The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd.), has said the recent rescue operation by the United States special forces on Nigerian soil was not a violation of the country’s sovereignty.
He said the Nigerian government granted the US necessary permission to carry out the military operation.
The United States Special Military Force, over the weekend, successfully rescued an American citizen kidnapped by bandits in the northern part of Nigeria.
In an interview with journalists shortly after he defended his Ministry’s budget at the Senate on Tuesday, the minister said Nigeria gave permission to the United States “as a friendly country” almost as soon as it was contacted by the government.
He ruled out theories that the United States might have violated Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Magashi said the country was doing the best it could with what was available to the military to deploy adequate technology in its operations.
The minister, however, said that Nigeria would explore the current partnership with the United States to tackle insurgency in the country
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has approved the posting of Deputy Inspector General, Sanusi Lemu, and Assistant Inspector-General Usman Alkali Baba.
Lemu is the DIG, Department of Operations, while Baba is the acting DIG, Finance and Administration.
Police spokesman Frank Mba, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the posting of the senior officers is due to the recent vacuum occasioned by the retirement of DIG Abdulmajid Ali and DIG Abduldahiru Danwawu after the completion of their statutory years of service.
“The new Deputy Inspector General of Police, Operations, DIG Sanusi N. Lemu, a consummate police officer, holds a BA(Ed) in Political Science and has attended several professional courses including Intermediate Command Course, Senior Command Course, Peacekeeping Training Course,” Mba said in a statement.
“He is a distinguished member of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos. The Niger State born cop has held many Command positions including the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna and Bauchi Police Commands. Until his recent promotion/posting, he was the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in-charge of Zonal Headquarters (Zone-12), Bauchi.
“AIG Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), fdc holds a Masters in Public Administration (MPA) and a BA (ED) in Political Science. A fellow of the National Defence College and a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, AIG Alkali has attended several professional courses/workshops. The Yobe born Police Officer has held several strategic positions in the past.
“These include: Assistant Inspector-General of Police in-charge of Zone-5 Benin, Zone-4 Makurdi, Zone-7 Abuja, Commissioner of Police FCT and Delta Commands amongst others. Until his recent posting as the Ag. DIG in-charge Finance and Administration, he was the Force Secretary.
“The IGP has equally approved the posting of AIG Mustapha Dandaura as the Force Secretary and Member of the Nigeria Police Force Management Team. He takes over from AIG Alkali Baba. AIG Mustapha Dandaura, who was appointed into the Nigeria Police Force on 3rd March, 1990, holds a Master of Science Degree in International Affairs and Strategic Studies and a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Hons) in History from the Bayero University, Kano.
“Prior to his promotion and appointment as the Force Secretary, he was the Force Provost Marshal, Force Headquarters, Abuja. He has also served as the Commissioner of Police Rivers, Anambra and Railway Police Commands.
He noted that Inspector-General of Police, charged the senior officers to bring their vast experiences and professionalism to bear in “their leadership of the Departments/Office so as to enhance the ongoing drive at repositioning the Force for improved service delivery.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has declared that alleged killing of Igbo was a ploy to shift attention from activities of outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Oyigbo Council Area of the state.
He described the allegation that he ordered the Nigerian Army to kill Igbo in Oyigbo, as a politically motivated falsehood. Governor Wike made the clarification on a live television programme in Port Harcourt yesterday, maintaining that he imposed curfew on Oyigbo to restore calm after IPOB members killed six soldiers, four policemen and destroyed all police stations and courts in the area.
His words: “I know that this is not the first time IPOB has used Oyigbo as launching ground. Security agencies are aware of this, but IPOB added a new dimension to their activities this time.
“They killed six Army Officers and burnt one, killed four police officers and destroyed all the police stations and court buildings. I imposed curfew to restore calm and I proscribed IPOB activities anywhere in the state.”
In the statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, the governor condemned IPOB for its effrontery to rename a local government in the state and hoist its flag in a public school in Komkom Town.
Wike stated that the state government did not regret its stance on IPOB, which he said, had been designated as a terrorist organisation by the Federal Government, adding that the South-East Governors have never supported IPOB and wondered why any governor of a Niger Delta should tolerate the group.
He said during a search of some residents in Oyigbo, security agencies uncovered shrines with IPOB flags and Nnamdi Kanu’s picture, maintaining that if IPOB members were allowed to operate in Oyigbo, they would soon overrun the state.
He said the state government had commenced moves to replace all the property destroyed by the group during the protest, lamenting that the damage have left huge financial burden on the state.
The governor disclosed that the state had decided to compensate each family of the security personnel who were killed during the violence with N20m to cater for the welfare of their families.
The Nigeria Immigration Service on Monday prevented a promoter of the #EndSARS movement, Modupe Odele, from travelling.
Although the officers did not disclose the reason for their action, it is believed that the action was taken because of her alleged role in the #EndSARS protests.
