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Wetin to expect from President Tinubu visit to Benue state

Wetin to expect from President Tinubu visit to Benue state

BBC News3 days ago

Nigeria President Bola Tinubu dey expected to arrive Benue state, north-central Nigeria on Wednesday to condole wit pipo of di state afta one deadly attack wey lead to di death ova 100 pipo for Yelewata community for Guma Local Government Area of di state.
Di visit dey come for di middle of growing concerns as Nigerians dey worry say security for di region dey worsen.
Di presidency for one statement on Monday, 16 June confam say di president Tinubu go "clear im schedule and visit Benue state as part of renewed efforts to foster peace and address di persistent conflict affecting communities for di state."
Benue state goment for statement say dem ready gidigba to receive di president as di "visit no only represent a moment of national empathy, but na rare opportunity to directly follow di Presidency tok on urgent security interventions dem need to end di persistent killings and displacement of our pipo".
Wetin Tinubu go do for Benue state during im visit
Na for di midnight and early morning of Saturday, 14 June, suspected criminal herdsmen according to di state govnor Hyacinth Alia bin attack di community wey lead to di death of more dan 100 pipo die.
Di National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) tok say dia early investigation show say more dan 100 pipo kpai for di attack including two sojas and one officer of di Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Di number of pipo wey die fit still go up as di agency say di current figures still dey inconsistent sake of di volatile security situation and limited access to di affected areas.
However, e dey expected say di President during im visit go assess first-hand di recurring crisis wey don claim many lives and cause significant destruction.
During im stay, President Tinubu go meet wit all stakeholders—including traditional rulers, political, religious, community leaders, and youth groups—to find lasting solutions to di hostilities.
E go also hold town hall meeting wit all stakeholders during di visit.
In preparation for di visit, President Tinubu don already dispatch di Secretary to di Government of di Federation, di Inspector General of Police, heads of intelligence agencies, di National Security Adviser, plus di Chairmen of di Senate and House Defence Committees go Benue State.
SGF, Security Chiefs dey Benue to end killings
Ahead of di president visit, di Secretary to di Government of di Federation George Akume wey come from Benue land di state on Tuesday, 17 June.
E say im visit di sites of di attacks, meet wit survivors who express dia pains." Di pain dey raw, di sorrow dey deep," Di SGF tok.
"For di Market IDP camp, I meet families wey still dey suffer from di loss — displaced, grieving, and living in difficult conditions. Dia resilience moveme deeply. Dis crisis done go on for too long. No one deserve to live in fear or uncertainty for dia own homeland. Dis really hurt". Oga Akume add.
Di SGF assure say im no go abandon im own. "I go stand wit you- and we no go rest till our communities dey secure & peace return to our lands," e add.
Also, di Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun and di Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa bin rush go Yelewata community on Monday to see tins for diasef.
Di IGP describe di attack as "senseless and an act of terrorism", and e promise say di Nigeria Police Force do dia best to bring di attackers to justice.
Also, di CDS assure di pipo say dis go be di last attack wey go happen for dia community.
"We want make dis one be di last one wey go happen. We go go all out to ensure say we address am. We don put measures for oda places and e bin work, so here no go dey different," e tok.
"I wan assure Nigerians say no be only Benue State, all ova di kontri, we dey determined, based on di mandate of Mr President, to make sure say we restore peace and tranquillity inside our country, but we need Nigerians to support us."

