terrorism
‘Patriots rule Hong Kong’ as sweeping pro-Beijing electoral rules passed
Hong Kong’s legislature approved the biggest overhaul of its political system in the quarter century since British rule on Thursday, in a decisive step to assert Beijing’s authority over the autonomous city. The changes will reduce the proportion of seats in the legislature that are filled by direct elections from half to less than a quarter. A new body will be empowered to vet candidates and bar those deemed insufficiently patriotic towards China from standing. “These 600-or-so pages of the legislation come down to just a few words: patriots ruling Hong Kong,” said Peter Shiu, a pro-Beijing lawmaker. Most of the changes were announced by China in March, though Hong Kong authorities later contributed further details, such as redrawing constituency boundaries and criminalising calls for bal...
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...
Nigerian farmers raise alarm as insecurity threatens food availability
Some concerned parties in the agriculture sector have appealed to the federal government to intensify efforts in curbing banditry, kidnapping and terrorism, as these can threaten food security. The parties made the appeal in separate interviews with newsmen on Friday in Abuja. They noted that the recent increase in kidnapping and banditry had made a lot of farmers run from their farmlands in search of safe hideouts. The Executive Secretary, National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Paul Ikonne, said there was a need to urgently address the insecurity challenges in the country in order to overcome the challenge of food shortage. Ikonne noted that dialogue remained critical in addressing issues of insecurity and herders, adding that a peaceful dialogue between farmers and her...
Afenifere: We’ll not support military takeover
Pan-Yoruba sociocultural group, Afenifere, has said it is against military takeover of any kind. In a statement, National Publicity Secretary of the group, Comrade Jare Ajayi, described military intervention in government as a curse. He said the recent clamour for change in the country was borne out of frustration over the state of the nation. Ajayi said, “Going by what the nation went through under the military, we will certainly not support another military rule in Nigeria under any guise. “It is on record for example that apart from the general abridgement of the rights of Nigerians under the military, members of the the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) masterminded by Afenifere suffered greatly. “It is on record that we lost a lot of patriotic Nigerians all because they were prot...
APC taunts PDP over ‘connivance’ with terrorists
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has disclosed ongoing high-level investigations to unravel those behind the growing wave of terrorism and other violent crimes across the country, expressing hope that at the end of the probe, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP would not be found to be sponsoring destabilizing elements ahead of the 2023 general elections. The APC stated this on Sunday in Abuja in a statement issued by the National Secretary of its Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC, Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe. APC was reacting to a statement by the PDP after its national caucus at the weekend to the effect that the country was fast descending into anarchy and that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has no solutions having been o...
EU releases last tranche of $14.5 million to assist Nigeria rollout coronavirus vaccine
The European Union has said $14. 5 million out of the €50 million promised to the Federal Government to assist in the roll out of COVID-19 vaccine would be released this week. The Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria, Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, who addressed newsmen yesterday in Abuja, revealed that already €9 million grant had been released to boost the prevention and response to Coronavirus in Nigeria. “The EU is taking the lead in supporting partner countries, including Nigeria, to tackle the tackle the COVID-19 pandemic by combining resources from the EU, its member states and European financial institutions, under the ‘Team Europe’ initiative. “At the onset of the pandemic in Nigeria, the EU rapidly mobilised €50 million grant in humanitarian aid was given to Nigeria to boost preventio...
NOA urges all leaders to de-escalate tension, preach peace
File Photo Responding to the spike in violent crimes and insecurity across Nigeria, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has urged political, ethnic and religious leaders to take deliberate steps to de-escalate tensions and promote peace, unity and tolerance among the citizens. In a letter of appeal signed by the Director General of NOA, Dr Garba Abari, the agency said the present situation called for leaders across political, religious, traditional, professional and the social landscape to do all within their powers to arrest the situation to avoid further deterioration. The letter reads in part: ‘At these very challenging times, all the nation and its citizens need are deeper reflection and sobriety in what we do and say, as truly, the forces of disunity and national disintegration are ...
NAS: Presidency’s defence of Isa Pantami irresponsible
File Photo The National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) has berated the Presidency over its defence of the embattled Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami. NAS in a statement signed by the NAS Capoon, Mr Abiola Owoaje, titled ‘Isa Pantami Must Go’ stated that that the Presidency’s defence was “an ill-judged action that provides a safe haven for a self-confessed sympathiser of terrorism.” Owoaje who described the Presidency’s defence as hollow pointed out that “it suggests that the Buhari administration is so deeply infected with bigotry that the defence of a Minister is informed by factors more primordial than the integrity of governance.” According to him “President Buhari’s decision to retain Pantami as Minister despite documented evidence of him bein...
Senator Saraki urges Nigerian government to seek help over escalating insecurity
Former President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki, has advised the Federal Government to seek help wherever it could to address the escalating insecurity in the country. Saraki, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, said that calling for help in the present situation of the country was not a sign of weakness. He said he was worried over cases of violence, kidnapping and terrorism recorded on Monday in Anambra, Kaduna, Yobe, Niger, Lagos states and many parts of the country. The ex-senate president reiterated the need for President Muhammadu Buhari to convene meeting of all those who could help in finding solutions to the problem at hand. ”The people include former presidents and heads of state, serving and former chief justices, serving and former presiding officers of the National Assembly...
Official: Dennis Amachree not speaking for DSS on Isa Pantami
Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Service (DSS) has disowned reasons adduced for its alleged failure to reveal alleged link of Malam Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to terrorism before his confirmation as minister in 2019 adduced by one of its former officer, Dennis Amachree. Amaechree, a former Assistant Director of DSS had in an online interview on Wednesday said the secret police was aware of alleged link of Pantami to terrorism. But he said the DSS decided not to make the reasons public, thus enabling Pantami to sail through senate screening due to a lot of factors including federal character balancing. Amachree had said, ”There is no information that escapes the DSS, we have all of it, all. When I was working there, we keep a catalogue of...
Group advocates palliative for terrorism, banditry victims
A group under the auspices of Initiative for Conciliation and Right Protection has advocated for palliative for victims of terrorism and banditry to cushion the effect of the ugly trend. This is contained in a statement jointly signed by Mable Bremah, Godwin Ekoja and Halima Bukar, Assistant Secretary, PRO and Deputy Organising Secretary respectively in Birnin Kebbi on Saturday. It observed that victims of terrorism, banditry and oppressed deserved better treatment to enable such victims resettle and gradually recover from their trauma. The statement urged Nigerians irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliation to collectively join hands toward ending the insecurity bedevilling the country to pave way for a better Nigeria. It observed that Nigerians were living in an unpreced...
Isa Pantami: PDP lambasts APC for ‘supporting terrorism through silence’
The Peoples Democratic Party has accused the All Progressives Congress and its leaders of a “conspiratorial silence in the face of the worrisome revelation in which a member of the Federal Executive Council and Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, has been accused of affiliation with terrorist groups.” Pantami has been under fire of late over sermons he delivered in the past that allegedly had him sympathising with terrorist organisations – Al-Qaeda and the Taliban – a thing he says he has repented of. He has, however, received the backing of the Presidency which declared that calls for his resignation or sacking are tantamount to cancel culture. The ruling All Progressives Congress is yet to issue a statement on the comments made by the Minister concerning the terr...