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Dapchi Girls: Hold Army, Police Responsible …-Dogara …As FG Lists Details Of Missing 110 Students ….Army Speaks On DIA Memo
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has said that the country would hold the Army and Police responsible for the abduction of 110 Dapchi schoolgirls in Yobe State.
He also asked the security agencies to take responsibility for failing to stop the abduction, adding that the buck passing between the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force was unacceptable.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Hassan Turaki, Dogara said rather than trading blames, the various security agencies should strengthen inter-agency collaboration and intensify efforts towards rescuing the girls.
“The statements credited to the Army and the Police in which they tried to exonerate themselves from any culpability in the unfortunate and embarrassing abduction of innocent girls from their school in Dapchi , Yobe State, are highly condemnable. “This is unacceptable and the House of Representatives, and indeed Nigerians, will hold the security agencies responsible.
They all bear responsibility for this unfortunate incident. “The traumatic experience of the Chibok abduction which is still fresh in our minds should have served as a warning signal to security agencies to provide adequate security protection to all schools in the North East.
“I want to use this medium to console the parents of the abducted girls and the entire Dapchi community over this unfortunate incident. “I also urge all Nigerians and people of goodwill from all over to pray for the safe return of the girls”.
Anger erupted in a town in remote northeast Nigeria on February 22 after officials fumbled to account for scores of schoolgirls from the college who locals say have been kidnapped by Boko Haram jihadists.
Police said on February 21 that 111 girls from the college were unaccounted for following a jihadist raid late on February 19. Hours later, Abdullahi Bego, spokesman for Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, said “some of the girls” had been rescued by troops “from the terrorists who abducted them”. But on a visit to Dapchi last Thursday, Gaidam appeared to question whether there had been any abduction.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government yesterday provided the names and details of the 110 girls missing after Boko Haram attacked Dapchi in Yobe State.
Residents of the community and staff of the school had told newsmen that the girls were kidnapped by the terrorists last week Monday during the attack.
Parents of the girls also released a list of 105 girls missing after the attack.
After the parents released the list, the Federal Government announced that 110 girls were actually missing.
Yesterday, the Federal Government provided the names of the girls and the classes they were in before the abduction.
“Of the 110 missing girls, eight are in JSS1, 17 in JSS2, 12 in JSS3, 40 in SS1, 19 in SS2 and 14 in SS3. The girls’ ages range from 11 to 19 years, the presidency stated on its official Tweeter handle.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, later released a statement providing further details on the missing girls.
Apart from the full list of the missing girls, the statement also contained the age and class each of the 110 students belonged to.
Mr. Mohammed said the details were compiled by a screening committee.
“The 26 screening committee members include the executive secretary, State Teaching Service Board, Musa Abdulsalam; Director, Schools’ Management, Ministry of Education, Shuaibu Bulama; Principal of GGSTC, Adama Abdulkarim; the two vice principals, Ali Musa Mabu and Abdullahi Sule Lampo; Admission Officer, Bashir Ali Yerima, and Form Masters for all the classes,” he said
The statement also indicated that the Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, has relocated to Yobe State to ‘personally’ superintend the search for the girls.
Mr. Mohammed said the Nigerian Air Force had flown 200 hours while conducting the search at 6.00 p.m. on Monday.
“The Nigerian Air Force had earlier deployed more platforms to the North-east for the search, as the security agencies ramp up their effort to locate and rescue the girls”, he said
Apart from providing details of the missing girls, the minister also announced that the government set up a 12-member committee to probe the circumstances that led to the Dapchi incident.
According to the minister, the committee will be inaugurated on February 28 and is expected to submit its report by March 15.
Mr. Mohammed said the committee is saddled with recommending measures to prevent future occurrence in the country and suggest measures that can lead to the location and rescue of the girls.
He said the responsibility of the committee includes ascertaining the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the girls, confirming the presence, composition, scale and disposition of security in Dapchi as well as in the school before the incident .
“The committee which was convened by the National Security Adviser (NSA),Babagana Monguno, will be chaired by a military officer of the rank of Major-General, comprises one senior provost each from the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force; representatives of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA);Nigeria Police Force (NPF); Department of State Services (DSS); Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); two representatives of the Yobe State Government and a representative of the Office of the National Security Adviser,” Mr. Mohammed said.
