Nigerian military says it destroyed 10 Boko Haram camps

LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria's military destroyed 10 Boko Haram camps in the country's remote northeast on Sunday as it pressed on with an offensive against militant Islamist fighters now confined to a final hideout there, the army said.

Wanton Kidnappings Continue in Ekiti As 3 More Women Are Abducted

Adding  to the orgy of kidnap that had hit Ekiti State in recent past, three women, whose identities were yet to be unveiled by security agencies were on  Friday afternoon  abducted by unknown gunmen.

They were said to have been kidnapped  with their husbands and unspecified number of children along Igbole-osi road while travelling in a Toyota RAV 4 Sports Utility Vehicle to Ibadan, Oyo State, for a wedding.

The spate of kidnaps has prompted Governor Ayo Fayose to cry out to the Inspector general of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase to quickly come to the aid of the state to stem the evil act and ensure that people in the state had confidence to go about their normal business.

Sources revealed that their captors later dropped the men and the children while the women were driven away in the car after collecting the phones and other valuables of the victims.
The wailings of the husbands and children allegedly attracted sympathisers who came to their aid.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Alberto Adeyemi, confirmed the report to our correspondent.

"The Divisional Police Officer in Ido called in today to give the report about the kidnapped women. We have already launched investigation into the case but I can't speak about it," he said.

The whereabouts of the women remained unknown while contact had not been established with the families as at press time.

It will be recalled that no fewer than five people, including a former Chief Medical Director of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Dr Patrick Adegun, a senior nurse at the Federal Teaching Hospital Ido Ekiti, Mrs Margaret Aladenika and a lecturer of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, had been kidnapped in the last two weeks in the state..

  Fayose’s letter calling for  Arase’s special intervention to stem the spate of kidnappings that has hit the state in the last few weeks was dated May 15,  and personally signed by the Governor.

According to a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, the governor promised the people that the situation would soon be put under control.
The letter read in part, "It is with great concern that I am appealing to you to help in our quest for a lasting solution to the spate of kidnappings and abductions in our dear state. The development has created fear in the minds of our people and no meaningful development can take place under such atmosphere.

"As a responsible government, we are taking all necessary steps to curtail and put an end to these dastardly acts, and we believe a special attention from your office on the matter to our state would no doubt, lead to finding a quick solution to the problem"

Source:
ThisDay Newspaper

Boko Haram Recaptures Border Town of Marte in Borno State

The Boko Haram terrorist group on Friday recaptured Marte, a border town in the northern part of Borno State.

Security sources said members of the terrorist group, who fled Sambisa forest, had now regrouped in Marte.

Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha, also confirmed the recapture of the town by Boko Haram terrorists during a press conference in Maiduguri.

“It is sad as we have been made to understand that Marte is today (Friday) completely fallen under the control of the insurgents, which to us is a very huge setback,” he said.

Mustapha raised the alarm that 600 women and girls had been dispatched by the terrorists as suicide bombers with the aim of causing multiple explosions in Maiduguri.

The deputy governor urged residents to be patient with the security agencies in spite of the attendant hardships caused by the dusk to dawn curfew imposed on Maiduguri.

He said, “It is unfortunate that we are experiencing yet another attack in Maiduguri at this time that we are thinking that the insurgency should have subsided following the taking over of Sambisa forest by the military.

“Our thinking was that every other place should have been blocked so that the insurgency would be curtailed to a restricted area, but that has not been the case because the insurgents have been fleeing to other communities.

“Initially, we were opposed to the suggestion by the military, but when we received a security report that about 600 women have been kitted as suicide bombers and are to be sneaked into Maiduguri during the attack, couple with the gory pictures of some of the women who detonated themselves during the attacks, we had no option than to okay the curfew.

“But the curfew has been relaxed from noon to about 5pm to ease the hardship and afterwards it may be reviewed. Our government is going to do everything possible by supporting the military to ensure that Maiduguri and other parts of Borno State are not attacked or taken over by the insurgents.”

The capture of Marte happened as soldiers sustained the 24-hour curfew imposed on Maiduguri, the Borno state capital on Thursday after Boko Haram terrorists attempted an invasion of the city on Wednesday night.

