Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Monday 8th February 2021
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 08/02/21
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E2%80%98resurgence%E2%80%99-ebola DR Congo Announces ‘Resurgence’ Of Ebola
DR Congo medical workers disinfect the coffin an Ebola victim in 2018
Democratic Republic of Congo has announced a “resurgence” of Ebola in its troubled east after a woman died of the disease, just three months after authorities declared the end of the country’s previous outbreak.
AFP reports that the country’s health minister, Eteni Longondo, said the outbreak occurred in the Biena health zone of North Kivu province.
DR Congo medical workers disinfect the coffin an Ebola victim in 2018
John WESSELS AFP/File
He said, “We have another episode of the Ebola virus. It was a farmer, the wife of a survivor of Ebola, who showed typical signs of the disease on February 1.”
She died on February 3, after which a sample of her blood tested positive for Ebola, the health ministry said.
The Democratic Republic of Congo declared on November 18 the end of its eleventh Ebola outbreak, which claimed 55 lives out of 130 cases over nearly six months in the northwestern province of Equateur.
The last person declared recovered from Ebola in Equateur was on October 16.
The widespread use of Ebola vaccinations, which were administered to more than 40,000 people, helped curb the disease.
The return of Ebola in the country’s northeast — a region plagued by violence between armed groups — comes as the vast African country is also fighting its own COVID-19 outbreak.
A previous Ebola outbreak in the DRC’s east, which ran from August 1 2018 to June 25, 2020, was the country’s worst ever, with 2,277 deaths.
It was also the second highest toll in the 44-year history of the disease, surpassed only by a three-country outbreak in West Africa from 2013-16 that killed 11,300 people.
Ebola haemorrhagic fever was first identified in 1976 after scientists probed a string of unexplained deaths in what is now northern DRC.
The symptoms are severe: high fever and muscle pain followed by vomiting and diarrhoea, skin eruptions, kidney and liver failure, internal and external bleeding.
The average fatality rate from Ebola is around 50 percent but this can rise to 90 percent for some epidemics, according to the World Health Organisation.
The virus that causes Ebola is believed to reside in bats.
DR Congo has also recorded 23,599 coronavirus cases and 681 deaths in a population of around 80 million people.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Gunmen Kidnap One, Injure Three In Abuja Community
Unknown gunmen have abducted one person and injured three others in Pegi community in Abuja.
The incident occurred around 9:00pm on Friday when the victims were returning home from work.
SaharaReporters gathered that the kidnappers opened fire on the victims’ cars when they refused to stop.
The Chairman of Pegi Community Development Association (PECDA), Isaac Aderibigbe, confirmed that one person was kidnapped and three others sustained gunshot injuries in the incident.
Those that were shot and later escaped are: Edwin Obiekwe, Shittu Adebayo and one Kola.
One of the victims, Shittu, while recounting his ordeal, said, “I was coming back from work, but when I got to the road leading to Pegi shortly before 9pm, I suddenly heard gunshots and realised my tyres were hit. I didn’t stop; instead, I increased the speed of the car.
“The kidnappers now started shooting continuously. At a stage, I lost control of the car, came down from the car and started running into the bush but towards the gate of Pegi. As I was running, the kidnappers were running after me and were shooting. I put off my phone and removed the white clothe I wore because the clothe and the light on my phone were being used by the kidnappers to trace me.
“Then, I continued running while I was still being pursued by the kidnappers who were shooting. As I approached Pegi gate, they turned back.”
Meanwhile, the police spokesperson for the FCT, Yusuf Mariam, said on Sunday, that the command had rescued some victims and arrested six suspected kidnappers along Apo axis of the territory.
She said the suspects, who had earlier abducted three persons, were arrested by police operatives when the kidnappers were trying to relocate one of their victims.
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Shiites To Nigerian Government: We’ll Lay Down Our Lives For El-Zakzaky’s Release
The Islamic Movement in Nigeria, which is an organisation for Shiites, has said its members are ready to lay down their lives for the release of their spiritual leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenat, who have been in detention since December 2015.
