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German Police Claim to Identify Ekweremadu’s Attackers, as IPOB Remain Adamant
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Four of the members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra who attacked a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, in Nuremberg, Germany, have been identified by the Bavaria police.
Ekweremadu, a serving senator from Enugu State, was beaten up by some members of IPOB in Nuremberg on Saturday at an event organised by the “Ndigbo Germany.”
Nuremberg is the second largest city after Munich in the State of Bavaria.
The Nigerian embassy has mounted pressure on the German federal authorities to bring the attackers to justice following the initial reluctance of the state police to investigate the assault which was captured on video.
According to an online medium, Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Tuggar, reminded the federal authorities on their responsibility to foreign government dignitaries visiting the country.
Under section 102 (1), chapter 3, of the German criminal code, attacks against organs and representatives of foreign states are punishable with fines and imprisonment.
It states, “(1) Whosoever commits an attack against the life or limb of a foreign head of state, member of a foreign government, the head of a foreign diplomatic mission who is accredited in the federal territory while the victim is in Germany in his official capacity shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding five years or a fine, in especially serious cases to imprisonment of not less than one year.
“(2) In addition to a sentence of imprisonment of at least six months, the court may order the loss of the ability to hold public office to vote and be elected in public elections (section 45(2) and (5).”
This is aside the civil case that can be instituted by the victim.
The Cable reported that an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja said that the Bavaria State police had analysed the attack videos and identified four of the suspected attackers.
“I cannot reveal their identities for now because the German authorities are now cooperating with us and investigating the attack,” the official said.
However, IPOB on Thursday insisted that the attack on the senator was well deserved.
In a statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group accused Ekweremadu of being self-centered.
It said Ekweremadu, being the longest serving senator in the South-East geopolitical zone, had not promoted any legislative advocacy for the good of the area.
The statement read in part, “Enugu, his home state, is besieged on all fronts by Fulani militants. Men, women and children, even priests are being slaughtered on a daily basis. We are yet to hear our distinguished senator speak with clarity on the matter.
“We do not expect Ekweremadu to change Nigeria, but we expect him to voice out our anger and frustration in the enemy Senate.
“Those who are blaming IPOB Germany for manhandling Ekweremadu are poor students of history.
“You do not persuade an angry people with patriotic rhetoric. Leaders, who cannot gauge the anger and fury in their land, must be truly blind and not qualified to represent them.”
However, the Igbo Youth Assembly Worldwide has described the attack on Ekweremadu as a wake-up call on Igbo leaders of thought to do the right thing.
The group said this in a statement jointly signed by its President-General, Mazi Ifeanyi Nwaudunna, and the Secretary-General, Mr Casmir Irekamba, in Abuja on Thursday.
The organisation, however, condemned the attack.
“We condemned all these illegal and disordered activities of IPOB as misguided and a play by the enemies of Ndi Igbo to paralyse economic activities of Ndi-Igbo and Nigeria.
“We also express deep concerns over numerous cheap blackmail and name-calling against certain individuals and ethnic groups and President Muhammadu Buhari,” it stated.
The Punch
The Allied Peoples Movement (APM) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, on Thursday, criticised President Bola Tinubu’s “Emi Lokan” slogan ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Makinde said Nigerians do not need “turn-by-turn nepotism”, arguing that voters should be free to decide who becomes the country’s next president in 2027.
The Oyo State governor spoke during the APM’s town hall meeting in Akure, Ondo State.
Makinde asked: “How can someone say ‘Eemi lokan’ in a country like Nigeria? You were given the opportunity. If you recall the 1999 presidential election, the South-West voted massively for Baba Olu Falae, but the rest of Nigerians voted for Baba Obasanjo. So, this is not an issue that only the South-West can resolve; it is an issue we must address collectively as Nigerians.
“We do not want ‘turn-by-turn nepotism’, nor do we want a situation where people say, ‘I will vote for projects because it is my turn’. You will not finish those projects, and when it becomes someone else’s turn, they will do the same thing. We will end up with a Nigeria where we cannot get value for the resources belonging to Nigerians.
“The Reset Nigeria agenda is about building a country where infrastructure development supports economic growth and addresses the concerns of young people and women.
“Once we fix our economy, no zone will be left behind, and no demographic group will be left behind.”
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has denied saying the Federal government will introduce a fuel tax when the economy stabilises and income levels improve.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Oyedele said his remarks during an interview with ARISE News was misrepresented, insisting that a “fuel tax is not on the table.”
However, during the interview with Rotus Odiri, ARISE News Business Correspondent, on the sidelines of the 2026 International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, Oyedele said the tax would come when income levels improve enough for Nigerians to accommodate it.
He said taxes account for between 20 and 80 percent of pump prices in some countries, while many African countries impose between six and 10 different taxes on fuel products.
He said introducing fuel tax while petrol was still subsidised would have been counterproductive because government would effectively be paying the tax itself.
According to him, imposing the tax immediately after removal of petrol subsidy would be insensitive to Nigerians.
“The objective should be that instead of trying to suppress prices, which hasn’t worked for us, it hasn’t worked for any country in the world, not one. Instead of trying to suppress prices, think about how to grow income faster than prices rise,” Oyedele said.
“That’s how you bring prosperity and grow the middle class and that is exactly what we are doing as led by Mr. President himself.
“At the appropriate time, when the economy has stabilizes and income level will be able to accommodate it, those taxes will come. Not because we want to impose taxes,” he added.
In his Tuesday post, the minister reiterated that introducing a fuel tax at this time would be insensitive following removal of petrol subsidy, describing reports that government will introduce the levy when the economy stabilises as “fake news.”
A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Deputy Director of the Presidential Campaign Council, Chief Dele Momodu, has described former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as the most nationally formidable and experienced among the leading contenders for the 2027 presidential election.
Momodu said Atiku’s experience at the national level distinguishes him from President Bola Tinubu and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi.
He stated this on Wednesday during an interview on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, in Abeokuta.
“If you look at the antecedents of the three major candidates, between Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, you will see that Atiku is the most experienced. He has managed our country at the highest level,” he said.
Momodu traced Atiku’s political journey to the 1992 Social Democratic Party (SDP), presidential primary where he contested against late MKO Abiola and stepped down for him.
He said Atiku accepted the outcome without crisis even after he was not picked as Abiola’s running mate, describing it as a mark of true democratic temperament.
“He is the only one who started from around 1992, contested the SDP primary against Abiola and stepped down with uncommon equanimity. He did not make any noise,” Momodu said.
He noted that Atiku was among the founders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and served as Vice-President from 1999 to 2007.
Comparing Atiku with Obi, Momodu argued that while Obi’s best was demonstrated in Anambra, Atiku’s was at the presidency level managing the national economy.
“Peter Obi has tried his best in Anambra, while Atiku’s best is at the level of vice president controlling the economy of Nigeria. The difference is clear. He has matured in experience and exposure,” he said.
Momodu also said President Tinubu’s experience was largely limited to Lagos.
“What I’m trying to say is that Tinubu’s experience was limited to Lagos, and that is why when he became president, he thought Nigeria was Lagos. And he has found out now that Nigeria is not Lagos,” he said.
He argued that the current economic hardship under the present administration did not show prosperity, insisting Atiku remained better positioned to lead the country.
“Well, we are yet to see that prosperity, and if yesterday would determine today and tomorrow, it is obvious that Tinubu should retire now and let someone else do it,” Momodu added.
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