Security

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Nigerian Army reportedly launched a new operation in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State to tackle the emerging of insurance in the area.

The operation, named Hakorin Damisa, Leopard’s teeth, was launched by the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, on Saturday.

Addressing the personnel Major Lagbaja said, “I am here to thank you for what you have been doing to bring peace and stability to Mangu and Plateau State.

“As your Chief of Army Staff, I have encapsulated my command philosophy which is to have a Nigerian Army that is well-trained, equipped and highly motivated towards achieving our constitutional responsibility in a joint environment.

“That means you must work with other services, you must work with local communities. You are the people’s Army, when they send a distress call, you must respond as quickly as possible and when you do that, you give them feedback on what you have done.

“That is the way you build confidence and trust. As your COAS, my philosophy will be driven by leadership, operational effectiveness and sound administration… You are not deployed here to play but to conduct an operation and you must do that and be guided by the rules of engagement.

“Whoever is carrying a military-grade weapon or any other weapon, you must recover those weapons from them. You must not take sides. The GOC has briefed me about the challenges faced in the field and the need for more combat enablers.

“What we have brought here is the tip of the iceberg, we will give you the best to work with we will take care of the communication, the motorcycles and all your administrative issues but please note that you must work effectively, we must see the results.

“This violence must be stamped out completely. I wish you the best,” Major Lagbaja said.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Department of State Services (DSS) Thursday said that it has charged the suspended governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the court.

This was coming as a response to the order by a Federal High Court sitting at Maitama in Abuja which it ordered that Emefiele should either be released or charged to court.

Recall that in a judgement delivered by Justice Hamza Mu’azu, the court held that Emefiele’s continued detention without trial, amounted to a gross violation of his fundamental right.

Responding, Peter Afunanya, DSS spokesperson, said, “Sequel to an Abuja High Court Order of today, 13th July, 2023, the Department of State Services (DSS) hereby confirms that Mr Godwin Emefiele has been charged to court in compliance with the Order.

“The public may recall that the Service had, in 2022, applied for a Court Order to detain him in respect of a criminal investigation.

“Though he obtained a restraining order from an FCT High Court, the Service, however, arrested him in June, 2023, on the strength of suspected fresh criminal infractions/information, one of which forms the basis for his current prosecution.

“The Service assures the public of professionalism, justice and fairness in handling this matter and indeed the discharge of its duties within the confines of the law,” he added.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Nigerian Army has sworn blind to deal adequately with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on its unlawful sit-at-home order throughout the Southeat states.

It was gathered that Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, ordered troops to raid IPOB hideouts and stop them from unlawfully enforcing residents to remain indoors for two weeks.

The Daily Reality reports that the order came after Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based pro-Biafra agitator, announced that there would be a two-week sit-at-home in the South-East region from July 31.

Ekpa disclosed that the order was to demand the immediate and unconditional release of the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, as well as facilitate the freedom of Biafra nation, among others.

He also threw threat that anybody or group of people that refuse to comply with the the sit-at-home order would attract ‘heavy consequences’.

However, speaking with the journalists, the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, declared that such an announcement was unlawful and would not be condoned.

Onyema said, “The renewed threat by IPOB to compel the people in southeastern Nigeria to sit at home is not only appalling but a violation of the fundamental rights of southeastern Nigerians and, therefore, unlawful. This will never be condoned.

“The Chief of Army Staff has handed down clear directives to the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army operating in synergy with other security agencies to ensure robust patrols to dominate all flashpoints and emplace measures to ensure citizens are free to go about their legitimate businesses.

“Strangely, Simon Ekpa, a notorious terrorist and self-acclaimed leader of IPOB, is in Finland making a living for himself and his family, but ordering the people to shut down their means of livelihood by sitting at home,” he added.

By Aisar Fagge and Uzair Adam Imam

Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, a renowned Kano-based Islamic cleric, has challenged people to establish a dispute resolution committee as the “only solution” to the menace of phone robbery rocking our states.

The sheikh stated this in a symposium Saturday organized by The Muslim Forum of Nigeria in collaboration with Al-Istiqama University Sumaila, Kano and the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Kano chapter to discuss the way forward to put to an end the menace of phone snatching in Kano state.

