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Thursday, February 6, 2020

February 06, 2020

The truth is that Boko Haram hates all Christians with passion — Sani react to Buhari’s claim.

Its true that d majority of the victims of the insurgents are Muslims;It’s also true that the victims of their violence cuts across people of all faiths and of no faith; But it’s undeniable that the insurgents habour an ideologically gruesomely murderous hatred against all Christians.


Shehu Sani, former senator who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th national assembly, has concur with President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim that majority of
Boko Haram victims are Muslims.
Sani however, admitted that it is undeniable fact that the Boko Haram insurgents hate all Christians with passion.
President Buhari had said that 90 percent of Boko Haram victims are Muslims and that the insurgents are seeking to use religion to divide Nigerians.
He said there is no room for those who seek to divide Nigerians on the basis of religion.
The president said this in an article on Christianity Today on the daetth of Lawan Andimi, chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Michika local government area of Adamawa state on Monday.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

February 05, 2020

Ice Prince and Skales entertain us with the Hausa vibe on this new single tagged “Tatabara”…

Arewa Hypers Blog

Ice Prince and Skales entertain us with the Hausa vibe on this new single tagged “Tatabara”…  A very unique sound from the Northern section.
Super Cool Cat boss, Ice Prince joins force with Mr Love, Skales . They dish out this Indigenous (Hausa) record dubbed “ Tatabara“, produced by Princeton . The singers delivered an addictive love jam with melody that will still catch you attention even without understanding the Hausa
Language.
Ice Prince who had late buzz last year with his 2019 hit song ‘ Feel Good ‘ featuring Phyno and Falz return with another smash to give 2020 an early shot and get back his lost attention. He goes back to his bases to deliver this new record with an assist fro Skales who also grew up in the Northern part of Nigeria.
While we await what 2020 will unfold for Ice, Listen and Enjoy his latest single ‘ Tatabara ‘ below
Download

Monday, February 3, 2020

February 03, 2020

Give Buhari America To Rule, He Will Underdevelop It In One Year And Still Blame Abraham Lincoln – Obasanjo Blasts Buhari

Arewa Hypers Blog

Three months after criticising President Muhammadu Buhari’s performance, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised Nigerians not to vote for a ‘failed government’ in 2019.
Speaking on Monday in Abeokuta, Obasanjo called on Nigerians to be cautious not to re-elect a ‘failed
government’ which may end up with excuses for its failure to meet Nigerians’ expectations.
The former president spoke during a visit to his home by a ‘New Nigeria 2019 Group’ led by Chima Anyaso, the convener, and Moses Siasia, co-convener.
He said it will be foolhardy for Nigerians to reinforce failure by re-electing the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Buhari in 2019.
He criticised the APC-led Federal Government for
allegedly bringing hardship on Nigerians and running an ineffective economic policy, which, he said, cripples businesses, causing economic woes in the country.
While castigating the APC, Obasanjo also condemned his former ruling party, PDP. He asked Nigerians not to accept the opposition party’s recent apology; saying both APC and PDP could not salvage Nigeria.
He said, “But this time, for us to make it, we need all
hands on deck. You see, I have publicly said and I mean it, that as a party, neither PDP nor APC can get us there as they have been. Never mind about reforms and apology and all that.
“And yet we have to get there. I asked one of the
foundation members of PDP, the PDP when we started, was it a grassroots party? He said it was an elitist party.
Really, we have never had the so-called grassroots party.
Even NEPU which we could say is the nearest was not grassroots enough. And I believe strongly that we must have a strong popular grassroots movement to bring about the change, sustainability and stability that we need in our democracy and development.
“I am happy to meet with you, but don’t take anything for granted. There will be a lot of work that we have to do.
What those I call power addicts would want to do is to divide you based on gender, age, tribe, religion and region.
You have one commonality – interest of Nigeria. And it doesn’t matter where you come from. We had that
interest.
“The truth is this: when you have an ineffective and
incompetent government, we are all victims. And don’t let anybody deceive you. Those of you who are in business, your business could have been better today if we have a competent and effective and performing government. As I said, stop giving excuses; we met challenges. If there are no challenges, then we wouldn’t need you to come. You come in because you know there are challenges and then giving us excuse that you have many challenges, that is why you haven’t achieved results.
“And then you still want to go. The first lesson I learnt in my military training is never reinforce failure. What we have now is failure. Never you reinforce failure. Let failure be failure. And if you do not see what you should see, you will then be a victim of what you don’t like because it’s only when you see what you should see and you do what you should do that you put away what you do not like.
And if you don’t see what you should see and you don’t do what you should do, you will be a victim of what you don’t like.”
He, however, said he believed some members of the APC and PDP still have integrity and can help Nigeria succeed.
“But let us bring together all these movements because we are pursuing the same thing. If we allow ourselves to be taken piecemeal, it is finished. Now if we are together…
Yes, I said you cannot take PDP as it is and APC as it is; but they are not all made of evil people.
“There are good people. I said PDP is leprous hand, APC is leprous hand, but there are some clean fingers in them.
So, let’s take those clean fingers in them and graft the clean fingers in our own. That is the way to go and if we go that way, we will get there, we will move together, and we will move fast and we will move far,” Obasanjo added.

