There was mild drama on Thursday at the Edo State House of Assembly, located in Ring Road axis of Benin City, as the roofs of the Assembly complex were forcefully pulled down.

We reports the move comes following the foiled forceful takeover of the Assembly by 17 lawmakers of the APC and loyalists of the Party’s Governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

The order was reportedly issued by the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu who have since decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the APC.

Naijaloaded had reported how security agencies, believed to be drafted from Abuja, on Thursday, stormed the Edo Assembly complex to provide security cover to the 17 APC lawmakers and Ize-Iyamu’s loyalists.

The move, which was to allow fresh inauguration of the APC loyalists, and the impeachment of the Speaker, Frank Okiye; the Governor and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, was however foiled when Obaseki, Shaibu and supporters stormed the complex.

Our correspondent later observed that thugs were immediately drafted to forcefully pull down the roof of the Edo Assembly under the guise that it needed to be replaced with new ones.

Lt-General Onyeabor Azubuike Ihejirika

“The (commanders), including El-Rufai, know where the problem is,” Ihejirika told Vanguard. “He should stop deceiving Nigerians by trying to divert attention”.

He continued, pointing an accusatory finger at the former minister, claiming it was he who kept the necessary weaponry and equipment needed to fight the insurgency from the military. “The likes of El-Rufai have been supporting Boko Haram. In fact, El-Rufai and his likes are the same group of people that ensured the army did not to get the requested equipment to deal with this menace once and for all, as they used their cohorts to tell the government that procuring modern equipment were not necessary.”

The former Army Chief also said that El-Rufai and others allegedly green-lighted Boko Haram’s activities and attempted to divert concern from the atrocities of the sect. “When the Boko Haram operation started, supporters of the sect like El-Rufai said that there was nothing like Boko Haram and that the army was just killing innocent youths,” he said, furthering, “El-Rufai said that I was re-inventing the killing of the Ibos during the Biafra war following government’s determination to rid the country of terrorism.”

Iherjirika also says that he was the first person to declare that the country was dealing with a war situation, but El-Rufai and others allegedly denied the gravity of the situation, disagreeing with his judgment. This move, the General says, gave Boko Haram time to regroup and redevelop.

“It is the same group of El-Rufai that started the human right abuses campaign. It was done in order to block any international assistance after the state of emergency was declared and the sect was initially tamed. That gave Boko Haram time and respite to build up again”.

Ihejirika also told Vanguard that El-Rufai and others are further involved with Boko Haram and its operations, but that he could not yet disclose that information.”

It is worthy of note that Nasir El-Rufai was duly relieve of all accusations and the accuser sanctioned, Nigerians must do well to carry informations that would promote unity and progress and not disunity

When Florence Abu, a hair stylist, left the shores of Nigeria in 2012 for Russia, she thought it would be for a good cause as she had then hoped to find greener pastures abroad. She didn’t take the step just to better her life alone, but to improve the fortunes of her family. Sadly, that was not the case.

Abu, an indigene of Edo State, soon found herself knee deep in modern day slavery. She had been trafficked out of Nigeria unsuspectingly.

Upon her arrival in Russia, she got engaged in menial jobs until her handlers told her that the real reason why she was in the country was for prostitution.

Prior to her departure, Abu said she was lured to travel abroad by an assistant ‘pastor’ in her local church then, who claimed that he saw a vision of her prospering outside the shores of Nigeria.

Human trafficking is a global menace and the disturbing trend is not new. According to a 2016 UNESCO report, poverty is the reason why women and children are vulnerable to being trafficked. Another report in 2018 by the Global Slavery Index, ranked Nigeria 32 out of 167 countries where persons are trafficked from. 

Abu, like other victims in her shoes, all she needed was a greener pasture. To be assured that she would not abscond on getting to Russia, the hair stylist said she was asked to give the mother of the pastor her pubic hairs and finger nails.

Abu said she was also told to pay $46,000 to be free again or be killed if she ‘forms smart’.

“I first of all refused the offer but he now told me that I don’t have a choice because God showed him in a revelation that my destiny is not in the country, that my destiny is outside the country and for me to achieve that aim, I need to leave the country so I can earn better money and also help my family and take them away from poverty  and for me to also have a better stay.

“When he said that, I was like okay but I don’t have the money to leave, how am I going to leave, and he said that not the problem, and that they are the ones that are going to fix the bills to leave.

“The only thing they will request from me is for me to go and look for money to do my international passport, that if I can do my international passport, then the rest of the things they are doing is on them.

“The pastor told me that that’s the only form of guarantee that I should do it so I don’t have a choice I had to give her what she requested for hair from my head, my armpit pubic part and my fingernails so I gave her those things then she now asked my to leave. That was how I left, I gave it to the Mother of the pastor and the mother of the person I’m going to meet in Russia so that was how I gave her.

“They told me that after my payment, i can decide to do my hair dresser work, do my dancing or my singing that I can go ahead with that but for the now, the only thing I can do is to see how other girls are hustling on the streets, that’s how I’m going to sell my body as a prostitute to also pay her her money, until I finish paying he the $46,000 but if I want form that I’m a very smart girl, she might even kill me here (there),” the hair stylist said.

