A man jumped the White House fence on Wednesday evening and was attacked by Secret Service dogs before being arrested, a Secret Service spokesman said.
“Dogs got him,” spokesman Edwin Donovan said, referring to the intruder. He identified the intruder as Dominic Adesanya, 23, of Bel Air, Maryland, and said he was unarmed at the time of his arrest, reported the Associated Press (AP).
Video showed Secret Service agents surrounding the man on the north lawn of the White House, which was put on lockdown for about 90 minutes. The man punched one of the dogs that attacked him, as seen in the video.
Two Secret Service dogs “were taken to a veterinarian for injuries sustained during the incident,” Donovan said.
The incident came roughly a month after an intruder armed with a knife scaled the White House fence and made it inside the executive mansion, raising questions about security levels at the heavily guarded complex and spurring the resignation of then Secret Service Director, Julia Pierson.
The man climbed the fence around 7:15 p.m. (2315 GMT) and was apprehended shortly thereafter. The lockdown was lifted shortly before 9 p.m.
“The individual was immediately taken into custody on the north lawn of the White House by Secret Service Uniformed Division K-9 teams and Uniformed Division Officers,” Donovan said. K-9 refers to the team using specially trained dogs.
The man was then transported to a hospital for evaluation, the spokesman said.
The latest White House security breach happened the same day a gunman attacked Canada’s parliament in Ottawa.
This Day
Friday, October 24, 2014
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Boko Haram kidnap more women after Nigerian government announce ceasefire
Dozens of women and girls from two villages in Nigeria's north-eastern Adamawa state have been abducted by suspected militants, residents say.
The abductions have not been confirmed by the authorities, but residents say they took place a day after the military announced it had agreed a ceasefire with the Boko Haram group.
The government hopes the Islamist group will free more than 200 girls seized in April as part of negotiations.
Boko Haram has not confirmed the truce.
Following Friday's ceasefire announcement, the government said further talks with Boko Haram were due to be held this week in neighbouring Chad.
In a separate incident, at least five people were killed in a bomb blast at a bus station in a town in the northern state of Bauchi.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hostage swaps
News of the new abductions came as MPs approved a $1bn (£623m) loan - requested by the president in July - to upgrade military equipment and train more units fighting the north-eastern insurgency.
Security already costs the country close to $6bn, roughly a quarter of the federal budget.
The abduction of the schoolgirls from their boarding school in Borno state sparked a global campaign to pressure the government to secure their release.
Borno is the group's stronghold. It has been under a state of emergency, along with neighbouring Adamawa and Yobe states, for more than a year.
The villages that were attacked on Saturday - Waga Mangoro and Garta - are close to Madagali and Michika towns, which have been under the control of the Islamist militant group for several weeks.
According to people in the area, a large group of insurgents attacked the villages, rounding up women and young girls.
Communication with the affected area is difficult, which is why it takes time for news of attacks to filter out.
Other raids by suspected Boko Haram fighters were reported by residents in Adamawa and Borno over the weekend.
Since the state of emergency was declared in May 2013, Boko Haram has taken many women and children hostage and has agreed to some prisoner swaps.
The name Boko Haram translates as "Western education is forbidden", and the militants have carried out raids on schools and colleges, seeing them as a symbol of Western culture.
BBC
Related story: Nigerian military and Boko Haram agree to ceasefire and release of kidnapped schoolgirls
The abductions have not been confirmed by the authorities, but residents say they took place a day after the military announced it had agreed a ceasefire with the Boko Haram group.
The government hopes the Islamist group will free more than 200 girls seized in April as part of negotiations.
Boko Haram has not confirmed the truce.
Following Friday's ceasefire announcement, the government said further talks with Boko Haram were due to be held this week in neighbouring Chad.
In a separate incident, at least five people were killed in a bomb blast at a bus station in a town in the northern state of Bauchi.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hostage swaps
News of the new abductions came as MPs approved a $1bn (£623m) loan - requested by the president in July - to upgrade military equipment and train more units fighting the north-eastern insurgency.
Security already costs the country close to $6bn, roughly a quarter of the federal budget.
The abduction of the schoolgirls from their boarding school in Borno state sparked a global campaign to pressure the government to secure their release.
Borno is the group's stronghold. It has been under a state of emergency, along with neighbouring Adamawa and Yobe states, for more than a year.
The villages that were attacked on Saturday - Waga Mangoro and Garta - are close to Madagali and Michika towns, which have been under the control of the Islamist militant group for several weeks.
According to people in the area, a large group of insurgents attacked the villages, rounding up women and young girls.
Communication with the affected area is difficult, which is why it takes time for news of attacks to filter out.
Other raids by suspected Boko Haram fighters were reported by residents in Adamawa and Borno over the weekend.
Since the state of emergency was declared in May 2013, Boko Haram has taken many women and children hostage and has agreed to some prisoner swaps.
The name Boko Haram translates as "Western education is forbidden", and the militants have carried out raids on schools and colleges, seeing them as a symbol of Western culture.
BBC
Related story: Nigerian military and Boko Haram agree to ceasefire and release of kidnapped schoolgirls
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Social media technology helped contain ebola in Nigeria
According to the minister, the Android-based mobile app reduced reporting times of infections by 75 percent, adding that test results were scanned to tablets and uploaded to emergency databases and field teams got text message alerts on their phones informing them of the results.
Johnson said the combination of the internet and mobile cellular phones has opened up tremendous opportunities for countries like Nigeria.
“The steep increase in mobile use is driven by a number of factors, particularly, the additional ways in which mobile phones are being used in Nigeria. Beyond conducting voice conversations, mobile phones are often the preferred channel for receiving data and for conducting transactions in Nigeria – making phones an indispensable tool used as-cameras, wallets, shops, music players, movie screens, and information or service centres of Nigerians,” Johnson said.
“Nigeria’s policy focus is in step with the reality of the mobile internet revolution spreading across the globe- thus, the Ministry of Communication Technology is looking to create a viable environment for the proliferation of lower priced devices, increased investment in network infrastructure, and increased availability of spectrum for mobile broadband, in the knowledge that these will further drive growth in the nation’s ICT sector.”
Human IPO
Related stories: Nigeria officially declared Ebola free
Nigeria dropped from Ebola screening list in U.S. and Canada
Johnson said the combination of the internet and mobile cellular phones has opened up tremendous opportunities for countries like Nigeria.
“The steep increase in mobile use is driven by a number of factors, particularly, the additional ways in which mobile phones are being used in Nigeria. Beyond conducting voice conversations, mobile phones are often the preferred channel for receiving data and for conducting transactions in Nigeria – making phones an indispensable tool used as-cameras, wallets, shops, music players, movie screens, and information or service centres of Nigerians,” Johnson said.
“Nigeria’s policy focus is in step with the reality of the mobile internet revolution spreading across the globe- thus, the Ministry of Communication Technology is looking to create a viable environment for the proliferation of lower priced devices, increased investment in network infrastructure, and increased availability of spectrum for mobile broadband, in the knowledge that these will further drive growth in the nation’s ICT sector.”
Human IPO
Related stories: Nigeria officially declared Ebola free
Nigeria dropped from Ebola screening list in U.S. and Canada
Monday, October 20, 2014
Nigeria officially declared Ebola free
Nigeria is expected to be declared officially free of Ebola on Monday, after six weeks with no new cases.
Africa's most populous country won praise for its swift response after an infected Liberian diplomat brought the disease there in July.
The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared Senegal Ebola-free on Friday.
The current outbreak has killed more than 4,500 people in West Africa, most in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone
An estimated 70% of those infected have died in those countries.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Luxembourg to discuss how to strengthen their response to the threat posed by Ebola.
European countries have committed more than 500m euros (£400m; $600m) but the UK is pressing to double that amount.
The money is being sought to help reinforce over-stretched healthcare systems in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea and to mitigate the damage Ebola is doing to their economies.
Earlier, the Spanish government said a nurse who became the first person to contract Ebola outside West Africa had tested negative for the virus.
The result suggests Teresa Romero, 44, is no longer infected although a second test is required before she can be declared free of Ebola.
Ms Romero contracted the virus when treating two infected patients in a Madrid hospital.
In another development, US health officials said most of the people quarantined after coming into contact with Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan had been given the all-clear. The 21-day monitoring period applied to about 50 people.
Two nurses at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas became infected with Ebola after treating Mr Duncan, who was from Liberia. He died on 8 October.
Nigeria praised
The WHO can declare an Ebola outbreak over if two incubation periods of 21 days pass with no new cases. The last reported case in Nigeria was discovered on 5 September, and the country is now on the verge of a clean bill of health.
The BBC's Will Ross in Lagos says that although the nation is heaving a collective sigh of relief, experts warn that Ebola will probably return to Nigeria.
The outbreak there began when Patrick Sawyer, an American-Liberian citizen, was diagnosed with the illness in July.
Nigeria declared a national public health emergency and Sawyer later died of the disease, followed by seven Nigerians.
These included Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, who diagnosed Sawyer and is credited with helping to contain the outbreak at its source.
John Vertefeuille, from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that Nigeria had taken the right steps to contain the outbreak.
"Nigeria acted quickly and early and on a large scale" he told AFP news agency. "They acted aggressively, especially in terms of contact-tracing", he added.
BBC
Africa's most populous country won praise for its swift response after an infected Liberian diplomat brought the disease there in July.
The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared Senegal Ebola-free on Friday.
The current outbreak has killed more than 4,500 people in West Africa, most in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone
An estimated 70% of those infected have died in those countries.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Luxembourg to discuss how to strengthen their response to the threat posed by Ebola.
European countries have committed more than 500m euros (£400m; $600m) but the UK is pressing to double that amount.
The money is being sought to help reinforce over-stretched healthcare systems in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea and to mitigate the damage Ebola is doing to their economies.
Earlier, the Spanish government said a nurse who became the first person to contract Ebola outside West Africa had tested negative for the virus.
The result suggests Teresa Romero, 44, is no longer infected although a second test is required before she can be declared free of Ebola.
Ms Romero contracted the virus when treating two infected patients in a Madrid hospital.
In another development, US health officials said most of the people quarantined after coming into contact with Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan had been given the all-clear. The 21-day monitoring period applied to about 50 people.
Two nurses at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas became infected with Ebola after treating Mr Duncan, who was from Liberia. He died on 8 October.
Nigeria praised
The WHO can declare an Ebola outbreak over if two incubation periods of 21 days pass with no new cases. The last reported case in Nigeria was discovered on 5 September, and the country is now on the verge of a clean bill of health.
The BBC's Will Ross in Lagos says that although the nation is heaving a collective sigh of relief, experts warn that Ebola will probably return to Nigeria.
The outbreak there began when Patrick Sawyer, an American-Liberian citizen, was diagnosed with the illness in July.
Nigeria declared a national public health emergency and Sawyer later died of the disease, followed by seven Nigerians.
These included Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh, who diagnosed Sawyer and is credited with helping to contain the outbreak at its source.
John Vertefeuille, from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that Nigeria had taken the right steps to contain the outbreak.
"Nigeria acted quickly and early and on a large scale" he told AFP news agency. "They acted aggressively, especially in terms of contact-tracing", he added.
BBC
Friday, October 17, 2014
Nigerian military and Boko Haram agree to ceasefire and release of kidnapped schoolgirls
Nigeria's military says it has agreed a ceasefire with Islamist militants Boko Haram - and that the schoolgirls the group has abducted will be released.
Nigeria's chief of defence staff, Alex Badeh, announced the truce. Boko Haram has not made a public statement.
The group has been fighting an insurgency since 2009, with some 2,000 civilians reportedly killed this year.
Boko Haram sparked global outrage six months ago by abducting more than 200 schoolgirls.
The girls were seized in the north-eastern town of Chibok in Borno state, and their continued captivity has led to criticism of the Nigerian government's efforts to secure their release.
Members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign said in a tweet on Friday: "We are monitoring the news with huge expectations." 'Cautiously optimistic'
Air Chief Marshal Badeh revealed the truce at the close of a three-day security meeting between Nigeria and Cameroon. He said Nigerian soldiers would comply with the agreement.
Nigerian presidential aide Hassan Tukur told BBC Focus on Africa that the agreement was sealed after a month of negotiations, mediated by Chad.
As part of the talks, a government delegation twice met representatives of the Islamist group.
Mr Tukur said Boko Haram had announced a unilateral ceasefire on Thursday and the government had responded.
"They've assured us they have the girls and they will release them," he said.
"I am cautiously optimistic."
He said arrangements for their release would be finalised at another meeting next week in Chad's capital, Ndjamena.
The negotiations are said to have the blessing of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, reports the BBC's Chris Ewokor in Abuja.
Speaking to the BBC, Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri said Boko Haram would not be given territory under the ceasefire agreement - and that the government would not reveal what concessions it would make.
"We are inching closer to release of all groups in captivity, including the Chibok girls," he said.
BBC
Related story: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau apparently alive - releases new video
Nigeria's chief of defence staff, Alex Badeh, announced the truce. Boko Haram has not made a public statement.
The group has been fighting an insurgency since 2009, with some 2,000 civilians reportedly killed this year.
Boko Haram sparked global outrage six months ago by abducting more than 200 schoolgirls.
The girls were seized in the north-eastern town of Chibok in Borno state, and their continued captivity has led to criticism of the Nigerian government's efforts to secure their release.
Members of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign said in a tweet on Friday: "We are monitoring the news with huge expectations." 'Cautiously optimistic'
Air Chief Marshal Badeh revealed the truce at the close of a three-day security meeting between Nigeria and Cameroon. He said Nigerian soldiers would comply with the agreement.
Nigerian presidential aide Hassan Tukur told BBC Focus on Africa that the agreement was sealed after a month of negotiations, mediated by Chad.
