The Nation Newspaper

Tag: agencies

  • Security agencies, British High Commission probe Ansaru claim

    Security agencies and the British High Commission are probing claims by the Islamic sect, Ansaru, that it had killed the seven foreign workers of Setraco it seized in Bauchi State last month.

    The sect posted notice of the killing on its web site late on Friday.

    Security agencies and the British High Commission swung into action soon after the news broke to establish the veracity of the sect’s claim.

    They are keen to establish where and when the hostages were killed.

    They also have a mandate to retrieve the bodies, if true, for forensic examinations.

    Those purportedly killed were three Lebanese and one each from Britain, Greece, Italy and the Philippines.

    They were all employees of SETRACO, a Lebanese construction company.

    According to findings by our correspondent, security agencies and the affected embassies had been working round the clock to establish the veracity or otherwise of the claim of Ansaru.

    A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We have been working with other international security agencies to verify the claim of Ansaru on the alleged killing of the seven hostages.

    “The sect members knew that security agencies were actually closing in on them. If they killed these hostages, it might just be pre-emptive.

    “All along, they had been running a make-shift life with the hostages. This investigation will enable us to know if the hostages had been killed, where and how.

    “There is also plan to recover the corpses of these innocent hostages for forensic examinations. With the examinations, it will still be possible to trail those who did it.”

    Another source said: “We are working in concert with foreign missions to know the truth or otherwise of the killing of the hostages.

    “We are deploying necessary technology in this assignment. Within the next 24 hours, we would able to confirm.”

    Spokesman for the British High Commission, Hooman Nouruzi, said: “We are aware of the reports being filed online, we have not been able to confirm. But the only thing I tell you is that we are investigating and it after this exercise that we can making information available. This is how far we can go now.”

  • Banks, govt agencies, others risk IT security breach

    An information technology (IT) expert has warned that banks, other financial institutions, government agencies, universities and other corporate organisations may become targets of young people with IT skills if unemployment persists.

    Tim Akano, vicechairman, WiniGroup Incorporation, an America-based IT security and business solutions company, warned that brilliant young hackers will attack on the data banks of these organisations and sell to others.

    “IT security is already a major concern globally which threat will become more serious in 2013 and beyond. In Nigeria, IT security is usually handled with levity. With more young people acquiring IT skills and with little opportunity to earn a decent income due to poor infrastructure that will make them transit to technopreneure, these youths will turn to vulnerable banks, universities, government agencies and other corporate organisations to earn huge income by hacking into their database and sell(ing) it for handsome fees in the online booming black market,” Akano who is also chief executive officer of New Horizons Nigeria Limited, said.

    According to him, organisations will have to embrace encryption to stave off attacks. “The way out of this pending hacking- earthquake is for organisation to embrace encryption. Organisation that will go unhurt, un-embarrassed and stand protected this year and beyond will need what I call:’’7-Layer IT-Security Sweater’’ to cover its origination’s body. Fortunately, this 7-Layer IT-Security Sweater’’ already exists in Nigeria,” he said, warning that the recent news about the hacking of the Federal Reserve’s and Wall Street Journal’s and Twitter accounts in the America is a tip of an iceberg as to what will come this year.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Extra judicial killings: NBA asks govt to investigate security agencies

    Extra judicial killings: NBA asks govt to investigate security agencies

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is uncomfortable with reports of extra judicial killings against security agencies.

    The umbrella body of lawyers in Nigeria yesterday asked the Federal Government to investigate the allegations and punish offenders to act as a deterrent to others.

    Besides, it said “no provision of the said law or constitution gives the State Security Service, Military or Police the right to detain suspects” indefinitely.

    At the Bar’s round table organised in Abuja to mark the 2012 International Human Right Day, the NBA President, Okey Wali (SAN), said: “When rights are serially violated, the people are apprehensive, nervous and unsure of their humanity.”

    Condemning the activities of Boko Haram and other insurgents in the country, Wali noted that thousands of persons have been displaced and property worth billions of naira destroyed.

    “We now have more orphans and widows who cannot explain the offence their loved ones committed that led to their death,” he said.

    Wali, however, regretted that security agencies have allegedly committed extra judicial killings in the war against terrorists.

    According to him, Nigerians have continued to face serial violations of their fundamental rights in the hands of security agencies which are supposed to be protecting them against aggressors.

    He said: “Hundreds of insurgents have been detained for over one year in various detention centres operated by the Military, State Security Service and other military and paramilitary formations with no prospect of a trial.

    “It seems therefore that while the insurgents are violating the rights of the Nigerian people through extra judicial executions and mindless bombings, the security agencies have also been engaged in extra judicial executions and unlawful and unconstitutional detention of insurgents.”

