TheNewsGuru

Tag: Surrender

  • The surrendered life – By Femi Aribisala

    The surrendered life – By Femi Aribisala

    “The Good Shepherd lives for the sheep”.

    When man imagines God, he sees Him carnally strictly in terms of His power and might. But when God manifested Himself in the flesh, He came as a meek and lowly suffering servant.

    Isaiah foresaw Jesus as: “a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.” (Isaiah 53:2). He wonders if anyone would believe his report. The prime expression of God in Christ is not His power but His love. Thus, while others say God is powerful: the disciple of Jesus says God is love. (1 John 4:8).

    Powerful love

    Power is a key expression of the Law of Moses. This is often demonstrated through retributive justice: “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” (Exodus 21:24).

    But Jesus reveals that force is not that powerful, but that love is the most powerful force of all. A man can put a gun to our head, and still fail to obtain from us our most prized possessions because they are kept in our hearts. But when we are overwhelmed by love, we give everything, holding nothing back.

    Thus, God asks the believer in the confidence of His expressed love for us: “My son, give me your heart.” (Proverbs 23:26). We obey because we are overwhelmed by God’s love. John says: “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19).

    How does Jesus love?  Let us listen to Him: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13).

    We must love by laying down our lives for others. We must not fall into the Christian confusion that Jesus laid down His life for us, so we do not have to do so. He laid down His life for us, to show us we must lay down our lives for others.

    The example Jesus set for us preceded Calvary; so, this is not about Jesus dying for our sins on the cross. We lay down our lives for others by serving them.

    The Good Shepherd

    Jesus says: “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11). Many Christians refuse to understand this simple statement. A shepherd does not die for the sheep: he lives for them. A dead shepherd is of no use to the sheep. But a living shepherd leads them to green pastures.

    Jesus, the Good Shepherd, does not die for the sheep. Nevertheless, He gives His life for them. Jesus is talking here about the life of the shepherd and not about his death. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep in the sense that His entire life is devoted to taking care of them. Without a doubt, it is far more difficult to live for the sheep than to die for them.

    Jesus’ crucifixion was a one-time event, but His priesthood as our shepherd is everlasting. Jesus remains our Shepherd today and He is still giving His life for us. The enemy decided to kill the Shepherd so that the sheep would scatter. (Zechariah 13:7); but God countered and neutralised this by raising Him from the dead, never to die again.

    As our Good Shepherd, Jesus should be emulated by His flock. How are we to follow Him in the giving of His life?  Is He asking for His disciples to be killed?  No!  He is asking us to love others by living a life of service.

    He says: “Whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave- just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:27-28). Jesus is asking that we also give our lives as a ransom for others.

    This shows the cross of Jesus was fundamentally His incarnation and not just His crucifixion. His cross was in laying down His life in heaven to come to earth as a Man to show us the way of salvation.

    Jesus says: “My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” (John 10:17-18).

    The “life” Jesus laid down was surely the spiritual, and not the physical, life. Jesus teaches that physical life is inconsequential: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” (Matthew 10:28). The physical life was taken from Him against His will. Therefore, He said in Gethsemane: “Not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42).

    But no one took His divine (eternal) life from Him. He voluntarily relinquished it in heaven to take up a mortal life on earth. After His earthly death and resurrection, He took up again His heavenly life.

    Love by works

    Following this example of Jesus, we do not love by faith. We love by works: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and He went around doing good.” (Acts 10:38).

    “I don’t do anything bad to him.”  That is not loving. Do you do anything good for him?

    “No matter how hard I try, he just continues to insult me.”

    Do not give up. Love does not stop loving. Jesus says:

    “When you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’” (Luke 17:10).

    Someone wrote to me and said: “My life seems to be without meaning. I don’t know God’s purpose for my life.”

    It is always impossible to know God’s purpose for us when we are self-centred. But once we concentrate on others, we have a purpose. Love is the greatest purpose of all, for God so loved the world. Our great purpose in every relationship is to love. So doing, we fulfil Christ’s mandate.

