This is just as the police have established a dedicated hotline for members of the public to provide useful information that would assist them in the investigation and apprehension of the culprits involved in the slaying of about 30 policemen in Nasarawa State last week.

THISDAY learnt sunday that more than 24 hours after the kidnapping of the wife and daughter of the Supreme Court justice along with their driver in Benin City, the abductors were yet to make contact with the family of the victims.

A source at the Supreme Court, who asked for anonymity, said the IG  gave the order following a report by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Mr. Sunday Olorundahunsi, to Abubakar to intervene in rescuing the victims.

He said the IG immediately sent a signal to the Edo State Police Command and that had been combing the state for the victims, adding that nothing had turned up so far.

Reacting to their kidnapping, Lagos lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo,  has appealed to the kidnappers to release Justice Rhodes-Vivour’s wife and daughter.

He said: “The kidnappers should know that Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour is the wrong target for this dastardly act.
He does not deserve this agony.

“Again, the justices of the Supreme Court have not contributed in any way to the destruction of our values that has pushed young men and women into this kind of unholy enterprise. Rather, they have indeed played a constructive role in preserving and sustaining our democracy.

“Therefore, I passionately appeal to the kidnappers, wherever they may be, in the name of the God they serve, to release unharmed the wife and daughter of Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour.”

In the meantime, as part of efforts aimed at encouraging communal participation in the investigation into the recent killing of policemen in Nasarawa State, the Police High Command has established a dedicated telephone line for members of the public who may wish to provide vital information to the police.

Also, in a bid to ameliorate the plight of the family members of the fallen police officers, the IG has ordered the immediate relocation of the force Welfare Officer, Mrs. Abiodun Ige, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), to Nasarawa State to enable her effectively and speedily coordinate all welfare related issues pertaining to the families of the late officers, including but not limited to the payment of all statutory and relevant compensations.

Abubakar appealed to Nigerians who may be in possession of information that could aid on going investigation not to hesitate to provide same to the police, promising that all information will be treated with utmost confidentiality.

The information, according to a release signed by the force spokesperson, Frank Mba, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), can be provided via phone number 07066228200 (calls or SMS) or email: policemonitor@npf.gov.ng
The IG said an attack on the security forces of any nation is an attack on the entire nation.

He also appealed to Nigerians to support the police as they strive to tackle this and other security challenges facing the nation.
Abubakar called for patience and understanding of family and friends of the slain officers, particularly as it relates to the issue of the release of the bodies of the officers, promising that all corpses will be released as soon as preliminary enquiries have been concluded.

While restating the commitment of the police to uncover and bring to book the perpetrators of this crime, the police boss reassured family members and friends of the deceased that the force was united with them in grief and will neither forsake nor abandon them at this trying moment.

Meanwhile, the AIG in charge of Zone 4 (covering Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau States), Mr. Mike Zuokumor, has on the orders of the IG relocated to Nasarawa State.

“A highly experienced and operationally-minded officer, is currently coordinating all ongoing operations relating to the incident,” the statement read.

Descendants of the Yoruba and indeed various ancient derivatives and forms of the Yoruba language can be found and are spoken in places like Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, the United States of America and various other parts of the western world.

Today, first, second and even third generation Yoruba have settled down and spread all over the world and are amongst the best and most sought after lawyers, nuclear scientists, doctors, industrialists, academics, writers, poets, playwrights, clerics, theologians, artists, film producers, historians and intellectuals. Wherever they go they tend to flourish and excel.

This is nothing new and indeed has always been the case. The first Nigerian to be called to the Bar was a Yoruba man by the name, Sapara Williams, who was called to the English Bar and started practising as a lawyer in 1879. Yet Sapara Williams was not a flash in the pan or a one- time wonder.

Other Yoruba men followed in his footsteps in quick succession and were called to the English Bar shortly thereafter. For example, after him came Joseph Edgarton Shyngle who was called in 1888, then came Gabriel Hugh Savage who was called in 1891, then came Rotimi Alade who was called in 1892, then came Kitoye Ajasa (whose original name was Edmund Macauly) who was called in 1893, then came Arthur Joseph Eugene Bucknor who was called in 1894 and then came Eric Olaolu Moore who was called in 1903.

