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It is mischief and misinformation, DHQ reacts to report of mass exit of soldiers

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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It is mischief and misinformation, DHQ reacts to report of mass exit of soldiers

JOHN Enenche, the Director of Defence Information at the Nigerian Defence Headquarters says it was sheer mischief and misinformation to regard the report of about 356 soldiers leaving the military as a mass exodus and blow to war against insurgency.

Enenche, a Major General in the Nigerian Army spoke Wednesday night while appearing on Politics Today, a prime time programme  on Channels Television.

“It is just mischief and misinformation,” Enenche, said in reaction to a recent media report about mass exodus of soldiers from the Army over low moral and poor motivation.

A Premium Times report had earlier disclosed how 356 soldiers allegedly left the Army due to poor motivation.

While reacting to claims that there has been loss of public trusts in the military, the Defence Spokesperson maintained that nothing is fundamentally wrong with the military, reaffirming that soldiers exiting the military were normal activity.

“We have a routine where people come in, every year on a regular basis, regular recruitment, regular intakes and then exits. It is a system that is self-controlled,” he said.

“And once you have served your common service, six years, 12 years, 18 years, you can go. So did people not leave in 2015? Didn’t officers and soldiers leave in 2016, didn’t they leave in 2017 and 2018, 2019? Why must this one be a difference? And it will continue?” Enenche asked.

“It is just packaging information to misinform people, presenting them with different perspectives and lies,” Enenche noted on the national broadcast, querying public reactions over the reported 356 soldiers who left the army.

Though, he acknowledged the Nigerian Army has not met up with the expectations of the public mainly in the Northeast, he said the public impression is normal.

The Army General insisted on his position and disagreed on the notion of soldiers leaving the force as a result of low morale.

He attempted to justify his arguments by asking a rhetorical question on the number of soldiers enlisted yearly but did not state further.

However, the Defence Spokesperson could not provide actual statistics of the military personnel that  have already left the military in the last one year.

Rather, Enenche tasked critics to evaluate records of the Nigerian Air force, Navy, Army to establish figure of military personnel that retire annually in comparison with recruitment.

The Army, he noted, recruits twice annually but for the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If you don’t allow exits, how do other people come in. There are lots of factors. It is not even about getting to the ranks,” he said.

“For some people to get to this rank (pointing at his rank emblem) takes close to 33 years. And some people have left by the way – the same thing with other ranks. So, it is not true.”

“….enlistment and discharge is a routine and regular thing and it will continue as long as the system lasts.”

The army has been actively involved in  fighting the Boko Haram insurgent in recent years.

Founded in 2002, the Boko Haram insurgent group began launching military attacks in 2009 to create an Islamic state in the country, beyond its original focus against western education.

In July 2015,  Tukur Buratai, Chief of Army Staff launched Operation Lafiya Dole to conquer the terrorists. The operation replaced Operation Zaman Lafiya.

Troops were repeatedly deployed to the war theatre since the operation kick-started but some of the military personnel complained of overstay at the battlefront in the northeast region.

The soldiers, in recent times, have also expressed concerns over poor weapons, reported compromise within the Army, non-payment of allowances among other factors attributed to low morale and mass exit of 356 soldiers.

As a result, members of the National Assembly  vowed to probe the rationale behind the reported mass resignation.

They cited an instance of Olusegun Adeniyi, a Major General and former Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole that was reportedly removed due to his complaint on inferior military wares, poor equipment and other matters affecting welfare of the troops.

In June, President Muhammadu Buhari, through Babagana Monguno, his National Security Adviser (NSA) expressed his dissatisfaction over continuous insecurity in the country.

 

Fresh attacks in Southern Kaduna claim at least 20 lives in three communities

Seun DUROJAIYE
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Fresh attacks in Southern Kaduna claim at least 20 lives in three communities

AT least 20 people have died from fresh attacks by unknown gunmen in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The attack, which occurred on Thursday affected three communities; Kurmin Masara, Apyia Shyim, and Takmawai, Channels Television reports.

Elias Manza, the Chairman of Zango Kataf  Local Government while speaking said the gunmen, suspected to be  Fulani militia, attacked the three communities during the early hours of Thursday morning, firing several bullets at peoples’ houses.

According to Manza, the gunmen succeeded in killing seven persons in Takmawai, while 13 others were killed in Kurmin Masara, adding that several houses were burnt down and people forced of their homes while scampering for safety.

Since June 11, 2020,  Kaduna State Government had imposed a 24-hour curfew in Zangon Kataf and Kauru Local Government Areas due to renewed killings in the two local governments.

