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Tag: borno

  • President for Borno

    President Muhammadu Buhari is billed to visit Borno State on security engagements on Friday, Governor Kashim Shettima stated this yesterday.

    The governor noted with delight the relative peace and stability being enjoyed by inhabitants of the state and expressed the hope that the Boko Haram insurgency was largely over.

    “Well, the ongoing insurgency problem is largely over, we might be having some hiccups but when you compare the past with the present, we have every cause to celebrate.

    “We have pockets of the insurgents in and around the Lake Chad and the Sambisa Forest but when you juxtapose the sorry state of affairs three, four years ago and the current situation we are in, I think there is cause for celebration. There is no cause for alarm,’’ he said.

  • We are pacifying protesting policemen- Borno CP

    Borno State Police Commissioner Damian Chukwu said he is making frantic efforts to pacify the aggrieved policemen who embarked on an early morning protest in Maiduguri, Borno State capital over unpaid allowances.

    According to Mr. Chukwu, the issue will soon be resolved as the 2018 budget has just been signed into law.

    The Borno CP however disclosed that only five months outstanding allowances are been owed to the protesters as against the 7 or 6 months being reported by some section of the media.

    “We woke up this morning to experience a protest at the State HQ gate by visiting PMF men in Borno State over unpaid special duty allowances for 5 months running.

    Read Also: Drug abuse: NDLEA begs Plateau to establish rehabilitation centre

    “We are making efforts to pacify them and to assure them of their payments of entitlements soonest especially now that FG Budget issues are being fast resolved by the Federal Government,” CP Chukwu disclosed.

    The CP also appeal that steps be urgently taken to proffer lasting solution to the problem.

    The Nation reports that armed Mopol took to the streets of Maiduguri protesting over their unpaid allowances with the JTF.

    The protest witnessed heaving shooting and release of tear gas on the streets of Maiduguri causing pandemonium.

  • Insurgency: Speaker commends Nigerian Army for restoring peace to Borno

    The Speaker, Borno House of Assembly, Alhaji Abdulkareem Lawan, has commended the Nigerian Army for the successes so far recorded in the war against Boko Haram and restoration of peace to the North-East.

    Lawan, in an interview with our reporter in Guzamala on Sunday, also thanked the military for celebrating the 2018 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) in the town.

    NAN reports that the Nigerian Army had initiated ‘Operation Last Hold’ designed to clear remnant of Boko Haram insurgents in order to facilitate return of displaced persons to their homes in the Northeast.

    Gudunbali, headquarters of Guzamala Local Government Council of the state is one of the liberated towns from the insurgents designated for resettlement.

    Read Also:I can make Shekau, others surrender: Ex-Boko Haram commander

    Lawan said that the feat achieved by the military in the counter-insurgency campaign had re-awakened the hope of the people in the region.

    The speaker, who was among hundreds of returnees to the area, noted that the feat achieved would promote agriculture as well as social and economic activities.

    He assured of government’s readiness to support the returnees to resettle in their ancestral homes.

    Lawan also called on the people to support the military and other security agencies to end insurgency as well as the peace building process.

    Aisha Garba, one of the returnees commended the gesture, adding that she was happy to return home.

    Garba, a mother of three, said that she returned to the area with her husband and had begun clearing of their farmland.

    Another returnee, Hauwa Bukar, called on government and humanitarian organisations to provide them with shelter, food, and schools in the area.

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, had earlier conducted environmental sanitation at Gudunbali.

    Buratai said the exercise was part of activities lined up to commemorate (NADCEL) designed to clear waste and enhance sanitation in the town.

    He reiterated the commitment of the military to end insurgency and other security challenges in the country.

  • Plateau killings: PDP knocks Presidency for kicking against call for mourning

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed shock at a statement credited to the Presidency justifying its failure to stem the tide of killings and bloodletting in the country, particularly in the Plateau, Zamfara,  Benue, Yobe, Adamawa, Borno, Kogi, Taraba and other troubled states.

    In a statement on Thursday by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, the Presidency had condemned PDP’s call for seven days mourning in honour of the over 200 villagers killed in Plateau State on Sunday.

    In a statement on Thursday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party said it’s reprehensible that the Presidency had displayed its usual arrogance and insensitivity too the mood of the nation.

    The statement said, “It is disturbing that even in death, the Buhari Presidency still wants to deny these victims of callous murder the honour of being mourned.

