Diego Maradona's Doctor Under Investigation For Manslaughter (Photos)

‘They are trying to make me the scapegoat’: Maradona's doctor tearfully denies responsibility for 60-year-old football icon’s fatal heart attack after being placed 'under investigation for involuntary manslaughter' by police in Argentina

Police raided the home of the footballer's personal doctor Leopoldo Luque; they are trying to establish whether Maradona was the victim of negligence.

Luque said in emotional interview he did everything possible to help Maradona, but late football star's family and lawyers are demanding probe into his death at 60; the footballer's daughters claimed he was not receiving the right medication

Diego Maradona's doctor has tearfully denied any wrongdoing in his care of the late footballing icon as the police investigation into his death continues.

Leopoldo Luque is being probed over medical negligence and police are treating the footballer's death as a possible culpable homicide.

But in his first media interview since police raided his home earlier today, the doctor has said 'someone is trying to find a scapegoat' where there isn't one.

Police raided the home of the personal physician Luque on Sunday and investigators are looking into all the medical staff involved with his care.

Luque was at his home while the search on the outskirts of Buenos Aires took place, while Argentinian TV stations have been broadcasting live images of police entering his clinic.

The searches were ordered after Maradona's daughters Dalma and Giannina gave statements yesterday and questioned whether the medication their father was receiving was appropriate.

Argentinian media are reporting Luque could be questioned as an 'imputado', someone who is under official investigation on suspicion of possible mala praxis or negligence.

The physician mounted an emotional defence of his treatment of the soccer legend after the police search of his home.

Luque broke down in tears as he insisted he had done everything possible to assist the retired footballer in his first interview since investigators launched their shock operation to try to establish whether Maradona had been the victim of medical negligence.

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he insisted in a hastily-arranged press conference at his home near Buenos Aires which lasted nearly 40 minutes a 'friend' had died and Diego was his own worst enemy when it came to accepting help from professionals.





He said: 'I was shocked when police turned up at my door. I'm going to co-operate fully.

'I know what I did and what I did was for Diego's benefit until the last moment. I did the best I could.

'I feel terrible because a friend died. I don't blame myself for anything. It's very unfair what's happening.

'I didn't see Diego's daughters a lot but the rest of his family, his siblings and his nephews adore me.

'Someone is trying to find a scapegoat here when I don't see one anywhere.

'We all did the best we could with Diego.'

Insisting Diego had a problem with pills and alcohol, he added: 'He punished himself in a way I wasn't going to allow, not as a doctor but as a friend.

'I don't see good and bad people in all this. We all did what we could. But Diego was the most difficult one of them.

'You couldn't do anything if Diego didn't want it. He hated doctors and psychologists. With me it was different because I was honest with him. He was my friend.

'He should have gone to a centre of rehabilitation when he left hospital but he didn't want to.

'If I'm responsible for anything when it comes to Diego, it was loving him and improving his life.'

Maradona's lawyer Matias Morla last week demanded a top-level probe into the emergency response to the retired footballer's death.

Morla said the first ambulance took more than half an hour to reach the rented house north of Buenos Aires where the former Naples and Barcelona star suffered heart failure.

He called the delay a 'criminal idiocy' and complained Maradona had not received any medical checks in the 12 hours before he died.

It later emerged the first ambulance took 11 minutes to reach the private San Andres gated estate near Buenos Aires Maradona moved to after leaving hospital on November 11 following his brain blood clot operation.

On Saturday it emerged Maradona's nurse had admitted she lied about an early-morning check-up.

Initial reports pointed to a 24-year-old nephew who was staying with him at the San Andres home being the last person to see him alive over breakfast the day Diego died.

Maradona was said to have told his relative 'I'm not feeling well' before going back to bed and dying in his sleep before investigators were told he had never got up on Wednesday to eat anything.

Diego's nephew told investigators he last saw him when he went to bed around 11pm on Tuesday. An uneaten late-night sandwich snack was among the items found in his room by police.

A night-shift nurse told investigators he had seen Maradona 'sleeping and breathing normally in bed' around 6.30am on Wednesday.

A report in the hands of state prosecutors heading a probe into the retired footballer's death, leaked to Argentinian media and signed by a nurse named locally as Dahiana Gisela Madrid who took over around the same time, states: 'At 6.30am I started my shift and the patient was resting.

'At 7.30am he is heard moving around inside his room. At 8.30am he continues to rest. At 9.20am he refuses to have his vital signs monitored.'

