The Nation Newspaper

Tag: soldiers

  • Army chief to soldiers: defeat insurgents to honour your dead colleagues

    Army chief to soldiers: defeat insurgents to honour your dead colleagues

    Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah has called on soldiers fighting Boko Haram insurgents to win the war as a mark of honour for their fallen colleagues.

    Lt.-Gen. Minimah spoke to soldiers at the cemetery of the fallen heroes in the war against insurgents during a wreath-laying to mark this year’s Army Day celebration in Maiduguri.

    He said: “The only way to honour our fallen officers and men is to ensure that this war is won and I promise that we will win.”

    To the families of the dead soldiers, he said:  “I will also want to assure the families of departed colleagues that they will not be forgotten. All statutory requirements and privileges for children and families they left behind would be honoured and be executed.

    “The Army is the strength of any nation and it is used to rate a nation in the international arena.

    “I want to thank the Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima for his continued support to the Nigeria Army in pursuance of ‘Operation Zaman Lafiya’ and for also hosting the Nigeria Army Day celebration. This has come with a cost and logistics, which the governor has undertaken.”

    Acknowledging the solemnity of the ceremony, the Army chief said:  ”It is a sad ceremony, but it is also a ceremony that we must undertake for we have to honour the dead. Nigeria Army Day Celebration as it is for the living, it is also for the dead; and today we are honouring the dead.”

    Shettima, who was among the dignitaries at the ceremony, hailed the Army for keeping Maiduguri safe.

    “Believe me, at the risk of exaggerating issues, Maiduguri is as secured as Lagos or Kaduna or any other city in this country. They all face the same challenges that Maiduguri is facing and we want to pay tribute to the gallant officers and men of the Nigeria Army, who have laid down their lives for this country to remain one indivisible entity.

    “Hundreds of our soldiers have died in this counter-insurgency war. We have to respect our fallen soldiers and pray for the repose of their souls. But most importantly, we have to make their families realise that they did not die in vain.

    “This singular act of coming down to Maiduguri to celebrate the Army Day and coming to identify with us shall be written in gold.

    “There is psychology in warfare and the fact that the top hierarchy of the Army are here in Maiduguri convey a lot of message to the soldiers and to the rest of the world that Maiduguri is safe, accessible and secured,” the governor said.

    He hailed the military for respecting the fundamental human rights of the suspects arrested during the battle against the insurgents.

    Medals were awarded to injured soldiers and those that were killed in the battle against the insurgents were also posthumously recognised with medals for their gallantry.

    But Maiduguri was locked down for the celebration.

    The Army authorities, it was learnt, decided to mark the day in Maiduguri to boost the morale of troops fighting the insurgency.

    Many residents of the metropolis were turned away by security agents as they try to access some roads to their offices.

    Most of the major roads in the city were either barricaded by the military or reduced to one lane, which caused a gridlock.

    Lt.-Gen. Minimah and other top Army chiefs arrived in Maiduguri on Sunday to participate in the grand finale of the celebration.

     

  • Soldiers take over Ikere as Fayose instals Adu as Ogoga

    Soldiers take over Ikere as Fayose instals Adu as Ogoga

    A detachment of soldiers and riot policemen took over some parts of Ikere-Ekiti yesterday as Governor Ayo Fayose installed Samuel Adejimi Adu Alagbado as the Ogoga.

    The soldiers were in four pick-up vans at Post Office and Odo Oja Roundabout.

    There was tension in many parts of the town, following the dramatic announcement of Adu as the monarch.

    The soldiers were joined by riot policemen, who stood guard at major junctions to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order.

    The deployment of security forces came barely few hours after Fayose made the announcement on state media.

    The governor stunned many when he presented Adu with the certificate of appointment and staff of office.

    The practice is to present a new monarch with instrument of appointment initially while the staff of office is presented after traditional rites might have been performed.

    At the Holy Trinity Anglican Primary School sports field in Odo Oja, venue of the ceremony, Fayose presented Adu with the certificate and the staff of office at 3.03 pm.

    The governor reiterated his stand that he had no candidate among the contestants.

    Adu succeeds Oba Samuel Adegoke Adegboye, who died on August 22, last year, after 43 years on the throne.

    The governor noted that in every contest, only one person will emerge winner.

    Fayose said he re-ordered the election process because he wanted due process and fairness in the selection process.

    The governor advised  aggrieved parties to take their grievances to court.

    He urged the monarch to abide by the court’s directives, if his opponents  seek redress.

