The Nigerian government has ordered a full investigation into how a wanted terrorist was granted Nigerian Visa in Lebanon to visit the country.
An official of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign affairs told Vanguard in Abuja, Tuesday evening, that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the circumstances surrounding the issuance of Visa to the wanted terrorist who has been on the wanted list of several governments.
It would be recalled that a radical Muslim cleric, Ahmad al-Assir was arrested by Lebanese authorities as he attempted to leave Lebanon to Nigeria via Cairo.
He was said to have arrested while attempting to travel with a fake Palestinian passport with a valid Nigerian Visa at the Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport early Saturday, August 15, 2015 in Lebanon.
According to the official of the ministry of foreign affairs who spoke with Vanguard on the condition of anonymity, the ministry of foreign affairs has been directed to explain how the wanted terrorist was able to get Nigerian Visa.
“The reported arrest of the wanted terrorist is a huge embarrassment to Nigeria and the President has directed that the matter should be investigated. The embassy in Lebanon has been directed to furnish the ministry with details of how the man got the visa. The National Intelligence Agency Officer has been directed to provide details of what happened” the officer said.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Nigeria recruiting 10,000 police officers to boost security and employment
Nigeria is to recruit an extra 10,000 police officers to boost security and help tackle youth employment, President Muhammadu Buhari has announced.
More CCTV cameras would also be installed in cities and major towns to curb crime, he added.
Inadequate security has been blamed for the authorities' failure to defeat the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
Last week, President Buhari gave his security commanders three months to defeat the insurgents.
The police are part of the national task force fighting the insurgents in the north-east of the country.
Although the militants have lost their strongholds this year, they are still active and there has been an upsurge in suicide attacks since Mr Buhari took office.
The bombers often target markets and bus stations.
A senior officer told the BBC that the police force had an estimated 375,000 officers at the moment.
More CCTV cameras would also be installed in cities and major towns to curb crime, he added.
Inadequate security has been blamed for the authorities' failure to defeat the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
Last week, President Buhari gave his security commanders three months to defeat the insurgents.
The police are part of the national task force fighting the insurgents in the north-east of the country.
Although the militants have lost their strongholds this year, they are still active and there has been an upsurge in suicide attacks since Mr Buhari took office.
The bombers often target markets and bus stations.
A senior officer told the BBC that the police force had an estimated 375,000 officers at the moment.
150 people drown and shot dead while fleeing from Boko Haram
Up to 150 people drowned in a river or were shot dead fleeing Boko Haram gunmen who raided a remote village in Nigeria's northeastern Yobe state, residents said on Tuesday.
Dozens of militants arrived on motorcycles and in a car on Thursday last week and sprayed automatic gunfire, scattering terrified inhabitants of Kukuwa-Gari.
"They opened fire instantly, which forced residents to flee. They shot a number of people. Unfortunately many residents who tried to flee plunged into the river which is full from the rain. Many drowned," Modu Balumi, a resident of the village, told AFP.
"By our latest toll we have 150 people either (shot dead) or drowned in the attack. The gunmen deliberately killed a fisherman who tried to save drowning residents of the village."
Balumi said the bodies of many of the drowned were picked out by locals several kilometres away.
News of the attack was slow to emerge because the militants have destroyed telecom masts around the village, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Yobe State capital Damaturu, since the insurgency began in 2009.
"Most residents, particularly women and children, ran towards the river in confusion,"said Bukar Tijjani, another villager, who confirmed the death toll.
"They were pursued by the gunmen who kept firing at them. In the frantic effort to escape they jumped into the river, which was full to the brim."
A local government official confirmed the attack but put the death toll much lower, at around 50.
- Massacre -
The higher count would constitute the largest loss of life in any single Boko Haram attack since President Muhammadu Buhari swept to power on May 29, vowing to crush the insurgency.
The ambush came during the region's peak rainy season, when most waterways in northeastern Nigeria are swollen and can flow with dangerous speed.
The village was still reeling from a raid by suspected Boko Haram militants on July 31 when at least 10 people were killed by gunmen who burned homes, food silos and livestock.
The Gujba area of Yobe state, where Kukuwa-Gari village is located, has been hit hard by Boko Haram violence in the past but had seen relative calm since troops reclaimed it in March.
In September 2013 scores of students of an agricultural college in the area were massacred as they slept in their dormitories.
