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Tag: fighting

  • We are fighting Al-Qaeda, not Boko Haram, says CDS

    We are fighting Al-Qaeda, not Boko Haram, says CDS

    Chief of Defence Staff  Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh said yesterday that the nation is at war with the international terror organisation, Al-Qaeda, in North and West Africa, and not Boko Haram.

    Speaking in Abuja while receiving a Civil Society Organisation, the Social Welfare Network Initiative (SWNI), during a solidarity visit at the Defence Headquarters, Marshal Badeh said Al-Qeada forces were now fully in charge of terrorist activities in Nigeria.

    He said despite the formidable nature of the global terror network, Nigeria would defeat the insurgents, starting with the rescue of the over 200 Chibok school girls abducted by Boko Haram on April 14.

    He said: “We are fighting more than Boko Haram. We are no longer fighting Boko Haram but Al-Qaeda in North and West Africa.  Al-Qaeda is formidable but we will defeat them. As for our girls, we will bring them back”.

    He warned those attacking the military and urged them to desist.

    The CDS explained that the sustained attacks and criticisms against the military could prove counter-productive, stressing that it could impact negatively on national security .

    He continued: “In those days when we had nation-state, every able bodied man was a soldier. Even when they started separating the military profession from other activities, the society supported them.

    “We have people here, all they do is to criticise the military. If you disparage the military and demoralise them, what next will you do.

    “Are you going to give guns to civilians? When you know that to be a military takes some processes. If you continue to criticise, disparage and demoralise the military, what do you think will happen”.

    The National Coordinator of the SWNI, Mr. Emmanuel Osemeka, assured members of the armed forces of the group’s support, saying: “We are not worried about our capacity to prosecute this war, as we are all witnesses to the exploits of our military  in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and many other African countries in the recent past.

    “As a network of CSOs operating in Nigeria, we are queuing behind our troops and government because this war is our war. We are proud of our Armed Forces and we will continue to support your efforts irrespective of the reports of the media and unscrupulous individuals”

    Osemeka urged Nigerians not to see the war as President Goodluck Jonathan’s or that of the Federal Government alone, saying it’s a Nigerian war which every Nigerian must stand up to fight.

    Osemeka canvassed for a sustained civil-military engagement in the ongoing war against terrorism and other security challenges through effective media outreach.

    This, he said, would go a long way in sensitising the public and the international community to the efforts being made by the security agencies in the war against terrorism.

    “This is the time to fight for a patriotic citizenry and we stand to partner with you in order to actualise this goal”, he submitted.

  • Govt fighting Boko Haram, says Sambo

    Govt fighting Boko Haram, says Sambo

    Vice President Namadi Sambo has assured the Nigerian community in Tanzania that the Federal Government has intensified efforts to check the activities of the Boko Haram sect.

    A statement issued in Abuja yesterday by the vice president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media Malam Umar Sani, said such efforts had started yielding positive results.

    Sambo gave the assurance during an audience with members of the Nigerian community in Dar es Salam, Tanzania.

    The statement stated that Sambo noted with satisfaction the concerted efforts of the security agencies in the fight against the terror group in the North East zone of the country.

    The vice president, according to the statement, said government was particularly proud of the security agencies’ commitment to ending insurgency in the country.

    He said the Federal Government was doing everything possible, including cooperating with neighbouring countries, to check the insurgents.

    ‘‘I want to seize this opportunity to inform you that the Federal Government is doing everything to ensure that the Boko Haram menace is addressed in Nigeria and we are getting positive results.

    ‘‘I must say that we are very proud of our security agencies. They have been doing very well and this issue, by God’s grace, will be a thing of the past very soon.

     

    ‘‘I want to assure you that we are doing everything possible to end this; we are co-operating with our neighbouring countries to bring this to an end soon,’’ the statement further quoted the vice president as saying.

    Sambo, who commended the good reports on Nigerians living in Tanzania, urged them to re-dedicate themselves in the true Nigerian spirit to contribute immensely to the growth of the economy of their host country.

    An NGO the Every Nigerian Do DOmething (ENDS)has written to President Jonathan, requesting permission to recruit, train and arm thousands of civilian volunteers to fight Boko Haram.