    Read Also: Oshiomhole to Presidency, National Assembly: I’ll uphold party supremacy

    “We are particularly appalled that instead of joining Nigerians in mourning the dead and seeking ways to stem the escalation of the bloodletting under its watch, the Buhari Presidency is engaged in morbid reference to past killings as if the lives of Nigerians have no value under President Buhari’s watch.

    “The PDP, as a party, will continue to identify with Nigerians at this troubled time irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliations and will therefore not allow itself to be dragged into a needless mire with the Buhari Presidency, which has shown by its statement, that it has no iota of regard for the lives of Nigerians.

    “PDP urges the Buhari Presidency to confront the challenge of fulfilling the basic responsibility of governance by providing security to the lives and property of all Nigerians, irrespective of their creed, tribe and political affiliations.

    “Finally, the PDP assures Nigerians that we will not be deterred in speaking out against the killings and the failure of the Buhari administration to take concrete steps to stem this ugly tide”.

  • $322m Abacha loot: Cash transfers to poor homes begin in July

    The Federal Government says it will commence disbursement of the recovered 322 million dollars Abacha loot through Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) to 302,000 poor households in 19 states in July.

    Mr Tukur Rumar, of the National Cash Transfer Office (NTCO), said this at a roundtable on assets recovery organised by the Swiss Embassy on Thursday, in Abuja.

    The event was organised to intimate citizens and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on the efforts both nations were making on asset recovery after the Post-Global Forum on Assets Recovery (GFAR) held in Washington D.C. in Dec. 2017.

    At the forum, Nigeria made commendable commitments on beneficial ownership, tax transparency, asset recovery, transparency management of recovered funds and payments to victims of corruption.

    The states are: Niger, Kogi, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Kwara, Cross River, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarrawa, Anambra and Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) in Borno.

    According to Rumar, the benefiting households will receive N5,000 monthly and are derived from the National Social Register (NSR) that the 19 states are already on.

    He said the programme was designed to also train beneficiaries on livelihood skills, social skills and other programmes that would change their lives completely.

    Rumar, however, said that NCTO had been making payments to the 46,000 poor and vulnerable households across the 19 states since Dec. 2016, adding that the number had increased to 290,000.

    Mr Iorwa Apera, the National Coordinator, National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO), said 503,055 households were already on the NSR register from the 19 states, adding that by July, there would be a social register for all the states of the federation.

    He said that of the Abacha loot, about 302,000 poor homes across the 19 states would be mined by the NCTO to begin to receive the Abacha loot.

    Apera told the participants that the Federal Government would begin with those states, because they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NASSCO to put in place certain infrastructure to empower the national register.

    “Some of the states delayed, but the other ones were quick enough to set up infrastructure that allowed us to start work there, but all the states are now on board as they have set up their state operating offices and donated office equipment to us.

    “As states come on board, we enroll and so they extend to the beneficiary register, and presently we are generating data in all the states now,’’ he said.

    Read Also: EFCC launches probe as $500m Abacha loot goes missing

    Mrs Linda Ekeator of the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment said the Abacha loot was invested in the social investment programme, because it was a programme that was already supported by the World Bank.

    She said that before the money was returned to Nigeria, there was an agreement with the Swiss government that it should be used for alleviating poverty and this was to be done with the supervision of the World Bank.

    The Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Eric Mayoraz said the 722 million dollars of the Abacha family money that was hidden in Switzerland was fully repatriated in 2005.

    He also said that the 322 million dollars that was repatriated in Dec. 2017, was money that was frozen by the Swiss Attorney-General, but was not domiciled in Switzerland, but in other countries, mainly Luxembourg.

    He, however, said measures had been put in place to ensure that Swiss banks were not used to hide stolen funds from other countries.

    “For possible new cases, the Swiss legislation has fundamentally changed.

    “The law in Switzerland does not allow bank secrecy anymore, and all banks and financial institutions have a due diligence duty to ask everyone coming with money where it is coming from.

    “That does not mean that there are no illegal or stolen assets now in Switzerland, but then there is another instrument I signed myself with the Nigerian Ministry of Justice and Switzerland two years ago on mutual legal assistance and this is for new cases.

    “Now, this agreement with our own Ministry of Justice and Nigeria is that there will be direct communication and exchange on mutual legal request and we are really collaborating with EFCC and other agencies in Nigeria,’’ Mayoraz.

    The Executive Director, ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor, said for Nigerian citizens to not keep spreading rumours about the whereabouts of recovered loots, the government must be transparent in all the processes.

    He also said that CSOs should be given access to the social register to enable it monitor properly whether or not the beneficiaries received what was due to them.