The Islamic cleric stated, “We must come together and analyze how and why these thugs are into this kind of business before we can address it. Any ward should establish a dispute resolution committee that would include parents, traditional leaders, Islamic clerics, teachers, security personnel, retired civil servants and lawyers to ensure discipline and exemplary character among the youth in the area.

“The committee will help provide jobs for the unemployed youth, enrol them into schools, empower orphans and widows, and form vigilante committees, among others.

“This committee will also assist the security personnel with an intelligent report on any unknown persons or suspicious act,” Daurawa stated.

The speaker reiterated his stance on parents who give birth to kids they cannot care for or moralize.

Daurawa said although Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged marriage and giving birth, he would never be proud of a useless crowd of spoiled kids and thugs.

He also called on the government’s intervention through empowerment and provision of skills acquisition centres for the youth.

In the symposium that hosted security personnel, traditional rulers, analysts, journalists, Islamic clerics and university dons, Daurawa empowered two phone snatchers with N100,000.

By Aisar Fagge and Uzair Adam Imam

Nothing could have been more worrisome presently in Kano than the menace of phone snatching that has become rampant, leading some analysts to describe the development as a pandemic gradually ravaging the peace in the state.

It was on this light that the Muslim Forum of Nigeria in collaboration with Al-Istiqama University, Kano, and the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Kano State Chapter, converged for a meeting to discuss the way forward with a view to end the menace.

The symposium Saturday with the title “Curbing the Menace of Phone Snatching” has in attendance many people from all walks of the state, including security personnel, traditional rulers, analysts, journalists, Islamic clerics and university dons, to menton but a few.

Phone snatching has become a major security challenge in Kano state that continue to strike terror in the mind of the residents as thugs with deadly weapons spare no one during their ‘phone or life’ operation.

A shocking disclosure by the Kano State Police Command has indicated that from January to May over six hundred (600) phone snatchers have been arrested by security agents in Kano State.

Arrested culprits must be dealt with

The Secretary General of the Muslim Forum of Nigeria and the Vice Chancellor of the Al-Istiqama University, Kano, Professor Salisu Shehu, has called on the relevant authorities to ensure that the culprits arrested in the course of phone snatching be punished according to the provision of law.

He stated that, “There are two ways to address this menace: the problem can be tackled through government and our security personnel who will ensure the arrest and punishment of these armed thugs and; through this kind of symposium with the stakeholders to deliberate on the genesis and possible solutions of the syndrome.”

Professor Salisu added that for any nation or community to survive there must be people of knowledge who would think, study and analyse issues for the betterment of that society.

We must put hands together – traditional ruler

Also speaking at the event, Alhaji Ilyasu Mu`azu, the Ward Head of Sharada, said we should all put hands together before we could fight off phone snatching in Kano state.

“It is only through collective effort that we can address this problem,” he stated, adding that “traditional rulers should work hand in hand with security personnel through reporting happening and any suspicious act or individual involving in criminal activities in their area.”

The Kano State Emir, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, who was represented by Dan Amar Kano, Alh. Aliyu Harazumi, has commended the organizers and also called on the district and ward heads to ensure working with the security personnel to help address the issue of phone snatching in the state.

However, the Public Relatios Kano Police Command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiya, said all efforts by the police to address the issue are on top gear as their personnel were never reluctant.

By Mohammed Kabir

The title of this piece was adapted from “A Physician’s Diary,” a Daily Trust’s column written by my friend Dr. Fatima Damagum. Titled “First, Do No Harm”, Dr. Damagum counselled her fellow medical practitioners to do no harm to patients with chronic and complicated illness when they are not so sure the prescribed treatments would improve the patients’ conditions. I am myself a victim of harmful decisions taken by medical personnel when I first lost my hearing at the age of 9.

The same principle applies to the newly sworn-in President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If his predecessor, former President Buhari, had done no harm after carrying out exhaustive analysis of the underlying challenges facing Nigeria when he assumed office in 2015, he would not probably have left the country worse than he met it. I know some people may argue that Buhari had left Nigeria better than he met it. That’s their opinion and they are certainly entitled to it.

Tinubu has achieved his lifelong ambition to become Nigeria’s President. He admitted it is the proudest moment of his life. However, he was quick to add that the proud moment is not for himself but for all the people of Nigeria. I sincerely pray and hope so. Nigerian leaders have penchant for making insincere political statements. Former President Buhari’s (in)famous “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody” is still vivid in our memories.

