Troops capture Boko Haram kingpin, technician, rescue 47

Troops of the 27 Task Force Brigade, 3 Division, in conjunction Civilian JTF on Thursday captured two Boko Haram kingpins comprising of a commander and a technician in Alagarno forest.

A statement issued by Army spokesman, Col Sani Usman said that the troops also rescued 47 hostages who were abandoned by fleeing terrorists.

The statement reads in part;
"Today, Thursday 17th June 2016, troops of Sector 5, 27 Task Force Brigade, 3 Division, in conjunction Civilian JTF from Maiduguri arrested a suspected Boko Haram terrorist, Ibrahim Jagwal, aged 38 at Gishiwa Dabua area of Potiskum, Yobe State.

"The suspected terrorist who turned out to be the Ameer of the Boko Haram Terrorists at Tumbin Gini, Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State, also led the team to Garejin Audu in Potiskum, where another terror suspect, Audu Ahmadu, (alias Condemned) aged 45 years, was arrested same day.

"Preliminary investigation confirms that Audu Ahmadu is a Boko Haram Engineer who specializes in repairs of automobiles for the Boko Haram terrorists group. It was further confirmed he was at the garage to repair 2 vehicles. The vehicles were recovered by the team, while the suspects have been taken into custody for onward movement to Joint Interrogation Centre.

"In a related development, troops of 156 Task Force Battalion, 29 Task Force Brigade carried out clearance patrol yesterday. The patrol team came in contact with Boko Haram terrorists near Abalam, South West of Alagarno forest. The team engaged the terrorists who fled due superior fire power.

"The troops pursued them and discovered that they left behind 7 men, 13 women and 27 children that were held hostage at Gemri village. The patrol team also recovered 4 Dane Guns, 3 Bows and 5 packs of arrows containing 114 arrows.
The terrorists camp was destroyed while the rescued persons have been moved to Maiduguri Internally Displaced Persons Camp."

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Boko Haram: Troops kill 6 insurgents, rescue 5 victims

Troops of 7 Division Strike Group Team B, 21 and 155 Task Force Battalion  killed six Boko Haram terrorists during clearance operations in Borno.

The troops also rescued five hostages including four women  and a child at Kircha/Dungu village of Sambisa Forest in Borno State.

The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman said in a statement issued in Maiduguri on Thursday that troops recovered a number of items from fleeing terrorists.

“During the operation, the troops encountered Boko Haram terrorists in which they killed four of them while few others fled leaving behind four women and a child. The troops have rescued and evacuated them for screening and further rehabilitation.

“The troops further discovered a pair of military desert camouflage uniform and a Boko Haram terrorists’ flag hoisted in the village. They also recovered a generator set and water pumping machine.”

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Hope for local manufacturers as Senate passes Public Procurement Bill

With the Senate passing the Public Procurement Act, 2007 Amendment Bill on Thursday, better days are around the corner for local manufacturers.

The bill, when signed into law by the President, will, among other things, give precedence to locally made goods in all government procurements.

The Chairman of the Procurement committee, Senator Joshua Dariye, while presenting the report during plenary, said that the essence of the bill was to provide for and adopt the local content policy.

He explained that certain sections of the 2007 version of the Act had been amended to favour local manufacturers and ensure speedy completion of projects.

“Similarly, the issue of disposal which is an integral aspect of procurement has been aptly captured by the amendment in the new sub-clause 1(e).

“The committee has equally sustained the amendment to section 34(1,2) sought by the bill for the purpose of patronizing made in Nigeria goods: this will go a long way to encourage our Nigerian manufacturers.

“The amendment proposed by the bill in section 35 is to review upwards the mobilization fee from 15 per cent to 25 per cent that may be paid to a supplier or contractor. This is aimed at enhancing timely completion of procurement processes at various phases.”

Furthermore, the Senate  approved the inclusion of Nigerian Institute of Architects and the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors as members of the National Council on Public Procurement.

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Military to rehabilitate Boko Haram terrorists

Nigeria's military authorities plan to rehabilitate repentant Boko Haram terrorists through its “Operation Safe Corridor.”

The Director of Defence Information, Defence Headquarters, Brigadier-General Rabe Abubarka disclosed this on Thursday at a News Agency of Nigeria Forum in Abuja.

Abubakar said that the operation is designed to rehabilitate, reintegrate, empower and de-radicalise surrendered members of the terrorist group.

His words:
“Nigeria being a signatory to United Nations convention must comply fully with that portion of the convention.

“Even if you arrest or capture an enemy or prisoner of war, by international law, you are to treat him with all human dignity. You must do that, as long as you are a signatory to UN convention.

“We evolved a policy by the defence headquarter and that operation is called operation ‘Safe Corridor’.

