I wasn’t among lawmakers who booed Buhari – Melaye

The embattled senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Dino Melaye, has denied social media reports that he was among the federal lawmakers who booed President Muhammadu Buhari on December 19.

Some federal parliamentarians embarrassed Buhari while presenting the 2018 national budget on that day by passing uncomplimentary remarks on him on the occasion.

But Melaye, who is still recuperating in a police hospital in Abuja, said he could not have been part of his colleagues’ action because he did not attend the event.

The senator in a statement signed by his media aide,  Gideon Ayodele, said the rebuttal was not born out of fear but to put the records straight.

The statement read, “The attention of Senator Dino Melaye has been drawn to a malicious reference to his person on the social media as one of the lawmakers who booed President Muhammadu Buhari during his 2019 Budget presentation before a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday, December 19, 2018.

“Before now, he (Melaye) had refused to refute the mischievous social media fabrication for what it is — a cheap lie — Senator Dino Melaye was not in the National Assembly that day.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Distinguished Senator Dino Melaye was absent at the televised 2019 budget presentation session and hereby challenges anyone with contrary proof to come forward with such.”

Melaye willingly surrendered himself to the police on Friday, eight days after the security operatives laid siege to his private residence in Abuja.

He collapsed afterwards and was rushed to a police hospital for urgent medical attention.

The Nigeria Police Force has deployed about 60 operatives in the Police Hospital, Garcia, Abuja, where Melaye was being treated.

Punch reports that checks by their correspondent on Saturday showed that operatives were on duty at the entrance and exit points of the hospital with additional men on the premises.

Sources told our correspondent that medical personnel were considering a cardiopulmonary test on the lawmaker following certain observations by his doctor.

It was learnt that the doctor might recommend Melaye’s transfer to a better equipped medical facility for a more robust medical treatment.

The police said the lawmaker was wanted for alleged shooting of one Sgt. Danjuma Saliu, attached to 37 Police Mobile Force while on stop and search duty along Aiyetoro Gbede, Mopa Road in Kogi State.

The Force spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, stated that Melaye had repeatedly spurned several invitations asking him to report for investigation into the case of attempted culpable homicide, noting that he would be charged to court after investigation.

PcN

HENCEFORTH ANYONE CAUGHT STEALING PANTS MIGHT NOT BE CHARGED FOR STEALING BUT ATTEMPTED MURDER – DOLAPO BADMOS

With the growing rate at which female pants  are stolen and reportedly used for rituals, Zone 2 police PRO, Dolapo Badmos has said, "henceforth anyone caught stealing pants might not be charged for stealing but attempted murder".

On a media publication, she made it clear that suspects might be charged for attempted murder, "learnt the ones caught in the act always confess to be using it for rituals whereof the owner dies prematurely".

Niger Army Kills 280 Boko Haram Militants – Defence Ministry

Niger’s Army killed more than 280 Boko Haram militants near the southeast border with Nigeria in days of land and air raids, the defence ministry said Wednesday.

More than 200 jihadists were killed in air strikes and a further 87 by ground troops since the offensive began on December 28, the ministry said in a statement read on state television.

It comes after Western African leaders held talks in November on the escalating attacks by the Nigerian Islamist group in the Lake Chad area, a strategic region where the borders of Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria and Niger converge.

The operations were carried out on the islands of Lake Chad and along the Komadougou Yobe river which serves as a natural border between Niger and Nigeria, which has suffered a string of recent attacks on its military bases.

The Niger army said it had lost no troops or equipment in its offensive and had seized eight canoes and two rocket launchers as well as assault weapons, ammunition and vehicles.

In December, Niger’s defence minister said he feared Boko Haram would launch renewed attacks on its positions from January when the Komadougou Yobe river’s waters which usually prevent incursions begin to recede.

Niamey was particularly concerned by the situation in Nigeria where “military bases have been defeated,” Defence Minister Kalla Moutari said in parliament.

“Boko Haram fighters were able to get supplies, they were able to reinvigorate themselves,” said Moutari.

Boko Haram’s bloody insurgency began in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 but has since spread into neighbouring countries, prompting a regional military response.

Some 27,000 people have been killed and two million others displaced, sparking a dire humanitarian crisis in the region.

Militants have targeted both soldiers and civilians and have been blamed for abductions of children and employees of foreign companies.

In November, around a dozen girls were taken in raids on several border villages in southeastern Niger.

In the same month, seven local employees of a French drilling firm and a government official were killed after suspected Boko Haram gunmen stormed their compound.

That attack shattered months of relative calm in the Diffa region near the Lake Chad basin.