President Tinubu must quickly assemble his team and hit the ground running. There is no time to waste. Nigeria is currently in an ICU. It needs urgent diagnosis and quite possibly multiple surgeries. Sectors that need immediate priority attention include security, economy, power and national unity. This is not to say that other sectors like education, health, agriculture and foreign policy are insignificant.

On security, the President should sack the present crop of service chiefs he has inherited from his predecessor and replace them with more competent ones. If he and his team cannot identify qualified high ranking officers in the military and police to fill the top positions and drive his national security agenda, he should just manage with the current ones. The new President should please do no harm. Any thoughtless attempts to replace the service chiefs with indolent or incompetent ones will spell greater disaster for our country and worsen the prevailing security situation.

On the economy, the President needs to rescind his ambiguous statement regarding fuel subsidy removal. I am not sure it was a carefully thought-out policy statement. A first-hand and
more painstaking analysis is necessary to decide whether or not the fuel subsidy should be sustained. Former President Buhari who repeatedly called the fuel subsidy a scam before his ascension to power could not do away with it for eight long years. I am sure there is more to it than what the anti-subsidy elements are telling us.

It may be absolutely true that the fuel subsidy has been benefiting the affluent class. However, the reckless and ill-timed removal has translated to exponential rise in fuel price and caused a general galloping inflation. Nigerians are already fed up with the incoherent policies of the ruling party under former President Buhari and any attempts by President Tinubu to push for policies that will further aggravate the already precarious situation of the masses is likely to trigger nationwide anger and discontent.

President Tinubu should focus on blocking leakages in the oil sector, place a total ban on smuggling of petroleum products through our ever-porous borders and impose severe penalties on smugglers. The new administration should liaise with the Dangote Refinery to ensure availability of petroleum products, support the completion of the ongoing BUA Refinery, encourage the development and operational efficiency of modular refineries, and make concentrated efforts to revive our ailing refineries. Otherwise, President Tinubu should retain the subsidy payments and do no harm.

Still on the national economy, the President’s order for sacking the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the directives given to the relevant law enforcement agencies to immediately arrest and prosecute him for economic crimes and sabotage is a timely idea. No apex bank governor in the history of Nigeria has done so much harm and caused chaos and suffering to the unsuspecting citizens of Nigeria like Mr. Godwin Emefiele. The President’s statement on the unification of exchange rates is a good move but should be done with caution. His economic management team must come together and help him make informed decisions. Otherwise, he should just maintain the status quo and do no harm.

On power, the new President should declare state of emergency, set up a high-powered committee to review the current arrangements pertaining to the generation and distribution of electricity nationwide. The recent dispute between market operator and distribution companies caused avoidable intermittent blackouts across the country and crippled businesses worth billions of Naira. It is becoming quite obvious that a cabal has hijacked the power sector and it is fraudulently profiting from the present generation and distribution arrangements. The President should maintain status quo and do no harm if he cannot implement urgent reforms needed to guarantee uninterrupted power supply and foster the growth of SMEs.

On national unity, the country has never been so polarized. The Muslim-Muslim ticket generated enormous anger and pitted so many millions of Nigerians against one another. The new President should initiate people-oriented policies and programs that foster harmonious coexistence among Nigerias from diverse backgrounds. President Tinubu should work with the national assembly to enact relevant legislations that will transform the present six geo-political zones into six regional development agencies and foster inter-regional cooperation, as well as healthy inter-regional competition. If the president has no interest in prioritizing national integration and harmony, he should do no harm by allowing his belligerent supporters and overzealous political associates to calumniate and disparage members of the opposition and anyone who criticizes his policies.

On a final note, it appears the president is someone who is so eager to make statements. He should be made aware that the office he now occupies demands the highest level of restraint. His words must be carefully chosen in order not to jeopardize our staggering economy or the already fragile national unity. However, still President Tinubu needs to speak regularly to Nigerians about his policies and programs but also avoid making statements that are open to unnecessary speculations and allusions. Once again, president Tinubu, please do no harm. If you are not so sure about the feasibility, workability and sincerity of any proposed policy or action, just maintain the status quo ante bellum. So many millions of Nigerians, including those who did not vote for you are sincerely rooting for you and praying that you succeed.

