Boko Haram militants seized a military base in northeast Nigeria for several hours before being themselves ‘dislodged’ by reinforcements, security sources and residents said on Saturday.

Fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province faction of Boko Haram in trucks and on motorcycles stormed into the base in the town of Magumeri, around 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Borno state capital Maiduguri late on Friday, May 3, AFP reported.

The militants overran the base, holding it for several hours, and hauling away weapons before they were forced out.

“The terrorists dislodged troops from the base after an intense fight,” a military officer told AFP.

“We lost weapons and equipment to the terrorists but it is not clear if there was any human loss,” said the officer, who asked not to be named.

The militants arrived in the town around 5 p.m. and engaged troops in an hour-long fight before they “gained the upper hand and chased the troops away,” militia leader Gremah Kaka told AFP.

“The insurgents overpowered the soldiers and forced them to flee into the bush,” he said.

Kaka said the jihadists stayed in the base for “more than four hours” before they were dislodged by reinforcements from another base in Gubio, 40 km further north.

A Friday Naija News report cited two sources as saying the military base in Magumeri had been overrun by Boko Haram fighters, but did not attribute the attack to ISWAP specifically, and on Saturday, Sahara Reporters quoted a security source as saying “both soldiers and Civilian JTF [mitilia] members were overpowered as the attack went on” and that “many were killed and an unverified number wounded.”

In a Friday statement, ISIS claimed ISWAP fighters clashed with Nigerian army personnel who were stationed in “Mamri,” likely meaning Magumeri. ISIS claimed 10 soldiers were killed and a four-wheel-drive vehicle, weapons and ammunition were captured. On Saturday, ISIS published images including graphic pictures of dead bodies of what it said were ISWAP fighters attacking “Mamri.”

Citing several unnamed sources in Nigeria, Reuters reported that the ISWAP fighters fled after the military called in air support and reinforcements from Gubio.

A week earlier on April 26, ISWAP fighters attacked Nigerian soldiers in Sabon Gari, near Biu, around 135 km southwest of Maiduguri. ISIS claimed 10 soldiers were killed and another captured. Three days later, security sources told AFP at least five soldiers were killed and around 30 were missing.

The Nigerian military described reporting on Sabon Gari incident as “unsubstantiated” and that the “fake report” was the handiwork of “Boko Haram sympathizers.” Colonel Ado Isa said there were “only minor casualty on own troops,” without specifying casualties.

The Nigerian military rarely comments on the ongoing counter-insurgency operations, and tends to downplay the insurgents’ effectiveness, rarely acknowledging engagements and seemingly understating casualties and equipment losses.

Four days later, the bodies of 14 men were discovered near Monguno, around 100 km northeast of Maiduguri in the Lake Chad area where ISWAP is the dominant insurgent group.

Since then, ISIS has claimed ISWAP attacks in Baga and Malam Fatori, and ISWAP attacks were featured in the weekly ISIS magazine al-Naba.

The jihadist group known as Boko Haram began its decade-long bloody insurgency in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 but it has since spread into neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military response.

More than 27,000 people have been killed and two million others displaced, sparking a dire humanitarian crisis in the region. On April 30, the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism Nathan A. Sales said that the U.S. assesses that Boko Haram and ISWAP “have been responsible for over 35,000 deaths since 2011.”

Boko Haram split into two factions in mid-2016. One, led by long-time leader Abubakar Shekau, is notorious for suicide bombings and indiscriminate killings of civilians. Shekau pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in March 2015, but ISIS central only gives formal backing to the other faction, which it calls Islamic State West Africa Province.

The ISWAP faction, which largely focuses on attacking military and government targets, was led by Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi, but in March, audio recordings revealed that ISIS appointed Abu Abdullah Idris bin Umar, also known as Ibn Umar al-Barnawi, as leader. ISIS has not yet made a public statement confirming the change.

The Multinational Joint Task Force, a regional counter-insurgency force comprising personnel from Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria, launched Operation Yancin Tafki on February 21 to battle the insurgents. Antigha has said the cross-border operation is aimed at “making islands and other settlements in Lake Chad untenable for Boko Haram Terrorists.”

With reporting from AFP. This post was updated on May 4.

Source: The Defense Post.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye has warned single ladies to avoid marrying jobless men.

Jobless men, he said, have the tendencies to use, dump and abandon such ladies.

Adeboye spoke on Sunday at the May Special Prayer and Thanksgiving service by the RCCG Throne of Grace, National Headquarters Ebute Metta, Lagos.

According to him, a woman should not marry a man that has no work “if not you will be the work.”

He noted it is not sinful for a single lady to politely ask any man proposing marriage whether or not he has a job.

Stating that women are conceived as helpmeets, Adeboye argued only somebody who has a job can be helped.

