HelenIdo

First lady, Aisha Buhari has opened up on how she survived after getting married at an early age. She got married to President Muhammadu Buhari in 1989 when she was 18 years old. In the book: ‘Aisha Buhari: Being Different’, the first lady said the future seemed unsure when she got married as a teenager, but the spirit of optimism made her conquer fear and worries. Describing Buhari as the kind of man any woman will want to marry, she said her family values played a significant role in seeing her through. Daji Sani, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Administration and Women Affairs, authored the book, which is a biography of the First Lady. “In many villages in northern Nigeria, educating a girl is not considered a priority. Early marriage affects every eighth girl. According to UNICEF, one in seven girls is reported to give birth by age seventeen. The easiest justification for this practice is that it serves to reduce the burden on the family. “It is also viewed as a way of protecting the sanctity of the girl-child. Another report shows that child marriage occurs more frequently among girls who are the least educated and most impoverished and living in rural areas. The above scenario was the kind of social-cultural background that Aisha was born into and raised. Married at an early age, for her, the future seemed unsure. “But the hope in her mind is massive. Interestingly, fate shone on her with the splendour of an enlightened gentleman. She married the kind of man any woman would want to associate herself with, a highly placed and responsible man. Even though this automatically put her on the path of greatness, her family values have been the key influence in her life to this day. “In 1989, the young lady, Aisha Halilu, got married to Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Major General and former military Head of State of Nigeria. Marriage as an institution moves at an undulating pace, full of uncertainties. The ability to surmount the challenges and move on to an unknown destination is crucial in marriage. Aisha, like any other girl-child married as a teenager, faced the challenges of adapting to womanhood.” By SaharaReporters,New York Source:https://saharareporters.com/2021/04/09/aisha-buhari-opens-marrying-buhari-teenager

A family of five abducted on Monday has been released after the kidnappers collected an unusual ransom. The kidnappers, who had earlier demanded N10 million ransom, reportedly collected money, drinks, cooked food, wine, suya and other edibles before their victims were released. Reports had it that the victims, Olisa Ibrahim, his wife and three children, were returning to Abuja after spending the Easter holiday in their Ajowa home town when they were abducted by gunmen. It could not be confirmed if money was paid as ransom but a family source said that the kidnappers only demanded cooked delicious food, wine, suya and other things as part of conditions for their release. The victims who are natives of Daja Ajowa were abducted at gunpoint between Ajowa Akoko and Ayere in Kogi state. Their abduction threw the community into apprehension and confusion. Sources said the family returned to Ajowa Akoko after regaining freedom. By SaharaReporters,New York Source:https://saharareporters.com/2021/04/09/how-kidnappers-demanded-wine-suya-others-ransom-release-family-five

A former member of the National Assembly, Athan Achonu, has accused South-East governors of trivialising the region’s security. Achonu, who represented Imo North at the 8th Senate before he was sacked by a Court of Appeal judgment in Owerri, urged Igbo governors to take over Eastern Security Network from the Indigenous People of Biafra and reform it. The ex- senator was reacting to the jailbreak in Owerri, as well as the attack on the Imo State Police Command headquarters and the killings in Enugu and Ebonyi States. He said that the youths were angry with the governments because of lack of employment and business opportunities. Achonu, who said that he was championing a movement for Igbo billionaires to bring their investments home, said that without security and infrastructure, manufacturing businesses would not thrive in the South-East. He said, “There is problem in Nigeria. The situation is terrible. Our economy is losing control. Unemployment rate is unbelievable. The worst hit are South-East and South-South. The youths have now been turned into Yahoo boys and drug addicts.” “Our group will make a presentation to all the South-East governor this April on the need for Igbo billionaires to invest at home. Without local government autonomy, no true democracy will happen in Nigeria. “South-East governors are joking with Igbo security. They are making the biggest mistake of their lives. They can take ESN and legalise it. There is no security in Nigeria. Kidnapping takes place even in Buhari’s village. Nowhere is safe in Nigeria again.” By Chidiebube Okeoma, Owerri Source:https://punchng.com/south-east-govs-joking-with-regional-security-says-ex-imo-senator/