‘I went through hell’

Abu said sometimes she was forced to be on call with different “clients” for more than 24 hours at a time.

The stylist said when she complained to her handler of how dangerous some of these clients were, the ‘madam’, as they are often called, did not care and only requested for the proceeds from her prostitution.

“My life was like 24hours, I go to work, sometimes I go for a week, i’ll go to work, I’ll have bad clients, some will carry gun, sometimes I’ll use nakedness to run out of the house, day time like this, broad day light running for my life,” she said.

“When I will still call my madam, see wetin happen, she go say that one nor concern am o, work just Dey as we Dey talk now, make I just find one place wear my cloth make I Dey go another work. Something like that, many things happened. 

“I even went to work one day and they threw me from a three story building, I broke my hand, I was at home for two months, she was like she won’t be the one feeding me so I should use that same broken hand and go to work until I finish paying her her money,” she added.

Abu was repatriated to Nigeria after she came down with a mysterious illness that defied treatments.

‘Victim turned activist’

Since she returned to the country in 2017 after spending five years in Russia, Abu has been working hard to re-establish her hair styling business and collaborating with different groups to create enlightenment on trafficking and irregular migration.

“I spent five years in Russia, I have been here now since three years plus because I came back in 2017, February 2017,” she said.

“What I’ve been doing, I’m a hair stylist but I don’t have a stall now, I’m planning to have a store which is I’m looking for support so that I can be able to set up my business and what I have been doing for the now.

“I was working with Mr Okoduwa (national coordinator, Initiative for youth awareness on Migration, Immigration, Development and Re-integration (IYAMIDR)) maybe just going for sensitization programs, letting people know about the root against illegal migration, and something like that, speaking against this because when I can I never fold my hands I make sure I caught my trafficker, I made sure I exposed my trafficker you understand. 

“I never said because I am afraid of them even with the threat and everything I said I can’t let them go because I know what I suffered back there in Russia and this person told me that my life is in her hands so I let her know that God that brought me here, he didn’t just bring me here for a purpose and I can’t see other girls also wasting their lives,” she said.

‘Pastor who trafficked Abu facing charges‘

Solomon Okoduwa, national coordinator, Initiative for Youth Awareness on Migration, Immigration, Development and Reintegration (IYAMIDR), said all those who were involved in trafficking Abu are being prosecuted.

Okoduwa expressed dismay that it is taking too long to convict all those who played roles in the trafficking of Abu.

“The case is still ongoing, the trafficker, the mother, the pastor, all the culprits involved have been arrested, and they are currently facing the charges filed by the federal government through the NAPTIP office, that is what is going on right now.

“Florence is very healthy though not economically healthy so we pray that through this interview, people that hear her ordeal, hear her speak, see her courage, see her determination to see that yes these people are brought to book will also come to support her,” she said.

‘Ignorance, illiteracy aiding trafficking’

Julie Okah-Donli, director-general of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), said beside poverty, ignorance, illiteracy and deceit are aiding the trafficking of people out of the country.

“First of all it is ignorance and then deceit and then off course illiteracy plays a major role I mean because when somebody tells you that you are going to be given a good job abroad, you don’t have a work visa, a work permit, you don’t have a stay, how are you going to survive in a place like that and that’s why because of their vulnerability by virtue of their status, they are easily trafficked.

“So these are the major factors, I’m not ruling out poverty in the sense that they approach the parents and tell them, okay we are going to take your daughter somewhere to work, you know she’s going to have a better life and send you money and all of that but trust me 80 percent is ignorance, illiteracy and deceit,” the director-general said.

Okah-Donli said over 16,000 victims have been rescued from human traffickers.

“We have prosecuted over 12,000 (traffickers). We have secured about 425 convictions and we have had over 1000 cases spread across Nigeria.

“We have rehabilitated quite a number of victims to the extent that they pass through primary secondary school and University courtesy NAPTIP,” she said

In a discussion between them, Dorathy shared a feeling she has been experiencing towards Brighto to Lucy, telling Lucy that she has a strong likeness for Brighto and she dose not know where this is coming from. She complained that during the games, big brother constantly pair her alongside Brighto, with the hope that it is alphabetically. Although Lucy sees this as a sign, that big brother is trying to make something happen between them, but she is not sure what it is.

Recall that Dorathy had once shared how she feels to Brighto as she could not hold back her feelings, after a snub from Ozo, who preferred to lost after Nengi

This happened last Christmas holiday when I took my wife with my two daughters home for their celebrations. I was still held up at work and after dropping them in the morning I decided to travel back to Nakuru where I run a consultancy office.

I arrived in Nakuru at around noon but again my neighbor called me urgently telling me how he had seen my wife with another neighbor- man. I quickly thought something was wrong and this forced me to plan travelling back. I did not call to prepare her.

I arrived at my rural at around 6.30 and started looking for her all over when one of my 5 year old kid told me that her mother was in my neighbours house and she had gone there from morning. The neighbour in question did not have a wife so I got curious on what my wife could be doing with him. I went there and I was met by the surprise of my life.

