Major General
Senate screens Lauretta Onochie, others for INEC position
The Senate on Thursday started the screening of nominees for appointment as National Commissioners for the Independent National Electoral Commission. The nominees, including one of the aides of President Muhammadu Buhari, Lauretta Onochie, are already in the Senate for the exercise. Onochie arrived at the Senate wing of the National Assembly about 11 am; accompanied by the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Babajide Omoworare. She was immediately ushered into the office of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Kabri Gaya. Onochie is currently waiting for her turn to be screened by the Senate panel. The nomination of Onochie, who currently serves as Senior Special Assistant on New Media to President Buhari, has provoked serious public outcry with ...
Senator backs Nigerian government on grazing routes
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has asked the Federal Government to go ahead with its plan to recover the old cattle grazing routes because herdsmen activities affect every part of the country. Adamu, who also served as a two-time governor of Nasarawa State, disagreed with those who argued that the Federal Government should not dabble into grazing issues because it had no constitutional powers to do so. The Senator, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja, said herdsmen needed the cattle routes because of the challenges they usually faced when they wanted to adopt other forms of transportation. He said the Federal Government should attend to the welfare of herdsmen just as it was providing basic amenities for others involved in private businesses across the ...
Nigerian army chief charges troops to be decisive against terrorists
The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Faruk Yahaya, has charged troops of Operation Hadin Kai to be decisive and alert in the fight against the Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram terrorists in North East Nigeria. The COAS, according to a statement by the Director Army Public Relations, Onyema Nwachukwu, on Sunday stated this while addressing troops of Sector 3 Operation Hadin Kai/Multinational Joint Task Force, Monguno. He was said to have embarked on his maiden operational tour of the sector on Saturday. The statement was titled ‘Be decisive and alert in countering insurgency – COAS tells Sector 3 OPHK/MNJTF troops.’ It read, “General Faruk Yahaya lauded the level of discipline and commitment to duty exhibited by troops of the Sector. He, however, admonished them to be apo...
PANDEF: President Buhari lacks power to impose open grazing on states
The Pan-Niger Delta Forum has again warned the Federal Government and groups such as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, against conduct and utterances capable of making the already bad security situation in Nigeria worse than it is. Elder statesman and leader of PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark, gave the warning at a media briefing in Abuja, on Monday. He said President Muhammadu Buhari lacked the power to impose open grazing on state governments. He said the people of the Niger Delta have watched with restrained patience the reckless and irresponsible utterances of a group of jihadists who have over the years threatened other Nigerians over grazing routes and rights. Clark noted that the latest being the threat issued by a group of faceless anarchists who issued a warning to the Delt...
PANDEF: President Buhari lacks power to impose open grazing on states
The Pan-Niger Delta Forum has again warned the Federal Government and groups such as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, against conduct and utterances capable of making the already bad security situation in Nigeria worse than it is. Elder statesman and leader of PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark, gave the warning at a media briefing in Abuja, on Monday. He said President Muhammadu Buhari lacked the power to impose open grazing on state governments. He said the people of the Niger Delta have watched with restrained patience the reckless and irresponsible utterances of a group of jihadists who have over the years threatened other Nigerians over grazing routes and rights. Clark noted that the latest being the threat issued by a group of faceless anarchists who issued a warning to the Delt...
Nigerian Army reshuffles senior officers in major shakeup
The Nigerian Army has redeployed some of its senior officers in a major shakeup. Outgoing Army spokesperson, Mohammed Yerima, a brigadier general, made this known in a statement on Thursday. Notable amongst the new appointments was that of C.G. Musa, a major general, who was named the new Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, the counter insurgency operation in the North-east region. Also, Onyema Nwachukwu, a brigadier general, has now been appointed as the army spokesperson. Another brigadier general, A.M. Umar, was named the chief of staff to the COAS. The reshuffle, considered normal when there is a new leadership in the force, was expected when the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Faruk Yahaya, a major general, was appointed on May 27. He replaced the late COAS, Ibrahim Attahiru, who di...
President Buhari holds emergency security meeting
President Muhammadu Buhari is this Tuesday holding an emergency National Security Meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. The meeting is expected to review the current state of insecurity across the country. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN); Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari and National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), are in attendance. Also in attendance are: Ministers of Defence, Major-General Bashir Magashi (Rtd) and Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyema. Also in the meeting are the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amoo; and the new Chief of Army Staff, M...
NAF chief: Armed forces committed to end insecurity
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, yesterday declared that the Armed Forces remained committed to ending the crisis of insecurity ravaging the nation. He said the expected delivery of six A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets by the United States in July and two drones from China, would be a “game changer” in the war against insurgency. The position of the air force chief is coming on a day the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, sought the assistance of the Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, to provide security for train stations and railway construction sites across the country. Speaking at the graduation ceremony of 1,031 recruits of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Basic Military Training Course 41/2020, Amao affirmed that “the NAF in consonance w...
Troops nab two terrorist fuel suppliers in Yobe
Troops of Sector 2 Operation HADIN KAI on Saturday raided suspected Boko Haram Terrorists logistics base in Gujba, Yobe State and arrested two fuel suppliers. The director, Army public relations, Brig Gen Mohammed Yerima, said the troops following a sting operation nabbed two suspected Boko Haram logistics suppliers and recovered 11 jerricans loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly called petrol, six jerricans of Automotive Gas Oil and nine empty jerricans hidden in different locations in Gujba. He said the suspects are currently in custody for preliminary investigations and would be handed over for prosecution by relevant agencies. The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Faruk Yahaya, while appreciating the troops, enjoined them to sustain the tempo and clear all suspected fortres...
COAS: Why President Buhari settled for General Yahaya – minister
The Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi (retd) said President Muhammadu Buhari has expediently put national interest above ethnic and religious chauvinism in the appointment of Major General Farouk Yahaya as the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Magashi noted that certain factors were considered and General Yahaya satisfied all requirements. The Minister said, “these include his unblemished track records of service, Professional, Command and Operational competences among other yardsticks that culminated into his emergence as most suitably qualified new Army boss.” He, therefore, commended the appointment of General Yahaya as the 22nd Chief of Army Staff, succeeding the late Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, who died in a plane crash alongside ten others last Friday in Kaduna. The m...
INEC to create 2,673 centres as continuous voter registration resumes
The Independent National Electoral Commission said it plans to create 2,673 registration centres and deploy 5,346 officials for the Continuous Voter Registration scheduled to resume June 28. INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at the commission’s emergency meeting with security agencies under the auspices of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security. Yakubu said that INEC was preparing for the resumption of the nationwide CVR to enable Nigerians who have attained the age 18 years and those who did not register previously to do so. He said: “Similarly, registered voters who wish to change their voting locations and those who wish to correct their names and other details on their Permanent Voters Cards can do so. “We plan to create 2,673 registration centre...
President Buhari seeks international support for peaceful transition in Chad
President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday called on the international community to support a peaceful transition from military to democratic government in Chad. He made this known at a summit put together to discuss recent developments in Chad after the death of President Idris Deby last April. At the summit, Mr Buhari called on: “development partners and countries particularly France, the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia; the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union, as well as other friendly and partner nations to support the transition framework put in place by Chad’s Transition Military Council led by General Mahamat Idris Deby.” ‘‘The need to support the Chadian government to effectively carry out its planned 18-month transition is sacrosanc...