February 03, 2020

Thugs Set Imo INEC Office On Fire

Arewa Hypers Blog


The Independent National Electoral
Commission,INEC office in Orlu local government
in Imo state has been set on fire by suspected
thugs on Monday, 3rd February.
Orlando Ikeokwu, police spokesman in the state
confirmed the news. “I can confirm the incident
to you but the cause of fire outbreak is unknown
for now. The state commissioner of police has
dispatched security operatives to the scene of the
incident,” he said.
The incident is believed to be connected to the
recent Supreme court judgement which sacked
Emeka Ihedioha as governor of the state and
pronounced Hope Uzodinma as winner.
February 03, 2020

Edo Government seeks Oshiomhole’s arrest and prosecution.

Arewa Hypers Blog


The Edo State Government on Monday
demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution
of the National Chairman of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole,
accusing him of constantly creating security
breaches in the state and holding rallies in
defiance of orders.
The government said the former Governor has
failed to obey lawful orders both by the state
government and the Inspector General of Police
and had held rallies in different parts of the
state.
Deputy Governor Phillip Shuaibu told newsmen in
Abuja that Oshiomhole was not above the law
and nobody disobeyed his directives when he
was governor.
While denying betraying Oshiomhole, Shuaibu
said Oshiomhole remained his father while he is
a son even though they are not on the same
page politically at the moment.
He said: “I am in Abuja to meet with the
Inspector General of Police. I have a petition to
the Inspector General of Police and to the
Director of Department of State Services to the
effect that Comrade Adams Oshiomhole be
arrested by the Police and be arrested by the
DSS for the breakdown of law and order that he
has consistently perpetrated in Edo state.
“We banned rallies; the IG in a letter also
suspended rallies. He disobeyed the orders of
the state government, he disobeyed the orders
of the IG and feels that he is above the law.
“For us, we have officially come now to drop our
petition with the IG to the effect that Oshiomhole
is not above the law. He should be arrested for
violating the state government order.
“He was a governor before and he knows that
nobody violated his orders as governor, because
it is not about him, it is about the state. When
everybody disobeys laws, then the country
becomes a Banana Republic. God forbids.
“That is why we are saying that the IG and the
DG of DSS should arrest him and interrogate him
for breaching the peace and disobeying
government orders and security orders for
rallies.
“For us, when the suspended national chairman
of the party continually disobeys the law; when
opposition party chairmen do same, he becomes
a reference point.
“That is why I am here on behalf of the state
government to submit a petition to the IG to the
effect that the suspended chairman, Comrade
Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole be arrested and
prosecuted for breaching the peace of Edo
state.”
Shuaibu denied insinuations that he and
Governor Obaseki were leaving the party, saying
“that statement has been coming on and on. I
can categorically tell you that the governor of
Edo State, Godwin Obaseki and I are in APC and
we are not leaving APC.
“The party is stronger today because of the
governor of Edo state and when we read such
things on the social media, what we just say is
that this is another fake news. We are not
leaving APC. APC is our party. We formed it and
we are solidly on ground to promote good
governance and the governor is doing very well.
“Some people are saying because of the
endorsement by the PDP and some individuals,
that is a sign that we are leaving the party. No.
They should read it the other way.
“That is a sign that even other parties are
accepting and agreeing to the fact that the
governor of Edo state is working and he should
be emulated and that is why he is having the
endorsements.
“This is the first time the APC and non-APC
people are endorsing the governor and I think it
should be a pride to everybody. So, when you
talk about the leaving the party, it is just one of
those guys trying to create a problem.”
Speaking on allegations that he has betrayed the
former Labour leader, Shuaibu said: “the issue of
betrayal is relative. Whoever has said I betrayed
Oshiomhole, I don’t know what they meant by
that.
“Oshiomhole remains my father and I remain his
son even though presently we are on different
pages politically and it is bound to happen. It
doesn’t change the fact that he remains my
father and it doesn’t change the fact that I
remain his son but what is critical is that we
have disagreed on the issue of the governor of
Edo state.
“I am supporting Gov. Obaseki because he has
not changed what we believe in. He has not
deviated from what Comrade Adams Aliyu
Oshiomhole started and the foundation he laid.
“We promised during the electioneering that we
were going to build on it and that we will take
what he did to the next level and that is exactly
what the governor of Edo state is doing.
“What Oshiomhole has seen that is different, I
do not know. But as for me and my household
and my supporters, we remain committed to the
governor. As per politics, we are not on the
same page but as a family, he remains my
father.”
Shaibu however gave condition for reconciliation
with Oshiomhole and being on the same page
politically, saying “when he comes to Edo state
and endorse Gov. Obaseki and his programmes,
then we will be on the same page politically”.

