A human rights lawyer and activist, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, has replied a faith-based group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), saying he will not withdraw his pending cases against the Arabic writing on naira notes and the Nigerian Army logo.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that MURIC knocked Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, a Nigerian lawyer who appeared in courts like a “Juju” priest and told Malcolm to withdraw suits against hijab use, Arabic writing on naira notes and the Nigerian Army logo.

Omirhobo, therefore, said he would not withdraw the cases because they are not hate-inspired against Islam and Muslims as MURIC would want Muslims to believe, but they are public interest suits for the benefit of a secular, progressive one Nigeria state.

Speaking with SaharaReporters, he said, "I have seen and read the recent publication of MURIC through its founder and chairman, board of trustees, Prof Ishad Akintola, asking me to drop three of my suits, upholding Section 10 of the Nigerian constitution on the secularity of Nigeria as a proof that I am not a hater of Islam and Muslims and that I am not a religious bigot.

“The three suits, referred to are those challenging the Arabic Inscriptions on the Naira note, the Army logo and the approval of the Inspector general of police approval Hijab as official dress code for female muslim police officers.

"I will not drop the aforesaid suits because they are not hate-inspired against Islam and Muslims as Muric would want Muslims to believe but to the contrary the suits are patriotic public interest suits for the benefit of a secular progressive one Nigeria state.

"On my dress code to the Supreme Court and the Federal High Court, I don't see how that concerns Muric. Dressing in my religious attire is my fundamental right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion which is imbued in as long as I have not infringed on anybody's right or space and as long as I have not violated any known law in Nigeria, nobody can take my right from me; not the court or even the President of Nigeria.

"MURIC is a Defendant in the aforementioned suits which are sub judice so I wonder why it prefers media trial of the suits instead of trial at the court of law.

"Muric has lodged a petition against me on my alleged misconduct at the Supreme Court to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee; so what more does MURIC want? 

I advise Muric to preach love and not hate. Stop inciting Muslims against Nigerians of other religions in the already heated polity. Stop her bigotry. Be civil, courteous and law abiding.”

 

Islam Legal News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Idanre community in Ondo State has protested against a new policy introduced by the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu-led government which is turning their lives into a nightmare.

Governor Akeredolu was reported to have ordered the local farmers to vacate the forest reserve.

The existing order was necessitated by the decision of the state government to a concession no less than 40,000 hectares of their land to some few private individuals, including officials of the sitting government.

It was found out that the concessions were prosecuted to service an allegedly obtained loan by the Ondo State government from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The attendant destruction of properties worth billions (without compensation) pushed the local farmers to seek reprieve with the Owa of Idanre and the paramount ruler of the kingdom.

They were forced to troop out in protests after the unsuccessful attempts, dialogues initiated to plead with Governor Akeredolu or even bring him to the consciousness of what might result from such a decision.

One of the protesters, Akinwole Solomon, said, “The farmland actually belongs to Idanre. It isn't the land of the government. Our forefathers handed over the land to the British as at then. Nobody enters into the government's land anyhow. We have entered the forests since 1988, farming. Some came in the year 1989. We accommodated non-indigenes and have been there since then."

"The implication of the government stripping us of our land is for there to be many armed robbers, kidnappers on the streets. Those of us here aren't up to a quarter of those in the forests. Look at the number of people here.”

"This protest did not involve the use of cutlasses or hoes. We are not fighting the government or anybody. This farm is our heritage and they should leave it for us. We are begging Aketi; he should leave it for us.

"He gets money from four or five different sources through the forest reserve. They are five thousand naira per tonne of cocoa, N500 per bag of cocoa coming out of the reserve, and N300 per palm oil and plantain. We have all the tickets. I have tickets attesting to my paying more than a million."

"Those who are working in the forests are doing so for survival. There isn't any government office in Idanre. There is no higher institution, nothing special. All we have is our heritage as a forest reserve. The implication of sending us out of the place is proceeding to carry guns."

Another protester, Akinseye Adebayo, said, "if you see the farm we are talking about, a large number of people are there, they, their children and wives, a very long chain. Presently in Nigeria, agriculture constitutes about 37.7 percent of our Gross Domestic Product, of which 26.6 percent comes from cocoa.

"All we have here is school and farm. There is no government presence or industry. Idanre's industry is cocoa. What we are saying is that if the government is claiming there is insecurity in other areas, it isn't in Idanre."

"What we are now telling the world, that we want the international community to know is the properties being destroyed will cause hardship for more than 30 million people."

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

At least 16 Democratic members of Congress on Tuesday were arrested during an abortion-rights protest in Washington, D.C., including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.

This was announced by the U.S. Capitol Police announced on Twitter on Tuesday.

SaharaReporters also confirmed this on the verified social media accounts of Ilhan Omar.

"Today I was arrested in a civil disobedience action at the Supreme Court to protest Roe v Wade getting overturned and the assault on reproductive rights across the country.

"I will do whatever it takes, including putting my body on the line, to protect our fundamental rights," she posted.

The protest was against the recent ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that had found the Constitution protected a woman's right to an abortion. In the wake of the ruling, many states enacted laws with stringent restrictions or bans on abortions.

SaharaReporters had reported that the US Supreme Court overturned its 50-year-old Roe v Wade decision.

With the decision, millions of women in the country will lose their constitutional right to abortion, a right that Supreme Court itself previously granted them.

On Friday, June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned two historic decisions it made in the past, Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992).

The decisions had respectively established and affirmed a constitutional right for women to obtain an abortion.

The judgement paves the way for states in the US to ban abortion. Thirteen states have already passed so-called trigger laws to automatically outlaw abortion, BBC reports, while half are expected to introduce new restrictions or bans.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden described it as "a tragic error" and urged states to enact laws to allow the procedure.

After the ruling, abortion access is expected to be cut off for about 36 million women of reproductive age, according to research from Planned Parenthood, a healthcare organisation that provides abortions.

Senator Cory Booker, who is the first African-American US senator from New Jersey, described Friday as “heartbreaking" following the Supreme Court judgement.