As part of the talks, a government delegation twice met representatives of the Islamist group.
Mr Tukur said Boko Haram had announced a unilateral ceasefire on Thursday and the government had responded.
"They've assured us they have the girls and they will release them," he said.
"I am cautiously optimistic."
He said arrangements for their release would be finalised at another meeting next week in Chad's capital, Ndjamena.
The negotiations are said to have the blessing of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, reports the BBC's Chris Ewokor in Abuja.
Speaking to the BBC, Nigerian government spokesman Mike Omeri said Boko Haram would not be given territory under the ceasefire agreement - and that the government would not reveal what concessions it would make.
"We are inching closer to release of all groups in captivity, including the Chibok girls," he said.
BBC
Related story: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau apparently alive - releases new video
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Vomiting airline passenger dies enroute from Nigeria to New York
A plane from Nigeria landed at JFK Airport Thursday with a male passenger aboard who had died during the flight after a fit of vomiting — and CDC officials conducted a “cursory” exam before announcing there was no Ebola and turning the corpse over to Port Authority cops to remove, Rep. Peter King said on Thursday.
The congressman was so alarmed by the incident — and by what he and employees see as troubling Ebola vulnerabilities at JFK — that he fired off a letter to the federal Department of Homeland Security demanding more training and tougher protocols for handling possible cases there.
The unnamed, 63-year-old passenger had boarded an Arik Air plane out of Lagos, Nigeria, on Wednesday night, a federal law enforcement source said.
During the flight, the man had been vomiting in his seat, the source said. Some time before the plane landed, he passed away. Flight crew contacted the CDC, federal customs officials and Port Authority police, who all boarded the plane at around 6 a.m. as about 145 worried passengers remained on board, the source said.
“The door [to the terminal] was left open, which a lot of the first responders found alarming,” said the source.
“My understanding was that the passenger was vomiting in the seat,” King (R-LI) said.
“The CDC went on the plane, examined the dead body and said the person did not have Ebola,” King said.
“It was what I was told a cursory examination. The Port Authority cops and personnel from Customs and Border Protection were there, and they were told there was no danger because the person did not have Ebola,” King said.
“But their concern was, how could you tell so quickly? And what adds to the concern is how wrong the CDC has been over the past few weeks.”
Between 70 and 100 passengers a day arrive at JFK from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the three West African countries that are the epicenter of the outbreak, King said.
“These individuals transit the airport with the rest of the traveling population, including using the restrooms,” King wrote to Jeh Johnson, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, in a letter Thursday.
“Only after they arrive at the Customs and Border Patrol primary screening location that they are separated and sent to secondary inspection for a medical check and to complete the questionnaire,” he wrote Johnson.
King’s letter demands that Homeland Security immediately beef up protocols for what happens to potentially infected passengers in flight and at the terminal itself, prior to their reaching the screening location.
The letter also demands that training and safety equipment improve for the Port Authority police and Customs and Border Patrol officials who can come into contact with high-risk passengers.
“I believe there should be a suspension of direct flights and connecting flights from these three countries,” King said. “And maybe anyone with a visa from those countries, and who has been living in those countries, should be barred” from entering the US, he added.
No other information was immediately available about the deceased Nigerian passenger.
Nigeria is 1,000 miles east of the three West African countries suffering from an Ebola outbreak, but has had 19 confirmed cases of the deadly virus. The country has had no new cases over the past month; the World Health Organization has said that if there are still no new cases of Ebola by Monday, they will officially declare the country “Ebola-free.”
NY Post
The congressman was so alarmed by the incident — and by what he and employees see as troubling Ebola vulnerabilities at JFK — that he fired off a letter to the federal Department of Homeland Security demanding more training and tougher protocols for handling possible cases there.
The unnamed, 63-year-old passenger had boarded an Arik Air plane out of Lagos, Nigeria, on Wednesday night, a federal law enforcement source said.
During the flight, the man had been vomiting in his seat, the source said. Some time before the plane landed, he passed away. Flight crew contacted the CDC, federal customs officials and Port Authority police, who all boarded the plane at around 6 a.m. as about 145 worried passengers remained on board, the source said.
“The door [to the terminal] was left open, which a lot of the first responders found alarming,” said the source.
“My understanding was that the passenger was vomiting in the seat,” King (R-LI) said.
“The CDC went on the plane, examined the dead body and said the person did not have Ebola,” King said.
“It was what I was told a cursory examination. The Port Authority cops and personnel from Customs and Border Protection were there, and they were told there was no danger because the person did not have Ebola,” King said.
“But their concern was, how could you tell so quickly? And what adds to the concern is how wrong the CDC has been over the past few weeks.”
Between 70 and 100 passengers a day arrive at JFK from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the three West African countries that are the epicenter of the outbreak, King said.
“These individuals transit the airport with the rest of the traveling population, including using the restrooms,” King wrote to Jeh Johnson, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, in a letter Thursday.
“Only after they arrive at the Customs and Border Patrol primary screening location that they are separated and sent to secondary inspection for a medical check and to complete the questionnaire,” he wrote Johnson.
King’s letter demands that Homeland Security immediately beef up protocols for what happens to potentially infected passengers in flight and at the terminal itself, prior to their reaching the screening location.
The letter also demands that training and safety equipment improve for the Port Authority police and Customs and Border Patrol officials who can come into contact with high-risk passengers.
“I believe there should be a suspension of direct flights and connecting flights from these three countries,” King said. “And maybe anyone with a visa from those countries, and who has been living in those countries, should be barred” from entering the US, he added.
No other information was immediately available about the deceased Nigerian passenger.
Nigeria is 1,000 miles east of the three West African countries suffering from an Ebola outbreak, but has had 19 confirmed cases of the deadly virus. The country has had no new cases over the past month; the World Health Organization has said that if there are still no new cases of Ebola by Monday, they will officially declare the country “Ebola-free.”
NY Post
Stephen Keshi no longer Nigeria Super Eagles coach
Nigeria have confirmed the departure of the head coach, Stephen Keshi, despite their 3-1 win over Sudan in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Wednesday night.Shaibu Amodu is set to be installed as caretaker for the remaining two Group A games against Congo and South Africa. Amodu has had three previous spells in charge of Nigeria, from 1994-95, 1998-99 and 2008-10.
Nigeria have four points from four games in Group A and are four points behind South Africa.
Keshi had been out of contract after the World Cup but was then tasked with navigating the Super Eagles’ route to next year’s tournament in Morocco. However, he said that their qualification campaign was being “sabotaged” after they were defeated by Congo, drew in South Africa and lost in Sudan in their opening three games.
The Guardian
Related stories: Stephen Keshi is ranked 24th best coach in the world
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
College in Texas apoligizes for rejecting Nigerian applicants due to Ebola scare
A Texas college apologized on Tuesday for what it's calling "incorrect information" after multiple international applicants received a rejection letter saying that "Navarro College is not accepting international students from countries with confirmed Ebola cases."
Navarro, a two-year public college in Corsicana, is about 60 miles from Dallas, where two health-care workers have been diagnosed with Ebola; the most recent case was confirmed early Wednesday morning. Thomas Eric Duncan, an Ebola-stricken Liberian man who was treated at Texas Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, died last week from the illness.
The letter recipients are from Nigeria, a country that hasn't had a new Ebola case in more than 21 days. The World Health Organization is prepared to declare the Ebola outbreak over in Africa's largest country as soon as Monday.
Nigeria managed to contain the Ebola outbreak to just 20 cases, all connected to a Liberian-American air traveler who brought the virus into the country in late July.
Idris Bello, a Nigerian-American who now lives in Texas, posted Navarro College's rejection letter to Twitter earlier this week. In an e-mail, Bello told The Post that he received a copy of the letter from Kamor Abidogun, a friend of his in Houston who works as a mechanical engineer.
Washington Post
Related story: Nigeria dropped from Ebola screening list in U.S. and Canada
Navarro, a two-year public college in Corsicana, is about 60 miles from Dallas, where two health-care workers have been diagnosed with Ebola; the most recent case was confirmed early Wednesday morning. Thomas Eric Duncan, an Ebola-stricken Liberian man who was treated at Texas Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, died last week from the illness.
The letter recipients are from Nigeria, a country that hasn't had a new Ebola case in more than 21 days. The World Health Organization is prepared to declare the Ebola outbreak over in Africa's largest country as soon as Monday.
Nigeria managed to contain the Ebola outbreak to just 20 cases, all connected to a Liberian-American air traveler who brought the virus into the country in late July.
Idris Bello, a Nigerian-American who now lives in Texas, posted Navarro College's rejection letter to Twitter earlier this week. In an e-mail, Bello told The Post that he received a copy of the letter from Kamor Abidogun, a friend of his in Houston who works as a mechanical engineer.
Washington Post
Related story: Nigeria dropped from Ebola screening list in U.S. and Canada
Nigeria beat Sudan 3-1 in 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifier
African champions , Super Eagles of Nigeria kept hopes of qualifying for the 2015 African Cup of Nations alive, on Wednesday, after defeating Sudan Falcons 3-1 at the National Stadium in Abuja.
Ahmed Musa, who promised Nigerians goals prior to the game, netted two goals in the 48 and 90th minutes while China-based striker, Aaron Samuel, also registered his name on the scoresheet.
The Sudanese lone goal was scored by Salah Ibrahim in the 56th minute.
The African champions came into the match under pressure and bottom of Group A with 1 point from three matches. The Stephen Keshi tutored team drew South Africa and lost to both Congo and Sudan.
With the victory the Super Eagles are third behind table toppers South Africa (7 points) and Congo (six points).
The joyous crowd that flooded the Abuja National Stadium on Wednesday reflected the collective sigh of a relief felt by a nation as the Super Eagles finally won their first game of the 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Eagles are now third in Group A with 4 points after Match Day 4. The Eagles’ next games are against Congo and South Africa on November 15 and 19 respectively.
Business Day
Ahmed Musa, who promised Nigerians goals prior to the game, netted two goals in the 48 and 90th minutes while China-based striker, Aaron Samuel, also registered his name on the scoresheet.
The Sudanese lone goal was scored by Salah Ibrahim in the 56th minute.
The African champions came into the match under pressure and bottom of Group A with 1 point from three matches. The Stephen Keshi tutored team drew South Africa and lost to both Congo and Sudan.
With the victory the Super Eagles are third behind table toppers South Africa (7 points) and Congo (six points).
The joyous crowd that flooded the Abuja National Stadium on Wednesday reflected the collective sigh of a relief felt by a nation as the Super Eagles finally won their first game of the 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Eagles are now third in Group A with 4 points after Match Day 4. The Eagles’ next games are against Congo and South Africa on November 15 and 19 respectively.
Business Day
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
4 kidnapped schoolgirls escape from Boko Haram
Four of the more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the militant Islamist sect Boko Haram in Cameroon have escaped, raising hopes for the young prisoners still held captive, according to a report.
The free girls, all between ages 16 and 18, escaped with the help of a teenage boy prisoner, who managed to get them out of the camp, according to Stephen Davis, a British-Australian negotiator who had tried to bargain with the extremist Islamic group for the schoolgirls’ freedom.
The girls, guided by the setting sun, walked west for three weeks, finally arriving in a Nigerian village, starving and traumatized.
“They were amazing — to first escape and then walk for weeks,” Davis told The Times of London. “They are the only ones that have escaped from a Boko Haram camp.”
Davis said the girls had been told that if they fled Boko Haram, their families would be killed.
Nearly six months have passed since more than 200 girls were snatched from their boarding-school dormitory in northeastern Nigeria by Boko Haram operatives after being awakened by the sound of gunfire.
Their abduction sparked global outrage and a huge campaign calling for their rescue, partly propelled by the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.
Even First Lady Michelle Obama issued a tweet holding a sign emblazoned with the hashtag.
Davis said several attempts to negotiate their release have fallen through.
Advocates have expressed frustration that the world has moved on.
“Even before Ebola and ISIS’s intensified activities, most of the world that stood with #BringBackOurGirls had moved on,” Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Nigerian lawyer who started the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, told The Guardian newspaper.
“But we here in Nigeria and a few others outside haven’t moved on. We have been persistent. We have been tweeting about it every day. We’re doing a daily one-hour sit out in Abuja and weekly in Lagos.”
NY Post
The free girls, all between ages 16 and 18, escaped with the help of a teenage boy prisoner, who managed to get them out of the camp, according to Stephen Davis, a British-Australian negotiator who had tried to bargain with the extremist Islamic group for the schoolgirls’ freedom.
The girls, guided by the setting sun, walked west for three weeks, finally arriving in a Nigerian village, starving and traumatized.
“They were amazing — to first escape and then walk for weeks,” Davis told The Times of London. “They are the only ones that have escaped from a Boko Haram camp.”
Davis said the girls had been told that if they fled Boko Haram, their families would be killed.
Nearly six months have passed since more than 200 girls were snatched from their boarding-school dormitory in northeastern Nigeria by Boko Haram operatives after being awakened by the sound of gunfire.
Their abduction sparked global outrage and a huge campaign calling for their rescue, partly propelled by the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.
Even First Lady Michelle Obama issued a tweet holding a sign emblazoned with the hashtag.
Davis said several attempts to negotiate their release have fallen through.
Advocates have expressed frustration that the world has moved on.
“Even before Ebola and ISIS’s intensified activities, most of the world that stood with #BringBackOurGirls had moved on,” Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Nigerian lawyer who started the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, told The Guardian newspaper.
“But we here in Nigeria and a few others outside haven’t moved on. We have been persistent. We have been tweeting about it every day. We’re doing a daily one-hour sit out in Abuja and weekly in Lagos.”
NY Post
Increased security around Presidential Villa ahead of planned Bring Back Our Girls protest
Security was on Tuesday morning beefed up around the Presidential Villa, Abuja, ahead of a planned protest rally by the BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) campaigners.
