BREAKING: Nigerian government gives condition to lift Twitter ban

The Nigerian Government has stated that it will only lift the ban on Twitter if the social media platform is used ‘responsibly’.

Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama disclosed that Twitter’s operations in Nigeria will be restored only if the platform can be used ‘responsibly.’ He said this at a meeting with some envoys from UK, US and other countries on Monday.

He added that there was no definite timeline for when the ban will be reversed. “The condition would be responsible use of the social media and that really has to be it.”

“We are not saying that Twitter is threatening the country or any such thing; why we have taken this measure is to stop them to be used as platforms for destabilisation and facilitation of criminality or encouragement of criminalities,”.

Nigeria made headlines all over the world last week when Twitter’s activities in Nigeria were suspended by the government. The suspension came a day after the micro-blogging platform deleted a tweet from President Muhammadu Buhari’s account.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcome baby daughter named Lilibet Diana: Photo

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have confirmed the arrival of their second child.

The couple said Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, who was born on Friday, 4 June at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, was "more than we could have ever imagined" and is now "settling in at home". 

Harry and Meghan's second child, who weighed 7lb 11oz, has been named after the family nickname for her great-grandmother the Queen, while her middle name honours her late grandmother, the Princess of Wales, the couple said.

Lilibet is the couple’s second child, after Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, who turned two in May. 

Harry and Meghan confirmed the birth of their second child Lilibet, who was born on Friday, 4 June. (PA)

She is eighth in line to the throne, and the highest in line to be born in the US.

Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor has been named after the family nickname the Queen. (PA)

In a message of thanks from Meghan and Harry on the Archewell website, they said: "On June 4, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili.

"She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe.

"Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”

The couple asked anyone wishing to send a present to support organisations working for women and girls.

A message on the Archewell website reads: "For those inquiring on sending gifts, we would ask that you support or learn more about these organisations working for women and girls: Girls Inc., Harvest Home, CAMFED or Myna Mahila Foundation."

Lilibet is the couple's second child after older brother Archie, who turned two in May. (PA)

Congratulations quickly poured in to the couple on the birth of their second child, including from the Royal family.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been informed and are delighted with the news of the birth of a daughter for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”

Others to congratulate the couple including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, charities close to Harry's heart and Star Trek actor William Shatner.

Monguno Orders Dismantling Of Illegal Security Outfits

The National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, has directed the immediate dismantling of all illegal security outfits all over the country.

Monguno, who gave the order in a statement by the Head, Strategic Communication of ONSA, Zakari Usman, on Sunday in Abuja, said the security outfits are being used to extort, harass and intimidate Nigerians across the country.

He also cautioned individuals, organisations and foreign partners particularly on the activities of a security outfit known as NATFORCE.

Monguno added that outfit was illegally formed as a taskforce to combat illegal importation and smuggling of small arms, ammunitions and light weapons into the country.

He noted that the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) domiciled in it, was the national co-ordination mechanism for the control and monitoring of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country.

The NSA added that the government Babagana Mongunohas observed with concern the proliferation of illegal security outfits in the country.

“These illegal outfits have been masquerading and acting as part of the Nigerian security architecture while extorting, harassing and intimidating Nigerians.

“One of such groups is NATFORCE which seeks to combat illegal importation of arms, ammunition, light weapons, chemical weapons and pipeline vandalism and has been involved in mounting of illegal roadblocks, conducting illegal searches, seizures and recruitment.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the general public and all stakeholders are to note that NATFORCE is an illegal outfit without any mandate or authority to carry out these functions.

“This trend is unacceptable and the promoters of NATFORCE are warned to dismantle their structures and operations immediately,” it said.

NBC orders all Nigerian radio, television stations to stop tweeting

Acting Director General of NBC, Prof Armstrong Idachaba, on Monday said it will be unpatriotic for any broadcaster in Nigeria to continue to patronize the suspended Twitter as a source of its information and called for strict compliance.

Idachaba noted that the directive is in line with Section 2(1) of the NBC Act, which entrusts the commission with responsibility to ensure strict adherence to the national laws, rules and regulations.