“This is a heartbreaking day. The hurt of too many is inexpressible. The pain and the fear and the grief and anger, and the outrage, and outrage, and outrage,” he said in a statement. 

However, Senator Booker said despite the setback, people should lose hope.

“And yet, we know: This is not a time to curl up, give up or shut up,” he said.

“It is time to get up; to stand up, to speak up. It is a time to speak words that heal and help, to speak words that reaffirm our commitment to the cause of our country: the cause of liberty from government oppression, the cause of freedom, the freedom to control our own bodies.”

 

Background

 

In 1969, 25-year-old Norma McCorvey, known by the legal pseudonym ‘Jane Roe’, became pregnant with her third child and wanted an abortion. But living in Texas meant Roe could not get an abortion except when necessary to save the mother’s life.

Roe claimed she was raped but the case was rejected. She was forced to give birth.

Her attorneys, Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee, filed a lawsuit on her behalf in U.S. federal court against her local district attorney, Henry Wade.

In 1973, her case made it to the Supreme Court.

Roe’s lawyers had described Texas' abortion laws as unconstitutional and a three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled in her favour.

Subsequently, Texas’ abortion laws were subsequently declared unconstitutional but the parties appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court.

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court issued a 7–2 decision holding that state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional.

The Court resolved these competing interests by announcing a trimester timetable to guide all abortion regulations in the US.

During the first trimester (in the first months of pregnancy), there is an absolute right to an abortion. During the second trimester, there will be some government regulation, but only for the purpose of protecting maternal health and not for protecting foetal life. 

During the last trimester, abortions could be regulated or banned by the state as the foetus nears the state where it could live outside the womb.

In 1992, a legal case known as Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey was decided by the Supreme Court. It redefined several provisions regarding abortion rights as established in Roe v. Wade ruling of 1973.

United States of America News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

No fewer than six people have been reportedly killed, while six others were injured by gunmen suspected to be terrorists at Ruwangodiya, Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The deceased were hit on Tuesday by the terrorists’ bullets during the sporadic shooting, Punch reports.

The gunmen who stormed the town around 1.30pm and started shooting indiscriminately were said to have been in the town to rustle domestic animals.

Confirming the incident, the spokesman for the state Police Command, Gambo Isah, said “It is true. The terrorists struck around 1.30pm and killed six people while six people were injured. Those injured have been evacuated to hospitals for treatment. Our operatives are already on ground there.”

Katsina is one of the states currently being ravaged by bandits’ attacks.

Adamu Aliero a recently turbaned bandits leader had led several attacks on the state, leading to the deaths and abduction of many residents.

The bandit leader was the arrowhead of a deadly raid on Kadisau, a community in the Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, where about 52 people were killed.

He was declared wanted by the Katsina Police Command in 2019 with a bounty of N5 million on his head.

Insurgency News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Fresh facts have emerged on how the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Sonny Echono, who is a former Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, is allegedly running down the agency through unwholesome practices.

SaharaReporters had in 2020 done an extensive report on how Echono as the PS at the federal ministry, worked with the former Acting Registrar of NECO, Abubakar Gana, his Special Assistant, one Ibrahim Peter Alih, as well as Chairman of the Governing Board of council, Dr Abubakar Sadeeq, to perpetrate a N6billion contract fraud.

Echono was then accused of providing tacit support for the officials of NECO to perpetuate corruption at the council, while using his position as a very senior officer in the Ministry charged with the responsibility of supervising NECO.

Despite the allegations, Echono was appointed in March by President Muhammadu Buhari as the Executive Secretary of TETFUND.

Sources told SaharaReporters that Echono has turned the agency into a fiefdom where contract splitting and padding was the order of the day.

"The situation in TETFUND in less than four months is worrisome; the ES has done what no other chief executive has done in terms of splitting contracts to favour his cronies and fronts. A situation where the ES brags about extensive knowledge of procurement is disgusting. I can say that the rot he perpetuated while he was Permanent Secretary in the Education Ministry is what he is repeating here,” one of the sources said.

"The ES is in the habit of asking for advance payment in dollars before grants are released. You know he was the former PS in the Education Ministry, and he knew most of the Vice-Chancellors of the universities. So it has been business as usual with how these Vice-Chancellors respond to his monetary demands before grants are released.”

“One of the antics of the ES of TETFUND is insisting that most TETFUND projects are executed by firms he recommended. He has a list of firms under his direct control that he uses in executing TETFUND projects.

“There is a list of anointed firms that must execute projects. In some instances, these firms are not qualified and what happens is that they end up engaging firms with capacity but for a lesser fee. One of the federal universities in the Southern part of the country was a case where TETFUND released the sum of 250 million for constructing twin lecture theatres. The firm that was awarded the contract later engaged another firm for the same project at the sum of 150 million,” another source noted.

The source further added that while as Permanent Secretary, the major firms that handled contracts were recommended by him.

“Take the case of the National Examination Council, where he provided support for the officials of NECO to perpetrate corruption running into billions through the 'Direct Procurement Method' without regard to approval thresholds and without getting approvals from the Parastatal Tenders Board, Ministerial Tenders Board or the Federal Executive Council/Bureau of Public Procurement.

“While Arc Sonny Echono was the permanent secretary of the education ministry, no contract was awarded without the approval of the permanent secretary.

“Arc Sonny Echono was the brain behind the crisis at NECO during the era of Abubakar Gana as Acting Registrar of NECO. Gana awarded contracts to companies recommended to him by the Permanent Secretary and Chairman of the governing board and those close to him in a blatant abuse of due process and all known extant laws and financial regulations,” he said.

SaharaReporters learnt that some top members of Academic Staff Union of Universities are moving for the sack of Echono over “non-qualification and sleaze”.

The lecturers claimed the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu bent the rules in recommending him for the TETFUND job.

“After retirement, he lobbied extensively to get the TETFUND job through some powerful vice-chancellors with whom he has had dealings and his closeness to the education minister. And I can tell you that the sleaze has continued in his usual manner of receiving kickbacks from contractors, influencing contract processes, to mention but a few."

