ISRAELI REPORTS

IDF: Six months of war: updated IDF data

The data includes: the number of terrorists eliminated, the incriminated targets struck, the data from activity in the various areas and commands, the numbers from training, reserves, casualties and more.

All of the data can be viewed on the following link:

https://bit.ly/3Ja6OY4

** IDF: Earlier tonight, in response to the attack in which an IDF UAV was shot down last night (Saturday), IDF fighter jets struck a military complex and three additional terrorist infrastructure sites belonging to Hezbollah’s Aerial Defense Array in the area of Baalbek in Lebanon.

On Saturday, IDF fighter jets struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure and a military compound in the areas of Ayta Ash Shab and Odaisseh. In addition, IDF artillery struck throughout the day in the area of Yater.

** IDF: Following the initial report, earlier today a terrorist arrived by car to the Nabi Ilyas Junction, left the vehicle and opened fire towards a number of vehicles that were in the area.

As a result of the fire an IDF soldier was severely injured and was evacuated to receive further medical treatment at a hospital, her family has been notified. The IDF will continue to accompany her and her family.

In addition, a civilian was lightly injured.

IDF troops, along with an IAF aircraft that was dispatched to the point, are encircling the Nabi Ilyas area and are continuing to pursue the terrorist.

Attached are photos from the situational assessment of the Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division and the Commander of the Ephraim Brigade at the site of the attack: https://IDFANC.activetrail.biz/ANC070420241

** IDF: Locating weapons in a tunnel and destroying it; activity of the Commando Brigade combat team in the Al-Amal area in Khan Yunis

The soldiers of the Commando Brigade combat team operated in the Al-Amal area in Khan Yunis. Following intelligence, the soldiers scanned buildings on foot to locate weapons, eliminate the enemy and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in the area. So far, over a hundred sites have been searched in the area and terrorist infrastructure was found in every location.

During operations, the forces located a tunnel route of approximately 900 meters. Inside the tunnel there were holding areas and large quantities of weapons. After examination by the Yahalom Unit the forces destroyed the tunnel route. Next to one of the tunnel shafts, a terrorist was eliminated.

Throughout the fighting, the soldiers positioned themselves in strategic places, eliminated terrorists and struck combat compounds using precise munitions. In one incident, using a precision missile, the forces eliminated two Hamas operatives and a Hamas team commander.

Attached is footage of the activity of the Commando Brigade in the Al-Amal area in Khan Yunis: https://bit.ly/4asdDAe

Attached are photos of weapons found in the tunnel: https://idfanc.activetrail.biz/ANC050424654

Attached are related photos: https://IDFANC.activetrail.biz/ANC242024

** IDF: The IDF struck a military compound belonging to Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces in southern Lebanon

A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck a military compound which contained seven military structures belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s Radwan Forces in the area of Khiam. In addition, the IDF struck a military command center belonging to Hezbollah in the area of Toura.

Earlier today (Sunday), a number of launches were fired toward the Golan Heights area and Manara. In response, the IDF struck the sources of the fire in the areas of Kawkaba and Meiss El Jabal in southern Lebanon.

Attached is a video of the strikes: https://bit.ly/3U4FfW6

** IDF: Readiness for the Transition from Defense to Offense: Preparation of Emergency Logistical Storage for Broad Mobilization of Reservists

Over the past few days, another phase of the Northern Command's readiness for war was completed, centering on operational emergency storages for a broad mobilization of IDF troops when required.

The process was presented to the commanders in an operational conference led by the Chief of Staff of the Northern Command, BG Sagiv Dahan, and the Commanding Officer of the 210th Division, BG Zion Ratzon.

The equipment and means in storage are maintained by communications, logistics and medical personnel of the Technological and Logistics Directorate (J4), and these enable the immediate mobilization of the reserve forces during an emergency and their arrival at the front line in a short time with all the equipment required for combat.

The commanders of the regular and reserve units are prepared to summon and equip all the required soldiers in just a few hours and transport them to the front line for defensive and offensive missions.

Over the past few months, an in-depth learning process took place based on lessons learned from the fighting in the south, as part of improving readiness for the day commands are received.

Attached is footage of exercises in the Northern Command: https://bit.ly/3vEv55j

Attached is footage of Emergency Reserve Storage Units: https://bit.ly/3VJmqZX

Attached are related photos: https://idfanc.activetrail.biz/ANC120324567

** IDF: Following the sirens that sounded in the city of Safed in northern Israel, the IDF Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted a launch that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.

Earlier today, numerous additional launches were identified crossing from Lebanon into the area of Har Dov in northern Israel. No injuries were reported. IDF soldiers struck the sources of the fire.

Over the past hours, IAF fighter jets struck Hezbollah operational infrastructure in the area of Kfarkela and a rocket launcher in the area of Yaroun in southern Lebanon.

Attached is a video of the IDF strike in southern Lebanon: https://bit.ly/3TQ2QbP

 

HAMAS’ REPORTS

Under the concentrated Qassam strikes, the 98th Division withdrew from Khan Yunis with all three brigades after 4 months of fierce battles with the Khan Yunis Brigade of the Qassam Brigades.

** Mujahideen Brigades:

By the grace of God, our mujahideen were able to destroy the Zionist enemy’s headquarters for the Gaza Division in the Re’im settlement with a missile salvo.

** Hezbollah: We targeted a new enemy artillery position in the vicinity of the Al-Manara site with artillery shells.

** Al-Quds Brigades: This afternoon, we bombed “Eshkol” and the settlements surrounding the Gaza Strip with a missile barrage.

#Al-Aqsa Flood

** Forces of the martyr Omar Al-Qasim:

Several mortar shells were fired northeast of Al-Qarara, Khan Yunis, at military vehicles near the border fence

** The Yemeni Armed Forces: We targeted two Israeli ships that were heading to the ports of occupied Palestine, the first (MSC GRACE F) in the Indian Ocean, and the other (MSC GINA) in the Arabian Sea. The targeting operation was carried out with a number of ballistic and winged missiles, and the operation achieved its goals successfully, thanks to God.

** Hezbollah: We carried out an air attack on a new gathering of occupation soldiers and vehicles behind the Al-Samaqa site in the occupied Lebanese hills of Kafr Shuba, and the target was hit accurately.

** Al-Quds Brigades - Jenin Brigade: We carried out a shooting operation towards the “Dotan” checkpoint and settlement. Our jihad continues and our weapons are lawful in all arenas.