    He added that “nothing therefore justifies the detention of insurgents by agencies not empowered to detain them. Nothing justifies the refusal of the said agencies to hand over the insurgents to the Nigeria Police. And nothing justifies the Nigeria Police in joining other security agencies in detaining insurgents without trial. Nothing justifies the holding of persons suspected of having committed a criminal offence without trial.

    Wali went on: “There is nothing shameful about acknowledging mistakes and indiscretions and pledging to make amends. Denying cases of extra judicial executions and unlawful detentions in the face of overwhelming evidence can only diminish our prestige and respect in the comity of nations.

    “There is no doubt that extra-judicial execution by the Nigeria Police amounts to a disregard of the duty to organise the apparatus of the state in such a manner as to guarantee the rights recognised in the African Charter.”

     

  • Govt ministries, agencies get N300b capital allocation

    Govt ministries, agencies get N300b capital allocation

    Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) have received N300billion being the capital allocation for the fourth quarter.

    Following the release of the fund, the Federal Ministry of Finance said the total capital allocation released is now N1.01 trillion, of the N1.3trillion proposed in the 2012 budget.

    The cash represents 75 per cent of the capital budget for 2012, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, Special Assistant to Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo – Iweala, said yesterday. He said the release of the fund is also to ensure that the momentum on capital budget implementation is maintained as the year comes to a close.

    Nwabuikwu added that the impact of budget implementation could be seen in various sectors of the economy.

    He said power supply in many parts of the country has improved to a consistent level of 15 hours per day; the rehabilitation of existing power infrastructure has yielded up to 1000 megawatts of additional electricity; the NIPP projects are being fast tracked, which will lead to an additional 1055 megawatts by year end and that the prospects for progress in power supply have increased significantly, with the imminent conclusion of the privatisation programme.

    In agriculture, he said the desire to meet the 3.5 million jobs target by 2015 has led to the establishment of 13 private sector rice mills, with capacity of 240,000 metric tonnes and that one million metric tonnes of dried cassava chips have so far been exported to China.

    The performance of the 2012 budget, he added, has brought about “the Railway modernisation programme, with the Abuja-Kaduna line now at 46 per cent completion, the rehabilitation of the Lagos-Kano and Lagos-Ibadan lines has opened up new platforms for passenger traffic while the Abuja Light rail project is making progress”.

    On job creation, he said the implementation of the 2012 budget has so far brought about “the Community Services, Women and Youth Employment Programme of SURE-P launched in February 2012 and already working in 14 states, targeting 370,000 jobs per year, the second edition of the YOUWIN job programme, which focuses on women entrepreneurs, has been launched by President Goodluck Jonathan. YOUWIN targets 80,000-100,000 jobs over three years.

    He added that this year’s budget implementation has boosted the ports reform resulting in the “clearance time for cargoes in the ports reduced from 39 days to seven days”.

  • Legislator cautions agencies on death penalty

    Legislator cautions agencies on death penalty

    The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary, Dr Ali Ahmad has cautioned international agencies from meddling into the affairs of Nigeria concerning its death penalty law.

    Ahmad therefore threw his weight behind the Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s recent approval of the execution of two condemned prisoners in the state.

    He asked the international agencies opposed to the decision to allow Nigeria implement its law “since death penalty is still part of Nigeria’s legal document.”

    The lawmaker told reporters in Ilorin, Kwara State shortly after donating a transformer and electrical poles worth about N5 million to Duma community, Oja-gboro, Ilorin and a block of three classrooms to Isale-Asa LGEA Primary School, Ilorin.

    He added that the position of the House of Representatives on the controversial issue is that, “Edo Governor was right to sign the execution of the two condemned prisoners”.

    Ruling out arbitrariness in the decision of the Edo State governor, Ahmad noted that the same governor had granted two condemned prisoners amnesty and commuted the sentence of one other into life jail, adding that, “two others whose execution order is causing ripples were said to have committed grievous offence which precludes them from governor’s leniency”.

    He added: “The position of the House is that death penalty is still part of our law in Nigeria and anybody that is saying that death penalty should not be carried out is saying that the law of the country should not be implemented. So, on that core, I disagree with them.

    “On a personal note as a lawyer, let me put a caveat that for now, I support death penalty in principle, because those who oppose it do so in principle. What they say is that death penalty is an inhuman punishment but we disagree with them.”

    “I think the problem is that they take hook, line and sinker whatever comes to them through the West just like the same-sex marriage; they want to push it through our throat and say that we should legislate and legalize same-sex marriage because it is there in America or whatever country,” he further said.

