Thursday, 28 April 2016

AGAIN,SARAKI SAYS TRIAL BEFORE CCT CHAIRMAN QUESTIONABLE

Again, Saraki Says Trial Before CCT Chairman Questionable

April 28, 2016

Tribunal to rule on application thursday
17 political parties ask Umar to resign

At the resumed trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki wednesday in Abuja, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Mr. Danladi Umar, entertained the hearing on the motion of notice seeking his disqualification on the grounds that he lacks the moral justification to preside over his (Saraki’s) trial.

Saraki, who is standing trial for false declaration of assets when he was the governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011, insisted that the CCT chairman was under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the same agency that allegedly investigated and filed criminal charges against him at the tribunal.

In the motion argued by one of his lawyers, Ajibola Oluyede, Saraki claimed that since the EFCC is largely responsible for the trial and also responsible for investigating the N10 million bribery allegation against the chairman, there was no way the chairman would be objective and impartial in the prosecution.

Oluyede argued that Umar owed the EFCC, which exonerated the tribunal chairman of wrongdoing, a favour and was likely to convict Saraki at all cost to repay that favour.

EFCC last week cleared Umar of the N10 million bribery allegation made by one Mr. AbdulRashid Owolabi Taiwo, in his petition to the commission.

Taiwo, who was being tried by the CCT, alleged that Umar had demanded the N10 million bribe from him.
He claimed that part of the money was paid into the bank account of the personal assistant of the chairman, prompting him to write a petition against the chairman to the EFCC.

However, whilst Umar’s personal assistant is standing trial for accepting the bribe from Taiwo, the EFCC went against the recommendation made by the then Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Mohammed Adoke, in 2014 that the CCT chairman should be prosecuted.

At Saraki’s resumed trial yesterday, Oluyede claimed that since the Sword of Damocles is dangling over the tribunal chairman’s head, he would be tempted to dance to the tune of the EFCC, if only to rescue himself from the allegations against him.

Oluyede, whose submissions made the CCT chairman visibly uncomfortable on several occasions, asked Umar to honourably recuse himself from presiding over Saraki’s trial in the interest of justice.

The counsel insisted that available facts had proved that EFCC was largely responsible for the investigation of Saraki and that it was the same EFCC that filed the charge and allegedly deployed its main lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), to prosecute the matter.

The only witness called so far by the prosecution during Saraki’s trial at the tribunal is Mr. Michael Wetkas, a detective with the EFCC.

Oluyede insisted that in the course of the investigation into the N10 million bribery allegation, the CCT chairman was indicted in a report signed by a former Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Larmode, and that the purported letter of EFCC clearing the chairman of the allegation well over a year after his indictment could not stand on the face of the law because it did not emanate from the AGF being the appropriate authority to clear him.

“Mr. Chairman, with all these facts placed before this tribunal, the legitimacy of this proceeding is questionable because the chairman may not be impartial.

“There is something wrong with the EFCC for it to have accused Your Lordship of having audience with the accused in his chambers and there is circumstantial evidence that your lordship collected the bribe, only for it to come out now with a letter of clearance. That is suspicious; it is a cloudy relationship between the EFCC and the tribunal chairman.

“We do not know what prompted the EFCC to recant on the indictment of the CCT chairman when there are sufficient grounds for the EFCC to request for the call logs of the conversation between Umar and one Rashidi Taiwo from whom the N10m bribe was demanded,” Oluyede said.
However, in his objection to the motion, the prosecuting counsel prayed the tribunal to dismiss the motion for lacking in merit.

Jacobs reminded the tribunal of one of its earlier rulings where it held that the charges against Saraki were filed by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and not EFCC.

He also accused Saraki of harassing the tribunal chairman by making reference to a bill before the Senate, which he said was designed to whittle down the powers of the CCT chairman.

He said that by asking the tribunal chairman to disqualify himself, Saraki was trying to render Umar incapable of carrying out his official functions even though Umar had not been charged with any offence.

But Jacobs, in the main, did not appear to address the allegation by Saraki that he could not get justice at the tribunal as long as Umar remained at the helms of affairs.