Adeboye, who spoke through the Assistant General Overseer, (RCCG) Personnel and Administration Pastor Johnson Odesola, said the man is key and the woman has only come to help.

“Whatever the woman does is help.  The man is major director in the house,” he stressed.

He stated taking care of the homes does not rest on the woman alone but the man and the woman who have come to help.

Adeboye blamed lack of proper home training for most of the ills in the society.

“I still remember when I was young. My father will tell me that this name is the name of my father. Don’t spoil the name. So I was scared to do wrong. I could not shake the hand of a lady until I was 23.

“Learning for any child should start from the home and parents should be their child first teachers.

“The wife and the husband are the main teachers who will teach and model godly character to their children,” he stated.

In his sermon, Adeboye, urged all Christians to strengthen their faith, saying there would always be storm in the lives of the believers.

Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Otunba Gani Adams, who was at the service argued religion, is never the problem of Nigeria.

According to him: “It is sad many people believe religion is Nigeria’s problem, but in truth, leadership, not religion is Nigeria’s problem.

“For instance, I am a Muslim by birth. I grew up from a Christian background and as the Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land and culture activist, I also believe in our traditional religion.”

Some suspected bandits have attacked the residence of a former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, in his country home at Bafarawa and killed his security guard, Abdullahi Jijji. The attack came barely 24 hours after the ex-Governor launched a foundation in Abuja named after him which he said would help in proffering solutions to the incessant banditry and kidnapping, particularly in northern parts of Nigeria.

The attackers also abducted his 16-year-old nephew, Abdulrasheed Sa’idu. Confirming the attack, the Director-General, Bafarawa Foundation, Dr. Sulaiman Shu’aibu Shinkafi, said the attack occurred around 9pm on Friday.

He said the gunmen, who arrived in a Commando style, threatened to wipe out Bafarawa and Kamarawa villages, all Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Shinkafi added that the bandits, armed with AK-47 rifles came on motorcycles and bought fuel in the town before attacking the house. When contacted, the spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Muhammad Sadiq, said he was not aware of such attack. (Daily Trust)

Source: News Express

The Federal Government has been asked to review the contract of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company for failing to supply power to some communities in Ondo State.

The Senator-elect for Ondo South Senatorial District, Nicholas Tofowomo made the call when he visited the Omotosho Power Plant in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of the State.

Ayodeji Moradeyo reports that protests like have become the norm in Ondo South Senatorial District to draw attention of government to power outage in the area, which Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC has failed to resolve.

Even with the location of the Omotosho Power Plant in the area, nothing meaningful has been achieved. This, perhaps propelled the Senator-elect for Ondo South Senatorial District, Nicholas Tofowomo to visit the management of the power plant.

After a closed door meeting with the management, Tofowomo expressed sadness that the people are still expressing erratic power supply

He lamented the inability of successive governments to make the power plant work effectively. The Senator-elect also frowned at the performance of BEDC in providing electricity to the people.

TVC NEWS

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken over 214 landed properties owned by corrupt officials in the last three years.

The anti-graft agency recovered the properties, located in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Oyo states and in different cities across the country,  from over 70 individuals and seven firms.

Herald Nigeria gathered that, while 179 properties were recovered through interim forfeiture court orders, thirty-five of the properties have been finally forfeited to the commission while two, including a hotel belonging to Ima Niboro, former spokesman to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, were returned voluntarily.

It was learnt that a former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke; ex-National Security Adviser, Dasuki Sambo; former minister, Iyorchia Ayu; the late Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh and a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.) were among those who lost their properties to the federal government.

Others were former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, ex-Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, Col. Bello Fadile (retd.) and a former Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema who had 20 properties under interim forfeiture.

The EFCC recovered three properties, including a seven-storey building under construction in Gudu district, Abuja, belonging to one Emmanuel Ozigi and two others, while six properties located in different parts of Ibadan, Oyo State, were recovered from one Oni Ademola.

Also, five choice properties were recovered from Alison-Madueke; they include a multi-storey building on Banana Island, six flats in Ikoyi and 21 mixed housing in Yaba, Lagos; 16 terrace houses in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and 13 terrace duplexes in Mabushi, Abuja.

There was also a final forfeiture order in respect of buildings in Ikorodu, Agege, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; Cranbel Court, Citiview Estate, Arepo, which were recovered from Jamiu Anifowoshe and forfeited to the Lagos State Government.

Real estate consisting of seven buildings located on Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Victoria Garden City, Ikota, Port Harcourt, Lekki and Utako, Abuja, were also recovered from Obasuyi Osasoghie and forfeited to First Bank Plc.

For other recoveries made by the EFCC, the figures for last year include  141 vehicles; 44 bank accounts; one barge; farmland; four filling stations; two hotels and 47 parcels of land which were considered proceeds of crime.

