The travails of Apostle Johnson Suleiman and the inciting words of the Sultan of Sokoto (Part 2) By FFK

An article written by Femi-Fani Kayode.
President Donald J. Trump summed it up rather well when he said, in reference to the Islamist terrorists and those that derive joy from committing genocide against Christians, that "they are sneaky dirty rats. They blow up people in a shopping centres and they blow up people in a church".
He went on to say "we are fighting sneaky rats right now that are sick and demented. And we are going to win.”

Finally he said, "the execution of Christians is no longer acceptable".

How right President Trump is. I thank God for his life every day. With him as leader of the free world, win we shall.

Yet sadly our Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who is undoubtedly a fine gentleman and who is a practising Pentecostal Christian, appears to be helpless and has done absolutely nothing to help and protect his own from the "sneaky dirty rats".

Clearly he has no power and he does not have the disposition or the political will and clout to take a stand against this great evil.

The best he could do was to issue a tepid statement telling Nigerian religious and political leaders not to allow religion to drive us apart.

He did not condemn the genocide that was being perpetrated by the Fulani militias and neither did he commiserate with the families of those that were butchered or express regret about the inability of the Federal Government to prevent the carnage.

The persecution and killings of Christians appears to just goes on and on even when we have a man that is a Christian as our Acting President.

Yet consider what happens when Christian leaders complain and speak out against the mass murder, the genocide and the insidious attempt to wipe away our faith from the face of the earth.

When our Christian clerics and political leaders rise up and call on Christians to defend themselves and their families where and when the state refuses or is unable to defend them against the practitioners of radical Islamic terror and the barbaric and cruel Fulani Janjaweed militias, our government starts storming their homes, locking them up and inviting them for questioning.

President Buhari and his government is arresting, questioning, detaining and harassing those that are being subjected to ethnic cleansing and genocide on a daily basis and they are turning a blind eye to those that are inciting and doing the killing!!!

I say shame on them. And let this be made abundantly clear: no-one is intimidated or scared of arrest or even death because eventually death must come to us all.

There are at least 100 million Christians in Nigeria today and Buhari cannot kill us all or lock us all up.

To the last man and woman we will continue to call on our people and our brothers and sisters in Christ to defend themselves, their homes and their loved ones wherever and whenever they are attacked by those that hate and seek to wipe out our faith where the government of the day refuses or fails in its constitutional duty to defend and protect us.

The Christians of Nigeria will no longer behave like lambs that are silently being led to the slaughter. We will no longer be killed without a fight.

Our God and our constitution requires us to protect our own and fight back when we are attacked and that is precisely what we will do.

The great American patriot and one of the principal players in the war of independence against British colonial rule, Thomas Jefferson said,

"When injustice becomes a law, resistance becomes a duty."

The leaders and the people of Nigeria need to learn from these profound words and take a cue from them.

Nobody likes violence and no-one wants a religious war. Peace and peaceful co-existence has always been our preference and has always been the Christian way.

However it must be clearly understood that if the radical Muslims in our midst insist on waging a bloody Jihad against us, we will not sit by idly and we will defend ourselves. Everyone must be clear on this. It would be a case of mutually assured destruction.

That is why the violence and the genocide that the Fulani militants are indulging in and perpetrating all over the north against Christians must stop.

That is why they must be arrested, prosecuted and hanged for their crimes against humanity.

His grace Prelate Sunday Ola Makinde of the Methodist Church got it right when he said,

"Suleiman should be law-abiding, let him go and face the DSS. Let us see if they will detain him and they will detain so many religious leaders in Abuja. Nigeria is greater than any religion and Nigeria is greater than anybody. The DSS should watch it. If they like, let me be the next victim. What is annoying them is that Suleiman converted from Islam to Christianity. Self-defence is permissible; they slapped our first cheek. They slapped the second cheek and we have no other cheek to turn for them. We may therefore resort to self-defence because this thing is becoming intolerable.”

The Prelate has spoken the mind of every right-thinking Christian in the country. Whatever happens to us as individuals does not matter. The only thing that matters is the defence of our people and our Church and the survival of our faith.

The Apostle Paul tells us in the Holy Bible that "to live is Christ and to die is gain". Consequently we do not fear what any man, any government or any cruel despot and tyrant can do to us.