    God told Abraham: “I will bless you and you will be a blessing.”  In every situation, we must position ourselves as a blessing. Our assignment in life is to serve others, even as Christ served the world.

    There is so much pain in this world. This is a world of sin and sickness. It is a world of trouble and turmoil. Our role is not to add to the evil, of which there is a surplus. Our role is to add to the good, of which there is a deficit. If goodness and mercy are following us around, then we should have a lot of goodness and mercy to dole out to others.

    John says: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (1 John 3:14-16).

  • Surrendered terrorists regret actions, urge colleagues to come out

    Surrendered terrorists regret actions, urge colleagues to come out

    Some repentant Boko Haram terrorists have expressed regrets for taking up arms against the state, killing of fellow citizens and destruction of properties in the North East.

    They made this known during a media tour to one of the holding and screening facilities for the surrendered terrorists in Borno State on Tuesday.

    One of the repentant fighters (name withheld) said he and other surrendered colleagues realised that their commanders lied to them on why they were recruited.

    He added that they also realised that they could not continue to live in the bush and continue to run from the military onslaught.

    He said they would have surrendered a long time ago but for fear of being captured and killed by the military.

    According to him, surrendering is the best thing to do, urging his colleagues who are yet to surrender to do so.

    He said: “We were afraid that we would be killed if we come out but it is not so because we were received without attacking us and we are also being treated humanely since we came out.

    “I want to urge my colleagues who are still in the bush to come out and surrender because they will be accepted.”

    He disclosed that he had spent about six years fighting the war but later realised that they were not fighting any just cause.

    The Commander, 21 Special Armoured Brigade Bama, Brigadier General Adewale Adekeye, said thousands of Boko Haram fighters, their families and supporters had been received since July.

    Adekeye said the Theatre Command was aware of the fears and apprehension that the recent event had generated among the civilian populace in Borno State and the nation at large.

    He explained that surrendering was a normal practice in the annals of the history of warfare, saying it had been a time honoured event.

    According to him: “Even in the law of war, when somebody surrenders to you, there are things you are expected to do and that are what the army has been doing.

    “The number of insurgents that have surrendered is quite large but, however, most of them have been processed and moved down to the holding facility organised by Borno State Government in Maiduguri.

    “But we are the first point of call for these insurgents coming down from the bush and therefore, many responsibilities are bestowed on us being the first contact to profiling them.”

    The Brigade Commander said the surrendering events had been taking place within Bama Local Government Area of Borno State given its large size and proximity to Sambisa Forest.

    Adekeye added that all units had been instructed on how to receive the surrendering terrorists, process them and evacuate them to Bama main holding cell for further processes, saying the exercise had been going on since July.

    He, however, denied insinuation that the surrendered terrorists were being housed in Internally Displaced Persons camp anywhere in the state.

    He said: “We don’t mix them with the IDPs and, of course, you know that the IDPs camp Bama is one of the oldest camps in Borno State.

    “Population in the camp has reduced due to the resettlement of the IDPs back to their ancestral homes, but the IDPs camp is a separate thing and it is not under my command but the state emergency management agency.”

    The Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said the recent surrender had depleted the strength of the Boko Haram terrorists to a great extent.

    Nwachukwu said there were concerns over the surrender of the terrorists, hence the need to inform the public that their surrendering was genuine.

    He added: “We have seen quite a large abandonment of the illicit activities of Boko Haram terrorists and that is the more reason why we decided to come to the theatre of operation to see for ourselves.

    “How these insurgents are surrendering to our troops and to allay the fears and apprehension of members of the public with regard to these issues.”

    Nwachukwu commended the commander and troops for their vigilance and gallantry that had led to the mass surrender of the terrorists in their area of responsibility.

  • Insecurity: Matawalle issues Zamfara bandits two-month ultimatum to surrender arms

    Insecurity: Matawalle issues Zamfara bandits two-month ultimatum to surrender arms

    Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, has issued a two-month ultimatum to all bandits in the state to either repent and surrender their weapons or face serious consequences from the security personnel.

