TheNewsGuru

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  • 2020 UTME: JAMB speaks on extending registration deadline

    2020 UTME: JAMB speaks on extending registration deadline

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has stated clearly that there will be no extension for the registration of candidates for both the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), and the Direct Entry (DE) as being speculated in some quarters.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the board as saying it has so far registered over 1.9 million prospective candidates for the 2020 UTME, with a few hours to the end of the exercise.

    “Let me state clearly here that there will be no extension for the registration of candidates for both the UTME and the direct entry (DE) as being speculated in some quarters.

    “Registration for this year’s examination ends by 12 midnight of Feb. 17, and that will be it for this year.

    “I like to say that the board is pleased with the way the exercise has gone so far and with this, we have registered over 1.9 million candidates. We have never recorded such a number before.

    “Without doubt, this figure is the highest that the board has ever recorded in the history of its examination.

    “We are equally happy as a board that we keep improving everyday in a bid to ensure effective management of our operations,” Dr Fabian Benjamin, the Board’s Head of Media and Information, said who in an interview with NAN on Sunday in Lagos.

    Speaking further, Benjamin noted that arrangements had also been concluded for the conduct of a hitch-free mock examination, scheduled for February 18 nationwide.

    According to him, a total of 669 out of the 747 centres across the country will be used for the conduct of the computer-based test (CBT).

    “One of the purposes of the mock examination is to test-run the facilities in these centres. Anyone of them that falls short of standard will automatically be delisted,” he said.

    He called for the support and cooperation of stakeholders so as to collectively deliver on the public responsibility.

    “On our part, our members of staff have been making sacrifices that could even involve their lives in a bid to ensure quality service delivery,” he assured.

    This year’s registration for the examination commenced on Monday, January 13 and will be concluded on February 17.

  • APC: Time for Oshiomhole to go, says party stalwart

    APC: Time for Oshiomhole to go, says party stalwart

    A stalwart of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Edo, Mr Peter Esele has said that recent happenings in the party indicates that it is time for the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, to go.

    Esele, who stated this in an interview in Benin on Sunday, said, “In life, there comes a time when you must make a clear distinction between individual and institutional interests”.

    He argued that Oshiomhole’s utterances about national issues had become a huge embarrassment to the party and the country at large.

    Esele said that as the ruling party, APC must do all it could to defend the institutions of the state no matter the pain or interest.

    “Failure to do so is a recipe for anarchy,” Esele, who was APC governorship aspirant in 2016 told NAN.

    According to him, Oshiomhole cannot claim ignorance of the fact that the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the party in Bayelsa was ineligible to contest the election, which led to the Supreme Court’s verdict.

    He alleged that “the incompetence and corrupt practices at the national secretariat” of APC had resulted in the weakening of various important internal processes for the selection of party candidates.

    Esele said that the losses suffered from the flagrant abuse of the party’s internal workings had led to various court judgements against the party.

    “States like Bayelsa and Zamfara now have to contend with governors the people never voted for,” he said.

    He further said that APC had also been factionalised in Edo, with the alleged support of the national chairman.

    “Neither faction will be able to fulfil the required provision of our party’s processes and protocol.

    “APC has outgrown the kind of theatrics displayed by Oshiomole who, ironically, was also a product of court processes.

    “The time is now to thank him for his services to the party and move on.

    “Or, are we going to wail again, when the courts intervene to sack our candidate in Edo?

    “There comes a time when you must choose sides.

    “This is one of such critical moments, and I dare say that Oshiomhole has tried and it is time for him to go,” Esele said.

  • Killings: Buhari cautions against self-help

    President Muhammadu Buhari has cautioned Nigerians against resorting to self-help, saying that killing people in the name of revenge is not acceptable.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports President Buhari was reacting to the latest round of attacks on farmers in Damkal and Tsanwa villages in Batsari local government area of Katsina state, when he said this.

    A statement issued on Sunday by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, quotes Buhari as saying no one in the country has a right to take laws into their hands by the way of self-help.

    However, he condemned the latest round of attacks by the bandits, in which many homesteads were razed by fire with many people killed at weekend.