Amaka Okafor, a rice farmer in Ayede Ogbese community in the Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, was recently attacked by a Fulani herdsman on her farm while trying to prevent cows from grazing on her crops. She narrates her ordeal on her hospital bed in this interview with PETER DADA How long have you been living in this community and how old are you? I have been living in Ogbese for the past 20 years. I am 35 years old and a widow. My husband died in an accident 10 years ago, when my son was a baby. When did you start rice farming? I started rice farming in 1993, but I started in Ondo State when I came here. How do you do the farming, particularly as a female? When we cast the rice, we’ll put it in bed. Then, we’ll remove it and replant it. Before now, we were doing it on a small scale, because the process was cumbersome. But when the government started giving us chemicals for the weeding and brushing of the rice plantation, we started expanding and God has been helping me out. Since you started, how has been your encounter with herdsmen? Back then, the Fulani that used to come to the area where we are farming were not staying with us here in Ogbese. All they did was to come and go back to their base. Then we had peace with them; they didn’t have any problem with us. When they wanted to feed their cattle, they would approach us saying that they were interested in buying the haystack, which is the leftover grass of the rice. If we wish to sell to them, would sell the haystack, and at times, we gave them for free. Then, I used to keep my rice, which had been processed in the farm for over a month and sometimes three months. When I kept the rice there, only the grass would be eaten by the cows without tampering with where I kept the rice. But everything changed about six years ago when a new set of Fulani started coming to Ogbese. The Fulani, who used to come to Ogbese before the arrival of the new set, were really good to us. They even warned us that the new Fulani coming to the community were bad and dangerous. They told us that the new Fulani that came to the community were foreigners and were strange to them too and that they could not even stay with them, hence they would have to leave the community for them; that was how the good ones left the community. They even told me personally when they were leaving that I should not keep any of my things, including the processed rice, on the farm again. Since the new ones came, they have been disturbing us. There was a time when they told my workers and I that we were fools, because we cautioned them not to graze their cows on the rice farm again, because when they take their cows onto the farm, the rice will not germinate. We later reported the incident to their former leader in the community, one Adamu Adamu, who was able to stop them temporarily. But after the rice became mature for harvest, they again led their cows to farm to graze. Do you have a rice farmers’ association in the community and why didn’t you report the matter to it? We used to have an association. The association did not function again because its executive members were not honest with the things the government used to send to farmers as support. So, there is no association to report to again. Have you informed the community about the development? Yes. I’ve even lost count of how many times I’ve reported to leaders in the community and even the police. Even before we had a king, one of the princes in the community, Adekunle Oluyede, picked up the case. He insisted that the Fulani must be cautioned about their excesses in the community. Before now, we used to keep many of our things on the farm, but we dare not try such now. On the day you were attacked, how did the events unfold? In the morning around 8 o’clock, I informed my mummy that I would be going to the farm alongside one of my workers to spray pesticide on the newly planted rice. While I was spraying the plants at the extreme of the plantation, I saw four Fulani herding their cows into my farm. I immediately approached the eldest among them to warn his kinsmen from further advancing into the farm. I also reported to one of their leaders in the community called Isa, but to my surprise, he told me to go and be telling each Fulani one by one what I told him, and I said that was impossible because as a leader, he should be able to caution the others. But he told me that he won’t be able to do that, because they would feel he was taking sides with me. Even during the last farming season, I ran at a loss because of the herders’ activities. As a rice farmer, I’ve been borrowing from financial institutions and individuals just to ensure that I’m not frustrated out of the business, but the herders are bent on destroying everything on my farm. I’m even confused now on how I’m going to repay all the loans. I decided to divide the farm into two and I used bamboo to fence the side where I planted the rice and decided to leave the other part for them to graze. On that particular day, I was so weak because I did the job myself. But I noticed that the other Fulani complied with what I did but there was a particular boy among the herders, who always forced his way and cows into the farm despite the barricade. So, around noon when I was still spraying the rice plantation, I saw the same Fulani boy with his cows inside my farm and I challenged him as to why he would herd his cows into my farm to destroy all that I planted again. I approached him and I told him nemesis would catch up with him in future and that God would judge him. He became angry and said: ‘What did you say?’ He said I was mad and he took out his cutlass to attack me, but I ran and he started chasing me and I began to shout. As I was running, l fell to the ground. He caught up with me and raised the cutlass to cut my neck but I blocked it with my hand. My wrist was almost cut off; I have a very deep cut on my wrist and my head. When he saw one of my workers running towards the direction, he commanded the cows and all of them ran away. It was my worker who assisted me to tie the wrist with my cloth and raised the alarm for the other workers to come and assist me to the hospital. They washed my face with water because the blood was too much. I later called the Divisional Crime Officer of the community to inform him of the development. When I got to hospital, the doctor really tried for me because the vein had been cut. What steps have the police taken since you informed them? Nothing has been done up till now; the boy has not been arrested and he’s still in his father’s house here in Ogbese. The leader of the Fulani in the state was also informed and he promised to confirm the situation, which he did. The policemen in the community know the boy and his father very well, but they’ve not invited or arrested them. Are you saying you know the boy who attacked you? Yes, I do. I don’t know his name, but I know him very well; the boy is in his 20s. He and his family members live in this community. Before the incident, have you had any encounter or altercation with them? No, some other Fulani used to play with me on the farm. I do give them water to drink most times. They are friendly with me. But the family of the particular boy, who attacked me, are the problem in the community. They don’t play or relate with anyone. They’re the ones who always attack people in the community. We learnt that you once had an issue with some herders, who invaded and destroyed your farm, and that you were able to seize a cow while the herders ran away, how did it happen? Yes, on that particular day, I went to the farm and I met a lot of cows on the farm. What got me agitated the most was that the herder, known simply as Alhaji, did not only allow his cows to eat the planted rice but went to where I stored the rice that had been processed and started tearing up the bags to feed his cows. That’s deliberate wickedness. I had to invite the police, who later helped me to pursue them. While they could not arrest any of the herders as they ran away, I was able to catch one cow. We took the cow to the police station. But the Fulani leaders later came and apologised that I should forgive them. I was not even compensated. How much do you invest in the farm annually? I do invest between N1.5m and N2m. I got it through loans. I always pay back any time I harvest and sell the rice. My farms are over seven hectares. With this incident, what is your appeal now? I want serious attention from the government on this matter, especially in Ogbese. The Fulani attacks on us are too many. They will attack, rape and destroy our things. A few months ago, they raped one woman in this community and up till now, no one has been arrested. The Fulani are just too many here in Ogbese with over three million cows. I also want to appeal to the government to assist me. I’m a widow with a child and an aged mother, who I’m taking care of. If you have an encounter with the Fulani, they will still come after the person; many people have cases with them. I need protection as well as financial assistance, because as it is now, I have loans to repay; the herdsmen have destroyed my farm, how will I repay the loans? Now, I’m fed up. I think it’s time I quit; I want to leave Ondo State entirely. The debt will be too much for me to bear.,, By Peter Dada Source:https://punchng.com/herder-who-cut-off-my-wrist-after-challenging-him-for-destroying-my-n2m-rice-farm-is-still-free-police-havent-done-anything-35-year-old-widow/

Despite a desperate denial by the Department of State Service, more facts have emerged on how Master Warrant Officer Saidu Afaka, the official driver of President Muhammadu Buhari, was tortured by the DSS operatives over a $30,000 deal. SaharaReporters learnt that the DSS personnel quizzed Afaka over the $30,000 deal involving the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. SaharaReporters learnt that he was approached to help ask Buhari to approve payments for NNPC contracts. It was gathered that Afaka’s name was also changed and a pseudo name was entered into the DSS records upon his arrest, to prevent the matter from leaking to the public and embarrassing the presidency. SaharaReporters had on Wednesday exclusively reported that Afaka was tortured by the DSS before he was rushed to the State House Clinic, Abuja, where he later died. Top sources had revealed to this newspaper that Afaka, who was arrested by the DSS for tricking his principal to sign a fraudulent document to make millions of naira, had been abandoned in a two-bedroom apartment at the Aso Drive DSS apartments and had fallen sick, even before the $30,000 deal came his way. “It was because of his treatment that he fell for the temptation to do the deal. People had asked why Buhari abandoned him at Aso Rock Clinic while he selfishly ran to London to give himself first-class medical treatment. “When the deal leaked and the DSS arrested him, they refused to collect his records and detained him under a false name to avoid the story from leaking,” a top source revealed. The sources had told SaharaReporters that when Afaka’s condition worsened during DSS torture, he was rushed again to the ill-equipped State House Clinic. Explaining how the deal began, one of the sources had said, “The driver was approached to help to ask Buhari to approve payments for some Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation contracts. He was also arrested and detained by the DSS; he was fired shortly. A former ADC to Buhari reported to the DSS. “Afaka was arrested with Buhari’s chief detail officer, Ya’u a Master Sergeant Warrant in the army. Since Afaka’s release four months ago, Afaka had been sick and attended to by Aso Rock clinic doctors. The clinic has no medical equipment despite huge allocations to it annually. “Afaka lived and died in a two-bedroomed apartment at the Aso Drive DSS apartments. His co-workers are furious that despite his services Buhari refused to give him proper medical care he afforded