Terrorism: Army promotes soldiers who captured Habib Bama
By KINGSLEY OMONOBI-KADUNA.
The Nigeria Army has declared, Sunday, that its officers who captured Habibu Bama, the Boko Haram Kingpin who masterminded the suicide bombings of Police headquarters, Mogadishu Cantonment Mammy Market, Madalla Christmas Church (St. Theresa) bombing among others, would be given automatic promotions to the next rank.
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Onyeabor Azubuike Ihejirika who made the disclosure in Kaduna at a church service to mark the 14th anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Army, also declared that the three Army officers, two Lt. Colonels and a Major who lost their lives in the ill-fated Dana Air Crash in Lagos, would be given a 3-bedroom bungalow for sacrificing their lives in the line of duty.
General Ihejirika also had a word for Politicians, vowing that soldiers would never dabble into the political affairs of the country henceforth declaring that democracy has come to stay in Nigeria forever.
His words, “Part of the transformation process going on in the Nigerian Army encourages officers and soldiers to be innovative and proactive especially as it concerns the war on terrorism.
For instance we have said that Soldiers should take initiatives and be proactive in their duty post. An example of this is when the soldiers who saw Habib Bama, acted swiftly using the initiatives. On seeing him, they became alert, moved swiftly and rounded him up even though he resisted.
They did not wait to get instruction from higher authority which would have led to the Boko Haram mastermind escaping.
It would be recalled that Habib Bama later died of gunshot injuries he sustained during the exchange of gunfire by his men with soldiers to prevent his being arrested.
On democracy, the COAS said, “Democracy has come to stay in our country and we have vowed that at no time should a soldier or army personnel dabble into politics. So he who must do the bidding of the army must not allow himself to be deceived or dabble into politics”.
Emphasizing on the welfare of officers and men which he said is a fundamental aspect of his administration, Ihejirika said, “ For families of our officers who died in the ill-fated Dana aircraft, because they were the breadwinners and were on official call, the Army will build for each of this families, 3 bedroom flat to ameliorate the hardship they have suddenly been thrown into”.
In his Sermon, Rev. Colonel Charles Iroagbu, Director of Army Chaplaincy urged officers of the Nigeria Army to always remain humble in the face of daunting security challenges and to remember that they are there to protect all Nigerians.
www.punchng.com/news/black-sunday-153-die-in-lagos-plane-crash-some-of-them-cried-help-help/
une 4, 2012 by Ademola Babalola, Toyosi Ogunseye, Olalekan Adetayo and Tayo Odusanya
Get the Latest Nigeria News as they unfolds from the Insiders
Bloody day for Boko Haram
The police in Kano, yesterday, confirmed the killing of 17 Boko Haram members and loss of a policeman in the renewed attacks on the city of Kano on Tuesday. Kano State Police Commissioner, Mr. Ibrahim Idris who confirmed the figure disclosed that 14 Impoverished Explosive Devices (IEDs) were defused in different locations in the state after the battle. Three sect members were arrested, while five assault rifles were recovered from the insurgents after the duel.
The police boss, who spoke at a press briefing held at the state police command, said following the attacks, 220 live ammunition, five vehicles, as well as five motorbikes were recovered by the security operatives, aside an exhibit of N100,000 and large quantities of drugs and syringes that were abandoned by the sect....
Poverty, Insecurity, Infrastructure: Again, Nigeria Ranked 14th Failed Country •Ranking Baseless - Presidency
From
left: Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Azubike Ihejirika; Gov Patrick
Yakowa of Kaduna State and the Chief of Policy Plan, Maj-Gen Olakunle
Akinyemi during a visit to the Governor in Kaduna on Sunday (1/7/12).NAN
Photo
The Nigeria Army has declared, Sunday, that its officers who captured Habibu Bama, the Boko Haram Kingpin who masterminded the suicide bombings of Police headquarters, Mogadishu Cantonment Mammy Market, Madalla Christmas Church (St. Theresa) bombing among others, would be given automatic promotions to the next rank.
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Onyeabor Azubuike Ihejirika who made the disclosure in Kaduna at a church service to mark the 14th anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Army, also declared that the three Army officers, two Lt. Colonels and a Major who lost their lives in the ill-fated Dana Air Crash in Lagos, would be given a 3-bedroom bungalow for sacrificing their lives in the line of duty.
General Ihejirika also had a word for Politicians, vowing that soldiers would never dabble into the political affairs of the country henceforth declaring that democracy has come to stay in Nigeria forever.
His words, “Part of the transformation process going on in the Nigerian Army encourages officers and soldiers to be innovative and proactive especially as it concerns the war on terrorism.
For instance we have said that Soldiers should take initiatives and be proactive in their duty post. An example of this is when the soldiers who saw Habib Bama, acted swiftly using the initiatives. On seeing him, they became alert, moved swiftly and rounded him up even though he resisted.
They did not wait to get instruction from higher authority which would have led to the Boko Haram mastermind escaping.
