National

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has asked Nigerians to hold the Ministry of Communication and Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) responsible for the lingering impasse between ASUU and the Federal Government.

ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Buchi Zone, Professor Lawan Abubakar, briefed reporters on Monday, March 4, 2022, in Jos, where he alleged NITDA is misleading Nigerians on the credibility and acceptability of UTAS which he said has passed the integrity test. 

“Ironically, NITDA, in conjunction with its parent Ministry (The Ministry of Communications where Pantami is minister), is seriously sabotaging the government at resolving the impasse. This is obviously capable of prolonging the current strike, thereby bringing untold hardship on Nigerian University students and the University System.” Prof. Abubakar stated

He further explained that NITDA, who scored UTAS high in the past, can not suddenly say UTAS failed integrity test. 

“After scoring UTAS this high, NITDA went further to contradict itself by making a fallacious statement that UTAS has failed integrity tests. The union wonders how a score of 97.4% will amount to failure.

“The Union still agreed to another Test by NITDA on March 8, 2022, in the presence of observers front the Federal Ministry of Education/National Universities Commission (NUC), Federal Ministry of Finance/OAGF, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.

“This most recent test still scored UTAS 99.3% in all the Tests metrics. ASUU is Therefore surprised that NITDA, having scored UTAS this high on two different occasions, unpatriotically went to the press to deliberately mislead the public into believing that UTAS has failed Integrity tests again.” Prof Abubakar clearly explained.

Therefore, he called on Nigerians and the Federal Government to call the Ministry of Communications and NITDA to order to resolve the labour crisis.

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

The Jack Rich Northern Front has distributed Ramadam items comprising rice, sugar, and millet, among others, to widows, orphans and the less privileged in Kaduna state. The distribution took place at the Kawo LEA primary school premises with the beneficiaries in attendance.

Speaking at the event, the Front coordinator, Dr Ibrahim Abdulkareem, said the initiative was necessitated by the neglect and abandonment being suffered by widows, orphans and the less privileged in society, especially during the month of Ramadan.

 One of the beneficiaries, a mother of three who lost her husband two years ago, Malama Halima Mukhtar, expressed gratitude for the gesture and called on well-meaning people to pray for the success of the Fronts’s activities.

The organization has given similar assistance as its Ramadan welfare package to other orphans across some states in northern Nigeria.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

On Saturday, the Ogun State Police Command announced the arrest of Sikiru Ibrahim, a 27-year-old man who hacked his father to death after rousing him up from his sleep.

The incident began when the deceased, Mumuni Ibrahim, a guard, got home from work on Wednesday morning and discovered his son asleep.

Ibrahim is claimed to have awoken his kid and questioned him about why he was still in bed at such a late hour.

Sikiru, a suspected cultist, was claimed to have attacked his father with a cutlass, enraged at his father’s actions.

Ibrahim was believed to have died on Thursday while receiving treatment at a medical hospital for injuries sustained in the attack.

DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, said the culprit was apprehended after one Abiodun Sunday, described as the deceased’s neighbour, filed a report at the Onipanu Divisional Headquarters.

Mr Opeyemi was quoted as saying, “The neighbour reported that the deceased, Mumuni Ibrahim, a guard, returned home and met his son who was still sleeping, and when he asked him why he was still sleeping at that time of the day, the suspect got annoyed and brought out a cutlass with which he attacked the victim.

“Upon the report, the DPO Onipanu Division, CSP Bamidele Job, quickly mobilised his men and moved to the scene where the suspect was arrested, and the victim rushed to a general hospital for treatment. The suspect, who is strongly suspected to be a cultist, has no reasonable explanation for his action when interrogated.”

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Drivers in Nigeria decried the current security challenges bedevilling particularly the northwestern part of the country, saying the situation is gradually killing their business.

The Daily Reality report that bandits activity has claimed thousands of lives, destroyed property worth millions of naira and sacked many villages.

Some analysts believe that the incessant security challenges are politically motivated.

The recent Abuja-Kaduna train attack is one of many bloody attacks by bandits that forced the citizens to remain deeply pessimistic, not to mention commercial drivers plying roads in the restive region.

Our correspondent gathered that those abducted during the infamous train attack were taken to nearby bushes by the notorious, heartless bandits. 

Twenty-four hours later, bandits blocked the Kaduna-Abuja highway and abducted dozens of travellers.

Drivers who spoke to The Daily Realty said the situation had done significant damage to their business, saying they are still in the business because they do not have an option.