    “We have allowed the crisis to become more complicated. We have been too slow; we have been sleeping,” Peregrino Brimah, a social activist and public intellectual, who is the group leader, told Anadolu Agency.

    In the letter, dated April 26, the ENDS told the president that nearly 25,000 Nigerians – including retired soldiers and policemen – had volunteered to take the battle against Boko Haram to the insurgents’ hideouts provided they are allowed to carry arms.

    “This commitment will require funding, it will require training and it will require collaboration and cooperation with the security services,” read the letter, a copy of which was obtained by AA.

    “We hereby request that you give approval and direct the corresponding arms of government to act necessarily,” it added.

    Boasting of massive support from Nigerians and friends of Nigeria, ENDS said it was not asking the government to fund the initiative.

    “We…are capable and ready to arm this civilian force and sponsor all logistics of the operation,” it added.

    Brimah said they are seeking the president’s approval to carry arms so that government troops would not kill their volunteers and advertise them as Boko Haram fighters.

    “The civilian force will be documented biometrically and all weapons and equipment will be registered for use during the duration of the force majeure,” the letter read in part.

    ENDS said it was already working in collaboration with the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), which has been helping the government fight Boko Haram in the restive Borno State.

    “ENDS has been in regular communication with the Civilian JTF whom we have supported with equipment and advice,” it added.

    “We have understood and appreciated their ability and determination to seek out and crush Boko Haram once and for all,” it said.

  • 37 people killed in fresh fighting in CAR

    At least 37 people died between Thursday and Friday during fighting between the anti-Balaka militia and ex- Seleka rebels in Central African Republic’s central town of Dekoa, a source from CAR Red Cross said.

    The Red Cross source said anti-Balaka militia attacked the position of ex-Seleka rebels in Dekoa, provoking fierce fighting.

    “At the moment, we have counted 37 bodies and already buried 10.

    “The insecurity does not allow us to continue collecting dead bodies,’’ the source that did not wish to be named said.

    By midday, there was still confusion in Dekoa town.

    One section of the population had taken refuge in the bush while the other took refuge in a Catholic church within the locality.

    According to Youssouf Adam, an officer of the ex-Seleka rebels present in the town, his fighters are in full control of the town.

    “We just responded to the provocation of anti-Balaka militia while in our camps,’’ he told Xinhua on phone.

    Similar clashes were witnessed on the same day along the road leading to the northern town of Bossangoa as well as along Bozoum- Bouar road.

    The AU peacekeeping mission is charged with the responsibility of providing security along the border of Dekoa and Bozoum.

    The mission has promised to address the media on the fresh clashes after compiling all the information.

    The attacks come at a time when the anti-Balakas and the ex- Seleka rebels had vowed to end hostilities to allow peace to be restored in Bangui and other towns.

  • Fighting the Boko Haram

    Fighting the Boko Haram

    Sometimes in early 2012, I was in Enugu where I ran into a handsome, innocent-looking, young boy who was working in the hotel where I stayed. I asked him why he was‘slaving’ out in the hotel instead of being at school. The boy simply looked at me, shook his head lazily and began a short but pathetic story that almost drew tears from my eyes. “I am 19 years old. My parents are from Imo State. I was born in Maiduguri, where we were all living until recently when we were forced to run down to the East to avoid being killed.” According to little Isaac, the father is a welder by profession while his mother is a petty trader. His immediate elder brother was a student at the University of Maiduguri, while he, Isaac, had just secured admission to the same university, before the Boko Haram disturbances escalated.

    Isaac told me that it got to a point that “these people started going from house to house to look for southerners, most especially Igbo, and they were just killing them. We had to hide in the forest for some days before we were finally able to run down to the East. My elder brother has dropped out of school. He is now in Lagos while I could not go to the university even though I had secured admission. That is why I am working in this hotel”, he said.