Also, section 3.11.2 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code provides that “the broadcaster shall ensure that law enforcement is upheld at all times in a matter depicting that law and order are socially superior to or more desirable than Crime and Anarchy,” Idachaba said.

“Attention is also drawn to section 5.6.3 of The Code which requires Broadcasters to be mindful of materials that may cause disaffection, incite to panic or rift in the society in the use of a User Generated Content (UGC).”

The Commission also asked the media house to deactivate their handles.

Two feared dead as security operatives, IPOB members clash in Anambra

Security operatives and members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), yesterday, clashed in Oraifite community, Ekwusigo Local Council of Anambra State, with two persons dead.

It was gathered that trouble started when some security operatives stormed the residence of the IPOB lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, around 2:00 a.m.

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that the bloody attack, which started at about 2:00 a.m., ended at about 5:00a.m.

He said: “Some men suspected to be unknown gunmen allegedly attacked a Hilux vehicle conveying unknown number of soldiers. The soldiers were transferred to another vehicle after which the Hilux was set ablaze.

The IPOB spokesperson, Mr. Emma Powerful, has condemned the reported attack on the residence of Ejiofor.

He said: “Ejiofor’s house has been invaded by Fulani Jihadist soldiers now and they want to eliminate him.

MEANWHILE, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Tochukwu Ikenga, when contacted on phone, said he had not got the details of what happened in Oraifite.

He, however, corrected the impression that security operatives were responsible for the attack, saying: “Security operatives protect life and property and not attack.”

IN another development, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Chekwas Okorie, yesterday, lamented the spate of killings and insecurity in the South-East region, stressing that it was aimed to de-market Ndigbo over the 2023 presidential election.

He said that the situation could not be compared with what obtains in other zones of the country where people are being kidnapped and killed, among others.

ALSO, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide said that the Ndigbo needed fair treatment.

In a statement in Abakaliki, the Secretary-General of the group, Nazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said that southeastern Nigeria had been mistakenly shoved out of the corporate existence of Nigeria, based on the fact that the Federal Government had sidelined one section of the country and perpetually excluded the region from all essential ingredients that promote the continuous unity of Nigeria.

Culled from the guardian...

Uzodinma Accuses APC Of Fueling Insecurity Crises In Imo State

Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma has accused the members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of fueling the rising levels of insecurity in the state.

The governor made this statement on Thursday when he inaugurated a security council at the grassroots level to proffer solutions to the state’s security challenges.

“The opposition party and some aggrieved members of our party who are hiring boys from neigbouring states to come in here, allow me, I will deal with them. I can assure you, leave that for me.

“So, the people who threatened me that they will make Imo ungovernable before Imo becomes ungovernable, they will be ungovernable themselves,” he stated.

Uzodinma called on traditional rulers to help in the fight against insecurity, by urging them to fish out criminals in their domains.

“I had advised that traditional rulers should warn these boys. You should warn them because I am bringing a security strategy, known and unknown, to manage the security in Imo State,” he said.

Governor Uzodinma told the Security Council to go beyond organising vigilante groups in the state to gathering intelligence.

“This council must now go home and get us the names of every criminal in their communities. You must collect intelligence for us and security agencies to work,” he concluded.

Igbos are not murderers- Senator Okorocha warns

Former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has cautioned against ethnic profiling of Igbo people, maintaining that the Igbos are not killers as being speculated.

 

Okorocha stated this at the centenary celebration in honour of the former Premier of Eastern Nigeria, the late Michael Okpara, in Abuja recently.

 

In his words,

 

“I appeal to all Nigerians to stop the ethnic profiling of the Igbo. They are not murderers, otherwise they won’t be in Kano or Lagos doing business. Indeed, we are passing through one of the ugliest moments of our history.”

 

 

IPOB: Coalition of Northern Group Tells Buhari To Grant Igbos Biafra To Stop Security Crisis

Following the current insecurity and unrest in the South-East region of the country, the Coalition of Northern Group (CNG) on Thursday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to hand over the Biafra to the Igbos’s as a means to put a stop to the issue.