In a statement on Sunday through Abdullahi Musa, who is the Secretary of its Academic Forum, the sect said no amount of bullets and guns would make them give up on their struggle and daily protests on the streets of Abuja.
The group said the killing of its members by the police would not in anyway deter or hinder them from engaging in a mass protest to demand the unconditional release of their leaders.
IMN reminded President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, that oppression and tyranny have never solved any problem. They stated that they would attain their mission in a short period of time.
The statement partly read, “Oppression and tyranny has never solved any problem, trumped up or perceived neither, senseless killing of citizens. From Monday 25th to Thursday 28th January, 2021, police operatives assaulted free-Zakzaky protesters with teargas cannisters and live bullets for no reason other than the demand for the release of our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Malama Zeenah.
“Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Muhammad Adamu, ought to be reminded of our determination to lay down our lives in order to get what we want. As oppressive and tyrannical as the Buhari regime is, we can’t be daunted by threats, nor death, by whatever means. If what Buhari stage-managed in Zaria in December 2015 did not deter us, what is there to stop us from accomplishing this objective?”
The sect also called on the international community to prevail on the Nigerian government and security agents to thread with caution and stop the senseless killing of its members.
The statement also condemned the alleged killing of two members, Yunusa Abdulsalam and Kabiru Ahmad, by anti-riot policemen during a protest at Transcorp Hilton, and Banex Plaza, both in the FCT last week.
“It is high time police brutality and the waves of bloodletting stopped. Someone should call the Nigeria Police Force to order. Or, is the NPF a law unto itself? Many people were at the receiving end, and there are shreds of evidence to support this.
“They seriously injured numerous protesters who are left with critical gunshot injuries, needing urgent treatment. Unfortunately, these victims may not receive the medical or surgical treatment their conditions require. They get dumped at the SWAT headquarters, they should be released.
“In a beleaguered country under serious siege of bandits and kidnappers, only justice can make the future bright. However, from the look of things, it is already bleak.
“Sheikh Zakzaky (H) was met in his residence, riddled with bullets and his body dragged on the gory corpses of his sons that had been killed in cold blood; his wife sustained several gunshot injuries with bullets shrapnel still lodging in her body. Yet, the couple remain incarcerated, despite their alarming health condition.”
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E2%80%94-pastor-hits-back Apostle Suleman Is A Manipulator, The Audio I Released Is Genuine — Pastor Hits Back
A former pastor of the Omega Fire Ministries, Mike Davids, who alleged that the General Overseer of the church, Apostle Johnson Suleman slept with his wife, has described the latter as a manipulator and liar.
Davids had accused Suleman of sleeping with his wife, Faith Edeko, who currently heads an Abuja branch of the church.
Earlier on Saturday, Davids released an audio file claiming it was his conversation with Suleman. In the audio file, Suleman was heard saying he would make someone disappear.
But reacting to the development in a video, Suleman admitted that it was his voice in the audio clip.
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You will Die Prematurely – Apostle Suleman Threatens Pastor In Leaked Audio
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Suleman, however, said the audio clip was from a conversation he had with a lady who he was telling to stop calling him three years ago, and not from a phone conversation with Davids. He claimed he relieved Davids of his duties as a pastor in Omega Fire Ministries because he has a ‘black heart’, while also accusing him of always planning evil against other pastors.
But reacting in a video posted on his Instagram handle, Davids said the audio he released was the real audio while Suleman’s was the doctored one.
He said, “My name is Mike Davids, my attention has been drawn to a video made by Apostle Johnson Suleman 24 hours after my audio was released and that video that he made addresses two major things principally which I will respond to now: the first one is that he claims I was never the one he was addressing in that audio, that the conversation was made three years ago and secondly, he claims he sent me out of Omega Fire Miistries for blackmailing other pastors.
“First of all, the audio I released is the original audio and Apostle Suleman knows that the audio I released is the real one, the one he released is doctored, fake and manipulated. Don’t forget that I was part of that system for 16 years and all of these manipulations are part of the system.
“All the videos you are releasing is a lie from the pit of hell, that it was some persons you were addressing and all.”