The health report for private medical firm Medidom is now at the centre of an ongoing probe after the nurse reportedly told investigators she had never entered Diego's bedroom the morning of his death to check up on him.

Local news agency Telam, citing judicial sources in a report widely echoed in the Argentinian press, said the nurse had claimed in her second statement under oath that she had been 'made to lie' for the Medidom report.

'What the witness added in that second statement is that she was made to write in a report for Medidom, where she is part of the nursing team assisting people receiving home medical care, that she had tried to monitor Maradona's vital signs when the reality is that she let him rest,' the report said.

It was not made crystal clear if she was claiming her bosses had obliged her to file the 'false' report amid concerns they would be accused of negligence over Maradona's death, or her hand had been forced by others.

Psychiatrist Susana Cosachov and psychologist Carlos Diaz, who formed part of Maradona's care team, are said to have entered the room just before midday and made several unsuccessful attempts to revive him before calling 999.

A recording of the call Maradona's personal physician Leopoldo Luque made to the emergency services, stating he had suffered a suspected cardiac arrest, has been leaked to Argentinian media.

The former Naples and Barcelona star, who was just 60, was declared dead around midday on Wednesday. Initial post-mortem results revealed the recovering cocaine addict, who also had alcohol problems, had suffered heart failure which caused pulmonary edema.

Medics are also said to have detected dilated cardiomyopathy, a medical condition in which the heart muscle becomes weakened and enlarged and cannot pump enough blood to the rest of the body.

Pulmonary edema, fluid accumulation in the lung's tissue and air spaces, is caused by heart problems in most cases.

State prosecutors are analysing CCTV footage of the cameras on the estate where Diego was living and the mobile phones of the nurses who were looking after him in the hours leading up to his death.

Leopoldo Luque was not at the rented home Maradona was using when he died.

A judicial source told respected Argentinian newspaper La Nacion: 'As Luque was Maradona's personal physician the decision was taken to search his house and surgery to look for documents that could determine whether, during Maradona's treatment at home, there were any irregularities.'

Investigators are believed to be searching for details of the medicine being administered to Maradona as well as his health records and other documents that could play a key role in the investigation.

Thirty police and judicial officials are said to be at Luque's home and another at his work address.

Lightweight woman knocks out 529-pound man to win inter-gender 'freakshow' MMA fight (video)

A lightweight female fighter beat a 529-pound man to win an inter-gender MMA fight.

The fight, which has been described as a "freakshow" by many in MMA, took place in Russia between professional fighter Darina Madzyuk and blogger Grigory Chistyakov.

The fight lasted only one peculiar round.
Chistyakov appeared to take the upper hand early on, pinning Madzyuk in a choke hold by the side of the cage.

The referee broke them apart, and after a few poorly aimed punches from both fighters, Madzyuk managed to get her rival on the floor, and began bludgeoning the top of the amateur’s head for several seconds before the referee pulled her off and gave her the win.

In light of the defeat, the male Russian fighter claimed he would be training actively and lead a healthier lifestyle.

"After this fight, I will start to train actively," the beaten Chistyakov said.

"I will try to lead more or less a healthy lifestyle. Blogger Nastya Tuki-Tuk will be my coach.

"It happened. She hit me fine and I fell. Although she is small, I lay on her back, but she did not fall, and than I didn’t know what to do."

The fight has gone viral on social media.

APC To Hold Emergency NEC Meeting On Tuesday

An emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC has been scheduled for Tuesday, 8th December, 2020.

In a formal invitation sent to APC NEC members by the National Secretary of the (CECPC), Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe, the meeting will "review the Party's position and set agenda for the Party's next move."

In line with the COVID-19 health protocols, the APC NEC meeting will be virtual. Login details will be sent to APC NEC members. The meetingfor 11am at the Council Chamber, State House, Abuja

2023: "We Want A Humbled, Peaceful Governor Like You From Nkanu Land", Youths Tell Ugwuanyi

…As Sen. Nnamani lauds governor on peace

Youths from Enugu East Senatorial District, in Enugu State, under the aegis of Nkanu Youth Assembly, have renewed the quest for the governorship position of the state to return to the zone in line with the power rotation arrangement among the three senatorial zones, IgbereTV reports.

Speaking during the Nkanu Cultural Fiesta in Enugu, organized by the Nkanu Youth Assembly, the National President of the association, Hon. Edeani M. Edeani, applauded Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who graced the occasion, for his administration's youth empowerment programmes, stressing that "the governor has been very supportive to the youth".