** Al-Quds Brigades: After their return from the clash points, our mujahideen in the sniper unit confirmed that they were able to kill a Zionist soldier who was holed up in a house in the Sheikh Ajlin area, southwest of Gaza City.

#Al-Aqsa Flood

Al-Quds Brigades: After their return from the clash points, our Mujahideen confirmed that they were able to shoot down a Zionist Quadcopter aircraft and control a Skylark drone in the sky of Gaza City.

#Al-Aqsa Flood

** In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Press Statement

- The Hamas delegation arrives in Cairo and meets with Mr. Abbas Kamel, the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence.

- Hamas affirmed its adherence to its natural national demands, and its keenness to reach an agreement that achieves a complete cessation of aggression, the withdrawal of the occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, the free return of the displaced to their areas and places of residence, relief for our people and the beginning of the reconstruction of what the occupation destroyed, and the completion of a prisoner exchange deal according to which the mutual release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of (Israeli) prisoners held by Hamas and the resistance in Gaza.

Hamas also stressed its insistence with all Palestinian forces and factions on achieving our national goals and establishing our fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of return and self-determination.

Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas

Sunday: 28 Ramadan 1445 AH

Corresponding to: 07 April 2024 AD

 

IDF/Hamas Brigade al-Qassam

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's energy system stabilizes, Zelenskiy makes plea for Kharkiv

The Ukrainian energy system that was severely damaged by Russian missile attacks in recent weeks is now almost completely stabilised, and the energy ministry on Sunday said no major imports were expected.

Ukraine's electricity imports reached a record high at the end of March after a string of Russian missile strikes on critical infrastructure caused blackouts in many parts of the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday said he had discussed a wave of attacks and bombings on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, with the heads of the Security Service, Defence Intelligence and the Interior minister.

Later, in his nightly video address, the president said the world must "finally hear" the pain inflicted on Kharkiv and other cities by Russian attacks and renewed a call for "political will" to ensure that Ukraine secures proper air defences.

"It is quite obvious that our existing air defence capabilities in Ukraine are not sufficient and it is obvious to our partners," Zelenskiy said. "And the world must finally hear the pain that Russian terrorists are causing to Kharkiv."

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Zelenskiy has for months called on Ukraine's Western partners to provide the systems and munitions he says his country needs to oust Russian troops.

In an interview broadcast on Saturday, he said he still believes that a major U.S. aid package would be approved by Congress, where it has faced Republican opposition for months.

Ukraine has been hit for weeks by a long series of missile attacks on critical infrastructure throughout the country, triggering a record high in electricity imports.

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Since March 22, Russian forces have been attacking Ukrainian thermal and hydropower stations as well as main networks on an almost daily basis, which has led to the blackouts.

Grid company Ukrenergo said Russian drones had damaged the high-voltage network facility in the Kharkiv region overnight and the system operator had to introduce some power cuts.

"Today, Ukrenergo's dispatch centre has been forced to increase the volume of emergency power outages in Kharkiv and the region," the company said on Telegram.

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However, the country's power system remains "stable and balanced," the energy ministry said in a statement.

It said power exports were expected at 115 megawatt hours (MWh) on Sunday while imports could total 1,179 Mwh.

Ukraine imported a record 18,649 MWh on March 26.

National grid company chief Volodymyr Kudrytskyi told Reuters last week that Russian attacks had caused significant damage to the power system, but a total collapse was unlikely.

 

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Western-supplied sea drones destroyed in Ukraine – MOD

The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday reported it had destroyed several high-value assets in Ukraine, including anti-aircraft systems, a radar, and a stockpile of Western supplied naval drones.

Kiev has been touting its sea drones as a home-grown weapon, which it has repeatedly used to attack Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. However, the ministry described the destroyed assets in its daily briefing as “supplied to Ukraine by NATO countries.”

The Russian military did not provide any further information on the strike, but a major explosion was reported overnight in the Ukrainian city of Odessa, believed to be their primary sea drone base. The blast apparently occurred at the city’s port, followed by multiple secondary detonations.

A separate strike hit a port facility located in the Odessa suburb of Peresyp. The attack is believed to have targeted a fuel depot, with a major fire observed at the facility.

The Defense Ministry also claimed destruction of at least two Soviet-era S-300 anti-aircraft systems, as well as a P-18 very high frequency (VHF) radar. It was not immediately clear whether the radar was an original Soviet-made system or a modern Ukrainian upgrade to it, namely a P-18 Malachite. Thus far, no footage to corroborate the claims has emerged online.

Intense combat continued along the frontline, with the ministry’s daily briefing saying the opposing sides were engaged in artillery duels over the past 24-hour period.

The Russian military has reported striking multiple artillery platforms, including US-made M777 and M119 howitzers, and at least one British-made FH70 towed and one German-made self-propelled PzH2000 howitzer. Multiple Soviet-made artillery pieces, both towed and self-propelled, were reported destroyed and damaged over the past day as well.

 

Reuters/RT

The chickens, the saying goes, always come home to roost. But some people would prefer to be Shakespearean by quoting the insightful words uttered by Marc Antony in William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, “the evil that men do lives after them while the good is oft interred with their bones.”

The first is a long-established English idiom that was used as early as 1390 AD in Chaucer’s The Parson’s Tale. It means that wicked deeds or words return to trouble their originator.

In the second, spoken at Julius Caesar’s funeral, Mark Antony, referring to Brutus, Caesar’s murderer, was saying that when someone dies, the bad things they did continue to afflict the living, but the good things they did often do not, and therefore are buried along with the corpse.

The first one tells us that the law of karma is for the living and that like Frankenstein’s monster, every wrong and everything not done with good intention, especially against people, always turns around to torment the doer.

The second has now been overtaken by events, as we can see in today’s world. The bad ones do not wait for the leader’s death before they begin to haunt the person, as we shall soon see. Likewise, the good things they do, they leave them behind and we see them everywhere. Posterity is now, no longer tomorrow or left to be regurgitated by future generations.

About four years ago, my friends from Kaduna started being ecstatic whenever we met, beating their chests and clapping wildly, sometimes with even their feet, and telling me that El-Rufai was doing wonders constructing roads and fly-overs, tunnels and bridges, even telling me that he constructed one fly-over with four roundabouts under it.

I always did my best to calm them down. I would ask, with which revenue are the constructions being executed: locally generated or from the federation account? They would say he collected a foreign loan of hundreds of millions of dollars. And being “smart”, to get the loan, apart from local politics at the National Assembly, including ensuring that his lackey, now successor, was made chairman of a committee that could help facilitate the loan, he made someone from the loan givers an “honorary adviser” in his government. But this is for another day.

