The Nation Newspaper

Tag: security

  • Lagos coastal erosion will threaten national security, FG told

    THE president of Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Philip Asiodu (CON), has warned the federal government that coastal erosion problem in Lagos State is the nation’s “most urgent environmental challenge.”

    He said this at the 4th annual Walk for Nature event, organised by the NCF in collaboration with the Lagos State Government to raise awareness about environmental issues through a short walk around Lagos Island.

    Though, “sustainable energy for all” was the theme of this year’s commemoration, the urgency of coastal erosion and the threat it portends imposed a detour on Asiodu, who called on the federal government to take “timely bold preventive action” to prevent “this extremely dangerous threat.”

    In recent weeks, flood has caused tremendous damage in some Nigerian states, raising fears of food scarcity as major link roads between the northern and southern parts of the country became inaccessible. But while the flooding still takes its toll on internally displaced people, Asiodu said the entire nation’s economy risks paralysis with the impending threat posed by coastal erosion.

  • 5,000 security agents on patrol

    5,000 security agents on patrol

    No fewer than 5,000 stern looking security men from various security agencies in the country will be deployed to the Calabar for the Nigeria, Liberia clash for 2013 Africa Cup of Nations’ ticket on Saturday.

    Reports coming out of the Canaan-City suggest that major road junctions, hotels and eateries will witness top notch security while traffic movement in and around the U.J.Esuene Stadium will be restricted except those on essential duties before and during the match.

    The encounter which is the final AFCON qualifier has already witnessed large influx of visitors from different part of the country. Most of the hotels and relaxation spots around the Eagles Metropolitan Hotel base have also witnessed a sudden rise in guests and sales.

  • Reps praise Amaechi on security, development

    The House of Representatives has praised Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi for promoting the security of oil firms, lives and property in the state.

    The Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Hon. Dakuku Peterside, made the remark when he led a delegation of the committee to a courtesy visit at Government House Port Harcourt, on Tuesday.

    Peterside said companies in Rivers State had testified to the resilience of the Amaechi administration to restore and maintain peace.

    “Rivers State is host to two refineries and other multi-nationals which are strategic to our economy, we visited the refineries and they told us that your administration has restored peace and increased our economy, and they have also asked us to commend you,” he said.

    He expressed dismay over the continued vandalisation of pipelines and said the committee is taking concrete steps to eradicate the menace as well as ensure that the Petroleum downstream sector achieve its desired objective to improve the nation’s economy.

    “One of the problems this committee has observed is vandalization of pipelines which caused the refinery to shut down for three months, and this has greatly affected the economy.”

    Amaechi urged the Committee to seek ways of addressing the problem of bunkering in the nation’s waterways.

    The governor called for the prosecution of all those involved in the oil subsidy scandal, adding that subsidy must be removed to enable leaders work within the provisions of the budget.

    “The National Assembly must rise and remove oil subsidy so that we can have money to fund projects for our people and give them the good things of life. “, Amaechi said.

    He explained that if the nation’s funds are properly managed, there would be economic growth which in turn creates employment opportunities and eliminates the tendency of pipeline vandalism.

    His words: “If we grow the economy and people get employed there will be no vandalism of oil pipeline.”

    The committee was in the state as part of its oversight function on some key sectors of the petroleum downstream economy, including the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of the annual budget.

    Meanwhile, Governor Amaechi has urged the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation to prevail on the Federal Government to speedily complete the ongoing reconstruction work at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

    Chairperson of the committee Nkeiruka Onyejeocha said the committee was in the state to inspect some capital projects especially the Port Harcourt International Airport and commend the governor for his laudable achievements.

    “We have come to inspect some capital projects in your state especially the international airport. All that you are doing in Rivers State is well known to us, you are doing well, keep it up, we are proud of you,” she said.

  • ‘Strengthen security in schools’

    The Senate Committee on Education has called for the upgrading of security system in tertiary institutions to curb the increasing wave of violence and crime.

    The Committee Chairman, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, spoke when the committee visited the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife in Osun State.

    Chukwumerije condemned violence in tertiary institutions, calling for more security votes in the universities.

