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Two More Explosions Confirmed In Maiduguri

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Two More Explosions Confirmed In Maiduguri

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The Borno Police Command has confirmed two more explosions after a separate suspected suicide bombing in Maiduguri, the state capital earlier on Friday.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Damian Chukwu made the confirmation while speaking with newsmen in Maiduguri on Friday.

He said: “Aside from the explosion near a mobile police location in Jiddari, we had two other suicide bombings along Maiduguri-Gamboru road.

“In the first case, a suspected male suicide bomber detonated his explosive after he was stopped at the entrance of the Muna Garage, killing himself instantly,” the Police chief said.

He added that another suspected male suicide bomber detonated his explosive on the same road few meters away killing himself and two local vigilantes popularly referred to as Civilian JTF.

“In all, we recorded six deaths, comprising four suspected bombers and two vigilantes,” Chukwu said, adding that “this is about the sixth or seventh suspected suicide attack (witnessed in the state) in the last couple of days.

He however reiterated that “the police and other security agents are working hard to stop the ugly trend.”

World Class Polio Laboratory Opens In Ibadan

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World Class Polio Laboratory Opens In Ibadan
Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole
Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole
A State-of-the-art polio modular laboratory has been inaugurated at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, to improve the diagnosis of the polio disease in the country.
The world class laboratory was built by the United States government, through one its agencies, USAID, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization.
At the inauguration ceremony on Friday, the U.S. Consul General John Bray observed that though there is another W.H.O-accredited polio laboratory in Ibadan, the new facility is the first one in the country equipped to detect the wild polio virus from waste water.
According to him, the laboratory was put up at an estimated cost of $400,000.
He said: “This new facility will enhance Nigeria’s ability to respond to polio outbreaks quickly, by promptly diagnosing polio from samples received from the 48 environmental sewage sites across the country.
“The eradication of poliomyelitis will be accomplished only when polio laboratories provide convincing diagnostic evidence of the absence of wild poliovirus infections in humans and prolonged circulation in the environment.”
The inauguration ceremony was attended by dignitaries including government officials, representatives of donor agencies, UN agencies and Rotary International.
USAID has continued to support the Nigerian government through increased access to quality family planning and reproductive health services, immunizations, polio eradication, malaria prevention and maternal health services.
USAID also provides technical support to immunization campaigns through social mobilization, and other activities.

INEC Suspends Further Action On Rivers Re-Run Election

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INEC Suspends Further Action On Rivers Re-Run Election

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced that it has suspended further action with regards to the legislative re-run election in Rivers State, until it has received positive reports from its Field Officials and Monitors on the state of security in the affected constituencies.

This was contained in a statement released late on Thursday by the commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi.

The Statement noted the INEC had, in adherence to a judgement by the Court of Appeal, conducted elections into various seats in both the National and State Assemblies on March 19, 2016, but unfortunately, the exercise was marred by violence orchestrated by politicians in the state.

It read: “Of more serious concern was the level of threats, violence and intimidation of election officials and voters by well-armed thugs and miscreants allegedly acting on behalf of some politicians, which marred the elections in some areas.

“There were reports of numerous attacks resulting in fatalities, kidnappings, ballot snatching, diversion of officials and materials, amongst others, which necessitated its suspension in 8 Local Government Areas.

“Regrettably, such deviant behaviour has continued today. Several permanent and ad hoc staff engaged have been attacked, again resulting in fatalities, while some have been forcibly abducted and taken to presently unknown destinations.”

The INEC spokesman stated that the commission was only able “to collate and declare results in 1 Federal and 9 State constituencies where the disruption and malpractices were not so widespread.”

Consequently, the electoral umpire said that it was “compelled to suspend all further action concerning the exercise in all the other constituencies in the State pending the receipt of a comprehensive report from its Field Officials and Monitors.”

He however added “that the suspension does not affect the constituencies where the exercise has been completed and the results declared by the Returning Officers.”

Scores Killed In Mozambique’s Lorry Explosion

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Scores Killed In Mozambique’s Lorry Explosion

 

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At least 73 people have been killed and 110 injured in a fuel tanker explosion in western Mozambique.

The circumstances of the blast on Thursday afternoon in the village of Caphiridzange in Tete province, near the border with Malawi, remain unclear.

Some reports say the driver of the tanker was trying to sell fuel to villagers, others that he was ambushed.

The blast itself may have been caused by a lightning strike or a fire nearby, reports say.

Dozens of charred bodies lay around the blast site. Some of the badly burned victims had tried to run into the local river, Radio Mozambique said.

Another report said the vehicle had crashed on Wednesday afternoon and that villagers were siphoning off fuel when it exploded on Thursday.

The government said it “deplores the loss of life… and is currently providing the necessary assistance in order to save lives and to comfort the victims’ families”.

Three ministers are due to arrive in the area on Friday to oversee the rescue work and carry out an inquiry.