He said: “The absurdity of this application is that the defendant here is still performing his duty as the Senate president and still presided over the Senate as of today.

“He has been charged to court, whereas the investigation of the CCT chairman by the EFCC remains an investigation. He has not been charged to court or convicted.
“It is the defendant that has been charged to court. The issues raised in the application are matters of sentiment which has no place in law.”

Despite the claim by Saraki’s lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), that Oluyede was a member of the defence team, Jacobs again objected to his appearance, saying: “Mr. Oluyede has never appeared for Saraki at this tribunal at the time he filed the motion, he is not a counsel on the record as at the day he filed his motion.”

He also faulted the application for the chairman of the tribunal to disqualify himself on the grounds that the application presumed EFCC to be a party, whereas the commission was not.
The tribunal will rule on the application today.

However, before the arguments on the motion began, Umar had warned against posting video clips of the tribunal’s proceedings on the social media.
Umar said the tribunal would not hesitate to apply the full weight of the law against the culprits.

A video clip of the chairman’s heated exchange with Oluyede last week was posted on the internet.
According to Umar, those who posted the video did so with the sole purpose of misleading the public about the actual proceedings in the tribunal.

He said the CCT would discuss with both the prosecution and defence counsel on the possibility of inviting NTA, AIT, and Channels Television networks to broadcast live to avoid misrepresentation.

Umar also directed all armed security personnel attached to the Senate president to vacate the venue of the tribunal.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), there was a high presence of armed security personnel within and outside the CCT wednesday.

Meanwhile, Saraki yesterday got some support from unexpected quarters when 17 opposition political parties demanded the immediate resignation of Umar over his alleged compromise and bias in the ongoing trial of the Senate president.

The political parties also faulted his clearance by the EFCC, saying: “The only way President Muhammadu Buhari can prove that his government is indeed serious about fighting corruption is to direct an immediate investigation into the circumstances that led to the EFCC issuing this so-called letter of clearance to Mr. Umar.”

Similarly, a rights group under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society and Pressure Groups has decried the occupation of the National Assembly by a group known as #OccupyNASS, alleging political motives behind the protest.

While addressing reporters yesterday in Abuja, the National Chairman of Labour Party, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, who spoke on behalf of the parties, said it was clear that Umar is an interested party in the case, “hence, he should step down from the Saraki trial”.

Some of the political parties represented at the press briefing included Labour Party, PPN, AA, MPPP, NCP, DPP and ADC, among others.

“We believe his continued stay on the bench while this defendant is appearing before the tribunal supports the conspiracy theory that there is an agenda to convict Dr. Saraki by all means.

“President Buhari needs to act now, not to stop Saraki’s trial, but to ensure that the process of fighting corruption does not end up being even more corrupt than the corruption it seeks to eliminate,” they said.

While stressing that they were not against the corruption fight or were in anyway canvassing that Saraki should not be tried, the political leaders said: “We are only insisting that the trial should follow the due process of law and be transparent. This is the only way the outcome would be credible and acceptable to all citizens and the rest of the world at large.

“We affirm that if Mr. Danladi Umar continues to sit in the Saraki case, this would only serve to further strengthen the narrative that the Senate president is merely being persecuted as a result of intra-APC politics and not because of any genuine commitment to fight corruption.”
Abdulsalam further stated that there were genuine fears that the current anti-corruption drive of the Buhari administration might go the way of previous ones if nothing urgent is done to steer it away from its selective and vindictive tendencies.

“We however wish to note that this is not the first time that a president of this country would be declaring war against corruption. In fact, the reason corruption is still a primary issue for the Buhari administration is that previous attempts were not as successful as they should have been.

“We aver that one of the major obstacles in the fight against political corruption in Nigeria over the years, is the way and manner it has been fought so as to give the impression that the fight is selective and targeted only at the perceived enemies of government.

“Once an anti-corruption action is perceived as politically motivated, then the entire war against corruption easily gets reduced to a means of settling political scores rather than a genuine commitment to fighting corruption. We are afraid that if care is not taken, President Buhari’s avowed commitment to fighting corruption may end up in the way of his predecessors,” he said.

