For the past thirty years  when fuel importation began during the Sani Abacha-led  administration, Nigeria has been saddled with very bad leaders who are very myopic and suffer from poverty of ideas. How else can one explain three decades of fuel importation without thinking of the long-term effects on the nation's economy and the citizens as a whole. In an opinion piece published by the Cable online newspaper on March 29,2021, this writer warned against the impending economic catastrophe if fuel subsidy was removed without local production of fuel. Nigeria has abundant crude oil reserves, but unfortunately, the country is unable to refine a litre of fuel. It is indeed a tragic paradox in an oil-driven economy. Nigeria depends absolutely on imported fuel due to several years of  leadership failure, sabotage and official corruption. The price of fuel depends on the exchange rate of the Naira to the Dollar. Since the abrogation of fuel subsidy regime on May 29,2023 by the present administration and the unification of the exchange rate of the Naira, the price of fuel has jumped from #190 to #617. This is happening at a time when the citizens are already impoverished. Nigeria is regarded as the poverty capital of the world. Nearly the entire 200 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty.

The monolithic economy has always been very fragile and vulnerable to external shocks. The cost of living has risen astronomically while the income level of the vast majority of the people has remained stagnant. There are no social safety nets to cushion the effects of severe economic hardship. The electricity distribution companies are also planning to increase electricity tariff anytime from now. The citizens can no longer breathe due to economic suffocation. Only the parasitic political class is taking care of itself.

Public office holders enjoy free fuel apart fro jumbo emoluments and other perquisites of office. They do not know where the shoe pinches or feel the excruciating pains the people are passing through. There is widespread lamentation across the country as poverty has been weaponized.

For inexplicable reasons, successive administrations have refused to take a concrete decision on the moribund Nigerian National Petroleum Company's refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna. The refineries have been in a state of coma for a very long time, while huge sums of money have gone down the drain under the guise of "Turn Around Maintenance". The best policy option is outright privatization of the refineries to international core investors with track records. The refineries have become wasting assets without any benefit to the country. It is obvious that the NNPC is incapable of running the refineries efficiently and optimally.

Apart from the privatization of the refineries within a well-defined timeframe, other policy options include upward review of transport and housing allowances of workers; empowerment programme for youths in terms of job creation; reduction of custom tariff on imported raw materials for the manufacturing sector; provision of subsidized agricultural inputs especially tractors and fertilizers to boost food production; and provision of mass transit buses for transportation. The Federal and State Governments need to collaborate together to reduce the hardship of the citizens.

In order to curtail rising cost of fuel, the Federal Government has to intervene pending the time local production of fuel will commence. Hiding under the so-called "market forces" to determine the price of fuel is very dangerous and counterproductive. The people cannot be blamed for leadership failure to fix the refineries. Already, the citizens have been pushed to the wall and there is a limit to human endurance. The primary responsibility of government is to ensure the welfare of the people. Nigeria belongs to all citizens not just the privileged few.

Faramade is Programme Director and Editor-in-Chief of Journalists Against Poverty (Twitter.com//@JournalistsAga3)

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) will share N1.959 trillion to the three tiers of government in July 2023.

The Cable reports that this is the highest the government has ever shared, This is nearly triple the N786.161 billion shared in June and more than triple the N655.93 billion in May.

Allocations are usually shared from the preceding month’s revenue — meaning June will be shared in July. According to the report, the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) will meet in Abuja on Wednesday, July 19, to allocate the revenue to the tiers of government — federal, state and local — based on the sharing metrics.

Statutory collections make up N1.7 trillion of the federally collected revenues, followed by N293 billion from VAT and N12 billion from electronic money transfer charges. The report believes that the fall in the official exchange of the naira might have contributed to the seemingly unprecedented rise in revenue.

FAAC adopted N436.38/$ as exchange rate for the calculation of the forex component of federally-collected revenues for June 2023 but this has now gone up to at least N750/$.

FAAC is made up of the minister of finance as chairman, all state commissioners of finance, state accountants-general, the accountant-general of the federation and the permanent secretary of the federal ministry of finance.

The House of Representatives has rejected a motion seeking to stop the increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), better known as Petrol or fuel.

Naija News reports that the motion also seeks to revert fuel to the old price of N537 per liter.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited (NNPCL) on Tuesday announced a new hike in the pump price of petrol.

The NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mele Kyari, attributed the recent rise in petrol pump price from N540 to N617 per litre to market forces.

