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Tag: Chris Olukolade

  • I do not have $1.2bn in any account – Lai Mohammed

    I do not have $1.2bn in any account – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says the report that he has 1.2 billion dollars (about N400 billion) in his imaginary bank account is “fake and vicious’’.

    The minister stated this on Thursday in Ilorin at the Annual National Conference and General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) with the theme; “Communicating Values for Development and Sustainability’’.

    The minister said that the report was invented by opposition and naysayers to malign him and the government, adding that the alleged fund is about the budget of his ministry for 25 years.

    “How else can you explain that people will believe and circulate a fake report that the Minister of Information and Culture that is yours truly has 1.2 billion dollars in his imaginary bank account?

    “Let’s examine this for a moment. 1.2 billion dollars is about N400 billion.

    “The entire yearly budget of the Ministry of Information and Culture, where I preside, is under 15 billion Naira and these include salaries, overhead and capital projects.

    “Assuming, without conceding that the Minister somehow manages to transfer the entire budget into his personal account, it will take 25 years for him to amass N400 billion.

    “Yet, this disinformation was lapped up by the public, he said.

    The minister said that similar imaginary huge sums of money had been credited to other ministers.

    He condemned the ugly trend by opposition, who were inventing the fake and malicious stories using bloggers and some online media to malign government officials.

    According to him, the intention of the perpetrators and carriers of the reports are to distract the government to lose focus, but it will not fall to their antics.

    The minister said that Public Relations gave him the first break in life being the profession he practiced after his graduation for over 40 years.

    Mohammed, a Fellow of the Institute said that the theme of the conference was apt and called on NIPR members to be proactive in the discharge of their duties.

    “You must neither be intimidated, cowed nor be overwhelmed by the cynics, you must set your own agenda and daily review such with a view to improving on them.

    “You must never lose touch with your traditional constituents. You must understand the tactics of the opposition, which is ambush and irrational,’’ he said.

    The minister specifically tasked

    government information managers to equip themselves with qualities such as integrity, courage, abnormal capacity for hard work, ingenuity resourcefulness and ability to think out of the box.

    The President and Chairman Governing Council of NIPR, Dr Rotimi Oladele said the conference was to deliberate on how the profession could be used to promote communication values for development.

    He underscored the need for practitioners to showcase national values and present them to global market.

    Oladele commended the minister for the support given to the Institute and for creating time to attend the event.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister also inaugurated a new Governing Council for the Institute to run for two years under the leadership of Oladele.

    Some of the members of the Council are, former Defence Spokesperson, retired Gen. Chris Olukolade, former Director of Press and Protocol in the Ministry of Information and Culture, Mr Peter Dama and his successor, Mr Timothy Oyedeji.

    Others are Mr Wale Adeniyi of Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Sule Yau a former Chief Press Secretary to Kano State Government and Alhaja Bola Osifeso.

    NAN also reports that 10 members of NIPR were inducted to Fellowship of the Institute.

  • DHQ denies Chadian air strikes in Nigeria

    DHQ denies Chadian air strikes in Nigeria

    The Defence Headquarters on Thursday denied claims that the Chadian military has carried out air strikes on some Boko Haram targets in Nigeria.

    DHQ said it suspected that the areas attacked by Chadian forces might likely be in Niger Republic.

    The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, made the clarifications in a statement in Abuja.

    The statement said: “The claim that the Chadian military has conducted air strikes against six terrorist camps in Nigeria is not correct.

    “The fact is that the Nigerian Air Force surveillance mission identified targets tagged as Camp 6 around Bosso town which is not within Nigeria’s territory and alerted the partners accordingly.

    “The places reported to have been struck by the Chadian are therefore most likely to be in Niger Republic and not Nigeria as widely reported in the international media.

    “Although the terms of the multilateral and bilateral understanding with partners in the war against terror allow some degree of hot pursuit against the terrorists, the territory of Nigeria has not been violated as insinuated in the reports circulated in some foreign media.

    “The Nigerian military will continue to cooperate with partners in the mission to exterminate or contain terrorists strictly in conformity with existing terms of the Concept of Operation at strategic, operational or tactical levels.

    “It is however important that issues are accurately reported while avoiding misleading or unnecessary sensationalism from any quarter.”

  • Identities of rescued girls, women yet to be ascertained – DHQ

    Identities of rescued girls, women yet to be ascertained – DHQ

    The Defence Headquarters has said that its personnel have not ascertained the true identities of some of the women and girls rescued from Sambisa forest by Nigerian troops.

    At a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, said the rescued women and girls were still undergoing profiling to verify their identities.

