PICTURES THAT SHOWS THAT BUHARI IS VERY MUCH ALIVE IN LONDON

Here's how President Buhari is spending his 3rd vacation in London (Photos) - On January 19, President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a letter to the Senate seeking a ten day leave - According to the letter, during the president’s absence his vice Yemi Osinbajo is to act as president - In the past few days, the social media has been blanketed with series of news that the president is dead - However, the presidency dismissed the rumours and warned those who spread them

The presidential plane left Abuja on January 23. Since the travel of President Buhari to the UK for medical check-up and a work leave, the nation has been rife with the rumoured death of the president. In an attempt to prove rumour mongers wrong, two set of photos have been released showing the president is on vacation and not dead.

The president is relaxing and watching TV over there in the UK during his vacation.

Ogun state Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, on January 27 visited President Buhari in London

President Buhari has been pictured with his ally and governor of Ogun state taking dinner on Sunday, January 30.

President Buhari with his wife Aisha during his vacation in London on January 30, Sunday.

Buhari wore a brown pair of trousers, a sweater and a white skull cap for the photo.

According to his media aide, Femi Adesina, President Buhari is expected to resume work on February 6, 2017.

Police arrest Fulani herdsmen's weapon supplier

- The Enugu police has paraded one Alhaji Samaila Garuba who suppliers weapons to Fulani herdsmen - He wads implicated by an herdsmen who had been earlier arrested by police - The suspect is providing information to police in custody The police in Enugu have apprehended one Alhaji Samaila Garuba for allegedly supplying weapons to Fulani herdsmen. The state has been terrorised by killer herdsmen in the past with news of attack on humans and farmlands renting the air. The Punch reports that Mr. Ebere Amaraizu who is the spokesperson of the Enugu state police command said a herdsman, Ibrahim Adamu, who was arrested with an AK-47 in the Udi area of Enugu on August 29, implicated Garuba as the one who supplied the weapon to him. Since Adamu’s arrest, the police had been on the trail of Garuba explained the police spokesman. He was however apprehended at a motor park on Tuesday, December 6. Amaraizu said:“The Enugu State Command of the Nigeria Police Force through its operatives of the 9th Mile Division, today, 6th December, 2016, nabbed a suspected notorious gun runner who allegedly supplied AK-47 rifle to one herdsman, Ibrahim Adamu, earlier arrested by the Command. “Suspect who gave his name as one Alhaji Samaila Garuba, aka Bakassi, was earlier implicated by Ibrahim Adamu as the one that sold the AK-47 rifle to him. “Garuba escaped when he got the information about the arrest of Ibrahim Adamu. “His luck however ran out when intelligence information by the operatives paid off as he was trailed to a motor park situated at 9th Mile in Enugu early this morning, where he was nabbed after several efforts by him to escape.” Adamu who implicated Garuba hailed from Nasarawa State and was arrested with an AK-47 assault rifle and 24 rounds of live ammunition in a bush in Affa community. He reared his cattle in communities within the Udi environs but resided at Hausa Quarters in the 9th Mile Area.

Igbos at War: Governor Ikpeazu deals Rochas big blow

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state, has lashed out at Governor Rochas Okorocha - The Abia state governor has rejected Okorocha's hand of brotherhood, as the Imo state governor urges Southeastern governors to join APC - Okezie says Abia is a PDP state, even as Okorocha agrees his call was ill-timed Dr Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state, has reiterated that he remains a loyal and committed member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

He spoke in response to claim by Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, that three Sout-East Governors are preparing to join the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Okorocha made the comment at a meeting of all APC leaders in the zone, held at the Imo International Convention Centre (IICC) on Saturday.

But Ikpeazu, through his Chief Press Secretary, Enyinnaya Appolos, urged his loyalists, associates, Abians and all Nigerians to disregard the rumor that he was planning to defect to APC.

“Governor Okezie Ikpeazu is not currently in the mood for party politics,” the CPS said in a statement made available to Daily Post Monday night.

“He is in the good governance mood with focus on delivering massive dividends of democracy to Abia electorate that voted massively for him in 2015 to become the 4th democratically elected governor of God’s Own State of Abia, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“Abia is a PDP state and Governor Ikpeazu is not just a card-carrying member of the PDP in Abia, he is the leader of the party in the state and one of the current pillars of the party in Nigeria today. He is comfortable in PDP”.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has back-pedalled on his declara­tion that his other South East Governors were on the verge of defecting to joining him in the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors, including Dave Uma­hi of Ebony State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia as well as Willie Obiano had denied Okorocha’s claims.

