National News
Borno Church Demolition: Why governor Zulum should sack Engr. Adam Bababe

Borno Church Demolition: Why governor Zulum should sack Engr. Adam Bababe
By: James Bwala, Maiduguri
I do not know the relationship between Professor Bukar Bababe the former Executive Director at Lake Chad Research Institute and Engr. Adam Bababe the current Executive Officer of the Borno Geographic Information Services, BOGIS.
If at all they are related then I think the Borno state governor Professor Babagan Umara Zulum has to do the needful to sack Engr. Adam Bababe over his intentional and disgraceful outing to pitch the governor against the Christians in Borno state as well as trying to diminish the hard-earned accolade the governor is currently enjoying across the political and religious front.
Recently Professor Babagana Umara Zulum has received the second high award in a foreign land. The President of the Niger republic who deem it fit to give such an award must have heard the Zulum storyline to have informed this great and iconic recognition. Many papers across the country have been speaking of Zulum’s courage in his attempt to make Borno state great again. This is why both Christians and Muslims in Borno state should help the governor achieved this desire by encouraging a pitch of peaceful coexistence and ensuring it takes the stage in the political history of a man who is making a positive difference
Nigeria is a circular state and both Christians and Muslims have come to agree to this fact. If that is so, I do not understand why some people are still testing the power of God Almighty by play God over others? In his press briefing, the CAN Chairman, Bishop Williams Naga pointed out that the Borno state government had since 1979 stop allocating space for Church building or rather stop selling but Christian had to buy through people who acquire lands and wants to sell it at a high price for profit. Churches even after buying Lands have their files kept under the carpet in other for them not to have the governor’s signature for a certificate of occupancy. The Churches however have grant papers which is also government papers that allow them to own their lands.
Before this administration come to power in 2019, there was a move by the immediate past administration to pull down illegal structures across Maiduguri thereby informing the pulling down of some mosques, which some individuals not interested in the peaceful coexistence in the state are posting to justify the move by BOGIS for bulldozing the EYN Church in Maduganari and subsequently killing a 29-year-old bricklayers Mr. Ezekiel in an unjustified manner, a situation currently trading in the state.
I do not want to go into details about mosque erection in the state. However, as a friend posted. More than 70% of the mosques in the state have no government papers. The government and the people who feel moved builds mosques where ever they deem it fit to erect such places of worship. I doubt if anyone had ever raised an eyebrow over mosque building in Maiduguri amongst the Christian faithful who also have the right to the state resources as citizens. Not even military administrators who (who were Christians) and rule Borno state in their time have come against illegal mosques on the streets of Borno.
That the Shettima administration pulls down some mosques and no Muslim shouted according to some people making inciteful posting regarding the ongoing outcry by Christians over the demolition of EYN Church is no justification that the Christians should also not shout over the demolition of their places of worship because no government builds a Church in Borno state and Churches are not built without papers because they know the trading implications in a state like Borno and as such are guided.
According to the reaction of the government over the Church demolition at EYN Maduganari, “Zulum was Shocked!” If that is so, I believe Engr. Adam Bababe must have acted on his own or he was engineered by enemies of Zulum who are at work to pitch him against the Christians seeing that he is making more Christians friends across the country and the world.
Read Also: Boko Haram: Over 600 Militants So Far Surrendered To Troops In Borno
If I should speak about governor Zulum political career I would not ignore the fact that gladiators eyeing the number of seats in Borno state are certainly at work to pitch the governor against the people because within this period I see a unity for peace as so many Muslims have joined the Christians in Borno to condemn the move by Engr. Adam Bababe. Also, I might be tempted to think that, Zulum’s rising profile is becoming a source of worry to some of his political enemies who choose to use a corrupt individual to hatch trouble for the governor and to bring him down in public eyes. That is Zulum needs to open his eyes and see his enemies in their own regalia and move against them.
Engr. Adam Bababe according to eyewitnesses ordered for the phones of workers in the Church to be collected by CJTF attached to him as a task force for such an exercise. If he was actually doing the work government had asked him to carry out why was he worried about being exposed by the phones the workers are carrying? I believe it was the Corruption in his bloodline that informed his connivance with ill-motivated individuals to smear the good image of Zulum. This is also a test for the Borno governor to either act positively and prints his name on the positive rock that speaks about the history of great men or fails in his quest for greater Borno state.
