The Nigerian Army has released the traditional ruler, Clement Ikolo, earlier declared wanted and arrested over the gruesome murder of 17 soldiers in Delta State on 14 March 2024.

The monarch was declared wanted by the Defence Headquarters alongside seven others for alleged involvement in the act.

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He was released to Senator Ede Dafianone who stood surety.

He was released during a brief at Army Headquarters by the Director, Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu.

Details later…

Some bandits have called for a peace talk with the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal.

The decision of the gun-wielding men was made known in a viral video on Thursday.

In the video, a bandit, Garba Habeeb, who claimed to be the leader, appealed for negotiation between his group and the state government.

He said, “Because I represent Zamfara State (bandits), after that I need to send message to Dauda Lawal. Dauda Lawal Dere ‘ittakullaha’ (fear God)!

“As from today, we need peace. We need peaceful coexistence in Zamfara State. Continued fighting will not bring us peace. Peace is what is required of you.

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“If you look at what’s going on in Eastern Africa, you’ll agree we need to find common ground to resolve our differences.

“After that, I need to send a message to the military, Tukur Usman Gusau, because he’s the one who sends warplanes to bomb bandits.

“Last week, a vigilante group came to my area to follow my cow and sheep to go (sic). This one is not good.

“Dauda Lawal Dare, you’re the leader of Zamfara State, fear God. If you lead a peaceful Zamfara, (sic) then call all the leaders of Fulanis and all the ‘Kachallas’ (bandits commanders) to the negotiation table for the benefit of all,.”

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Efforts by to reach the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, for comment proved abortive as his phone lines were not connecting and text messages were not replied to.

In 2019, bandits in Zamfara gave conditions for laying down their arms, one of them being the halting of extra-judicial killings of herdsmen.

The bandits also demanded that they be allowed to attend local markets without fear or intimidation.

Recently, the governor called for the deployment of more soldiers due to the high level of insecurity plaguing the state.

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He made the call when he visited the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

A statement by the governor’s spokesperson disclosed that the governor briefed the CDS about the security situation in the state during the meeting.

Lawal expressed concerns over the resurgence of attacks in some parts of his state and appealed to Musa, an army general, to deploy more troops and weapons to the state.

PUNCH

The Nigerian Immigration Service on Thursday put the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on its watchlist.

This came hours after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission declared Bello wanted in connection to an alleged case of money laundering to the tune of N80.2bn.

The circular sighted by The PUNCH was dated April 18, 2024 and was signed by Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, DS Umar, for the Comptroller-General, Kemi Nandap.

The service detailed the name, nationality, and passport number of the former gpvernor (B50083321) saying “I am directed to inform you that the above-named person has been placed on the watch list.

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“Suffice to mention that the subject is being prosecuted before the Federal High Court Abuja for conspiracy, breach of trust, and money laundering vide letter Ref; CR; 3000/EFCC/LS/EGCS.1/ TE/Vide/1/279 dated April 18, 2024.

“If seen at any entry or exit point, he should be arrested and referred to the Director of Investigation or contact 08036226329/07039617304 for further action.”

Earlier, the EFCC declared Bello wanted, asking members of the public with useful information about the former governor’s whereabouts to contact any of the commission’s offices across the country.

The anti-graft commission had earlier stated that it would arraign the former governor before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday.

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This came after the EFCC was granted a warrant of arrest by the Federal High Court in Abuja to apprehend Bello.

Bello, alongside three other suspects, Ali Bello, Dauda Suliman, and Abdulsalam Hudu, were to be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite on 19 counts related to money laundering.

But drama ensued when officers of the Nigeria Police Force foiled the EFCC’s attempt to arrest Bello at his Abuja residence on Wednesday.

A group of armed men, identified as “Special Forces,” along with officers from the Nigeria Police Force, intervened to prevent the EFCC operatives from apprehending him.

The PUNCH gathered that the current governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, had intervened to prevent the arrest of his predecessor.

Ododo’s security team reportedly escorted Bello out of the location in the governor’s vehicle.