Odele, had through her Twitter handle, @Mochievous, mobilised her 219,000 followers during the protests.
She had also offered free legal aid to persons who were unjustly arrested during the demonstrations.
Confirming the development in a newsletter sent out on Monday, the lawyer said she was on her way to the Maldives to celebrate her birthday when she was accosted by immigration officers.
She wrote, “For my birthday, I had planned a trip to the Maldives. It was really for a break as the events of the last three weeks have exhausted my mind and body in a way I have never been exhausted in my life.
“I went to the airport, passed through immigration, and while I was putting my bags through the body and baggage scanner, the immigration officer who had previously cleared me, called me back. He told me he had orders from above to detain me.
“Okay, at this point I’m like excuse me, my flight is in an hour. On what grounds are you detaining me?” He didn’t respond. Instead, he goes to his computer where he typed in my name and something that looked like a ‘wanted poster’ popped up on the portal.
“He blocked my view so I couldn’t see most of it but I saw some of it. And it read something like – ‘This person is under investigation by XYZ Intelligence Agency. If seen, they should be apprehended on sight.’”
Odele said she was detained while her passport was seized by the officers and she was made to miss her flight.
The lawyer said that she had been able to identify the security agency that put her on the watch list, adding that she would be returning there on Tuesday.
Odele wrote, “Since the #EndSARS peaceful protests started in Nigeria about three weeks ago, I and some super courageous women have been providing support to Nigerians as they came out to peacefully exercise their constitutional rights.
“I was specifically in charge of legal aid and so co-led www.endsarslegalaid.co where we succeeded in helping over 80 peaceful protesters who were arrested get released. It was back-breaking and emotionally tasking work but the joy that the family expressed when being reunited with loved ones made it all worth it.
“I’m not a full-time activist or human rights attorney. I am a corporate lawyer at the moment so dealing with police stations isn’t my area of expertise. I did what needed to be done in the face of gross injustice and had the support of over 800 wonderful volunteer lawyers.”
Odele stated that she had begun providing pro bono lawyers to victims of police brutality who wish to file petitions before the Judicial Panels set up by states across the country to investigate alleged incidences of police brutality.
When contacted, NIS Spokesman, Sunday James, said he couldn’t confirm the development yet and asked for more time.
However, #FreeMoeSexy had begun trending on Twitter by Tuesday morning with thousands calling on the authorities to stop harassing Odele.
Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, has warned electorates against voting for his opponent, Donald Trump in today’s Presidential election in the United States.
He said that “our planet” will not recover if Trump rules for another four years.
He made this known in a tweet on Tuesday.
Biden tweeted, “If we give Donald Trump another four years in the White House, our planet will never recover.”
The former vice president launched his White House candidacy – his third, following disastrous bids in 1988 and 2008 – in April 2019 in this blue-collar city.
Biden has a slight lead in the pivotal state, which Trump won by less than a percentage point in 2016.
But the polls have tightened in recent days, and after the brash billionaire’s shock victory four years ago.
Biden earlier called on voters to “take back” American democracy from Trump.
“It’s time to stand up and take back our democracy. We can do this,” the 77-year-old former vice president said as he wrapped up a boisterous drive-in rally in Pittsburgh in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania.
“I have a feeling we’re coming together for a big win tomorrow,” he said to cheers and honks, adding that if elected president he would act to “get COVID under control on day one.”
But Trump on Tuesday predicted a “beautiful victory” in his final reelection campaign stop hours before polls open across the United States.
“We’re going to have another beautiful victory tomorrow,” he told a crowd in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the same place where he held the climactic rally of his 2016 campaign, when he upset the polls to beat Hillary Clinton.
“We’re going to make history once again,” he added.
Governors of Northern states have asked the Nigerian Government to regulate social media to curb the spread of ‘fake news’.
At a meeting in Kaduna on Monday, the governors said the effect of uncontrolled social media was devastating.
They also condemned recent attacks on persons and properties by thugs.
“The superlative agitations and other change regime actions outside the ballot box soon take advantage of the peaceful protests to push for their separative agenda. The meeting endorses the indivisibility, indissolubility, and oneness of the nation.
“The meeting took note of the devastating effect of the uncontrolled social media in spreading fake news. Therefore, calls for major control mechanism and censorship of the social media practice in Nigeria
“Meeting raises attention on the need to keep a strict watch on the Federal Capital Territory to guide against unwarranted and destructive protests to safeguard critical assets of the nation,” part of a communique signed by Simon Lalong, Chairman, Northern States Governors’ Forum, read.
The wildly infectious and relentlessly repetitive children’s song “Baby Shark” became the most-watched YouTube video on Monday, with more than seven billion plays.
