Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah dies at 90

 King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud

Throngs of mourners gathered in Mecca early Friday just hours after Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud died. He was 90.

Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz was appointed as the new king, state television reported.​

The announcement of Abdullah’s death comes several weeks after the state-run Saudi Press Agency said he was suffering from pneumonia and had been admitted to the hospital.

Services will be held Friday afternoon at the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in Riyadh, and many world leaders are likely to pay their respects.

Jordan’s King Abdullah cut short his visit to Davos, and is heading to Riyadh, according to a Jordanian government source.

“King Abdullah’s life spanned from before the birth of modern Saudi Arabia through its emergence as a critical force within the global economy and a leader among Arab and Islamic nations,” U.S. President Barack Obama said in a statement.

“As our countries worked together to confront many challenges, I always valued King Abdullah’s perspective and appreciated our genuine and warm friendship. As a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions.”

Odds in favour of Buhari

 Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari

The one picture you would hate to see in your dreams is that of the very opponent of the team you are supporting, clutching a massive trophy and jubilating all over the place! Not just once had one experienced a ‘nightmarish’ dream of this nature and not just once had ‘Joseph the Octopus’ proved to be revealing exactly what was about to happen.

Of course, it should not be interpreted as if one does not want Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to be the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but what the hell was he doing in my dream smiling so broadly as he acknowledged shouts of ‘congratulations’ from a horde of adoring supporters? The man can hardly manage a smile in real life and neither is he the candidate one would ordinarily be rooting for. However, a warning would seem to have come from the unknown: ‘Do not bet your house against Buhari becoming (the next) president unless you are equally prepared to be homeless!”

The above extracts are from an article I wrote (title retained) in the run-up to the 2011 presidential election, having dreamt that Maj. Gen Muhammadu Buhari won the election. Of course, he did not but, who knows, it could have been a distant event that one had foreseen!

In trying to rationalise the circumstances that could have made it a dream-come-true for Buhari, I examined the controversy that surrounded the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan over the zoning philosophy of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party. That controversy, more or less, pitted the northern leadership against him. I also examined the possibility that the then so-called progressive parties might actually co-operate among themselves in order to counterbalance the influence and power of the PDP. An attempt made in that direction did not succeed.

Quite a lot has changed since 2011 and the aforementioned factors, more than ever before, will have implications for the direction of the Presidency come February 14.

Firstly, the once splinter progressive parties have coalesced into the All Progressives Congress, thanks to the centralising influence of the institution of the Presidency. The February presidential election will be fought in what is a two-party competition between the PDP and the APC. Buhari could be the beneficiary of this new development, as he now competes for the Presidency under the platform of a political party which, unlike his defunct Congress for Political Change, enjoys nationwide support.

Secondly, the February elections will reveal the extent to which the intra-party crisis in the PDP – a crisis which led to the defection of five of its governors to the rival APC – has resulted into the loss or gain of popular support in the various constituencies. I have attempted to explain the causes of the crisis in the PDP by three factors: “One, a frosty relationship between President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State; two, an allegation of arbitrariness on the part of the immediate past PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; and three, the perceived ambition of President Jonathan to seek re-election in 2015 in contradiction of a supposed agreement that he would not be doing so.” (see my book, Party Coalitions in Nigeria (2014), pp. 129-130).

Cleavage, be it of ethnicity or religion, is the worst of political problems. You hardly can resolve the problem of cleavage by preaching to people to forget about those things they hold very dear to their hearts. There are not a few in the North who feel the South had dominated the Presidency for the greater part of the current Republic; they will grab the opportunity provided by the candidacy of Muhammadu Buhari in ensuring that the pendulum of political power swings back to their region.

Finally, Buhari faces an incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan, who may be having problems with economic and security issues. Allegations of escalating official corruption and Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East may have overshadowed the modest achievements of Jonathan. Of course, diverse sentiments will compete and contend in the 2015 election, but there are not a few who would want to reward or punish him on their perception of his stewardship during the past four years. Buhari, himself a former leader, has his own “baggages” but he enjoys the perception of being one disciplined individual who passionately resents corruption. Corruption has been that most deadly virus afflicting the Nigerian state.