    Reacting to the incident, the Buhari warned that “no one in the country has a right to take laws into his hands by the way of self-help or revenge. Local communities that catch bandits should hand over the suspects to law enforcement authorities instead of meting out capital punishment, leading to a cycle of revenge and counter revenge”.

    He urged community leaders and the local authorities to continue their efforts in partnership with law enforcement agencies that bring the surrender of bandits, leading to peace between farmers and herders.

    “The authorities must be allowed to investigate and deal with any breach that occurs. There is no place for violence in a decent society,” said Buhari.

  • SERAP gives FG 7 days to disclose spending of recovered Abacha loot since 1999

    SERAP gives FG 7 days to disclose spending of recovered Abacha loot since 1999

    Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Federal Government to “disclose within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of our Freedom of Information requests the exact amount of public funds stolen by a former military head of state, Sani Abacha and details of spending of about $5 billion recovered loot since the return of democracy in 1999.”

    SERAP is also asking the Federal Government to “disclose details of projects executed with the Abacha loot and their locations, details of companies and contractors involved in the execution of any such projects, details of all the agreements on the loot, the roles played by the World Bank and other actors, as well as the implementation status of all projects since 1999.”

    In two Freedom of Information requests sent to Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning and Mr Abukabar Malami, SAN, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, SERAP said: “We are concerned that substantial part of the estimated $5 billion returned Abacha loot since 1999 may have been diverted, re-stolen or mismanaged, and in any case remain unaccounted for.”

    In the FoI requests dated 14 February 2020 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “Publishing the details of projects on which Abacha loot has been spent would allow the public to know the specific projects carried and the areas of the country in which the projects have been implemented as well as the officials that may be responsible for any alleged diversion or mismanagement of the loot.”

    According to SERAP: “Getting to the root of the exact amount of the Abacha loot and how the returned funds have been spent is important for the success of the government’s fight against grand corruption and would reassure Nigerians that the government is truly committed to ensuring full accountability for the alleged corruption and mismanagement in the spending of the funds.”

    “Any failure or refusal to provide the information requested will be clearly inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the FoI Act. The accountability of government to the general public is a hallmark of modern democratic governance, a norm of human rights and a tool to curb corruption.”

    The FoI requests read, in part: “If we have not heard from you within 7 days as stated, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions under the FoI Act to compel you to comply with our request. Access to the details sought would allow Nigerians an opportunity to assess the impacts of any projects carried out with the funds.”

    “SERAP is concerned that the allegations of corruption and mismanagement involving the use of Abacha loot may be responsible for the increasing level of grand corruption over the years and the entrenched impunity of perpetrators.”

    “Publishing details of spending of Abacha loot by successive administrations would also ensure that persons with public responsibilities are answerable to the people for the performance of their duties including the management of Nigeria’s commonwealth.”

    “Transparency and accountability enable citizens to have a say about issues such as the spending of returned Abacha loot, that matter to them and a chance to monitor and influence how the funds are spent as well as hold those managing the funds to account in cases of diversion or mismanagement.”

    “The government ought to come up with an Abacha loot scoreboard to determine the exact amount stolen and the extent of transparency and accountability of the returned loot since 1999.”

    “If there is any indication that any of the recovered Abacha funds have been diverted, re-stolen or mismanaged, for such cases to be immediately referred to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for effective investigation, and prosecution if there is relevant admissible evidence.”

    “A scoreboard for the actual amount stolen and the spending of returned loot by each administration since 1999 would encourage more transparency and accountability and ensure that the funds reach the real victims of corruption as well as reduce concerns by Nigerians, the holding states and other partners about the returned loot being diverted, re-stolen or mismanaged.”

    “According to our information, a special panel set up on 23 July 1998 by the former head of state General Abdulsalami Abubakar to probe the late military dictator General Sani Abacha stated that he stole over $5 billion between 1993 and 1998 when he was in power. Much of the stolen public funds have been returned to Nigeria.”

    “The report by the panel shows that the government recovered some $635 million, £75 million, DM 30 million and N9 billion as well as several vehicles and properties in Abuja, Lagos and Kano together with 40% interests in West African Refinery in Sierra Leone. Other assets were recovered from the Abacha family and associates.”