It would be recalled that Habib Bama later died of gunshot injuries he sustained during the exchange of gunfire by his men with soldiers to prevent his being arrested.
On democracy, the COAS said, “Democracy has come to stay in our country and we have vowed that at no time should a soldier or army personnel dabble into politics. So he who must do the bidding of the army must not allow himself to be deceived or dabble into politics”.
Emphasizing on the welfare of officers and men which he said is a fundamental aspect of his administration, Ihejirika said, “ For families of our officers who died in the ill-fated Dana aircraft, because they were the breadwinners and were on official call, the Army will build for each of this families, 3 bedroom flat to ameliorate the hardship they have suddenly been thrown into”.
In his Sermon, Rev. Colonel Charles Iroagbu, Director of Army Chaplaincy urged officers of the Nigeria Army to always remain humble in the face of daunting security challenges and to remember that they are there to protect all Nigerians.
www.punchng.com/news/black-sunday-153-die-in-lagos-plane-crash-some-of-them-cried-help-help/
une 4, 2012 by Ademola Babalola, Toyosi Ogunseye, Olalekan Adetayo and Tayo Odusanya
Wreckage of the crashed Dana plane at Iju-Ishaga, Lagos... on Sunday.
| credits: Sodiq Adelakun
| credits: Sodiq Adelakun
A
passenger plane from Abuja on Sunday crashed into two houses at Iju, a
suburb of Lagos metropolis, killing all 146 passengers and seven crew
members on board. The houses are located on Akande Street, in the
densely populated area. Although some occupants of the houses also died,
the number could not be ascertained as at the time this newspaper went
to bed.
The plane, a Boeing,
McDonnell Douglas (MD-83), with registration number 5N-RAM and operated
by Dana Airlines Limited, crashed barely five minutes to touchdown at
the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja.
Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Harold Demuren, said there was no survivor.
“It was a Dana (airline)
flight out of the capital (Abuja) to Lagos with about 153 people on
board. I don’t believe there are any survivors,” Demuren said.
Among the victims of the
crash are the Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division of the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma; and Ehime
Aikhomu, son of the late former military Vice-President Augustus
Aikhomu.
A close aide of Ajuonuma, who asked not to be named, confirmed to The PUNCH on Sunday that the NNPC spokesman was aboard the crashed plane.
He said, “I can confirm
to you that Dr. Ajuonuma was on that flight. The protocol officer that
followed him to the airport confirmed to us that he boarded the flight.
It is really sad; it is as if I have lost my dad.”
Ajuonuma, who joined NNPC in 2003,
was one of the longest serving NNPC spokesmen.
One of the female crew
members, who died in the crash, identified simply as Vivian, was billed
to wed her United Kingdom-based fiancé this month.
An eyewitness told one of our correspondents at the scene that the aircraft exploded as soon as it hit one of the the buildings.
Two eyewitnesses said they heard the passengers crying for help.
One of the eyewitnesses,
who did not give his name said, “They were crying, help, help, help but
no one could do anything after the plane had crashed.
‘‘We all rushed to the
scene after the plane crashed but we did not know what to do as the
smoke was too much for us. Somebody in the crashed plane, we don’t know
whether it was a passenger or the pilot, tried to escape,” he said.
Another eyewitness said
he also heard voices from within a building next to the centre of the
crash. He said the voices were saying, ‘‘Help!’’
At the crash site, the plane’s wreckage and the badly burnt body parts of the victims littered the scene.
Hundreds of residents and rescue workers worked round the clock after the crash to retrieve the bodies of victims.
The corpse of a
seven-year-old girl and that of a female, who the residents said was
known as ‘Mama Joel’, were among the bodies recovered. The body of a
victim believed to be the aircraft’s pilot, a middle-aged man, was also
found.
While most of the bodies
retrieved before sunset were burnt beyond recognition, none of the 24
corpses retrieved last night was burnt.
The Sector Commander of
the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State, Mr. Ayobami Omiyale, said,
“The head of the plane crashed into a two-storey building while the
middle and tail entered the warehouse of a publishing company.
“All the bodies were
found in the two-story building. We are yet to get any corpse from the
publishing house which has a larger part of the plane in it.
“None of the corpses was touched by the fire. However, the bodies were a mixture of both residents and the aircraft passengers.
“We couldn’t ascertain
all their identities immediately and there are more bodies to be
recovered but the plane is still on fire.”
Dana airline began commercial flights on November 10, 2008.
The Sunday crash is the
second involving Nigerian airplanes last weekend. A cargo plane
belonging to Allied Air, on Saturday, overshot the runway in Kotoka
International Airport, Ghana, and crashed into a mini bus, killing 10
people.
Meanwhile, President
Goodluck Jonathan has declared a three-day national mourning in memory
of the victims of the Sunday crash. Jonathan also cancelled all his
public engagements scheduled for Monday (today) and directed that the
national flag be flown at half mast for the three days of mourning.
