Muslim women, youths and scholars in Kaduna city, northern Nigeria, on Sunday joined other Christians from neighbouring states to worship in a Church service aimed at promoting peaceful co-existence, religious tolerance, and better understanding.
The Church, Christ Evangelical Intercessory Fellowship Ministry opened its door to non Christians to observe its 8th Anniversary – the Church has a tradition of inviting these people to worship together.
The General Overseer of the Church, Pastor Yohanna Buru who expressed gratitude to the invited guests called on all worshippers around the world to learn to live in peace with one another.
Buru said “Muslims are not our enemies, rather they are our best friends, because we all worship one God and we all believe in life after death.”
He then prayed for love, forgiveness, dialogue and peace to reign among Nigerians.
A peace Ambassador, Ramatu Tijjani, who also attended the worship service said, “as the church celebrate its 8th year anniversary, I decided to donate gifts to the best Chorister, The Band, children Choir and Intercessory women of the Ministry, so as to strengthen love, unity… encourage togetherness, irrespective of faith Organisation; to boost mutual understanding and inter-religious dialogue between the followers of the two different faiths.
“Both of us worship one God and we are from one family “Adam and Eve”, she said.
She added that earlier in February during the international inter-faith week and Harmony “I donated 50 bibles to the church with a view to strengthen religious tolerance and mutual understanding in the state and the country at large.
Ramatu who stressed that both religion [Christianity and Islam] preach peace, harmony, forgiveness and tolerance, points out the need to understand each another to make Nigeria great.
She then called for the creation of Institutes of Comparative Studies in the country so as to end all forms of ethno-religious, political crisis in the country, explaining that comparative religious study is the branch of the study of religions that is concerned with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices of the world’s religions.
She concluded her speech by saying that, there are more than 6,000 religions in the world, most of which are very different from the literate Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), that many people think of when they hear the word “religion.”
Can’t stop crying when I heard of the brutal murder of this gentleman, Lt. Col. Abu Ali.
Only those who were in Borno at the height of the Boko Haram’s inglorious territorial conquest that would understand, appreciate and then lament the exit of Lt. Col. Abu Ali.
His was a life, full of gallantry, sacrifice, love for Nigeria and ever willing to die in order to keep it one.
Quiet, considerate, compassionate and caring, leading by example was his trademark at the height of confrontation with Boko Haram terrorists.
Late Lt. Col. Ali was the soldier, who operated the most sophisticated of all war equipment deployed to the North East, traversed the North, Central and Northern Borno endlessly and tirelessly; recovered towns and liberated villages under control of the BH.
Late Ali it was, who during the day and night, come rain come shine, stepped on countless landmines that dotted Borno’s porous borders with Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria, cleared the paths for our dear soldiers, who rescued the weak, the kids, the women and the old from the clutches of the Boko Haramists.
Though smallish in nature, late Ali’s heart was like that of a lion, the king of the jungle; he never retreated, he never relented, he never compromised and he never gave up until the last hour.
Yes, he was, Ali the conquerer of the ambitious Abubakar Shekau’s Empire.
Ali’s short but eventful life will never be forgotten in the annals of Nigerian history. He came, he saw, he conquered and cleared the ruins for the next generation.
His life was akin to that of late General Mamman Shuwa (equally killed by BH in cold blood while in retirement), who fought the Civil War in the 60s, for us to have something known as Nigeria today.
Ali’s was a fight, the type the likes of legendary Gen. T.Y Danjuma waged for the sake of Nigeria, the giant of Africa.
Oh Ali, may Allah grant you Jannatul Firdausi, may He bless your kids and widow, cater for them and strengthen them. May Allah console your parents and your loved ones.
Indeed you’re a fallen hero!
Adieu Ali Hamza Idris (a Journalist that covers Boko Haram in North-East for Years) Johannesburg, South Africa 6th Nov. 2016 …………………………………………………….
Governor Bello mourns death of Lt. Col Abu Ali; Commiserates with Etsu of Bassa-Nge Kingdom
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has condoled with the family of Etsu of Bassa-Nge Kingdom Brigadier General Abu-Ali (Rtd) over the death of his son Lt. Col. Muhammed Abu Ali.
