Court Remands 30 IPOB Supporters in Prison

Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Port Harcourt has remanded 30 suspected supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the Port Harcourt Maximum Prison.

This followed the arraignment of the IPOB supporters by the police before Chief Magistrate Amadi Nna-Amadi, yesterday.

The IPOB supporters were arrested by the police following a violence that broke out at the Oyigbo area of the state on Tuesday and Wednesday wherein a Police Sergeant was killed and another injured while shops and properties were destroyed.

Nine of the suspects, who were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the killing of the Police officer, were arraigned under suit number PMC/1935C/2017 on charges bordering on murder, while the 21 arrested on Tuesday, were charged in suit number PMC/1938C/2017, with treasonable felony and unlawful assembly.

The charges were not read to the accused and no plea was taken due to the nature of the charges.

In his ruling, the presiding Magistrate, Chief Magistrate Amadi Nna-Amadi, held that pursuant to section 300 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, Rivers State, the court has remand powers.

He also stated that the court lacked jurisdiction to try the matter. He, therefore, remanded the accused persons in prison custody and ordered the court registrar to remit the file to the DPP for legal advice.

The matter is adjourned sine die. Meanwhile, the prosecution has promised to ensure speedy trial of the matter. DSP George, who spoke with newsmen shortly after the court session, said they will comply with the law to ensure that justice is done on the matter.

Sultan Urges Elder Statesmen to Call Youths to Order

Following the fracas between soldiers and the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the South-east, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, yesterday called on elder statesmen and traditional leaders to call their youths to order for peace to reign in the country.

In a statement signed by the Secretary of the Sultanate Council, Umar Faruk Ladan, made available to journalists in Sokoto , stressed the need for elder statesmen and traditional leaders to educate the youths on the need for peaceful coexistence in their respective geopolitical zones

According to the statement, the acts of nefarious individuals will not be allowed to throw the country into anarchy, hence the need for elders to call their youths to order.

“The acts of few bad ones among us cannot be left to tear the country apart.

“Therefore, those bad ones should be called to order by their elders and community leaders to stop such negative actions,” the statement read.

It called on all Nigerians to live in peace with one another irrespective of tribe, ethnic and regional differences.

The statement said Nigeria would continue to remain one nation with a common goal of purposeful development.

Siege on South-east Ill-advised

Candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State, Chief Nze Valentine Onwuka, has condemned military operation in Abia State, describing it as ill-advised and preposterous.

In a statement made available to journalists in Lagos yesterday, Onwuka also blamed the South-east governors for their leadership failure which gave birth to the struggle for the realisation of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

According to the gubernatorial candidate, “If there is a legal instrument ordering the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu or any other individual, the federal government should deploy the police that have the mandate as the institution charged with the responsibility to handle internal issues not the military. “I believe that this siege on the Southeast is ill advised and preposterous.”

Otti Condemns Confrontational Strategy of FG

The 2015 APGA Abia governorship candidate Mr. Alex Otti, has called on the federal government not to mishandle the ongoing misunderstanding between troops of the Operation Python Dance deployed to Abia State and members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for the situation does not degenerate into a full blown arm confrontation that could lead to lasting insecurity and possible loss of innocent lives.

Otti believes that the provocative and confrontational strategy adopted by the federal government was ill-advised and outdated, especially when the option of dialogue had not been explored to the fullest, insisting that peaceful agitation by citizens is not a crime anywhere in the world, and is usually resolved through dialogue.

Otti unequivocally condemned the violence meted out against innocent and armless citizens of the state, especially members of the NUJ who are regarded all over the world as the conscience of the society, and who were merely discharging their lawful duties.

Operation Python Dance: Ijaw Youths Calls For Dialogue

The umbrella body of Ijaw youths, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) after reviewing the tension in the South-eastern states in the past few days, yesterday advocated that dialogue was the only way out of the conflict between soldiers and members of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB).

It therefore advised the federal government to immediately order the withdrawal of military personnel from the region and embark on meaningful peaceful approach in resolving the issue at hand.

According to a statement signed by its President, Eric Omare, “IYC worldwide says that dialogue is the way out of the on-going conflict between soldiers and members of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) in Umuahia, Abia State, and other parts of the South east.

“The deployment of soldiers would only succeed in escalating the already tensed situation in the South- eastern part of the country. The federal government should learn from experience from other parts of the country where unnecessary military application has led to radicalisation of youths and escalation of the conflicts as evidenced in the Niger Delta region,” it added.

Buhari Urged to Send Python Back to Forest

Despite assurance by the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, that soldiers would vacate the streets of Umuahia and Aba, concerned groups and individuals are insisting of total withdrawal of troops from Abia and the cancellation of operation ‘python dance’. Addressing a news conference yesterday in Umuahia, a Constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Anthony Agbazuere, urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the military high command to stop the ongoing python dance operation and “send the python back to the forest”.

He said in situation like this, men of good conscience should not sit on the fence while “the lives and property of Abia citizens are being endangered and the peace in the state threatened”.

“I therefore call on the federal government to immediately withdraw the soldiers involved in the so called operation python dance. The python should be sent back to the forest,” he said.

The constitutional lawyer stated that calling off the military operation would surely restore normalcy and allow the Southeast governors round off their dialogue with the IPOB leadership since it is operation python dance that compromised the security of Abia State.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay, has continued his vitriolic war of words with the Senate, describing the upper chamber as “a merciless and ruthless organisation.”

Sagay said this yesterday during an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the Hallmarks of Labour Foundation Reunion Symposium held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos.

In recent times, the Professor of Law has been critical of the allowances enjoyed by the senators and House of Representatives members, which according to him, is a “crime against humanity.”

He said the senators were just out to “totally suck out the blood of

Nigeria for themselves,” adding that they behave like locusts bent on destroying a fruitful harvest.

Sagay said: “They have no mercy, they have no conscience; they simply want to behave like locust just to finish everything within their environment for themselves. That’s totally unacceptable and I’m not going to relent on this thing.

“Look at the allowance they take, forget the amount. Why would a whole senator collect