The Nation Newspaper

Tag: threatens

  • Boko Haram leader Shekau threatens more bombings in new video

    Boko Haram leader Shekau threatens more bombings in new video

    •Four soldiers killed in operation against sect
    •Deaf and dumb terrorist arrested with eight mobile phones

    Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, yesterday claimed responsibility for the recent spate of suicide bombings in Borno State.

    That was 24 hours after the latest suicide attack in Borno State in which two persons were killed when four female suicide bombers detonated their explosives.

    He said the terror sect was “responsible for all the suicide explosions in Maiduguri and we will continue with them.”

    He denied claims by the armies of Nigeria and Cameroon that scores of his fighters have been killed in recent encounters.

    Shekau spoke in a video message, saying he is in good health.

    There were speculations that he might have been hit in a recent attack by the Nigerian military.

    But he looked subdued in the video recording compared with previous appearances.

    He vowed that Boko Haram will not back down until it establishes Sharia in Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Mali.

    Shekau picked on President Paul Biya of Cameroon for saying Yaounde’s soldiers   killed 60 Boko Haram fighters and arrested 21 others in recent weeks.

    “We fought along the Cameroonian border. You lied that you killed 60 of our fighters, that you arrested 20 of our men, that you freed 5,000 of your people,” the Boko Haram leader said.

    “Paul Biya, is it that you can’t live off lies? Is it with this that you are going to convince the West, your leaders? It is unfortunate. Be careful, Paul Biya.”

    Shekau also said that the caliphate he declared in August 2014 “is running smoothly,” apparently in a bid to rubbish reports that the terror sect has lost much of the territory it used to hold in the Northeast, especially the Sambisa Forest that once served as its base.

    Shekau was last seen on camera in a video message in December last year after the Nigerian army declared it had flushed out Boko Haram fighters from Sambisa Forest.

    An army officer and three soldiers were confirmed killed in a clash with Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.

    Men attached to Operation Lafiya Dole were on the trail of a band of terrorists in Doho, Mina, Maideni, Donari, Salari and Lawari villages in the northern part of the state when the incident happened late Wednesday.

    The extremists, according to  the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Usman had  attempted to infiltrate Magumeri village.

    They were however repelled by soldiers who gave them a chase.

    He said that after a hot chase and mop up, the troops were able to neutralise an unconfirmed number of Boko Haram terrorists.

    They also recovered one gun truck, two anti-aircraft guns, two  extra barrels,   two  rocket propelled grenade bombs, 31 pieces of Nitrogen 57mm bombs, one roll of Nitrogen cable and a  60mm mortar bomb.

    Others are:  assorted General Purpose Machine Gun and anti-aircraft ammunition and their links, three spare vehicle tyres with rims, one vulcanizing machine, one Qlink motorcycle, foodstuff and three Boko Haram terrorist sown camouflage.

    Besides, troops of the 22 Brigade of the army, have   cleared Boko Haram terrorists out of Gujari village, Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State. This followed information about the convergence of the extremists in the area preparatory to launching attacks on nearby communities.

    The army spokesman said that during the operation, the troops killed two Boko Haram terrorists while an unspecified number escaped with gunshot wounds into the  forest.

    At the location, the troops discovered and destroyed a tailoring shed and  recovered one  Rocket Propelled Grenade Bomb, three  Dane guns, one  double  barrel pump action guns, two  bandoliers, 23 empty cases of Shilka gun ammunition, two  initiation water container and one motorcycle battery among other items.

    Similarly,soldiers fighting Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State arrested a deaf and dumb suspected member of the terror sect.

    Recovered from the man were eight functional mobile handsets, a bunch of keys, two  passport photographs, two  amulet charms and a transistor radio.

    But the suspect’s name could not be immediately ascertained because of his disability.

    Usman  said,no fewer than  nine members of the sect willingly surrendered to soldiers of  Operation Lafiya Dole deployed along Dikwa-Gulumba Gana road in northern Borno after claiming to get tired of life under Boko Haram.

    The former terrorists who came from  Tambashe Village in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno state are currently been held and interrogated by the army to determine the veracity of their claim.

    Usman said the armed forces are continuing  with clearance operations in  suspected Boko Haram  locations through patrols, ambushes and raids with appreciable progress.

    Such raids ,he said,led to the arrest of   one Mallam Makinta Ibrahim , 45, at Bayemari, by troops of the 159 Task Force Battalion.

