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Tag: #ENDBADGOVERNANCE

  • Terrorism Financing: ‘Stop Ajaero’s Invite,

    …Don’t Create Confusion For Tinubu – Reps Tells Police

     

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Joe Ajaero

    The member representing Ideato North South Federal Constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere, has urged the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) to withdraw its invitation to the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero.

     

    The invitation letter, signed by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Adamu Mu’azu, indicated that Ajaero is expected at the intelligence response team (IRT) complex in Abuja.

     

    Ajaero was invited for questioning over “a case of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime”.

     

    Reacting, Ugochinyere, the spokesperson of the opposition coalition lawmakers, stated that “it’s clear to everyone that the NLC President didn’t commit any terrorism or murder”.

     

    He told the police to withdraw the invitation and avoid creating confusion for President Bola Tinubu, stressing that any move by the security operatives to detain Ajaero might lead to another nationwide protest.

     

    While recalling that he had been through similar situations, Ugochinyere urged the Police to channel their energy to curb the country’s worsening insecurity.

     

    He said: “Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC President didn’t commit any terrorism or murder challenge, drop it, so you don’t bring people back on the street and create confusion for the President. If you want to help President Tinubu go and chase out these bandits in the forest. Find out why crude oil is still being stolen.

     

    “You don’t help the President by inviting the NLC President and accusing him of murder and treason. Stop it!!!!! The President needs help, there’s insecurity, that’s why there’s economic hardship, that’s why food products are high. That’s the real terror that you need to deal with, not Comrade Ajaero.

     

    “I have to advise the Nigerian police, there’s no basis for this now, what Nigerians need now is more enhanced security, more involvement of security agencies in quelling security challenges across all parts of the country instead of inviting the President of Nigerian Labour Congress for a chat over his involvement in terrorism.

     

    “These are old strategies that people can decode, from someone that has been through it, this same police force invited me multiple times and charged me multiple times. Based on my personal experience, I think this invitation should be withdrawn, the country is at a difficult moment now.

     

    “I know Comrade Ajaero and I know he’s not involved in any terrorism. We are trying to find a way to maintain stability and navigate these economic challenges, the Nigerian police should Channel their energy on oil production, what the oil thieves are doing etc. they should focus on wiping out the bandits and criminal elements. I’m urging the Inspector General of Police, don’t let your era be known with what you used to have, don’t get involved in that. The biggest thing I know you can do for the President that I know you love is to find a way to energize the police force to go after all these criminal elements in different parts of the country.”

     

  • Endbadgovernance: Police Raid Homes in Abuja

    The police have intensified their actions against individuals and institutions suspected to have links to the End Bad Governance protests, with recent invasions targeting prominent figures in Abuja. 

     

    Mrs. Helen Batubo, proprietress of Stars of Nations School, had her home invaded by police officers.

     

    The operation is reportedly connected to her involvement in the protests.

     

    In a related incident, the home of Drew Povey, the owner of Iva Valley Books, was also raided by police.

     

    Iva Valley Books issued a statement condemning the invasion and highlighted the ongoing police actions against the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

     

    According to the statement, police officers, along with other armed men, forcibly entered the NLC buildings earlier in the month and removed all the books from a bookshop that had been operating there for seven years.

     

    The books covered various topics, including trade unionism, environmentalism, and feminism.

     

    The statement from Iva Valley Books also noted that Joe Ajaero, NLC President, and Povey’s partner received police interview invitations related to accusations of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion, and cybercrime.

     

    The bookshop firmly denied any involvement in such activities, calling the accusations baseless.

     

    The Iva Valley Books statement called on civil society organizations to support an inquiry into the attacks and urged for the immediate return of the confiscated property.

     

    Despite demands for the return of the books and other items taken during the raids, the police have yet to comply.