Then I would ask them simple but pointed questions like which construction companies are doing the work? Who owned them openly and who owned them through “blind trust” as with Obasanjo and Transcorp? I will then ask by how much the roads, bridges and fly-overs would increase the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and service the loans collected. To all these questions, their faces looked blank. 

I believe that if a state must take a loan, then it should not go into servicing a lifestyle or financing projects that cannot repay the loan or improve IGR, except in the health sector.

I told them that the way things were going, a time would come when the state would not be able to pay salaries and render basic services to the people, by which time the loan taker would have since left the stage. Those who do not know would start accusing the new government of incompetence, whereas it was the past government that made the state “ungovernable”.

Fine, the roads and all have increased the value of houses and plots around them, and so what? In what way does that affect the poor man and his struggle to survive? The temporary appointments offered by the constructions are gone because the companies, not indigenous, have returned to base, boosting their areas of domicile.

Utilised differently, those loans could have been used to resuscitate moribund industries - and God knows Kaduna has a lot of them, build more, especially agro-allied ones. That would have offered direct and indirect employment to thousands of people who have dependents and eased the food insecurity in the land. The employed would pay taxes as that would have boosted the state’s IGR from which it can now embark on road constructions to open up rural and industrial areas and upgrade the infrastructure in the towns out of necessity.

Without taking anything from the above, part of the loans can also go into building world-class hospitals that could turn the state into a medical tourist centre. Intra-town transport service, which may include light rails, could have been done.

With massive employment at every corner, the crime rate in the state would have reduced significantly and the insecurity, especially incessant kidnappings bedevilling the state, wouldn't be as it is now.

And so there is nothing wrong with Governor Uba Sani coming out to tell the citizens their situation: the state cannot pay salaries because out of its ₦10 billion share of the monthly dole outs, sadly, ₦7.5 billion goes into the payment of the debt of $587 million, ₦85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities it inherited from the government of El-Rufai.

Tragically, one of his sons, firing from all cylinders, instead of denting Uba Sani, ended up further soiling his father’s reputation. He claimed that the governor had “deflected” from his responsibilities and abandoned his duty as governor. “These guys have realised that they are wholly incompetent and the only way to mask the nonsense is to deflect. From a governor who is always sleeping in Abuja to a litany of incompetent aides who were only rewarded for foolish political reasons,” he vituperated.

By accusing the governor of being incompetent and surrounded by incompetent aides, El-Rufa’i’s son is only pointing at his father for picking and handing over to an incompetent lackey as well as foisting incompetent aides on it, right from the deputy governor down.

Many outgoing governors, or even presidents, go to extreme lengths to produce their successors, not necessarily because they are thinking of the continuation of any “good work” they are doing; but just to ensure that their flagrant abuse of the people's trust is buried, at least for the time being. 

Now the people of Kaduna will feel the impact of the negative acts of selfish leadership. Many of them allowed themselves to be used, thinking they were “fighting for Islam”, while the “Chief Jihadist” was empowering himself, his family and friends.

It is on record that some far-sighted senators who fought to stop the loan were denied return tickets, to the accolades of those now feeling the heat. Even when the then-governor boasted that he had done more than the Sardauna who did what he did without collecting loans, the same characters were nodding their empty heads like agama lizards. And now a lot of these gullible empty-heads are thinking of such a character as president!

But this development, hopefully, will further entrench democracy in the country, as well as probity and accountability in governance.

As long as leaders do not work with the fear of God, good intentions and the welfare of their people in mind, they will be having altercations with their anointed, even if they are their biological children.

** Hassan Gimba is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Neptune Prime.

 

As a business coach, one of the things that we work on with our clients is not only helping them find and retain top talent, but also help them coach their team to help increase productivity and growth within the business.

And one of the ways that we do that is we help them learn how to distinguish their employees into two different categories of workers.

And while neither one is good or bad, it does affect the way that you interact with, train and retain those team members. So today I wanted to talk a little bit more about role players vs growth players and how you can use that knowledge on your own team.

Role Player

So how do you spot a role player? The way that you're going to spot a role player is through their behavior.

A role player's behavior is going to be one that when you give them new, ambiguous situations to try something to expand, they're clearly uncomfortable with it and they don't like it. They're resistant to it.

You ask a role player to take on a brand new function and they might say, oh, really? Sure? You can just see they don't want to. Oftentimes they'll say, "if you need me to, I'll do it, but I'd rather not."

You can also spot a role player by how they respond to feedback. A role player avoids it, is uncomfortable with it, might get defensive about it and pushes it away. They do not want the feedback or struggle with the concept.

Growth Player

Growth players however like to take on new and ambiguous situations, and they're very comfortable with being uncomfortable.

They want to stretch themselves and expand. Or even if they don't like the feeling of discomfort that comes from growing, they value it. They want the challenge.

When it comes to feedback, they are hungry for it. They search it out. They're omnivorous about it. They just want to use it to get better. They embrace it. They lean into it. They take it to heart and use it to improve and grow. They take ownership of it.

When you give a growth person feedback like:

"When you did the Sandhurst project, you really did not lay out the expectations in the proper way and as a result, they expected that we were going to be able to get them that proposal within 48 hours when you and I both know that it takes generally somewhere between 5 and 7 business days to do a really good proposal. So in the future, please make sure you set really good expectations with them." 

A growth player will say "You know what your are right. I'll do better in the future. Thank you for the input."

A role player says, "Yeah, but this – you didn't understand this and that" and they start defending against it, as opposed to taking ownership, embracing, leaning into it and using it to improve and get better.

Embracing the Differences

Now, does that mean that you should only seek out and hire growth players? Absolutely not, there are plenty of positions within your business that need the dependability and structure that a role player provides.

While some other positions require growth players. So once you are able to distinguish between the two and you understand the role at hand, you can plan accordingly.

 

Inc

Adebayo Adelabu, minister of power, has criticised Nigerians who keep their freezers and air conditioners on when they are not home.

Adelabu, while addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, said Nigerians lack the culture of power consumption management due to its affordability.

“The bitter truth we all need to tell ourselves as Nigerians. A few people are just privileged to sit on the high table. We’re on the same level, we must be able to tell the truth to ourselves,” he said.

“We don’t have the culture of consumption management in this country in terms of power, just of the cheapness of the tariff we pay for power.

