ABU DHABI APPEAL COURT SENTENCES SIX NIGERIANS TO PRISON FOR FUNDING BOKO HARAM

Abu Dhabi appeal court sentences six Nigerians to prison for funding Boko Haram

SIX Nigerians have been handed jail sentences by an Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after their conviction for funding terrorist sect Boko Haram was upheld.

At the hearing, the appellate court upheld a lower court ruling which found that between 2015 and 2016, the convicts were involved in cash transfers totalling $782,000 to Boko Haram. Two of the convicted Surajo Abubakar Muhammad and Saleh Yusuf Adamu were subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.

Four others named as Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, AbdurRahman Ado Musa, Bashir Ali Yusuf and Muhammad Ibrahim Isa, got 10-year prison sentences each. Their act was deemed contrary to Article 29, Clause 3 of the UAE’s Federal Anti-Terrorism Law No 7 of 2017.

According to the UAE’s National Security Bureau, the investigation of the Nigerians confirmed their involvement and membership of the Boko Haram. They were arrested between April 16 and 17, 2017 and their homes searched after a search warrant was issued by the National Security Prosecution office dated April 16, 2017.

Abubakar and Adamu were charged for joining Boko Haram knowingly in negation of Article 22/2 of UAE’s Federal Anti-Terrorism Law No 7 of 2017 punishable by death or life imprisonment. Alhassan, Musa, Yusuf and Isa for their part were charged with assisting the sect knowingly, which under Article 31, Clause 1 of the same law, is punishable by life imprisonment or at least five years in jail.

According to the court, most of the transactions were facilitated by two undercover Boko Haram agents based in Nigeria. One of them was named as Alhaji Sa’idu, while the other, one Alhaji Ashiru, was described as a Nigerian government official, who reportedly funnelled misappropriated public funds to terrorists.

According to the court, Sa’idu’s method of operation was using unidentified Arab persons on a visit to Dubai from Turkey to hand over US dollars to one of the convicts, who would then remit naira equivalents to the agent. However, the families of the convicts say they were framed, insisting their bureau de change business in the UAE was legitimate.

IJAW LEADERS MEET BRITISH GOVT, SEEKS SUPPORT TO LEAVE NIGERIA

The leadership of Ijaw nation has met with the British government seeking support to leave Nigeria and end the suffering of the people.

A delegation of the Ijaw leadership led by the President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof Benjamin Okaba made this known during a meeting with representatives of the British High Commission led by Mr John Kekeh, at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

 

Okaba who presented a seven-page address on behalf of the Ijaw nation to the British High Commission delegation  lamented that the British government abandoned the Ijaw people after deceiving them to join Nigeria with the assurance that they would be well taken care of.

The Ijaws in their summation said the people are no longer at ease with the contraption called Nigeria.

“Again in the light of truth, good conscience, fairness, equity and justice would the British people and her government be perpetually silent and feign ignorance to the excruciating plight of the Ijaw people.

 

“Furthermore, perhaps the once colonial masters would with all intent and purpose act to rescue the ugly situation- may we ask if not now then when?

“We are indeed eager and anxious to know: is your intervention coming when we are completely ripped off our God given Oil and Gas natural resources and abandoned to our fate in a wallowing and criminally degraded environment without remediation.

“In all honesty, would that not be a crime against humanity where the British government would be seen as accomplices,” he said.

Okaba while reiterating that the Ijaw people would leave Nigeria peacefully and legally called on the British government to come and undo what they did decades ago by forcing them into Nigeria.

“The visitation is about us telling them that you (British) brought us into Nigeria and they should play their role to take us out of this country. The British have the moral duty to take us out. We were deceived to join Nigeria; they abandoned us and deceived us. Let them do the needful. As Ijaw people we are tired of this country. We have suffered in this country; we have carried the burden of this nation on our shoulders for too long. We have placed minimum conditions. The first condition is the restoration of true federalism. Number two, we have to be placed not as balkanised people. We cannot be scattered into different states and make us minorities and slaves. We cannot be slaves in a place where our resources are used to sustain the people. It is unacceptable. So Ijaw people are saying to the Federal Government that if this minimum requirement is not met, we are no longer committed to the Nigerian project. And that if we are leaving as Ijaw republic, we shall do it peacefully and legally. This is the message we are sending to the British High Commission and to the British Government to come and undo what they did.”

Kekeh in his response promised to deliver the message back to the leadership of the British High Commission

BABIES ABDUCTED AS BANDITS RAID KADUNA HOSPITAL

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted babies from the residential quarters of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Centre in Zaria, Kaduna State.

It was gathered that five staff of the hospital, including female nurses, were also abducted.

The bandits, who were said to have stormed the place in large numbers, engaged officers from a nearby police station in a gun battle.

A staffer of the hospital, who did not his name mentioned, told newsmen that 

there was a heavy shootout during the operation.

He also said their principal security guard on duty was among the

people abducted.

“Those kidnapped were our staff living at the staff quarters, some

were abducted alongside their children. So about ten people were taken

away so far,” he said.

Also, confirming the incident, Public Relations Officer of the Medical

and Health Union of the Center, Maryam Abdulrazaq, said she compiled six

names of those abducted.

She said the latest incident made it the third time their staff were abducted by the bandits.

“So far, I have six names of the people abducted but I will try to

get the remaining four names by Monday God willing. The principal

Security guard on duty, two nurses Joy Yakubu and Odor and her baby,

Lab Technician Christiana, Kasim from Auditorium office were among

those kidnapped,” she said.

When our correspondent visited the police division and the centre, bullet holes were visible on the fence.

The attackers were said to have blocked the bridge linking the village with Zaria town, to obviously thwart any reinforcement by the police.

When contacted, the Kaduna State Police Command Public Relation

Officer, Mohammed Jalige, confirmed the incident, saying efforts

are on to rescue the victims.