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Buhari Blames Gaddafi for Killings Across Nigeria

Published

8 years ago

April 12, 2018

Eric

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday publicly blamed former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who was killed seven years ago for the ongoing killings across central Nigeria.

The killings have long been linked to herdsmen, and some herders of the Fulani ethnic stock have claimed responsibility for some attacks.

But the president said Mr Gaddafi, a dictator swept away by an uprising in 2011, was to blame for the alarming dimension the attacks have taken in recent years.

Mr Gaddafi was killed in October 2011 following weeks of violent uprising across Libya, ending his 42-year reign. He was 69.

Prior to his death, which was aided by the Western incursion into the country, Mr Gaddafi reportedly armed his supporters to ward off the rebellion against him. Libya subsequently plunged into a civil war that still lingers nearly seven years later.

In London with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on Wednesday, President Buhari said the arms Mr Gaddafi provided to his supporters had filtered into Nigeria where they are now being used to fuel killings across the north-central.

“The problem is even older than us,” Mr Buhari said of killings. “It has always been there, but now made worse by the influx of armed gunmen from the Sahel region into different parts of the West African sub-region.”

“These gunmen were trained and armed by Muammar Gaddafi of Libya. When he was killed, the gunmen escaped with their arms. We encountered some of them fighting with Boko Haram.

“Herdsmen that we used to know carried only sticks and maybe a cutlass to clear the way, but these ones now carry sophisticated weapons,” Mr Buhari said.

He once again dismissed claims that the attacks might have tribal or religious undertone because they largely occurred at Christian-dominated and minority tribes areas, saying those propagating the assertion are doing so for political gains.

“The problem is not religious, but sociological and economic. But we are working on solutions,” Mr Buhari said.

The president has faced criticism from for his response in combating the crisis headlong.

Former Nigerian leaders Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida have criticised Mr Buhari for not demonstrating the capacity to contain the killings, asking him not to run again in 2019. They had also been joined by Theophilus Danjuma, a former chief of army staff, who admonished citizens to defend themselves rather than wait for security agencies.

Mr Danjuma said the Nigerian security agencies are complicit in the killings, saying many tribes may be wiped out if they wait for federal authorities to protect them.

Both Mr Buhari and the military have separately issued statements condemning Mr Danjuma’s remarks and imploring Nigerians not to arm themselves.

The killings, especially in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba States, have resulted in over a thousand deaths this year alone. They have also caused humanitarian emergencies in those states, with each of them running camps for hundreds of thousands of internally-displaced persons.

Mr Buhari has long implied that the attackers are foreigners and not herdsmen, contrary to the accounts of villagers who insist they are being killed by herders.

In the past, Fulani leaders have openly claimed responsibility for killings hundreds of villagers, but said they were provoked by the wanton rustling of their livestock.

Following the killings in Benue in early January, leaders of the group in the state vowed that there would be no peace unless the anti-open grazing law being implemented in the state is immediately abolished.

That position has been repeatedly reechoed by senior government officials, including the

Security analysts expressed concerns that Mr Buhari might not have a good grasp of the crisis, despite how frequent it has manifested in recent months.

“Unfortunately, the president appears to be misinformed,” said security analyst Cheta Nwanze.

Mr Nwanze, head of SBM Intelligence in Lagos, said while it is true that some of the arms in Libya have found their ways into Nigeria following the death of Mr Gaddafi, there is little evidence to support the assertion that they are being used in the north-central killings.

“Most arms from Libya that have been tracked end up with Boko Haram by way of N’Djamena in Chad,” Mr Nwanze said.

He said the arms being used in the north-central have been linked to previously intercepted weapons by the Nigerian government.

On the assertion that the killers are not herdsmen or Fulani, Mr Nwanze said “the president may need to reassess his statement” because leaders of cattle breeders association have repeatedly claimed responsibility for deadly attacks or warned of impending ones in the past.

Another security expert who weighed in on the president’s comments with PREMIUM TIMES Thursday morning was Mike Ejiofor, a former director at the State Security Service (SSS).

“It is really unfortunate that the president would go outside to tell the terrorists are coming from Libya,” he said. “We have no borders with Libya and there are no similar senseless killings in other countries which have borders with Libya.”

Mr Ejiofor expressed a splinter support for the president’s assertion that the killers might not be herdsmen, saying he believes some of them are actually terrorists taking advantage of the fluid security situation to further polarise the country.

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News

Car Crashes into Port Harcourt Family Residence, Kills Three Children

Published

19 minutes ago

May 21, 2026

Eric

Tragedy struck at the Ogbunabali area of Port Harcourt after a vehicle reportedly crashed into a residential compound along the Eastern Bypass, killing three children belonging to the same family and leaving others injured.

The bereaved mother, Amarachi Promise-Amadi, is now demanding justice over the death of her children, alleging reckless driving and negligence in the handling of the victims after the incident.

The fatal crash, which occurred around 8:30pm on May 15, reportedly happened when a car veered off the road and rammed into the family’s residence, where the children were gathered outside the compound.