Similarly, the Nigerian Army yesterday reacted to a newly-published memo which indicated that the Defence Intelligence Agency put the military on the notice about possible Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe States, some days before insurgents stormed a school and possibly abducted more than 100 girls.
The Army said the memo, published by Sahara Reporters yesterday afternoon, was an attempt to bolster a narrative that the military was negligent in its counter-terrorism duties which consequently resulted in the successful attack on Dapchi, Yobe State, by Boko Haram on February 19.
The February 6 memo, signed by Emmanuel Aladeniyi, a brigadier-general, warned of impending attacks, especially suicide bombing, in public places, such as the University of Maiduguri, markets, mosques and parks.
It also said that Boko Haram was plotting an abduction of 17 citizens for suicide missions and a separate mass abduction of citizens for other deadly missions such as the use of Personnel-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (PBIED) or Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) “using especially Golf cars with registration numbers from states of the North.”
“It is very crystal clear” that the memo “does not corroborate the argument and narrative Sahara Reporters is attempting to sell to the public,” Onyema Nwachukwu, a spokesperson for the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, said in a statement to newsmen yesterday afternoon.
“For one, the memo was a general warning about possible Boko Haram activities in Maiduguri and Damaturu, Borno and Yobe capitals, respectively, and did not include any specific or even general reference to Dapchi or facilities within it.
“The content reflects general intelligence alert, to which we cannot conveniently situate the attack on Dapchi, one of the several towns in Yobe State,” Mr. Nwachukwu, a colonel, said.
Secondly, Mr. Nwachukwu said, the date on the memo was February 6, 2018, nearly a month after the troops had been moved from Dapchi to Kanama, about 125 kilometres North-east of Dapchi on Nigeria’s border with Niger. The troops were moved to Kanama on a reinforcement after Nigerian soldiers came under heavy firepower there.
“As at the time of that redeployment, there was no imminent threat on Dapchi,” he said. “Rather, the threat was on Kanama where the insurgents were carrying out attacks along the Nigerian-Nigerien border.”
Mr. Nwachukwu’s statement reaffirms the details he gave newsmen which included the fact that the Nigerian Army’s 159 Task Force Battalion was moved from Dapchi to Kanama on January 10, exactly 40 days before the invasion of the girls’ school in Dapchi on February 19.
The military has come under public criticism since Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State first raised the allegation on February 24 that the military abruptly withdrew from Dapchi a week before the attack.
But the military rejected the claim first on Sunday night and again yesterday, saying soldiers left Dapchi about six weeks before the attack and had a compelling reason to do so.
Mr. Nwachukwu said the police were placed in charge of security operations in Dapchi, which he said had never been attacked before January 19 and was never under any imminent threat of Boko Haram.
The police have rejected the allegations, saying the military did not “formally hand over the security of the town to them.”
The Army insisted that the police should be responsible for communities that have never been attacked before by insurgents, like Dapchi, and communities that were once Boko Haram strongholds but had since been liberated.
“Our role is to defend the territorial integrity of the country. It’s the role of the sister security agencies to protect the civilian population whenever we have liberated a community from insurgents,” Mr. Nwachukwu told newsmen.
He said the police did nothing to repel the attack despite having a division in Dapchi.
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We’re Working To Improve Quality Of Life Of Rivers People -Fubara …As Taraba Gov Inaugurates 6.55km Okania-Ogbogoro-Mgbaraja Roads Project
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has reiterated the commitment of his administration to render quality service that will improve the quality of life of residents, and strengthen the platform to promote unity.
Governor Fubara gave the assurance at the Okania-Ogbogoro Road junction, venue of the inauguration of the 6.55km Okania-Ogbogoro-Mgbaraja (and Mgbuoba) Roads project in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, yesterday.
The road cuts across Okania community through Ogbogoro, and connects Port Harcourt Ring Road project under construction, and was inaugurated by the Taraba State Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas.
Governor Fubara said that during the campaigns, he saw the roads in terrible condition, made a promise to fix them, and noted that that promise has been kept.
He emphasised that his administration will never be reckoned with abandoning of projects that it started, which is why he is particularly excited that the road has been fixed to ease the inconveniences suffered by the people.
The Governor said, “What we are doing here today is very simple: Promise made, promise fulfilled. I told you that whatever we are going to start, we are not going to leave it halfway. So, we have come here this afternoon to fulfill that promise.
