Nigerian Newspapers
Reps, North’s leaders call for inquiry into Baga invasion
•ACN cautions JTF against extra-judicial killings
There was outrage yesterday over the military invasion of Baga in Borno State in which no fewer than 185 people died.
Northern leaders, the House of Representatives, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), rights activists and lawyers condemned the action. They called for a commission of inquiry into the matter.
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) cautioned the Joint Task Force (JTF) against extra-judicial killings.
In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the security agencies must respect the relevant rules of engagement in their ongoing onslaught against Boko Haram in order to spare the lives and property of innocent civilians.
The statement reads: “Without jumping to any conclusion on what really transpired in Baga, we hasten to say that the military, in fighting an asymmetric war against insurgents, must ensure a strict observance of its rules of engagement to avoid the kind of deaths that were recorded in the border town.
“No matter what defence the military may put forward, the mass deaths and destruction in Baga during the JTF-insurgents’ clash portray the Nigerian military as having little or no respect for human rights and the sanctity of lives. This is not a flattering portrayal for a military that has made its mark in global peacekeeping.”
The ACN also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of the matter, saying it is slow and disrespectful to the sanctity of human lives.
The party said: “In the first instance, it took the government almost 48 hours to comment on the killings, as the Presidency only issued a statement on Monday evening over the clash and the deaths which reports said started on Friday.
“Secondly, even the tone of the statement amounted to further victimising the victims of the clash. Saying that the death toll was ‘grossly exaggerated’, as the Presidency statement claimed, is simply wrong, because the killing of even one innocent person is one killing too many.”
It expressed the hope that the probe ordered into the tragedy by President Goodluck Jonathan would not be another window dressing, as allegations of killing of civilians by the military in some parts of the North have continued unabated, despite previous claims by the government to ensure that such killings do not recur.
The House demanded an inquiry following the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance raised by Mohammed Monguno (ANPP, Borno).
Monguno said most of those killed were “innocent civilians”.
He said: “There is a need to set up the judicial commission of inquiry because the soldiers have rules of engagement and being professional, they are supposed to know how to react to situations like this when civilians are involved.
“With this incident, it should not be a surprise if Nigerians become more sympathetic to the sect rather than the soldiers because of the number of civilians involved and that is not good for the security challenges we are facing in this country.
“It is my opinion that the soldiers should be more concerned with winning the hearts and minds of the people rather than jettisoning professionalism and rules of engagements. They should be more cautious in situation like this”.
The lawmakers advised members of Boko Haram to embrace the amnesty offered by the Federal Government.
Northern Elders also urged Jonathan to institute a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the massacre.
Speaking when he led a group of northern elders on a visit to the secretariat of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), former Presidential Adviser on Food Security, Prof. Ango Abdullahi blamed the President for allowing military men to take over peace keeping, adding that soldiers are trained for war and not to deal with the civil society.
He said: “We elders of the North came to ACF to exchange ideas and views on the state of the nation generally and the state of the North in particular.
“When we saw the president in March, we presented him with a document on what we saw in the nation, particularly in the area of instability and insecurity and other details in terms of what should be done to mitigate it or to stop it completely.
“We have insecurity problems in various parts of the North with different antecedents and background. Some are ethno -religious, some cattle rearers and farmers we have been living with this for quite some time.
“But the latest addition to the insecurity situation is the Jama’atul Alhalus Sunnah lilda’awati wal Jihad otherwise known as Boko Haram and we address that in details because it is the current subject of insecurity. We did recommend to the president at that particular time that we did not think full force will bring an end to the violence in this particular sect.
“Full force will not solve the problem and so they should think of how to deal with it. The danger we saw in full force, particularly where soldiers are involved is that soldiers are not trained to deal with civil society. They are trained for war and wherever they are, the mentality is that of war and at a smallest provocation, they act like they are in a state of war.
“This is what led to the considerable amount of violence that has been taken place particularly in Yobe and Borno states. We did recommend to the president that he should try and re-evaluate the use of soldiers as peace keeping machines. Soldiers are not good peace keepers. This country is not at war and it couldn’t be at war with its own citizens.
“So, we said some other device should be used but the most important device is to incorporate in this peace move a willing support of the population. If you are a peace keeper, your first need is the population, particularly in terms of intelligence report to advise and so on.