“A lot of people will come back from work, they want to have dinner, or they want to see their colleagues down the road, they switch on the AC for the room to be cooling before they come back.

“Some people will be going to work in the morning, a freezer that you left on for days, they will still leave it on when all the items in the freezer are frozen and 5, 6, 8 hours of their absence will not make it to defreeze, they will still leave it to be consuming power just because we are not paying enough.

“We have all been overseas before; we know how conscious the power consumers are about electricity consumption.”

On Wednesday, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved an increase in electricity tariff for customers under the Band A classifications.

The regulator said customers who receive 20 hours of electricity supply daily will pay N225 per kilowatt (kW) from April 3.

The new rate is about triple the previous rate of N66 per kilowatt (kW).

 

The Cable

 

President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, has alleged that the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, was behind the establishment of the ethnic militia group, Kungiya Zaman Lafiya.

Bodejo, who is facing terrorism charges, accused the governor of pressurising him to form the militia group.

The Miyetti Allah leader was arrested by operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency on January 23, 2024, at the group’s office in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State for allegedly unveiling a militia group and has been in custody since then.

He was arraigned before Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on three counts of terrorism on March 22, 2024.

Bodejo was specifically accused of establishing the Kungiya Zaman Lafiya ethnic militia in Nasarawa State without authorisation.

The offence was said to be punishable under Section 29 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

However, in his confessional statement exclusively obtained by Sunday PUNCH, Bodejo alleged that the Nasarawa State governor was behind the formation of the militia group.

He stated that he received a call from the governor earlier in the year expressing his desire to establish a vigilante group different from those of his counterparts.

Bodejo said, “I was arrested because of the vigilantes I paraded in Nasarawa State. Sometime in early January 2024, Governor Sule called me and said that he wanted me to see him concerning a Fulani group called Kungiya Zaman Lafiya, which I told him I didn’t know about. The governor said what he called me for was because all the governors had agreed to form vigilante groups in their states like Katsina State had done, but he did not want to organise his like other state governors.

“He said he wanted to use all those who participated in the political rally before the election. And he intended to link them with the Army and they would work for him as vigilantes. The governor asked if I could work with Akajo, the leader of the group and I told him that I couldn’t come down to work with Akajo because I am from the national level. Later, I called Akajo to meet me and we discussed how to operate the Kungiya Zaman Lafiya in the state. I told the Emir of Lafia that people complained about the group and I didn’t like them.

“However, I asked Akajo about the number of his men. He said there were about 700 men. I demanded for their ID cards which he showed me; the ID cards were authorised and signed by the CSO to the Nasarawa State governor. About two weeks later, Governor Sule called me to come with Akajo.”

Bodejo stated that he met with Akajo and Sule at the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

He said despite informing the governor of the negative narratives about Akajo’s group, he insisted that he (Bodejo) worked with him.

Bodejo said, “So, I left Bauchi and sent for Akajo to meet me at the Governor’s Lodge. When I got to the lodge, I met Akajo with the governor. The governor enquired what was happening between Akajo and I. I told him that Akajo and his group were spoiling the good name of the governor by causing crises, stealing cattle, and killing people.

“They went and cleared the Toto LGA problem. When they got there, they gathered Fulani and harassed them. The Fulani ran away, leaving the cattle. Akajo and his group gathered the cattle and sold them. The governor insisted that I should work with him.”

The Miyetti Allah leader claimed that other people from the Nasarawa, Obi, and Kyana local government areas of the state who were meant to join Akajo’s group pulled out because Akajo failed to give them their share of the fund released by the governor.

He said, “I told the governor that I requested for the group’s list from Akajo so that I could join it with my people to make up the 2,000 and that he had not given me. The governor said we should have a meeting in Lafia. During the meeting, I told the Ardos what the governor wanted to do with the Kuniya Zaman Lafiya and they bought the idea. During the meeting, one member of the Kunya Zaman Lafiya complained that they were not benefiting from anything. I immediately called the governor to inform him.

“The governor affirmed that all funds were released to Akajo for the group, so it was Akajo who failed to settle them. On this revelation, the people were angered and the people from Nasarawa, Obi, and Kyana LGAs said they could not join Akajo’s group. The governor instructed that I should make do with the existing 700 members of the Akajo group and if possible I should make it up to 1,000.”

Bodejo added that after the meeting, he met with one of his friends, Captain Ahmed Chiroma (retd.), who advised him to make the establishment of the group legal.

According to him, Chiroma made a write-up, which they both presented to the governor.

Bodejo claimed that when the governor was presented with the write-up, he rejected it.

He said, “After the meeting, I met one of my friends, Captain Ahmed Chiroma (retd.), who is the deputy secretary of the Presidential Think Tank and explained everything to him. Captain advised that I make it legal; he said he would put a write-up for the governor, which he did, and the two of us went to present it to the governor. I don’t know what he wrote but after the governor read the paper, he said no that he wanted to run the state the way he wanted.”

Bodejo said the governor then instructed him to meet with the Secretary to the State Government to discuss the cost of procuring kits for 1,000 members of the group.

The Miyetti Allah leader said Chiroma advised him to be careful as the establishment of the group was illegal.

He added, “The governor said I should meet the SSG and tell him the cost of procuring 1,000 uniforms and kits. Chiroma advised me to be careful with the governor because what he was doing was illegal. That is number one; the governor can’t just carry one tribe of Fulani as vigilantes, and secondly, he can’t carry one as security. He did not build schools for them, just this security vigilante group.”

Bodejo said the governor called him the following day to inquire about the arrangements put in place for the establishment of the group, adding he pleaded with Sule to give him two weeks.

Not knowing what to do, Bodejo said he contacted Chiroma who advised him to establish a nomad vigilante group and register it with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

He stated, “The following day, I was on my way to Bauchi and the governor called me. So I stopped to see him in Lafia and he inquired about the arrangements. I told him to give us two weeks. I informed Akajo and sent a text message to Captain Chiroma, who agreed that we should meet in Bauchi. While in Bauchi, Chiroma advised that I should inform the governor that we would not use the Kungiya Zaman Lafiya, rather we would use Miyetti Allah and register it as a nomadic vigilante group.

“The governor said he had released funds for the uniform that I should contact the SSG, and when I contacted him (SSG), he directed me to the state Deputy Commissioner of Police. He gave me N14,500,000, but I learned that the governor gave N15,000,000. I informed Captain Chiroma about the money and he advised that we should quickly register the nomadic vigilante group with the CAC to give us cover. We registered the group and were issued a certificate.”