Also the civil society group, which operates under the name, ‘#SAVENASS, called for the absolute independence of the National Assembly and for the security agencies to ensure that politicians in the ruling APC are not allowed to carry over their intra-party squabbles into the legislative chambers.

Addressing reporters in Abuja wednesday, the spokesperson for the group, Ambassador Phil Roberts, urged the security agencies to secure the National Assembly premises from attacks by sponsored political jobbers operating as self-styled anti-corruption protesters.
He alleged that the demonstration by #OccupyNASS was sponsored by politicians and some government bodies in order to force Saraki to resign

SOURCE:THIS DAY

Wednesday, 27 April 2016

ALABAMA CITY NOW SAYS PEOPLE WHO VIOLATE ITS BATHROOM ORDINANCE COULD FACE JAIL TIME

An Alabama city now says people who violate its bathroom ordinance could face jail time

In recent weeks, fights have raged in North Carolina and beyond over “bathroom bills” mandating that people use restrooms matching the gender on their birth certificates. One small city in Alabama just jumped into the fray and, in what may be a first, added what may be a new feature to its bathroom measure: jail time.

The city council in Oxford, Ala., voted Tuesday to adopt an ordinance that would make it a crime for transgender people to use a public bathroom or changing facility different from the one on their birth certificate.

The new ordinance, posted online by the Anniston Star newspaper, also says that anyone violating the ordinance could face up to six months in jail or a $500 fine.

The measure in Oxford — a city of about 21,000 people living an hour’s drive east of Birmingham — is “unprecedented” in adding criminal penalties like jail time, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

“This ordinance is a shameful and vile attack on the rights and privacy of transgender people,” Eva Walton Kendrick, the HRC’s state manager for Alabama, said in a statement. “Transgender people are our neighbors, our coworkers and our fellow churchgoers, and every Alabamian has the right to live their lives without fear of discrimination and prejudice.”

After the measure was passed, Steven Waits, the city council’s president, said it was proposed in response to a statement from Target last week that customers and employees could “use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.”

Oxford has a Target located in a shopping center just off Interstate 20. Waits read from a statement saying that he had received an “overwhelming” number of complaints about the store’s policy, according to the Anniston Star. He also said that the measure was needed “to protect our women and children.”

In the ordinance, exceptions are made for adults accompanying children age 11 and younger as well as those people working as custodians or first responders.

Four out of the five Oxford City Council members, including Waits, did not respond to messages seeking comment on Wednesday. One of them replied that Waits would release a statement on Wednesday afternoon, but he did not reply to a follow-up message. Bill Partridge, the Oxford police chief, also did not respond to a message.

Transgender rights have become a heated issue on the presidential campaign trail, something prompted by a measure in North Carolina that sparked an intense focus on the topic.

North Carolina’s bathroom law drew vocal opposition from business groups as well as LGBT rights organizations. Two major companies — Deutsche Bank and PayPal — have called off planned extensions due to the law, while the NBA says it will move its All-Star Game next season out of Charlotte unless the law is changed.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R), who signed that state’s measure, has defended the law and said this week that it has been the subject of a “smear campaign.” He also pushed back against President Obama’s comments last week that the law is “wrong” and “should be overturned.”

Last week, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said that the North Carolina measure and a law adopted recently in Mississippi jeopardize “the actual physical safety” of transgender people.HE

SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST

TRUMP STANDS BY 'WOMAN CARD ' JAB, DENIES ANTI CLINTON SEXISM

Trump stands by ‘woman card’ jab, denies anti-Clinton sexism

© Provided by New York Daily News Donald Trump delivers a bumbling foreign policy speech Wednesday. - Matt Rourke/AP GOP front-runner Donald Trump doubled down on his gender-themed attack on Hillary Clinton Wednesday, taking further aim at the likely Democratic nominee and claiming his original remarks weren't sexist in nature.

"It's not sexist. It's true. It's just a very, very true statement. If she were a man, she'd get 5%," Trump said during a telephone interview with ABC's "Good Morning America." "She's a bad candidate. She's a flawed candidate."

"She's not going to do very well in the election, and I look forward to showing that," he added.