    A minute silence was observed for students killed in Mubi, Adamawa State and Aluu, Rivers State.

    He said if the committee had envisaged the increase in crimes in the universities, it would have passed an extra ordinary budget for security.

    Chukwumerije said: “The essence of our visitation is in accordance with Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution.

    He said it is an avenue for stakeholders to move the sector forward.

    “We urge the university to improve its town and gown relationship.

    The host community must be impacted on by the university community.”

    The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bamitale Omole, appealed to the Federal Government to increase the budgets of federal universities.

    He said inadequate funding of universities is affecting their performance.

    Omole said most universities are underfunded and that government subvention is not enough to take care of universities expenditure.

    Other members of the committee Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Prof. Olusola Adeyeye, Senator Atiku Bagudu.

  • Security: we have achieved a lot, says Sambo

    Security: we have achieved a lot, says Sambo

    Vice President Namadi Sambo said in Kaduna yesterday that efforts by the federal government at addressing the security challenges in the country are beginning to yield results.

    Speaking at a reception for sons and daughters of Kaduna State occupying various positions in the country, he said the government can achieve more with the full support of all.

    He said, “the various security agencies’ efforts have also yielded positive results as they have drastically reduced the potency of the aggressors. We can achieve more successes only if we have the full support of all and sundry and I call all citizens of the state and the country in general to partner and participate in fighting this menace.”

    He said that the desire of the government to transform the country is paramount and can only be achieved through the concerted efforts of all Nigerians in reviving and developing the nation’s infrastructure to meet the yearning and expectations of Nigerians.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Independence: Abubakar assures of adequate security

    Independence: Abubakar assures of adequate security

    THE Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has expressed the preparedness of the Force to ensure hitch-free 52nd Independence celebration.

    The police boss spoke with reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, shortly before being decorated with an honorary doctorate degree by a faith-based Islamic private institution, Al-Hikhmah University at its second convocation.

    Other dignitaries honoured by the university included Governors AbdulFatah Ahmed, Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi, Aliyu Wammako and Abdul-Aziz Yari of Kwara, Oyo, Sokoto and Zamfara states as well as Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi.

    Abubakar expressed delight with improvement in the nation’s security situation compared with what was on ground eight months ago when he assumed office.

    The police boss said the recoveny arms and ammunitions in parts of the country was testimony of progress so far recorded in the area of security.

    According to him: “Nigeria is better today security wise. There is peace and stability in the country.

    “We shall continue to do our best to ensure security of life and property of the citizenry.”

    On the 52nd Independence anniversary of Nigeria, he said the police will ensure criminals have no hiding place.

    On the proposed police intelligence school slated for Ilorin, the IGP said: “the school will soon take off. We have gotten the bill for it. The land has been allocated and we are trying to mobilise contractors to site so that the project can start.”

     

  • FG has lost control of security – Report

    FG has lost control of security – Report

    … Says ‘Nigeria braces for escalation in terrorist attacks’

    The Nigerian government has lost control of security, according to its own advisers, and lacks a coherent strategy to counter the threat of terrorism, the United Kingdom Guardian reports.

    Senior political and military figures have told the Guardian of their growing pessimism over the government’s ability to contain Boko Haram, the Islamist sect responsible for a deadly wave of bombings and kidnappings in northern Nigeria, and are bracing themselves for an escalation in attacks.

    “We have a serious problem in Nigeria and there is no sense that the government has a real grip,” a senior official close to the government said on condition of anonymity.

    “The situation is not remotely under control. It is just a matter of time before we see more large-scale attacks that pose a significant threat to national security, and now Nigeria’s economic growth is also at risk,” the concerned official told the Guardian.

    Boko Haram – whose name is often translated as “western education is sinful” – has become increasingly sophisticated in its operations since first launching mass attacks in northern Nigeria in 2010.

    The sect first began using violence against the Nigerian government and police in 2003, and is believed to have advanced its operations in recent months by attracting funding and support from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and al-Shabaab.

    In 2009 Boko Haram launched a new phase of operations following the killing of its leader, Muhammad Yusuf, by police and security forces.

