News
Military Takes Over Security In Kano
In apparent reaction to the recent well-coordinated bomb attacks by the dreaded islamist fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram which killed over 180 people in Kano, military men have taken over the security of Kano City in Kano State.
This followed the series of attacks by Boko Haram in the city between last Friday and Tuesday.
Sources told The Tide that military men were now patrolling the city day and night.
Some are reported to have erected checkpoints for stop and search.
A source told The Tide from Kano on telephone: “The town is now heavily militarised. Even at junctions, you find them controlling the traffic.”
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that it had become obvious that the police had been overwhelmed by the dreaded sect, Boko Haram.
The source added, “you need to come and see how these guys operate. They are usually young men whose age can be put at between 18 and 25.
And they come with machine guns and other heavy guns apart from the bombs. How do you expect the police to be able to cope? “I am sure that must be the reason the military was drafted in.
“And there is a relative sense of security now, I must confess.”
The Tide could not confirm the veracity of the claim that another bomb exploded in Kano yesterday afternoon.
As at press time, it was still unclear if the noise that was heard from the Sabongari area of the town was a bomb explosion or a tyre burst.
A source said it was the trye of a luxury bus that gave way that afternoon and not a bomb explosion.
Few hours after the appointment of Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, the Nigerian Police Force has arrested about 200 people, including 160 from neighboring Chad, suspected of involvement in last week’s bombings that killed over 250 people in the ancient city of Kano.
Nigeria’s government has informed Chadian authorities to investigate the possibility the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for the attacks, of having training facilities in Chad, a Police official said in Kano, who declined to be named because he is not authorised to speak with newsmen.
As the search for bombs and Boko Haram members intensified, the Federal Government had earlier deployed more soldiers and other security personnel to the troubled city.
Boko Haram, which draws its inspiration from Afghanistan’s Taliban movement, is responsible for a surge in violence in the mainly Muslim north of Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer. The group, whose name means “Western education is sacrilege,”claimed responsibility for church bomb attack on Christmas Day that killed 43 people.
Chad’s government told Nigerian authorities that President Idriss Deby had asked for security forces in the country to investigate and dismantle any training camps, if found, the Nigerian police official said.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.