Category: General

Defence Headquarters says troops of the Nigerian armed forces have eliminated 52 terrorists, apprehended 60 and rescued 61 kidnapped hostages in different operations between Sept. 15 and Sept. 22.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Buba said a total of seven terrorists comprising of five adult males and two adult females surrendered to troops within the period under review.

He said the troops recovered a total number of 77 weapons and 658 different types of ammunition.

“The breakdown is as follows: 53 AK47 rifles, two AK47 rifles loaded with 8 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 18 locally fabricated rifles, one beretta pistol, three pump action guns.

“650 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 50 AK47 magazines, two rounds of 9mm ammo, six rounds of 7.62 NATO and five fragmentation jackets.

“Furthermore, troops recovered 15 vehicles, 12 motorcycles, 12 Bicycles, five mobile phones, 12 cutlasses, two generator sets, two gas cylinders, 133 livestock and a sum of N602,000 and Airtel airtime worth N8,000,” he said.

Buba said the troops of Operation Delta Safe denied oil thieves of an estimated N946.38 million being value of seizures in the South-South region.

He stated that the troops recovered 496,250 litres of stolen crude oil, 83,400 litres of illegally refined AGO, 1,200 litres of PMS, four pumping machines, five speed boats, 34 dugout pits, 57 storage tanks, 16 wooden boats, 85 ovens and three outboard engines.

According to him, the mission of the military against terrorist and other violent extremist groups in the country remains unchanged.

“The military will continue with aggressive operations to force these groups to submission,” he added.

The defence spokesman said the troops of Operation Hadin Kai were engaged in ambushes, raids, rescue operations, fighting patrols, attacks as well as cordon and search activities in the North East theatre.

He added that troops of Operations Hadarun Daji, Safe Haven, Whirl Punch and Whirl Stroke had also sustained aggressive postures against bandits and other criminals in North West and North Central.

According to him, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke conducted 22 operations, 13 fighting patrols, six confidence building patrols and one raid operation within the period under review.

He said that the areas covered included Mbaayande, Mbamazu and Mbaagudu villages of Konshiga Local Government Area of Benue.

“Troops of Joint Task Force Operations UDO KA and Operation Search and Flush in the South East region sustained momentum in the fight against insecurity in the region.

“Troops apprehended five suspected IPOB/ESN terrorists in Ikwo and Ihiala Local Government Areas of Ebonyi and Anambra, respectively.

“The military will through its operations continue to make improvements towards ensuring safety of citizens and restoring security across the country.

“Citizens are encouraged to know something, say something and let the military do something about it,” Buba said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says it will sanction fuel stations operators who alters petroleum pumps.

Mr Farouk Ahmed, NMDPRA Chief Executive, said this during an interactive session with commissioners of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) on Friday in Abuja.

Ahmed said that petrol stations caught dispensing fuel with adjusted fuel pumps would face heavy sanction.

He said that the sanctions to be meted out include revocation of operating licenses, suspension from operation or shut down depending on the gravity of the offence.

According to him, adjustment of fuel pumps by filling station operators is a major concern to the oil regulatory bodies and the Federal Government.

“What we are doing now is that we have some of our staff going round to take on-the-spot checks of some of the petrol stations.

“If you drive into a station, drive out, you will not know if you have been cheated until you do a measurement.

“Sometimes we do a physical measurement where we go to some stations and buy one litre, look at that environment to see whether that one litre is really one litre.

”Then we will know whether or not they have tampered with the pump,” he said.

The NMDPRA boss said that the authority would continue to collaborate with the RMAFC to generate more revenue for the federation.

“We have started the engagement but this is just a formal collaboration on areas where we can improve the revenue generation for the federation.

“There are two areas we have to look at which are either to generate revenue or cut costs,” he said.

He called on citizens to invest in the midstream sector of the economy.

“For example, if you want to build a gas plant, come to us, we will give you the guidelines, the policies, and you will come and invest.

“The area you want to invest in will determine the cost of investment; the investment opportunities are there,” he said.

RMAFC Chairman, Mr Bello Shehu, said that the engagement between both organisations was to strengthen their partnership.

“We are here in order for them to enlighten us on what they do and what we can do as a commission to assist them to better boost revenue generation for Nigeria.

“We are interested in what the authority does to enable us monitor better and know the right questions to ask which will enable us give appropriate information,” he said.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Victims Support Fund (VSF), in collaboration with the Niger Government has launched the distribution of food items to 3,000 victims of terrorism in the state.

Gov. Umaru Bago, while speaking at the inauguration of the VSF 2023 Improving Livelihood and Empowering Communities in Minna on Friday, said the partnership was to support the weak and victims of terrorism and other forms of vices.

Bago, represented by his deputy, Mr Yakubu Garba, said victims of terrorism were faced with various challenges ranging from poor hygiene to lack of access to education and economic downturn.

“The predicaments are alarming and all hands must be on deck to reverse the ugly trend,” he said.

He reiterated the state government’s commitment to ensuring that lasting peace and security was restored to the various communities.

The governor also called on VSF to expand its scope to reach out to victims of flood and other public health issues with a view to reaching a wilder populace.

Earlier, Prof. Nana Tanko, Executive Director, VSF, said that 3,000 households from Lapai, Shiroro and Kontagora Local Government Areas would benefit from the food items.

She listed the items for distribution to include rice, beans, vegetable oil, sugar and seasoning.

Tanko disclosed that VSF had developed a strategy for the next three years to support victims of terrorism as well as expand its intervention to Taraba, Kaduna, Katsina, Benue and Niger.

She said that the organisation was making effort to build resilience of victims to enable them to go back to their communities.

In his remarks, Ahmed Suleiman, the state Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, said the ministry would partner VSF to bring support to victims of terrorism in the state.