“Beb, hii yako leo ni moto kama Doshi,” I heard my wife telling the neighbor as they enjoyed hot lungula. I was so infuriated and I called my older brother who came and heard the disgusting noisy sex that was going on. He was equally shocked and he told me the best way to teach them a lesson was to call Doctor Mugwenu who is a traditional herbalist.

We called the doctor and he swiftly did some distance black magic and no sooner did he finsih than we heard both of them wailing in pain saying they were stuck in each other. My brother and I walked in the house and we found a very bad scene of my neighbour and my wife stuck stark naked.

The whole family came to spectate at them as they cried in huge embarrassment. I pleaded with Daktari to separate them so that they can be beaten thoroughly with neighbours. That was my best day since they were taught a lifetime lesson.

I advise anyone with a similar problem to visit Dr. Mugwenu. Just like a medical doctor, Dr. Mugwenu does a diagnosis on his clients by asking a few questions for self-introspection in the area of one’s life such as challenges in financial and physical aspects, among others.

Dr. Mugwenu says his spell casting powers work within 24 hours, and usually within the same day they are released. He handles general problems ranging from winning court cases, winning the lottery, protection of family and property, as well as accurately foretelling one’s future.

Many others who have been assisted by him say they have received powerful healing and are now more connected to their fellow lonely hearts.

Contact herbalist Dr. Mugwenu. He heals pressure, diabetes, ulcers, gonorrhea, syphilis, TB, manhood weakness among other things.

The doctor also solves life’s challenges such as love issues, family problems, hardships in business, increases your luck, that is, winning lottery games and court cases, promotions at work and clears away devilish spirits and dreams.

The group says individuals or companies that refuse to comply with the ban should be fined.

The request was first directed to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, and later to the Ministry of Information and Culture, headed by Lai Mohammed [Businessday]

The Arewa Youth Consultative Council (AYCC) has asked the Federal Government to block ‘sexual and immorally-related’ websites from the Nigerian cyberspace.

In a statement signed by the group’s spokesperson, Muhammad Ibrahim, on Friday, August 14, 2020, AYCC said it is concerned by the exposure of Nigerian youths to ‘sexual contamination’.

The group said the exposure of Nigerian youths to sexual content is fueling a culture of indecency, immorality and increasing cases of sexual misbehaviours.

AYCC, in the letter addressed to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, called on the government to enforce a strict monitoring policy that will remove pornographic content.

“We resolved to write to you as concerned citizens to call on your quick intervention in blocking sexual and immorality related sites in the Nigerian cyberspace to sanitise the reckless behaviour and continuous immoral engagements among youths for sustainable development and progress of our societies,” the statement read.

AYCC also said the government should ‘force’ service providers to protect Nigerians from content involving violence and terrorism.

The youth group noted that the censure will prevent future catastrophe that will erase the possibility of a lost society.

The group suggested that individuals or companies that refuse to comply with the censure should be fined millions and billions of naira, respectively.

The Nigerian government has disclosed that the current plastic national identity card will be replaced with a digital means of identification.

The minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola, on Thursday, August 13, made the disclosure to the press after the committee on citizen data management and harmonisation held a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Daily Trust reported.

Aregbesola, who also chairs the committee, said that the card is no more the focus, adding that the important thing is the National Identity Number (NIN).

The minister said the digital process will be to be domiciled in the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

Similarly, the minister of communications and digital economy, Ali Pantami who was at the present at the press briefing, stated that the world had gone digital and stopped focusing on the production of cards.

He said ”What the chairman is saying now is that we’re no more talking about cards, the world has gone digital. So, that card is no more,”

”Our priority now is digital identity, it will be attached to your database wherever you are.”Now, our focus is no longer on producing cards, that card is only for record but what is important is that the digital ID and if you notice we’ve started using the digital ID on the international passport.

”Once you have the digital ID but not the card, we are 100% done with you,” the minister said.

Meanwhile, it earlier reported that the comptroller_general of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mohammed Babandede has said that they will be reciprocating travel bans and restrictions on Nigeria by any country.

Babandede who said this in reaction to the inclusion of Nigeria by the United States to its list of countries with visa restrictions, told TheSignature50 magazine that Nigeria also has the right to dictate who it allows in or restricts entry from.

The Immigration CG said; ”I can tell you that US is a country, it is a nation like Nigeria. They have the right to restrict who will enter their territory or not just like we can restrict US citizen or whomsoever from entering Nigeria.

”So they have the right, but I want people to know that Visa restriction is not a Visa ban, it’s a ban for people who want to take residency not people who want to go for short visits.

”You’re aware that President Muhammadu Buhari just launched a new visa policy for Nigeria, the visa policy has 79 classes of visa. So, we will be in a position to say to countries, if you allow us for short visits we will allow you for short visits and if you stop us from other visits, we do the same, because the new visa policy is based on reciprocity.

”So, we will test this for a year and see those who reciprocate and we take actions for those who do otherwise.”