    He gave the deadline on Tuesday evening during a state-wide broadcast at the Government House in Gusau, the state capital.

    The governor decried that the activities of informants were becoming worrisome and asked residents engaging in such acts to have a rethink.

    He warned that the state government would squarely face any bandit that refused to surrender within the stipulated time.

    Governor Matawalle stated that the Federal Government would soon deploy additional 6,000 soldiers to help the state government fight the recalcitrant bandits.

    He was hopeful that this would go a long way in addressing the recent increase in the rate of insecurity in the state.

    Read the text of the governor’s broadcast below:

    BROADCAST BY HIS EXCELLENCY, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF ZAMFARA STATE, HON. DR. BELLO MOHAMMED, MON (MATAWALLEN MARADUN) ON THE SECURITY SITUATION AND NEW MEASURES AIMED AT DEFEATING BANDITRY IN THE STATE, MADE ON TUESDAY, 9 TH MARCH 2021

    In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the merciful.

    My dear good people of Zamfara State.

    It is pertinent for me to address you once again on the state of security of our dear state.

    As you may recall, it was early morning, at about 1 a.m, on Friday 26 th February 2021, when a group of bandits attacked Government Girls Junior Secondary Schoool, Jangebe, in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of the state and abducted 279 schoolgirls.

    This sad episode shook the people of Zamfara State, our fellow Nigerians, and the entire world. It again brought to the global attention the type of security challenges our state and many others in the north were battling with and brought to the fore the urgent need to take further steps to deal with the situation comprehensively.

    We have already secured the release of all the 279 abducted students, hale and hearty. They have all been reunited with members of their families.

    Following this development, l undertook a four-day working visit to Abuja to brief Mr President and other critical stakeholders on security. As a fall out of my discussion with President Muhammadu Buhari and security high commands in Abuja, it was resolved that six thousand additional troops are to be deployed to the state to complement the current efforts by the security forces in the state.The troops will soon arrive in the state for their operations.

    As you may recall, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security forces to shoot on sight anyone found in possession of AK 47 without permission.

    You may also recall that Zamfara State has been declared by the national security council as a “no-fly zone” in addition to banning of all mining activities in the state.

    Again, the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, has agreed to a timeframe within which the recalcitrant bandits should accept our peace truce and surrender their weapons to the government.

    As you are aware, the peace initiative of my administration has recorded a number of successes which include disarmament and recovery of weapons from the repentant bandits, securing the release of hundreds of kidnapped persons, opening of markets, and resumption of other economic activities across the state, and reducing the wave of attacks and killings of our innocent people, most especially in the rural communities.

    Even though we are enjoying relative peace as a result of the dialogue and reconciliation programme, many bandits have refused to key into the programme and elected to sustain their attacks and other nefarious activities against our communities.

    The government has equally observed that there is sabotage by some unscrupulous elements, both within and outside the state. It is also observed that informants are becoming rampant and their callous activities undetected due to some of our people’s attitude of indifference.

    As a further push to bring to an end the activities of the recalcitrant bandits so as to bring lasting peace to the state, the government has decided to take the following measures:

    i. The recalcitrant bandits have been given two months from today within which to embrace the peace process and surrender their weapons to the government;

    ii. All political actors are hereby advised to desist from any acts capable of endangering the state’s security, as security agencies have been directed to monitor the activities of all the political actors and take appropriate action against the violators;

    iii. Traditional rulers and Local Government Councils’ sole administrators are hereby directed to always remain in their respective domains to monitor the influx of any suspicious characters.

    iv. Conveyance of more than two persons on a motorbike is hereby banned with immediate effect. Security agents are directed to arrest and arraign the violators of this order for prosecution.

    v. Government also prohibits the movements of a large number of motorbikes in all the nooks and crannies of the state. Security forces are hereby directed to ensure total compliance.

    vi. Government observed, with dismay, the persistence of the activities of some yansakai, despite the banning of such vigilante groups. This order still remains in force.