In February last year dozens of students of a boarding secondary school in the main town of Buni Yadi were also killed in a gun attack on their hostels.
Boko Haram claimed responsibility for both attacks.
The jihadist militia, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, has waged a violent campaign for a separate Islamic homeland in the northeast which has seen more than 15,000 deaths since 2009.
Ryan Cummings, chief security analyst at South African consultancy Red 24 and an expert on the Nigerian insurgency, said the Kukuwa-Gari attack underlined that victory against the Islamists could not be defined by territorial control.
Many areas liberated by the army were more than likely abandoned by Boko Haram who preferred not to engage troops in conventional warfare, he said.
- Suicide attacks -
"Consequently, while localities such as Kukuwa-Gari have been reclaimed from rebel hands, Boko Haram continues to possess both the intent and operational capacity to execute attacks against these settlements," he told AFP.
"Furthermore, what the Nigerian army is witnessing now is that snapshot operations to liberate civilian populations is a much easier task than actually securing communities from the ever-present threat of further attacks."
The military under Buhari's predecessor Goodluck Jonathan was heavily criticised for poor handling of the insurgency and its failure to free more than 200 schoolgirls abducted from the northeastern town of Chibok in April last year.
Since Buhari took office, the militants have stepped up their campaign with a wave of raids, bombings and suicide attacks which have left more than 1,000 people dead in Nigeria alone, according to an AFP count.
The Islamists have also carried out deadly ambushes across Nigeria's borders and in recent weeks suicide bombers, many of them women, have staged several attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad.
Nigeria's new leader replaced his military chiefs last week, ordering them to end the insurgency within three months, and a five-nation regional force of 8,700 troops from Nigeria and its neighbours is expected to deploy imminently.
Chadian leader Idriss Deby declared on August 12 that efforts to combat Boko Haram had succeeded in "decapitating" the group and that its fearsome leader Abubakar Shekau had been replaced by a commander open to negotiations.
But Shekau dramatically rebuffed the claim in an audio recording released on Sunday and authenticated by security analysts, dismissing the Chadian head-of-state as a "hypocrite" and a "tyrant".
Dozens of militants arrived on motorcycles and in a car on Thursday last week and sprayed automatic gunfire, scattering terrified inhabitants of Kukuwa-Gari.
"They opened fire instantly, which forced residents to flee. They shot a number of people. Unfortunately many residents who tried to flee plunged into the river which is full from the rain. Many drowned," Modu Balumi, a resident of the village, told AFP.
"By our latest toll we have 150 people either (shot dead) or drowned in the attack. The gunmen deliberately killed a fisherman who tried to save drowning residents of the village."
Balumi said the bodies of many of the drowned were picked out by locals several kilometres away.
News of the attack was slow to emerge because the militants have destroyed telecom masts around the village, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Yobe State capital Damaturu, since the insurgency began in 2009.
"Most residents, particularly women and children, ran towards the river in confusion,"said Bukar Tijjani, another villager, who confirmed the death toll.
"They were pursued by the gunmen who kept firing at them. In the frantic effort to escape they jumped into the river, which was full to the brim."
A local government official confirmed the attack but put the death toll much lower, at around 50.
- Massacre -
The higher count would constitute the largest loss of life in any single Boko Haram attack since President Muhammadu Buhari swept to power on May 29, vowing to crush the insurgency.
The ambush came during the region's peak rainy season, when most waterways in northeastern Nigeria are swollen and can flow with dangerous speed.
The village was still reeling from a raid by suspected Boko Haram militants on July 31 when at least 10 people were killed by gunmen who burned homes, food silos and livestock.
The Gujba area of Yobe state, where Kukuwa-Gari village is located, has been hit hard by Boko Haram violence in the past but had seen relative calm since troops reclaimed it in March.
In September 2013 scores of students of an agricultural college in the area were massacred as they slept in their dormitories.
In February last year dozens of students of a boarding secondary school in the main town of Buni Yadi were also killed in a gun attack on their hostels.
Boko Haram claimed responsibility for both attacks.
The jihadist militia, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, has waged a violent campaign for a separate Islamic homeland in the northeast which has seen more than 15,000 deaths since 2009.
Ryan Cummings, chief security analyst at South African consultancy Red 24 and an expert on the Nigerian insurgency, said the Kukuwa-Gari attack underlined that victory against the Islamists could not be defined by territorial control.
Many areas liberated by the army were more than likely abandoned by Boko Haram who preferred not to engage troops in conventional warfare, he said.
