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Tag: Benin

  • Oba of Benin suspends Duke over alleged plot to revolt

    Oba of Benin suspends Duke over alleged plot to revolt

    The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, on Sunday endorsed the suspension of Prof. Gregory Akenzua, as the Enogie (Duke) of Evbuobanosa Dukedom in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo.

    This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Chief Press Secretary to Oba Ewuare 11.

    According to the statement, the Palace suspended Akenzua as Enogie over allegations of leading rebellion against the Benin throne.

    The statement said  “the Enogie’s suspension arose from several complaints and protests against him by elders across the six communities in Evbuobanosa Dukedom.

    “These comprised Evbuobanosa, Abudu, Igue-Ohenza, Idu-dolor, Iru and Evbuohen.”

    It said the palace endorsed the communities’ protest letter for the Enogie’s suspension following his refusal to heed fellow Enigies’s  call  to apologise to the Royal Father.

    The statement said “the elders indicted Prof. Akenzua for colluding with the suspended Enogie of Egbaen-Siluko Dukedom, Edomwonyi Iduozee Ogiegbaen of misconduct, failure to perform his duties and allegation of attempted ploy to organise a revolt against the Benin throne.”

    It said that Prof. Akenzua allegedly led delegation of Enigie to Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo in  November 2022.

    According to the statement,  the delegation went to see the governor requesting the government to constitute a parallel Benin Traditional Council (BTC) for seven Local government Areas in Edo South Senatorial district, with outright disrespect and disregard to  the Palace, thereby fuelling agitations to Balkanize Benin Kingdom.

    “Addressing the elders from the communities in his palace at the weekend, Oba Ewuare II highlighted the trust deficit among the Enogie’s fold that stirred emotions that transcend logic.

    “I want everyone to hear this that some Dukes the Palace sent to represent the the throne are behaving funny.

    “Why can’t we call or invite them to answer the complaints? They have also resolved never to retrace their steps from the path of perfidy”, Oba Ewuare II said.

    “Elders you have all heard all that have been said. Look after the area. Do not fight. Don’t allow anyone to fight or quarrel or entertain any form of disagreement or division among you.”

    Earlier, spokespersons from the various communities, conveyed their regrets to Oba’s palace and appealed to Oba Ewuare to strip Prof. Akenzua of traditional duties and insubordination.

  • Edo Election Tribunal receives 14 petitions

    Edo Election Tribunal receives 14 petitions

    The Edo Election Petitions Tribunal says it has received 14 petitions from aggrieved parties and candidates in the just-concluded National Assembly and State Assembly elections.

    The Tribunal Secretary, Mr. Muazu Sanusi, made the disclosure in an interview with NAN on Thursday in Benin.

    Sanusi said that the petitions were filed within the 21-day period allowed by law.

    He said that the petitions were filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress, and Labour Party as well as their candidates.

    He said,“ As at today, the tribunal has received a total of 14 petitions.

    “Out of the 14 petitions, three are on senatorial election, 10 were received with regard to House of Representatives election.

    “One petition is, however, emanating from the conduct of the state House of Assembly election, and the results were announced on March 21, 2023.”

    The secretary said that the petitions were expected to be filed on or before 21 days after declaration of results.

    Sanusi said that the time within which to file petitions as regards the House of Representatives and Senatorial polls had lapsed.

    The secretary said, however, that the tribunal was still expecting petitions from aggrieved candidates and parties in the Edo House of Assembly election.

    Sanusi could not say exactly when the tribunal would begin sitting.

    According to him, it will start sitting when processes have been exchanged among the petitioners and the respondents.

  • Cash swap: Banks reopen in Benin after 4-day closure

    Cash swap: Banks reopen in Benin after 4-day closure

    Some commercial banks in Benin reopened for business on Monday, after shutting down on February 16, following sporadic attacks on some facilities in the city.

    Banks came under violent attacks on February 15 by some customers, who were enraged by their inability to make withdrawals.

