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Tag: borno

  • Borno stakeholders back Ndume for Senate President

    As the battle for the leadership of the 9th National Assembly hots up, stakeholders and elders from Borno state have thrown their weight behind their son, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume to emerge as the next President of the Senate

    Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, the Borno elders on the platform of Concerned Borno Citizens expressed confidence in the ability of Senator Ndume to provide quality leadership for the Senate and partner the executive to offer Nigerians good governance.

    The group, comprising of former governors, former Ministers and other leaders of the APC in Borno state argued that Ndume should be considered for the position considering the fact that Borno state gave the party over 90 percent of the votes from the state in the just concluded election.

    Spokesman of the group and former Ambassador Dauda Danladi said however that while the angling for the position of the Senate President, they are not unaware of the fact that the party will eventually zone the position and the fact that other zones of the country are also agitating for the position.

    He said further that if the party eventually zoned the seat to another zone, they will have no option than to support such zone, but insisted that Ndume was the most qualified person to occupy the seat considering his antecedent as a lawmaker and loyal party man.

    He said: “At this critical moment of our quest for credible leadership, we give glory to God Almighty for the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yeml Osinbajo. We congratulate your Excellencies. We also seize this opportunity to congratulate Members elect of the National Assembly as well as Governors elect and Members of State Assemblies.

    “We pray to Almighty God to give your Excellencies and Parliamentarians at all levels the courage; wisdom and good health to justify the confidence reposed ln you by Nigerians.

    “There is no doubt that the 9th National Assembly has a critical role to play if Government is to actualize all its developmental projects, programs and policies that will propel Nigeria into the industrialized world in the near future. Hence a cooperative partnership driven National Assembly that will support, encourage and work with the executive to accelerate the achievement of socio economic objectives of the Government cannot be overemphasized.

    “It is in this regard that we the Concerned Citizens of Borno are coming forward to urge Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume to contest for the office of the President of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly. We are convinced that Senator Ndume possesses all the qualities and requirements to hold the office of the Senate President being a loyal party man and a ranking Senator.

    “He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2003 and 2007 and held the position of a Minority Leader of the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011, he has been in the Senate since 2011 representing Borno South Senatorial District with distinction.

    “Senator Ndume emerged as the Senate Leader In 2015 and was removed In a controversial circumstance in January 2017 ostensibly for his defense of party policies and for being a loyalist to the Government. His stint as a Lawmaker in both chambers of the National Assembly from 2003 to date are there to speak for themselves, where he stood firm In the cause of his people and contributed immensely In debates and passages of people oriented bills and motions.

    “In the run up to the 2019 elections, he was appointed as the North/East zonal Director for the APC Presidential Campaign Council. In all of the above, Senator Ndume put In his best to achieve the desired results. It is for these and many more reasons that we are commending this illustrious son to Nigerians.

    “Our plea for the Distinguished Senator to seek for the office of the President of the Senate is premised on the fact that the North/East geo-political zone where he hails from gave the President the second highest vote cast. This is in addition to the fact that the region has been ravaged by insurgency from 2009 until the coming of this administration in 2015.

    “Borno State being the epicenter of the crises deserves serious attention. The office of the President of the Senate will therefore offer the state a good opportunity to fast track reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement of millions of displaced persons. It will also be apt to add that Borno state has the highest percentage of 92% of votes cast for President Buhari in the just concluded 2019 election.”

  • FEC okays N27.4b for states affected by flooding, conflicts

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday approved N27.4 billion for intervention in states ravaged by flooding and conflicts.

    This was disclosed by the Kebbi State Governor and Vice Chairman of the National Food Security Council, Atiku Bagudu.

    He briefed State House correspondents after about seven hours FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said that the FEC approved N18.9 billion for intervention in 14 states ravaged by flooding.

    Noting that the list of the states is not exhaustive, he said that the intervention will take the form of seedlings, fertilizers among other items.

    According to him, 163,117 beneficiaries will be covered in 14 states.

    He said that FEC approved N8.5 billion for intervention in states ravaged by conflicts.

    Among the beneficiary states, he said, included Adamawa, Benue, Borno, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara.

    While 69,872 people will benefit from the intervention, he said that it will take the form of fertilizers, seedlings, feeding and accommodation.

