The Nation Newspaper

Tag: borno

  • FAO distributes fuel-efficient stoves to 24,500 households in Borno

    FAO distributes fuel-efficient stoves to 24,500 households in Borno

    The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), launched and distributed Fuel-Efficient Stoves (FES) to 24,500 households in seven LGAs in Borno.

    During the exercise yesterday at Mainari community of Jere LGA, the Head of FAO North-East office, Al-Hassan Cisse, said it was part of FAO’S intervention to guarantee food security, nutrition, and ameliorate climate change impacts.

    Cisse said the stoves were was for 2023/2024 and that already a total of 123,506 households had benefited in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states since the exercise started in 2018.

    “To enhance the protection of women and children and the environment, FAO, through its Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) Programme, is supporting the distribution of SAFE kits to affected households to reduce the associated risks.

    “With funding support from Norway, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Japan, Switzerland, the ECHO, and the Central Emergency Response Fund, this programme was initiated in 2018.

    “Since then, the items have reached about 123,508 households in the North-East region, excuding the 2023/2024 distribution we are launching today in Jere, Borno State.

    “Our experience from the post-distribution evaluation of households that received FES in the past reported a 50 per cent reduction in firewood usage due to the stove’s high heat value, which cooks food faster than the local three-stone stove.

    “The reduction in expenditure on fuelwood was 58 per cent, and the frequency of fuelwood scouting time was reduced from four times a week to 1.5 times a week, thus reducing the risk of exploitation of vulnerable groups,” Cisse said.

    Read Also: Shettima hails youths as ‘pillars of today’ at awards gala

    He noted that FAO had established some FES and Briquette production centres across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states that continued to contribute to women economic empowerment, job creation and income generation.

    An Energy Specialist with FAO, Dr Yakaka Maina, said some benefits of the stoves, apart from reducing deforestation and combating climate change, included improving respiratory health and enhanced social protection.

    “It also conserved available resources, easy preparations of family meals, less indoor air pollution as well as create sustainable future,” she said.

  • WHO raises alarm as TB infection increases in Borno

    WHO raises alarm as TB infection increases in Borno

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday raised the alarm over what it termed “increasing rate of Tuberculosis (TB) infection in Borno.”

    The organisation’s Head of Mission/Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo, expressed the organisation’s concern during the North-East Nigeria 13th WHO End-Term Joint Operations Review (JOR) in Yola.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria and often affects the lung.

    NAN also reports that JOR is for Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states, affected by Boko Haram insurgency.

    The country representative, however, assured WHO’s readiness to work with Borno Government to address the problem.

    He said: “The rate of tuberculosis infection in Borno is worrisome. It means that Borno could be a ticking bomb for tuberculosis explosion in Nigeria.

    “We don’t want to allow that because of humanitarian crisis; we need to work together because that thing itself is strictly an emergency.’’

    Mulombo, therefore, urged stakeholders to take actions to accelerate help, and to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal of leaving no one behind.

    Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum said that the state lost about 50 per cent of its health institutions and many staff were abducted or killed due to the insurgency.

    Represented by the Borno Commissioner for Health, Dr Baba Malam-Gana, Zulum said “one of the consequences of this is the issue of tuberculosis, which needs a lot of staff to work on it, including machines.”

    According to him, the state currently uses the help of military to reach hard to reach areas to deliver services such as immunisation.

    Read Also: 2024 budget: Katsina govt allocates 20% to water, education sectors – Commissioner

    He urged the world body to help in that regard, as well as in tackling Gender-Based Violence issues, among other areas.

    Adamawa State Commissioner for Health, Dr Felix Tangwame, who represented Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, thanked the organisation for its contributions to the state in many ways

    He said WHO had provided various services such as capacity building, surveillance in preventing outbreak of diseases in the state, among others.

    He called for more assistance, especially in the area of training for health workers to be updated on new diseases and to know how to handle them.

    Yobe Commissioner for Health Dr Muhammad Gana, represented by Dr Babagana Abba, the Programme Manager, Saving One Million Lives, described WHO’s contributions to health issues as “excellent.”

    He confirmed that as a result of insurgency, the state experienced a lot of challenges, but WHO’s intervention helped to ameliorate the situation.

  • NAF’s strikes eliminate key Boko Haram figure, several others in Borno

    NAF’s strikes eliminate key Boko Haram figure, several others in Borno

    The Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai, have eliminated a key Boko Haram terrorist leader,  Abu Asad and several others in air strikes on their hideout at Tagoshe on Mandara Mountains in Borno.

    The Director, Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, made this known in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

    Gabkwet said the air strikes which was conducted on Friday, was one of the most successful strikes undertaken by the air component of Operation Hadin Kai in recent time.

    He said the NAF discovered a massing of terrorists in an isolated location consisting of three zinced structures amid several trees.

    He added that it was evident from the footage that the terrorists were massing up at the location for either a well-planned meeting or preparing for a major attack on troops.