February 03, 2020

Buhari concerned over insecurity Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Arewa Hypers Blog

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi
Gbajabiamila on Monday said President
Muhammadu Buhari is concerned about the
security situation in the country.
The two presiding officers of the National
Assembly disclosed this while fielding
questions from journalists at the State House,
Abuja, on the outcome of the meeting with
President Buhari.
Gbajabiamila said the leadership of National
Assembly told Mr President of the need to
increase funding of the Nigeria Police Force
and recruit more personnel to tackle the
current challenges.
He said the lower chamber had constituted a
committee involving the two arms of
government and the party to periodically
review the issue of security across the
country.
February 03, 2020

Breaking News




Some bandits who launched an attack in some
communities in Borgu local government area of Niger state, reportedly kidnapped the Imam of the Emir of Borgu Palace Mosque and 19 others.
The attack which was launched by the bandits armed with guns, cutlasses and knives lasted for several hours and also left one person dead and three others injured.
The Nation reported that the bandits attacked the
villagers who were coming back home from the
market at about 5.30 pm on Saturday February 1.
Emir of Borgu, Alhaji Mohammed Haliru Dantoro has reportedly summoned an emergency meeting with all security chiefs in the local government to look at the possibility of securing the release of those kidnapped after the bandits demanded for N20m to release the Imam.

Saturday, January 25, 2020

January 25, 2020

UPDATE: Bandits kidnapped Wife and two kids of Popular Doctor in Kaduna.

Arewa Hypers Blog.


Yesterday at about 10pm, armed terrorists invaded Juji Community Kaduna, they shot sporadically for about 2 hours with no intervention from @PoliceNG.
The bandits killed a vigilante officer, kidnapped the wife, 2 kids and an aid to a popular medical doctor, Dr. Philip Ataga the CEO of Ataga scan Television Garage Kaduna and also CEO Chrisjoja lounge in sabo 




this morning there was a protest in Sabo Tasha.

January 25, 2020

UPDATED: Many slump as fire guts popular Lagos plank market

Arewa Hypers Blog.