    Isaac’s plight and that of his entire household is typical of the endless dislocation that indigenes of a section of the country have suffered in the last three or four years of the insurgency in the North. Many have died. Many have lost one or both parents. Many others have lost their husbands, wives, children, breadwinners and all that. It would appear that apart from the indigenes of the troubled areas who are daily being callously mowed down, those who have had to bear the brunt of the displacement are people of a particular ethnic extraction. There are many others from several parts of the country but the preponderance of the ‘refugees’, if I may call them so, are from the South-east.

    Take the recent massacre in Kano. The Sabon-Gari Park that was hit by suicide bombers is mostly patronised by Igbo traders. Most of the luxury buses you find there are owned by Igbo transport magnates based in the East. Agreed many northerners and other tribes who were within that vicinity at that time were also cut down. Nevertheless, many of the victims were apparently Igbo traders.

    The ongoing insurgency is a northern breed of senseless brigandage that has been cleverly concealed as a religious war, whereas it is not. To ascribe religious fundamentalism to the disturbances is to insult the religion of Islam, which abhors violence or the taking of innocent lives. To the best of my knowledge, there is no religion that supports the shedding of innocent blood, not to talk of large-scale killings that have now become common occurrence in that part of the country.

    So, if some group of misguided youths, miscreants and other social misfits are going about killing and destroying schools, places of worship, businesses and all that, they cannot claim to be doing so in the name of Allah or God. If the mere mention of Allah by Muslims is usually followed by “the most Merciful, the most High”, then where do these criminals get their doctrine of violence and destruction from?

    One psychological way of winning this war on terrorism is to remove the toga of religion from the insurgents. In this case, rather than calling them Islamic fundamentalists, religious extremists, Jihadists or what have you, let us simply refer to them as terrorists which they are. The average man or woman in the North respects his or her religion with a passion. The average northerner, especially those without formal education, is being told that the terrorists are waging war against infidels or unbelievers. In that case, they can never cooperate with anybody working against those terrorists who they regard more or less as their messiahs who will free them from the perceived tyranny of the unbelievers.

    So first and foremost, let us change our attitude to those who engage in this senseless destruction of lives and property. They are simply terrorists. It is also very instructive to note that there are many types of Boko Haram – the religious, the political and the criminally-minded. The religious Boko Haram seem to have taken a back seat in the insurgency. They are probably those who, from time to time, have signified their intention to negotiate with government. These ones have lost steam and may have seen the futility of their escapades.

    The political Boko Haram, on the other hand, are those who hide under this facade to perpetrate political killings of opponents. The recent killing of political leaders of a particular party in Maiduguri is evidence of this. The political Boko Haram are those who want to wrestle political power either at the centre or in the states or local governments by destabilisation. With the 2015 general elections fast approaching, they could resort to political assassination of opponents.

    The last but not the least here are the criminally-minded people who have invoked Boko Haram to satisfy their satanic interests. These are those who kidnap and extort money in the name of “protection fees”. The ready armies for this group are the unemployed and hungry youths all over the place. Some even incite these jobless youths because of mere business rivalry to wreak havoc on innocent people.

    The recent revelation by Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad, the Emir of Anka, Zamfara State, says it all. The Emir had opposed the issue of amnesty for the hoodlums who are engaged in this unending insurgency. At a recent workshop held in Kaduna on peace building and conflict management for sustainable development organised by the National Emergency Management Agency, the Emir said: “Amnesty is for people you can identify. Where were our leaders when members of Boko Haram were going to receive training outside the country? Let us check ourselves; if there must be justice, we must go back to the basics.”

    Ahmad blamed the current security challenges on the elite and politicians. He said: “From experience, I have come to realise that whenever you have crisis and a proper investigation is carried out, you always find the involvement of these two classes. Within my domain, a sad experience occurred sometimes ago when an Igbo man who owned a shop was attacked and his shop burnt because his son was said to have torn a copy of the Quran. But upon investigation, I found out that a native of Anka, who was also in the same business with the Igbo man, deliberately roped in the Igbo family. He took a piece of paper with an Islamic inscription on it and tore it into pieces in front of the Igbo man’s shop and then raised the alarm, calling on all Muslim faithful to come and see a copy of the Quran torn into pieces by the son of the Igbo trader. The crowd grew angry and set the house and the shop of the Igbo man ablaze immediately. You can see that this native of Anka did this malicious act purely for personal interest and not religion. And that is how it is with the elite and the politicians”. Ahmad added: “As a traditional ruler who lives with the people, I have come to a conclusion that if the common man is left alone, there is going to be peace in the land. But any place you find crisis, just look around, you must find the involvement of these two classes –the elite and the politicians.” What more should be added? Basically nothing. Ahmad has said it all. This is food for thought!