This is contained in a condolence message issued by the Chief Press Secetary to the Governor, Petra Akinti Onyegbule today in Lokoja. Alhaji Bello described his death as unfortunate and “a momunental loss to Kogi State and Nigeria”
Governor Bello said the late colonel “was a gallant officer who served the nation with his all and paid the supreme price by laying down his life for the peace of the country. He maintained that the late Col. will be remembered for his sacrifice and commitment to the cause of the Nigerian Army to rid the Country of insurgency which has been a source of concern to every one.
“Kogi State and indeed Nigerians will never forget your gallantry as you led a ream of the Nigerian Army to recapture Baga from the control of terrorists and you death while in active service, gallant soldier” Governor Bello said of Lt. Col. Muhammed Abu Ali.
Governor Bello extended his condolences to the Etsu of Bassa-Nge Kingdom over this devastating loss. Allah giveth and He taketh, from Him we came and to Him we return. May Allah give you the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss.
May Almighty Allah grant late Lt. Col. Muhammed Abu Aljannah Firdaus. Ameen.
Signed: Petra Akinti Onyegbule Chief Press Secretary to the Governor …………………………………………………….
STV_COMMANDCENTRE MOURNS NIGERIA’S LORD OF WAR; LT. COL. MUHAMMAD ABU ALI
Commandcentre on Silverbird Television Network mourns the passing away of a gallant, battle tested and trusted patriotic soldier of the Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Muhammad Abu Ali.
He served the nation with unwavering commitment and dedication, paying the ultimate price so that millions can sleep on their beds in peace.
Until his death, Lt. Col. Muhammad Abu Ali nicknamed “Sarkin Yaji; Lord of war” was the commanding officer of the 272 task force battalion at Mallam Fatori in Northern Borno State.
We are deeply pained at the loss of one so selfless and committed to routing the misguided terrorists from the North of the country
Lt. Col. Muhammad Abu Ali, a recipient of the Chief of Army staff award for exceptional bravery and excellence led the army units that recovered Gamboru-Ngala, Baga and several communities from the terrorists, he lost his life after a failed attempt by the terrorists to capture Mallam Fatori with four other gallant soldiers.
They however neutralized fourteen of the terrorists recovering a large cache of arms and ammunition from them.
Commandcentre is deeply pained as Lt. Col. Muhammad Abu Ali did not only serve as the face of the campaign against Boko Haram which embodied commitment, loyalty, service and hope for a better, peaceful and prosperous nation but also a source of inspiration to us and millions of Nigerians praying for the speedy end of the insurgency.
At this point we pray for his family and the Nigerian Army that God gives them the fortitude to bear the loss.
Lt. Col. Muhammad Abu Ali and others who have lost their lives in the ongoing campaign will never be forgotten
Long live the Nigerian Army Long live the Nigerian Armed Forces Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Oxfam International, a humanitarian organisation says 9.2 million people in Africa’s Lake Chad area are faced with serious food shortage.
The breakdown shows, 4.4 million live in northeast Nigeria; 1.4 in Cameroon; 399,000 in Niger Republic; and 134,000 in Chad Republic.
The agency is asking the world to act in positive ways to save the lives of these people.
Oxfam in its twitter handle posted, “A tragic crisis is unfolding in the countries surrounding Africa’s #LakeChad, and most of the world has no idea it’s happening.”
In response to a tweet, the organisation wrote, “7 yrs of violent conflict has forced +2.6m ppl to flee their homes. We’re there delivering aid.”
Nigerian Army has loss one of its key commanders, Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali, alongside four others, in an attack by Boko Haram insurgents in northern Borno State, northeast of the country.
A statement by the Army spokesman, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, explains that the attack was carried out Friday at about 10.00 pm local time, “suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked a 119 Battalion Nigerian Army location at Mallam Fatori, northern Borno State. The troops fought gallantly and repelled the attack, killing 14 Boko Haram terrorists.
“Unfortunately, we lost an officer and 4 soldiers, while 4 other soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries during the encounter. One of those killed in action, was Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali, the Commanding Officer of 272 Tank Battalion.
Late Colonel Ali was last year September given accelerated promotion from the rank of Major to Lieutenant Colonel for gallantry, and was decorated by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General TY Buratai at Gomboru Ngala.
According to the statement, the troops have recovered ammunitions including, 1 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), 7 AK-47 rifles and a large quantity of ammunition.