Mozambique’s government recently increased the price of fuel in response to the fall of the local currency against the dollar.

Mozambique is one of the world’s poorest countries, with more than half the 24 million population living below the poverty line.

It gained independence from Portugal in 1975 but is still suffering from the effects of a 16-year civil war that ended in 1992.

 

Japan’s Prime Minister Expresses ‘great confidence’ in Trump

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Japan’s Prime Minister Expresses ‘great confidence’ in Trump

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Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, has said that he has “great confidence” in the President-elect of the United States of America, Donald Trump, adding that he believes that both countries can build a relationship of trust.

Abe flew in to meet with Trump at the Trump Tower in New York on Thursday, and later described the 90-minute meeting as “candid”, and with a “warm atmosphere”.

The meeting was Trump’s first face-to-face with a world leader since winning the presidential election.

The United States and Japan have been key allies since the end of World War II, when the US helped Japan to rebuild its economy.

Trump had during his campaign said that Japan needs to pay more to maintain US troops on its soil, and also suggested that Japan and South Korea should develop their own nuclear weapons to counter the threat from North Korean missiles.

He also vowed to scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which Abe strenuously supports as a means of countering China’s growing economic strength.

The deal was approved by the Japanese parliament, despite the likelihood that it would be cancelled when Trump takes office.

Abe’s meeting with Trump was reportedly arranged when the Japan Prime Minister called the president-elect to congratulate him, mentioning that he would be passing through New York on the way to an Asia-Pacific trade summit in Peru.

Speaking after the meeting, Abe said: “We were able to have a very candid talk over a substantial amount of time. We held it in a very warm atmosphere.

“I do believe that without confidence between the two nations the alliance would never function in the future and as the outcome of today’s discussion I am convinced Trump is a leader in whom I can have great confidence.”

The Japanese leader gave few details of the meeting but added the two agreed to meet again for deeper talks on a wider range of issues.

Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner, who have emerged as key advisers to Trump since his surprise election victory, also met with the Japanese Prime Minister.

Media speculation over her role has included the possibility of her becoming ambassador to Japan.

In the days since the election, Trump has been speaking to dozens of world leaders as well as possible cabinet appointees from his home and office inside the Manhattan skyscraper.

Elsewhere, vice president-elect and Trump transition committee chairman, Mike Pence has said he is confident Donald Trump’s administration can work with Democrats.

Emerging from meetings with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Pence said he looks “forward to finding ways that we can find common ground and move the country forward”.

Police Foils Attempted Suicide Attack

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Police Foils Attempted Suicide Attack

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Personnel of the Nigerian Police Force in Borno State have averted a suicide attack in the Jiddari Poli area of Maiduguri during the early hours of Friday.

Spokesman of the force in the state, Victor Isuku, told the media that the suicide bombers consisted of two females and a male.

Isuku stated: “By 3:50am today, mobile Police personnel on guard duty opposite the Federal High Court, Jiddari Polo area of Maiduguri, sighted three suspected suicide bombers (two females and a male) running towards their sandbag.

“They (the Policemen on guard) ordered them to a halt for questioning. In the process, one of them detonated the Improvised Explosives Device strapped to her body, killing herself and one male accomplice.

“The other female survivor was arrested alive and subsequently handed over to the military for further explanation and necessary follow-up actions.”

The police spokesman added that the “Police bomb disposal units also mobilised to the scene to detonate IEDs that have yet to explode on the bodies of the deceased suicide bombers.”

He also explained that second explosion that was heard was “as a result of the detonation of the remaining IEDs by Police EOD units.”

He noted that “normalcy has already been restored” to the area.

Police  Promise Violence-Free Election In Ondo

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Police  Promise Violence-Free Election In Ondo
Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris
Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris

The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris has assured citizens of Ondo state of a violence-free governorship election come November 26, saying that officers and men of Nigeria police Force would be deployed in good numbers in order to guard against violence.

IGP Idris reiterated that the police is committed to ensuring that there was peace in all parts of the state during the election.

The Police Chief was speaking on Thursday, in Akure, the Ondo State capital,during a programme organised  by a Non-Governmental Organisation, ‘the Cleen Foundation’ with the title  ‘Security Threat Assessment for the governorship election in Ondo State’.

Idris, who was represented by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Sola Okediji, admitted that there were tendencies that thngs may get out of hand during the election, given the series of controversies being witnessed in the two major parties taking part in the election.

He however added that the police would be fully on ground to prevent  any outbreak of violence before, during and after the poll.

He said: “it won’t be business as usual for politicians in Ondo State because
the police will not tolerate any act that could lead to violence in the state. We shall resist all their plans to truncate the peace of the state before, during and after the poll.

“The police will not tolerate crisis in any part of the state. It is therefore important
for the stakeholders in the election to cooperate with the police and play the game according to the rule.”

Political watchers worry that the Ondo governorship election may witness a break down of law and order due to the infighting that is engulfing both the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC.

