Nigerian Newspapers
Eight feared killed in attack on Bayelsa community
• C’Wealth scribe links Boko Haram’s crisis to ‘challenges of diversity’
• CPC decries Jonathan’s failure to visit Baga
GUNMEN, again, were on the prowl in a Bayelsa community, killing eight persons at the weekend. This tragedy came after 12 policemen were killed in the state recently.
Armed men suspected to be renegade militants in the Niger Delta launched the attack in Lorbia community of Southern Ijaw Local Council that claimed eight.
Among those killed were five ex-militant youths that embraced amnesty under the leadership of Pastor Reuben Wilson, popularly known as General Wilson.
It was learnt that the attack occurred on Saturday night at the Lorbia waterside. It was also learnt that the murdered youths were tricked into the creek where they were shot dead. Community sources said the killers were suspected to be the same killers of the 12 policemen.
While a version of the report on the killing claimed that eight youths were shot dead in a shootout between two armed gangs, the other version by the families of the slain youths claimed that the victims were tricked to the spot of the killing by some hired hands to the militia group.
Members of families of the victims are insisting that their brothers were set up by some persons in the Lorbia community.
It was learnt that after they were killed, some community people quickly buried two of the victims. Others are still missing.
The Guardian learnt that the suspicious movement of the gunmen on the waters attracted the attention of fishermen who were said to have alerted the community development executive council. During an investigation, it was discovered that the gunmen had killed some persons in the area.
At the home of the ex-militant leader, Reuben Wilson, in Yenagoa, the state capital, mourners and sympathisers were seen wailing. Wilson confirmed the killing to The Guardian.
Contacted on the development, spokesman of the Joint Military Task Force, Lt.-Col. Onyeama Nwachukwu, said he was not aware of the details, but would call back after getting the details of the incident.
And Nigeria’s twin obstacles to development, corruption an insecurity were in focus in London as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Mr. Kamalesh Sharma, gave thought to the challenges facing the country.
The opposition Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) also lamented Sunday the country’s rising insecurity as it decried what it termed President Goodluck Jonathan’s ‘aloofness’ to the destruction of lives and property in Baga, Borno State.
In an interview with The Guardian at the Commonwealth’s headquarters in London, Sharma stressed the need for transparency to check corruption in Nigeria.
He said: “If you (Nigeria) can regulate, organise and make transparent your finances, then you’re taking a big step forward. We have opened an Anti-corruption Centre in Botswana and the idea is that, on a continuous basis, the best practices, which are visible all over, should be exchanged between all the member- states. What causes corruption has common features, so what the solutions can be for everybody put together, can be forwarded to the secretariat and we shall be very happy to work on them. We are doing a lot of remarkable work in many fields, as far as corruption is concerned.”
He attributed the Boko Haram’s insurgency in the northern part of the country to the “huge challenges of diversity.”
Explaining the Commonwealth’s efforts to assist Nigeria contain the insurgency, Sharma observed that the body’s approach had been looking at the various elements involved in various agitations that should be fully integrated, and finding a way to broker a truce.
His words: “We have countries that are so diverse that I often say that we used to talk about two Ds – which are democracy and development. We can now add a third one, which is diversity. Respect for diversity is a huge challenge in contemporary societies, not just in Nigeria, but everywhere. What we are doing is to help look at what the principal elements are, socially, that have to be integrated.”
Sharma said a commission on Respect and Understanding, set up in 2005 at the request of Commonwealth Heads of Government, with the mandate to explore initiatives to promote mutual understanding and respect among all faiths and communities in the Commonwealth, produced a report titled “Civil Paths to Peace,” which was published in 2011, to address the problem.
He also said the organisation was also developing some applications, to have the contents of the report embedded in education curriculum. Another roundtable was held at the organisation’s secretariat in London on May 2, during which member-countries shared experiences on reconciliation.
On visa restrictions that hamper freedom of movement of citizens across the Commonwealth countries, the Secretary- General recalled that contrary to the existing situation, there used be a lot of Commonwealth identity in the early years of the organisation, which encouraged educational exchanges, favourable visa and work permit policies, all of which guaranteed freedom of movement across the member-nations.