The attack is coming at a time the military is claiming successes in the fight against the insurgents – but of recent, the insurgents have intensified attacks on military targets, as well as suicide attacks.
“There is no life here in prison because life is simply miserable. No freedom and the condition is bad,” said Oyewale Ajibola, a prisoner serving life sentence in Kaduna convict prison.
Oyewale was jailed for Armed Robbery in 2003 and has already served 6.
“I was brought here after the court found me guilty of an armed robbery offense. But I know I’m not guilty,” he said
There are many others like him in various prisons across Nigeria, who are serving jail terms for various offences, majority of them awaiting trial.
Experts believe that the slow pace of the criminal justice system in Nigeria is responsible for the congestion of prisons across the country.
Authorities reveal that over 34,000 out of the estimated 48,000 prisoners in Nigeria are people awaiting trial, describing the situation as a serious threat to the reform process in the country’s Prisons.
Even though, prisons worldwide are established to reform citizens who may have in one way or another break the laws of the land – the aim is sometimes defeated in Nigeria, when awaiting trial inmates suffer unnecessarily before conviction.
Prison Condition Nigerian prisons are overpopulated, or congested, most times with hardened criminals ending up in the same cell with those who are awaiting trial.
Investigation reveals that up to 50 inmates most times share a single cell in the prisons, and their condition of living bad, that they end up contacting various skin and other communicable diseases while in jail.
“I will never pray for my enemy to be jailed in any of the prisons in this country, because the condition is too bad,” said an ex. Kaduna convict who prefer to remain anonymous.
According to him, majority of the inmates in Kaduna prison are within the age 25 – 35 years old.
Human rights organisations, including Lawyers without Borders often speak on the need to decongest the prisons since majority of the inmates are people awaiting trials, and those who committed minor offenses such as stealing yam tubers, mobile phones, and goats among others.
There are also those inmates facing capital punishment who were kept in the prison for many years without been executed, and the government continue to feed them.
Recently, Kenya freed over 7,000 prisoners in an exercise to decongest its prisons.
From The History In fact, in Nigeria some of these prisons were built during the colonial era and are still in use in the 21 century, with some of the structures already falling.
Kaduna Convict Prison for instance, built in 1915, is now over 100 years old, and in the last 50 years the prison has suffered a lot of neglect.
The prison was built for 530 inmates, but today it has over 1,000 prisoners, majority of them awaiting trial.
Some reasons advanced for delay in trials include inconclusive investigation on cases by prosecutors expected to speed up trials.
“It takes time for prosecutors to investigate cases and to send cases diary to Ministry of Justice for advice. Delay in all these, make magistrates to remand suspects in prisons,” Kaduna based Legal Practitioner Muhammad Bello Umar said.
Other Key Challenges Kaduna State Ministry of Justice has manpower challenge, which is why the State Governor, Nasir Ahmed El’rufai, while presenting 2017 budget to the State Assembly announced a plan to recruit about 100 lawyers next year.
Chief Justice of Kaduna State Justice Tanimu Zailani, on March 16, 2016 released 56 inmates from the Kaduna Central prison as part of efforts to decongest prisons in the state.
He also attributed the high number of inmates to the failure of judges to be fair and just in the discharge of their duties.
He stressed that only justice would prevent the current situation where people were sent to jail for trivial offences.
“Most of the prisoners are in prison for simple theft, but were branded with armed robbery just to keep them in prison.
“As Judges, we are supposed to be professionals and should not be found truncating justice in whatever guise. We are expected to uphold justice and that is what we must do,” he said while addressing the judges outside the prison.
A member of Lawyers without Borders, Barrister Meshach Ajeokwu, also described prison condition in the country as below international standard.
“People need to sympathise with them because the environment they are in is not habitable and things need to change. Government needs to take the issue of prisons decongestion seriously,” he said.
Northern Christian leaders Thursday have cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in rising cases of abduction of underage Christian girls in the region, where they (girls) are converted to islam and given out in marriage without consent of their parents.
In a meeting with Buhari, Chairman, northern chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Yakubu Pam, warned that if the dangerous trend was not reversed immediately, it could lead to crisis in the region. Pam told journalists after meeting Buhari, that they came to introduce themselves as leaders of the northern chapter of the Group, and to tell him some of the challenges Northern Christians face.
