on for quite a while in the South East. Whilst Operation Python Dance 1 lasted major roads, entries and exits of important cities in the South East had zigzag check points supervised by members of the Nigerian Army.

“They turned out to be toll gates used in extorting money under gun point  from helpless motorists. Our people were shamelessly intimidated and harassed at these check points. Operation Python Dance 1 procured no arrests of criminals that were prosecuted for any of the criminal activities that Operation Python Dance II is supposed to address.

“Instead it witnessed reckless and indiscriminate murder of self-determination agitators in Asaba, Aba, Nkpor and Port Harcourt numbering up to 191 by the estimates of Transparency International and shattered public confidence of South Easterners in the Nigerian Army and Police,” he observed.

Ohaneze also observed that operation Python Dance II launched for the five South Eastern states whose crime rates by Police statistics are not the highest in the country, turned out to focus on a tiny suburban road leading to the home of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB Leader. 

A few nights ago, he said, that road was visited by a combined team of Police and Military personnel with Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) and armed personnel. Video posts from IPOB and the Nigerian Army did not indicate any act of disobedience before the invasion of this suburban environment. Contradictory versions of the encounter in this location came from both the Military/Police and IPOB . Sparodic shots were fired at innocent civilians who had no firearms.

“Stones and bottles were pelted at the APC and military personnel. Which of the attacks preceded the other is not clear, but one was clearly disproportionate to the other and violated rules of military engagement in situations of this nature,” he said. 

Pointing out that crimes of monstrous proportions occurring in other parts of Nigeria include ravaging killings by Fulani herdsmen in the Middle Belt, Secret cult killings in Lagos and the South West, bunkering and armed resistance in the Delta, wanton kidnappings and killing of military personnel in Kaduna State and environs as well as Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.  

“The Nigerian Army has never embarked on Operation Python Dance in any of the other five geopolitical zones on account of these incidences. Innocent civilians living in these other parts of Nigeria have not witnessed the type of invasion Umuahia witnessed a few nights ago,” Ohaneze condemned. 

“Ohaneze Ndigbo is left with no alternative than to conclude that this is a containment policy aimed at the South East to intimidate our people from freely expressing their anger and angst at their marginalization and treatment as second class citizens. In a democracy the level of disenchantment expressed by the people of the South East of Nigeria ought to have provoked a serious dialogue between our people and the Federal Executive and the Legislature.  History teaches us that the continous use of force to silence dissent and free speech will only accelerate the growth of dissent and dissatisfaction. Fundamental Rights of freedom of expression are critical for a successful democracy,” Nwodo said.

Ohaneze Ndigbo therefore call on the Federal Government to call off this phoney Operation Python Dance II.

“Nigeria at this moment does not need such deliberate and proactive escalation of tensions and crisis. There are more civilised and established practices to resolve our democratic and security challenges,” Ohaneze Ndigbo said.

Nweke Ozo Nweke/GEE

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