Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Wednesday 3rd February 2021
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 03/02/21
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E2%80%99s-government-has-failed-nigerians-says-tunde-bakare Buhari’s Government Has Failed Nigerians, Says Tunde Bakare
Pastor Tunde Bakare
The Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has slammed the Muhammadu Buhari-led Nigerian government.
Speaking during an Instagram Live Chat with popular journalist, Dele Momodu, Bakare said the President has not met the expectations Nigerians had when they elected him into office in 2015.
Pastor Tunde Bakare
Belle Naija
The cleric bemoaned the lack of leadership, especially with the rising cases of kidnapping and killing, causing non-state actors to take the law into their own hands.
He said, “We are praying hard that the country will survive and become strong again, this is not what we all call the Nigeria of our dreams. Nigeria will survive and will become the Nigeria of our dreams but right now, things are not together, especially with the drum of disintegration which is louder than before.
“Nigeria is better together, if we go back together to the basics of how we came together, looking at 1960 and 1963, we can still be together. We are not there yet, but we are getting closer.
“The truth of the matter is it is still the same Buhari; in the midst of many competing interests, we respond differently. The President is still himself, some have even asked me if he is not somebody else.
“Power changes people, has power changed him or is he making the best situation of the circumstances? He will be the one to answer it. The expectations of Nigerians, including everyone who woke up to say we need a breath of fresh air, has not been met. There is a feeling of disappointment.
“Citizens have the right to demand good governance. People deserve the government they get.”
Citing a biblical illustration, he said, “We rejected the Peoples Democratic Party and embraced All Progressives Congress’sl change but it appears we have been shortchanged.”
The cleric was the running mate of Buhari in the 2011 presidential election. The duo, who ran on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change, lost to former President Goodluck Jonathan and Namadi Sambo of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Buhari ran again and won in 2015 with Prof Yemi Osinbajo on the platform of All Progressives Congress. Change was the mantra of the ruling party in 2015.
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E2%80%94-aide Ogun Government Invited Igboho, State Commissioner Lacked Right Information — Aide
The media aide to the Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Sunday Igboho, Dapo Salami, on Tuesday said the Commisioner for information in Ogun State, Waheed Odusile, who denied that the state government didn’t invite his boss to drive criminal Fulani herdsmen away from the state, lacked the right information.
Salami said his principal had decided not to honour any invitation without an official backing again.
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, through Odusile, had denied seeking Igboho’s help curb insecurity in the state.
But Salami who spoke with some reporters in Ibadan on Tuesday said nobody was killed during his principal’s visit to Ogun State on Monday.
He described rumours of violence in Ogun during Igboho’s visit as the work of some mischievous elements working against the interest of Yoruba nation.
Citing the example of the incident in Igangan where nobody was killed during Igboho’s visit there, Salami said despite police report and the evicted Seriki Fulani of Igangan saying no one was killed, some newspapers reported deaths.
“You people have started again. We heard so many fake news during his visit to Igangan. Some section of the media reported that many were killed while some gave fake casualty figures. Was anyone killed? No is the answer. So, we know they will still give a fake account again.
“My boss is a lover of Yoruba nation and that cannot be contested. He loves other tribes too but hates injustice. His problem is the wicked Fulani people who are terrorising his people. We spoke just now and he has said he won’t honour any invitation without making it official again. We know Odusile who denied the invitation has no information,” he said.
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Fraudster Bags Four Months Jail Term in Ibadan
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Office, on Tuesday, secured the conviction of one Oluwatobi Damilola Aina before Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court, sitting in Ibadan.
The 26-year-old, who claimed to be a fashion enthusiast, was arrested on September 29, 2020, when the Commission got wind of his fraudulent activities and consequently charged him to court on one count bordering on impersonation.
The Commision disclosed this in a statement by the Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, in Ibadan.
The charge reads, “That you, Oluwatobi Damilola Aina, sometime between the month of January and October 2020 at Ibadan within the Ibadan Judicial Division of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, falsely presented yourself as a female known as Namita Cooling.”
He pleaded guilty to the charge.
He was consequently convicted and sentenced to four months in prison.
The court also ordered him to restitute items recovered from him to the Nigerian government through the EFCC.
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Igbo Group To Launch Justice Campaigns Against Buratai For Alleged Killing Of Igbo Soldiers On Eve Of His Retirement
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt General Yusuf Tukur Buratai.
An Igbo group called Eastern Nigeria’s Rights and Intelligentsia Coalition says it will launch international and local justice campaigns against the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.
The group alleged that the former Nigerian Army chief secretly executed six Igbo soldiers last Monday, a day to his retirement from service.