Trump was referencing his own remarks from a speech Tuesday night in which he said he would "do far more for women than Hillary Clinton will ever do."

"If Hillary Clinton were a man, I don't think she would get 5% of the vote," he added during the victory speech from Trump Tower in Midtown following his five-state sweep in the "Acela" primaries. "The only thing she's got going is the women's card."

Clinton was quick to fire back Tuesday night, blasting Trump during her own victory rally in Philadelphia for playing the gender card.

"The other day, Mr. Trump accused me, of playing the, quote, woman card," she said. "Well, if fighting for women's health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in."

TRUMP MISPRONOUNCES TANZANIA, SAN BERNARDINO IN FOREIGN POLICY SPEECH

But on Wednesday Trump didn't hesitate to go after Clinton's excited tone in the speech, cruelly joking that he hadn't "quite recovered "from his potential general election opponent "shouting that message."

"And I know a lot of people would say you can't say that about a woman because, of course, a woman doesn't shout, but the way she shouted that message was not - ohh," Trump said during a separate appearance Wednesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Trump's gender-centered attack line was widely mocked Wednesday with many political experts deeming the mogul's decision to go after Clinton, on account of her being a woman, as a foolish ploy that will further hurt his already dismal standing among female voters.

"About 70% of women have an unfavorable view of Trump, according to an April 2016 Gallup poll," Jessica Lavariega-Monforti, Chair of Political Science Department at Pace University in New York, told the Daily News. "His commentary about playing 'the woman card' will not play well with female voters, particularly those who continue to face pay inequities and gender discrimination."

In addition to the Gallup poll cited by Lavariega-Monforti, a USA Today-Suffolk University poll released earlier this week showed that 66% of likely female voters had an unfavorable view of Trump, compared with 48% who had an unfavorable view of Clinton.

TRUMP, CLINTON POST STRONG SHOWINGS IN 'ACELA' PRIMARIES

Another Washington Post-ABC News poll released earlier this month showed 64% of women had a "strongly unfavorable" view of Trump.

His comments also made a splash on social media, where the hashtag "#womancard" took off with a series of images showing an item resembling a credit card with notes on it drawing attention to the gender gap in pay in the U.S.

Trump has repeatedly drawn frequent ire over his scornful comments about women.

In addition to insulting Rosie O'Donnell and Megyn Kelly, Trump also said earlier this year that women who have abortions should be punished