Bodejo stated that after registering the group, he got the uniforms and presented them to the governor.

The Miyetti Allah leader said the governor was very angry and asked him to put Kungiya Zaman Lafiya on the badges of the uniforms.

He said, “We sewed the uniforms and put badges that showed the Nomadic Vigilante Group of Nigeria. When we took the sample to the governor, he asked us who told us that what he wanted was Kungiya Zaman Lafiya. He said I should remove the badges of the Nomadic Vigilante Group from the uniform and put Kungiya Zaman Lafiya. The governor was very angry with me and I left.”

He alleged that the governor directed him to come with the Commissioner of Police and Director of the Department of State Services to his office.

Although he noted that the meeting ended before he got to the governor’s office, Bodejo said Sule directed him to parade the group on January 17, 2024.

He added, “On January 12, 2024, the governor called me and I told him I was in Bauchi. He said I should come with the state Commissioner of Police and the Director of the DSS. However, before I could arrive from Bauchi, they had finished the meeting. I met the governor after the Jummat prayer and he said I should meet him in his office. He said he had directed that we should parade the Kungiya Zaman Lafiya with the uniform on January 17, 2024. He told me that he met the Commissioner of Police and the DSS Director.”

Bodejo said he met with the CP who was in support of the governor’s directive, but the DSS director advised him to apply wisdom.

He said, “I met the Commissioner of Police and asked him if he supported the governor’s idea and he said yes. When I met the Director of DSS, he said we all knew that what the governor was doing was wrong but that he was the governor; that if I said I couldn’t do it, he might tag me as an enemy of the state and sponsoring bandits. He advised me that I should be wise about it.”

The Miyetti Allah leader said he was given N7.5m out of the N15m released by the governor to convey members of the group and to book the hall for the unveiling.

He said, “The Deputy Commissioner of Police gave me N7,500,000 out of the N15,000,000 released by the governor for the transportation of the group members to Lafia and payment for the hall in Lafia.”

Bodejo said on the day of the unveiling, the governor, his SSG, and other officials were absent.

He stated, “On January 17, 2024, we assembled all the members in the hall in Lafia. On getting to the venue, I did not see the governor and the SSG. I called the governor and he told me he was in Abuja because the judgment on his case would come up on January 18, 2024, at the Supreme Court and that I should continue. I asked about the SSG or any governor’s representative. He gave different excuses for their absence. Then I sensed trouble.”

He said after the exercise, he realised that the governor planned to remove him from the equation to have full control of the group to “perform nefarious activities against the Fulani.”

Bodejo said, “The governor directed that I should march the group to the office of the Commissioner of Police after the ceremony. I did exactly that. However, it dawned on me after the whole exercise that the governor’s agenda was to extricate me from the state so that he could have his way to use the group to his advantage.

“I know that I am the only person who can stop the group from performing some nefarious activities against the Fulani. So now that I am arrested, his purpose has been accomplished because he knows that I never liked the group before he tactically involved me and backed out during the launch.”

Gov’s aide reacts

When contacted, an aide to the governor denied Sule’s involvement in the establishment of the Kungiya Zaman Lafiya.

Speaking on the matter on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, urged members of the public to disregard any rumour linking his principal with the establishment of the militia as there was no iota of truth in it.

He said, “The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has no hand in the establishment of the Nomad Vigilante Group of Nigeria.

“The governor cannot authorise such an establishment when it has not been backed by the laws of the land.

“Governor Sule, being a man who believes in the rule of law, could not have just authorised or encouraged anyone to operate an illegal vigilante group.

“I am urging members of the public to disregard such misinformation and rumour because there is no truth in it. So, nobody or group of persons should drag him into a matter that he knows nothing about.”

 

Punch

At least six soldiers have lost their lives in an ambush along Biu-Buni Yadi road, Borno state.

The soldiers died exactly a week after the military personnel who were murdered while on a peace mission in Delta State were laid to rest at National Military Cemetery in Abuja.

Boko Haram insurgent ambushed the soldiers at Kamuya, a village close to Buratai, home town of former Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai.

A security source said the soldiers paid a supreme price on their way to Damaturu to buy fuel.

“It’s very sad; they were soldiers of 135 Special Force BN FOB in Buratai. They were ambushed on their way to Damaturu, Yobe state, to buy fuel.”

“Unfortunately, we lost an officer, a driver, gunner and four other escorts, while the wounded are in the hospital responding to treatment,” he said.

A local source, who escaped the incident by the whiskers, said while on his way to the neighboring Yadi town, hometown of Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, he ran into the scene.

“I can’t describe the kind of gun battle that ensued, the insurgents who were in large number overwhelmed the soldiers. It’s by God grace that I survived,” he said.

 

Daily Trust

ISREALI REPORTS

IDF: Targeted operations on terrorist infrastructure, discovering weapons and eliminating terrorists; Activity of the Givati ​​Brigade combat team in the Al-Amal area in Khan Yunis.

The Givati ​​Brigade combat team has been operating in the Al-Amal area in Khan Yunis. The soldiers operated on and destroyed terrorist infrastructure where they located and destroyed a weapons storage facility, more than 40 explosive devices and a ton of explosive materials.

Givati ​​Brigade soldiers encounter many terrorists in close quarters encounters; In one of the incidents, the soldiers identified four terrorists, who were eliminated.

Attached is related footage: https://bit.ly/3J6iQBz

Attached are photos of the soldiers operating: https://IDFANC.activetrail.biz/ANC0404242

Attached are photos of weapons discovered by the soldiers: https://IDFANC.activetrail.biz/ANC0404241

** Joint IDF and ISA announcement:

The IDF and ISA eliminated a senior terrorist operative of Hamas' Internal Security who promoted significant terror activities in the Gaza Strip and planned terror attacks in Israeli territory.

This week (Wednesday) in southern Gaza, based on IDF and ISA precise intelligence, IAF fighter jets struck and eliminated Akram Abd Al-Rahman Husein Salamah, a senior terrorist operative of Hamas' Internal Security.

Akram held several key positions in the terrorist organization, including Deputy Head of the Khan Yunis District.

Akram was responsible for planning and executing significant terror attacks in Israeli territory, as well as directing terror activities in the Gaza Strip designated to damage IDF counterterrorism activities.