  • Buratai hails troops for neutralising insurgents in Borno, Yobe

    THE Nigerian Army said yesterday that scores of Boko Haram terrorists have been neutralised between Borno and Yobe axis when they attempted to overrun a military base.

    Deputy Director, Army Public Relations Colonel Ado Isa said following the feat, Chief of Army staff Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai sent words of encouragement to the troops for their gallantry.

    Colonel Isa explained in a statement that some of the fleeing terrorists escaped with gunshot wounds and their gun trucks and weapons were destroyed.

    He said: “The dogged troops of 152 Battalion successfully crushed some members of the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) when they attempted to infiltrate their location yesterday, March 11, 2019 at about 1900hrs around Bula – Yobe, Banki axis in Borno State.

    “The terrorists in their futile attempt came in with several gun trucks mounted with Anti-Aircraft Guns and motorcycles.

    “The troops engaged the terrorists with superior firepower and inflicted heavy casualty on the BHTs and their equipment.

    “The fierce gun battle set confusion and disorganisation in the terrorists camp, withdrawing in disarray while the troops gave them a hot pursuit.

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    “In that process, unconfirmed number of terrorists were neutralised while several others fled with gunshot wounds.

    “A gun truck mounted with Anti-Aircraft Gun and several motorcycles belonging to the BHTs were destroyed while one gun truck mounted with anti-aircraft gun and mortar carrier were captured from the terrorists.

    “The Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major-General Benson Akinroluyo, through the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division Nigerian Army and Commander Sector 1, Operation Lafiya Dole, Brigadier General Abdulmalik Bulama Biu, extolled their effort and sacrifice and also conveyed the Chief of Army Staff’s (COAS) special commendation for their dogged fighting spirit and brilliance. He urged them to maintain the aggressive posture and sustain the offensive.”

  • Troops neutralise scores of insurgents in Borno, Yobe

    The Nigerian Army said on Wednesday that scores of Boko Haram terrorists have been neutralized between Borno and Yobe axis when they attempted to overrun a military base.

    The Deputy Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Ado Isa said following the feat the Chief of Army staff; Lt Gen Tukur Buratai sent words of encouragement to the troops for their gallantry.

    Colonel Isa explained in a statement that some of the fleeing terrorists escaped with gunshot wounds, while their gun trucks and weapons were destroyed.

    He said: “The dogged troops of 152 Battalion successfully crushed some members of the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) when they attempted to infiltrate their location Wednesday, 11 March 2019 at about 1900hrs around Bula – Yobe, Banki axis in Borno State.

    “The Terrorists in their futile attempt came in with several Gun Trucks mounted with Anti-Aircraft Guns and Motorcycles.

    “The troops engaged the terrorists with superior fire power and inflicted heavy casualty on the BHTs and their equipment.

    “The fierce gun battle set confusion and disorganisation in the terrorists’ camp, withdrawing in disarray while the troops gave them a hot pursuit.

    “In that process, unconfirmed numbers of terrorists were neutralized while several others fled with gunshot wounds.

    “A Gun Truck mounted with Anti-Aircraft Gun and several Motorcycles belonging to the BHTs were destroyed while one Gun truck mounted with Anti -Aircraft Gun and Mortar Carrier were captured from the terrorists.

    “The Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Benson Akinroluyo through the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division Nigerian Army and Commander Sector 1, Operation Lafiya Dole, Brigadier General Abdulmalik Bulama Biu extolled their effort and sacrifice and also conveyed the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai’s special commendation for their dogged fighting spirit and brilliance. He urged them to maintain the aggressive posture and sustain the offensive.”

  • Air Force destroys insurgents’ logistics in Borno

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says its Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has destroyed Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists’ vehicle at Tumbun Sale and Tumbun Allura in Borno.

    NAF’s spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

    He said that the ATF equally destroyed some logistics infrastructure of the ISWAP at Tumbun Sale and Tumbun Allura on the fringes of Lake Chad in the state.

    Daramola explained that the operation was conducted following intelligence reports indicating the presence of ISWAP fighters with some vehicles and logistic support items were “well camouflaged under the dense vegetation within the settlements.”

    ” Accordingly, a NAF Alpha Jet, supported by an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform, was dispatched to attack the terrorists’ hideouts in successive strikes resulting in damage to several structures as well as the destruction of

    one of the terrorists’ vehicles, which was seen engulfed in flames,” he said.

