GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA: FOR WHO THE BELL TOLLS NEXT.

Just five people shy of Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting incident that claimed 26 lives, the Uvalde Texas Robb elementary school mass shooting at 21 victims, now ranks among the highest grossing gun carnage in America. It is sad that such frequent blood spilling has tragically become part of our culture as a society. May the souls of the killed now rest.

25th AMENDMENT: ITS NOW ALL CRICKET.

Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi once questioned former President Donald John Trump's fitness to remain in office due to what she claimed was his declining mental capacity. Does anyone know what Madam Speaker presently thinks about the incontrovertible case which America is now saddled with? Just curious!

WHO WILL REBUILD UKRAINE?

The West should convert frozen Russian assets, both state's and oligarchs' owned, into a full seizure and set them aside for the future rebuilding of Ukraine. Like the Marshal Plan, call it the Putin Plan.

A HERO IS BORN.

I am staying put. I will not run away and abandon my people. The fight is here in Ukraine. What I need are weapons and ammunitions, not a ride out of town like former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani - President Volodymyr Zelensky.

IT IS WHAT IT IS.

"There is too much hate in America because there is too much anger in America." - Trevor Noah.

WORD!

A life without challenges is not a life lived at all. A life lived is a life that has problems, confronts problems, solves problems and then learns from problems. - Tunde Fashola.

NOW, YOU KNOW.

When fishing for love, bait with your heart and not your brain, because you cannot rationalize love. - Mark Twain.

JUST THE FACT.

In our country, you can shoot and kill a nigger, but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings - Dave Chappelle

DO YOU?.

“What you believe in can only be defined by what you’re willing to risk for it." - Stuart Scheller.

HEDGE YOUR CRISIS.

Never get in bed with a woman whose problems are worse than yours. - Chicago PD.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

'The best way to keep peace is to be ready to destroy evil. If you Pearl Harbor me, I Nagasaki you.' - Ted Nugent.

OUR SHARED HUMANITY.

Empathy is at the heart of who we are as human beings. - Cardinal Matthew Kukah.

WORDS ON MARBLE.

"Birth is agony. Life is hard. Death is cruel." - Japanese pithy.

REPENT OR PERISH - POPE.

Homosexuality is a sin. It is not ordained by God, therefore same sex marriage cannot be blessed by the church - Pope Francis.

CANCEL CULTURE IS CORROSIVE.


FOR SAKE OF COUNTRY.


MAGA LIVES ON: NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER!

TWITTER IS BORING WITHOUT HIS TWEETS. #RestorePresidentTrump'sTwitterHandle.


WORD.

"If you cannot speak the truth when it matters, then nothing else you says matters.” - Tucker Carlson.

#MeToo MOVEMENT: A BAD NEWS GONE CRAZY.

"To all the women who testified, we may have different truth, but I have a great remorse for all of you. I have great remorse for all of the men and women going through this crisis right now in our country. You know, the movement started basically with me, and I think what happened, you know, I was the first example, and now there are thousands of men who are being accused and a regeneration of things that I think none of us understood. I’m not going to say these aren’t great people. I had wonderful times with these people. I’m just genuinely confused. Men are confused about this issue. We are going through this #MeToo movement crisis right now in this country." - Harvey Weinstein.


RON DELLUMS: UNAPOLOGETICALLY RADICAL.

"If it’s radical to oppose the insanity and cruelty of the Vietnam War, if it’s radical to oppose racism and sexism and all other forms of oppression, if it’s radical to want to alleviate poverty, hunger, disease, homelessness, and other forms of human misery, then I’m proud to be called a radical.” - Ron Vernie Dellums.


WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN LIFE - STEVE JOBS

“I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me. God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth. Memories precipitated by love is the only true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on. The most expensive bed in the world is the sick bed. You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear sickness for you. Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – Life. Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well. Cherish others.” - SJ

EVIL CANNOT BE TRULY DESTROYED.

"The threat of evil is ever present. We can contain it as long as we stay vigilant, but it can never truly be destroyed. - Lorraine Warren (Annabelle, the movie)


ONLY THE POOR WISH THEY HAD STUFF?

“I’m not that interested in material things. As long as I find a good bed that I can sleep in, that’s enough.” - Nicolas Berggruem, the homeless billionaire.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

INDEPENDENCE BOMBING, OKAH LIED ON HIS "BLAME NORTHERNERS" STORY?'

