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How Buratai Facilitated Sunday Igboho’s Arrest, Insists on Extradition
Facts on Tuesday emerged about how Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Benin Republic, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), was instrumental to the arrest of the Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho.
A top security source in the Benin Republic confided in The PUNCH that the former Chief of Army Staff wrote the government of the small West African country and insisted on the arrest and extradition of Igboho.
It was gathered that Buratai was at the forefront of the ongoing move to extradite the activist.
A few hours after Igboho’s arrest on Monday, his Beninese lawyers and other experts met with some Benin Republic government officials and called for the halting of his extradition.
Buratai, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff between July 2015 and January 2021, was deployed as Nigeria’s envoy in the Benin Republic in June 2021.
Before then, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had presented Buratai’s nomination to the Senate and the upper chamber of the National Assembly had confirmed the ex-COAS’ nomination despite public outcry of some crimes against humanity allegedly committed by the Nigerian Army under Buratai’s leadership.
A top security source in Benin Republic, who spoke to one of our correspondents said that Buratai through the Nigerian Embassy in the small West African country sent a secret letter to the Benin government to be on the lookout for Igboho.
The PUNCH gathered that the letter was instrumental to the arrest of Igboho and his wife, Ropo, at the Cadjèhoun Airport in Cotonou, the largest city in the French-speaking country.
Recall that three weeks ago, the Department of State Services declared Igboho wanted for allegedly stockpiling arms, an allegation he had since denied.
Before then, the DSS on July 1, 2021 raided his house at Soka area of Ibadan, killing two of his aides and arresting 12 others.
Later that day, the DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, at a press briefing in Abuja, paraded Igboho’s associates and detained them thereafter, denying them access to their lawyers and not charging them to court.
The DSS also paraded some passports, AK-47 rifles, rounds of ammunition, African bulletproof vests, among others as exhibits. The secret police claimed that the items were recovered from Igboho’s house during the bloody raid.
It was gathered that government beefed up security at Iwajowa, Saki West and Ibarapa local government areas of Oyo State which were adjoining areas to the Benin Republic.
Igboho, who rose to prominence in January 2021 after he issued an ultimatum to ‘killer herders’ in parts of Ibarapaland was said to have escaped the security apparatus in the areas to the Benin Republic where he was scheduled to catch a flight to Germany.
According to a top source familiar with the matter, the Nigerian government foresaw the possibility of Igboho flying to Europe through Benin Republic and planted a landmine for him there through Buratai.
Culled from The Punch
President Bola Tinubu has issued a passionate call for unity, resilience, and renewed patriotism, urging Nigerians to stand firm behind ongoing reforms aimed at rebuilding the country’s economic foundation.
Speaking during a grand reception in Awka, Anambra State, on the occasion of his state visit, President Tinubu acknowledged the current challenges facing the nation but assured the people that the hard choices were necessary for lasting prosperity.
“We continue to plead with Nigerians for their patience and understanding,” Tinubu appealed.
“We call on all patriots and progressives to rise and continue to work hard every day for the greatness of our dear country. We have no other country but Nigeria. We must make it great as the pride of the black race.”
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to inclusive development, citing progress made in economic reform, infrastructure investment, and improved public finance management.
“We met near-insolvent public finance… unsustainable multiple subsidies… a chaotic and debilitating forex regime. These monsters have been tackled,” he said.
Highlighting renewed investor confidence and growth in agriculture, manufacturing, and technology, Tinubu said the “Renewed Hope Agenda” was already yielding visible results.
He particularly commended Anambra for leading in innovation and development, referencing the commissioning of the Solution Fun City and Government House Mini-City as signs of progress.
Describing Governor Chukwuma Soludo as “a brilliant man” and “a thinker who knows the way,” Tinubu added: “We are working together for a better Anambra and Nigeria.”
The president also praised Anambra State for fully implementing and even surpassing the new national minimum wage, calling it “a signal of true leadership and compassion for the working class.”
Asserting the federal government’s commitment to equitable development, Tinubu promised increased investment in roads, power, rail, and digital infrastructure across all regions, including the Southeast.
White smoke has risen above the Sistine Chapel, the signal that cardinals have chosen a new pope on the second day of the conclave. His identity, and the name he will take as pontiff, will be revealed soon.
There are 133 voting cardinals, who have all been sequestered inside the Vatican during the conclave. Any one of them needed two-thirds of the vote to become the next pope. Take a look at how the voting process works.
As soon as the news of the white smoke spread through the Italian capital, some people began running through the streets of Rome to get to St. Peter’s Square. People continue to stream into the square from every alley that leads to the Vatican.
In the square itself, people are hugging and crying tears of joy.
While earlier the crowd was angling to get a good view of the Sistine Chapel chimney, they are now inching closer to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica where the new pope is expected to emerge any moment.
Source: CNN
The Senator representing Delta North, Ned Nwoko, has told Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State to leave “old habits” of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) behind as he joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Following Oborevwori’s defection, Nwoko, in a statement addressed to the governor, advised him to ensure his move to the APC is transformative.
Although he commended the governor for dumping the PDP, he advised him to leave behind “old deals” that destroyed the opposition party in Delta State.
He said, “Leave behind the politics of survival and step into the politics of legacy.”
“No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Old habits, old politics, and the old deals that led to the gradual decline of the PDP in Delta must be left behind.”
Nwoko also maintained that the ruling party has already begun preparing for constitutional amendments, including the creation of Anioma and New Delta states.
“Let me remind you, this agenda was declared a done deal by the party leadership long before your defection, a testament to the APC’s commitment to correcting historical imbalances and ending regional marginalisation,” he said.
Therefore, he urged Oborevwori to embrace a new sense of purpose, lead the charge for constitutional reforms and demonstrate renewed dedication to fairness, inclusive development, and progressive governance.
He said: “Your defection must not be symbolic; it must be transformative. This is your opportunity to embrace a new sense of purpose and demonstrate renewed dedication to progressive governance, fairness, and inclusive development.
“The creation of Anioma State will finally give voice, identity, and institutional power to the aspirations of Delta North. It is a long overdue recognition of a people who have sought parity with their kinsmen.
“The proposed New Delta will address the deep internal asymmetries within the current Delta state structure. It will empower neglected communities, bring government closer to the people, and unlock new paths for economic growth.
