JUST IN: Atiku arrives US, to speak at Chamber of Commerce

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), will be speaking at the United States
Chamber of Commerce in DC on Friday, TheCable
report^[1]

The former vice-president is expected to speak at the Chamber of
Commerce on Friday, from 2:30pm to 4pm.

The private roundtable, which is hosted by the US Chamber of
Commerce and the US Africa Business Centre, is expected to hold at
1615 H street, NW 20062.

TheCable had exclusively reported in December 2018 that Atiku
had been issued with a US visa for the first time in 13 years.

TheCable can also confirm that the former vice-president, who
has been unable to enter the US for years, arrived in the US on
Thursday.

His row with the US authorities began after the FBI investigated
a bribery scandal involving William Jefferson, former US
congressman, in 2004.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has repeatedly said he was
running away from investigations by the US authorities.

Adams Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the APC, had said
Atiku could not travel everywhere, asking Nigerians to elect
President Muhammadu Buhari whom he said could go everywhere.

“We have a president whose integrity cannot be faulted anywhere
in the world, but the PDP has a presidential candidate who can only
travel to Dubai,” Oshiomhole had said.

Atiku was accused of demanding a bribe of $500,000 to facilitate
the award of contracts to two American telecommunication firms in
Nigeria.

The FBI had searched his residence in the posh neighbourhood of
Potomac, Maryland, but no money was found.

The investigators had videotaped Jefferson, who was the
congressman representing Louisiana, receiving $100,000 worth of
$100 bills which he claimed was meant for Atiku, but the former
vice-president has consistently denied the allegation.

Former president Olusegun Obasanjo was said to have been very
instrumental in the process which made the US grant Atiku the
visa.

Atiku is expected to hold consultative forum with Nigerians in
diaspora.

The clarification came following an online tweet from the
Publisher of Ovation magazine, Mr. Dele Momodu, who shared the web
link of the online report. See his tweet below:

BREAKING… ATIKU LANDS IN US…https://t.co/0nEKXZANWl^[2]

— Dele Momodu Ovation (@DeleMomodu) January
17, 2019^[3]

Rann Attack: IDPs Flee to Cameroon Border-
NEMA

An attack in Rann, some 175 kilometres (110 miles) northeast of
the Borno state capital, Maiduguri,  on Monday  forced
civilians to flee.

The attack began at about 5:20 pm (1620 GMT) on Monday.

The attack has exacerbated already dire humanitarian conditions
on the ground as Rann officially hosts around 35,000 internally
displaced people (IDPs), according to the estimate of the
International Organization for Migration.

The military base was burnt by the terrorists, Locals and IDPs
fled as the Islamist militants set fire to camps and shelters.

Many people fled towards Bulale, on the Cameroon side of the
border.

Four IDPs were allegedly killed.  Several shelters were
burned. They also looted food supplies in the town.

The humanitarian operations in Rann have been scaled down since
March 2018 after a similar attack where three aid workers were
killed.

The National Emergency Management Agency has intensified efforts
to address the plight of distressed and displaced persons.

By Alh Saidu Minin

Zonal Coordinator NEMA NEZ