    Fayose urged Adu to learn from his (Fayose’s) experience in which former Governor Kayode Fayemi congratulated him after his electoral victory, even though the All Progressives Congress (APC) later went to court to challenge his victory.

    The governor urged the Ogoga to have a large heart, be magnanimous and accommodate his opponents.

    Fayose also advised Adu to be humble and reach out to his opponents.

    Shortly after the installation, the governor invited the chiefs to pay homage to the monarch.

    The double presentation runs contrary to the directive of the head of kingmakers, Chief Michael Shittu.

    On Sunday, Shittu met with the ruling houses, aspirants and kingmakers to unfold the “valid processes and procedures to be followed in the nomination and installation of a new Ogoga”.

    The presentation also  contradicts the decision at a meeting between Fayose and the kingmakers on Saturday, where the governor gave them a 14-day ultimatum to produce a new Ogoga, who will be accepted by the people.

    Shittu, who is the Sapetu of Ikere and the second-in-command to the Ogoga, told our reporter on phone that he was surprised and shocked that the ultimatum was yet to expire before the government made the announcement.

    The Sapetu explained that the meeting was held to brief the ruling houses, princes and princesses on the outcome of the meeting with Fayose and the valid procedures followed by their forefathers.

    Shittu insisted that there was need to follow due process to prevent chaos in the town.

    At the end of the meeting, the ruling houses, aspirants and kingmakers unanimously agreed that the rightful guidelines should be followed, until yesterday morning when the government announced Adu as the Ogoga.

     

  • Nigeria deploys 700 soldiers to Liberia

    Nigeria deploys 700 soldiers to Liberia

    No fewer than 700 officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army are set for deployment for peace keeping operation in Liberia, just as the Army authority has warned the troops to prevent Ebola through hygienic living

    The troops were warned to avoid any act capable of dragging the image of Nigeria and Nigerian Army to the mud, as the army will not accept a situation where its soldiers are seen as soft targets.

    General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Kenneth Osuji gave the warning while addressing the troops at the graduation ceremony marking the end of their pre-deployment training in Jaji, Kaduna State on Friday.

    ‎General Osuji who is the GOC of the 1 Brigade, which is made up of the Nigerian Battalion (NIBATT)36 in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) said, they must work with the rules of engagement of the mission and respect the cultural and religious sensitivity of Liberia people.

    According to him, “Be reminded that the Nigerian Army will not accept any situation where its troops are seen as soft targets or conducting themselves in unprofessional manner such as trafficking in illicit substances of any kind including alcohol and drugs.

    “Additionally, you must respect the cultural and religious sensitivity of the people of Liberia. You must exhibit the highest sense of personal/environmental hygiene as Liberia is just emerging from an EBOLA epidemic,” the GOC stressed.

  • Between DSS and soldiers

    Between DSS and soldiers

    It is curious that the 253 officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) transferred to the Presidential Villa on June 8 were rejected by the villa’s authorities. The impression given then was that President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo were yet to move into the villa because the place was undergoing renovation; so, no one was sure of what exactly the security arrangement would be like under the new dispensation.

    But a clearer picture emerged more than a week later, when it was reported that soldiers are now to take over the responsibility of the Strike Force in the villa, hitherto performed by operatives of the DSS. The force is a special security outfit saddled with the responsibility of protecting the president and the seat of power.  Its operatives are usually specially trained in counter-assault and other techniques aimed at enhancing their performance.

    Indeed, a lieutenant who would lead 21 other military personnel had reportedly been transferred to the Strike Force, with an instruction to take over from the DSS officials. What further lends credence to the speculation that soldiers from the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps might be taking over the DSS’ role in the villa is the machinery put in place to change the new Presidential Villa’s Administrative Officer, who was deployed by the DSS about two weeks ago. He has been reportedly replaced with a military officer.

    One point that strikes one immediately is the confusion in the postings of the DSS officials and their rejection by the villa authorities, which shows a palpable lack of synergy among the country’s security agencies. Why for instance would the villa reject the DSS officials after they had been duly posted to the place? Did the security services not get in touch with the villa before sending signals to its officials to move in there only to have them turned back?

    If the speculation (that anyone is yet to controvert) that the president prefers the military for the Strike Force is true, then it is apparent that President Buhari believes that the DSS officials had been too compromised to do their job creditably. In a nutshell, he has lost confidence in the organisation due to the way and manner many of its personnel performed their job in the immediate past. If this is the case, he probably has a point. The DSS became an extension of the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a willing tool of subversion in the last elections. Perhaps the highpoint of their perfidy was the admission by the organisation, against any sense of decency, that some of its men wore hoods in the course of their duty during the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun State.

