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Tag: travellers

  • UK officially recognises Nigeria’s COVID-19 vaccination certificate, relaxes rules for vaccinated Nigerian travelers

    UK officially recognises Nigeria’s COVID-19 vaccination certificate, relaxes rules for vaccinated Nigerian travelers

    The United Kingdom has reviewed its travel protocols for travellers from Nigeria who have taken their complete jabs of the COVID-19 vaccines approved by authorities in the country.

    This was announced in a statement by the British High Commission on Thursday.

    “From Monday, 11 October 2021, fully vaccinated travellers from Nigeria will be able to come to England without needing to provide a pre-departure test, undertake a day 8 test or self-isolate for 10 days, although will still need to book and pay for a day 2 test,” the statement read in part.

    The revised policy applies to those who have been fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (including Covidshield), Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines.

    “Fully vaccinated means that you have had a complete course of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England. The day you had your final dose does not count as one of the 14 days,” the statement added.

    “You must be able to prove that you have been fully vaccinated under a vaccination programme and have a valid proof of vaccination recognised by the British Government (for Nigeria, the certificates with valid QR codes as issued by Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency are recognised).”

    Acting British High Commissioner, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, described the changes to travel rules for fully-vaccinated Nigerians as “a very welcome development”.

    “To make this happen, we have been working closely with Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) on recognising Nigeria’s vaccine certification, which we have now done,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.

    “The UK remains committed to opening up international travel and enabling those who wish to enter the UK, to do so safely.”

    Travellers from Nigeria who are not fully vaccinated would be required to take a pre-departure COVID-19 test – three days before they travel, as well as complete a passenger locator form – any time in the 48 hours before arrival.

    After arriving in England, they would also need to book and pay for day-2 and day-8 COVID-19 tests, self-isolate for 10 days, as well as take a pre-booked COVID-19 test on or before day-2, and on or after day-8.

    “Vaccines work and – as the pandemic has shown – no one is safe until we are all safe. I would encourage all eligible people to get vaccinated,” Llewellyn-Jones said.

  • JUST IN: Gunmen kidnap 18 travellers in Ondo

    JUST IN: Gunmen kidnap 18 travellers in Ondo

    Daredevil gunmen have launched fresh attacks on travellers in Ondo State, kidnapping 18.

    According to reports, the victims were abducted on Wednesday night along the Ifira-Akoko/Idoani road in Akoko South East Local Government Area of the state.

    The abductors were said to have fired gunshots into the air to scare the passengers before taking them into a nearby forest.

    The Commander of Ondo State Security Outfit, codenamed Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, confirmed the incident on Thursday.

    Adeleye, however, said 14 of the victims have been rescued by men of the agency while efforts are ongoing to rescue the rest.

    Meanwhile, neither the Ondo State Government nor the Police Command have confirmed the attack.

     

  • Buhari condemns massacre of 21 travellers in Plateau, orders manhunt for killers

    Buhari condemns massacre of 21 travellers in Plateau, orders manhunt for killers

    The Presidency has condemned the attack on travellers from a religious event in Bauchi, passing through Jos, Plateau State Capital.

    A presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Saturday night, said the Presidency regretted the deaths of at least 21 persons with several others injured in the ambush.

    He said President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of what he called “gruesome massacre of innocent travellers” and bring them to justice in line with his commitment to protect all Nigerians.

    The Presidency commended the ongoing efforts by the Governors of Plateau, Bauchi, and Ondo; the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar III, and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi as well as a number of notable Christian and Muslim leaders for intensifying efforts to calm down the situation.

    The Presidency, which offered condolences to the families of the victims, had continued to liaise with the local authorities, including security, the police, and governmental agencies.

    The statement titled ‘Presidency Strongly Condemns Hoodlum Attacks on Travellers’ read: “It is widely known that Plateau State has been one of the states affected by herder-farmer clashes, which have, in a significant way, been curtailed following the intense peace-building efforts of the administration of Governor Simon Lalong.

    “However, to be clear, this is not an agriculturalist-on-pastoralist confrontation – but rather a direct, brazen and wickedly motivated attack on members of a community exercising their rights to travel freely and to follow the faith of their choosing.

    “With the evident preparedness of their attackers, it is clear this was a well-conceived and prearranged assault on a known target, location and religious persuasion of the travellers not an opportunist ambush.

    “These kinds of attacks on our country’s citizens are unacceptable, heinous, and stand in complete contradiction to the teachings of the great religions of our nation.

    “The Presidency stands steadfast with both Christians and Muslims at this time in condemnation of this latest attack and expects and insists that justice is swiftly – but fairly – delivered to the perpetrators.”

  • Gunmen ambush travellers in Plateau, kill 22

    Gunmen ambush travellers in Plateau, kill 22

    A suspected Christian militia attacked a convoy carrying 90 Muslim faithful on Saturday in Plateau state, leaving at least 22 people dead, police said.

    Northwest and central Nigeria have for years struggled with tensions between mainly Muslim nomadic herders and Christian farmers who tussle over control of resources, water and land.

