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Author: Day Break

Boko Haram Threatens To Kill Pastor Bulus Yakuru
The Abubakar Shekau led faction of the terror group Boko Haram has given an ultimatum for the release of Bulus Yakuru, a Christian cleric abducted on Christmas eve in Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria.
At least seven people were killed when Boko Haram insurgents attacked the village of Pemi in Borno State on Dec. 24 2020, during which the cleric was taken away.
Pemi is located approximately 20 kilometres from Chibok, where Boko Haram insurgents had abducted hundreds of schoolgirls.
The pastor has previously appeared in two Boko Haram videos days after the abduction in Dec. and early Jan. 2021, where he also pleaded for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention, Babagana Zulum, Governor of Borno State and church leaders to rescue him. The demands for his safe release have been communicated to the authorities.
In a new video, Pastor Yakuru identified himself and pleaded with Nigeria’s President, Borno State Governor and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the umbrella body of Christians in the country, to intervene and secure his release.
In the video, the pastor was given a one-week ultimatum by his abductors, reinstated by a fighter holding a knife standing behind him. The deadline, according to the terrorists, ends next Wednesday.
“I’m calling on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Governor of Borno to help me because I have been given a one-week ultimatum today, Feb. 24,” Yakuru pleaded in the video.
“If you want me alive, I beg you in your capacity as President, the governor and our local government chairman to save me from this suffering.”
“I’m calling on the EYN Church of the Brethren President to intervene and secure my release. Please pray for me,” the distraught cleric begged.
Yakuru also cried to the Christian Association of Nigeria to look at his predicament, saying that he has no powers to free himself “ but depends on them.”
“Today is the last day I will have the opportunity to call on you in your capacity as my parents and relatives in the country. Anyone who has the intention should help and save me. Please release me from this pain.”
In Jan. 2020, Boko Haram killed Reverend Lawan Andimi, the district chairman of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) in Michika, Adamawa State.
February 26, 2021
Bandits Kidnap 300 Schoolgirls In Jangebe, Zamfara State
Armed bandits have attacked a girls secondary school in Zamfara State, kidnapping many female students, the BBC is reporting.
The attack reportedly occurred at the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State Friday morning.
A teacher in the school confirmed the attack to BBC Hausa with the kidnapped students said to be close to 300.
We will provide more details of the incident in subsequent reports. The state government and the police were yet to speak on the incident at the time of this report.
Zamfara in Northwest Nigeria is one of the states most affected by bandits’ attacks. The attacks have continued despite negotiations initiated by the state government with the bandits.
The latest attack on the Zamara school occurs about two weeks after over 20 students were abducted by armed bandits from a school in Niger State. The students in Niger were yet to be released.
February 26, 2021
Today’s Major Nigerian Newspapers’ Cover Stories 26-February -2021

February 26, 2021
Orji Kalu And Governor Sani Bello Of Niger State Meet Behind Closed Door
The Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has just arrived the Niger State Government House, Minna for a visit to the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello.
Senator Kalu was ushered into Governor’s office, where he was received by the Governor and his cabinet, Kalu and Bello later proceeded for an indoor meeting.
Kalu arrived at the power state at exactly 11:30 am alongside the President of Belema Oil, Engr Jack Rich; The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency FERMA, Hon. Femi Bamisile, former Chief of Staff to Abia State Government, Hon Mascot Uzor Kalu, other associates, and his aides.
February 25, 2021
Governors, Religious Leaders, Nigeria Govt now mouthpiece for terrorists –Aisha Yesufu
Activist and co-convener Aisha Yesufu, has accused the Nigerian government, Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed, religious leaders and some governors of being the mouth piece for terrorists and bandits, instead of doing everything to curb insecurity in the country.
Yesufu who made this known in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, while speaking as the guest speaker at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Annual Law Week convention, said professional bodies like the NBA should “wake up to its responsibilities of defending citizens.”