    “Until such comprehensive profiling is done, nobody can confirm whether they are among the Chibok girls or not,” Olukolade stated.

    According to him, rescue operations were still ongoing and more hostages were being freed by troops.

    He continued: “Whoever they may be, the important thing is that Nigerians held captive under very severe and inhuman condition have been freed by our gallant troops.

    “The joy and sense of hope being expressed by many Nigerians on hearing about the rescue operation is therefore understandable. We would like to reassure them that the momentum of this operation will be sustained until that Sambisa forest is comprehensively cleaned out and all Nigerians held captive within the bowels of the forest are rescued.  There is great hope for the recovery of more hostages being held by the terrorists.

    “Already, the dislodged and disorganized terrorists are in flight on different directions and running helter-skelter in the expansive forest. There is no longer any respite or sanctuary for them, they will be pursued and tracked down not minding the daunting challenges in the mission including hundreds of land mines and difficult terrain of the Sambisa forest.

    “It should be noted however that the essence of this operation is not to kill everybody in sight.  We encourage any of the combatants who is desirous to surrender to come out, as the forest will no more be tenable as a haven for their activities.

    “In the same vein, innocent civilians among those in flight are also encouraged to report themselves to the troops.  We will continue to treat civilians in the most professional and humane way.

    “We thank all Nigerians for their continued prayers and support and assure them that never again shall forces of darkness reign supreme in our country.”

     

  • Boko Haram: Hundreds of soldiers flown to Sambisa Forest‎

    Boko Haram: Hundreds of soldiers flown to Sambisa Forest‎

    Another set of soldiers may have arrived Sambisa Forest in Borno State as part of the ongoing military bombardment on the Boko Haram militants.

    The soldiers were sighted at the Kaduna international airport tarmac.

    However, some of the soldiers who spoke to our correspondent, said have not been given adequate weapons for the operation, while others claimed they were made to sign forms that they collected N90,000 against the N30,000 they were actually paid.

    They said, “We are going to Sambisa forest in Borno State for peace operation, I just hope they (military authorities) will give us the adequate weapons we need to fight the insurgents so that we can be reunited with our loved ones.”

    However, when our correspondent was leaving the airport, three trucks suspected to be carrying arms for the soldiers were driven into the tarmac.

    The trucks sandwiched by pick-up vans, occupied by gun wielding and stern looking mobile policemen ‎were painted in Nigerian Air Force colour.

    When contacted on the soldiers’ allegations, the Defence Spokesman, Major- Gen. Chris Olukolade, denied that the soldiers were denied their entitlements.

    Olukolade, who responded to text message sent to him by our correspondent, said, “No one who does his duty properly in this mission has been or will be denied his entitlement. “

     

     

  • Poll: DHQ warns military officers, others against partisanship

    Poll: DHQ warns military officers, others against partisanship

    The Defence Headquarters on Wednesday warned military officers and men against being partisan or compromising the electoral process.

    It vowed to sanction any military officer or man that tends to compromise the law or the electoral process.

    It said the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh and Service Chiefs will not derail the nation’s democracy.

    It reassured Nigerians of the military’s commitment to peace, law, order and stability in the country before, during and after the forthcoming elections

    The DHQ, which gave the warning in Abuja in a statement issued by the Director of Defence Information, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, asked military personnel to uphold their oath of office to protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The statement said: “The Defence Headquarters has noted the palpable tension being generated in certain quarters with regards to the roles of the Nigerian military in the ongoing political activities and recent developments especially in relation to the electioneering programmes in the country.

    “Accordingly, it has become necessary to reassure all citizens that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remains committed to its duty in working to ensure the sustenance of peace, law, order and stability in the country before, during and after the forthcoming elections.

    “It is also important to reassure Nigerians that the military will while working with all security agencies and stake holders in the process, remain professional, apolitical and non-partisan in all operations or activities related to this crucial exercise.

    “The Armed Forces of Nigeria is quite conscious of the fact that apart from its primary constitutional role of defending the country from external aggression and internal insurrection, it also has the responsibility of providing support in aid of civil authority such as the need to provide complementary security arrangement to protect our electoral process.

    “It is on record that the military has successfully lived up to its responsibility while discharging this duty during previous elections without equivocation.

    “In this instance, all military personnel have been reminded and warned to remain ever conscious of their service oath and solemn commitment to protect the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria even while remaining loyal to constituted authorities in the country.

    “No excuse will be acceptable for any act of commission or omission that tends to compromise the law or the electoral process as well as decent conduct or judgment on the part of any service personnel while discharging duties related to elections in any part of the country.”

