A 45-year-old civil servant has been elected the new president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).
Amid chaos and violence that characterised the convention at the old parade ground, Abuja on Thursday, Sunday Asefon who works with the Ekiti State Government, got 155 votes to defeat his closest rival, Olushola Oladoja, who scored 100 votes.
Oladoja , reported to be a student of Ekiti State University, replaces Bamidele Akpan.
The management of Arik Air has declared 300 staff members redundant to its current level of operations.
Adebanji Ola, manager, PR & Communications in a statement said the leadership of the impacted unions had been contacted to negotiate a redundancy package for the affected staff.
“It is important to note that over 50 percent of Arik Air’s workforce of over 1,600 staff have been on furlough in the past six months on a base allowance.
“Decisions to let go off staff is naturally a difficult decision. Arik Air wishes the impacted staff well in their future endeavours,” Ola added.
By Yemi Itodo
Contrary to the believe that victims of Boko Haram attack last Saturday in Borno were rice farmers; fresh fact has emerged Friday morning that they were actually informants and logistics suppliers to the insurgents.
About 48 persons were reportedly slain Saturday morning in Zarbamari, a town in Borno State, North East Nigeria, by the Boko Haram insurgents, who later claimed responsibility.
The recent attack which was believed by many to be on rice farmers, has elicited commentaries and condemnations from all spheres of life.
But Mallam Kabiru Zanna, a local of Zarbamari, who spoke with this Correspond Friday morning, said those affected were mainly collaborators of Boko Haram who hailed from Zamfara and Sokoto states.
“The people that were killed were actually logistics suppliers and collaborators with Boko Haram. They supply them food, fuel. They also help the insurgents in selling rustled cows”, he said.
Zanna who spoke in Hausa, also narrated what actually transpired on that fateful Saturday and how the transaction between the insurgents and their erstwhile collaborators went awry.
“Last week, these same people were on their way to meeting the insurgents for business when they were accosted by soldiers and after the soldiers couldn’t find anything on them they let them go.
“Meanwhile, the insurgents who were waiting saw them with the troops who later killed 5 of them after an ambush, so the insurgents accused those guys of providing Intel to the soldiers. This is the main reason why the terrorists began killing them.
“The insurgents called them to meet on Thursday but they said they wouldn’t be able to make it unless on Saturday. They agreed to meet early morning 5:00am on that Saturday. They even had their morning prayers there.
“From there, the insurgents began to tell them about those guys who used to supply them food, who also betrayed them by providing Intel to the troops.
“Normally if there are betrayers in a town the entire community would pay the price for such acts. At that moment, the insurgents ordered that everyone be tied. They instructed that no gun should be fired in other not to attract troops.
“That was exactly what happened. Those people mostly are collaborators of the terrorists”, he added.
Zanna, who has been keeping tabs with activities of Boko Haram in the state, said, though some that were killed were innocent, “but very few of them. I swear most of them are traders with the insurgents. None of them is a rice farmer, they are all in trade with the insurgents”.
When contacted on phone, a Media Aide to Governor Babagana Umar Zulum, Mr. Ahidjo Abdu Likita, confirmed the revelation.
“Yes, it has been confirmed that the victims slaughtered were agents of Boko Haram”, he told our reporter on phone, adding that, further investigation was being carried to reveal more.
When asked why did the Governor go ahead to disburse money to perceived family members of the victims, since they were collaborators, Likita said, the Governor didn’t “know the real of all the scenario till today”.
He said, “everybody was thinking it was the real people of Zabarmari village”, until the information got to the Governor Friday morning.
The Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism (CATE) says the North-East region is closer to safety following the killing of high-ranking Boko Haram commander, Amir Goni Maina.
Goni Maina was the acclaimed Governor of Lake Chad Tumbuns.
He perceived the area as his territory from where he orchestrated several deadly attacks.
The once-inviscible terror kingpin, however, met his waterloo on Wednesday, following an offensive by the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole.
This comes few days after a recent charge by President Muhammadu Buhari to the military to take the battle to the insurgents.
And in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Gabriel Onoja, on Thursday, the CATE applauded the military, it’s leadership and the troops that carried out the succesful operation in line with President Buhari’s order.
According to the coalition, Goni Maina’s death is a befitting consequence for the massacre of scores of farmers in Koshobe and Zabarmari areas of Borno State.
It further charged the troops to maintain the momentum and fish out all the remnants of terrorists in the Lake Chad region.
The group, however, assured that with the demise of Goni Maina and sustained onslaught by the troop, the North-East region would soon experience a new lease of life.
Read full statement below:
The Coalition Against Terrorism and Extremism (CATE) is pleased to learn of the exploit by the Nigerian Military with the killing of a high-ranking Boko Haram commander, Amir Goni Maina, who in his lifetime posed as the Governor of Lake Chad Tumbuns. With Amir Maina’s death the northeast region of Nigeria is one step closer to being made safe for civilians to live their lives in peace.
CATE unequivocally commends the Nigerian military, it’s leadership and the troops that carried out the operation for their success in striking at the heart of the insurgency in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive. The Army has continued to show that it is capable of holding its own and taking the battle to the insurgents in all their hideouts and enclaves.
Amir Maina’s death is a befitting consequence for the massacre of scores of farmers in Koshobe, Zabarmari area of Borno state, Nigerians want more terrorists -whether Boko Haram or ISWAP- to pay for the heinous crime of going after civilians. It is our firm belief that other unrepentant terrorists will soon be doing escort duty for Amir Maina as they are dispatched from the face of the earth.
We therefore charge the military to fish out all the remnants of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in the Lake Chad region dead or alive within the shortest period possible. The military should ensure that there is no terrorists spared in this round of operation against the terrorists to ensure that they do not have time to recover or ever regroup again.