Hon. Edeani disclosed that Gov. Ugwuanyi, during the COVID-19 lockdown, supported the youth group to open a poultry farm at Awkunanaw, Enugu South Local Government Area and a rice farm at Isi- Uzo LGA.

The association, who urged Gov. Ugwuanyi to remain committed to his earlier stance that it is the turn of Enugu East Senatorial zone to produce the next governor of Enugu State in 2023, wished that the person from Nkanu land will be "a humble, peace-loving and hardworking governor like Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi".

The National President also appreciated other personalities who have been supporting the association to realize its set objectives and went further to propose that every November 29 should be declared as "Nkanu Cultural Day" in the state.

The maiden annual cultural event, which was organized to promote unity and the beautiful culture of Nkanu, as well as protect the socio-political cum economic interests of the zone, honoured the former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani as the Grand Patron of the association.

It equally recognized other notable sons of Nkanu land as Patrons such as the member representing Nkanu East Constituency, Rt. Hon. Paul Nnajiofor; Capt. Everest Nnaji (Odengene); Prof. Hillary Edeoga (Former Vice Chancellor, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State); Engr. Okwudiri Daniel Ohaa (Enugu State Chief Fire Officer) Major Gen. C.O Ugwu. Rtd (Ambassadorial Nominee), among others. Members of the Advisory Board of the group such as the Special Assistant to the Governor, Hon. Ferguson Chimaroke Nnamani Jnr., were also honoured.

In his remarks, Senator Nnamani expressed deep appreciation to Gov. Ugwuanyi for the enduring peace being enjoyed in Enugu State, stating that it is “uncommon” in other states in the country.

The former Senate President stressed that the fact that the governor has ushered in an enduring peace in Enugu State, it is a worthy legacy he will be leaving behind at the end of his tenure in 2023.

He therefore encouraged the governor, who was presented with a Meritorious Award of Excellence by the Nkanu Youth Assembly, as the “Icon of Peace and Youth Development”, in recognition of “your excellent leadership and inclusion of youths in governance”, to continue to provide dividends of democracy to all the three senatorial districts in the state.

Also speaking, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, harped on the need for the various youth associations in the zone to harmonize their objectives and work together to achieve their common goal of realizing the governorship seat of the state in 2023, which he expressed optimism that the governor plays a major role to actualize.

Dignitaries at the colourful event include the member representing Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency, Hon. Prince Cornelius Nnaji; the member representing Enugu South Urban Constituency, Hon. Sam Ngene; the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, Hon. Maduka Arum; the former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eugene Odoh; former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Chief Dubem Onyia; the former Secretary to the State Government, Chief Onyemuche Nnamani; Prince Engr. Lawrence Ezeh, and former Chairman of Nkanu East LGA, Hon. Ikechukwu Ubagu, among others."

#nairaland

Umahi: I Planned Defection To APC With Anyim, NASS Members

Ebonyi Governor David Umahi has revealed he actually planned his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) with former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim and National Assembly members from the state.


Umahi disclosed this while addressing APC stakeholders at a meeting in Abakaliki.

He said Anyim backed out of the plan because he (Umahi) went to see President Buhari over the defection plan without carrying him along.

According the Governor, the plan was for Anyim and other leaders to join him in APC two weeks after he must have successfully defected.

Umahi said he consulted all the National Assembly members and Elders from the State over his defection to APC, claiming all them approved the move and even agreed to defect with him.

He said the only grievance of the NASS members and other leaders was that he joined APC before them, revealing that they actually wanted to join APC before him.

“They were planning to ambush me, but it is difficult to catch the air,” he said.

Reacting to the allegation making the round that Anyim gave him N5bn to prosecute his governorship election in 2015, Umahi said: “I was a deputy Governor, somebody occupying the highest position from the Southeast (referring to Anyim) went and arranged for a N5bn naira loan for me to prosecute the presidential election for his government. I had to sell many of my properties to pay back that money.”

Read Also: Umahi: Limit of opportunism
Umahi vowed to fight those who antagonising him, saying “let me tell you, I’m not afraid of anybody but I respect everybody. But I have said that if God sent me, this will be the last fight in this state.”

He alleged former Governor Martin Elechi was also fought by the same people fighting him.

