Boko Haram invades Army chief’s town in Borno

The home town of the acting Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Tukur Buratai, in Borno State, has been invaded by the terror group, Boko Haram, who razed virtually every structure standing in the town, including the house of the Army chief. It was gathered that the terrorists also left two persons dead in the attack. Also razed was the house of the former Borno State Commissioner for Education, Mr. Isa Buratai. A resident of Buratai, who fled to Biu, Abubakar Buratai, told our correspondent on the telephone that the Boko Haram insurgents stormed the town at about 3.30am on Tuesday. He said the militants shot indiscriminately, killing two people and burning down the remaining houses that were still standing after most of the houses in Buratai were razed after the first attack on the town. The fleeing resident added, “You should already be aware that our town was attacked sometimes ago and many houses were burnt down. This time around, they burnt the remaining houses in the town including the house of the General and Hon Isa Buratai.” A native of the town, who is resident in Maiduguri, Ibrahim Mohammed, also told our correspondent on the telephone that he received a call from one of his brothers, who fled Buratai, that terrorists had attacked their home town in the early hours of Tuesday, killing two persons and burning down the whole village. Mohammed stated, “It is true they attacked Buratai. I received a call from my brother early this morning informing me that the insurgents have again invaded our home town and killed two persons before razing the remaining structures in the town, including that of COAS and Hon Buratai.”

Boko Haram invades Army chief’s town in Borno

The home town of the acting Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Tukur Buratai, in Borno State, has been invaded by the terror group, Boko Haram, who razed virtually every structure standing in the town, including the house of the Army chief. It was gathered that the terrorists also left two persons dead in the attack. Also razed was the house of the former Borno State Commissioner for Education, Mr. Isa Buratai. A resident of Buratai, who fled to Biu, Abubakar Buratai, told our correspondent on the telephone that the Boko Haram insurgents stormed the town at about 3.30am on Tuesday. He said the militants shot indiscriminately, killing two people and burning down the remaining houses that were still standing after most of the houses in Buratai were razed after the first attack on the town. The fleeing resident added, “You should already be aware that our town was attacked sometimes ago and many houses were burnt down. This time around, they burnt the remaining houses in the town including the house of the General and Hon Isa Buratai.” A native of the town, who is resident in Maiduguri, Ibrahim Mohammed, also told our correspondent on the telephone that he received a call from one of his brothers, who fled Buratai, that terrorists had attacked their home town in the early hours of Tuesday, killing two persons and burning down the whole village. Mohammed stated, “It is true they attacked Buratai. I received a call from my brother early this morning informing me that the insurgents have again invaded our home town and killed two persons before razing the remaining structures in the town, including that of COAS and Hon Buratai.”

Inspection: Peterside wants election materials moved to Abuja

The All Progressives Congress and its governorship candidate in the April 11, 2015 election, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, have asked the state Governorship Election PetitionS Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, to order the Independent National Electoral Commission to move the materials used for the election from Port Harcourt, the state capital, to Abuja, for inspection. APC and Peterside made this request in an application, which they filed following an alleged continued refusal by INEC to obey the order for inspection made by the tribunal on June 11, 2015. Peterside and the APC had on May 3, 2015, filed their petition before the tribunal to challenge the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Nyesom Wike, in the poll. The petitioners had earlier complained to the Justice Muazu Pindiga-led tribunal that INEC was working with the PDP and Wike to frustrate the inspection of the election materials. Following the petitioners’ complaint, the tribunal on July 9 re-affirmed the order of inspection, directing INEC to comply with it. At the Wednesday’s proceedings, the petitioners’ lawyer, Akin Olujinmi (SAN), informed the court that INEC had refused to yield to the tribunal’s order for inspection. “Your lordship made an order on June 11 for inspection of election materials. The order was restated on July 9. That order has not been obeyed by INEC,” Olujinmi said. He confirmed after the proceedings that he had filed an application seeking an order, compelling INEC to move the election materials to Abuja for inspection since “they have made inspection impossible in Rivers State”. Earlier, Olujinmi urged the tribunal to disregard the arguments canvassed by the respondents, challenging among others, competence of his clients’ petition and proceed to hear the case on merit. The respondents argued through their respective lawyers – Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) for the PDP, Emmanuel Ukala (SAN) for Wike and Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) for INEC. Olujinmi argued that the respondents were only raising technical issues rather than allow the petitioners present their case. Olanipekun, while arguing his client’s motion challenging, among others, the competence of the petition, urged the court to strike out some portions of it, including part of the petitioners’ prayers on the ground that they did not comply with the provision of the Electoral Act. Wike is challenging Peterside’s qualification to contest the election, arguing that his (Peterside’s) name was nor sent to INEC within 21 days before his party’s congress as required, a claim Olujinmi denied, insisting that his clients complied with all relevant laws in fielding Peterside for the election. INEC, in its application, is challenging the territorial jurisdiction of the tribunal to sit in Abuja, a position Olujinmi faulted, insisting that the tribunal possesseD the jurisdiction to hear and determine his clients’ petition. The tribunal, which rose shortly after 6pm, fixed July 29 for ruling on the applications by INEC and Wike. It also fixed ruling for July 31 in the application by the PDP.