One of the signatories of the international press statement, Nigerian lawer based in South Africa, Austin Okeke, revealed the position of the group to SaharaReporters on Tuesday.
The group, which is an assemblage of intellectuals of Igbo extraction in Nigeria and overseas, said the action was to make the former Nigerian Army chief pay for allegedly killing the soldiers from the South-East, among other atrocious acts he allegedly committed while in office.
Okeke alleged that though Buratai was the biggest culprit, there other senior serving military and police officers that were privy to the atrocity, including Governors Willie Obiano and Okezie Ikpeazu of Anambra and Abia states respectively.
“We, the undersigned human rights and intelligentsia coalition of old Eastern Nigeria origin, working toward redressing abuses and violations of human rights of grievous nature as defined by international instruments, have today resolved to launch local and international justice campaigns against the immediate past Nigerian Army chief, Retired Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai and over 20 others concerning their atrocious rights abuses while in office.
“The referenced international justice campaigns specifically border on justice for the victims of the horrendous rights abuses and violations and the severe punishment of their perpetrators. The chief perpetrator in this regard is the immediate past Army Chief, Retired Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai. Others in the list are senior serving and retired military and police chiefs, as well as the Governors of Anambra and Abia States; all numbering over 20,” the statement reads partly.
The statement revealed that an international human rights lawyer, E. R. Okoroafor, was contacted by a relative of one of the slain soldiers to come to their aid before the execution at Abacha Barracks, Abuja, the nation’s capital.
“We have received with rude shock and deepest dismay the Monday, 25 January, 2021 secret execution of six Igbo Christian soldiers, attached to the Armory Department of the Nigerian Army, Abacha Barracks in Abuja.
“The slain Igbo Christian soldiers; namely: Prince Ukwuoma, son of a traditional ruler; Ebube Isaiah, Amos Azubuike, Ekene Ebere, Moses Anyim and Godwin Uchendu were allegedly secretly executed under the instruction of now Retired Lt. Gen L. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, a day before he left office on Tuesday, 26th January, 2021.
“This shocking news was disclosed to us by E.R. Okoroafor, an international human rights lawyer, who is very conversant with the matter and was also contacted by one of the slain soldiers through his family to defend them regarding the trumped-up charges against them. They were executed using hazy and clandestine military court-Martial.”
The report quoted Okoroafor as, saying “Sometime in September 2020, an allegation of missing weapons was made at Abacha Barracks and it was immediately traced to a senior Colonel of Fulani-Hausa Muslim origin and instead of the Chief of Army Staff to issue a query and sanction the colonel, he exonerated him on the grounds of his tribe and religion.
“The COAS turned around and ordered the arrest of 12 soldiers guarding the armoury, comprising six Igbo soldiers, three Yoruba soldiers and three Fulani-Hausa Muslim soldiers. In the end, the latter soldiers were shielded and exonerated under questionable circumstances and the six Igbo soldiers made to face secret court-martial during which they were blocked and prevented from having access to their families and defence lawyers of their choice.”
E. R. Okoroafor also told the Coalition that his attempts to stand in for the Igbo soldiers were stiffly opposed and he was flimsily told by the Army’s Legal Department that, “civilian lawyers are not allowed to defend the accused soldiers except for military lawyers.”
According to the report, “Their trial was totally shrouded in secrecy and never disclosed to the public through Army statements till date; likewise their constitutional right of appeal to Court of Appeal and Supreme Court which was also totally denied. The persecuted and executed soldiers protested their innocence to the point of tendering their resignation in protest; all to no avail.
“Apart from their secret execution being totally despicable and condemnable and a clear case of ethnic cleansing, the coalition also strongly suspects that the six Igbo soldiers were framed or singled out for persecution on the grounds of their ethnicity and religion.
“It is also doubtful whether the offence of ‘missing weapons’ in peace time is commensurable with death sentence in the Nigerian military laws, all subject to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended. Another shocking part was where the immediate past Army Chief derived his power to order the secret execution of ‘justly’ and ‘unjustly’ convicted soldiers. This is more so when there is a national moratorium on the death penalty in Nigeria.
“The coalition, therefore, notes further that dozens, if not hundreds of Igbo soldiers have in recent times particularly since 2017/8 died under similar circumstances both in the fronts and ‘peace time.’ Additionally, there have been several reported and unreported cases of dismissals, resignations and desertions involving soldiers and officers of old Eastern Nigeria extraction on account of the ethnic cleansing under Buratai as Nigerian Army chief,” the statement revealed.