  • Fighting insecurity:The private sector initiative

    Fighting insecurity:The private sector initiative

    As the challenges posed by insecurity, terrorism and ethno-religious conflicts in the country assume a more dangerous dimension, collaboration between government agencies and the private sector cannot be wished away.

    Even the security and defence sector, hitherto believed in some circles, to be an exclusive preserve of the government, has been identified as areas that expertise must be harnessed to get the country out of the woods.

    This formed a substantial part of discussions at a recent workshop and exhibition on state-of-the art security and defence equipment mounted by an Abuja-based security and defence services firm, Mekahog Limited.

    At the four-day exhibition, a wide range of latest state-of-the art security equipment and defence vehicles were show-cased.

    Among them were Springbuck VI and FOX Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), riot control water cannons, city surveillance products, drug and dangerous chemicals detection products.

    Others were fire fighting and cyber crime prevention products and dog training equipment and accessories.

    The exhibition, which lasted from February 25 to 28, this year, attracted top military and police officers, government officials at both the federal and state levels, as well as members of the diplomatic corp.

    Among them were Brig-General O. Adeosun, Group Captain B. A. Sani, Commodore F. O. Oyedele and Lt. Col. E. J. Cleopas, all from the Defense Headquarters, Abuja. The Nigeria Police was represented by Mr Godwin Okezie, a Superintendent of Police.

    From the Federal Government, came the Minister of Interior, Mr Abba Moro, who commended the organisers of the exhibition, for proactively moving a step ahead to familiarise the country with new technologies that could put her in a better stead to tackle the lingering security problems.

    To fight terrorism, the Minister said the Federal Government was ready to partner private organisations.

    According to him, he came to the exhibition to demonstrate that the Federal Government was not unmindful of the fact that there is a lot the private sector could do to support it in the fight against criminality.

    He said the equipment displaced at the exhibition were proof that the facilitating firms were conversant with the global trend on security and defense equipment and services, assuring that some of the parastatals under his ministry will look for ways of collaborating with Mekahog Limited and its partners to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness

    “I am impressed by what I have seen. I have had to travel out of the country on matters concerning security equipment and I must say that what I have seen is similar to what I have been seeing in outside countries”, he said.

    Moro said some of the parastatals under his ministry, notably the Nigerian Civil Defence and Security Corps (NCDSC), the Immigration Services and Federal Fire Services, would explore ways of acquiring the Defence products to maintain internal peace and order.

    Mr Okezie, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, pointed out that the introduction of the new range of security vehicles, especially Springbuck VI and FOX APCs into the Nigerian Market will help minimise the level of casualties on both sides of the offensive during combats.

    Okezie, who is the head of APC Maintenance and Deployment in the Nigeria Police, using Springbuck VI and FOX APCs would both shield security operatives from criminals or aggressors, as well as make it unnecessary for security operatives to use live ammunitions on criminals.

    He said the introduction of such carriers in good numbers will be a remarkable improvement over the current practice of using ordinary, unprotected Hilux vans to ferry security personnel, a practice which, he says, exposes its occupants to lot of danger.

    Already, Mekahog Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DCD (Pty) Limited in South Africa to set up heavy fabrication engineering company that will assemble APCs, crowd control vehicles and troop carriers in Nigeria. The facility will also provide an ultra modern training centre for fabrication and welding activities.

    The proposed company will provide technical training for police personnel and skill acquisition for youths in the West African sub region. When fully established, the manufacturing plant, which will cost about $220,000 in the first phase, will handle complicated fabrication, welding and rolling for oil companies. The venture is expected to create over 2,000 jobs, as well as lead to foreign exchange saving.