The bane of parents and teachers worldwide, the South Korea-produced song has gone from the realm of children’s YouTube to a global viral sensation, with a catchy and addictive melody buoyed by a hypnotically colorful video.
“Baby Shark Dance”, the English-language version of the song, clocked up over seven billion views on YouTube at around 0400 GMT on Monday, dethroning Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” as the most-watched video on the platform.
The ubiquitous children’s song and earworm, first uploaded to YouTube in June 2016, is a remix of an American campfire song by the Seoul-based production company Pinkfong.
Its YouTube success paved its route into the global music charts, reaching the number 32 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2019.
It has picked up plenty of adult fans along its way to global viral fame: the Washington Nationals baseball team took it up as an anthem and went on to win the World Series last year, prompting the White House to play the tune during the celebrations.
One US town played the song on a loop, while another, Florida’s West Palm Beach, used the melody to try to discourage homeless people from congregating in a public area.
It has also been pressed into anti-pandemic service, with a coronavirus-themed version, “Wash Your Hands”, teaching children the importance of personal hygiene.
Two of the last four tracks to hold the most-played record on YouTube are South Korean — rapper Psy’s megahit “Gangnam Style” held the title for more than three years until it was dethroned by Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again”.
The West African Examinations Council, on Monday, announced that it withheld the results of 215,149 candidates who sat for the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination in Nigeria.
The Council said the results of the candidates representing 13.98% of the total number of candidates who wrote the examination are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice.
The Head of WAEC Nigeria, Patrick Areghan, made this know at a briefing in Lagos while announcing the official release of the results of this year’s WASSCE.
He said, “The cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate Committee of the Council for determination in due course. The Committee’s decisions will be communicated to the affected candidates through their various schools.”
“81,718 candidates, representing 5.31% have a few of their subjects still being processed due to some errors on the part of the candidates. Efforts are, however, being made to speedily complete the processing to enable all the affected candidates get their results fully processed and released, subsequently,” Areghan added.
He further explained that “the analysis of the statistics of the performance of candidates in the examination shows that out of the 1,538,445 candidates that sat the examination, 1,338,348 candidates, representing 86.99%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects (i.e with or without English Language and/ or Mathematics;
“1,003,668 candidates, representing 65.24%, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
“Of this number 497,139 i. e. 49.53% were male candidates, while 506,529 i.e. 50.47% were female candidates.
“The percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2019, that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 64.18%. Thus, there is a marginal 1.06% improvement in performance in this regard.”
Areghan noted that the “certificates of candidates whose results have been fully processed and released will be ready within the next 90 days, counting from today.”
The Nigerian Army says it will not disclose the identities of its men who were sent to Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020.
Soldiers had dispersed #EndSARS protesters who prevented vehicular movement along that axis for two weeks.
The incident had triggered different reactions, within and outside the country, as the military and the federal government were accused of human rights abuse.
While there are reports that many persons were killed by soldiers, only one case has been confirmed so far.
In an interview with PUNCH, Osoba Olaniyi, spokesman of the 81 division of the Nigerian Army, said it is unprofessional for the army to name the soldiers who were in action on that day.
“It is against operational security. We don’t give that. It is against the policy of operational security. There is no problem here. The picture some people paint, as if we are fighting with the state government, is wrong,” the newspaper quoted him to have said.
The army had initially denied being responsible for the incident.
In separate tweets, the army had labelled the reports on soldiers opening fire at the tollgate as fake news.
But last week, Olaniyi confirmed that soldiers were the ones who carried out the operation.
He had said the Lagos state government invited the army to restore order after widespread violence.
“At no time did soldiers of the Nigerian Army open fire on any civilian. From the onset of the ENDSARS protest, there was no time personnel of 81 Division Nigerian Army Lagos were involved,” he had said in a statement.
“However, the decision to call in the military was taken by the Lagos State Government (LASG) after a 24- hour curfew was imposed.
“This was as a result of the violence which led to several police stations being burnt, policemen killed, suspects in police custody released and weapons carted away. The situation was fast degenerating into anarchy. It was at this point that LASG requested for the military to intervene in order to restore normalcy.
“The intervention of the military followed all laid down procedures for Internal Security operations and all the soldiers involved acted within the confines of the Rules of Engagement (ROE) for Internal Security operations.”
“Over a million applications have already been received since the 75 billion Naira Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) Portal went live on Oct 12, 2020.
“This Fund will invest in the innovative ideas, skills and talents of young Nigerians”, Buhari tweeted.
In July, the federal government approved the establishment of the programme to run from 2020 to 2023
The initiative seeks to boost the Nigerian economy through finance for young citizens.
The target is 500,000 youths each year.
Fund approval will range from N250,000 to N50, 000,000 for individual and group applications.
Working capital loans are set at 1 year and term loans set at 3 years with an interest rate of 5 percent.
The fund will be disbursed through micro finance, finance firms and deposit money banks.