Ironically Sapara Williams was not the first Nigerian lawyer though he was the first to be called to the English Bar. In those days you did not have to be called to the Bar to practice law and the first Nigerian lawyer that practised without being called to the Bar was a Yoruba man by the name of William Henry Savage. He was described as a ‘’self-taught and practising lawyer’’ and he was a registered Notary Public in England as far back as1821.  These were indeed the greats and every single one of them was a Yoruba man.

My friend and brother, Mr. Akin Ajose-Adeogun, who is a historian by calling and a lawyer by profession, is a man for whom I have tremendous respect. I have often described him as the ‘’living oracle of Nigerian history’’ simply because he has a photographic memory, a knack for detail, first class sources and has read more books on Nigerian history than anyone that I have ever met before in my life.Akin has an extraordinary mind, he is a living genius and I have often urged him to write a book. You can ask him anything about anyone or any event in any part of our country, since or before independence, and he will give you names, dates and the sequence of events immediately and without any recourse to notes, books or sources.

After he has given you the information he will then cite his sources and tell you which books to go and read in order to confirm what he is saying. I have learnt so much from him that I must publically acknowledge the fact that I owe him an enormous debt of gratitude. He once told me something that I found very interesting and that reflected the semi god-like status that our earliest lawyers, including some of the names that I mentioned earlier, enjoyed amongst the people.

These men were not only revered but they were also admired by all, including members of the British intelligentsia, legal fraternity and elites. Akin told me that many years ago in the mid-80s, Sir Adetokunboh Ademola, who himself was one of the legal greats, who was called to the English Bar in 1934, who was the third Nigerian to be appointed as a magistrate in 1938, who was the third Nigerian to be appointed as a High Court judge in 1948  and who was the first Nigerian to be appointed Chief Justice of the Federation in 1958, said the following words to him.

He said, ’’When you saw the way the earliest Nigerian lawyers conducted themselves in court and argued their cases you would have been filled with pride and you would have wanted to become a lawyer yourself. Members of the public used to fill the court rooms to the brink and sometimes even the forecourts and passages just to watch these great men perform and enjoy their brilliance and oratory.

They spoke the Queen’s English and they knew the law inside out. It is not like that today’’.  This is a resounding testimony from an illustrious Nigerian and it speaks eloquently about where the Yoruba, as a people, are coming from and the stock and quality of minds that they are made of.

Yet the dynamism of the Yoruba and their innovations and ‘’firsts’’ did not stop there. It went into numerous other spheres of human endeavour. Permit me to cite just two examples. The first lies within the field of medicine. Dr. Nathaniel King was the first Nigerian to become a medical practitioner.

He graduated from Edinburgh University in 1876 and he was a Creole of Yoruba origin. Next was Dr. Oguntola Sapara who was the second Nigerian to become a medical practitioner and who also graduated from Edinburgh University in 1884.

He was followed by Dr. John Randle who graduated from Durham University in 1891, then Dr. Orisadipe Obasa who graduated from Edinburgh University in 1892, then Dr. Akinwande Savage who graduated from Edinburgh University in 1900, then Dr. Curtis Adeniyi-Jones who graduated from Durham University in 1901. Others like Dr. Oyejola who graduated in 1905, Dr. Kubolaje Faderin, Dr. Sesi Akapo and Dr. Magnus Macauly who all graduated in 1912, Dr. Moyses Joao Da Rocha who graduated from Edinburgh University in 1913 followed.

The second example lies within the ranks of the clergy. The first African Anglican Bishop and the first man to translate the Holy Bible and Book of Common Prayer to any African language (outside of Ethiopia) was a Yoruba ex-slave who gave his life to Christ, won his freedom and rose up to become one of the greatest and most respected clerics and leaders that the African continent has ever known by the name of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther.

Unknown to many his original name was Rev. John Raban but he changed it in his early years. Crowther got his first degree at the famous Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone (which at that time was part of Durham University). He was ordained as an Anglican Bishop in 1864 and in that same year he was awarded a Doctorate degree from Oxford University.

This extraordinary man who was blessed by God with an exceptionally brilliant mind was, as far as I am concerned, one of the greatest Africans that ever lived. He not only translated the Holy Bible and the Book of Common Prayer to Yoruba (an extremely difficult, complicated and painstaking venture which he began in 1843 and which he completed in 1888) but he also codified a number of other Christian books and he translated them into the Igbo and Nupe languages. He was literally the pillar and foundation of the Anglican Church in West Africa.