Even if the terrorists should indicate interest in a ceasefire or peace talks such overture should be spurned by the military and the government since such had in the past turned out to be mere ploys by the terrorists to buy time, regroup, recruit new fighters and train them.
In CATE’s opinion, anyone or any organization that broaches the idea of ceasefire, peace talks or any suggestion that could potentially buy Boko Haram terrorists some moments of reprieve must seen as an enemy of the state and enemy of Nigerians. These are individuals and entities that failed to demand that the terrorists abandon their evil ways and allow the people of the northeast live their lives in peace.
CATE is stating this because we have heard of plans by some individuals and some organizations so slow down the impending escalation of military actions against Boko Haram terrorists by rushing to offer themselves as peace brokers in order to corner the military into accepting a ceasefire. They will also request for the opening of humanitarian corridors for relief materials and safe passage for civilians, which in reality would be escape routes for terrorists that would be cornered in the impending offensive. Where these approaches fails, these persons and organizations will accuse the military of committing human right abuses by claiming that some of the terrorists to be killed in the operations are civilians.
Several foreign news networks have been placed on standby to publicize skewed versions of whichever of these plans is being implemented in order to draw international condemnation to the military operation to crush Boko Haram.
We urge the military, particularly the Nigerian Army, not to be deterred in the resolve to carry out Mr. President’s directive to flush all terrorists out of the Lake Chad Basin irrespective of what blackmail is directed at it.
The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Faruk Yahaya, has issued a strong warning to Borno communities collaborating with Boko Haram terrorists to desist from it.
In a statement issued on Friday by the spokesperson for the Theatre Command, Colonel Ado Isa, the warning followed a meeting with components of the Multi-National Joint Task Force.
“We also wish to warn all groups or communities hobnobbing with Boko Haram/ISWAP to sever such relations or the military takes drastic action against such defaulters,” the Commander was quoted as saying.
According to the military authorities, the level of collaboration and support ranged from providing information and intelligence on troops and law-abiding citizens to logistics supply and trading with the terrorists.
The theatre commander observed that there are “obvious implications and the dangers of collaborating with Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and other criminal elements in the society.”
Benisheik, Jakana, Mainok, Magumeri, Gajiram and Gubio, all in Borno State were indicted in the statement for allegedly harbouring “unpatriotic and heartless criminal elements.”
The theatre commander attributed this to what he described as the high level of terrorist activities and general insecurity that results in casualties in those areas.
“Anyone caught will face the full wrath of the law as we will not tolerate anyone sabotaging our concerted counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts through collaboration with the Boko Haram terrorists,” he added.
The army authorities also warned to come out hard on any community or groups that support the terrorists in any way or act as harbour zone for them.
The warning comes six days after Boko Haram terrorists attacked Zabarmari community in Koshobe village area of Borno State and killed at least 43 rice farmers, a situation that renewed calls for the immediate sack of the service chiefs.
At the resumed trial on Friday, the counsel representing Maina, Adaji Abel formally withdrew and the counsel engaged by Mr Maina asked for a short adjournment to enable him to study the facts of the case.
Justice Abang granted the application for adjournment on the ground that the defendant who is presumed innocent is entitled to legal representation.
He subsequently adjourned the case to the 8th of December for a continuation of trial.
The Nigerian Army has decorated 39 newly promoted senior officers from the ranks of Brigadier Generals to Major Generals.
The newly decorated officers were elevated to their new ranks due to their diligence and professionalism in their discharge of duty.
Performing the decoration ceremony at the Command Officers’ Mess Asokoro, Abuja, the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (Rtd) charged the officers to give their best in the discharge of their constitutional duties as well as join heads together to tackle the issue of insecurity in the country.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai while congratulating the officers urged them to be loyal in carrying out their mandate and further warned that any act of indiscipline will not be tolerated.
The ceremony was witnessed by the Governor of kebbi state, top military officers as well as the family members of the newly decorated officers.
Former Super Eagles captain Nwankwo Kanu has broken his silence on allegations by a former colleague Osaze Odemwingie that his wife Amara Kanu was sending him inappropriate private messages.
Kanu, who starred for Nigeria in the past alongside Osaze, on Thursday tweeted a video of himself and wife looking happy together.
Then he wrote: “Unfortunately the world loves negative things without finding out the truth. Honestly if we can all channel this energy towards positive things and support for charities the world will be a better place.
“I don’t understand this talk that my wife is wooing who?
In another tweet, he addressed Osaze directly, saying: “Who is wooing who??? Osaze, I am still going to choose family over everything else. My reaching out to you over a situation you passed through, or you reaching me can never be taken out of context as a family. You got this one completely wrong my dear brother. ONE LOVE.”
Odemwingie had claimed Mrs Kanu has been relentlessly seeking a conversation with him to get tips on getting her son back on his feet after suffering a knee injury.
Kanu’s wife, a fitness expert, had told Osaze that her husband was aware she was contacting him.
QED
The presidency has denied media reports that former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, transferred N12.5m from the state government account to the President Muhammadu Buhari when he was still the governor.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made this known on Thursday.
In a message he posted on social media, the presidential aide said the money in question was transferred to the “PMB Estate.”
He explained that the President Muhammadu Buhari Estate in Abeokuta belonged to the state government and was only named after the President.
Shehu wrote, “Fake news industry at work. A certain document showing the transfer of N12,500,000 from the coffers of Ogun State to a ‘PMB Estate’ is being circulated to tarnish the image of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The PMB Estate is owned by the Ogun State Government, which honoured the President by naming it after him. Of course, that does not confer the ownership of the estate on President Buhari.
“The gossipy online newspaper peddling the falsehood that the President, Muhammadu Buhari, the tried and tested anti-corruption fighter is the beneficiary of this cash transfer should be ignored.”