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Wike Accuses Army of Running Oil Bunkering Syndicate in Rivers
Governor Nyesom Wike has accused the Nigerian Army of running illegal bunkering in Rivers State.
The governor accused Jamil Sarham, the general officer commanding the Army’s 6 Division in Port Harcourt, of raising a team of soldiers to steal and sell petroleum products in the region.
“The GOC has his own team now doing oil bunkering for him because he wants to be chief of army staff,” Mr Wike said while receiving a team of military personnel from ‘Operation Delta Safe’ on Wednesday. “If you give that kind of person chief of army staff, what kind of security would we have in this country?”
“He cannot be removed here because they know the role he is playing for them: sabotaging our security architecture,” the governor added.
Mr Wike said Mr Sarham, a major-general, regularly divulges confidential security briefings to criminals, and the military leadership’s reluctance in removing him was deliberate.
“We would have security meeting, he will release it to criminals,” Mr Wike said. “And chief of army staff will leave the man here because he is playing their role.”
Mr Wike said he has been leading security efforts to “reduce crime to the barest minimum,” in Rivers, which ranks amongst Nigeria’s most volatile states. But the army constitutes an obstacle for success, he alleged.
The ‘Operation Delta Safe’ is a joint-security patrol of the Niger Delta region, where cases of oil theft and disruption of oil installations are regularly reported. The courtesy visit to Mr Wike was led by Akinjide Akinrinade, a naval rear admiral and overall head of the operation.
Mr Wike said it would be difficult for ‘Operation Delta Safe’ to arrest military personnel sent on oil bunkering mission if they encountered one another in the creeks.
The governor did not provide any evidence to substantiate his allegations. His media adviser, Oraye Franklin, told PREMIUM TIMES he has nothing to add to the governor’s comments.
Mr Wike, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, has made unsubstantiated allegations in the past against Buhari administration officials and security chiefs. Following the discovery of a cash haul in Ikoyi in April 2017, Mr Wike claimed the money belonged to Rivers State, having allegedly been plundered by his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi.
But when asked to provide evidence during forfeiture hearings, the governor failed to make any submission to the court. The money was later claimed by the Nigeria Intelligence Agency and forfeited to the Nigerian government.
Mr Wike has also regularly accused the government and security agencies, including the police, of plotting to assassinate him without corroboration.
Mr Sarham declined comments to PREMIUM TIMES about the allegations on Sunday morning. He admitted the allegations were “grievous,” but said he had not received clearance to make a public statement as of 9:20 a.m. on Sunday.
The Army spokesperson, Sagir Musa, told PREMIUM TIMES he could not comment on the allegations Sunday morning.
He asked that enquiries should be directed to Aminu Ilyasu, a spokesperson for the 6 Division. But Mr Ilyasu, a colonel, also declined comments, saying he was at a function and could not immediately say when it would be a good time for him to speak.
Messrs Wike and Sarham have clashed repeatedly since the army chief was appointed as the GOC of 6 Division in August 2018.
During the elections, the governor accused the army of undermining democracy in Rivers, after a series of deadly shootings forced the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to suspend results collation.
At least two soldiers were killed in the state during the elections between February and March. About a dozen people were killed across the state during the elections.
The electoral body, INEC, also criticised the Army’s conduct during the elections.
Days before the governorship election on March 9, Mr Sarham accused Mr Wike of offering bribes to military officers. The governor denied the allegations, dragging Nigerian Army to the International Criminal Court over the killings, injuries and destruction of properties recorded across the state during the elections.
Premium Times
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Aftermath of Visa Revocation: Trump, a Petty-minded Dictator, Soyinka Knocks U.S President
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has sensationally described U.S. President Donald Trump as a “petty-minded dictator” whose rise to power fuelled hate-driven violence and worsened racial tensions in the United States.
Speaking in an interview with BBC News Pidgin on Facebook on Wednesday, Soyinka said Trump’s presidency exposed the “dark side” of America and emboldened acts of hatred, particularly against minorities.
“This is a petty-minded dictator. You see how he deals with his objects of hate,” Soyinka said, barely two weeks after the Trump administration announced permanent revocation of his entry visa to the country.