- Suicide attacks -
"Consequently, while localities such as Kukuwa-Gari have been reclaimed from rebel hands, Boko Haram continues to possess both the intent and operational capacity to execute attacks against these settlements," he told AFP.
"Furthermore, what the Nigerian army is witnessing now is that snapshot operations to liberate civilian populations is a much easier task than actually securing communities from the ever-present threat of further attacks."
The military under Buhari's predecessor Goodluck Jonathan was heavily criticised for poor handling of the insurgency and its failure to free more than 200 schoolgirls abducted from the northeastern town of Chibok in April last year.
Since Buhari took office, the militants have stepped up their campaign with a wave of raids, bombings and suicide attacks which have left more than 1,000 people dead in Nigeria alone, according to an AFP count.
The Islamists have also carried out deadly ambushes across Nigeria's borders and in recent weeks suicide bombers, many of them women, have staged several attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad.
Nigeria's new leader replaced his military chiefs last week, ordering them to end the insurgency within three months, and a five-nation regional force of 8,700 troops from Nigeria and its neighbours is expected to deploy imminently.
Chadian leader Idriss Deby declared on August 12 that efforts to combat Boko Haram had succeeded in "decapitating" the group and that its fearsome leader Abubakar Shekau had been replaced by a commander open to negotiations.
But Shekau dramatically rebuffed the claim in an audio recording released on Sunday and authenticated by security analysts, dismissing the Chadian head-of-state as a "hypocrite" and a "tyrant".
60 people rescued from Boko Haram during Nigeria military offense
Reports in Nigeria say as many as 60 people may have been killed after a raid on a village in the north-east by suspected Boko Haram militants.
The attack on Kukuwa in Yobe state happened last Thursday but details have only just emerged from survivors.
Some of the villagers are said to have drowned while fleeing gunmen.
The BBC's Nigeria reporter says the fact it took five days for any news to come out shows how dire the security situation is in parts of Yobe state.
A military spokesman said that following air surveillance and armed reconnaissance, the reports of a massacre and drownings could not be substantiated.
However, eyewitnesses said that dozens of militants arrived in the village on motorcycles and began shooting the residents.
"We were getting ready to observe evening prayers, all of a sudden we started hearing sounds of gunshots," one man told the BBC Hausa service.
"We all ran for our dear life into the bush. The following morning we returned home and discovered corpses of 60 children. They all drowned in the river in their effort to escape the attack."
Some accounts put the death toll higher than 60 but exactly how many people died remains unclear.
A regional military offensive has weakened the Islamist group in recent months but parts of north-east Nigeria, such as Yobe and neighbouring Borno state, are still extremely insecure.
Kukuwa is about 50km (30 miles) from the state capital Damaturu but the people there have for some time been extremely vulnerable.
Last month, Boko Haram killed 10 people there after some of its own fighters had been killed by a vigilante force in the village.
The southern part of Yobe has witnessed some of the most shocking attacks launched by Boko Haram fighters in recent years.
In February last year, militants targeted a boarding school in Buni Yadi killing 59 boys in their dormitories. In 2013, dozens of students were killed at an agricultural college in the same area.
The BBC's Will Ross in Lagos says that in general, the security situation has improved in Nigeria since then - but the challenge is still immense.
Close to 1,000 people have been killed by Boko Haram since President Muhammadu Buhari took over in May.
He has ordered the military to defeat Boko Haram within three months.
The attack on Kukuwa in Yobe state happened last Thursday but details have only just emerged from survivors.
Some of the villagers are said to have drowned while fleeing gunmen.
The BBC's Nigeria reporter says the fact it took five days for any news to come out shows how dire the security situation is in parts of Yobe state.
A military spokesman said that following air surveillance and armed reconnaissance, the reports of a massacre and drownings could not be substantiated.
However, eyewitnesses said that dozens of militants arrived in the village on motorcycles and began shooting the residents.
"We were getting ready to observe evening prayers, all of a sudden we started hearing sounds of gunshots," one man told the BBC Hausa service.
"We all ran for our dear life into the bush. The following morning we returned home and discovered corpses of 60 children. They all drowned in the river in their effort to escape the attack."
Some accounts put the death toll higher than 60 but exactly how many people died remains unclear.
A regional military offensive has weakened the Islamist group in recent months but parts of north-east Nigeria, such as Yobe and neighbouring Borno state, are still extremely insecure.
