News
Troops Kill 84 Terrorists, Over 1,000 Surrender .Apprehend 16 Migrant Bandits
The Defense Headquarters has said the troops of Operation Hadin Kai and HadarinDaji eliminated no fewer than 84 terrorists and bandits in North-East and North-West in the last two weeks.
The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko said this while giving an update on military operations across the country between December 9 and December 23, yesterday in Abuja.
Under Operation Hadin Kai, Onyeuko said the troops carried out several land and air operations that recorded significant results at different locations across the theatre within the period.
He said the operational efforts resulted in the neutralisation of 51 and arrest of 19 terrorists as well as the surrendering of 1,081 terrorists and their families comprising 187 adult males, 326 adult females and 568 children.
According to him, a total of 122 assorted arms and 1,499 rounds of different calibres of ammunition were recovered, while a total of eight gun trucks belonging to the terrorists were destroyed.
“Additionally, troops’ kinetic and non-kinetic operations have continued to drive the terrorists out of their camps into surrendering.
“Within this period in focus, a total of 1,081 terrorists and their families comprising 187 adult males, 326 adult females and 568 children surrendered to our troops at different locations of the theatre.
“The surrendered terrorists were properly profiled and handed over to appropriate authorities for necessary actions,” he said.
Under Operation HadarinDaji, Onyeuko said the troops had sustained land and air offensives against the bandits and other criminal elements at different locations across the North-West theatre.
He said the troops’ operational efforts yielded significant results at Kaikazaka village in Sokoto State as well as Garbadu town and Saturi, Katanga, Badarawa and Tunga Na Yarchiga villages in Zamfara.
According to him, a total of 33 bandits were neutralised, while 19 of them and their collaborators, as well as armed herdsman, were arrested while 28 kidnapped civilians were rescued in the course of the operations.
He stated that 37 assorted arms, including AK-47 rifles, PKT machine guns, and GPMGs as well as 698 rounds of different calibres of ammunition, 22 motorcycles, and 899 rustled livestock, among other items and vehicles were recovered.
He added that 59 extra magazines of assorted arms and 21 motorcycles were recovered from bandits during the operations.
“We acknowledge and salute the noteworthy efforts and sacrifices of our gallant officers and men as well as other security agencies that progressively conduct the various operations across the country.
“Although some of our troops paid the supreme prize in the course of the operations, our dogged troops consistently exhibited gallantry and resilience in the various operations within the year,” he said.
Similarly, the Defence Headquarters, yesterday, said troops of Operation Whirl Stroke in Benue, Nasarawa and Tarabastates arrested sixteen migrant bandits from the Niger Republic.
It also said the bandits were arrested in different operations across the North-Central region of the country.
The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen Bernard Onyeuko, made this known while providing an update on military operations across Nigeria between December 9 and 23 in Abuja.
Onyeuko explained that troops executed different operations at Tine-Nune village in Mbatin Council Ward and TseYorbee town in Ukum Local Government Area, Ojapo community and Edumoga forest in Okpokwu Local Government Area and along Makurdi–Kula road in Benue.
According to him, other operations were executed at Ugya forest in Toto LGA of Nasarawa during the period with commendable results.
He said 12 criminals were neutralised, while 26 criminal elements, including 16 migrant bandits from the Niger Republic, were arrested.
He further said 16 different types of arms and 61 different calibres of ammunition were recovered, while thirteen kidnapped civilians were rescued during the operations.
Under Operation Safe Haven, Onyeuko disclosed that troops successfully repelled bandits’ attacks and arrested child traffickers, cattle rustlers, kidnappers, as well as bandits and robbers in parts of Plateau, Bauchi and Kaduna states.
He added, “Other locations were; Boto area in TafawaBalewa Local Government Area of Bauchi state; GidanWaya town and AngwanMagaji village in Jama’aLocal Government Area of Kaduna State.
“In addition, troops within the period held peace and security meetings with critical stakeholders as non-kinetic means of tackling insecurity.
“Some of these meetings were held at; the Force Headquarters of Operation Whirl Stroke in Makurdi and Lau LGA in Taraba.
“Issues discussed at the meeting centred on how to find lasting solutions to the security challenges in the North-Central Zone.”
Under Operation Thunder Strike/Whirl Punch, troops killed four bandits, arrested six criminals as well as recovered assorted arms and ammunition in Niger State during the period.
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.