“Operation safe corridor is an operation trying to rehabilitate, reintegrate, empower and de-radicalise those that surrendered and those captured.

“It is not in any way amnesty. We are trying to comply fully with international best global practices and that is why we came up with that.

“The Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Abayomi Olonishakin with other service chiefs agreed to this and they came up with it, which is the first of its kind since the Boko Haram terror began.

“And very soon, we will have a camp somewhere in the Northeast where they will be kept for empowering and reintegrating and de-radicalising them.’’

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Five states meet criteria for N90b budget support loan

As at the last National Economic Council meeting, five states had met the conditions for obtaining the N90 billion budget loan being provided by the Federal Government to support state governments.

One state has however, rejected the new loan that attracts nine percent interest rate.

Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel said this in Abuja during a chat with State House correspondents at the end of the 68th NEC meeting chaired by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

Emmanuel was accompanied to the briefing by the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Mr Bala Bantex, Minister of Trade and Investment, Okey Enelamah, and the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Mrs. Maryam Uwais.

The budget support loan has 22 stringent conditions which states must satisfy before accessing it.

Emmanuel declined to name the five successful states and the one that opted out, but hinted that the disbursement of the loan will begin during the next Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC meeting.

“The Honourable Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, also briefed the Council on the Federal Government’s N90 billion budget support loan facility for States at a nine per cent interest rate.

“Five States have already completed the process for borrowing from the Presidential Budget Support Facility for States, which will help states to pay salaries and other pertinent emoluments. Other states are expected to proceed to tap from the facility.

“Though I am not the minister, I can throw more light on the question. The N90 billion is the same thing as I have mentioned. I wouldn’t want you to call it a bail out. I want to call it the exact name that it is.

“What the minister explained was that first tranche of N50 billion bond will be issued and the N40 billion will follow to make N90 billion. It is just to make this available, but it is not compulsory. What is important is that people can have access to a lifeline. We all know that what is happening today is not peculiar to Nigeria as a country. You know the impact of the fall in crude oil price that has actually gotten to oil producing countries like Nigeria.

“What we are looking at are the solutions. We must provide a lifeline for people to survive and to move on. I don’t think it’s too much,” he said.

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N20m pile of cash: Bauchi State Govt speaks

The Bauchi State Government has reacted to the pictures circulating online of huge piles of cash estimated to be about 20 million naira seen in the office of a serving commissioner.

In a press release signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Communications, Shamsuddeen Lukman Abubakar, the Bauchi State government said that the money was for feeding the less privileged during Ramadan.

Read the press statement below.

“Good evening to the good people of Bauchi state. It has come to my attention, the circulation of certain photographs online of money found on the table of a serving Commissioner of Bauchi state. I wish to assure you all that, the said picture is no implication of corruption or illegal money transactions.
This period of Ramadan teaches us to extend love to the poor, less privileged and the non buoyant. In line with this, and as has always been done, the Bauchi State Government releases funds to mosques in Bauchi state for the provision of iftar to faithfuls. These funds are disbursed through the Office of the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, to assist faithfuls who are not buoyant enough to afford iftar.
Once again, we understand the insensitivity of the image, surfacing at a time like this when we as a Government are working hard to achieve a corruption-free and transparent administration.
We want to assure the good people of Bauchi state that all and sundry is being done to make the best use of resources, fight corruption within the State and ensure that all our promises to the people are fully delivered.
May Allah crown our efforts with success.
Shamsuddeen Lukman Abubakar
SA Communications to His Excellency the Governor of Bauchi State
16th June, 2016

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Certificate suit: Court adjourns indefinitely as Buhari hires 13 SANs

The Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Adeniyi Ademola on Thursday, indefinitely adjourned the suit challenging the academic credentials of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Justice Adeniyi in his ruling attributed the indefinite adjournment to a notice of appeal filed by President Buhari.

President Buhari had on Wednesday, appealed against a previous ruling of the court dismissing his preliminary objection to the suit filed by Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, an Abuja-based lawyer.

Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe had in his suit argued that President Buhari was not qualified to run for president because he did not possess the minimum qualification to run for the office.
He is alleging that Buhari did not sit for the Cambridge West African School Certificate WASC in 1961.

To defend his position, President Buhari has hired an intimidating team of 13 Senior lawyers led by Wole Olanipekun, SAN.

Other lawyers on the team are Lateef O. Fagbemi (SAN), Akin Olujinmi (SAN), Oluwarotimi O. Akeredolu (SAN), Kola Awodein (SAN), Taiwo Osipitan (SAN), Charles Edosomwan (SAN), Emeka Ngige (SAN), Femi Atoyebi (SAN), Femi Falana (SAN), Funke Aboyade (SAN), and H.O. Afolabi.

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