The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Minister of Interior

  • Minister directs security operatives to redouble efforts 

    Minister of  Interior, Lt Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau yesterday urged security operatives to redouble their efforts to ensure the safety of lives and property during the March 9 elections.

    Dambazau commended security agencies and the electorate on the peaceful conduct of the February 23, Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    According to a statement issued by the Director (Press & Public Relations), Mohammed Manga: “Dambazau thanked security agencies for their professionalism and conduct before, during and after the Presidential and National Assembly elections. The minister also applauded Nigerians for coming out en masse to exercise their civic responsibility, the outcome of which had been adjudged free, fair and credible.

    “Although the February 23 elections were overwhelmingly peaceful, General Dambazau, however, condemned reported cases of violence in a few areas and further condoled with families of those who lost their loved ones in such circumstances. Adding that Government has avowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

    “He, therefore, directed that security agencies should redouble their efforts to ensure the safety of lives and property during the March 9 elections.

    “The minister re-emphasized government’s resolve to deal with any person or a group of persons in possession of firearms and other dangerous weapons or engaging in electoral violence or thuggery and other acts of threats to internal security, in accordance with the laws.”

  • Buhari, govs, service chiefs meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed doors with service chiefs, Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu and some governors from the northern part of the country.

    The meeting started around 11am at the President’s office.

    Governors at the meeting included Adamawa State, Jibrilla Bindow, Borno State, Kashim Shettima, Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai.

    Also at the meeting were Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Danbazzau.

    Read Also: Buhari didn’t order Nigerians to be shot summarily, says Tinubu

    The meeting was not unconnected with the security situations in the country.

    The recent killings before the postponed presidential election at the weekend resulted in the death of some Nigerians in Kajuru, Kaduna State.

    The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

  • Fed Govt to close land borders from 12noon

    •IG orders restriction on vehicular movement

    THE Federal Government has ordered all land borders to be shut with effect from 12.00noon today to 12.00noon tomorrow.

    Minister of Interior Lt.-Gen. Abdrahman Dambazau (retd), who gave the order, said there would be restriction of movements across the borders during the election days.

    Also yesterday, the Acting Inspector-General (IG), Muhammed Adamu, ordered the restriction of vehicular movement on the election day.

    A statement issued by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Comptroller-General Muhammad Babandede: “Further to the presidential election taking place on the February, 16, 2019, the Honourable Minister of Interior has directed the closure of all Nigerian land borders with effect from 12.00noon of Friday, February 15 to 12.00noon of Sunday, February 17, 2019.

    “This is to restrict movements across the borders during the election days. The public is to take note and ensure compliance.”

    Read also: President reassures foreigners, Nigerians of safety

    Vehicular movement, according to the police, would be restricted from 6am to 6pm.

    The police explained that the ban on movement would assist the security agencies to do their jobs properly and also prevent hoodlums from disrupting the electoral process.

    A statement in Abuja yesterday by the Force Spokesman ACP Frank Mba reads: “As part of efforts in furtherance of the overall interest of public order, public well-being and safety and national security as it relates to the general elections billed to take place on Saturday, February 16, 2019, the Inspector General of Police, Ag. IGP Muhammed Adamu, has ordered the restriction of vehicular movement from 6am to 6pm on Saturday, 16th February, 2019.

    “The IGP notes that the restriction will assist the security agencies in effectively policing the electoral process, thereby preventing hoodlums and criminally-minded elements from hijacking and disrupting the electoral process.”

    The police boss, while stating that adequate security arrangements have been made, urged members of the public to troupe out en-masse on the day of the election to exercise their franchise without fear.

  • Elections: FG warns against threat to internal security

    As Nigerians prepare for the Feb. 16, and March 2, general elections, the Federal Government on Monday, warned against any form of threat to internal security, before, during and after the polls.

    The Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd) issued the warning in Abuja, in a statement signed by Mr Mohammed Manga, the ministry’s Director of Press & Public Relations.

    Dambazau said that President Muhammadu Buhari, was committed to ensuring free, fair and credible elections; and that “in order to achieve this commitment, elections must be peaceful.

    “Therefore, government will leave no stone un-turned in its efforts towards free, fair and credible elections.

    “The Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies have been directed to arrest and prosecute anyone threatening internal security either in form of possession of weapons of any type.

    “Interfering or causing election related disturbances, threats of violence and intimidation during the elections, disturbance of peace or involvement in political thuggery, will be decisively dealt with in accordance with the laws,” Dambazau said.

    He advised parents to ensure that their children were not used by desperate politicians to disrupt the electoral process, as security agencies had been mandated to guard against any form of internal security threats before, during and after the elections.