Bomb Blast At Dadin-Kowa Motor-Park In Gombe This Night

Suspected members of the Boko Haram sect struck at Dadin-Kowa motor park in Gombe state around 7:30 pm on Wednesday. A source that activities are usually low during the period that the attack took place. “Two suicide bombers attacked Dadin Kowa bus station this evening. The park is one of the busiest in the town,” he said. “You get vehicles going to Biu, Maiduguri, Yola but activities are usually low in the evening. So, we just hope that the casualty would not be high.” Fwaje Atajiri, the police public relations officer in the state confirmed the attack, saying the police has cordoned off the area to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of the situation. “It is true that there were bomb attacks in the motor park but the casualty figure is not yet known,” he said. “The injured have been taken to the hospital and the area has been cordoned off to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of the situation to loot people’s property. Details would be made known to you later.”

Bomb Blast At Dadin-Kowa Motor-Park In Gombe This Night

Suspected members of the Boko Haram sect struck at Dadin-Kowa motor park in Gombe state around 7:30 pm on Wednesday. A source that activities are usually low during the period that the attack took place. “Two suicide bombers attacked Dadin Kowa bus station this evening. The park is one of the busiest in the town,” he said. “You get vehicles going to Biu, Maiduguri, Yola but activities are usually low in the evening. So, we just hope that the casualty would not be high.” Fwaje Atajiri, the police public relations officer in the state confirmed the attack, saying the police has cordoned off the area to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of the situation. “It is true that there were bomb attacks in the motor park but the casualty figure is not yet known,” he said. “The injured have been taken to the hospital and the area has been cordoned off to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of the situation to loot people’s property. Details would be made known to you later.”

Jonathan Paid People To Attack Me – Obasanjo

Barely one week, after he defended his choice of successor in 2007, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has pointedly accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of paying people to attack him. Obasanjo, who also reflected on the despotic regime of the late maximum ruler, General Sani Abacha, stated that he would have been killed wrongly for the fathom coup. Speaking on Channels Television programme, Channel Book Club last night, Obasanjo alleged that Jonathan paid people to attack him over his controversial book, “ My Watch”. He claimed that Jonathan paid an activist from the South-West to criticise him. While defending his book, Obasanjo said he did not have any regret on what he wrote, advising those who do not like what he said in the book to also write theirs, “so let the dialogue begin”. On the criticism, trailing his book, Obasanjo said: “ If I have to react to all criticisms people write about me, which most of them are not true, then, I will not have time to do anything really again He stated that what his critics, including Wole Soyinka, said did not bother him. “Wole Soyinka and I have been having running battle. As he has said that it will not end until one of us leaves this world and I have said in this book we re talking about that If he leaves before me, when I get to Heaven and I hope he will be there, he should welcome me. But If I leave before him, I wiil welcome him. “Wole Soyinka is a gifted man, I have always acknowledged that, but he is a bad politician or poltiical analyst and it is my own point of view, he may agree with my own point of view or disagree,” he said.

Jonathan Paid People To Attack Me – Obasanjo

Barely one week, after he defended his choice of successor in 2007, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has pointedly accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of paying people to attack him. Obasanjo, who also reflected on the despotic regime of the late maximum ruler, General Sani Abacha, stated that he would have been killed wrongly for the fathom coup. Speaking on Channels Television programme, Channel Book Club last night, Obasanjo alleged that Jonathan paid people to attack him over his controversial book, “ My Watch”. He claimed that Jonathan paid an activist from the South-West to criticise him. While defending his book, Obasanjo said he did not have any regret on what he wrote, advising those who do not like what he said in the book to also write theirs, “so let the dialogue begin”. On the criticism, trailing his book, Obasanjo said: “ If I have to react to all criticisms people write about me, which most of them are not true, then, I will not have time to do anything really again He stated that what his critics, including Wole Soyinka, said did not bother him. “Wole Soyinka and I have been having running battle. As he has said that it will not end until one of us leaves this world and I have said in this book we re talking about that If he leaves before me, when I get to Heaven and I hope he will be there, he should welcome me. But If I leave before him, I wiil welcome him. “Wole Soyinka is a gifted man, I have always acknowledged that, but he is a bad politician or poltiical analyst and it is my own point of view, he may agree with my own point of view or disagree,” he said.