NIGERIAN TROOPS RAID ARMED BANDITS CAMP IN RIKWA FOREST, ZAMFARA STATE - ARMY

As part of the continuous efforts of making parts of the north western geo-political region of Nigeria free of the menace of cattle rustling, armed banditry and other criminal activities such as kidnapping, today, troops of 223 Battalion, 1 Division Nigerian Army, deployed at Bena, raided and destroyed suspected cattle rustlers and armed bandits camps in Zamfara State.

The raided camps were located at a forest in Rikwa village, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State. 

PRESIDENT BUHARI WILL LEAVE NIGERIA CLEANER AND SANER--FEMI ADESINA

Shortly before the one year anniversary of President Muhammadu Buhari administration, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, spoke to PREMIUM TIMES’ Festus Owete and Sani Tukur, on the achievements of the administration, how the president spends his time outside official hours, his family life, and capacity to govern Nigeria.

Read the interview below:

PT: One year after, how has the journey been?

Adesina: So far so good, I will say. Because, if you recall how our country was this time last year and compare it with how it is today, you will see that there is a big difference, particularly in the area of security, in the area of the anti-corruption war, you can say that this government has done very well. The third one is the economy. That one is still tricky and it is work in progress. Then you take it one by one because there are three key promises APC made while campaigning. The president believes that you cannot administer a country you have not secured. And that is why he has gone all out to try and secure the country. You recall that by this time last year you weren’t quite sure where Nigeria was headed. Boko Haram was not just in the north east, it was in the north west, it was in north central and it could go down south anytime. That was the fear in the country. After some time the military pushed them back, got them circumscribed within the north east and as we speak they are even in the narrower area which is the Sambisa Forest. You can say other battlefronts have been opened in Niger Delta, herdsmen, kidnapping. Those are issues but one thing that is not in doubt is that this government has the capacity to deal with all the issues. I am not saying they are all going to be by armed conflict or by force of arms. Where they need to dialogue, they dialogue and where they need to negotiate, they negotiate. But this government does not lack the capacity to secure this country. So that gives us a lot of hope. Security wise, the government has done very well. On anti-corruption, of course we know what has been uncovered in this country. I remember in the UK about two weeks ago, one foreign media asked the president – did you know it was this bad? He confessed that he knew it was bad but he didn’t know it was that bad. It has turned out very, very bad. But it is also something that the government is tackling and the president is determined to leave a saner and cleaner Nigeria in terms of accountability and probity by the way he is going. No matter what anybody says about this corruption war, no friend no foe, no retreat, no surrender. Anybody, irrespective of who he is, if he has questions to answer on corruption, he will have to answer. I hear people say that it is selective. They need to prove. He who alleges must also prove. The anti-corruption war is going on and going on very well and it has earned Nigeria a lot of respect in the international community. The third promise he made was to revive the economy. Like I said earlier, that one is still key and touchy but it will be done because when the economy collapses as Nigeria’s did, it is not something you bring back by a snap of the fingers. It takes a lot of re-tooling and re-engineering to bring it back. It is work in progress and we will get there. No doubt, jobs will come from agriculture and solid minerals and other policies will stimulate the economy. It is a N6 trillion budget for instance for the first time. If it is properly implemented, and there is no reason why it will not be properly implemented, it will stimulate the economy. There will be more spending money at the disposal of Nigerians. So, I will say so far so good, the government is on course. I have used this illustration before, and I will use it again. Nigeria is like a plane that has taken off and is gaining altitude, with its nose in the air. As long as its nose is in the air, it is climbing. If the nose is down it is a danger signal.

Maritime Security: PIRACY IN GULF OF GUINEA INCREASING AT ALARMING RATE -- US

*UN Security Council urges stronger regional approach on eradicating piracy

UNITED NATIONS -- The United States says piracy and armed robbery are increasing at an alarming rate in the Gulf of Guinea, pointing to two reports by industry experts of at least 32 attacks off the coast of Nigeria alone so far this year.

U.S. Ambassador Michele Sison singled out two pirate attacks off the Nigerian coast on April 11 that led to the apparent kidnapping of a total of eight crew members including the captain of one vessel, a Turkish cargo ship.

She told a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday that "the economic consequences for the people of the region are devastating," pointing to a report by the London think-tank Chatham House saying as much as 400,000 barrels of crude oil are stolen every day in the Gulf of Guinea.

However, United Nations officials call for a comprehensive regional framework to eradicate piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, with the Security Council stressing the importance of addressing underlying causes and strengthening justice systems and judicial cooperation in the region.

Boko Haram and Refugee situations of the Displaced Persons

As the Islamist Boko Haram terrorists ceaselessly continue their jihadise attacks, killing and kidnapping of the innocent Nigerians living in the North Eastern parts of the country, many have been displaced and their conditions worrisome.

Nigerian government is neither committed to fighting the insurgents to any stand still nor ready to put an end to the kidnapping and rescue the kidnapped by the sect nor pay any attention to those displaced.


Photos: NIGERIAN REFUGEES that escaped from Northern Terror to Niger and Cameroon:

#BringBacKOurGirls: APC kicks against publishing names and pictures of Chibok girls

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that the call by the PDP for the names and pictures of the girls abducted from Government Girls School in Chibok, Borno State by the Islamist Insurgents, Boko Harm.

Yesterday, the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, has asked the authorities of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, to release the names and pictures of the schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents on April 14, 2014. The National Women Leader of the PDP, Dr. Kema Chikwe, made the comment while conducting a PDP Women’s prayer session for the unity of the country in Abuja on Monday.