The Rivers State Police Command has declared war against members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

The state command has moved to arrest and prosecute supporters of the group in the state.

The state Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, in a meeting with DPOs/HODs of the Tactical Units in the Command on Thursday, gave the heads of the units marching order to within the next 48hrs deploy both Intelligence and Patrols across the Command to ensure that the items looted by hoodlums were recovered and perpetrators arrested with immediate effect.

The Public Relations Officer of the state command, SP. Nnamdi Omoni, who disclosed the position of the Police Commissioner in statement, said Mukan further tasked members of IPOB to leave the state of face arrest and prosecution.

Omoni said: “The CP. Joseph Mukan has declared total war against the miscreants who attacked and looted Police Stations in Oyigbo LGA

The CP further warned members of the proscribed Indigenous peoples of Biafra (IPOB) to relocate from the State as machineries have been put in place to fish them out and deal with them as a Terrorist group.

Again the CP for the umpteenth time wishes to reiterate emphatically that Rivers State is not an IPOB State and will deal decisively with any group that carries out activities under that guise or any guise whatsoever.”

“IPOB has been outlawed by both the Federal and State Governments and to that extent is non-existent anywhere else, including Rivers State. Hence Parents and Guardians should warn their Children/Wards to be law-abiding or else bear the full weight of the law.”

He, however, tasked the public to increase their security consciousness and report any suspicious character or the whereabouts of any of the looted property to the nearest Police Station.

Source:Vanguard

Nigerian President Mr. Muhammadu Buhari bade farewell to High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Nigeria on 27 October, 2020 on a digital platform. During the audience, the

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the Bangladesh high Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Md. Shameem Ahsan, for the achievements made during his tenure and felicitated with him for his next Ambassadorial assignment. The President pointedly mentioned the on-going cooperation in the fields of agriculture and defence while expressing satisfaction with the growing relationship between the two 0countries.

On his part, the outgoing High Commissioner sincerely thanked the Nigerian government for the generous support and cooperation he received during his tenure. Mr. Ahsan  expressed deep satisfaction that there had been notable developments in bilateral relations namely, unveiling of a Commemorative Stamp, released by the NIPOST (Nigerian Postal Service) to mark the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by the Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh and Nigeria, signing of an MoU between the Foreign (Permanent) Secretaries of the Foreign Ministries of the two countries on Bilateral Consultations and MoU between two national Chambers (FBCCI and NACCIMA), among others.

While stressing the need for the utilization of untapped huge potentials to expand bilateral trade and economic relations, Mr. Ahsan mentioned that two-way trade between the two countries increased from US$ 11.27 million (FY2018-19) to US$ 144.75 million (FY2019-20). The High Commissioner expressed satisfaction that over 60 team-members from Bangladesh visited Nigeria for various events during 2018 and 2019. He sincerely thanked Nigeria for its constructive role on the issue of forcefully displaced Myanmar nationals at the UN, OIC and other forums. The High Commissioner drew the attention of the Nigerian President about opening of a resident Mission in Dhaka. Finally, the Bangladesh High Commissioner extended an invitation to the Nigerian President to visit Bangladesh on behalf of the Honorable President and Honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh

At least 22 people, including a baby, were killed when an unfinished three-storey building collapsed in eastern Ghana, emergency officials said on Friday.

The accident happened on Tuesday while a church community held a service in the building, which was still under construction, in the town of Akyem Batabi in the Eastern Region, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) official Richard Amo-Yartey said.

Among the dead are 11 women, a baby and 10 men, Amo-Yartey said.

A rescue team comprising emergency workers, police, soldiers and firefighters were searching for survivors trapped inside the building.

The number of those missing remained unclear on Friday, while eight injured people had been taken to hospital, according to Amo-Yartey.

Local media reported that more than 60 people were present at the site when the accident took place.

Source: Aljazeerah

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says 69 people have been killed in protests against police brutality that have rocked the country.

The deaths were mainly civilians but include police officers and soldiers.

The president announced the toll in an emergency meeting with former Nigerian leaders aimed at finding ways to end the unrest, his spokesman told the BBC.

A group that has been key in organising the demonstrations has now urged people to stay at home.

The Feminist Coalition also advised people to follow any curfews in place in their states.

The protests have drastically subsided but an uneasy calm remains in several cities.

Officials said a curfew introduced in Lagos state would be eased.

The protests in Nigeria began on 7 October with mostly young people demanding the scrapping of a notorious police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars).

The unit was dissolved days later, but the protests continued, demanding broader reforms in the way Nigeria is governed.

They escalated after a shooting in the nation’s biggest city, Lagos, on Tuesday, when rights group Amnesty International says security forces killed at least 12 people. Nigeria’s army has denied any involvement.

At Friday’s virtual meeting, President Buhari, 77, said his administration was committed to meeting the demands of the protesters. But he said his government would not fold its arms and allow criminals who had hijacked the protests to continue to perpetrate “hooliganism”.

The president told the meeting that 51 civilians, 11 police officers and seven soldiers had been killed in the unrest, his spokesperson said. It was not immediately clear whether these figures included the protesters allegedly killed by security forces in Lagos on Tuesday.

The president previously made a short televised address in which he urged protesters to stop demonstrating and instead engage with the government “in finding solutions”.

He faced criticism for not mentioning the Lagos shootings.

Source : BBC

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has called on the Nigerian Government to conduct a speedy investigation of the shooting of EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate area of Lagos State.

A statement on Wednesday, by ECOWAS expressed its condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives during the protests while wishing those injured speedy recovery.

According to the statement, while it recognises the right of citizens to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and protests, it wishes that those rights be exercised in a non-violent manner.