     

  • Police invite NLC President Joe Ajaero over alleged terrorism financing

    Police invite NLC President Joe Ajaero over alleged terrorism financing

    In a move described as fascist and targeted to cow him, the Nigeria Police Force has invited the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero for questioning over an alleged link to terrorism financing and other allegations.
    The invite was contained in a letter issued from the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Department of Force Intelligence.
    The letter, which was signed by Adamu S. Muazu, threatened that failure to honour the invitation would lead to arrest.
    According to the letter, the IRT is investigating a case of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, subversion and cybercrimes.
    Reacting to the letter, a former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore, in a post on his official X handle, called for action against President Bola Tinubu’s government.
    He wrote: “The Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu regime is going completely fascist, and we must all together and stop him now! See a letter from @PoliceNG summoning @NLCHeadquarters President @JoeAjaero94024 practically accusing him of treason, terrorism financing and all sorts of heinous crimes.
    #FearlessInOctober #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria #RevolutionNow”.

  • #EndBadGovernance : Mobilisers Of Foreign Flag, Set To Resume Protest

    #EndBadGovernance : Mobilisers Of Foreign Flag, Set To Resume Protest
    Less than a week after suspending the nationwide protest against hardship in Nigeria which held from August 1st to 10th, the mobilisers say Nigerians have the right to request the assistance of Russian govt and other countries in their struggle against hardship in the country.
    The Protesters at a media briefing in Abuja, insist that they are returning to the streets in the coming days as no amount of accusations and arrests of members will force them to back out of the demonstrations until their demands are met.
    The ten days nationwide protest that occurred in several states except in some south -eastern states in Nigeria was suspended upon the completion of the time frame given to the federal government amid efforts made by security agencies who tear-gassed and arrested some members of the #endbadgovernance protest.
    Over one week after some arrests, some members are still in the security detention centre including Michael Lenin, Sodiq, Opaoluwa and Angel.
    At a media conference in Abuja, the mobilisers defended the decision of Nigerians to raise Russian flag during the demonstration, arguing that the display is an expression of their constitutional right to free speech and solidarity with global struggles against bad leadership.
    The young Nigerians insist that they will not give up their struggle to put an end to bad governance in Nigeria as the group is set to resume the demonstration in coming weeks.
    The mobilisers however, did not reveal to the media a specific date when the protest shall resume.
    They urged Nigerians, particularly members of the Nigerian Labour Congress and the trade union congress, to prepare by refusing every possible attempt by the government to ignore their struggle.
    The mobilisers told the Tinubu-led government not to incite protesters with violent repression as they prepare to return to the streets.
  • Invasion: NLC holds emergency NEC meeting today

    Invasion: NLC holds emergency NEC meeting today

    Even as agents of the Federal Government deny the act, leaders of the Nigeria Labour (NLC) are holding an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting today to deliberate and take a stand on the needless invasion of the Labour House on Wednesday night in Abuja by security forces.
    This came as Labour Writers Association of Nigeria, LAWAN, joined the growing list of concerned organisations and individuals condemning the invasion.
    Recall that heavily armed Policemen and others in mufti late Wednesday night invaded the NLC Headquarters, Abuja, commonly known as Labour House.
    The stern looking policemen stormed the Labour House some few minutes to 9 pm and ransacked both the Second and 10th floors.
    According to information, “They broke into second floor and ransacked offices including a bookshop and carted away several materials including books claiming that the materials were used to incite and organise the recent protest.”
    The NEC meeting is scheduled for 4 pm “to enable Labour leaders determine appropriate response to the invasion and related matters.”
    It gathered that the meeting would be virtual.
  • Gov Mutfwang relaxes 24-hour curfew in Jos-Bukuru