About 15 shop owners were said to have slumped due to the wildfire that razed Amu Timber, a Lagos popular plank market on Saturday morning.
Residents were divided over when the fire started.
Some said the fire started around 11pm while others said it was around 12pm.
The Nation Correspondent counted more than seven house burnt.
Goods worth hundreds of billions of naira were lost to the inferno.
The shop owners, some of who live in far places could not savage any of their goods.
None of those on ground knew the cause of the fire.
“It couldn’t have been from the electric distribution because we don’t use power from either Ikeja Electricity Distribution or Eko Disco.
“We all use generating set in this market, ” a trader told The Nation.
Some residents lamented that the fire service didn’t respond on time and when their vehicle arrived, it came with half tank water.
“It took another one hour before three more vehicles arrived. I think the state fire service could do better, ” Femi Akiola told The Nation.
Acting Head of Lagos State Fire Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye blamed the crowd for the delay in putting out the fire.
“Our men responded swiftly to the emergency call with a vehicle. On getting to the scene, he called for more support and three additional vehicles were deployed to the scene. But we faced similar challenge of crowd control. Our men couldn’t get to the fireplace. We had to call on the police to help push clear the way before the firefighters could access the place, ” Mrs Adeseye said.
In a similar incident, the Lagos State Fire Service received an emergency call around 6pm on Friday to Yaya Abatan by Makunola Street, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos, where a storey building of 36 rows of shop in an open premises of about 3 plots covering both streets was gutted by fire.
The fire, which was eventually put out at about 8:40pm by a combined crew of Alausa and Agege Fire Stations of the State Fire Service with supports from the Nigerian Police, Lagos Neighborhood Safety Corps among others.
The fire, however, severely damaged the 18 shops at the upper floor of the building.
The firemen were able to reduce the other 18 shops to slight damaged due to the intense radiation heat from the fire.
Mrs. Adeseye said no life or injury  was recorded as the shops were unoccupied as at the time of the fire.
She concluded that investigation is ongoing to unravel the curse of the fire while admonishing Lagosians to be safety conscious and quickly report any untold circumstances to the Lagos Emergency Toll Free Lines 767 or 112 for swift intervention.
January 25, 2020

I’m glad my husband, Andimi, didn’t renounce Jesus –Wife of slain CAN chairman

Arewa Hypers Blog.