The CNG made the call in a statement while reacting to the recent ‘civil war’ threat by President Buhari to clamp down on the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and other elements in the Southeast for allegedly attacking security operatives and destroying government facilities in the region.

This however, led to social media outrage by some Nigerians, who took to their Twitter handles to tackle the president over his ‘disturbing’ comment, Following the incident, Twitter on Wednesday deleted the controversial tweet posted on its site.

While most Nigerians were pleased with the deletion, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed slammed Twitter over the move, alleging that the management has double standards.

He said, “It is time for the Nigerian state and all stakeholders to wake to the reality that the only remaining option to avoid a civil war is for the Igbo to be allowed to have the Biafra they have used intermittently for decades to destabilize the nation and deny peace to other components of the country.”

Culled from Independent.ng

Farmer in police net for allegedly poisoning 9 wells in Yobe

The police in Yobe on Thursday confirmed the arrest of a farmer, Mohammad Mohammad, 25, for allegedly poisoning nine wells in Kasesa village near Damaturu.

ASP Dungus Abdulkarim, the Command Spokesman disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu.

”On May 25, he poured insecticide into nine wells which are sources of water to residents and herds in the area.

“ When we collected the well water as a sample and conducted laboratory analysis, we discovered that they were contaminated with faecal Coliforms, which can cause cholera, typhoid and other water-borne diseases.
“ Therefore, we identified and arrested the suspect today. He will be charged to court soon,” Abdulkarim said.

The spokesman said Mohammad confessed to committing the offence but said his intention was to deter herders from invading his farm.

Abdulkarim said the command was also making efforts to arrest the herdsmen and charge them with alleged criminal trespassing.

He advised farmers and herders to avoid acts capable of inciting violence.

Four Police Officers, Three Civilians Killed As Armed Men Attack Divisional Police Headquarters In Osun

Pandemonium broke out in Ikire of Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State on Wednesday when yet to be identified gunmen numbering 35 launched a violent attack on the Divisional Police Headquarters and the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) pinned down at Ikoyi-Osun with several explosive devices.

The incident which occurred in the afternoon of the day, claimed the lives of four police officers namely, ASP Osho Oluranti, Inspector Lekan Olalere, and two special constabularies; namely Oladeni Olalekan, and Oyedeji Muyideen while three community members: Toheeb Oyebola, Temilorun Adebiyi and one other whose identity is not yet known, were also shot dead by the attackers.

Speaking on the incident in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Thursday morning, the state police command spokesperson, Mrs  Yemisi Opalola, confirmed the incident and explained that the perpetrators of the act were armed robbers.

According to her, the armed robbers “came with several explosive devices and several guns firing in a bid to subdue the capacity of the police.

“It is unfortunate that ASP Osho Oluranti, Inspector Lekan Olalere, Two (2) Special Constabularies; namely Oladeni Olalekan, and Oyedeji Muyideen were shot dead in the process.

“On sighting the overwhelming policemen comprising: Prompt Response Unit (PRU), CP’s Surveillance team, IRT Operatives, STS, 39 PMF, JTF, along with the local security outfits,who swiftly engaged them in a fierce gun duel, the robbers began to flee. 

“While escaping, they shot sporadically, and regrettably three civilians were shot namely: Toheeb Oyebola, Temilorun Adebiyi and one other, (whose identity is not yet known), all male.

“They did not succeed in robbing any of the banks. The assailants fled to the bush with gunshot wounds, abandoning two of the operational vehicles they came with.”

Opalola further stated that “all the corpses have been deposited at Oluyoro Catholic Hospital morgue, Apomu.” 

She said, “efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.”

Meanwhile, the affected community was said to be enveloped in fear as inhabitants ran for cover so as not to be victims.

It was also reported that there was a heavy traffic logjam in the area where the incident happened as motorists plying the route abandoned their vehicles on the road.