Acting President Yemi Osinbajo asks for an end to the bloodshed

The Nigerian Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbajo has asked for for an end to the bloodshed in Southern Kaduna.

While visiting Kaduna yesterday to inspect the Airport, Acting President held a meeting with religious and community leaders from Southern Kaduna.

PRESS RELEASE: MILITARY ELITES HAVE A ROLE IN BUILDING A NEW NATION - PRESIDENT BUHARI

*Soldiers ought to also be public intellectuals

Our country at this time needs a new group of elites consisting of professionals in the military who will join in building a new nation built on high values of integrity, justice and diligence, according to President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a speech delivered over the weekend by Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, in Kaduna state, the President said "the Armed Forces are probably the most visible symbols of national unity and cohesion," in the country. Addressing the audience made up of top military chiefs including service chiefs and new graduates of the College's Senior Course 38, the President told the military, "this is why the responsibility for fighting against all forms of ethnic and religious prejudices is yours."

No More Street Begging, Hawking in Kaduna, As State Assembly Passed prohibition Bill Into Law

House of Assembly of Kaduna State, yesterday passed into law, a bill seeking to prohibit street begging and hawking in the state.

It would be recalled that the state Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, had in the aftermath of the Zaria bomb blast, banned all manner of streets begging and hawking in the state.

The Kaduna Assembly passed the bill into law after adopting the report on its committee on Markets Development and Judiciary.

The bill, which was passed into law will prohibit street begging, hawking and other related matters in the state will see its enforcement any time soon.

BREAKING: Military officers ban landing of Private planes at the Kano Airport

Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, who is a  former minister of the FCT and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has confirmed that private planes are banned from landing at Kano International Airport.(Mallam Aminu Kano International airport)

According to him, "Private planes are banned from landing at the Kano international Airport to frustrate those intending to fly into Kano to congratulate HRH emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi."

"Who is in charge of the airport, is it the military airport commandant or the NCAA? "

"Is Nigeria under military rule or martial law allowing the violation of constitutional rights with such impunity?
When will the Jonathanians give up on this hopeless persecution of a good man?"

"For how long will the Jonathan administration continue to test the patience of our people and the citizens of Kano with this reckless impunity"

New Emir Appointment: PDP represents all that is evil and wrong about our nation - El-Rufai

Following the congratulatory message and the withdraw of the same by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the yet to be appoint new Emir of Kano as attested by the Kano state government, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has accused the PDP of circulating falsehood do to the party's hatred for the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Malla Lamido Sanusi Lamido, who probably may be the new Emir of Kano.

According to El-Rufai, 'The PDP out of fear and hatred of my brother Sanusi Lamido Sanusi began circulating the falsehood that someone else had been appointed Emir of Kano.'

ElRufai sues PDP, Metuh, demands N1.5bn

A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has filed a N1.5bn libel suit before an Abuja High Court in Gudu, against the Peoples Democratic Party and its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh.

According to el-Rufai, Metuh had in an allegedly defamatory statement which was issued on behalf of the PDP, linked him and the All Progressives Congress to Boko Haram insurgency.

In another publication, el-Rufai said Metuh claimed that he (el-Rufai) collected N5bn as consultancy fee from the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi.

Metuh was said to have made the claims in separate publications in the March 17 and 23 editions of This Day Newspaper.

El-Rufai released after 15-hour in SSS detention

The Department of State Security Services has released a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El-Rufai, after detaining him for more than 15 hours. The former minister, who voluntarily walked into the agency’s headquarters at about 9 a.m on Monday, was released after midnight.

“Mallam Nasir El-Rufai left the SSS premises at 12.35a.m today after more than 15 hours,” the former minister’s media advisor, Muyiwa Adekeye, tweeted at 12.40 this morning.

It is not clear why the interrogation of the opposition All Progressive Congress chieftain took that long. Both the SSS and Mr. El-Rufai were not available for comment at the time of filing this report at 5.28 this morning.

One of the most active users of social media in Nigeria, Mr. El-Rufai is yet to update his Twitter and Facebook accounts with details of his ordeals in the hands of Nigeria’s secret police as at the time this report was posted.

Mr. El-Rufai had walked  into the SSS headquarters at about 9 a.m Monday, three days after the agency launched a manhunt for him.

He was accompanied by the Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi, and a serving senator, Chris Ngige.

Mr. Amaechi, who was also allowed access into the SSS office, later left at about 12 p.m, while Mr. Ngige left two hours later.

One of Mr. El-Rufai’s wives, who accompanied him, also left subsequently as she was disallowed access to her husband, the former minister’s spokesperson had said.

“His wife left because she was just kept within the premises but not where he is,” Mr. Adekeye had told this paper.

Mr. El-Rufai’s lawyer, A. U. Mustapha, however remained with the former minister until his release.

The SSS said the former minister’s comment about possible violence in the coming elections was “provocative” and warned that those making inflammatory remarks might be prosecuted.

But Mr. El-Rufai has denied any wrongdoing, saying his position was only based on Nigeria’s electoral history.

The politician, who is one of the most vociferous critics of this administration, had gone underground Friday after the SSS launched a manhunt for him after he failed to honour an invitation from the agency in connection with his remarks at a conference in Abuja on Wednesday that there might be violence if the 2015 general elections were not credible.

The former minister declined the invitation citing his pending suit against the Service over his detention in a hotel in Awka during the Anambra state governorship election last November 16 as reason.

Mr. El-Rufai also insisted on seeing a valid warrant of arrest before he could report to the SSS office.

On Friday, operatives of the SSS stormed two properties believed to belong to Mr. El-Rufai, looking for him.

At the second property late on Friday, the SSS operatives insisted they wanted to deliver the warrant to Mr. El-Rufai personally, ignoring entreaty by his lawyer that the document should be handed over to him.

The opposition APC condemned the SSS for haunting its deputy national secretary, saying the comments attributed to the former minister were not inciting in any way.

Mr. El-Rufai himself has consistently said he would resist ploys by the SSS to silence him.

“Mallam El-Rufai will not be silenced,” the former minister had said through Mr. Adekeye, Friday.

“He will continue to do his patriotic duty of challenging INEC and the security agencies to guarantee the climate for free and fair elections in Nigeria by desisting from partisanship and the embrace of impunity.”

Premium Times