    “At about 0928hrs (08:28 GMT) the Plateau State Police Command received a distress call that a group of attackers suspected to be Irigwe youths (predominantly Christian)… attacked a convoy of five buses with Muslim faithful.”

    “Twenty-two persons were killed and 14 injured in the attack,” police spokesman Ubah Ogaba said in a statement, adding that 21 people had been rescued.

    A local government representative said the toll was higher.

    “Twenty-five people are now confirmed killed,” said the state government representative Danladi Atu who visited a hospital where injured people were taken to.

    A local group representing herders, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, said it also counted 25 bodies.

    “We have prepared up to 25 dead bodies that are ready for burial,” said the group’s local representative Malam Nura Abdullahi.

    Plateau state governor Simon Lalong condemned the attack.

    He said “security has been beefed up around the area,” according to a statement from his spokesman Makut Simon Macham.

    Police said six suspects had been arrested and that calm had been restored to the area.

  • Covid-19: FG declares 63 Nigerians, 27 foreigners wanted

    Covid-19: FG declares 63 Nigerians, 27 foreigners wanted

    The federal government has declared 63 Nigerians and 27 foreigners wanted over violation of COVID-19 guidelines.

    A statement issued on Sunday night by the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 and signed by its chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the identified individuals failed to observe the newly instituted mandatory protocols recently put in place against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

    According to the statement, the list, which contains a total of 27 Indians and 63 Nigerians, arrived Nigeria through the Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

    According to the PSC, while the affected airlines are Ethiopian airline and Qatar airways, the 27 Indian violators were categorised as unregistered.

    The statement gave the dates of their arrival to be between May 8 and 15, noting that they “evaded the mandatory seven-day quarantine for persons arriving from restricted countries.”

    The statement reads in part; “The Presidential Steering Committee on May 1, 2021, issued a Travel Advisory for Passengers arriving in Nigeria from Brazil, India and Turkey. These precautionary measures are a necessary step to mitigate the risk of importation of variants of concern and break the chain of transmission to the population. Under the new measures, passengers arriving from/or that have visited any of these three countries within fourteen (14) days prior to the visit to Nigeria, are required to follow mandatory arrival quarantine and testing protocols in designated facilities.

    “The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) has, however, observed that while most of the arriving passengers dutifully observed the guidelines, some (Nigerians and foreigners) have violated them in contravention of the provisions of the CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) HEALTH REGULATIONS PROTECTION, 2021. Accordingly, the underlisted persons who arrived in Nigeria between 8th May 2021 and 15th May 2021 through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and whose names and passport numbers are displayed, have been declared Persons of Interest (POI) on account of posing considerable danger to overall public health and for the violation of Nigeria COVID-19 travel protocol by evading the mandatory 7-day quarantine for persons arriving from restricted countries.”

    The government has, therefore, called on Nigerians to beware of the individuals, declaring them as persons of interest who “constitute an immediate health hazard to the society.”

    “They must therefore transport themselves safely, to the nearest state public health departments within 48hrs of this notice for immediate evaluation and call the Port Health Services, Federal Ministry of Health on 08036134672 or 08032461990 for further directions,” the statement added.

  • COVID-19 tests: ‘We accept full responsibility,’ NCDC apologises over delay in travellers’ results

    COVID-19 tests: ‘We accept full responsibility,’ NCDC apologises over delay in travellers’ results

    The Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said recent complaints by travellers to Nigeria over their inability to obtain QR Codes and acknowledgement of COVID-19 test results was due to system failure.

    The Director General, NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said this in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that passengers have expressed frustration over their inability to access the portal, costs of the test on arrival and other challenges.

    Taking to Twitter, some passengers highlighted that they had been unable to complete payment online and, therefore, were unable to board their aircraft.

    Ihekweazu said, “On April 20, a system failure by one of the partner organisations supporting the management of the COVID-19 travel portal led to an unforeseen downtime.”

    The NCDC boss said the technical failure was resolved after about 12 hours.

    “We accept full responsibility for this event, which led to inconvenience for several travelers to Nigeria.

    “We have learnt from this occurrence and continue to restructure our systems to avoid future events like this and serve Nigerians better.

    “Our commitment remains to protect the health of Nigerians, by reducing the risk of spread of the virus. This is why the Nigerian International Travel Portal was introduced by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19,” he explained.

    He assured that the agency would continue to strengthen this process to make it seamless for all travellers.

    The NCDC boss said the Federal Government could not regulate the cost for COVID-19 test in private laboratories.

    “As the country’s response to COVID-19, the public health laboratories will continue to provide testing free-of-charge for public health needs.

    “Nigerians should note that testing is still free in public health laboratories, while testing for personal reasons such as travel purposes are required to be done in private laboratories, which is what travelers are paying for,” he explained.

    Ihekweazu said the Federal Government had also insisted on a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), test for international passengers, to prevent overwhelming the nation’s health infrastructure.

    “So please bear with us, it’s a small price to pay for the future and the health of the country and its people and we encourage you to keep carrying out departure test.

    “All travelers arriving Nigeria must have tested negative for COVID-19 by PCR in the country of departure pre-boarding.

    ”The PCR test must be done within 96 hours before departure and preferably within 72 hours,” he said.

