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How Obi sponsored 150 pilgrims to Mecca – Imam *I love all Nigerians – ex-gov
“We follow the news, and we are not pleased with the many negative stories people tell about Obi’s relationship with the North. We here are not only close to Obi, but we have remained the consistent beneficiaries of his benevolence. So we can say, authoritatively, that the stories making the rounds online, that Peter Obi does not care for Northerners, are false.”
These were the exact words of the Muslim Community in Anambra State, with which they debunked the negative slurs being cast on the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, testifying how he not only showcased an unwavering support to the community, but proved himself as a true and detribalised Nigerian who does not segregate against tribe, religion or ethnicity.
Expressing their experience with Obi, from his days as the Governor of Anambra State till date, Mahmoud Imam, Secretary of the Muslim Community in Anambra, said the community was full of displeasure with what he described as unnecessary lies and propaganda against the person of the former governor, adding that Muslim faithful, who were directly associated with him over the years, were completely unhappy with the attempt by some people to dress him in religious and ethnic garb.
Imam, who spoke at the Central Mosque, Onitsha, where Obi went to celebrate the Eid-el-Fitr with them, said Obi stood out among those who had continued to give them support in the many challenges they have been through as a people in the state, including not only enhancing their religious obligations, but ensuring their protection in times of trouble.
Hear him: “When our mosque was burnt down, he quickly rebuilt it for us, and made it even better. During the crisis that erupted in the state in 2006, Obi ensured that no Hausa man was hurt. He gave us maximum security in the barracks. Throughout his eight years as a Governor, he would invite us to the Government House every year during Sallah celebration, eat and celebrate with us. This time around, he decided to visit and celebrate with us in the mosque.
“Many of our people here, not less than 150, were sponsored by Peter Obi to Mecca for pilgrimage over the years. We equally watched his movements during the campaign, how he toured the Northern part of Nigeria and visited places no one expected. We are happy with our relationship with him and with the North. He is a true Nigerian.”
Obi, who appreciated the Muslim Community for welcoming him, explained that his visit to the community was to celebrate the Eid-el-Fitri with them as he had always done, promising to continue to support the Muslims in the state and any part of the country, in any way he could.
Reiterating the need for Nigerians to love and appreciate one another, Obi stated that every Nigerian should be free to live and thrive in any part of the country without intimidation or harassment.
“I am a Nigerian who believes in Nigeria. My ADC when I was Governor, Idris, is a Northerner from Kano State, and he is a good man. I have never discriminated against anyone based on religion or tribe, and I will never do that. I want the whole nation to hold me accountable on this. I will never discriminate against anybody. I will continue to support you especially in areas of education, health and your worship. Please disregard anyone who tells you that I do not like the Northerners. I love every Nigerian,” Obi said.
The former governor later presented 30 cartons of noodles, 30 cartons of Malt, bags of rice and cash gift of N500,000 to the community, at the event where the Chief Imam of Central Mosque, Onitsha, Alhaji Abdulrahman Hamza Imam, in appreciation not only praised him for his benevolence, but prayed Allah to continue to protect, bless and guide him always.
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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