The House on Wednesday resolved to investigate the sudden increase in the price of premium motor spirit and the resultant rise in transport fares across the country.

According to the lower legislative chambers, since it has already resolved to investigate the increase, it will amount to pre-empting the work of the investigative committee by ordering the suspension of the price increase.

In a motion of urgent public importance by Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, the House asked the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, and oil marketers to appear before an ad hoc committee to explain the increase.

The ad hoc committee is also finding ways to ensure the effective distribution of palliatives to Nigerians to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has celebrated his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi.

Naija News reports that Peter Obi, a former Anambra State Governor and running mate to Atiku in the 2019 presidential election, today, marked his 62nd birthday.

Taking to his Twitter page, Atiku described Peter Obi as a respected leader, adding that his dedication to service and growth continues to inspire many people.

He wrote: “Happy 62nd birthday to @PeterObi, a respected leader and distinguished former governor of Anambra state and presidential candidate of the Labour Party.

“Your dedication to service and growth continues to inspire.

“As you add another year today, I, on behalf of my family and team, wish you many more years in good health and vitality.”

World champion and record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, has been charged with dope violation by Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

Amusan announced on her social media handle in the early hours of Wednesday in Nigeria that AIU has charged her for missing three mandatory testing within 12 months, an offence she vehemently protested against.

While pleading for privacy from the media, she promised to defend herself as a clean athlete and be cleared to participate in this year’s World Championships to defend her 100m hurdles title and world record she won at the last Worlds in Oregon, USA.

If found guilty, Amusan may be forced off the track for a minimum of two years depending on the degree of her violation.

[Thisday]

Nigerians were jolted on Tuesday following a further increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly known as petrol.

DAILY POST reports that anger and condemnations poured in from across the country, with the citizens describing the decision as insensitive.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had in his inaugural address on May 29, 2023, announced an end to the fuel subsidy regime.

Even though the subsidy regime covered the month of June, oil marketers swiftly adjusted their metres to N500 and above per litre of petrol.

However, less than two months after that increment, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, Limited, NNPCL, has announced another increment, blaming it on market forces.

It is coming at a time the citizens are still battling the effects of the May 29 increment which saw the pump price of petrol jerk up from about N197 per litre to over N500.

Many Nigerians had in the aftermath of the May 29 increment parked their vehicles and resorted to commercial vehicles, which they considered economical. Some others sold their cars.

Prices of transportation, foodstuffs, other goods and essential services have also witnessed an astronomical increase.

Meanwhile, DAILY POST reports that there is no uniform price of the commodity across the country.

In the Nation’s capital, Abuja, it sells for N617 and above, especially NNPC filling stations.

However, that cannot be said of other cities.

In Ogun State for instance, while many filling stations are not dispensing, those who opened for business are selling for N650 per litre.

An angry taxi driver in the state, Usman Adeola,had this to say, “it is not good, Nigerians are just being made to suffer everyday. Our children are in school, we have not paid their tuition, rent has not been completed, even to feed ourselves is a huge challenge.

“I swear to God Almighty, I have never eaten anything today. I am a cab driver, and here on the queue. The car owner is waiting for daily returns.”

An Ondo state civil servant, Yemisi Oladapo, who also expressed his disappointment over the development, said, “We had hoped for a change, a departure from the policies that burdened us under the Buhari administration.

“But now we find ourselves in a similar predicament. This is unacceptable and a clear betrayal of the people’s trust,” he stated.”

Tunde Akinkunmi, a trader, said, “I thought I was in a trance when I got to the filling station, and I heard that petrol is now N617. This is criminal, I must tell you.

“We were not given prior notice of this wicked act. They just woke up and suddenly increased the price.”

In Kwara State, the price hovers between 559 and 617 per litre, while in Niger State, it goes for between N617 and N620.

In Ebonyi State, a litre goes for N620 in the metropolis while those in the rural areas are buying at between N650 to N700 per litre, while in the neighbouring Enugu, a few filling stations dispensed the product at the cost of N550 to N620; many others shut down as soon as the increment was announced.

A resident of Enugu, the Coal City State, Mr Samson Okoro said the government has pushed the citizens into avoidable suffering by putting the cart before the horse.

“What the government ought to have done first is to revive our refineries; this should have come before removal of subsidy.

“You cannot depend on total importation yet you are quick to remove subsidies, you see where it has landed us.

“I advise the government to review the entire process because it will get to a point where the masses will not take it again and they will revolt.

“The suffering is excruciating; something has to be done about it, very quickly too,” he cautioned.