"I am afraid if things continue this way, TETFUND might lose focus and monies meant for interventions in tertiary institutions might end up in private pockets. I can bet that should the anti-graft agencies beam the searchlight on the activities of TETFUND; the discoveries would be mindboggling,” another source said.

Echono was at a time Director of procurement in the Ministries of Defence, Environment, Agriculture and Water Resources before he was appointed Permanent Secretary in 2014

A source, who revealed the NECO contract fraud, had told SaharaReporters that the indefinite suspension of the former Registrar, Prof Charles Uwakwe on May 10, 2018 provided Echono the opportunity to closely interfere in the procurement process of the examination council using Alih as his proxy.

The source had claimed the former Permanent Secretary and Sadeeq facilitated the appointment of Alih as the Special Assistant to Gana.

“The staff of NECO are now expressing disappointment with the fact that Echono and the Chairman of the Governing Board have equally imposed Alih on the new Registrar, Prof Godswill Obioma, thereby making it practically impossible for him to operate freely as the Chief Executive Officer of the council,” the source had claimed.

“Following series of petitions by some staff of NECO on the monumental act of corruption perpetrated by the Acting Registrar, the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit and the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation have launched massive investigations into the corruption in NECO, and Echono is also said to have been making overtures to the Auditor-General of the Federation and the Permanent Secretary (Special Duties) in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, who are his contemporaries/colleagues in the federal civil service and members of the Service Wide, to suppress the investigations. PICA is under the supervision of the Permanent Secretary (Special Duties).”

Scandal News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) has vowed to attack more prisons in Nigeria after claiming responsibility for the recent Kuje Prison attack in Abuja where over 800 inmates were released. 

The terrorists made the vow in a video released recently that showed where its members were celebrating Eid-el-Kabir festival in different locations believed to be in the shores of the Lake Chad and other villages controlled by the group in Borno State, Daily Trust reports.

Recall that there were media reports that the terror group on the eve of the Eid-el-Kabir festival made detailed plans to celebrate the festival in the places they have overtaken and had assigned imams to lead prayers at different locations. 

According to the report, the terrorists in a 12 minutes 38 seconds video with blurred faces, men and children were seen praying in open fields and participating in different aspects of the festival including animal sacrifice in line with the Eid tradition.

A song in Hausa had preceded the sermon in which the singing group chorusing, “Let’s come together and defeat the infidels who worship the false deities. Today we are happy and thanking God as we celebrate Sallah.”

Speaking in the video, an unnamed person who spoke shortly in Hausa assured members of the group still in detention that they will be freed soon, while expressing happiness over their success in the recent attack on Kuje Prison in Abuja.

The unnamed speaker said, “Our message to our brethren in Iraq, Syria and other Islamic States, you have stirred up the alert ears of the lion which would be restless until we demonstrated the result in real sense. And for those still in detention, we have not, and we would never forget about you as long as we are alive.

“You should know that there’d be a repeat of the Kuje incident when you can see the jihadists chanting ‘Allahu Akbar’ over your head, to free you from your enemies.

“We are informing the entire Muslim community, worldwide and all the brethren (Mujahedeen) in places like Iraq and Yemen that Allah has made us to witness and celebrate Eid with joy and in peace. As Allah said in the Quran: “And the best outcome is for the righteous.” 

Terrorism News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Femi Gbajabiamila

Sulaimon Gbajabiamila, a brother to Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, has been dragged to the Yaba Magistrate Court 1 for allegedly defrauding a United Kingdom-based Nigerian man, Lateef Adeyemo, of the sum of N31million.

Gbajabiamila had presented himself as an estate agent last year, fraudulently collected and converted to his own use, N31million (N30 million for the property, N1million for agent fee) meant for the purchase of a two-bedroom flat for Adeyemo between September and October 2021.

Femi Gbajabiamila

According to Adeyemo, it was clear to him that, Gbajabiamila had defrauded him when he (Gbajabiamila) refused to pick his calls and several attempts to see him physically proved abortive.

The plaintiff further revealed that, the men that introduced the suspect appealed to him not to worry, because his brother, Femi Gbajabiamila would intervene into the matter.

"After much pressure, Mr Sulaimon Gbajabiamila issued a counterfeit bank draft to me and started spreading the news that he had paid my money,” he said.

Adeyemo further made it known that on several occasions, Gbajabiamila boasted that “nobody could touch him in this country so far, his brother still remains his backbone.”

He also said he gathered that the suspect has defrauded several people.

In an effort to recover his money, Adeyemo said he wrote a letter of appeal to the House of Representatives Speaker but all moves in that direction proved abortive as no response was gotten from him.

The UK-based Nigerian however approached the police and the matter was charged to court.

Gbajabiamila is being charged on a two-count charge of false representation and stealing, an offence punishable under section 287 of the criminal law of Lagos State, 2015.

“That you SULAIMON GBAJABIAMILA M' on or about the month of August 2021 at No. 2b, Bankole Olemoh Street, Surulere Lagos, in the Lagos State Magisterial District, did presented yourself as an Estate agent and fraudulently collected and converted to your own use, the sum of Thirty Million Naira (N30,000,000) meant for the purchase of 2 bedroom flat, property of Alhaji Lateef Ayo Adeyemo, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.

“That you SULAIMON GBAJABIAMILA 'M* on or about the month of August 2021, at No. 2b, Bankole Olemoh Street, Surulere Lagos, in the Lagos State Magisterial District, did steal the sum of Thirty Million Naira (N30,000,000) meant for the purchase of 2 bedroom flat, property of Alhaj Lateef Ayo Adeyemo and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015” the charges read.

The matter is currently before Chief Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun, with the next adjournment date slated for July 25, 2022.

CRIME Legal News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

A witness in the trial of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari, has said that the laboratory tests conducted on the substance recovered from the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, showed that it was cocaine.