“I am so excited, and I am so happy. I am leaving here with so much joy that we have done something that has so much impact, and importance in the lives of our people. So, I feel very fulfilled. Government is about the people. Government is knowing, understanding and seeing what you can do to make life easy for your people.
“We understand the situation of this road. Fortunately, I have a few friends who also live around here. So, there is nothing you will say that I don’t know. As a government, we will continue to do those things we know will make life easy for you.”
The Governor thanked members of the communities in the area for their support to his administration, and also for cooperating with the contractor to ensure completion of the project.
He assured the people that their request for the rehabilitation of the Community Secondary School and Health Centre, will be looked at and addressed immediately, saying, “Our government is a government that takes the interest of our people very seriously.
“There is no government without the people. It is only the people that keep the government going. So, what we will continue to do is to make sure that the problems and interest of our people are top on our list,” he assured.
Performing the inauguration, Taraba State Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, said roads are not just physical infrastructure but represent a commitment to facilitate ease of transportation, boost local commercial activities and improve quality of lives for the people of Rivers State.
Dr Kefas noted that Governor Fubara has provided the people good roads, and like other good roads, it will serve as an artery of development, further connecting communities, enhancing access to essential services while unlocking economic potentials.
He said, “By completing this project, Your Excellency has, once again, demonstrated the transformative impact of visionary leadership. When I was coming in with the Governor on a ride, I saw the joy, the happiness of the voiceless people who were abandoned and neglected in this area, coming out to wave and welcome us.
“It wasn’t a hired crowd. Everybody, those who couldn’t make it to this place, in front of their homes, they were waving at us, and I was telling the Governor: this is all about good governance. He listened to the people, and solved their problems. So, it shows that he is doing the right thing, and I want to thank you, my brother, for what you are doing for the good people, especially the poor people even in difficult times.”
Governor Kefas further said: “As we celebrate this milestone, I am reminded of the importance of collaboration and shared vision among us as Governors. Together, we can inspire our people, improve their lives, and create lasting legacies in our respective states.”
Providing the project description, the State Commissioner for Works, Barrister Elloka Tasie-Amadi, recalled that when it was flagged-off in May, 2024, the project was for a 5km stretch but was extended in October, to include Mgbaraja axis, increasing the length to 6.55km, explaining that the 10.3 meter wide, and 5km of drains road, has now linked Apara Kingdom to Nkpor Kingdom.
In his address, Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Amb Chijioke Ihunwo, described the road as a very significant route that was abandoned for years until Governor Fubara intervened and fixed it, promising that Obio/Akpor people will not take the gestures of the State Government under Governor Fubara for granted.
Speaking on behalf of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the firm that handled the project, Eric Shen, said they are happy to be part of the infrastructure development strides of Governor Fubara, stating that though the rains posed significant challenge, they have delivered quality road network to serve the connectivity needs of the people.
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We’ll Implement Judicial Commission’s Report On Arson, Killings -Fubara …Says Such Violence Must Stop In Rivers
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has assured of implementing the recommendations of the report submitted to him by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Arson, Killings, and Wanton Destruction of Property at some local government council headquarters on or around Monday, October 7, 2024.
Governor Fubara gave the assurance when the seven-member commission, led by the Chairman, Justice Ibiwengi Roseline Minakiri, submitted four volumes of reports of their investigation and recommendations to him at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
The Governor declared that his administration will neither tolerate nor allow such level of violence in the State anymore because it is not profitable or productive.
He said, “We are not going to be part of any system that would encourage any destruction in this State. And for that reason, we had to inaugurate this commission, so that this commission should look into the remote and immediate causes of this problem.
“And I believe that the recommendations of this commission, with the help of God and the support of everyone, we will make sure that we implement the recommendations.”
Governor Fubara said: “We are going to take it to the next stage. The report will be presented to the Executive Council, and there, we will surely come out with the White Paper and with the White Paper. I can assure you, we are going to follow it to the end.
“Nobody is above the law, including me. So, provided what we are doing is within the confines of the law, we will do it with the help of every one.”
Governor Fubara recalled how, before 2014, a group of persons had ran wide recklessly in the State, burning down court buildings.
He noted that it is such persons, who had recently surfaced with their destructive tendencies, and have extended the violence to local government councils, killing people and destroying government property.