    While government appreciates the role being played by members of the press in our efforts to bring lasting peace to our state, we have observed with great dismay the activities of some few media organizations in promoting fake news, causing psychological trauma and panic among our people.

    The government is therefore calling on such media organizations that publish or air news or opinions concerning the security situation in the state without proper cross-checking and balancing of their reports before going to press to desist from such professional misconduct.

    Government is not unaware of some unscrupulous elements, particularly among the political class, who regularly sponsor some social media handlers to create various social media accounts, including cloning some reputable media organizations, using them to publish fake news.

    The government will no longer tolerate such unethical conduct and will deal decisively with anyone found in this act.

    My dear people of Zamfara State, the primary responsibility of government is to secure the lives and property of the citizenry. All the measures we are putting in place are with a view to securing our state and putting behind us the dark period of banditry and other related crimes.

    I wish to appreciate the endurance, untiring support, and cooperation of the entire people of the state in our efforts to end banditry and to other government policies and programs. I thank you immensely for your continuous prayers and goodwill.

    Thank you all and wassalamu alaikum.

  • No Retreat, No Surrender, By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    No Retreat, No Surrender, By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    By Sonnie Ekwowusi

    I don’t have a job anymore since this COVID thing started. And I am ashamed to beg. My wife is the one supporting me now. But you know women; she now treats me with utter contempt. She talks to me anyhow. The most regrettable aspect is that my children will soon be going back to school and I don’t have any money to give to them. My house rent will be due in January. On top of these calamities, they sent me a message yesterday that my mother in the village is seriously sick. They said I should come home next week to take her to the hospital. I am the first son of my parents. I don’t want my mother to die. She is a diabetic patient. Three months ago she suffered a second stroke. Even nowadays to feed is a big problem for me, unless through the efforts of my wife. My life is miserable.

    I understand. Weep no more. Wipe away the tears from your eyes. Don’t give up. You can still make it. Hold your head high, stick out your chest. I understand. You no longer have a good name. People look down on you. You have become the offscouring of the earth. All who see you shake their head in derision. They sneer at you. They laugh at you and say, “This is the man who started to build but could not finish”. Don’t mind them. You can still go forward. Don’t surrender to melancholy. It is untrue that the world is about to collapse on top of you. Take another look around you. Look up. Those birds you see flying and chirping do not store. Yet divine Providence provides for all their food and needs. I agree, it gets dark sometimes, but the morning does not delay in coming. Besides, nothing here below lasts forever. Yesterday has passed. Tomorrow will soon come and pass. After the rain comes sunshine. Suffering breeds endurance. Endurance breeds hope. And hope does not disappoint. Don’t surrender.

    My friend, don’t surrender to drugs. We cannot lose you to drugs. Don’t surrender to violence, cynicism, porn and pessimism. Deploy hope and imagination as weapons of survival and progress. Dream dreams. Remember the name which your parents gave you as an infant. Remember the land of your birth. Remember your home. I am often told, “Some of us take drugs as anesthesia to quench our pain and suffering. We take drugs to escape the burdens of the day which oftentimes seem unbearable”. I have heard you. I know it is tough sometimes but you are wrong. If you go on living like this you will be enslaved by drugs. You could even commit suicide. And if you commit suicide, your children and your grand-children will rain curses on you for having been a big failure in life. Don’t lose focus. You might have mastered the air, conquered the sea, annihilated distance but you have not mastered the vicissitudes of life. You have to live on this earth with your share of difficulties. Try to excel within your own little space. And let’s come together to the public space to build together for the common good. Ask yourself the following questions: Why is there something rather than nothing?. What is the purpose of human existence?. What is reason?. What is faith?. If faith and reason are the two wings with which to fly to the truth, why fly only on the wing of reason or only on the wing of faith? Fly on both wings.