Twelve years of insurgency and still counting should be enough trouble for over four million people recording death on a daily basis. Why storing for more? With the approach of youths at the site of the demolition Church, I see people who have had enough probably from what they learned in the 12 years of a blood bath. Death is no more to be feared. So, of what other reasons should Engr. Adam Bababe invites bloodshed? If at all his actions were informed by his duty to the state, it should be of a process and everyone would understand that a government process is duly being followed.
The scenario that accompanied the move on Thursday 5, 2021 would have been a different case if Engr. Adam Bababe had come in peace to carry out government orders. And if it were government orders our beloved Zulum would not have been taken by the shock that greeted him that day. I asked if this Bababe had some relationship with the Executive Director Lake Chad Research Institute because I was privy to Bababe’s attitude to corruption and bulldozing a Church without prior information to the owners for whatever reasons shows a corrupt mind in action.
That also reminded me of a case at Justice Charity Mamza’s court in January 2015. Could Engr. Adam Bababe be acting in revenge for a judgment pass on him and his father by an EYN breed? When things happened like this so many questions are being asked and these are few.
Let me share here the little part of the past that trigger my asking. “A Maiduguri High Court number Eight has on Monday…2015 sentenced the former Executive Director of the Lake Chad Research Institute Maiduguri, Professor Bukar Bababe to a five-year jail term without an option of fine…..”
“Recalled that the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) had on the fourteenth of April, 2011 arraigned the former Executive Director, Lake Chad Research Institute Maiduguri, Professor Bukar Bababe….”
“The accused similarly between December 2008 and January 2009 conspired to make a false statement to the Central Bank of Nigeria Maiduguri branch… that another company Rofako International Limited is entitled to the payment of the sum of twenty-two point Five Million Nairas as payment for a capital project, which the said company did not undertake….”
“Other charges are that the former Executive Director of the Lake Chad Research Institute Maiduguri used his position to confer an unfair advantage upon his son Adam Bukar Bababe by approving the renewal of a retainership contract for the maintenance and servicing of the Institute’s computers to Cyber-Technologies Nigeria Limited, a company mainly owned by his son.
He was also accused of approving the award of a contract for his son for the upgrading of computers and printers to Cyber-Technologies Nigeria Limited sometimes in August 2010 as Chairman of Procurement Planning ….”
There are more to say but I wouldn’t want to bother much about the judgment. I still asked who is this Adam Bukar Bababe? Is he the same person as Engr. Adam Bababe? My guess maybe as yours if you are reading this piece. If this is sure, however, governor Zulum needs to use a sludge hammer on this insect petching around his eyes.
By the way, why did BOGIS chooses Thursday for the demolition? Did they foresee trouble on other days of the week? I want the committee set up by the Borno state governor and members of the Christian Association of Nigeria, who may be part of this committee to find out as many citizens of Borno state wants to know the faces of men who swore that Borno state would not have peace under their watch.
National News
Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

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

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
National News
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
** Says Nigeria has lost an intellectual giant
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima today led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman, renowned medical scholar and former Minister of Education and Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Prof. Aminu, a one-time President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.
The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Prof Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.
“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.
“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.
“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large,” the Vice President prayed.

Born in Song, Adamawa in 1939, Prof. Aminu was a towering figure in Nigerian public life.
The late Consultant Cardiologist served the nation in different capacities, including as Federal Minister of Education and later Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992), Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States (1999–2003), and Senator representing Adamawa Central (2003–2011).
He was also President of OPEC in 1991 and President of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was Petroleum Minister.
Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the Jana’iza included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
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