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Viral Audio: I’m Sorry For Being Angry But I Wasn’t Speaking With Davids — Apostle Suleman
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Davids countered the claims of the general overseer, stating that he was not sent out of the church but left on his own.
He claimed there was no way his presence in the church guaranteed him of going to heaven.
He said, “You said you sent me out of Omega Fire Ministries for blackmailing pastors, I was never in that habit. I want Nigerians to know that it is a lie. I left that ministry because I became convinced that weakness should never be seen as wickedness and it became very obvious to me that my eternal destiny was not in view following that kind of leader that I was following and that if I continued in the ministry, I knew where I was going to end.
“I left of my own will, you were never the one that sent me out of that ministry, I was tired of your ungodliness as a leader and that is one of the major reasons I left. Forget the manipulations and cheap lies you are trying to buy Nigerians with, they already know the truth of the issue.”
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Be Wary Of Ethnic Saviours, Learn From OPC, Niger Delta Militants, Group Tells Nigerians
File Photo: Niger Delta Militants
A group known as Core Incorporation has advised Nigerians to be wary of those posing as ethnic saviours to fight against banditry, killings and kidnappings across the country.
Amid the country’s rising insecurity, several individuals and organisations have surfaced, claiming to be championing a solution to the situation.
File Photo: Niger Delta Militants
But in a statement on Sunday, co-conveners of the group, Baba Aye and Gbenga Komolafe, said Nigerians should learn from the emergence of the Oodua Peoples Congress and Niger Delta militants, which were supposedly meant to save their people from problems but allegedly became part of the problem.
The group stated that criminalising people from a particular ethnic group will not solve the problem of insecurity, noting that Nigerians are their own liberators.
CORE also warned that attacks and killing of Fulani or people of any other ethnic nationality in the South-West or any other region is likely to result in a civil war.
The group said things should be put in perspective towards achieving a “revolutionary-democratic solution to the security problem”.
The statement read, “The country is at a complex and dangerous juncture. The government has demonstrated its clear inability to safeguard the lives and property of people. Banditry and kidnapping have become widespread across several states, blending with conflicts such as those between herders and farmers into an explosive reality.
“The fact that a significant number of the perpetrators of some of these crimes have been identified as Fulani has been opportunistically used to present the problem, which has deeper roots and dynamics, as one of ethnic differences.
“But simply defining a people, be they Fulani or another nationality, by the infractions of some of them, is counterproductive. It also does not explain why there has been such an increase in criminality as part of the broader state of insecurity.
“Fulani have been chased away from Ibarapa (in Oyo State) and issued an ultimatum to leave the southwestern states. These actions have received support from a cross-section of people in the region.
“Many have lost loved ones or heard tales of people who have suffered in the hands of bandits or kidnappers. Some have had their farmlands overrun by cattle herded by Fulani.
“We must not belittle the loss of people who have been thus affected. But we must put things in perspective towards achieving a revolutionary-democratic solution of this pervasive problem.
“Thus, CORE unequivocally states that: The root causes of increasing criminality are poverty, lack of social protection, and disillusionment in the corrupt ruling class and its state.
“Criminals are not limited to any one ethnic group. For example, Evans who is one of the most notable kidnappers before he was arrested is not Fulani.
“Before the attacks on Fulani in Ibarapa, Yoruba and Fulani had carried out joint patrols to stamp out kidnapping and associated crimes. And it was clear that Fulani people as well had been kidnapped. It is also noteworthy that there are probably as many or more Yoruba in the North as there are Fulani in the South-West.
“Attacks and killing of Fulani or any people of any other ethnicity in the South-West or any other region is likely to result in retaliatory killings and quick descent into unending bloody conflicts and possibly a civil war.
“Some of those now presenting themselves as ethnic saviours have histories of being bandits and political thugs. The poor masses must not entrust their safety and security in such hands.
“We must draw lessons from experiences of the rise of bodies like the OPC and militants in the Niger Delta. Supposed saviours, as ethnic champions, became part of the problem.
