Borno
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said last Monday in
Abuja that a military patrol team successfully repelled an ambush by insurgents in Buratai community in Biu Local Government Area of Borno.
A statement signed by Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information said that the troops fell into an ambush laid by terrorists while on patrol, adding that the troops engaged the terrorists in a gun-battle, killing four of them and capturing one.
“Also in Kawuri in Borno, troops on patrol killed five terrorists in a shootout. The troops also captured two AK-47 rifles and two vehicles used by the terrorists,” the statement said.
Jigawa
The Birniwa Community in Jigawa State last Monday
commended the local council over the establishment of woodlots to control desert encroachment in the area.
The local council also distributed economic and drought resistant tree seedlings to farmers for planting.
Cross sections of farmers in Birniwa said that, the development had encouraged cash crop production and enhance communal desert control activities.
One of the community members, Malam Yerima Aminu, said they were encouraged to plant trees and engaged in sesame, cassava and groundnut production.

Kaduna
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) last Monday
called on Nigerians to partner with government at all level to ensure sustainable peace.
The Director Administration and Human Resource of the Agency, Mr Solomon Ado made the call in an interview in Kaduna.
He said NOA has embarked on advocacy to mobilise Nigerians to partner with government to enhance peaceful coexistence within communities across the country and charged Nigerians to play their own part to ensure that peace reign supreme in the country.
“Nigeria love peace and will do whatever necessary to ensure that her people live in peaceful atmosphere.
“Government is also employing a lot of measures in ensuring that the youthful populations of Nigeria are productively engaged”, he said.

Kwara
The Vice-Chancellor of  the  University of Ilorin,  Prof.
Abdul-Ganiyu Ambali, last Monday called  for sustained  training of security personnel to boost  surveillance in universities.
He made the call in Ilorin while declaring open  a workshop for the university’s security personnel organised by the Centre for Research, Development and In-House Training.
Ambali pointed out that capacity building through  training and retraining was  vital to  the attainment of the institution’s goals and objectives.
Earlier, the Director of the centre, Prof. Temidayo  Oladiji, said  the workshop was organised in batches to ensure all security personnel of the university were trained.
Oladiji, who said the training programme would be continuous, added that the university was committed to training and re-training of all cadres of staff.

Katsina
The Katsina State Independent Electoral Commission
(SIEC), last Monday, announced August 2 for the conduct of local government election in the state.
The SIEC Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Lawal, made the announcement at a  meeting on the preparations for the elections in Katsina.
Lawal said that nomination forms for the chairmanship position would be sold for N250, 000, while that of the Vice Chairmanship would be sold for N150,000 and N100,000, for the councillorship position. He explained that the sales of the nomination forms  would commence on July 7, and end on July 28. Also,  electioneering campaign for the elections will start on June 2 to August 1, while political party primaries will begin from June 5 to June 26.
He said that the display of voter’s register at ward level would commence on June 11, and end on June 18, while submission of names of candidates by all participating political parties, would start on June 6 and end on June 28.

Gombe
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called
for the protection of the traditional institution in the country.
Speaking with newsmen in Gombe, Abubakar said that traditional institutions were the basis of the society. He said the recent attack of the emir of Gwoza by insurgents, which led to his death, was very shocking, adding that the government should be able to protect the traditional institution. The former vice president, who was at the palace of the Emir of Gombe, condoled with the state government over the death of Alhaji Shehu Abubakar, the 10th Emir of Gombe.
He described the deceased as a level headed person who related with the ordinary people and  prayed the Almighty God to grand him eternal rest.

Nasarawa
Board member, National Orthopaedic Hospital,
Enugu, Mr Joseph Kaura last Sunday called for a northern stakeholders summit to discuss ways of ending insurgency in the region.
Kaura who  made the call in an interview in Lafia, appealed to the Northern Elders Forum, Arewa Consultative Forum and youths in the region to urgently convene a stakeholders meeting to discuss ways of ending the insurgency.
“Instead of struggling for a power shift to the northern region, it is better to struggle for a lasting peace to return to the region. Power will come to the North at God’s appropriate time. Peaceful coexistence of the region should be our priority for now. Time has come for the northern governors and the elders to create jobs for the jobless northern youths,” he said.
Kaura said that the situation in which the region found itself now did not make for apportioning blames on President Goodluck Jonathan over the insurgency in the North and advised leaders, who were fond of establishing industries outside the shores of Nigeria, to desist and bring back such industries into the country, particularly in the North.

Oyo
The Oyo State Commandant of the Nigeria Security
and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Adebayo Ayeni says forests in the state have been placed under surveillance to check insurgency.
The commandant  who said this on Monday in Ibadan in an interview  said  surveillance was a proactive measure to stop insurgents from using the forests as base in  the state. Ayeni  also stated that with the numerous police checkpoints, intelligence gathered had suggested that insurgents prefer  forests as alternative routes for  infiltration. He, however, urged members of the public to inform security agencies of any suspicious movement of  persons around them.

Ogun
Five night guards at Taidob College, Abeokuta, Ogun
State were  last Monday  arraigned in an   Abeokuta Magistrates’ Court  over alleged negligence.
The Police Prosecutor, Insp  Augustine Ozimini,  told the court that an  act of  negligence on the part of the guards led to the theft of property valued at N1.6million. The accused persons are Olajide Oduwole, 28; Oluwatosin Omilana, 27; Babajide Sodiya, 22; Samuel Mufutau, 23;  and Solomon Akera, 25.
According to Ozimini, the offence was committed on May 21 at about 1.00 a.m. at Taidob College,  Asero Estate, Abeokuta. Ozimini said that the accused  neglected their duties and allowed unknown thieves to break into the Human Resources Centre of the school.
The Magistrate, Mr Emanuel Adekunte, granted the accused  bail in the sum of N100,000 each with two sureties in like sum. He  adjourned the case till  August 4 for further hearing on the matter.

Sokoto
The Nigeria Police in zone 10, has adopted new security
measures to prevent the influx of arms into the country through its areas of jurisdiction, Mr Bala Hassan, the police  chief in the area, has said.
Hassan, an Assistant Inspector-General (AIG), said on Monday in Sokoto that the measures would make it impossible for illegal arms importation and other forms of criminality to be carried out in the zone.
The AIG said that competent officers had been deployed to border communtieis in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states to apprehend any person or group of people engaged in the act.

Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo (left) of Gombe State and Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State when Governor Lamido paid a condolence visit to Gombe over the death of Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Shehu Abubakar last Wednesday.