    The spokesman said the NAF, operating in concert with surface forces, would sustain its efforts to completely destroy all remnants of the terrorists in the North East. (NAN)

  • Voter apathy mars governorship elections in Borno

    Yesterday’s governorship and house of assembly elections were characterised by voter’s apathy, leading to low turnout across Borno State.

    Although voting started as early as 8.00am in most polling units, with no technical issues of card reader failure, The Nation can authoritatively report that INEC ad-hoc staff and security agents, including party agents, sat idle most of the time, as they awaited voters for accreditation and voting.

    The situation, as monitored in Maiduguri metropolis, witnessed very low turnout compared to the massive turnout recorded in the last presidential and national assembly elections two weeks ago.

    Observers from YIAGA Africa, however, told our correspondent that the election was generally peaceful and smooth across the city.

    Our correspondent also observed in some of the polling units monitored in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Jere, Mafa and Konduga local government areas of Borno State that INEC ad-hoc workers sat idle as they awaited arrival of eligible voters.

    The number of voters at some polling units were as low as 18-23 votes as at 10-10.30 am, unlike in the last election where the numbers were in hundreds.

    Pockets of the ad-hoc staff in areas like London cikin, Shehuri North, Limanti, Mafoni and Banaganaram areas said the electoral process was orderly, peaceful and they enjoyed support and cooperation of the electorate, including the security agents.

    A presiding officer at Gomari Bus Stop I, II and III as well as Lawan Jiddah I and II told journalists that all the required electoral materials were available and adequate. He added that all the ad-hoc staff, security agents and party agents were available, supportive and cooperating.

    He was, however, worried with the low turnout of electorate on queue.

    Another presiding officer, Mohammed Ahmed, said voters were coming in trickles.

    “The enthusiasm is not there again with the people and they feel reluctant to come out and vote; not that there is any problem. We have no problem logistics-wise, even with smart card reader and ballot papers. All are intact and in good condition, “Ahmed said.

    A voter at Gomari III polling unit, Adamu Mastafa, noted that the people are obviously only interested in Buhari more than the state government.

  • Election: INEC replaces erring ad hoc staff in Borno

    The Independent National Commission (INEC) in Borno has replaced erring ad hoc staff to facilitate smooth conduct of the upcoming governorship and State House Assembly elections in Borno.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Borno, Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Maiduguri.

    He said that the replacement was due to the inability of the staff to discharge their duties effectively during the Feb. 23 elections.

    Ibrahim disclosed that some of the affected staff failed to properly handle Card Reader machines, an action which affected the voting process.

    “We replaced ad hoc staff who demonstrated rude behavior and those who could not operate the Card Reader machines or fill the result sheets properly.

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    “We engaged 22,500 ad hoc staff for 3,932 Polling Units (PUs) and 5,071 Voting Points (VPs). The replacement is completed and we also earmarked reserved staff. INEC is geared to conduct an excellent election,” he said.

    Ibrahim noted that ad hoc workers were selected from Federal civil servants, members of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), university lecturers and teachers of tertiary institutions of learning in the state.

    He revealed that the commission had conducted refresher training for the ad hoc staff on election duty procedures and their roles.

    The REC added that the measure was to ensure that they discharge their duties effectively in accordance with the laws governing its operations.

    According to him, the commission will commence the distribution of sensitive and non sensitive election materials as well as deployment of workers on Thursday to the 27 local government areas of the state.

    Ibrahim explained that sensitive materials were kept at the Central Bank of Nigeria for safe keeping, adding that 5,071 Card Readers were also re-configured, awaiting redistribution for the election.

    The commissioner stressed that the electoral body had achieved 100 per cent in its preparations for the election, adding that it had also identified and addressed challenges with distribution of sensitive election materials.

    “We made adequate arrangements on movement and delivery of sensitive election materials.

    “We achieved 100 per cent in our preparations for the election; ballot papers, result sheets, voting cubicles and others.

    ”We will commence deployment on Thursday and we made arrangement with security agencies to escort election materials and staff to various places,’’ he said.

    Ibrahim added that the commission has adopted proactive measures to facilitate conduct of peaceful and hitch free exercise through the Inter-Agency Committee on Election Security.

