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Defence and Security

Declare full scale war against terrorists, Senate tells FG

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3 years ago

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Banditry Gunmen
Bandits
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…raises alarm over displacement of 151,380 persons in two years
 
The Senate has called on the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, declare full fledged war against elements involved in terrorist activities in the country.

This was just as the upper chamber called on the government to establish a military base at Shiroro and Kaima communities in Niger State to restore confidence in the security and safety of the affected communities.

According to the Senate, doing so would also safeguard the Shiroro Hydro-electric Power Dam, a National Asset located within the area.

These formed part of resolutions reached following a motion considered during plenary on Tuesday.

The motion was sponsored by Senator Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East) and Co-sponsored by Senator Sadiq Suleiman Umar (Kwara North).

Senator Musa, in his presentation entitled, “Recent Bandit attack on communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State: A call for action”, noted that on Tuesday, 11th January, 2022, 13 (Thirteen) persons were confirmed killed in an attack by suspected bandits in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

According to the lawmaker, on Friday 14th January, 2022, five vigilante members were killed in an attack on a local market and some communities in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

He lamented that during the “deadly” operation, “a lot of destruction ensued, including many people who sustained multiple gunshot injuries while many others were kidnapped and taken to unknown destination.”

He said that, “the assailants attacked villagers who were harvesting crops on their farm in Nakundna village in Shiroro council area and the inability of farmers to harvest their farm produce may likely trigger food scarcity in the State;

“Notes that the current sad reality is that there is no longer semblance of security in the whole of Lakpma axis
of Shiroro local government in Kaima village;

“Regrets that these attacks by armed groups have continued in the North-west and North-Central Niger State
despite repeated government assurance to address the escalating atrocities;

“Recalls that over 151, 380 people, mostly peasant farmers, were displaced by the activities of bandits in the last two years. The displaced persons were registered in 13 local government areas of the state, with Rafi council area neighbouring Zamfara and Kaduna topping the chart with 28, 987 displaced persons;

“Concludes that in the Shiroro council area, where the latest incident occurred, over 27, 678 persons were displaced within the period; and

“Notes that the ongoing bloodletting and destruction of public and private assets by the bandits cannot be allowed to continue.”

The Senate, accordingly, in its resolutions, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for ordering air bombardment on there area of operation.

It also called on the Federal Government to declare a full fledge war on unscrupulous elements since they have been declared as terrorists, and to establish a military Base at Shiroro and Kaima, to restore confidence in the security and safety of the affected communities and to safeguard the National Asset located within the area, such as the Shiroro Hydro-electric Power Dam.

The chamber urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials and medical team to the victims immediately.

 

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Defence and Security

Tinubu Appoints New DG for NIA, DSS

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2 months ago

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August 26, 2024

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President Bola Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
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President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of new Directors-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Department of State Services (DSS).

Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed is the new Director-General of the NIA.

Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi is the new Director-General of the DSS.

This is contained in a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale Special Adviser to the President, Media & Publicity

The statement reads : “Ambassador Mohammed has had an illustrious career in the foreign service since joining the NIA in 1995.

He had served in various roles, culminating in his promotion to the rank of Director and his subsequent appointment as the head of the Nigerian mission to Libya”

“The 1990 graduate of Bayero University, Kano, had served in North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan, and at the State House, Abuja”

“The new DSS Director-General, Mr.

Adeola Ajayi, rose through the ranks to attain his current post of Assistant Director-General of the Service. He had, at various times, served as State Director in Bauchi, Enugu, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Kogi”

“The new appointments follow the resignation of the previous NIA and DSS chiefs”

“President Tinubu expects that the new security chiefs will work assiduously to reposition the two intelligence agencies for better results and charges them to bring their experience to bear in tackling the security challenges bedeviling the country through enhanced collaboration with sister agencies and in surgical alignment with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

The President thanks the outgoing Directors-General of the two pivotal intelligence agencies for their services to the nation while wishing them success in their future endeavours”

 

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Defence and Security

Army Has No Desire To Truncate Nigeria’s Democracy — COAS

Published

8 months ago

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March 5, 2024

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Chief of Army Staff
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja
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The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, on Tuesday, restated the commitment of the Nigerian Army to defend the nation’s choice of government, democracy.

Addressing participants at a seminar on career planning and management organised by the Army headquarters, the COAS said the Army has no plans to truncate democracy in the country.

He charged officers of the Nigerian Army to remain above board in the discharge of their professional duties.

“Permit me to seize this opportunity to reiterate that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, particularly the Nigerian Army has come to terms with the country’s choice of democracy as the preferred system of governance,” he said during his address to officers.

“We are therefore agents of democracy and have no desire to truncate it. The Nigerian Army will continue to defend our constitution and not suspend it for whatever reason.

“It is the duty of our elected leaders to lead while the military does its job as enshrined in our constitution. Nigerian Army personnel must therefore remain professional and be above board as they discharge their constitutional duties.”

The commitment by the COAS followed the series of putsches in West and Central Africa which have experienced at least seven military takeovers in the last four years.

Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and most recently, Niger Republic — all members of the Economic Community of Western African States ( ECOWAS) — have pulled out from the regional bloc in last four years. Outside of West Africa, Chad and Sudan also experienced military coups in 2021.

 

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Defence and Security

Economic: Defence Chief Warns Coup Advocates

Published

8 months ago

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February 22, 2024

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Defence HQ Logo
Defence HQ Logo
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The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has warned against advocating for a coup due to economic hardship, emphasizing patience and the superiority of democracy.

He made this known on Thursday while speaking with journalists at the Nigerian Army 6 Division Headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, after commissioning some building projects.

General Musa urged individuals promoting military takeover to cease such statements.

The Chief of Defence Staff had earlier commissioned the newly constructed Entrance Gate and Officers Transit Accommodation at the 6 Division Headquarters.

Protests have occurred in Ogun, Oyo, Kano, Niger and some parts of the country in the last few weeks over the hardship experienced in the country as Nigerians lament food inflation, high cost of living, amongst other harsh living conditions occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy, forex crisis, amongst others.

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