A driver, Haruna Lawan Ahmad, recounted his bitter experience in dismay, saying sometimes they had to descend and run for their dear life on sighting the bandits. 

Ahmad said, “We used to see terrible things on our way. Sometimes we have to alight and run away to save our lives after sighting bandits and come back later to take our vehicles after they finished their operations and abducted the ill-fated individuals.”

“There are roads that we can no longer follow, such as Birni Gwari of Kaduna State. Before, the drivers used to team up with the security personnel escorting them.”

“But sadly enough, even the security personnel stranded and accelerated their vehicle at high speed and run away from bandits.”

“Many of my colleagues and I remain in the business not because we are still passionate about it, but because we don’t have anything to do other than this driving,” he recounted. 

Another driver, Idris Bamba, urged the government to come to their aid as the situation was getting out of hand.

He said, “Insecurity in the country is worsening day by day. We usually drive with uneasiness of mind. Before, I used to leave Abuja for Kano by 5 am and arrived around 11 am. But due to security issues, I no longer do that. Some of my friends have even moved to other businesses.”

‘Insecurity sponsored’

A lecturer at the Department of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, Bayero University, Kano, Dr Mu’az Hassan Mu’az, said the incessant security challenge in Nigeria is quite unfortunate and sponsored by some scrupulous elements. 

He said, “It’s quite unfortunate that these things are happening to the most peaceful and hospitable people in this country. Words cannot express how saddened our people are by the recent experience of attacks on innocent Nigerians.”

“The continued insecurity situation in this part of the country, mastered by people who are illiterates (Islamic and Western) and is sponsored by some scrupulous elements in our society who are selfish and never cared about their people, who worship money and have given up on the hereafter.”

“It’s quite unfortunate that the situation is getting worse day by day in spite of the huge investment in security by the federal government.” 

“Many people see the train as the last resort and safe haven for the common people. He thought the warning attack on the train was treated with glove hands, and security was beefed up on the train operations to prevent subsequent attacks.”

“But it happened again, in a very terrible manner. Painfully, the minister of transport was quoted to have said he envisaged the attack but Federal Government did nothing to prevent it from happening. Our leaders should come back to their right senses.”

Dr Mu’azu added that the leadership of Nigeria is responsible for every Nigerian’s life. They must come back to their senses to face the problem squarely to the end. 

He urged the authority concerned to provide aerial surveillance of the train routes from Kaduna to Abuja, engage every security stakeholder in the discourse of solutions to the menace of banditry n kidnapping, negotiate with the culprits and later deal with them silently, declare war against their residency in Nigeria and kill them all.

He said, “Let the authority concerned track and block their supplies of weapons, send a few security personnel on a secret mission, i.e. to be amongst them for some time, recruit locals to join in the fight against the bandits and block all their food supplies and medications.”

By Aliyu Nuhu

When we criticize this government, some people deride us as Buhari bashers. They complain that we lack patriotism because we run down our country. But look at Nigeria today and say if it is the kind of country you want to live in or it is the kind of country you want your children and grandchildren to inhabit.

What is the fault of the government in matters that concern our security? It is because of the way it neglected police affairs. Banditry and terrorism are, among others, products of poor community policing. Humans are products of communities, good or bad. The police decide the kind of communities we have as far as crimes are concerned. Before they kidnap anyone, criminals emerge from the community and when they kidnap they return to the communities. Good police will ensure that they don’t emerge and if they do, they can’t return to the community. But today’s Nigerian police are going on strike because of poor salaries and delays in payment of even the poor salaries. Police lack all working tools from the basics such as lie detectors, electricity, and computers; to the complex ones such as data banks for fingerprints and DNA.

Whenever there is a bomb blast you see the president holding emergency meetings with service chiefs. That is missing the point. What have navy, airforce and army got to do with attacks on the train? The president should hold his emergency meeting with police high commands, NSCDC and DSS. That is where the missing links lie.

The military ordinarily has no business safeguarding railways, doing the work of police, DSS and NSCDC. They have no budget to safeguard the railway. The military can be called to give additional firepower to the police when there is a need but they have no solution to the problem and cannot prevent future attacks.

The railway is a product of technology and there is technology to protect it. Only Nigeria will invest so much in railway and refuse to deploy the technology to protect it. There are real-time intelligent railway protection systems of various types to deploy. The minister for transportation had made such a request after the first attack which was denied (though the request was later accused of being through a seemingly corrupt process). The second attack has made the president see the reasons and approved of the technology. I hope that with the new measures, future attacks on railways will be prevented.

