NEWS
How I killed Sheikh Goni in Yobe, flee with his car – Soldiers
By Funmilayo Olusanya
…Buhari calls for severe punishment of the culprit
Lance Corporal John Gabriel of 241 Recce Battalion, Nguru, Yobe State, on Tuesday described how he killed Sheikh Aisami Goni and stole his car.
When Adamu Gideon and Gabriel were paraded at the State Police Criminal Investigation Department Headquarters in Damaturu, Gabriel confessed to the crime.
The only thing on Lance Corporal Gabriel’s mind when he woke up on Friday morning and headed to a checkpoint with his rifle was to “arrange any vehicle that I see and take it from the owner”.
He said: “When I saw this Honda coming. I stopped the car and asked the owner where he was coming from and where he was going. He said he was coming from Kano and going to his hometown in Gashua. I asked him if he could give me a lift to Jajimaji. He said no problem. We reached our first checkpoint in Dongon Kukar. When he saw soldiers collecting money from drivers, he asked me why. I told him that I didn’t know because it’s not every soldier that collects money from checkpoints. My mission was to collect his car and leave.
“I was not in uniform but the car owner knew I was a soldier because I introduced myself to him before I joined him in his vehicle.
“As we were approaching Jajimaji about five to six kilometres I told him that I was hearing a sound under his car. He parked and went to check. I also came down from the vehicle. He check but he did not see anything.
“It was a ploy to make him come down from the vehicle. As he was checking, I removed my rifle and fixed my magazine. I asked whether he has checked the back tyre. As he was trying to move and check the back tyre, I pointed my rifle at him. He asked, what have I done, what have I done. I said you didn’t do not do anything. He asked again, do you want to kill me. I said I don’t want to kill you.
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“I now fired a warning shot, thinking that it would scare him to run away but he did not run away. When he wanted to run into the vehicle, I fired the second shot. When he ran to the side of the driver, I fired on the body of the car and one of the bullets penetrated the vehicle and killed him. I dragged his body off the main road into the bush.
“I have never done this before.
“On that fateful day, I really don’t know what came over me. I was off duty. I don’t really know what happened.
“I am owing my wife N250,000 but that is not the reason I went out to do this.
“I regret killing the man.”
However, President Muhammadu Buhari urged the military to punish the soldiers who are believed to have slain the sheikh as soon as possible.
The President said in a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Mallam Garba Shehu that; “this barbaric murder of a compassionate man by a soldier he had assisted has no place in our training as soldiers, and it negates the entire ethos of military life, which is anchored on discipline and respect for the sanctity of innocent lives.
“As the Commander-in- Chief, I am personally outraged by this criminal and wicked act by a law enforcement official trained to protect life.
“Of course, the action of this soldier is an isolated incident involving an individual, but it is capable of staining the collective image of our military.”
“I call on the military authorities to punish the perpetrators of this heinous crime without delay, and flush out other elements with such criminal tendencies.”
He expressed his condolences to the Yobe State government, the residents, and the relatives of the deceased.
The Enugu State Government has commended the Republic of Finland for the arrest of Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based leader of the proscribed separatist group, Autopilots.
Ekpa has been accused of orchestrating violence and chaos in Nigeria’s South East region.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the government described Ekpa as a “common criminal, con man, and terrorist” who has exploited the Igbo people while claiming to represent their interests.
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“The Enugu State Government welcomes the arrest of the Finland-based terrorist, Simon Ekpa,” the statement read.
“His arrest and trial will no doubt go a long way in strengthening peace, security, and stability in all parts of the South East.”
The state government accused Ekpa of sponsoring violent activities that have resulted in the loss of lives, destruction of property, and disruption of the region’s economic activities.
It stated that Ekpa’s actions were driven by personal greed and not genuine concern for the Igbo people.
Onyia said, “Ekpa is a murderer and fraudster who delights in killing his people and living large off their misery.
“He thrives on manipulating, exploiting, and extorting the people on the pretext of fighting for their interest and for the restoration of Biafra.”
The government emphasized its readiness to provide evidence of Ekpa’s alleged crimes to support his prosecution, whether in Finland or Nigeria.
“This arrest is in line with the demand of the Governor Peter Mbah Administration, which has repeatedly made it known that Ekpa is a megalomaniac, common criminal, murderer, and fraudster who takes joy in feeding fat on the manipulated emotions of Ndigbo and inflicting misery on the South East region,” the statement added.
The government further criticized Ekpa for fostering a climate of fear and insecurity that has harmed the entrepreneurial spirit and economic growth of the Igbo people.
“Ekpa has for long, and unfortunately from Finland, made a living by creating a siege climate and mentality in the South East, destroying lives, property, and the Igbo trademark of entrepreneurship and hard work,” Onyia said.
The Enugu State Government expressed optimism that Ekpa’s arrest would mark a turning point in the quest for peace and stability in the South East, urging residents to remain vigilant and supportive of ongoing efforts to restore normalcy in the region.
The COP29 presidency has unveiled an ambitious climate finance plan, calling on developed nations to provide $250 billion annually to developing countries by 2035.
The proposal, part of a broader initiative to mobilize $1.3 trillion from public and private sources each year, seeks to address the mounting challenges posed by climate change.
The five-page draft text, released on Friday, emphasizes the need for developed nations to lead the charge in financing climate action.
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According to the document, this financial commitment is seen as a critical step toward combating the climate crisis and fostering sustainable development globally.
“In this context, it is decided to set a goal in extension of the goal referred to in paragraph 53 of decision 1/CP.21, with developed country Parties taking the lead, to USD 250 billion per year by 2035 for developing country Parties for climate action,” the draft states.
The announcement follows the release of an earlier 10-page draft on Thursday, which drew significant criticism from Global South delegations.
Many expressed frustration that the document lacked clear financial commitments from wealthier nations, falling short of expectations to support adaptation and mitigation efforts.
“There is a clear need to address the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, especially given the diverse circumstances shaping national priorities,” a negotiator from a developing country delegation remarked.
The updated proposal aims to address some of these concerns by outlining more specific targets. However, skepticism remains among some negotiators, who feel the revisions still fail to adequately address their demands.
Meanwhile, developed countries have raised their own reservations about the proposed plan.
A European negotiator, speaking to Reuters, described the $250 billion annual target as unrealistic and criticized the lack of measures to expand the pool of contributing countries.
“No one is comfortable with the number because it’s high, and there’s almost nothing on broadening the contributor base,” the negotiator said.
The mixed reactions underscore the persistent divide between developed and developing nations in climate negotiations.
While the draft text aims to reconcile these differences, the gap between expectations and commitments remains a significant hurdle.
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
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The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
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