The Niger Delta Avengers say it is ready to dialogue with the federal government to putt an end to hostilities and crisis in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
The militant group, in a statement by its spokesperson self-styled Brig. Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, the group picked Chief (Dr.) Papa Edwin Kiagbodo Clark and other unnamed Niger Delta elders at its negotiators.
Niger Delta Avengers Statement reads;
“The struggle has always being a Pan-Niger Delta one, we only know the anti Niger Delta elements are using some disorganized characters from the region to scuttle all effort to restore the essence of our humanity; resources control and self-determination.
“We are going to support any collective/negotiation team emerging from the Chief (Dr.) Papa Edwin Kiagbodo Clark Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders conference to engage with the federal government of Nigeria, representatives from the home countries of all multinational Oil Corporations and neutral international mediators that will be focused on achieving the short, medium and long term frameworks and objectives to de-escalating conflicts in the Niger Delta. Most of the frameworks and objectives are clearly stated in various reports, declarations and recommendations of the likes of the Sir.Henry Willinks minority rights reports of pre-independence Nigeria (1957-8), The Kaiama Declaration document, The General Alexander Ogomudia report, The Leedum Mittee headed, Niger Delta Technical Committee report and restructuring to fiscal federalism.
“We have resolved to reject any idea of the peace of our times; we want the peace with honor this time around! Our advice to our Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders is that, whenever this inhuman project called Nigeria and her government is ready for dialogue/negotiations with them, this mandate should be treated with that care as driving a vehicle like that of a truck laden with fire.
“We are going to continue the observation of our unannounced cessation of hostilities in the Niger Delta against all interest of the Multinational oil Corporations, but we will continuously adopt our asymmetric warfare during this period if, the Nigerian government and the ruling political APC continues to use security agencies/agents, formations and politicians to arrest, intimidate, invade and harass innocent citizens, suspected NDA members and invade especially Ijaw communities.
“We promise to fight more for the Niger Delta, if this opportunity fails. Therefore, we will give our Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders that tacit support to the dialogue table with the government and the Multinational oil Corporations whenever the enabling environment prevails.
“We also use this medium to warn those using rogue platforms like the defunct so-called MEND, RNDA- Cynthia Whyte especially Charles Okah who is franchising these internet based banditry from his prison cell, through Victor Ebikabowei Ben (Boyloaf), Timipre Silva, Selekaye Ebikabowei, Ayirimi Emani, Michael Johnny, Governor Adams Oshiomole to please inform those their paymasters that the days of doom are here. That those sold and bought up interests from around the corridors of power cannot arm-twist the NDA with bandits, drug addicts, illegal bunkerers, bank robbers and disorganized characters to derail the Niger Delta struggle. Thanks for reading.
Obasanjo Says Good Night To PDP
Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President as at yesterday said good night to the Peoples Democratic Pary (PDP) as the party found it self in further crisis s.
He said this in Jalingo, Taraba State capitial while feilding questions from newsmen. He also said that he went to assess some of the projects started during his tenure in order to grow the economy of Taraba and the country at large.
Obasanjo, who said that he had already told PDP ‘good night’, when asked to comment on the lingering crisis in the party which now has two factional national chairmen, said he cannot return to say ‘good evening’.
“In the part of the country where I come from, there is a saying that you cannot say ‘good night’ and come back to say ‘good evening’ in the same place.
“So for me, it is good night for the Peoples Democratic Party, and that’s all,” Obasanjo said.
He also expressed great confidence that The President Muhammadu Buhari-led government would surmount the present challenges before the country, while he urged the president to complete the hydroelectric project on the Mambilla Plateau.
He went further to assert that- “So far, Buhari has not dissapointed us. I trust him (Buhari); he will not fail Nigerians. I know he will overcome the challenges the country is currently facing.”
Obasanjo said that: “Taraba is a great resource to the nation’s progress,” and added that “the Buhari administration has to continue with the Mambilla Hydro Power Project in order to tackle the energy challenge of the country”.
“I sited the Mambilla Hydro Power Project on the plateau due to the great potentials it has for electricity generation for the country,” he said.
“Nigeria must complete the project because the cost is getting higher by the day, and if we do not do it today we must have to do it tomorrow.”
“So Far, Buhari Has Not Disappointed Us” – Obasanjo
Presently, so many Nigerians have what is called mixed feelings about the economy of this ‘great’ nation. Some feel the government has disappointed and others feel they are still on point but the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo made this disclosure yesterday, in Taraba state, where he said: “So far, Buhari has not disappointed us. I trust him, he will not fail Nigerians. I know he will overcome the challenges the country is currently facing.”
Do you think so too or what’s your opinion?