Attached is the profile of Akram Abd Al-Rahman Husein Salamah, a senior terrorist operative of Hamas' Internal Security: https://idfanc.activetrail.biz/ANC06042024842908420894

** Joint IDF and ISA announcement:

The body of the abductee Elad Katzir, who according to intelligence was murdered in captivity by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, was rescued overnight from Khan Yunis and returned to Israeli territory. His body was located based on precise IDF and ISA intelligence, and an accurate identification of IDF ground troops.

Following an identification procedure carried out overnight by medical officials at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, IDF and ISA representatives informed Elad Katzir's family that his body had been rescued.

The IDF and ISA express their deepest condolences to the family.

During the October 7th massacre, Elad Katzir was abducted by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization from Kibbutz Nir Oz. His mother, Hanna, was also abducted by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization and released on November 24 as part of the agreement for the release of abductees, and his father, Avraham, was murdered in the kibbutz.

Our mission is to locate and return the abductees home. The IDF and the ISA are working in full coordination with the relevant national and security bodies and will continue until the task is complete.

** IDF: Overnight, five launches were identified crossing from Lebanon into the area of Shtula in northern Israel. Additionally, numerous launches were identified crossing from Lebanon into numerous areas in northern Israel over the past few hours. No injuries were reported. IDF soldiers struck the source of the launches.

Throughout the day, IDF fighter jets struck a number of Hezbollah terror infrastructures in the areas of Ayta ash Shab, Arnoun, and Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon. Additionally, IDF artillery fired in order to remove threats in the areas of Aalma El Chaeb and Souaneh in southern Lebanon overnight.

Attached is a video of the strikes: https://bit.ly/49tK5k6

** IDF: 3 terror tunnels destroyed in the area of the Khan Yunis Brigade: the IDF continues to destroy the underground infrastructure in the Gaza Strip

Since the beginning of the "Swords of Iron" war, the IDF has been operating against the underground infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. In recent months, IDF soldiers led by the 98th Division and the Yahalom Unit have been operating to locate, map and destroy the tunnels of Hamas’ Khan Yunis Brigade. During the activity, 3 offensive terror tunnels, that were under intelligence and technological surveillance by the IDF over recent years, were located. Following preliminary ground activity they were mapped and destroyed. The operation was carried out by the Southern Command's Engineering Array, the Gaza Division, the 98th Division and the Yahalom Unit.

One of the tunnels was uncovered about a decade ago, and in 2021 during the "Guardian of the Walls" operation it was struck from the air, resulting in the elimination of several Hamas terrorists. At the beginning of the current war it was struck at several points to prevent offensive activity, and over the last weeks it was destroyed by engineering forces.

Another tunnel was uncovered in 2014 as a terror tunnel crossing into Israeli territory and was destroyed. The Hamas terrorist organization did not restore the tunnel since then, and in recent weeks another section of the tunnel deep inside the Gaza Strip, was destroyed.

The third tunnel that was destroyed in the last few weeks, was uncovered in 2019, before the construction of the underground barrier, when one branch of the tunnel crossed a few hundred meters into Israeli territory. It has since been under full operational and intelligence control by the IDF. In this branch of the tunnel, IDF soldiers placed traps and sensors for the IDF to use if needed, as part of the IDF's activity against the Hamas terrorist organization’s underground network of tunnels. Since the beginning of the war, the tunnel has been struck numerous times, along with several other actions that neutralized the branch of the tunnel that crossed into Israeli territory. The tunnel was not utilized for the brutal massacre of October 7th and has been controlled with surveillance and fire throughout the war.

The IDF will continue to work to destroy all the tunnels in the Gaza Strip and destroy the capabilities of all the terrorist organizations, with Hamas at their head, to harm the civilians of the State of Israel.

Attached is footage of the destruction of the tunnels: https://bit.ly/4aFZA9N

** IDF: A short while ago, a surface-to-air missile was launched toward an IAF UAV operating in Lebanese airspace. As a result, the UAV was hit and fell in Lebanese territory. The incident is under review.

 

HAMAS’ REPORTS

Israeli special forces surround a house in Balata Camp in Nablus in the West Bank

Armed clashes in the Hashshashin neighborhood inside Balata camp.

** Al-Quds Brigades:

After our Mujahideen returned from the fighting nodes east of Deir al-Balah, they confirmed the detonation of a Zionist Merkava 4 tank with a “piercing-barrel” device.

** The Qassam Mujahideen were able to target 3 Zionist Merkvah tanks with “Al-Yassin 105” shells, and as soon as the rescue forces advanced to the place and reached the middle of a pre-prepared minefield, they were targeted by detonating 3 anti-personnel devices. Our Mujahideen confirmed that 6 Zionist soldiers were killed and turned into pieces, and a number of others were killed and wounded. The event is still ongoing in the Al-Zana area, east of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

** After their return from the battle lines, our Mujahideen confirmed that they had targeted a Zionist “Merkvah” tank with an “Al-Yassin 105” missile, and that a Zionist foot force was targeted with an anti-personnel device, killing and wounding its members, and that helicopters had landed to evacuate them in the Al-Amal neighborhood area in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

** After their return from the battle lines, our mujahideen confirmed the destruction of a Zionist “Merkvah” tank with a guerrilla action device in the Al-Amal neighborhood, west of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.

** Hamas leader, Osama Hamdan:

We have presented criteria for the prisoners to be liberated, but we have not negotiated the names yet

The Israeli occupation intentionally bombed the vehicles of the Central Kitchen organization with the aim of intimidating relief workers

- There is an agreement between “Israel” and the American administration regarding the liquidation of the Palestinian issue, and the disagreement is only in the means

We will support any government whose reference is the Palestinian factions, regardless of our participation in it.

** Additional planes landed to transport the bodies and wounded of occupation soldiers in Khan Yunis ambushes

Today is the day of the epic, there is no mercy or mercy for the soldiers.

** Gaza swamp!!!

14 killed in Khan Yunis, 10 in Al-Maghazi, 9 in Al-Shuja’iyya, 5 in Beit Hanoun, 7 in Al-Wusta, 4 in Al-Zaytoun, 6 in Jabalia, and a tank was destroyed here and a bulldozer there, wow.

This is the true meaning of the war of attrition.

This is what they call the Gaza quagmire....

** Hezbollah: The armed drone belonging to the occupation army that was shot down by the resistance Mujahideen is a “Hormuz 900”.

 

IDF/Hamas Brigade al-Qassam

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's Zelenskiy warns of dwindling air defence missiles

Ukraine could run out of air defence missiles if Russia keeps up its intense long-range bombing campaign, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned in remarks aired on Saturday.