    But even the military is not without blemish in the elections, whether in Ekiti and then Osun, last year. The role of some of its men and officers under the President Goodluck Jonathan administration also leaves much to be desired. We were regaled with tales of how cabinet ministers gave orders to military generals to rig election for the PDP. In short, virtually all arms of the security agencies became compromised during the elections.

    Therefore, it would appear the president is more comfortable with the military because that was his primary constituency. Unfortunately, we do not think he has much choice in the matter concerning which arm of the security agencies should be in charge of security in the Presidential Villa, especially in a democratic setting. If he could live with the military, he should be able to live with the DSS as the organisation with the responsibility of protecting the seat of power in our present circumstances.

    So, the president, rather than sideline the DSS, has a duty of correcting whatever anomalies may be inherent in the organisation. All the security agencies are long overdue for reforms to put them along the path of professionalism. The army has its place and roles in the polity but there is no gainsaying that heavy presence of soldiers in Aso Rock would be out of sync with democratic setting.

     

  • Ex-militants, soldiers clash on East-West Road

    Ex-militants, soldiers clash on East-West Road

    Protesting ex-militants yesterday clashed with soldiers attached to the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, on the Mbiama axis of the East-West Road.

    They trooped to the road  about 7am to protest the non-payment of their allowances by the Presidential Amnesty.

    The protesters led by the Bayelsa State Third Phase Amnesty Chairman, Mr. Ebi John, were said to have obstructed free traffic flow.

    Travellers and motorists were stranded.

    Shortly after they barricaded the road, military patrol vans and two Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs)  driven by armed soldiers  arrived.

    The soldiers were said to have shot into the air many times to dislodge the youths from the road.

    But the youths persisted in their protested and the armoured carriers went after them and in the process hit a woman who was caught up in the protest.

    The timely arrive by some members of the Bayelsa State Working  Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by the Chairman , Mr. Tiwe Oruminighe brought to situation under control.

    Oruminighe appealed to them youth to leave the road to avoid violence and bloodshed.

    He said blocking the road was not a solution to their plight, promising that the leadership would seek to resolve the issues.

    He said the Federal Government is  concerned about the problems of the Niger Delta problems, pleading out President Muhammadu Buhari be given time to solve them.

    He said notable APC leaders such as former governors Timipre Sylva, Rotimi Amaechi and Edo State Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshomhole, would not let down the region under the Buhari administration.

    Addressing them, he said: “We came here to talk with you to leave the road. It is a federal road and does not belong to Bayelsa State. If you block that road you are not helping the government at the centre which has come to create wealth for us.

    “As brothers, I want you to understand that we need to join hands together to give small time to the government to create what we want.

    “We have some notable sons and daughters that are already in this government such as Timipre Sylva, Amaechi, Oshomhole and many others who will be taking our matter to the President.

    “I want to promise you that your matter will be taken to the highest level and will be addressed in the shortest possible time”.

    Also yesterday, activities around the PTI Junction end of the East-West Road in Warri, Delta State were  grounded as members of the third phase of the Amnesty Programme took over the road while protesting the non-payment of their stipends for two months.

    The protesters they would not located the Director of Finance and Accounts Ayoola  Peter to pay them.

    The ex-militants, led by the National Secretary of their phase of the programme, Tam Odogwu, alleged that Peter’s cellphone went dead the moment the funds for the payment of the monthly stipends were released to him.

    The protest, which started around 7:30am, lasted about one hour, until the protesters were dispersed by a combined team of soldiers and mobile policemen. The rowdy situation disrupted both commercial and vehicular activities.

    Addressing reporters, Odogwu alleged that there were still over 10,000 ex-militants awaiting their various reintegration trainings at  both home and abroad. He said they were upset over the demeaning treatment  which he claimed, may returned them to return to the creeks if  nothing was done to redress situation.

    He pleaded with President Buhari to expedite payment of their outstanding allowances and make provisions for their trainings.

    ‘’We are fully in support of President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration but will not tolerate anything that will work contrary to his good plans for Niger Delta Amnesty Programme beneficiaries and we also beg Mr President to continue the programme until the end of his tenure in office,” he said.

    The Amnesty Office, in a statement on Wednesday, said the delay in payment had nothing to do with Peter. It blamed it on the change of government and urged the ex-militants to be patient.

  • Eight soldiers feared killed in bomb blast in Maiduguri

    Eight soldiers feared killed in bomb blast in Maiduguri

    About eight soldiers and other civilians have been reported killed in another bomb blast in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

    The suicide bomber was said to have targeted a military checkpoint near the Maimalari Military barracks along Baga road west of the metropolis after passing through other check point from Baga town.