Police killings of favela residents continue as Games go on in Rio
While much of the world’s media has focused on US swimmer Ryan Lochte’s fabricated account of an armed robbery, the real victims of Olympic crime in Rio de Janeiro are the city’s poorest residents, caught on the frontline of conflict between the authorities and drug traffickers.
Since the start of the Olympics, local media have reported at least 14 deaths in shootouts between gang members and police or soldiers from the 85,000-member security force deployed for the Games.
While such high levels of violence have long been a fact of life in favela communities, many residents feel the situation has been made worse by the high-profile mega-event that has focused police on protecting rich foreign visitors and targeting poor local residents.
Certainly, the heightened tension of the Games has led to at least one fatal mistake with devastating repercussions.
Helio Andrade, a state trooper from the distant state of Roraima, was shot dead on 12 August after he mistakenly drove into Vila de João, a gang-controlled neighbourhood in the Complexo do Maré favela. As a soldier on Olympic duty, his death was cause for interim president Michel Temer to declare national mourning and for flags outside the Games venues to fly at half-mast.
As is often the case in Rio, it also prompted the police to launch an extensive and punitive hunt for the killers. At least five residents of Maré were killed in the operations, though the suspects have yet to be apprehended. Images of the area in the local media show that it came under a state of semi-siege, with police helicopters flying overhead and homes raided by heavily armed military police.
The day before the Guardian visited the community, two people had been shot in the latest police action, according to local residents, who said they were woken up on many days by the sound of helicopters buzzing close overhead. “It’s horribly loud,” said Bruno Rodrigues, who, like many local people, asked to be identified with a pseudonym for fear of repercussions. “Everyone in the community is afraid when they hear that as it means an operation is about to start.”
Unlike many other favelas in Rio, Vila de João has never been “pacified” by police. On one street stands a gangster from the Terceiro Comando Puro, or Pure Third Command faction, one of Maré’s biggest drug trafficking gangs, with a semiautomatic rifle slung around his neck and a handgun jammed into the top of his trousers. Further along, there are lookouts carrying walkie talkies.
At the site of Andrade’s shooting near the junction of the airport motorway, the walls on one side of the street are marked with words “Paz” (peace) and “Seja bem vindo para Vila da João” (Welcome to Vila da João). On the other is a small pitch where a group of youths are playing volleyball. It looks tranquil, but Rodrigues warns me we are being watched. “Don’t take pictures. Don’t point,” he advises me.
The initials “TCP” sprayed on the walls are the only visible sign that this is gang-controlled territory. Most taxi drivers avoid the area; those who must come here do so with their car windows wound down and their hands visible so they can show they are not a threat.
But it is all too easy for strangers like Andrade to wander in accidentally; the state trooper was far from the first to be killed by a wrong turn.
In 2013, engineer Gil Barbosa, 53, was shot dead by gang members when he tried to use the junction to return home. Occasional shootouts across the motorwayhave left the walls on the roadside pitted with bullet holes. Traffic jams are sometimes targeted by armed robbers who work their way methodically along the line of immobilized vehicles.
During the Olympics, with athletes, officials and visiting dignitaries travelling back and forth between the airport and the city centre, the authorities have flooded the route with troops. Every 15 minutes or so, military patrols drive past with trucks carrying soldiers in full battle gear and brandishing rifles
“The security is to protect them from us,” says Rodrigues. “The Olympics is for those on the outside. Those who have money.”
His views appear to be widely shared in Maré. “The police don’t come here to protect us, but to segregate us,” says Jeferson Luciano, a participant in a community theatre group, called Teatro do Oprimado na Maré – the theatre of the oppressed in Maré.
On social networks, community activists expressed condolences for Andrade’s death, but said the violent police action that followed was disproportionate, disruptive and failed to discriminate between criminals and innocent residents.
“Until now, the balance is five people dead, several injured and thousands of people prevented from working, studying, because they are scared, terrified and their homes are being invaded ... The name of this is genocide, extermination, slaughter. And nobody says anything,” read one post on the Maré Vive Facebook page, which informs residents about shootouts and other issues.
Another Maré resident, who preferred to remain unnamed, said there were similar problems in other favelas, even those that were supposed to have been “pacified” by police units. For her, it is simply about control.
“The legacy we have of mega-events in Maré is blood on the floor,” she said. “These Games do not include favelas, peripheral communities and the poor. We are only supposed to work, to serve, not to have fun.”
Well before the Games began, human rights organisations warned of the potential dangers. Amnesty said Rio’s police had killed over 2,500 people since the Games were awarded in 2009, including more than 100 this year, most of whom were young black men. It said crackdowns tended to increase during mega-events.
The Olympics has not been all bad for communities like Maré. In contrast to the stigma they usually incur, the opening ceremony included a positive favela-themed section.