    The angry customers destroyed some bank buildings, Automated Teller Machines and some vehicles belonging to bank officials.

    It was reported that four persons lost their lives during the protest, which lasted for several hours across some major roads in the capital city.

    Consequently, the banks halted their services to avert further attacks and destruction of their facilities.

    Residents were however relieved to discover that some of the banks around Sapele Road, Mission Road and Aduwawa Axis of Benin reopened for services on Monday.

    A NAN correspondent, who monitored the situation in the city, reports that there were long queues of customers within and around the bank premises.

    While many who got access into the banking hall were seen waiting to be paid over the counter, others clustered at the entrance gates and ATM points.

    Some of the customers, who spoke on the development, said they were happy that some of the banks had reopened after the unrest.

    Mrs Chioma Odiase said: “We learnt that one or two banks opened on Friday and some opened today (Monday).

    “We are happy that the sufferings we go through to get cash for our daily needs would soon ease with the reopening of the banks.”

    The Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Edo/Delta branch, Dr. Okwara Udensi, spoke on the harsh effect of the demonitisation policy on businesses.

    Udensi urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to supply more old N200 notes to banks.

    He said: “The non availability of cash in various bank branches is where the problem lies.

    “The CBN should try as much as it can to push the cash to the banks.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari has said that old N200 note is now acceptable so CBN should bring it back into circulation to augment the new notes already printed.”

  • CSOs barricade CBN gate in Benin over cash crunch

    CSOs barricade CBN gate in Benin over cash crunch

    A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Tuesday barricaded the main entrance gate to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office complex in Benin to protest the scarcity of new naira notes in the country.

    The protesters chanted solidarity songs, calling on the bank to make the new naira notes available to reduce the sufferings of Nigerians.

    The protest caused traffic gridlock around Akpakpava, forcing motorists to negotiate their ways through the adjoining streets.

    The leader of the protest, Mr Agho Omobude, said that the cash crunch had brought untold sufferings to millions of Nigerians.

    According to him, it is inhuman to continue to allow Nigerians to remain in this suffering.

    Briefing newsmen at the end of a closed-door meeting with the management of the bank, Omobude said the bank had shown understanding with the group’s concern.

    He said: “We are tired of the crisis the shortage of the new naira notes is causing.

    “We reached an agreement with the CBN to disburse the smaller denominations across the counter, with each customer getting N20,000.

    “The bank management also said that the new notes would be made available and disbursed across the counter and Automated Teller Machines in all the banks.

    “They have also accepted to include the CSOs in the monitoring team set up by the apex bank to ensure monies given to banks are disbursed,” Omobude said.

  • Aggrieved customers attack BEDC worker, engineer in Benin

    Aggrieved customers attack BEDC worker, engineer in Benin

    Aggrieved customers in Evbuotubu in Benin, Edo State have unleashed an attack on a worker and an engineer of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company PLC (BEDC).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Line Worker [names withheld] in a BEDC team was badly beaten and an engineer [names withheld] of the electricity company was held hostage.

    It was gathered that as a result of the attack, the worker sustained serious fractures on both legs and was said to have suffered psychological trauma.

    The engineer, on the other hand, who was held hostage, was only released following the intervention by law enforcement agents.

    TNG reports the management of BEDC on Monday confirmed the incident and described the attack as unprovoked.

    The attack was confirmed in a statement signed by the company’s Acting Head, Corporate Affairs Department, Mrs Evelyn Gbiwen, and made available to newsmen in Benin.

    Gbiwen said the management had declared zero tolerance for brutal assault of BEDC staff in line of duty, adding that any customer who perpetrated such act would henceforth be prosecuted.

    “The attention of Management of BEDC has been drawn to the alarming rate of brutal assault on its staff in the line of duty by customers who deem themselves to be above the law.

    “Recently, there was unprovoked, near fatal assault of a Line Worker in a team and the unlawful hostage holding of an engineer who led the team against his will, at Evbuotubu in Benin

    “As a result of the attack, the worker sustained serious fracture on both legs and severe psychological trauma.