Kyari and four others including ACP Sunday Ubua, ASP Bawa James, Inspectors Simon Agirigba and John Nuhu as well as ASP John Umoru, who is said to be at large were on February 22 arraigned before the FCT Court over a substance recovered from the accused.

A report by Daily Trust said that at the resumed hearing, the second prosecution witness, Abubakar Zekeri Aliyu, while being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel and the Director of Prosecution and Legal Services of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Sunday Joseph, told the court the recovered substance was placed in an envelope with case file number NDLEA/FCTC/010/2021.

According to the witness, who is a Superintendent of Narcotics, attached to the Directorate of Forensic and Intelligence Monitoring of the Lagos Command of the NDLEA, all the items were tested in a laboratory after it was handed to the PW1, Mrs. Patricia Afolabi, a forensic expert, for analysis on February 7, 2022 and found to be cocaine.

But when the witness was cross examined by the defence counsel, Onyeachi Ikpeazu (SAN), Aliyu admitted that he was not with Afolabi when the laboratory test was done on the substances.

However, the trial is scheduled to continue today before Justice Emeka Nwite.

Scandal News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

A new report released by The ONE Campaign, in partnership with National Advocates for Health, Nigeria Health Watch, Public & Private Development Centre (PPDC), and other partners have revealed that health systems in 18 Nigerian states are weak, resulting in poor healthcare service delivery, especially in public facilities. 

 

The report was released on Tuesday in Abuja.

The report provides an in-depth and systemic review of the implementation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), compliance of the states with the National Health Act and National Health Policy, and a ranking of health system performance reveals the state of primary healthcare delivery across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. 

 

The research also includes recommendations for how state governments should strengthen their fragile health systems, enhance the existing implementation of the BHCPF, and raise strategic and operational planning for health in order to promote access to and utilization of primary healthcare services.

 

In 2014, the National Health Act established the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to address funding gaps hampering effective primary healthcare delivery across the country. The BHCPF comprises 1 percent of the Nigerian government Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) and additional contributions from other funding sources. It is designed to support the effective delivery of Primary Healthcare services, provision of a Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS), and Emergency Medical Treatment (EMT) to all Nigerians. 

 

Despite the provisions of the BHCPF, the report's findings expose the precarious state of healthcare in Nigeria, where access to and utilization of health services continues to be marred by systemic challenges across the states.

 

“The public health facilities in all 36 states and the FCT are deficient, and the experiences of community members seeking health care at public facilities are consistently awful,” the report read in part.

 

“The Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) was poorly implemented in 13 states. Zamfara is the most difficult state in Nigeria to access primary healthcare. 

 

“The basic causes of Nigeria's deteriorating health care system are the country's weak governance structures and operational inefficiencies.”

 

The report ranks Federal Capital Territory, Enugu and Anambra as the top performing states in primary healthcare service delivery among the lot. 

 

Unveiling the report, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Chairman of Senate Committee on Health, noted a need for continuous oversight to ensure that the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) works for Nigerians.

 

He said, “We have recorded successes at the federal level because of the independence and the interdependence between the executive and the legislative arms of government and because the National Assembly has been able to perform its oversight functions. This must be replicated across the different state houses. It is also important for citizens to join in this advocacy and call on their state governments to release appropriate funds and ensure adequate monitoring of the funds to improve public health facilities, especially the primary health centers. We must ensure medical supplies and the required human resources are available.”

 

With the multi-structure design of healthcare, evidence suggests that governance and leadership can play a pivotal role in improving healthcare in Nigeria.

 

The ONE Campaign's Nigeria Director, Stanley Achonu, said, “Weak governance continues to pose a major obstacle to improved healthcare delivery. It hampers efficiency and effectiveness and results in weak infrastructure, poor user experiences, and poor health outcomes. 

 

“The burden of strengthening the healthcare systems and services lies heavily on governance and leadership. At all levels, the government needs to take responsibility as a building block of the health system, especially in system design, policy guidance, oversight, regulation, accountability, coalition building, monitoring, and enforcement. 

 

“The success recorded with polio eradication, containment of Ebola and the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that Nigeria can deliver on critical health issues given the required political will and leadership commitment. We have to act quickly to avert primary healthcare collapse." 

 

The Chairman of National Advocates for Health Group, Hon. Muhammad Usman, called on the government to provide the required leadership to ensure that primary healthcare is improved across the country.

 

On how the report will impact the health sector, Vivianne Ihekweazu, the Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, said, "This report helps us understand where we are, the opportunities and gaps in state-level healthcare delivery. As partners, we are determined to disseminate the findings widely and use them to hold policymakers, especially at the subnational level, accountable for improvements in healthcare delivery for all Nigerians."

 

As part of its recommendations, the report proposes that states should provide political leadership for establishing a State Health Insurance Agency, develop an electronic workforce registry at the state level, support management of human resources for health, and develop a health system-wide accountability and performance management framework. 

PUBLIC HEALTH News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu has said that the Osun State governorship election last Saturday was lost by the ruling party because of what “happened between some party members close to the election.”

Adamu noted that the electoral defeat was, however, a divine test from Almighty Allah.

The APC national chairman, who has come under scrutiny recently, stated this during an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Tuesday.

According to him, the APC will now return to the drawing board “and change our tactics.”

“This has shown that we have a big task ahead. We must see what we can do and change our tactics. We must look at ourselves; see if what we are doing in this political journey is right. What are those things that are not right? What needs to be corrected so that we get what will lead to success in our journey?” He said.

Adamu added, “In politics like in other worldly affairs, one could win or lose. There’s nothing we can do. But we were defeated not because we are not good in politics; it was because of what happened between some party members close to the election.”

Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) beat Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the ruling APC with 403,371 votes to 375,077 votes.

Adeleke won in 17 local government areas including Olorunda, Ede South, Orolu, Osogbo, Odo Otin, Ifelodun, Atakumosa, and Ila.

Meanwhile, Governor Oyetola won in 13 local government areas including Iwo, Ayedaade, Ife South and Ife East.

The 2022 Osun governorship election took place in all the 30 local government areas of the state with 3,763 polling units and 332 registration areas.