Mohammed Kabir sent this article from Kaduna and can be reached via mohammedkabir.ibrahim@gmail.com

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Youths Society for the Prevention of Infectious Deseases and Social Vices (YOSPIS) has urged the relevant stakeholders in Kano state to declare a state of emergency over a lingering issue of phone-snatching that has been taking the lives of people in Kano on a daily basis.

Zainab Nasir Ahamd, The YOSPIS Executive Director, stated this passionate plea on behalf of the Kano state people in a press conference by the organization on Tuesday.

Phone snatching has become a major security threat in the state. The armed thugs involved in the practice have murdered several innocent people and left hundred others with minor or major injuries.

An increase in the number of the cases recorded has continued to strike terror in the mind of the residents as the intoxicated thugs spare no one during their “phone or soul” operation.

Ahmad lamented that, “Phone snatching has become a major security concern among Kano residents of the state as nobody escapes it, over the past few months, the issue has become increasingly prevalent, causing a serious insecurity situation in the state.

“The problem has reached an alarming stage, with reports of armed thugs mostly on Keke Napep especially attacking innocent individuals and snatching their phones daily.

“The phone snatchers are now alleging turning to armed robbers and vampires using dangerous weapons to attack innocent souls inform of robbing and stealing their phones and other valuable items.

“However, countless people were stabbed to death by the phone snatchers. The situation has recently grown to the level that the snatchers operate in the daytime invading houses in various communities. This is said to be alarming and pathetic to the history of the Kano state.

“The youth of Kano State recognizes the critical roles security plays in ensuring peace and stability within our communities. We acknowledge the importance of youth engagement in security matters and commit ourselves to promote security and peaceful coexistence within communities,” she stated.

According to her, an effective communication and coordination between the police, traffic police, and other security agencies are crucial in combating phone snatching in Kano State.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A man identified as Idris Aminu, has allegedly murdered his 75- years- old stepmother in the Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The incident happened in the afternoon of Monday while the deceased was having her siesta.

According to reports, Aminu clubbed the stepmother, Salamatu Aminu to death with a pestle after failed attempts to poison her.

The accused had accused the deceased of witchcraft and blamed her for his failures in life.

Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, William Ayah said the suspect has been arrested by the command and will be charged to court as soon as possible.

He further disclosed that the old woman was sleeping when her stepson killed her with a pestle.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A bitter dispute between two neighbours in Kano resulted in a bloodbath when one of the men, Amir Sa’idu, allegedly descended on the other with several stabs.

Sa’idu was said to have stabbed his neighbour, Muktar Abubakar, with a pair of scissors on his forehead.

The Daily Reality gathered that the incident, which happened in Unguwa Uku, Kano, led to Abubakar developing a partial stroke.

Our reporters also learned that a Kano State Sharia Court sitting in Unguwa Uku had remanded Amir for his actions.

The prosecutor, Aliyul Abideen, told the court that the victim developed several illnesses after the incident.

He added that the illness later led to a partial stroke and that he was now receiving treatment in a hospital.

However, the suspect pleaded guilty to the charge.

But the judge, Nura Yusuf Ahmad, ordered the suspect remanded in prison until June 12.

He added that the case would remain pending until the victim’s situation has been reviewed.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A terror struck on Kagarko area of southern Kaduna when bandits reportedly stormed the palace of the Emir of Kagarko and kidnapped nine of his children and his youngest wife.

Several reports from the state indicated that the bandits, who stormed the area around 11:15 pm, also took away the emir`s grand children and three other residents in the area.

An anonymous source revealed that no sooner had the bandits arrived at the area than they headed directly to the Emir`s residence.

He stated that, “They took away his youngest wife, nine children and grandchildren but the wife escaped and returned back home.

”The bandits also went ahead to kidnap a lady, three other young men and subsequently injured one Audu of Ungwan Pah.”

Meanwhile, The Daily Reality gathered that the victim has been taken to the hospital where he is receiving medical treatment.

“The bandits also killed one herdsman in Kuchimi village and looted seven shops in Janjala village (both in Kagarko LG) on their way back,” the source added.

DSP Muhammed Jalige, the Kaduna Police spokesman, could not be reached for a comment at of the time of filing this report.