Charley Boy disgraces Okorocha at Oputa’s burial

Charles Oputa a.k.a. Charley Boy

Arequiem mass organised for the late Socrates of the Supreme Court, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa at his country home in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State was disrupted yesterday, when the first son of the former erudite judge, Charles Oputa, a.k.a Charley Boy prevented Governor Rochas Okorocha from paying tribute to his father. Eye witnesses said that the mass which was conducted by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rt Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Oguta, went on smoothly until Okorocha was permitted by the Bishop to pay his tribute to the fallen judge. However, Chief Okorocha, was stopped midway into his speech, by Charley Boy who was visibly infruiated with Kukah for granting the governor the permission to speak. He walked up angrily to the altar and snatched the micro- phone from the governor, to the embarrassment of all the dignitaries present. It was a disgrace to the governor. Among eminent Nigerians present at the church service included representative of President Goodluck Jonathan, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Governors Willie Obiano (Anambra), Theodore Orji (Abia); the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha and former governors of Anambra State, Senator Chris Ngige and Mr Peter Obi respectively. Also present, were the former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim,, Senator Uche Chukwumerije and the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu, the state Police Commsiioner, Almajid Ali and the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, for Oguta, Ikembuchukwu Abugu. The intervention of Bishop Kukah could not assuage Charly Boy’s anger as he insisted that no politician would take advantage of his father’s burial to score “cheap political” goals. He insisted that the Governor should not speak at the event. However, obviously embarrassed by Charley Boy’s action, the Governor and members his entourage hurriedly left the church service mid -way, despite entreaties from the officiating Bishop Kuka for them to stay on. It was gathered that Charly Boy’s action followed a recent statement by Government House, Owerri, to the effect that the Oputa family was given N20 million to assist it in the burial arrangements. Sources told Saturday Vanguard, however, that “the family never received a dime from either Okorocha or the state government, not to talk of the alleged N20 million said to have been made available to them,’’ as reported by a section of the media. Earlier in his sermon, Bishop who lauded the virtues of Justice Oputa, stressed that “to tolerate a son like Charley Boy by a man of late Justice Oputa’s reputation, is a measure of the greatness of the man.” He called on Nigerians to stand up in defence of justice and equity, adding that late Oputa had serious liking for the concept of justice and equity during his life time. ”Oputa before he died, was worried about the quality of Nigerian lawyers and judges because he believed in the judiciary as the last hope of the nation. Today, his legacies are beyond his immediate family,” Bishop Kuka said Meanwhile, the state government has described the incident that played out at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Oguta, as “ugly and regrettable.” According to a statement by the Seniour Special Assistant, SSA, Media, to Governor Okorocha, Mr Sam Onwuemodo, “It is highly regrettable that the son of the late Justice, Mr Charles Emeka Oputa, aka, Charly Boy, threw caution to the wind and turned the church service into a political theatre that saw him acting or playing out the script he drafted in Abuja with some Imo politicians, who have remained cowed by the overwhelming popularity of Governor Rochas Okorocha.” Onwuemeodo insisted that the state government made “substantial financial input and also organized a special day of tributes for the late Justice Oputa at the expense of state government with Charly Boy also present with other members of the family. ”We condemn that ugly incident and also wish to advise politicians from the state to stop heating up the polity over power since God is the giver of power. In 2015, God will decide who will be governor of Imo State and when God decides that, there is nothing anybody can do about it.” He did not make to reference to the N20m said to have been given to the family.
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state

Another bomb blast in Nigeria capital city..