SOURCES:MSN.COM

DAILY NEWS

CRUZ TAPS FIORINA TO SERVE AS RUNNING MATE

: Cruz taps Fiorina to serve as running mate

© In this photo taken March 11, 2016, Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas speaks to Carly Fiorina in Orlando, Fla., Friday, March 11, 2016. According to an AP Source: Cruz has picked Fiorina as his… INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Republican presidential contender Ted Cruz has tapped former technology executive Carly Fiorina to serve as his running mate.
The Texas senator plans to unveil his pick for vice president Wednesday afternoon in Indianapolis. That's according to a Republican with direct knowledge of Fiorina's selection, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized speak before the official announcement.
"Carly is bright, knowledgeable, brings great financial expertise and she's a woman," said Gary Aminoff, the Los Angeles County co-chair of the Cruz campaign. Aminoff said he had also been told Fiorina was Cruz's choice.
The 61-year-old Fiorina, a former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, has been a prominent Cruz ally since shortly after abandoning her own presidential bid earlier in the year. She was the only woman in the Republican Party's crowded 2016 field.
"Of all the people who didn't make it far in the race, she was one of the best about laying out her plan, talking about who she is and her accomplishments," said Doug De Groote, a fundraiser for Cruz based near Los Angeles.
It was an unusual move for a candidate who is far from becoming his party's presumptive nominee, but Cruz is desperate to generate momentum for his struggling campaign. The fiery conservative was soundly defeated by GOP front-runner Donald Trump in all five primaries contests on Tuesday, and he's been mathematically eliminated from winning the nomination before his party's national convention in July.
Some Cruz allies praised the selection of Fiorina, but privately questioned if it would change the trajectory of the race. Trump has won 77 percent of the delegates he needs to claim the nomination, and a win next week in Indiana will keep him on a firm path to do so.
Cruz was to appear Wednesday afternoon with Fiorina in Indiana's capital city, having staked his candidacy on a win in the state's primary contest next Tuesday. Fiorina's California ties could also give Cruz a big boost in that state's high-stakes primary on June 7.
"Carly has incredible appeal to so many people, especially in California," De Groote said. "She can really help him here."
Her first major foray into politics was in 2010, when she ran for Senate in California and lost to incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer by 10 percentage points. She has never held elected office.
Trump criticized a Fiorina pick as "ridiculous" and "dumb" even before it was announced.
"First of all, he shouldn't be naming anybody because he doesn't even have a chance," the New York billionaire said in a Wednesday interview on Fox News.
"Naming Carly's dumb, because Carly didn't do well. She had one good debate — not against me by the way, because I had an unblemished record of victories during debates — but she had one victory on the smaller stage and that was it," Trump said.
He added, "She's a nice woman. I think that it's not going to help him at all."
Throughout her presidential bid, Fiorina emphasized her meteoric rise in the business world. A Stanford University graduate, she started her career as a secretary, earned an MBA and worked her way up at AT&T to become a senior executive at the telecom leader.
She was also dogged by questions about her record at Hewlett-Packard, where she was hired as CEO in 1999. She was fired six years later, after leading a major merger with Compaq and laying off 30,000 workers.
In an Associated Press-GfK poll conducted in December 2015, Republican voters were more likely to say they had a favorable than an unfavorable view of Fiorina by a 47 percent to 20 percent margin, with 32 percent unable to give a rating.
Among all Americans, 45 percent didn't know enough about Fiorina to rate her, while 22 percent rated her favorably and 32 percent unfavorably.
By contrast, both Cruz and Trump have high negative ratings even within their own party, according to an April AP-GfK poll. Among Republican voters, 52 percent have a favorable and 41 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Cruz, while 53 percent have a favorable and 46 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Trump.
Among all Americans, 59 percent had an unfavorable opinion of Cruz and 69 percent said that of Trump.
___
SOURCE MSN.COM
AP

Tuesday, 26 April 2016

HOUSE SUMMONS DG,DSS OVER ENUGU KILLINGS, UGWUANYI SUES FOR PEACE

House Summons DG, DSS over Enugu Killings, Ugwuanyi Sues for Peace

April 27, 2016

Representatives — PIC.34. MEMBERS OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AT A SPECIAL SITTING TO MARK END OF THE 2ND YEAR OF THE 7TH ASSEMBLY IN ABUJA ON THURSDAY (6/6/13).

Following the alleged murder of about 48 persons in Ukpabi, Nimbo community of Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area in Enugu State on Monday by suspected cattle rearers, the House of Representatives on Tuesday summoned the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Lawal Daura, over the incessant deadly attacks carried out by unidentified marauding herdsmen in different parts of the country.

This is just as a motion on the massacre in Enugu again brought to the fore the opposition to the proposed Grazing Bill from the executive arm of government meant to provide hectares of land as grazing reserves for the nomads.

The motion named: “The Invasion and Senseless Slaughter of Persons in Ukpabi, Nimbo Community of Uzo-Uwani LGA of Enugu State by Unknown Herdsmen” was brought before the House yesterday by Hon. Chukwuemeka Ujam (Enugu PDP) as a matter of urgent public importance.
Ujam lamented that the invasions by herdsmen were becoming a recurring issue across the country, and constituting a threat to the security of the nation.

“These attacks are beginning to gain momentum and have the potential of escalating into an existential crises as farmers are compelled to resort to self help in a bid to stay alive,” he said.
Having raised the motion, reactions flowed from other members who all condemned the wave of attacks by the herdsmen and expressed their opposition to the Grazing Bill.

In his contribution, Minority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor, condemned the attacks in Enugu and other states, but noted that the proposed solution by creating grazing routes or grazing reserves would not guaranty peace.

“We have to bring in modernisation. The idea of moving from one place to another with cattle should be discouraged. Everyone who wants to raise cattle should have his own farm or reserve,” Ogor said.
Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (Abia PDP) said the Grazing Bill would die in the House, vowing that the lawmakers would not allow it pass.

