By Ezinwanne Onwuka
● Police kill three IPOB militants plotting to enforce Work Stoppage
A joint security team of the Nigerian police and army in the wee hours of Monday killed three pro-Biafran agitators plotting to enforce the outlawed work strike dubbed “sit-at-home” in Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria. The team also recovered three pump-action guns, ten machetes and other weapons.
In protest of the arrest of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is standing trial for terrorism, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) declared a weekly sit-at-home in the South East observed every Monday. The sit-at-home exercise crippled economic activities in the region and led to the loss of lives and property as some armed agents of IPOB took it upon themselves to coerce enforcement, according to police authorities. Kanu reportedly ended the strike in July. https://www.thecable.ng/end-sit-at-home-fake-order-ipob-loyalists-fight-dirty-over-nnamdi-kanus-letter/amp
“Three of the hoodlums, who opened fire on the joint team upon sighting them, were neutralised [killed], while several others escaped with severe degrees of gunshot wounds in the ensuing gunfight,” Police spokesperson in Enugu, Daniel Ndukwe said. A manhunt had begun for those on the run, according to Ndukwe.
● Tobi Amusan grabs a hat-trick of Diamond League Title
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, on Sept. 17, bounced back from last month’s World Athletics Championships heartbreak in Budapest to win the 2023 Diamond League 100m hurdles final in Eugene, Oregon, United States.
In a race where the top six athletes all ran under 12.5s, Amusan clocked a season’s best 12.33s to hold off a fast-finishing Jasmine Camacho Quinn of Puerto Rico and former American world record holder Kendra Harrison, who clocked 12.38s and 12.44s, for second and third, respectively.
The Sunday night feat, which was her third consecutive Diamond League trophy, confirmed the Nigerian’s determination to rule the global women’s 100m hurdles despite having a difficult summer after her provisional suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) following allegations of missing drug tests. Amusan won her first Diamond League trophy in 2021 in 12.42s and defended the title last year after dipping 12.29s in Zurich.
● Tinubu departs Nigeria for the 78th UN General Assembly in the US
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu departed Nigeria Sunday evening for the United States to attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The 78th UNGA session will be held from September 18 to 26 in New York. The theme for this year’s UNGA is, “Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Global Solidarity: Accelerating Action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals Towards Peace, Prosperity, Progress and Sustainability for All”.
Tinubu, a first timer at UNGA, will participate in various high-level political meetings with various world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and President of the European Union Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen. As part of his schedule at the esteemed forum, President Tinubu will deliver his inaugural national statement on the floor of the UN headquarters on September 19. He will also address American business leaders at the US Chamber of Commerce and conduct the NASDAQ closing ceremony.
● UAE counters Nigeria’s presidency, says visa ban still stands
The United Arab Emirates has denied claims by the Nigerian government that a year-long visa ban on Nigerian travellers has been lifted.
“There are no changes on the Nigeria/UAE travel status so far,” a UAE official who pleaded anonymity told CNN Sept. 15. The bombshell rebuttal is coming days after the Nigerian government’s spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale made claims that President Bola Tinubu and President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan brokered a deal to lift the visa ban.
● Bandits kill two, abduct three in Kaduna community
Gunmen, referred to as bandits by the Nigerian media, who stormed Dogon Noma-Unguwan Gamu village of Kajuru County of Kaduna State in Nigeria’s North West region killed two locals and kidnapped three. Several residents of the community also sustained injuries from gunshots during the attack.
For over three years, locals in communities in Kajuru County have continued to be at the receiving end of attacks by armed non-state actors, also called bandits. A deadly attack on March 11, 2019, led to the death of 52 people with over 200 houses burnt down, while hundreds of people were sacked from their homes by the attackers.
“When the bandits stormed the community in the early hours of Friday, we raised an alarm immediately, but security men later came and pursued them out of the area,” a resident of the community told PUNCH, “We later recovered two bodies while three persons were taken away by the bandits. Six motorcycles were also taken away by the bandits.”