“Terrorists have the Nigerian government and governors speaking for them; they have the Minister of Information, religious rulers, all speaking up for them. Who do citizens have speaking up for them?
“The professional bodies, most especially the NBA must wake up to its responsibilities.”
Yesufu’s comment is coming at a time terrorists and killer herdsmen have been on rampage across the country with popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, playing the role of a mediator between them and the government and calling on the government to grant them a blanket amnesty.
The governors of Bauchi and Zamfara States, Bello Mohammed and Bello Matawalle respectively, have also called for amnesty for the terrorists, while Lai Mohammed has continued to insist that there is nothing wrong in government holding negotiations with the terrorists.
On Monday, the Minister, while speaking on a Channels Television programme ‘Politics Today,’ had also said that the Nigerian government cannot afford to destroy forests where terrorists use as their hideouts to carry out kidnappings in different parts of the country because doing so will affect the eco-system.
“We cannot destroy the forests because of climate change. The better approach is not to destroy the forest because it would affect the eco-system, but what we need is better consultation with sub national government and security agencies on how to secure the forest to make them safe for everybody,”
Also on Tuesday, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) announced that it was considering entering into negotiations with terrorists and bandits if that would restore peace in the country and end insecurity.
The Chairman of the NGF, Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, made this known after he and some members of the forum paid a solidarity visit to the Niger State Governor, Sani Bello, in Minna, the state capital.
“We need to explore other avenues side by side with whatever the security institutions are doing, even if that means engaging in dialogue.
“We may not have a choice. We may have to do that; anything to help us to deal with this immediate crisis and then to begin to address on a much more longer time basis, the root causes of this social dislocation responsible for what we are witnessing, all around us,” Fayemi had said.
February 25, 2021
2023: I have nothing to do with Tinubu’s presidential ambition, says Fayose

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, on Wednesday, said he has no interest in the rumoured presidential ambition of All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu, in 2023.
Fayose, who stated this in Liveinterview expressed confidence that his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, would produce Nigeria’s president in the 2023 general elections.
He said “Bola Tinubu is a leader in the West. It is a statement of fact” but noted that he has not met or spoken with the former Lagos State governor in years.
Fayose said, “I have never met former governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu in the last three years and I have never spoken with him on the phone once. So, I don’t how they are tying the relationship politically.
“To the best of my knowledge, I am not a member of APC. I have no influence on how he will become if he wants to become. I have no interest; the only interest I have is that a PDP president must be put in place.”
February 25, 2021
NNPC: Nigeria Loses ₦151.78 Billion In Crude Oil Monthly

Nigeria is currently losing an average of 200,000 barrels of crude oil daily, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation stated on Wednesday
Brent, the oil against which Nigeria’s crude is priced, was $66.75 per barrel on Wednesday, while the official exchange rate of the dollar stood at 379/$.
From the above figures, it showed that the country was losing about N151.79bn in 30 days, going by the 200,000 barrels of crude oil being lost daily, as revealed by NNPC.
Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mele Kyari, disclosed the volume of crude oil lost daily in Nigeria while speaking at a meeting with the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Lucky Irabor.
The NNPC boss was quoted in a statement issued in Abuja by the corporation’s spokesperson, Kennie Obateru, as saying, “We have two sets of losses, one coming from our products and the other coming from crude oil.
“In terms of crude losses, it is still going on. On the average, we are losing 200,000 barrels of crude every day.”
On his part, Irabor promised to galvanise the military to provide maximum security for the nation’s oil and gas assets.
He said, “I am delighted that you made this effort, and I tell you that the Armed Forces of Nigeria will collaborate with you to protect NNPC’s assets.”
Irabor acknowledged the role of the oil and gas sector to the economy and stated that there was need for collaboration between the NNPC and the Armed Forces to protect oil and gas facilities.
“It is my intention to cooperate maximally with you and to give necessary instructions to all officers in the Armed Forces,” he said.