  • Military kills suicide bomber in Gombe

    Military kills suicide bomber in Gombe

    … Captures two bomb-making experts

    … Why more officers, soldiers face court martial – DHQ

    The Defence Headquarters on Wednesday said a suicide bomber was killed at a military checkpoint in Gombe while trying to escape after a failed mission.

    It also confirmed the capturing of two bomb-making experts in Kano.

    But fresh facts emerged on Wednesday that more officers and soldiers were being arraigned before court martial because they had been avoiding battles with Boko Haram.

    According to a statement issued by the Director of Defence Information, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, the botched suicide mission took place in Bajoga.

    The statement said: “A suicide bomber who rammed into a military check point in Bajoga, Gombe State yesterday, failed to achieve his mission.
    “His attempt to escape also failed as he was brought down by vigilant soldiers when he tried to flee after hitting a military Armoured Personnel Carrier with his IED laden Honda car.

    “The explosives which failed to detonate have been evacuated and handed to the police.”

    The DHQ also confirmed the arrest of two bomb-making experts in Kano.

    It added: “Also in Kano, security forces have raided the terrorists’ hideout in Nasarawa Local Government Area leading to the arrest of bomb making experts who are already helping in the investigation into activities of bombers lately. Officers believe that the efforts will yield useful clues.

    “Troops deployed in all locations of the counter terrorism campaign have been directed to sustain the tempo of operations all through the period of seasonal celebrations and ensure that the intention of terrorists to attack civilian targets while avoiding troops is duly frustrated.”

    But there had been growing concern in the military on the refusal of officers and soldiers to go into battle against Boko Haram insurgents.

    A highly-placed military source said: “We have more than 300 officers and men facing trial for mutiny because they refused to go into battle with the insurgents.

    “The military has addressed all issues and even provided these officers and men with sophisticated equipment but they had refused to fight in some places.

    “They had allegedly failed to perform their duties in violation of sections 60, 61 and 62. No matter the situation, the law has to take its course. The military is not being wicked as being insinuated.”

    Section 60 says: “(1) A person subject to service law under this Act who-(a) deserts; or (b) persuades or procures any other person subject to service law under this Act to desert,is guilty of desertion and liable, on conviction by a court-martial, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or any less punishment provided by this Act.

    (2) A person convicted of an offence under subsection (1) of this section shall only be liable to be imprisoned for not more than two years if-

    (a) Where the offence is against paragraph (a) of that subsection, he was on active service or under orders for active service at the time when it was committed; or

    (b) Where the offence is against paragraph (b) of that subsection, the person in relation to whom it was committed was on active service or under orders for active service at that time.

    Section 61 deals with “assisting and concealing desertion and absence without leave.”

  • Boko Haram: Military jet missing in Adamawa

    Boko Haram: Military jet missing in Adamawa

    Following Friday’s victory on Boko Haram insurgents in Konduga in Borno State, one of the Alpha jets used for the operation has been declared missing in Adamawa State
    More than 200 insurgents were killed in the operation and four soldiers wounded.
    A statement by the Director Defence Information,Major General Chris Olukolade said: “An Alpha Jet (NAF 466) belonging to the Nigerian Air Force is missing around Adamawa State.
    “The aircraft, with two pilots onboard, left Yola at about 10:45am on 12 September 2014 on a routine operational mission and was expected back by 12:00 noon”,Olukolade said
    But since Saturday, the Alpha  Jet has not returned to its base in Yola
    It has not also been sighted by the radar as at press time.
    Nigerian troops have launched a search for the jet but the likelihood of being brought down by Boko Haram was considered remote by a reliable military source.
    The military source said: “A sad moment after the euphoria of joy and excitement of military victory in Konduga.
    “Nigerian  troops are searching for missing Alpha Jet used in the operation. The jet did much of the bombardments of the insurgents. But it got missing in Adamawa axis.
    Responding to a question, the source added: “We are definitely searching for the jet, it is too early to either talk of a crash or attack by the insurgents.”

  • ‘15,000 fled from Boko Haram attack’

    More than 15,000 people have fled an area around the northeast town of Damboa after a spate of lethal assaults by Boko Haram fighters during the weekend, the emergency services said.

    Suspected terrorists raided Damboa on Friday and Saturday, shooting dead more than 40 residents and burning houses, part of a pattern of killing that has forced tens of thousands to flee this year. They also attacked six nearby villages.

    Boko Haram, which is fighting for an Islamic state in Nigeria, has ceaselessly targeted civilians this year in rural parts of Borno State, where its fighters fled after a military offensive dislodged them from the cities, Reuters says.

