The government of Adamawa State, northeast Nigeria has confirmed a bomb blast at the Motor Traffic Department of the Nigeria Police Force in Yola.
News Agency of Nigeria, NAN reports that Mr. Harun Furo, Permanent Secretary, Special Duties and Executive Chairman of Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency confirmed the incident.
Eye witnesses said that parts of Jimeta Central Primary School were affected by the blast, but the full extent of damages is yet to be determined.
Boko Haram insurgents have made another attempt to destroy the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Dikwa, Borno State, just a few weeks after they claimed many casualties there using child suicide bombers.
This time, the terrorists were thwarted by vigilant troops, according to Army spokesman Col Sani Usman.
“Following dislodgement of Boko Haram terrorists’ camps in the border towns of Kumshe and Talala by joint operations of Nigerian and Cameroonian forces, the terrorists made a futile attempt on Dikwa early today.
“From all indications, the terrorists aimed at causing havoc at the IDPs camp located at Dikwa. However and unknown to the fleeing Boko Haram terrorists, the Armed Forces Special Forces decisively dealt with the terrorists, killing many and recovering vehicle, arms and ammunition.
“Unfortunately, we lost a soldier and a member of the local vigilante (Civilian JTF) during the encounter, while three soldiers and four IDPs sustained injuries. A military vehicle was damaged by a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) suicide bomber.
“The troops recovered 26 bodies of the Boko Haram terrorists, while others escaped with gunshot wounds; destroyed 3 VBIEDs , 1 MBIED and two gun trucks."
Other items recovered from the terrorists are ;1 gun truck mounted with an Anti-Aircraft Gun, 1 Dushka Anti-Aircraft Gun, 1 Browning Anti-Aircraft Gun, 1 Rocket Propelled Grenade, RPG tube, 1General Purpose Machine Gun, GPMG, 4 AK 47 Rifles, 3 RPG Bombs, 36 Hand Grenades, 1 Smoke Grenade, 8 AK-47 rifle magazines, 236 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition, 396 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and 101 rounds of 762mm special ammunition.
Usman said that the troops are continuing their efforts to clear the area of the remaining terrorists.
Erstwhile Aide-de-Camp to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Ojogbane Adegbe, has dragged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to a Federal Territory High Court in Gudu, demanding N100m as compensation for unlawful detention by the anti-graft agency.
In suit number CV/995/16 filed on behalf of the plaintiff by his counsel, Ogwu Onoja, SAN, on February 17, 2016, he said that he has been detained by the EFCC since February 11 without any charges.
He contended as follows in the suit :
(a) that the EFCC by his continued detention is in violation of his right to personal liberty and freedom of movement guaranteed under Sections 35 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution.
(b) that the EFCC’s action violated Articles 5, 6 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
Recall that Col Adegbe was summoned by Army authorities from the United Kingdom where he was attending a course after serving as Jonathan’s ADC to assist the EFCC in their investigation into certain transactions.
Adegbe is seeking the following reliefs from the court:
“A declaration that the arrest and continued detention of the applicant by the respondent since February 11, 2016 is unconstitutional as it offends his right to personal liberty as guaranteed by Section 35 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“An order directing the respondent to release the applicant from unlawful detention with immediate effect.
“Or, in the alternative to Prayer 2, hereof; an order admitting the applicant to bail, pending his trial in a court of competent jurisdiction.
“N100m as general damages for unlawful detention of the applicant.
“A written apology by the respondent to the applicant.”
The suit is slated for hearing on Friday before Justice Y. Halilu.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has raised the alarm over what it described as oppressive and unfair treatment of its leaders by the government of the day.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon, the party warned of plans to arrest Senators Godswill Akpabio and Ike Ekweremadu on trumped up charges.
”The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) laments the oppressive and unfair treatments against its key leaders by the Federal Government.
”The party alerts the nation that the arrest and detention of its Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is part of the grand script by the APC-led Federal Government to decimate the opposition.
”We are also aware that plans have been perfected by the Federal Government to arrest and detain the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio and other leaders of the party on imaginary charges.
”Indeed, intelligence available to the party shows that the Federal Government, using its various agencies, is bent on destroying any opposition to the ruling party as all indications show that the government is more interested in humiliating the PDP than fighting corruption.
”Finally, we state that this war on the PDP and its leaders has indeed gone too far. It has now become a mockery of democratic practice,” the statement said.
Detectives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have been questioning the Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus for allegedly receiving 23 exotic vehicles from a business associate of former Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Secondus was quizzed for about eight hours at the Abuja headquarters of the EFCC after his arrest on Wednesday.
His ordeal is said to be ruffling feathers in the PDP, especially among some of the party's leaders who benefited from the curious car gifts.
The vehicles are alleged to have been purchased with funds sourced from unremitted crude oil receipts.
An EFCC source said that the ex-Minister's associate whose name is yet to be disclosed has been in their custody for about three weeks.
“We have detained Secondus to assist the EFCC in its ongoing investigation of how oil receipts were diverted to the purchase of 23 vehicles.
“A business associate of ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, who operates a private upstream oil and gas company, confirmed that the accruals from oil revenue was used to buy the said vehicles.
“Our operatives stumbled on these records in the course of going through the Strategic Alliance Agreements (SAAs) with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).
“We have quizzed Secondus for about eight hours and he has made a statement. But we are yet to admit him to bail until the investigation gets to a convenient bend,” said the source.
The source disclosed that the EFCC has evidence that oil revenue was used to fund the political campaigns of the PDP.
“This is not the first time that oil cash has been diverted to campaign activities in 2015. Some indigenous oil companies were directed to finance PDP’s campaign.
“For instance, the N10 billion disbursed to delegates at PDP nomination convention was withdrawn from the CBN/ OAGF Signature Bonus Account.”
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