What a cheap get-even desperate ploy to create a treacherous rift between President Jonathan and the northern opposition; and thereby make a messy situation messier; and then in between the ensuing melee, find a way to get out of his asphyxiating legal choke-hold. It would have been very brilliant plot, the stuff excellent crime novels are made of, except that nobody seriously speaking, not even a dullard, buys into this crap of 'implicate the northerners' story as told by the Niger Delta terrorist in exile independence celebration bomber Henry Okah. This guy deserves no mercy and should be hanged!
Icheoku wonders earnestly what type of infighting people that populate the Niger Delta that they should beef with one another in this manner as to desire to incriminate the president of Nigeria? What hatred does this Niger Delta Henry Okah has in himself that will make him want to bring the government of another Niger Delta man, President Jonathan down with such a grave allegation capable of shaking Nigeria to its foundation? Why does Henry Okah want to set up one of his own and president of Nigeria Jonathan, against the North and in this cut-throat manner. Is it possible that some Niger Deltans, including this hellish Okah, are still smarting and internally protesting President Jonathan's mercurial rise to power and his present occupation of a Niger Delta throne which was not rightfully his by their warped calculations; being not part of the militancy which cuts through the length and breath of the entire watery region? Is it possible too that those financiers of the militancy movement are not happy with Jonathan and petty jealousy is fueling this their resentment that they are prepared to go to any length to sabotage his government.
Is Okah now a readily willing tool in these peoples hand or do they have a joker they want to pull at the Nigerian people, already traumatized by the unfolding drama that was a bomb on their country's independence day celebration, facilitating these barrage of accusations and counter-accusations? Does Okah have any smoking gun or is this all he got and was merely bluffing that the president's aide approached him to conspire against the northern people? Why was Al-Jazeera Television allowed unlimited access to an accused person in detention for terrorism that claimed the lives of so many innocent Nigerians? Why was terror master-mind Henry Okah not handed over to the Americans so that they can find him a suitable accommodation at the infamous Guantanamo (prison) Terrorist vacation home in Cuba? So many questions needing answers present themselves if only Nigeria still have some investigative journalists ready to dig deep and fish out the real story instead of their present trade of pay-to-play garbage and reportorial. Is it also possible that these Niger Delta terrorists with their front man Henry Okah still have the sympathy of James
Ibori, DSP Alamaseigha and Sylva to whom they owe their loyalty and are merely trying to telegraph President Jonathan a message that some people outside his Aso Rock still
call the shot; and that somehow he is not fully in control or in charge of affairs in Nigeria especially in the Niger Delta.