    Boko Haram insurgents have continued a sustained suicide attacks on Maiduguri since President Mohammadu Buhari was sworn in on May 29, with no day passing by without an attack on the troubled city.

    Abdullahi Sabo who resides around Baga road told our correspondent that he heard a deafening sound like a heavy thunder storm at about 5:20pm. ” I later learnt that it occurred at a major checkpoint that lead to Brigadier Maimalari barracks along Baga road,” Sabo said.
    It was gathered that the bomber deliberately chose to detonate his device when residents were rushing back home ahead the 7pm curfew time.

    A Civilian JTF who pleaded for anonymity informed that many soldiers were killed in the attack. He added, “the bomber was clever to come to the checkpoint and stopped to be checked by the soldiers from a car when he triggered off his explosive. I counted about eight soldiers that were killed on the spot.”

    An impeccable military source who prefers anonymity confirmed the attack but however informed that the attack was not exactly on the check point but rather near the barracks.

    He said, “yes the blast occurred near the barracks and killed a number of people. But the suicide attack did not occur at exactly the checkpoint; it happened about 60meters meter away from the soldiers checkpoint.

  • Gunmen ‘kill’ two soldiers in Kogi

    Gunmen suspected to be Agatu militia from neighbouring Benue State have allegedly killed two soldiers at Bagana in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State.

    The victims were among those drafted to Bagana last year during clashes between the Agatu and Fulani herdsmen.

    A witness said trouble began when suspected Agatu militia, who came to Bagana market and were drinking and causing public disturbance, were challenged.

    Soldiers were reportedly drafted to the scene to restore peace.

    The source said the intervention of the soldiers angered the gunmen, who invited their colleagues and fought the soldiers.

    Another account had it that the Agatu militia, who accused the soldiers of being partial, ambushed them at a primary school where they were stationed, killed two and injured others.

    A reinforcement of soldiers was said to have repelled the attackers.

    Police Commissioner Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi directed our correspondent to the military authorities for the confirmation of the story.

    He said: “Please call the commanding officer for details.”

    The clash between the militia and Fulani herdsmen last December in Bagana led to the deployment of soldiers.

     

     

  • Soldiers sack filling station over attack on colleague

    Soldiers yesterday stormed a filling station on Ikorodu Road, Lagos, following the stabbing of their female colleague by some black market operators.

    It all  happened at Mobil Filling Station, Onipanu Bus Stop, where people scrambled to buy fuel with jerry cans.

    The soldiers stormed the station, beating up people. The station was temporarily shut by the soldiers who wielded swords, cudgels and horsewhips.

    They chased away the station attendants; beat up people indiscriminately on the adjoining Kayode Street, through where it was learnt, the hoodlums escaped. Traders on the street hurriedly closed shops and ran for dear lives.

    An eyewitness, who simply gave his name as Samson, said the injured soldier was trying to ensure order at the station when the hoodlums attacked her.

    Samson said: “The soldier was on the queue for fuel when the boys arrived with jerry cans and disrupted the queue. The soldier cautioned them to be orderly and volunteered to ensure all the people who came with jerry cans got fuel.

    “But because the boys were in a hurry to get fuel, they interrupted the orderliness at the filling station. The soldier was punched by one of the boys and this led to a free-for-all.”

    In the ensuing confusion, The Nation gathered that the soldier was stabbed by the hoodlums, who fled the scene immediately.

    Her colleagues numbering about 10, arrived in a Volkswagen Gulf car marked BQ 49 FKJ and commercial motorcycles. They also crossed over to Forte Oil Filling Station on the other side of the road and chased away people who came to buy fuel with plastic containers.

    Policemen attached to the nearby Onipanu Divisional Station,  stood, watching the soldiers. A man identified as Alfa, was hit on his left eye with a club by one of the soldiers.

    The Nation watched as the soldiers drove into Forte Oil to fill the jerry cans in their vehicle. Normalcy has returned to the area.

     

  • Soldiers harass Ado-Ekiti residents

    Soldiers harass Ado-Ekiti residents

    Scores of soldiers in about 12 vehicles stormed Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital, last night harassing residents in what looked like an operation to back up Governor Ayodele Fayose’s statement  alleging invasion of the state by All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers.

    The governor alleged that the lawmakers were leading thugs to the House of Assembly to impeach him.

    The soldiers, from the brigade commanded by General Aliyu Momah,  were last night on the streets in the state capital.