“It is the people themselves that can be their own liberators. And we must not be divided along ethnic lines. People from all ethnic groups live in different parts of the country.
“Criminal activities must be treated as such without any ethnicisation of criminality, whilst addressing the root causes of increasing criminality.
“What we need now is unity and solidarity of the poor masses of all creed, ethnicity and across all regions in the struggle for a better society where poverty and this sort of state of insecurity become history.”
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Gunmen Kill APC Chairman In Benue
The All Progressives Congress (APC) ward chairman of Gboko South, Tersoo Ahu, has been killed by gunmen in Gboko on Sunday.
According to the Nation, Ahu and other APC ward excos were said to be engaged in the training of party officials for membership registration and revalidation exercise when gunmen stormed the venue with clubs, cutlasses and others, and manhandled him.
The publicity secretary of the APC, Benue chapter, James Orgunga, who confirmed the incident, said the ward chairman who sustained serious injuries from the attack died later in a public hospital in Gboko, where he was receiving treatment.
The brutal killing of the APC ward chairman in Gboko, the ancestral home of the Tiv people, may not be unconnected with the alleged factions within the party over the 2023 general elections.
The Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) of the Benue State Command, Kate Anene, a DSP, confirmed the incident and said investigation into the incident had commenced.
“Yes, I can confirm the attack and killing of the APC ward chairman in Gboko. Our men rushed to the scene but the suspects had fled. However we have identified them and very soon we shall pick them up,” DSP Anene said.
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Soldier Killed In Orlu Clash Laid To Rest
A member of the Nigerian Army who died in the Orlu clash between the Army and operatives of Eastern Security Network has been buried on Saturday.
A source told SaharaReporters that the soldier was one of many officers who passed away in the community recently.
According to him, the military authorities tries as much as possible to cover up the death of soldiers, leaving such incidents unreported.
He alleged that a similar situation occurred during the #EndSARS protest where a soldier was among the four persons burnt to death.
He said, “Meanwhile, in a compound, block 17 in Obinze barracks, a soldier also was among the 4 people burnt to death during the #EndSARS aftermath but the military killed the story.
“Orlu has been a big problem to 34 Artillery Bridge.”
Orlu in Imo State made the headlines recently when operatives of the Nigerian Army clashed with members of the Eastern Security Network, a group formed by Nnamdi Kanu, a major agitator for the realisation of Biafra.
Kanu has said the aim of the ESN was to protect the region from the activities of kidnappers and killer-herdsmen.
According to reports, shoot-outs between members of the ESN and the Nigerian Army led to the deaths of innocent civilians.
Five persons, including a middle-aged woman, were said to have been killed by stray bullets from guns of the Nigerian Army while some properties were burnt.
The soldiers were said to have been drawn from the 34 Artillery Brigade in Obinze.
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E2%80%94-student-alleges FUTMINNA Asked Us To Pay N15, 000 COVID-19 Fee — Student Alleges
FUTMINNA
A student of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, in Niger State has alleged that the school authorities demanded N15,000 COVID-19 fee from students.
Speaking with SaharaReporters on Sunday, the student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the institution’s Students Union Government warned students against paying the fee.
FUTMINNA
He said the development had angered the school authorities and thereafter halted resumption plans.
He said, “FUTMINNA has decided to halt all plans to resume academic activities due to a controversy between the school senate and the SUG on the N15,000 COVID-19 fee proposed by the school senate.
“The SUG said none of us should pay the money. Eighty percent of the students have resumed but the school has kept students in the dark about resumption plans. The school is not open to academic activities.
“The vice-chancellor was invited to Channels Television for an interview on resumption update and he said there were plans and all but those are all lies. They are insisting on the money.”
When SaharaReporters contacted the registrar of the school, Amos Kolo, he said there was nothing like COVID-19 fee and confirmed that truly, academic activities had yet to resume.
He said, “Who told you that? There is nothing like COVID-19 fee.”
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Yoruba Group Backs Sunday Igboho’s Quest To Protect South-West Against Killer Herdsmen
A group formed by Yoruba people in the diaspora, Yoruba Nation Now, has called on all southwesterners to support Yoruba freedom fighter, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, in his quest to protect the region against killer herdsmen.