Speaking on Wednesday with journalists amid tears and grief, Promise-Amadi said she had briefly stepped out to answer a phone call moments before the tragedy occurred.

According to her, the victims included her three children aged 3, 4 and 10 years, who died as a result of injuries sustained during the impact. She added that her domestic staff and another daughter also sustained serious injuries in the crash.

The distraught mother alleged that the vehicle involved in the incident was occupied by a young man and his girlfriend, claiming that the latter was being taught how to drive when the accident occurred.

She described the incident as avoidable and accused the occupants of reckless conduct that led to the loss of innocent lives.

Promise-Amadi further alleged that immediately after the crash, the female driver and her boyfriend attempted to flee the scene but were stopped by residents and members of the community who gathered in the area following the loud impact.

According to her, the intervention of residents prevented the suspects from escaping before security operatives later arrived at the scene.

The grieving mother also accused medical personnel at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital and other health facilities of negligence, alleging that the injured victims were denied prompt emergency medical attention after they were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

She claimed that delays in medical response worsened the condition of the injured survivors, adding that the family had to struggle to secure urgent care during the critical moments following the crash.

Promise-Amadi called on the Rivers State Police Command to carry out a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

She urged the authorities to ensure that all those responsible are prosecuted in accordance with the law, stressing that justice must be served for her deceased children.

“I want justice for my children. They were innocent and did nothing wrong. The matter should not be swept under the carpet,” she said emotionally.

Residents of the Ogbunabali community who witnessed the aftermath of the incident described the scene as horrific, saying the crash caused panic and confusion in the neighbourhood.

Some residents blamed excessive speeding and reckless driving along the busy Eastern Bypass corridor, calling on authorities to strengthen traffic enforcement and road safety measures in the area to prevent future tragedies.

As of the time of filing this report, the Rivers State Government, as well as the State Police Command, had yet to issue an official statement on the incident or confirm whether any arrests had been formally made in connection with the case.

News

Court Grants El-Rufai N100m Bail

Published

3 days ago

May 18, 2026

Eric

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday granted bail to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in the sum of N100m over charges bordering on alleged breach of national security.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, while ruling on the bail application, imposed stringent conditions for the former governor’s release.

The court held that the surety must reside in either the Maitama or Asokoro districts of Abuja and must deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property with the court registry.

The judge further ruled that the surety must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 17 and must provide evidence of salary payments for at least three months, authenticated by a bank manager within the court’s jurisdiction.

Justice Abdulmalik also directed the surety to depose to an affidavit of means, enter into a bail bond and submit a recent passport photograph to the court registry.

As part of the conditions, El-Rufai was ordered to deposit all valid international passports with the court.

The court also directed the submission of a verification letter from the surety’s department, along with a tax clearance certificate covering the last six months.

In addition, the judge ordered the former governor to report to the Department of State Services headquarters on the last Friday of each month by 10 am to sign the attendance register, pending the determination of the case.

The court warned that any breach of the conditions would result in the bail being automatically revoked.

Justice Abdulmalik further ordered El-Rufai to submit a letter of attestation from the Chairman of the Kaduna Traditional Council.

The bail ruling followed the arraignment of the former governor by the Department of State Services on an amended five-count charge bordering on alleged breach of national security.

The DSS had, on April 23, arraigned El-Rufai before the same court, where he pleaded not guilty to all counts.

At the proceedings, counsel for the DSS, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN), informed the court that the prosecution had filed a further amended five-count charge on April 13 and sought to substitute the earlier three-count charge.

Count four of the amended charges marked marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, reads “That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, intentionally and without authorization, intercepted the communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, as admitted by you on 13″ February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV Station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment Act, 2024.”

Counsel to the defendant, Oluwole Iyamu (SAN), confirmed receipt of the amended charge and did not oppose the application.

The court subsequently struck out the earlier three-count charge and read the amended counts to El-Rufai, who again pleaded not guilty.

The defence had drawn the court’s attention to a pending bail application filed on February 17, noting that a further affidavit initially missing from the court file was later located during proceedings.

The DSS, however, told the court that it was not opposing the bail request.

The defence also filed an application seeking to quash the amended charge, which the prosecution urged the court to dismiss for lacking merit.

After hearing arguments from both parties, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter for hearing before delivering the bail ruling on Monday.

News

El-Rufai’s Son, Bello, Dumps APC, Joins ADC

Published

2 weeks ago

May 7, 2026

Eric

Bello El-Rufai, the son of former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The speaker said Bello El-Rufai joined the ADC alongside two members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Kaduna State — Reps Umar Ajilo and Suleiman Yahaya Richifa.

He also announced the defection of Kamilu Ado, a lawmaker from Kano State, from the ADC to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

The Speaker also announced the resignation of Rep. Joshua Obika, representing the AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency of the Federal Capital Territory, from the APC to the NDC.

The defected members, however, cited internal crises and uncertainty within their former parties as reasons for their defections.