On Monday, January 20, 2020, Boko Haram terrorists executed the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Rev. Lawan Andimi. The cleric was abducted on January 2 and a video later emerged online confirming he was in Boko Haram custody.
Information revealed that he was killed for refusing to convert to Islam after his ransom was increased by the terrorists from N50m to €2m (about N800m). His wife, Mary; daughter, Abigail Daniel; and son, Timothy, tell HINDI LIVINUS about the trauma Andimi’s abduction and killing
put the family through Did your late husband have a premonition of danger or death before he was abducted by Boko Haram and
eventually killed?
Yes, he had a dream about seeing stacks of wheat and tried to find out if all was well. I told him I had no clue about the meaning of such a dream. So we decided to pray and commit everything to God. That was four days before Boko Haram invaded Michika.
What kind of man was your husband?
My husband was a true man of God. He was also a very
generous man. Although he wasn’t born into Christianity as he got converted at the age of 12, he was a committed Christian. Last Christmas, he gave out three bags of maize to the Fulani men in the neighbourhood and another bag to some members of the church to share.
If he had N1,000 and saw someone in need, he wouldn’t hesitate to give that person all the money. If there was a need in church, he tried to meet it with his salary. At times, he bought cloths for underprivileged persons and widows.
That was the kind of person he was; he was a very generous and humble man.
Do you know how he got converted to Christianity?
He was the only one in his family who made the decision to follow Christ, which he did at a very young age. He was led to Christ by Reverend Dauda Yaga, a missionary serving in Balala, who met him as a little shepherd boy. He later went
to a Bible school after he heard the call of God. Dauda was instrumental to his conversion to the Christian faith. This happened after Reverend Dauda met his family and pleaded
with them to allow him have western education. I remember him telling me the pastor had told his parents some missionaries in Damboa at the time wanted the young lad to go to school. He (my husband) had also persuaded him to
let him gain western education.
After his early education, he earned Grade II Teachers’ Certificate and taught for nine years. We got married while he was still a teacher.
After he answered the call of God, he proceeded to a Bible School in 1989. And in 1993, he began to serve as a priest in Hildi. He was later ordained as a pastor in 1996. His work as priest took him to Gombi, Michika, Abuja and Maiduguri. He served as Secretary, District Church Council in Abuja.
Although he had served in Michika, he never protested his last posting to Michika. He had previously served in Michika.
He took it as the will of God. And it was here the devil carried out the act.
On the day Boko Haram struck, were you with him?
I was here in the house. He had just returned from a church engagement in a nearby village, from where he also proceeded for a send-off not far from here. He returned home late in the afternoon and I served him his meal after he had taken a hot bath. He was in high spirits; he played and joked with me. Not long after, one of our sons and the
son of the pastor in charge of the local church here came in. They told us they had been asked to return home by soldiers, who dispersed them from a football field and told them the town was unsafe because of a Boko Haram offensive.
My husband then met with the pastor in charge of the local church and informed him of the development. They both agreed to move their families away, but at that time, the insurgents had already got to the front entrance of the house and this made it impossible for him to drive out with his car. At that time, we were already out and waiting for him to come. At that point, we heard gunshots and I called out to our gatekeeper to tell him to come with the car. I made the call from a safe distance. And I was able to see the gatekeeper and my husband running but a van escorted by two motorcycles was already closing in on them.
The gatekeeper jumped over the fence and fled but at that point, it was impossible for my husband to escape being captured by the insurgents. I later thought of that when we could not find him. Later, I got a call from a strange number and the voice on the line, which was stern, said he was calling from Sambisa (Forest) and that my husband was with them.
How soon did the insurgents contact the family?
I got the call nine days after the incident. He went missing on the night of January 2, 2020 and the call came on January 11. When they gave him the phone for me to speak to him, he told me if we were able to meet the demands made by the group, he would return and reunite with us. And that if for whatever reasons their demands could not be met, then it would mean his time on earth was over and we would meet over there (in heaven). He however told me to look after our children.
Were you agitated when you learnt the caller on the other end was calling you from Sambisa Forest?
I was really frightened; I was with some visitors at the time.
The caller’s tone of voice was really stern. Initially, I thought it was a regular call from an anonymous sympathiser and wanted to rebuke the person for being so stern. But I was restrained when the hoarse male voice said, “We are the ones who caught your husband. We want you to go and meet the church leadership and tell them to pay ransom to secure his release.”
I thanked them profusely for sparing his life and informed them I was at home and would do exactly as they had instructed. I told them I would go to any extent to raise the money needed to secure his release, even if it meant going cap in my hand or begging for money. And because I wanted to see him freed and returned home to his children since there would be no one to fend for them, I asked them how much they wanted. They rebuked me for asking that question.
At what point did they threaten to behead him?
There were several phone conversations. Every time they called, I was always in shock. But the last conversation happened the week before he was killed. They had threatened to behead him one Friday or Saturday if the ransom was not paid. The agony and torture brought by the calls weighed heavily on my health, and based on our last conversations, they promised not to take his life.
At that point, the church had concluded arrangements to pay N50m as ransom. On Monday, I visited the church leadership at the EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria) headquarters to thank them for their efforts and the ongoing negotiations.
I returned home that Monday, taking news to my children that very soon, they would see their father. Everyone was very happy to hear the news that evening. Unknown to us, it was the day he was to be executed.
Did you have a premonition of his death?
I didn’t have any inkling that he would die. I had a dream on a Saturday in which I awoke to see my husband being brought on his sickbed. They told me he would need a doctor to care for him. I tried to call the police to get the man who brought my husband to the house in that condition arrested, but realised I couldn’t find their number. I was sobbing in the dream because I couldn’t get the police.