Rather we count it all as joy. When we are absent in the body, we are present with the Lord. As they say, Christians don't die: they only change address.

The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ was spread by the blood of the martyrs and the suffering and sacrifice of the saints.

The history of the Christian faith and the Church over the last 2000 years since the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is replete with examples of such suffering and sacrifice.

The matter is simple and clear: the more Christians you torment, persecute, lock up and kill, the more the glorious gospel of our Lord and master will flourish and grow. It is a deep and inexplicable mystery but it is very real.

You cannot kill Christianity. You cannot shake our faith. You cannot stop the spreading of the gospel. You cannot deny us our rights. You cannot overwhelm us. You cannot intimidate us and you cannot defeat the God that we serve.

And, like Pharaoh, some may ask "who is this God?" The answer is as follows:

He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Blood of the Sprinkling, the Holy One of Israel and the I Am, That I Am.

He is the Lily of the Valley, the Rose of Sharon, the Lamb of God, the Lord of Life, the El Shaddai, the Elohim, the Adonai and the Ancient of Days.

He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the God of Gideon, Jeptha and Samson. He is the God of Moses, Joshua and David and the God of Daniel, Shedrack, Mishak and Abendego.

He is the solid Rock on which we stand and the holy foundation on which Peter built the Church. He is the husband of the widow and the father of the fatherless. He is the defender of the weak, the healer of the sick and the provider for the poor.

He is the Comforter whose Holy Spirit hovers like a small white dove and who roars and burns like a conquering lion and an all-consuming fire.

He is the Seven-fold Spirit of the Heavenly Hosts and the source and power of the four great winds of the earth.

He is the Man of War, the Prince of Peace, the Creator of the Universe and the Lord of Hosts.

He is the God of the Armies of Israel, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end and the giver and taker of life.

He is the God of all flesh who holds the universe together by the power of His word. He is the slayer of Pharaoh and Herod: none can stand against Him and creation bows before Him.

That is who He is and not even one hundred million inciting words from the Sultan of Sokoto or anyone else can change that.

For the Christians of Nigeria, despite all that we see, we must always remember that He is with us and, in the end, He will make all things beautiful.

We must shed our fears and, if nothing else, we must always remember that "to live is Christ and to die is gain!!!"

May the Lord deliver His people from the rising tide of evil in our country and may He strike down those that delight in shedding the blood of His children and in crushing the bones of His servants. Shalom. (Concluded.)

Three die in Port Harcourt’s first rain of the year - Precious Dikewoha

•Homes destroyed, telecoms masts fall
•Govt: we’ve revoked permits for billboards
Three persons were confirmed dead and several homes destroyed at Monday night’s rains in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
The downpour, which was accompanied by a thunder storm, also destroyed seven telecommunications masts and 25 advertising boards.
It was Garden City’s first rainfall in the year.
Some of the telecoms masts and advertising boards fell on homes, destroying goods and property estimated at millions of naira.
At Nkpolu School in Port Harcourt City Local Government, a telecoms mast fell on a 16-year-old boy, who was reportedly hawking pure water for his mother.
He was said to have died instantly.
Two other persons were seriously injured when advertising billboards fell on their homes.
The victims were rushed to hospital but did not make it. They were confirmed dead yesterday.
One of the victims, Mr. Ifeanyi Uba, whose shop and goods were destroyed when an advertising billboard fell on it, said two of his workers were injured and almost trapped.
He said: “I’m hoping that the government will come to our aid. Though I thank God that my workers didn’t die, because when the advertising billboard fell on the roof, it brought down the building. But we were able to bring them out.
“The rain was violent. It pulled down the advertising structures. This billboard has been here for more than 10 years. I am not asking for compensation but they should rebuild the shop because it will cost me more than N3 million to rebuild and I don’t have that kind of money.”
Mrs. Marry Ordu lost her three–year-old daughter to a telecoms mast.
In tears, she urged the owner of the mast to revive her daughter.
Culled from Nation

Trump Signs Order To Withdraw From Mega Trade Deal With Asia

Donald Trump has signed the order on withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

Washington:  President Donald Trump began recasting America's role in the global economy Monday, canceling an agreement for a sweeping trade deal with Asia as one of his first official White House actions.