    The minister said similarly, “anyone found to be involved in sponsoring political thuggery, violence or threat to internal security will face the wrath of the law”.

    He said that Nigerians had the right to belong to any political party and vote candidates of their choice; adding that; “as such, politicians must give them the opportunity to do so”.

    According to Dambazau, government has put in place adequate security architecture to neutralise all forms of security threats that may occur before, during and after the elections.

    While praying for God’s guidance and protection during the polls, the minister wished all Nigerians peaceful elections. (NAN)

  • FG signs MoU to domesticate passports production

    The Federal Government on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), on domestication of production of Nigeria’s international passports.

    The agreement was signed between IRIS SMART TECHNOLOGY LTD, an indigenous company, and Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc at the Ministry of Interior in Abuja.

    Read Also:Nigerians to pay VAT on international passports – FIRS

    The domestication entails that production of e-passport will be in Nigeria alone and no longer by foreigners.

    In his remarks at the ceremony, Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulraham Dambazau (retd), said he was glad to witness the signing of the MoU.

    The minister said that the process that led to signing of the MoU began two years ago, explaining that before the agreement, passport booklets were produced outside the country.

    He enumerated the advantages of Nigeria producing the e-passport to include “protection of our data base.”

    He said that producing the document locally would provide employment for Nigerians to acquire skills in passport production as well as technological know-how in production of high quality passport booklets.

    “We must ensure that we provide Nigerians with the best quality passport booklet because that is what Nigerians deserve,” he said.

    On his part, Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr. Mohammed Babandede, thanked the minister for ensuring that domestication of production of the passport was achieved.

    He said that Nigerian Immigration Service was the greatest beneficiary of the development and assured that the passport would be of high quality.

    Babandede stated that the first copy to be produced would be tested to ensure that it had the desired quality.

    Mr. Abbas Masanawa, Managing Director, Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc, also commended the interior ministry for the initiative and efforts at seeing it through.

    He said that the MoU was an epoch event in Nigeria, as “what is done outside the country can be done in Nigeria’’.

    Masanawa assured that they would not disappoint Nigerians, adding that they would produce the passport that would compete with passports in the world.

  • FG declares Dec 25, 26, Jan 1 public holidays

    The Federal Government has declared Tuesday 25th,  Wednesday  26th  December 2018 and Tuesday Jan. 1, 2019, as public holidays to mark Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year celebrations respectively.

    Minister of Interior, Lt. General (Retd.) Abdulrahman Dambazau made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

    According to the statement signed by Mr Mohammed Manga, Director of Press of the ministry,the minister enjoined Christian faithful and all Nigerians to use the period to pray earnestly for progress and development of Nigeria.

    He called on Nigerians to strengthen their resolve to maintain peace and unity in the country before, during and after the 2019 general elections, in the spirit of the season.

    Dambazau further urged all Nigerians, “both at home and abroad, to support the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in its determination and sustained efforts towards a peaceful,united and virile nation.”

    He wished Nigerians happy Christmas and New Year celebrations. (NAN)

     

  • Updated: FEC bids Fayemi farewell 

    The immediate past Minister of Mines and Steel, Kayode Fayemi on Wednesday attended his last Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The Council held a valedictory session for Fayemi, who has resigned his appointment to run for the governorship election in Ekiti State billed for July 14.

    President Muhammadu Buhari noted that he was reluctantly allowing Fayemi to go to his state because of his constructive contributions at FEC meetings.

    He said “As I sat here, I watched every minister that spoke and about his contributions, this revealed not only intellect but when he is given the necessary time to contribute to important memorandum, he made contributions. This shows commitment to the progressive of this government and the country.

    “By chance he was given the portfolio of solid minerals and steel development and you know that sector was virtually abandoned. During the colonial days, they took what they wanted from us – tin, columbite and the rest were the priorities until they struck oil somewhere, it was simply priority of investment shifted offshore.

    “When he went in, he began to deal with both Nigerians and foreigners that are exploiting the lack of commitment of those who are responsible of that sector before he went there. If you recall the number of children and women that suffered from the effect of mining in Zamfara State and other parts of the country and the people responsible, knowing that Nigeria will dump as decently as possible.

    “He only briefed me occasionally but he was packing them out of the country, with the cooperation of some his colleagues he will come here and let me know.” he said

    He urged Fayemi to get Ekiti State for APC.

    He said “I hope you will get the Ekiti back for the party. The only time I saw the INEC chair was to insist that go voters Education should be emphasized, so that ordinary Nigerians will believe that Nigeria is beginning to respect them and that their PVC is their status.

