Month: March 2024

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, a Major-General, who disclosed this at an ongoing press briefing at Defence Headquarters, Abuja, said no bounty was placed on the wanted persons.

Buba called on the stakeholders and traditional rulers across the country particularly in the Niger Delta to help the military in fishing out those who had been declared wanted.

Daily Trust had reported how the troops of 181 Amphibious Batallion, Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State were surrounded by some youths and killed on Thursday, 14 March, 2024 while on peace mission to Okuoma Community.

The incident, which occurred when the troops responded to a distress call after the communal crisis between Okuoma and Okoloba communities both in Delta State had generated outrage nationwide.

The murdered officers were buried at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja on Wednesday. The burial was attended by President Bola Tinubu and other top government functionaries.

The corpses of the soldiers, which arrived at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja at about 2:26 pm on Wednesday, were committed to mother death after burial rites were observed.

President Bola Tinubu, Service Chiefs and other dignitaries were in attendance at the burial ceremony.

Recall that the troops of 181 Amphibious Batallion, Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State, while on a peace mission to Okuoma Community were ambushed and killed by some irate youths.

The incident occurred when the troops responded to a distress call following a communal crisis between Okuoma and Okoloba communities in Delta State.

The personnel comprised one Lieutenant Colonel, two Majors, one Captain and 13 soldiers.

The officers are Commanding Officer 181 Amphibious Battalion, Lt. Col. A.H Ali; Maj S.D Shafa (N/13976); Maj D.E Obi (N/14395) and Capt U Zakari (N/16348).

The soldiers are SSgt Yahaya Saidu (#3NA/36/2974); Cpl Yahaya Danbaba (1ONA/65/7274); Cpl Kabiru Bashir (11NA/66/9853); LCpl Bulus Haruna (16NA/TS/5844); LCpl Sola Opeyemi (17NA/760719); and LCpl Bello Anas (17NA/76/290).

They also include LCpl Hamman Peter (NA/T82653); LCpl Ibrahim Abdullahi (18NA/77/1191); Pte Alhaji Isah (17NA/76/6079); Pte Clement Francis (19NA/78/0911); Pte Abubakar Ali (19NA/78/2162); Pte Ibrahim Adamu (19NA/78/6079) and Pte Adamu Ibrahim (21NA/80/4795).

Police officers at the Area Command’s office in Potiskum, Yobe State, have been accused of assaulting a corrections officer, Abubakar Umar Mainta.

The family of the victim said he had been admitted at a hospital in Potiskum.

Dr. Suleiman Sa’id, a brother to the victim, told Daily Trust that Mainta, an officer with the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), was brutalised when he went to the station to secure the bail of an accused person.

He explained that one Abdullahi Aji Bulama, a police corporal, refused to receive a court summons in a case of criminal complaint against him after they (a victim’s family) took an assault case to court.

He said after filing a direct criminal complaint, a bailiff was directed to serve Corporal Bulama with the criminal summons, but that on his arrival at the area command, the Area Commander, Mohammed Musa Zayyanu, prevented the bailiff from serving Bulama and directed him to go and serve the Commissioner of Police in Damaturu.

When contacted, the spokesman of the Yobe State Police Command, DSP Dungus Abdulkareem, said he was not aware of the court summons.

The PPRO explained that a court summon should be issued to the office of the Commissioner of Police or legal department of the command because they were the senior offices to handle legal issues and not the area command.

The dignitaries include Kano state Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, Senator Sulaiman Kawu and the Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Lagbaja, Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. CG Musa are currently at the Military Cemetery, Abuja.

The families of the fallen heroes are also at the venue.

Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume has urged the federal and state governments to subsidise Hajj fees for first-timers.

Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, stated this while reacting to the increase in Hajj fees by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, describing it as unfair and a deliberate plan to deny Nigerian Muslims, especially first-timers the opportunity to participate in the exercise.

Reacting in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the lawmaker fumed, saying, NAHCON, cannot ask intending pilgrims who earlier paid the old fees to pay an extra N2 million a week to the end of registration.

Ndume said the five pillars of Islam, which are, Shahada, Salah, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj, were reasons Muslims embark on the holy pilgrimage to Mecca.

NAHCON’s spokesperson, Fatima Sanda-Usara in a statement signed on Sunday, announced the new rate adjustment, citing the current rate of N1,474.00 to a dollar.

According to the statement, about 49,000 intending pilgrims under the public quota, had earlier paid the sum of N4.9 million to the commission when the naira was still at N897 to a dollar at the banks.

About 49,000 pilgrims who had earlier paid the old fees of N4.9 million each to the commission have been told to pay an additional N1.9 million each on or before 28 March, while new registration has been fixed at N8.5 million.

Ndume called on President Bola Tinubu to approve a subsidy for the Hajj fares to enable first-timers to embark on a trip to the Holy Land.