    The suspect who hailed from Yaro Grematalti Yunusari Local Government Area is believed to be a  Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) dealer to the terrorists.

  • …as other threatens to mobilise Nigerians against Senate

    …as other threatens to mobilise Nigerians against Senate

    A socio-political group under the aegis of Project 20 Million has threatened to mobilise Nigerians against the Senate if the upper chamber of the National Assembly refused to clear and confirm the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of EFCC.

    The Director General of the group, Mr. Ikechukwu Chukwunyere said this in a press statement, insisting that the Senate must clear Magu and allow him to do his job without sentiment.

    The group commended President Muhammadu Buhari on the fight against corruption and urged the Nigerian Senate to imbibe the spirit with which Buhari was tackling corruption.

    According to the statement, “The Nigerian Senate should as a matter of urgency clear Magu or else Nigerians will be forced to stage a demonstration against the Senate as it will be seen that they are against the good works of the EFCC.”

    Ikechukwu said the group has concluded plans to launch a campaign tagged “I’m A Nigerian, I Want Greatness” as part of strategy to mobilise youths to show interest in the affairs of the nation and be confident in their country.

    “This initiative is a project of the Youth, by the Youth and for the betterment of the Youth and we will pursue activities that will be beneficial to the Youths. We intend to partner with the anti-graft agencies and other necessary institutions to ensure that we stamp out corruption, rid the nation of corrupt political office holders and fraudulent government officials so that the right set of leaders would emerge in 2019.”

    “We intend to sensitise over 20 Million would-be members of the Project 20 Million on the importance of election and electing leaders who have genuine intents for the people and who have the capacity to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people,” Ikechukwu added.

    He said that the Project 20 million would register its members at the Wards, Local Government and State levels through a comprehensive bio-data of every member and that membership identity card would be given to them.

  • Xenophobia: Falana threatens to sue South Africa

    Xenophobia: Falana threatens to sue South Africa

    Lagos lawyer and activist Femi Falana  has asked  South African President Jacob Zuma to identify perpetrators of criminal acts and xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and other Africans living in South Africa and bring them to justice.

    The request was contained in a letter yesterday, titled: “Request to identify perpetrators of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians, bring them to justice and provide adequate compensation to victims”.

    Falana urged Zuma to promote and ensure access to justice and the right to effective remedy and reparations to victims.

    He said he would sue the South African government if it failed to stop the xenophobic attacks as requested.

    “Take notice that if the xenophobic attacks continue, we shall be compelled to sue your government.

    “Since 2008, the xenophobic violence and other criminal acts have continued to occur across South Africa claiming lives, displacing tens of thousands of people and leaving countless victims injured and robbing them of their property.

    “Although some arrests have reportedly been made, many perpetrators are yet to be brought to justice while the victims continue to be denied access to justice and their internationally recognised right to effective remedy and reparations.

    “We believe that it is the failure of your government to bring perpetrators to justice and protect the victims that has resulted in a vicious cycle of attacks and impunity.

    “These xenophobic attacks and violence are not only human rights violations but also criminal acts, and the  failure to address the problems is a serious affront to the rule of law and directly breaches your government’s international human rights obligations.”

    The lawyer, therefore, said the South African government should identify and arrest perpetrators and bringing them to justice and publicly provide access to justice and effective remedy to victims.

    Falana urged Zuma to put measures in place to protect non-nationals, including Nigerians, living in South Africa.

    He argued that the prosecution of perpetrators and provision of reparations to victims would prevent future attacks.

  • Polio eradication threatens Nigeria’s para-sports

    Polio eradication threatens Nigeria’s para-sports

    The recent declaration of Nigeria as polio free, may have its negative effect on the country’s para-sports, according to the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhassan Yakmut.

    According the former International Volleyball player: “We are celebrating that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that the country is free from polio. This, no doubt, was received with a lot of celebration. But in the sporting sector, it is an agonising moment for us, which would hamper our performance in the Paralympics games.

    “As you are aware, we hold various records in the para sports, and it is very evident that 90% of all those that are participating in these sports are polio patients. With the situation on ground now, Nigeria’s records and achievements in the games would be threatened.”

    He said that situation would warrant identifying other areas where athletes for the games would be selected.

  • Baraje threatens to quit Akwa Utd

    Baraje threatens to quit Akwa Utd

    Coach of Nigeria Federation Cup winners Akwa United Zakary Baraje has vowed to quit should the club fail to sign new players and hold on to their best players ahead of next year’s CAF Confederation Cup.