    Gov Mutfwang relaxes 24-hour curfew in Jos-Bukuru

    Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State on Wednesday relaxed the 24 hour curfew imposed on Jos-Bukuru metropolis as a result of the violence that trailed the #EndBadGovernance protests.
    Residents are now to move freely between 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm.
    The governor says the decision became necessary in order to enhance the security of lives and property, and also maintain public order.
    The announcement relaxing the curfew was made in a statement by Gyang Bere, the Director of Press and Public Affairs to the Governor.
    The statement reads: “Following the improvement in security situation within the Jos-Bukuru metropolis, the Plateau State Government has announced a relaxation of the earlier imposed 24-hour curfew.
    “Effective from Wednesday, August 7, 2024, residents of the area can now move freely between the hours of 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm daily until further notice.
    “Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who ordered the relaxation after consultation with the security agencies, praised them for their diligence and commitment to ensuring strict compliance with the curfew.
  • #EndBadGovernance: Why We Waved Russian Flags

    #EndBadGovernance: Why We Waved Russian Flags

    Protesters in Kano who waved Russian flags during the  #EndBadGovernance protests say they took the action to challenge the Nigerian government.
    When a journalist immersed himself among the demonstrators in Kano City’s Kurna neighborhood to request one of the flags, he was directed to a man recognized as an Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) member.
    For security reasons, the journalist—who wished to remain anonymous—observed that the Shi’ite group started waving Russian flags, which other protestors later picked up on.

    But another demonstrator, identifying himself as Haruna, claimed to be unaffiliated with IMN when speaking with PREMIUM TIMES.

    He said someone brought the flags to the protest to challenge the Nigerian government.
    “I don’t know him, but what is the Nigerian government doing to us? The government must listen to our concerns; they must bring back the fuel subsidy. The only flag that I cannot raise is that of Israel,” Mr Haruna said.
    Kano is predominantly Muslim, with a large Sunni population, where anti-Israeli sentiments are common.
    IMN member Isah Bawa, from Fagge local council, confirmed the participation of Shi’ite members in the protests and the use of Russian flags but stated there was no directive from their leaders to do so.
    “Shite members took part in the protest like other Nigerians who are hungry but there is no formal instruction from our leaders for members to wave the Russian flag,” Mr Bawa said.
    A tea vendor, Abdullahi Maishayi, was detained by the State Security Service (SSS) on Sunday for displaying a Russian flag at his tea shop in Fagge. He was later released after denying knowledge of who placed the flag there.
    “It’s a tea joint, we host all categories of people. I don’t know whether the person who hoisted the flag at the joint is a Shiite because I was not around when the flag was hoisted,” said Maishayi, who is not a member of IMN.
    The display of Russian flags during the #EndBadGovernance protests in Kano was first noticed on Sunday and Monday in certain areas of the city.
    On Monday, hundreds of protesters on IBB Way in Kano took advantage of a relaxed curfew to continue their demonstrations while waving Russian flags.
    Several protest groups adopted the Russian flags, asserting they had no political agenda behind their actions.
    The Russian embassy in Nigeria stated that the Russian government was not involved with its national flags being used in the #EndBadGovernance protests.
    In a statement on Monday, the embassy clarified that neither the Russian government nor its officials were associated with the flag-waving.
    The Nigerian government condemned the use of Russian flags and calls for a military takeover by some protesters, labeling such actions as treason.
  • #EndBadGovernance: I’m not affraid of death or arrest – Sowore

    #EndBadGovernance: I’m not affraid of death or arrest – Sowore

    Politician, Journalist and Convener of the #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, said on Monday that he is not afraid of being arrested for the #EndBadGovernance protest.
    The publisher of online news medium, Sahara Reporters made this known in an interview Monday evening when asked if he was not afraid of being arrested for calling for protests across the country.
    The Human Rights Activist said, “I would be happy to rejoin them for those conversations. If there’s anything I love after being arrested — after all the noise, violence, and the beating we received, which is unfortunate, because we are not supposed to be treated like animals in our own country.
    “When I sit down with them, no matter what they call interrogation, it becomes an educational process. I lecture them. When I was arrested by the DSS, they brought in about four young guys to interrogate me.”
    He said, “During a long interrogation session, one of them left and never came back. I saw him another day and asked him why he ran away. He said he couldn’t take it anymore and that anything they were told to ask me was concocted by their boss.
    “He didn’t know that I had been arrested by the DSS in 1995; the guy told me he was born in 1996. So, when I was lecturing them inside the room, they were all getting nervous.”
    Sowore said he was not worried or afraid of death.
    “Nobody who went to university with me thought I would live beyond 30 years old because they ganged up against me so much. All the cults and the police were working with the military to kill me at the University of Lagos in 1994.”
    He said some people he met in Nigeria in 2018, who were also at the University of Lagos, swore that they thought he was no longer alive because of what he went through.
    “I expect them to drop all charges against me because they called me and said they regretted withdrawing the treason charges and want to add new ones. What I promise is that I will be back.”
    He said he would return to face the government with any charges that may come his way.
    He added that any sacrifices that could help make Nigeria better should be made, as some people had already done in the North.