In the PDP, two candidates Jimoh Ibrahim and Eyitayo Jegede, are laying claims to the candidacy of the party and the issue is still subject of litigation in the Appeal courts.

The APC on the other hand has not fully recovered from the controversial Primary election which saw the emergence of Rotimi Akeredolu as its flag-bearer.

Militants’ ‘Physician’ Arrested In Cross River

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Militants’ ‘Physician’ Arrested In Cross River

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The Nigerian Navy has announced the arrest of a suspect who it says specialises in providing medical services to injured militants in the creeks of Bakassi and Akpabuyo local government areas of Cross River State.

Commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship Victory, NNS-V, Obed Ngalabak, made this known on Thursday while briefing newsmen in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

He said that the suspect was arrested on October 26, at Nakanda-Idebe area in Bakassi local government.

Ngalabak handed the suspect over to the Cross River State Director of Department of State Service in compliance with a directive issued by the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, James Oluwole.

He narrated that the arrest of the suspect was a result of an operation carried out by men of the Nigerian Navy Special Forces attached to the NNS-V.

Ngalabak said, “On the 26 October 2016, men of the Nigerian Navy arrested one Mr Augustine Effiong at his shop around Nakanda-Idebe in Bakassi local government area.

“Intelligence reports had indicated that the suspect owns a pharmacy and works in collaboration with militants by hiding and providing medical services to injured members of the Bakassi Strike Force and Aston Boys militants groups.

“Upon his arrest, the suspect claimed he was forced by Benjamin Ene a.k.a `G1’ and Victor Ene, a.k.a `G3’ to provide drugs and other medical essentials to the groups.

“However, his failure to report the activities of the militants to appropriate authority shows that he was a willing accomplice and our men had to disguise themselves as patients with a view to arrest him.”

The NNS-V commander noted that “Each time we engage the militants in exchange of fire and they sustain bullet injuries, they will run to Effiong for treatment.”

He also revealed that the Navy had in recent times arrested no fewer than 10 suspected militants in the creeks and handed them over to the relevant agencies for further actions.

`G1’ who has been in the wanted list of security agencies in the state, had on Nov. 8, returned a General Purpose Machine Gun and AK 47 rifles to the army and called for peace.

New Commander Takes Over Operation Delta Safe

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New Commander Takes Over Operation Delta Safe
New Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Suleiman
New Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Apochi Suleiman

The Defence Headquarters has appointed a new commander for the ongoing operation aimed at ridding the Niger Delta region of criminal elements, codenamed ‘Operation Delta Safe’

The new commander, Apochi Suleiman, a Rear Admiral in the Nigerian Navy, takes over from the former commander Joseph Okojie who has now been reassigned.

According to a statement signed by Kingsley Umoh, on behalf of the acting director of defence information, Rabe Abubakar, Suleiman was the Director Development at the Defence Headquarters before his new appointment.

He had also served as the Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command.

The statement added that a change in the leadership of the operations in the Niger Delta became necessary “in order to inject new capability to contain the prevailing security threats and provide adequate much needed stability in the region.”

Umoh also stated that the appointment “is with immediate effect.”

Nasarawa NURTW Dares FRSC On Speed Limit Devices

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Nasarawa NURTW Dares FRSC On Speed Limit Devices

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The Nasarawa State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, has said that it would not buy the speed limit devices which the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, had mandated all commercial vehicle drivers to install in their vehicles.

Salihu Adamu, Chairman of the NURTW in Nasarawa State told newsmen in Lafia on Thursday that none of his members will purchase the speed limit device because it was very expensive.

He said that all the appeals by the union for the FRSC to get distributors of the device to bring down the price had not yielded any result.

“We don’t have plans to buy the device for N45,000. We don’t have that money,” the State NURTW chairman said.

We told FRSC to go back and bargain that for commercial drivers we will agree to buy it for N5,000.”

He insisted that the amount for the device was beyond the means of commercial drivers in the state.

Adamu also said that the union had approached distributors of the speed limit devices in Benue and Nasarawa all to no avail.

The NURTW chairman assured that once the price of the device was pegged at N5,000, the union would buy all the devices and compel its members to install them.

He further said that the FRSC was not being fair by compelling only commercial drivers to install the device, adding that private drivers were responsible for many of the road accidents recorded across the country.

“We are asking them why are they not selling to the private drivers? Is it because they are people of means and our drivers are not?

“Let them sell it to the general public. Afterall, some of the accidents that occur is because of the recklessness of private drivers,” Adamu said.

The Nasarawa State Sector Commander of FRSC, Faustina Alegbe, however advised the union to form groups and negotiate with the distributors in order to get the device at cheaper rate.

“They have the power to bargain with any accredited vendor. If they go as a group, I believe that the vendors will consider their number and deal with them,” Alegbe said.

She also called on drivers to exercise more caution especially as the yuletide season draws nearer.

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