“When you take land from the people and give it to cattle rearers, what will happen to our cassava or yam farms? Are we going to live on meat alone? Let them buy ranches and rear their cattle there,” Onyejeocha said.

Speaking earlier with THISDAY, Hon. Uzoma Nkem Abonta (Abia PDP) said the attempt to pass the proposed bill at all cost was a misplaced priority and was capable of compounding the clashes between farmers and the herdsmen.

He said that it would impoverish the people whose lands would be forcibly taken away, adding: “A situation where a council is being proposed in the bill with the power to seize land deemed suitable for grazing without the owners having a say is draconian.

“Cattle rearing is done by private persons, so why would government be seizing or acquiring land for such a venture. We are already crying that the Land Use Act is not good anymore, so Mr. President should declare his interest in pushing the bill, which would favour people who are probably not even Nigerians.”

On the possibility that the marauding herdsmen may not be Nigerians was corroborated by Hon. Aminu Shehu Shagari (Sokoto APC) who described the Fulani as peace loving people.
Shagari said some foreign elements had invaded the country under the guise of being Fulani herdsmen through the nation’s porous borders aided by the insecurity in the country.
Shagari, a Fulani man, called on the security agencies to quickly arrest the situation before innocent citizens get killed in reprisals.

Hon. Chika Adamu (Niger APC) also said that there was a high likelihood the marauders are not Fulani, as there were hardly traces of their cattle in places they were alleged to have attacked.
As the House debated the rising incidence of attacks by the so-called herdsmen, the Enugu State Governor, Mr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, visited the community where he sued for peace and two days of fasting and prayers to seek God’s intervention.

The governor, who broke down in tears upon sighting the fresh corpse of one Mr. Ugwu Ogbu said to be a teacher from Enugu Ezike in Igboeze North council but was posted to Nimbo community, also donated N5 million as immediate relief to the community.

Ugwuanyi, who was in the company of Senator Chuka Utazi, the GOC 92 Division, Enugu, Major-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and the Police Commissioner, Nwodibo Ekechukwu, among other security and government officials, also visited the three hospitals where the injured persons were being treated and undertook taking care of the hospital bills of those injured during the attack.

“We are going to seek for God’s intervention in this matter. It is my belief that this too will pass away. The entire people of Enugu State are with you in this moment of grief,” the governor said.
The governor, who further explained that upon receipt of the report that there were plans to attack the community by the herdsmen, alleged to have been recruited from Nasarawa State, an emergency security council meeting was summoned on Sunday where far-reaching decisions were taken to ensure that lives and properties were protected.

“A combined team of police, soldiers and civil defence operatives were despatched to the community but on Monday, we heard that they still carried out the threat resulting in the situation we are presently facing.

“No matter what, we are hopeful that God will save us from the present situation and that is why I’ve declared fasting and prayers in the state for the next two days,” he told his audience.
The governor, who also visited the traditional ruler of Nimbo community, Chief John Akor, lamented the loss of lives and destruction of properties as well as the burning of the Christ Holy Church in the community by the attackers.

While suing for peace, the governor assured the people of the community and the state that efforts were being made to find a lasting solution to the problem.
He appealed to the people, especially the young men, not to take the law into their hands by engaging in any form of reprisals.

Responding, one of the community leaders, Dr Ajokwu George, appealed to the state government to come to their aid, as his community had become a hunting ground for the herdsmen.
“We are not really happy because our community is under threat, we have been burying our loved ones. We are more worried because in this case, we even alerted the security agencies that these people were planning to attack us but nothing was done.

“As we speak, we’ve recovered over 20 corpses and we are still recovering more. Several others are in the morgue and in the hospitals. What did we do to deserve this?
“We are really pleading that something be done. Our women have been raped and killed and nothing has happened.

“What has happened is just a tip of the iceberg because we know they will come again. The way they invaded our community and raped women before their husbands is worrisome.
“We need security here not just for a day or week but for months to protect us. We thank you for coming to empathise with us and we want you to deliver our people from this problem,” he said.