explosion rocked a parking lot at a crowded plaza in Nigeria's capital Wednesday afternoon, killing 21 people and injuring 17 others, a spokesman for Nigeria's relief agency said. The blast at Emab Plaza in Abuja's Wuse II business district happened around 4 p.m. local time, said Ezekiel Manzo, spokesman for Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency. The explosion destroyed 40 vehicles, he said. "There was an explosion at ever-busy Emab Plaza around 4 p.m. at the peak of business," he said. "We have succeeded in evacuating people from the area, and security personnel have taken control of the scene.
The Coordinator, National Information Centre, Mr Mike Omeri, said on Wednesday that soldiers killed one of the suspected bombers of EMAB Plaza in Abuja and arrested another. Omeri told newsmen in Abuja that the attackers came on a power bike and planted an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) by the entrance of the shopping mall. He also confirmed the death of 21 persons and 17 others injured in the blast which also damaged several vehicles. NAN gathered that the suspects, who attempted to flee the scene of the incident, were shot and arrested by personnel of the Guards Brigade on patrol duty in the area. One of them later died from wounds sustained from gunshots while a bag containing IEDs was also recovered from the suspects. NAN correspondents reported that some of the victims were receiving treatment at the National Hospital, Wuse General Hospital and Maitama General Hospital, where movement had been restricted. FCT Minister Bala Mohammed gave an assurance during a visit to the Maitama hospital that the Federal Government would foot the medical bills of the victims. Mohammed advised residents to be very vigilant at all times and report suspicious movements to security agencies for prompt action to check such attacks.

Nigerians reject Shell compensation offer

Members of Bodo community in Niger Delta reject offer for $ 51 m as compensation for two oil spills in 2008 . Nigerians affected by two major oil spills in the country in 2008 have rejected an offer by the Royal Dutch Shell for a compensation of up to $ 51 m. On Friday, the lawyer representing the claimants rejected the Shell offer. " Shell have consistently sought to underestimate the damage whilst paying only lip service to an apology . These spills , which are some of the largest oil spills in history , have devastated a community of many thousands of people and ravaged the environment, " Martyn Day said in a statement . " The offer of 30 million pounds [ $ 51 m] has been offered before and has been flatly refused by our clients who found it insulting and derisory , nothing has changed this view . " Around 11 , 000 residents of the Bodo community in the Niger Delta represented by law firm Leigh Day appealed in 2011 to a London court for compensation for the spilling of 500, 000 barrels of oil , according to Shell. In a preliminary hearing ahead of a trial which will take place in May 2015 , the London high court ruled that Shell 's Nigerian subsidiary could be liable if it were proven that it did not take reasonable steps to protect and maintain the pipeline from thefts which have plagued the key African oil producer . " Short of a policing or military or paramilitary defence of the pipeline , it is my judgement that the protection requirement involves a general shielding and caring obligation , " the judge said in a ruling. Leigh Day argued that under the Nigerian Oil Pipelines Act anyone who suffered from an oil spill can claim compensation if they can show a company was guilty of neglect in failing to " protect , maintain or repair " its pipeline .

Shell plea Shell urged the claimants to reach a settlement before the May trial that is expected to last three months. " From the outset , we ' ve accepted responsibility for the two deeply regrettable operational spills in Bodo , " Mutiu Sunmonu , Managing Director of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd ( SPDC ) , said in a statement . " We hope the community will now direct their UK legal representatives to stop wasting even more time pursuing enormously exaggerated claims and consider sensible and fair compensation offers, " Sunmonu said. Thousands of oil spills have occurred in Nigeria since the 1970 s as a result of oil theft, many of which have yet to be cleaned up .

GOVERNOR FAYEMI'S CONCESSION SPEECH

"If This Is the Will of the People" - Concession Speech by His Excellency, Dr. Kayode FAYEMI Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria Following the 2014 Gubernatorial Election at Government House, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria Sunday, June 22, 2014 Protocols In o kun o Ekiti kete. Yesterday, Ekiti State decided. Following the gubernatorial elections held in the land of honour, Ekiti State, Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially returned the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election. If indeed this is the will of the Ekiti People, I stand in deference to your will. If the result of the elections is an expression of the voice of our people, we must all heed your voice. I have just spoken with my brother, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, congratulating him on his victory. In a few hours from now, I would be meeting the Governor-elect to discuss the future of our dear state and how we would work together to institute a smooth transition programme. It has been a hard fought election. As expected, in the course of the campaigns, there were unsavory episodes as the candidates toured the nooks and crannies of the state to sell ourselves to the people. Elections tend to be highly divisive affairs that often see brother rising against brother. Despite our diverse party affiliations, and regardless of which way we voted on Saturday, we must remember that we are all sons and daughters of Ekiti State. Ekiti is ours to build together. On our part, over the course of the campaigns, we presented our scorecards before the people of Ekiti State. We never at any point took your support for granted. We campaigned, we canvassed and we traversed the nooks and crannies of this State. Our performance and achievements in office will remain the backdrop against which the next government and indeed future governments will be assessed. We are proud that with the support of Ekiti people, we have raised the bar of excellence in governance. In all, we gave our best, for conscience and for posterity. Indeed a new sociology of the Ekiti people may have evolved. However, the task of understanding how the outcome of this election has defined us as a people will be that of scholars. For us as an administration and a cadre of political leaders in Ekiti State, we have fought a good fight, we have kept faith. To members of our party, our campaign team and indeed all Ekiti people who defied the siege on our state to cast their votes for our party, I salute your exemplary courage and doggedness in the face of harassment. Thank you for staying the course. The incidences of brazen harassment, intimidation and allied infractions on fundamental human rights, which many of you suffered in the hands of agents of the state, would be documented and communicated to the appropriate authorities, for the records. I thank you all for listening. May God bless the land of honour, Ekiti State, Nigeria. May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Dr. Kayode Fayemi Governor, Ekiti State Sunday, June 22, 2014

