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Buhari, Malami, Others Knocked For Prosecuting Nnamdi Kanu, Ignoring Bandit Kingpin, Bello Turji

Published

3 years ago

March 13, 2022

Editor

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Sunday, accused security agents and the Federal Government of being dishonest in its fight against banditry and insurgency in the country.

HURIWA also accused heads of security agencies of looking the other way as Fulani terrorists import sophisticated weapons into Nigeria through the North West which they use to terrorise Nigerians.

The rights group, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said it was hypocritical of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to continue persecuting the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu; while leaving notorious bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, to continue terrorising residents of the North-West zone.

The group said Turji, emboldened by the fact that security agents have continuously failed to arrest him, granted a full-fledged interview to a national daily recently, detailing his criminality and his many deadly assaults on innocent Nigerians.

HURIWA carpeted the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, for doing nothing even after the terrorist was granted live interview but the same NBC almost took away the licence of Channels television just for interviewing the spokesperson of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Comrade Emma Powerful.

HURIWA said the current administration is full of double standards.

HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “It is unthinkable that Fulani bandits and terrorists continue to wreak havoc on Nigerians yet they are spared by security agents who flex muscle to victimize a self-determination agitator in the person of Kanu.

“Whereas terrorism is a world crime, self-determination is legally recognized by the constitution and Article 20 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,’” HURIWA said.

“The persistent threats posed by armed Fulani herdsmen across the country is alarming and they are having a field day because security agents look away. The fact that till date, not a single of the armed Fulani herdsmen responsible for hundreds of deaths has been arrested, prosecuted and punished press home this point.

“Where are the 400 Bureau De Change operators indicted for terror financing? Has the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), published their names or prosecuted them for over a year now?

“It is, however, ironical that the same minister has been illegally prosecuting Kanu for over eight months now since the IPOB leader was abducted from Kenya has continuously demonised the leader of IPOB in the media.

“President Buhari, Malami, security agents must be patriotic enough to fish out Bello Turji and his gang. If a reporter without arms from Daily trust can locate Turji, what excuse does our security agents have not to bring down the notorious terrorist?

“A criminal who should be sent to where he belongs now grants television interviews like a celebrity because of his tribe. It is sad.

“It is again unfortunate that for about a month since brazen Fulani herdsmen invaded some communities in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, forcibly displacing autochthonous dwellers to plan permanent settlement, security agents have not arrested any of the invaders. FULANI herdsmen are busy killing citizens all across Nigeria but the Federal Government pampers them.

“The President and the entire heads of internal security agencies who are all Fulani and Moslem northerners should blame themselves for allowing Fulani herdsmen to amass weapons of mass destruction at the disadvantage of the nation’s armed forces.

“There should be an honest, patriotic, transparent and open investigation by the National Assembly to resolve this huge threat which may undermine the conduct of the 2023 polls.”

DAILY POST

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S’Africa Offers US New Trade Deal To Avoid 30% Tariff

Published

10 hours ago

August 12, 2025

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South Africa will offer a “generous” new trade deal to the United States to avoid 30 percent tariffs, ministers said Tuesday.

Washington on Friday slapped the huge tariff on some South African exports, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa, despite efforts by Pretoria to negotiate a better arrangement to avoid massive job losses.

The ministers did not release details of the new offer but said previously discussed measures to increase imports of US poultry, blueberries, and pork had been finalised.

“When the document is eventually made public, I think you would see it as a very broad, generous and ambitious offer to the United States on trade,” Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen said at a press briefing.

Officials have said the 30 per cent tariff could cost the economy around 30,000 jobs.

“Our goal is to demonstrate that South African exports do not pose a threat to US industries and that our trade relationship is, in fact, complementary,” Trade Minister Parks Tau said.

The United States is South Africa’s third-largest trading partner after the European Union and China.

However, South African exports account for only 0.25 per cent of total US imports and are “therefore not a threat to US production”, Tau said.

Steenhuisen said US diplomats raised issues related to South African domestic policies, which was a “surprise given the fact we thought we were in a trade negotiation”.

The two nations are at odds over a range of policies.

US President Donald Trump has criticised land and employment laws meant to redress racial inequalities that linger 30 years after the end of apartheid.

“Things like expropriation without compensation, things like some of the race laws in the country, are issues that they regard as barriers now to doing trade with South Africa,” he told AFP on the sidelines of the briefing.

“I think we’re seeing some form of a new era now where trade and tariffs are being used to deal with other issues, outside of what would generally be trade concerns,” Steenhuisen said.

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Over 600 Pilgrims Hospitalised After Chlorine Gas Leaked In Iraq

Published

2 days ago

August 10, 2025

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More than 600 pilgrims in Iraq were briefly hospitalised with respiratory problems after inhaling chlorine as the result of a leak at a water treatment station, authorities said on Sunday.

The incident took place overnight on the route between the two Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, located in the centre and south of Iraq, respectively.

This year, several million Shiite Muslim pilgrims are expected to make their way to Karbala, which houses the shrines of the revered Imam Hussein and his brother Abbas.

There, they will mark the Arbaeen — the 40-day period of mourning during which Shiites commemorate the death of Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

In a brief statement, Iraq’s health ministry said, “621 cases of asphyxia have been recorded following a chlorine gas leak in Karbala”.

“All have received the necessary care and left the hospital in good health,” it said.

Security forces charged with protecting pilgrims, meanwhile, said the incident had been caused by “a chlorine leak from a water station on the Karbala-Najaf road”.

Much of Iraq’s infrastructure is in disrepair due to decades of conflict and corruption, with adherence to safety standards often lax.

In July, a massive fire at a shopping mall in the eastern city of Kut killed more than 60 people, many of whom suffocated in the toilets, according to authorities.

AFP

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PHOTOS: US Soldier Searching For Her Nigerian Father

Published

2 days ago

August 10, 2025

Editor

Old photos of Zainab James Parents, Lateef Quadri and Claudine James. Credit: Facebook

A US soldier, Zainab James, has launched a public search for her Nigerian father, identified as Lateef Quadri

The 31-year-old took to Facebook on Sunday to share old photographs of her father and her late mother, Claudine James, including one where Claudine was pregnant with her.

According to Zainab, her mother became pregnant in 1993, and she was born in 1994. Sadly, she lost her mother.

Old photos of Zainab James Parents, Lateef Quadri and Claudine James. Credit: Facebook

In her post, Zainab wrote, “Update: Mother’s name : Claudine James, born Decenber 9, 1969 in Montego Bay, Jamaica (deceased) , Hey All! A real shot in the dark but why not! My mom(pictured) got pregnant with me in 1993 ( I was born 1994) while living in Brooklyn New York. I’m looking for my father or any of his family. All I know is he was Nigerian, possibly named Lateef Quadri or something like that. They didn’t have a long term relationship as he wasn’t present at my birth but he did choose my name. No one in my family met him either. Apparently she was friends with his sister who worked in a jewelry store with her.”