  • Dangote inaugurates 200 houses, school for widows in Borno

    The Aliko Dangote Foundation on Monday inaugurated 200 housing units and a school it constructed for widows among Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs ) in Borno.

    Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Executive Chairman of the foundation said at the inauguration in Maiduguri that it was in fulfilment of a pledge he made two years ago.

    He disclosed that the foundation had so far expended over N7 billion in providing humanitarian assistance to those displaced by Boko Haram in the Northeast, and would provide N2 billion more.

    Dangote said: “You may recall in the last two years when I first paid a visit to the IDPs camp, I made a pledge of N2 billion on behalf of Dangote foundation.

    “The gesture was designed to support government to key into the reconstruction of houses that were destroyed and vandalised by Boko Haram.

    “It was the decision of the government that the donation should be given in materials and not cash.

    “It is against this backdrop and with consultation between the foundation and the state government that we provided building materials which included cement, aluminium roofing sheet, iron rode, ceiling as well as fabricated door and windows worth N1 billion to the stat government.

    “The 200 housing would provide accommodation to the IDPs in Borno. Each house is self contained built to house a family.

    Read Also: Aliko Dangote’s parting words to daughter

    “The state government had also provided skills acquisition kits to enable them become self reliant and enhance their livelihood.

    “The state government also built a school for the education of the children which was one of the key aspects that we needed to look into.”

    Dangote said that the foundation would release the second batch of N2 billion to continue with the construction of houses for vulnerable people.

    “I want to assure you that we will continue to do more until the IDPs are reintegrated back to the society and are able to resume their normal productive lives,” he said.

    He solicited for more donation by wealthy individuals towards the resettlement of the Boko Haram victims.

    Earlier, Babagana Umara, the Commissioner of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement, disclosed that the building materials provided by Dangote foundation were for the construction of 1,000 housing units for widows.

    Umara said after the conclusion of the first phase of the reconstruction, the government utilised the remaining materials for the rehabilitation of public structures in Bama, Gwoza, Askira Uba and Konduga local government areas.

    “A school with a block of  ten classrooms and library with well-equipped facilities as well as clinic was also built in order to support the livelihood and health needs of the people.”

    The commissioner announced that the beneficiaries would be supported with irrigation kits, poultry facilities and  fish ponds to boost their means of livelihood.

    In his remark, Gov. Kashim Shettima commended the foundation for its humanitarian assistance, adding that Dangote presented the highest individual contribution and intervention to the IDPs.

    He said that in two years ago, the foundation had donated 100 trailer loads of food and nonfood items to Boko Haram victims.

    The governor noted that Zuwaira, Dangote’s daughter had also visited the state more than 20 times in support of the IDPs.

    Hajiya Yabawa Kolo, Chairperson of SEMA, said those that got the houses were among the most vulnerable persons across the 27 local government areas of the state.

    “The beneficiaries cut across all faith, most of them lost their spouses and were left with a lot of children to take care of,” she said.

    One of the beneficiaries, Esther Kachallah, whose husband was killed by Boko Haram insurgents four years ago in Monguno thanked the foundation for providing them with a home.

    “We get support from church where I sweep to make some money to feed the kids, I thank God I now have a house to call my own,” she said.

    NAN

     

  • Borno police confirm 20 dead, 48 injured explosion

    Borno State Police command has confirmed the killing of 20 people in what it described as  suspected terrorists attack
    The Commissioner of Police Mr. Damian Chukwu through a statement from  the Command’s Public Relations Officer DSP Edet Okon said 48 people sustained injuries in the explosion which occurred on Sunday at Abachari, the outskirt  of Damboa Local Government.
    The statement reads; “On 16/06/18 at about 2045hrs, an explosion occurred at Abachari area outskirt of Damboa L.G.A. of Borno State.
    “At the sound of the explosion, personnel of the Nigeria Police and Members of the civilian JTF mobilised to the scene and discovered twenty dead bodies and 48 injured persons in a suspected terrorist attack.
    ” The wounded and the dead were evacuated to a hospital while scene was sanitized by a deployment of police EOD unit.
    “Investigation is ongoing to unravel the nature of the attack”.
    The statement also enjoined the general public to continue to be vigilant, watchful and help security operatives by giving useful information on criminals.

  • Eid-el-Fitri: Police strengthen security in Borno, Yobe , Bauchi, Ekiti

    •Be security conscious, police tell Kano residents

    POLICE commands in  Yobe, Borno, Bauchi and Ekiti states have deployed special forces, including  men of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD), to secure all praying grounds as well as tackle political thugs and criminals.