“All these people that came together to fight me, they collect contracts, they collect monthly pay, they collect vehicles. And when they are asked to bring people that worked for us, they will bring their wives, children and relations.

“Now, they are dressing words for us. We are in chapter one, in Chapter two, I will publish all that I have done for the leaders of this state,” Umahi vowed.

#nairaland

Blasphemy Sentences Appealed in Kano by Atheists Alliance International


Today, our legal team appeared in the Kano High Court, arguing appeals for Yahaya Sharif-Aminu and Umar Farouk. On August 10, 22-year-old Yahaya was sentenced to death and 13-year-old Umar was sentenced to 10 years in jail with menial labor, both on charges of blasphemy. AAI assembled a legal team and raised funds to appeal these two cases. Read more about these cases here.

The appeals were heard by the Chief Justice of Kano, N.S. Umar and Justice Nasiru Saminu.

Our legal team arrived at court early and passed through a crowd of people who had come to see these cases but were unable to get into the already-packed court. Outside a substantial contingent of police officers were on hand to keep the peace but the crowd remained calm throughout.

Our legal team comprised (from left to right in the picture) Ebuka Ikeorah, Rouf Gazali, AA Muhammad, Murtala A. Alimi, and Kola Alapinni (lead counsel). We are grateful to these men for taking on this controversial case, especially since the Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria declared on August 15 that the death sentence on Yahaya was correct and urged the Government in Kano State to carry out the execution. Such a statement from a body that should remain strictly neutral would undoubtedly serve to intimidate lawyers who might otherwise have acted for Yahaya.

Neither appellant was in court today and our lawyers have been officially denied access to them since their trial in August.

Umar Farouk’s appeal was first up. Our lawyers argued that Umar was not legally represented at his trial, that he would not have pleaded guilty if he had been legally represented, and that he was below the age of criminal responsibility at the time of the alleged offense. Interestingly, prior to the court hearing, Kano state lawyers stood by the Shariah definition of “full age”. By this definition, a boy who has under-arm hair and is able to produce semen may be prosecuted. However, they did not argue this point in court. In fact, they did not respond to any of the grounds of appeal proposed by our lawyers.

Yahaya Sharif-Aminu’s case was next up. Yahaya was of full age when the alleged offense took place but no evidence was produced at his trial and he suffered the exact same denial of rights and unfair trial process as Umar.

Kano State argued that Yahaya admitted his guilt and admission is “better than evidence”. But, of course, if he had been legally represented he would not have admitted guilt.

Our lawyers made the point that the right to life is a person’s most fundamental human right and this right cannot be denied except after the most diligent and fastidious investigation and trial, which did not happen in this case.

In both cases, our lawyers argued that the Federal Constitution of Nigeria protects the right to freedom of expression and that any law that seeks to deny that right must be void. In other words, the blasphemy laws in the Kano Shariah Penal code are unconstitutional and should be struck down.

The Judges retired to make their judgment. The date on which this will be announced will be advised in due course.

If the Judges should quash these sentences, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has promised to appeal against the decision. If the sentences are not overturned, we will appeal again. So, we expect these cases to continue, most likely to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Appealing these two cases was only possible through the generosity of good people who donated to our GoFundMe appeal. We are not done with these cases, please be one of those good people and make a donation so we can continue the fight. Please do it now. You can find the GoFundMe page here.

Thank you.

2023: Tinubu’s Loyalists Spoil For Fight Over APC Presidential Zoning

Temidayo Akinsuyi

LAGOS – As the controversy over zoning con­tinues to rage in the ruling All Pro­gressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 general elections, supporters of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the party, are spoiling for a showdown over attempts by some powerbrokers in the party to short­change him, Daily Independent has gathered.

Speaking with Daily Independent on Sunday, two of the party’s elders in the South-West, said the reason Tinubu has chosen to remain silent on the issue is because of his respect for President Muhammadu Buhari and the need not to distract him with the politics of 2023 at the moment.

They, however, said they have been mounting pressure on the former two-time governor of Lagos to speak out now owing to what they called a calculated attempt to deliberately scheme him out of the race.

Despite the fact that Presi­dent Muhammadu Buhari, the first president produced since the formation of the party in 2013, will be completing two terms of eight years in 2023, there has been division in the party as some chieftains are rooting for another Northerner to succeed Buhari.

Last week, Minister of Works and Housing, Baba­tunde Fashola, urged the APC to respect its zoning formula in picking its presidential can­didate for the 2023 elections, adding that the decision is the core of the agreement reached by APC founding fathers prior to the 2015 elections.