There’s been outcry over the increasing attacks in Southern Kaduna, which has claimed hundreds of lives in 2020 alone.

As of July 25, not less than 511 persons have been killed  in Southern Kaduna, a report by SB Morgen (SBM) revealed.

The report noted that this was despite an increase in security deployments, including a heavy military and special forces presence in the area.

According to the report,  12 areas in Southern Kaduna have witnessed varying degrees of attacks, with Kajuru and Chikun having the highest number of violent attacks in 2020 alone.

While Kajuru has recorded 26 incidents, Chikun has experienced 20 different attacks.

Other areas such as Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Kaura, Igabi and Zangon-Kataf have had seven, six, five and four incidents respectively.

Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector-General of Police, had directed the Kaduna State Police Commissioner to deploy both human and material assets of the Intervention Squad currently on ground in the state to safeguard the lives and property of people in the communities.

While many Nigerians have condemned the incessant killings and government’s poor approach to stopping the carnage, Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State in an interview linked the attack on the state especially the southern part to banditry.

A few days ago, El-Rufai met with traditional rulers to seek support in ending these killings.

The governor stressed the need for all hands to be on deck towards bringing a lasting solution to the troubled area and other parts of the state.

He also challenged the traditional rulers to fish out criminal elements in their midst.

Al-Qaeda growing influence in Borno, North-West may extend to Southern Nigeria, US warns

Niyi OYEDEJI
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Al-Qaeda growing influence in Borno, North-West may extend to Southern Nigeria, US warns

AL-QAEDA insurgent group is making some inroads in Borno State, North-Western and Southern parts of Nigeria, the United States of America has revealed.

Dagvin Anderson, Commander of the US Special Operations Command, Africa, disclosed this during a digital briefing on US efforts to combat terrorism in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The director in a brief obtained by The ICIR stated that the insurgent group was also expanding to other parts of West Africa.

Anderson explained that Al-Qaeda has had a very deliberate campaign to eliminate the future and grow its base in Africa by shutting down schools across the region.

“Al-Qaeda has had a very deliberate campaign to exploit these seams and grievances and to expand their reach, especially into the west.

“We’ve seen that they’ve taken advantage of this also by closing schools, so they take away the future.  They eliminate that future by shutting down these schools,” he said.

Anderson, who expressed concern over the development stated that over 9,000 schools across Africa have been shut down ― 3,000 in Mali and Burkina Faso.

He stated that the US has engaged with Nigeria and would continue to engage with the country on intel sharing and understanding of what these violent extremists are doing.

“…we have engaged with Nigeria and continue to engage with them in intel sharing and in understanding what these violent extremists are doing, and that has been absolutely critical to their engagements up in the Borno State and into an emerging area of northwest Nigeria that we’re seeing al-Qaida starting to make some inroads in,” Anderson revealed.

“So this intelligence sharing is absolutely vital and we stay fully engaged with the Government of Nigeria to provide them an understanding of what these terrorists are doing, what Boko Haram is doing, what ISIS-West Africa is doing, and how ISIS and al-Qaida are looking to expand further south into the littoral areas.”

The US Commander further said that the threat these violent extremist organizations pose cannot be underestimated, noting that the international nations thought they’ve been disintegrated.

“I think after 20 years, we have seen they are very resilient organizations that, although small, they’re able to leverage social media and other forms of media to have an outsized voice and that they continue to recruit and they continue to find opportunities,” he said.

 

RevolutionNow Protest: CDD warns FG against clampdown on peaceful protesters, abuse of human rights

Olugbenga ADANIKIN
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RevolutionNow Protest: CDD warns FG against clampdown on peaceful protesters, abuse of human rights

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) on Thursday warned the Federal Government against the continuous abuse of human rights, particularly the arrest of RevolutionNow protesters on Wednesday.

The Centre described disruption of the protest and arrest of protesters carried out by by the security operatives comprising of soldiers, police officers and operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) as a breach of trust and abuse of natural rights.

Idayat Hassan, CDD Executive Director stated disclosed in Abuja while condemning how the security officials confronted protesters in Osogbo, Osun State,  the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos, and subjected to “inhumane treatments.”

The act, she noted contravenes Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as Articles 10, 11, and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights which Nigeria is a signatory.

“Photographs, videos, and reports from the field corroborate that on 5th August, 2020, unarmed protesters in Osun, Abuja, and Lagos were accosted by security operatives, and subsequently subjected to inhumane treatment by these operatives,” Hassan said.