    According to him, over 100 heavily armed terrorists were observed throwing banters and moving randomly around the structures which also had four troop carriers.

    “The aftermath of the air strike revealed that two out of the three structures, as well as the entire troop carriers were destroyed.

    “There are also indications that Abu Asad, a key figure in the Ali Ngulde group under Boko Haram, as well as other terrorists like Ibrahim Nakeeb, Mujaheed Dimtu, Mustafa Munzir and several fighters were among the several terrorists eliminated in the air strike,” he said.

    Read Also: 60 feared killed in Boko Haram, ISWAP fighters Borno clash

    The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has commended the Air Component Commander and his men for the feet.

    Abubakar urged them to continue to synergise with the Land Component while maintaining the momentum in keeping the terrorists on their toes.

    He said they must continue to justify the trust and confidence the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria have in them.

    “You must ensure that we go all out in making life unbearable for these terrorists and criminals until they surrender or are completely eliminated,” he said. (NAN)

  • Two die, 1,000 houses burntin Borno IDP camp fire

    Two die, 1,000 houses burntin Borno IDP camp fire

    Two Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have died and more than 1,000 houses burnt when fire swept through Muna Alamdari IDP camp in Maiduguri, Borno State.

    The fire began at about 6am and lasted for over an hour before it was brought under control by fire service personnel.

    The Director General of the State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Barkindo Muhammad, said yesterday in Maiduguri that the IDPs, Civilian Joint Task Force, security agencies and some good Samaritans also assisted in putting out the fire.

    Read Also: NAF air strikes kill terrorists, destroy four gun trucks in Borno

    He said the agency had begun assessment of the damages while making efforts to provide humanitarian support for the victims.

    “We are immediately providing 500 bags of rice, blankets as well as other non-food items to mitigate their suffering,” the official said.

  • Air strikes kill 22 terrorists, destroy two gun trucks in Borno

    Air strikes kill 22 terrorists, destroy two gun trucks in Borno

    Air strikes by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets have killed 22 terrorists and destroyed two gun trucks in Marte, Borno State.

    The strikes were launched on the terrorists, based on intelligence received from Land Component of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), a joint military operation against Boko Haram/ISWAP in the Northeast.

    NAF’s spokesman Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, who made this known yesterday, said the air strikes were launched on Sunday.

    Read Also: FG to fight desertification in Sokoto, Borno, Katsina, 8 others – Bukar

    He said intelligence showed that about 22 terrorists in a gun truck and two motorcycles were sighted near Marte. NAF aircraft of Air Component of OPHK were immediately dispatched to locate the location.

    Gabkwet said: “After scanning the area, the terrorists were sighted at about 22 km west of Marte and moving northwards towards Munguno.

    “After trailing the terrorists for about 70 minutes, the terrorists in the gun truck and two motorcycles stopped underneath a tree, probably to refuel or evade being seen.”

  • Police recruitment: Kaduna, Adamawa, Borno lead in online application

    Police recruitment: Kaduna, Adamawa, Borno lead in online application

    By Gbenga Omokhunu and Sophia Anumaka, Abuja

    Kaduna state is currently leading in the number of applications already received in the ongoing recruitment exercise for General Duty Constables into the Nigeria Police Force.

    20,259 Kaduna state youths have already completed the online applications to lead the table while Anambra State leads from behind with only 541 applications.

    Following, Kaduna State at the top are Adamawa State with 18,933 applications; Borno State with 18,305; Bauchi State, 16,554; Katsina State, 16,232 and Kano State, 15,888.

    According to a statement issued on Wednesday, October 25, by the Head Press and public relations of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Ikechukwu Ani said: “Next to Anambra State from the rear are; Ebonyi, 737; Abia, 966 and Imo 999. Bayelsa, has 1020; Enugu, 1036; Lagos, 1259; Delta, 1338 and Edo 1526.

    Read Also: Abdulrazaq proposes N5b incentive for states with more women representations

    “Meanwhile 242, 391 males have already completed their applications while only 35,405 females have registered their presence.”

    Ani said the chairman of the commission, Solomon Arase, has expressed concern about the continued disinterest of South East youths in pursuing a career in the Nigeria Police Force.

    “Dr Arase noted that the South East, currently a hotbed for non-state actors’ rebellion in the country should have been at the forefront to join the Nigeria Police Force and bring the indigenous solution to the menace.”

    He called on the leadership of the zone to find a way of convincing its youths to embrace the opportunity the ongoing recruitment has provided.

    The PSC chairman said it will be difficult for anybody to listen to cries of marginalisation from leaders of the zone if they choose to remain indifferent to the Government’s generous decision to offer employment to Nigerian youths in the Police Force.

    Arase said they should maximize the remaining five weeks open for their youths to get onto the train.

  • Furore over death of Borno Commissioner

    Furore over death of Borno Commissioner

    The death of the recently appointed Borno Commissioner for Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, and Resettlement (RRR), Engr. Ibrahim Idriss Garba, in the early hours of Saturday morning at his Guest House in 777 Housing Estate in Maiduguri has sparked tension in the State. 