Who were the attackers?

According to the Daily Trust, a Kaduna security source, who did not want his name in print, said the attack was carried out by Boko Haram elements in collaboration with bandits.

“Two sources; a local with knowledge of bandits’ activities and a senior intelligence officer in Abuja confirmed that a Kaduna-based bandits leader, Boderi, was involved in hatching the attack.

Boderi is notorious for masterminding a number of atrocious attacks in Giwa, Chikun, Igabi and Zaria Local Governments in Kaduna State, including the abduction of students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, in March last year and kidnapping of the Emir of Bungudu, Alhaji Hassan Attahiru in October of the same year.”

Also, victims said they were not the regular Fulani kidnappers that carry out their raids on the highways. They said they were very young boys between the ages of 18 to 25 years and spoke good English. Some of them were pronouncing “Allahu Akbar”. It pointed to either Boko Haram or ISWAP. Deployment of IED technology is Boko and ISWAP franchise. The attackers used buses, unlike the Fulani kidnappers that use motorcycles, an indication that they came from a long distance. How about 200 terrorists came in buses and carried people and disappeared into thin air beat all minds. There was no single casualty on the side of the attackers and no one was captured. We have a long way to go in security matters.

By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi

Another national embarrassment almost happened over the weekend. But alas, it wasn’t fated. Reports indicated that a group of bandit-terrorists, about 200 swarmed the Kaduna International Airport located in Igabi Local Government Area of the State.

The incident temporarily led to the disruption of activities, including the grounding of an Azman Air Lagos-bound aircraft. In addition, a security officer attached to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) also lost his life.

It was learnt that the terrorists were on a revenge mission after some Nigerian military troops neutralized scores of them and equally retrieved some rustled cattle in their possession.

However, this unfortunate development is coming after another security breach had occurred last year, when the same category of criminal elements–bandits–invaded the country’s highest defence and security training hub, the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, in Kaduna.

Aside from killing some soldiers, reports claimed that the bandits abducted a senior military officer.

Nevertheless, the level at which these non-state actors are resurging and unleashing violence at will is something that needs to be treated with the adequate attention it deserves. Government and security agencies should live up to their expectations to surmount these lingering security challenges that disturb our nation’s peace.

It has been noted that an efficient transport system is part and parcel of national security as it entails the movement of people and goods from one place to another across the length and breadth of a particular geographical location. But in today’s Nigeria, it is disheartening to learn that people no longer travel comfortably with peace of mind due to uncertainties associated with our entire transport system.

For example, looking at the land transport system, the roads are in bad shape caused by numerous potholes that can easily plunge a motorist into an accident. Apart from that, the roads are also not safe as bandits, kidnappers and armed robbers are always having a field day launching attacks on commuters, robbing them of their hard-earned properties, abducting or even killing them.

Even the trains are no longer safe as terrorists have since devised a means of exploding rail tracks, thereby forcefully bringing them to a halt to pave the way for them to carry out their nefarious activities on passengers.

The recent bombing of the Kaduna-Abuja rail track by bandits is one of the worst attacks on the Nigerian transport system. Several passengers were killed, others got injured, while scores were equally abducted and yet to be accounted for.

Similarly, Nigeria’s waterways are also dangerous because they are swarmed by pirates who rob ships and sometimes abduct the entire crew only to release them upon payment of ransom. With the recent attack on the airport, it is right to deduct that the entire Nigerian transport system is compromised and has lost its calibre to serve the functions it is known to deliver.

The time is long overdue for Nigeria to rise to the challenge of safeguarding airspace and other transport sectors from the menace of criminal elements.

The importance of airspace and aviation security has been captured effectively in Nigeria’s National Security Strategy (NNSS 2019), a document published by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Babagana Monguno, a retired Major General.

According to the document, “Efforts to secure the Nigerian airspace will be led by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in collaboration with other relevant agencies. Considering the vulnerability of the airspace, the NAF will employ preventive and protective measures to guard against airspace violations through [the] enforcement of international and national air laws.

“In addition, the NAF will deploy its resources to ensure the integrity of Nigerian airspace is maintained at all times. This will include [the] conduct of aerial surveys and delineation of security zones and liaison with appropriate agencies towards the completion of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) project to ensure effective monitoring and airspace security.

The primary stakeholders principally concerned with safety and security in the aviation sector include the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), among others.

The role of these agencies is expected to be coordinated and enhanced in line with extant legislation and policy on Nigerian Aviation Security.