The BBOG campaigners are pushing for the rescue of the schoolgirls abducted from the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, on April 15.
In a statement by its Media Coordinator, Rotimi Olawale, on Monday in Abuja, the group threatened to march to the Villa on Tuesday “to engage with President Goodluck Jonathan’’.
It said the purpose of the engagement was “to convey the urgency of the girls’ rescue and to hear directly from the president on the status of the rescue efforts by security agencies’’.
The march is scheduled to begin at the Unity Fountain, located close to Transcorp Hilton Hotels, Maitama, and proceed to the State House through the Federal Secretariat. But as at 8.20 a.m. there has been heavy presence of armed security men at the two major gates leading to the Villa, apparently to forestall possible breakdown of order.
At the gate approaching from the Fire Service side of Asokoro, armed policemen and soldiers had been stationed at the traffic light junction before the usual security checkpoint. The same situation played out at the Federal Secretariat end of the entrance.
Armed policemen and soldiers from the Brigades of Guards were stationed at a spot between the Villa Gate and the access road that leads to the National Assembly. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that this is the second attempt by the group to take their protest to the Villa since the girls’ abduction.
In May, the group marched to the Villa where some top government officials, including the Minister of State for FCT, Mrs Olajumoke Akinjide, addressed them on behalf of the president.
Akinjide told them to direct their protest to terrorists and not the government, and urged them to learn from citizens of other countries who do not blame their governments for any terrorist act. (NAN)
Vanguard
The BBOG campaigners are pushing for the rescue of the schoolgirls abducted from the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, on April 15.
In a statement by its Media Coordinator, Rotimi Olawale, on Monday in Abuja, the group threatened to march to the Villa on Tuesday “to engage with President Goodluck Jonathan’’.
It said the purpose of the engagement was “to convey the urgency of the girls’ rescue and to hear directly from the president on the status of the rescue efforts by security agencies’’.
The march is scheduled to begin at the Unity Fountain, located close to Transcorp Hilton Hotels, Maitama, and proceed to the State House through the Federal Secretariat. But as at 8.20 a.m. there has been heavy presence of armed security men at the two major gates leading to the Villa, apparently to forestall possible breakdown of order.
At the gate approaching from the Fire Service side of Asokoro, armed policemen and soldiers had been stationed at the traffic light junction before the usual security checkpoint. The same situation played out at the Federal Secretariat end of the entrance.
Armed policemen and soldiers from the Brigades of Guards were stationed at a spot between the Villa Gate and the access road that leads to the National Assembly. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that this is the second attempt by the group to take their protest to the Villa since the girls’ abduction.
In May, the group marched to the Villa where some top government officials, including the Minister of State for FCT, Mrs Olajumoke Akinjide, addressed them on behalf of the president.
Akinjide told them to direct their protest to terrorists and not the government, and urged them to learn from citizens of other countries who do not blame their governments for any terrorist act. (NAN)
Vanguard
Monday, October 13, 2014
Nigeria dropped from Ebola screening list in U.S. and Canada
Following Nigeria’s timely containment of the Ebola virus disease (EVD), which is awaiting the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) certification as an Ebola-free nation, the United States of America and Canada have dropped Nigeria from countries whose nationals will be carefully screened at their major airports while entering the country.
The exclusion of Nigeria from the list has been viewed by industry watchers as another affirmation of the country’s ability to effectively contain the deadly disease from escalating to a national outbreak as it has in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The US over the weekend commenced a detailed check out screening procedure for travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea at New York’s John F. Kennedy (JKF) airport and should extend the screening to New Jersey’s Newark, Washington’s Dulles, Chicago’s O’Hare and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airports, later this week.
The new checkout screening procedures for passengers from the Ebola-stricken nations which entails checking of passenger’s temperature and querying of passenger’s recent whereabouts, however, contradicts the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) advice that passenger screening is best done when departing a country, rather than when arriving.
Though there are currently few direct flights from Ebola-affected countries to the U.S, as many West African passengers arrive the U.S on connecting flights from other parts of the world, analysts predict that the new task might be challenging but certainly worth the stress.
Responding to Nigeria’s exclusion from the checklist, Olumide Ohunayo, an immigration expert, said: “It’s a refreshing news and absolute trust in measures that have been put in place by the federal and state governments in combating the EVD.”
The latest move by the US is expected to thoroughly scrutinise 150 travellers per day from the three most affected countries, with the five airports estimated to receive about 94 percent of West African travellers, JFK alone accounting for around 43 percent and Washington Dulles about 22 percent.
Business Day
The exclusion of Nigeria from the list has been viewed by industry watchers as another affirmation of the country’s ability to effectively contain the deadly disease from escalating to a national outbreak as it has in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The US over the weekend commenced a detailed check out screening procedure for travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea at New York’s John F. Kennedy (JKF) airport and should extend the screening to New Jersey’s Newark, Washington’s Dulles, Chicago’s O’Hare and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airports, later this week.
The new checkout screening procedures for passengers from the Ebola-stricken nations which entails checking of passenger’s temperature and querying of passenger’s recent whereabouts, however, contradicts the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) advice that passenger screening is best done when departing a country, rather than when arriving.
Though there are currently few direct flights from Ebola-affected countries to the U.S, as many West African passengers arrive the U.S on connecting flights from other parts of the world, analysts predict that the new task might be challenging but certainly worth the stress.
Responding to Nigeria’s exclusion from the checklist, Olumide Ohunayo, an immigration expert, said: “It’s a refreshing news and absolute trust in measures that have been put in place by the federal and state governments in combating the EVD.”
The latest move by the US is expected to thoroughly scrutinise 150 travellers per day from the three most affected countries, with the five airports estimated to receive about 94 percent of West African travellers, JFK alone accounting for around 43 percent and Washington Dulles about 22 percent.
Business Day
NIgeria Super Eagles being sabatoged - Keshi
Read: Ex-SAFA vice-president to fight back
The Super Eagles look set to miss out on the chance to defend the title they won in 2013 after Sudan handed them a 1-0 defeat as they sit rock bottom of Group A after managing just one point from their opening three qualifiers.
And Keshi, who has come under intense criticism since Nigeria's failed 2014 World Cup campaign, says there are internal factors at work which have led to the side's downfall.
“There is a sabotage by some people, who I won’t mention their names but who know themselves. They want to run this team down," Keshi told African Football.
“Some people are ready to sell this country for a dime. They want to sabotage the Super Eagles.”
“It’s a shame. They don’t want this team to get to the AFCON, they want this team to lose outright. But they are not God."
“And this is not Keshi’s team. This is a national team. Keshi is a professional coach and after this (assignment), he will get another job elsewhere.”
Standings: (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points)
South Africa 3 2 1 0 5 0 7
Congo 3 2 0 1 5 4 6
Sudan 3 1 0 2 1 5 3
Nigeria 3 0 1 2 2 4 1
Group A Fixtures: October 15, Wednesday
Nigeria v Sudan, 18:00 (SA time)
South Africa v Congo, 20:00
Sports 24
Friday, October 10, 2014
Video - More women taking the lead in Nigeria's oil sector
The 2010 Content Development Act has improved Nigeria’s oil and gas landscape increasing the participation of locals and has empowered Nigerian women to take up more senior positions in the sector.
Okonjo-Iweala is Africa's finance minister of the year
The award was presented to her by the African Investor Magazine on the sideline of the ongoing annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC.
She thanked the organisers for the award and described it as an absolute honour and auspicious.
She called on all investors in Africa to join the fight against the deadly Ebola virus disease that is ravaging some countries in West Africa.
“What is happening in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra-Leone and the success we had in Nigeria and Senegal in containing this virus should not be allowed to set Africa back.
“You as private sector and friends of Africa need to send the message that we should not be so afraid of Ebola that we stigmatise the whole continent.
“I think that it is only with your own leadership, as African investors, that the rest of the world can see which way they should pass. So, I am really urging you to be ambassadors to the continent,” she said. Okonjo-Iweala said that in spite of the challenges facing the continent, African leaders should sustain the successes recorded in the past.
These challenges, she said, include infrastructure, governance, poor education system, employment, corruption, among others. “We are not shying away from these challenges but the turning point now is that we are in the continent where we have the political will and confidence to tackle these challenges.
“I think that we as Africans must always take the lead because if we don’t solve our problems, nobody can do it for us.”
Okonjo-Iweala called for continuous partnership with the private sector, donor agencies and non-governmental organisations.
Vanguard
Related stories: Video - Finance minister Okonjo-Iweala talks about alleged missing $20 million dollars
Video - Nigerian Finance Minister discusses situation on kidnapped schoolgirls
Okonjo-Iweala departs World Bank, resumes as Finance Minister next week
Why U.S. blocked arms supply to Nigeria
The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, has explained that the dismal human rights record is responsible for limiting the scope of the country’s assistance to Nigeria in its fight against Boko Haram.
The ambassador made the disclosure at the American University of Nigeria in an interaction with journalists shortly after delivering a lecture at the institution as part of activities lined up by the university to mark its 10th year anniversary.
He also had a brief meeting with the former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is the founder of the university on the campus.
Entwistle noted that it would be wrong of the US to extend help to the Nigerian military in the face of gross human rights abuses.
He was responding to the question that the US was not forthcoming in its support of Nigeria in the war against Boko Haram.
There had been reports that the US was stifling acquisition of high tech military hardware in the country’s quest to contain the activities of the dreaded sect.
He said one of the ground norms for the US assistance on procurement of sophisticated military hardware was for the US to look at the human rights record of that country.
The ambassador said that for Nigeria, there had been instances of human rights abuses across its borders, especially in the North-East, stressing that it would be wrong for the US to extend help to the Nigerian military in the face of gross human rights abuses.
Entwistle, however, explained that much as the US would have loved to assist Nigeria, it realised that “if you don’t take care of the soldiers on the ground, even if you buy hi-tech equipment, it doesn’t help the situation because it won’t work”.
He said it was this concerns which made it difficult for the US to be a little circumspect in Nigeria’s acquisition of military hitech military hardware.
The ambassador, however, stressed that the notion that the US was not sharing equipment with Nigeria was not true because so far the US and Nigeria had enjoyed “fantastic relationship which include the sharing of military intelligence and equipment support from the US to their Nigerian military counter-parts”.
Entwistle said that the best was yet to come for Nigeria, noting that even though there were challenges being faced by the Nigerian state, he saw hope in the ability of the country to surmount this challenges to lead Africa.
He added that “even so every country at one time or the other has faced one challenges or the other” and pledged the support of the American people.
“Our commitment to help your country in these struggles has not changed it is growing every day.”
The ambassador explained that the US military left Nigeria when it became clear that the government did not require the US military specialty in the government’s quest to release the Chibok girls from their Boko Haram captors.
He added that nonetheless the US support for the Nigerian government in its effort to secure the release of the girls still remained.
National Mirror
Related stories: Nigeria threatens South Africa over arms deal
Another secret arms deal between Nigerian and South Africa goes awry - $5.7 million seized
$9.3 million in cash seized in South Africa traced to Nigerian intelligence agency
2 Nigerians attempt to smuggle $9.3million into South Africa
The ambassador made the disclosure at the American University of Nigeria in an interaction with journalists shortly after delivering a lecture at the institution as part of activities lined up by the university to mark its 10th year anniversary.
He also had a brief meeting with the former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is the founder of the university on the campus.
Entwistle noted that it would be wrong of the US to extend help to the Nigerian military in the face of gross human rights abuses.
He was responding to the question that the US was not forthcoming in its support of Nigeria in the war against Boko Haram.
There had been reports that the US was stifling acquisition of high tech military hardware in the country’s quest to contain the activities of the dreaded sect.
He said one of the ground norms for the US assistance on procurement of sophisticated military hardware was for the US to look at the human rights record of that country.
The ambassador said that for Nigeria, there had been instances of human rights abuses across its borders, especially in the North-East, stressing that it would be wrong for the US to extend help to the Nigerian military in the face of gross human rights abuses.
Entwistle, however, explained that much as the US would have loved to assist Nigeria, it realised that “if you don’t take care of the soldiers on the ground, even if you buy hi-tech equipment, it doesn’t help the situation because it won’t work”.
He said it was this concerns which made it difficult for the US to be a little circumspect in Nigeria’s acquisition of military hitech military hardware.
The ambassador, however, stressed that the notion that the US was not sharing equipment with Nigeria was not true because so far the US and Nigeria had enjoyed “fantastic relationship which include the sharing of military intelligence and equipment support from the US to their Nigerian military counter-parts”.
Entwistle said that the best was yet to come for Nigeria, noting that even though there were challenges being faced by the Nigerian state, he saw hope in the ability of the country to surmount this challenges to lead Africa.
He added that “even so every country at one time or the other has faced one challenges or the other” and pledged the support of the American people.
“Our commitment to help your country in these struggles has not changed it is growing every day.”
The ambassador explained that the US military left Nigeria when it became clear that the government did not require the US military specialty in the government’s quest to release the Chibok girls from their Boko Haram captors.
He added that nonetheless the US support for the Nigerian government in its effort to secure the release of the girls still remained.
National Mirror
Related stories: Nigeria threatens South Africa over arms deal
Another secret arms deal between Nigerian and South Africa goes awry - $5.7 million seized
$9.3 million in cash seized in South Africa traced to Nigerian intelligence agency
2 Nigerians attempt to smuggle $9.3million into South Africa
Thursday, October 9, 2014
President Goodluck Jonathan threatens to sue website for listing him as 6th richest African President
Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan threatened legal action Thursday against a website that listed him as Africa's sixth richest head of state with a net worth of about $100 million (78 million euros).
The article on richestlifestyle.com provided little evidence to substantiate its list of Africa's eight richest presidents.