Governor Fubara wondered why somebody will spend so much money to build a structure intended to last as legacy of the administration but would eventually be part of its destruction in the name of politics.
Governor Fubara clarified that he has never been part of such destructive politics that continue to set the State backwards and frustrate progressive development strides.
Governor Fubara said: “I make bold to say it, I have never been and will never be a party to anything that will bring shame, disgrace, destruction to our dear State.
“It is our State. If it is well with us, it will be well with everybody. As a matter of fact, why should I encourage destruction, when I know that when you finish spoiling things, you still need money to rebuild them.
“I am an accountant, I know the importance of how we can manage money. Rather than spoil, you should use that money to do a new thing for the State.”
Governor Fubara vowed: “So, I am going to ensure that we put a stop to that level of violence or such unreasonable violence. I call it unreasonable violence because it doesn’t mean anything in politics.
“Politics is a business of interest. There is no permanent friend, no permanent enemy. Some persons who were not even in our support, today, they are here following us because their interest is the most important thing.
“Likewise tomorrow, if the interest changes, they will also go their different ways. So, why burn down the house?”
Governor Fubara thanked members of the commission for being bold, focused, and accomplishing their task with determination in the face of physical and legal threats.
In her presentation, Chairman of the seven-member Judicial Commission of Inquiry, Justice Ibiwengi Roseline Minakiri, said they had put their findings into four volumes, including the recommendations.
Justice Minakiri explained: “We have here four volumes of the report. We have the memoranda, which is the memoranda we got after we made our publications.
“We also have the exhibits that came with the memoranda. We have the proceedings and the records. At the end of the day, we came up with the main report.”
Justice Minakiri advised that the recommendations of the report should be studied and implemented so that people can be deterred from such callous acts and the sought-after peace secured for the State.
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We Are Eager To Showcase The Best Of Rivers State -Fubara …Declares Federation Of Public Service Games Open
The Rivers State Government says it is committed to providing a memorable experience for all delegates participating in the Federation of Public Service Games(FEPSGA) hosted by the State Government.
Governor Siminalayi Fubara stated this during the opening Ceremony of the 43rd Edition, Public Service Games, titled ”Simplified Rivers 2024″, at Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt, last Sunday.
Speaking through his Deputy, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, Governor Fubara said “Our hospitality is renowned and we are eager to showcase the best of Rivers State. From top-notch facilities to a secure environment, we have everything in place to ensure a seamless and enjoyable experience for all participants.”
Governor Fubara said to ensure the success of the games his Administration has put in place comprehensive plans and preparations with four venues approved for the events which include the Sharks Stadium, Alfred Diette -Spiff Civic Centre, Port Harcourt Club and the University of Port Harcourt.
The State Chief Executive urged participants to remember that the true spirit of FEPSGA goes beyond winning medals, stressing that it is about building bridges of friendship, fostering a sense of community and celebrating our diversity.
According to him, we envision a public service that is more productive, more efficient and more effective, a future where public servants are empowered to deliver exceptional results driven by a culture of excellence, innovation and teamwork.
The Governor reiterated that while a healthy mind and body are essential for high productivity, regular physical activity boosts our mood, increases energy levels and enhances our cognitive function. We are eager to showcase the best of Rivers State. From top-notch facilities to a secure environment.
In her address Head of the Civil Service of the Federation Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who spoke through Dr.(Mrs) Magdalene Ajani, Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Interior Commended Governor Fubara for hosting this year’s event, and for his dedication to promoting sports and fostering unity in the country.
She noted that the event which serves as a platform for furthering unity, camaraderie and sportsmanship amongst public servants, was a celebration of their shared commitment to excellence, resilience and service to the nation.
Also speaking the National President of the Federation of Public Service Games (FEPSGA), Comrade Amaebi Aloku, said Rivers State got the nod to host the annual event because the Federation was pleased with the vision of Governor Fubara in identifying with the needs of the Civil Servants in the State, in terms of their welfare and being one of the first State to implement the new minimum wage and even taking it above what was approved by the national.
Earlier the Head of Service Rivers State, Dr George Nwaeke had welcomed all participants to the State and expressed gratitude to the Governor for approving and making available the resources to host the games, noting that it was an opportunity to interact with all Civil Servants across the nation.
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