    We stand today at a crossroads. We stand at the end of a long night of uncertainty. The good of our country is at stake. Instead of making giant strides on the path to progress our country is drifting backwards towards its precipice. At independence in 1960 there was only one national flag in Nigeria-the green-white-green flag. But how many Nigerian adults (not talk of Nigerian children) can still tell the colour of the national flag let alone recite the national anthem or the pledge?. Very few. Why? Because there are many flags of different colours being hoisted and flown across Nigeria- there is the Biafra flag, Niger Delta flag, Oduduwa Republic flag, Mid-West flag, Arewa flag, Middle Belt flag and so forth. Instead of listening to President Buhari’s independence anniversary Speech, most Nigerians prefer to listen to yesteryears’ speeches of Tafawa Balewa, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, H.O Davies, Anthony Enahoro, K .O Mbadiwe, Mbonu Ojike (Boycott the boycottables) and other heroes and heroines of Nigerian independence. Governance?. What is that? Forget it. Governance is virtually non-existent. Insecurity (of lives and property) is our first name. Bloodbath is our middle name. Death is our surname. So, our full name is Mr. Insecurity Bloodbath Death (IBD for acronym). The names of the visitors who regularly visit us to kill us or torment us are terrorists, kidnappers, bandits, night marauders, murderous cattle breeders and murderous Fulani herdsmen and land grabbers. What haven’t they done to us? A person who has consumed the stomach of a dog has gone half way into eating human faeces. Everywhere you go you will discover that their hands are stained with the blood of the innocent; blood which no water on this earth can wash away. On top of all these woes, the blame game goes on unabated. We blame the Constitution for our woes. We blame the government. We blame corruption. We blame the judiciary. We blame APC. We blame PDP. We blame ourselves. We blame the day we were born. We blame our children. We blame our neigbours. We even blame God for creating us and making us citizens of Nigeria. In fact, our lives are characterized by litany of complaints and blames on why Nigeria is not working.

    I understand. But don’t surrender to hopelessness. Look, don’t remain in the same place. You can still go forward. Nothing is gained by constantly sitting down and complaining about those things that do not work. Get up and move. Stop brooding over failed democracy. In case you don’t know, democracy alone cannot save us. One of the wrong assumptions about democracy is that the political officer holders possess enough wisdom and virtue to pursue the end of democracy-promotion of the welfare of the people. But viewed against the backdrop of history, political leaders do not have enough wisdom and virtue to pursue the end of democracy. Besides, democracy is challenged from within by sheer ignorance and pursuit of personal interests at the expense of the common good and welfare of the people. We must begin to move away from the Statist mentality that once we establish democratic institutions, bureaucracies and enact laws all our human problems will be solved. In principle, functional bureaucracies, democratic institutions and laws are good, but not every obligation that augurs well for proper ordering of society can be democratized, bureaucratized let alone legislated upon or codified in positive law.

    Most important, democracy is not the first thing: the first thing is culture and at the heart of culture are those communally-binding ideals which make society thick. In fact, for society to function effectively there ought to be a fine convergence between public life, culture and authentic religion. Yes, authentic religion; the one that doesn’t fan the ember of violence and destruction, ought to set the moral bar in the society. The one that reminds everyone that the political enterprise is not an end in itself: that it is a process to render service to the people and promote the common good. So, I challenge you, my friend to have a big heart. Dream on the high road of sound values. But don’t be naïve. Face reality, yes. But don’t stop with the way things are today: dream of things as they ought to be. Dream. You can. We can.

  • Court orders ex-petroleum minister, Diezani to surrender for trial

    Court orders ex-petroleum minister, Diezani to surrender for trial

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Maudeke, to appear before it and answer to a money laundering charge filed against her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    In a ruling on Friday, on an ex-parte motion, Justice Ijeoma Ojkukwu ordered the issuance of summons on Diezani for her to attend court for the purpose of her arraignment on the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018.

    To ensure that Diezani, said to have fled Nigeria for the United Kingdom (UK) was aware of the invitation, Justice Ojukwu ordered that the court’s summons should be published on the website of the EFCC and a national daily in a conspicuous manner.

    Justice Ojukwu adjourned till October 28 this year for Diezani to attend court for the purpose of her arraignment on the pending money laundering charge.