  • Hunger Protest: Hoodlums invade Offices in P/Harcourt

    Hoodlums, involved in the widespread hijacking of the #EndBadGovernance protest, attacked the headquarters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Rivers State on Tuesday, destroying a giant Billboard and the entrance gate.

    There have been demonstrations across various states since last Thursday, with protesters expressing dissatisfaction over the nation’s economic challenges.
    The hoodlums were said to have invaded the party’s secretariat located along Port Harcourt/Aba road, pulled down the giant billboard, and vandalized the entrance gate and canopies providing shelter to security operatives.
    In an interview with journalists in Port Harcourt, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of APC in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, condemned the incident, stating that the destruction was sponsored by people afraid of the party’s rising profile in the state.
    He alleged that the attack was premeditated to get at President Bola Tinubu and make Rivers State the epicenter of protest.
    Okocha said they are not scared to name the sponsors and called on the Rivers State Police Command to beef up security around and within the party’s secretariat.
    He said, “Today, the issue on point is the vandalization of the APC Secretariat situated at Port Harcourt/Aba Express Road in Port Harcourt by hoodlums who were sponsored by a source we have identified. We are not scared to name the source because the situation has become very political. Of course why is it that it’s only APC that was isolated for destruction?
    “But the million of those attacks will not stop us in APC from speaking for the people of Rivers State. It will not stop us from being diametrically opposed to a government that is clueless. It can’t stop us. When the Rivers State House of Assembly was pulled down, it did not stop the Assembly from sitting.
    “I am aware and we were briefed that there are plans to make Rivers State the epicenter of protest for obvious reasons. One reason is that they need to get to Mr. President that Mr President does not seem to be supporting them.”
  • Form Government Of National Unity Or Resign –  Ex-APC Chieftain

    Form Government Of National Unity Or Resign –  Ex-APC Chieftain

    “In truth you have united Nigerians with your bad government and hunger.”
    In a scathing open letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Hon. Uche Onyeagucha, former National Welfare Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), has called for some radical changes in the Nigerian government.
    Onyeagucha, who gained prominence as a pro-democracy activist and previously participated in high-profile protests, criticized the current administration’s handling of national issues.
    The letter, dated August 5, 2024, comes amidst widespread protests against hunger and poor governance, which began on August 1.
    Onyeagucha asserted that the president’s recent address to the nation exacerbated public discontent, stating, “Your contempt and or ignorance about the level of hunger and anger against your administration was perfectly captured in your Broadcast to the Nation on Sunday, 4th August 2024. Your broadcast to the Nation has added serious fuel in the flame.”
    In his letter, Onyeagucha presented President Tinubu with two stark choices: “You should dissolve your Government immediately and proclaim the formation of a Government of National Unity,” he writes. “I pray that God will touch Nigerians to accept this option in the light of the contempt which you displayed against Nigerians in your Broadcast.”
    Alternatively, Onyeagucha suggested, “You should resign as President and proceed immediately on Exile to enable Nigeria start on clean slate again.”
    He warned that failing to act on these options could lead Nigeria into severe political, economic, and social crises, stating,
     “Your failure to consider any of these options would very likely drive Nigeria into a Political, Economic and Social crisis of huge proportion.”