himself.” The Presidency had on Tuesday announced Afaka’s death in a release, saying he died after a prolonged sickness. The statement by Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, however, avoided the grim facts that Afaka’s condition worsened after he was tortured by the DSS for tricking Buhari to sign the multi-million-naira deal. In the statement, Buhari had extended heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased. The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari extends heartfelt condolences to the family of Afaka on the passing of Master Warrant Officer, Sa’idu Afaka, his official driver, who died at the State House Clinic on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. “President Buhari, who also commiserates with the Government and people of Kaduna State, described the late Afaka as an honest, capable and reliable person who handled his job with utmost care and responsibility. “The President recalls that in 2016 the soldier, while on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, picked up a bag containing a large amount of foreign currencies and turned it over to the National Hajj Commission, an action which earned him praises from the Saudi and Nigerian authorities. “President Buhari prays Almighty Allah to 'bless the soul of the departed with an elevated place in heavens,’ committing the family and friends to divine comfort and patience.” Afaka’s death is coming few days after SaharaReporters exposed how he capitalised on Buhari dementia to trick him to sign a fraudulent document to make millions of naira. By SaharaReporters,New York Source:https://saharareporters.com/2021/04/08/revealed-buhari%E2%80%99s-late-driver-was-tortured-killed-over-30000-deal-his-identity-changed

The Director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof Ishaq Akintola has blamed the former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki for causing the current security challenges in the country. Akintola stated that the ex-Senator is among other agitators and bad losers for instigating the insecurity under the Muhammadu Buhari administration. In a press release submitted on Thursday, MURIC accused bad losers of inciting citizens against the Nigerian Government. The Islamic cleric maintained that the Saraki-led Senate on April 6, 2018, rejected President Buhari's request for $1 billion for the purchase of arms. “Bad losers among the politicians are hell-bent on ensuring that the present administration fails. There are also anarchists whose main objective is to sabotage security facilities,” he claimed. According to Akintola, the decision was a “deliberate attempt” to aggravate the government’s determination to secure the nation. “Nigerians would have witnessed a drastic improvement in the security situation had that request been granted. “But the unpatriotic elements in the Senate ensured that the request was blocked. The same politicians turned round to blame Buhari for the worsening security situation,” Akintola said. The statement stressed that the government’s efforts were sabotaged during the #EndSARS protests in October 2020. It said the release of prisoners, the burning of police stations and the looting of police armoury were meant to cause havoc. On the assault on Imo State Police Command headquarters, Akintola said it was to ensure security challenges persist. The organisation said the attack on Owerri prison where 1,844 prisoners were released confirmed “the diabolical objectives of the anarchists”. The MURIC director urged citizens to expose enemies of peace, adding that nobody should think that another leader has the magic wand. But contrary to the claims made by MURIC, the National Security Adviser, Maj Gen Babagana Monguno (retd), had insinuated that the money was released but unaccounted for under the Buhari regime. Monguno in March raised an alarm that the funds meant for the purchase of arms to fight Boko Haram and other security challenges in the country was missing. Although under pressure, he later recanted that he was misquoted. In an interview he granted to the BBC Hausa, Monguno had said, “We don’t know where the money went to. The president has given out some money for equipment but they are yet to arrive. The president has done his best by ensuring that he released exorbitant funds for the procurement of weapons which are yet to be procured, they are not there. Now the president has employed new hands that might come with new ideas. I am not saying that those that have retired have stolen the funds, no. But the funds might have been used in other ways unknown to anybody at present. “Mr President is going to investigate those funds. As we are talking with you at present, the state governors, the Governors Forum have started raising questions in that direction. $1 billion has been released, and that has been released, and nothing seems to be changing. So I assure you that the president will not take this lightly. “The funds are nowhere to be found and the weapons have not been seen and the newly appointed service chiefs have declared that they have not seen the weapons. Maybe they are on the high seas, on their way coming from wherever they were purchased, from the US or Europe, but for now, there is nothing on the ground. I have not seen anything the service chiefs have also not seen anything.” By Saharareportes,New York. Source:https://saharareporters.com/2021/04/08/muric-director-akintola-blames-saraki-insecurity-nigeria