    EFCC’s lawyer, Faruk Abdallah had, while arguing the motion, noted that since Diezani allegedly fled the country, it was difficult to get her back to respond to the various criminal allegations against her.

    Abdallah said there was the need for a court’s summons or arrest warrant to compel her appearance in court.

    The EFCC, in a document filed along with the motion ex-parte, said it sought to question Diezani, without success, in relation to many allegations against her, including “her role as the Minister of Petroleum Resources and her role in the award of Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA) to; Septa Energy Limited, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited and Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited by NNPC.

    The commission said it also wants Diezani to respond to questions about “her role in the chartering of private jets by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Ministry of Petroleum Resources and her role in the award of contracts by NNPC to] Marine and Logistics Services Limited.

    The EFCC said it is investigating Diezani’s business relationships with Mr. Donald Amamgbo, Mr. lgho Sanomi, Mr. Afam Nwokedi, Chief lkpea Leemon, Miss Olatimbo Bukola Ayinde, Mr. Benedict Peters, Christopher Aire, Harcourt Adukeh, Julian Osula, Dauda Lawal, Mr. Leno Laithan, Sahara Energy Group and Midwestern Oil Limited.

    It added that Dezani was also required to clear air on “her role in financing the 2015 general elections, particularly the money that were warehoused at a Bank in 2015 prior to the elections.”

    The EFCC said it equally wanted the ex-minister to speak on several items, documents and jewelleries recovered from her house at No: 10 Chiluba Close off Jose Marti Street, Asokoro, Abuja, and some identified properties that are linked to her’ In Nigeria, UK, United States of America (USA), United Arab Emirate (UAE) and South Africa.

  • 80-year-old father visits Boko Haram camp, begs ‘commander’ son to surrender

    80-year-old father visits Boko Haram camp, begs ‘commander’ son to surrender

    Mallam Baba Modu, an 80-year-old father of a Boko Haram commander, popularly called ‘Ba-Ana,’ has narrated how he travelled to the Lake Chad camp of the Al Barnawi faction of the sect to plead with his son to dump the insurgents.

    Modu, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Maiduguri, said his efforts to convince his son to surrender and embrace peace failed.

    He said he was unable to persuade his son to abandon the cause and surrender himself to the Federal Government’s Operation Safe Corridor.

    Recounting his ordeal, Modu said his son was conscripted by the insurgents in 2012 at a farm in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State.

    He said, “I lost hope of meeting my son after his abduction in the past seven years. One day, I met someone who told me that my son was alive and mentioned where I could find him.

    “I was also told he is one of the commanders of the Al Barnawi faction of the Boko Haram sect.

    “I travelled to the shores of the Lake Chad to plead with Ba-Ana to surrender and embrace peace. It took me about one week to get to where I met him.

    “When I arrived at the camp, I told them that I am the father of Ba-Ana and after a series of interrogations, they asked me to wait for him to return from a mission.

    “Ba-Ana returned at night, he was surprised to see me, and when he heard my voice; he told his men that I am his father.

    “I pleaded with him for about 30 days in a bid to convince him to lay down his arms and embrace peace, regrettably he did not heed my counsel.

    “Ba-Ana confessed that he killed many people and believed that the authorities would not forgive his crimes. He also believed that he had committed his life to the cause of God.

    “I have not lost hope; I will continue to pray to God to heal his soul and bring him back to me,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the military said on Wednesday that it was clearing the remnants of Boko Haram on the major road leading to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

    A statement signed by the spokesman for the counter-insurgency operation in the North-East, Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said there was no truth in media reports that the Maiduguri-Damaturu Road had been closed to motorists.

    The Maiduguri-Damaturu Road, he said, was perhaps the only safe road leading to the town and had it been closed, the town would have been cut off from the rest of Nigeria by road.

    The road in the last one week had become the latest theatre of war between the military and the terrorist group which is threatening to capture Maiduguri.

    The insurgents have, however, suffered heavy casualties as they have continued to fall under air and land bombardments of the Nigerian military.

