Nigerian Government Advises Nigerian Students to Vacate East Ukraine

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has advised Nigerian students in eastern Ukraine to vacate the area due to fierce violence and unrest in the region.

Ambassador Abdulaziz Dankano, Under-Secretary in charge of Economy and Consular in the ministry, gave the advice in an interview with NAN on Sunday in Abuja.
Dankano said that the advice became necessary following the deteriorating security situation in the war-torn region.
He said that no fewer than 146 Nigerian students were still in eastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Lungansk despite repeated advisories from the Nigerian mission in Kiev.

According to him, over 1000 Nigerian students were in different tertiary institutions in the region and many heeded the repeated advisories issued by the Nigerian mission in Kiev.
“But we still have 146 students who have refused to vacate the territory and the situation in the region is not getting better because of the fierce fighting
between the separatists and Ukrainian military”, he said.

NAN recalls that crisis erupted in eastern Ukraine after rebels declared independence from the new
government in Kiev.
Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region in March, has been accused of arming the rebels and has been targeted by US and European Union for
sanctions.

Last month, UN Human Rights Chief, Navi Pillay, said that no fewer than 1,129 people had been killed and 3,442 others wounded in the violent conflicts in eastern Ukraine since mid-April.
Dankano also confirmed that nine Nigerian students kidnapped in eastern Ukraine on July 17 had all regained freedom.

He identified the students as Femi Oredugba, Wasiu Rasaki, Oyinola Sheriff, Ahmed Salis and Semiu
Mabadeje. Others are Chigozie Amaobi, Daniel Eitokpah, Callistus Ezike and Agihibenma Wayne.

He said that the students regained freedom on July 24, adding that the Nigerian mission in Kiev played a “key role” in securing their release.
“We made informal contacts with the rebels through members of the Nigerian community familiar with that region.
“Since the Kiev government is not in control of the region, our diplomats were not physically present in the region because of security concerns”, he
explained.

Dankano did not confirm or deny whether ransom was paid to the rebels before the students were released.
On Libya, Dankano told NAN that the ministry was closely monitoring the situation in the country amid violent clashes between rival militias.
He said that the Federal government had not taken any decision to evacuate Nigerians in the country.
Already, thousands of foreign workers, including British, France, Germany citizens have left Libya, and the US has asked its citizens to leave the country.

Also, the UN has withdrawn its staff because of the deteriorating security in the country. Dankano recalled that the Federal government evacuated over 2000 Nigerians from the country in
2011 when its late president, Muammar Ghadafi, was overthrown.

DailyPost

"Boko Haram Effect": Real Estate Prices At All Time Low in Parts of Nigeria

The unrelenting violence perpetrated by the Boko Haram insurgents has taken its toll on the real estate sector in most states in northern Nigeria, where the prices of properties have significantly been crashed.

Prices of properties have drastically falling to an all time low, THISDAY investigations have revealed.
Besides crashing the prices of property, especially in the North-eastern states, public property worth billions of naira have gone down the drain through the
destructive acts of the terrorist group.

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State told THISDAY recently that more than 900 schools had been reduced
to rubble by the sect in his state.
The destruction of private and public buildings in the region has led to an all time crash of property prices, as has never been experienced in the North-eastern part of the country.

Mr. Mohammed Aliyu, an indigene of Edo State, who relocated to Abuja with his family from Maiduguri last year, spoke to THISDAY, while counting his losses.
He said: “I had a four-bedroom bungalow, with all the appurtenances in a choice area in Maiduguri, going for
N500,000 per annum, yet no buyer has come up for it.
It is that bad. There are many vacant houses and apartments in the city without occupiers. This is what
the insurgency has done to me.”

Mr. Femi Stephen Alao, a Kaduna-based architect and estate developer, said there was no doubt that insecurity has had an adverse effect on the property
market in Kaduna city and adjoining towns.

At Tundun Wada, Kawo and Kabala west, an upscale area in Kaduna city, prices for three-bedroom homes
have nosedived to as low as between N60,000 and N200, 000 per annum. In the past the apartments used to go for between N400,000 and N600,000, he
explained.
“In all of these areas, real estate businesses have ground to halt. You cannot find developers on site
working now,” he said.

However, Alao said that the southern parts of Kaduna, like Gonigora, Bana-Wa, Chikun, Angwua and several
areas of that state were experiencing a hike in rent because a majority of non-indigenes in these zones believe that the areas are safe havens.