    The measure in the Norther states, according to security sources, was aimed at combing praying ground and ensure no explosive was planted at the venue before worshipers arrive for their prayers today.

    Yobe and Borno states have also placed restriction on movement of vehicles and animals like donkeys and horses during prayers.

    In Yobe State, restriction of movement began from 10.00pm yesterday to 10.00m today, according to a statement by Abdullahi Bego, the director-general of Information and Press Affairs to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.

    The restriction of movement, Bego said, will  exempt people on emergency services or those with security clearance.

    In Borno State, Police Commissioner Damian Chukwu announced that over 5,000 policemen are to be deployed during the Eid-el-Fitri celebration .

    Chukwu said suicide attacks on Maiduguri have necessitated the need for serious security.

    Police in Bauchi said they will be deploying 2,992 policemen to secure lives and properties in the state during the Eid-el-Fitir celebration.

    Conventional police, Mobile Force, Counter Terrorist Unit, Explosive Ordinance Disposal personnel, intelligence personnel, medical personnel and other operatives in the command will be deployed at strategic positions.

    The command’s spokesperson, Kamal Abubabakar, while quoting Police Commissioner Sanusi Lemu, assured residents: “The command is ready to protect lives and properties of all citizens resident in the state before, during and after the sallah.”

    Kano State Police Command advised Muslim worshipers and people attending recreational centres during the Eid-El-Fitri festivities to be security-conscious and report suspicious movements to security agencies.

    In a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police, Magaji Musa Majia, in Kano, Police said they have put machinery in place to ensure adequate security of lives and property during the Sallah celebrations.

    The police in Ekiti State said they have beefed up security in a bid to forestall breakdown of law and order and as parties embark on political campaign ahead of the July 14 poll.

    The command also said the security measure was also aimed at ensuring a peaceful celebration of Eid-el-Fitri.

    A statement by the command spokesman, Mr. Caleb Ikechukwu, warned political thugs and miscreants to eschew violence during the Sallah.

    It threatened that the police would deal decisively with troublemakers caught.

    He said: “We assure the good people of Ekiti State that police shall be alive to their responsibility during this celebration.

    “We are fully prepared to deal with hoodlums, political thugs, and other disgruntled elements that may cause panic among the public during this period and we will collaborate with sister security agencies and stakeholders to ensure peaceful hitch-free celebration.

    “To this effect, the command has deployed enough officers and men in all praying grounds and venues of events in the state.”

     

     

     

  • Suicide bomber kills one, wounds four in Borno

    A male suicide bomber strapped with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) has killed one Civilian JTF (CJTF) and injured four others at a security formation at Baga road area in Maiduguri.

    The Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations in the state, Mr Wakil Maye, who confirmed the incident to the our reporter on Monday in Maiduguri, said the incident occurred around 1 a.m.

    Maye said the bomber was intercepted by the CJTF, who sighted the bomber from a distance.

    “When he couldn’t reach his target, he quickly detonated the explosives, killing himself, one civilian JTF and injuring four others,’’ said Maye.

    Read Also: Suicide bomber, three others killed in Borno attack

    He said that the police Explosive Ordinance Device (EOD) team were deployed to sanitise the scene.

    Malam Bello Danbatta, the Spokesperson of the CJTF, also confirmed that one of its members was killed by the suicide bomber while defending his country.

    Danbatta said that the bomber was targeting Muslim faithful performing midnight (Tahajjud) prayers of the last 10 days of Ramadan.

    He said the injured were evacuated to the State Specialist Hospital for medication while the male deceased was handed over to his family for burial.

  • Suicide bomber kills self in failed suicide attempt in Borno market

    The Borno Police Command on Sunday said tragedy was averted when a suicide bomber heading to the market mistakenly detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) killing himself alone.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr Damian Chukwu, who confirmed the incident in a statement released in Maiduguri, said the incident occurred on Saturday, at about 7:20 p.m. at the Monday Market general area.

    He said that the bomber was heading to the market where he saw massive crowd to detonate the IED strapped on his body.

    “The male suicide bomber sighted massive presence of police and other security deployments at Oando Filling station near Post Office and hurriedly detonated the explosives, killing himself alone.

    “More police personnel have been deployed to most parts of the capital and other flash points in the state.

    “This is to ensure security of lives and property, especially in the remaining days of the Ramadan fast and as Eid el-Fitr approaches,” he said.

    He added that the police Explosive Ordinance Device team were quickly deployed to sanitise the area and render it safe. (NAN)