    “Furthermore, former president Olusegun Obasanjo administration also reportedly recovered over $2 billion of Abacha loot. Mr Obasanjo would seem to confirm this fact when he stated in the second volume of his book titled My Watch that: ‘by the time I left office in May 2007, over $2 billion and £100 million had been recovered from the Abacha family abroad, and N10 billion in cash and properties locally.’”

    “Similarly, former president Goodluck Jonathan administration reportedly recovered $226.3 million and €7.5 Million from Liechtenstein. Some £22.5 million was also recovered from the Island of Jersey while $322 million and £5.5 million from the Abacha loot were reportedly returned to the government.”

    “The government of president Muhammadu Buhari has also recovered several millions of dollars of Abacha loot since assuming office in May 2015, including $321 million from Switzerland, and $300 million from the US and Jersey.”

    SERAP therefore urged the Federal Government to:

    1. Disclose the exact amounts stolen by Abacha, and the total amounts of the recovered loot and all agreements since the return of democracy in 1999;

    2. Disclose details of the projects executed with the funds, locations of any such projects and the names of companies and contractors that carried out the projects;

    3. Disclose details of specific roles played by the World Bank and other partners in the execution of any projects funded with Abacha loot since 1999;

    4. Refer any allegations of corruption involving the execution of projects with Abacha loot to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for investigation;

    5. Ensure that anyone involved in alleged corruption in projects executed with Abacha loot is brought to justice if there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence

    “By Section 1 (1) of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2011, SERAP is entitled as of right to request for or gain access to information, including information on the exact amount stolen and spending of returned Abacha loot and related details.”

  • Hackers take over Olympics, Committee Twitter accounts

    Hackers take over Olympics, Committee Twitter accounts

    Twitter said on Saturday that an official Twitter account of the Olympics and the media Twitter account of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had been hacked and temporarily locked.

    The accounts were hacked through a third-party platform, a spokesperson for the social media platform said in an emailed statement, without giving further details.

    “As soon as we were made aware of the issue, we locked the compromised accounts and are working closely with our partners to restore them,” the Twitter spokesperson said.

    A spokesperson for the IOC separately said that the IOC was investigating the potential breach.

    Last month, the official Twitter accounts of several U.S. National Football League (NFL) teams, including the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, were affected.

    They were hacked a few days ahead of the Super Bowl.

    Earlier this month, some of Facebook’s official Twitter accounts were briefly compromised.

  • Buhari will not implement anti-poor policies, says BMO

    Buhari will not implement anti-poor policies, says BMO

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) says the President Muhammadu Buhari administration will not implement policies that will affect the existence of the poor while raising revenue to fund the nation’s infrastructure projects.

    Its Chairman, Mr Niyi Akinsiju, stated this on Sunday at the News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja.

    He said the president always considered the consequence of every government policy on the Nigerian people, particular the poor.

    Akinsiju said: “We have a President that is considerate that for every policy, the important thing to him would be the consequence to Nigerian poor and the Nigerian people.

    “The truth is that we are now thinking of building roads, upgrading schools, upgrading hospitals and all that when we have lesser money to attend to such.

    “So, the reality is that Nigeria does not have money and I personally do not delude myself because we do not have money and the only way we can have money is a pure capitalist system that we are running.

    “We would have gone into taxing, removing subsidy and all that, that is what most capitalists of the other worlds are telling us to remove subsidy so that government would have more money.”

    According to him, individuals particularly the very poor will find it difficult to exist if such advice is taken by the present administration.

    “There was just this 2.5 per cent increase in VAT and there was uproar, meanwhile our capitalist economists are telling us that we should have increased it to 15 per cent VAT, you can only imagine the outcome,” he said.

    The BMO chairman blamed the nation’s underdevelopment on the previous administrations to do the needful in terms of basic infrastructure development.

    “If today, we are talking of bad roads, bad hospitals, bad schools, it means that the governments of the past have abandoned their responsibilities.

    “Because we cannot be talking about roads since independence in 1960, how many years after, close to how many decades as a country with governments at various time.

    “If government of each particular period had been constructing 100 kilometers of road per year, you can only imagine how many roads would have been constructed. We should not be thinking of roads now,” he said.

  • Gunmen abducts Perm. Sec. in Nasarawa

    Gunmen abducts Perm. Sec. in Nasarawa

    Alhaji Jibrin Giza, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works in Nasarawa State was in the early hours of Sunday, abducted by yet to be identified gunmen.

    Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Bola Longe, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia.

    Longe told NAN that the permanent secretary was abducted by gunmen from his residence at Shabu, a suburb of Lafia at about 12:40 a.m., to an unkown destination.

    According to the CP, the DPO in the area had already mobilised some officers and men who are on the trail of the fleeing abductors and their victims.

    Longe added that he had ordered the DCP Operations, Officer in Charge (OC) of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), OC Counter Terrorism, and Commander Police Mobile Force 58, to comb the area to ensure the safe rescue of the victim and arrest of his abductors.

    He also vowed that the command would not rest on its oars until the victim regains his freedom.

    Longe further said that the abductors were yet to establish any contact with the victim’s family.

  • Desertification: Jigawa Govt to improve nurseries for tree seedlings production

    Desertification: Jigawa Govt to improve nurseries for tree seedlings production

    The Jigawa Government said it would improve its plants nursery centres to enhance production of quality tree seedlings.

    Alhaji Baba Chai-Chai, the state Commissioner for Environment, gave the assurance in a statement by the ministry’s spokesman, Malam Zubairu Sulaiman, in Dutse on Sunday.

    Suleiman quoted Chai-Chai as saying that the gesture is to combat desert encroachment and erosion in the state.

    He said the commissioner gave the assurance when he visited Birninkudu and Andaza forests tree seedlings and nursery centres, in Birninkudu and Kiyawa Local Government Areas of the state, on Friday.

    “The state ministry of environment will improve all the government gardens and tree seedling centres to enhance production of millions of assorted tree seedlings.

    “The seedlings will be planted by the government annually, while others will be distributed freely to the members of the public to plant in their respective communities.

    “The gesture is part of the state government’s effort to combat desertification and erosion across the state,” the commissioner said.

    Chai-Chai also assured that arrangements have been concluded for planting of million of assorted tree seedlings in towns and villages in the state.

    He added that others would be planted along both state and federal roads across the state.

    According to Suleiman, the commissioner also warned the public against indiscriminate felling of trees in both forests and game reserves across the state.

    “The commissioner therefore warned that any person found cutting down tree illegally will be punished legally,” he said.

    He also quoted in their separate remarks, the Director Forestry in the ministry, Alhaji Alasan Shuaibu and Zonal Officers in charge of Birninkudu and Dutse, Alhaji Haruna Ibrahim Alhaji Musa Wada, as calling for the recruitment of more workers, especially forest guards, gardeners and watchmen.

  • Herdsmen attack Uwheru, Delta communities; many feared dead

    Herdsmen attack Uwheru, Delta communities; many feared dead

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has decried renewed attacks by suspected herdsmen on Avwon, Agadama, Ohoror and other communities of Uwheru Kingdom, Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state.

    According to reports from the communities, herdsmen accompanied by unidentified army personnel stormed the communities in an unprovoked attack that has become an annual routine, killed no fewer than eight persons and injured many others.

    The reports revealed that the crisis started on Thursday and that as at Saturday, lives and property, including farms, had been lost.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, in Asaba, the governor flayed the crisis which had resulted in unwarranted killings of innocent locals.

    He called for restraint from the warring parties, saying that he had directed the Commissioner of Police and the Brigade Commander, 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Asaba, to as a matter of urgency ensure that peace was restored to the communities.

    Okowa also charged authorities of the Nigerian Army to investigate the alleged involvement of its personnel in the crisis and fish them out.

    He appealed to the communities to remain calm and peaceful while security agencies “investigate the root cause of the crisis with a view to bringing the culprits to justice’’.

    “The unwarranted attacks and killing of innocent locals in Avwon, Agadama and Ohoror communities of Uwheru kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area and the wickedness of suspected criminal herdsmen alleged to be aided and abetted by unidentified military personnel are mindless.

    “I, however, appeal to the affected communities to remain calm and peaceful. I commiserate with the communities and families on the unfortunate loss of their loved ones.

    “I have directed the Commissioner of Police and the Brigade Commander, 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army, to rise to the occasion and bring the culprits to justice.

    “As a state, our people have been very receptive to herdsmen and other visitors, but our hospitality and welcoming disposition should not be taken as act of cowardice.