After meeting with business executives to discuss the U.S. manufacturing industry, Trump headed to the Oval Office to sign an executive order formally ending the United States' participation in the TransPacific Partnership. The move was largely symbolic -- the deal was unlikely to make it through Congress -- but served to signal that Trump's tough talk on trade during the campaign will carry over to his new administration.

That could point to contentious negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement down the road. Trump repeatedly promised to reopen the 22-year-old deal with Mexico and Canada while on the campaign trail, and he reiterated his threat to punish U.S. companies that build factories abroad in brief remarks on Monday.

Trump's protectionist rhetoric is part of a global backlash against the drive toward greater internationalization that has existed since the end of World War II. British Prime Minister Theresa May, who is in the midst of navigating her country's own break from established trading partners, is slated to visit with Trump later this week. A White House spokesman said meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican Prime Minister Enrique Pena Nieto are in the works.

"What we want is fair trade," Trump said during his meeting with executives. "And we're gonna treat countries fairly, but they have to treat us fairly."

Among the business leaders Trump met with Monday was Dow Chemical Chief Executive Andrew Liveris, who said the the president tasked the executives to return in 30 days with a plan to shore up the manufacturing industry. He said there was extensive discussion of Trump's threat to impose border tax on U.S. companies that build factories in other countries and ship the goods back home -- a proposal that is shaping up to be a centerpiece of Trump's trade policy.

"I would take the president at his word here," Liveris said. "He's not going to do anything to harm competitiveness. He's going to actually make us all more competitive."

Still, it remains unclear exactly how the tax would be implemented. Testifying before the Senate finance committee last week, Trump's nominee to lead the Treasury Department said any border tax would be targeted at specific businesses. However, the president does not have the power to levy taxes, and international trade experts have warned singling out companies could violate existing treaties.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has proposed allowing businesses that export goods to deduct many of their expenses, while those that import would not receive the same benefit. But in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump dismissed the plan, known as border adjustment, as "too complicated."

Economists have warned that many of Trump's proposals -- including suggestions that he would impose blanket double-digit tariffs on goods from Mexico and China -- could backfire on the American economy by causing prices to rise or igniting a trade war. And business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had lobbied extensively for passage of TPP, touting the deal as an engine of job growth and an important check on China's growing ambitions.

"TPP withdrawal will slow US [economic] growth, cost American jobs, & weaken US standing in Asia/world," said Richard Haas, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said in a tweet early Monday. "China could well be principal beneficiary."

But other industry groups argued that Trump's approach would better leverage America's status as the world's largest economy. Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, said his group is hoping that opening up NAFTA could provide more leeway to combat currency manipulation in countries outside the agreement. His group, which represents both industry and unions, is also seeking more stringent rules of origin that dictate how much production must occur with member countries to qualify for free trade status.

"The details are going to matter a lot," Paul said. "Renegotiating NAFTA obviously entails some risks and some rewards."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Culled from NDTV

Pope Francis will 'wait and see' before judging Donald Trump as he warns against rise of leaders like Adolf Hitler-ByChristopher Bucktin

The Pontiff made the comments as the new US leader was being sworn in as the 45th President of the United States

Pope Francis has warned against the rise of populist leaders (Photo: Getty)

Pope Francis has warned against the rise of populist leaders like Adolf Hitler saying he would “wait and see” before making a judgement on Donald Trump .
The Pontiff made the comments as the new US leader was being sworn in as the 45th President of the United States.
Francis urged Trump to be guided by ethical values, saying he must take care of the poor and the outcast during his time in office .
"I think that we must wait and see. I don't like to get ahead of myself nor judge people prematurely," the Pope told Spanish newspaper El Pais.
"We will see how he acts, what he does, and then I will have an opinion.

The Pope says he will "wait and see" before he judges Donald Trump (Photo: Getty Images North America)

"But being afraid or rejoicing beforehand because of something that might happen is, in my view, quite unwise. It would be like prophets predicting calamities," he said.
The Pope warned Europeans against populism, saying they should not repeat the same mistakes as in the 1930s when they turned to "saviours" to resolve the economic and political crisis only to end up at war.
"Crises provoke fear, alarm. In my opinion, the most obvious example of European populism is Germany in 1933” he said.

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President Trump slams the "lying" media during CIA speech

“A people that were immersed in a crisis, that looked for its identity until this charismatic leader came and promised to give their identity back, and he gave them a distorted identity, and we all know what happened.
“In times of crisis, we lack judgement, and that is a constant reference for me... That is why I always try to say: talk among yourselves, talk to one another.”