Icheoku says balderdash to the claim by Henry Okah that "an aide of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan called and asked him to "blame the Northern politicians" for the Independence anniversary bombing in Abuja." Anybody with even a simplistic juvenile knowledge about the workings of security agencies knows that they do not operate in this reckless manner as alleged by terrorist Henry Okah. If a mole or an aide of the president is to approach a person on behalf of the state, there is usually subtle pre-move feelers sent out to know if the target will bite. It is usually done with discreet caution and never as blatant as Henry Okah is trying to sell to gullible Nigerians. Such prospecting is never as direct and plain as Henry Okah described and even using a telephone to communicate such is near impossible, except it is scrambled and secure line. The approach would have been somewhat like, "what do you think if this thing that happened in Abuja on Friday was shifted elsewhere?" Then subsequent discussion will be predicated on the response got and if unfavorable, it trails off into the cold annals of secret agent 007. The enthusiasm of the prospective contact always determine the next steps to be taken while eliciting such a high consequence assistance. Moreso, if the government had any such plans to scapegoat anybody or group, they would have tidied up every loose end prior to the bomb setting off but definitely not after the train has left the station and everybody is in a panic mode.
What terrorist Henry Okah is alleging is akin to the school of conspiracy o 9/11 which claims that the government of the United States permitted the wanton provocation that was September 11, 2001 to find reason to march into Iraq and take out Saddam Hussein; and you wonder what lunatic government would allow 3000 of its citizens to so painfully die just to set up an attack. Any security operative that walks that part as Henry Okah volunteered ought to be fired and does not deserve to work for the good of any state including Nigeria. Further it was very puerile for the president's spokesman Ima Niboro to challenge Okah to name the implicated aide as nothing stops Okah from just reeling out a name from among all the aides working for the president. The proper rebuttal and best approach would have been to obtain the transcript of the alleged telephone conversation and see who called who and what they discussed. But regrettably, many Nigerian officials are like Nasir el-Rufai said of Babangida, still in the yesteryear of technology and assume that Blackberry is a type of fruit? Icheoku asks, what is the rocket-science in verifying this conspiracy claim since Henry Okah mentioned a telephone call and not that he was approached by an aide physically and personally. Just order the damn transcript and lay waste this allegation or timidly watch as it gathers momentum and turns int a whirlwind!
Just see the fluidity of Okah's statement that "they wanted to blame the attacks on northerners 'who are trying to fight against him' (Jonathan) to come back as president in 2011 and if this was done, I was not going to have problems with the South African government." Icheoku says, any person with some common sense or who has some rudimentary knowledge of law of evidence will know that this is a very watery allegation of fictitious nature. Why would President Jonathan's aide go to the rudimentary detail of re-informing Henry Okah that 'the northerners are trying to fight against him (Jonathan) to come back as president" when it is a worldly available information and the Nigeria polity had since been seized of that fact and for several months now that Jonathan is running and the north want to stop him? It is simply TMI (too much information) and portrays Okah in a very bad light as a lying scumbag and someone who was purposely and overtly embellishing a concocted story. Secondary, since when did the fledgling Nigerian government started dictating to the South African judiciary as to promise Okah that he was not going to have problems with the South African government once he cooperated? What a life of fantastical non-plause, this terrorist Henry Okah lives in and he thinks he can hold the entire 150 million Nigerians hostage?
Icheoku hereby calls the Nigerian government to seek the extradition of this terrorist from South Africa pronto and seek the death penalty for him for this offence. This guy is wickedly very callous and now has the blood of about 36 innocent Nigerians on his dirty filthy hands; and to add insult to injury, he is making allegation about the office of the Nigerian president. If any one criminal deserves the death penalty in Nigeria, this cockroach is a sure candidate; but if only President Jonathan got the balls to do what is demanded of this hour and time in Nigeria. How did Henry Okah know what was going through Jonathan's mind when he (Jonathan) absolved MEND or is he equally privy to Jonathan's inner workings too or was he working in tandem with the fired Col Areh and could this be the reason why he was abruptly retired? How did this terrorist secure knowledge about what he is alleging and/or how well-founded was his information. When the president said the bombing was carried out by some terrorists outside the country sponsored by unpatriotic elements within the country, was he referring to Okah and co-terrorists; and if, how did they gain access into the country, suggesting that they had some local collaborators and conspirators within Nigeria. Therefore it was an unverified faulty premise that President Jonathan spoke upon when he absolved MEND while blaming the anniversary bombing on some fantasy outside terrorists.
Borrowing from the Northern Group, Icheoku reiterates that the bombing was a callous and barbaric act of cowardice perpetrated by terrorist Henry Okah and group that are steeped in the culture of terrorism and unbridled violence and it is about time they are completely wiped out, exterminated just like the pestilence they have now transformed themselves into. Icheoku had a recurring sympathy for the Niger Delta struggle until Jonathan was sworn in as president and unrepentantly, they continued their mayhem assault on Nigerians; and you ask yourself, what else do these people want again having won the most coveted trophy in Nigeria, the Nigeria's presidency! Icheoku also agrees that terrorist Henry Okah and group are petty common criminals masquerading as militants and that they should be executed if found guilty for their insurrection against the Nigerian State. Also imagine the stupidity of this MEND, claiming that they never intended their bomb to kill anybody; yet they threw a live grenade into a crowded theatre and expected no casualty? Insanity redefined is the best way to describe Henry Okah and his MEND non-remorse remorse. Icheoku also agrees that terrorist Henry Okah and group are a notoriously violent terrorist group that must be hunted down, apprehended and punished dearly for their dastardly act of causing so many deaths and mayhem of kidnappings for ransom, rape, torture, arson etc.
However Icheoku does not think that President Jonathan is a closet member of MEND but reiterates that his statement absolving MEND in the face of their warning and admission of complicity in the anniversary bombing suggested that the president has a predetermined course of travel and that he should have been more creative with his position statement. Icheoku hereby categorically dismisses Henry Okah's story as unfounded based on positions canvassed above; similar to the same manner we wrote off the Nigerian government supposed evidence of complicity of Raymond Dokpesi/Babangida as a mere cheap forgery. Icheoku however strongly believes that somewhere in the middle of all these dusty, combatant, explosive talking over each others head, lies the gist of what went down on October 1st 2010 at Abuja's eagle Square. Icheoku is emphatic that only the good old meticulous investigative work will eventually unravel what was hidden so far regarding the anniversary bombings. Until then, Icheoku calls on all Nigerians to please sheath their swords of recriminations and await the final findings of the agency tasked with solving the subject matter bombings. In the interim, Nigerians should refocus themselves to and prepare for the 2011 elections; and stop and desist from further heating up the polity. President Jonathan should address the nation and explain what happened, steps taken by his government to prevent future occurrence and give further assurance that things are now under his full control.