In Damaturu, Yobe State capital, a litre goes for N600; Abia: N595 to N600; Imo: N650; Akwa Ibom: N600 to N620; Rivers: N617 to N640; Kaduna: N610 to N650; Oyo: N580 to N650; Cross River: N620 to N630, while in Lokoja, Kogi state capital, the commodity goes for N617.

The National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Elder Chinedu Okoronkwo was the first to confirm the new price increase to DAILY POST on Tuesday.

According to him, fuel prices will continue fluctuating depending on market forces.

“That is the regime we are in with removing fuel subsidies. The prices will continue to fluctuate based on market forces and the changes in Dollar in the foreign exchange market. That is why we are pushing for an alternative to fuel”, he stated.

Both the NNPCL and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, are unanimous in their stand on the increment.

They maintained that the government was no longer in a position to fix the market price of the commodity.

NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Malam Mele Kyari, after a private meeting with the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, at the Presidential Villa, on Tuesday, in Abuja, explained that the increase in the price of PMS has nothing to do with supply issues.

He rather blamed it on market forces.

”I don’t have the details at this moment. You know we have the Marketing Wing of the company, they adjust prices depending on the market realities.

“And this is the meaning of making sure that the market regulates itself so that prices will go up and sometimes they will come down; this is really what we are seeing; in reality, this is how the market works.

“What I know is that the market forces will regulate the market, prices will go down sometimes and sometimes it will go up, but there will be stability of supply,” he said.

On his part, Alhaji Farouk Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer, NMDPRA, said the authority doesn’t set price of the product but the market determines itself.

”As a regulator, you know I told you back in May we are not going to be setting prices, the market will determine itself and as you saw back in early June when prices came out it was based on the cost of importation plus other logistics of distribution and of course the profit margin by the importer.

”This market is deregulated, and is open to all participants. As mentioned also yesterday (Monday) when I was in Lagos, we have about 56 marketing companies that have applied for and obtained licences to import,” he said.

DAILY POST reports that the over N100 increment has attracted nationwide condemnation from the masses, especially with the issue of palliatives yet to be sorted out.

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, swiftly rejected the increment, accusing the government of impoverishing the poor masses while the rich get richer.

It also rejected the now suspended N8, 000 palliatives for 12 million households in the country.

Joe Ajaero, the President of NLC, in a statement, described the proposal as robbing the poor to pay the rich.

Ajaero added that it is no longer interested in the federal government’s Committee to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal impact on Nigerians because it failed to set up a National Steering Committee.

“There is no other way to explain the proposal to pay a misery sum of N8,000 Naira to each of the mysterious poorest 12 million Households for six months which amounts to N48,000 and pays just 469 National Legislators N70b or about N149m each, while the Judiciary that has about 72 Appeal Court Judges, 33 National Industrial Court Judges, 75 Federal High Court Judges and 21 Supreme Court Judges and a total of about 201 Judges receives a total of N35b or N174m each.

“If these other two arms are projected to receive this, what members of the Executive Council will receive is better left to the imagination of Nigerians; perhaps, the balance of N150b will go to them.

“NLC would not want to continue to be part of the usual charade of Committees with never implemented outcomes. We would not want to waste the time of Nigerians, especially workers on Committees that have already been programmed to fail and thus ignored”, the statement partly reads.

Similarly, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, also came hard on the Federal Government, lamenting the level of suffering by the citizens.

NUJ, in a statement issued by its National Secretary, Shuainu Usman Leman, said it is alarmed by the just announced increase in the Pump Price of the Premium Motor Spirit, PMS to N617 per litre in Abuja and N568 in Lagos, respectively.

“The development has already triggered an astronomical increase in transportation cost, with prices of food items soaring almost beyond the reach of many citizens even as users of generators to power their homes are already groaning uncontrollably under the present condition.

“While we applaud the decision to remove the costly subsidy on fuel, we, however, caution against a hasty implementation of the policy without putting mitigating measures in place to cushion the excruciating effect.

“We are saddened by the fact that today, most people can hardly commute to work or other places of business without too much stress.

“We believe that this decision is an overkill and urge that the situation should be reversed immediately while adequate measures are considered and put in place to lessen the effect on ordinary Nigerians.”

While appearing on Arise TV news programme, Tuesday night, Mr Mike Osatuyi, National Operations Controller of IPMAN, said Nigerians should expect future fluctuations to be determined by market forces.

“It can also come down,” he said when asked whether there are chances that the price would still go up.