Presidential aide, Lauretta Onochie, has said the right of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to see his personal doctors cannot be taken away. This is as criticisms continue to trail the President’s decision to have a medical checkup in London. The criticisms have led to a series of protests at the Abuja House in London where the President is lodged. A fresh protest organised by Revolution Now convener, Omoyele Sowore, has been scheduled for today in London to force Buhari to go have his medical checkup in Nigeria where doctors are currently on strike. In an apparent reaction, Onochie disclosed that no amount of wailing can stop Buhari from embarking on medical trips which he has been doing for years. She tweeted, “Next year, Pres. @MBuhari will go for a routine checkup “We have been here since 2016. It’s been the same wailing. So the response will also be the same. “At least, once a year, people across the world see their personal doctors especially one they have seen for about 40 years. “@MBuhari won’t dump his doctor of about 40 years so that wailers can be happy. That’s blackmail. Thankfully, he doesn’t pay blackmailers. “In 2016, I ran from one media house to the other, educating us on the psychology of the bond between a patient & his/her long-standing doctor “He went for #CheckUp in 2017, 2018, 2019 & in 2020, just before the pandemic. Same wailing and same explanations. “The fact remains that if @MBuhari chooses, he will go for checkups in 2022 & 2023. He will continue to go. It’s his choice to go or not to. “I don’t know any man who will accept a different barber to cut his hair if the one he is used to, is not available “Wailing cant take away his rights to see his personal doctors so wailers must get ready for two more years of wailing and fooling around. God bless Nigeria.” By Segun Adewale Source:https://punchng.com/wailing-wont-stop-buhari-from-medical-trips-says-aide/

Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria stormed the largest church congregation in Niamey, the Niger Republic capital, to felicitate with the Christians on the Easter celebration. The IMN members, numbering more than 50, were seen in the Easter Sunday church service at the Catholic Church in Niamey, participating in the worship. Although 99 percent of the 23.23 million people of Niger Republic are Muslims, Christians make up almost the rest of the population. Also, Shia Muslims make up close to 10 percent of the total population. In Nigeria, the Shiites have been demanding for years the release of their spiritual leader, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenat, who have been in the Department of State Service’s detention since December 2015. Only on February 7, the IMN stated that its members were ready to lay down their lives for the release of their spiritual leaders. The group, which usually speaks through Abdullahi Musa, who is the Secretary of its Academic Forum, said no amount of bullets and guns would make them give up on their struggle and daily protests on the streets of Abuja, the Nigerian federal capital. The group said the killing of its members by the police would not in any way deter or hinder them from engaging in a mass protest to demand the unconditional release of their leaders. IMN reminded President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, that oppression and tyranny have never solved any problem. They stated that they would attain their mission in a short period of time. “Oppression and tyranny have never solved any problem, trumped up or perceived neither, senseless killing of citizens. From Monday 25th to Thursday 28th January, 2021, police operatives assaulted free-Zakzaky protesters with teargas canisters and live bullets for no reason other than the demand for the release of our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Malama Zeenah. "Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Muhammad Adamu, ought to be reminded of our determination to lay down our lives in order to get what we want. As oppressive and tyrannical as the Buhari regime is, we can't be daunted by threats, nor death, by whatever means. If what Buhari stage-managed in Zaria in December 2015 did not deter us, what is there to stop us from accomplishing this objective?” the IMN statement had said. The sect had also called on the international community to prevail on the Nigerian government and security agents to thread with caution and stop the "senseless" killing of its members. The statement had also condemned the alleged killing of two members, Yunusa Abdulsalam and Kabiru Ahmad, by anti-riot policemen during a protest at Transcorp Hilton, and Banex Plaza, both in the FCT last week. "It is high time police brutality and the waves of bloodletting stopped. Someone should call the Nigeria Police Force to order. Or, is the NPF a law unto itself? Many people were at the receiving end, and there are shreds of evidence to support this. "They seriously injured numerous protesters who are left with critical gunshot injuries, needing urgent treatment. Unfortunately, these victims may not receive the medical or surgical treatment their conditions require. They get dumped at the SWAT headquarters, they should be released. "In a beleaguered country under serious siege of bandits and kidnappers, only justice can make the future bright. However, from the look of things, it is already bleak. "Sheikh Zakzaky was met in his residence, riddled with bullets and his body dragged on the gory corpses of his sons that had been killed in cold blood; his wife sustained several gunshot injuries with bullet shrapnel still lodging in her body. Yet, the couple remain incarcerated, despite their alarming health condition," the statement added. BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK SOURCE:http://saharareporters.com/2021/04/06/nigerian-shiites-celebrate-easter-biggest-church-niger-republic