“We saw that dark side of the American side. There were more killings, extrajudicial killings by the police of black people, of minorities, during that build-up, during the campaign, and on account of hate rhetoric, the hate rhetoric of this individual,” he added.
The Nobel Laureate noted that Trump’s campaign rhetoric normalised hate speech and created a climate of intolerance that had lasting consequences.
Soyinka recalled that he had earlier warned about Trump’s leadership style, predicting that one of his first actions as president would be to target immigrants.
“I saw it and I said, listen very carefully, and you can go and check this, I said, ‘When that man comes to power, the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards’,” he said.
The literary icon, who has often criticised authoritarian tendencies in global politics, maintained that Trump’s administration reflected a deep moral and cultural decline within American society, particularly in its treatment of minorities.
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Alleged Genocide: Approach Nigeria’s Security Situation with Understanding, FG Tells Trump
The Federal government has again urged United States President, Donald Trump, to demonstrate understanding in his approach to Nigeria’s security challenges.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the call during a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, days after Trump threatened military action against Nigeria over what he claimed is a genocide against Christians in the country.
“We call on our American friends and partners to approach the Nigerian situation with an understanding of its complex realities. Nigeria is a vast, multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation, making significant strides in economic reforms and strengthening its security architecture.
“We believe constructive engagement is the surest and most effective way to achieve peace and stability not only in Nigeria but in any part of the world.
“Nigeria welcomes dialogue, we welcome cooperation, and we also welcome support from foreign nations, including the United States of America, in addressing our shared security concerns,” the minister said.
Idris reiterated the current administration’s commitment to tackling the menace of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes in the country.
The minister maintained that the Federal government was winning the war against terrorism with major achievements recorded in the North-Eastern part of the country.
“In March this year, a report by the Global Terrorism Index indicated that terrorist attacks were at their lowest in over a decade in Nigeria. The Nigerian government did not say this; it is the international community that has given out this information,” he stated.
“In the last eight months, the Nigerian military has neutralised over 592 terrorists in Borno State alone. Many of them have been sent to their onward beyond.
“Over 11,200 hostages have been freed, and this is still going on. More importantly, over 124 insurgents and their families have surrendered. They have handed over more than 11,000 weapons to the security agencies,” Idris added.
According to the minister, the current administration has made multi-million dollar investments in modernised equipment for security agencies.
Noting that President Bola Tinubu has always supported the nation’s armed forces, Idris said the Commander-in-Chief has increased the budgetary allocation for the military.
He explained that Tinubu has demonstrated the political will to root out terrorism, rampaging bandits, and other criminal elements terrorising Nigerians.
The minister also highlighted military operations in the North-West region of the country, saying that the onslaught against criminals had led to the surrender of bandits in the region.
Idris cited cases where notorious bandit leaders had been eliminated by military strikes in Niger and Zamfara states.
“In the North-West, especially in Zamfara and Kaduna, 11,250 hostages have been freed, and some of the terror leaders that have made life very unbearable for people there have been neutralised.
“They include Ali Kachalla, Boderi, Halilu Sububu, and many others. All these have been sent to where they belong. Only this August, the military intercepted and killed in one operation over 400 armed bandits who had converged to attack a village in Zamfara State,” he stated.
Last Friday, Trump said Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria, describing the alleged killing as a “mass slaughter”.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote.
The US president added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening” and directed Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole to investigate the matter.
“I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern.’ But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!
“I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me.
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!” Trump wrote.
Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is putting Nigeria back on the watchlist, reversing a Joe Biden-era policy due to the extermination of Christians, Fox News reports.
The US President, Donald Trump, on Friday, ordered the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, saying that Christians in Nigeria are facing an existential threat. He also called on American lawmakers to investigate the mass slaughter.
A day later, Trump revealed that he had ordered the Pentagon to prepare for possible action in Nigeria as he continued accusing the Federal Government of violence against Christians.
Trump, who posted a statement on his social media handle, said that if the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, US troops will be ordered to enter Nigeria and wipe out terrorists.
He said: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, “guns-a-blazing,” to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.
”I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians! Warning: The Nigerian government better move fast!”
However, Fox News is now reporting that Trump’s directive has been carried out as Rubio is putting Nigeria back on the watchlist.
Source: Fox News