He added that, “What we are using now is the old stock which is getting exhausted; new products are now being discharged, which will affect the new price.

“It may still go down depending on the market forces, the dollar, the forex.

“Like in diesel market, there was a time it was N800, there was a time it came to N500, N600 that is what we are going to be witnessing, but if crude goes today to N120, N110 dollars per barrel, it is to the benefit of Nigeria, because you are going to get more money, but at the same time, we cannot eat our cake and have it.

“That is why I said transparency is very important in this game so that Nigerians can see what they are using the money for, if we have fast trains, we have transport, the food is cheap…”

In an apparent response to the outrage across the country, President Tinubu on Tuesday ordered the immediate review of the proposed N8,000 to 12 million households in Nigeria.

This was contained in a statement issued by Dele Alake, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy.

Tinubu also ordered that the whole range of the palliative package of the federal government be unveiled to Nigerians.

“That the N8,000 conditional cash transfer programme envisaged to bring succour to most vulnerable households be reviewed immediately. This is in deference to the views expressed by Nigerians against it.

“That the whole gamut of palliative packages of government be unveiled to Nigerians.

“Immediate release of fertilisers and grains to approximately 50 million farmers and households respectively in all the 36 states and the FCT.

“The President further assures Nigerians that the N500 billion approved by parliament to cushion the pain occasioned by the end of subsidy regime will be judiciously utilised. The beneficiaries of the reliefs shall be Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic, religious or political affiliation.

“President Bola Tinubu has promised to always prioritise the wellbeing of Nigerians and he is irrevocably committed to the vow. A number of decisions taken so far by this Administration have buttressed this stance,” the presidential spokesperson said.

The Arewa Youth Forum, AYF, has condemned in strong terms the increase in pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly known as petrol.

In a statement issued by its National President, Ahmed Mohammed Zagi and made available to DAILY POST, the group said it received with shock the increase in price of petrol to over N600.

The youths noted that the N8,000 monthly stipend to some families in the country, although a welcome development, was far inadequate and should be reviewed upwards, looking at the skyrocketing cost of goods and services in the country.

It appealed to the federal government to inspire states to prioritise agricultural revolution that would ensure enough food protection in the country, believing that such efforts would lead to the crashing of prices of food products through the natural law of demand and supply.

The youths also appealed to President Tinubu and his advisers to think harder and come up with lasting solutions to the economic misfortunes of the country.

Troops of operation Hadarin Daji, a military component, have rescued 40 kidnapped victims in Kyairu, Kyaram and Alkama communities in Bukkuyum Local Government area of Zamfara State.

According to a press statement by Army authority, the victims were kidnapped when armed bandits invaded Kyairu, Kyaram and Alkama communities.

The statement noted that the successes followed an intelligent report of heavily armed bandits’ movement in the affected communities.

“The troops however mobilized to the area, blocked the bandits’ route and engaged them in a fire for fire operation which lasted for hours forcing the bandits to flee into the forest and abandon the kidnapped victims”, the statement added.

The statement read in parts “on 17th July 2023, following Intelligent report that Armed bandits had kidnapped an unspecified number of persons from villages around Bukuyyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

“The Troops immediately mobilized swiftly for a fighting patrol and established blocking positions around the bandits’ withdrawal routes around Kyairu/Kyaram and Alkama villages in Bukuyyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.”

It also noted that the 40 rescued kidnapped victims were reunited with their families, while ten of them were handed over to the local chief of Gwashi to connect them with their respective families

Recall that this is the second time in one week that troops of Operation Hadarin Daji have rescued kidnapped victims at various bandits’ enclaves and routes in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of the State.

Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu never ceases to amaze. He never ceases to exhibit the different shades of the moral decadence that compelled a vast majority of Nigerians who voted in the 2023 presidential elections to roundly reject him. The shade currently trending centers on sheer hypocrisy.

In two different stops at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU), Tinubu appealed to the African states to ensure that the menace of terrorism and military coups in the continent are something of the past. He also attempted to promote the rule of law. Coup d’état and terrorism, by the way, are historically the two of the major misadventures that tend to threaten the African corrupt elite.

Seemingly worried that Mr. Tinubu failed to address the key concerns of the ordinary people, the Nigerian Vanguard Newspaper in its editorial page of July 13, 2023, countered as follows:

“Tinubu has already identified terrorism and the resurgence of military coups as some of the problems of the region. Let us also add the mass migrations to Europe and America, particularly the desperate migrations through the Sahara Desert. We also have the problem of armed and violent nomadic herdsmen causing a major security threat in Nigeria.”

