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Troops Kill Scores Of Bandits In Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger
The Defence Headquarters says troops of Operation Hadarin Daji has neutralised over 10 bandits and rescued many kidnapped victims from their hideouts in Zamfara and Sokoto states.
The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday, in Abuja.
Enenche said that the troops, in a ground and air operation closed up on bandits in a subsidiary operation called Operation Chingaba along Maru-Dansadau axis killing nine bandits.
He added that 18 victims comprising 10 men, four women and four minors who were kidnapped by the bandits were rescued during the operation.
Enenche also disclosed that the troops, in a sting operation at Isah Road close to Sarwa Village in Isah Local Government Area of Sokoto State, arrested a gun runner known as Alhaji following credible information.
According to him, at the point of his arrest, his men in ambush opened fire on troops leading to his death while his men fled with various degrees of gunshot wounds.
“Troops recovered one General Purpose Machine Gun PKT, 140 rounds of 12.7mm, 43 blank ammunition, and one motorcycle.
“In the same vein on April 11, troops of FOB Dangulbi and Dansadau at a blocking force at Gobirawa made contact with bandits forcing them to withdraw in disarray.
“Troops pursued and neutralized one bandit, recovered one AK-47 rifle, three 7.62mm special ammunition, water jet explosives, two inches depth 33 cable for IED and one motorcycle.
“Furthermore, following sustained action on the bandits in Mutunj and Dansadau in Maru LGA on April 10, the Village Head of Mutumji handed over one AK-47 rifle captured from bandits to troops at FOB Dansadau.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria hereby solicit for continuous provision of information for the enhancement of our operations.
“This is highly desirable in tackling our security challenges,” he said.
Similarly, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says that soldiers on a mop-up operation have killed scores of bandits and rescued seven abducted persons at Dogon Gona Forest in Niger State.
This was contained in a statement by the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, yesterday.
The statement reads, “Troops of 31 Artillery Brigade on April 11, 2020 on a mop-up operation to clear bandits at Dogon Gona Forest general area of Niger State rescued seven kidnapped victims.
“The victims, who were abandoned by the bandits after a fierce battle were said to have been kidnapped on March 27, 2020 and taken to an unknown destination.
“Following interrogation after a successful rescue operation, the village head of Madaki confirmed that the victims were natives of Roro village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State. The victims would soon be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further necessary action.
“In a related development, troops of 31 Artillery Brigade on April 11, 2020 at Kontokoro village while on clearance operation engaged bandits in a gun duel. The operation led to the neutralization of several bandits and some escaped with gunshot wounds.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria hereby continues to solicit for timely and credible information for the enhancement of its operations. This is highly desirable in tackling our security challenges,” the statement added.
However, one person was reportedly killed, yesterday morning while several others were injured and many houses burnt in a renewed clash between two families of Mbapen clan in Taraku town, Gwer East Local Government Area in Benue State.
It was also gathered that one person has not yet been found after the deadly clash which allegedly claimed the life of the deceased, Tseaa Wanpera, said to be a director in the employ of the state government in the Arts and Culture Ministry.
It was learnt that the age-long crisis started as a result of land dispute between two household (Aku and Mon) all of which are great grandchildren of Mbaakemcha, in Mbapen Clan.
Our correspondent reports that Mbaakemcha is one of the Tiv communities housing Taraku, a bustling rural town of about 15-minutes drive to Otukpo, headquarters of Idoma Kingdom.
An eyewitness said that the unsettled dispute escalated overtime and to such extent that the brothers were usually on war path, a development which had prompted the police to regularly surveillance the vicinity.
The witness added that fresh trouble began to brew at the weekend when one of the warring factions allegedly hired some mercenaries to unleash terror on the family of the deceased who had travelled home from his Makurdi base to attend his elder brother’s burial ceremony.
The local further explained that the attackers seized the funeral opportunity to open gun fire on allegedly few mourners left at home after the burial of their family’s patriarch in the early hours of yesterday, setting Wanpera ablaze in his house during the process.
“His (Wanpera) in-law was shot while one Mr Iorahom is still missing. Many houses were also set ablaze in the affected area and still in flames as we speak,” the local added.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.