But the claims about Jonathan, who has led Africa's top oil producer since 2010, made front page news in several Nigerian newspapers on Thursday.Jonathan's inclusion in the article was "baseless and libellous," his office said in a statement. "President Jonathan has never been a businessman or entrepreneur," it added.
"The clear and unacceptable imputation of the claim that President Jonathan is now worth about $100 million is that the president has corruptly enriched himself while in office which is certainly not the case," it said. Jonathan's office demanded "a retraction and an unreserved apology from Richest Lifestyle.com and all those who have reproduced the offensive article," and threatened action "in courts of law within and outside Nigeria."
While there was no retraction or apology on the site, the item concerning Jonathan has been removed.
Emails to the contact address for richestlifestyle.com were not delivering on Thursday and the site's managers were not available to comment on either the research supporting the article or why the Jonathan item had been removed. The presidency's swift response to the previously obscure website's claims highlights the sensitivity of corruption as a political issue in Nigeria.
The country's vast oil wealth has for decades been squandered by the ruling elite and Jonathan has sought to portray his administration as a departure from the corrupt regimes of the past, even if many experts say graft has hit record high levels.
Jonathan is in the coming weeks expected to announce his re-election bid for February polls and Nigeria's main opposition has already signalled that it intends to make corruption a key issue in the campaign.
AFP
The article on richestlifestyle.com provided little evidence to substantiate its list of Africa's eight richest presidents.
But the claims about Jonathan, who has led Africa's top oil producer since 2010, made front page news in several Nigerian newspapers on Thursday.Jonathan's inclusion in the article was "baseless and libellous," his office said in a statement. "President Jonathan has never been a businessman or entrepreneur," it added.
"The clear and unacceptable imputation of the claim that President Jonathan is now worth about $100 million is that the president has corruptly enriched himself while in office which is certainly not the case," it said. Jonathan's office demanded "a retraction and an unreserved apology from Richest Lifestyle.com and all those who have reproduced the offensive article," and threatened action "in courts of law within and outside Nigeria."
While there was no retraction or apology on the site, the item concerning Jonathan has been removed.
Emails to the contact address for richestlifestyle.com were not delivering on Thursday and the site's managers were not available to comment on either the research supporting the article or why the Jonathan item had been removed. The presidency's swift response to the previously obscure website's claims highlights the sensitivity of corruption as a political issue in Nigeria.
The country's vast oil wealth has for decades been squandered by the ruling elite and Jonathan has sought to portray his administration as a departure from the corrupt regimes of the past, even if many experts say graft has hit record high levels.
Jonathan is in the coming weeks expected to announce his re-election bid for February polls and Nigeria's main opposition has already signalled that it intends to make corruption a key issue in the campaign.
AFP
Nigeria threatens South Africa over arms deal
Following the failed arms deal between a South African firm and the Nigerian government leading to the seizure of Nigeria’s $5.7m by the South African authorities, the Federal Government is said to be threatening the business concerns Nigerian-based South African entities.
A Nigerian firm Societe D’ Equipment Internationaux, and a South African company, Cerberus, had had a deal in which the latter was to supply some military hardware to the Nigeria firm on behalf of the federal government, but the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa froze the money which was wired to the South African firm for the arms deal.
The cash seizure, the second in a month, has understandably sparked diplomatic row between the two leading African nations.
Investigations have shown that top officers of the Federal Government were sorely vexed that the South Africans were deliberately embarrassing the nation in the eye of the international public.
According to Information Nigeria, “The issue could affect bilateral relations between Nigeria and South Africa,” the NSA official, who asked not to be mentioned said.
Although South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority made no immediate comment, the asset freeze has been widely reported in both Nigerian and South African media.
The NSA’s office source, who spoke to AFP, specifically mentioned MTN as a company that could be targeted should Nigeria decide to retaliate.
“You cannot be making so much money from Nigeria and then turn around and embarrass the people,” the Nigerian official said.
Investigations revealed that about 14 South African Companies operating in Nigeria are doing very well. Some of them include MTN, Power Giant, Eskom Nigeria, South African Airways,South African Breweries (SAB miller), Stanbic Merchant Bank of Nigeria, Multichoice, Umgeni Water, Refresh products, PEP Retail Stores, Shoprite, LTA Construction, Protea Hotels, Critical Rescue International, South African-Nigeria Communications, Global Outdoor Semces, Oracle, Airtime just to mention a few of them.
In addition, 14 Southern African companies have been contracted to collect revenues for PHCN.
Given the huge economic activity of South Africa in Nigeria, sources in the presidency believe the attitude of South Afria to Nigeria in this arms deal is a demonstration of utmost bad faith.
Already, some of the South African companies are jittery that the diplomatic offensives between Nigeria and South Africa could adversely affect their business operations.s
The NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) had noted last Monday that Nigeria had provided economic platform to South Africa and thus expected it to be guided by such Nigerian gesture.
“It is our hope that South Africa would reciprocate this noble gesture,” , Dasuki, said Monday,
According to sources, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa had prior knowledge of the deal as his Nigerian counterpart Goodluck Jonathan had called him about the purchase. It therefore came as a surprise to the Nigerian government that the deal had been blocked.
Zuma’s spokesman Mac Maharaj however declined to comment on the reported conversation between the two leaders, but told AFP the president was not part of the committee that reviews arms deals.
The NSA official did not identify the South African broker.
The website of South Africa’s City Press named the firm as the Cape Town-based Cerberus Risk Solutions but that could not be independently verihought to have frayed in recent months.
The US offered military and logistical support in helping rescue the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in April, but experts said the Americans were largely rebuffed by Nigeria’s top brass.
Already, it was gathered that the Nigerian government is compiling instances of aggression of South Africa to Nigeria with the intent of kicking off a diplomatic row.
As a prelude to it, the South African envoy to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, had been summoned over the botched arms deal which led to the seizure of millions of dollars.
The South African authorities had earlier confiscated $9.3m before the latest seizure of $7.5m, both meant for the purchase of arms by Nigeria...
Insiders expressed frustration with the action of South Africa, especially as the transactions are both between two legitimate entities.
This Day
Related stories: Another secret arms deal between Nigerian and South Africa goes awry - $5.7 million seized
$9.3 million in cash seized in South Africa traced to Nigerian intelligence agency
2 Nigerians attempt to smuggle $9.3million into South Africa
A Nigerian firm Societe D’ Equipment Internationaux, and a South African company, Cerberus, had had a deal in which the latter was to supply some military hardware to the Nigeria firm on behalf of the federal government, but the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa froze the money which was wired to the South African firm for the arms deal.
The cash seizure, the second in a month, has understandably sparked diplomatic row between the two leading African nations.
Investigations have shown that top officers of the Federal Government were sorely vexed that the South Africans were deliberately embarrassing the nation in the eye of the international public.
According to Information Nigeria, “The issue could affect bilateral relations between Nigeria and South Africa,” the NSA official, who asked not to be mentioned said.
Although South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority made no immediate comment, the asset freeze has been widely reported in both Nigerian and South African media.
The NSA’s office source, who spoke to AFP, specifically mentioned MTN as a company that could be targeted should Nigeria decide to retaliate.
“You cannot be making so much money from Nigeria and then turn around and embarrass the people,” the Nigerian official said.
Investigations revealed that about 14 South African Companies operating in Nigeria are doing very well. Some of them include MTN, Power Giant, Eskom Nigeria, South African Airways,South African Breweries (SAB miller), Stanbic Merchant Bank of Nigeria, Multichoice, Umgeni Water, Refresh products, PEP Retail Stores, Shoprite, LTA Construction, Protea Hotels, Critical Rescue International, South African-Nigeria Communications, Global Outdoor Semces, Oracle, Airtime just to mention a few of them.
In addition, 14 Southern African companies have been contracted to collect revenues for PHCN.
Given the huge economic activity of South Africa in Nigeria, sources in the presidency believe the attitude of South Afria to Nigeria in this arms deal is a demonstration of utmost bad faith.
Already, some of the South African companies are jittery that the diplomatic offensives between Nigeria and South Africa could adversely affect their business operations.s
The NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) had noted last Monday that Nigeria had provided economic platform to South Africa and thus expected it to be guided by such Nigerian gesture.
“It is our hope that South Africa would reciprocate this noble gesture,” , Dasuki, said Monday,
According to sources, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa had prior knowledge of the deal as his Nigerian counterpart Goodluck Jonathan had called him about the purchase. It therefore came as a surprise to the Nigerian government that the deal had been blocked.
Zuma’s spokesman Mac Maharaj however declined to comment on the reported conversation between the two leaders, but told AFP the president was not part of the committee that reviews arms deals.
The NSA official did not identify the South African broker.
The website of South Africa’s City Press named the firm as the Cape Town-based Cerberus Risk Solutions but that could not be independently verihought to have frayed in recent months.
The US offered military and logistical support in helping rescue the more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in April, but experts said the Americans were largely rebuffed by Nigeria’s top brass.
Already, it was gathered that the Nigerian government is compiling instances of aggression of South Africa to Nigeria with the intent of kicking off a diplomatic row.
As a prelude to it, the South African envoy to Nigeria, Lulu Mnguni, had been summoned over the botched arms deal which led to the seizure of millions of dollars.
The South African authorities had earlier confiscated $9.3m before the latest seizure of $7.5m, both meant for the purchase of arms by Nigeria...
Insiders expressed frustration with the action of South Africa, especially as the transactions are both between two legitimate entities.
This Day
Related stories: Another secret arms deal between Nigerian and South Africa goes awry - $5.7 million seized
$9.3 million in cash seized in South Africa traced to Nigerian intelligence agency
2 Nigerians attempt to smuggle $9.3million into South Africa
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Another secret arms deal between Nigerian and South Africa goes awry - $5.7 million seized
South African authorities have confiscated yet another US$5.7 million arms money from Nigeria, nearly three weeks after seizing $9.3 million in cash transported by two Nigerians and an Israeli for arms purchase, South Africa-based City Express reported Monday.
As with the first deal, South Africa’s Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority seized the $5.7 million (about N952 million) for allegedly being the proceeds of illegal transactions, the paper said.
The news came more than two weeks after two Nigerians and an Israeli national were arrested in South Africa after they attempted to smuggle US$9.3 million apparently meant for buying arms for the Nigerian intelligence service.
The men landed at Lanseria International Airport, Johannesburg, on September 5 in a private jet from Abuja with the money stashed in three suitcases.
At the time, the South Africa Revenue Service, SARS, said customs officers became suspicious when the passengers’ luggage were unloaded and put through the scanners.
The National Prosecuting Authority, NPA, in South Africa said there was an invoice for helicopters and armaments intended to be used in Nigeria.
Two black plastic suitcases, filled with 90 blocks each containing US$100,000 in notes, with combination locks, were seized, as well as two pieces of hand luggage also containing US currency, according to City Press. The Israeli national, Eyal Mesika, had the combination to open the locks.
Under South African laws, a person entering or leaving the country is expected to carry cash not exceeding US$2,300, or the equivalent in foreign currency notes.
The news of the first transaction sparked anger in Nigeria after it emerged the private jet involved belonged to the head of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Ayo Ortisejafor.
Mr. Oritsejafor, a close ally of President Goodluck Jonathan, said the plane had been leased to a third party and he could not be blamed for its schedules. The Nigerian government later admitted it was behind the arms deal, claiming it acted out of desperation for arms to defeat extremist sect, Boko Haram.
An investigation planned by the Senate into the transaction has yet to begin while the House of Representatives threw out a motion seeking a probe. The South African newspaper, City Press, said documents in its possession show that the first consignment was personally signed off by the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, who issued the end-user certificate for the transaction.
An entire “shopping list” was supplied with the certificate, which included everything from helicopters to unmanned aircraft, rockets and ammunition, it said. The latest transaction, according to the paper, was between Cerberus Risk Solutions, an arms broker in Cape Town, and Societe D’Equipments Internationaux, said to be a Nigerian company based in Abuja.
The paper said the deal fell apart after Cerberus which had earlier received from Nigeria R60 million (N1.02 billion) in its account at Standard Bank, tried to repay the money as it it could not resolve its registration formalities with the South African authorities. “Cerberus was previously registered as a broker with the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), but the registration expired in May this year,” City Press said. “The marketing and contracting permits also expired at the same time. The company has since applied for re-registration, but the application lay in the NCACC’s mailbox for more than two months.
“Sources told Rapport that Cerberus apparently tried to pay the money back to the Nigerian company, after which the bank became suspicious,” the paper reported. The paper added that while the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit subsequently obtained a court order in the South Gauteng High Court to seize the money, the NPA spokesperson Nathi Mncube, said there were no indications the two transactions were related.
“However, both are now the subject of a criminal investigation and all possible information and connections are being investigated,” Mr. Mncube was quoted as saying.
Premium Times
Relates stories: $9.3 million in cash seized in South Africa traced to Nigerian intelligence agency
2 Nigerians attempt to smuggle $9.3million into South Africa
As with the first deal, South Africa’s Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority seized the $5.7 million (about N952 million) for allegedly being the proceeds of illegal transactions, the paper said.
The news came more than two weeks after two Nigerians and an Israeli national were arrested in South Africa after they attempted to smuggle US$9.3 million apparently meant for buying arms for the Nigerian intelligence service.
The men landed at Lanseria International Airport, Johannesburg, on September 5 in a private jet from Abuja with the money stashed in three suitcases.
At the time, the South Africa Revenue Service, SARS, said customs officers became suspicious when the passengers’ luggage were unloaded and put through the scanners.
The National Prosecuting Authority, NPA, in South Africa said there was an invoice for helicopters and armaments intended to be used in Nigeria.