    Akwa United shocked Lobi Stars 2-1 in Sunday’s cup final to earn them the ticket to represent Nigeria in the 2016 CAF Confederation Cup.

    The Uyo club are known as a selling club with the likes of Mfon Udoh and Ezekiel Bassey moving to bigger clubs from there.

    But Baraje said this has to change for the club to be competitive on the continent next year.

    “I won’t stay if they won’t buy players and keep the ones they have,” he said after the historic cup win.

    Baraje said he is elated that he has made history with Akwa United.

    “For the past 56 years, no team from Cross River or Akwa Ibom have made this history, so I’m elated to have written this history for them,” he said.

     

  • DPR threatens errant marketers with N2m fine, revocation of licences

    DPR threatens errant marketers with N2m fine, revocation of licences

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) yesterday warned petroleum products marketers to desist from sharp practices or face sanctions, which will include the payment of N2 million fine or licence revocation.

    DPR Director, Mordecai Ladan, gave the warning against the backdrop of the purported resurgence of fuel scarcity in the country .

    He said that any petroleum products marketer who engages in the act of diversion, hoarding or under-dispensing will be prosecuted and treated like an economic saboteur.

    Speaking in Abuja, he warned petroleum products depots and filling stations owners to desist from products diversion, hoarding, pump manipulation as well as selling products above government-approved prices.

    “Marketers caught diverting or hoarding products for profiteering shall be sanctioned with a fine of N2 million in addition to having their operating licences revoked and prosecuted for national economic sabotage,” the department added.

    The DPR boss linked the resurgence of fuel queues in some states in the northern part of the country to the activities of unscrupulous marketers who are in the habit of diverting petroleum products to other sources apart from dispensing pumps at filling station at the appropriate price of N87 per litre.

  • Unsafe food threatens life

    Unsafe food threatens life

    Unsafe food poses a threat to life, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said.

    According to its Director-General (DG), Dr Paul Orhii, the danger must be curbed to preserve life.

    Orhii spoke at a workshop in Lagos to celebrate the maiden edition of the national food safety week in Nigeria. The theme was: How safe is your food? From farm to plate, make food safe”.

    His words: “Globally, a significant number of people die yearly as a result of food borne illnesses they get from the food they consume. Infants, children, expectant mothers, the elderly and those with an underlying illness are particularly vulnerable.”

    NAFDAC, he said, created the department of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) to curb the menace of unsafe food in the country. Moreover, there was an intense capacity building after the creation of the department.

    “This was done in order to entrench professionalism, expertise and to further strengthen NAFDAC’s capacity in robust food safety regulatory activities,” he said

    He said the agency has streamlined regulatory processes to minimise official procedure with modified guidelines for micro, cottage, small and Medium Enterprises (MSME’s), adding:  “This will lead to tremendous increase in the number of such food businesses and establishments in the country.”

    Orhii continued: “The objectives of this food safety week are to prevent, reduce and report food safety issues as well as strengthening the national food control systems. This is also to awaken the consciousness of multiple stakeholders on the importance of making the food consumed safe. Many of the food safety issues we face domestically are also shared throughout the world because diseases and pathogens do not respect national borders

    “There are many reasons to look into the ways we protect public health through food production systems and specifically food safety systems.”

    Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, who was represented by the coordinating head, Chuku Fubara, said the safety of food is an overlooked problem.

    According to him, the presence of harmful substances such as germs in food, brings about food borne illness and possible outbreak of epidermic.

    He said: “It is unfortunate that regional and national scandals are usually what stimulate public awareness.”

    These challenges, Awute said, are obviously not without adverse effects on public health indices of the country, “as well as the economic imbalance caused by the rejection of Nigeria agricultural produce by the international communities”.

    The ministry, he said, is considering creating a dedicated code line for food safety as promised by the immediate former minister of health.

  • Dearth of spectrum threatens broadband plan targets

    Lack of spectrum to drive the penetration of wireless broadband may scuttle the short, medium and long term ambition of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) of the Federal Government, The Nation has gathered.

    Under the NBP, for cities, accessibility through wired medium currently (2013) stands at 1.3 per cent with short term goal (2015) of 10 per cent, medium term (2018) 18 per cent and long term target (2020) of 25 per cent. For penetration, the current level stands at 0.3per cent while short term goal is 3.3per cent, medium; 5.3 per cent while long term is 8.3 per cent.