The Ukrainian leader's starkest warning to date of the deteriorating situation faced by his country's air defences follows weeks of Russian strikes on the energy system, towns and cities using a broad arsenal of missiles and drones.

"If they keep hitting (Ukraine) every day the way they have for the last month, we might run out of missiles, and the partners know it," he said in an interview that aired on Ukrainian television.

Zelenskiy, who has been appealing to allies for weeks to rush in more air defences, said that Ukraine had enough stockpiles to cope for the moment, but that it was already having to make difficult choices about what to protect.

He singled out in particular the need for Patriot air defence systems and said Ukraine needed 25 of them.

The sophisticated U.S. air defence system has been vital during Russian attacks with ballistic and hypersonic missiles which can hit targets within a matter of minutes.

His remarks followed a fresh spate of attacks that Ukrainian officials said killed civilians.

Two Russian missile and drone strikes, one in the early hours of Saturday and a second in the afternoon, killed eight people and wounded at least 10 more people in northeastern Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city.

In the eastern region of Donetsk, artillery shelling killed four people in the village of Kurakhivka including a 38-year-old woman and her 16-year-old daughter, and a 25-year-old man in the village of Krasnohorivka was killed, while in Odesa in the south, a missile strike killed one civilian.

Ukraine's largest private power company DTEK says the strikes had hit 80% of its generating capacity and the grid has introduced rolling blackouts to stabilise the system.

'WE WILL AGREE TO ANY OPTIONS'

The battlefield momentum has moved against Ukraine in recent months as Kyiv grappled with a slowdown in military assistance from the West and in particular from the United States.

"The situation is difficult, but nevertheless stabilized. The enemy does not advance: when it takes steps forward, ours repel (them), and it retreats. On the contrary, our guys are taking some steps forward," he said.

Zelenskiy said he still believed that a major aid package would be approved by Congress where it has been stuck in deliberations since late last year facing determined Republican opposition.

"I still believe that we can get a positive vote in the United States Congress," he said.

Asked by the interviewer about the possibility of Ukraine receiving the package in the form of a loan, he said: "We will agree to any options."

He added that some artillery shells were being supplied to Ukraine under foreign initiatives that he did not name and that they were being used for defensive operations.

"We don't have shells for counteroffensive actions, as for the defence - there are several initiatives, and we're receiving weapons," he said.

The interview was recorded next to a military fortification in northeastern Chernihiv region, which borders Russia.

It was not clear exactly which day the interview was recorded, but Zelenskiy met with a bipartisan group of members of Congress in the region on Friday.

 

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian Armed Forces occupy more advantageous positions in Donetsk direction

Units of the Southern Group of the Russian Armed Forces occupied more advantageous positions in the Donetsk direction. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, two counterattacks by the mountain assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were repelled during the day.

Here are the details of this and other combat actions that happened over the past week, according to the bulletin.

Donetsk area

"Units of the Southern Group of Forces occupied more advantageous positions in the Donetsk direction and inflicted fire on formations of the 5th assault, 79th air assault, 81st airmobile, 24th, 28th, 53rd mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas settlements of Antonovka, Krasnogorovka, Krasnoe, and Novoe in the Donetsk People's Republic and Belogorovka in the Lugansk People's Republic," the statement said.

At the same time, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine per day in the Donetsk direction amounted to over 470 military personnel, the Ministry said. "The Armed Forces of Ukraine lost over 470 military personnel, 2 armored combat vehicles, 8 cars, a 155-mm M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery mount, a US-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, 4 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mounts, a 100-mm Rapier anti-tank gun, as well as a field ammunition depot," the ministry said.

South Donetsk area

"Units of the Vostok group of troops improved the situation along the front line in the South Donetsk direction and defeated the manpower and equipment of the 72nd motorized infantry, 58th mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the 128th terrestrial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Urozhaynoye and Staromayorskoye of the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.

Avdeyevka area

"The enemy lost more than 280 military personnel, 3 tanks, 2 armored combat vehicles and 6 vehicles," the ministry said.

Units of the Center Group of the Russian Armed Forces improved their tactical position in the Avdeyevka direction and repelled 12 counterattacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry noted.

"In the Avdeyevka direction, units of the Center group of troops through active actions improved the tactical situation and repelled 12 counterattacks by assault groups of the 25th Airborne, 68th, 71st Infantry, 24th, 47th, 115th Mechanized Brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Novogorodskoye, Novokalinovo, Pervomaiskoye, and Berdychi of the Donetsk People's Republic," the ministry said.

Zaporozhye region and Kherson area

Units of the Dnepr group of forces inflicted fire damage on the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Rabotina district in the Zaporozhye region and the Ivanovka district in the Kherson region.

"In the Kherson direction, units of the Dnepr group of forces inflicted fire on the formations of the 65th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the 35th Marine Brigade in the areas of the settlements of Rabotino, Zaporozhye region and Ivanovka, Kherson region. The enemy lost up to 35 military personnel, 7 vehicles, French-made 155-mm Caesar self-propelled artillery mount, a US-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, and two 122-mm D-30 howitzers," the ministry said.

Kharkov area

The Russian military destroyed two launchers of the French-Italian SAMP-T anti-aircraft missile system in the Kharkov area.

"Operational-tactical aviation, missile forces and artillery of groupings of troops of the Russian Armed Forces in the area of the city of Kharkov destroyed two launchers of French-Italian SAMP-T anti-aircraft missile system and also defeated the personnel and military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 133 areas," the Russian Ministry of Defense said.

"In the Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces inflicted fire on the personnel and equipment of the 57th motorized infantry brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the 103rd military defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Sinkovka and Berestovoe, Kharkov region. The losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces amounted to up to 35 military personnel, a tank, two cars, 122-mm self-propelled artillery mount Gvozdika, as well as a US counter-battery radar station AN/TPQ-50," the ministry said.

Air Force and air defenses

"Air defense systems shot down 205 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, a Hammer guided aerial bomb made in France, as well as 6 HIMARS and Uragan missiles," the ministry said in a statement.

At the same time, the Russian military carried out a group strike at night on enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, military airfields, and temporary deployment points for mercenaries - the objectives of the strike were achieved.

"Tonight, the Russian Armed Forces launched a group strike with high-precision long-range sea-and air-based weapons, unmanned aerial vehicles on enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine that produced and repaired armored and automotive equipment, UAVs, military airfields, and temporary deployment points of foreign mercenaries. The objectives of the strike were achieved. All designated targets were hit," according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.