Two black plastic suitcases, filled with 90 blocks each containing US$100,000 in notes, with combination locks, were seized, as well as two pieces of hand luggage also containing US currency, according to City Press. The Israeli national, Eyal Mesika, had the combination to open the locks.
Under South African laws, a person entering or leaving the country is expected to carry cash not exceeding US$2,300, or the equivalent in foreign currency notes.
The news of the first transaction sparked anger in Nigeria after it emerged the private jet involved belonged to the head of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Ayo Ortisejafor.
Mr. Oritsejafor, a close ally of President Goodluck Jonathan, said the plane had been leased to a third party and he could not be blamed for its schedules. The Nigerian government later admitted it was behind the arms deal, claiming it acted out of desperation for arms to defeat extremist sect, Boko Haram.
An investigation planned by the Senate into the transaction has yet to begin while the House of Representatives threw out a motion seeking a probe. The South African newspaper, City Press, said documents in its possession show that the first consignment was personally signed off by the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, who issued the end-user certificate for the transaction.
An entire “shopping list” was supplied with the certificate, which included everything from helicopters to unmanned aircraft, rockets and ammunition, it said. The latest transaction, according to the paper, was between Cerberus Risk Solutions, an arms broker in Cape Town, and Societe D’Equipments Internationaux, said to be a Nigerian company based in Abuja.
The paper said the deal fell apart after Cerberus which had earlier received from Nigeria R60 million (N1.02 billion) in its account at Standard Bank, tried to repay the money as it it could not resolve its registration formalities with the South African authorities. “Cerberus was previously registered as a broker with the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), but the registration expired in May this year,” City Press said. “The marketing and contracting permits also expired at the same time. The company has since applied for re-registration, but the application lay in the NCACC’s mailbox for more than two months.
“Sources told Rapport that Cerberus apparently tried to pay the money back to the Nigerian company, after which the bank became suspicious,” the paper reported. The paper added that while the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit subsequently obtained a court order in the South Gauteng High Court to seize the money, the NPA spokesperson Nathi Mncube, said there were no indications the two transactions were related.
“However, both are now the subject of a criminal investigation and all possible information and connections are being investigated,” Mr. Mncube was quoted as saying.
Premium Times
Relates stories: $9.3 million in cash seized in South Africa traced to Nigerian intelligence agency
2 Nigerians attempt to smuggle $9.3million into South Africa
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Boko Haram militants behead seven in revenge attack
Boko Haram militants killed seven people on Monday in the remote northeast of Nigeria, residents and an official said, with reports indicating the victims were beheaded in a revenge attack.
The overnight raid targeted the town of Ngamdu in troubled Borno state, the area hardest hit in the Islamists’ five-year uprising.
When locals woke they discovered "seven people had been brutally killed", said resident Musa Abor.
The gunmen "slit their (victims) throats just the way people slaughter goats", he added.
Abor and a Borno state official, who asked that his name be withheld, said the bodies had been decapitated, in the latest act of gruesome violence blamed on the Islamists who have killed more than 10,000 people since 2009.
In recent months, Boko Haram insurgents have targeted reprisal attacks at locals who have fought alongside the military as vigilantes.
An army officer in Borno, who also requested anonymity, said 15 Boko Haram fighters were killed in clashes in Ngamdu two weeks ago and the group had vowed revenge against the community.
Those killed on Monday could not immediately be identified as vigilantes and the defence ministry was not available to comment on the attack or the alleged beheadings.
The violence came as Nigerian Muslims marked the Eid al-Adha festival, a public holiday in the religiously divided country. Most Islamic holidays in recent years have been marred by Boko Haram violence.
The militants are thought to be in control of more than two dozen towns and villages in the northeast, but the military has vowed to retake all lost ground as part of a continuing offensive launched in May of last year.
The military had imposed a travel ban across Borno and neighbouring Yobe state to last through the Eid holiday to guard against insurgent attacks.
But the measure is almost impossible to enforce in the remote region, where analysts say the army does not have enough troops on the ground to patrol a vast area with a terrible road network and poor mobile phone coverage.
AFP
Related stories: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau apparently alive - releases new video
Hundreds of Boko Haram members surrender
The overnight raid targeted the town of Ngamdu in troubled Borno state, the area hardest hit in the Islamists’ five-year uprising.
When locals woke they discovered "seven people had been brutally killed", said resident Musa Abor.
The gunmen "slit their (victims) throats just the way people slaughter goats", he added.
Abor and a Borno state official, who asked that his name be withheld, said the bodies had been decapitated, in the latest act of gruesome violence blamed on the Islamists who have killed more than 10,000 people since 2009.
In recent months, Boko Haram insurgents have targeted reprisal attacks at locals who have fought alongside the military as vigilantes.
An army officer in Borno, who also requested anonymity, said 15 Boko Haram fighters were killed in clashes in Ngamdu two weeks ago and the group had vowed revenge against the community.
Those killed on Monday could not immediately be identified as vigilantes and the defence ministry was not available to comment on the attack or the alleged beheadings.
The violence came as Nigerian Muslims marked the Eid al-Adha festival, a public holiday in the religiously divided country. Most Islamic holidays in recent years have been marred by Boko Haram violence.
The militants are thought to be in control of more than two dozen towns and villages in the northeast, but the military has vowed to retake all lost ground as part of a continuing offensive launched in May of last year.
The military had imposed a travel ban across Borno and neighbouring Yobe state to last through the Eid holiday to guard against insurgent attacks.
But the measure is almost impossible to enforce in the remote region, where analysts say the army does not have enough troops on the ground to patrol a vast area with a terrible road network and poor mobile phone coverage.
AFP
Related stories: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau apparently alive - releases new video
Hundreds of Boko Haram members surrender
Monday, October 6, 2014
Nigeria is one of the worst places to grow old according to Global AgeWatch Index
Nigeria has been described as one of the worst places to grow old, this is according to an index of the quality of later life in 96 countries.
HelpAge International’s Global AgeWatch Index measures the social and economic welfare of those over 60 in its latest report released on Tuesday.
HelpAge International is an organisation committed to helping older people to claim their rights, challenge discrimination and overcome poverty, so they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives.
The report published on the United Nations International Day of Older Persons, ranks Nigeria at 85th position out of 96 countries.
“Nigeria ranks 85 on the overall Global AgeWatch Index. Its highest rank is in the capability domain (47), with a lower than regional average for the employment indicator (70.6%) and a higher than regional average for educational attainment (17.4%).
“Nigeria ranks low in the enabling environment domain (75) and below the regional average for civic freedom (53%) and satisfaction with public transport (42%). Its rank for the health domain is very low (88) and it has a below regional average for the life expectancy at 60 indicator. It ranks lowest on the income security domain (90), with very low pension income coverage (5%) and GDP per capita (US$ 2,254),” the report noted.
The HelpAge listed Ekiti and Osun as the only states in the country providing social pensions to older people. It added that only five per cent of people over 65 currently receive pension in Nigeria.
Commenting on the employment of older people, the organisation noted that 70 per cent of the population aged 55-64 are employed, adding that the indicator measures older people’s access to the labour market and their ability to supplement pension income with wages, and their access to work-related networks.
According to the report, the employment rate is a proxy for the economic empowerment of older people in the country.
Daily Times
HelpAge International’s Global AgeWatch Index measures the social and economic welfare of those over 60 in its latest report released on Tuesday.
HelpAge International is an organisation committed to helping older people to claim their rights, challenge discrimination and overcome poverty, so they can lead dignified, secure, active and healthy lives.
The report published on the United Nations International Day of Older Persons, ranks Nigeria at 85th position out of 96 countries.
“Nigeria ranks 85 on the overall Global AgeWatch Index. Its highest rank is in the capability domain (47), with a lower than regional average for the employment indicator (70.6%) and a higher than regional average for educational attainment (17.4%).
“Nigeria ranks low in the enabling environment domain (75) and below the regional average for civic freedom (53%) and satisfaction with public transport (42%). Its rank for the health domain is very low (88) and it has a below regional average for the life expectancy at 60 indicator. It ranks lowest on the income security domain (90), with very low pension income coverage (5%) and GDP per capita (US$ 2,254),” the report noted.
The HelpAge listed Ekiti and Osun as the only states in the country providing social pensions to older people. It added that only five per cent of people over 65 currently receive pension in Nigeria.
Commenting on the employment of older people, the organisation noted that 70 per cent of the population aged 55-64 are employed, adding that the indicator measures older people’s access to the labour market and their ability to supplement pension income with wages, and their access to work-related networks.
According to the report, the employment rate is a proxy for the economic empowerment of older people in the country.
Daily Times
Friday, October 3, 2014
97 Nigerian soldiers charged with mutiny
The Nigerian military on Thursday at the Defence Headquarters Garrison inaugurated a nine-man General Court-Martial to try 97 military personnel.The personnel are being charged for different offences ranging from mutiny, assault and misconduct to tampering with military property.
Of the 97 soldiers, 66 have been accused of committing mutiny, a crime punishable under the military law by death sentence.Highly placed military sources told PREMIUM TIMES that among the personnel set to face the General Court Martial include some senior officers: two colonels and some lieutenant colonels.
A list obtained by PREMIUM TIMES which contained names of 60 soldiers, said the soldiers conspired to commit mutiny triable by a General Court Martial.The soldiers attached to the 7 Division, Nigerian Army in Maiduguri include two Corporals, Cpl, nine Lance Corporals, LCpl and 49 Private soldiers, court martialed on a two-count charge of mutiny and conspiracy to commit the offence.
The charge sheet said the soldiers conspired to commit mutiny against the authorities of the 7 Division on August 4, at the Mulai Primary School camp, opposite AIT Maiduguri, Borno State.
It also said the soldiers refused to join 111 Special Forces battalion troops led by E. A. Aladeniyi, a colonel, to the Maimalari Barracks for an operation.
“In that you at the Mulai Primary School Camp opposite AIT Maiduguri on or about 4 August 14, refused to join 111 SF Bn troops led by Col EA Aladeniyi (N/9695) to Maimalari Barracks in connection with an operation,” the charge sheet read.
The charges came two weeks after a military court sentenced 12 soldiers to death for shooting at a vehicle conveying their commander in Maiduguri.The sentences await the approval of the army chief.
Five other soldiers were discharged and acquitted while one was sentenced to 28 years jail term with hard labour.
The soldiers were also accused of insurrection and firing at the utility vehicle of their general officer commanding, GOC of the same 7 Division, Ahmadu Mohammed.Many Nigerians have condemned the death sentences and have demanded they be suspended.A previous statement by the Army spokesperson, Olajide Laleye, said Thursday’s court martial was in line with efforts by the army to clear all cases relating to violation of the Armed Forces Act.
Mr. Laleye, a brigadier general, said the general court martial would try officers over ongoing military operations in the northeast Nigeria.
Premium Times
Related story: 12 Nigerian soldiers sentenced to death for mutiny
Nigerian soldiers attack own army commander
Some Nigerian soldiers refuse to fight Boko Haram until given new weapons
Of the 97 soldiers, 66 have been accused of committing mutiny, a crime punishable under the military law by death sentence.Highly placed military sources told PREMIUM TIMES that among the personnel set to face the General Court Martial include some senior officers: two colonels and some lieutenant colonels.
A list obtained by PREMIUM TIMES which contained names of 60 soldiers, said the soldiers conspired to commit mutiny triable by a General Court Martial.The soldiers attached to the 7 Division, Nigerian Army in Maiduguri include two Corporals, Cpl, nine Lance Corporals, LCpl and 49 Private soldiers, court martialed on a two-count charge of mutiny and conspiracy to commit the offence.
The charge sheet said the soldiers conspired to commit mutiny against the authorities of the 7 Division on August 4, at the Mulai Primary School camp, opposite AIT Maiduguri, Borno State.
It also said the soldiers refused to join 111 Special Forces battalion troops led by E. A. Aladeniyi, a colonel, to the Maimalari Barracks for an operation.
“In that you at the Mulai Primary School Camp opposite AIT Maiduguri on or about 4 August 14, refused to join 111 SF Bn troops led by Col EA Aladeniyi (N/9695) to Maimalari Barracks in connection with an operation,” the charge sheet read.
The charges came two weeks after a military court sentenced 12 soldiers to death for shooting at a vehicle conveying their commander in Maiduguri.The sentences await the approval of the army chief.
Five other soldiers were discharged and acquitted while one was sentenced to 28 years jail term with hard labour.
The soldiers were also accused of insurrection and firing at the utility vehicle of their general officer commanding, GOC of the same 7 Division, Ahmadu Mohammed.Many Nigerians have condemned the death sentences and have demanded they be suspended.A previous statement by the Army spokesperson, Olajide Laleye, said Thursday’s court martial was in line with efforts by the army to clear all cases relating to violation of the Armed Forces Act.
Mr. Laleye, a brigadier general, said the general court martial would try officers over ongoing military operations in the northeast Nigeria.
Premium Times
Related story: 12 Nigerian soldiers sentenced to death for mutiny
Nigerian soldiers attack own army commander
Some Nigerian soldiers refuse to fight Boko Haram until given new weapons
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau apparently alive - releases new video
“Here I am, alive. I will only die the day Allah takes my breath,” Shekau said, adding that his group was “running our… Islamic caliphate” and administering strict sharia punishments.
Nigeria’s military said last week that Shekau was dead and that a man who had been posing as the group’s leader in the videos had been killed after fighting with troops in the far northeast.
Security analysts and the United States questioned the credibility of the military’s claim.
The new 36-minute video showed Shekau, in combat fatigues and black rubber boots, standing on the back of a pick-up truck and firing an anti-aircraft gun into the air.
Standing in front of three camouflaged vans and flanked by four heavily armed, masked fighters, he then speaks for 16 minutes in Arabic and the Hausa language widely spoken in northern Nigeria.