The statement was signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi (MSc.), Board Chair, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law; Prof Anthony Ejiofor, Chairman, World Igbo Congress (USA); Prof Uzodimma Nwala-President, Ala-Igbo Development Foundation (ADF); Prof Justice Chidi-President, Concerned Elites for Better Society Initiative; Prof Justin Akujieze-President, Ekwenche Research Institute (USA); Dr. Moses Nwaigwe, President, Biafra Genocide Survivors Group (USA); Austin Okeke, Esq, Global Leader, Igbo Board of Deputies (UK), among others.
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International Press Centre Condemns Death Threats To Nigerian Journalist Over Southern Kaduna Conflict Reports
The International Press Centre (IPC) has expressed great concern over allegations of threats to life of Ibanga Isine, Nigerian investigative journalist and editor of an online newspaper, Next Edition.
SaharaReporters had earlier reported how Isine went into hiding following death threats to his life over a series of reports on the conflicts in Southern Kaduna, Kaduna State.
It was gathered that many of the sources linked to him in the course of writing the reports were said to have died in controversial circumstances, a situation that compelled him to go into hiding for safety.
About three sources who have been killed revealed the shadowy role played by the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in the intercommunal clashes which occurred in Southern Kaduna, leaving several people dead in the past year.
The journalist, who has spent about a week in hiding, told the Safety Alert Desk of the IPC, that he was forced to abandon his home after the death threats became intolerable.
He said: “I have been investigating the Southern Kaduna killings for months now, and I have just recently published the last part in a four-part series on the bloody attacks in the zone.
“In the course of the investigation, two of my sources have been attacked, one was killed along with his son three months after he said he was afraid for his life.
“Another source escaped being killed and his neighbours paid dearly when the killers didn’t find him.”
Melody Lawal, Programme Officer/Safety Alert Officer of the IPC, said the body was deeply worried about the condition of Isine and called on the Nigerian government and the security agencies to ensure he was not harmed in any way.
The media centre also advised distressed parties to pursue legal redress rather than seeking to harm the journalist over his investigative works.
“IPC enjoins anyone who may be aggrieved over the reports by the journalist to seek redress through legal channels instead of attempting to resort to extra-judicial self-help.
“IPC believes the time has come to stop attacks of journalists in Nigeria so that the country would stop being counted among dangerous zones for journalists to practise.”
The IPC called on other national, regional and international media freedom groups, as well as human rights bodies to join in the clamour for the safety of Isine and other journalists.
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E2%80%94-abia-government Herdsmen Kidnapping Our People, Destroying Farmland — Abia Government
Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
The Abia State Government has accused herders of kidnapping citizens of the state.
John Okiyi Kalu, the state Commissioner for Information, made the allegation in a statement on Monday.
Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu
Kalu said the herdsmen also destroyed farmland in the state, with their cows “grazing openly in violation of extant laws of the state and Nigeria”.
The commissioner said Governor Okezie Ikpeazu had directed security operatives to investigate the destruction of farmland and the kidnapping cases in some communities in the state.
The statement read, “Abia State Government wishes to condemn in its entirety the recent destruction of farmland by cows grazing openly in violation of extant laws of the state and Nigeria.
“It also condemns, without reservations, the activities of criminal herdsmen suspected to have masterminded the recent brazen kidnap of innocent citizens around Abia North Senatorial Zone of the state.
“Consequently, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has directed security agents in the state to bring to justice all those involved in the criminal activities. Government also frowns seriously on the wanton killing of cows by yet-to-be identified individuals whose aim is to exacerbate already existing tension.
“Government has fully activated all relevant components of the state security architecture to ensure the safety of lives and property of law abiding citizens, residents and visitors to the state.
“We therefore call on the people to go about their legitimate businesses without fear as government is on top of the situation and will spare nothing in protecting Abians.”
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had on Monday issued a 14-day ultimatum to South-East governors to enforce the anti-grazing law.
IPOB said it would not tolerate killings by herdsmen, adding that the security outfit would commence the enforcement of anti-grazing law in two weeks.
The group said those who violate the law will “witness the type of madness you never knew existed”.
“If you are one of the #Zoo animals suffering from an advanced form of Stockholm syndrome, may it kill you there. We in the East are not, have never been and can never be slaves to any bunch of retards. Ask the British,” Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB leader said in a statement.
“We won’t tolerate any iota of killer Fulani herdsmen menace in the East. You may be comfortable with your wretched Fulanised existence where you are but we won’t live with that rubbish in the land of the Rising Sun. Where were you when our people were being slaughtered, raped and kidnapped in Isiukwuato?
