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OPHK North-East: Air strike Targeted ISWAP Camp Not Fishermen – Defence

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The 2th September 2021 Air Strike by Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) troops around the Lake Chad area targeted at the Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP, not Fishermen, The Defence has said.

The Acting Director Defence Media Operations, Brigadier-General Benard Onyeuko, made this know as he debunked the misguided media reports trending on the social media alleging that Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) troops killed 20 Fishermen in an Air Strike in Kwatan Daban Masara on Sunday 26 Sep 21, around the Lake Tchad area of North East Nigeria. “Contrary to the report, the interdiction targeted and neutralized clearly identified ISWAP terrorists and not fishermen”. he said.

In a press statement which was made available to our correspondent in maiduguri the Borno state capital, said “It is thus pertinent to make clarifications on the air interdiction recently conducted in the general area by OPHK”.

“Responding to credible Intelligence report on the movement and operation of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists massed up within the forested area, thorough analysis of the intelligence report was conducted between 19 August and 23 September 2021. Special Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission was also carried out, which confirmed the area as the terrorists’ staging area.”

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Further confirmatory reconnaissance revealed that the observed movements and
activities were of ISWAP, dressed in the usual ISWAP-styled uniform.

The terrorists used the thick foliage for cover and concealment to carry out their
nefarious activities. They disguised as fishermen, with canoes loaded with unidentified items, berthed along the river bank”.

“They were however observed not engaging in any fishing activity, but loading their canoes with unidentified items to be ferried to other locations”.

“It is also very essential to point out that the ban on fishing activities within that general axis is still in force. It is equally of importance, to note that there was no
presence of women and children in the area. Troops also ensured that civilian
settlements were not in any way along the line of fire and strikes in order to prevent collateral damage that may arise in the conduct of the air strikes”.

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“It was after all these considerations that an air interdiction was carried out on the terrorists’ camp on Sunday, 26 Sep, 2021”.

“The Defence Headquarters therefore wishes to unambiguously state that necessary steps were taken to ascertain the presence of the terrorists before the interdiction.

He added that OPHK will continue to safe guard lives and property of innocent civilians. We urge members of the public not to be swayed by the trending misinformation”.

“It is crucial to reiterate that the mandate of OPHK remains to conduct Counter
Terrorism and Counter Insurgency operations against all adversaries fighting the nation in North East Nigeria”.

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Statement added that “we will continue to remain focused and dedicated to that mandate in defence of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country, Nigeria. We call on the good people of Borno state, and the north east in general to continue to avail troops with credible information for operational enhancement”.

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Organ Trafficking: Ekweremadu, Wife, Doctor Sentenced To Various Prison Terms

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The duo of Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and Doctor Obinna Obeta has been senenced to various jail terms for bringing a 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney.

A judge at The Central Criminal Court, [ Old Bailey], announced the sentence friday.

At a sentencing hearing on Friday, Ekweremadu was jailed for nine years and eight months, his wife Beatrice was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment while Obeta received a 10-year prison term.

The sentencing follows their conviction in March for organ trafficking, The Ekweremadus’sick daughter, Sonia was cleared of any wrongdoing.

1rem;">The three were found guilty after arranging or facilitating a young Nigerian man’s travel into the United Kingdom in a bid to obtain his kidney on behalf of Sonia.
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The jury said Ekweremadu, his wife and their doctor criminally conspired to bring the 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney.

The conviction is the first under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.

The sentencing comes after pleas from multiple prominent personalities and institutions, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

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Other petitioners included both chambers of the National Assembly, the Chairman/CEO, Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Erewa Dabiri, and the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC).

The charges were preferred on the Ekweremadus on June 23, 2022, when their arrest was announced. Obeta was later arraigned on July 13, 2022. While his wife was granted bail, the senator was refused.

After months of a pre-trial, the trial commenced on January 31, 2023 and lasted about six weeks, culminating in a guilty verdict against Ekweremadu, Beatrice, and Obeta.

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Reps Seek UK Government Clemency for Ekweremadu

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The House of Representatives  has write to the government of the United Kingdom seeking mercy in sentencing the embattled Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice.

This is contained in a resolution reached following a motion moved by Toby Okechukwu, a lawmaker from Enugu State.

A UK court found the duo guilty of conspiracy of organ harvesting of another Nigerian. The Ekweremadu couple will be sentenced in the coming days.

Moving the motion, Okechukwu said diplomatic intervention in this kind of case is normal.

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“It is a common practice in international relations for nations, including the UK, to seek relief for their citizens involved in situations such as that of the Ekweremadus,” he said.

Speaking on the motion, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House, said intervention by the House is not a justification for the charges against the Ekweremadus. He urged the UK government to consider Ekweremadu’s years of public service.

Consequently, the House resolved to urge the UK government and the court to temper justice with mercy in sentencing Ekweremadu, his wife and the doctor.

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Also, they urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to take all diplomatic steps and other necessary interventions regarding the travails of the Ekweremadu family.

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Abdulrahman Obaje
Abdulrahman Obaje
Prince Abdulrahman Obaje is a Media and ICT Consultant, Journalist, online marketer, social media strategist, Mathematician and Computer Scientist based in Abuja, Nigeria. He is the Founder and the Publisher of The Informavores!. You can reach me on +234 805 939 5252 or send i-witness report directly to me on news@informavores.com.ng.
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HYPPDEC Donates Food Stuff, Clothing to Locals in Kogi to Tackle Cashless Policy Effect

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By Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

The Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPDEC), on Tuesday, donated 400 bags of rice, 250 gallons of vegetable oil and some packaged women rappers to ten Local Government Areas in Kogi State under the agency to cushion the effect associated with the new cashless policy.

Making the presentation to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State at the Lugard House, Lokoja on Tuesday, a Board Member of HYPPDEC, Alhaji Isah Ozi Salami, said that the gesture is part of the agency’s intervention in times of natural disaster or any hardship situation on citizens.

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Salami expressed the commitment of HYPPDEC in tackling the prevailing economic hardship on Nigerians as a result of the Cashless Policy.

“We owe it as a duty to take adquate care of the people in the 10 Local Government Areas belonging to HYPPDEC communities in Kogi

“Our concern under the present economic hardship is to alleviate the sufferings of the people within HYPPDEC communities in Kogi” Ozi Salami told Governor Bello.

He commended Governor Yahaya Bello for the provision of logistic supports that have facilitated smooth operation of the agency in Kogi.

He also told the Governor that HYPPDEC will soon begin the construction of 50 housing units in Kogi for resettlement of last year’s flood victims in riverine communities.

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“I appreciate Governor Bello’s magnanimity in providing land for the housing project. The Governor is expected to perform the foundation laying ceremony of the project” Ozi Salami disclosed.

The Chief of Staff to Governor Bello, Jamiu Asuku who received the food stuff on behalf of his boss, hinted that Kogi will key into HYPPDEC’s intervention initiative in the areas of provision of food and security of lives and property for citizens.

Governor Yahaya Bello appealed to HYPPDEC to focus more on Ibaji Local Government Area in its intervention programme as a result of the bad terrain of the area.

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