    “The state government will continue to encourage peaceful and harmonious relations between Deltans and their visitors, but will not watch outsiders attack and kill our people any longer,” the governor stated.

  • Why Boko Haram leader wants Buhari’s minister’s ‘head’

    Why Boko Haram leader wants Buhari’s minister’s ‘head’

    Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau has released a video in which he specifically threatened President Muhammadu Buhari, and principally his minister, Dr. Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the 9 minutes video, created on Thursday 13th February 2020, surfaced on the Internet, showing Shekau reeling out threats principally against Pantami.

    In the video, the Boko Haram leader, speaking in the Hausa language, accused Pantami of trying to frustrate his efforts in pursuing his extremist Islamic agenda by causing unimaginable catastrophe in the nation.

    The Boko Haram leader stressed he was speaking directly to those who pretend to be good Muslims, and that not because Pantami can preach in English or because he is called a doctor, it means he has the knowledge of Islam.

    From the video, it was immediately clear that the erratic Boko Haram leader is angered by the new policy direction the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has taken under the leadership of Pantami.

    “This is a message I am sending out was created on Thursday 13th February. As the leader of Jamaatul Ahlil Sunna liddawati wal jihad (Boko Haram), I am speaking directly to those who pretend to be good Muslims while they are not. God will judge the hypocrites of Islam who use the platform of religion to achieve their selfish gains.

    “We don’t judge people until we are sure of what we have seen in them. This video message is specifically released because of one man, who thinks he is knowledgeable. I want him to archive this message and continue referring to it till his death comes. From today onward, you will continue to live in sorrow, because I, Shekau, say so.

    “This warning is for Isa All Panatami; don’t think simply because you preach in English or because you are called a doctor, it means you have knowledge of Islam. You know nothing. Today you have become a minister, and you are feeling you can achieve your selfish ends. You must know that speaking English has nothing to do with Islam.

    “You said you are going to block phone lines and other means of communication, to frustrate the activities of Boko Haram, right. But you must understand that we don’t depend on such to take out our messages. Our messengers are like the angels of God. How dare you attempt to stop the works we are doing for the creator of the heavens and earth, simply because you have become a slave to the white world and the country. We pity you if you don’t repent.

    “I swear to God, you are nothing. Initially, we have not begrudged with you, but now you have become a slave to the infidels; repent now and become a good Muslim. If you don’t comply from now on, death will come to you, Isa Ali Pantami.

    “I call on my members in Africa, in Nigeria to rise and do the needful. Let them know that what we did to Sheik Jafar is just the tip of the iceberg. Anywhere you see Isa Ali Pantami, don’t spare him. Isa Ali Pantami you are nothing; even Jafar tried the same thing but we dealt with him; talk less of you that is nothing in Islamic practice. And from today on, you would not have rest of mind because you have dared God,” Shekau said in the video.

    Recall that in order to curb crimes in the country, Pantami had in a statement issued by his Technical Assistant, Information Technology, Dr Femi Adeluyi, directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to revise the policy on SIM Card registration, and usage.

    According to the statement, the directive is in line with the powers of the Minister as stated in Section 25(1) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003- “the Minister shall, in writing, from time to time notify the Commission or and express his views on the general policy direction of the Federal Government in respect of the communications sector.”

    The revision of the policy was based on feedback received from security agencies, following the successful revalidation of improperly registered SIM cards in September 2019, and the eventual blocking of those that failed to revalidate their SIM cards.

    The updated policy, TNG learnt, is expected to include the following provisions, amongst others: ensure that the National Identity Number (NIN) becomes a prerequisite for Nigerians registering new SIM cards, while for foreigners, their passports and visas would be required.

    For already registered SIM cards, users are expected to update their SIM cards with their National Identity Number (NIN) on or before 1st of December, 2020.

    According to the statement, NCC will ensure that only fully accredited agents support the SIM card registration process without pre-registering SIM cards themselves, while the eventual registration should be done by the operators.

    When the policy is implemented, there would be a maximum number of SIM cards that can be tied to a single individual, possibly a maximum of 3; and NCC will nsure that no unregistered SIMs are ever allowed on mobile networks.