There is hardly any doubt that the days ahead will be quite interesting. What we must continue to do is to educate our people about the ramifications of democracy as a game where the minority must have its say while the majority has its way. Why, for instance, would you want to throw the nation into chaos just because someone has lost an election, even when another member of your ethnic or religious constituency could be a beneficiary in the near future? Why would you want the stigma of “intolerant democrats” stamped permanently on you and your people? Our nation must unite behind whoever wins the February presidential election.

Dr. Akinola, a scholar and political analyst, wrote in from Oxford, United Kingdom

Buhari’s certificate forged – PDP

 Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation alleged on Thursday that the school certificate presented by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was forged.

The Director of Media and Publicity of the organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, made the allegation at a press conference in Abuja.

He, however, added that the organisation had yet to contact the school that issued the certificate to either confirm or deny its authenticity.

But when one of our correspondents spoke with the school Principal, Mr. Isyaku Bello on the telephone, he said the certificate he signed was genuine.

The principal said, “If they are doubting the result, then they should come and see the authentic copy and not the photocopy sent to us by the Cambridge West Africa School.

“We are here waiting for anybody doubting what we have sent out. We are not running away. Let them come and found out. “

Nevertheless, Fani-Kayode still insisted that the document, which were released by the Ministry of Education, Katsina State and the University of Cambridge, was fraudulently procured.

He said those who authored the result must be arrested by the police and be prosecuted.

He said, “Our conclusion from all these is that the document purportedly released by the Government College (Pilot) Katsina, upon which the APC presidential candidate hopes to bury the doubt about his eligibility for next month’s election is forged, manipulated and fraudulently procured. It is therefore untenable in fact and in law.

“We do not know who the authors and masterminds of this forgery are but whoever they are, we urge them to come forward and be identified.

“If they fail to come forward voluntarily, we hereby call on the police and other security agencies to seek them out, find them, arrest them, interrogate them and prosecute them, in accordance with the laws of the land.”

Fani-Kayode also called on Buhari to submit himself to the police to answer charges of perjury, alleging that the former Head of State lied on oath about his academic qualification.

This, he said, was what a man who “claims to represent integrity and due process ought to do in this situation.”

He said there was no way that Buhari could extricate himself from the crisis, adding that the more he tried “to extricate himself, the more he stumbles into a new phase in the unfolding narrative of his obvious complicity in a matter that he claimed borders on perjury.”

He said having carefully studied the statement of result as signed by the “school principal” and an “examination officer” of the Government College, Katsina, as well as the attached document titled, ‘University of Cambridge West Africa School Certificate 1961’, his campaign organisation believed that the result was not genuine.

He raised the following observations and comments on the document.

The former Minister of Information said, “The result sheet which was attributed to the Cambridge examination body is clearly a super imposition of one document on another, as you will shortly see in the enlarged image of the result sheet as published. The column lines on the part where names are printed do not align with the blank columns while there is an introduction of extraneous lines on some other columns.

“The document contains an obvious alteration on the Mathematics column of the candidate, Mohamed Buhari, who was assumed to have scored an ‘F’ in the subject. This raises a very fundamental issue of validity in view of the fact that the accompanying result sheet states that ‘any alteration or erasure renders this statement of result invalid.’

“This is the standard practice in all interpretation of documents, especially academic records. The question we put to Gen. Buhari and his party is whether this alteration was done by the University of Cambridge.

Asked if his organisation has made any request to verify the authenticity of the documents, he said no.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation has said that it prefers not to respond to the provocations of Fani-Kayode, but rather engage him on issues that have the potential to bring the greatest good for the greatest number of Nigerians.

A press statement signed by Director of Media and Publicity of the APCPCO, Mallam Garba Shehu, on Thursday said it was laughable the PDP would not let-go of the educational qualification of the APC presidential candidate, even when the matter had been exhaustively laid to rest.