Ayo Fayose wins Ekiti elections

Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been elected Governor of Ekiti state. The Returning Officer for the 2014 governorship elections and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Oye- Ekiti, Professor Isaac Azuzu announced the results of the governorship elections in Ekiti State declaring the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Ayodele Fayose, who was governor of Ekiti State from 29 May 2003 to 16 October 2006, winner of the contest. Mr Fayose scored a total of 203090 to defeat other candidates who participated in the exercise. The Returning Officer, before announcing the results, called on party agents of the various political parties that participated in the elections to sign for the results sheet which indicates that they agree to the process and the election result. Professor Azuzu said ” I wish to announce that Dr Tope Aluko of the PDP and Mr Dele of the National Conscience Party, NCP, have signed the result sheet”. In the breakdown of the final result, Professor Azuzu said “we have come to the grand finale of this exercise. Accord-268, AA–146, AA–146, APC-120433, AD–843, CPP-967, LP 18125, KOWA –222, CPP–967, PDP-203090, MPPP- 137, NCP–322, PDC–921, PPA–1050, SDP–65, UDP-67 In the meantime, the APC leadership, last night, issued a statement, rejecting the outcome of the election.

World Cup: Sixteen years of waiting is over...

Peter Odemwingie's first-half goal gave Nigeria a 1-0 win over Bosnia in World Cup Group F on Saturday and condemned the European team to an early exit in their first appearance in the finals. The Nigerians' first World Cup finals victory since 1998 put them on four points from two games, two less than Argentina who they meet in the final group match on Wednesday with top spot at stake. Nigeria took the lead after 29 minutes when Odemwingie fed Emmanuel Emenike on the right wing and raced into the box to receive the striker's low return before clipping the ball under goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. The Bosnian bench angrily protested that Emenike had fouled captain Emir Spahic as he bundled past him into the box before making his cross. The tournament newcomers had earlier been denied a goal in a poor offside decision against striker Edin Dzeko after he ran on to a through pass and beat goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama in the 21st minute. This video is not available. Dzeko had another shot saved by Enyeama but he was well off target with chances later in the half as he fought a lonely battle with the Nigeria defence. The more experienced Nigerians, playing in their fifth World Cup, created several chances in the first half but were let down by the final pass, poor control or wayward shooting and a couple of smart diving saves by Begovic. The Bosnia keeper made a string of saves to keep his side in the match in a second half of end-to-end excitement and Dzeko's shot was deflected on to the post deep into stoppage time.

Ekiti Gubernatorial Election: Early Results Shows PDP Candidate, Ayo Fayose, Leading With A Wide Margin

