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Sponsor Of Pro-Buhari Protest In New York Identified
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nasiru Haladu Danu sponsored the pro-President Muhammadu Buhari protest which was recently held in New York, United States, SaharaReporters gathered..
Danu was said to have single-handedly ensured the payment of $50 per hour to over 50 men and women who came out for the rally.
“The ‘One Nigeria’ protest which is pro-Buhari was funded by Nasiru Danu. He funded all the Pro-Buhari hired crowd at the United Nations General Assembly in New York,” a source told SaharaReporters.
SaharaReporters also got the copy of a mail written by one of the organisers of the protest titled, âI need 50 people men and women for tomorrow morning 50$ a hour (sic) (Midtown East)’.
It reads: âGood evening, I need 50 people men and women, preferably black, to come support and cheer for a black government official at the United Nations headquarters on midtown East Manhattan at exactly 11.30am. The whole gig will be around a hour (sic) and a half to 2 hours, you’ll be compensated on the spot by me 50 dollars a hour. Text or call me asap if interested 7184130053 for more details, bring more people if you can please. See you all tomorrow.â
Checks by SaharaReporters showed that the phone number attached to the email belongs to one Ogundare Olukemi who is said to be based in New York, United States.
From further checks, the main sponsor, Danu had over time identified as a die-hard Buhari loyalist and has enjoyed the support of the Buhari administration.
His flagship company, Casiva, which is also into security, civil and mechanical construction, supply, and procurement, was listed among the 15 consortia/companies awarded the 2019/2020 contracts for the exchange of crude oil for imported petroleum products by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
Information about Casiva Limited on its website reads: âCasiva Limited is an indigenous company offering services in Procurement, Project Management and Logistics, committed to delivering Solutions and Services for Construction, Oil & Gas Industries, Security equipment, and accessories; as a total solution provider for all your security requirements.”
SaharaReporters learnt that in 2016, Danuâs company was awarded a contract for the provision of pipeline security and maintenance services along the Kaduna-Kano and Zaria-Gusau segments.
Danu, was in March 2021 accused of conniving with some top officials of the Nigeria Customs Service to defraud the Nigerian government of N51 billion, meant to improve Customs revenue.
Danu is an arrowhead in what is now known in some quarters as President Muhammadu Buhariâs oil mafia group.
A source said the fraud, which implicates the Comptroller General of the NCS, Col Hameed Ali (rtd), was named âRevenue Assurance Fraud” by some officials of the agency.
He however denied the allegations through a March 6, 2021 letter to SaharaReporters by his lawyer, Bose Olanipekun of Wole Olanipekun & Co.
In 2019, Danu made headlines when he was reportedly arrested at Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom, for an alleged passport scam and money laundering.
He was reportedly caught with a fake Malta Passport and in his possession, more than ÂŁ200,000.00 in cash.
Danu, who hails from Jigawa State, is currently the traditional title-holder of âDan Amanar Dutseâ in the state.
Video Shows Alleged Recruitment Of Pro-Buhari Protesters
In a video seen by SaharaReporters, some Nigerians in the diaspora agitating for self-determination accuses the Pro-Buhari protesters of collecting $50 per hour.
They are heard explaining to the Pro-Buhari protesters that killings are going on in Nigeria as the protesters are seen going into a room and coming out with T-shirts.
They also appear like hired foreigners.
A voice could be heard saying, âThey hired them for $50 per hour and gave them clothes. As you can see, they are doing the transaction inside that place.
âThe âOne Nigeria group’ is giving clothes to these people inside that place.
âYou can see that most of these people are not Nigerians, they were hired.”
Another voice added, âNigeria is a terrorist country, the government of Nigeria is killing people. The Nigerian government is a wicked government. It is tyrannical.â
The Pro-Buhari protesters, were however unbothered as they go in and out of the âtransactionâ room.
This newspaper recalls a report from September 21 stating that pro-government Nigerian protesters who countered groups agitating for self-determination in New York, United States were paid $50 per hour.
One of the people involved in âthe dealâ told SaharaReporters that the âOne Nigeriaâ protesters were promised $50 for one hour and $150 for three hours to be at the venue of the protest and to show support for the Buhari regime despite the glaring failures.
âOne of the organisers of the fake ‘One Nigeria’ protest who bribed some Nigerians with the money is Haruna Bello,â a top source revealed to SaharaReporters.
Also, a woman confirmed that she was contacted by the organisers of the âOne Nigeriaâ protest but she declined.
The source said the organisers requested a copy of the identity card of those who would be joining the protest which caused an uproar and made some people back out of the protest.
She said, âI was invited for the pro-Buhari protest. The organisers promised to pay $50 for one hour and we’ll be there for three hours. The person did not know we are Oduduwa adherents; we played along as if we didn’t understand him. He explained that he was given a contract to do it but yesterday, it became an issue.
âNigerians who initially agreed later had an issue with the organisers because the organisers of the pro-Buhari protest said those who would join the protest must tender their ID cards, a copy would be made and taken to the Nigerian House but those ones refused because an ID card in America is very significant.
âWith that, the organisers had to quickly go and look for any other Nigerian they saw or those who had no legal papers yet and who are in need of the $150, that they would take them to the venue. It was a staged protest. It was $50 an hour for three hours making it $150.â
Two Nigerian groups with conflicting ideologies confronted each other in New York over the President’s visit.
The groups had converged at the Nigerian House on 42nd Street, 2nd Avenue, airing opposing views about the issues of insecurity in Nigeria and its unity.
The protest began as President Muhammadu Buhari arrived in New York for his scheduled activities for the United Nations General Assembly.
The One Nigeria group members carried placards on which were written, âStronger togetherâ, âUnity in diversityâ, âGenocide in Eastern Nigeria plain propagandaâ,
âNigerians want national unity, not secessionâ, âNigerian Christians not targets of genocide or ethnic cleansingâ.
They were, however, opposed by some anti-Buhari protesters who had been organising protests for days calling for a referendum to determine the fate of the country.
The protesters who are calling for self-determination alleged that the members of the One Nigeria Group were âfakeâ Nigerians hired to display the country’s flags and take pictures.
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