Police arrest Premium Times publisher, Olorunyomi, - Tope Templer Olaiya

Dapo Olorunyomi

The Nigeria police yesterday raided the head office of an online medium, Premium Times in Abuja, and arrested the newspaper’s publisher, Dapo Olorunyomi, alongside the judiciary correspondent, Evelyn Okakwu.
Plain-clothes officers conducted a search at the office shortly after 5:00p.m. yesterday and said they were acting on a complaint filed by the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai.
The arrests came days after Premium Times turned down the army’s demand to retract news stories about the Nigerian Army and its operations.

The paper’s Editor-in-Chief, Musikilu Mojeed, condemned the raid. “They should stop deluding themselves that they can muzzle the press and intimidate Premium Times,” said Mr. Mojeed. “They should know that our loyalty lies with our readers and the Nigerian people who have a right to know.”
He said the paper will continue “to discharge its responsibilities in line with global best practices, social responsibility and patriotism, even at great risk to our personal liberties.”
The Nigerian Army had recently written to the newspaper, threatening to sue the paper for what it termed unwarranted serial provocative, unauthorised, libelous and defamatory publication” against the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, a Lieutenant General, and the army’s counter-insurgency operation in the north-east of the country.
The letter, dated December 22, 2016, and signed by I.M Alkali, a major general, on behalf of Mr. Buratai, accused the paper of publishing reports without reference to the army, adding that its stories exposed a “deep hatred for the leadership of the Nigerian Army.”
The letter expressed displeasure with three stories published by the medium between October and December last year.
The reports were those on the planned invitation of Buratai by the Code of Conduct Bureau for asset verification, the disappearance of a high number of soldiers after a Boko Haram attack and an investigation detailing how soldiers allegedly killed a kidnapped pastor and labeled him a kidnapper.
The army in its letter described the reports as “false,” “unsubstantiated,” and “unprofessional.”
Premium Times, had last week, through its lawyers, delivered a detailed response to the army, affirming its stories, and unequivocally rejecting the demand for retractions and apology.
The paper, instead, asked the army to write a letter within seven days of receiving its reply, withdrawing the allegations and threats against it and its staff, or risk being sued.
Jiti Ogunye, the newspaper’s principal counsel, who signed the response, took the army to task on the “grave implications” of its letter, describing the letter as a threat to the wellbeing and life of Premium Times’ staff.
“By your letter you have threatened the lives of our clients, and our clients are thus obliged to put the public on notice that should any harm come to them, you, the Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Army should be held accountable,” he wrote.
Ogunye said the “chilling threats” contained in the army’s letter was an affront on the constitutional guarantee of civilian control of the army and the freedom of the press.
The newspaper also claimed the army lied when it denied a report that its troops were being deployed to The Gambia as part of efforts to force President Yahya Jammeh from staying put in office.
In a report entitled Nigeria raises troops for The Gambia, ready to remove Yahya Jammeh last week Thursday, the paper said the army was sending a battalion of about 800 soldiers drawn from the 19 Battalion, Okitipupa, Ondo State, to The Gambia, possibly as part of a sub regional Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) intervention force.

Source: Guardian

Man aged 50 charged with murder after body of 'much loved' mum found in a suitcase BySteve RobsonAdrian Troughton and Richard Wheatstone

Ashwin Daudia, 50, will appear in court in Leicester charged with the murder of Kiran Daudia

Kiran Daudia who was found dead in Cromer Street, Leicester (Photo: Leicestershire Police)

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A man has been charged with murder after the body of a 'much loved' mum was found in a suitcase.
Kiran Daudia, 46, was found dead in a Leicester alleyway yesterday morning.
Leicestershire Police said last night they had charged Ashwin Daudia, 50, with murder and remanded him in custody.
Daudia, of Lyme Road, Leicester, will appear at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
Ms Daudia's family paid tribute to her saying: "Kiran was a much loved mum, daughter, sister and auntie, and she will be deeply missed by us all.
"We ask that our privacy be respected during this very difficult time."