Reacting to the gover­nors’ denial while speak­ing with State House correspondents after a meeting with Acting President, Yemi Osinba­jo, in his office, Okoro­cha said he may have spoken too early because the governors were not yet ready to defect.

 “I don’t think it is true, but if it is true, it is prob­ably because it is not time. It could be because I spoke when they were not yet ready,” Okorocha said.

On his leadership quality which Obiano had questioned, he said, “It is not about Rochas Okorocha, I am a gover­nor.”

On the call that Ndig­bo should produce the President in 2019, he reiterated that the South East should aspire to the Presidency after the Mu­hammadu Buhari’s era.

According to him, “What I do know is that Ndiigbo should talk about Presidency after President Muhammadu Buhari.

“I think we should support this govern­ment. President Mu­hammadu Buhari has a tenure to work for, four years or eight years ac­cording to the zoning arrangement and every­body should follow the zoning although I am not an advocate of zon­ing.”

He said “the APC as a party is strong in the South East. We are try­ing to rebuild the party and redefine leadership so there will be no con­fusion."

Hausa trader allegedly kills Yoruba driver over N30 in Lagos

Riot started on Monday, January 30, on Mojeed street, Igando Lagos, when a 40-year-old Hausa trader, Ibrahim Adamu, allegedly killed a bus driver, Lekan Adeleke

CSO writes open letter to Father Mbaka, TB Joshua, others over Apostle Suleman

Editor's note: The executive secretary of a civil society in Nigeria, Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET), Ikpa Isaac has written an open letter to Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka, Temitope Joshua and other men of God in Nigeria.

Ikpa in his letter called on the men of God to intervene and caution other clerics against the use of hate speeches in Nigeria.

Ikpa's open letter comes on the heels of the comment made by the founder of Omega Fire Ministries Apostle Johnson Suleman calling on his church members to kill any Fulani herdsman that tries to attack them.

Open Letter to the Spiritual Director, Adoration Ministry, Enugu State, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka and the Founder, Synagogue Church Of All Nations, (SCOA) Pastor TB Joshua and other anointed men of God in Nigeria on the topic; “Hate sermons: Urgent need for prayers and understanding,” in the light of prevailing religious tensions In Nigeria.

My Dearest Lordships;

1. We send you fraternal and warm greetings from our secretariat in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and pray Almighty God to keep blessing you with strength and wisdom as you serve the quest of Nigerians and the rest of mankind for salvation.

2. By way of brief introduction, Center For Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJECT) is a Non-governmental, Non-Profit, Non-partisan and Non-religious organization based in Nigeria. We are basically concerned with advocacy for social justice, equity and fairness as well as monitor ethics of transparency in public governance.

3. We have observed with bewilderment recent events in our dear country, Nigeria and after a thorough analysis, we have come to the painful conclusion that current happenings in Nigeria are quite unpleasant. And there is the imperative for collective actions to nip in the bud, any possibility of potential mass conflicts and crisis likely to sprout from it.

4. My Lordships, you are already aware Nigeria is on the cliffhanger at the moment; burdened by agitations, mutual distrust and suspicions, viral criminality as well as crises of all dimensions, which in some cases, have mutated into violent conflicts.

5. The federal government of Nigeria led by President Muhammadu Buhari has been strained and overstretched in its attempts to contain the crises in different parts of the country in the face of dwindling economic fortunes.

Therefore, we were perplexed to notice the infusion of a delicate and extremely sensitive issue like religion into the troubling afflictions of the country.

6. We consider it particularly very urgent to write you this open letter based on our understanding of your respectful status in Christendom in Nigeria.

We are equally encouraged by our implied assumption that you are aware of certain supposed “Men of God” who have stoke the fire of discord and overheated the polity with bile sermons, utterances and discussions from the pulpit which have a strong potency to spark religious crisis of genocidal magnitude in Nigeria.

7. Initially, this organization was not too worried with the divisions publicly manifest in the disorderliness, in-fighting and leadership tussles which have characterized the Body of Christ in Nigeria in recent times.

We had hoped the concerned leaders would devote time and energy to resolve these internal squabbles in the nearest future in the interest of Christianity.

8. But we cannot pretend not to know that this negative trend has not only spiraled outside of the Body of Christ in Nigeria, but pulling the strings very hard in attempts to destroy Nigeria by pitching members of one faith against another.

9. On the front burner of national issues today is the acerbic sermons and utterances credited to Apostle Johnson Suleiman of the Omega Ministries, which has generated very fearful and deadly interpretations between adherents of Christianity and Islam across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. He is not alone in these hate and inciting sermons from the altar.