In this year alone, the EFCC had recovered N3.2bn (final forfeiture) from Amosu who paid N2.2bn; Olugbenga Gbadebo, N190.8m; Solomon Enterprise, N101m and Paul Boroh and 16 others, who coughed up N686.7m cash.

Source: Herald Ng.

– President Buhari has reportedly chosen to select his new ministers himself – The president instead chose a tough stance in selecting new ministers – A governor confirmed that the president has not approached them nor the party for names. President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly kept the selection of his choices for new ministers for his second term in office to himself. According to The Nation, some members of the inner power circle popularly known as ‘Cabal’ went to London to meet with the president but were denied access based on strict orders from him. READ ALSO: Bandits running away from Zamfara to Kaduna, Kano to escape from Army – Buratai It was reported that unlike his first term in office, the president has not asked governors-elect or chieftains of the All Progressives Congress for names as he has adopted a tough approach this time. A top source said: “It seems the President has realised that there are some unproductive members in his cabinet which he ought to offload. “He is keeping the choice of new ministers to himself alone. “His London itinerary was not only kept to himself until the last minutes, he did not allow close associates, strategists and members of his kitchen cabinet to have access to him in London. “Those who went to London came back empty handed. “Only an outgoing minister was allowed access to the President. And the minister was still in London as at yesterday.

“We do not know what informed this sudden change of attitude, but it seems the President is really determined to live up to his promise to leave sustainable legacies in his second term by looking for the right people to serve in his cabinet.” A top government source also said the president has not approached his inner circle for names. “He did not request for nominations from the APC governors not to talk of receiving any list from them. “Some governors attempted to gauge his mood but he was noncommittal. He only kept quiet and allowed the governors to do the talking. “Both the party and the governors have also respected themselves by not putting pressure on him.” A governor said: “The truth is that we have not been asked by the President to make recommendations on ministerial nominees. “We have tried to be careful too because he does not choose our commissioners for us. “I can say that we are really in the dark like other Nigerians.

“Ironically, some of the outgoing ministers run to governors to influence their retention by the President. “We cannot say whether or not the President will consult us.” Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday, May 2, called on President Buhari to end his ‘private visit’ abroad and immediately return home to tackle the deteriorated security situation in the country.

(Legit.ng)

LAGOS, NIGERIA

Nigerian singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage says there’s a “revolution going on” in African music and she is “very humbled and excited” to take her music to a worldwide audience.

“It’s a beautiful journey, it’s history in the making,” Savage said Thursday of her newly announced recording deal.

Savage is one of the world’s leading Afrobeats artists and the first African artist to sign a global deal with Universal Music Group. It seems, however, she forgot to tell the most important person in her life.

“My mom was, ‘Tiwa! Why didn’t you tell me all along?’ I’m like, ‘Mom, I know you can’t keep a secret.’ But she’s excited. We have a family group chat and she was just like, ‘Tiwa has crashed the internet again today!’ And she put a smiley face. So she’s super, super proud of me.”

The Afrobeats scene is vibrant, she told The Associated Press. Even though international audiences may not understand some of the language “they can feel the soul in the music” and the themes of her songs are universal. “I think a lot of people know me for love, for love stories. Good or bad.”

In November, the 39-year-old became the first woman to win the MTV Europe Music Award for Best African act, which she said was “incredible” and “wasn’t just a win for me . it was a win for the African woman.”

Tiwa, or Tiwatope, was born in Lagos but spent part of her childhood in London with her mother, where she experienced many her early musical influences.

“I started listening to a lot of gospel music . and then I really got into jazz like Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, and then I got into soul R & B and I really, really got into Brandi’s voice,” she said. “She’s like my all-time favorite vocalist. Yeah. That was really, really what got me into singing.”

She now takes daily inspiration from her peers both at home and overseas. “Obviously I’m inspired by the Rihanna and Beyonce brand but more so like Wizkid, Davido and Don Jazzy, D’banj, 2face, even from South Africa like Cassper and AKA.”

In December, Savage was chosen by Coldplay’s Chris Martin to perform at Global Citizen Festival in Johannesburg. There she met Jay-Z, who she said was “incredible.”

“You know he’s the type of person that walks into a room and everyone’s like, ‘Oh my God. It’s Jay-Z.’ And he has a lot of knowledge and he’s not afraid to pass that on, you know, to every artist that he comes across.”

Despite breaking boundaries, Savage acknowledged that it’s been tough working in a male-dominated industry, “especially as a mom,” but that has also made her work harder.

“I do believe as women we are a lot stronger than what we give ourselves credit for,” she said. “So there’s not anything I can’t handle.”

(The Associated Press)