Source:
Punch Newspaper

12 Challenges of Doing Business in Nigeria

This essay, akin to setting up the Yin (the dark negative feminine principle in Chinese dualistic cosmology) before the Yang (the bright positive masculine principle), is a prelude to my ensuing piece which will enumerate ample investment/business opportunities in Nigeria. A shrewd entrepreneur will agree that some of the challenges discussed herein are themselves, business opportunities.

Lead Poisoning Kills 28 Children in Niger State, North Central Nigeria

Lead poisoning has killed 28 children in central Nigeria’s Niger state, the government has said, in the latest incident that has claimed hundreds of lives in recent years.

Terrorism: Female Suicide Bombers Kill Three Nigerian Soldiers, Six Civilain JT Fin Maiduguri

Thirteen persons were killed in one of the Wednesday night attacks on Maiduguri by the Boko Haram sect, a member of the youth vigilance group told our correspondent in Maiduguri on Thursday.

Nigerian Army Imposes 24-Hour Curfew On Maiduguri Aftermath of Boko Haram Attack

The 7 Division of the Nigerian Army on Thursday announced a 24-hour curfew on Maiduguri, following a botched attack by suspected Boko Haram insurgents

Nigeria Army Repels Fresh Boko Haram Attack on Maiduguri

Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Boko Haram fighters launched an attack on northeast Nigeria's largest city Maiduguri on Wednesday ‎but were repelled by Nigerian troops after intense clashes, residents and the army said.

Bigger than Heartbleed, 'Venom' Security Vulnerability Allows Hackers Take Over Most Datacenters

A security research firm is warning that a new bug could allow a hacker to take over vast portions of a datacenter -- from within. The zero-day vulnerability lies in a legacy common component in widely-used virtualization software, allowing a hacker to infiltrate potentially every machine across a datacenter's network.

'Islamic State' Second-in-command Al-Afari 'Killed in US Coalition Air Raid'

 

The second-in-command of Islamic State (IS) has been killed in a US-led coalition air strike in northern Iraq, the Iraqi ministry of defence says.

Military Coup in Burundi: Army General Topples President Pierre Nkurunziza After He Traveled ToTanzania for Summit

The Burundian army has declared it is taking control of Burundi in a radio announcement.

The coup d'etat was announced on a private radio, with senior army generals saying they were deposing the embattled President Pierre Nkurunziza, who is travelling to Tanzania to meet East Africa Community leaders to discuss the recent violence that has rocked his country.

"Forces Vives de the Nation have decided to take charge of the nation," Godefroid Niyombareh, who was fired by Nkurunziza as intelligence chief in February, said in the radio announcement.

"President Pierre Nkurunziza is removed from office."

Niyombareh announced that a national salvation committee had been set up to run the country, and said he is working with civil society and other groups on forming transitional government.

"All people are asked to respect the lives and property of others," Niyombare added.

Fighting to take over state broadcaster

Military officers have been reported to be closing on the Radio-Télévision nationale du Burundi (RTNB), the country's state broadcaster, as loyalists fire back to protect the building - still under loyalist control.

As at 12.30 GMT, the loyalists were still holding the building

Burundi opposition not behind coup

Burundi's opposition leaders have denied being behind the coup. Former rebel militia leader and presidential hopeful Agathon Rwasa told IBTimes UK he did not know about the coup.

"I am discovering it now on the radio, just like you," he told IBTimes UK from the capital Bujumbura. "Now, we will have to see what happens next."

International reaction

A South African foreign ministry spokesman told Reuters that "it's way too early to say" whether a coup had taken place in Burundi but added that the situation is being closely monitored.

More to follow...

Source:
International Business Times

Police Council Confirms Arase Substantive Inspector General of Police

IGP Solomon Arase

The Police Council presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday confirmed the appointment of Solomon Arase as the substantive inspector general of police (IGP).

Terrorism: Trial Of Nyanya Bombing Suspects Stalled Again

The trial of Aminu Ogwuche and five others suspected to have masterminded a bomb blast at Nyanya Motor Park in the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on April 14, 2014, has again failed to commence.

Over 70 people were killed in the attack and several others were injured.

7 Doctors Get Kidnap Threat in Ekiti State

The kidnap saga in Ekiti may have worsened as seven other doctors have allegedly received threat messages that they would be kidnapped.

Police Arrest Four Members Involved In Lekki Robbery

Four suspected members of the gang that robbed a new generation bank in Lekki, Lagos State, in March have been arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Lagos Command.