 “It is not our desire in the APC presidential campaign organisation to join an individual who has a record of talking to please the moment on any petty issue. At some point in the recent past, it was convenient for Fani-Kayode to say this of the APC and its leaders: ‘What Nigerians need now is to join hands with the APC leaders, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to move the nation forward. Today, Fani-Kayode sees no desecration in recanting that same position, just to satisfy his convenience.”

“The APC and its candidate are in this presidential campaign to discuss issues that will improve the standard of living of Nigerians and ensure that the people of this country are properly secured. Whenever the PDP and its presidential campaign spokesman feel ready to join us on this noble path, we will not be willing to join them on petty issues,” Shehu said.

He noted that these distractions are being promoted in order to provide a blanket cover over the shortcomings of the Jonathan administration in the areas of security, employment, war against corruption and infrastructure.

“Nigerians need no telling that all these distractions and provocations by Jonathan, the PDP and their cohorts are aimed at ensuring that they escape scrutiny over their score card marked by insecurity, unemployment and rampant corruption,” Shehu said.

Youths attack President’s campaign team in Bauchi

  President Goodluck Jonathan

Angry youths in Bauchi on Thursday twice pelted President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign team with stones and water sachets.

The broom-wielding youths first blocked the motorcade of the President on Nasarawa Street as it made its   way to the palace of the Emir of Bauchi, where Jonathan and his team were going to pay homage.

It took the combined efforts of soldiers and riot policemen to disperse the youths, who were chanting anti-Peoples Democratic Party slogans and extolling the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

Along the popular Ran Road, some of the youths, who were singing “Sai Buhari” disrupted business activities.

In the President’s motorcade were Vice President Namadi Sambo; Governor Isa Yuguda;   the PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu; and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed.

Also on the convoy were Governors Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe) and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa-Ibom)   as well as the Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation,   Ahmadu Ali.

Jonathan and his team however made their way to the Ibrahim Babangida Square venue of the campaign rally where they were again embarrassed by another set of broom-wielding youths.

Before the arrival of the campaign team at the venue, the youths were chanting solidarity songs for the President and the PDP. They marched round the venue with drums and placards with the President’s pictures.

They however suddenly turned wild when the programme began and started pelting dignitaries on the platform with objects.

They also destroyed Jonathan’s campaign posters, some of the canopies erected at the venue and plastic chairs.

Water sachets were thrown at the FCT minister while he was making his speech and pleading with the people of the state to vote for   Jonathan and the PDP on February 14.

The other dignitaries   on the stand   had to bend their heads to avoid being hit by the objects that were hurled at them by the crowd.

The obviously embarrassed minister called on Jonathan and other dignitaries to ignore what was happening since it was the “handiwork of the opposition.”

“Fellow supporters of the PDP, let’s ignore what is happening. This is politics. It is the handiwork of those who are bent on destroying politics in Nigeria,” he told Jonathan and the other members of the campaign team.

When Mohammed shouted, “Nigeria, ” the crowd shouted back “sai Buhari,”   “Ba mayi,” meaning,   “We don’t support the PDP, we want Buhari.”

A security operative, who claimed to have witnessed the incidents, told one of our correspondents in Abuja, that six of his colleagues in the Department of State Security,   were injured.

He added that four of them were treated at an undisclosed hospital and discharged immediately while the remaining two   were admitted.

The two, according to him, had deep cuts on their heads.

The PUNCH reports that it was very obvious that the President, Sambo   and the other dignitaries were not happy with the way and manner they were treated.

This was evident by the look on their faces as they hurriedly left the venue immediately after Jonathan’s speech.

Jonathan, in his speech, vowed that retrogressive forces   would not push the PDP behind in its efforts to develop northern Nigeria.

He promised that if re-elected,   he would develop the country particularly the North,   by educating and empowering youths and women.

The President said, “There are distractions here. We are lucky we are in Bauchi, the home of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, one of the greatest leaders who led this country very well. He is appreciated from   the North to the South; the East to the West.

