NHRC To Investigate Buhari For 2011 Post Election Violence

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said that it would investigate roles allegedly played by Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in the 2011 post-election violence that led to killing of many Nigerians in parts of the north. NHRC stated this yesterday at its Abuja headquarters while receiving a petition by the Northern Coalition for Democracy and Justice (NCDJ) detailing Buhari’s alleged inciting roles in the 2011 post-election violence Buhari, who is the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming elections, was the presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in 2011.

Buhari lost that election. In the aftermath, murderous thugs invaded some northern cities, maiming and killing hundreds over perceived rigged votes. Speaking through its spokesman, Yunana Shibkau, the NCDJ said Buhari should have been prosecuted for inciting the post-election violence in which, according to the group, 800 people died and 65,000 others were also made homeless. “The National Human Rights Commission was established for the promotion and protection of human rights of Nigerians. The Commission has received your petition and we will look into it. We will do the needful,” NHRC’s Director and Head Human Rights Institute stated while receiving the petition. The NCDJ has already asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the US government to bring charges against Buhari.

The NCDJ which had previously referred Buhari to the ICC in 2011, said in an earlier meeting that it decided to submit more evidence after the former military ruler emerged as the main candidate in February’s presidential elections. In its petition to the NHRC, the NCDJ reported several inciting utterances by some political actors and violent conduct of their supporters in the build up to the February elections. “At this crucial time in the political evolution of Nigeria we call on you to give our citizens the necessary support to ensure free, fair, violence free general elections. “It is our conviction that for Nigeria to have a violence free 2015 polls, we must identify the actors behind such disturbances and ensure that adequate punishment for violent acts instigation be meted out to them.” NCDJ’s petition read. ICC lawyer, Goran Sluiter in a statement dated January 21 accused the federal government of failing to prosecute Buhari despite “compelling” evidence linking the former head of state to the 2011 post-election violence.

Sluiter reported that based on available evidence, “there are compelling reasons to believe that crimes against humanity – including murder, torture, rape, forcible population transfer, persecution, and other inhumane acts – were committed in the context of the politically-motivated sectarian violence that immediately followed the Nigerian presidential elections of April 2011. “Due to the seriousness of these crimes and the lack of an adequate response by the Nigerian authorities, the prosecutor of the ICC will be asked to conduct investigations into alleged acts and their perpetrators, in particular former head of state General Muhammadu Buhari. “The evidence collected to date strongly suggests that the highly inflammatory public comments made by General Buhari —prior to, during, and immediately following the elections led directly to the deaths of over 800 people and the displacement of more that 65,000 individuals in April 2011.

The statement from the ICC lawyer noted that, “bringing those responsible for electoral violence to account would go a long way towards diminishing such threats and restoring faith and confidence in Nigeria’s political system.” The APC has since denied the claims, saying they were politically motivated. “They will not stop at anything to try to derail General Buhari,” said APC spokesman, Lai Mohammed said in a report monitored on Reuters. “I can see the hands of the government behind it”, he added.

Why Others Couldn’t Get PVC, By Jega?

Twelve days to the general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said that loss of data was why many voters could not get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) earlier. It also blamed the loss on negligence by some staff of the commission. Deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Nick Dazang, made the disclosure yesterday at a one-day workshop held for newsmen in Kaduna.

He said the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar and Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola and many other Nigerians were initially not captured in the INEC register due to initial loss of data but noted that the anomaly has been corrected and their PVCs are ready to be collected. “Initial lost of data led to loss of finger prints and that was why the Sultan of Sokoto, Governor Fashola of Lagos, others could not get their PVC. “What I know is that those whose data were lost and those who did the Continuous Voter Register (CVR), their cards are now ready. Attitude of some INEC staff led to loss of the data”, he added.

It would be recalled that millions of registered voters had lamented the non inclusion of their names in the INEC register sent to various polling units. Prominent among them were the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, Governor Fashola, his Plateau state counterpart, Jonah Jang among others. Dazang also declared that notwithstanding the challenges being faced by INEC, the commission has achieved 65 percent distribution of PVC nationally even as he expressed optimism that the percentage of PVC distribution will grow substantially before the election. “All cards (PVC) are on ground and are being distributed to the states”, he said.