    “And then couple with the card readers, God willing we are here with the help of technology. Because, previous elections and I am in the position to say so having lost three times and got to Supreme Court, I know if not for technology, we will be doing the same thing.

    “A lot of constituencies were bought, voters were allocated and results were announced and people were told to go to court if they don’t agree with it.

    “Now, for someone who is looking for the next meal, how is he going to get the money to give   to SAN, to demand for justice for his marginalization.

    “So, we thank technology because with the introduction of PVC and the readers’ card, votes counted. Please go and emphasize this to your constituencies, let Nigerians be respected that they can vote anybody across any party and at any constituency.

    “I think that will give them the pride to voluntarily go and vote. It is not easy to go to Supreme Court three times, but I went through it, I wonder how many people will be proud to go through it in this country.

    “So, we certainly wish you the best of luck but it will take me sometimes to get a substantive minister and more so with the 2019 prospects that I have already indicated. But we need a very strong minister, strong in intellect and courage, so as to make sure that both the Nigerian and foreign collaborators of taking away our resources can be checked effectively.

    “We thank you very much for your contribution for your country. Goodbye, we will come for the inauguration.” he added

    Six members of the cabinet were selected from the six geopolitical zones to speak on Fayemi.

    The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu said that Fayemi is both special and unique.

    According to him, he played important roles in the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) and creation of the Progressives Governors Forum.

    Read Also:Ekiti 2018: Election ‘Fire’ will consume Fayose, says Fayemi

    Minister of Interior, Abdulraman Danbazzau said “I found him to be a gentle man and an academic of repute.

    “We became very close during the campaigns. We are going to miss him in this chamber because of his contributions to discussions, which have increased the informed decisions we have taken here.

    “I want to wish him success in the campaign and wish he wins the election.” he added

    The Minister of Women Affairs, Amina Alhassan said that Fayemi has repositioned the Ministry of Mines and Steel in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision.

    She also noted that Fayemi was a gender friendly minister.

    “He is a He for She and has always included women in his programmes. The Nigerian women miss you already.

    On her part, Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun said “He is a unique public servant.”

    The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi said that Fayemi was instrumental to his success as Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum.

    Amaechi, who was former Rivers State Governor, said “It is difficult to speak about Fayemi. You cannot talk about my success as Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum without talking about Fayemi. I wish him best of luck.”

    Fayemi’s Deputy, Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Bawa Bwari said that the Ministry will greatly miss him.

    He said “What we met on ground at the Mines and Steel Development Ministry, when we came on board, was so discouraging that we didn’t know where to start from.”

    According to him, the success recorded in the sector in the past three years was due to Fayemi’s leadership.

    The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who was not part of those selected to speak on Fayemi from the six geopolitical zones, told his colleagues that he had something to say against Fayemi.

    Complaining that Fayemi, who had been very close to him has now been dodging him since his ambition to get Ekiti gubernatorial seat.

    He also pointed out that Fayemi will be more useful at the national level than in Ekiti State.

    Adamu later urged his colleagues to support Fayemi to win the forthcoming Ekiti gubernatorial election.

    In his remarks, Fayemi, who jokingly said that he would have to learn how to dodge bullets, said that his winning Ekiti State Governorship seat will not be a national loss as it will give more opportunity to serve the country and the President better.

    He said “At occasions like this, words normally fail me. But I have to say thank you to Mr. President for the opportunity to serve the people and also for agreeing for me to run for the Ekiti Gubernatorial seat.”

    He also thanked his colleagues for all their supports in moving the country forward and the progress made in the past three years.

    According to him, he had no regret of been called ‘Buhari’s Boy’, because Buhari stood for transparency and accountability.

  • FG to construct 3000 capacity prisons in each geopolitical zone

    The Minister of Interior, Rtd. Lt. Gen Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau has disclosed that 3000 capacity building would be built in each of the geopolitical zones across the country.

    This, he said, would decongest some of the prisons which are already congested.

    Speaking to newsmen in Minna, Dambazzau said that some old prisons would be reconstructed while others would be relocated in order to expand them.

    Read Also:We are improving, decongesting Nigerian prisons, says Assistant Controller

    The Minister also disclosed that to address the problem of manpower in the Nigerian prisons, the ministry would plans at recruiting 6000 personnel to boost the manpower of the Nigerian prisons.

    He expressed the determination of the federal government in ensuring that all the security and human gaps noticed in the Nigerian Prison service would be addressed very soon.

  • Minna Prison Break: 182 Prisoners on the run 

    The Minister of Interior, Rtd. Lt.Gen Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau has disclosed that 182 out of the 210 prisoners in the Minna Medium Security Prison are still at large.