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Tuesday warned the Nigerian government and the National Assembly to immediately stop the “malicious agenda” of privatising unity schools across the country.

 It argued that there was nowhere in the world where secondary education was being run as a profitmaking venture, insisting that its members would use every available means to resist the attempt.

It would be recalled that the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had in September 2021 vowed that he would take over the sponsorship of a bill that would empower boards of trustees to take over total management of the schools using the Public Private Participation (PPP) model.

But speaking at the 12th Triennial National Delegate Conference in Abuja, the TUC President, Quadri Olaleye, condemned the move and assured that the union would resist it.

 He said, “We are not unaware about the serious conspiracy to privatise the 110 federal government colleges and the push the National Assembly to actualise the malicious agenda.

“There is nowhere in the world where secondary education is run as a profit-making venture; we wonder why ours is different. We warn that we are not going to allow our collective patrimony to be sold to a handful of individuals and the highest bidder,” the TUC boss said.

Olaleye, while speaking on the growing insecurity in the country, described the funds being spent on the security sector as a waste. He called on the government to summon a political will in naming and shaming sponsors of insecurity in the country.

“It is obvious that the millions of Naira invested into national security is a waste of resources. The terrorists are emboldened by the day making Nigerians more vulnerable. This ugly development keeps investors, especially foreigners away.

“We urge the federal government to, for once summon the political will to name, shame and end the killing of Nigerians in churches, mosques, roads and their houses. Nigerians want to sleep with their two eyes closed,” he added. 

Education News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

Gunmen, on Tuesday night, invaded Arthur Jarvis University in Cross River State, and shot sporadically.

The university is owned by a former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirant in the state, Sir Arthur Jarvis.

The incident reportedly occurred as the students were returning from classes within the premises, Daily Post reports.

The university is situated in Akpabuyo Local Government Area, which is about 15 kilometres from Calabar.

Students who managed to scamper to safety had multiple injuries.

“The gunmen succeeded in abducting one of them and left another with severe matchete cuts. We understand that the kidnapped student was taken into the nearby forest”, a source said.

Meanwhile, authorities of the school have issued a statement, confirming the invasion, while saying parents and students should remain calm, adding that they were on top of the situation.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, said the Commissioner of Police, Aminu Alhassan had drafted the anti-kidnapping, Anti-Cultism and the Dragon Units of the police to the school to forestall a breakdown of law and order and also secure the release of the kidnapped student.

Ugbo added that they had launched investigations to unravel the cause of the attack on the students of the private university.

 

Insecurity News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The global human rights organisation, Amnesty International has slammed the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Nigerian government and the security agencies for failing to investigate the alleged killings in the South-East by the regional security outfit, Ebubeagu.
 
It stated this in its reaction to the gruesome killing of at least seven persons returning to Otulu, their community, from a wedding in Awo-Omamma on Sunday by gunmen suspected to be members of the South-East Ebubeagu security outfit.
 
SaharaReporters reported that several groups have condemned the unprovoked massacre.
 
Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state while briefing journalists on Tuesday morning, said the killings were carried out by the Nigerian secret police, Department of State Services (DSS) and not Ebubeagu.
 
But reacting to the gruesome killings, AI in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Isa Sanusi, on Tuesday faulted the Nigerian government for attributing the killings to members of the Indigenous People of Biafra rather than carrying out proper investigations.
 
It added that it has documented several cases of extrajudicial executions by law enforcement officers and members of the Ebubeagu security outfit while responding to the violence in the South-East.
 
The Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, was quoted as saying, “It is horrifying that unarmed young men who clearly posed no threat to anyone were gunned down, in utter disdain for the right to life. Such killings cannot be justified under any circumstances whatsoever.
 
“Nigerian authorities must end these unlawful killings. Authorities must promptly, thoroughly, and transparently investigate the killings and bring to justice, in fair trials, anyone suspected of criminal responsibility.
 
“Authorities must also ensure access to justice and effective remedies for victims and their families.
 
“At least seven friends including two siblings were allegedly extrajudicially executed by members of the Ebubeagu state security outfit at Awo-Omamma community in Oru East Local Government of Imo State on 17 July 2022.
 
“Instead of launching proper investigations into these killings, security and government officials are often quick to claim victims of extrajudicial executions were caught up in shoot-outs or simply label them members of the Eastern Security Network, the armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra or unknown gunmen.
 
“International law requires Nigerian government to promptly investigate unlawful killings with a view to bringing perpetrators to justice.”

News AddThis :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

In an early victory for Twitter, a judge in the United States, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick has set a five-day October trial date for the looming legal battle between the social giant and Tesla CEO, Elon Musk.

According to Aljazeera, the hearing on Tuesday centred on Twitter’s push to set a trial date for as early as September in a case focused on Musk’s attempt to walk away from a $44 billion agreement to purchase the company.

Twitter accused the Tesla CEO of smearing its reputation and lowering its value.

“Delay threatens irreparable harm,” said Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of Delaware’s Court of Chancery, which handles many high-profile business disputes. “The longer the delay, the greater the risk.”

Musk had announced that he was terminating the deal earlier this month, but Twitter has sought to hold him to it, saying he “knowingly, intentionally, willfully, and materially breached the agreement”.

The San Francisco-based company is seeking to resolve months of uncertainty for its business as Musk tries to abandon the takeover, alleging Twitter misled him about the tally of fake accounts on the platform.

Twitter has asked McCormick of Delaware’s Court of Chancery to find Musk breached the agreement and to order him to complete the deal at the agreed price of $54.20 per share.

The company’s value dropped to $32.65 per share last week, erasing nearly $3bn in value. It was trading at about $39.16 on Tuesday morning, up about 2 percent and near the highest level since Musk said he was walking away.

Twitter wanted an expedited trial in September because it said Musk is smearing Twitter and undermining operations by refusing to approve business initiatives, such as an employee retention plan.

“It’s attempted sabotage. He’s doing his best to run Twitter down,” William Savitt, a lawyer for Twitter, said during Tuesday’s hearing, which was held virtually after McCormick said she tested positive for COVID-19.

