Gunshots Reported In Kaduna as Shiite protest the death of their members.

News just reaching us indicates that the sound of heavy gunfire has been reported at Tudun Wada in Kaduna state.

The shooting is related to the ongoing siege on the Islamic Movement in the state and military action against the faithfuls.

Japheth Omojuwa, Nigerian blogger, international public speaker, posted about this on his Twitter page.

Popular Kaduna market, Kasuwa has been shot down by authorities following unconfirmed reports that non-indegenes of the state have been asked to leave the state. Some locals also confirmed this development.  

Please stay at home if you are in Kaduna — Maryam Abubakar (@mareeyama)December 15, 2015

Shiite sect has also blocked Zaria-Kano Road at Dogarawa village.

Shia Muslim sect members are also protesting on the streets of the main northern cities of Kano.

Many businesses are closed and people are mainly staying indoors to avoid trouble.

Armed security officers have been stationed in strategic locations in Kaduna city centre.

The Nigerian army alleged that members of the sect attempted to assassinate the Chief of Army Staff Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, when he visited Zaira on Saturday, the sect has denied it, describing the allegation as “blatant lies.”

"All the former presidents and heads of state got one exotic car from the embattled NSA" on demand - DASUKI's aide

By Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North, & Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA — As details of huge funds disbursed by the Office of the National Security Adviser under Col. Sambo Dasuki continue to surface, indications emerged last night that the embattled security czar is set to expose more top Nigerian leaders who benefited from the funds.

A source close to the former NSA, who was docked yesterday, told vanguard that Dasuki who was arraigned yesterday alongside others on a fresh 19-count charge was ready to speak up on how the funds earmarked for his office was disbursed with details of top serving and retired Nigerian leaders who benefitted immensely from the money, which is now a subject of litigation.

Meanwhile, former Minister of  State, Finance, Bashir Yuguda ,former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, former Director of Finance in the Office of the NSA, Mr. Salisu,  Sagir Attahiru and a company the EFCC insisted was used to divert huge sums of money from the office of the NSA prior to the 2015 general elections, Dahaltu Investment Limited will be arraigned today even as Chairman Emeritus of Daar Communications was admitted to bail yesterday.

Dasuki to expose more

According to the source close to the former NSA, it had become necessary for Dasuki to expose the first in the series of the top beneficiaries, which include former heads of state and presidents, who were bought bullet-proof Sports Utility Vehicles by the ONSA with funds approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Although Dasuki is keeping the names of the beneficiaries of the car gifts to himself, the source told Vanguard that he was ready to spill the beans at the appropriate time, saying that the list will shock Nigerians.

Former national security adviser of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, Sambo Dasuki . AFP PHOTO

According to the Dasuki aide, all the former presidents and heads of state got one exotic car from the embattled NSA and did not find out the source of the funding. The officer explained that of all the former presidents, one of them who has been very vociferous demanded two of the SUVs from the ONSA, who grudgingly obliged him.

The former head of state, it was gathered, had explained to Dasuki that he needed one of the vehicles to be kept for him in Abuja and another to be stationed in Lagos to ease his movement to the two main Nigerian cities. The officer however refused to give the cost of the exotic cars bought for the former heads of state and president, saying that the details could be obtained from the ONSA.

“What is coming will shock Nigerians and many of them will get to know if indeed Dasuki used the money to enrich himself as being bandied in many quarters. As a law-abiding NSA, he had to carry out the instructions handed over to him by the Presidency and nothing more,” the aide said.

“It is also instructive to note that those who are now blaming Dasuki for carrying out his assigned duties and calling for his head actually benefitted immensely from the security vote, which was domiciled in his office. The truth of the matter is that all over the world security votes are used for various reasons to bring about national peace and stability and Dasuki could not have done otherwise,” his aide said.