Collation of results have begun in almost all the Sixteen local governments areas of Ekiti State. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ad hoc staffs are now announcing the results of the elections at the various polling units and wards across the state. Early results shows that former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is leading and may likely win the final votes, if the trend continues. Some of the gubernatorial election results from Ekiti State are below: (1.) Iworoko Polling unit 008 :PDP - 109, APC - 63 (2.) Usi Ekiti Unit 009, Usi Grammar school : PDP-79, APC- 41, LP-3, Accord- 0, CPP- 1, PPA-1, PDC-2. (3.) Ado LG, Unit 004 ward 004 : PDP- 199, APC-84, LP-21. (4) Iworoko ward 005 :PDP- 64, APC-37, LP-8. (5).Iworoko Ward 009 : PDP-78, APC-19, LP-10. (6.) Okeyemi, Ward 005, Unit 11 : PDP- 162, APC, 57, LP-8. (7.) Onikoye's Palace IKLG, Unit 16: PDP- 78, APC-50, LP-5. (8.) Erinmope ward 2 Unit 006: PDP- 47, APC-66, LP-4. (9.) Imesi Ekiti Ward 5 Unit 003 : PDP-36, APC-46, LP-2, PDC-1, PPA-1, NCP- 1. (10.) Methodist Polling Unit, Ifaki-Ekiti : PDP-51, APC-1, LP-1 IKERE EKITI Health Centre Ward 010 Unit 7: PDP- 270, APC-81, LP-6 Health Centre Ward 010 Unit 8: PDP- 252, APC-81, LP-18. WARD 10 OKEMESI: Emiloju: PDP 59, APC 25 Saloro: PDP 26, APC 13 CAC: PDP 47, APC 18 Ita-Ode: PDP 36, APC 6 Adetoyinbo: PDP 67, APC 39 Town Hall: PDP 80, APC 45 Aro/Saba: PDP 40, APC 36 Obalekosi: PDP 74, APC 44 Ogborodo:PDP 47, APC 56 Obalogbo: PDP 58, APC 29 Akeji:PDP 3, APC 14 Kanmodi:PDP 11, APC 9 Ikole LGA: Odo Oro:PDP 748, APC 564 Igbara Odo ward 8: Unit 02 PDP-75,APC-52 n LP-7 Unit 11 PDP-73,APC-33 and LP-2 Unit06 PDP-70,APC-51 and LP-3. Unit 09 PDP-68,APC-22 n LP-5. Unit 13A PDP-98,APC-55 n LP-5. Unit 13B PDP-108,APC-26 n LP-8. Ara Ekiti Polling Unit 002 PDP 102, APC 32 Igbara - Odo Ekiti Ward 8, Polling Unit 009 APC 32, LP 11, PDC 01, PDP 69 Polling Unit 008 PDP 62, APC 47, LP 2 Imesi Ekiti, Ward 5, Polling Unit 003 PDP 36, PDC 1, PPA 1, NPC 1, APC 4 Ilawe Ekiti: APC 12, PDP 69, LP 2 Ward 1, Polling Unit 1 PDP 46, APC 21 Eyio Ekiti Polling Unit 001 PDP 72, APC 40 Polling Unit 002 PDP 102, APC 30 Polling Unit 003 PDP 67, APC 64 Polling Unit 004 PDP 93, APC 23, LP 5 * These results are not authentic until the Independent National Electoral Commission certifies them so

PayPal expands payment services to Nigeria, 9 other markets

PayPal is entering 10 new countries this week, including Nigeria, providing online payment alternatives for consumers via mobile phones or PCs in markets often blighted by financial fraud. Rupert Keeley, the executive in charge of the EMEA region of PayPal, the payments unit of eBay Inc, said in an interview on Monday the expansion would bring the number of countries it serves to 203. Starting on Tuesday, consumers in Nigeria, which has 60 million users and has Africa’s largest population, along with nine other markets in sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America will be able to make payments through PayPal. “PayPal has been going through a period of reinvention, refreshing many of its services to make them easier to use on mobile (phones), allowing us to expand into fast-developing markets,” Keeley said. Once the services go live, customers in the 10 countries with access to the Web and a bank card authorized for Internet transactions will be able to register for a PayPal account and make payments to millions of sites worldwide. Initially, PayPal is only offering “send money” services for consumers to pay for goods and services at PayPal-enabled merchant sites while safeguarding their financial details. This is free to consumers and covered by fees it charges merchants. “We think we can give our sellers selling into this market a great deal of reassurance,” said Keeley, a former regional banking executive with Standard Chartered Plc and senior executive with payment card company Visa Inc. PayPal does not yet cover peer-to-peer transactions, which allow consumers to send money to other consumers. It has not yet enabled local merchants in the new markets to receive payments, nor is it offering other forms of banking services, he said. A 2013 survey of 200 UK ecommerce sites by Visa’s CyberSource unit estimated that 1.26 percent of online orders are fraudulent and that 85 percent of merchants expected fraud to increase or remain static last year. CyberSource also estimated that suspicion of fraudulent transactions result in 8.2 percent of online orders in Latin America being rejected by merchants, compared with 5.5 percent in Europe and 2.7 percent in the United States and Canada. Such fraud can include ID theft, social engineering, phishing and automated harvesting of customer financial data via botnets, or networks of computers controlled by hackers. A total of 80 million Internet users stand to gain access to PayPal global services this week, including those in five European markets – Belarus, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco and Montenegro, four in the African nations of Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Zimbabwe, as well as Paraguay. Internet usage figures are based on research by Euromonitor International. PayPal counts 148 million active accounts worldwide. Last week, MasterCard Inc, the world’s second-largest debit and credit card company, and a PayPal rival in payment processing, said it was working with the Nigerian government on a pilot to overlay payment technology on a new national identity card. PayPal has operated in 190 markets since 2007 and added three countries – Egypt, Georgia and Serbia last year. Roughly a quarter of the $52 billion in payment volumes PayPal reported in the first quarter of 2014 were for cross-border transactions. PayPal reported $1.8 billion in revenue during the period. (Reuters)