Similarly, the Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma, expressed shock that several hours after the attack, no arrest had been made.

He warned that if the relevant authorities failed to curb the activities of the nomads, they would ban them from rearing their cattle in the zone, saying apart from stopping them from rearing their cattle, they would also mobilise Biafra agitators against the herdsmen.
The cleric insisted that herdsmen were more violent than the Biafra agitators and called on South-east governors to rise up to the security challenge.

“I feel bitter, I feel aggrieved, I feel sad that the APC government at the centre cannot protect us. We call on the federal government to declare a state of emergency in Igboland over the herdsmen threat to security in the zone or else we will declare war against them.

“I feel sad that the APC government at the centre cannot protect us. Failure to curb the activities of the herdsmen will make us ban them from rearing their cattle in the zone. Any attempt to harass any Igbo youth, any community will not be taken lightly.

“We will not tolerate it in Igboland. We are declaring war against the herdsmen. We are calling on Northern elders to caution their people and government should speak out against this menace.
“On the failure of the South-east governors to rise to the security challenge, we will pass a vote of no confidence on them. Where did the herdsmen get the AK47 riffles?

“We will bring our own Ogbunigwe out to defend our rights. We will match force with force. Herdsmen come to Igboland and ravage our farmlands and rape our women is unacceptable. That we were defeated in the last civil war does not mean we will remain slaves forever even in our land.

“We will defend our land with our blood and anything, including Ogbunigwe. Why was there a security lapse? The DSS and other security operatives alerted the government, yet they went ahead with their threat by unleashing mayhem on the villagers. The Fulani herdsmen are more violent than the Biafra agitator,” he said angrily.

Also, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) hit hard at the federal government over its inaction at reining in the blood thirsty herdsmen.

MASSOB, in its reaction, issued a 30-day ultimatum to President Muhammadu Buhari to end the incessant massacres by the herdsmen across the nation or face the wrath of the pro-Biafra movement.
The ultimatum by MASSOB was handed down by its national director of information, Sunny Okereafor, while addressing journalists in Aba yesterday, following the sacking of the rural community in Enugu.

He decried the failure of the federal government to checkmate the atrocities of the herdsmen despite the destruction of lives and properties, raping of women, armed robberies and kidnapping that have become their trademark in recent times.

The MASSOB spokesman accused Buhari of protecting his kinsmen, adding that the federal government has been “playing with fire” over the murderous activities of herdsmen and that MASSOB would not fold its arms and allow the herdsmen to have a free day in destroying lives and properties in Igbo communities.

“MASSOB is worried that the herdsmen have become very daring in their attacks since President Buhari came to power. We are not saying Buhari is their sponsor, but his silence over the attacks is suspicious.

“MASSOB is giving Buhari a 30-day ultimatum to stop the attacks or face our wrath,” he said.
While warning the herdsmen and their sponsors “to withdraw from Biafra land (and) count Igboland out of their Islamisation policy” MASSOB called on Ndigbo “to remain at alert as these Fulani herdsmen are terrorists posing as herdsmen”.

Okereafor said MASSOB had set up a committee to monitor the activities of herdsmen in Igboland, warning that the group would be forced to drop its policy of non-violence in order to protect Biafrans if the federal government continues to look the other way while herdsmen continue to go on the rampage.

“Soon, they (herdsmen) will pay for all their atrocities against the people of Biafra,” MASSOB warned.
In its reaction, IYM recalled that herdsmen had in the last 10 months killed over 710 Nigerians in 48 recorded incidents (excluding the Agatu killings) and wondered why the federal government and its security agencies have refused to take any action to stop the atrocities.

In a statement by its founder, Elliot Uko, the youth group regretted that the only time the DSS showed interest in the South-east was when it accused IPOB of killing five herdsmen.
IYM pointed out that now that the herdsmen had visited their bloodbath on Uzo Uwani communities “Nigerians do not expect any positive reaction from the federal government and the DSS for obvious reasons” as the herdsmen conduct their atrocities with impunity, knowing that the federal authorities are looking the other way.