Dazang maintained as at January 31, 2015, 42.7 million PVCs, representing 65 percent national average distributions, has been achieved. He also said some states have achieved distribution up to between 79 and 80 percent average. age. The breakdown of the states according to Dazang include; Adamawa (79.5percent), Gombe (78percent), Jigawa (79percent), Katsina (79.4percent), Osun (70.7percent) and Taraba (80.5percent). “There are states that have done very well, but the national average is 65 percent.

This figure is conservative. “At the end of the one week extension, we are expecting between 79 to 80 percent national average, even in an examination if you score this figure, nobody will say you did badly . “The best INEC has done is the extension of one week and by statistics, within the first three days of distribution of PVC, cards going into millions were distributed, if we have one week extension, what stop us from distributing the balance” he added.

He however emphasized that the onus is not on INEC, but on Nigerians, adding that “we cannot have 100 percent collection, because some people must have died”. “By law, INEC cannot force people to register and cannot force people to collect, by law we don’t have the power to force people to collect PVC”, Dazang said. He also called on those who are reportedly buying PVC’s to desist, pointing out that they are wasting their time and disenfranchising owners of the card. “The report we are having is some people are collecting money before giving out PVCs to their owners, we urge you to report to INEC anybody caught for appropriate sanction”, he said.

On the use of card readers for 2015 election, the deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity, stated that though there are 120,000 polling units across the country, INEC has procured 152,000 card readers and had since distributed them to the states. Continuing, he alluded that Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s) resident outside the three troubled states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno would not vote, but added that for security reasons voting centers will be located within IDP camps only within the troubled states but not outside the states.

NIGERIANS IN U.S. RALLY FOR JONATHAN

nigerians-USDespite rain and snow, and a blizzard which hit the United States of America (USA), Nigerians rallied at St. Regis lawn in Washington, marching and singing in support of the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan in the February 14 presidential election. The rally also attracted friends of Nigeria, who came in their numbers, to support the re-election of President Jonathan.

Braving the freezing cold and defying call by weather experts to stay indoors, hundreds of people huddled under umbrellas, some waived the Nigerian flags, others wore shirts and caps to signify their support for President Jonathan. Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, who is the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the election, was billed to attend a Corporate Council on Africa event at the venue of the rally Monday but cancelled it due to the visit of the U.S Secretary of State, John Kerry to Nigeria.

Dr Toyin Ibidapo, a member of the local American Legion, said he participated in the rally because he “felt a strong responsibility to honour the president, considering the many challenges he has faced in his first term. “I thought the general would be here for us to tell him our piece of mind”, she added. Ibidapo, who served in the U.S. Navy in the 90’s as a systems specialist, complained that Jonathan’s accomplishments were under-reported, especially in the Nigerian and foreign media. “I have come out this morning because the only thing that can now make any difference to our country is to unite together and support the president.This is a chance we do not want to miss at any cost,” Shola Aromashodun, a 40-year-old attorney in North East, DC, told reporters. “President Jonathan did us a solid. Now it is time for us to return the favour”, he noted. According to him, “I just returned from Nigeria, some people think they are owners of Nigeria. They want you to sit this one out. They want you to be discouraged and afraid.

Most of these powerful few around the country hope that you spend your day and time doing anything other than the one thing that they desperately don’t want you to do, which is choosing who you want to be your president”. On his own part, Mr John Egbuchiri, an engineer with the U.S cable communications giant, Xfinity, said “our mission today is to stand in the rain, stand in the snow, stand tall and stay here for however long it takes in support of President Jonathan”. The ferocious blizzard described by New York’s mayor, Mr. De Blasio as the worst in history did not deter the crowd as they sang and expressed their support for President Jonathan.

Executive Director of the diaspora campaign network, Mr Franklin Ekechukwu, called on Nigerians to make wise choices during the forthcoming elections: “We should vote for someone with intellectual capacity to understand the complexity of global situations”, he said. “I am one of the thousands of students that benefitted from the Federal Government’s scholarship scheme, Jonathan deserves a second term considering what he has done in the education sector, most of us are here because of his visionary reform in that sector, said Etaria Omekwe a student in Washington, DC. The two days protest also took place in front of the Nigerian Embassy and major streets in Capitol Hill.