According to him,“The truth is that what makes an agree­ment spectacular is the honour in which it is made, not wheth­er it is written. If it was written, there would be no court cases of breach of contract because it’s a document that is written and signed that go to court. The private agreement you make with your brother and sister should not be breached. It must be honoured.”

Even though Fashola’s po­sition has generated divergent views in the party, with some APC leaders even challenging him to provide names of those who were in attendance when the agreement was reached, our source said Tinubu and many APC leaders in Southern part of the country are fully in sup­port of what he said.

The source, who is a mem­ber of the Governors Advisory Council (GAC) in Lagos, also said the visit of some South- West leaders in APC led by Chief Bisi Akande, former interim national chairman of APC, to President Buhari in Aso Villa few days ago has to do with the controversy on the zoning formula.

“Fashola has spoken on the issue of zoning. His position co­incides with the belief of many of us who are rooting for Asi­waju as president in 2023. Not only us, most Southerners are of the strong opinion that once Buhari’s tenure ends, the par­ty should zone it to the South. It can go to the South-East, South-South or South-West but definitely not anywhere around the North.

“Asiwaju has been silent on this matter and many of us are already mounting pressure on him to speak out and take a definite position on this matter. He has told us privately and has even issued public statements that this is not the right time to discuss the issue of 2023 because President Buhari has not even completed two years in his sec­ond term.

“But it seems some people in the party are taking his si­lence as a sign of cowardice. We will wait and see how the development unfolds but we are already telling Asiwaju to speak out before it is too late. To us, the presidency should be zoned to the South. When it gets here, we will sort it out amongst the three zones which are the South-South, South-West and South-East. The North has no business in this matter at all”.

Also speaking, another par­ty leader who is also canvassing for Tinubu’s emergence said they are waiting for directives on what to do.

“We don’t want to react to speculations or hearsay. Have they zoned it to the North? The answer is no. Let them zone it to the North first and then we will know the next steps to take. My final word is that those champi­oning for another Northerner to emerge after Buhari should not play into the hands of the PDP.

“They should also remem­ber that the APC is not a North­ern party. It is a merger of polit­ical parties which include CPC, ACN, ANPP and part of APGA. Let them also remember that our president couldn’t suc­ceed in his aspiration in 2003, 2007 and 2011 until Asiwaju approached him for a merger and he won in 2015”.

When asked if he will be surprised if another North­erner emerges as the APC presidential candidate in 2023, Prince Tony Momoh, a for­mer Minister of Information and one of the party’s national leaders, said while all qualified aspirants from all parts of the country are free to contest, only the person who has the highest number of delegate votes will emerge as the presidential can­didate.

Momoh, who cited the ex­ample of the opposition Peo­ples Democratic Party (PDP), said in 1999, despite the fact that the party zoned the ticket to the South-West, other Nige­rians from other regions such as the late Abubakar Rimi and former Vice President Alex Ekwueme also vied for the party’s ticket.


He said, “It is not a question of being surprised or not. It is a question of someone who has clout and support contesting and emerging as the presiden­tial candidate. There is no way anybody who doesn’t have any support especially from dele­gates all over the country will come out and say he wants to be president.

“In other words, many peo­ple who say they want to be president and don’t have the support of the delegates will be wasting their time. It is the person who has the support of the delegates, no matter where he comes from that will be the person flying the party’s flag. That is the process in every political party, not just in APC.

“For instance, in the APC during the presidential prima­ry in December 2014, people contested from the South-East, North and all over the country. But the fact is that we wanted Buhari to become our presi­dential candidate and those who have that commitment organised the delegates for Bu­hari to emerge. It wasn’t all the Northern delegates who voted for Buhari then. Many of the delegates from Kano voted for Kwankwaso, others voted for Atiku, Okorocha, Nda Isaiah and others.

“Anybody can come from anywhere as long as you have the votes of the delegates, that is what will get you the ticket. So, nobody should think of zoning and then go and sit down and expect that you will be the presidential candidate. It doesn’t happen that way”, he said.

#nairaland

SSANU warns against ‘unjust’ sharing of N40bn earned allowances

The Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities has asked the Federal Government to ensure a fair sharing of the N40 billion earned allowances approved for the Universities unions.

It said the government should ensure that the money passed through the universities councils which it said had the template of the sharing formula.