    A statement by Nwachukwu partly read, “Our attention has been drawn to rumours that the Nigerian Army has closed the Maiduguri-Damaturu Road. This is not true. What is happening is an ongoing clearance and snap check operations in the general area required to clear suspected Boko Haram terrorists along that road.

    “The clearance operation is ultimately for the safety and security of motorists and other road users.”

    He added, “Members of the public are advised to cooperate and bear with the troops as they carry out these duties.”

     

     

  • Police maintain siege on Melaye’s residence, ask him to surrender for investigations

    The Nigeria Police Force has asked the lawmaker representing Kogi West in the National Assembly, Senator Dino Melaye, to surrender himself for arrest and investigation for attempted culpable homicide.

    It stated that the police operatives deployed in his house with an arrest warrant will not leave his Abuja residence until they apprehended him.

    The Force spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, said in a statement on Monday that Melaye had repeated spurned several invitations asking him to report for an investigation into the alleged shooting of one Sgt. Danjuma Saliu, attached to 37 Police Mobile Force while on stop-and-search duty along Aiyetoro Gbede, Mopa Road in Kogi State.

    He explained that Melaye and his armed thugs shot and injured Saliu who is currently on admission at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.

    Police investigators, he said, had invited Melaye through a letter of invitation dated 23rd July, 2018, signed by the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Police Command, and addressed to the Clerk, National Assembly, Abuja.

    Moshood said, “Melaye was asked to report on 26th July, 2018 at the Kogi State Police Command, CIID, Lokoja to answer to a case of criminal conspiracy and attempted culpable homicide against him under investigation in the Kogi State Police Command.

    “The claim by the Senate President in the media that the Police did not submit a letter of invitation to the Clerk of the National Assembly is therefore incorrect as can be seen on the attached letter with acknowledgment stamp of the Clerk, National Assembly, Abuja, dated 24 July, 2018.”

    The Police also tendered copies of pictures of the injured officer, the invitation letter to Melaye addressed to the Clerk of National Assembly and the medical report from the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, confirming the admission of Sgt. Saliu to the hospital for gunshot injury.

    Meanwhile, the National Coordinator, Advocate for Peoples’ Rights and Justice, Victor Giwa, has condemned the police siege and move to arrest Melaye, describing it as an abuse of his rights.

    The activist in a statement asked the police to follow the proper procedure laid down by the law if the lawmaker was needed to answer to any charges.

    He added, “As an organisation, we see the continuous occupation of the residence of Senator Melaye as a gross violation of his right to freedom of movement and personal liberty, as provided in the constitution.

    “If the Police need the Senator for any offence or for trial in court, there are proper procedures laid down by the law to follow, anything outside that is persecution. We, therefore, insist that we shall mobilize our allies as civil society to resist any form of intimidation or harassment by the police. An injustice to one is an injustice to all.”

  • Seyi Shay boycotts management team, releases ‘Surrender’ video

    Seyi Shay boycotts management team, releases ‘Surrender’ video

    Sonorous singer, Seyi Shay stunned her fans earlier today when she boycotted her management team to release the video for ‘Surrender’ unannounced.

    The svelte vocalist made this known on her Instagram page.

    She wrote: “Music is very personal and I have realized this more with my #ElectricPackage EP. The intimacy of music is what makes it truly magical and I feel like we’ve lost that in today’s world. I know this might get me in trouble with my team, but I have decided to share the visuals of ‘Surrender’ with ya’ll without any teasers and promotional nonsense…”

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BlF2KfXAf0M/?taken-by=iamseyishay

     

     

    In the Clarence Peters directed video, Seyi Shay and Kizz Daniel acted as lovebirds, taking a walk down the aisle in a modest wedding ceremony which took place on a beautiful beach backdrop.

    Celebrities like Oreka Godis, Wofai Fada, Dada Boy Ehiz and others made cameo appearances in the music video.

