The Nation Newspaper

Tag: security chiefs

  • Militants shoot at Ogun dep. governor, security chiefs

    Militants shoot at Ogun dep. governor, security chiefs

    Trip aborted as soldiers return fire

    State demands Task Force

    Suspected militants that have been tormenting communities in Ogun State yesterday prevented a convoy led by Deputy Governor Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga from accessing a part of Ebute-Ibafo in Obafemi Owode local government.

    In the entourage were Bridgade Commander, 35 Artillery Army Bridgade, Alamala Barack, Abeokuta, Brigadier – General Mohammed Danqalis, the Director of the Department of State Service(DSS), Ogun state Command, Mr Kabiru Sanni, Deputy Commissioner of Police(Operations), Mr Bello Makwashi, Secretary to the State Government Taiwo Adeoluwa, Commisdioner for Information and Orientation, Dayo Adeneye, the Baale of Ebute – Ibafo, Chief Afolorunsho Balogun, the Olu of Imusin, Oba Taiwo Adebunmi Bamgbose and five other traditional rulers.

    As the team approached the creek through which the militants usually follow to escape after attacking the Ebute – Ibafo community, the militants shot at them sporadically from the creek. The soldiers and the police in the team returned fire. The trip was aborted.

    Secretary to the State Government Adeoluwa urged the Federal Government to urgently constitute a military task force like the one in the Niger Delta to tackle the militants.

    “This level of team led by the deputy governor cannot access a part of our state. It means without mincing words, the Federal Government needs to get involved in this.

    “This is clearly beyond the capacity of the police. This is something which we believe in Ogun state, a major task force, military operation task force like the one we have in Niger Delta is necessary and desirable now.

    “We  all can see, we were in Elepete, Igbo Olomu, Imagbon, Imuti, nothing compared to the violence there. You all heard the shooting, this is something that should be a source of worry to everybody and we think the Federal Government should come to our aid,” Adeoluwa said.

    Earlier during a visit to other communities under the militants’ attack, Mrs Onanuga appealed to hundreds  of fleeing indigenes and residents of the five communities to return home.

    She said measures had been put in place to protect them from further attacks and killings by suspected Niger Delta militants.

    In the last one week, five of Imusin’s 27 communities in Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun state had come under grave attacks by the suspected militants, resulting in the death of over a dozen villagers and destruction of their properties.

    The affected communities visited are: Imagbon, Elepete, Igbo – Olomu, Imuti and later Ebute – Ibafo.

    Addressing the Olu of Imusin, Oba Taiwo Bamgbose, and a handful of his people at Igbo Olomu, one of the scenes of the killings of several of the villagers on June 17,  Mrs Onanuga assured that the killers would be brought to justice.

    But in a twist of fate, while the Deputy Governor was still addressing the distressed villagers to convey the government’s message of hope and sympathy, information soon came in that a member of the community, Sarafa Olayinka, had just been abducted by the militants and taken to the creek.

    Also, the Baale of Ebute – Ibafo, Chief Folorunsho Balogun, while still narrating his community’s ordeal in the hands of the militants to the  state government’s representatives earlier, said he too had received a message that his subjects – Alhaji Odugbesan and his wife, had been abducted by the militants.

    Chief Balogun said the militants invaded his community three days ago, killed people,  attacked a bakery and carted away loaves of bread.

    He also said some beautiful women were abducted from the community.

    According to him, even domestic animals – goats and chickens-were not spared during the onslaught as many of them found roaming the streets were shot and taken away by the militants.

     

  • NSA, security chiefs for Senate today

    NSA, security chiefs for Senate today

    National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno and other security chiefs will today appear before the Senate to brief the lawmakers on their efforts to secure release of the Chibok school girls.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu announced this yesterday.

    Ekweremadu, who took over Senate plenary in the absence of Senate President Bukola Saraki, who is on trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), asked senators to attend the sitting.

    He said the sitting, scheduled to start by 1pm, would be a closed session.

    The Senate, on April 14, resolved to invite Monguno and security chiefs to brief it on their efforts to secure release of the school girls.

    It hailed the #Bring Back Our Girls group for its doggedness in the campaign for release of the Chibok girls.

    It asked security agencies to do everything humanly possible to ensure that release of the girls.

    The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion by Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) and three others entitled “Abduction of Chibok school girls-two years after.”

    The motion elicited angry reactions from senators who felt that two years was long enough for the government to have recovered the school girls.

    Melaye lamented the plight of the girls and their parents.

    He insisted that the Federal Government cannot be said to have succeeded until the girls are rescued.

     

     

  • Chibok girls: Senate summons NSA, other security chiefs

    Chibok girls: Senate summons NSA, other security chiefs

    The Senate Thursday resolved to invite the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno and other security chiefs to brief it on their efforts to secure the release of the Chibok school girls.

    The upper chamber also commended the Bring Back Our Girls group for their doggedness in the campaign for the release of the Chibok girls.