“The Centre strongly warns that the use of lethal force and tear gas, and the abuse of the people’s rights – as seen at the #RevolutionNow Protest – can no longer be condoned, particularly from those called to serve.”

She cited an instance in Osogbo where the protesters were reportedly arrested at the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) chapel while addressing the press – an action, she described as an abuse of power by the operatives.

These arrests, Hassan maintained contravenes at least three fundamental rights of the protesters: (i) the right of association, (ii) right to peaceful assembly, and (iii) the right to freedom of expression.

She described as alarming how security operatives saddled with the responsibility to protect citizens have  turned against the people, thereby contradicting the letter of the nation’s sacred law.

“The Centre hereby strongly warns against the constant breach of trust and the abuse of human rights by Nigeria’s security agencies,” she said.

She also urged the Federal Government against the use of COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to shrink the civic space.

While applauding the government over the release of the protesters in Abuja and Lagos, the CDD boss  said government must ensure the release of protesters across other parts of the country where the protests held.

“A people-oriented government would focus on engaging its citizens, rather than abusing an opportunity to listen, learn, and most importantly, to engage with the issues of governance raised by peaceful protesters,” Hassan added.

Femi Adesina says RevolutionNow protesters are ‘irritants’

Seun DUROJAIYE
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Femi Adesina says RevolutionNow protesters are ‘irritants’

FEMI Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari has described RevolutionNow protesters as ‘irritants’, dismissing the protest as a mere ‘child’s play’.

“Well, was it really a protest? By my estimation, it just seemed like a child’s play because protests by their very nature are spontaneous things, mass things,” said Adesina on Thursday while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.

The protest which was convened by Omoyele Sowore, Publisher of Sahara Reporters and former presidential candidate held in Abuja, Lagos, Niger, Osun states as well as in London.

” These are just a sprinkle of people trying to be funny. As far as I am concerned, it is nothing to worry about,” he said.

According to Adesina, what played out on Wednesday was a far cry from what could be regarded as a revolution protest, noting that it was only a gathering of a small number of people ‘trying to be funny’.

“A revolution is always a mass thing, not a sprinkle of young boys and girls you saw yesterday in different parts of the country. I think it was just a funny thing to call it a revolution protest,” he said.

“In a country of 200 million people and if you see a sprinkle of people saying they are doing a revolution, it was a child’s play.”

While responding to a question on whether the government’s measure of a successful protests is by size, Adesina argued that size was always vital.

“Well, it will always matter because if you said it was a revolution, revolutions by definition are quite well known.

“Revolution is something that turns the normal order. What happened yesterday, would you call it a revolution? It was just an irritation, just an irritation and some people want to cause irritation in the country and what I will say is when things boil over, they boil over because you continue to heat them,” he said.

Since his appointment as Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Adesina has built a reputation on condemning critics of the Buhari administration.

Earlier in January, Adesina accused the leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of painting President Buhari as ”anti-Christian” following latter’s call on the president to purge himself of the allegations of nepotism and religious favoritism by reconstituting the leadership of the security forces”.

Insecurity is one of the issues that RevolutionNow protesters want the president to address.

The ICIR reports that the Boko Haram insurgency had claimed more than 37,500 lives since May 2011, displaced an estimated 2.7 million people in the Lake Chad Basin and turned 292,510 Nigerians into refugees in Chad, Cameroon and Niger as of May 31, 2020, according to data obtained from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Fraud in MDAs: Tope Fasua calls for scrapping of EFCC, ICPC over failure to eradicate corruption

Editorial
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Fraud in MDAs: Tope Fasua calls for scrapping of EFCC, ICPC over failure to eradicate corruption

TOPE Fasua, an economist and businessman, has recommended the strengthening of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation (OAuGF) in order to be able to prosecute government agencies indicted in its periodic audit reports.

Fasua made the recommendation during a radio program, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE produced by the Progressive Impact Organization for Community Development (PRIMORG).

Discussing the topic: Auditor General’s Reports: MDAs Neck Deep in Irregularities, Frauds, Fasua also called for the scrapping of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over what he described as their lacklustre attitude in curbing corruption.

He lamented the poor financial compliance of by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), noting that such attitude has exposed the level of hypocrisy in the government’s war against corruption.

“We have a government that claims to be opposing corruption and yet not lifting a finger, for example 69 government agencies have never submitted their financial report since inception, 323 refused to submitted in 2018, and then it keeps getting worse and year in year out,” Fasua said.

He  also noted that the Office of the Auditor-General would only work on report that is made available, which then goes to Public Account Committee in the House of Representatives, and maybe the Senate.

