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Troops Kill Top Boko Haram Commanders, Fighters In Lake Chad
Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have eliminated several top commanders and fighters of the Boko Haram terrorist group in their various camps at the fringes of Lake Chad in Kukawa Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State.
The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday, in Abuja.
Enenche said that the troops also destroyed several camps used by the terrorists located at Tunbun Gini, Tunbun Nbororo, Tunbun Kayoma, Tunbun Kaza, and Tunbun Fulani during the operation.
He said that some of the top Boko Haram/ISWAP commanders killed during the operation were Abu Usman, Alhaji Shettima, Modu Mainok, Bukar Gana, Abu Summayya, Amir Taam, and Amir Kuraish.
He said the Armed Forces of Nigeria in collaboration with other security agencies were committed to ending terrorism and other security challenges in the country.
“While the good people of the North-East are once again assured of troop’s commitment to the safety of lives and property within the zone, they are also encouraged to continue to avail the troops timely and credible information that will assist them in the conduct of their operations,” he said.
Similarly, troops of Operation Sahel Sanity have rescued over 20 victims of kidnapping, including 11 women, a truck driver, and an undisclosed number of children abducted by bandits at different locations in Katsina State.
The operatives also rescued another set of eight persons from hoodlums dressed in military camouflage at Fankama and Sabon Layi area of Faskari Local Government Area of the state.
Disclosing this to journalists during the weekly briefing on security operations in Abuja, yesterday, the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen. John Enenche, explained that the female traders and children were on their way to Batsari market when they were abducted by the bandits along Shimfida–Gurbi Road.
“On September 17, 2020, troops responding to a distress call rescued eight kidnapped victims from suspected bandits at Fankama and Sabon Layi area of Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
“This was as a result of actionable intelligence that bandits dressed in military camouflage uniforms were sighted with kidnapped victims; the troops responded swiftly and made contact with the bandits forcing them to abandon the victims,” the coordinator stated.
Within the period, the troops deployed in Forward Operations Base Dansadau also arrested a suspected bandit on a motorcycle on his way to Dandalla village in Dansadau, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, with one Pump Action rifle and three live cartridges carefully concealed in a bag.
Preliminary investigation, according to the Defence Headquarters, revealed that the ammunition was to be delivered to a bandit leader at a location in Dansadau.
“Similarly, two gunrunners were arrested in possession of 1,620 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition at Kudaru Hill along Kaduna-Jos Road in Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State”.
Enenche also revealed that the air component of Operation Thunder Strike killed several bandits in airstrikes executed at Kwaimbana forest area of Kaduna State.
He said, “Equally, on September 18, troops of Forward Operations Base Burukusuma patrol team killed seven bandits at Magira village of Zamfara State. Furthermore, on September 19, troops of Operation Hadarin Daji in conjunction with vigilantes arrested two bandits with N1.3million at Baworaje village in Talata Mafara LGA of Zamfara State.”
In the North-East, Enenche said a high profile Boko Haram commander surrendered with his four wives to the troops, adding that a BH fighter was nabbed at Kamuya in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State and nine other criminals in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State.
Meanwhile, no fewer than three persons have been killed in an attack by Boko Haram terrorists on a community in Borno State.
The terror group struck at Mandaragraw, a community in Biu Local Government Area in the southern part of Borno, last Wednesday night.
Sources say the insurgents came on motorcycles and opened fire on defenseless civilians in their houses, forcing residents to flee into the bushes.
‘The attack occurred in the night. Three people were killed and about seven injured,’ Auwal Umar, a Biu resident who hails from the community, said.
Mandaragraw, a remote community in Biu Local Government is about 30 kilometres to Biu town and over 150 kilometres to Maiduguri, the state capital.
There were similar reports of a Boko Haram attack on Maiduguri-Monguno road, last Wednesday.
The incident was not known in Maiduguri until mid-Thursday due to the destruction of telecommunication services in the area by the insurgents.
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.