    “The engineer, who was held hostage, was only released following intervention of law enforcement agents,” she said.

    According to Gbiwen, the management of BEDC strongly condemns the actions of the customers and warned against future attacks of staff on lawful duties

    she appealed to aggrieved customers to always make use of customer service and other legitimate channels to air their grievances, instead of engaging in violence.

    She said that BEDC was fully committed to providing quality service to its esteemed customers at all times.

  • Nigeria, Benin submit joint bid to host 2025 AFCON

    Nigeria, Benin submit joint bid to host 2025 AFCON

    Republique du Benin and Nigeria have successfully submitted a joint bid for the hosting rights of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations initially awarded to Guinea but later withdrawn due to the coup d’etat in that country and also their unreadiness to host the contingent major football competition.

    This is the first time Republique du Benin will be attempting to stage the competition.

    After months of speculation and the interest to host by other African countries the Benin football Federation and Nigeria Football Federation finally tabled their joint bids,.

    Even though the FBF and NFF are yet to officially announce their candidacy, it is the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) that made the revelation.

    In Cairo, Egypt, headquarters of CAF, to submit his country’s candidacy files, FAF President Salah Bey Aboud announced that Benin and Nigeria have submitted a joint file, in addition to Morocco also in the race to host the tournament.

    “I am currently in Cairo and I have just officially submitted Algeria’s candidacy file for AFCON 2025.” Aboud disclosed this to a Radio station in Algeria.

    “Nigeria and Benin have submitted a joint file in addition to the Moroccan file.” He added.

    The closing date for submitting applications is set for this Friday, December 16, 2022.

    South Africa, Senegal and Zambia are the other candidates to formalize their candidacy.

    As indicated by CAF, member associations wishing to host the competition will have until December 16 to submit the final offer, which includes all the application and organization documents (organisation agreement, with the host cities, government guarantees), while the inspection visits will take place between January 5 and 25, 2023.

    According to CAF, the host country will be announced at the headquarters of CAF in Cairo on the 10th of February 2023.

  • Nigeria and Benin embark on campaign to tackle insecurity

    Nigeria and Benin embark on campaign to tackle insecurity

    The National Boundary Commission (NBC) and its Beninese counterpart have embarked on a joint sensitisation campaign geared towards cementing the historical bond that existed between both countries prior to colonial rule.

    The campaign, which took place at Kosu Bosu, Baruten Local Government of the Kwara State sector of the Nigeria-Benin International Boundary, featured socio-cultural activities such as sporting activities as part of its efforts to promote peaceful co-existence between the dwellers along the international boundary of the two countries.

    Director-General of the NBC, Surv. Adamu Adaji noted during the exercise that the lack of a clear-cut demarcation of the boundary between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin has largely contributed to the issues arising from the claims and counter claims by the border communities of both countries.

    Adaji posited that the lack of demarcation of the international boundary between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin has led to the problem of insecurity along the border corridors as bad elements have capitalized on the non-clarity of the boundary to perpetuate criminal activities in the communities.

    “The height of insecurity in these communities is very worrisome as the problem has become a hydra-headed monster which has proven difficult for the security agents of both countries to intervene because of the fear of crossing into the other’s sovereign territory”

    He also said that this ugly situation has significantly disrupted genuine economic activities amongst the border dwellers adding that the high level of insecurity has caused both countries enormous human and material resources which are the bedrock of sustainable development.

    “It is therefore pertinent that both Nigeria and Benin Republic must join hands and rise up to the challenges posed by these criminal elements that threaten the economy, peace, security and stability of both countries”.

    He asserted that to achieve this goal there is the need to need to swiftly address the issue of the recognized boundary that constitute the administrative limits of the two sister nations.

    Adaji assured that both the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Benin Republic were not resting on their oars but working assiduously to resolve the issue of the non-clarity of the boundary in order to determine where in lies the administrative limit.