    Since then, a spate of deadly church bombings has left hundreds dead, while attacks on mobile phone base stations have paralysed telecommunications in northern Nigeria, causing an estimated £3m worth of damage.

    The government has attempted to fight back against the sect, and claims to have killed at least 35 suspected militants earlier this week, and detained 60 others during raids in Adamawa and Yobe States – two of the areas most affected by the violence.

    But its failure to stop Boko Haram attacks has led many to question the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, who promised in March that security services would have ended the insurgency by June.

    A senior defence official, who asked not to be named, expressed concern that the government had failed to demonstrate the necessary political leadership to combat the threat posed by Boko Haram.

    “Leadership is the problem,” said the source. “When we had military dictatorships in Nigeria, we did not experience this kind of weak decision-making. There is no way we can combat this threat without more decisive action. You cannot divorce what is happening from weak leadership and the failure to repair the divisions in our society.”

    “The level of poverty in the north, and the way southerners are behaving with impunity – it is not surprising that there is this level of discontent in northern Nigeria.”

    Experts have frequently attributed the rise of Boko Haram to the growing divide between rich and poor in Nigeria, compounded by regionalism that has often pitched the largely Christian south against the predominantly Muslim north.

    Of the two-thirds of Nigerians – 100 million people – living below the poverty line, Nigeria’s national bureau of statistics said that the number living on less than one dollar a day was higher in the north, with rates of around 70 per cent, compared with rates closer to 50 per cent in the south.

    Much of the north has illiteracy rates of above 75 per cent.

    “These acts are a reaction against decades of neglect,” the source close to the government said. “They are similar factors to what we saw driving revolution in the Arab spring.

     

  • We’re on top of security challenge in Kano, says Kwankwaso

    We’re on top of security challenge in Kano, says Kwankwaso

    FOR Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, his administration and security agencies are on top of the security challenges in the state.

    Kwankwaso, who spoke with reporters in Abuja, said the state has recovered from the security problems it experienced in January with its Internally Generated Revenue increasing from about N450 million to N1.7 billion.

    He said: “So, it(the crisis) is not something that is peculiar to Nigeria or to Kano. What is important is that the authorities -the state government and security agencies are on top of the situation.

    “We are working with security agencies, the general public is working with everybody to ensure that Kano is peaceful. Kano is a centre for commerce and anybody who is there will always want to support commerce. And we cannot run commerce and industries without peace.

    “Of course, we had an unfortunate attack on the 20th of January but if you checked the graph, you will see that it has gone down to almost zero. During the attack, we decided to impose a 24-hour curfew, it was reduced to 18, 12 hours and now it is zero. You could come out 24 hours to do your businesses.”

    Kwankwaso urged Nigerians not to see the Kano incident as an isolated case which cannot be overcome.

    The governor said: “You see, there was never a time in the history of any country or any state that there was no crisis. Some people in Nigeria are very, very forgetful. That is why I have a lot of respect for former President Olusegun Obasanjo. When we came in 1999, there were all sorts of religious crises, ethnic crises, killings of Northerners in the Southwest and in the Southeast, even in the Southsouth and vice versa.

    “We were just sleeping with one eye from 1999 and 2003 because the governors of Niger, Kano and others on the road would say corpses are coming to Kano, watch it.

    “We had few cases they were bringing corpses and immediately people saw them in Kano, they will start rioting. And along the line, they will attack people from those areas who were living in Kano. These are things that people have forgotten.

    “We also had the issue of Sharia which started in Zamfara and came through many other states including Kano. And that was really an issue of interest at that particular time. “So, there were many things. I don’t think there was anytime in the history of this country that leaders were not faced with challenges.

    “And what we have today is our own version of the security challenge that we are facing in Nigeria. That is why we are all up and doing. We are working round the clock to ensure that our states, especially Kano and other states, are safe so that Nigeria can continue to be peaceful and so that people can continue to be running their normal businesses.”

    Responding to a question, the governor said: “People are not deserting Kano, it is not true.”

    On security votes, Kwankwaso said the state has cancelled such a recurrent expenditure because it amounts to a waste of public funds.

    He said most political office holders used to divert security votes into personal use.

