News
Niger: Hard times for communities, as tension rise among soldiers at borders
Subtle hostilities have been reported between Nigerian and Nigerien soldiers constituting the Multinational Joint Task Force in Malam Fatori town, bordering Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria and Bosso town in Niger Republic, in the Lake Chad region.
Following the sanctions from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Niger and the declaration of potential military action by ECOWAS, Nigerian soldiers have been denied access to Bosso town where they usually go to source items for their daily lives and basic provisions.
Nigerian Tribune quotes Liman, a Nigerian who resides in Diffa, as saying: “Commercial activities between the two countries have been suspended, while no individual is allowed entry into Diffa or Bosso from Nigeria. The price of commodities is also increasing because most of the goods that we are using here came from Nigeria. One litre of fuel is more than N1,000, one Maggie cube is now N30 and we are not supporting military operations in Niger.”
Musa Saminu, a commercial motorcyclist in Diffa was also quoted to have stated: “There is no light, no electricity because Nigeria cuts off the power supply, no fuel and everything is very expensive, including food items.”
In Kebbi State, vehicular movements were restricted along the major routes leading to Niger Republic from the fringes, but the movement of people of these areas was unhindered.
The report also said, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Department of Security Service (DSS) and soldiers have been put on the red alert as the deadline for the restoration of democratic rule in Niger Republic ended yesterday, Sunday, August 6, 2023, adding that the security on the Nigerian borders with Niger Republic has been intensified.
Immigration officials, DSS personnel and Nigerian Customs Service have been mandated to stop Nigerien citizens from crossing over to Nigeria through official or unofficial borders.
On the other hand, Nigerians were not allowed to cross over into Niger Republic through the Kamba border in Kebbi State, llela border in Sokoto, Jibiya, Maradi, Zango, Mai’Adua as well as Kaita borders in Katsina State. Other borders affected included Gurbin Bore, in Zamfara and Babura, Maigari in Jigawa State.
Speaking on the development, the Immigration Comptroller in charge of Special Border Command, Mustapha Sani, in an interview, stated: “Nigerians should stay at home and not attempt to go to the Niger Republic until the embargo is lifted,” adding that “we are determined to return any Nigerian citizen planning to come back to his country.”
According to him: “We have already put our officers on alert and we have already deployed some to man the orthodox routes through which some of the foreigners use to enter into Nigeria and from what we have on the ground, we know it will be impossible for them to enter into Nigeria. We have also already stationed our officers at strategic places for stop and search as usual.”
Sani explained that since the special border command received a signal that all borders with the Niger Republic should remain closed, officers of the command have been active in enforcing the sanction.
In Zamfara State, tight security had been mounted in Gurbin Bore village in Zurmi Local Government Area of the state to check illegal migrants from Niger Republic into the country.
In a chat, an indigene of Gurbin Bore town, Mallam Abdullahi Mohammed, said few weeks after the coup in Niger Republic, normal business transaction has dropped drastically in the area.
He further hinted that, though Gurbin Bore is not close to the Niger border, it is a few kilometres to Jibiya in Katsina State that has borderland with Niger and whatever affects Jibiya has affected residents of Gurbin Bore.
Similarly, in an interview with journalists, the state Comptroller of NIS, Ibrahim Dauda Sabimoro, posited that the primary responsibility of immigration is to check the influx of migrants in the country, stressing that security has been beefed up at the border to checkmate influx into the country through Niger border.
Also, in Sokoto, at Illela border community, residents were apprehensive over the ultimatum given by President Bola Tinubu-led Economic of West African States (ECOWAS), which ended on Sunday.
Some of the residents of the community who spoke on telephone appealed to the Federal Government to rescind its decision of using military option to resolve political instability in Niger Republic.
Nuhu Ibrahim, a motorcyclist in Illela, said any attack on Niger Republic would have negative effects on the people of Illela community, which he said, will be a soft target for the people of Niger Republic.
He added: “We are still appealing to President Bola Tinubu to have a rethink over his plan to invade Niger Republic through ECOWAS troops, because our people will suffer for it if the president goes ahead with the military action.”
Also speaking, Abubakar Bello, who sells foodstuffs in Illela, said most of his colleagues could not open their shops today due to fear of being attacked, expressing fear that “even if Niger Republic army didn’t attack the community, some hoodlums may take the advantage of what is happening to attack us, so we are being careful.”
In Jigawa, reports from the areas indicated that almost all business activities had been put on hold in fear of collateral damage that may be borne out of military action.
Findings revealed that movement and activities at the Maigatari-Niger border of Jigawa State had been stopped, while the number of soldiers and other security personnel had increased at Maigatari and Babura borders gates. (Adapted from a Nigerian Tribune report)
Peter Obi, candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has given assignment to Nigerians to put all those aspiring to take up political positions in the country through the grill to ascertain their level of integrity, saying it was required as a sine qua non for the job they seek.
Obi, who has been a subject of discussion in the polity since the allegation of corruption was levied against him by Kenneth Okonkwo, spokesman of his campaign in 2023, over the conduct of the party’s primaries to choose candidates for the 2027 general elections, said the grilling must start with his own person.
