The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Anti-terrorism

  • Boost to anti-terrorism war, says Shettima

    Boost to anti-terrorism war, says Shettima

    Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s return to Nigeria after a medical vacation in London as a big boost toward ending the Boko Haram terrorism in the Northeast.

    Shettima stated this in a statement issued by his spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau, Maiduguri yesterday.

    He congratulated the people of the Northeast on the return of the President.

    “The people of the Northeast should be congratulated as the major beneficiaries of Buhari’s return because of his open love, empathy and keen interest in addressing the security challenges in the sub-region,’’ Shettima said.

    He said aside from his zeal in fighting insecurity, the President had been magnanimous in appointing individuals from the sub-region into key Federal Government’s positions.

  • UNHCR seeks US$545 million for Nigeria, CAR crises

    UNHCR seeks US$545 million for Nigeria, CAR crises

    The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partners have called on donor nations for more than half-a-billion US dollars this year to help hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee conflicts in Nigeria and the Central African Republic (CAR) and the host communities providing them with shelter and other basic services.

    The two Regional Refugee Response Plans (RRRP), presented at a donor briefing in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on Monday include US$198.76 million for 230,000 Nigerian refugees and another 284,300 members of host communities in Niger, Chad and Cameroon as well as US$345.7 million for 476,300 CAR refugees and some 289,000 people hosting them in Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Republic of Congo.

    Both RRRPs cover needs in sectors such as protection, education, food security, health and nutrition, livelihoods, shelter, basic aid and water, hygiene and sanitation. The CAR appeal is being made by 25 organizations, including UNHCR and other UN agencies as well as NGOs.

    The Nigeria appeal is made by 28 organizations. UNHCR alone is seeking US$189.54 million under the Central African Republic RRRP and US$62.33 million for Nigeria.

    “These two humanitarian crises must not be forgotten; they are not going away. The suffering is great and the needs acute among both the displaced and host communities,” said Liz Ahua, UNHCR’s Regional Refugee Coordinator for the CAR and Nigeria situations.

    Ahua said violence occurs on almost a daily basis in North-East Nigeria and CAR, generating fear and new displacement in the region, citing as examples suicide attacks, kidnapping, indiscriminate killings and massive human rights abuses.

    “There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we won’t see it unless there is a much stronger commitment from African governments and the international community to help re-establish stability and peace,” Ahua said, urging donors to give more generously.

    In 2015, the Nigerian RRRP received 52 per cent of its financial requirements whilst the Central African Republic RRRP received just 27 per cent.

    Despite important steps towards restoring peace in both North-East Nigeria and CAR, there were also reverses and continuing significant population displacement in 2015. In Nigeria, the government rolled back Boko Haram gains, but the insurgent group turned to terror tactics that spread into neighbouring countries.

    In CAR, relative peace was punctuated by waves of violence that triggered flight within the country and into the DRC, but the first round of the presidential election passed peacefully in late December with the participation of tens of thousands of refugees in Chad, Republic of Congo and Cameroon. The second round is due in February.

    The crises in Nigeria and CAR will continue to provide major challenges throughout 2016 in countries such as Cameroon, which provides sanctuary and assistance to refugees from both Nigeria and CAR.

    For just this country, the appeals seek US$130.8 million to help 234,500 CAR refugees and almost 216,700 host community members and US$56.36 million for 100,000 Nigerian refugees and 20,000 hosts in Cameroon.

    Highlighting some of the needs, Ahua said: “We need funding to prevent malnutrition among children; to run schools, build up proper sanitation systems and provide clean water; and to make sure that families have shelter over their heads.”

    The Nigeria and CAR regional response plans are part of the wider 2016 humanitarian appeal, asking for US$20.1 billion to reach 87 million people around the world, launched last December.

  • Mali attack stiffens resolve to fight terrorism – Obama

    Mali attack stiffens resolve to fight terrorism – Obama

    The US President, Barack Obama said on Saturday, the terrorist attack on a hotel in Mali only stiffened the international community’s resolve to fight the global scourge of terrorism.

    Obama expressed condolences to the families of 21 victims, including at least one American, who died when terrorists stormed a hotel in Bamako.

    He called Friday’s attack another awful reminder that the scourge of terrorism threatened so many nations.

    “This barbarity only stiffens our resolve to meet this challenge and with allies and partners, the United States will be relentless against those who target our citizen.

    “We will continue to root out terrorist networks and we will not allow these killers to have a safe haven,” Obama said.

    He called on nations around the world to unite in their determination to protect against extremism.

    According to Obama, it will involve pushing back on hateful ideologies that fuel terrorism and standing up for the universal values of tolerance and respect for human dignity.

  • Jonathan for anti-terrorism meeting in Kenya

    Jonathan for anti-terrorism meeting in Kenya

    President Goodluck Jonathan will travel to Nairobi today for a meeting of the African Union’s (AU’s) Peace and Security Council, which will begin tomorrow in the Kenyan capital.

    A statement yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said the meeting is a follow-up to talks by President Jonathan and other African leaders at Pretoria, South Africa, in May, on joint action against terrorism.

    Tomorrow’s meeting toorrow will consider the report of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa.