 

Reuters/Tass

President Bola Tinubu is so inordinately inebriated by his IMF-motivated decision to remove subsidies on petrol that at every opportunity he has he brags about it in giddily superlative terms.

For example, during a meeting with the Nigerian community in France on June 24, 2023, he couched his decision to impose the Tinubu fuel tax (to borrow from his 2012 characterization of Goodluck Jonathan’s subsidy removal) on Nigerians in epiphanic, providential, and inspirational terms.

He told Nigerians in France that during his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, he was suddenly overcome by a mysterious force of unusual courage, which propelled him to veer off his prepared speech to announce the removal of fuel subsidies. “When I got to the podium, I was possessed with courage, and I said, ‘subsidy is gone!’” he said with a smug glow of perverse, meanspirited self-satisfaction.

Again on November 22, 2023, Tinubu boasted to investors at the 10th German-Nigerian Business Forum that his courage to remove petrol subsidies and visit unheard-of economic violence on poor, luckless Nigerians was a gargantuan feat of derring-do worthy of acknowledgement in the Guinness World Records.

“Nigeria voted for me for reforms, and from day one of my inauguration, I started the reforms,” he said. “To me, if you didn’t mention me in the Guinness Book of Records, I’d strive to find a way to insert myself because I did it without expectation.”

Well, the IMF, whose approval he desperately seeks and on whose behalf he is harming Nigerians, has approbated his policies, which should be more important to him than an entry in the Guiness World Records for sadistic governance.

“The new [Tinubu] administration has made a strong start, tackling deep-rooted structural issues in challenging circumstances,” the IMF said on February 14. “Immediately, it adopted two policy reforms that its predecessors had shied away from: fuel subsidy removal and the unification of the official exchange rates.”

The IMF then instructed that “electricity subsidies are costly, do not reach those that most need government support and should be phased out completely.”

On February 16, that is, exactly two days after this IMF directive,  Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu announced that the government would withdraw electricity subsidies. That’s precisely why the government has approved a more than 200 percent hike in electricity tariffs last week. As I’ve repeatedly said, the IMF is the de factor ruler of Nigeria. Tinubu and his henchmen are mere cushy neo-imperialist surrogates.

Well, I don’t know of any halfway rational human being in the world who will see courage in choosing to hurt the dispossessed who can’t fight back. There is no courage in trampling on the poor, the weak, and the defenseless.

There is no courage in kicking people who are already down, people who are down on their luck, and people who are down in the dumps as a consequence of being serial victims of a steady succession of cruel and self-serving governments who are servile errand boys of the racist sadists at the IMF.

There is no courage in oppressing the oppressed. That's cowardice. That’s callousness. It’s unrelieved maliciousness. And it’s not something to be proud of, not something to make a song and dance about. On the contrary, it’s something to be mortally ashamed of.

Real courage comes from standing up to bullies, which the World Bank and the IMF are, and from defending the defenseless against oppressors. Courage comes from shielding the weak from the untoward designs of the strong and the unjust. It comes from protecting the underdog from the unprovoked aggression of the top dog.

Since Tinubu came to power nearly a year ago, he has never implemented any policy that gives even an ounce of solace to the poor. Instead, like Muhammadu Buhari before him, he is a proud reverse Robin Hood who takes from the poor to enrich the already rich, with the recent IMF-directed astronomical increase in electricity tariffs—which makes electricity in Nigeria more expensive for “Band A” users than I pay in the United States—the latest example.

The only people who will benefit from the latest tariff hikes are Tinubu’s friends who own power generation and distribution companies. As a Tinubu-supporting friend pointed out to me on Friday, “This is a government of the elite, for the elite, and by the elite.”

In the United States where the IMF is headquartered, there are electricity subsidies for low-income households, yet it wants none for anybody in Nigeria. The primary federally funded electricity subsidy program here is called the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

LIHEAP provides eligible households with financial assistance for energy bills, emergency energy services to prevent disconnection, and low-cost home improvements, known as weatherization, to help make homes more energy efficient.

LIHEAP is funded by the federal government, but the program is administered at the state level, which means eligibility requirements and the form of assistance offered can vary from one state to another.

Generally, to qualify for LIHEAP, a household's income must fall below a certain threshold, which is typically set at a percentage of the federal poverty level or a percentage of the state's median income level.

In addition to LIHEAP, some states, utilities, and non-profit organizations offer additional assistance programs or subsidies to help low-income households with their energy needs. These programs may provide direct bill assistance, energy-efficient home improvements, or emergency aid for utility shutoff prevention.

Yet, the IMF has bludgeoned the Nigerian government into removing subsidies for electricity that isn’t even constant and reliable. And being the slavish lackeys that they are, they obeyed like dutiful, well-trained poodle dogs. Of course, it’s because it doesn’t hurt them, their immediate families, or their associates.

The IMF never tells Third Word leaders to increase the minimum wages of workers. Maybe that’s why Tinubu’s Guinness-World-Records-size courage is absent when it comes to approving a minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

The 30,000 naira minimum wage that the Muhammadu Buhari regime approved for workers expired in March. The Tinubu government had promised that a new minimum wage would start on April 1. That has turned out to be a cruel April Fools’ joke on Nigerians.

The last we heard of this issue is that the minimum wage committee would “reconvene mid-April to continue further negotiations and consultations on the new minimum wage expected to be announced by President Bola Tinubu on May 1, 2024.”

This is the same committee that requested 1.8 billion naira (which it later scaled back to 1 billion naira) just to sit in comfort and decide how much the least remunerated government worker will receive. “Start with N500 million first,” Tinubu wrote in a leaked memo.

As Shehu Sani quipped on Twitter, “The minimum wage committee… allocated the maximum wage for themselves.” What exactly does the 37-member committee—made up of governors who don’t pay the current 30,000-naira minimum wage even when money realized from petrol subsidy removal has tripled their monthly allocations— want to use a billion naira (later reduced to 500 million naira) to do?

There was no committee when petrol subsidies were removed. There was no committee for the removal of electricity subsidies, which will now ensure that Nigeria descends into total darkness. But when it comes time to increase the minimum wage of workers, an expensive committee is needed.

In other words, where the welfare of everyday folks is concerned, Tinubu loses his magisterial, self-affirming courage. He transforms from a lion to a chicken. His courage only emerges when he oppresses the poor and recedes when he is required to help the poor. May God save Nigerians from Tinubu’s courage.