    It asked security agencies to do everything humanly possible to ensure that release of the girls.

    The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion by Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) and three others entitled “Abduction of Chibok school girls-two years after.”

    The motion elicited angry reactions from Senators who felt that two years was long enough for the government to have recovered the school girls.

    Senator Melaye lamented the plight of the girls and their parents.

    He insisted that the Federal Government cannot be said to have succeeded until the girls are rescued.

    He said: “We cannot succeed as a government until those girls are released. Getting back the over 200 Chibok school girls into the society is important and a must for our security agencies.

    “The abduction of over 200 girls by Boko Haram has wrongly affected us as a people as could be seen in the international condemnation of the government’s slow reaction to this unprecedented outrage committed against Nigerian womanhood. Never before has such criminal viciousness been perpetrated on Nigerian womanhood.”

    Melaye noted that Thursday “makes it 730 days, 17520 hours and 1,051 minutes that our Chibok school girls have been under captivity. It will be recalled the night of 14-15 April, 2014, 276 girls were kidnapped from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, the responsibility for the abduction was claimed by Boko Haram. Luckily, 57 of the school girls managed to escape making 219 still missing.”

    He said that outside propaganda videos created by the Islamist militant group, none of the girls has been seen and the families of the missing girls have been traumatized because of their daughters.

    Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, in his contribution said that Melaye and some other members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) used the abduction of the Chibok school girls to win last year’s general elections.

    Akpabio wondered why those who led protests against the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan to rescue the girls have suddenly kept mum.

    He said, “I remember in 2014, Dino Melaye used to wear T-shirt and he led the protest to ensure that the abducted school girls were released.

    “He was always at the National Fountain to lead a protest against the government. He eventually cashed in on it and won election to the Senate. Other people in APC also did the same thing.”

    Former President Jonathan came under local and international attack over the way and manner the government handled the issue of the abducted school girls.

    Jonathan was accused of playing politics with the rescue of the girls.

    At last year’s general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari who was the presidential candidate of APC, promised to rescue the girls two months into his government.

    The government has insisted that it does not know the whereabouts of the girls and when they will be rescued.

    Some other Senators, who also supported the motion, asked the federal government to go beyond the yearly ritual of celebrating the anniversary of the abduction of the girls.

    The lawmakers said the government should explore every available avenue to ensure that the girls are rescued.

     

  • DSS raid: Governor summons security chiefs

    DSS raid: Governor summons security chiefs

    Worried by the raid of Akwa Ibom Government House by the officials of the Department of State Service (DSS), the State Governor Udom Emmanuel on Friday night summoned the meeting of all security chiefs in the state.

    The two-hour meeting, which started at about 6pm was presided over by the governor and ended around 8pm.

    A Government House source, who preferred not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the development, said the governor expressed sadness over the conduct of the security operatives during the invasion of the government house.

    The source said: “The governor was not happy over the development. He told the head of the DSS in the state that there was no way such invasion would have taken place without his knowledge.”

    An online medium, Premium Times, in its report on Friday said men of the DSS uncovered stockpiles of dollars from the Akwa Ibom State Government .

    The operation was jointly carried out by operatives from the SSS headquarters in Abuja and the state command according to the online newspaper

    The DSS officials were said to have acted based on security reports.

  • Jonathan, security chiefs meet at Aso Rock

    Jonathan, security chiefs meet at Aso Rock

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday met with security chiefs behind closed-doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Details of the meeting, which is the last under the outgoing administration, were not made public at the end of the meeting.

    None of those who attended the meeting spoke on the discussions at the meeting.

    There was also no official statement at the end of the meeting.

    But it was gathered that the President used the opportunity to thank them for their support over the years.

     

     

  • Jonathan meets security chiefs

    Jonathan meets security chiefs

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday met with security chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, for about two hours behind closed-door.

    But issues discussed were not known at the end of the meeting as the security chiefs kept sealed lips.

    There was also no official statement by the Presidency.

    It was however gathered that the meeting is not unconnected with the security situation in the country.

    Among those that attended the meeting are the National Security Adviser (NSA), Dasuki Sambo, Chief of Army Staff Lt-General Azubike Ihejirika, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the Director-General of State Security Service (SSS) Ita Ekpeyong,

    Others are the – Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Obada, Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim.

     

  • Jonathan, security chiefs in emergency meeting over Nasarawa, Baga, Bama massacre

    Jonathan, security chiefs in emergency meeting over Nasarawa, Baga, Bama massacre

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday launched into  an emergency meeting with security chiefs and members of the National Security Council and the National Defence Council on the recent breakdown of law and order  in Nasarawa State; Baga and  Bama, both in Borno State; Wukari  in Taraba State and Benue State.

    Jonathan may also meet with state governors on the security challenges which may pose danger to the nation’s democracy.