Mr. Bode George: No Nigerian should be above the law

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, Olabode George, on Saturday said the immunity clause for presidents and governors should be deleted from the Nigerian constitution. Mr. George

 said no Nigerian should be above the law, including the president and vice, as well as governors and their deputies who are currently enjoy constitutional protection from criminal charges while in office. “In America, nobody is above the law. We still remember the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky case while Clinton was in office. “Exponents say that the fact that people trusted you to manage their resources does not make you a super human being. “But the opponents said Nigeria was at the level of democratic practice where removal of immunity will lead to frivolous cases,” he stated. Mr. George was one of the few high profile political officials tried and convicted of corruption. He was jailed in 2009 for 30 months. In December 2013, the Supreme Court quashed all the charges against Mr. George, saying he was charged on a law that did not exist at time the said crime was committed. Addressing journalists in Lagos, Mr. George said the immunity clause has outlived its usefulness, and that there are procedures to follow if frivolous cases are raised against a president or governor. “I support the idea that it should be expunged because it will start to assist the growth of the nation,” he said. Mr. George, who is a delegated at National Conference said that regionalism is no longer a viable in Nigeria. The debate on regionalism and removal of the immunity clause has continued to generate heated arguments at the on-going National Conference. Mr. George, who is a member of the Committee on Politics and Governance at the conference, argued that states would refused to merge in the hope of regionalism. “We tried the analysis at the confab and 33 out of the 36 states representatives said no. “If states that think they are not very viable to stay alone are so concerned about survival, then let them merge via referendum of their people. “The idea of regionalism was muted by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo to recognise minorities on both sides of the divide. “I do not see many states agreeing to be ruled again by one premier. It cannot work.” He said there is a need for economic cooperation among all the federating states which, he said, would make more sense. Mr. George said Nigeria is better off with a presidential system of government, based on the principle of zoning. He said that Nigeria’s democracy would not have lasted this long if not for the zoning arrangement. “With zoning, every region has something to go home with. If Nigeria wants to practise true federalism, the Federal Government should concern itself with the states. “Let the states decide how many councils they want but sharing will be on two levels. The councils will cease to be part of the national sharing. “We are talking about equality and fairness. If we want peace in Nigeria, let whatever comes to the pool be shared equally. “That way people will still have a sense of fairness and belonging,” he argued. The PDP chieftain also criticised the payment of pension to elected public officials, urging states already practising it to cancel it. “We kicked against the issue of pension, when it was started in Lagos. “As an ex-governor, I don’t take pension from my state. No ex-governor deserves a pension after eight years in office. “It is immoral and ungodly to reap the people off like that amid so much poverty. “Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State is a man, who respects the voice of the people by cancelling his planned pension scheme.” Mr. George said that if elected, a PDP government in Lagos State would cancel pension for ex-governors. Speaking also on the current insurgency in the country, Mr. George explained that the method of fighting terror is different because the enemy is unknown. “Yes the buck stops on the President’s table but every Nigerian must be involved and speak up against it. “It is not a matter of going to rout the Chibok girls out. The President is also concerned because he is also a father. “The Chibok girls’ abduction is a national disaster for all Nigerians. Our sympathy should be suggestions not castigations,” Mr. George said. On the upcoming Ekiti polls, he said that it would be a repeat of the voting pattern in the state in 2003. “Ekiti people are ready. Nobody can rig and get away with it in Ekiti State. This time, it will be one-man one- vote,” he said, charging the people not to be cowed or muscled. “I pray for peace. I pray that all will go well,” he added. (NAN)

World Cup: Will Super Eagles crush Iran...