When asked if anti-corruption agencies can work with concluded reports, Fasua said: “The only problem is that when you are fundamentally compromised there is nothing you can do.”

He also decried lack of law compelling government ministries, departments and agencies agencies  to answer query from the Auditor General.

“As far as there is no law that compels MDAs in answering Auditor General’s query, much will not be achieved,” Fasua said.

“Why are we not working on that law, why is Mr President not interested, where are the members of the national assembly?”

Speaking during the radio programme also, Haleem Olatunji, TheCable correspondent,  who reported multiple financial fraud in the Nigerian Law School recently, said there have been no efforts by the government to bring the perpetrators of the misappropriation to book.

Speaking from Lagos on telephone Olatunji said, “The Law School report is like several other reports in the Auditor General’s office.”

“Right now we have not seen anything from Law School because the Senate directed the Director-General to make sure the money was recovered and returned to the school’s account, but no update so far,” he added.

The syndicated radio program is produced by PRIMORG with the support from the MacArthur  Foundation.

FACT-CHECK: Did Nigeria discharge over 11,000 COVID-19 patients in one day?

BAMAS Victoria
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FACT-CHECK: Did Nigeria discharge over 11,000 COVID-19 patients in one day?

ON AUGUST 5,  the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) daily updates on COVID-19 cases showing a difference of over eleven thousand discharged patients were widely shared on Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp groups.

Some media houses also reported that Nigeria discharged over 11,000 COVID-19 patients in 1-day.

THE CLAIM:

That Nigeria discharged 11,188 patients in one day.

 

THE FINDINGS:

Checks by The ICIR showed that the centre had on August 3 via its twitter handle, during its daily updates stated that 20,663 COVID-19 patients were discharged.

On August 4 the centre tweeted that 31,851 patients were discharged which makes a difference of additional 11,188 patients within a 24-hour period.

On face value it looks like the NCDC  discharged 11,188 patients in one day,

However, checks showed that was not the case. The Director-General (DG) of NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu said that the discharged patients were cases managed from home.

He noted that the difference in number was from Lagos state while explaining that the centre recently provided guidance on reporting cases, not in isolation centres.

Ihekewazu tweeted  “Recently, we provided guidance to states, to report cases that have recovered but were managed at home. These cases have recovered but were not managed in/discharged from an isolation centre. Lagos has done so and this may apply to more states in the next few weeks.”

Earlier on, the NCDC on August 4 had  tweeted that the discharged cases in the daily update included a cumulative 10,946 recovered COVID-19 patients in Lagos State who were being managed at home.”

 

THE VERDICT:

From the information presented above, the claim that Nigeria discharged 11,188 patients in one day is MISLEADING,  even though the figures from the NCDC updates shows that, but the result was cumulative over time and not within a 24-hour period.

Wike sues Nigerian newspaper for libel, demands N7b as damages

Editorial
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Wike sues Nigerian newspaper for libel, demands N7b as damages

By Vincent UFUOMA

NYESOM Wike, Governor of Rivers State has sued ThisDay Newspaper for the sum of N7 billion as damages for a story published about him by the media house on June 23, 2020.

According to a statement on Wednesday by Paulinus Nsirim, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, the suit is filed at the Port Harcourt High Court by Counsel to the governor, Emmanuel C.Ukala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria  (SAN).

The statement said  with the publication which was captioned by the newspaper as, “With Wike, Obaseki Meets His PDP’s Waterloo, Almost,” the newspaper maliciously and falsely portrayed the governor as an unreliable friend/person.

It further stated that ThisDay newspaper further portrayed Wike as a selfish politician and a person who meddled in and exerts subterranean influence in judicial matters in courts sitting in Port Harcourt to achieve selfish political interest and that he is not a true democrat.

Consequently, the statement said the governor is demanding the court to compel the newspaper to withdraw, retract and recant the publication.

It stated that the retraction is to be published in a full front page of the newspaper, and thereafter a full page apology “acceptable” and subjected to the approval of the governor also be published at the back page of the newspaper.

“He is therefore seeking an order of mandatory injunction compelling the Defendants to withdraw, retract and recant the said libelous publication.

“The retraction is to be published at the front page(and to devote the whole full front page to the publication of the retraction).

“ThisDay Newspaper is also to publish an apology in the terms acceptable to the Claimant and with his prior approval at the back page( on the full back page) in the same edition on which the retraction is published, and two consecutive editions of ThisDay Newspapers,” it said.