A statement by his
spokesman, Reuben Abati, said the President assured all air travellers
that “every possible effort will be made to ensure that the right
lessons are learnt from the tragic loss of valuable lives in today’s
plane crash.”
The statement reads,
“The President joins all Nigerians in mourning all those who lost their
lives in the plane crash which has sadly plunged the nation into further
sorrow on a day when Nigerians were already in grief over the loss of
many other innocent lives in a church bombing in Bauchi State.
“President Jonathan
assures air travellers in the country that every possible effort will be
made to ensure that the right lessons are learnt from the tragic loss
of valuable lives in today’s (Sunday’s) plane crash and that further
measures will be put in place to boost aviation safety in the country.
“He prays that God
Almighty will grant the families of the victims of the plane crash the
courage and fortitude to bear their irreparable loss.”
Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, said she was saddened by the news and was already on her way to the crash site.
“I am extremely saddened by the news of the crash and I assure the nation that investigations are underway,” she told the News Agency of Nigeria.
Bloody day for Boko Haram
The police boss, who spoke at a press briefing held at the state police command, said following the attacks, 220 live ammunition, five vehicles, as well as five motorbikes were recovered by the security operatives, aside an exhibit of N100,000 and large quantities of drugs and syringes that were abandoned by the sect....
Poverty, Insecurity, Infrastructure: Again, Nigeria Ranked 14th Failed Country •Ranking Baseless - Presidency
THE Presidency has rejected the ranking of Nigeria among failed states in Africa by the Fund For Peace [FFP], with a warning to Nigerians to be wary of taking such rankings hook, line and sinker.
Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, told Saturday Tribune on Friday that there was no basis to describe the country as a failed state, especially considering the indices applied by the organisation to reach its conclusion.
According to him, "there is always a danger of presumption and wrong assumptions with regards to assessments that are done by parachute analysts who are not really familiar with the situation on the ground."
Noting that Nigerians should also be suspicious of "rankings that are based on formulaic indicators," Abati said the rating was ridiculous as it was untrue.
He observed that a look at the key indicators upon, which FFP made its conclusion, showed that it was based on "uneven development, factions elite and group grievance," noting that the country was being classified as a failed state because of ethnic, religious and regional disparities."
He said these were political issues which could not make the country.
The Presidential spokesman, whoever, pointed out that Nigeria had a lesson to learn from the Fund's classification to do away with factors such as elite factionalisation, religious and ethnic bickering.
Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi, the Benue State capital has directed the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, to restore two hitherto scrapped state constituencies in Benue state.
The two state constituencies to be restored as ordered by the court are Agasha which is presently in Guma state constituency and Otukpa which is currently under Ogbadibo state constituency.
Delivering judgment in two separate suits filed by the Agasha and Otukpa communities, Justice Abimbola Obasaki pointed out that INEC could not convince the court on why the two constituencies should not be restored.
She therefore ordered it to conduct election for Otukpa constituency within 14 days while that of Agasha should be done within 30 days.
Justice Obasaki however noted that INEC could approach the appellate court if it were not satisfied with the judgment of the trial court.
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the Agasha community, John Shishi described it as sound judgment, adding that it was a positive development in the nation’s evolving democracy and an indication that Nigerian judiciary was alive.
Meanwhile, it was celebration galore for members of the would be restore constituencies as most of them that spoke with Saturday Vanguard were optimistic that the constituents would enjoy effective representation at the state assembly.
It took a long while coming and at some point its status and whereabouts became a subject of controversy. But it appears the long wait for the Petroleum Industry Bill may soon be over as Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Deziani Allison-Madueke yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, submitted a review of the draft bill to President Goodluck Jonathan.
The report was a product of a committee set up six months ago to review the document which had generated much discourse in the oil and gas industry.
This was as the new Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, pledged that service, transparency and professionalism will drive his regime at the corporation and that he would work with all stakeholders to achieve the collective dream.
Although she said the submission to the National Assembly for passage into law was at Jonathan’s discretion, she expressed confidence that the team that worked on the document did a good job which will address local supply as well as strengthen the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to stand as a viable and globally competitive outfit.
She said it took the committee over six months to come out with what she considers a perfect document in the interest of the country given the enormity of the revision they undertook which spanned fiscal regime, reconfiguring of NNPC to be able to play assigned roles as well as administrative roles of entities in the sector.
Asked about the likely date of submission, she said: “We will go forward now as directed and prepare for the presentation to the Federal Executive Council, my assumption therefore is that within the next 10 to 14 days, it will be in their hands. But, again, that will be at the pleasure of Mr. President. Ours is to present it and review it with government stakeholders as it is done for every bill that is done for the government to present.
“It has taken a long time. It went through the entire gamut of the sixth session of the National Assembly and it did not get promulgated into law. In agreement with the seventh assembly, we took it back and completely reviewed it again. This is not a small bill, it is a critical bill for this country and for our oil and gas sector, therefore at this point, government will do the final review and put it in front of the FEC for approval; part of that process is that it will go through the Attorney-General’s office.
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