Kukuwa is about 50km (30 miles) from the state capital Damaturu but the people there have for some time been extremely vulnerable.
Last month, Boko Haram killed 10 people there after some of its own fighters had been killed by a vigilante force in the village.
The southern part of Yobe has witnessed some of the most shocking attacks launched by Boko Haram fighters in recent years.
In February last year, militants targeted a boarding school in Buni Yadi killing 59 boys in their dormitories. In 2013, dozens of students were killed at an agricultural college in the same area.
The BBC's Will Ross in Lagos says that in general, the security situation has improved in Nigeria since then - but the challenge is still immense.
Close to 1,000 people have been killed by Boko Haram since President Muhammadu Buhari took over in May.
He has ordered the military to defeat Boko Haram within three months.
Monday, August 17, 2015
President Buhari goes after unreturned government property still being used by former administration
Plans are afoot by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to recover unreturned government property still being utilized by the officials of the immediate past administration.
A committee, comprising civil servants and representations from some security agencies, will be mandated to recover the public assets from the political appointees that served under Mr. Buhari’s predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.
Towards entrenching his anti-graft drive, which is one of the focal areas of the administration, Mr. Buhari has also perfected plans to recover looted funds from Europe, particularly Switzerland, and America.
In an OpEd article published in The Washington Post in July, Mr. Buhari Buhari had sought the cooperation of the U.S. government in helping Nigeria recover its stolen wealth.
“The fact that I now seek Obama’s assistance in locating and returning $150 billion in funds stolen in the past decade and held in foreign bank accounts on behalf of former, corrupt officials is a testament to how badly Nigeria has been run. This way of conducting our affairs cannot continue,” the president wrote in the piece.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr. Buhari’s decision to recover the vehicles, houses and other property from the former government officials was prompted by refusal of some officials of the past administration to honorably surrender public property in their possession.
Sources at the presidency said the affected officials are still in control of government vehicles, buildings, power generator sets and other entitlements that came with their previous positions.
In a recent chat with newsmen in Abuja, Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity confirmed that the president is going after those found in possession of public assets.
“That is precisely the case. Even here at the Villa, there are cars and other property belonging to the government which are yet to be returned.
“The property belong to the Nigerian people. We are not trying to humiliate anyone by asking them to return their cars or houses,” he said.
He reiterated President Buhari’s commitment to running an austere government that will save the Nigerian people millions in public funds.
“Imagine how much Nigeria will save by retrieving and re-using these government properties instead of purchasing new ones for new government officials,” he said.
Mr. Shehu said President Buhari’s aim was not to humiliate anyone but to make the affected individuals return public property.
Premium Times
A committee, comprising civil servants and representations from some security agencies, will be mandated to recover the public assets from the political appointees that served under Mr. Buhari’s predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.
Towards entrenching his anti-graft drive, which is one of the focal areas of the administration, Mr. Buhari has also perfected plans to recover looted funds from Europe, particularly Switzerland, and America.
In an OpEd article published in The Washington Post in July, Mr. Buhari Buhari had sought the cooperation of the U.S. government in helping Nigeria recover its stolen wealth.
“The fact that I now seek Obama’s assistance in locating and returning $150 billion in funds stolen in the past decade and held in foreign bank accounts on behalf of former, corrupt officials is a testament to how badly Nigeria has been run. This way of conducting our affairs cannot continue,” the president wrote in the piece.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that Mr. Buhari’s decision to recover the vehicles, houses and other property from the former government officials was prompted by refusal of some officials of the past administration to honorably surrender public property in their possession.
Sources at the presidency said the affected officials are still in control of government vehicles, buildings, power generator sets and other entitlements that came with their previous positions.
In a recent chat with newsmen in Abuja, Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity confirmed that the president is going after those found in possession of public assets.
“That is precisely the case. Even here at the Villa, there are cars and other property belonging to the government which are yet to be returned.
“The property belong to the Nigerian people. We are not trying to humiliate anyone by asking them to return their cars or houses,” he said.
He reiterated President Buhari’s commitment to running an austere government that will save the Nigerian people millions in public funds.
“Imagine how much Nigeria will save by retrieving and re-using these government properties instead of purchasing new ones for new government officials,” he said.
Mr. Shehu said President Buhari’s aim was not to humiliate anyone but to make the affected individuals return public property.
Premium Times
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)