There was no indication of where or when the video was shot.
The heavily bearded Shekau, who appeared to be the same as those in previous clips, said the military’s claim that he was dead was propaganda.
“Nothing will kill me until my days are over… I’m still alive. Some people asked you if Shekau has two souls. No, I have one soul, by Allah,” he said, apparently reading from a script.
“It is propaganda that is prevalent. I have one soul. I’m an Islamic student".
“I’m the Islamic student whose seminary you burnt… I’m not dead,” he added, apparently referring to the destruction of the group’s mosque in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, in 2009.
There have been two previous claims by Nigeria’s security forces that Shekau was dead — once in 2009 during unrest in Maiduguri — and again in 2013.
Following each previous claim Boko Haram has issued denials in video messages.
Elsewhere in the new video, the militant leader said the group had implemented strict Islamic law in the towns that it had captured in recent weeks.
“We are running our caliphate, our Islamic caliphate. We follow the Koran… We now practise the injunctions of the Koran in the land of Allah,” he said.
The group also claimed to have shot down a Nigerian air force jet that went missing nearly three weeks ago.
An air force spokesman said the jet was missing. “For any group to claim they shot it down is mere propaganda and rubbish,” Air Commodore Dele Alonge told AFP.
Vanguard
Related stories: Military of Nigeria confirm Boko Haram leader dead
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau possibly dead
Ghana to export electricity to Nigeria
Ghana is planning to export thousands of megawatts of electricity to Nigeria, Ivory Coast and other neighbouring countries that have power deficit, sources say here.
Nigeria's Punch newspaper on Thursday quotes Ghanaian President, Mr. John Mahama, saying at the Africa Global Business and Economic Forum in Dubai, UAE on Wednesday, that his government had made huge investments in power generation that would enable the country to export excess electricity to Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region.
We have given priority to electricity generation in our country. We have prioritised energy in such a way that we want to become the hub for power production in West Africa. We want to generate electricity to the point that excess power can be exported to Nigeria, Ivory Coast and other countries that have power deficit, he said.
To achieve this dream, Mahama said that his country had secured export-import financing from China as well as special funds from Abu Dhabi to commence a series of power generation projects and that a third hydropower dam project was already at an advanced stage.
The Ghanaian leader, who spoke in a panel discussion along with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and President Mulatu Wirtu of Ethiopia, added: Where Africa faces some of its challenges lies its biggest opportunities.
We are leveraging on public-private sector partnership to build infrastructure. Be it roads, electricity, ports or communication systems; if we create the right environment, investors will come.
Creating the right environment that will attract foreign direct investment is the key.
In achieving this, the Ghanaian leader joined Kagame and Wirtu to emphasise the need for African governments to strengthen anti-corruption agencies in their various countries.
“Issues of accountability and transparency are very important. There must be a mechanism to fight corruption. We all have institutions, but the major thing is resourcing them to effectively fight corruption and perform effectively, he noted
APA
Related stories: Nigeria's electricity problem
Video - Aljazeera covers Nigeria's steps to improve its poor electricity supply
Nigeria's Punch newspaper on Thursday quotes Ghanaian President, Mr. John Mahama, saying at the Africa Global Business and Economic Forum in Dubai, UAE on Wednesday, that his government had made huge investments in power generation that would enable the country to export excess electricity to Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region.
We have given priority to electricity generation in our country. We have prioritised energy in such a way that we want to become the hub for power production in West Africa. We want to generate electricity to the point that excess power can be exported to Nigeria, Ivory Coast and other countries that have power deficit, he said.
To achieve this dream, Mahama said that his country had secured export-import financing from China as well as special funds from Abu Dhabi to commence a series of power generation projects and that a third hydropower dam project was already at an advanced stage.
The Ghanaian leader, who spoke in a panel discussion along with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and President Mulatu Wirtu of Ethiopia, added: Where Africa faces some of its challenges lies its biggest opportunities.
We are leveraging on public-private sector partnership to build infrastructure. Be it roads, electricity, ports or communication systems; if we create the right environment, investors will come.
Creating the right environment that will attract foreign direct investment is the key.
In achieving this, the Ghanaian leader joined Kagame and Wirtu to emphasise the need for African governments to strengthen anti-corruption agencies in their various countries.
“Issues of accountability and transparency are very important. There must be a mechanism to fight corruption. We all have institutions, but the major thing is resourcing them to effectively fight corruption and perform effectively, he noted
APA
Related stories: Nigeria's electricity problem
Video - Aljazeera covers Nigeria's steps to improve its poor electricity supply
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Video - President Goodluck Jonathan's full speech to mark Nigeria's 54th Independence Anniversary
President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday addressed the nation, on the occasion of Nigeria’s 54th Independence Day Anniversary.
In his speech, the President recounted Nigeria’s experiences in it’s first 100 years as a sovereign nation, adding that “far reaching advances in building a strong, united and prosperous nation” had been made. However, he noted that the country is still in a sober mood, following the activities of terrorists.
He addressed issues concerning the economy, terrorism, Ebola, while espousing his administration’s achievements.
Channels
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Nigeria Football Association election chief arrested
A vote to choose the new president and executive committee of Nigeria's troubled football association was delayed on Tuesday after the apparent arrest of the election chief, witnesses said.
The uncertainty over Samson Ebomhe's whereabouts is the latest in a series of scandals to hit the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), which could face an eight-month FIFA ban if the vote does not take place.
The 44-member NFF congress was scheduled to meet in the southern city of Warri with voting to elect a new leader set to begin at 10:00 am (0900 GMT).
But one delegate, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Ebomhe, the election chairman, "has not been seen since this morning and so the elections cannot begin".
Multiple witnesses said Ebomhe had been seized in his hotel room by officers from Nigeria's main intelligence agency, the Department of State Services (DSS).
The DSS and police could not immediately be reached for comment.The NFF has been plagued by controversy since the end of the World Cup.
Outgoing NFF President Aminu Maigari was arrested by security agents when he arrived back from Brazil in July and was later impeached by some of his executive committee members on corruption charges.
FIFA then imposed an international ban on the grounds of political interference after a court sacked the NFF high command and the sports minister imposed a civil servant to take temporary charge.
The ban was lifted after nine days and Maigari was reinstated because his dismissal did not follow laid-down procedures.
But in August, the secret police detained him again, preventing him from attending an executive committee meeting where the owner of Nigeria Premier League side Giwa FC, Chris Giwa, took charge.
That prompted Nigerian referees, clubs and players to boycott the domestic leagues and FIFA to threaten to again suspend the African champions if Maigari were not reinstated and fresh elections held.
Football's world governing body has warned that any further breaches of election procedure will see Nigeria banned from international competition until its own annual congress next May.
Maigari has ruled himself out of the election, with businessman Shehu Dikko, who helped arrange a tour by Manchester United in 2008, tipped as the front-runner.
Former NFF general-secretary Taiwo Ogunjobi and Delta FC chairman Amaju Pinnick are seen as his main rivals.
AFP
The uncertainty over Samson Ebomhe's whereabouts is the latest in a series of scandals to hit the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), which could face an eight-month FIFA ban if the vote does not take place.
The 44-member NFF congress was scheduled to meet in the southern city of Warri with voting to elect a new leader set to begin at 10:00 am (0900 GMT).
But one delegate, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Ebomhe, the election chairman, "has not been seen since this morning and so the elections cannot begin".
Multiple witnesses said Ebomhe had been seized in his hotel room by officers from Nigeria's main intelligence agency, the Department of State Services (DSS).
The DSS and police could not immediately be reached for comment.The NFF has been plagued by controversy since the end of the World Cup.
Outgoing NFF President Aminu Maigari was arrested by security agents when he arrived back from Brazil in July and was later impeached by some of his executive committee members on corruption charges.
FIFA then imposed an international ban on the grounds of political interference after a court sacked the NFF high command and the sports minister imposed a civil servant to take temporary charge.
The ban was lifted after nine days and Maigari was reinstated because his dismissal did not follow laid-down procedures.
But in August, the secret police detained him again, preventing him from attending an executive committee meeting where the owner of Nigeria Premier League side Giwa FC, Chris Giwa, took charge.
That prompted Nigerian referees, clubs and players to boycott the domestic leagues and FIFA to threaten to again suspend the African champions if Maigari were not reinstated and fresh elections held.
Football's world governing body has warned that any further breaches of election procedure will see Nigeria banned from international competition until its own annual congress next May.
Maigari has ruled himself out of the election, with businessman Shehu Dikko, who helped arrange a tour by Manchester United in 2008, tipped as the front-runner.
Former NFF general-secretary Taiwo Ogunjobi and Delta FC chairman Amaju Pinnick are seen as his main rivals.
AFP
Monday, September 29, 2014
Evangelist T.B. Joshua to be sued for building collapse that left 115 dead in Lagos, Nigeria
Two South Africans who lost relatives when a church hostel in Lagos collapsed have told the BBC they intend to sue Nigerian evangelist TB Joshua.The two men, who both lost sisters in the collapse, are appealing for more families to come together in bringing a case against the preacher.
At least 115 people, including 84 South Africans, died when the multi-storey building fell down earlier this month.
The authorities say it had more floors than its foundation could hold.
'No news'
On Sunday, Mr Joshua, who is one of Nigeria's best-known evangelists and is popular across Africa, announced plans to travel to South Africa to visit the families of the deceased.
Emergency workers allege they were prevented from participating in the rescue, only gaining full access to the site on Sunday afternoon - accusations denied by Pastor Joshua's Synagogue, Church of All Nations (SCOAN).
Thanduxolo Doro and Mpho Molebatsi waited at Johannesburg's OR Tambo airport for days after the collapse for news of their sisters, who had been visiting SCOAN.
Both families had last heard from their relatives hours before the collapse, which happened at about 13:50 local time (12.50 GMT) on Friday 12 September.
"It is not that the building collapsed, rather what was done after the collapse - we didn't get any news from the church," Mr Doro, whose sister Vathiswa Madikiza died, told the BBC.
"When I contacted them they wouldn't tell me anything. We saw reports that emergency workers were denied access initially, access that could have saved lives. The actions of the church after the incident are very telling," he said.
In an open letter published in South Africa's Star newspaper, Mr Doro called on more families to sue Mr Joshua.
"I need to do this for her. Even if I stand alone, I am determined to see that something is done," he told the BBC.
"I understand that some families are afraid to take on someone who purports to be God's messenger and I don't blame them but I will do this."
Mr Doro says he was informed by South African officials about his sister's death this week, but has to wait for the results of DNA tests before her body can be repatriated for burial.
He told the BBC that he had spoken to two families who were eager to join him in suing Mr Joshua, but no concrete plans had been made.
He has not been in contact with Mr Molebatsi, whose sister Hlubi Molebatsi was also killed.
Mr Molebatsi says he has contacted his lawyers.
"I have spoken to other families but it has been difficult because this is a time of mourning. I would like to see families get something from the church as some of the people who died were breadwinners," he told the BBC.
Some 25 survivors of the collapse are continuing to receive medical care following their return to South Africa.
Officials say 16 of the wounded are in critical condition, with some having had limbs amputated and other complications.
BBC
Related stories: Prophet T.B. Joshua under fire for building collapse in Lagos, Nigeria
Nigeria's Pastors 'As Rich As Oil Barons'
Friday, September 26, 2014
Armed men attack College in Kano, Nigeria - 15 dead
Gunmen stormed a higher education college in northern Nigeria on Wednesday, firing on fleeing students and setting off an explosion in an attack that killed at least 15 people and wounded 35, police said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the region’s main city of Kano, but the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has repeatedly targeted civilians in the north, is likely to be a prime suspect.
A police spokesman added that officers arrived on the scene and killed two of the attackers.
“We heard several shots from the gate area and after a few minutes we heard an explosion at the theater,” said Sansei Omar, who lectures in English at the federal government college and watched the attack from a neighboring building.
“The attackers were wearing suits and were running and shooting everywhere.”
Insurgents from Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden”, are fighting to carve out an Islamic state in Nigeria.
Western-style schools are a prime target for their attacks, which include several secondary school massacres and the abduction of 200 school girls in April from the village of Chibouk.
Daily Times
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the region’s main city of Kano, but the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has repeatedly targeted civilians in the north, is likely to be a prime suspect.
A police spokesman added that officers arrived on the scene and killed two of the attackers.
“We heard several shots from the gate area and after a few minutes we heard an explosion at the theater,” said Sansei Omar, who lectures in English at the federal government college and watched the attack from a neighboring building.
“The attackers were wearing suits and were running and shooting everywhere.”
Insurgents from Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden”, are fighting to carve out an Islamic state in Nigeria.
Western-style schools are a prime target for their attacks, which include several secondary school massacres and the abduction of 200 school girls in April from the village of Chibouk.
Daily Times
Thursday, September 25, 2014
One of the kidnapped schoolgirls found by police in Adamawa, Nigeria
One of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Islamist Boko Haram rebels in the northeastern Nigerian village of Chibok was freed this week, police and a parent of some of the other missing girls said on Thursday.
Boko Haram militants took the girls from a secondary school in the village near the Cameroon border in April, sparking a worldwide outcry, and have remained in captivity ever since.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has been pilloried at home and abroad for his slow response to the kidnapping and for his inability to quell the violence by the Islamist militants, seen as the biggest security threat to Africa's top economy.
"She was found running in a village. She was in the bush for about four days. She's still receiving medical attention," said a parent, who has two girls still with the insurgents and who declined to be named.
He added that she was now in the northeastern city of Yola.
Police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu told reporters in Abuja that the 20-year-old woman was discovered on Wednesday, saying she had been "dropped off by suspected Boko Haram militants" at Mubi in Adamawa state, some 100 km (60 miles) from Chibok.
"Her condition is stable," he said, without explaining why she might have been released.