Anxiety in Police as IGP Idris’ tenure ends today

By Evelyn Usman & Joseph Erunke 

There is anxiety in the Nigeria Police  over what could happen in the next 24 hours,  as the service term of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris, ends today. 

Idris, the nation’s 19th Inspector General of Police, was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari,  on March  21, 2016, to replace Solomon Arase. The 59-year-old Niger State-born Police Chief is due for retirement having enlisted in 1984. But there are speculations that his tenure could be extended by the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, as he is yet to attain the mandatory retirement age of 60 years. Already,  reactions have started to trail the possibility of the tenure extension, owing to the silence and what was described as the tactical delay to appoint a senior police officer to take over from Idris. One of those agitating for a  new IGP,  the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria, NOPRIN, urged  President Buhari to resist the pressure to extend the tenure of  IGP  Idris and all Service Chiefs. National Coordinator of NOPRIN, Mr. Okechukwu Nwaguma said: “ President Buhari, in your new year message, you reiterated your commitment to ensuring a free, fair and peaceful  elections in 2019. But there are clear dangers to the realisation of this promise. “Among the obstacles is the partisanship of security agencies under your policy and operational control. The worse is the Nigeria Police Force through the obsequious posture of the current Inspector General of Police whose term expires this January. “Mr. President, please, demonstrate your sincerity and commitment to your promise of delivering free, fair and peaceful election this year by resisting the pressure to extend the term of the current IGP. Mr. President, please, avoid the temptation. “Not a few Nigerians are convinced that, given recent events and conducts of the current IGP and  heads of other security agencies which manifest clear partisanship, there is significant concern about the elections.

“The participation of the current leadership of the security agencies in overseeing the elections may gravely harm the perception of fairness and integrity of the process.’’ Those who spoke on the need for the President to urgently name Idris’ replacement also canvassed the need for Buhari to look beyond the North, since nearly all heads of security agencies in the country are from the region. Already, the Action Peoples Party, APP, and the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, have dragged President Muhammadu Buhari to court over the purported moves to extend the IGP’s tenure.

 The President had on December 18, 2017, approved the extension of the tenures of the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Air Staff and the Chief of Naval Staff.

Military Helicopter Fighting Boko Haram Goes Missing In Borno

An attack helicopter of the Nigerian Air Force deployed in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents has gone missing in action, with fears that the aircraft had crashed at a yet-to-be-ascertained location.

The NAF confirmed the missing aircraft in a release around 10.30pm on Wednesday, noting that the helicopter was lost in combat while providing close air support to troops of 145 Battalion at Damasak in Northern Borno State.

Northern Borno is a vulnerable area where the Islamic State of West African Province fighters were attempting to overrun military bases, with attacks on Metele, Buni Gari and Baga in the latest attempted invasion on December 26 and 27, 2018.

The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said the combat aircraft went missing about 7:45 pm on Wednesday, adding that details of the cause of the crash were still scanty.

He said, “A Nigerian Air Force helicopter was lost in combat while providing close air support to troops of 145 Battalion at Damasak in Northern Borno State. The mission was part of the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North-East.

“The incident occurred about 7:45 pm on January 2. Details of the cause of the crash are still scanty. As soon as the details of the crash are known, they will be made available to the public".

PN

Biafra: Israel to help IPOB launch social welfare across Biafra

"IPOB will be launching a social welfare public work scheme across the length and breadth of Biafraland in our effort to use our God given talent and skills to develope and improve our land, even prior to the coming of Biafra, because political office holders we had hoped will do it for us are more preoccupied with stealing as much as our commonwealth as possible"

This was made public by the leader of the Indigenous People Of Biafra during his January 1st broadcast.
He went further to state that "we  IPOB are going to do the little they can to stop our young people from trekking from our land to Europe that have resulted in the death of so many young people. This scheme will equally address the issue of lack of infrastructure, as IPOB will embark on minor road repairs.

The rehabilitation of dilapidated primary schools, maintenance drainage systems in areas prone to flooding due to blockage of sewage system like Aba, Owerri, Onitsha, Abakaliki and Igweocha.

A welfare outreach team will be created to provide assistance in public places to those who can not help themselves.
There will be massive job creation in various sectors of the economy where raw materials can be locally sourced to help drive low the rate of unemployment, especially among young graduates. Our people, towns and villages will be our priority as we begin to demonstrate the mindset that will guide us into Biafra.
It is no longer about saying IPOB one family. We are here to demonstrate that we are indeed one family. We are discussion with Israeli businessmen to help facilitate the creation of hi-tech farm settlements, small scale industrial parks in Cross River, In Delta, Imo, Ebonyi and Benue state for now. Should the scheme prove successful, of course it will, we shall roll it out across Biafraland".