The Nigeria Army has announced the arrest of 126 suspected Boko Haram insurgentss at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Damboa, Borno State.

The Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor, who spoke to news men in Maiduguri today, Wednesday, said that the suspects were flushed out during mop up operations.

Irabor said that the mop up was conducted after Boko Haram membersts stormed Sabon Gari area in Damboa local government area of the state.

“During the attack, we lost about six soldiers and equipment, some of our soldiers were also wounded.

“After the unfortunate incident, a joint operation was carried out by 3 and 125 task force brigade of the army.

“Based on intelligent report available, we learnt there was an attempt by Boko Haram to attack Damboa town and many of the insurgents have infiltrated the IDPs camp in Damboa.

“We also have an intelligent report that many of those insurgents that participated in the attack on Sabon Gari have infiltrated into the IDPs camp.

“During the raid on the camp, one of the terrorists in particular was identified to have taken part in the Sabon Gari attack.

“When we searched him, we found a wallet on him containing the Identity card of one of the soldiers that was killed during the attack.

“So, in essence, that gave the purpose for further operations that our troops of 125 Brigade and the Civilian JTF rounded up about 126 of the terrorists in the camp.

“As you all know that peace has started returning to the areas, but we realise that the Boko Haram terrorists were hiding under law abiding citizens to continue to cause havoc.

“The operation is a continuous one, even though the arrest had elicited reactions from some NGOs working in the camp, also the IDPs, who viewed what we are doing differently.

“This was what really happened, though yesterday, there was an incident in Konduga where three suicide bombers detonated their explosives killing themselves and wounded some locals.

“Also, we had a case where some of our troops on patrol in Dikwa ran into an Improvised Explosive Device, where two soldiers were wounded. But they are getting better in the hospital.”

NAN. [myad]

A former Deputy Speaker and current member, representing Jos-North constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Baba Hassan, has been caught in certificate forgery mess, and has been taken to court by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

The lawmakers was alleged to have allegedly submitted forged academic qualification to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest the 2015 State Assembly elections. The lawmaker was charged before Justice J.U.A Musale of High Court 31 of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting in Jabi, Abuja.

According to a statement issued by the Spokesperson of ICPC, Mrs. Rasheedat A. Okoduwa, the legislator was also accused of lying under oath.

“The lawmaker, who is presently a three-time member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, was said to have forged a Diploma in Business Administration of the University of Jos, dated November 1996, and falsely inserted his name as one of the graduands in the ‘Order of Proceedings of the 19th Combined Convocation Ceremony’ of the said university held on 26th and 27th April 2002 which he presented to ICPC investigators.

“Hassan who contested the 2015 Plateau State House of Assembly election again and won, was arraigned on a five-count charge of forgery, lying under oath, intent to cause damage to the public and making false statement with the intention to mislead.

“In a Charge No: CR/136/17, the defendant was accused of committing offences contrary to Section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, sections 157, 164, 363,366 of Penal Code Laws of the FCT and punishable under Section 68 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and sections 158 and 364 of the Penal Code.

“The accused person pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.

“The counsel to the accused, Solomon E. Umoh (SAN), via an oral application, sought the relief of the court to grant his client bail based on self-recognition. He averred that his client did not show any recalcitrant attitude throughout the course of investigation.

“However, ICPC’s counsel, Agbili Ezenwa Kingsley, opposed the relief sought by the defence.

“He said the accused, as a political office-holder, could be recalled by his constituents at any time and would lose his privileged status.

“Kingsley therefore prayed the court to grant the accused stringent bail conditions that would compel him to appear for hearings no matter the circumstances.” [myad]

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced the payment of N57.6 billion to contractors handling various projects such as water provision, roads and railway construction as well as health, education and environmental sanitation structures and services.

The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello who disclosed this to news men today, Wednesday, said that there has been massive return of contractors to site following the payments. 

The Minister who spoke through the Director of Treasury, Malam Isiaku Ismaila said that the Administration had put in place, strategic plans to ensure that all on-going projects that conform to the Abuja Master are completed.

According to him, indigenous contractors who were owed N100 million and below have all been paid, especially those with matured bills that were provided for in the statutory budget. He added that funding for these payments were mobilized through transparency, diligent and judicious management of funds without leakages in the system.

“Six hundred and twenty seven Iidigenous contractors being owed N100 million and below and who have matured bills and which provisions were made in the statutory budget were paid the sum of N6.9 billion in the last quarter of 2016.  Another N3.3 billion has been paid to 403 other contractors with bills less than 100 million in the first quarter of 2017.”

“Happily, from the last quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017, the number of liability is coming down, in fact more than 50 per cent because there were some that their bills were not matured as at the time we were making payments in December. So, we felt that every contractor within the statutory year who has been able to perform and shown good faith on site is able to raise bills.”

He said that road construction; city cleaning and environmental sanitation are being given adequate attention by the Administrationy.

The Minister said that funds have been fully released for the health insurance scheme of all FCTA workers, while all counterpart funds have been appropriately paid to development partners of the FCTA.

Musa Bello said that the Administration has also taken the issue of Pensioners’ outstanding arrears serious, adding that they have been paid up-to-date.

“The current FCT Administration so far has released some N2.3 billion for this purpose. All forms of entitlements to retirees under the FCT Administration have been paid up to date with no arrears at all’.

“The FCT Administration has also reinvigorated the school feeding programme. Some N980m has been disbursed towards feeding of students under the FCT Secondary Education Board.” [myad]

The Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) has given the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki a hard knock for attacking President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war in Nigeria.

The group made it clear that the criticism from familiar quarters, like the Senate leadership on the anti-corruption war, could not obliterate the fact that the it had attained of phenomenal results like never before.

Dr. Saraki, was quoted as berating the anti-corruption war on the basis that the campaign focuses attention on punishment rather than deterrence, and adducing that it as the reason why poor results have been recorded so far.

The Buhari Media Support Group, in a signed by its Acting Coordinator, Austin Braimoh and the Secretary, Chief Cassidy Madueke, said that the high integrity of President Buhari has infused steam into the war against corruption, coupled with the fact that anti-graft agencies have been rendering good account of themselves in reducing graft, especially, blind looting of the national treasury.

“Though the anti-corruption war in Nigeria like every other government initiative is subject to constant review for attainment of higher successes, top public officials at all levels should support the war against corruption rather than subvert it.”

The group said that while the present government has always been open to constructive criticisms, it has not concentrated efforts solely on deterrence in its approach to addressing the problem of wide spread corruption in Nigeria.

It said that the executive arm of government has lined up a number of bills aimed at strengthening the war against corruption with prevention as the main focus, but that such bills are still pending in the National Assembly.

It urged the Senate and the House of Representatives to as a matter of urgency, ensure speedy passage of the anti-corruption bills, especially the one on Whistle Blowing to stem the looting of nation’s treasury.

“The President, to the full knowledge of Nigerians, has been allowing the tenets of democracy to guide his conducts as he always submitted himself to guidelines by the constitution. So at any rate, the President is not punitive and autocratic as many may believe.

“If the President has been fighting corruption with kid gloves in line with expectations in some quarters, EFCC would not have discovered the huge sums of foreign and local currencies stashed away in secret places.” [myad]