    Abdulkair Ibrahim, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Borno, said the agency had records of 15,204 people who had fled Damboa and the six villages -Kimba, Madaragrau, Mandafuma, Chikwar Kir, Bomburatai and Sabon Kwatta.

    Addressing journalists in the capital Abuja on Monday, Defence spokesman, Major-General Chris Olukolade, denied that Boko Haram had taken over Damboa and the surrounding areas, when asked about reports that the military had fled and the insurgents had hoisted their black flags in the town.

    “We are not conceding any portion of this country to any terrorist group,” he said. “Our patrols are active and they are stepping up their activities to reverse any insecurity there,” he stated.

     

     

  • Boko Haram holds sway in Damboa as Air force chopper crashes

    Boko Haram holds sway in Damboa as Air force chopper crashes

    The Boko Haram sect is holding sway in Borno State town of Damboa about 80 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, a local vigilante leader told the BBC.

    The vigilante force defending the town fled on Sunday as Boko Haram’s black flag is now flying over Damboa, he said.

    No fewer than 40 people were killed when Boko Haram attacked Damboa on Friday, the vigilante leader added.

    Damboa is one of the biggest towns in Borno state and a busy trading centre.

    During the fighting in Damboa, some electricity installations were damaged. This has left Maiduguri without electricity for three weeks, a local resident told the BBC.

    A Nigerian Air Force Helicopter yesterday crashed in Bama also in Borno State.

    A statement by Director of Defence Information Major General Chris Olukolade, said the helicopter was on a training mission and the crash was due to a technical fault.

    The statement added that the crash was not the action of any enemy but purely accidental.

    “A Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 Helicopter on a training mission this afternoon, crashed due to technical fault at a location South of Bama. Investigation has commenced to unravel the circumstances that led to the accident. Meanwhile, it is established that the crash is not as a result of any enemy action. Further details on the crash will be made known as soon as the investigation is completed,” the statement said.

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also yesterday said 15,204 persons have been displaced by the weekend’s attack on Damboa.

    An epidemic may arise as a result of several bodies left unburied on the streets of the town as the surviving residents were made to flee.

    It was also gathered that thousands of people were seen yesterday morning fleeing towards Uba town from Damboa and other areas bordering it that were attacked by the insurgents.

    A source from the town said: “Thousands of our people are running in all directions and over 1000 people fled in the direction of Uba to seek solace.”

    The Boko Haram sect on Saturday killed over 60 people at Gaidamgari village in Bama local government area of Borno State, following the refusal of residents to allow their young males enlisted as members of the terrorists group.

    The sect, it was learnt had embarked on a recruitment drive to shore up its membership, but villagers resisted allowing their children to join.

    “The refusal of the community to allow their children particularly young boys between the ages of 15 to 20 to be recruited into the Boko Haram group, led to the carnage that befell them as the terrorists mobilised and launched a deadly attack on Gaidamgari village,” security source said.

    He pointed out that during the attack, over 60 residents were killed, while several others sustained gunshot wounds.

    He said, the gunmen that invaded the village were many, using Toyota Hilux vehicles with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

    Another security personnel, however, said only 29 people were killed.

     

  • Wanted Boko Haram chief among 486 suspects held

    Wanted Boko Haram chief among 486 suspects held

    Shocking revelation during investigation

    Security probes letters

    The Defence Headquarters said yesterday that a wanted terror suspect was among the 486 suspects arrested in Abia State on Sunday

    It also said other security agencies and para-military organisations had joined the ongoing screening of the suspects.

    The Director of Defence Information, Gen. Chris Olukolade, in a statement last night in Abuja, said:

    “A terror kingpin on the list of wanted terrorists of security forces in Nigeria has been detected in the ongoing screening of the 486 suspects nabbed while travelling in over 33 Hiace Hummer buses at night along Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway last Sunday.

    “So far, other security agencies including the para-military have joined “the screening exercise to ascertain the status of the remaining suspects.

    “Those identified as possible security risk or illegal immigrants are expected to be identified for further action.

    “Meanwhile, the identified terror kingpin has been taken into custody.  Further development will be communicated to you in due course.”

    Although the statement was silent on the wanted  kingpin, the defunct Joint Task Force (JTF)  on November 23, 2012  placed ransom on 19 leaders of Boko Haram.

    It was not immediately clear if the arrested suspect is in the category of the wanted 19.

    The list  had five members of the Shurra Committee (the highest making body of the sect) and 14 Boko Haram commanders.

    But one of the Shurra  Committee members, Mohammed Zangina(a.k.a Mallam Abdullahi/Alh. Musa), with a N25million ransom, was allegedly killed in a shoot-out with the Joint Task Force(JTF) in Maiduguri.