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Police examine the scene after a body is found in a suitcase

Forensics officers are working at the scene (Photo: Leicester Mercury / SWNS)

The body was discovered in a nearby alleyway (Photo: Leicester Mercury / SWNS)

Neighbour Mohammed Asgar Pathan, 49, who lives just a few doors away from the Cromer Street, told the Leicester Mercury: "It is very worrying so close to my home.
"I came home at about 12.30pm on Tuesday to see all the police activity.

"They brought what I thought was a body out at about 3pm.
"The police came to the house last night and told us that a lady had been found in a suitcase."

Police have charged Ashwin Daudia with murder (Photo: Leicester Mercury / SWNS)

Forensics officers searched one address nearby (Photo: Leicester Mercury / SWNS.com)

Neighbours at the scene suggested there had been fears for a woman living locally who hadn't turned up for work at a local Next factory.
One colleague said: "It's scary, like something out of a film."

Police remain at the scene (Photo: Leicester Mercury / SWNS.com)

Forensics officers have been examining the scene (Photo: Leicester Mercury / SWNS.com)

Police have searched a nearby house (Photo: Leicester Mercury / SWNS.com)

Forensics officers appear to have been searching a nearby house as investigations continue at the scene.
Another neighbour added: "It's absolutely terrible. My wife’s scared.
"It's normally a quiet area but when things like this happen you feel that you want to see more police."

Culled from Mirror

Troops, Nigerian warship head for Gambia to sack Jammeh

Olaleye Aluko and Afeez Hanafi

Nigeria soldiers will, on Wednesday (today), arrive at a base of the Economic Community of West African States troops in Senegal to ensure that President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia steps down on Thursday, January 19.

Nigerian warship, NNS UNITY, is also heading for the coast of The Gambia to join the operation.

The PUNCH learnt from a top military source in the Nigerian Air Force that the troops would be briefed by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, in the early hours of Wednesday, before leaving for Senegal.

It was gathered that apart from the NAF and the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Army would also contribute troops, although the number of deployment could not yet be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.

The source said some of the NAF fighter jets were expected to airlift the troops.

He said, “I can confirm to you that men of the Air Force will leave for Senegal tomorrow (Wednesday). They will be briefed by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, at the Kainji base in Niger State.

“That Nigeria is deploying troops is now a certainty after several meetings with The Gambian president yielded no result. The Chiefs of Defence Staff of ECOWAS countries came to Abuja on Saturday, where they discussed what components each member state is expected to contribute to the troops that will force Yahya Jammeh out.

“The troops are expected to stay for two weeks and they will be received at a base in Senegal.”

Another military source added, “The NNS Unity is currently sailing off the coast of Ghana, after leaving from Lagos. It is not only Nigeria. Senegal is the host country for the troops, as it would be easy to launch an attack from there.”

The Defence Headquarters, Abuja, however, said it could not confirm the deployments, adding that it was a matter being coordinated by political leaders.

The Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, said, “We should not drag the Nigerian military into a political issue. What is happening is a political discussion between the ECOWAS leaders, aimed at solving a political impasse in one of its member states.

“Whatever they agreed to do is what will happen. Therefore, the military is not for any engagement regarding Jammeh or any other person for that matter.”

Adama Barrow of the opposition party won the December 1, 2016, presidential election but Jammeh, who initially conceded defeat by congratulating Barrow, made a U-turn a week later, saying he would challenge the results.

Despite interventions by the African Union and ECOWAS, Jammeh insisted he would not hand over power to Barrow.

This stance informed the decision of the leaders to withdraw their recognition for Jammeh as the Gambian president after Thursday.

Meanwhile, Jammeh, on Tuesday, declared a 90-day state of emergency 24 hours to the end of his tenure.

He warned security forces against violating the order or engaging in acts likely to cause a breach of the peace, and denounced “foreign interference in The Gambia’s election.”

The declaration of a state of emergency by the embattled President followed a rejection of his injunction to stop Barrow’s inauguration by the Gambian Chief Justice, Emmanuel Fagbenle, on Monday.

In a televised announcement on Tuesday, Jammeh said, “Any acts of disobedience to the laws of the Gambia, incitement of violence and acts intended to disturb public order and peace are banned under the state of emergency.”

He directed security forces to “maintain absolute peace, law and order.”

Barrow is currently in Senegal and due to security fears, he was unable to attend the funeral of his eight-year-old son, who died on Monday after a dog bite.

Culled from Punch