    Brigadier-General Momah was one of those whose voices were heard on tape planning how to rig last year’s election in Fayose’s favour in what is now known as Ekitigate.

    Earlier in the day, the governor made a televised speech on state media, alleging invasion by APC lawmakers. He urged workers, commercial motorbike riders and drivers to resist the APC lawmakers’ attempt to sit over his impeachment.

    Very close to the Governor’s Office was the Governor’s convoy making a stop-over to address the troops.

  • Soldiers detain Transition Committee chair

    Soldiers detain Transition Committee chair

    Soldiers in Aba, Abia State, have apprehended the Transition Committee chairman of Obingwa Local Government Area, Prince Obinna Nwabiaraije for allegedly being in possession of materials said to belong to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Nwabiaraije was detained for failing to explain why bottles of ink, pads and result sheets, among others, were found in a car on his convoy.

    Sources said that the materials were discovered during a stop-and-search operation by soldiers at the Waterside Bridge along the Aba- Ikot Ekpene Expressway.

    A source who would not want to be mentioned said when the Obingwa transition chief could not give a credible explanation on the presence of the INEC materials, the soldiers ordered him to lie down on the expressway.

    The source said that all entreaties by the suspect’s father to release his son failed as the soldiers insisted that they would take Nwabiaraije to their base.

    Investigations by The Nation revealed that the Obingwa Transitional Committee Chairman was later taken to the Ngwa High School Forward Operation Base (FOB) where he was said to have been detained and later released after the father, who was once a former Deputy council chairman of Abia State Traditional Rulers’ Council made calls to the powers that be in the state.

    Information gathered by The Nation has it that as at the time of this report, the vehicle used in conveying the materials was still in the army’s custody at Ngwa High School near Osisioma.

    The Public Relations Officer of 14 Brigade, Ohafia could not be reached at the time of the report, but sources confirmed that the TC chairman was in the custody of the soldiers on Saturday, as well as the said vehicle.

    The governorship election in the state was said to have marred by a lot of irregularities, including snatching of ballot boxes, result sheets, harassing of INEC officials and intimidation of agents of opposition parties by people alleged to be working for the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    Anyim and Otti, who spoke to reporters described the election in the state as a sham, citing cases of electoral irregularities such as snatching of ballot boxes, use of fake uniformed men and thugs to harass and intimidate their party agents, among other electoral offences.

    Otti said: “There was no election in Abia State. The governor and the PDP, in collaboration with INEC officials, went to various polling units and withdrew the original result sheets which they replaced with a fake one.

    “We have information that the PDP were thumb-printing ballot papers in the official residence of a top PDP member in the state.

    “They used thugs who wielded machetes and fire arms, and who shot sporadically in the air to harass and scare people away before snatching the ballot papers and result sheets. They did these things using fake uniformed men to cart away the election materials.

    “It is the same situation in Umuahia, Aba North and South, Umuahia North and South, Ohafia, Umunneochi, Isiala Ngwa North and South. In fact, there is no election in Abia State and I am calling on the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega to cancel the election in some of the areas where we have pockets of irregularities because what we witnessed was a total sham and cannot, in any way, be described as an election. We have evidences and genuine reason to call for the cancelation of the poll.”

    The guber candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) however expressed the optimism that he would still defeat the ruling party in the state if the election was re-conducted in a credible and transparent atmosphere.

    While appraising the conduct of the election, Anyim, however regretted reported cases of ballot-box snatching, intimidation of the opposition by the ruling party, stressing that such thuggish acts as reported by their agents in the field show the desperation of the ruling party.

    He said: “It was primitive. Nigeria is too big for such a thing to happen; where election materials were being stolen. It shows that the PDP has failed the state because if they did well, they wouldn’t have resorted to stealing of ballot boxes and other sensitive materials. It is a total shame and shows how it has failed in giving the people good governance.

    “It shows that they have badly managed the state and that is why the people need change which APC is will bring about when it comes on board as a government that the people of the state is truly yearning for, as the PDP has failed them in the past 16 years of their administration in the state.”

    Also speaking, a chieftain of APGA and the Abia Central Senatorial candidate of the partyý in the just-concluded National Assembly election, Chief Ahamdi Emmanuel Nweke, corroborated Dr. Otti’s position, accusing the ruling party of rigging the process and causing mayhem.

    Nweke said: “The action of the PDP and some corrupt INEC officials is a rape of democracy”.

    The Nation gathered that security agents in the state recovered two AK47 rifles and 49 raps of Indian hemp from hoodlums who were yet to name their sponsor.