A plot of land in Angwua now sells for N1 million, whereas it used to sell for less than N500,000 per plot
a few years back.
Corroborating Alao’s assertion, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Benue State Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC), Mrs. Brigid Sheidu, said the security challenges in the north had affected the company’s revenue from its property unit in Kaduna State.

“This has affected our guest house facility in Kaduna township. Unlike in the past, business was booming but
because of the insecurity, we have lost most of our clientele as not many people patronise like they used to in the past. But we hope that things will change for the better,” she said.

Speaking in the same vein, the National President, Real Estate Development Association of Nigeria (REDAN),
Mr. Emmanuel Olabode Afolayan, acknowledged that insurgent activities in the North-east and other states in
the north had done unquantifiable damage to the real estate sector.
He said: “I can tell you authoritatively that nothing is presently ongoing in some parts of the north, except a
few states like Sokoto, Kebbi and Gombe States. In other states, where there is a serious security upheaval,
construction and building activities are at their lowest ebb; this is a big problem for all of us.

“For instance, in Borno and Adamawa States, our members are not building at all. In fact, no bank is ready to provide them facilities in states where there
are security challenges. No workmen are even interested in working in those areas, so transactions in the real estate sector are today almost non-existent.”

On how much has been lost to insurgency especially in the areas affected, he said: “Honestly, it will be pretty difficult to roll out figures now as we are still counting the losses, but what I can authoritatively tell you is that
most of our members have not really lost their building.

However activities are practically at a low ebb." Vice-President, REDAN, North-central, as well as the Managing Director of AIS Ltd, Mr. Sunday Idachaba, said the level of activities as far as the built sector was concerned had no doubt been affected by rising insecurity especially in the North-east.

He explained that the real estate industry involves the movement of various categories of workers like
engineers, masonry foremen and other artisans but when an area is undermined, it would be difficult to go
there to work.
“No matter the amount of money you offer workers, they will be reluctant to work in an insecure environment. So certainly the real estate sector has
nose-dived for now in those areas. People are not willing to buy homes in a place where there is insecurity.
“Property prices have crashed in cities like Maiduguri and Yobe. People are willing to sell, yet nobody is
willing to buy. This is the challenge that we are facing at the moment,” he added.

ThisDay Newspaper

Obama, Jonathan, Others Meet On Security, Power

Security as well as regular power supply under “Power Africa” will top the agenda of the meetings that United States president Mr Barrack Obama will hold with President Goodluck Jonathan and other African leaders in Washington, DC, from today to Wednesday.

The White House will push initiatives like “Power Africa”, a privately funded plan to bring electricity to 20 million households across sub-Saharan Africa.
Six African countries have been selected for the project and Nigeria is first on the list. Companies have pledged $9 billion, and the White House is likely to announce more support at the summit meeting.

The four-day meeting which is tagged
“Investing in the Next Generation” will
include a civil society forum with
discussions on investments in health,
women, food security and power. There would be a high-octane conference to stimulate trade and investments.

According to Professor Adebowale
Adefuye, Nigeria’s ambassador to the
United States, President Jonathan and his counterparts will be brought in contact with American companies’ chief executives to discuss investment opportunities in Africa and conclude deals.

Adefuye added that other activities on
economy development were the
discussions on the issue of re-
authorization of AGOA, stressing that it was an American government system of preferential access to goods produced in Africa as a way of stimulating trade in the continent.

President Jonathan, who arrived in
Washington yesterday with his delegation,.is expected to meet congressional and business leaders as well as the media. He will address members of the Nigerian community and will be hosted to a reception by the two leading American business conglomerates, the US Chambers of Commerce and the Cooperate Council for Africa, after the meeting of African leaders with Obama.

The strategic importance of Nigeria
makes President Jonathan’s personal
attendance important. Nigeria is the
largest economy in Africa, America’s
largest trading partner and the country described by Vice President Joe Biden as America’s anchor in Africa. America is actively assisting Nigeria in coping with its current security challenges.

According to Ambassador Adefuye, the Embassy of Nigeria has been able to effectively counter negative perception about Nigeria on government’s reactions and activities to contain Boko Haram and end the kidnap of Chibok girls.
He noted that the key stakeholders in
business, politics, and think-tanks were now convinced that the government did all that it could to deal with Boko Haram and get the girls freed, adding that a series of well-coordinated actions to deal
with the menace of Boko Haram in
perpetuity was on.

According to the US national security
adviser, Ms Susan Rice, the meeting is intended to build a deeper relationship with Africa based on mutual interests and mutual respect. In each of the sessions, there will be some very straight talks, and give and take. Invitations were sent to 50 heads of state.