    The Director-General noted that despite the separation of kith and kins in Nigeria and Benin Republic by administrative boundaries done by the colonial masters that the people have continued to relate and interact well through inter-marriages and other social economic activities stressing that we must strive to maintain this cordiality and not allow the inherited boundaries to create barriers amongst our people.

    He further maintained that African countries must seek closer ties and cooperation in order to increase opportunity for trade and development as well as form alliance capable of mitigating the negative influence of globalization insisting that African must reduce the weight of its borders. He added that the border communities are considered as gatekeepers to the nation and constitute the building blocks for cooperation.

    The Director-General enjoined the communities to continue to play pivotal roles in ensuring the welfare and protection of the border communities adding “the responsibility of delivering peace and security in our borderlands in not only the responsibility of the Federal agencies but also the local authorities and traditional rulers as well as the youths, women and community leaders.

    His counterpart Director-General ABeGIEF, Marcel Baglo said that the artificial boundaries created by the Europeans are traps that has caused setbacks at the border communities.

    Baglo urged the border communities to overlook these traps and be involved in the process of ensuring safety stressing that security is everyone business, and everyone should play a part in alerting the security official when necessary.

    He commented the NBC on its continuous efforts in fostering peace and unity between both countries.

    The Emir of Okuta Alhaji Abubakar Idris lauded the initiative of the use of culture and sporting activities to strengthen the bond between Nigeria and Benin Republic.

    He said that the two border communities speak the same language, have the same culture and tradition he therefore canvassed that the sensitization programme be extended to the provision of basic amenities and infrastructural development of the communities.

    The Emir stated that border insecurities has threatened both sides of the border and he had severally had to intervene to ensure peace amongst the communities.

    The Chairman Baruten Local Government, Hon. Abdurasheed lafia applauded the several interventions of the National Boundary Commission even as he encouraged them not to relent in its efforts until they attain full restoration of peace in the area.

  • London museum returns looted Benin bronzes to Nigeria

    London museum returns looted Benin bronzes to Nigeria

    A small museum in south-east London has begun the official process of returning looted Benin bronzes to Nigeria.

    The Horniman Museum, which houses a collection of 72 treasured items that were taken by force from Benin City in 1897, officially handed over ownership of the artefacts to the Nigerian government on Monday.

    The Horniman described returning the looted objects as a “moral and appropriate” response after a request from Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM).

    There are still questions about whether thousands of items which were held at large institutions globally, including the British Museum, will ever be sent back.

    However, the first six objects which were being returned includes two Benin Bronze plaques from the royal palace which were handed over to Nigerian officials at a ceremony marking the transfer of ownership of 72 looted items.

    The items were taken from Benin City by British troops in February 1897.

    Nick Merriman, chief executive of the Horniman Museum and Gardens, and prof. Abba Tijani, the NCMM’s director general, were asked by journalists ahead of the official handover if they were frustrated at the British Museum’s apparent reluctance to hand over the 900 objects it had held for more than a century.

    Merriman, who said the Horniman had been an “excellent example” of leadership, stated that, “Journalists who ask me about the Benin return always want to ask me about the British Museum.”

    “I would rather talk about what an excellent example the Horniman is rather than answer questions about the British Museum.”

    The six objects selected in consultation with the NCMM as being representative of the collection of 72 items form the first wave of physical repatriation of Benin objects from the Horniman.

    A new agreement between the NCMM and the Horniman will allow the remainder to stay in Britain on loan for now, with a second phase of physical repatriations to follow in due course.

    Professor Tijani later explained that about 5,000 Benin bronzes were currently “scattered” around the world.

    He said that he is hoping that talks with various institutions may result in deals that could herald the items being returned from places including Germany and the U.S.

  • I will rebuild Nigeria – Peter Obi

    I will rebuild Nigeria – Peter Obi

    Business activities and vehicular movements were halted on Friday in Benin, following the huge crowd that thronged the various streets to welcome the presidential flag bearer of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi.