    He added: “To crown it all, we looked at areas of wastages; especially various governments are used to this security votes and in the opinion of the state government in Kano, that is an area that governments take money for their personal use in the name of security. So, we decided to cancel security votes.”

    To prove that the security challenge in Kano has abated, Kwankwaso said the state’s IGR has increased from N400million to about N1.7 billion per month.

    He said: “People are always asking where you get the money? It is simple. One, we decided to block all the loopholes, wastages within the government circle and even beyond.

    “Two, we have decided to improve on our IGR. And I am happy to say that when we came in, we were getting N400 million and N450 million from the records of the last administration but now we are well above N1.7 billion per month. Of course, even under the present security challenge.”

     

  • No end to security nightmare

    No end to security nightmare

    In addition to the rampant insecurity undermining political stability and economic development in parts of the country, there are indications a new front could open soon to engage security operatives full time and add to their nightmares. If reports are accurate, security agencies are said to be considering various scenarios they may have to contend with when train services resume between Lagos and Kano, the most popular trunk line. Without saying so, according to the reports, security agencies may be thinking of the havoc fundamentalist groups like the Boko Haram could cause for train passengers and railway facilities. Such proaction would be of immense benefit to a country that is already spending approximately N24 billion to rehabilitate and modernise the Nigerian Railway. If the restoration work is completed on time and successfully, it should ease\ long distance commuting and freight services, and catalyse economic activities. But all it takes to bring the whole enterprise crashing down is just one bomb at any point in the over 1000km rail lines between the two major cities.

    While it is good to be proactive in anticipating and solving the problems saboteurs could cause for train services, the government must by now have recognised the need for a holistic method in tackling insecurity. This will involve the government having a deeper and better understanding of the nature of insecurity in these parts, identifying the dramatis personae of insecurity, what propels them, and what patterns of operations can be deduced from their activities so far? In addition, there must be an understanding of how best railway insecurity can be tackled? These are some of the questions the government will have to grapple with and give definitive answers to if the financial and other resources being spent on rehabilitating the antiquated railway lines are not to go down the drain.

    One approach that may prove nugatory is the reactive and ineffectual measure being deployed against the unconscionable Boko Haram Islamist sect, a group that may well prove to be the most daunting enemy of resuscitated and revitalised railway services. Combating Boko Haram required the deployment of the highest form of intelligence operations; instead the government had until recently relied more on firepower. The menace also required a security architecture that brings together all the security services; instead the government had approached the ailment with atomised network of security operations. Things are changing now, and the government may find wisdom in building on the gains and experience it has acquired in combating terrorism to prepare for the security of train services.

    But overall, the trains will never be fully or even really protected until the government can comprehensively secure the country itself and pacify restive groups. Like the problematic petroleum pipeline, which is the prime target for saboteurs, the government can never hope to secure every kilometre of the rail lines. Worse, as the government has found out in trying to secure youth corps members, it is not only an impossible task, it is in fact a foolish undertaking. Even if it were possible to assign a policeman to every youth corps member, pipeline, and rail line it would still not be possible to keep them safe, just as the police have not been able to guarantee safety for every man or establishment, including banks, they have tried to secure.

  • ‘Security agencies ready for poll’

    ‘Security agencies ready for poll’

    Ondo State Police Commissioner Danladi Mshelbwala yesterday assured that security agencies were fully ready for the October 20 governorship election.

    Mshelbwala spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure, the state capital.

    He explained that the police, in collaboration with other security agencies, were ready to forestall violence during the poll.

    He said: “We are aware of the security challenges ahead of us in the coming election, and we are not leaving any stone unturned in our preparations to forestall violence during the election.

    “So, those who are planning to foment trouble should desist from doing so in their own interest, because we are going to provide more than enough security agents in all parts of the state.”

    The police chief said the security agencies had taken proactive measures to prevent violence before, during and after the election, adding that the police in particular had held meetings with stakeholders on the need to shun violence.

    Mshelbwala warned those scheming to disrupt the poll, saying the police and other security agencies would deal decisively with anyone caught.

    He advised parents to monitor their children to ensure that they were not used by desperate politicians to perpetrate malpractice or cause violence during the election.