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Di witness also tender in evidence two boxes containing Kanu personal belongings like shoes, wrist-watches, and perfumes, plus some broadcasting equipment like microphones, tripods, laptops, ipads, and internet modems. PW2 - Mr BBB Di second prosecution witness - Mr BBB start im own testimony on 7 May, 2025. E tok say im na one of di lead officers wey investigate Nnamdi Kanu, afta di den AGF Abubakar Malami, write a petition to DSS complaining of di broadcasts wey di Ipob leader dey make on social media using Radio Biafra. Dis witness tender video evidence wia Nnamdi Kanu announce di creation of di Eastern Security Network (ESN), and wia e threaten Bola Tinubu and say e go destroy im properties for Lagos. Mr BBB also say dia investigation show say Nnamdi Kanu broadcasts dey directly connected to di violence and killings wey dey go on for di southeast region. E also tender as exhibit, di death certificate of Ahmed Gulak, wey be chieftain of di All progressives Congress (APC) wey jaguda pipo bin kill for Owerri Imo State on 30 May, 2021. Di witness claim say na Ipob fighters kill Gulak sake of say e disobey di sit-at-home order wey Kanu bin give for dat May 30 - a day wey Ipob dey mark as Biafra Remembrance Day. During cross-examination, BBB deny say no be DSS pipo arrest Kanu for Kenya. E say dia work no dey cross outside Nigeria. Also, Kanu lawyers tender video evidence of di Govnor of Imo State as e tok say Ipob no dey responsible for di killings for di state, rather na politicians dey do am. Dem also play videos of retired Major General for di Nigeria Army, T.Y Danjuma, and di current Director-General of di DSS Adeola Ajayi wia dem dey tell di public make dem rise up and defend diasef from terrorists and bandits PW3 - Mr CCC Dis witness na also one of di officers wey bin investigate Kanu wen dem arrest am from 2015. E tok say im and two oda DSS officers bin interview Kanu on October 21, 22, 23 and 24, and again on November 4 of dat 2015, and e present di video recording of dat interview to be tendered as evidence. However, one of Nnamdi Kanu lawyers, Paul Erokoro inform di court say Kanu tell am say im bin dey under duress wen e make di statement. Prosecution lawyer say no be true, say Kanu make di statement voluntarily witout any force. To determine weda to accept di video in evidence, Justice Omotosho order for trial within trial. Dem play di video for court and e show say Kanu bin complain several times say e dey entitled to a lawyer but di DSS no wan give am im lawyer. Justice Omotosho rule say e no go admit di evidence bicos e go against di evidence act wey clearly state say a defendant must to make im statement in di presence of im legal representative. "I hereby order as follows: Dat di statement of di defendant dated 21 to 24 October and November 4 2015 dey inadmissible in evidence. "Dat di video recordings of di statement wey I bin don admit and marked PWQ and PWR, also dey inadmissible and hereby marked rejected," Omotosho tok. PW4 - Mr DDD Anoda DSS officer, dis witness say e work for di Imo State command between 2019 and 2022, and na im lead di team wey recover di radio transmitter wey Kanu bin allegedly import into di kontri illegally. Oga DDD say dem use ogbonge technology to geolocate one video wey Kanu bin make wia e tell im followers say dia radio transmitter don land. E say dem locate di equipment for Ubuluisiuzor Community, for Ihiala local goment area of Anambra State, for di compound of one Benjamin Madubugwu. Dem hide di transmitter inside di container and cover am wit household items like mattresses and washing machines, e tok. Dis witness also tell di court how one IPOB/ESN commander wey police arrest, bin confess say Nnamdi Kanu order dem to bury one of dia commander wey police kill wit 2000 human heads, but na 30 pipo dem don get so far bifor police arrest am. According to DDD, dis arrested Ipob member name na Uzoma Benjamin, a.k.a 'Onye Army. However, e admit say no be im interview di suspect, but na wetin di newspapers publish. Di witness tender a publication of Vanguard Newspaper of 3 July, wey contain di report. E also tok claim say na Ipob kill Ahmed Gulak bicos e disobey sit-at-home order wey Nnamdi Kanu bin declare. However, during cross-examination, one of Kanu lawyers Onyechi Ikpeazu, point out say Gulak na politician, and na im be di chairman of di primary election wey produce Uzodinma as di APC govnorship candidate for Imo State. Ikpeazu ask di witness why e be say di killers kill only Gulak, but dem no touch di driver of im vehicle and di oda passenger wey dey wit am dat time, since na all of dem disobey di sit-at-home order. E also point out say di govment of Imo State later come out to explain say di killing of Gulak dey politically motivated. PW5 - Mr EEE Dis last witness tell di court say im work na to investigate wetin happen during di End SARS nationwide protest of October 2020 for Nigeria. EEE insist say di issue of police brutality na di secondary cause of di protest, but di underlying reasons na bicos say some subversive elements, like Nnamdi Kanu, bin don dey incite di public against di goment. E tender document of dia investigation as evidence, and di document show say about 175 security officers - including policemen, army pipo and DSS pipo - bin die across di kontri during di protest. For di cross-examination, Ikpeazu ask di witness say: Shey you dey categorically tell di court say di End SARS protests na Biafran issue?" Di witness respond say "my assignment no be to investigate Biafra, my assignment na to investigate di End SARS protest to which di defendant bin incite di public." Ikpeazu den point to di report of di panel of enquiry into di End SARS protest for Lagos State, and say di report no mention Ipob or Nnamdi Kanu anywia as di pipo wey dey responsible. E also try to poke holes for di document wey Mr EEE bin tender, as e point out say di document no get di signature or stamp of di pipo wey claim say na dem write am. Also Ikpeazu point out say di document get inconsistencies, like wia e refer to Osun State as Ekiti State, and places wia details of di dead bodies of di security pipo wey dem claim say Ipob/ESN pipo kill durin End SARS no dey clear. As cross-examination end, Awomolo, counsel to di goment inform di court say dem dey close dia case for hia, as dem believe say di evidences dem provide and di witnesses dem call don dey sufficient. No-case submission Kanu Agabi, di lead defence counsel inform di court say dem go file no-case submission, since di prosecution don exhaust dia case. "Chief Awomolo get di misfortune of trying dis case, and we get di misfortune of defending am, bicos we no see any case at all for dis charges against our client," Agabi tok. E ask di trial judge to give dem some days to file dia written address on di no case submission. Justice Omotosho grant di defence team 14 days to fille dia written address, and also 14 days to di prosecution team to file dia own. Omotosho adjourn di matter to 18 July, 2025, for di two sides to come and adopt dia addresses so dat e go rule, perhaps afta Judges come back from dia annual Vacation wey dey start from late July to early September. Di Charges against Kanu Since 2015 wen di Nigeria goment first arrest Nnamdi Kanu, na only April dis year im trial start well-well. Remember say di matter bin dey bifor Justice Binta Nyako of di Federal High Court Abuja, and na she bin grant Kanu bail on health grounds in 2017, but Kanu run for im life comot for Nigeria afta soldiers bin carry out security operation for im House in Umuahia, Abia State for southeast Nigeria. In June 2021, security pipo for Kenya arrest Kanu and carry am by force come bak to Nigeria to face trial. Di initial charges against di ipob leader bin dey 15, but Justice Nyako bring am down to seven. Even though di Court of Appeal later strike out all di charges and discharge Kanu, di Supreme Court reinstated di seven charges as dem tok say di Ipob leader get questions to ansa. Here na di seven charges:

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