Security
Rivers governor accuses predecessor of embezzling proceeds from aircraft, power projects
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has accused the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, of embezzlement of proceeds from the sales of the state aircraft and power stations. The governor offered to resign from office if Amaechi could mention any federal project he has attracted to Rivers State as a minister since 2015. Governor Wike made the remarks at the formal defection of two former chairmen of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr Davies Ikanya and Igo Aguma, as well as other chieftains of the opposition to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Port Harcourt on Saturday. The governor explained that Amaechi, the former governor, had claimed he sold a Dash 8 aircraft purchased by the administration of former Governor Dr Peter Odili to the Government of Cross River ...
House mourns army chief, others
Members of the House of Representatives have expressed sadness over the death of Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and his entourage in an air crash in Kaduna. Attahiru, along with six senior officers and four crew members were onboard Nigerian Air Force Kingair 350 from Abuja to Kaduna, ahead of today’s passing out parade of soldiers from the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria, when the crash happened amid torrential rainfall, on Friday evening. The Speaker of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, in a statement issued on Saturday described as shocking and sad the death Attahiru and others involved in the plane crash. Gbajabiamila said the death of the Army Chief was unfortunate coming at a time that the Nigerian military was finding solutions to the security challenges in the country...
Rivers government seeks relocation of NIMASA cabotage department
The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has appealed to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to return its Cabotage Services Department to Port Harcourt. Wike made the appeal when the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, visited him in Port Harcourt, recently. Wike said operations of the Cabotage Services Department of NIMASA used to be in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, but it was relocated to Lagos. The governor said in spite of his administration’s procurement of gunboats for security agencies, especially the Police and Navy to assist in the fight against piracy and ensure safety on the waterways for NIMASA’s businesses to thrive, the state did not get anything in return. He commended Jamoh for the initiative aimed at harnessing ocean resources as an ...
Kano council boss laments influx of illegal miners from Zamfara
Bashir Abdullahi Kutama, Chairman of Gwarzo Local Government Area in Kano State, has raised concerns over the influx of Zamfara-based miners into his locality for illegal mining operations. The Chairman raised the alarm during a town hall meeting on Thursday with representatives of security agencies, village heads, transport unions and sections of the public. The meeting was intended to streamline modalities to improve and strengthen security of lives and property in his area. Kutama told his audience that he had recently introduced a migrants registration system in all parts of the local government, directing traditional leaders to form security watch committees in their respective communities. He added that the local government management was taking adequate precautionary security measur...
Former Nigerian soldier who trains ESN militants arrested in Abuja
The police have arrested a dismissed army lance corporal allegedly responsible for training and recruiting people into the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the militant arm of the outlawed pro-Biafra group, IPOB, according to a report. He was arrested a few days after a top commander of the terror group, Awurum Eze, was arrested in Aba, Abia State. The group is alleged to have been responsible for killings of security agents and destruction of public properties in the South-east and South-south zones. They have, however, denied the allegations. According to sources, the 32 years old dismissed soldier, whose name was given as Livinus Owalum-Barnabas, was arrested on Sunday, at Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT by men of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT). The e...
Edwin Clark cautions against agitation for Nigeria’s break-up
YouTube An elder statesman and former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, has cautioned against calls for secession in some parts of the country. Clark told journalists in Abuja yesterday that the calls for secession in some quarters are not the solution to the country’s problems. The South-south leader explained that he did not believe in Nigeria’s break-up in spite of rising insecurity and economic challenges in the country. Clark argued that instead of breaking up Nigeria and beating war drums, efforts should be made to develop workable strategies to solve the problem of insecurity and other challenges making lives unbearable for Nigerians. “Nigeria will remain one. Some of us do not believe in the call for secession. Where do we go to? Who are we leaving the country for? Who ow...
Ex-US envoy: British museum holds over 700 pieces of Benin bronzes
The British Museum, the world’s first national public museum, currently holds 700 pieces of the Benin Bronzes collection, more than any other museum and other institutions globally, a former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. John Campbell has said. Campbell, however, acknowledged that the authorities of the British Museum had agreed “to return the Benin Bronzes collection once the Edo Museum of West African Art, currently under construction in Benin City is completed.” He gave this figure in a blog post titled “Germany to Return Some African Art to Nigeria” published on the website of Council for Foreign Relations (CFR), a US non-profit think-tank specialising in international affairs on Wednesday. More than a century after British soldiers looted a collection of priceless artifacts...
Myanmar army battles anti-coup rebels as armed resistance grows
Myanmar’s army battled local militia fighters in the northwestern town of Mindat on Saturday, residents said, to try to quell a rebellion that has sprung up to oppose the junta which seized power in the Southeast Asian country in February. The fighting is some of the heaviest since the coup and underlines the growing chaos as the junta struggles to impose order in the face of daily protests, strikes and sabotage attacks after it overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. “We are running for our lives,” one resident told Reuters from Mindat, a hill town just over 100 km (60 miles) from the border with India. “There are around 20,000 people trapped in town, most of them are kids, old people,” the resident added. “My friend’s three nieces were hit by shrapnel. They are not even teens.” The ju...
Ireland’s health service IT systems shut down by ransomware attack
Ireland’s health service said it was under a ransomware attack on Friday that forced it to shut down its computer systems. A ransomware attack locks users out of their computer systems until they pay a fee to the intruder. There were few details, but the attack was described as significant by Ireland’s Health Service Executive. Motorists line up for fuel at one of the few remaining gas stations that still has fuel in Arlington, Virgina, on May 13, 2021. AFPBiden says oil pipeline back in operation after cyber attack It said it was shutting down all its IT systems to protect them from the attack while it consulted security partners. Covid-19 vaccinations would still go ahead as planned, the agency said. “We apologise for inconvenience caused to patients and to the public and will give furth...
