Insecurity
President Buhari charges security agencies improve Nigeria’s ranking on global security index
Worried by the rising level of insecurity in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday charged the nation’s security agencies to up the ante in their drive towards protection of lives and property. He also directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to improve surveillance and control around the nation’s borders so that criminal elements won’t find Nigeria as a safe haven to hide and perpetrate their criminality. The President, in a speech at the virtual Commissioning of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Technology Building, instructed all security agencies to raise their performance in protecting lives and property, with a mandate that the country’s Global Security Index must be improved. He said “It is imperative that our ranking in the Global Security Index improves and...
PDP accuses APC of plot to take over Zamfara
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting a forceful take over of Zamfara State because of the security challenges confronting the state. The party levelled the accusation in a statement on Wednesday by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan. The North-west state is governed by a PDP governor, Bello Matawalle. Hundreds of students were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State by some bandits on Friday last week. They were, however, released in the early hours of Tuesday. On the same day, the APC-led the federal government declared the state a ‘no-fly-zone’ just as it again banned mining activities in the state to curb the rising insecurity. Before the Zamfara incident, at least 27 male students were abduct...
How to tackle students’ abduction – NUT, NAPTAN
Nigeria Union of Teachers The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, and the National Parents Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, have proffered solutions to the incessant abduction of students by bandits in some parts of the country. Speaking in separate interviews with our correspodent, the two groups called on the federal and state governments to entrench the Safe Schools Initiative and deploy military personnel in schools across the country. National Secretary of the NUT, Dr. Mike Ene, said apart from the steps expected to be taken by the government to stem the ugly trend, every citizen should develop psychic eyes to help them be security-conscious at all times. He said: “These abductions here and there are deliberate steps to discourage education and encourage school drop out. It is unfo...
Zamfara governor: I’m ready to resign if it will end insecurity
The Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, says he is ready to resign if that will end insecurity in his state. He said this on Wednesday while responding to questions on the abduction of over 200 Jangebe schoolgirls by bandits in the state last week on Channel Television’s Politics Today. When asked if he is intimidated with the decision of the Federal Government to ban flights in the state, he said, “I am ready to accept any solution that will bring security to my state. “I am not intimidated. If I know my resigning as a governor will make the people sleep with their two eyes closed, I can resign. I am not power-hungry. I have been having sleepless nights to protect the people of Zamfara State.” Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking f...
Borno governor urges Nigerian government to seek external support to end insurgency
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno has called on the federal government to seek external support from neighbouring countries, in order to end insurgencies in Nigeria. Zulum, who is also the Chairman, North-East Governors’ Forum, made the call in Bauchi, on Wednesday, at the commencement of the ‘4th North-East Governors’ Forum meeting’. He lamented the high rate of insurgency, especially, in the Northeastern part of the country, and called on the new Service Chiefs to devise tactical measures to counter the current and future attacks in the region. “As it is now, especially in Borno state, violence being perpetrated by insurgents seems to be on the increase. “It has become a matter of tactical necessity for the new Service Chiefs to devise new and authentic strategy to counter the current att...
President Buhari directs security chiefs to recover areas being occupied by criminals
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the nation’s security chiefs to recover all areas being occupied by insurgents, bandits and kidnappers across the country. The National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, told State House correspondents that the president gave the order during the just concluded meeting of the National Security Council. The meeting was presided by Buhari at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday. According to him, no sovereign nation will allow a group of non-state actors to bring it down to its knees and render the state in state of panic, apprehension, mistrust and disorder. “Therefore, both the defence and intelligence organisations have been charged that while we look forward to having a peaceful, non-kinetic reso...
Senator Saraki urges President Buhari to include opposition, others in fight against insecurity
A former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to include opposition parties and the international community in the fight against insecurity in Nigeria. He spoke with newsmen shortly after he met with a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, behind closed doors at his penthouse residence located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State. Saraki, who is the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Reconciliation and Strategy Committee, was joined in the meeting by former Governors, Ibrahim Dankwanbo (Gombe), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Ibrahim Shehu Sema (Katsina) and former Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Mulikat Akande Adeola. Speaking after about two hours c...
Anambra Assembly expresses worry over spike in criminal activities
The Anambra House of Assembly has expressed worry over the increasing rate of crimes in the state and called for urgent measures to address the menace. Mr Noble Igwe, representing Ogbaru 1 Constituency, while speaking on a matter of urgent public importance, on Tuesday, lamented that the rate of crime had triggered fear among the residents. Igwe said there were recent reports of residents who had been victims of a wide range of violent crimes, including armed robbery, assault, burglary, carjacking, kidnapping and extortion. “Aware that security of lives and property is the primary function of the state government as enshrined in the constitution, there is the need to intensify efforts at taming the resurgence of crimes in some parts of the state, especially on theOnitsha-Owerri Road where ...
Primate Ayodele: President Buhari has broken Nigeria’s unity
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has once again knocked the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, over the unsecured state of the country. The popular prophet frowned at the method the government has chosen to fight banditry: negotiating with bandits in order to stop terrorising the ordinary citizens. Ayodele during a live service in his church on Sunday made it known that Nigeria has broken already with the means through which the government is fighting insecurity. He explained that terrorism will continue to grow bigger and tougher in Nigeria because the government has invited terrorism already by negotiating with bandits. He explained that the unity of Nigeria has been broken, and it’s only God that can bring the country back. Ayodele said: “‘Gi...
NHRC urges Zamfara government to reconsider stand on ‘repentant bandits’
The National Human Rights Commission, on Saturday, expressed concerns over the rising cases of kidnapping of boarding schools’ students in northern parts of the country. The commission also called on the Zamfara State Government to reconsider its stand on repentant bandits to avoid elevation of criminality to a level where they would be dictating conditions for negotiations with government. The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, stated this in a statement by the Commission’s Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Fatimah Mohammed, in Abuja. He was reacting to the recent reports of the abduction of over 300 students at Government Girls Science Secondary School Janjebe, Zamfara State. According to him, young boys and girls have unfortunately been abused and violated by some unsc...
Senate president votes in Yobe council elections
Earlier on Saturday, President of the Senate, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, voted in the Local Government election taking place across Yobe State. Lawan arrived his Katuzu ward polling unit in Gashua, Bade Local Government Area and immediately proceeded to the polling booth where he voted for the chairmanship and councilorship candidates of his choice. Speaking shortly after the vote cast, the Senate President advised that local government councils across the country should be administered by elected representatives whose primary responsibilities are to advance the interest, and ensure the welfare of people at the grassroots. While commending the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni, for complying with the provisions of the Constitution in recognizing the importance to have local government electi...
Bauchi, Benue governors reconcile in Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, brokered a truce between the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom and Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed in Port Harcourt. The conflict was resolved following the intervention of Governor Wike and his Adamawa State counterpart, Governor Ahmed Fintiri. Briefing journalists at the meeting, which held at Governor Wike’s private residence at Rumuepirikom, Governor Mohammed said the outburst between him and Governor Ortom over herders/Fulani profiling was regrettable. “We don’t mean to divide the country, to divide our people. We are still friends and brothers and that we will move forward because most of those issues are fully resolved. “I want to seize this opportunity to tell Nigerians that whatever misconception that is there, th...