10. But Apostle Suleiman’s inciting comments happen to be the trouble at the moment. Initially, he opposed the Bill on prohibiting extreme religious views or preachment sponsored in Kaduna state and placed a curse of death on Governor Nasir el-Rufai. But it never bothered anybody because it had personal effect.

But invoking the powers of God Almighty to herd Christians into killing and beheading all Fulani herdsmen at sight is not only ungodly, but mocks the thinking of orthodox Christianity and reflects more the thoughts and actions of Nigeria’s external enemies bent on destabilizing the country by causing crisis of genocidal proportion in Nigeria, worse than Somalia or Sudan. In his latest outing, we can see a nexus in his still opposition to the Bill.

11. Calling for the mass killings of members of an ethnic group- the Fulani herdsmen, who pasture their cattle because of the transgressions of a few criminals suspected to be their kinsmen, is tantamount to exterminating a whole race.

This action would also be interpreted in Christian ethos as battling against flesh and blood, which true servants of God, (including you) have repeatedly warned us that we cannot win any war against the spirit.

12. Similarly, we deem it extremely bad faith the tendency of some anointed and venerated clergy, who are advocating for the extra-judicial killing of Boko Haram terrorists in the presumption that they launched war against Christianity. But the same Boko Haram insurgents also killed fellow Muslims in their rage of raids.

The bickering in the aftermath of the split in Boko Haram leadership between Abubakar Shekau and Abu Musab Al Barnewi sufficiently placed this notion in public domain. But in all, does it not betray the essence of being a good brother's keeper, love of neighbor and respect for sanctity of human life as decreed by God Almighty for anointed men of God to mount the pulpit to preach internecine wars with the religious card?

13. We believe Apostle Suleiman is acting the script of external enemies by inciting Christians in Nigeria into a religious war. And he goes further to blackmail the federal government into shielding himself by instigating Christians to perceive his impending arrest and interrogation by security agents to unearth the masked forces behind his actions as persecution of the church and Christians in Nigeria.

14. My Lordships, may you understand that it is germane for Apostle Suleiman and all other such “Men of God” to know they are not above laws of Nigeria and should be humble enough to submit themselves to security scrutiny. His confessions would either enable security agencies investigate and track people who are destabilization agents in Nigeria for external forces or exonerate him.

15. We plead your understanding in using your respected positions and statuses in talking to your congregations, adherents and followers not to be hoodwinked by the likes of Apostle Suleiman and such “Men of God” into deploying the anger they have deliberately instigated in Nigerian Christians to shield themselves from probe of their suspicious and ungodly acts.

16. We feel compelled to write you because of the respect, honour, integrity and acceptance you have earned amongst Christians and Muslims alike, within and outside Nigeria. We perceive in you, anointed men of God with the best credentials and wisdom to save the body of Christ at this crucial time on this sensitive, but potentially explosive religious incitement.

We are further encouraged by your non- discriminatory roles as father to both the orphans, the vulnerable and the widows, much as banking on your vast knowledge of humanitarian complexities countries face when such religious matters are allowed to explode in violent clashes to promptly.

17. If you kindly devote attention to this cause, you would save Nigeria from a clearly masterminded plot to destroy our country by enemies waiting in the wings to fuel genocide in the country on the platform of religion.

Acting thus, you shall also save the entire body of Christ from disintegrating and embarrassing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who laid down His life for us.

18. My Lordships’ would wish to remember that the break-up of Nigeria was predicted for 2015, but the Almighty God saw us through the trying times, but the same forces have not relented. Having studied the sociological psychology of Nigerians on religion, they have realized sparking a religions crisis would instantly actualize this prophesied break-up.

The devil is surely at work and we must put on our shield of prayers and not guns to overcome this moment of torment to defeat the devil and his agents.

19. My Lordships, God Almighty has bestowed the onus of avoiding the looming calamity in the land in your hands, as His ordained servants.

Please, do not let His children down, to inspire the Western world to laugh and mock us, by allowing the crisis to erupt. Your congregations and Nigerians indeed, listen and heed your words and advice, which beckons to your immediate intervention to save your dear country from ruination.

It will be unfortunate if Christians allow themselves to be used as the vehicle for bloodshed that would lead to genocide, hunger and suffering of the ordinary masses of Nigeria who are already pauperized and burdened in several ways.

20. We appreciate you for the time you have spared in reading this open epistle and we pray that may Almighty God give you the wisdom, foresight and strength to keep serving him and humanity in His Grace to the best of your ability.

21. Thank you very much and May Almighty God continue to bless you, Christians and the Church in Nigeria.

Comrade Ikpa Isaac

Executive secretary,

Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency (CESJET)