    The cause of the Commissioner’s demise is currently shrouded in mystery with some saying it was due to suspected heart-related ailment while others say he may have been poisoned . 

    Borno Police Command said it has launched an “urgent investigation” into the circumstances surrounding the Commissioner’s death.

    Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau, announced this in a statement on Saturday.

    Read Also: JUST IN: Borno govt. confirms death of Commissioner

    Gusau said Borno Commissioner of Police visited the residence where Garba passed away in Maiduguri on Saturday. 

    Governor Zulum was said to have received the news of his death with deep shock and profound grief. 

    Garba served as the Governor’s Special Adviser on Special Projects before his appointment as the Commissioner of RRR at the beginning of Governor Zulum’s second term. 

    The Governor expressed condolences, stating, “May Allah forgive the commissioner’s shortcomings and admit him into Aljanna.”

  • JUST IN: Borno govt. confirms death of Commissioner

    JUST IN: Borno govt. confirms death of Commissioner

    The Borno Government has confirmed the death of the State’s Commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RRR), Ibrahim Idriss-Garba, who mysteriously died at around midnight on Friday.

    Malam Isa Gusau, Gov. Babagana Zulum’s spokesman, who  confirmed the news in a statement released on Saturday, said that the  Police had commenced urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. 

    Gusau said that Zulum received the news with intense shock and profound grief, adding, “the governor mourns alongside the late commissioner’s family, other loved ones, friends, associates, and members of the State Executive Council.” 

    Read Also: Borno lawmaker’s daughter strangled in Maiduguri

    NAN reports  that the state commissioner of police was at the house at which Idriss-Garba died, while the deceased corpse was transferred to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for autopsy. 

    NAN reports that the late Idriss Garba was the Governor’s Special Adviser on Special Projects before he was elevated and appointed commissioner of RRR, at the commencement of Zulum’s ongoing second term.(NAN)(w

  • Borno lawmaker’s daughter strangled in Maiduguri

    Borno lawmaker’s daughter strangled in Maiduguri

    • Police confirm incident

    The body of Fatima Alhaji Bukar, the daughter of a member of Borno State House of Assembly, Bukar Abacha, has been discovered in her home at Gidan Dembe in Maiduguri.

    A source alleged that the young woman was strangled and her body was found with her hands tied.

    The source said the perpetrators left her two-year-old child crying.

    Gwange Police Division reportedly acted swiftly by evacuating the body to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for autopsy and investigation.

    The shocking incident has left the community in a mourning mood.

    Police spokesman ASP Sani Kumilu Muhammed confirmed the incident.

    He said the command would fish out the perpetrators of the murder.

  • Air Force kills eight terrorists in Borno

    Air Force kills eight terrorists in Borno

    An airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) component of Operation Hakin Kai, a military operation against Boko Haram and other groups in North East Nigeria, has killed eight terrorists.

    The terrorists were killed yesterday when NAF aircraft on an armed reconnaissance mission took out a gun truck at Baranga village in Marte Local Government of Borno State, NAF’s spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said in a statement yesterday.

    Edward said: “The opportunity strike, which presented itself unexpectedly, occurred when two armed terrorists on a motorcycle along an active track were trailed.”

    “After sighting the aircraft, the terrorists took cover under thick vegetation. Upon engaging the vegetation cover, a gun truck with eight terrorists suddenly appeared, speeding off to evade the attack. Subsequently, the gun truck was engaged and destroyed, thus eliminating the terrorists.”

    The spokesperson said, though remnants of terrorists in North East Nigeria have continued to seek the covers of thick forests and vegetation to evade being detected by security forces, the Wednesday airstrike was “a clear indication of the commitment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria towards ensuring terrorists find it difficult to randomly roam about freely attacking law-abiding Nigerians.”n airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) component of Operation Hakin Kai, a military operation against Boko Haram and other groups in North East Nigeria, has killed eight terrorists.

    Read Also: Police arraign Okada rider for ‘abducting’ Air Force officer

    The terrorists were killed yesterday when NAF aircraft on an armed reconnaissance mission took out a gun truck at Baranga village in Marte Local Government of Borno State, NAF’s spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said in a statement yesterday.

    Edward said: “The opportunity strike, which presented itself unexpectedly, occurred when two armed terrorists on a motorcycle along an active track were trailed.”

    “After sighting the aircraft, the terrorists took cover under thick vegetation. Upon engaging the vegetation cover, a gun truck with eight terrorists suddenly appeared, speeding off to evade the attack. Subsequently, the gun truck was engaged and destroyed, thus eliminating the terrorists.”

    The spokesperson said, though remnants of terrorists in North East Nigeria have continued to seek the covers of thick forests and vegetation to evade being detected by security forces, the Wednesday airstrike was “a clear indication of the commitment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria towards ensuring terrorists find it difficult to randomly roam about freely attacking law-abiding Nigerians.”