  • Boko Haram: Security agencies grill sect commander, probe Senator

    Boko Haram: Security agencies grill sect commander, probe Senator

    • Suspect was not arrested in my residence but he is my nephew, says Senator

    Security agencies yesterday in Abuja began the interrogation of a Boko Haram Commander, Shuaibu Mohammed Bama, who was allegedly arrested in the house of a serving Senator, Ahmed Khalifa Zanna, on Thursday in Maiduguri.

    The agencies are also probing the activities of the Senator on his relationship with the Boko Haram Commander.

    But Senator Zanna said the Commander was not arrested at his residence, contrary to the claim of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State.

    The Boko Haram leader was picked up on Thursday in a house on Damboa in Maiduguri.

    A source said: “We have started interrogating the sect Commander and so far he has given useful information to security agencies.

    “When some operatives of the JTF stormed the Senator’s residence, some members of his immediate family confirmed that Bama is a relation of the Senator.”

    The source however claimed that despite the denial of the Senator, his activities are being probed.

    He said: “The ongoing probe will determine the level of his culpability. We will then be able to determine whether we should arrest him or not. But so far, we are looking at the activities of the Senator.

    “For a while, the Senator, from Borno Central, had been placed under surveillance following repeated security reports of his alleged link with one of the Boko Haram leaders.

    “As a matter of fact, a former Commissioner of Police in Borno once claimed that some of the loyalists of the Senator had links with Boko Haram.

    “But security agencies became curious when the Senator was persistently speaking to BBC, VOA and other international media calling for the withdrawal of soldiers from Borno State.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “No one is declaring the Senator guilty but certainly for a Boko Haram Commander to be linked to him, security agencies cannot gloss over it.

    “When we finish preliminary findings, the public will be briefed accordingly. But so far, the latest arrest confirmed our suspicion that the Boko Haram menace had insider’s knowledge.”

    Senator Zanna only confirmed that the Boko Haram Commander is his nephew.

    He denied that the suspect was in his house.

    He said: “They said they arrested the man in the house of a lawmaker in Damboa Road, and there is no any lawmaker in Damboa Road except me.

    “They did not arrest him in my house, they went to my house but did not find him, and instead they arrested children in my house and put them inside the hot sun and started beating them. And they asked them whether they knew Shuaibu Bama, and one of the boys answered yes. He then took them to where they arrested Shuaibu Bama.

    “Shuaibu Bama is a son of my sister. But the lie is what they are saying that they arrested him in my house, which is a lie. And we cannot hide or harbour a Boko Haram sect member.

    “And since he was not arrested in my house, they should go and investigate his relationship with people they arrested him in their house. I don’t know anything about it and just heard yesterday.”

     

  • ‘Security agencies ready for poll’

    ‘Security agencies ready for poll’

    Ondo State Police Commissioner Danladi Mshelbwala yesterday assured that security agencies were fully ready for the October 20 governorship election.

    Mshelbwala spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure, the state capital.

    He explained that the police, in collaboration with other security agencies, were ready to forestall violence during the poll.

    He said: “We are aware of the security challenges ahead of us in the coming election, and we are not leaving any stone unturned in our preparations to forestall violence during the election.

    “So, those who are planning to foment trouble should desist from doing so in their own interest, because we are going to provide more than enough security agents in all parts of the state.”

    The police chief said the security agencies had taken proactive measures to prevent violence before, during and after the election, adding that the police in particular had held meetings with stakeholders on the need to shun violence.

    Mshelbwala warned those scheming to disrupt the poll, saying the police and other security agencies would deal decisively with anyone caught.

    He advised parents to monitor their children to ensure that they were not used by desperate politicians to perpetrate malpractice or cause violence during the election.

  • Minister signs performance certificate with parastatals, agencies

    Minister signs performance certificate with parastatals, agencies

    The Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar, at the weekend signed a performance certificate with Heads of Agencies and Parastatals in the ministry.
    He described the pact as an evaluation tool for measuring their performances.
    The Minister disclosed that the performance agreement signed with President Goodluck Jonathan last August was part of efforts to foster purposeful and meaningful leadership in the country.
    He informed that the ability to actualise the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the ministry and its agencies will serve as proof of quality service delivery to Nigerians.
    Key objectives the ministry must achieve, he stated, include resuscitation and revitalisation of the railway system for haulage of goods and carriages of passengers; repositioning of the nation’s port system in line with global best practices; increasing use of inland waterways to stimulate economic activities as well as enhancing maritime safety and security.
    Others are improving inter modality of the transport system; enhancing private sector participation in the sector; and provision of policy, regulatory and administrative services.
    While insisting the performance agreement was non-negotiable, the Minister directed “all matters coming from the agencies must be attended to and disposed off within a maximum of two weeks from the date of receipt of such matters.”