    The Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) yesterday condemned Wednesday’s killing of  policemen and other security agents at Alakyo, Nasarawa State by members of  the Ombatse  militia.

    It was gathered that an overhaul of the nation’s security apparatchik may be imminent.

    At the session were Vice-President Namadi Sambo; the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd); Chief of Defence Staff,  Admiral Ola Sahad Ibrahim; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba; Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Alex Badeh; Director General of State Security Service (SSS), Mr.Ita Ekpenyong; Inspector-General of Police Muhammed Abubakar who wore a black arm band; and the representative of the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Emmanuel Bassey, Chief of Policy and Plans (COPP).

    The security  chiefs   declined to speak to   journalists who had waited patiently to get information on the outcome of the meeting.

    Only  the IGP spoke briefly.

    He   described the murder of his men in Nasarawa State  as a sad development for the country.

    Police Affairs Minister Caleb Olubolade  also condemned the killing,  but said there would be no reprisal  by the  police.

    Revenge,according to him, will not help the situation, neither will it douse tension.

      He said: ”The security agencies, particularly the police, will not want to go and revenge. It is not going to help us because they are supposed to protect lives and property. Going to revenge will not douse tension and will bring about lack of confidence in the system. So, we still strictly discourage that.

    “Incidentally, Mr. President has supported the police in recent time more than before. The challenges are more than before. So it is sad that those who are protecting lives and property are becoming the targets of various insurgents and criminals be it political or otherwise.

    “What is important now is to re-strategise and empower them the more. Besides that, if there are other avenues that will make us not to grow criminals, the government will have to look into that. The issue of creating employment and other aspects.”

    On the call for state of emergency, the Police Affairs Minister declined to comment, saying it was  clearly not within his purview, adding that Nigerians “have the right to call for whatever they want. At the end of the day, the President will take a decision.”

    Reacting to the allegation that the police were killed in retaliation for the alleged murder of nine members of the  cult, the minister said;  “I wouldn’t know what is true about that. All I know is that the police have a duty to perform and as such, they must not fear; they must be equipped; they must be trained; they must do their job because they are under instruction. The police will not just wake up and pick their leaders if nothing has gone wrong. The populace must know that anybody can be brought in by the police for interrogation, depending on the intelligence the police get. ”

    On the US’ position that the development  could destabilise the country, he said: “Well, news reports from outside Nigeria sometime can be misleading. So, we must not rely completely on that because  at times, they get information even from our own people, they multiply it and exaggerate it to suit themselves. So, what is important is for us to look inwards as Nigerians, work together, our people should give information to the security agencies who in turn will protect them.”

    A  source said  ahead of the  meeting that it would discuss the possible overhaul of the nation’s security system to curtail insurgency in any part of Nigeria.

    The source said: ”Definitely, I can assure you that there will be a change of tactics. The military and security agencies may now adopt pre-emptive strategies to save lives.

    “Members of the two councils are disturbed at the rate at which military men and police had become the targets of insurgents. This spate of unprovoked attacks will stop.”

    The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, who confirmed the emergency session to our correspondent, said: “As I speak, an emergency security council meeting is going on with security chiefs. They are doing an overview of the security situation in the country.

    “You will recall that the President aborted his trip to Namibia to attend to security challenges in the country. The security session will cover a review of reports on security challenges in Baga, Bama, Wukari, Nasarawa and Benue states.

    “The President is having a face-to-face briefing with security chiefs and relevant agencies involved in curtailing those crises.

    “I may not be able to give you the details now until after the meeting.”

    Another source, however, added: “The President is likely to meet with state governors on whatever proactive measures being put in place to guarantee safety of lives and property in the country.”

    Section 16 of Part 1 of the Third Schedule to 1999 Constitution mandates the National Defence Council to “advise the President on matters relating to the defence of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria.”

    The council advises the President on “ matters relating to public security, including matters relating to any organization or agency established by law for ensuring the security of the federation.”

    In condemning the attack on policemen by members of the Ombatse cult, the NSGF described the ambush  as shocking, rude and sad.

    It asked  the militia to cease its attacks immediately.

    Expressing the forum’s condolences to the Police High Command, the Department of  State Security Service and the families of the victims, the Chairman of the forum and Governor of Niger State, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, said no grievance can justify such a dastardly act against law enforcement agents.

    In a statement signed by Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, Malam Danladi Ndayebo, the forum called on security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators are caught and brought to justice to prevent a re-occurrence, emphasizing that a situation where security personnel on whose shoulders lie the responsibility of protecting lives and property become easy targets for criminals was unacceptable.

    The statement lamented frequent attacks on the police and other security agents, saying the nation cannot afford a situation where criminal elements will overwhelm state security apparatus.

    It also condemned the killing of farmers and destruction of property by Fulani herdsmen in the Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, describing it as one attack too many.

    The forum called on the authorities to commence the prosecution of 10  suspected  mercenaries alleged to have perpetrated the Agatu mayhem.