But the Vanguard did not stop there.

The paper reminded Tinubu that “The common cause of these problems is bad governance. ECOWAS must, like their European counterparts, adopt a uniform set of governance principles that will help unleash the vast human and natural resources potentials of sister states.”

The Vanguard concluded that “A Nigeria in shambles is another reason that ECOWAS is in shambles. A country in a situation of virtual failure cannot lead a regional economic community to success.”

Nothing can be nearer to the truth.

Besides highlighting that Tinubu ignored the more pressing needs of the ordinary people, the Vanguard editors stated in clear terms that Nigeria, a bastion of bad governance, lacks the moral high grounds to counsel other African states on coups and terrorism. This goes without saying that the Life-Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government lacks the credibility to speak on such violent extremism, let alone the rule of law.

For instance, as the APC Leader, Tinubu never opposed the wanton abuse of the rule of law under the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari. A perfect example is the case of a frontline Nigerian human rights activist and the 2023 presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, who was detained for over five months in 2019 without bail. Sowore’s crime was the mere mention of revolution against bad governance. Yet, the current occupant of Aso Rock never decried such brazen injustice notwithstanding that he and Buhari had at different times threatened revolution when Goodluck Jonathan was in power. 

Even under the current Tinubu rule, Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has remained in jail, even though a court of law in the land had declared him innocent. There is also the case of the immediate past governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, who was bundled and thrown in jail without bail. Of course, these are clear abuses of the rule of law.

Let’s then dive into the main gist of this essay: Coup D’état. Marriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics, especially: the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group.” Clearly, beyond the typical overthrow of government as Nigerians know it, the free world knows that any power gained through illegal alteration of state authority or any confluence of violence and other electoral irregularities is a pure coup d’état.

Tinubu’s hypocrisy with terrorism is even more apparent. The same Marriam-Webster Dictionary defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.” But it is a common knowledge that violent extremism is Tinubu’s stock in trade.

Recall that he never for once condemned the various acts of terrorism promoted and sponsored by his associates against non-indigenes living in the State of Lagos during the 2019 and 2023 general elections. Tinubu continues to maintain stoic silence while Asari Dokubo (a notorious hoodlum who claims him as a father) goes about brandishing guns, terrorizing an entire tribe. Osama Bn Laden did not crash planes into the New York towers by himself; his associates did.

Mr. Tinubu has every reason to be nervous. As the Vanguard Newspaper had counseled, the solution to coup and other social vices is good governance. Let me now add that good governance in Nigeria and Africa in general begins with true war against corruption. But the problem of the moment is that expecting a meaningful war on corruption from the APC National Leader is as futile as attempting to fetch water with an Ugbo basket.

The only solution, therefore, is Tinubu’s outright removal either through the courts or impeachment, so that Nigeria can enthrone an authentic leader capable to provide the desired good governance.

SKC Ogbonnia writes from Ugbo, Enugu State. 

In just over two weeks, Borno State has experienced four devastating attacks by Boko Haram insurgents that killed at least 36 lives in the state.

These attacks, mostly targeted at farmers in their fields, threaten a reversal of the relative peace and food security that the state gradually attained over the years.  

These attacks, which are likely to be higher than reported, mostly took place in southern Borno–the agricultural hub of the state–and are threatening food security in Borno, the North East, and the country at large. 

The most recent attack was on June 26 when suspected Boko Haram militants ambushed eight farmers on their way to farm and slaughtered seven farmers in Damboa Local Government Area of the state. 

Locals and security sources said the incident happened around 11:30am in the Bulajimbam area of the council. 

“It is sad; seven people lost their lives and you see it is difficult for us to tell these people not to go to farm. We are working hard to ensure they are protected,” a security source who preferred anonymity told Daily Trust. 

In another attack, on June 14, 15 people working on their farmlands were also slaughtered and some beheaded by suspected Boko Haram insurgents in Damboa and Jere local government areas. 

Bukar Ali Musty, a top member of the vigilante group, said the farmers were working on their farmlands near Molai, on the outskirts of Maiduguri, when insurgents attacked and beheaded them. 

“At least 15 dead bodies were evacuated after the attack this morning. 

“Seven farmers were beheaded while working on their farms and the attackers also slit the throats of eight other harmless civilians in their homes,” the vigilante source said. 

On June 22, eight woodmongers were also killed in a fresh Boko Haram attack in Mafa, the local government council of Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum. 

