The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has expressed his optimism in Nigerians getting back to their normal lives in two months.

He gave his expression while addressing State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday February 22, Lawan said the National Assembly would complement efforts to upgrade the Armed Forces by helping with the appropriation for the required equipment.

He said; 

“I’ve come to meet with Mr. President, to discuss the issue of security of our nation, and in fact, there is nothing more important today or more topical, than the security of Nigeria.

“We had a very extensive discussion on the security of all parts of Nigeria and how we should go about improving the situation, we all have roles to play. Nobody would like to see the kind of things that we experience in various parts of the country in the form of insecurity.

“As political leaders, we have responsibilities to our people and we cannot shy away from that, we have to get our people secured, we have to secure the environment for them to earn their means of livelihood, we’ll like to see our farmers go back to farms before the rainy season starts.

“This means we have to secure the rural parts of Nigeria as well as the urban centres because we need businesses to flourish.

“So I believe that between now and probably the next two months, there will be a lot of activities to ensure that we recover and secure the environments for our people to lead a very normal life.

“We also believe that the government is headed in the right direction. You’ll recall that the National Economic Council approved of taking some funds from the Excess Crude Accounts with a view to giving more resources to our Armed Forces.

“This is a commendable effort and we are ready to help with appropriation to ensure that we acquire those security weapons for the armed forces of this country to end this insecurity in the northeast, in the northwest, in the southeast/South-south and southwest as well.

“We believe that this is also going to help empower and build the capacity of other security agencies like the police because the police need to be there.”

The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has disclosed an alleged threat to his life and has said that his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed, should be held responsible if anything happens to him.

The Governor made the accusation while speaking to journalists in Makurdi, the state capital, on Monday, February 22.

His accusation comes barely a week after Governor Mohammed accused him of being behind the hatred against Fulanis in Nigeria. Governor Mohammed also threw his weight behind herdsmen who go around carrying AK47 rifles.

Speaking at the press conference this afternoon, Governor Ortom accused Governor Mohammed of supporting illegal arms wielding foreign herdsmen.

“I want to think that, with what he said and what those herdsmen wrote to me and said that they were going to assassinate me, Bala Mohammed is also part of it, with what he has said.

“And if anything happens to me, I don’t want anybody to be in doubt, Bala Mohammed should be held responsible. Especially his last week outing after the condemnable remarks he made about Fulani carrying AK-47 and living anywhere in Nigeria.

“He came back to say Ortom is responsible for the hatred against Fulani men and I regard this as a way of vilifying me and profiling me towards assassination. He wants to instigate the Fulani people against me. I am not against Fulani people, they are in Benue State and they remain here,” Ortom said.

He called on Governor Mohammed to render an unreserved apology to Nigerians for comment which has been condemned by many Nigerians

“I think the governor of Bauchi State, my brother, Governor Bala Mohammed should just come out and apologise to Nigerians,” Governor Ortom said

The former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for an alleged fraud of N2.2bn has been granted permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.

Justice C.J. Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos granted Fayose the permission to travel abroad for treatment following an application by his lawyer, Ola Olanipekun (SAN) without any opposition from the EFCC.

Justice Aneke after granting Fayose the permission ordered him to be in court on the next adjourned dates of March 18 and 19, 2021.

Fayose alongside a firm, Spotless Limited are currently facing the prosecution.

In the charges, the EFCC alleged, among others, that Fayose, on June 17, 2014, “took possession of the sum of N1, 219,000,000 to fund your 2014 gubernatorial campaign in Ekiti State, which you reasonably ought to have known formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: criminal breach of trust/stealing.”

The ex-governor was also alleged to have on the same day “received a cash payment of $5,000,000 from Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the then Minister of State for Defence, which sum exceeded the amount authorised by law and you thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 1 and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act.”

The defendants pleaded not guilty.

The governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has asked herdsmen currently in the state to either respect the laws of the state or go to Bauchi state to carry their AK47 guns.

Ortom made the comment after the Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed, defended herdsmen who go about carrying AK47.  According to governor Bala, the herdsmen are always armed with AK47 because society and the government are not protecting him.

Speaking at a function in the state today, February 22, Governor Ortom said;

”Nigeria is not governed anyhow. It is not a banana republic. It is governed by the constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria. The constitution gives power to our governors in all the 36 states to preside over the land of their state on behalf of the people and they only people who can give allocation and permit people to stay where they are. 

And so bandits cannot find a forest and come in to hide under living in that forest. I want to tell those terrorist Fulani men. They should not come to Benue state. They should go to Bauchi and stay with him.

Benue state is governed by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Benue state also has laws guiding them. So once you are a Fulani man and you come with legitimate papers , you are free to stay in benue state and do business according to the laws of our land. Anyone who is not willing to respect the laws of our land should go and meet Bala Mohammed and then there you can carry AK47.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed “great shock and deep concern” over the state of violence in Gombe State arising from the Billiri chieftaincy tussle.

In a statement released by his media aide Garba Shehu, the President called on the parties involved to exercise maximum restraint to avoid escalation.

Buhari also noted that Nigerians have shed enough blood over issues that could have been peacefully resolved.

The statement read; 

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed “great shock and deep concern” over the eruption of violence in Gombe State arising from the Billiri chieftaincy tussle.

Reacting to the development on Sunday, President Buhari said: “I’m seriously disturbed by the outbreak of violence in Gombe State and call on the parties involved to exercise maximum restraint to avoid escalation.”

According to the President, “the easy resort to violence is uncalled for because there are enough avenues to resolve differences amicably without threatening law and order.”

He noted that “in a circle of violence, there are no winners, except losers,” advising Muslims and Christians to “avoid the temptation of resorting to violence in order to express their grievances.”

“Nigerians have shed enough blood over issues that could have been peacefully resolved. I appeal to the two parties to sheathe their swords for the sake of peaceful coexistence.

“Gombe has enjoyed relative religious harmony for decades and you shouldn’t allow hoodlums destroy this positive record,” President Buhari appealed to the feuding parties.