Our Reporter

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has said the Nigerian Army will uphold thoroughness in its recruitment processes to ensure that only qualified persons are recruited.

Buratai stated this on Monday at the final screening for 80 regular recruits at Falgore Forest training camp in Kano State.

The COAS said the exercise was a new approach to the screening and recruitment process of the Nigerian Army.

He added that it was borne out of the need to recruit the best.

Buratai said the lessons drawn from experiences in the field had made it imperative to recruit the best, noting that faulty process could lead to “faulty training and subsequently, faulty operations”.

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According to him, the Nigerian Army is not ready for that again.

“As such, you must make up your mind that you are ready to serve your country as a soldier and you should be ready, anywhere you are deployed, after your passing out.

“All of you will go to Sambisa at the end of your depot training,” he said.

By Blessing Olaifa, Abuja

The Federal Government on Monday said there was no cause for alarm over the fire that gutted a building at the headquarters of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) on Sunday.

Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola assured Nigerians at home and abroad that all the damages done to the building, the furniture and documents as well as the data destroyed would be fixed within seven days.

The minister, who admitted that some strategic records and data were lost to the fire, added that there was sufficient back-up to ensure that the operations of the service continued unhindered.

Aregbesola, who addressed reporters yesterday in Abuja on the incident, was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Shuaib Belgore.

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He was accompanied by the Comptroller General of Immigration, Muhammad Babadende, and other senior officers.

Aregbesola said: “I will like to assure Nigerians at home and abroad that the unfortunate fire of yesterday (Sunday) would not hinder the activities of the Immigration Service, for those who want passports and visas.

“We are proud that the response to the fire was prompt, fast and well-coordinated. It is unfortunate, but it displayed the unity within the agencies under the Ministry of Interior.”

By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

An Abuja Magistrates’ Court in Wuse Zone 2 has granted bail to the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, at N20 million.

Sowore and four others – Peter Williams, Sanyaolu Juwon, Emmanuel Bulus and Damilare Adenola – were arraigned before the court on January 4, 2021, on a three-count charge filed by the police, following which the court ordered their remand.

In a ruling on Monday, Magistrate Mabel Segun-Bello held that the defendants were entitled to bail, since they did not resist arrest while being apprehended by the police.

Segun-Bello ordered that first defendant (Sowore) be admitted to bail N20 million with two sureties in like sum.

She added that one of the sureties must be a civil servant not below Grade Level (GL) 12 in the Federal Civil Service.

The Magistrate also ordered that Sowore must report physically to the Chief Registrar of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) or any other person designated by the Chief Registrar, every Monday and Friday morning until the end of the case.

Read Also: Sowore: Another face of impunity

The Magistrates ordered that the four other defendants be granted bail after endorsing a bond of N1 million each.

Besides, each of them is to produce one surety in like sum, who “must be resident in Abuja with an identifiable workplace and residential address”.

“All defendants must not travel outside Abuja metropolis or outside the country pending the determination of the case,” Segun-Bello said.

Sowore and the four others were arrested on New Year’s eve for protesting the ban on crossover night.

They were arraigned on January 4, 2021 on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, unlawful assembly and public disturbance.

By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

The Independent Investigative Panel (IIP) constituted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the directive of the Federal Government to probe rights abuses and other unethical conducts by policemen has suspended its planned resumption.

The Nation learnt that members of the IIP, which was constituted in the wake of the #EndSARS protests, had observed the Christmas and New Year breaks and were expected to resume sitting yesterday.

But when our correspondent got to the panel’s sitting venue, the door to the hall was locked and there was no indication that it would sit.

Upon enquiry, it was gathered that members of the panel refused to resume sitting because they have not been paid their allowances.

A source close to the panel said members were expected to arrive in Abuja at the weekend preparatory to the resumption of the panel’s sitting yesterday, but they were told not to come yet because resources were inadequate.

“The panel has nine members who are from across the country. They come from Lagos, Gombe, Enugu, Rivers and other states. The panel is expected to sit for six months. It has sat for three months, having commenced sitting in October last year.

“The panel has received over 300 petitions and it is still receiving more across the country. It seems Nigerians prefer the panel to those sitting in the states.

“It (the panel) has a lot to attend to, but it is suffering from inadequate funding. That is why it may not resume sitting anytime soon, perhaps until the issue is addressed,” the source said.