This attack, which came barely a week after that of the slain farmers, happened in Bulamari village.

According to a Civilian JTF source, the insurgents killed eight out of the nine young loggers who were under the age of 20 and deliberately spared the life of one.

“They only allowed one Babakura, a 15-year-old boy, to come and break the story in the town.  

“They tied their hands behind their backs and shot them in the heads. We went there together with the Civilians’ Joint Task Force to bring the corpses for burial; only one person was married among them, and all of them were young men,” he said. 

On June 30, six other people, including a woman, were killed by the suspected Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) in Damboa Local Government Area of the state. 

According to sources, the attackers stormed the town around 8:30pm and fired mortar bombs into Damboa town, the local government headquarters, and 21 innocent people were injured. 

Sources from the security claimed that after failing to gain access into the town, the attackers hauled a mortar bomb that killed six people and injured 21 in Wulari area, near the district head’s palace. 

“Yes, there was an attack by ISWAP last night in Damboa town. We lost six people including women and more than 20 people were taken to the hospital, but the situation is calm now,” a security source said. 

A top member of Civilian JTF told Daily Trust that those killed included housewives and aged women.

However, the most disturbing aspect of the killings is their change of modus operandi; the insurgents now trail the farmers and slaughter them quietly in their isolated farmlands. 

Also, in most of these areas attacked by the insurgents, the locals complained of minimal or no security presence at the time of the attacks.

ISWAB accuses locals of spying, bans farming

In a new development, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) was said to have imposed a ban on farming, fishing, and herding activities in the remote northeastern region of Marte. 

A local source told Daily Trust that the move was to halt agricultural activities in areas under the control of the ISWAP to punish the farming communities over alleged spying for the military that carried out aerial bombardment in their location. 

It was gathered that in the coordinated airstrikes, many ISWAP commanders were killed, and the group was forced to abandon their bases and seek refuge in locations perceived as safer for them. 

It was gathered that the ISWAP Leadership vowed to kill farmers or fishermen found within the general areas of Katikime, Bulungahe, Kutukungunla, Chikun Gudu, Tumbumma, Guma Kura, Guma Gana and New Marte, after accusing them of spying on their activities to the Nigerian military.

Zulum releases 80 vehicles to transport farmers to Damboa 

Meanwhile, the Borno State governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has released 50 buses and 30 pick-up vans to convey farmers to their farms for free in Damboa LGA and other parts of the state. 

“To reduce the high cost of living caused by the withdrawal of fuel subsidy, Gov Babagana Umara Zulum released 80 buses and pick-up vans for free transportation of farmers. 

“The 80 means of transport will comprise 50 luxurious buses to be allocated from the fleet of the Borno Express Corporation, while the 30 pick-up vans will be hired by the state government,” he said.

Zulum urged the military to consider the farmers’ population to avoid subjecting them to the rigour of checks that would consume the farming period.

“You can see thousands of farmers are here; with their number over 10,000. We acknowledge the tremendous support of the Nigeria Army, the police and paramilitary but we must review the hardship of these local people. 

“I’m here not to undermine the effort of the Nigerian army, but to make things easy for the generality of the people of Borno State. For this, the Nigerian Army should devise methods of surveillance to reduce the hardships. 

“Rainy season has a short span, a maximum of three months; screening each and sundry would take at least four hours, and this is never possible.  

“I’m urging the Nigerian Army to look into the possibility of allowing the farmers to go into their farmlands to farm on time, because food insecurity is the worst form of insecurity,” he said. 

Farmers fear possible attacks 

With these attacks that continue to escalate, farmers in Damboa, especially the western part, have continued to express uncertainties over the security situation in the area. 

One of the farmers, Alhaji Sheriff Damboa, said despite huge intervention by the state government, many farmers were forced to abandon their farms. 

“Lots of farmers have abandoned their farmlands for fear of being killed, especially after the most recent killings. Days after Eid-el-adha, 6 farmers were slaughtered. We recovered their corpses and buried them. 

“So, if enough security is not provided, farmers wouldn’t be able to carry out their farm activities without fear, especially in this season that we are experiencing a shortage of rainfall. The worst part is that after all the hardships, most farmers have to pay or even get killed by the insurgents before they harvest,” he said.

Another farmer, Hassan Mohammed, said farmers could only cultivate within five kilometres from Damboa town. 

“Nobody can cultivate beyond 5km from Damboa town because the security operatives concentrate in the town and its fringes. So, those with the illusion that more land would be opened up for cultivation are not telling you the truth,” he added.