“He never instigated anybody against anybody. He spoke about the unity and development of this country and that is what the PDP stands for.

“We must educate and empower our young men and women   so that they will not be used by politicians to cause violence.”

Also,   Sambo thanked the people of the state for their   reception but advised them to desist from engaging in politics of religion.

He said, “Nigeria is not like Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan which are Islamic countries but in Nigeria we are mixed   and we must work together.”

A similar incident occurred on Monday when Governor Isa Yuguda and other dignitaries were stoned at the PDP governorship rally at the Darazo Mini-Stadium by angry youths believed to be supporters of the APC.

…PDP has exhausted its lies, Oshiomhole says

  Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole

The Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party has run out of lies having failed to discredit the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), over his academic qualification to contest the February 14 presidential election.

The Government College, Katsina (formerly Provincial Secondary School) had on Wednesday released Buhari’s credential shortly after he had formerly requested the school to make the document available to dispel the controversy surrounding his qualification.

However, Oshiomhole said that Buhari’s capability was not in doubt, adding that that he would secure the votes of Nigerians, even if he tendered his electricity bill.

The governor, who spoke during an inspection of road projects at the Egor Market in Upper Siluko area of the state capital on Thursday, said that Nigerians were tired of the current situation, because of the Federal Government’s failure to provide the basic infrastructure in the country.

Oshiomhole said, “I’m happy that you people are following what is happening. One young man said even if Buhari didn’t have a school certificate, he is better than another man who has a doctorate degree in Zoology, but we can’t even get fish on our table.

“The truth is that everybody is tired. Today in this market, I’m sure you don’t have light. We have provided the electric poles and the transformer but they will not give us light.

“So, the only solution is, after 16 years of the PDP, they have exhausted their lies. We have to bring Gen. Buhari because we want a leader with courage; when he says I will do something, he will do it, not a leader that will promise during campaigns but will disappear after the campaigns.”

The governor also accused the Federal Government of enriching a few individuals, “and they are telling us they are going to bring a lot of money to buy our votes.”

“When they bring the money collect it, it’s the money they stole from you, but we will not vote for them,” he added.

He also urged eligible voters who had yet to collect the Permanent Voter Cards to do so at the nearest Independent National Electoral Commission office in order to vote for the APC at all levels.

On his part, the spokesman for Egor Market traders, Mr. Egbon Edowonyi, pledged the support of the traders for the APC and its candidates.

Jonathan’s security adviser, Dasuki, wants polls postponed

 National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki

The National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki(retd.), has canvassed the postponement of next month’s elections to give the Independent National Electoral Commission time to distribute over 30 million outstanding Permanent Voter Cards to registered voters.

Dasuki, according to Reuters, said he had told the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega,   that a postponement within the three months allowed by the law, would be a good idea.

But his advice was rejected by the electoral umpire and the opposition All Progressives Congress.

Before he spoke at the Chatham House, a London think-tank, groups like the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, the Federation of Middle Belt People and the   Ohanaeze Ndigbo   had also advised that the elections should be shifted.

Dasuki told participants at a talk in London, that INEC which had distributed over 30 million cards late last   year, had assured him that the outstanding PVCs would be given out   before February 14, the first day of the elections.

He however stated that he believed it would make more sense to shift the elections since the law provided   a 90-day window during which elections could legally take place.

“It costs you nothing, it’s still within the law,” Dasuki said, adding however that   it was for INEC and not for him, to decide.

But the electoral commission said even though it had   yet to receive any formal request for the postponement of the elections. it would stick to its timetable for the polls.

“It is not a conversation of the commission’s at all. As far as we are talking now, the date is what it is,” Jega’s spokesman, Kayode Idowu, said.

He added that   “as far as the commission is concerned, it is on course regarding the February schedules for the general elections. Postponement is not being contemplated.”

Also, the APC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary,   Lai Mohammed, said the call by   Dasuki had exposed what it called the hitherto clandestine plot by the Goodluck Jonathan administration to push for the postponement of the polls, using all sorts of cheap tricks.