But, the NHRC gave a different reason on why the panel suspended its sitting till “a date to be announced later”.

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NHRC’s spokeswoman Mrs. Fatimah Agwai Mohammed said the postponement of the panel’s resumption was to enable it put in place measures for compliance with the Federal Government’s COVID-19 protocols.

“It is not true that funding is responsible. We decided to re-adjust the panel’s activities in view of the increasing threat of COVID-19. We don’t want to put our workers, panel members, complainants and their lawyers at risk.

“We have decided to suspend proceedings pending when we are able to put in place all the necessary measures to ensure we operate at no health risk to anybody.

“We are currently also re-adjusting our cause list to reduce the number of petitions to be taken daily, while also working on the duration of sitting daily,” she said.

The NHRC spokesperson also said the commission required additional funding to enable it put in place all it needs to ensure that everyone is safe before the panel resumes sitting.

By Faith Yahaya, Abuja

The Federal Government on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mota-Engil for the construction of Kano-Maradi and Kano-Dutse rail project.

The contract was signed in Abuja by Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi and the Managing Director of Mota-Engil, Antonio Gvoea.

The minister, in his Twitter handle, @ChibuikeAmaechi tweeted: “Today, we signed the contract documents for the commencement of the Kano-Maradi, Kano-Dutse railway project.

“The contractor, Mota-Engil Group, a multinational engineering and construction firm has also agreed to build a university as part of their CSR (corporate social responsibility) while working on the project.”

The Nation gathered that the value of the contract is $1.959 billion, including the Value Added Tax (VAT).

According to the document The Nation obtained on the contract, the project will be completed in 36 months, after the design and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) is done.

The project, on completion, will have 21 railway stations.

Mota-Engil is a Portuguese group construction company with a focus in civil construction, public works, port operations, waste, water, and logistics.

Read Also: Why I backed Buhari, rejected Jonathan in 2015, by Amaechi

Details of the project read: “The Kano-Dambatta-Kazaure-Daura-Mashi-Katsina-Jibiya-Maradi line has an alignment of approximately 283.750km in the northern territory and will connect Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states and Niger.

“The Kano-Dutse line has an alignment of approximately 94.000 kilometres in the northern territory and will connect Kano and Jigawa states.”

The route of the rail line will be “starting in Kano,” the document says, as “the corridor of this future railway line runs northwards, parallel to the A2 Kano-Daura road. Then, after bypassing the towns of Dambatta and Kazaure, it continues towards the North to Daura, where it turns westwards and proceeds towards Katsina, crossing the city of Mashi.

“After Katsina, the railway line runs along the A9 road towards Jibiya and the boundary between Nigeria and Niger (Republic) and finally it reaches the neighbourhood of Maradi town.”

Our Reporter

The Borno State government has enrolled 1,163 children of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), in schools in Mobbar Local Government Area.

Special Adviser to Governor Babagana Zulum on Communications and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau said in a statement issued in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital yesterday, that the enrolment was supervised by Zulum in Damasak, headquarters of Mobbar Local Government Area during a three-day visit to the area.

He added that the measure was part of efforts to ensure that all children of school age were enrolled in school.

He said the governor was on a three-day visit to LGAs along the shores of Lake Chad for schools enrolment and other humanitarian support to returnees.

“In the third and final day of Zulum’s trip to Damasak, 1,163 children of IDPs were enrolled in primary schools as part of the governor’s enrolment campaigns.

“The pupils, who were from Guzamala and Abadam local government areas in Northern Borno had been out of school since their parents were displaced by Boko Haram insurgents when they attacked their communities.

“Zulum appealed to parents to allow their children to enrol in schools, saying that there were functional schools provided by the government,” he said.

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The governor said social welfare and other assistance from the government will be restricted to parents who allowed their children to attend schools.

“Zulum also launched the distribution of water pumps, fertilisers, seeds, chemicals and N5, 000 cash support for 1,200 irrigation farmers to enable them to embark on food cultivation during the current dry season.

“The governor also supervised the distribution of food combination to 10,000 IDP families.

“Each of the 10,000 families received 25kg of rice, 25kg of beans, 25kg of maize and five litres of cooking oil as part of interventions before they can generate livelihoods for themselves in Damasak,” Gusau said.

Damasak, a border community was a stronghold of Boko Haram terrorists.