“This is because most of these soldiers that are posted to these areas are not only raw as solders, but they are coming from totally different backgrounds. If you want a peace keeper in Borno, you need a person who can speak Hausa, somebody who can speak Kanuri, somebody who can speak Shuwa and most of the solders that are there cannot even communicate in pidgin English.
“They are put together and posted to these areas as peace keepers and this is why so far they have failed and we have thousands of people being killed at the slightest provocation. Take the latest one for example. The Commandant himself said they lost a soldier. Is it because one soldier was lost that 200 people should be killed? If you are wearing a uniform, you are wearing it to die in the line of duty.
“And the fact that a soldier died on duty does not justify the excessive force used at night. Shooting people as they move into the bush and virtually razing their houses. You drove them out of their houses and while running into the bush, you shot them like animals. This is certainly a failure on the part of the so-called security apparatus that are supposed to keep peace in Borno and Yobe states.
“We advised against it much earlier. The fact that the president is saying there should be a probe does not mean he said more than what he has said before because there are so many people who might have been mercilessly killed in their sleep while their houses are ransacked in the name of searching for Boko Haram members.
“This certainly is not the way an operation like this should be conducted. That is why we believe the president needs not just a probe. We need a judicial commission of inquiry to unravel what has happened in Baga. The commission of inquiry should have expanded term of reference for people to come before it to raise issues that have been happening in Borno and Yobe states.
“It is important for me to say that when you are trying to set up a committee to reconcile people, what is required from both sides is mutual confidence and mutual trust. It is the lack of mutual confidence and mutual trust that led to the failure of the first attempt to engage the group in dialogue.
“What we recommended is for the government to set up a committee. In fact, what we recommended was that reconciliation amnesty commission should be set up and this is usually a creation of law and once they are created by law, they acquire certain independence from those who created them.
“But where you the government has one of its ministers as chairman of the committee and the secretary of the committee coming from the government, this will not give the kind of confidence one expects to get because the other side was saying they don’t need amnesty because it was the government that offended them.
“The only worry in some quarters is about the independence and neutrality of the committee because of its chairman and secretary. I hope it will work but a lot of efforts must be put in place to make sure that it will work so that the modus operandi are sufficiently worked out.”
The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) also condemned the invasion, asking Jonathan to explore the peace option to the insurgency problem.
It also asked the Federal Government to rebuild the over 2,000 houses destroyed by soldiers.
The CPC, in a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Rotimi Fashakin, said: “The CPC, as a party, is outraged by the unfortunate incident of the wanton destruction of lives and property that attended the face-off between insurgents believed to be Boko Haram and soldiers of the Joint Task Force in Baga, Borno State.
“The attendant ecological disruption and huge humanitarian calamity had attracted so much attention (international and local) that clearly obviates the need for the continuous passing of the buck.
“True, the president has called for the probe of this needless carnage, which euphemistically means stalemated action on the matter. The houses destroyed must be rebuilt by the Federal Government whilst massive rehabilitative efforts are put in place for the displaced victims of the combatants’ rage.
“We recall that it was a PDP-led Federal Government that authorised the invasion of Odi on 20th November, 1999 on the pretext of redressing the killing of some policemen in the community. We have equally noted that this template of excessive force that falls far short from internationally-accepted rules of engagement for internal peace enforcement – which successive PDP-led administrations have stridently followed – is no longer fashionable in the civilised order of human governments.
“We remind the Federal Government to ensure that peace is the pre-eminent watch-word for military engagement within the nation-space. “Finally, we commiserate with the families of the deceased of the unfortunate incident, while praying for the speedy recovery of the wounded.”
The Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Najeem Salaam, condemned the killings.
Salaam described the killings as unacceptable, barbaric, ungodly, and nauseating. He urged the Federal Government to halt the carnage.
In a statement issued by his Press Secretary, Mr. Goke Butika, the Speaker said the incident painted a picture of the country as a jungle, where life is cheap.
He said: “Our nation is bleeding seriously, corruption used to be on top of the chart, but insecurity seems to be challenging the menace now, for wanton killings appear to be normal in the country now, our strategies are malfunctioning, and as a nation, we must re-strategise, because Baga people in Borno State are human beings who must be kept safe in their country like any other part of the territory.”
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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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