The Islamists offered last May a prisoner swap to release the girls, but the proposal was rejected by the government.
A military operation in the northeast has so far failed to quell the rebellion and has triggered reprisal attacks that are increasingly targeting civilians, after they formed vigilante groups to try to help the government flush out the militants.
Boko Haram militants on motorcycles killed at least 18 people in an attack on the northeast Nigerian town of Shaffa late on Wednesday, witnesses said on Thursday.
The attack late on Wednesday left bodies in the street, witness Amos Mshelia, who escaped by running into the surrounding bush and on to the nearby town of Biu, told Reuters by telephone.
"People ran out of their houses in fear, but unknown to many of us the insurgents were nearby and they were pursuing people, shooting as we were fleeing," he said.
Boko Haram has seized several towns in the last two months, although the military said on Wednesday it had pushed them back and that 135 fighters had surrendered this week.
It also said Nigerian troops had killed a man posing as Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in several videos, including one in which he threatened to sell the girls into slavery. The military said last year that Shekau himself might have been killed.
Boko Haram gunmen carried away some 270 girls and women, aged from 13 to over 20, when they raided the Chibok school. More than 50 eventually escaped, but at least 200 remain in captivity, as do scores of other girls kidnapped previously.
Reuters
Related stories: Nigerian military backtracks on statement of rescuing kidnapped schoolgirls
Hundreds of Boko Haram members surrender
Boko Haram militants took the girls from a secondary school in the village near the Cameroon border in April, sparking a worldwide outcry, and have remained in captivity ever since.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has been pilloried at home and abroad for his slow response to the kidnapping and for his inability to quell the violence by the Islamist militants, seen as the biggest security threat to Africa's top economy.
"She was found running in a village. She was in the bush for about four days. She's still receiving medical attention," said a parent, who has two girls still with the insurgents and who declined to be named.
He added that she was now in the northeastern city of Yola.
Police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu told reporters in Abuja that the 20-year-old woman was discovered on Wednesday, saying she had been "dropped off by suspected Boko Haram militants" at Mubi in Adamawa state, some 100 km (60 miles) from Chibok.
"Her condition is stable," he said, without explaining why she might have been released.
The Islamists offered last May a prisoner swap to release the girls, but the proposal was rejected by the government.
A military operation in the northeast has so far failed to quell the rebellion and has triggered reprisal attacks that are increasingly targeting civilians, after they formed vigilante groups to try to help the government flush out the militants.
Boko Haram militants on motorcycles killed at least 18 people in an attack on the northeast Nigerian town of Shaffa late on Wednesday, witnesses said on Thursday.
The attack late on Wednesday left bodies in the street, witness Amos Mshelia, who escaped by running into the surrounding bush and on to the nearby town of Biu, told Reuters by telephone.
"People ran out of their houses in fear, but unknown to many of us the insurgents were nearby and they were pursuing people, shooting as we were fleeing," he said.
Boko Haram has seized several towns in the last two months, although the military said on Wednesday it had pushed them back and that 135 fighters had surrendered this week.
It also said Nigerian troops had killed a man posing as Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in several videos, including one in which he threatened to sell the girls into slavery. The military said last year that Shekau himself might have been killed.
Boko Haram gunmen carried away some 270 girls and women, aged from 13 to over 20, when they raided the Chibok school. More than 50 eventually escaped, but at least 200 remain in captivity, as do scores of other girls kidnapped previously.
Reuters
Related stories: Nigerian military backtracks on statement of rescuing kidnapped schoolgirls
Hundreds of Boko Haram members surrender
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says corruption worse under President Goodluck Jonathan
A former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has formally declared his intention to contest the 2015 Presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.Abubakar, at a ceremony held at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Wednesday, explained that his desire to become President was born out of the need to give back to the nation.
Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and the Publisher of Leadership, Sam Nda-Isaiah, had also declared interest in the APC presidential ticket. A former Head of State and National Leader of the APC, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, have been reported to also have interest in the ticket.
A confident Abubakar told his supporters during the ceremony that he had the capacity to bring people together and turn things around for the better in the country.
He pointed out that the glaring mismatch between “our potential and our achievements provides a golden opportunity” for him to lead Nigerians to rekindle their innovative instinct and turn the Nigerian dream into a reality.
He explained that in spite of many challenges faced by Nigerians, they had refused to give up on the country.
The former Vice-President said the 2015 elections were about Nigerian youths and the nation’s future.
He stressed that the nation, under the current administration, had failed to provide the required environment for the youth to reach their full potential.
The former vice-president said, “It is inspiring that amidst difficulties and growing anxiety over the future of our country, our people have refused to succumb to despair and hopelessness.
“This never-say-die attitude gives me immense hope and it is one of the reasons why I can never give up on Nigeria.”
Reacting to the agitation for generational shift, he said his generation owed younger Nigerians the responsibility of offering its political shoulders to them to climb upon.
This, he said, was necessary to improve their vision and expand their horizon.
He noted that it was this trans-generational collaboration and partnership that represented the best model to create the future that the nation desired and deserved.
Nigeria, he said, should never again be subjected to leadership experimentation or learning on the job.
He recalled that the Olusegun Obasanjo administration which he was a part of successfully reformed some critical sectors of the economy such as telecommunications and the capital market.
Abubakar said, “As Vice-President from 1999 to 2007, I worked closely with my boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who is a passionate defender of Nigerian unity.
“We focused on macro-economic stability and transforming critical areas such as banking, insurance, oil and gas, telecommunications, pension and the civil service.
“We created institutions that should lay the foundation for good governance and accountability such as the Bureau of Public Procurement, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, SERVICOM, whose golden rule is ‘Serve others as you would like to be served.’ Sadly, most of these institutions are now mere shadows of themselves.”
He said the Obasanjo administration was able to deliver because it had vision, commitment and dedication .
The former Vice-President expressed sadness that rather than pay down the nation’s debts, “our borrowing has been on the increase even at a time the price of oil has consistently been above $100 per barrel since the inception of the Goodluck Jonathan administration.’’
He argued that resentment, disillusionment and hopelessness were the factors on which insecurity and disharmony thrived.
Nigeria, he said, was more divided today than at any other time since the civil war, adding that there was a disturbing rise in ethnic nationalism and religious bigotry because “we have a governance deficit.”
The aspirant said, “Our country seems to be on auto pilot with no one in charge. Nigeria now more than ever before, needs a strong, dynamic, decisive, competent and visionary leadership that can halt the current drift of the ship of state. Corruption needs to be fought, jobs need to be created, our infrastructure needs to be rebuilt, social services need to be provided and insecurity needs to be tackled in a decisive, robust and multi-pronged way.”
While commending the leadership of the APC for adopting the modified open primaries in selecting its flag bearers at all levels, Abubakar said the party remained the most potent political force to end years of PDP’s dominance of the political space.
The leader of the National Assembly caucus of the APC, Senator George Akume, who spoke on behalf of other party leaders at the event, said the APC has within its ranks, the men and women who have what it takes to rebuild Nigeria.
Five politicians, lawyers ask court to stop Jonathan
Meanwhile, three politicians and two lawyers have separately asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop Jonathan and Vice-President Namadi Sambo from re-contesting in 2015.
The plaintiffs argued in their suits that by the virtue of constitutional provisions, the President and the Vice-President, had previously been elected for one single term of four years.
Two politicians – Adejumo Ajagbe and Olatoye Wahab – filed the first suit while two lawyers and another politician filed the second on September 19 .
The lawyers are Mase Acho and Saeeq Sarki. The third is Murtala Abubakar.
Ajagbe, who claimed to be a member of the PDP in Lagos State, and Wahab, a member of the APC in Ogun State, said they were presidential aspirants whose interest would be jeopardised if Jonathan and Sambo were not barred.
The two plaintiffs, who engaged the services of four Senior Advocates of Nigeria, joined the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Attorney General of the Federation as defendants.
The SANs are James Ocholi, A. J. Owonikoko, Okon Efut and Mahmud Magaji.
The suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/662/2014, was assigned to Justice Ahmed Mohammed but the two defendants have yet to respond to it.
The plaintiffs argued that by virtue of the oaths taken by Jonathan and Sambo following the death of President Umaru Yar’adua in 2010 and their subsequent re-election in 2011, both of them were deemed to have completed the two terms allowed by law.
Their statement of claim read in part, “That being so, the reference to ‘two previous elections’ in Section 137(1)(b) of the Constitution includes two previous oath of allegiance and oath of office as President.
“It is therefore safe to conclude that a Vice President, who had taken the oath of allegiance and oath of office for two previous terms as President is, in law, deemed to have been elected into the office of President at two previous elections, thereby standing disqualified to contest another election into that office.”
They raised five questions for the court’s determination and sought seven reliefs, including an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the AGF and INEC from accepting as candidate in the 2015 presidential election, anybody caught by “two-previous election limit and eight-year term limit.”
PUNCH
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Hundreds of Boko Haram members surrender
Hundreds of Islamic extremists have surrendered in Nigeria and neighboring Cameroon following the military’s recent victories with air and ground attacks, military authorities said Wednesday.
The Nigerian Defense Ministry has said it has killed hundreds of insurgents recently in the country’s northeast.
Several militant commanders were among the dead including Mohammed Bashir, whom the Nigerian military identified as a double who posed in videos as Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, a military statement said Wednesday.
The military has claimed Shekau was killed in battle last year.
Nigeria’s military said it was victorious around Konduga town just 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Maiduguri, birthplace of Boko Haram and the headquarters of the military offensive to contain the Islamic uprising.
“It became apparent that the terrorists ... were determined to take over communities around Maiduguri, which is their prime target,” the statement said, adding the insurgents made four attempts to take Konduga between Sept. 12 and 17.
It said 135 insurgents surrendered Tuesday night, some at Buni-Yadi some 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Konduga and others at Michika, 165 kilometers (100 miles) south of Konduga.
Cameroon’s defense ministry said more than 300 Boko Haram fighters have surrendered there in the past three weeks. Spokesman Lt. Col. Didier Badjeck told The Associated Press that the militants have given up their arms and asked for asylum in Cameroon. Their fate has not been decided.
Fighters from neighboring Cameroon, Niger and Chad have been identified fighting alongside Nigeria’s homegrown Boko Haram group, which in recent weeks also has been attacking border towns and villages in Cameroon.
Boko Haram had seized a string of towns and declared an Islamic caliphate in a corner of northeast Nigeria before the setback suffered at Konduga.
Washington Post
Related story: Military of Nigeria confirm Boko Haram leader dead
The Nigerian Defense Ministry has said it has killed hundreds of insurgents recently in the country’s northeast.
Several militant commanders were among the dead including Mohammed Bashir, whom the Nigerian military identified as a double who posed in videos as Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, a military statement said Wednesday.
The military has claimed Shekau was killed in battle last year.
Nigeria’s military said it was victorious around Konduga town just 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Maiduguri, birthplace of Boko Haram and the headquarters of the military offensive to contain the Islamic uprising.
“It became apparent that the terrorists ... were determined to take over communities around Maiduguri, which is their prime target,” the statement said, adding the insurgents made four attempts to take Konduga between Sept. 12 and 17.
It said 135 insurgents surrendered Tuesday night, some at Buni-Yadi some 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Konduga and others at Michika, 165 kilometers (100 miles) south of Konduga.
Cameroon’s defense ministry said more than 300 Boko Haram fighters have surrendered there in the past three weeks. Spokesman Lt. Col. Didier Badjeck told The Associated Press that the militants have given up their arms and asked for asylum in Cameroon. Their fate has not been decided.
Fighters from neighboring Cameroon, Niger and Chad have been identified fighting alongside Nigeria’s homegrown Boko Haram group, which in recent weeks also has been attacking border towns and villages in Cameroon.
Boko Haram had seized a string of towns and declared an Islamic caliphate in a corner of northeast Nigeria before the setback suffered at Konduga.
Washington Post
Related story: Military of Nigeria confirm Boko Haram leader dead
Military of Nigeria confirm Boko Haram leader dead
The Nigerian military has confirmed that one Mohammed Bashir, who has been acting or posing on videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau, the eccentric character known as the leader of the Boko Haram sect, was killed in a counter-terrorism operation in the north-east.
In a statement, the spokesman for the military, Major General Chris Olukolade, said that Mr Bashir was killed after members of the terrorist group made not less than four attempts between September 12 and 17 to violate the security strategy and enter Konduga to attack citizens in the area.
“Air and land forces were subsequently deployed to handle the situation.
“The convoy of combat vehicles typical of terrorists’ mission that involves their top commanders, were fiercely engaged by the land and air forces. Several of the terrorists including some of their commanders lost their lives in the encounters which lasted an average of about four hours each, leading to the death of the man claiming to be Mr Shekau,” the statement read.
According to Mr Olukolade, the troops captured some of the terrorists and their equipment. He explained in the statement that “after normalcy was restored, inhabitants of the community, who were victims of terrorists activities corroborated information on the identity of Mr Bashir, alias Abubakar Shekau, alias Abacha Abdullahi Geidam and alias Damasack”.
He emphasised that the recent devastation on the leadership of the insurgents was as a result of the renewed commitment to the mission of eradicating terrorism in Nigeria.
The military warned that “since the name Shekau had become a brand name for the terrorists’ leader, it would remain resolute to serve justice to anyone who assumes that designation or title as well as all terrorists that seek to violate the freedom and territory of Nigeria”.
The Defence Headquarters also applauded the gallantry of the Nigerian troops who had remained undaunted and professional in prosecuting the campaign against terror.
It also mentioned that the keen interest exhibited by Nigeria’s neighbours and allies had been commendable, reassuring all allies in the war against terrorism of the Nigerian military’s resolve to maintain momentum in the efforts to decimate and defeat terrorists.