    He called on the electorate to turn out en mass and participate in an orderly manner in the election.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC had registered more than 2.3 million voters for the 2019 election in the state.

  • APC’s Shettima, Ndume, Kyari win Borno Senate seats

    Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has been declared winner of Borno Central Senatorial District.

    Shettima defeated his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opponent Sen. Mohammed Abba Aji, who was the former Adviser on Assembly Matters to former Presidents Umar Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan.

    He also represented Borno Central in the Senate between 2003-2007 under the platform of defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP).

    Declaring the results at the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) Maiduguri Metropolitan Council office in Maiduguri on Tuesday, the returning Officer, Professor Yusuf M. Yusuf of the University of Maiduguri said Kashim Shettima scored 340,898 votes while his closest opponent Sen. Mohammed Abba-Aji of the PDP polled 75, 509 votes.

    In Borno North, the incumbent Senator Abubakar Kyari of the APC was also re-elected.

    He was declared winner after scoring 75,565 votes to defeat his closest opponent Hon. Isa Lawan Kangar of the PDP with 35, 123 votes.

    In Borno South, Sen. Ali Ndume was re-elected on the platform of the APC having scored 300,637 as against the candidate of the PDP Hon. Kudla Satumari, who scored 84,804.

    He was declared winner by the returning officer, Prof Isah Hassan.

    Ndume will be heading to the National Assembly for the fifth term and the Senate for the third time in a row.

    Meanwhile the All Progressives Congress has won all the ten House of Representatives seats in Borno state and they have been officially declared.

  • Air Force strikes Boko Haram terrorists in Borno

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) yesterday said scores of Boko Haram insurgents were neutralised by its Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole in their hideout at Kolloram in northern Borno State.

    A statement by NAF spokesman Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said the clearance operations against the terrorists were conducted after intelligence indicated their presence in the area.

    The statement said: “The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Dole has neutralised several Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters as they assembled for a meeting at their hideout in Kolloram on the fringes of Lake Chad in northern part of Borno State.

    “The operation was conducted on February 24, after credible intelligence reports indicated that some of the ISWAP leaders and fighter had assembled for a meeting in a group of buildings at the centre of the settlement.

    “A NAF Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform, which was deployed for confirmatory surveillance, observed the presence of the terrorists at the location and subsequently called for two Alpha jet aircraft to attack the group of buildings.

    “Bombs from the first Aplha jet hit the desired main point of impact, causing damage to the building and neutralising some of the terrorists.

    “Some of the surviving fighters, who formed the outer security cordon of the meeting venue, were seen engaging the NAF aircraft with anti-aircraft (AA) and small arms fire.

    “The attack aircraft continued to engage the target area with bombs and rockets in several passes, mopping up the terrorists who survived the initial strikes.

    “The NAF, operating in concert with surface forces, will sustain its efforts to completely destroy all remnants of the terrorists in the Northeast.”

     

  • PDP insists on results from polling units

    …alleges plots to alter election results

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has insisted on the official release of results already delivered at the various polling units for its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

    A statement last night by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, cautioned that Nigerians will not accept any figures except what was declared and collated from the polling units.

    The PDP further alleged that the Buhari Presidency has been mounting pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and dispatching officials to change results in Rivers, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kogi, Bauchi, Cross River, Borno, Yobe and Edo states among others, in a frenzy to allocate fictitious figures for President Buhari.

    “Pathetically, the Buhari Presidency is also threatening the South-East state governors to change results and carve a 25% for Mr. President, a scheme that has already failed.

    “In Bauchi state, we are aware of the plots to move thump-printed ballot papers and fabricated results from Bauchi to Dass Local Government Area to upturn PDP’s victory in the results already delivered and announced at the polling units in the area.

    “This is why the electoral officials have been delaying moving the results for final collation and announcement. If this plot fails, the APC plans to void the results for Dass.

    “In spite of all these, our party assures Nigerians that the hope for a new government led by Atiku Abubakar, is already manifest.

    “Our agents and indeed, Nigerians, already have the results as delivered at the polling units and are not ready to accept anything to the contrary. President Buhari and the APC should therefore quietly come to terms with the fact that they have been defeated.

    “The PDP therefore cautions INEC to respect the laws and electoral guidelines by upholding and declaring results from the polling units as expressed by Nigerians on Saturday”.