The PUNCH had reported that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, agreed to increase the earned allowances for universities unions from N35b to N40b during a meeting in Abuja on Friday.

The FG also agreed to exempt ASUU from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System pending the vetting of its proposed payment system, the University Transparency and Accountability Solution.

But the President of SSANU, Mohammed Ibrahim, said his union would resist the introduction of any other payment platform “except the one being conceived by the Joint Action Committee comprising SSANU and the Non-Academic Staff Union.”

He also warned the government to be “wary of any group or union that would present any payment platform apart from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, which is the one recognised by the government to curb corruption within the system.”

Ibrahim said the FG has no business sharing money to the unions as each university has a governing council which is the employer of all workers and the highest policy-making body of each university.

He said the university administration through the registry and bursary units has the responsibility of knowing who should earn what, and advised the government to channel whatever amount they are giving through the councils.

Ibrahim insisted that the government “must either do right and treat all unions equitably or be ready to face another round of industrial unrest in the university system.”

He said, “We are ready to take the government head-on if an unjust disbursement of earned allowances is contemplated.

“The government should be ready to face the full wrath of SSANU and the outcome may be an eye-opener for those who have always underestimated SSANU and assume that the welfare of the non-teaching unions can be treated with levity at the expense of other categories of staff. I wish to tell people who think that way that they may be in for a shocker.”

#punchng

Buhari, Zulum Mourn 53 Slain Borno Farmers, Northern coalition scores Buhari Low

•Northern coalition scores Buhari administration low
President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Babagana Zulum have condemned the killing of 53 farmers in Borno State. While appreciating efforts of the military, the governor said: “President Muhammadu Buhari should listen to the calls of our people to end the madness of insurgents.

“While we are going back to Maiduguri, by God’s willing, within a few days, we shall re-strategise and ensure the entire areas of Zabarmari/Gongulong are fully secured.”

He stated that civilian JTF and hunters were being recruited to tackle insurgency in all nooks and crannies of the state. Zulum pleaded with the Federal Government to collaborate with Chad, Niger, Cameroun and neighbouring countries to comb hideouts of the terrorists. He listed some of the locations to include Sambisa Forest, Lake Chad region and Mandara hills in Borno and Adamawa states.


The governor, who was speaking at the burial of the planters in Zabarmari community, explained that the deceased were harvesting rice at the weekend on the Zabarmari/Gongulong axis of the state when the insurgents attacked and slit their throats. He added that 66 others are missing.

On end to the onslaughts: Zulum noted: “We shall ensure recruitment of Civilian JTF and hunters so that our people will take the war to the nooks and crannies of the state.

“We can provide them with certain logistics, while we can still appeal to the military, as well as the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), to strengthen support with a view to defeating the terrorists.”

He further said: “We are asking the Federal Government to provide opportunities for youths to be recruited into the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).”

He charged the Buhari administration to look into strengthening the civilian JTF and hunters in the wake of the killings.

HOWEVER, the growers have appealed to the central government to take proactive measures in taming the attacks in the state. In a statement yesterday by Managing Director of Wal-Wanne Group, Dr. Abiso Kabir, the farmers regretted that the unfortunate incident would not only cause instability in the zone, but also lead to poverty.

Explaining that Koila Agro Allied Nigeria Limited was most hit, Kabir urged the Federal Government to recruit more persons into the civilian joint task force in concerted efforts to tame insecurity in the country.


MEANWHILE, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the development, describing the act as “extremely wicked and devilish.” Seeking immediate action in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the main opposition party submitted: “This horrific killing of compatriots comes as yet another of the recurring horrid testament and badge of failure of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration to secure our nation and guarantee safety of life and property in our country.”

BESIDES, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has labelled the Buhari administration as “worst in the nation’s history in terms of securing life and property.”

Reacting to the Borno massacre, its spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, in a statement yesterday, called for an immediate overhaul of Nigeria’s security architecture. He lamented that the north had been abandoned to the mercy of insurgents, bandits and rustlers.

ALSO yesterday, troops of 192 and 202 battalions of Operation Fire Ball (OPF reportedly killed a dozen of Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in the North East state.

They also recovered four AK-47 rifles, ammunition and gun trucks during clearance of remnants of fleeing terrorists from Sambisa Forest.

Making the announcement over the weekend at Army Super Camp 1, Ngamdu axis of the state, Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, said following intelligence, the military ambushed the insurgents within the Shyadawe/Nagasino area of Borno.

#guardian