Dasuki, others plead not guilty to fresh charges

Meanwhile, Dasuki was arraigned before an Abuja High Court sitting in Maitama yesterday alongside his former Finance Director, Shuaibu Salisu and others on a fresh 19-count charge. Dasuki who was accused  of allegedly diverting over N13.6 billion from the national treasury had stated clearly that all the funds spent by him were duly approved by former President Jonathan and that he acted at all times in the overall national interest of Nigeria and its peoples.

Others arraigned with them were, former Executive Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Commission, NNPC, Aminu Baba-Kusa, as well as his companies, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referal Hospital Limited. The accused persons were alleged to have illegally diverted over N13.6billion from the national treasury.

EFCC told the court that it was the accused persons that supervised the unlawful disbursement of billions of Naira from different bank accounts belonging to the office of the NSA. Bulk of the funds were allegedly withdrawn from an account the office of the NSA operated with the Central Bank of Nigeria. According to the anti-graft agency, the funds were distributed to delegates that attended the presidential primary election the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, held in Abuja in 2014, a process that saw the emergence of ex-President Jonathan as sole presidential candidate of the party.

Continue

There is no honour left for PDP to insult Buhari – Lai Mohammed

By Emmanuel Elebeke.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed has taken a swipe on the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) over its criticism of the All Progressive Party’s (APC) led government for the poor state of the country’s economy and depreciation of naira, saying that the PDP lacks the temerity to insult President Buhari and the citizens for their failure in managing the economy in a transparent manner.

The Minister was reacting to the comments credited to Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, that businesses may collapse in the next six months because the Buhari Administration has mismanaged the economy, which he said was the clearest indication yet that the PDP and its leaders are still in denial about the massive body blows they inflicted on the Nigerian economy.

Mohammed, who spoke in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on media, Mr. Segun Adeyemi, insisted that the poor state of the country’s economy, especially the depreciation in the Naira exchange rate, is the direct consequence of the incomprehensible mismanagement of the economy and the mindless looting of the national treasury under the immediate past Administration, rather than pushing the blame on the Buhari’s Administration.

”If there was still any honour left among thieves, there is no way the leaders of a party under whose watch the nation’s economy suffered a monumental mismanagement and the Central
Bank was turned to the ATM or piggy bank of a few people will have the temerity to insult a government that is working hard to turn things around or the citizens who are bearing the brunt of such mismanagement,” the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a statement on Sunday.

”It is now clear to all Nigerians that if the PDP had won the last general elections, Nigeria’s economy would not have survived one more month, considering the battering it received under
the immediate past Administration. It is therefore unconscionable that those who should show contrition and hunker down to avoid public opprobrium are the same ones pointing an accusing finger at the Buhari Administration,” he said.

”Senator Ekweremadu complained about the depreciation of the Naira without telling Nigerians who ‘dollarized’ the Nigerian economy by bribing many individuals and groups with dollars during the last elections, thus inflicting a knock-out punch on the local currency. He also failed to tell Nigerians which government presided over the frenzied mop-up of dollars, either for ‘armsgate’ or for slush fund purposes, from the CBN to a point where it almost ran out of the hard currency,” he added.

The Minister said even though the Buhari Administration met an economy that was in coma, it had refused to use that as an excuse for inaction, hence has been working hard on measures that
will turn the economy around and greatly offer relief to Nigerians by lifting millions, not thousands, of people out of poverty through a massive social intervention policy.

”The outcome of the months of hard work will manifest soon in the 2016 national budget that will give succour to millions of Nigerians who are reeling from fallout of the solecism of the
immediate past Administration that turned the country into a cash bazaar,” said Minister.

Iran calls Nigeria to stop crackdown on Shiites

Following last Saturday’s violent clash between the Nigerian Army and members of the Muslim sect, Shiite, in Zaria, Kaduna State, Iran has called on Nigerian authorities to respect religious figures and sites.

Protesting members of the Shiite sect

“Nigeria… is now dealing with problems arising from extremism and Takfiri terrorism and we hope that in these conditions preservation of calm and national unity in battling terrorism is prioritized while rash and unconstructive measures are avoided,” IRNA quoted Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber-Ansari as saying on Sunday.

