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219 Nigerians Rescues from Forced Cybercrime in Ghana

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219 Nigerians Rescues from Forced Cybercrime in Ghana

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government has lauded Ghanaian authorities for rescuing at least 219 young Nigerians who were trafficked to the West African country and forced into cybercrimes.

It also restated its commitment to providing the youth with technical education and skills to curb growing unemployment.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu made the commitment when she visited the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) in Accra, Ghana, where the victims of trafficking were being detained.

In a closed door meeting with the Executive Director of the agency, Mr. Bashiru Dapilah and two of his directors, the minister expressed gratitude to the operatives for doing their job professionally especially treating the victims with dignity.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who was in Ghana for the official launch of the 50th anniversary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers on the withdrawal of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, described as callous and inhuman, the exploitation of innocent young people.

She said that trafficking was modern slavery, obnoxious and man’s inhumanity to man.

She however urged Nigerian youth to shun people who promise irresistible job offers outside the shores of the country, decrying the most times these are just baits to lure them into slavery.

She stated that the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana had last Thursday, alerted her of the incident and how the victims were held under inhuman conditions by the perpetrators before the sting operation that burst the evil syndicate.

She said: “Prior to their rescue, these boys had been locked up in about 25 rooms within the estate where they were used to perpetrate cybercrimes. At the time of their arrest, many of them, being locked inside confined spaces with computers for weeks on end without being let outside, were even unable to get their eyes to adjust to the sun when they were led outside those dark rooms. Some had been serially abused with visible lacerations inflicted on them by their criminal ‘don’ while one had his legs broken for not tendering all the proceeds of his cybercrime.”

Addressing the victims at the premises of the agency, the minister said that they were lucky to have been rescued, disclosing that many had lost their lives in similar circumstances while others rot in jails in parts of the world.

She said: “Count yourselves lucky as next time, it may not be a benevolent country like Ghana. It may not be a circumstance within a location where we have excellent bilateral relations. There are countries that take cybercrimes very seriously and by the time they lock you up, they will throw away the key. We are still trying to this day to ensure that Ethiopia signs our exchange or transfer of sentenced persons MoU so that we can bring those nationals who are trapped in their prisons back to Nigeria. So we don’t lose even more of them.

“We are happy that this commission has excellent relations with NAPTIP and they have been kind enough. I was really humbled when the Executive Director said their interest is not for these young men to get back to Nigeria into the prison system; because that’s what usually happens. Under that situation, they are obliged to hand you over to law enforcement, correctional facilities in Nigeria and then you know what will happen. It’s another cycle of your relatives coming to prison to bring you food,” Odumegwu-Ojukwu said.

She however highlighted that the Nigerian government was committed to citizen-centred diplomacy as a cardinal thrust of the foreign policy of President Bola Tinubu-administration.

She said that the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration has laudable programmes particularly those that give skills to the youth so that they do not indulge in crimes of this nature.

She, therefore, urged the victims, to take advantage of this second chance that God has made possible for them by keying into some of the intervention programmes of the federal government.

She admonished: “Know that East, West, home is best. So, when you get home, give the government opportunity to equip you with skills.

“I am also using this opportunity to commend other Nigerians who are industrious, hardworking and law-abiding in Ghana.

“I can assure you that Ghana will have the support and cooperation of the Nigerian Government in the fight against organised crimes.

“It’s something that our own Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will want to be part of to ensure that we are not seen as headquarters of economic crimes.”

She described what happened as a success story, a model to how bilateral relations should be pursued in addressing economic and financial crimes.

Executive Director of the agency, Dapilah explained how his team acted on intelligence to achieve the feat.

He said: “We are not looking at this as a Nigerian crime because you have some backing of Ghanaian. The estate where they lived, we arrested the owner and he will be prosecuted.

“We require collaboration between our two countries. The crime is committed here in Ghana but we know that somebody in Nigeria was behind it. So, these persons have been rescued but the next thing is the collaboration to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended.

“As you go home, take the message to our counterpart in Nigeria that we will be needing collaboration to to roundup the perpetrators,” he said.

The Ghana anti-graft boss extolled majority of Nigerians in the country who he said were law-abiding and contributing significantly to the development of Ghana and its economy.

“We have a large Nigerian population here that are law-abiding especially where they are selling spare parts. We have a lot of them running restaurants where we go to eat Nigerian delicacies,” Dapilah said.

He also thanked the Nigerian High Commission for working closely with the agency for long, detailednoting that the Chargé D’Affaires, Ambassador Dayo Adeoye collaborated with them.

Adeoye daid that over 3 million Nigerians reside in Ghana and many of them are doing well, helping the economic development of their host country.

He called for aggressive enlightenment to curb the spate of trafficking involving Nigerians.

About 231 young Nigerians are expected to arrive Lagos on Friday from Ghana and handed to government officials.

219 Nigerians Rescues from Forced Cybercrime in Ghana

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Chieftaincy dispute causes chaos in Muye village in Niger

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Chieftaincy dispute causes chaos in Muye village in Niger

By: Zagazola Makama

A renewed chieftaincy tussle in Muye village, Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State, has sparked violent confrontations between rival supporters, prompting swift intervention by security operatives.

Zagazola Makama gathered that the crisis began around 6:20 p.m. on Thursday when the deposed village head, Alhaji Mohammed Abdulkadir Maigari II, forcefully returned to Muye and broke into the palace.

The incident provoked tension among residents, especially after supporters of the current Dakachi confronted the deposed monarch. The situation was immediately brought under control by a team of security personnel from Lapai.

However, Zagazola learnt that the situation escalated on Friday morning when supporters of both camps clashed again, leading to a free-for-all fight that disrupted public peace in the community.

Security sources were swiftly deployed to Muye to restore normalcy.

“The combined security teams have brought the situation under control. Monitoring and surveillance operations are ongoing to prevent further breakdown of law and order,” the source said.

No casualties or arrests have been officially confirmed as of the time of filing this report.

Chieftaincy dispute causes chaos in Muye village in Niger

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

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Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

By: Michael Mike

Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.

The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.

The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.

The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.

The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.

According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.

The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.

It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
End

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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

By: Michael Mike

A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.

Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.

Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.

He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.

“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.

“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.

According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.

Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.

He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.

He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.

“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.

“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.

In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.

Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.

He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.

“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

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