The company said adopting Musk’s “slow walk” proposal for a 2023 trial – his legal team had proposed a mid-February start date – left little time for additional litigation over deal financing if Musk is ordered to close. The deal financing expires in April.

But Musk on Friday accused Twitter of seeking a “warp speed” trial to “railroad” him into buying the company.

McCormick said on Tuesday that his legal team had underestimated the court’s ability to “quickly process complex litigation”. She asked the parties to work out the schedule for the trial, which she set at five days.

Since agreeing in April to buy Twitter, Musk has questioned whether the company misled regulators about fake accounts and bots on the platform.

A lawyer for Musk on Tuesday blamed Twitter for dragging its feet in responding to requests for information regarding the methods for calculating the number of spam accounts and he said an expedited trial will prevent the truth from coming to light.

“When Mr Musk started asking questions, the answers he got were alarming,” said Andrew Rossman, Musk’s lawyer, adding that it will take months to analyse massive amounts of data to resolve questions about Twitter’s spam accounts.

Rossman also rejected Twitter’s argument that his client was trying to damage the company as “preposterous. He has no interest in damaging the company,” said Rossman, noting that Musk is Twitter’s second-largest shareholder with a far larger stake than the entire board.

Rather than Silicon Valley, where Twitter is based, the company has lodged its lawsuit against Musk in Delaware.

The firm is incorporated in the tiny state like scores of other companies, and the case will happen in the Delaware Chancery Court that has deep experience in business disputes.

 

News AddThis :  Original Author :  saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements : 

An Abuja-based law firm, BBH Legal Practitioner on Tuesday described the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as illegal.

 

The firm asserted that a presidential ticket for candidates of the same faith or tribe is unconstitutional and an exercise in futility.

According to the firm, the Federal Executive Council is largely limited to the President and Vice President and the appointed Ministers of the President, noting that having a presidential aspirant and vice presidential aspirant from the same religious faith rudely conflicts with the spirit and letters of section 14 of the 1999 constitution (as amended), and it strongly inhibits national unity and national loyalty.

 

This is contained in a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and signed by Osigwe Ahmed Momoh Esq. and copied to Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Iyiola Omisore.                                                                      

The presidential candidate of the party, Tinubu, a Muslim, chose a former Borno governor, Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim as his running mate.

Momoh stressed that laws are good enough, but “men would find every loophole to intentionally obfuscate the rather lucid and express provisions of our constitution”.

 

The letter reads in part, "It is with love for God and country and utmost deference to you that I write to you and your great Party, with the hope that your Party carefully walks away from a lurking legal quagmire.  I am of the firm understanding that your Party is sailing on murky waters as regards your proposed decision to fly a same-faith presidential ticket in the 2023 general elections.

 

"Since it is not in my place to lecture or pontificate, I shall limit myself to unearthing and unveiling our extant laws in light of your party’s push for a Muslim-Muslim ticket. I shall as lucidly as possible, explain why your party’s action is not just insensitive and poorly considered, but also utterly unconstitutional. 

 

"I shall toe the path of brevity and clarity to ensure that even the least legal mind can grasp the gamut of my submissions. The bulk of my discourse shall center around these three terms; ‘Democracy, Social-Justice and And’. Inasmuch as I know these terms are very common and really need no illumination, I shall nevertheless delve into defining these words to ensure we are all on the same page;

 

"Democracy- gladly, the Court of Appeal Kaduna Division in PDP v. MOHAMMED & ORS (2015) LPELR-40859(CA) has done sufficient justice as far as the definition/exposition of democracy is concerned. The court noted that; ‘All democracies are systems in which citizens freely make political decisions by Majority Rule. Therefore, in every election, it is the wish and desire of the majority of the voters that must always be the determining factor’.

 

"Social Justice - simply means justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. The phrase is synonymous with inclusion and social sensitivity.”

 

Momoh further stated, "Let us surgically dissect the introductory part of the Section 14(3) above i.e., ‘the government of the federation’; elementary government studies would be apt here. 

 

"The Federal Executive Government is largely limited to the President and Vice (and the ‘appointed’ Ministers of the President); having a presidential aspirant and vice from the same religious faith i.e., sectional group rudely conflicts with the spirit and letters of section 14 of the 1999 constitution (as amended), and it strongly inhibits national unity and national loyalty. Our laws are good enough, but men would find every loophole to intentionally obfuscate the rather lucid and express provisions of our constitution.

 

"When a particular group or section of the society feels that another group or segment are irrelevant to winning elections or building or forming a government, then dialogues would die, and the fabrics that hold us would visibly start disintegrating.

 

"Section 15 (4) of the constitution echoes these sentiments it reads ‘The State shall foster a feeling of belonging and of involvement among the various people of the Federation, to the end that loyalty to the nation shall override sectional loyalties.’”

 

 

"The ultimate question would be, is there any other section of the constitutions that makes Chapter II justiciable as regards this subject? And my very simple answer would be a resounding YES! 

 

"Section 224 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) boldly states that; ‘The programme, as well as the aims and objects of a political party, shall conform with the provisions of Chapter II of this Constitution’.

 

"Therefore, Chapter II of the constitution in its entirety is binding and justiciable as far as political parties are concerned and every political party must implement the provisions of Chapter II of the party, and no party can by their constitution oust the express provisions of Chapter II of the Constitution. This is by no means advice or a mere suggestion; it is a clear instruction.

 

"If we can agree that two gentlemen from Lagos state or Borno state will not meet the requirement of Chapter II of the Constitution, then in the same vein, two people of the same religious faith would certainly not cut it either. It is really that simple,” he said.

 

However, the law firm established that "Nigeria is a country based on not just democracy but also social justice”.

 

"Social Justice is as important as Democracy as far as the constitution is concerned.

 

"Although Chapter 2 of the constitution is ordinarily non-justiciable, section 224 makes it justiciable as far as political parties are concerned.