One of the beneficiaries, Sadiya Mohammed, appreciated the VSF and the Niger government for the support, adding that the gesture would help alleviate their sufferings. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Police in Borno have arrested one Musa Dauda, a repentant Boko Haram member who allegedly killed and buried his ex-wife, Hafsat Musa, at a farm at Muhammed Goni stadium, Maiduguri.

Police spokesman in Borno, ASP Sani Kamilu, stated in Maiduguri on Friday that Dauda invited 45-year-old Hafsat to meet with him on her farm in the stadium premises, on Sept. 12.

Hafsat was nowhere to be found after honouring the invitation, Kamilu stated.

“The case was not reported to the police until a few days later when the decomposing body of Hafsat was discovered on the farm by her relatives,’’ Kamilu added.

He stated that the police swung into action immediately; visited the scene and evacuated Hafsat’s corpse to Umaru Shehu Ultramodern Hospital, Maiduguri for autopsy.

Kamilu stated also that Dauda was arrested on Thursday, Sept. 21 and that he confessed to the commission of the crime.

He added that Dauda said he saw Hafsat with another person on the farm and he clubbed her with a hoe on the head before she slumped and died.

Dauda later buried Hafsat on the farm and fled, Kamilu stated.

The suspect would be arraigned at the conclusion of investigation, Kamilu assured. (NAN)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Edo State Human Capital Development Programme (HCD) on Friday charged journalists to adequately report the three thematic areas of the HCD to enable beneficiaries understand the benefits that are inherent in the programme.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that HCD Programme is a project of the National Economic Council (NEC) with it Core Working Groups working on three thematic areas of health and nutrition, education and labour force participation.

The Regional Consultant, South South HCD, Mr Olusoji Adeniyi, gave the charge at a two-day Media engagement and HCD reporting for media agencies, held in Benin, the Edo capital.

Speaking on the topic, “Accelerating HCD base in Nigeria”, Adeniyi said the three thematic areas of HCD were poorly reported, adding that stakeholders and communities were not aware of the benefit of the programme.

He noted that the media needed to say more about what government was doing through the HCD to enable communities become aware of the benefit of education and other thematic areas of the programme.

“The training is to build the capacity of media agencies and also to introduce the components of HCD to journalists to avoid misconception.

“The essence of the workshop is to let you know that HCD is a life cycle of a child which begins from the womb, the health of the mother, breastfeeding, nurturing of the child and the educational status of that child.

“It involves the opportunity for the child to become employable through the skills learnt. During the period, they were exposed to adolescence to young adults who would contribute to the labour force of the country.

“So the media need to engage the communities to let them know that a child that is wondering around during school hours, is a child that is likely to drop out of school and needs to be corrected and taken back to school.

“We want people to understand that a child that is going to be fully developed to contribute to the economy of the nation starts from when the child is in the mother’s womb

“It covers when the child is born in a facility that has the right kind of birth attendants so that we do not loose the child and mother to infant and maternal mortality,” he said.

According to him, “we are in Edo where bronze casting has become obsolete and the media need to educate the people on the need to revive it because it has put Edo on the world map.

Adeniyi, however, disclosed that a total of 260 journalists have so far been trained in the south south region on HCD programme.

Also speaking, the Edo HCD Focal Person and Managing Director, Edo Skills Development Agency, (Edojobs), Mrs Violet Obiokoro, stated that Gov. Godwin Obaseki had invested in HCD and was working with its three thematic areas.

Obiokoro, however, lamented that all of the improvement recorded so far by the governor in the state in the thematic areas have been under reported.

“The governor has done a lot in these areas but they are under reported and as a result, people are not aware of what government is doing,” Obiokoro said.

According to her, “I want to appeal to you all to begin to look into these areas and help us report what government is doing.

“It is about time we begin to report these activities and collect data by ourselves instead of waiting for people to report and collect data for us.”

A plenary was held with HCD thematic Focal Persons from the ministry of Health, Education and Edojobs to discuss the impact of HCD thematic areas in the state. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has said that his heart bleeds as a result of the killings in Igboland.

Iwuanyanwu disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Enugu.

He said, “My heart bleeds at the sad events in Igboland where Igbos are killing fellow Igbos.

“I am equally very distressed by the rate at which the Nigerian security operatives are killed not only in Igboland but all over the country.

“Worse still is the suspected reprisal attack where innocent Igbo sons and daughters from Mbano in Imo state have found their lives and means of livelihood completely destroyed.

This situation, he said, is completely unacceptable to him, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and “Indeed unacceptable to all honest, right-thinking and patriotic Nigerians.

“I condemn it in strong terms,” the Igbo leader said.

He said he would be sending a team immediately, under the Chairmanship of C. J. Ihemedu, the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Imo State Chapter, to give him a comprehensive report on the matter.

“I call on the Federal Government to fish out the perpetrators of this heinous crime and make sure they face the law.

“I also urge the Federal Government to put in place necessary security measures to forestall the reoccurrence of this sad event,” he said.

He noted that similar incidents had occurred in all the states of Southeast, adding that as at now there seemed to be no solution as the matter is even getting worse.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo is right now undertaking a total transformation of Igboland and by this transformation, more job opportunities will be created in the zone for school leavers; and infrastructure for business men and women.

“I wish, on behalf of all Igbos worldwide, to express our deep sympathy to the families of the security men who were gruesomely murdered.

“We also sympathise with our people in Mbano whose shops and houses were destroyed during the reprisal attack.

“I pray the Almighty God to take control of events in Igboland so that we will once more enjoy peace, happiness and prosperity in our land,” Iwuanyanwu said. (NAN)

Source: News Agency of Nigeria