Nigeria Army has indicated that its officers have discovered where the remaining Chibok School girls are being held by their captors, the Boko Haram insurgents, but said that they would not make it public for strategic security reasons.

Speaking to news men today, Thursday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Acting Director of Defence Information, Defence Headquarters, Abuja, Brigadier General Rabe Abubarkar said: “neither the military nor any security agency will give information on the Chibok girls in order not to jeopardize their safety.”

Abubarkar, who assured that the military will do everything to rescue the girls however pointed out that “information on strategy to rescue the will never be disclosed.”

Over 200 students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, were abducted from their hostels in April 2014. So far, about 26 of them have regained freedom since last year, while others are still in captivity.

Henceforth, any prostitute, otherwise known as commercial sex worker, arrested in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, would be sent to rehabilitation centre to be trained in skill acquisition.
The directive to this effect was given today, Thursday, to the security committee, made up of security agents, by the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello at the meeting of the committee.
The Minister emphasised that commercial sex workers would be made to be more useful to themselves and the society by being trained at Rehabilitation Centre in Lugbe, on Airport road.
He also warned owners of uncompleted buildings that they would be held responsible for any security breach coming from such buildings if they would not take full control.
He regretted that criminals have made vandalisation of street lights, especially those on the outskirts of the city, a booming business, warning that such criminals would be tracked down and be made to face prosecution.
Muhammad Bello announced that mobile courts would be strengthened to deal expeditiously and promptly with all cases, adding that the FCT Judiciary has already assigned five Magistrates who are expected to man five mobile courts.
According to him, the mobile courts have been brought in for immediate dispensation of justice and appropriate penalties for offenders. [myad]

The Lagos State House of Assembly has passed a bill with a recommendation of stiffer penalties, including death sentence for kidnappers

The lawmakers passed the bill today, Thursday, for a Law to Provide for the Prohibition of the Act of Kidnapping and for Other Connected Purposes after the third reading.

The bill was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa and specifically recommends death sentence for kidnappers whose victims die in their custody and life sentence for kidnappers whose victims do not die in the hands of their abductors.

The bill states that any person, who kidnaps, abducts, detains, captures or takes another person by any means or trick with intent to demand ransom or do anything against his/her will, commits an offence. The bill also stipulates life imprisonment for anyone who makes an attempt to kidnap another person.

The bill prescribes seven years imprisonment for anyone making false representation to release a kidnapped or abducted person.

The passage of the bill was also sequel to the adoption of a report presented by the Chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Petitions, Human Rights and Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Mrs. Adefunmilayo Tejuosho. [myad]

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has promised the team of Special Investigative panel on the December 10, Rivers state Legislative Re-run elections, that the Commission would make available all the necessary facts and figures on the violence that greeted the election.
The invetigative panel was recently set up by the Inspector General of the Police, Ibrahim K. Idris.
“On our own as a Commission, we have also set up an Administrative Review of what happened in Rivers so that where our staff are found to be culpable we will deal with the situation. We have very conscientious staff in the Commission, but where our staff erred, this will be dealt with,” the INEC boss told members of the team who visited the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja today, Thursday.
He asked the IGP investigation panel to make sure that perpetrators of the violence and killings in the Rivers re-run elections are brought to book.
“I wish to assure the investigative panel that we will now and forever, fully cooperate with the security agencies in your investigation. Whatever you require to facilitate the investigation from the Commission, be rest assured that the Commission will be forth coming”.
The INEC Chairman commiserated with the security agencies for the loss of lives recorded, particularly the death of DSP Mohammed Alkali and his orderly who were killed on duty in the Rivers re-run elections in what he said was supposed to be a peaceful process of election.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation and head of the Investigative Panel, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Daniel Okoro, explained that the purpose of the visit was to felicitate, interact and introduce the members of the panel made up of Police Officers and Officers of the Department of State Services (DSS).
He sought the Commission’s cooperation to aid the successful execution of the national assignment by his team. [myad]

President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the soldiers fighting Boko Haran insurgents in Borno State for the recovery of another Chibok schoolgirl, Rakiya Abubakar, in the Alagarno area of Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.

A statement by the special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, quoted the President as saying that the recovery of the girl had raised renewed hope that the other captured girls would be reunited with their families, friends and community.

He commended the military for the diligent investigation which led to the recovery of Rakiya and advised them to continue in the spirit with which they cleared the Sambisa forest of terrorists.

The President assured that his government would continue to do all within its powers to assist the military in locating the rest of the girls and eradicate the menace of terrorism in Nigeria.

Earlier in the day, Acting Director Nigeria Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman announced that the girl, Rakiya Abubkar, holding six month old baby, was discovered during the investigation of arrested suspected Boko Haram terrorists.

The Spokesman said that preliminary investigation showed that   Rakiya is the daughter of Abubakar Gali Mulima and Habiba Abubakar of Chibok. She was a student of Senior Secondary School Class 3B (SS 3B), before her abduction along with her colleagues on 14th April 2014 by the Boko Haram terrorists.

The Army spokesman said that the girl is undergoing further medical investigation and would soon be released to the Borno State Government.

It could be recalled that 21 Chibok girls were recently freed by Boko Haram out of the over 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists. [myad]

Former Ekiti State Governor, Chief Segun Oni, has described Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State as a comedian who will never stop entertaining Nigerians with wild allegations.

Chief Oni, who was reacting to Fayose allegation that he is plotting to engineer the judiciary to impeach him, said that the governor was just raising false alarm, saying that such allegation came from what he called “a mind gripped by fear of the unknown.”

Chief Oni, who is the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said that he has the utmost respect for the judiciary and would never indulge in any act to bring the revered institution into ridicule and opprobrium.

Through his media aide, Ayo Akinyemi, Chief Oni said that the purported meeting where he and the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, boasted to APC members of intent to enlist the judiciary for the alleged plot only existed in the imagination of Fayose.

“Fayose himself knows that no judiciary can remove him now because he enjoys immunity until the expiration of his tenure on October 15, 2018. He can only be investigated, so what is Fayose talking about?

“Perhaps Fayose is afraid of facing the law after his immunity might have expired next year and that is why he is labouring now to spill the beans in anticipation of his doom. He is a drowning man trying to clutch the last straw and smear anybody.

“In a normal setting, should he (Fayose) have contested for governorship in the first instance? This is a man having corruption cases hanging on his neck and was facing trial in the court.

“This is a man accused of complicity in murder incidents that happened during his first tenure and it is unfortunate that our system allows a character like that to run for the exalted office of governor.

“Now with series of allegations coming out on the way funds meant for purchase of arms were diverted to his campaign as revealed by his man, Dr. Tope Aluko and confirmed by Musiliu Obanikoro in his evidence before the court.” [myad]