“In this regard, ECOWAS Commission calls on all protesters to remain peaceful in the conduct of their demonstrations. It also urges the Nigerian security operatives to exercise restraint in the handling of the protests and act professionally,” the statement read in part.

“ECOWAS Commission further notes that, in an effort to address the demands of the protesting youth, the Federal Government of Nigeria took important decisions regarding disbandment of SARS, comprehensive police reforms and investigation of cases of police brutality. It encourages the Nigerian Authorities to conduct the investigation rapidly”.

Other international organisations such as the United Nations have also weighed in on the matter.

The Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, called on the Nigerian authorities to investigate the incidents and bring the perpetrators to book.

ADDRESS TO THE NATION BY HIS EXCELLENCY, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA ON THE ENDSARS PROTESTS, 22ND OCTOBER, 2020

Fellow Nigerians,

It has become necessary for me to address you having heard from many concerned Nigerians and having concluded a meeting with all the Security Chiefs.

2. I must warn those who have hijacked and misdirected the initial, genuine and well – intended protest of some of our youths in parts of the country, against the excesses of some members of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

3. On Monday 12th October, I acknowledged the genuine concerns and agitations of members of the public regarding the excessive use of force by some members of SARS.

4. The choice to demonstrate peacefully is a fundamental right of citizens as enshrined in Section 40 of our Constitution and other enactments; but this right to protest also imposes on the demonstrators the responsibility to respect the rights of other citizens, and the necessity to operate within the law.

5. As a democratic government, we listened to, and carefully evaluated the five-point demands of the protesters. And, having accepted them, we immediately scrapped SARS, and put measures in place to address the other demands of our youth.

6. On approving the termination of SARS, I already made it clear that it was in line with our commitment to the implementation of extensive Police reforms.

7. Sadly, the promptness with which we have acted seemed to have been misconstrued as a sign of weakness and twisted by some for their selfish unpatriotic interests.

8. The result of this is clear to all observers: human lives have been lost; acts of sexual violence have been reported; two major correctional facilities were attacked and convicts freed; public and private properties completely destroyed or vandalised; the sanctity of the Palace of a Peace Maker, the Oba of Lagos has been violated. So-called protesters have invaded an International Airport and in the process disrupted the travel plans of fellow Nigerians and our visitors.

9. All these executed in the name of the ENDSARS protests. I am indeed deeply pained that innocent lives have been lost. These tragedies are uncalled for and unnecessary. Certainly, there is no way whatsoever to connect these bad acts to legitimate expression of grievance of the youth of our country.

10. The spreading of deliberate falsehood and misinformation through the social media in particular, that this government is oblivious to the pains and plight of its citizens is a ploy to mislead the unwary within and outside Nigeria into unfair judgement and disruptive behaviour.

11. On the contrary, both our deeds and words have shown how committed this administration has been to the wellbeing and welfare of citizens, even with the steadily dwindling revenues, and the added responsibilities and restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

12. Government has put in place measures and initiatives principally targeted at youths, women and the most vulnerable groups in our society. These included our broad plan to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years; the creation of N75 billion National Youth Investment Fund to provide opportunities for the youths and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Survival Fund, through which government is:

a. paying three months salaries of the staff of 100,000 micro, small – and medium – enterprises,

b. paying for the registration of 250,000 businesses at the Corporate Affairs Commission,

c. giving a grant of N30,000 to 100,000 artisans; and

d. guaranteeing market for the products of traders.

13. These are in addition to many other initiatives such as;

a. Farmermoni,

b. Tradermoni,

c. Marketmoni,

d. N-Power,

e. N-Tech and

f. N-Agro.

14. No Nigerian Government in the past has methodically and seriously approached poverty-alleviation like we have done.

15. With regard to the welfare of police personnel, the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission has been directed to expedite action on the finalization of the new salary structure of members of the Nigeria Police Force. The emoluments of other paramilitary services are also being reviewed upwards.

16. In order to underscore the importance of education in preparing youths for the future, this administration has come up with a new salary structure and other incentives for our teachers.

17. Let me at this point reaffirm the Federal Government’s commitment to preserving the unity of this country.

18. We will continue to improve good governance and our democratic process, including through sustained engagement.

19. We shall continue to ensure that liberty and freedom, as well as the fundamental rights of all citizens are protected.

20. But remember that government also has the obligation to protect lives and properties, as well as the right of citizens to go about their daily businesses freely and protected from acts of violence.

21. To our neighbours in particular, and members of the international community, many of whom have expressed concern about the ongoing development in Nigeria, we thank you and urge you all to seek to know all the facts available before taking a position or rushing to judgment and making hasty pronouncements.

22. In the circumstances, I would like to appeal to protesters to note and take advantage of the various well-thought-out initiatives of this administration designed to make their lives better and more meaningful, and resist the temptation of being used by some subversive elements to cause chaos with the aim of truncating our nascent democracy.

23. For you to do otherwise will amount to undermining national security and the law and order situation. Under no circumstances will this be tolerated.

24. I therefore call on our youths to discontinue the street protests and constructively engage government in finding solutions. Your voice has been heard loud and clear and we are responding.

25. And I call on all Nigerians to go about their normal businesses, and enjoin security agencies to protect lives and properties of all law abiding citizens without doing harm to those they are meant to protect. Let me pay tribute to officers of the Nigeria Police Force who have tragically lost their lives in the line of duty.

26. I would like to thank those state Governors, traditional and religious leaders who have appealed for calm and restraint. I also thank youth leaders who have restrained their followers from taking the law into their hands.

27. This government respects and will continue to respect all the democratic rights and civil liberties of the people, but it will not allow anybody or groups to disrupt the peace of our nation.

Thank you all. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria