The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Clash

  • 52 die in army, Boko Haram clash

    52 die in army, Boko Haram clash

    Fifty two suspected members of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, have been confirmed dead in a raid on their hideout in Maiduguri, the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the city, said yesterday.

    Two soldiers also died during the raid.

    The operation was launched on Friday on a location where some Boko Haram men were found and “we exchanged fire with them and about 50 of them died in the crossfire. We also lost two of our soldiers while three were injured,” said army spokesman Lt Colonel Sagir Musa.

    Earlier that day, at least seven explosions occurred in different parts of the city, just five hours after the departure from there of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    He was in Damaturu and Maiduguri on Thursday and Friday to personally assess the destruction wrought by Boko Haram on Yobe and Borno States, the epicentre of the activities of the sect.

    At a meeting with eminent citizens of Borno at Government House, Maiduguri on Friday, the President dismissed suggestions by the stakeholders to withdraw the soldiers from the state.

    He said he would grant their request only if they agreed to sign a pact with him that he should hold them responsible for any death caused by terrorists after the exit of the troops.

    He expressed disappointment that while terrorism is decreasing in Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi and Niger, it has not in Borno, saying “So, if you elders will not condemn it (Boko Haram activities), you will continue to suffer under the terror of Boko Haram.”

    Human Rights Watch said in a report released last year that soldiers may have committed crimes against humanity during operations aimed at crushing the insurgency.

    The military has been accused of firing on unarmed civilians and razing neighbourhoods following suspected Islamist attacks, while Maiduguri residents also face roadblocks and rolling curfews in several areas.

    “We always tell the soldiers to conduct themselves” professionally, Jonathan said at the Maiduguri town hall meeting.

  • Kenya begins training for Eagles clash

    Kenya begins training for Eagles clash

    • Amrouche meets with players officially 

     

    Harambee Stars coach Adel Amrouche started work officially yesterday with locally based players at the Moi International Sports Centre to prepare the team ahead of 2014 World Cup qualifier against the Super Eagles of Nigeria slated for U.J Esuene on March 23.

    Amrouche, who was unveiled three weeks ago, has named a 27- home based squad last week for the tie and they had their first training session under the French man Tuesday afternoon.

    Among the surprise call-ups to the team is teenage striker Michael Olunga, whom Amrouche described as a talented player who needs a chance to prove himself at the national team level.

    “I have watched his performance for the last two years when he was still a student at Upper Hill. He is a talented player and needs to be exposed at this level,” said Amrouche.

    The coach explained that he has recalled AFC Leopards striker Allan Wanga to give the player another chance in the national team.

    “He has been here before and he did very well. I want to look at him again and that is why I have given him another chance in the team,” added Amrouche.

    Also recalled into the side that brings together the entire squad that travelled to Tunisia for the international friendly against Libya, is Gor Mahia defender Edwin Wafula and Sofapaka’s Eugine Asike.

    Having been in Kenya for more than one month, the coach insisted there is still a lot of work to be done in rebuilding the national team to the required standards.

    “I like what I have seen so far having watched a few league matches in the country but my overall perception is that the team needs a lot of work to be done before achieving the required standards and this is what we will focus on,” he said.

    Amrouche further said the team is motivated to play Nigeria especially after the Super Eagles won last month’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy in South Africa.

    The coach has already proved his seriousness in regard to the Nigeria match by insisting on proper preparations ahead of the fixture.

    Part of the preparations include a two-week acclimatisation camp in Ivory Coast on their way to Lagos.

    The local based players called to camp will train twice a day for the next two weeks breaking over the weekends to allow players join their teams for the weekend Kenyan Premier League (KPL) matches.

  • Eagles need N100m for Kenya clash

    Eagles need N100m for Kenya clash

    Nigeria need over 100 million Naira (more than $600,000) for a 2014 World Cup qualifier at home to Kenya on March 23.

    Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) general secretary Musa Amadu told MTNFootball.com: “It would cost us well over a hundred million to prosecute the game.

    “These are not the best of times cash wise for the Federation but we are not relenting in ensuring that all goes well with the Nigeria Kenya WC qualifier.

    “We are confident the money would come.”

    On the unpaid AFCON bonus of over $1 million, Musa assured that it would be paid but no time frame was given.

    “We would pay the bonuses very soon at least before the Eagles next game,” he said.

    “It’s not in our character to owe but these are difficult times for the federation cash wise.”

    NFF board member and head of finance committee Shehu Adamu has said the National Sports Commission is aware of their financial plight.

    “We are waiting for the funds from NSC so we could start preparations for the Kenya match. The minister who is in charge of the ministry is aware of our programme and I am sure he will release the funds soon,” Adamu said.

    “We have done the right thing and we expect the commission to do same so we could put something in place for our match against Kenya.”

  • NPFL: Kwara Utd look beyond ABS clash

    Kwara United will play ABS in an Ilorin derby on the opening fixture of the 2013 Nigeria Professional Football League, and the state government owned side is not losing sleep over the clash.

    Both sides have been involved in series of friendly games as they intensify preparation ahead of the kickoff of the NPFL new season which starts on March 9.

    Coach of Kwara United Samson Unuanel said his side is getting set for all comers in the league, and not just the kick off clash against ABS.

    “I am not preparing for ABS, he told futaa.com on Thursday. I have 19 clubs to contend with in the league, and not just ABS. So we are getting set to face 19 NPFL clubs when the season starts,” he said.

    Unuanel added that Kwara United is fully set for the league kickoff as his boys have shown positive minds in trainings.

    “My boys are responding very well, and all we are waiting for now is March 9, with the hope that it will not be moved again.”

    Kwara United finished 6th last season, and will be hoping to book a continental ticket at the end of the 2013 NPFL season.

  • Funeral for clash victim

    One of the victims of the communal clash between Ebonyi and Cross River states, Mrs Mavis Egbe, will be buried this weekend in Calabar.

    A statement by the widower, Pastor Edmund Egbe, a lecturer at the University of Calabar, said his wife was murdered on January 19, when the people of Ndiagu Amagu community in Ebonyi State allegedly attacked their neighbours in Adadama community in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State over boundary issues.

    Until her death, the 38-year- old mother of two was a Desk Officer in charge of hostel accommodation in the Student Affairs Department of the University of Calabar.

    She had a B.SC in Biochemistry from the Abia State University, Uturu.

    Before joining UNICAL, she was a teacher with the Cross River State Post Primary School Board.

  • National Assembly, NNPC to clash over $1.5b foreign loan

    National Assembly, NNPC to clash over $1.5b foreign loan

    The National Assembly and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) are on the war path over the insistence of the NNPC to take $1.5 billion loan to service its debts.

    The National Assembly warned the oil giant not to go ahead with the transaction without its approval.

    But the NNPC responded that it does not require the National Assembly’s permission to consummate the loan.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources, (Downstream), Senator Magnus Abe, said NNPC risks severe consequences if it ignores National Assembly’s warning on the loan.

    Abe, who spoke on the contentious issue at a news conference in Abuja said all the relevant committees of the National Assembly met and took a position that the parliament must be properly briefed on the loan plan before it can proceed.

    He said the committees also resolved to write a letter to NNPC directing it not to proceed with the transaction without the National Assembly’s approval.

    Reminded that top officials of NNPC are insisting that the corporation does not require any approval from the National Assembly to take any loan, Abe said the corporation must not test the will of the National Assembly.

    He said NNPC must appreciate its business is the business of Nigerians.

    The lawmaker added that the corporation should also realise that its debt is the debt of the country.

    For Abe, no corporation has the right to commit the country to any debt without the express approval of the parliament.

    He said: “We are hearing that the NNPC is trying to take another loan of $1.5 billion to pay for existing debt and we have told them in clear terms that that transaction should not proceed without approval from the National Assembly.

    “We don’t mind what kind of business entity that NNPC think they are, the debt of NNPC are invariably the debt of Nigeria.

    “So, nobody has the right to commit the country to that kind of indebtedness without the approval of parliament.

    “This issue between the NNPC and the National Assembly, we have debated it publicly and privately, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is clear as to what the NNPC is.

    “So to think that anybody can create a corporation that can drain the resources of the country without parliamentary oversight or approval, is an illusion.

    “I dare NNPC to go ahead and commit this country to $1.5 billion without the approval of the parliament.

    “It is not possible and we will not allow it. That argument has been overtaken by the Constitution of Nigeria.

    “It is clear in the constitution and the National Assembly will not allow it.

    “If it means going to court, we will go to court.

    “If they are going to commit this country to a debt of $1.5 billion by whatever means, they need to come and explain as elected representatives of Nigerian people how this debt was incurred, how it is going to be paid, and how it will not affect us.

    “We must understand that before they can proceed. When people are doing something that is transparent, why should you be afraid of the National Assembly?

    “I am part of anything that makes Nigeria a better and organised society, that makes Nigeria a more accountable society.

    “Nobody will say that what happens to oil can be a private business of anybody in this country.

    “The economic life of Nigeria depends on what happens in NNPC so I don’t know how NNPC can think that Nigeria will allow them on their own to decide to do whatever they want to do and nobody can ask questions.

    “It will not happen. What happens in NNPC to that magnitude is the business of Nigeria and that is set up by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to protect the interest of Nigeria when it comes to financial and monetary matters is the National Assembly.”

  • Ambrose to miss Juve clash

    Ambrose to miss Juve clash

    Super Eagles and Celtic defender Efe Ambrose looks set to miss the first leg of the UEFA CL clash against Juventus come Tuesday February 12 having helped Nigeria to the finals of the AFCON 2013.

    Nigeria qualified for the finals of the Nations Cup with a 4-1 thumping of Mali in the semi-finals on Wednesday and are billed to take on Burkina Faso in the finals on Sunday.

    Ambrose is expected to start in the final which comes just 48 hours before Celtic are due to welcome Juve to Glasgow.

    He is therefore condemned to a frantic trip to Glasgow should he be keen on making the squad against the Old Lady which also means forfeiting all the after-events that await the team should they get past Burkina Faso but Celtic coach Neil Lennon has said he will give Ambrose every chance to feature should he make it on time back to the club.

    The 24-year-old starred and posted a superb performance for the Super Eagles on Wednesday as they breezed past Mali in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final with a stunning 4-1 win.

    Stephen Keshi’s men had arrived Johannesburg for Sunday’s showpiece final against Burkina Faso seeking to become the first Nigerian side to be crowned champions of Africa since 1994.

  • Bike riders, Edo WAI officials clash

    Commercial bike riders, popularly known as Okada, yesterday clashed with officials of the Edo State War Against Indiscipline (WAI) and the State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA).

    There were traffic jams in major parts of Benin City caused by bonfires set up by the riders.

    The clash made many officials of WAI and EDSTMA abscond from their duty post.

    They reportedly removed their uniforms to escape being mobbed.

    Several officials of WAI and EDSTMA were beaten up by the okada riders.

    At the WAI office on Ezoti Street, off Airport Road, some officials were seen brandishing sticks and cutlasses preparing for any attack.

    Some protesting bike riders were chased out of the WAI office.

    The trouble was said to have started when a vehicle allegedly killed two bike riders attempting to escape being arrested by EDSTMA officials on Siluko Road.

    The death of the two riders angered their colleagues who set up bonfires and attacked officials of WAI and EDSTMA.

    It was gathered that two officials of WAI were snatched by the protesting bike riders and a search for them led to more clashes at the Third Junction on Murtala Muhammed Way.

    Some bike riders, whose motorcycles were destroyed, claimed that they were not aware of the fracas when they were attacked by WAI officials.

    Twelve motorcycles were destroyed. Their owners claimed axes and cutlasses were used on them.

    Some motorcycles were also destroyed in other parts of Benin City.

    A bike rider, who gave his name as John, said he was protected by his helmet, when a bottle was smashed on his head.

    WAI Chairman David Olukoga said the two missing officials had not been found.

    He said traffic officials had a problem with bike riders but the anger was vented on his men.

    Olukoga said okada would be banned in the state, if the two officials are not found.

  • Friends clash over Majek Fashek

    Another attempt to rehabilitate reggae artiste Majek Fashek may have failed, leading to a clash between two of his friends.

    Fashek was said to have disappeared from a highbrow hospital on Lagos Island where he was taken to last month by a former music promoter, Aib Igiehon.

    Igiehon and Fashek’s manager Hajia Dangayiga are now trading words over the artiste’s disappearance.

    The “rainmaker”, as Fashek is fondly called, was admitted in hospital after collapsing at the office of Igiehon, a frontline music promoter in the 80s, said to be one of those who discovered him and later took him to America.

    But Dangayiga is alleging that Igiehon is trying to snatch Fashek from her, after spending so much to rehabilitate the musician.

    Dangayiga’s A-Plus Entertainment and Record Label is said to have rented and furnished a bungalow for Fashek in Gowon Estate, gave him a car and returned him to the studios for his comeback album, which is in the works.

    Explaining his involvement with Fashek to reporters at his Anthony Village office yesterday, Igiehon said he was only interested in rehabilitating Fashek.

    Fashek, he said, was one of the artistes he discovered and partnered with during the Babangida regime to drive the Mass Mobilisation for Self-Reliance and Economic Recovery (MAMSER) initiative; touring over 110 cities.

    He said although his investment in Fashek after taking the musician to America did not yield returns, he remained committed to his (artiste’s) rehabilitation.

    This, according to Igiehon, was why he took the artiste to the hospital where he deposited N1 million for his health problem.

    He said he brought another philanthropist, Captain Idahosa, who donated N4.5 million and Pastor Paul Adefarasin, to preach to Fashek in the hospital.

    “Alcohol is dangerous than some of these drugs that people talk about. Majek is an alcoholic, not a drug addict. Majek drinks, and would not eat. But he is a very kind-hearted man,” said Igiehon, who expressed disappointment over why Fashek should leave the hospital without letting him know.

    He said before Fashek disappeared from the hospital to Ghana, the was already recovering.

  • 14 die as soldiers, Boko Haram clash

    14 die as soldiers, Boko Haram clash

    Soldiers clashed with Boko Haram insurgents in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, yesterday in an operation that left one soldier and 13 insurgents dead, the Joint Task Force (JTF) said.

    “At about 1600 hours (1500 GMT) today (yesterday), troops of the Joint Task Force Operation Restore Order had an encounter with Boko Haram terrorists at Bulabulin and Bayan Quarters of Maiduguri,” spokesman Lt-Col. Sagir Musa said.

    “During the encounter, the JTF lost one soldier and two were wounded. Thirteen Boko Haram terrorists lost their lives,” he added.

    According to residents and a relief source, suspected Boko Haram attackers slit the throats of 15 Christians last week on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the group’s main stronghold.

    Violence linked to Boko Haram’s insurgency has left about 3,000 people dead since 2009.

    Boko Haram has said it wants to create an Islamic state in the mainly Muslim north of Nigeria but its demands have shifted. It has repeatedly been linked with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb but its goals and hierarchy remain unclear.

    The JTF spokesman said the operation against the Boko Haram cell in Maiduguri was ongoing.