Nevertheless, another evolving phenomenon in airspace security is the preponderance of drones which constitutes safety challenges such as air misses and mid-air collisions with manned aircraft and security challenges such as air space violation, penetration of prohibited airspaces, a threat to VIP security, terrorism and espionage. Others are law enforcement challenges such as drug trafficking and proliferation, all inimical to national security.

To properly secure airspace and the aviation industry, the government must ensure the continuous provision of modern and up-to-date equipment and the promotion of adequate training and professionalism of various agencies handling different aspects of aviation security.

Additionally, Standard Operation Procedures must be developed to streamline the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies to optimize their performance and enhance the cohesion of their personnel.

Furthermore, it is imperative to ensure the development of standard safety protocols and resilience to protect critical aviation information infrastructure against cyber-attacks to enhance aviation security.

Mukhtar wrote from Kano via ymukhtar944@gmail.com.

By Khadijah Tijjani

It has been a while since I wrote about issues of national interest. I have decided to steer clear of such conversations because I doubt if it is really worth it. I used to pride myself in being a patriotic Nigerian until about a decade ago when the post-graduation shock shook me to the marrow.

Fresh out of medical school, I was determined to serve my country “with love and strength and faith”, using my knowledge and skills. But I was greeted with a cold welcome into a moribund system – a system that had almost nothing to offer but was ready to suck your sweat and blood and abandon your remains when you’re done with your heroism.

This is not about me and how I lost hope in the fatherland. If I’m still alive, I’ll tell you the whole story some other time. My grouse for today is stimulated by the recent terrorist attacks on the Kaduna-Abuja train. I’m sorry to bore you with this rant; I hope it makes me feel better. I’m just here to let it out and stop pretending to be oblivious.

I despise horror and tragic movies because of some traumatic scenes I watched as a kid. One of such movies is THE BURNING TRAIN, a Bollywood blockbuster that made waves in the early 80s. Vinod, a railway engineer, launched the Super Express, a dream project that was India’s fastest passenger train. Unfortunately, the train went out of control on its maiden journey due to a bomb planted by a rival. Directed by Ravi Chopra, the movie was known to have moved millions of people to tears.

Every time I replay that movie in the part of my brain that stores it for over two decades, I struggle to hold back the tears.

I never imagined something strikingly similar happening in real life, claiming several lives so close to home. The terrorists, having succeeded in stopping the Kaduna-bound train, reportedly shot sporadically and held the stranded passengers hostage for over an hour.

One of the victims was a promising young colleague – Dr Chinelo. This was a brilliant doctor who could have discovered the next best treatment for cancer, HIV or another disease yet unknown. But instead, she was wasted a few days after obtaining her GMC licence to practise in the UK.

Could she have survived if we had quick and effective disaster response teams? Only God knows.

She was lucid enough to tweet a distress call and probably breathed for a couple of hours before kicking the bucket. But what sort of treatment did she get? Welcome to Nigerian hospitals!

The train attack happened less than 24 hours after a similar incident along the same route. This mishap rekindled my memory of that catastrophic movie, The Burning Train. I’ve been trying not to talk or write about it, but my heart can no longer contain the pain.

I am a woman of faith and believe in the power of prayers. However, we’re on a burning train in this country, and faith is not enough to quench the fire.

This train is burning, and the political leaders are going about their rallies, spending millions of naira on branded clothes and live bands.

This inferno is consuming the best amongst us, but the worst amongst us are winning and dining.

This country is burning like wildfire, but there’s no fire truck anywhere.

They say there is light at the end of the tunnel. But the end of this burning tunnel is obscured by thick smoke that can kill faster than the fire itself.

We seek your aid, yaa Allaah!

Khadijah Tijani is a medical doctor. She writes from Ibadan and can be reached through askodoctorkt@gmail.com or @AskDoctorKT.

– News Desk

The Abuja-Kaduna train was attacked by bandits on the evening of Monday, 28th March 2022. The attack led to the killing and abduction of some passengers. Meanwhile, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on Nigerians to unite against terrorists, bandits and saboteurs.

MURIC’s input was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday 30^th March 2022 by its director and founder, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The statement reads:

“Bandits attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train yesterday Monday, 28th March 2022. The attack led to the killing and abduction of some passengers. We strongly condemn this attack. It was mindless, vicious, brutal and barbaric. This is also major evidence of the extent to which unscrupulous elements can go to sabotage the good efforts of the government to provide comfort for the citizens.