Jaber-Ansari expressed sorrow over the recent bloody clashes, which broke out between Muslim worshipers and government troops, Weekend.

Nigerian forces raided the home of the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and arrested him after reportedly killing several of those protecting him including one of the group’s senior leaders, its spokesman, son and wife.

Since El-Zakzaky was arrested by the Nigerian troops, his fate has remained unknown.

However, since Saturday’s violent clash, there has been war of words between the Nigerian Army and the sect, over who instigated the clash that led to the dead of members of the movement.

While the Army is accusing the Shiite followers of attempting to assassinate Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, the Islamic movement said soldiers simply decided to attack “defenseless people.”

A statement by the Army spokesperson, Sani Usman, said Shite members barricaded the road Mr. Buratai’s motorcade was passing to pay homage on the Emir of Zazzau, and also attend a review parade by 73 Regular Recruit Intake at the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria.

Usman said all entreaties to get the sect members to steer clear of the federal highway, met strong resistance.

But in a swift counter-reaction, the El-zakzaky-led Shiite sect, said the Army spokesperson was lying.

A statement signed by Isak K and posted on the website of the sect, said the claim that the COAS “narrowly escaped assassination as a result of attack from Muslim brothers and Sisters of the Islamic Movement is a blatant lie.”

The statement said Mr. Usman’s claim “raises series of questions in the mind of right thinking people.”

It said members of the movement who were unarmed were gathered for a ceremony at their Husainiyyah base, to change the flag on the dome of the building to herald the beginning of the month of Rabiul /Auwal- the birth month of the Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad.

“Any excuse given by the military as reason for besieging Hussainiyyah and firing for hours, leading to the death of yet to be specified number of people, is considered a lie of the decade,” the movement said.

Police Officer Given 15 Years For 2012 Killing Of Fuel Subsidy Protester, And Wounding Others

Three years ago Ademola Ade, one of the many who protested former President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2012 decision to remove the fuel subsidy, was shot to death on the streets of Lagos, according to Punch Newspaper. Mr. Ade was killed in Lagos during the height of the #Occupy Nigeria protests. 

Three years ago Ademola Ade, one of the many who protested former President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2012 decision to remove the fuel subsidy, was shot to death on the streets of Lagos, according to Punch Newspaper. Mr. Ade was killed in Lagos during the height of the #Occupy Nigeria protests.

Ademola AdePunch Newspaper

His murderer, Divisional Police Officer Segun Fabunmi was today, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.  Officer Fabunmi shot and killed Mr. Ade at around 9 AM on January 9th, 2012.  

The police officer had been patrolling the streets of Lagos with a detachment of junior officers at the time of Mr. Ade’s murder. According to the prosecution, Mr. Fabunmi fired his Ak-47 into a crowd of protesters killing Mr. Ade and wounding several more people.

The counsel for Mr. Fabunmi claimed he had no intention to kill anyone, and that the rifle was fired when he attempted to wrest his gun away from a protester.  

The judge rejected the defense counsel’s argument and handed down a sentence of 10 years to for the murder of Mr. Ade and 5 more years for the injuries caused to the other protesters.  Mr. Fabunmi was ejected from the Nigerian Police Officer prior to his trial.

Breaking news: Dasuki regain freedom as Good luck Jonathan defend him .

 Former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki has said he handed over the N10 billion given to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nomination convention delegates to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa and the aide-de-camp. 

He said the money was given out by the two aides, on the directive of Jonathan, noting that, apart from collecting the cash, he had nothing to do with it.

As at press time, no slush funds had been traced to Dasuki’s personal accounts, it was learnt.

Dasuki, who protested that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had subjected him to “media trial”, said such a treatment might jeopardise his defence.

Also yesterday, it was gathered that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) confirmed that the N10 billion was sourced from the Signature Bonus Account (oil block Account).

But the ex-NSA expressed regrets that he was being vilified by the EFCC when he acted on the instructions and approval of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.