    ‘Surrender’ is the fourth track on her new EP ‘Electric Package’

     

     

  • Good News! 700 Boko Haram fighters ready to surrender – FG

    The Federal Government has confirmed that no fewer than 700 Boko Haram militants have signified their intention to surrender as it told the world the unprecedented humanitarian crisis triggered by the nine-year-old insurgency in the North-east.

    Nigeria’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN, Tijjani Bande, told the UN Security Council that 14.8 million people were affected by the crisis. He said 1.7 million people were internally displaced, with the most adversely affected being children and women.

    Mr Bande spoke during an Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflicts.

    He assured the international community that ‘The Buhari Plan’ would bring relief to North-east Nigeria, currently ravaged by Boko Haram as all efforts were being taken against the insurgency.

    The Presidential Committee for North-east Initiative developed ‘The Buhari Plan’ – a framework of action to ensure the rehabilitation of the victims of insurgency and the reconstruction of their communities.

    Mr Bande said a robust Social Protection Initiative, and a second National Action Plan to fully implement the provisions of resolution 1325 (2000) had been instituted to protect civilians, particularly women and children from the Boko Haram ravages.

    “To that end, the initiatives will also complement the implementation of ‘The Buhari Plan’, which provides a blueprint for the comprehensive humanitarian relief and socioeconomic stabilisation of the North-East, as well as the return and resettlement of displaced persons.

    “We are collaborating with our neighbours, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin, within the framework of the Multinational Joint Task Force, to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency, which is targeting civilians, particularly women and children,” Mr Bande said.

    The Buhari Plan aims to achieve a safe and prosperous North-east that would be a global model for post-conflict socio-economic recovery and development.

    The envoy noted that Nigeria was among the first group of states to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration in Oslo, thereby making a pledge to protect schools during armed conflicts and using and promoting the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict.

    Mr Bande said the declaration complemented and strengthened Nigeria’s national Safe Schools Initiative established in 2014, as part of the response by the Federal Government to promote safe zones for learning.

    He said these initiatives reflected government’s commitment to ensuring the security of women and children during armed conflicts and enhancing their active and direct participation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

    The ambassador said: “It is heartening to note that over a thousand kidnapped women and children have been rescued, and all territories once controlled by the group have been recovered.

    “Indeed, our experience in the Lake Chad Region today, is evidence that with determined international collaboration, terrorism can be defeated.

    “In addition, the Government of Nigeria has adopted a multinational and multi-agency approach tagged ‘Operation Safe Corridor’, to effectively handle the de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration of willing and surrendered Boko Haram members back to the society”.

    The Nigerian envoy said so far, many insurgents had willingly surrendered to the military, while about 700 others had indicated interest to surrender.

    He said Nigeria had taken steps to cater to victims of Boko Haram in the form of rape and other sexual violence against children, abduction of children and other grave violations.

    According to him, these steps include providing humanitarian relief, financial, economic, educational and psycho-social support.

    “Despite the tremendous efforts being made at the national level, we acknowledge that protecting civilians in conflict situations remains a critical challenge, not only for the United Nations, but also for the entire international community.

    “We therefore call for continued collaboration and assistance among the international community to address this issue.

    “On this note, we pay tribute to our security forces, peacekeepers, humanitarian workers, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders for their hard work, often in difficult circumstances, to ensure the safety and the security of civilians,” Mr Bande said.

  • BREAKING: Buhari offers amnesty to repentant Boko Haram members

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday reiterated his desire to offer amnesty to repentant members of Boko Haram sect willing to surrender their arms and embrace peace.

    The President stated this while receiving the recently released students of Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said the government is ready to rehabilitate the repentant Boko Haram fighters back to the society.

    He warned politicians politicizing security issues that the situation would no longer be tolerated.

    The President also warned security agencies against any laxity in the discharge of their duties.

    He said those involved in such laxity would be viewed strongly and sanctioned appropriately.

    The Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawan Daura, said 105 out of 111 girls abducted by Boko Haram on February 19 were released.

    He said the remaining six girls have not been accounted for.

    According to him, two pupils of Dapchi primary school were also released with the secondary school girls on Wednesday.