Elder statesman and leader of the Ijaw Nation, Edwin Clark, has ruled out mercenaries in soldiers’ killings in the Okuama community in Ughelli South local government area of Delta state last week.

Speaking during plenary on Tuesday, Akpabio said that those who committed the crime were mercenaries and were not from Niger Delta.

However, while fielding questions on Arise Television’s News programme on Tuesday night, Clark insisted that the leaders of the various communities involved in the incident must be questioned, stressing that nobody should be treated as a sacred cow.

Clark also suggested that the military, along with leaders of the communities, should work together to fish out the perpetrators of the crime.

He said: “Well, that is difficult to believe. I don’t think we should expect this thing. Let’s look at ourselves. As I said, I spoke to the Lt Col on Thursday and he went to the place on Thursday and died.

“Except they had information they were going to Okuama. Otherwise, nobody knew they were going there.

“People to come from outside to waylay them, to surround them is a matter they should investigate. We can’t rule anything out but at the same time let us look at ourselves.

“The leaders of the various communities must be brought together, and find out from them, nobody should be treated as a sacred cow.

“I may say this: I am an Ijaw man and I will be the last person to allow this type of matter to degenerate to a situation whereby we have intercommunal fracas or fight.”

The post ‘Nobody Should Be Treated As A Sacred Cow’ – Clark Counters Akpabio’s Claim On Soldiers’ Killings appeared first on Naija News.

The Federal Government has released a list of 15 entities, including nine individuals and six Bureau De Change operators and firms, involved in terrorism financing.

The details of the development were revealed by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and made available to Naija News on Tuesday night.

The document, entitled “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024,” disclosed that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee met on March 18, 2024, where specific individuals and entities were recommended for sanction following their involvement in terrorism financing.

“The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, with the approval of the President, has thereupon designated the following individuals and entities to be listed on the Nigeria Sanctions List,” the document read in part.

Among the individuals named on the document is a Kaduna-based publisher, Tukur Mamu, who is currently being tried by the Federal Government for allegedly aiding the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.

According to the document, Mamu “participated in the financing of terrorism by receiving and delivering ransome payments over the sum of $200,000 US in support of ISWAP terrorists for the release of hostages of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.”

The document also said one of the individuals is “the suspected attacker of the St. Francis Catholic Church Owo, Ondo State on June 5, 2022 and the Kuje Correctional Center, Abuja on July 5, 2022.”

Another was described as “a member of the terrorist group Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam, the group is associated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

“The subject was trained and served under Muktar Belmokhtar, aka One Eyed Out, led Al-Murabtoun Katibat of AQIM in Algeria and Mali.”

The NFIU said the individual “specialises in designing terrorist clandestine communication code and he is also Improvised Explosive Device expert.

“The subject was also a gate keeper to ANSARU leader, Mohammed Usman aka Khalid Al-Bamawi. Equally, he was a courier and travel guide to AQIM Katibat in the desert of Algeria and Mali. He is into carpentry. Subject fled Kuje correctional centre on July 5, 2022. He is currently at large.”

Another was identified as “a senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province Okene.”

The agency said the individual “came into limelight in 2012 as North Central wing of Boko Haram.

“The group is suspected of the attacks carried out around Federal Capital Territory and the South West Geographical Zone, including the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.”

Another was described as “a financial courier to ISWAP Okene. She is responsible for the disbursement of funds to the widows/wives of the terrorist fighters of the group.”

According to the document, another of the individuals “in 2015, transferred N60m to terrorism convicts.”

He was also said to have “received a sum of N189m between 2016 and 2018.”

The same person is said to “own entities and business reported in the UAE court judgment as facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria.”

Another individual was said to have “received a total of N57m from between 2014 and 2017.”

Another was said to have “had a total inflow of N61.4 bn and a total outflow of N51.7bn from his accounts.”

The post FG Releases List Of Those Responsible For Terrorism Financing In Nigeria appeared first on Naija News.

The 96th Academy Awards took a different turn with the inclusion of digital creators and influencers on its coveted list

Tim Weatherspoon, better known as Tim Spoon, made a fashion splash at Beyoncé and Jay Z‘s exclusive Oscars after-party tagged