    Speaking to newsmen after an on-the-spot assessment after the prison break in Minna on Monday, Dambazau said that two condemned prisoners who were supposed to be confirmed on Monday were among the escapees.

    “Among the escapees were two condemned criminals who were supposed to have being executed today. That is probably part of the motivation for this prison break. However, investigation will bring out most of these. ”

    The Minister disclosed that there were some security gaps which must be covered which led to the success of the operation by the gunmen, “the visit revealed some security gaps which must be tackled to prevent future reoccurrence.”

    Read Also:Prison Break: Two killed as gunmen attack Niger prison

    He then said that a committee has been instituted to investigate the incident adding that the Ministry will work with the outcome of the committee.

    The Comptroller General of Nigeria Prison Service, Alhaji Ja’afaru Ahmed doused fears that there were Boko Haram inmates which is the reason why the prison was attacked, ”There is no Boko Haram suspect in Minna Prison facility. We do not know who attacked the prison yet but investigations will reveal it. ”

    The Comptroller General was however not forthcoming on how the gunmen gained access into the prison or the number of the officials on duty or injured officials.

    Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello described the incident as unfortunate adding that the state is set to partner with the federal government towards ensuring that there is no future re-occurrence.

    He further said that the incident have opened the eyes of the government that there is shortage of manpower in the Minna Prisons.

  • Buhari to host ECOWAS conference on farmers/herders clashes 

    President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to declare open on April 26 a conference of the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on farmers/herdsmen clashes across the country.

    This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

    Stressing that the meeting was initially planned for last February, he said that it was part of efforts by the ECOWAS and some other African countries towards finding permanent solutions to the persistent farmers-herdsmen clashes in Nigeria and beyond.

    He said “This is why, for instance, we initiated the conference that is to come up between April 26 and 29 under the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, Goods and Services, zeroing particularly on the protocol on the movement of trans-humans which was signed in 1978 but yet to be implemented.

    “I had meetings with President ECOWAS Commission, the one that left, and we agreed to have this conference sometime last month. But because there were leaving and new set of management was coming in it was shifted to toward the end of this month.

    “So, the whole idea is to look at this issue of movements across borders. So, this month on April 26, God willing, we are going to have this conference and Mr President has graciously agreed to open the conference,’’ he said

    The conference which would also attract participants from the Central African Republic, Chad, Cameroon, Morocco and Mauritania, he said, would explore the relationship between the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, and trans-border criminal activities.

    He said “Zeroing particularly on the protocol of trans-humans which was signed in 1978 and we are yet to implement them. I had meeting with the president ECOWAS commission, the one that left and we agreed to have this conference sometimes last month but they were leaving, and the new set of management coming in, it was shifted to towards the end of this month.

    “The whole idea is to look at this issue of movement across borders. The protocol provided for instance, that any of such movement, of trans-human should be received at the reception center by the host country and there international trans-human certificate are supposed to guide them. And not only that, they should also go along with international health certificates for the cattle they are going with.

    “So, if somebody comes in with 10 cattle for instance, and if he is going out with 20, you have to ask him questions because of the issue of cattle rustling. We will also be able to know that the animals he is bringing do not carry disease. We also want to be sure that they obey the laws of the country to the latter.

    “And the issue of carrying of arms because it is a no go area, we have zero tolerance to that because it is not part of the protocol. So, these are the issues that will be discussed at a high level ministerial conference which involves all ministers responsible for internal security and agriculture in all these countries, the fifteen ECOWAS countries plus some of these countries in Central Africa, particular, Chad, Cameroun and Central African Republic. And also, it will involve Mauritania and Morocco. Mr. President has graciously agreed to open the conference on 26th, so it is of great concern to us,” he said

    On threats by Shiites to continue attacks in Abuja, he said “Well, I’m not sure of where that alert is coming from. You know that these days, you have to be very mindful of these things in the social media. It is like I saw one yesterday saying that there is going to be nuclear attack in the United Kingdom and this was broadcast by the BBC, and it is fake.

    “So, you have to be very careful with that. But I want to reassure you that law and order exist within the society and the FCT minister is very aware and is on top of it because of what happened recently. The commissioner of police is aware and is part of it.

    “About some people attacking or not, I think is something that we have to be cautious of where such information is coming from. If there is anything like that, you will get it from official sources. As at now, there is nothing like that because the police is handling that. You must have listened to the news last night and this morning, the commissioner of police FCT came out to speak and he assured all residents of FCT of security of lives and property,” he stated.

    Read Also:Buhari to restore study of history in schools