The group urged Yoruba people to be proactive and be fully involved in curbing the criminal activities perpetrated by suspected Fulani foot soldiers.
In a statement by its spokesman, Ola Ajanlekoko, the group said security in the South-West region had been compromised by the Nigerian oligarchy.
The statement read: “With regards to the ongoing Fulani herdsmen killing spree and massacre all over Yorubaland, YNN will neither negotiate nor enter into any bargain on the safety of the Yoruba indigenes.
“There is no doubt that the Fulani foot soldiers’ (herdsmen) killings in Yorubaland are premeditated, planned, and intended to wipe the Yoruba out of existence.
“These intentions and methods of operations; which include but not limited to land grabbing, are crystal clear and obvious to all reasonable and impartial persons within and outside Yorubaland.
“YNN urges all Yoruba persons at home and in the diaspora to first and foremost verify and ascertain the veracity of this Yoruba security update, and to also individually and collectively join hands with us to openly condemn the genocidal tendencies of the Fulani foot soldiers; supported by the federal government in massacring our people.
“The clarion calls are on all Yoruba sons and daughters, at home and abroad to fully support every ?m? ?k? Yoruba agitators, including Chief Sunday Adisa Adeyemo, aka Chief Sunday Igboho.”
The group also warned all heads of security agencies in Nigeria against shielding the Fulani herdsmen.
The group also tasked governors of South-West states to exercise fairness in its handling of people in the region.
It added: “Yoruba Nation Now Movement hereby counsels all state government in Yorubaland, particularly the state governors to exercise fairness in all their dealings with the masses.”
“Legality and cautions must have their places in any measures you are applying or intending to apply towards detaining any Yoruba nation agitator.
“Be reminded that the safety of the populace is your number one priority in your respective privileged offices,” he added.
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19 Killed, Many Missing As Bandits Attack Kaduna Community
No fewer than 19 persons have been confirmed dead after bandits invaded Kutemeshi Community in the Birnin-Gwari area of Kaduna State.
The bandits, who attacked the community on Saturday, operated for two hours as they shot indiscriminately at residents of the community.
A resident of the community, who confirmed the attack to SaharaReporters, said several calls to security agencies were unattended to, leaving the people at the mercy of the bandits.
He said only a few volunteer vigilantes responded to the emergency calls after the bandits had retreated to the bush.
Bashir Lawal, who narrowly escaped death, said, “Early Sunday morning, 19 people were confirmed dead, while several others were injured and many people still missing. Those killed are set for burial.
“We called several times for security reinforcements, but only a handful of volunteer vigilantes came after the bandits had retreated to the bush around 7pm yesterday.
“In recent days, armed bandits had displaced thousands of people from different communities in various parts of Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.”
PHOTONEWS: 19 Killed, Many Missing As Bandits Attack Kaduna Community | Sahara Reporters …several calls to security agencies were unattended to, leaving the people at the mercy of the bandits. @GovKaduna READ MORE: pic.twitter.com/pktzKrbs1V— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) February 7, 2021
The state Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the incident on Sunday.
He listed the names of people killed as Malan Sani Barume, Yahaya Bello, Amadu Dan Korau, Samaila Niga, Jamilu Haruna, Lawal Majiya, Dan Malam Rabo, Dauda Kafinta, Hassan Mai Makani, Bashir Haruna, Lawal Ali, Mu’azu Haruna, Mai Unguwa Sa’adu and Harisu Bako.
He added that those who sustained injuries had been taken to a neighbouring state closer to Kutemeshi for urgent medical attention.
Aruwan said, “Some shops were also looted with valuable items carted away. Some of the injured (persons) have been moved to a neighbouring state closer to Kutemeshi for urgent medical attention, while others are in transit to an orthopaedic hospital in Kaduna.
“So far, only the 14 corpses have been recovered from Kutemeshi. The Kaduna State Government will provide updates on any emerging developments.”
This comes barely three days after six persons were burnt to death during a bandits’ induced auto crash in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state.
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