How were you able to cope with the trauma that the
negotiation exerted on you emotionally?
I was advised by the state CAN Chairman, Most Reverend Stephen Mamza, who is also the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Yola, to change my SIM card so that the insurgents would not continue to call me and subject me to unexplainable trauma. He knew what I was going through. I couldn’t change my number because it required me to go to the (telecoms) office and I was already heavily burdened by the situation, so I had to forgo this. What I did was to switch off my phone towards evenings and put it on in the mornings as I usually got calls from them at exactly 7pm.
Did your husband take a Christian name following his conversion?
Yes, he was born Lawan Andimi. He was named after a village head; that was how he got Lawan. He was christened Simon, but a few years ago in Hildi, he opted to be called Lawan Andimi.
How does it make you feel knowing he chose Christ even in the face of death?
Our faith is now ever stronger than at any other time. We were not surprised because from the video released by Boko Haram, it was obvious my husband was ready to go and be with the Lord. He knew where he was going and he was prepared for it. We are encouraged by the example showed. I know my husband to be a great man of faith; I was sure after seeing the video that even if he died in the hands of his captors, it would not be a loss because he knew where he was going.
What was your reaction to the video released by Boko Haram?
I was strengthened by my husband’s message in the video; he spoke like a man of faith, a man who was already prepared to meet with the Lord. I thought to myself that if God allowed him to be set free, we would glorify His name and if for whatever reasons, he was unable to get out, we would lose nothing because we knew his faith.
He made it clear that if the Lord still wanted him to serve Him, he would make a way for him to be released, but if that was not the will of God, so be it.
What is your message to the body of Christ in these perilous times?
All believers should draw closer to God. These are perilous times, we all need to stand firm in the faith. Even if you are going to be killed for your faith or under the crushing blows of persecution to forsake your faith, we should never give in or let go of our faith more so when we have a strong conviction of being with the Lord.
How many children did he leave behind?
We have nine children; four girls and five boys. Two of them have graduated while others are still in school.
Dad told us type of programme pamphlet he wanted for his burial – Abigail, daughter
What kind of role model was your father to you?
My father was actually my role model. I respected him so much. My regret now is that I had not started repaying him for all his love before he died. It is sad that I will not be able to do for him all the things I planned to do for him. I got married two years ago and I am the only graduate in the family. I am undertaking the National Youth Service Corps programme in Abuja.
Did you ever foresee the events of the three weeks?
My husband and I came to spend the last Christmas with him. But on New Year’s Day, he suddenly insisted we leave Michika for Gombi. He tricked us into leaving Michika by telling us he had to officiate at a wedding and show us a house he built at Gombi. My mum was really surprised and
queried his decision to have us leave Michika, because it was the first Christmas holiday my husband would be spending with us.
She was surprised that he wanted to cut short the holiday by asking us to return to Yola. It was the day before the attacks. My mum insisted our daddy shouldn’t do that.
There was a pastor that died, Reverend Luka L. Fabian, whom my father attended his burial. When my father returned from the burial, he showed us the funeral programme pamphlet, saying this is the way I want you to make it for me (when I’m dead). He said this while handing over the copy of the programme pamphlet to my husband.
He said when he was gone; it would be there in memory of him.
Now, my husband is at a business centre to make the funeral programme pamphlet the way he said he would like it to be made for his burial. But he said it playfully. And even when we got to Gombi to see the house he built, he said the
same thing. I quietly rebuked him after we saw the house for rushing its construction. I told him he shouldn’t have bothered to do that, and that if God blessed us – his nine children – we would build a house for him. But he reminded
me that he was the only Christian among his people and that if he didn’t build us the home, who would do it for us.
Daddy was a peaceful man. He was a very generous man.
One morning, he went to sell his cow; the money was meant to be given to one of my siblings. But while he was returning home, he branched at a church where they were having the launch of a church building and gave them almost all the money from the sale of that cow. Daddy was a great man and I know he’s resting in the bosom of the Lord.
Looking back, are you able to connect some dots
considering what happened to him?
Yes, we intended to leave on January 2, but my dad
suggested we leave on January 1. My husband and I wanted to stick to our plan and leave on January 2 but my dad insisted we all leave together. My dad was so nice to us; he packed a lot of our things so we got everything ready to leave after church service on January 1.
On that same day, during devotions, my dad prayed for those in captivity, those who had been kidnapped and the woman who was killed along Maiduguri Road. During the service, when my dad was asked to take the intercession prayer, he still made mention of those who had been kidnapped. After the service, we didn’t even have time to eat; we packaged all of the food and left so that we wouldn’t run late. We left Michika around 12pm and stopped at Gombi because he wanted to show my husband our new house there.
Since it was my husband’s first visit there, he took us round the house. On our way to Gombi, while in the car, I started interviewing my daddy. I don’t know what pushed me to ask him questions.
My daddy was an indigene of Chibok. On our way to
Michika, I asked him to tell me his age. I said, “Daddy, we don’t know your age.” I had even told my husband that I didn’t know my daddy’s age. Children normally celebrate their parents’ birthdays. I see as my friends post messages online on the birthdays of their parents. But I didn’t know my daddy’s date of birth.
My husband said I should ask my dad as there must be an official one he was using at the office. He said I could use that one. So I asked my dad and he told us he didn’t know the actual day he was born but there was one he was using which was a product of guesswork. He said he had yet to know the exact day he was born and that if he was able to get it through the accounts of some old people he had asked to find out if his parents gave birth to him before Nigeria’s independence, he would know the age to use. So he decided to use April 4. I asked him why he chose April 4 and not January 1, he said two of his children (Abigail and Timothy) were given birth to on May 4, so he chose April 4. I asked what year and he said 1962. I was still pushed to ask him more questions but I don’t know why I kept quiet.