“With hindsight, the latest attack may not have been too surprising, particularly with the ominous signs presented by previous activities of bandits in the zone. It is obvious that Kaduna Airport was attacked last week because the bandits had become desperate since they could not find enough victims on the roads.

“Our security agencies should be more proactive. Intelligence Transport Systems (ITS) should be used in all our transportation networks starting with the modern railway line and critical national routes of our roads. They should all be linked with control rooms of the security agencies. We also need tactical surveillance teams at critical locations along the modern railway lines. Not only that, unmanned aircraft and drones can be used to collect information during the trains’ working hours. This will prevent criminal elements from springing surprise attacks on innocent passengers.

“The citizenry must also be security conscious. They need to complement [the] government’s efforts. Nobody should tell us that the present government did the wrong thing by introducing a modern rail system but the people benefiting from it must be prepared to pass information about suspicious moves at sabotage.

“We call on Nigerians to look beyond this mindless attack. It is the work of saboteurs, rebellious subjects and enemies of peace. Nigerians must not allow the tragic incident to test their will. Rather, we must unite against those who seek to destroy our fragile civilisation and our nascent democracy. We must speak with one voice targeted at the inhumanity of man to man. The criminals are not happy with the progress being made. They want to drag us back to the Stone Age. We must resist them.

“No single government, no matter how popular, or how powerful, can be competent enough to repel terrorists and saboteurs. The people must become partners with [the] government. They must become [the] eyes and ears of the security agencies. The modern trains on Abuja-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri should be enough to inspire patriotism.

“Patriots all over the world stand with their governments. That was what Americans did when the country was attacked by terrorists in 2001. That is what the Ukrainians are doing now against the invading ultra-Red communist war criminals. We must unite against those who are making it difficult for innocent citizens to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

“The media has a special role to play at this critical point. There is no professionalism in celebrating terror. Nobody is immune from terrorists’ attacks, not even journalists. That is why all hands must be on deck in the fight against insecurity. Terrorists are cowards who pick on soft targets to embarrass [the] government and traumatise the citizenry, including journalists. That is why all media fora must mobilise themselves against marauding bandits and terrorists.

“The modern trains introduced by this administration are superb and they are reducing the sufferings of travellers but it is now time to leverage on the infotech facilities at our disposal to make the trips hitch-free. Nonetheless, the challenge of insecurity should not be seen as a mark of [the] failure of the project. We must put saboteurs and enemies of the people to shame by forging ahead. We must not surrender to terrorists. Nigeria is on course.”

By Muhammad Sabiu

Reports coming from the northwestern part of Nigeria have indicated that suspected terrorist bandits detonated bombs on the rail track of an Abuja-Kaduna train, thus immobilizing it.

The attack was said to have taken place between Katari and Rijana.

According to sources who spoke to journalists, the attackers were said to have surrounded the train, shooting intermittently.

As of the time of filing this report, there are still no details of the number of casualties in the attack.

By Aminu Naganye

United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lagos, in collaboration with Media Awareness and Information for All Networks (MAIN), has organised a two-day workshop for journalists in Kano on mainstreaming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their routine journalistic activities.

The programme tagged “Training Journalists on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and developing a Network of Sustainable Development Journalists” took place at the Kano State Library from Monday, March 21, to Tuesday, March 22, 2022. The event is a part of training for journalists across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria on how to mainstream the SDGs into their professional engagements.

UNIC Director, Mr Ronald Kayanja, noted that the training was to expose the journalists to the key issues of the SDGs and how they can contribute their part toward achieving the 2030 sustainable development agenda.

Mr Kayanja, who was represented by Dr Oluseyi Soremekun, stressed the need for partnership and collaboration among all stakeholders toward achieving the SDGs at the stipulated time.

On his part, the Chairman of the occasion, Professor Lai Oso, said the objective of the training was to acquaint the participants with social, economic and environmental dimensions in reporting issues related to sustainable development. 

He said sustainable journalism should be people-centred and geared toward proffering solutions to identified societal challenges.

Head Technical, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Dr Bala Yunusa, who was represented by Dr Zakariyya Mohammed, explained Nigeria’s progress and challenges in implementing the SDGs in Nigeria and called on the media personnel to remain supportive to achieving the SDGs and Nigerian Agenda 2050.

Dr Yunusa noted that Nigeria has recorded successes in the previous MDGs and is now determined to achieve more with the SDGs.

At least 50 journalists drawn from traditional media of radio, television, newspaper, and online-based news media participated in the workshop.

The participants were decorated with emblems as champions of the SDGs.