    The NCC will also ensure that subscribers can easily check the number of SIM cards registered to their name, along with the associated phone numbers and networks; and also ensure that mobile network operators fortify their networks against cyberattacks and ensure that they adhere to the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).

    Also, the NCC will ensure that SIM cards that have been used to perpetrate crimes are permanently deactivated; and provide the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy with progress reports on the implementation of the revised policy.

    In line with the directive, recently, the Minister called on the newly inaugurated Board of the NCC to ensure linking up of SIM card registration to National Identification Card (ID Card) and Bank Verification Number (BVN).

    Pantami, who made the call at the inauguration of the Board, which was held at the ministry’s headquarters, in Abuja, said that it was an important step to take as it was part of the policy of the present administration.

    “Try to see how our SIM registration will be linked up to our national identification card. It is also very important so that our BVN will all be linked up with our digital ID,” he said.

    According to him, “the policy is with regard to our achievement on handling 9.4 million SIM cards, some are partially registered, some not completely registered.

    “After that, President Muhammadu Buhari directed me to share that information with security agencies and also ask for their opinion on how to consolidate that achievement.

    “As part of what they have sent to us, some responded that there are issues that we must address. One of them is the total number of registered SIM cards that each Nigerian should be allowed to have without difficulty”.

    He further suggested that every individual should possibly have three SIM cards as regards the policy sent to the NCC as part of regulation to the board.

    The Minister advised that when individuals would need additional SIM cards from the agreed number, they should provide justification in order to acquire more than the agreed number.

    “In the document policy we have sent, we say possibly three, as part of regulation the board; we said possibly, possibly is not final. So it is flexible. This is based on what the Minister of Defence has sent to us,” he said.

    All these are with the view to ensure citizen data harmonization in the country, which will aid in fighting against crimes in the society.

    Recall that in view of this, the Minister recently chaired a meeting of the Sub Committee on Citizen Data Harmonization.

    It will be recalled that the citizen data management committee was recently constituted by President Buhari with the mandate to address all concerns raised by the US government.

    Given the foregoing, the fury of Shekau might not be unconnected with these recent developments in the telecoms sector. Citizen data harmonization is a pain for Shekau, so that the Boko Haram leader went haywire to the extent of threatening Buhari; the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Yusuf Buratai; a host of journalists and some other individuals.

    Shekau said in the video: “And you, President Buhari, you said you are almost 80 years old and you are busy going about, and now your people have started booing, right? You just wait for your angels of death.

    “And you Buratai, the chief of army staff; you tired right? Wait for your day.

    “The journalists on BBC, Radio German, Radio France International, Dandal Kura, national dailies, be very careful in all that you write about us. We are not dealing with you people, we are doing the work of God. Our trust is in God and not in human beings.

    “We have understood your evil plots against the religion of God, and your hypocrisy has been made known to us. Go on and plot against us in secret, we too shall converge in secret and plot against you and see who will take the day.

    “However, this video is purely created because of Isa Ali Pantami. And you Bulama Bukarti in England; you heard my words in the past. All these names I mention are insignificant elements.

    “And you President Buhari, simply because some persons told you that they have killed our commanders, so now you are emboldened and you want to kill Shekau, right? Who is Shekau, a small person to you? But you are now in trouble Mr. Buhari; you are in big trouble. I am still here, that little boy that has defied the leaders of the world. I am still around, you just wait, it will soon be over before we all meet in the hereafter”.

    Recall that this would not be the first time the Boko Haram leader would be sending threats to President Buhari.

    In 2016, Shekau had vowed to capture Buhari in a video that went viral.

    In the video which was posted on YouTube, and naratted in Hausa Shekau said it was using the medium to send out message that it remained a strong force.

    Shekau, however, did not appeared in the 2016 video, but the narrator said his deputy, whose name was not mentioned, represented him at the gathering.

    Recorded in composite to capture two Eid grounds, the group stated its willingness to continue its jihad against the Nigerian state.

    The group also called Mr. Buhari an infidel and threatened to capture him.

    “This is our eid prayer from us and by the support of our leader Imam Abubakar Al-Shekau. We are extending our greetings to our people and fighters.

    Meanwhile, Nigerians have began praying for the Minister.

    https://twitter.com/ummynatty/status/1228667719182094336?s=19