The statement   read in part,   “Now that we have found the smoking gun, we are urging the international community, in particular, to urgently extract a commitment from President Jonathan that the elections will hold as scheduled next month and that he would respect the outcome.

“Dasuki was only seeking to buy time for the slugging Jonathan electioneering to gather steam by hinging his postponement call on the delay in PVCs distribution.

“They know for sure that if they don’t postpone the elections, there is no way they can win. They are just terrified.”

The party called on Nigerians to reject in its entirety, the call by Dasuki, saying it could lead to constitutional crisis and undermine the nation’s democracy.

Mohammed   had earlier in his   response to calls by some groups for the postponement of the polls,   said, “The 2015 elections must begin with the presidential poll on February 14, 2015 as scheduled.

“When the Department of State Service or the SSS lied that we are trying to hack into the database of INEC, we raised the alarm that it was part of a ploy not to hold the 2015 elections. People did not believe us.

“Now it is coming out clear, the ruling party(Peoples Democratic Party) does not want this election to hold; they are desperate. This call for postponement by groups and individuals is simply the infamous Association for Better Nigeria trying to resurrect.

“We join all well-meaning Nigerians to resist and reject it in any form or shape.

“Why are they not ready? Why should we postpone? We say ‘no’ to postponement. They know that if they don’t postpone, they can’t win.”

Like the APC, the   Arewa Consultative Forum, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, the Afenifere Renewal Group and the Borno Elders Forum, warned against the postponement of the elections.

The ACF and JNI , in a joint statement after their meeting in Kaduna, said, “We are aware of sentiments being canvassed by anti-democratic forces that an unconstitutional Interim National Government or a similar illegal arrangement should be put in place to stop the forthcoming elections.

“We want to warn in the strongest terms possible that any designs to prevent the expression of popular will in February 2015 under whatever guise or excuse will be rejected and resisted by all Nigerians.

“The February general elections must hold under the most secure and peaceful conditions possible, and we have no doubt that the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is in a position to guarantee this, if it wishes.’’

The ACF is headed by a former Inspector-General of Police,   Ibrahim Coomassie, while the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, is the leader of the JNI.

NEF Deputy National Chairman, Chief Paul Unongo, told one of our correspondents that INEC would violate the electoral law and some aspects of the 1999 Constitution if it attempted to shift the elections under any guise.

He said, “There is tension in the country already caused by insecurity of lives and property. So, I suggest that Nigerians should support INEC to make the election credible.

“Instead of shifting the poll, INEC should allow those who have yet to collect their PVCs to use the temporary cards to vote after which they can collect the PVCs when they are ready.

“Shifting the election will set a bad precedent. Some people may want to use it as an instance to seek tenure elongation in future.”

The ARG National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kunle Famoriyo, said, “Postponing the elections will destabilise many things. I think that INEC should do the needful by making sure that our people get their PVCs. This is a technology age and it should not take ages to get these things done.

“I am worried that it is only when we want to conduct census or elections that we run into problems. If you go to the banks, it doesn’t take time to get your credit cards, automated teller machine cards, and so on.

Also, BEF opposed the call for the poll shift regardless of the issues arising from the PVCs’ distribution.

The forum’s spokesperson, Dr. Bulama Gubio, supported the suggestion by NEF that INEC should allow the people to use the temporary voter cards to cast their votes.

The CAN General Secretary, Dr. Musa Asake, had told one of our correspondents that the polls should be shifted by one week to give more people the opportunity to participate in the process that would lead to the emergence of a new President.

Asake said, “I support the idea that INEC should shift the poll by one week because many eligible voters have yet to get their PVCs.

“The purpose of election anywhere in the world is to enable the people to make choice among contenders for positions or offices. So, if it is within the purview of the law, INEC should not hesitate to shift the poll to allow massive participation of eligible voters.”

The spokesperson for the FMBP, Mr. Manasseh Watyil, said the elections should be shifted so that there would be more time for eligible voters to collect their cards.

He said the “delay in distributing the PVCs seems like a calculated attempt by INEC to disenfranchise some eligible voters.”