Describe the circumstances surrounding the news of his abduction and how the family handled it?
After he left us in Gombi, he even called to tell us he had finished officiating at the wedding. That was the last time I heard my daddy’s voice. My husband was browsing the Internet at night when he saw that there was an attack in Michika but I didn’t feel bad at that moment because he said soldiers repelled the attack and that there was no causality. However, I wanted to hear the voice of everybody at home. I called but my parents’ lines were not reachable. I was able to reach Peter (one of my younger siblings).
He told us he escaped. I asked him about our dad and he said he left daddy at home. I was able to reach my mum later and she said daddy was at home but that the gatekeeper would be with him. When we called the gatekeeper, he said they were not together because they ran out separately. We thought they escaped and that put our minds at rest. But the next day, they told us that my daddy was not home yet. I was on my way to Abuja then and I started wondering why my dad was not yet back as I knew he would not want to go far because he would be thinking about his animals.
That was actually the first time my dad had to run because of Boko Haram; all the time they had been coming to Michika, my dad was not always at home. The first time they came, he was in Yola; the second time, he was away at EYN headquarters; and the third time, he was in Jos. This was the only attack that met him in Michika. When they told me my dad was not yet back home, my husband said maybe he went to a village or missed his way. I told him my daddy could never miss his way in Michika.
My dad normally rides a bicycle to church. He has a car but he does not use it at times. When I got to Abuja, I couldn’t eat anything. I was just shedding tears the next day when they declared him missing. Immediately, I started thinking he might have been shot dead in the bush. The only thing that came to my mind was death. I started to panic; we (my husband and I) started to pray together when we heard the news. We then began to hear that some people saw him in a strange place but they were all rumours making the rounds.
Then one Sunday, my husband told me he felt nothing had happened to my dad. On the same day, a video was released, saying my dad had been captured by the Boko Haram. I didn’t have the courage to watch the video. My husband watched it and told me my dad was alive. We started singing, praying and thanking God for making them release a video of my dad alive.
Did you think you would see him again?
At the time, we didn’t care whether they were going to demand for anything as the condition for releasing my dad.
We were hoping that everything would work out well. I started to have some hope that my daddy would return to us. After some days, I started to hear that they were requesting for some money. Immediately, I took my phone and went online, only for me to see my dad saying that even if he didn’t return, they should please take care of his wife and children.
I was shocked after seeing it and said to myself, so daddy knows we have no one except him. I couldn’t control myself; I fell off the chair I was sitting on. I was wondering how we would cope now that my dad was not here. I started to cry and my husband was consoling me. Later, I got a grip of myself and we started to pray. I usually called my mum
from time to time to give her some courage.
People from the EYN headquarters also called from time to time to encourage us that we should stop worrying and crying. They also said my daddy would return to us and that gave us hope. I was able to get hold of myself and at times, I smiled, believing that God had everything under control.
Later, my mum told me that they (Boko Haram) had called.
She said they threatened that if they (family and church leadership) were not serious and acted on time, they would send her a video of them killing my dad. The deadline was a Saturday; I was shocked after hearing that.
That day, I called my mum. She said she called the EYN president and secretary, and that they assured her that they would not kill my dad and that she should not worry. She later went to the EYN headquarters and she was told to go home and rest but my mum was still apprehensive. The president assured my mum that my dad would be released by the end of that week. After hearing this from my mum, I began to celebrate. I was very happy that my dad would come back to us.
I told my husband to start saving some money because immediately my dad was released, I would be travelling home.
What were the events that later occurred following news of his demise?
The day I heard that my dad was killed, people from far and near came to our house because my dad was known by so many people. He was the District Church Council Secretary for EYN in Abuja. We started crying and the house was filled
with people. We left for Michika the next day. When my husband and I got to Michika, I was still crying but as soon as I heard that my dad refused to deny Christ, I had joy within me that my dad died a hero.
I believe that he is resting with the Lord. Because when the called my mum and they gave my dad the phone for them to speak, my dad told my mum she should make sure that all his children continued their education. And he also asked her to care for all the animals he left behind. l told my mum that no one should be sad; he was the one thinking about us. Today I’m proud that though my dad is dead, all his words and advice are still fresh in our minds. I also pray to God to help us follow in our dad’s footsteps. I pray for his gentle soul to find rest in perfect peace.
I’ll miss dad’s jokes, advice –Timothy, son
What can you say about your father?
My father was a man of God. He was a unique man. He taught us to pray, trust and obey God’s commandments and lead a good life. He led a good life and it is evident for all to see. We have proof that he’s gone to be at the bosom of
the Lord.
How did you cope after his abduction?
We fasted after his abduction. Every night, as a family, we prayed for his safe return. We said if it was God’s will, he would return and be with us. We will miss him.
How did you react to the Boko Haram video showing him in captivity before he was killed?
We were encouraged by the words of wisdom he spoke in that video, urging us not to be discouraged.
Share with us some of the moments you shared with him?
He used to joke with us. He always encouraged us with his fatherly advice. He urged us to be strong and not to joke with education, even if he was not around (sobs). I fondly remember that he always told our mother to support us to further our education if anything ever happened to him.
What’s your life’s view following the incident?
My view about life is now strange. It’s like the world is coming to an end. I hope that God will make a way where there’s no way.
January 25, 2020