“We also talked on the Issue of girl child abduction in the north, in some Northern states some young girls and children are being abducted at 12 years old and the parents will just hear that the girls have been married to traditional rulers and emirs.
“This is gathering a cloud of crisis already and if that is not taken care of, it will lead to a serious crisis. These are the issues we told the President. Pam also said, one key challenge was that Christians in parts of the north were having difficulties expressing their faith.
“We have also told him some of the difficulties we are passing through, the Fulani herdsmen and the farmers need to be protected and in fact we told the President that we have been encouraging our youths to go into farming and they need to be protected and when they come into the city, there is no employment, that is why farmers must be protected.
Notable abduction of Christian girls include the recent one by Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Usman, accused of marrying off a 14 year old Habiba Isiyaku to her alleged abductor, Jamilu Lawal. Habiba’s father alleged that his daughter was abducteed from school, Government Senior Secondary School, Kudun Kankara, Kastina State by Jamilu and has been forcefully converted to Islam and married off by the Emir without her parents consent to Lawal.
There was also a case of 14 Year Old Ifesinach Ani who was allegedly abducted in Abuja and taken to Maiduguri, then Zaria, where she was said to have been married off and 13 Year Old Blessing Gopep who was also allegedly stolen at age 12 in 2015 by two people, Iliyu and Umaru from Bauchi motor park. Her name has been changed to Mariam.
Other reported cases are: Patience Paul a 15-year-old school girl who was allegedly forcefully abducted in Sokoto State by two men, Ifeoma Nichodemus who is 16 was allegedly kidnapped and reportedly left her parents home in the Hausa community in Zaria, Kaduna in May 2014 after a fight with her mother and 16 Year Old Linda Christopher who was stolen at age 16 in November 2015 by a certain Shagari in Bauchi and amongst others.
Pam told journalists that President Buhari had responded positively to their petition, promising to look into the matter.
Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim K. Idris, has set up a special investigation team to immediately commence investigation into all cases of alleged sexual abuses, exploitation, harassments, gender based violence and professional misconduct on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in some of the IDPs camp in North-eastern Nigeria.
The Human Right Watch has recently published a report accusing security officials at the IDPs camp of different kind of molestations of IDPs.
While expressing deep concern over the submissions in the report, the IGP directed the Special Investigation Panel to carry out a discreet and unbiased investigation into all the cases of abuse and misconduct alleged in the report.
Spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force in a statement pointed out that, the IGP has called on Human Right Watch officials to avail the investigation team more facts that will assist the Police investigation team conclude the inquiry into the alleged forty three (43) cases mentioned in the Human Right Watch (HRW) report.
The statement further noted that, “The IGP has also directed Commissioners of Police in locations where IDP Camps are situated to beef up security and ensure adequate safety of all IDPs and ensure that all perpetrators of any criminal act are decisively dealt with in accordance to the law.
“The Nigeria Police Force assures all Nigerians and the International community that the Force will not condone any act that violates the human dignity of the IDPs by individuals or group of persons in the IDP camps or anywhere in the country.”
The police IG further urge all police officers and other personnel deployed to the IDP camps to strictly adhere to the rules of engagement.
A medical expert, Prof. Arthur Onwuchekwa, has said stroke which is caused as a result of hypertension could be preventable if an individual maintains a healthy lifestyle.
Onwuchekwa, who is a lecturer in the department of Medicine, University of Port Harcourt made this known during the 135th Inaugural Lecture of the institution, tagged: ‘A Preventable Disaster Waiting to Happen.’
According to him, too much salt intake, excessive alcohol and poor exercise are risk factors that caused hypertension, leading to stroke, saying, “Salt and alcohol damage the blood vessels and cell.”
He however expressed worries over the rise in the cases of hypertension and stroke in the country, stressing that Nigerians should maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Onwuchekwa said: “The prevalence of stroke is high in Nigeria and no age, race or class is spared. There are medical conditions that can be controlled in order to reduce stroke. Hypertension is the commonest cause of stroke. If we reduce hypertension by 10 percent, the mass effect in reduction of stroke will be heart gladdening.”
Muslim women, youths and scholars in Kaduna city, northern Nigeria, on Sunday joined other Christians from neighbouring states to worship in a Church service aimed at promoting peaceful co-existence, religious tolerance, and better understanding.