Jonathan’ll Win Hearts At Debate

rallyPeoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO) said yesterday that a presidential debate would afford its candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, a platform to showcase his record of achievements in office.The PDPPCO said it believed that the Nigerian people, who are yet to make up their minds, would take a decision based on the arguments of candidates at the debate, stressing that while President Jonathan would be speaking on his achievements and those thing she would do with a renewed mandate, his major opponent, General Muhammadu Buhari, if he changes his mind to attend the debate, will only be making empty promises. Director of Media and Publicity of the Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, who was accosted by journalists in Abuja, said however that a majority of Nigerians have already taken their decision to vote for President Jonathan because “they have seen the efforts of this government and what has been going on for the last four years.

Billionaire 'Molade Okoya Thomas' Dies At 79

Billionaire 'Molade Okoya Thomas' Dies At 79

Okoya-Thomas-Chief Molade Alexandria Okoya-Thomas, the Lagos businessman and socialite has died.

Until his death, he was chairman of many organisations including CICA (Nigeria) Ltd., Transcap Nigeria Ltd., Oktom Investment Ltd., Itochu Nigeria Ltd., Chiyoda Nigeria Ltd. and Anchoria Investment & Securities Ltd. He also served as Director of NFI Insurance Company Plc and GatewayBank Plc.

Mr Okoya, FCNA, MFR, OFR, KSS was born in Lagos on 8 June 1935. He obtained his formal education at Princess School Lagos, Baptist Academy Lagos, Balham & Tooting College of Commerce London and Columbia University New York.

Explosion rocks Jonathan’s campaign venue in Gombe, five feared dead

blastA BLAST ripped through a car park outside a stadium in northeastern city of Gombe where President Goodluck Jonathan had addressed a re-election campaign rally on Monday, minutes after he left, witnesses told AFP. Mohammed Bolari, who was at the rally in the northeastern city of Gombe, said the explosion happened at 3:10 pm (1410 GMT), just three minutes after Jonathan’s departure. A local reporter added: “The president had just passed the parking lot and we were trailing behind his convoy when the explosion happened… just 100 metres (yards) from the bus we were driving in.

His appearance in the city came just a day after two blasts in the city, including one that targeted a military checkpoint. At least five people were killed. There was no claim of responsibility for Sunday’s attacks but the city has been hit by suspected Boko Haram militants in the past and suspicion was likely to fall on the Islamist group. Bolari said of the latest blast: “It is difficult to say how many people were affected because of the confused struggle by the huge crowd leaving the venue to escape for fear of another blast.”

Emir Of Kano Urges Nigerians To Pick Up Arms, Defend Against Boko Haram

Emir Of Kano Urges Nigerians To Pick Up Arms, Defend Against Boko Haram


Muhammad Sanusi, The Emir of Kano, has called on Nigerians to prepare to defend themselves from Boko Haram terrorists according to BBC News.


Muhammad Sanusi, The Emir of Kano, has called on Nigerians to prepare to defend themselves from Boko Haram terrorists according to BBC News.




"People should not sit idle and say prayer is the only solution. People should be made aware of the importance of being in a state of preparedness and make sure they acquire what they need to protect themselves. We should be ready to give our lives."-Sanusi said at a prayer meeting.

The statements come after a suicide bomber detonated explosives and killing several civilians at a petrol station in Kano last Friday.

Despite having deployed soldiers to Nigeria’s northeastern region, where Boko Haram has declared a caliphate, government security forces have been unable to secure communities from the Boko Haram threat.

Responding to the Emir’s call for communities to defend themselves from Boko Haram insurgents, the nation’s police force is counter-advising civilians to refrain from picking up arms.

"Any call for citizens to arm themselves is a call for anarchy and lawlessness. And this is not allowed under our laws. Such a call should be disregarded. The police [force] is living up to its duty to protect lives and property."  said police spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojukwu.
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