    For national target, availability through wireless currently stands at 33 per cent, with short, medium and long term targets of 60, 80 and 95 per cent respectively. For penetration or usage, it currently stands at 6 per cent with short, medium and long term ambition of 21, 42 and 76 per cent respectively.

    But one of the frequencies that will make this happen are still with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and there is no indication that it will be freed up soon to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for auctioning to operators.

    According to sources, the spectrum is called 2.6 gigahertz (GHz) and it ranges from 2.5GHz to 2.69Ghz. The source before now, it was used by the NBC licensed operators who are licensed to do Muti-channel Multi-point Distribution System (MDDS).

    MDDS is defined as a wireless system consists that of head-end equipment (equipment for satellite signal reception, radio transmitter, other broadcast equipment, and transmission antenna) and reception equipment at each subscriber location (antenna, frequency conversion device, and set-top device). MMDS transmits on Super High Frequency (SHF) microwave frequencies and can be encoded for pay-for-view and subscriber services, all from studio facility.

    According to the source, by the time the allocation was made at the international Telecommunications Union (ITU) for the frequency to also be used for International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT), the NCC contacted the National Frequency Management Committee (NFMC) and which requested the NCC and NBC to work out the modalities for the release of the band. A committee was subsequently formed for that purpose.

    According to ITU, “long term evolution (LTE)-Advanced and “WirelessMAN-Advanced” should be accorded the official designation of IMT-Advanced. Advanced systems include new capabilities that go beyond IMT-2000, widely deployed since 2000 and referred to as 3G mobile technologies. ITU has now specified the standards for IMT-Advanced, the next-generation global wireless broadband communications that provide access to a wide range of packet-based telecommunication services supported by mobile and fixed networks.

    Director, Spectrum Administration, NCC, Dr Nwaulume Augustine confirmed that indeed a committee has been put in place but unsure whether it will get the spectrum freed for the NCC. He said: “That committee is still working. I don’t know if it is possible for the licence to be auctioned this year based on the fact that not so much progress has been made with regard to getting it freed from those users.

    “But I am very sure that by the first or second quarter of next year, something would have happened because it is very important.  It is very vital to wireless broadband,” He spoke on the sideline at a capacity training forum for journalists in Lagos.

  • NUPENG threatens strike over failure to pass PIB

    THE  National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) has threatened to go on strike if the National Assembly (NASS) fails to pass the Petroleum Industrial Bill (PIB) into law.

    President of the union, Comrade Igwe Achese, made this known  during a briefing tagged: “What is the future of oil and gas sector?”

    According to him, we will not use the word ‘strike’ to scare Nigerians, but we will withdraw our services across the country if the Seventh Assembly fails to pass the PIB.

    Igwe said the bill must be passed by the NASS to ensure transparency in the oil and gas business.

    “We are not joking with this issue and I hope strongly that the  assembly will do the needful,” he said.

    The NUPENG chief also lamented the vandalism of pipelines, calling on the government to provide adequate protection for them.

    “For refineries in Kaduna to function properly, there is the need to secure them and others throughout the country,” he added.

    Part of their demands include the rehabilitation of refineries to reduce massive importation of petroleum products, tackling the problem of outsourcing of workers in the oil and gas sector, road rehabilitation, security, inauguration of the PPRA board, among others.

    The labour leader said the divestment of oil must be stopped and that the government must bring in new policies to sustain the sector.

    On the scarcity of fuel in Abuja, Achese emphasised that NUPENG was not on strike and despite the insecurity in the country, they still ensured the distribution of the product across the country.

    “The question of no fuel should be directed to the NNPC and others because we are committed to our jobs,” he said.

  • Ekiugbo explosion: Group threatens further violence

    A GROUP, Urhobo Gbagbako in Delta State, has threatened to bomb more pipelines in the 24  kingdoms of Urhobo, if the federal and state governments did not meet their demands.

    The group, however, denied giving Morris Idiovwa or his sponsors (HOSTCOM) the mandate to speak on its behalf.

    Group spokesman Mr. Priest Omodjuvwu said: “We  of the Urhobo ethnic group, comprising ex-militants in Urhobo land, youths, women, community leaders and traditional rulers did not  give Mr. Morris Idiovwa or his sponsors(HOSTCOM) the mandate to speak on our behalf.

    “We advise the federal and state government, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Shoreline, and the public to disregard Idiovwa and his sponsors.

    “We also  denounce HOSTCOM and whatever it stands”.