That is the story on the lips of well over 150 million Nigerians. since the commencement of the world cup, the outcome of the games of the top seeded countries has shown that there are no smaller teams in the world football biggest stage. Nigeria will be going all out later today at 8 PM local time, information reaching us from the camp of the Super Eagles says that the Coach Stephen Keshi has declared that the Super Eagles are set to crush the national team of Iran when they trade tackles.Keshi's men face Iran in their Group F opener on Monday, but he said he will not be deploying any more aggressive tactics given the bevy of goals that have been scored. "For me, scoring 100 goals is not important for me," Keshi said. "If we score one goal and I win my games up to the finals, I will love it, I will kiss you all over. "I don't want to score 10 goals in one game then find I'm out in the next game, it doesn't make sense. "Whatever comes I'll take it as long as there is progression in my team. "So far in the tournament everything has been entertaining. "More players in attacking positions, playing good football because the audience needs to enjoy it." Despite conceding the current Nigeria team is 'like a baby', Keshi said his squad can usurp the efforts of the African nation's first trip to a World Cup in 1994, when they reached the round of 16. "It's like a year and a half old team, the team of 1994 was like five or six years old," said Keshi, who played in the group game in USA '94. "We were together and there was a lot of experience in the team and great talent like a lot of great players. "I have the same in this group, it's not fully what I'm looking for if you are comparing to 1994. "In 1994, spirit was very high, we don't care where the team is coming from, we know if we go out there we are going to win this game. "The mentality was very strong, here we are building that, trying to build in the same spirit and once we get our spirit, trust me, we can be stronger than 1994." Captain Joseph Yobo said Nigeria can surprise their doubters with a youthful squad. "It's going to be my third World Cup, and I'm not just here to participate," Yobo said. "We know it's not going to be easy, in the previous World Cups we haven't done very well. "We have our head coach here, we are current African champions, we just want continuity. "We did very well, now we are here we have a lot of young players as well but very talented so people are going to be surprised."

45 killed by ‘fake preachers’ near Boko Haram stronghold

MAIDUGURI (AFP) – FForty-five people were killed by suspected Boko Haram gunmen pretending to be preachers in a village near the group’s spiritual home in northeast Nigeria, two residents said on Thursday. The attack happened at about 9:30 pm (2030 GMT) on Wednesday in Barderi, on the outskirts of Maiduguri, and saw insurgents hoodwink locals into congregating before opening fire on the crowd. Itinerant preaching is commonplace in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria and the fake clerics reportedly told villagers that they had come to show them “the righteous path”. Mallam Bunu, who survived the attack, said: “I counted 45 bodies after the attackers left the village. “They came to our village… and lied to us that they had come to preach to us and when almost all the villagers had gathered, another set of insurgents emerged from nowhere and opened fire on the congregation before we all scampered for safety.” Another survivor, Kallamu Bukar, said: “When we converged, another set of insurgents emerged from nowhere and joined those that were disguised as preachers. “They opened fire on the congregation. The assailants also set ablaze several houses, shops and other personal effects.” The attacks came after Boko Haram gunmen rampaged through four villages in the far-flung Gwoza district in Borno state on Tuesday. A local member of parliament described the attacks, which carried on into Wednesday, as “massive” while local community leaders said hundreds of people may have been killed. Gunmen also burned down a Roman Catholic church and a local government office in Madagali in neighbouring Adamawa state on Thursday morning. Borno, Adamawa and Yobe state have been under a state of emergency since May last year but apparent initial gains in forcing Boko Haram out of urban centres appear to have been lost. Attacks now occur on an almost daily basis in remoter border regions, increasingly against civilians, often due to the perception that local vigilante groups are assisting the military.