A guest in an interview on a podcast with Rufai Oseni, a popular television anchor, the former Governor of Anambra State, stated that it was actually for this reason that he had now sworn to see the litigation he instituted against Okonkwo through.
His take is that the Nollywood actor should use the courtrooms to give all the details of bad behaviour, following his threat to expose him fully, after alleging that he was collecting money from aspirants in the said election for electoral favours.
Hear him: “The issue of taking Kenneth Okonkwo to court wouldn’t have arisen if he had stopped at those allegations. But he claimed he still has more he would expose about me in the future. So, I am very happy to take him to court so that he can expose me publicly, alongside other Nigerians. If any of them has any criminal allegations against me, they should bring them to court.
“Not just Kenneth, everybody should now say those things they know that is bad about me or I did that is wrong because it’s good for the system, it’s good for the society,” Obi said.
“So, if you know that when we were in primary school, this man was cheating or didn’t go to the primary school, didn’t go to secondary school, didn’t do, if you know this man has done something criminal somewhere, this is time to bring it up.”
For the umpteenth time, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned about the dangerous implication of using state institutions, particularly the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy, saying it is an ill-wind that blows nobody any good.
Atiku, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), speaking on the heels of Tuesday’s verdict of the Court of Appeal, halting the de-registration order by the Federal High Court, insisted that judicial officers must not lend themselves to any act capable of undermining the nation’s democratic process.
The appellate court had ordered a stay of execution on the order made on Monday by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the ADC alongside four other political parties).
A totally scandalised Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, had taken umbrage, sparing no hard words in upbraiding the lower court judge, stating that his likes were unfit to sit on the bench.
In a unanimous ruling by a three-man panel, the court held that Lifu’s action was “the highest form of judicial impertinence”, stressing that the Supreme Court previously held that a judge who acted in such a manner.
Describing his conduct as the height of judicial rascality, the upper court, stated: “Courts are enjoined to protect their integrity. This Court has supervisory authority over the trial court.
“The decision of the lower court to proceed with the judgment despite the express order of this court is a brazen violation of the hierarchy of the court and the 1999 Constitution.
This court has the duty to invoke its powers in ensuring that its orders are obeyed. The application for a stay of execution is here yet granted. The enforcement of the judgment is stayed.”
Atiku, who hailed the position of the higher court, which restored his hope to be on the ballot as presidential candidate in the 2027 election, also noted the role of INEC as “significant.”
He said: “I welcome the Court of Appeal’s decision to stay the execution of the Federal High Court judgement seeking the deregistration of our great party, the ADC, and four other political parties. It is particularly significant that INEC itself initiated the application for the stay.
“The development reflects growing public concern over judicial contradictions and politically charged rulings within the judiciary. “Any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s hard-won democracy through judicial manipulation is a grave danger to the Republic. If our democracy suffers further injury, history will demand accountability from those entrusted with dispensing justice.
Outside ADC, Lifu’s order, also included: Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), similarly slammed for allegedly failing to meet the constitutional requirements for continued registration and participation in elections.
“He is running in contempt of the court. Justice Lifu should be arrested because he is acting in contempt of the court which is a criminal act,” were the exact words with which the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demonstrated its angst over the court ruling on Monday, ordering its de-registration as a political party in Nigeria.
A furious Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, told his host while appearing as a guest on Monday’s edition of Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television that the judge of the Abuja Federal High Court who gave the order was actually playing with fire because of the consequences.
Directly accusing him of playing the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to ensure that President Bola Tinubu emerged the sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election, the party spokesman, was emphatic that the plan would not work, as head or tail, ADC must be on the ballot in all the elections.
Hear him: “There is a Court of Appeal order saying don’t hear this case until October 27. So, on what basis? You can’t place something on nothing. The Court of Appeal said don’t act on this until I hear it on October 27. So, on what basis did he deliver the judgement
“So, for us in the African Democratic Congress, what we’re convinced and they know is what they have done has no leg to stand on legally. What they want to do is to create doubts in the minds of the people that this ADC has too many legal cases, can we actually run on this? And to distract us. But we’re not distracted.
“We’re very clear. It was in spite of all they have done since ADC came on board that we ran one of the best and one of the most comprehensive direct primaries in the history of democracy in Nigeria. So, we are strong enough to withstand this. And that’s why I’m saying that we are going to contest in 2027. We’re ADC. We don’t buckle before dictatorship.”
Stressing on the implication of the judgement, which also affected Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) for allegedly failing to meet constitutional and electoral performance requirements, following a suit by the National Forum of Former Legislators, he said it portended grave danger.
He added: “We are not surprised. We know that the Nigerian people believe that there is a problem with the judiciary, but what we did not expect is the level of judicial rascality that was demonstrated today.
“What we are saying is that we reject it in its totality, and we are saying that the people behind this are playing with fire. Hundreds, if not thousands, have obtained nomination forms and contested elections and emerged as candidates on the platform of the ADC.”
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