 

"A same faith or tribe presidential tickets would conflict with chapter II hence, it is unconstitutional and an exercise in futility.

 

"We urge you therefore to critically consider this provision of the constitution vis-a-viz your purported decision, failure to rescind your decision within 24hrs from the receipt of this letter would force us to seek action to prevent this breeding anomaly," the statement noted.

 

 

Politics News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, new York Disable advertisements : 

Mr. Aliyu Abubakar, the first defence witness in the trial-within-trial of the former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, has told a Federal High Court, Abuja that he was threatened by an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and told to implicate former President Goodluck Jonathan in the alleged money laundering suit filed against him and Adoke.

 

He told the trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo on Tuesday while being led in evidence by his lawyer, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) that the officer, Mr. Bala Sanga, threatened him and told him to implicate the ex-AGF.

The second prosecution witness in the trial-within-trial, Aminu Lawal, on May 10, told the court that Abubakar was never forced to make statements nor coerced to implicate others in the course of the investigation and that he was never threatened with detention.

Lawal was one of the investigators who took the defendant’s statements on December 31, 2019, and on January 6, 2020.

Abubakar, who is a co-defendant in the suit, told the judge that the statements he made on December 31, 2019 and January 6, 2020 were not made voluntarily.

 

He said on December 31, 2019 when he was invited to the EFCC's office, Sanga threatened to detain him if he refused to make the statements.

 

Also, Abubakar said on January 6, 2022, Sanga, who introduced himself as the new prosecutor in the matter, told him that there was evidence before him (Sanga) which showed that he (Abubakar) gave the sum of $20 million to Adoke.

 

"On 31st December 2019, my lawyer, Ahmed Audu, came to me and said one Ibrahim Ahmed from EFCC called him that they needed clarification from me about this case.

Abubakar said, "I followed my lawyer to EFCC. When I got there, some of the EFCC's staff like Ibrahim, Babangida and others came in that I must give a confessional statement.

"They said that things have changed and somebody has to record me (on video), that his name is Bala Sanga.

"He introduced himself as the new prosecutor in this case. He thanked me and said I should continue to cooperate with them and that they will help me if I continue to cooperate with them.

 

"He then asked me questions. He asked my lawyer to write for me and I said no that I will not make any more statements because I had already made statements which were with them.

 

"He said if I don't, they will detain me.”

He said due to the fact that it was a festive period then, he had to succumb to the officer's instruction.

"I realised the next day was January 1, 2020, that was why I decided that they should write for me," he said.

While recounting his experience at the anti-graft agency's office, he said: "That day, we went to the EFCC and they asked us to come the second day. Bala Sanga called me to one side that Alhaji, I want to help you in this case.

"He (Sanga) asked how close I am to Adoke. He said you have to sacrifice somebody to be alive.

"He said there is evidence before him which he will show me at the right time; that he heard information that I gave Adoke 20 million dollars.

"I said what? How did it come? He said maybe because me and Adoke are from the same place and that that was why I did not want to say anything.

"He also said that there is evidence before him that I gave Goodluck Jonathan 50 million dollars. He said if I did not agree to cooperate with him, he would charge me to court. So I said he should go ahead."

 

Adoke's counsel, Kanu Agabi, SAN, while crossed-examining Abubakar, asked him to reconfirm his statement that Sanga told him to implicate Adoke; he answered in the affirmative.

Counsel for the EFCC, Offem Uket, during his cross-examination, told Abubakar that the statements he made on December 31, 2019, and January 6, 2020, were voluntarily made.

He said in the video clip played in the open court on the last adjourned date, Abubakar did not protest against the directive by the agency's officers on making the extra-judicial statements but the witness disagreed with Uket.

Also, the second defence witness, Ahmed Audu, who is Abubakar's lawyer, also testified in the matter after Abubakar was discharged from the witness box.

Audu said he wrote the statement on Abubakar's behalf on December 31, 2019.

"Sanga came in that day and asked my name and I said, Barrister Ahmed. He said he was the new prosecutor in this matter and he took over from one Aliyu Yusuf.

"He said he needed some clarifications from us and my client rejected because he had written a number of statements over this matter. Ibrahim said anything Sanga asked us to do we should do.

 

"While we were there, we heard Magu’s (former EFCC chairman) siren coming in and I was even sweating and I felt guilty already. I asked Ibrahim why did he say that anything he asked us to do, do it.

"That was how we started the statement. That was what happened that day. After the statement, I asked Ahmed Ibrahim can I go with my client.”

"They released us around 7:30pm on that day and we protested that I will not sign and my client too. But they said we will not go until we sign. So, they ask us to come on January 6, 2020," he added.

 

Adoke was the Minister of Justice and AGF during President Jonathan's administration between April 6, 2010 and April 29, 2015.

 

 

News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, new York Disable advertisements : 

Properties worth millions of naira were destroyed on Tuesday when fire gutted oil tankers packed at Mechanic Village along Otto Wharf Road, Apapa, Lagos. 

SaharaReporters gathered that the fire incident was allegedly caused by the careless operations of a panel beater welding under a truck suspected to be carrying Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), also known as diesel.

The spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Southwest zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, who confirmed the incident said although no life was lost, many vehicles were destroyed by the fire.

He said the fire outbreak was not taken seriously initially until when one of the tankers exploded and it got out of hand.

Farinloye said the fire was later put out through the efforts of several firefighters from both government and private institutions. 

On the cause of the fire, the Public Relations Officer said, "It is alleged to be caused by careless operations of a panel beater welding under a truck. It was alleged that the fire outbreak was not taken seriously initially until it got out of hand. 

"However, the situation is under control. No one is injured and no death recorded."

Breaking News News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 

The Education Right Campaign has commended the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on its plan to stage a nationwide protest over the continued closure of tertiary institutions in the country.

 

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike for five months over the failure of the Nigerian government to honour an agreement on issues bordering on funding universities, as well as salaries and allowances of lecturers.