Throughout his adult life he courageously stood up and fought for the rights and the dignity of the African and he, more than anyone else, was responsible for the spread, influence and power of the Christian faith in Nigeria in the late 19th century. He was also the maternal grandfather of the great nationalist Herbert Macauly who, together with Nnamdi Azikiwe, founded the political party known as the NCNC in 1944.

Crowther was also the father-in-law of Rev. Thomas Babington Macaulay who founded the Christian Missionary Society Grammar School (CMS Grammar School) in 1859 in what was then the Lagos Colony. CMS Grammar School was the epitome of excellence and a citadel of great learning in those days.

It was also the oldest secondary school in Nigeria and the main source of African clergymen and administrators in the Lagos Colony. It is not surprising that it was the son-in-law of the great Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther that founded such a school and that it was his grandson that founded one of the greatest political parties that the African continent has ever known.

An early morning attack by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect on Tuesday, a military spokesman said had left 22 prison officers, 14 prison officials and 13 Boko Haram combatant dead with the town’s police station, military barracks and government buildings being burned to the ground.

A press statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Rueben Abati, said the President “believes that the continuation of such callous and wanton attacks of innocent Nigerians, government facilities and security formations flies in the face of ongoing efforts to establish a workable framework for dialogue and the peaceful resolution of security challenges in Northern Nigeria.

“The President warns that the Federal Government’s consideration of dialogue as an option for the elimination of some current threats to security should not be seen as a weakening of its resolve and determination to use all the forces at its disposal to crush all brazen affronts to the powers and sovereignty of the Nigerian nation”.

The statement added that the President urges the armed forces and police not to be disheartened or daunted by the loss of their colleagues, but to remain focused and undeterred in discharging their responsibility for the security of lives and property in all parts of Nigeria with the assurance that the Federal Government will continue to give the Armed Forces and Police the fullest possible support to enhance their ability to meet the continuing challenges of terrorism and insurgency

Blair also asked the Nigerian government to put opportunities in the hands of the masses.
But Jonathan said that there is hope for the country notwithstanding the challenges of the transformation programme of his administration.

Blair and Jonathan spoke at the opening ceremony of the Rock Cathedral Metropolitan Church of Christ, Lagos.
“There is need for safety and security of the people,”the former British prime minister said.
According to him, “the society flourishes when the people feel a sense of  freedom, when they feel free and have sense of security.”

In apparent reference to the transformation agenda of the Federal Government, Blair said: “For total and stable national transformation to take place in any country, there is need for the people to be happy and the need for government to provide adequate power supply, construct new roads, eradicate polio, ensure job creation and do other things that make life meaningful.

“Nigeria should be hopeful because of its people; Nigeria will be built by the strength and dedication of Nigerians. There is no progress in the midst of violence.  People of the same faith can come together, learn to love one another and see one another as humans”.

Jonathan, in his speech at the occasion, tasked Nigerians on the need to collectively work towards the attainment of peace in the country, adding that the country is in the process of attaining transformation.

From left; Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; President Goodluck Jonathan and Rev. Paul Adefarasin, Senior Pastor All House on the Rock at the opening ceremony of the Rock Cathedral Metropolitan Church of Christ, yesterday, in Lagos.

The president described the present challenges confronting the nation as a sign of transformation.

Assuring that his administration will not rest in its efforts to ensure peace and tranquility in the country, he said transformation cannot be effective without passing through some challenges. According to him, challenges are a  prerequisite for attaining total transformation.

Jonathan’s words: “Nigerians should be rest assured that whatever challenges we are experiencing now, there is always hope at the end of the tunnel. We will get over our challenges by God’s grace. Transformation is like a butterfly that passes through some stages which entails some pain. But let us be rest assured that the current discomfort that the nation is expressing now will soon be a thing of past.

There is hope for us. When we work hard we will have Nigeria of our dream”.The president appreciated the efforts of religious bodies in the country, and called on religious leaders to preach more of peace and love and shun violence and hostility.

Rev. Paul Adefarasin, Senior Pastor of the Rock Cathedral, said there was hope for Nigeria in spite of the challenges facing the country.