    “Deliberations at the Nairobi summit and the adoption of the African Chairperson’s Report by President Jonathan, President Uhuru Kenyatta (of Kenya) and other participating Heads of State are expected lead to more collaborative actions by Nigeria and other African countries to rid the continent of acts of terrorism and violent extremism,” the statement said.

  • Anti-terrorism: US okays 22 terminals

    Anti-terrorism: US okays 22 terminals

    The United States (US) has given 22 Nigerian terminals with anti-terrorism measures a clean bill of health.

    Vessels from those ports have a right of entry into the US.

    The US, however, imposed Conditions of Entry (COE) on vessels originating from other terminals which are yet to comply with the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code.

    Most of the terminals concessioned to private operators in 2006 were cleared by the US Coast Guard and exempted from the COE.

    The cleared terminals include APM Terminals Apapa, Port and Cargo Handling Services (PTM), Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited, Greenview Development Nigeria Limited, Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT), ENL Consortium and West Africa Container Terminal (WACT).

    Most of the terminals that are yet to upgrade their security measures are oil jetties and terminals.

    In a statement, the US Embassy said the affected vessels need to meet certain security measures before entering its ports.

    It said: “The US Coast Guard has worked cooperatively with the Government of Nigeria to identify and address port security deficiencies observed during assessments of numerous facilities during the past six years.

    “Based on these assessments, it has determined that Nigerian ports have not fully implemented the provisions of the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code, the primary international security standard, and do not have effective anti-terrorism measures in place.

    “Twenty-two Nigerian port facilities have demonstrated effective anti-terrorism measures and will not be subject to additional security precautions.

    “The COE are not trade sanctions and do not ban Nigerian ships from entering US ports. It does require ships, however, to take certain additional security-related measures while at non-exempt Nigerian port facilities, which will be verified by US Coast Guard port security personnel prior to entering US ports.”

  • Ghana cabinet approves anti-terrorism amendment law

    Ghana cabinet approves anti-terrorism amendment law

    The Ghanaian cabinet has approved the anti-terrorism amendment law and forwarded the same to the Parliament.

    Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations, made this known on Monday during a media briefing in Accra.

    He said the amendment was necessary following increased threat of terrorists attacks in the country.

    The minister further said that the law when operational would enable the country have the powers to punish groups and individuals involved in terrorism.

    “Currently, Ghana cannot punish or freeze the accounts of groups or persons engaged in terrorism without first referring to the UN Security Council Laws.

    “The passage of this amendment after parliament’s approval will enable Ghana as a state to punish groups and individuals found culpable in the menace,’’ he said.

    He said apart from domesticating the law, the amended portion would also empower the courts to give stiffer punishment to those engaged in the practice.

    Mohammed further stated that Ghana’s Whistle Blowers Act would be extended to politicians and public office holders to also enable them to check the activities of private sector operators.

    “Whenever we talk of transparency and accountability, the focus has always been on public officials and politicians, forgetting that the private sector is also corrupt,’’ he said.

  • ‘Anti-terrorism law’ll curb kidnapping’

    The Lagos State Government yesterday said the Anti-Terrorism Bill, if passed into law, will curb kidnapping.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Political and Legislative Matters, Muslim Folami, spoke with reporters on the sixth anniversary of the Governor Babatunde Fashola administration.

    Folami said the passage of the bill, which is going through its second reading, would recommend sanctions to prevent people from engaging in the act.

    He blamed the increase in kidnapping and other violent crimes on economic challenges and unemployment opportunities, urging the Federal Government to address them.

    Stressing that kidnapping was not peculiar to Lagos, Folami said: “It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to ensure the security of life and property. It needs to address this challenge squarely.”

    On the merger of major opposition parties, Folami said: “The merger will salvage this country. The government at the centre is not the government we prayed for, but God gave it to us. There is corruption, social vices, kidnapping, extra-judicial killing and no one is at rest. Everyone is apprehensive. The merger will be a saving grace and we can only wish them well.”

     

  • Wanted in Benue: Anti-terrorism force

    Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam has urged the Federal Government to assist the state to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency.

    The governor said the Federal Government needs to set up an anti-terrorism outfit in the state to stem the sect’s incursion into the state.

    The Commissioner of Information and Orientation, Mr. Conrad Wergba, yesterday addressed reporters in Abuja on the state’s security situation.

    He noted that efforts by the Suswam administration to tackle the Boko Haram menace “transcends the capacity of Benue State Government”.

    Last December, Suswam alleged that the Boko Haram sect planned to attack Benue State.

    The governor also alleged that the sect had placed him on its hit list.

    Wergba yesterday explained that following the tracking of a suspected Boko Haram kingpin to Gboko, Benue State, last Saturday, and the recovery of a large cache of explosives and ammunition in his house, it was obvious the governor was not “crying wolf where there was none”.

    He added: “Apart from heightening security concerns and bringing the state into greater security focus, it has unfortunately moved the insurgency threats from the realm of speculation and conjecture into that of stark reality.”

    Wergba said Benue State’s request for an anti-terrorism force from the Federal Government did not mean it was asking for the deployment of troops.

    He said: “…The truth of the matter is that we need, as a nation, to reinvigorate our security platform. This is why we have called for collaborative synergy between major stakeholders.”

    The commissioner said the Suswam administration would not, for economic reasons, shy away from declaring that there were security issues bothering the state “or sweep security subversion under the carpet”.