    He, however, noted that passengers were required to remain in self-isolation on arrival and carry out a COVID-19 test in a designated private laboratory seven days after arrival.

    “This entire process must be registered on the Nigeria International Travel Portal- www.nitp.ncdc.gov.ng,” said Ihekweazu.

    He added that one of the key components of Nigeria’s response to the pandemic was testing.

    “The capacity for testing has increased in the country, since the outbreak began, from four laboratories to 129 functional laboratories. Of these, 48 are private laboratories and eight are corporate laboratories.

    “Each state and the FCT have several sample collection sites with at least one molecular laboratory to test.

    “Samples are tested daily to ensure results are communicated to the clients, patients and/or managing team for optimum care,“ he explained.

    The NCDC boss stressed that it was, therefore, important that Nigerians utilise these resources to the spread of COVID-19.

  • Man reports abduction of seven Rivers travelers on radio

    Man reports abduction of seven Rivers travelers on radio

    Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have seized a commercial bus with seven passengers on its way to Omoku in Rivers State.

    The gunmen were said to have invaded the bus on Sunday around 8pm and whisked the passengers to an unknown destination.

    A relation of one of the victims, who gave his name simply as Kennedy, while reporting the occurrence on a Radio Station, 92.3 Nigeria Info, in Port Harcourt said, his brother and other passengers in the vehicle left Port Harcourt for Omoku around 7pm on Sunday.

    He stated, “They left Port Harcourt for Omoku around 7pm; I called by 8pm and my brother’s phone was switched off.

    “I kept trying the line but it was not reachable; later, a number called me and said I should bring N1.5m and I said: ‘From where’? The caller immediately switched off the phone as I asked the question.”

    He called urged security agencies and state government to intervene and rescue his brother and the other victims, adding that the family did not have the kind of money the kidnappers were demanding.

     

  • Ondo hunters kill kidnapper, rescue seven abducted Abuja travellers

    Ondo hunters kill kidnapper, rescue seven abducted Abuja travellers

    Hunters and rescue team in Akunu Akoko in Akoko North East local government area of Ondo State have killed a suspected kidnapper and rescued seven kidnapped victims.

    According to reports, the hunters stormed the forest on the orders of the Regent of the town, Princess Tolani Orogun, after news filtered in that some travellers have been abducted.

    Witnesses said the travellers were heading towards Abuja when they were abducted and taken into the bush.

    The witnesses said the Regent informed the hunters and youths that continued kidnapping in the axis must stop and she ordered them to go after the kidnappers.

    It was in the course of combing the forest that one of the suspected kidnappers was gunned down while others fled leaving their victims behind.

    Police area commander for Ikare Akoko, ACP Razak Rauf who confirmed the report said remains of the suspect has been deposited in mortuary.

    Several persons have been kidnapped along the Akunu, Ikakumo and Auga axis of Ondo State.

  • Gunmen kidnap three travellers in Osun

    Gunmen kidnap three travellers in Osun

    The Police Command in Osun on Tuesday, confirmed the kidnapping of three travellers along Ilesha-Akure Express in Osun on Monday night.

    The spokesperson of the command, SP Yemisi Opalola, confirmed in a statement that the incident happened around 7 p.m. in Iwaraja town of Oriade Local Government Area of the state.

    She said the police had, however, deployed men and officers to the forest where the kidnappers retreated after the abduction, in an attempt to rescue the victims.

    She said the command, at the moment, was not aware if any contact had been established with families of the victims to demand ransom.

    “On Monday, at about 7p.m, some yet to be identified hoodlums emerged from the bush and opened fire, flattening the tyres of a Toyota Sienna bus with Registration ABUJA ABJ 635 DC, along Ilesha-Akure Expressway, by Iwaraja Forest.

    “In the process, six passengers plus the driver of the bus were abducted, but three were lucky to have escaped.

    “Intensive manhunt is, however underway by the police, local hunters and vigilantes to rescue the kidnapped victims and arrest the suspects,” Opalola said.

  • 17 travellers perish in Abuja-Keffi road crash

    17 travellers perish in Abuja-Keffi road crash

    Seventeen travellers who were plying the Abuja/Keffi road between Gudi and Akwanga local government area of Nasarawa State, have died following an accident on Saturday.

    The Federal Roads Safety Commission, (FRSC) unit Commander in Akwanga, Assistant Corps Commander Ebere Onyegbaduo confirmed their death on Sunday.

    He said, “we received a distress call of a ghastly accident by 7:00 pm around Agwada Town, which is between Akwanga and Gudi Towns”.

    “We rushed to the scene and found a Commercial VW Sharon Bus and a Private Toyota Sienna Bus both engulfed in flames with the occupants inside the burning vehicles. We called for Fire Brigade, the fire was contained by 11:00 pm and we completed the rescue by 2:00 am.”

    Ebere added that preliminary investigations showed that the Sharon Bus was coming from Abuja and the driver had tried to overtake another vehicle while on a hill when he ran into the Sienna and both vehicles went up in flames.

    He said the occupants of the Sharon Bus have been deposited at the Akwanga General Hospital while those of the Sienna have been taken to the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, ( DASH) in Lafia.