    With Zangina dead, those still wanted and the ransom on them are: Imam Abubakar Shekau (N50million); Habibu Yusuf (a.k.a Asalafi) N25million; Khalid Albarnawai ( N25million); and Momodu Bama (N25 million).

    The fate of Momodu Bama is unknown following conflicting reports on whether he is alive or dead.

    The Boko Haram Commanders wanted by the JTF are  Abu Saad (N10million); Abba Kaka (N10million); Abdulmalik Bama (N10million) Umar Fulata(N10million); Alhaji Mustapha (Massa) Ibrahim (N10million); Abubakar Suleiman-Habu (a.k.a Khalid) N10million; Hassan Jazair N10million; Ali Jalingo (N10million); Alhaji Musa Modu (N10million); Bashir Aketa (N10million); Abba Goroma (N10million); Ibrahim Bashir (N10million); Abubakar Zakariya (N10million); and Tukur Ahmed Mohammed (N10million).

    Security agents are baffled that most of the 486 Boko Haram suspects arrested in Abia State do not know Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital where they claimed to be heading to.

    Besides, they did not know their mission in the Garden City, a source close to the investigation told The Nation.

    The suspects were arrested on Sunday by officers and men of the 144 Battalion in Asa, Ukwa west Local Government Area.

    They were travelling in 35 buses at about 2.am.

    “Our investigators had been looking at a crucial bend: What would have informed such number of people at a go when there was no pending major activity in Port Harcourt,” a source said, pleading not to be named.

    “The probe became more curious upon discovery that some of them escaped in two or three buses. If you have nothing to hide, why running away from the military or security agencies.

    “Some of those grilled admitted that they don’t know what they were going to do in Port Harcourt and they have never visited the city. They said they cannot find their way to Port Harcourt.

    “So, they cannot really confirm where they were heading to and what they were going to do. These facts came out of the preliminary grilling of the suspects.”

    But the source noted that it was still early to conclude that the suspects were actually Boko Haram insurgents or not.

    Only a comprehensive investigation, which is going on, can reveal the true identities of the suspects, it was learnt.

    “We will trace them to their take-off point; their families; their mission and their sponsors. Definitely, they started their journey somewhere,” the source said.

    The source also said “the idea of claiming that Northerners were arrested could ignite tension nationwide as if the military is isolating them for a purpose.

    “We are not against Northerners moving to any part of the country. But alleged security breach, especially suspicious movement in the dead hours of the night cannot be discountenanced,” he said, adding:

    “We appeal to Nigerians to see the security challenge facing the nation as a common problem which we must collaborate to tackle.

    “The military will release its findings to the public. If they have a genuine mission, then we will release them and give these people security advisory on their movement next time.

    “And if they are on a dangerous mission to Port Harcourt, the law will take its course, with fairness to all. The ultimate objective is to secure every part of Nigeria.”

    Security agencies are probing also Boko Haram’s purported letters to Chibok community in Borno, some villages in Jos and some parts of Benue State, sources told The Nation yesterday.

    Besides, security has been strengthened in all “mission areas”, especially frontline places in the Northeast.

    According to highly-placed sources, the military and security agencies were not dismissing Boko Haram’s letters to Chibok, Jos environs, and some parts of Benue State.

    Although in terms of intelligence gathering, the letters could be phantom to divert attention of troops, the military high command has issued red alert to all formations in the Northeast to ward off any aggression.

    The military is said to have intelligence report confirming that the letters were sent to Chibok, some environs of Jos and some parts of Benue State.

    “We will not take anything for granted. In line with our operations generally, every portion of the mission area is important,” said the source, who added:

    “So, the military high command has ordered all formations to beef up security in Chibok, targeted areas in Plateau and Benue states and all frontline areas in the Northeast.

    “Following the ambush tactics of the insurgents, all military formations and security posts are on red alert.”

    Responding to a question, the source said: “Going by the modus operandi of Boko Haram, the letters could be phantom because they had been striking without notice.

    “This is why we are also probing the sources of the letters to ascertain whether it was sheer propaganda or a tactical way of diverting the attention of the troops. Some elements may take advantage of the security challenge to heighten tension.

    “We will get to the root of these letters and subject them to forensic examination. In any case, troops are on the alert to avoid being caught off-guard.”

    On the plan to rescue the Chibok girls, who have been in captivity in the last 65 days, another source added: “The military is repackaging its approach to come out in a hard way against the insurgents.

    “We are preparing for a major bang, if it will get to this stage, to rescue the girls. You will recall that there had been a lull in the past few weeks; it is because the military is also re-strategising.”