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In a related development, a professor of law at the University of Lagos, Dayo Ayoade, has said the Federal Government was losing huge revenue in the upstream sector through the inadequacy of the measurement infrastructure.
Between 2009 and 2019, the lecturer said, the nation lost 500 million barrels of crude oil valued at $44.7bn which was not assessed for royalty and tax.
Disclosing this at a virtual meeting on illicit financial flows organised by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission in Abuja on Wednesday, Ayoade pointed out that Nigeria currently relied on crude oil producers for determination of crude oil volumes.
He said, “Nigeria currently relies on holders and producers of crude oil for determination of volumes of crude oil.
February 25, 2021
I will never Apologise For Opposing Fulani Profiling – Bala Mohammed
Bauchi commissioner alleges Ortom using herders to cover up failure
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has said that he will never apologise for opposing profiling of patriotic Fulani herders as killers and kidnappers.
Mohammed had last week said that “herders who carry AK-47 around do so to defend themselves against cattle rustlers that are rendering them bankrupt.” The position generated mixed reactions across the country.
Speaking yesterday during the official launch of the 2020/2021 annual livestock vaccination campaign at Galambi Cattle Ranch in Bauchi, Mohammed said no tribe or group was free from criminality, so labelling a particular tribe was unfair and would breed disunity in the country.
Reacting to his Benue counterpart, Samuel Ortom, who asked him to apologise for defending carrying of weapons by herders, he said the Fulani, over the years, had been making so much sacrifice in their pastoral life, adding that the supply of beef would not have been possible without herders’ contribution.
His words: “We kicked against the profiling of the Fulani as killers and kidnappers. We have no apology for what we have done because what we have done is to say the truth, that there is no tribe or group that is free from criminality. We are not saying that to spite anybody or spark unnecessary controversy, we have made our point.
“Nigerians have discussed it and I am happy to say that, from all indications, majority of sensible Nigerians have appreciated what we have said and that is the point. I need not mention anything of this matter for fear that controversy will be escalated, I will listen to voices of reason and keep quiet about it.”
He called on the Fulani to make their communities free of criminality.
“They must make sure that they fish out the bad eggs from among themselves because criminality is criminality. In as much as we will protect them from being profiled badly, they should make efforts to show that majority of them are good citizens, contributing positively to the growth and development of Nigeria,” he said.
ALSO, Bauchi Commissioner for Environment and Housing, Hamisu Shira, has said that Governor Ortom was covering up his non-performance with excuse herdsmen’s activities. He urged Ortom to prioritise good governance in Benue like his Bauchi counterpart.
“This is a governor that could not afford to pay salaries while the workers resorted to demonstrations,” Shira said.At a press conference yesterday, the commissioner lamented that Ortom was distracting Mohammed with his comment.
February 25, 2021
Goodluck Jonathan Weighs Options Between APC, PDP against 2023
Former President Goodluck Jonathan is currently weighing his options between remaining in his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), or decamping to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 presidential election, Daily Independent has gathered.
A very close associate of the former president who disclosed this to Daily Independent on Wednesday said he (Jonathan) is widely consulting and will “make a bold decision very soon on whether or not he will listen to the agitations of Nigerians who are yearning for his return”.
He, however, said it won’t be a surprise to him if Jonathan defects to the APC given the political ostracisation he has suffered in the hands of his party and the respect being accorded him in APC.
While recalling what happened during the November 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa State, he said many of the president’s kinsmen are already in APC, adding that the PDP government in the state led by Governor Duoye Diri is not making any efforts to bring them back to the PDP.
“I don’t know if he will join the APC. The ultimate decision is his. But as one of his close political associate, I won’t be surprised if he joins. There are two major political parties in Nigeria presently, APC and PDP, and if your interest is not met in one, you have constitutional right to move to another.
“No PDP member swears any oath to be a lifetime member of the party. That was why we have seen former national chairmen of the party such as Barnabas Gemade, Audu Ogbeh and Kawu Baraje left to join the APC. So, what is the big deal if a former president switches political party?