“In less than two weeks, #ESN will commence the full enforcement of Nigeria’s Anti-Grazing Law in the East. Turn into a cow then and see what shall become of you. You are about to understand how determined we are. You have the temerity to talk about monopoly of violence?
“The era of Biafrans crying and lamenting to EU and UN has come and gone. The Dragon Flag has been raised! If you don’t know what it means, go and ask. Yap all you like, there is no going back. You #Zoo animals are about to witness the type of madness you never knew existed.”
Operatives of IPOB’ Eastern Security Network on Sunday also invaded the camp of Fulani herdsmen in Isiukwuato, a town in Abia, chasing them away and killing dozens of their cows.
In a video seen by SaharaReporters, the ESN operatives were seen burning houses and cows allegedly belonging to the herdsmen.
A lady was also heard in the video accusing the Fulani of being behind the rising insecurity in the Eastern region.
“We are here to tell these idiots, these stupid Fulani that this place is not for them, they must leave our land. We are formidable, we have dealt with them, their cows are dead, we have chased them away,” she said.
“They should leave our land, there is no place for them. We cannot allow you to stay in our land, you kill our people, you rape our women, you think you will go scot free, there is no place for you. These are their houses, we are setting fire on it. They should leave our land.”
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NDLEA Nabs Nigerian Returnee From Brazil Who Hid Cocaine Inside T-shirt Stickers
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a suspected cocaine trafficker, Ukaegbu Bright Onyekachi, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
The suspect, who arrived in Nigeria on board Ethiopian Airlines from São Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa, was nabbed with 3.30 kilogrammes of the illicit drug during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines at the E arrival hall of the MMIA.
NDLEA commander at MMIA, Ahmadu Garba, said the drug was concealed in T-shirt stickers.
He said, “The hard drug was cleverly concealed in T-shirt stickers but he was nabbed by eagle-eyed detectives.”
This comes barely a week after the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mohammed Buba Marwa, directed the commanders of the agency in all states and special commands to rid the country of illicit drugs.
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E2%80%99ll-support-presidential-candidate-southern-nigeria-2023-%E2%80%94-kano-senator I’ll Support Presidential Candidate From Southern Nigeria in 2023 — Kano Senator
Senator Kabiru Gaya
The senator representing Kano South Constituency, Senator Kabiru Gaya, has said he will support a president that emerges from the southern part of the country in 2023.
Gaya also stated that the next president of the country to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari should come from the southern part of Nigeria, describing the rotation of the presidency as a fair gesture.
Senator Kabiru Gaya
He disclosed this at a forum organised by the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday.
There has been a political debate as to the region of the country to produce the next occupant of Aso Presidential Villa in 2023.
Among those believed to be eyeing the highest political seat in the country is the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Also, the caucus of politicians across party divides from the South-East has unanimously agreed recently to present someone of Igbo extraction to vie for presidency in 2023, as the region has not tasted the highest position since the present democratic dispensation returned in 1999.
“On the issue of the presidency in 2023, I will support a president from the southern part of the country. I believe it is time we had the President from the southern part of the country while the vice president comes from the North.
“I think it should be fair to rotate the presidency in such a way that people will have confidence in the system. Both the North and the South will accommodate each other. Nigeria needs to be one country. One united country,” he said.
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COVID-19: Nigeria Expects 57 Million Vaccine Doses Over Next Few Months
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Nigeria is set to receive 57 million doeses of Covid-19 vaccine over the next few months, the authorities say.
They have asked for a four-fold increase on their previous request for 10 million doses from the African Union.
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“We have applied for 41 million doses of a combination of Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines,” Faisal Shuaib, who heads the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, told the Reuters news agency.
According to the BBC, an additional 16 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are expected in February from the World Health Organisation-backed Covax programme.
As Nigeria fights a second wave of Covid-19, officials are looking to multiple sources to secure more vaccines to inoculate its enormous population.
During a press conference in the capital, Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, also said the country’s drug agency was looking into vaccines from Russia and India.
So far Nigeria, with a population of around 186 million, has officially recorded over 130,000 cases of Covid-19, including 1,600 deaths.
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Oyo Community Alleges Oppression By Notorious Fulani Warlord, Wakili
File Photo
Residents of Ayete, a town in the Ibarapa area of Oyo State, have alleged that a Fulani warlord, Iskilu Wakili, has continued to kill and maim their people.
The residents, especially farmers, alleged that Wakili had taken over all their farms and mounted no cross-zone on them following the eviction of the Seriki Fulani of Igangan, Abdulkadir Saliu, from the area, in a bid to send warnings to the people of the town that he cannot be evicted.