It also added that the governor wants an order from the court restraining the “Defendants by themselves or by their servants, agents, privies and associates from further publishing the said libel or any manner however and whatsoever continuing to circulate the said libelous publication concerning the Claimant.”

Insecurity: UK advises Britons in Nigeria against travelling to Kaduna, other states

Lukman ABOLADE
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Insecurity: UK advises Britons in Nigeria against travelling to Kaduna, other states

THE United Kingdom (UK) has issued a travel advisory to its citizens in Nigeria against travelling to Kaduna and some other states in the country over insecurity challenges.

The advisory posted on the official website of the UK Foreign Office stated that “the Foreign & Commonwealth Office currently advises British nationals against all but essential international travel.”

UK Government stated all but essential travels to Kaduna, Bauchi, Zamfara, and Kano states should be avoided by Britons in Nigeria.

According to the UK Government, its citizens should avoid travelling to Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe states.

The riverside of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states within 20kilometre of the border with Niger in Zamfara State were also among the states on the red flag by the UK Foreign Office.

The UK Foreign Office further stated that the current insecurity in Nigeria has necessitated the temporal withdrawal of a small number of UK staff and dependants at the British High Commission in Abuja and the British Deputy High Commission in Lagos.

“Both locations will continue to carry out essential work including providing 24/7 consular assistance and support to British people in Nigeria,” the statement reads.

The British Government noted that 1st News had reported that a spokesman to the Presidency, Garba Shehu announced that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered airstrikes in Niger State against criminal groups operating out of the Dogon Gona forest area bordering Zamfara and Kaduna states.

It was further garnered that such missions are yet to be approved in Niger State, however, helicopter gunships have reportedly been operating in Kaduna State targeting cross border banditry, the UK Foreign Office confirmed.

“The al Qaeda-linked terrorist group Jamaat al Ansar al Muslimeen fi Bilad al Sudan, better known as Ansaru, claims to have killed at least six people, kidnapped dozens, and destroyed several vehicles during an ambush along the Kaduna-Zaira highway in Kaduna State in mid-January.”

Since January 2018, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) has protested regularly in central Abuja and other cities.

According to the UK advisory, terrorist attacks often happen in the Northeast, particularly in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

“Humanitarian hubs have been targeted during attacks in the northeast, including Monguno, Borno State on June 13, 2020.

“There have also been significant attacks in Gombe, Kano, Kaduna, Jos and Bauchi states and in the Federal Capital, Abuja. Further attacks are likely,” the UK Office warned.

The UK Foreign Office noted that before the rise in the spate of violent attacks in the country, “about 117,000 British nationals visit Nigeria each year and most visits are trouble-free.”

 

Protesters arrested for violating COVID-19 safety protocols – FCT official

Seun DUROJAIYE
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Protesters arrested for violating COVID-19 safety protocols – FCT official

THE Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has disclosed that Revolution Now protesters who converged at the Unity Fountain, in Maitama, on Wednesday were arrested because they violated COVID-19 safety protocols.

Earlier in the day, about 60 protesters were reportedly arrested after police took over the protest which was staged to demand good governance.

The arrests were also made in Lagos, Ondo and Osogbo, capital of Osun State, where citizens trooped out, holding placards with several inscriptions, depicting the state of poor governance across the country, while demanding better governance.

However, Ikharo Attah, Chairman of the FCT Ministerial Task Team on COVID-19, said the protesters violated the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 guidelines of social and physical distancing, noting that most of them were seen without face masks, leading to their arrests.

Attah further stated that the protesters have been released, advising that they (protesters) always conform to all COVID-19 protocols to avoid the spread of Coronavirus.

“About 40 of them have all been released and been tasked to always conform with COVID-19 whenever they are out to protest,” he said.

“You have the right to association, right to protest, a right to freedom of speech and expression but as you do all of this you must always conform to COVID-19 health protocols.”

Although Attah said that protesters had the right to peaceful protests, Deji Adeyanju, a human rights activist who was part of the Abuja protest posted on his Twitter page pictures of protesters who were ordered to lie faced down by a team of heavily armed security agents.

“Security agents harassing peaceful protesters but they run or cry when they see Boko Haram or bandits,” Adeyanju wrote.

He lamented that the country is back in the era of military, noting that the government deployed a combined team of police, soldiers, DSS and others because of the protest.

Meanwhile, Olawale Bakare, convener of RevolutionNow in Osogbo and Agba Jalingo, a Cross River based journalist, were arrested for participating in the RevolutionNow Protest on Wednesday.

They  were arrested by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) while converging at the Correspondent’s Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Chapel in Osogbo.

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