He regretted that many of the privileges were withdrawn several decades later. “We are doing an exercise right now,” he assured, “to promote the movement of people.” According to him, while it is true that the world has become “much more complex” than it was 50 years ago, efforts are being made by the association to work out a modality, taking into cognisance, all the immigrations and other concerns, that could be presented to the Commonwealth Heads of Government for consideration, on how to ease the movement of Commonwealth citizens, as is obtainable in the Schengen area, where a group of 26 European countries have abolished passport and immigration controls at their common borders.
On what the organisation is doing to help Nigeria and other African member-nations entrench democracy, Sharma responded: “through institutional building.” He explained: “What the Commonwealth does is to become a partner in what the member-states want to do. Here, we concentrate a lot on institutions, like the electoral commission, the judicial services commission, human rights commission, independent media commission.”
According to him, the organisation offers assistance in creating working methods, best practices, to ensure sustainability. He said that if such channels were improving on a continual basis and serving citizens, “then the resilience of the society is increased.”
Sharma, who was appointed in 2008, admitted that having to deal with the 54-member countries has been challenging. On the continued relevance of the organisation, he declared: “The Commonwealth will remain relevant. I have been very ambitious about this organisation and making it a contemporary organisation.” “The world is moving so swiftly around you, that you’re either moving backwards or you’re moving forward. There is no such thing as staying still anymore. So, as an organisation, you always have to ask yourself; how are you moving forward? But also, how are you helping the marginalised, the small, the vulnerable, in real economic terms in every possible way, given your strengths. Politically, economically and socially, how are you making those contemporary contributions in terms of outcomes?”
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, entitled “President Jonathan and the Baga gaffe,” the CPC accused President Goodluck Jonathan of not showing the concern expected of somebody in his exalted position.
On April 16, 2013, there was an armed confrontation between persons suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents and military personnel in Baga, a small fishing community in Nigeria’s border with Chad, resulting in destruction of lives and property.
The CPC expressed sadness that since the incident occurred, Jonathan has not taken a cue from his predecessors and peers across the world by acting responsibly on a disaster of this magnitude.
It noted: “The Nigerian Federal authority has so far shown more interest in controlling the information on the casualty figures, as different statistics continue to be bandied around, than in ensuring rehabilitation of the victims of the Baga disaster.
“What is more galling is the refusal of President Goodluck Jonathan in visiting the area to get first-hand information after more than two weeks of this unfortunate incident. It would be recalled that on March 1, 2013, the progressive governors of the yet-to-be-registered All Progressives Congress (APC) walked on the streets of Maiduguri in a manner that befuddled the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“In a clear obfuscation of the issues, the motley of spin-doctors in the nation’s Presidency responded that the long-overdue visit of the President was pre-empted by these governors. It is our belief that the refusal of the President in visiting Baga does not only show insensitivity but is a conduct that is not statesman-like for those that bear presidential authority over a jurisdiction!”
Giving examples of leaders who performed well during emergencies, the CPC said: “On September 7, 1980, President Shehu Shagari visited Ibadan, Oyo State, within days of the Ogunpa flood disaster. On touring the areas affected by the devastation which left 240 people dead and thousands rendered homeless, he quipped: ‘I have seen real disaster!’
“On January 28, 2002, President Olusegun Obasanjo visited Ikeja Military Barracks barely 24 hours after bomb explosions had destroyed lives and property. In a rare show of empathy for the distraught victims – including women and children- who had lost loved ones and rendered homeless, the President preferred to tread bare-footed!
“Shortly after the Boston Marathon Bombing, President Barack Obama was on hand to offer words of comfort to the bereaved and assuage the pains of the wounded. Thereafter, he made pronouncements that sent clear message of his strength of character as the nation’s commander-in-chief.
“The wider implication of President Jonathan’s demeanour is seen in his refusal to embark on duty tours to the servicemen that are daily hazarding their lives for the nation’s security. As a party, we believe that the gravitas of the authority of the commander-in-chief is not just in adornment of ceremonial military wears on special occasion but in providing the right leadership that galvanizes a followership geared for greater service and commitment to the national cause.”
The party added: “We hereby remind the President that part of his oath of office is to preserve the fundamental objectives and directive principles of State policy in chapter two of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Firmly entrenched in this section is the declaration that the purpose of government shall be the security and welfare of the people.
“The aloofness evinced by the President to the plight of the Baga people, is in our opinion, an infraction of this relevant provision of the Nigerian Constitution. We consider this conduct as very unacceptable.”
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: Guardian Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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