“Don’t forget what happened during the Bayelsa governorship election when the former president’s kinsmen defected to the APC. Political stalwarts like Chief Robert Enogha, Chief Claudius Enegesi, Chief Beimo Spiff and several others. So, the question is what is the mood of the former president’s kinsmen? These are factors to consider.”
Speaking further, he said Jonathan’s decision to contest will be primarily based on two factors. The first, according to him, will be which political party is ready to give him maximum support in getting the ticket and secondly, the party’s chances in winning the presidential election.
“If he will contest, it will be based on which political party will brighten his chances of getting the ticket. I don’t think he (Jonathan) has the financial war chest to contest presidential primary. I am sure that he will not be asking to be the sole aspirant but there even if there are 20 aspirants, there are ways things will be easier for you if they really wanted you.
“The second is which political party has acceptability among Nigerians and has a higher chance of winning the election. Like I said, I don’t know if he will contest, but I believe he will take a definite position in the coming days”, he said.
In recent times, there have been overtures by leaders of the APC to lure Jonathan into their fold. Recently, he was visited by some APC governors who allegedly persuaded him to join their fold and get the presidential ticket as it will be zoned to the Southern part of the country.
However, Mai Mala Buni, National Caretaker Chairman of the APC and Yobe State governor who led APC governors on the visit to Jonathan’s residence, said it was not in his party’s plan to field the former president for the 2023 presidency.
“You are talking of democracy and at the same time talking of giving him. Don’t forget even when President Buhari went to revalidate party membership in Daura, he said it is the people at the grassroots that will select leaders upwards; that no one should expect to be crowned from Abuja,” the Yobe governor said.
“This has shown that in APC now, it is from the lower level upwards. Not that people would be imposed from the top.
“Then who are we to say we are considering Jonathan? How? It has to be a party affair and once it is a party affair, then we are talking about the people. So, we have nothing like that in our agenda.”
Also, speaking on the issue, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Afenifere chieftain said he expected Jonathan to have come out in clear terms that he was not joining the APC or contesting the 2023 presidential election when it was first mentioned.
When asked to advise Jonathan, Adebanjo who said Jonathan should act according to his conscience, however, added that there is no need trying to smell a food one is not interested in eating.
“I have no advice to give him. If I will advise him, I will only tell him to act according to his conscience. He is knowledgeable and experienced enough to know what to do.
“For me to be preaching to Jonathan not to go to APC? Not me! Let him do it. I understood he has denied that it is not true but to me, I believe to delay so far is condemnable.
“Immediately, they suggested it, he should have come out strongly and rejected it. The Yorubas say what you don’t want to eat, don’t try to smell it. That is why I said today’s politicians are not focused. It is a matter of principle”, he said.
February 25, 2021
Driver Attempting To Escape Tax Force Kills Four Female Hawkers In Onitsha
A truck driver has been arrested in Anambra state for allegedly killing four female hawkers at Upper Iweka flyover in Onitsha, the commercial hub of the state Yesterday February 24, NaijaCover Reports.
The truck driver was said to be running from revenue collectors in the area when he suddenly lost control and crushed the deceased persons.
Confirming the incident to newsmen, the Sector Commander Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Andrew Kumapayi said the driver of the vehicle has been handed over to the police for further investigation while the bodies of the deceased persons have been deposited in the morgue.
“At 0730hrs this morning 24th February 2021 at Upper Iweka flyover, four female pedestrians were crushed to death by a blue M/Benz truck with registration number XF 259 UNZ driven by an un identified driver.
Eyewitnesses report reaching us indicates that the truck driver had a disagreement with the revenue collectors at Upper Iweka flyover and the truck rolled back and crushed the four female hawkers along the road.
Also involved was the driver and his motor boy who came out without injury.
FRSC rescue team, Nigeria Army and Nigeria Police rescue the victims to Toronto hospital and deposited at the hospital morgue after Doctors confirmation.”Kumapayi said
February 25, 2021