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Battle I Couldn't Afford To Lose - Edo Gov Okpebholo Remembers Anenih
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May 19, 2025
Battle I Couldn't Afford To Lose - Edo Gov Okpebholo Remembers Anenih https://osazuwaakonedo.news/battle-i-couldnt-afford-to-lose-edo-gov-okpebholo-remembers-anenih/02/04/2025/ #Politics #Abuja #Anenih #edo #election #Okpebholo #Tribunal #Uromi ©April 2nd, 2025 ®April 2, 2025 11:08 am Eve to the judgement day slated by the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja over the September 2024 Governorship election outcome, the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo who may know his fate today, took to his personal verified X social media account, specifically at about 10pm on Tuesday to narrate the multiple battles is currently facing in office in recent days, remembering the teachings of one of the well known political godfathers in Edo State and Nigeria politics, late Chief Tony Anenih, with emphasis on how his political enemies wanted him to fail over the 16 travellers killed last Thursday at Uromi town in the Esan North East Local Government Area of the state by irate mob over allegations that the victims were kidnappers terrorizing the community. #OsazuwaAkonedo
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eve to the judgment day slated by the
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Edo state election petition tribunal
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sitting in Abuja over the September 2024
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governorship election outcome the Edeto
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state governor Monday OPO who may know
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his fate today took to his personal
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verified exocial media account
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specifically at about 10 p.m on Tuesday
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to narrate the multiple battles is
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currently facing in office in recent
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days remembering the teachings of one of
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the well-known political godfathers in
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Edeto state and Nigeria politics late
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Chief Tony Anony with emphasis on how
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his political enemies wanted him to fail
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over the 16 travelers killed last
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Thursday at a Romy town in the Essen
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Northeast local government area of the
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state by Iraq mob over allegations that
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the victims were kidnappers terrorizing
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the community detailed accounts of the
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long thread of posts as published by
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Governor Monday Obo on his personal
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exocial media account on Tuesday reads
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verbatim below the battle I couldn't
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afford to lose there are moments in life
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when you are faced with multiple battles
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each screaming for your attention each
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pulling you in a different direction it
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is in such times that wisdom not
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emotions must lead many years ago I
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stood with Chief Tony Anony in the car
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park of his home in Aromi watching him
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navigate a storm of political battles
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what surprised me was how calm he
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remained almost too calm except for one
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particular issue that seemed to occupy
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his mind curious I asked him why he
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started "Apacamiser," as he called me in
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life when you are faced with several
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battles at the same time and you do not
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have the resources to fight them all you
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focus on the one that carries the
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greatest consequence if you lose i never
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forgot those words on March 28th when
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the tragic incident in Aromy happened
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that weight of leadership every leader
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knows became heavier i was bombarded
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from all sides with diverse concerns
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your excellency you must not be seen
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standing against your people you can't
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blame them they've suffered enough at
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the hands of criminals you are the
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governor of Edeto state why are you
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going to beg northerners you must bring
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the perpetrators to book justice must be
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served on Friday night while receiving a
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briefing from one of the security agents
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he said gravely "Your Excellency we
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should expect possible reprisals in the
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north and even within Edeto Central." At
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that moment I knew which battle I could
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not afford to lose
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i imagine families in the north watching
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the gruesome video seeing their sons
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fathers brothers hacked down in a
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foreign land far from home the shock the
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anger the calls for revenge i imagined
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the innocent traders students and
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workers from Edeto traveling through or
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living in northern states becoming
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sudden targets of retaliation for
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something they knew nothing about i
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imagined chaos reprisal killings in the
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north counterreactions in the south
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travelers afraid to journey through
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parts of Nigeria and our nation once
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again thrown into unnecessary bloodshed
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no that was the battle I could not lose
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so at 4:00 a.m on Saturday I left Abuja
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by road for a roaming i needed to look
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my people in the eyes not just read
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reports on a desk i needed to hear their
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frustrations their anger and their fears
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i ensured the bodies of the slain were
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recovered and transported back to the
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grieving families i ensured the injured
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survivors received treatment and were
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safely reunited with their loved ones i
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charged security agencies to go after
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the perpetrators i engaged our northern
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brothers in Edo i assured them that the
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actions of a few did not define our
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people i believe a true leader does not
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let emotions blind him from doing what
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is right edo people are known for their
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hospitality not hatred that point had to
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be established i knew the matter could
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not end in a Romi i flew back to Abuja
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to brief the president and met with
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security chiefs to ensure national
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coordination i engaged critical northern
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stakeholders including Deputy Senate
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President Senator Barau Gibrin to seek
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lasting peace but I needed to go further
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i had to face the grieving families
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directly so I traveled to Carno State to
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meet Governor Abbabir Ysef a man whose
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understanding and generosity in this
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situation I deeply appreciate together
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we drove over 2 hours to bank a local
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government where the families of the
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deceased were mourning i will never
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forget that moment the pain in their
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eyes the way mothers held pictures of
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their sons the weight of sorrow in their
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voices as they spoke i had no words to
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erase the grief but I had the
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responsibility to show that Edo state
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stands against what happened i reminded
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them that many northerners have lived in
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Edo for decades just as many Edo indigen
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have lived in Carno and across the north
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we are all Nigerians hate cannot solve
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this i offered compensation to the
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grieving families not because money can
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replace a life but because
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responsibility must be taken i also met
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with the Edeto and southern communities
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in Carno to strengthen peace and assure
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them of their safety now let me be clear
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justice will be served the 14
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individuals responsible will face the
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full weight of the law that is
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non-negotiable anyone who violates the
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law must face the consequences but my
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first duty was to stop more blood from
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being spilled to those who secretly
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hoped for mass killings and chaos just
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so they could score cheap political
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points you have been put to shame and I
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I know you now feel regret for your
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intentions to those who feel
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disappointed i understand i am coming
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back home i will sit with my people as I
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always do we will talk we will heal and
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together we will find our own solutions
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for our own problems here is the lesson
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I leave you with when life throws
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multiple battles at you always fight the
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one that has the greatest consequence if
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you lose that is leadership that is
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wisdom that is why I am here we had
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reported that the Edeto state governor
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Monday ovolo on Monday visited Carno
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state to sympathize with the people of
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the state over the last Thursday killing
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of travelers at a Romy town in the Essen
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northeast local government area of Edeto
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state when some youths in the Edeto
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community that have been experiencing
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incessant killings and abductions of the
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villages by suspected herders stopped a
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moving Dangote cement truck and found
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the travelers to be in possession of 19
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locally fabricated guns
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which some members of the public claimed
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the travelers were hunters traveling
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from Port Harkort in Rivers state to
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Caro with the guns alleged to be
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licensed this the Nigeria police boss
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the inspector general of police IGP Care
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Eggbeen apparently dismissed the
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allegations that the Dane guns were
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licensed and probably described the
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victims to be in possession of illegal
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firearms and thus warned and directed
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anyone in possession of illegal firearms
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to surrender such to the nearest police
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station and directed the deputy
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inspector general of police in charge of
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the force criminal investigation
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department FCID dig Sadiq Abu Bakr to
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take over the case with reports
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indicating that the 14 suspects arrested
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in connection to the mobbing and burning
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to death of the travelers said to be 16
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in numbers may have been transferred to
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Abuja for police investigation
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bringing you the news in a more digital
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[Music]
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