The military further stressed the need for all Nigerians to be alert, vigilant and cooperate with security forces in the war on terror campaign.
Meanwhile, a total of 135 terrorists on Tuesday evening surrendered along with equipment to troops around Biu Local Government Area in Borno State.
According to the military’s statement, a group of 88 submitted themselves at Mairiga/Bun-Yadi while another group of 45 terrorists were taken in around Mubi-Michika.
They are all being interrogated and processed in conformity with the dictates of standard best practices.
Channels
Related story: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau possibly dead
In a statement, the spokesman for the military, Major General Chris Olukolade, said that Mr Bashir was killed after members of the terrorist group made not less than four attempts between September 12 and 17 to violate the security strategy and enter Konduga to attack citizens in the area.
“Air and land forces were subsequently deployed to handle the situation.
“The convoy of combat vehicles typical of terrorists’ mission that involves their top commanders, were fiercely engaged by the land and air forces. Several of the terrorists including some of their commanders lost their lives in the encounters which lasted an average of about four hours each, leading to the death of the man claiming to be Mr Shekau,” the statement read.
According to Mr Olukolade, the troops captured some of the terrorists and their equipment. He explained in the statement that “after normalcy was restored, inhabitants of the community, who were victims of terrorists activities corroborated information on the identity of Mr Bashir, alias Abubakar Shekau, alias Abacha Abdullahi Geidam and alias Damasack”.
He emphasised that the recent devastation on the leadership of the insurgents was as a result of the renewed commitment to the mission of eradicating terrorism in Nigeria.
The military warned that “since the name Shekau had become a brand name for the terrorists’ leader, it would remain resolute to serve justice to anyone who assumes that designation or title as well as all terrorists that seek to violate the freedom and territory of Nigeria”.
The Defence Headquarters also applauded the gallantry of the Nigerian troops who had remained undaunted and professional in prosecuting the campaign against terror.
It also mentioned that the keen interest exhibited by Nigeria’s neighbours and allies had been commendable, reassuring all allies in the war against terrorism of the Nigerian military’s resolve to maintain momentum in the efforts to decimate and defeat terrorists.
The military further stressed the need for all Nigerians to be alert, vigilant and cooperate with security forces in the war on terror campaign.
Meanwhile, a total of 135 terrorists on Tuesday evening surrendered along with equipment to troops around Biu Local Government Area in Borno State.
According to the military’s statement, a group of 88 submitted themselves at Mairiga/Bun-Yadi while another group of 45 terrorists were taken in around Mubi-Michika.
They are all being interrogated and processed in conformity with the dictates of standard best practices.
Channels
Related story: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau possibly dead
About 50 Nigerian MPs walk out of parliament over arms deal with South Africa
Nearly 50 Nigerian parliament members have angrily left the legislature’s lower house after a motion to probe a huge cash arms deal worth $9.3 million with South Africa was blocked.
The Tuesday development came after South African police announced last week that its customs authorities seized cash funds in 100 dollar bills in three suitcases, which arrived on a private jet from Nigeria at Johannesburg’s Lanseria airport earlier in the month.
South African authorities then seized the cash-filled luggage after two Nigerians and an Israeli carrying them did not declare the money, according to local press reports.
The three individuals with the funds, however, were not charged with any wrongdoing by the authorities.
No explanation has been released so far about the Israeli connection to the cash weapons deal, apparently between the Nigerian government and South Africa.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers that stormed out of the parliament chamber were reportedly mostly from opposition parties, accusing the ruling People’s Democratic Party of blocking the motion to probe the arms deal through Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihiodioha.
Ihiodioha has reportedly reasoned that since the weapons deal was an issue of national security, it could not be broached.
This is while the upper chamber of the Nigerian legislature has also summoned the country’s security chiefs over the suspicious arms deal.
However, it is not yet clear whether the security chiefs did in fact appear on Tuesday before the Senate Committee on Defense, which issued its summons last week.
Correspondents say the revelations have shocked many Nigerians and there have been calls for an inquiry.
Meanwhile, PRNigeria, which does communication consultancy for the Nigerian military and enjoys strong links with the country’s security agencies, cited a source as claiming that the money was for a legitimate government transaction to purchase weapons.
PressTV
Related story: $9.3 million in cash seized in South Africa traced to Nigerian intelligence agency
The Tuesday development came after South African police announced last week that its customs authorities seized cash funds in 100 dollar bills in three suitcases, which arrived on a private jet from Nigeria at Johannesburg’s Lanseria airport earlier in the month.
South African authorities then seized the cash-filled luggage after two Nigerians and an Israeli carrying them did not declare the money, according to local press reports.
The three individuals with the funds, however, were not charged with any wrongdoing by the authorities.
No explanation has been released so far about the Israeli connection to the cash weapons deal, apparently between the Nigerian government and South Africa.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers that stormed out of the parliament chamber were reportedly mostly from opposition parties, accusing the ruling People’s Democratic Party of blocking the motion to probe the arms deal through Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihiodioha.
Ihiodioha has reportedly reasoned that since the weapons deal was an issue of national security, it could not be broached.
This is while the upper chamber of the Nigerian legislature has also summoned the country’s security chiefs over the suspicious arms deal.
However, it is not yet clear whether the security chiefs did in fact appear on Tuesday before the Senate Committee on Defense, which issued its summons last week.
Correspondents say the revelations have shocked many Nigerians and there have been calls for an inquiry.
Meanwhile, PRNigeria, which does communication consultancy for the Nigerian military and enjoys strong links with the country’s security agencies, cited a source as claiming that the money was for a legitimate government transaction to purchase weapons.
PressTV
Related story: $9.3 million in cash seized in South Africa traced to Nigerian intelligence agency
Nigerian military backtracks on statement of rescuing kidnapped schoolgirls
Nigeria's military has retracted its statement that some of the schoolgirls abducted from Chibok town in April by Islamist militants had been freed.
Army spokesman Major General Chris Olukolade told the BBC there were girls in military custody, but not those from Chibok as originally thought.
More than 200 girls were seized by Boko Haram fighters from a boarding school in the north-eastern Borno state.
It caused worldwide outrage and sparked a social media campaign.
Protests were organised under the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, calling on the authorities to do more to free the girls, who had gone to the school in Chibok from surrounding areas to take their final year exams.
Shortly after the abduction, Boko Haram released a video showing more than 100 of them and offering an exchange for prisoners.
In recent days there have been unconfirmed reports that the Nigerian government has been negotiating a deal with Boko Haram to exchange the abducted girls for imprisoned Islamist fighters.
Since a state of emergency was declared in May 2013 in the north-east to end Boko Haram's insurgency, the group's attacks have increased.
Many women and children - including teenage girls - have been taken hostage since then.
Earlier, Gen Olukolade told the BBC there was an ongoing exercise to release the schoolgirls taken from Chibok and that some of them were safe in a military barracks.
But he later called back to retract his statement, saying the authorities were trying to confirm the identities of the girls who are in the custody of the army, but they did not come from Chibok.
Boko Haram's name translates as "Western education is forbidden", and it has carried out raids on schools and colleges, seeing them as a symbol of Western culture.
BBC
Related story: Some of the kidnapped schoolgirls have been rescued by Nigerian army
Army spokesman Major General Chris Olukolade told the BBC there were girls in military custody, but not those from Chibok as originally thought.
More than 200 girls were seized by Boko Haram fighters from a boarding school in the north-eastern Borno state.
It caused worldwide outrage and sparked a social media campaign.
Protests were organised under the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, calling on the authorities to do more to free the girls, who had gone to the school in Chibok from surrounding areas to take their final year exams.
Shortly after the abduction, Boko Haram released a video showing more than 100 of them and offering an exchange for prisoners.
In recent days there have been unconfirmed reports that the Nigerian government has been negotiating a deal with Boko Haram to exchange the abducted girls for imprisoned Islamist fighters.
Since a state of emergency was declared in May 2013 in the north-east to end Boko Haram's insurgency, the group's attacks have increased.
Many women and children - including teenage girls - have been taken hostage since then.
Earlier, Gen Olukolade told the BBC there was an ongoing exercise to release the schoolgirls taken from Chibok and that some of them were safe in a military barracks.
But he later called back to retract his statement, saying the authorities were trying to confirm the identities of the girls who are in the custody of the army, but they did not come from Chibok.
Boko Haram's name translates as "Western education is forbidden", and it has carried out raids on schools and colleges, seeing them as a symbol of Western culture.
BBC
Related story: Some of the kidnapped schoolgirls have been rescued by Nigerian army
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Some of the kidnapped schoolgirls have been rescued by Nigerian army
Nigeria's military has told the BBC that some of the schoolgirls abducted from Chibok town in April by Islamist militants have been released.
Army spokesman Brig Gen Chris Olukolade did not give details about the number of girls freed, saying the exercise was "ongoing".
More than 200 girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram fighters from a boarding school in the north-eastern Born state.
It caused worldwide outrage and sparked a social media campaign.
BBC
Related stories: 11 parents of some of the kidnapped schoolgirls now dead
Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan finally meets with parents of kidnapped schoolgirls
Army spokesman Brig Gen Chris Olukolade did not give details about the number of girls freed, saying the exercise was "ongoing".
More than 200 girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram fighters from a boarding school in the north-eastern Born state.
It caused worldwide outrage and sparked a social media campaign.
BBC
Related stories: 11 parents of some of the kidnapped schoolgirls now dead
Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan finally meets with parents of kidnapped schoolgirls
Nigeria's own Comic-Con celebrates 3 years
The country also boasts a thriving independent press, and internet penetration is rapidly rising as the government pushes out broadband. Books, too, remain popular, led by the public intellectual and Nobel Prize Winner Wole Soyinka and the emergence of the national $100,000 NLNG Nigeria Prize– although a recent decision by the Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to place a crippling tax on imported texts has limited their availability. Piracy is also a problem. On my recent trip to Nigeria, I purchased a few CDs at what appeared to be a fancy music store and they all turned out to be pirated, and even the distributors of Nollywood films pirate the films they are supposed to be selling.
The comics scene in Nigeria has been thriving since the 1980s, but has yet to burst into the mainstream. There are tastes of what may soon emerge as youth in Nigeria fully embrace the internet—check out this sci-fi short on YouTube here, which includes an animated spaceship—but comics are still an emerging industry. On Friday, the third annual Lagos Comic Con will launch in the commercial capital of 20 million people. I corresponded with comics creator and co-founder Ayodele Elegba about the event, where we wrote about attractions, popular comics, Ebola, and cosplay.
Q: How did the Lagos Comicon get started?
Elegba: The Lagos Comic Con began in 2012 when I realized that the comic medium was not appreciated by the Nigerian public like it used to be in the 80s while I was growing up. I had previously published a newsletter to raise awareness about the scene but the response was low and people kept asking me where they could get comic books and if there were comics created by Nigerians. I wanted to debunk the myth and show people that Nigerian Comics do exist and that we have comic artists and writers here in Nigeria. That was when I decided to start the Lagos Comicon, with no funds but a dream to make it an international festival.
Q: What will you have at the event?
Elegba: This year the event is much bigger because we have included other genres of entertainment such as movies, games, and animations, which are like an extension of comic books. We will have a Comic Zone, where you can buy Nigerian Comics and meet African creators. We also have Nollywood Village: this is where you can buy Nigerian-made movies with an action/comics bent and meet A-list Nigerian film stars and music celebrities. We have the Game Zone, where we’ll run a competition this year called “Battle of the Game Lords,” where gamers will compete for a prize of over US$2000. We have an Arts and Culture Zone where we showcase fine arts, sculptures, paintings, and the beautiful culture of the Nigeria. We have a workshop session with 12 speakers who will talk about various genres of entertainment. Finally, we have the Kids Zone, where kids can play and have fun while their parents shop. We also have other segments like karaoke, exhibitions, dance performances and music performances from pop stars.
Q: What are some of the most popular themes in Nigerian comics (e.g. scifi, history, romance, adventure)?
Elegba: The most popular themes right now in Nigerian comics are magical or cultural, though we have superhero comics and military comics too.
Q: Are there any topics that you won’t find in other countries? For example, there is a series on President Goodluck Jonathan.
Elegba: Well Nigeria is unique, and there is a particular comic called Central Attack which deals with the issue of Boko Haram, the terrorist group in Nigeria.
[Interviewer’s Note: Central Attack depicts an elite government strike team that protects the country against the militant Islamic sect Boko Haram. You can read more about it here.]
Q: Who are the most popular comic book authors and writers?
Elegba: The most popular comic book artists are Ibrahim Ganiyu, Jide Olusanya, Stanley Obende, Mohammed Agbadi and many more. Writers include myself Ayodele Elegba, Wisdom Omon, Niyi, and Niran Adeniji.
Q: Piracy is a problem in Nigeria for fiction authors and for films. Is this an issue for comics in Nigeria?
Elegba: Right now there is no piracy in comics. Piracy dwells on the financial success of a products. Comics don’t have that yet.
Q: Will scares about Ebola cause any issues for attendance?
Elegba: I don’t think so. The Ebola scare has been well curbed by the Nigerian government and so far all cases of Ebola infections have been effectively quarantined and taken care of. We have also put in place measures for hand washing and sanitization at the event. We will be checking everyone’s temperature as they go into the hall.
Q: How is the internet affecting the comics scene in Nigeria? Can you buy local comics online?
Elegba: The internet is a developing media in Nigeria, but so far Nigerian comics are doing well. We have about five indigenous online comic stores in Nigeria now.
Will there be any cosplay?
Elegba: Sure, what’s a comic con without cosplay? There will be cosplay and there will be prizes for the winners.
The Beat
Related stories: Nollywood: most prolific movie machine
How Nigerian students created Nigeria's biggest online-job search site Jobberman
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)