In a letter dated July 15 and addressed to chairpersons of the NLC in the states, Ayuba Wabba, the congress’ national president, and Emmanuel Ugboaja, general secretary, said the protest is aimed at getting “our children back to school and support our unions in Nigeria’s public universities fighting for quality education”.

 

They designated Labour House in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and secretariats of the NLC as the takeoff points for the protest.

 

According to the circular, the protest would be held on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, and Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in all the states of the Federation and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

 

ERC’s Deputy National Coordinator, Ogunjimi Isaac Ayobami, and ERC National Secretary, Michael Lenin, in a statement on Tuesday hailed the action of the workers’ union.

 

The group however warned against last-minute suspension of the protest without any democratic discussion or any concrete resolution of the crisis.

 

The statement read, “We of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) welcome the decision of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to embark on a two-day national protest on 26 and 27 July 2022 to force the government to meet the demands of ASUU and other University unions. Although coming very late, it is a step in the right direction.

“The ERC has been at the forefront of calling on NLC and TUC to embark on a series of mass actions to defend public education from the claws of the capitalist ruling class who are hell-bent on not just ruining it but also taking it out of the reach of children of the working masses.

 

“We hereby urge the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to align with the position of the NLC and mobilize out its members to jointly prosecute the two-day national protest. The ERC also calls on Nigerian students, students unions, radical student groups, NANS and civil society organizations to answer the call of the NLC by mobilizing to join organized labour on 26 and 27 July 2022 for the protest. To draw in as many forces as possible and to ensure active mobilization, the ERC urge the NLC to direct its state councils to convene state planning meetings within the next few days.

 

“At the same time, we call for the independent preparation of the mass of students, parents and well-meaning Nigerians for the July 26 and 27 protests. In the event that the NLC calls off the protest before the set date as is their usual practice, we ask that students, parents, education workers and workers generally should go on to protest independently for the reopening of schools and to make the federal government yield to the demands of the public university unions.

“To achieve this, we ask students, parents and workers across all states to start organizing independent protest committees that can work with the NLC state councils to organize the protest while remaining independent of it.

 

“While we consider NLC’s decision to embark on a protest in the right direction, we equally warn against late-minute suspension of the protest without any democratic discussion or any concrete resolution of the crisis. We make this point against the background of the constant suspension of strikes and mass action by NLC without any resolution of the crisis the action was intended to resolve.

“For instance, in January this year, the NLC and TUC declared a protest over the planned removal of fuel subsidy only to call it off at the eleventh hour. Similar thing happened in 2020, when the NLC called off its planned strike scheduled to commence on September 28 that year.

 

“If this protest is successful, it can send a clear warning to the capitalist elite however far more would be required to win victory. This is because the President Buhari APC government appears to recognize that conceding to the demands of public university unions may provoke a contagion of demands for wage review and sundry issues across the labour movement, especially in the context of economic crisis, inflation and worsening living standards. Therefore, we urge the NLC and TUC to begin to prepare for a 48-hour general strike as the next stage after the July 26 and 27 national protests.”

 

Education News AddThis :  Original Author :  saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements : 

A yet-to-be-confirmed number of soldiers has been killed and several others missing after an ambush by militants from the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād in Borno State.

 

Multiple military sources told SaharaReporters that the attack took place in the Gubio Local Government Area of the state on Monday.

The sources added that at least a military vehicle, several weapons and ammunition were stolen and burnt by the terrorists during the attack.

 

SaharaReporters gathered that the soldiers were on patrol to clear some Boko Haram terrorists in the area following credible intelligence when they were ambushed by the group.

 

The terrorist group in a statement sighted by SaharaReporters on Tuesday confirmed the ambush.

WATCH: Boko Haram Terrorists Ambush Nigerian Soldiers In Fresh Attack In Borno, Many Soldiers Feared Killed, Several Others Missing pic.twitter.com/8Nxpv7YcuI

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) July 19, 2022

Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, have killed thousands and displaced millions of people in northeastern Nigeria.

 

The Nigerian military has repeatedly claimed that the insurgency has been largely defeated and frequently underplays any losses.

 

In the past months, soldiers have been targeted by insurgents.

 

Insecurity News AddThis :  Original Author :  saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements : 

The African Union (AU) has donated military equipment to boost the counter-insurgency operations of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region.

This is contained in a statement issued by Chief of Military Public Information, MNJTF, Lt.-Col, Kamarudeen Adegoke, from the MNJTF Headquarters in N’Djamena, Chad on Tuesday.

Adegoke said the donation of the equipment was done through the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the donated equipment includes Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs); troop-carrying vehicles, buses, high calibre generators, Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) equipment, and office equipment.

 

He said the equipment was handed over to the recipients’ Troops Contributing Countries (TCCs) of Nigeria, Niger, and Chad after the necessary paperwork and authorisation by the AU.

 

According to him, the approval comes after the visit of the Force Commander, MNJTF, Maj.-Gen Abdul Khalifah Ibrahim to the AU Continental Logistics Base in Doula, Cameroon in November 2021 where he inspected and identified various equipment that would be useful in its counter-insurgency operations.

 

“The Force Commander in company of the Theatre Commander (TC), Operation Hadin Kai, Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa, formally handed over the equipment to Sector 3 of the MNJTF on July 13 in Maimalari Military Cantonment, Maiduguri in Borno.

 

“The items were received by the Commander Sector 3 Maj.-Gen. GM Mutkut at the headquarters in Monguno, North East Nigeria,” he said.

 

The Force Commander Maj.-Gen. Khalifah said the equipment was given to the sector to improve their combat efficiency in war zones.

Khalifah praised the doggedness of the Sector in the course of Operation Lake Sanity, urging them to do more.

 

The Theatre Commander, Maj.-Gen. Musa appreciated the AU for the donations, saying with such donations, the North East operational environment would soon be secured.

He said the new equipment would allow the forces to concentrate on other security-challenged areas in the country.

 

The Commander of Sector 3 promised that the equipment would be well maintained and deployed effectively against terrorists.

 

Military News AddThis :  Original Author :  saharareporters, new york Disable advertisements :