Brazil’s first gold medal – won by a black female judoka and former resident of the City of God favela – also helped to challenge old stereotypes. But hopes that the Games might help to pacify the communities are far from being realised. Official statistics suggest crime in Rio has fallen over the past decade, but it has started to rise again in the past two years as a result of a worsening economy and – some locals claim – the extra pressure of the Olympics.
“As in ancient Greece, I thought the Games were supposed to bring peace, but that didn’t work here,” wrote Maré resident Bira Carvalho. “Unlike the Olympic shooting competition, the targets here are black people who are scared to death.” Thanks for reading
Australian athletes released after questioning by Rio police over credentials
Several Australian Olympic athletes detained by Rio police for not having the correct accreditation to gain entry to the Boomers’ basketball semi-final against Serbia have been released.
Ryan Lochte shouted at guards during gas station incident, says Gunnar Bentz
Read more
The Australian Olympic Committee’s deputy chef de mission Fiona de Jong, who joined the athletes as they were questioned by police, said they will pay a fine of 10,000 brazilian reais (A$4,092).
“We have agreed on an outcome which is the payment of a fine and good behaviour bond for each of the athletes involved,” De Jong said. “The translation is not precise but it was effectively for using a document for a purpose not intended, falsifying a document.”
The AOC will launch an internal investigation into the incident, which left team chief Kitty Chiller fuming at Olympic organisers.
“I am very angry they had to go through this,” she said of the athletes. “The athletes are not at fault and we will provide counselling.”
In the early hours of Saturday morning, De Jong had confirmed reports that 10 Australian athletes had been questioned by police after accessing a venue without having the correct credentials.
“Early this evening a number of Australian athletes went to support their mates at the Australia-Serbia match,’’ De Jong told media at 1.30am local time (2:30pm AEST). “Ten of the Australians didn’t have accreditation to be in that part of the venue.”
“The Brazilian authorities and us are working through the issues. Nobody has been arrested. We will provide you with a more detailed statement when those discussions have advanced. No one has been arrested or charged.”
Australia lost the game 87-61 and will play in the bronze medal match against Spain on Sunday at the same venue, Carioca Arena 1. Thanks for reading.
TRAGEDY: 65-Year-Old Woman Found Dead In Mosque’ Well
A 65 year old woman who was in charge of ensuring proper sanitary condition of a mosque in llorin, Kwara was found dead inside a well at the mosque premises on Saturday.
The incident occurred at AnsarulDeen Mosque, Osere area, Sawmill in llorin West Local Government Area of the state.
Eye witnesses’ said that the woman, popularly known as “lya Majeobaje”, fell into the well on Friday while fetching water to clean the mosque.
They said that there was nobody within the vicinity of the mosque to rescue her when she fell inside the well at about 5p.m.
Some of the residents of the area who discovered the dead woman immediately alerted the state fire service in llorin.
The Director of the State Fire Service, Mr Tiamiyu Raji, confirmed the incident. He said personnel from the Fire Service removed the woman from the well dead on Saturday afternoon.
He said that the corpse of the woman was taken to the B Division of Police State Command, Surulere in llorin.
Effort to speak with the Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, on the incident proved futile. Thanks for reading.
NFF ClearsAir On "Japanese Gift"
The Nigeria Football Federation has cleared the air on stories about the body hijacking a donation to the Dream team from Japanese plastic surgeon, Dr. Katsuya Takasu.
Prior before the third place match between Nigeria’s Dream Team and Honduras, which Nigeria won and claimed the bronze medal, there were stories circulating on social media that the Nigeria Football Federation had hijacked the donation from a Japanese Plastic surgeon, Dr. Katsuya Takasu who promised Dream Team a cash prize if they go on to clinch any medal (Gold, Silver or Bronze) at the Men’s football event of the Rio Olympics.
However, the Nation’s football body as come out to debunk such claims, in a statement issued on their website, the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick said: “His message was a lie, an atrocious false alarm before an important match. I had exchanged correspondence with the Honourable Minister on the issue of the donation and we agreed that there was need for caution. The Minister said to me that he read the donation in the papers and had expressed serious concern. I also received a mail from the NFF Integrity Officer who expressed very serious concern with this kind of donation.
“I got in touch with the Ambassador of Nigeria to Brazil and the Honourable Minister to say that whatever had to be done should be done after the Bronze Medal Match, to avoid any distractions. The NFF may be having financial challenges, but I assure you nobody in the Federation is interested in that money.
“If we get the Government’s go-ahead to collect the money, no official of the NFF will be involved even in the collection. The money will be received directly by the team.
“There are matters in the football world today that FIFA and the various confederations frown at. We are very much aware of that”.
If we had rushed to collect that kind of money and hand over to the players, the same people who are condemning the NFF now would have said worse things.
Although, it remains unclear whether former goalkeeper Peterside Idah who started the discussion on social media will provide proves to substantiate his controversial claims. Thanks for reading.