    Addressing party supporters at the Baptist Convention Ground, the venue of Labour Party’s Presidential rally, Obi promised to rebuild the country if elected.

    He assured the people, particularly youths and women, of his commitment towards securing the nation for the overall interest of the people.

    Obi further assured that if elected President of Nigeria, the people would no longer go to bed hungry.

    “We will stop people from looting the nation’s treasury.

    “Is about you (referring to the youths), with you, we will take back this country.

    “Labour Party will stop nepotism, that is my commitment,”  Obi said

    Earlier, the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, told  Obi that his reputation preceded him.

    The Oba made the remark when he received the LP presidential candidate and his running mate, Yusuf Datti, in his palace in Benin

    Obi, who got barrage of questions from the ruler, said he read that a parcel of land was given to him and he turned the offer down and that he should confirm if that information was true.

    Ewuare further told him that there were a lot of temptations in office and asked if he could resist them and remain clean?

    The ruler further said that there had been a lot of arguments about his popularity.

    He said it was believed that Obi was only popular on the social media, while some said otherwise, adding that he had tried to find out from both the old and the young and that what he saw was quite amazing.

    The traditional ruler maintained that the Benin throne, right from time immemorial, had remained apolitical as he was the father to all.

    He said the throne was interested in the one who had the interest of Nigerians at heart, one who could make life meaningful for all.

    Responding to the Oba’s questions, Obi said it was true that he actually returned the land given to him.

    On the question of resisting temptations that are associated with the office, Obi said he and his running mate would do all in their powers to resist and fight corruption in the country.

    Earlier, Obi said he was in his palace with his team to seek for his blessings as he embarked on his campaign.

    He said the forthcoming elections should not be based on religion and ethnic sentiments, but on competency and one who could deliver to Nigerians the dividends of democracy.

    Obi assured that if elected,  his government would leverage on the country’s population and vast lands to boost the nation’s Gross Domestic Product and make life better for Nigerians.

  • How Hackers stole $11m from Nigeria, others

    How Hackers stole $11m from Nigeria, others

    A gang of hackers, OPERA1ER, has stolen at least $11m from companies in Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, 11 other African countries, and Argentina.

    This is according to a new report from Group-IB, a cybersecurity firm, entitled, “OPERA1ER: Playing God without permission,” in collaboration with the researchers from Orange CERT Coordination Center.

    The firm disclosed that digital forensic artifacts analyzed by it and Orange followed more than 30 successful intrusions of the gang between 2018 and 2022.

    The company’s data revealed that companies in Ivory Coast were the most targeted.

    It said this helped it to trace affected organizations in Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Gabon, Niger, Nigeria, Paraguay, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Togo, and Argentina.

    It added that while it estimated that the gang stole $11m, it could have actually stolen as high as $30m.

    It stated, “The report takes a deep dive into financially motivated attacks of the prolific French-speaking threat actor, codenamed OPERA1ER.

    “Despite relying solely on known ‘off-the-shelf’ tools, the gang managed to carry out more than 30 successful attacks against banks, financial services, and telecommunication companies mainly located in Africa between 2018 and 2022. OPERA1ER is confirmed to have stolen at least $11m, according to Group-IB’s estimates.

    “One of OPERA1ER’s attacks involved a vast network of 400 mule accounts for fraudulent money withdrawals. Researchers from the Group-IB European Threat Intelligence Unit identified and reached out to 16 affected organizations so they could mitigate the threat and prevent further attacks by OPERA1ER.”

    According to the firm, the report was completed in 2021 when the threat actor was active. Head of cyber threat research at Group-IB Europe, Rustam Mirkasymov, said, “Detailed analysis of the gang’s recent attacks revealed an interesting pattern in their modus operandi: OPERA1ER conducts attacks mainly during the weekends or public holidays.

    “It correlates with the fact that they spend from 3 to 12 months from the initial access to money theft. It was established that the French-speaking hacker group could operate from Africa. The exact number of the gang members is unknown.”