The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kenneth Minimah

  • Terrorism: Reps want Army HQ relocated to Maiduguri

    If the House of Representatives members have their way, the headquarters of the Army should relocate from Abuja to Maiduguri to fast track the battle against Boko Haram.

    According to the lawmakers, the relocation would enable the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Maj. Gen. Kenneth Minimah to be acquainted with the reality on ground.

    The COAS would also be able to devise more effective means of tackling the insurgency, the lawmakers said.

    The decision followed the adoption of a motion by Peter Guntha (APC, Borno), who painted a grim situation in Borno State.

    He said apart from the people and the soldiers killed in Izge village, many others died in Gavva West and East local government, while 150 houses were burnt.

    He said: “In Zalidva village, Sabon Gari, 14 people were killed, while 30 houses were destroyed previously. In Ngoshe town, 46 people were killed, while 30 houses were razed down; seven people were killed in Hambaged and about 140 cattle were taken away.

    “In Chinene village, seven people were killed and also Krawa town, 20 people were slaughtered and 20 shops razed down. Emir of Gwoza’s house at Jaje village was razed with property and food stuffs worth millions of naira destroyed. Several houses in Juba village and places of worship were razed down with property worth millions of naira destroyed.

    “10 people were also killed in Wala ‘A’ and three people in Wala ‘B’, while many cattle were taken away during an attack in the two villages.

    “In Ndufa village, six deaths were recorded and 120 cattle taken away, while in Pulka town one person was killed and eight people were abducted. In Ngoshe Sama village, 18 people were killed and 80 houses were razed, and 150 cattle taken away.

    “A total of about 120 places of worship (churches and mosques) were destroyed by the gunmen between December 2013 to February, 2014.”

    While Mohammed Monguno (APC, Borno), said the insurgents appeared more equipped than the security men handling the crisis, Titsi Ganama (PDP, Adamawa) appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency, tackle insurgency as it was getting out of hand.

    The lawmakers, as part of their resolution, urged the Federal Government to liaise with the governments of Chad, Niger Republic and Cameroon with a view of discussing ways on how to tackle the activities of the insurgents around border areas.

    While commiserating with the people and government of Borno State over the killings, the House also called on the Nigerian military to provide additional personnel to strategic areas in some parts of the villages affected so that security could be strengthened in the areas.

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was also advised to urgently provide relief materials to the affected victims.

  • Reps approve Service chiefs’ nomination

    Reps approve Service chiefs’ nomination

    The House of Representatives has approved the nomination of the four Service chiefs submitted by President Goodluck Jonathan for confirmation.

    The nominees are: Air Marshal Alex Badeh, Chief of Defence Staff; Maj.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, Chef of the Naval Staff and Air Vice Marshal Adesola Amosu, Chief of Air Staff.

    A Joint Committee of Defence, Army, Navy and Air Force submitted its report at plenary yesterday.

    It noted that the military chiefs had been found capable and suitable for tackling the security challenges confronting the country, among other responsibilities expected of them.

    Following its mandate, the joint committee met on Monday, January 27, to deliberate on the modalities for the screening. The nominated Service chiefs were invited and the appeared before the joint committee three days later.

    At the screening, the lawmakers examined the appearance, composure, presentation and the knowledge of the nominees to get a general assessment of their capabilities and suitability for the positions.

     

  • Senate to Service chiefs: stop insurgency, kidnapping, oil theft

    Senate to Service chiefs: stop insurgency, kidnapping, oil theft

    SENATORS urged the Service Chiefs yesterday to stop the escalating insurgency, kidnapping, oil theft and pipelines vandalisation in the country.

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence and Army, Senator George Sekibo, spoke shortly before the Senate Joint Committee on Defence and Army, Navy and Air Force went into a closed-door screening of the newly appointed Service Chiefs in Abuja.

    The senate referred the President’s letter, seeking for the clearance of the military top brass to the committee which will send its recommendations to the Committee of the Whole for approval.

    Sekibo (Rivers East), warned that the lawlessness and impunity across the country could lead to its disintegration, if not nipped in the bud.

    He noted that the screening of the nominees was not about their academic qualification, but their “competence in strategic military operations”.

    He said: “It is pertinent to mention that our country is going through some major security challenges, including among others the Northeast insurgency, the oil theft and pipeline vandalisation in the Southsouth and kidnapping in the Southeast and other parts of our country.

    “If the required attention is not given to these challenges, they are capable of disintegrating our country or putting our nation’s unity in question.

    “It is the wish of the Senate and indeed the entire nation that no part of this country would be allowed to exist in lawlessness and every part of the country must be fully protected, as that is one of the primary objectives of a good government.

    “The oil theft and vandalisation of pipelines in the Southsouth region is a major economic breach with resultant effect of reducing national earnings from the oil and gas sector and this must be stopped.

    “It is our belief that the change of batons from the previous service chiefs by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to those of you who are presenting yourselves for screening is to work towards achieving tranquility in the Northeast region, eliminate oil theft and pipeline vandalisation in the Southsouth region, stop the kidnapping in the Southeast region and other areas of the country and also perform your other constitutional duties.

    “The screening, therefore, may not necessarily be to assess your academic but your competence in strategic military operations.”

    Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh, Chief of Army Staff, Major General Kenneth Minimah, Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin and Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshall Adesola Amosu were at the screening.

    Apart from Sekibo, other committee members who conducted the screening are All Progressive Congress (APC) Senators Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central), Babafemi Ojudu (Ekiti Central), Akin Odunsi (Ogun West), Mohammed Sani Saleh (Kaduna Central), Atai Ali Aidoko (Kogi East) and Ajayi Robert Borofice (Ondo North).

    Others are Basheer Garba Mohammed and Ifeanyi Okowa.

    The presence of the APC senators raised some eyebrows, considering the directive of the party’s national leadership that its lawmakers should block all Executive Bills or confirmation of nominees from the President, pending the resolution of the Rivers State crisis.