    Mekahog Limited has also entered into an agreement with the Ministry of Police Affairs for equipment and maintenance capacity survey, in line with the current maintenance strategy of the Nigeria Police targeted at saving the Police huge sums of money. This will involve re-fabricating abandoned APCs and troop carrier.

    The military is not left out. Mekahog has also concluded plans to take over the Defense Industry Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), in order to reposition the company for the 21st century challenges. It was learnt that the major thrust of the strategy will be to retool the organisation, especially in the area of research and training. Although it will remain a partnership between the private sector and government, DICON, according to an official of Mekahog, will be strategically positioned to be profitable and offer more employment opportunities to Nigerians.

    The Executive Director of the company, Mr Obinna Ohakim, said Mekahog is ready to partner with the relevant authorities in the West African sub region, to “calibrate appropriate response to the array of defense challenges.”

    Beyond the imperative of collaboration, observes believe that the involvement of the private sector in the fight against violent crime and insecurity should be deliberately pursued. It was agreed that given the cumbersome nature of the operatives of the Nigeria Police, private security arrangements should be handy to make up where the police fall short, while not compromising the overall security strategy of the nation.

    Many private security services outfits are constrained by the required resources and logistics for good training for their personnel. But although there appears what seems to be a proliferation of private security companies, going by the multiplicity of uniformed personnel in every nook and cranny, observers say the challenge persists

    Former Imo State Governor and Chairman of the group, Ikedi Ohakim, said the war against Boko Haram and other terrorists groups in the country can be won with less casualties, adding that the government must deploy psychological warfare by using modern and safe equipment to fight terrorism.

    He lamented that the country will continue to waste the lives of her citizens by using obsolete equipment, saying that the company has the capability of producing modern military hardware that would surpass those in possession of terrorist groups.

    “Now, we have capability that is better than theirs, two times. We have equipment that will go under water, we have equipment that can capture their movement and you as a General, you will be in your office and be seeing those criminals carrying out their nefarious activities.

    “Those equipment are available. Smaller countries are purchasing them. The critical thing is that it affects our economy, people don’t want to come and invest because of terrorists.

    The company also explained that it has the capacity to turn the outdated defense equipment into money-making ventures for the government.

    To overcome the threats of terrorists, the former governor said: “The government must buy the right equipment at the right time because terrorists are always updating their warfare.”

  • Fayemi: Governors’ Forum fighting for true federalism

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has said that the Governors’ Forum is fighting for true federalism by challenging the powers of the Federal Government over revenue allocation. He said the states are not an appendage of the central government, but coordinate units of the Federation.

    Fayemi, who spoke with reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, also objected to the claims that the Governors’ Forum is an obstacle to constitution review. He said those describing the forum as oppressive, including former Education and Petroleum Minister Prof. Jubril Aminu and Senator Smart Adeyemi, are unaware of the position of the body on the national question.

    Fayemi clarified that the 36 governors are united in their call for the existence of federal and state police and the review of the revenue sharing formula to strengthen federalism.

    He defended the suits filed by the forum against the Federal Government, saying that they reflected the governors’ position on the principle of federalism. The governor disclosed that the Federali Government has been exploring an out-of-the-court settlement, when it woke up to the reality of the federal principle.

    Fayemi said: “We have not been against federal police. All we ask for is another level of policing at the state level, state police. The federal can have federal police, but states and local governments can also have state and local government police. Even, a university can have a university police”.

    The governor also spoke on his endorsement for a second term by political leaders and groups in Ekiti State, pointing out that it is allowed in politics. He also said the reaction of the federal legislator, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, to it was normal because he alluded to the rules of the party nomination.

    Fayemi said his concern is the fulfillment of his campaign promises to the people, instead of allowing himself to be distraced by the antics of the opposition. He complained about the misuse of the social media network by the opposition who peddle rumour and falsehood about his government.

    The governor gave his administration pass mark in education, health, tourism, road construction and rehabilitation and social security for the aged. However, he said he looked forward to that time when governments would be able to give employment to the youths on a large scale.