Also, American officials emphasized that it is not a meeting with the AU even though the chairperson of the AU is invited. This is the justification of the exclusion of some African countries with which America does not enjoy good relations for a variety of reasons.

Leadership Newspaper

Boko Haram Threatens To Attack Akwa Ibom State

The Akwa State Government, Friday , said it had received text messages from the Boko Haram terrorist group threatening to attack public places in the state.

In a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah,
he said the public places targeted include churches, markets and schools, among others.

Insecurity: Kwara State GovernmentBans Use of Schools for Social Events

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara on Friday in Ilorin announced restriction on the use of public schools in the state for social events.

The governor announced the restriction at a meeting of All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPPS).

Boko Haram: Nigeria Raises N60 Billion to Assist Terror Victims

The federal government on Thursday realised over N60 billion as individuals and groups donated to the Victims of Terror Support Fund launched in Abuja.

The fund is expected to be used for the rehabilitation of victims of terror attacks across the nation.
Over 13,000 people have been killed in attacks by the Boko Haram sect while hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and thousands of property destroyed.

Police Discover Buried Arms, IEDs In Bauchi State

The state’s police spokesman, Mohammed Haruna (a deputy of police) said the lethal weapons were discovered on Wednesday at about 4:30pm following a tip-off.

Gunmen Kill 15 in Rivers State (South South) Nigeria

AT least, 15 persons were feared killed in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State by unknown gunmen.

The gunmen numbering about 12 stormed seven communities in the local government area and opened fire on unsuspecting persons.

It was gathered that the assailants, who were all armed with AK-47 rifles, rode into the area with six motorcycles and operated from 9pm on Wednesday till the wee hours of Thursday.

Spread of Boko Haram Threatens Heart of Nigerian Economy

LAGOS, Nigeria—To understand why Africa's top economy is faltering after five years of Islamist attacks, take a look at Tochukwu Odidigwe's car-parts dealership.

In June, an explosion tore through a traffic jam near his storefront near the port of Lagos, the country's commercial hub. The deadly blast left his street covered in ash and his customers scared to come back. "They are afraid they may be killed," said Mr. Odidigwe.

AIG Suleiman Abba Replaces Mohammed Abubakar As New Inspector General of Police

Assistant Inspector-General, AIG Suleiman Abba, has emerged as the new Inspector-General of Police. He will succeed the outgoing IGP, Mohammed Abubakar, who retires today from office after 35 years of service.
Senior government officials confirmed to Nigerian Pilot last night that AIG Abba’s appointment was made public at the Federal Executive Council, FEC meeting yesterday. The meeting was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Abba is currently in charge of Zone 7 of the Nigeria Police. The incoming IGP was the Aide-de-Camp, ADC to Maryam Abacha when the late head of state, Gen. Sani Abacha was in power.

Indication that AIG Abba would take the plum job emerged during the Sallah celebrations when IGP Abubakar took him to visit President Jonathan.
It was learnt that the Presidency was well disposed to his choice having served in the Strike Force of the former Chief Security Officer, CSO, to Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha .Abba is seen as the officer needed to curb the Boko Haram insurgency since he did well under the Strike Force.

It was however not clear whether AIG Abba will be automatically confirmed as the substantive police boss when the outgoing IGP Abubakar leaves.
Our sources confirmed that Jonathan settled for the Jigawa-born police officer on the recommendation of the Police Service Commission under an ex-IGP, Mike Mbama Okiro.

According to sources, the decision to announce AIG Abba was taken last Tuesday in Abuja, following a meeting of Police Council chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, with the 36 state governors as members and the Chairman PSC, Mike Okiro.

The choice of Abba, according to a senior police officer at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, who pleaded anonymity, said is causing a lot of bad blood among the high ranking officers particularly among the Deputy Inspectors General, DIGs, who are members of the management team of the force.

Consequently, there are strong indications that the current DIGs may take the option of bowing out of the force, hence they may not want to salute Suleiman Abba as their new boss.

Abba, Nigerian Pilot gathered had served as the Commissioner of Police in charge of Rivers State, Deputy Force Secretary, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Deputy Force Sec), Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of State CID, FCT Police Command.
AIG Abba is currently commanding the FCT, Niger and Kaduna states with a police strength of 34,515 officers and men.

There were also speculations that DIG Michael Zuokumor, who is currently the man in charge of Force operation’s department and AIG for Force Intelligence Bureau, FIB, Solomon Arase are also strong contenders, it was gathered that since the appointment of the IGP is political, seniority does not count in this case.

It was also gathered that at least about 60 senior officers would be retiring by July.
Zuokumor hails from Ojobo community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, Arase is a native of Edo State. Abba hails from Jigawa State.

Until his elevation to the rank of DIG on January 15, 2014 by the Police Service Commission, Zuokumor was the AIG in charge of Zone 4, Makurdi, and would be retiring next year while DIG Fakai has about six years to stay in service.

Nigerian Pilot

Boko Haram Bent On Seizing Kano, Kaduna, Niger, Kogi And Nasarawa States - Intelligence Source

A high-level Nigerian security source told SaharaReporters that Nigeria’s intelligence agencies have received “credible reports that Boko Haram has
developed an ambitious plan to overwhelm and take over Kano, Kaduna, Niger, Kogi and Nasarawa states.”

The source said the Islamist terrorist group plans to carry out its design by intensifying its bombings and choosing locations that would yield high casualty
figures.

“Their move is to encircle [Nigeria’s capital city of] Abuja and increase the level of political instability in the
country,” our source revealed.
The high-level intelligence agent disclosed that the shape of the terror group’s plans have emerged from
the confessions of some Boko Haram insurgents who were captured recently.

“We have also acquired a lot of
information about their [Boko Haram’s] plans through our interrogation of Aminu Sadiq Oguche.” Mr. Oguche,
who was recently extradited to Nigeria from Sudan, is accused of masterminding some of the recent high-
profile bomb blasts in Nigeria, including explosions at a bus station in Abuja that claimed more than 100 lives.

In addition, security agents have gleaned “significant and useful intelligence” from interrogating one
Mohammed Zakari, described as “the chief butcher” of Boko Haram. Mr. Zakari was recently arrested in Bauchi, capital of Bauchi State.

Our source said that Nigeria’s security agencies are stepping up counter-insurgency measures to forestall Boko Haram’s plans to spread its tentacles to the states they are targeting.

“Apart from information we have gathered from interrogating suspects, we are also tracking critical
conversations by the group’s hierarchy and examining sensitive documents recovered after recent raids on their bases in Bauchi, Jigawa and Borno states,” the source said.

Our source added that President Goodluck Jonathan and a few other government officials had been briefed
about the new threats by Boko Haram as well as the outline of the plans to counter the group’s ambitious push.

A senior Islamic scholar in Northern Nigeria, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said his group was
cooperating with the government to defeat Boko Haram. “We discussed with President Jonathan when we met during the end of the Ramadan fast and told him that we are ready to help stop Boko Haram. But we also told him that this is something the government must take action on. We’re doing our own, but we have limitations,” he said.

SR

Fresh Violence Erupts in Taraba State, Nigeria

The Police in Taraba on Thursday confirmed the arrest of 14 suspects following the eruption of violence in Ibi, the headquarters of Ibi Local
Government Area of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Joseph Kwaji, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jalingo that the problem came about from what looked like a religious conflict.
He said it had all started in the early hours of Thursday in the area which had been witnessing persistent conflicts in recent times.

Kwaji said reports reaching the police showed that trouble started at about 5 a.m. when groups of youths engaged each other in gun battles.
He said these had led to the destruction of property worth millions of Naira, with many of the youths sustaining severe injuries.

“Apart from the arrest of the 14 youths, police have also recovered two AK 47 rifles and several other dangerous weapons from those arrested. “But calm has been restored in the area after the deployment of a detachment of mobile policemen and the military to maintain the peace,” the PPRO said.

Kwaji said investigation into the cause of the trouble and those behind it were ongoing, adding that those who have questions to answer among the arrested would be charged to court.

There was no official casualty figure as at the time of filing this report, even though Kwaji confirmed that many have been injured.

Ibi town has remained a trouble spot in Taraba in recent times, behind Wukari, with both located in the Southern Senatorial District of the state.

Sun

United States Committed To Stemming Boko Haram Threat —Consul General

THE United States Consul General to Nigeria, Mr Jeffery Hawkins, has, again, noted the threat Boko Haram poses to Nigeria and the African continent as a whole and restated the efforts of the United States to curb the activities of the
dreaded Islamist sect.

Hawkins made this known in Lagos, on Wednesday, at a media platform monitored by the Nigerian Tribune, where he also noted that the President Barak Obama-led US government remained keen in helping Nigeria to rescue the abducted Chibok girls.

He, however, noted that “the US government’s interest in assisting Nigeria with Boko Haram predates the abduction of Chibok girls,” adding that the US had an extensive engagement with the Nigerian government on security.