2 comments:

  1. Security agents doubt Okah’s Al Jazeera interview
    By Elizabeth Archibong
    October 8, 2010 04:52AM
    print email


    Nigeria’s security operatives have expressed doubt about the authenticity of the celebrated interview with a former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta’s (MEND), Henry Okah, by Al Jazeera, during which he said an aide of President Goodluck Jonathan asked him to implicate Northern politicians over October 1, 2010 bomb blasts, which left 12 persons dead.

    A security source said investigations within the security services in Nigeria and South Africa revealed that the interview with Mr. Okah might have been faked to deceive the Qatar-based news network.

    The source said last night that their South African counterpart confirmed that, “at no time did we allow Okah to make such telephone contact. Following suspicion raised about the authenticity of the interview, we contacted South Africa to confirm its validity, but were shocked to find out that at no time did such interview take place,” he said.

    “In fact, our contact wondered why it took us so long to cross check this information because they did not want to interfere, since the issues did not concern their government directly. They have been waiting for such security inquiries from their Nigerian counterpart before revealing the veracity of the interview, since the content does not concern them directly.”

    Al Jazeera confirmation

    An Al Jazzera reporter, however, told NEXT that the interview was conducted with Mr Okah. The reporter said Okah called from South Africa and he was passed on to the company’s studios in Doha.

    “He called me from prison on a +27 number,” the Al Jazeera staff said. “We had a long discussion about the bombs and the situation in general. Clearly, they are allowed access to fixed phone lines in SA prisons. I asked him whether he would be prepared to be go live on Al Jazeera that very instant. He said ‘yes’.

    “So I gave him our newsdesk number in Doha - and alerted them to the fact that Henry Okah was about to call from prison. He called, and they put him right through to the studio and live on air,” the reporter said.

    The Joint Task Force (JTF) for the Niger Delta has also debunked the veracity of another Al Jazeera programme featuring alleged MEND fighters in the region. The JTF said an aerial surveillance of the region showed there were no longer any militant camps anywhere, as claimed by Al Jazeera.

    “Al Jazeera, it will be recalled, had also during the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s health saga, staged a similar interview with the late president’s cousin, claiming that the sick man was healthy, playing with his children, and climbing 13-storey building,” a security source said

    ReplyDelete
  2. Security agents doubt Okah’s Al Jazeera interview
    By Elizabeth Archibong
    October 8, 2010 04:52AM
    print email


    Nigeria’s security operatives have expressed doubt about the authenticity of the celebrated interview with a former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta’s (MEND), Henry Okah, by Al Jazeera, during which he said an aide of President Goodluck Jonathan asked him to implicate Northern politicians over October 1, 2010 bomb blasts, which left 12 persons dead.

    A security source said investigations within the security services in Nigeria and South Africa revealed that the interview with Mr. Okah might have been faked to deceive the Qatar-based news network.

    The source said last night that their South African counterpart confirmed that, “at no time did we allow Okah to make such telephone contact. Following suspicion raised about the authenticity of the interview, we contacted South Africa to confirm its validity, but were shocked to find out that at no time did such interview take place,” he said.

    “In fact, our contact wondered why it took us so long to cross check this information because they did not want to interfere, since the issues did not concern their government directly. They have been waiting for such security inquiries from their Nigerian counterpart before revealing the veracity of the interview, since the content does not concern them directly.”

    Al Jazeera confirmation

    An Al Jazzera reporter, however, told NEXT that the interview was conducted with Mr Okah. The reporter said Okah called from South Africa and he was passed on to the company’s studios in Doha.

    “He called me from prison on a +27 number,” the Al Jazeera staff said. “We had a long discussion about the bombs and the situation in general. Clearly, they are allowed access to fixed phone lines in SA prisons. I asked him whether he would be prepared to be go live on Al Jazeera that very instant. He said ‘yes’.

    “So I gave him our newsdesk number in Doha - and alerted them to the fact that Henry Okah was about to call from prison. He called, and they put him right through to the studio and live on air,” the reporter said.

    The Joint Task Force (JTF) for the Niger Delta has also debunked the veracity of another Al Jazeera programme featuring alleged MEND fighters in the region. The JTF said an aerial surveillance of the region showed there were no longer any militant camps anywhere, as claimed by Al Jazeera.

    “Al Jazeera, it will be recalled, had also during the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s health saga, staged a similar interview with the late president’s cousin, claiming that the sick man was healthy, playing with his children, and climbing 13-storey building,” a security source said

    ReplyDelete