  • Defiled victim fighting for life

    A twenty four-year-old woman is fighting for her life after she was defiled by a gang of four youths

    The Delta State Police Command said it has arrested three youths in connection with the crime.

    Police spokesman Famous Ajieh, who confirmed the arrests, identified the suspects as Tejiri Akpofure, Ogbor Seth and Great Obrakpo

    He said the suspects were picked up separately in their homes on Cemetery Road in Warri, Delta State.

    He said one of the suspects, Stephen Ebeme, is on the run.

    Ajieh said the suspects confessed to the crime, adding that a BlackBerry phone used by them in recording the incident was recovered.

    The victim, who is receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital, got in a taxi cab with four male passengers from Odion Road to her residence in Aguowe Street, Off Mac Demot Road.

    It was gathered that the driver suddenly took a different direction from the victim’s destination.

    Sources said when the victim challenged the driver, the other passengers drew a dagger and threatened to kill her if she raised the alarm.

    It was learnt they drove to a storey building on Cemetery Road where the victim was raped until she became unconscious.

    However, luck ran out on them when the Quick Response Squad of the Delta State Police Command in Warri, arrested them.

    Ajieh said the command also had in its custody three suspected murderers/kidnappers.

    The suspects are Ola Ikwueke, Ikechukwu Uwaguna and David Evjouke.

    He said the gang members were arrested for allegedly killing Emmanuel Chukwunolu, who resisted attempts to kidnap him on December 23, at Ebeneku in Ndokwa West Local Government.

  • ICPC solicits Nigerians’ support in fighting corruption

    The Chairman of the anti-graft agency, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo Nta, has solicited the co-operation of Nigerians to wipe out corruption.

    He said the campaign against corruption requires a synergy between the people and anti-graft agencies.

    Represented by the commission’s Head of Media and National Coordinator of the National Anti-Corruption Volunteer Corps (NAVC), Mr. Folu Olamiti, at the inauguration of the Osun State chapter of the NAVC, Nta said the nation could not achieve success in the fight against corruption due to the public perception that the crusade was a government business.

    He said the fight against corruption was not meant for government officials alone but for everybody.

    Nta, who said corruption has destroyed individuals and the nation as a result of the attitude of Nigerians to the fight against it, added: “This attitude has undermined the efforts against the malaise.”

    He stressed the need to stop corruption in the country, saying the recent release of the report by the Transparency International (TI) classifying Nigeria among some of the most corrupt nations in the world should not dampen the resolve to battle corruption to the zero level.

    “The report by Transparency International should be seen by all Nigerians as a wake up call that by next year the indomitable Nigerian spirit will rally round the anti-corruption crusade and begin the march to where we had been before the rut started,” Nta said.

  • We’re fighting diabetes, says Aregbesola

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola yesterday said his administration is working towards eradicating diabetes and related diseases.

    He spoke at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital in Osogbo, the state capital, during the World Diabetes Day celebration.

    Aregbesola said the state government has been making efforts to give Glucometer to diabetes patients, which he said would help them manage their condition.

    Urging diabetes patients not to be depressed or see their predicament as a curse, he said: “Diabetes is not a punishment from God, but a disease that is common among blacks.

    “Findings have shown that this disease is common among people who do not exercise and consume junk food.”

    Aregbesola said the government would soon visit elderly patients in their homes to give them appropriate treatment.

    He said in addition to the 774 Primary Healthcare Centres he met on ground, his administration has built 72 more.

    The governor said 55 Comprehensive Health Centres are being equipped with modern equipment to ensure effective health care delivery.

    He said the government is making efforts to eradicate diabetes and other related diseases by encouraging the people to exercise regularly and shun junk food.

    Aregbesola said: “After all our efforts, if you are diagnosed of this disease, do not be depressed. Do what you need to do and leave the rest to God.”

    Commissioner for Health Temitope Ilori said the government is concerned about the people’s health.

    President, Diabetes Association of Nigeria, Dr. Sunny Chinenye urged government at all levels to ensure availability and affordability of essential medicines and equipment for people living with diabetes.

    Highlight of the event was a road show, led by the governor, from Ajegunle to Idi-Seke.