He further noted that the security engagement had been extended in terms of intelligence that would assist Nigeria in tackling the insecurity posed by Boko Haram in the North-East.
He also pointed out that the engagement was not limited to intelligence, revealing that “we are working with the security forces on professionalising them and in dealing with human rights issues.”

Hawkins, however, declined to speak on the intelligence sharing operation but was quick to note that “we are truly interested in providing the Nigerian government with the information they
can use to appropriately respond to the Boko Haram threat.”

Tribune

Gunmen Abduct 90-Year-old Mother of A Senator in Bayelsa State (South South), Nigeria

Yet-to-be-identified gunmen have abducted Florentina, the mother of Senator Emmanuel Paulker, in Bayelsa State (South-South) Nigeria.

The 90-year-old Florentina was abducted on Wednesday morning at her residence in Opolo-Epie, Yenagoa area of the state.
Neighbours of the nonagenarian were angry that the kidnappers forcibly took the woman away despite her
age. Their anger also came against the backdrop that Florentina was being kidnapped for the second time in four years.

It was learnt that the abductors called about 3am on Wednesday when the victim and other residents were
sleeping to execute their sinister plot.
A security source said the kidnappers were five in number and were fully armed with AK47 and other rifles.

The source, who did not want his name mentioned, said, “They came through the main road. They drove a vehicle into the community and immediately started shooting sporadically into the air to create apprehension among neighbours who were already asleep.
“They forced the door open, seized the old woman and whisked her away to an unknown place. Some residents
thought the kidnappers were armed robbers.
“Some of the residents later came out and started shouting ‘thieves, thieves’ only to discover later that the woman had been abducted.”

When contacted the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hilary Opara, confirmed the development and said one of the
suspected kidnappers had been arrested.
He said the suspect was helping the police in their investigations.
The commissioner said, “Although the report got to the police after the kidnappers had gone, we immediately
swung into action and arrested one suspect who is already assisting the police in investigation and we believe that in no distant time, the victim would be rescued.”

He urged members of the public to go about their normal businesses, vowing that the police would continue to protect their lives and property. Mr. Opara said the state special security outfit, Operation Doo Akpo, and other anti-crime outfits were on top of the situation.

He also lauded the state government for providing logistics to the command and commended members of the public for their cooperation.”

NigerianEye

How Europe Inadvertently Bankrolls Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab

Al-Qaeda is increasingly funding terror
operations thanks to at least $125 million in ransom paid since 2008, largely by European governments to free western hostages, The New York Times reported.

The payments totaled $66 million in 2013 alone, according to an investigation by the newspaper
published Tuesday.
While Al-Qaeda's network was first funded by wealthy donors, "kidnapping for ransom has become today’s most significant source of terrorist financing," said David S. Cohen, the Treasury Department’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, in a 2012 speech.

"Each transaction encourages another transaction." The organization has openly acknowledged the windfall, the paper reported.
"Kidnapping hostages is an easy spoil," wrote Nasser al-Wuhayshi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, "which I may describe as a profitable trade and a precious treasure."
Al-Wuhayshi said ransom money — reaching around $10 million per hostage in recent cases— accounts for up to half his operating budget.
The paper listed more than $90 million paid to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb since 2008 — by a Switzerland, Spain, Austria, and state-controlled French company and two payments from undetermined sources.

Somalia's Al-Shabab insurgents received $5.1 million from Spain, while Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula received nearly $30 million in two payments, one from Qatar and Oman, the other of undetermined origin.

Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and
Switzerland each denied ever paying ransoms for hostages. French nuclear company Areva also denied paying ransom.

However, last year a former senior French intelligence official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity: "Governments and companies pay in almost every case."
"There is always a ransom or an exchange of some sort: money, the release of prisoners, arms deliveries."

The Times article cited former hostages, negotiators, diplomats and government officials in 10 countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and it said the payments were sometimes hidden as development aid.

The U.S. and Britain have notably refused to pay to free kidnapped nationals, the paper reported, with the result that just a few have been
rescued in military raids or escaped.

However, the U.S. has been willing to negotiate in some cases, including the recent trade of five senior Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo in
exchange for captured U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl.

"The Europeans have a lot to answer for," Vicki Huddleston, the former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs, who was the ambassador to Mali in 2003 when Germany paid the first ransom, told The Times.
"They pay ransoms and then deny any was paid," arguing the policy "makes all of our citizens vulnerable."

G8 leaders last year signed a deal to
"unequivocally reject the payment of ransoms to terrorists" but did not impose a formal ban.

Business Insider