NANS condemns killing of Unimaid student, Dalep , calls for sack of Service Chiefs

Arewa Hypers Blog.

National Association of Nigerian Students NANS

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS ) has condemned the murder of a student of University of Maiduguri, Ropvil Daciya Dalep by Boko Haram insurgents.
Dalep was abducted on his way back to school on 9th January, 2019 alongside others in the vehicle to Maiduguri from Jos. A statement signed by the National President, Comrade Danielson Akpan said after days in the net of the dreaded Boko Haram group, Dalep a bonafide member of NANS was brutally killed on the 22nd January, 2020 in a video that has gone viral on the social media space.
“Others are still held captive and suffering in the hands of their abductors.
On a daily basis, Nigerians are kidnapped and killed by Boko Haram and other unknown armed groups,” he noted.
He said communities in the North East, especially in
Adamawa and Borno States have come under heavy
attack with untold casualties and tales of woe that has been either not reported or under reported by the media.
“At the moment, there is no safe place in Nigeria as
abduction is carried out close to the seat of power, Abuja and its environs. Travellers and commuters are regularly attacked, kidnapped and killed around Kogi, Kaduna and Jos routes,” he said. He explained that the impact of the violent attacks has been devastating on these communities and Nigerian students who now live in perpetual fear and could no longer attend school in these areas due to fear of killings and kidnaping as their campuses come under several attacks and the highways they commute from their various homes to school unsafe.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to immediately sack the service chiefs as they have lost touch with the reality,” he said