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Punchng
According to The Punch, Wakili was also accused of shooting farmers who trespassed the no cross-zone.
Wakili, a Fulani herdsman, is said to be more infamous than the ejected Seriki Fulani. Farmers and residents of Ibarapaland have accused him of displacing them from their farms by forcefully invading their farms with cattle.
It was gathered that Wakili, who is said to be the leader of the herdsmen in the Ayete area of Ibarapaland, work with dozens of herders who are his disciples. Together with his battalion, they allegedly seize hectares of farmlands at Ayete, rape women in the rustic town, and kidnap their rich men for ransom.
A resident of the town said on Tuesday, “Wakili has mounted red flags on some locations as no-cross zones. He has taken captive of Kajola, Gbagban Idere, Konkon, and Magbeje villages under Ayete. In fact, people can’t cross Wakili’s territory.
“Wakili mounted a no-cross zone when he discovered that Seriki Saliu had been evicted so that he wouldn’t be displaced too. In fact, he has renamed his settlements to bear his name. People now call the conquered places ‘Iga Wakili’. You can imagine the audacity.
“Those who have farms around Iga Wakili and were unable to leave before his no-cross zone entered into the bush and crossed rivers in search of other routes back home because crossing Wakili’s territory was suicidal.
“In fact, Wakili and his men shot a boy who crossed the red flag by mistake. Before the boy knew what was going on, Fulani herdsmen came out with AK-47 and shot him.”
It was also alleged that Wakili relies on deadly weapons, native powers as well as federal might.
A source who spoke with The PUNCH said, “Wakili depends on federal power, he believes he has some form of immunity and touch-not-my- sacred-children audacity. Minus that, who can do that in this country?
“In fact, Seriki’s son, Ibrahim Saliu, said Sunday Igboho can’t dare Wakili. Wakili and his son, Abu, are warlords for the herdsmen in the whole of Ibarapaland.
“Another factor is that the roads are unchecked and so other herdsmen come in on buses to reinforce Wakili. Two buses of Fulani herdsmen recently went to Wakili’s settlement to reinforce him with weapons and no security operative checked or arrested them.”
The Asawo of Ayete, Oba Emmanuel Okeniyi, said Wakili had invited his armed kinsmen to join him on the farms.
Okeniyi added that the herdsmen had started cutting down cocoa trees and burning cashew plantations.
Baale Odomofin, the traditional ruler in control of Gbangbangere, Konko, Dagbere, Kajola, Magbeje, and other hamlets in Ayete under the reign of reign allegedly imposed by Wakili, said the deadly Fulani herder shot emissaries sent to serve him a quit notice.
He said, “We served Wakili a quit notice to leave our lands but he opened fire on the men sent to deliver the quit notice. It was bloody and many persons were injured in the process.
“No farmer in Ayete can harvest any crop again but Wakili does all the harvests. He technically displaced all the farmers from their farms by sending his cows to eat all the crops. He does this forcefully with his herders who invade the farms with weapons. The farmers have nothing to show for their efforts but Wakili’s farm produces bountiful harvest and people now buy his produce.”
The Baale also denied claims that he sold farmland occupied by Wakili and his herders to him.
He said, “I didn’t sell any farmland to Wakili. He took over the farmland, using force. He is guilty of forced occupation.”
Speaking on how Wakili came into the town, the monarch said, “Some 18 years ago, we just heard that a Fulani herdsman has camped on our land. Wakili never approached us for any approval to settle in the area. He just came from nowhere and made himself a lord there.
“I sent for him and asked him what right he had to occupy our land without approvals. Wakili spoke through an interpreter and said God owns the earth and its fullness thereof. I replied that indeed God owns the earth but he put some people in charge of some places.
“Wakili said he had heard all that I said and would come back but he never came back. Instead, he occupied the farmland and attacked protesters with guns and dangerous weapons.
“Wakili and his men rape our women regularly, they kidnap the well-to-do ones amongst us for ransoms. They usually demand N5m and above from kidnap victims. The suffering is so much that the farmers can no longer go to their farms. We reported the cases several times to the police but nothing was done.
“I hope that the Amotekun operatives deployed by the governor would storm Wakili’s area and rescue us from his captivity.”
Reacting to the development, however, the Amotekun Commandant in the state, Olayanju Olayinka, said Ayete was safe, adding that he and his men had been to the town.
He was quoted as saying, “It is a security matter and I can’t divulge it on the phone. Ayete is safe. I am there myself.”
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