Watyil said that for INEC to disallow eligible voters from using the temporary voter cards when it had not made the PVCs available to them would mean denying them the right to vote.

He said, “Our stand as the Middle Belt People is that INEC should shift the election forward so that every eligible voter can take part in the election.

“The election can take place in the second week of March. That will be better for us so that there will be more time for people to collect their PVCs to be able to exercise their right, else, there will be room for rigging.”

The Secretary General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Joe Nwogu, suggested that the elections be postponed for two weeks to enhance their credibility.

Nwogu said, “If the election is moved by two weeks, it will not be a waste of time. It is better we shift it and have it done properly. It can be postponed for about two weeks so that many people will have the opportunity to vote. But that is my personal opinion.”

The IYCW   also supported the call for the postponement of the election to ensure that more Nigerians voted for the candidates of their choice.

Its spokesperson,   Eric Amare, said,“We are   in support of the extension of the date because the issue of PVC is very important and INEC must do everything possible to ensure that every registered Nigerian has the right to vote without any hindrance.’’

Nobody can stop me from visiting Bayelsa –Patience Jonathan

 Mrs. Patience Jonathan

Wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, on Thursday said nobody or group could threaten her if she decided to visit any part of the country.

Mrs. Jonathan, who spoke with one of our correspondents through her media assistant, Ayo Adewuyi, was reacting to statements by some youth groups threatening to disgrace her if she attends the grand rally of the Peoples Democratic Party in Yenagoa on February 5.

Two youth groups – Bayelsa Youth Vanguard and the Mangrove Boys of Bayelsa – had, in different statements, issued in Abuja and Yenagoa, barred the President’s wife from accompanying her husband to the rally in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.

The youths, who accused Mrs. Jonathan of instigating political crisis in the state and working against Governor Seriake Dickson, had vowed to embarrass and disgrace her at the rally.

But the spokesman for the President’s wife described the groups as faceless.

He said Mrs. Jonathan would not be cowed into avoiding any part of the country because of threats from such groups.

He said, “We will not descend so low to be joining issues with faceless groups.

“The fact however remains that the First Lady as the wife of the President cannot be threatened by anybody or any group if she decides to visit any part of the country.”

 Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Valentine Ntomchukwu, has issued a warning to some youth groups threatening to disgrace the wife of the President if she attends the grand rally of the PDP on February 5.

 

Two youth groups – Bayelsa Youth Vanguard and the Mangrove Boys of Bayelsa – had in different statements issued in Abuja and Yenagoa, barred the First Lady from accompanying her husband to the rally in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.

But Ntomchukwu, while addressing a select journalists in Yenagoa on Thursday, urged members of the public to disregard the threat, saying it was the handiwork of some faceless groups.

The commissioner said, “I want to appeal to the general public to come out in large numbers to welcome the President and the First Lady who have done so much for this country. So, these miscreants cannot disrupt the peace of Bayelsa.

“We have been enjoying peace and even on that day we will be celebrating because it is the day the President is coming, not necessarily as the PDP, but as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, they cannot come and tarnish the image of President in his home state. “

Ntomchukwu said the police would provide adequate security for the President’s wife and other political groups visiting the state for rallies, campaigns and legitimate businesses.

He asked the BYV and the MBB to desist from making such provocative and inciting statements, which he said, were capable of puncturing the existing peace in the state.

He added, “The police will not hesitate to deal decisively according to the extant laws with any such groups when arrested. I want to assure you that we are already trailing the Mangrove Boys anywhere they may be.

“So, my advice is that these boys should just go away from the state entirely because since they have done this publication, they have put themselves on the firing line and we are definitely going to pursue them.

“We are operating with intelligence and all the security agencies are at our disposal. As soon as we catch them, they will face the wrath of the law. Even though they are faceless, any time they become visible, we are definitely going to deal with them.

“We are asking the well meaning Nigerians to come forward and give information not only on these boys but on all criminal activities. We have already identified them by their names and we are trailing them.”