The group said: “This bloodletting which began since the new government took power is interestingly, redefining how much faith large sections of Nigeria should have in the ability or willingness of the federal government to protect them from this Fulani warriors, who clearly act as if they know that the federal government cannot (or is it, will not) save the helpless victims from their attacks.”

It said that the “ongoing war by the herdsmen has only confirmed” the prophecy of IPOB leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, “who saw tomorrow and correctly predicted over the Radio Biafra, what the Fulani would do to the Middle Belt, South-east, South-south and the South-west”.

“The serial slaughter by the Fulani, the intimidation by the security agents and the disturbing silence of the president, who incidentally is also Fulani and the life patron of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, have put Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in the league of avatars, who correctly predicted events before they happened.

“This development has also greatly increased Kanu’s popularity, especially amongst the oppressed, suppressed and consistently attacked populations, who now see him as a hero and legend. This has resulted in huge sympathy towards the gospel of IPOB and its leader,” said IYM.

The group further added that “when you add this to the excruciating pain and suffering, citizens have been subjected to in the last 10 months, these unnecessary killings and destruction only lead the victims along one line of thought: The Fulani herdsmen are making Biafra a very popular option”.
Meanwhile, the federal government has ordered all security agencies in the country to crush and deter all crises that have the potential to breach peace and national stability in the country.

The Minister of Defence, Mr. Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali, gave the directive yesterday in Abuja at a seminar on “Media Management in Crisis Situations for Information Officers of Military, Security and Response Agencies” organised by the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) with the support of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) and the Nigerian Stability and Reconciliation Programme (NSRP).
Dan-Ali stated that while the government’s first priority is to ensure the security of lives and property of the citizenry, all socio-economic activities in the country must continue to thrive without any hindrance from criminal elements and terrorists.

He said: “All security agencies in Nigeria have been called upon to crush and deter the threats of crisis and conflicts that have the potential to disrupt the peace and security of our country.
“Our security and response agencies are constantly engaged in the essential tasks required for meeting the internal security objectives of ensuring safety and security of Nigeria’s territorial integrity, its population and all the critical infrastructure. Our government will not relent in this primary objectives.”

The minister added that the government would continue to acknowledge the sustained efforts of the various military, security and response agencies, which in spite of the odds, constantly and significantly mitigate the challenges and consequences of violent eruptions and crises across the country.

He pledged the continued support for all the agencies, particularly those battling the insurgency in the North-east so that they can effectively deliver on their mandates.
On crisis management, Dan-Ali tasked information officers of the various agencies to be patriotic and professional in the discharge of their duties.

“You must bear in mind that our dear country is currently confronted with several challenges which demand every sense of professionalism in the way and manner information is to be managed.
“You have the responsibility to manage sensitive information at your disposal with all sense of patriotism and to relate with media and the general public with utmost sense of professionalism, taking into cognisance the importance of our cherished national interest and national security,” he charged.

SOURCE:THIS DAY

JUDGE RULES TRUMP UNIVERSITY FRAUD CASE WILL GO TO TRIAL

Judge rules Trump University fraud case will go to trial

A New York judge ruled Tuesday that a fraud lawsuit brought by the New York attorney general against Donald Trump and his real estate school will go to trial, setting up a potentially unprecedented situation that could feature the Republican presidential front-runner taking the stand.

Justice Cynthia Kern on Tuesday denied the New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s request that she rule on the case now, paving the way for a trial over allegations by the attorney general that Trump University fraudulently bilked students out of a collective $40 million. Trump is a defendant in the case.

Jeffrey Goldman, a lawyer for Trump, told Justice Kern they would demand a jury trial, not one decided by a judge. After the hearing at the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, Goldman said the trial could come as early as this fall.

Such a move could thrust Trump into the courtroom in the middle of a contentious presidential election.

Schneiderman, a Democrat, filed a civil lawsuit against the now-defunct Trump University in 2013 alleging that it exploited Trump’s celebrity status to persuade people to enroll in expensive courses that failed to deliver on their promises. Trump University defrauded more than 5,000 students in New York out of thousands of dollars each, according to the complaint, by billing itself as a real estate school and charging students as much as $35,000 without having proper licensing.

SOURCE:MARKET WATCH