England begins second COVID-19 lockdown on Thursday - Newstrends
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England begins second COVID-19 lockdown on Thursday

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England will return to the lockdown mode from midnight next Thursday after the country passed the milestone of one million COVID-19 cases and a second wave of infections threatened to overwhelm the health service.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new restrictions on Saturday night.

The United Kingdom, which has the biggest official death toll in Europe from COVID-19, is grappling with more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases a day.

Scientists have warned the “worst case” scenario of 80,000 dead could be exceeded.

Johnson, at a hastily convened news conference in Downing Street after news of a lockdown leaked to local media, said that the one-month lockdown across England would kick in at a minute past midnight on Thursday morning and last until December 2.

In some of the most onerous restrictions in Britain’s peacetime history, people will only be allowed to leave home for specific reasons such as education, work, exercise, shopping for essentials and medicines or caring for the vulnerable.

“We must act now,” Johnson said, flanked by his chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and his chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance.

“Unless we act, we could see deaths in this country running at several thousand a day.”

The government will revive its emergency coronavirus wage subsidy scheme to ensure workers who are temporarily laid off during a new England-wide lockdown receive 80% of their pay, he said.

Essential shops, schools, and universities will remain open, Johnson said. Pubs and restaurants will be shut apart from for takeaways. All non-essential retail will close.

Johnson’s imposition of stricter curbs came after scientists warned the outbreak was going in the wrong direction and that action was needed to halt the spread of the virus if families were to have any hope of gathering at Christmas.

The measures bring England into alignment with France and Germany by imposing nationwide restrictions almost as severe as the ones that drove the global economy this year into its deepest recession in generations.

“I am optimistic that this will feel very different and better by the spring,” Johnson said, adding that there was realistic hope of a vaccine in the first quarter of next year.

Asked by reporters what took him so long to impose a national lockdown, Johnson said it was a constant struggle to balance the risk to life and the risk to livelihoods.

“We have to mindful the whole time of the scarring and the long-term economic impact of the measures,” Johnson said. His medical adviser Whitty said that without the tougher measures then the National Health Service could be overwhelmed.

The new lockdown will heap more pressure on finance minister Rishi Sunak and the Bank of England to increase their already huge support for the UK economy, the world’s sixth-biggest. The economy slumped a record 20 per cent in the spring.

So far the United Kingdom has reported 46,555 COVID-19 deaths – defined as those dying within 28 days of a positive test. A broader measure of those with COVID-19 on their death certificates puts the toll at 58,925.

The United Kingdom has the world’s fifth largest official death toll, after the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

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Troops Rescue 119 Kidnap Victims, Eliminate Terrorists in Nationwide Crackdown – DHQ

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Troops Rescue 119 Kidnap Victims, Eliminate Terrorists in Nationwide Crackdown – DHQ

ABUJA — Nigerian troops have rescued 119 abducted civilians and neutralised several terrorists during a week-long series of military operations across the country, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has announced.

The operations, conducted between November 6 and November 12, reportedly dealt significant blows to insurgents, kidnappers and other criminal groups operating in different parts of the country.

The latest military breakthrough comes amid growing concerns over insecurity, particularly attacks on motorists, abductions and terrorist activities along major highways and communities.

According to updates from the military high command, troops recorded significant successes across several operational theatres, with Borno State emerging as one of the major areas where security forces disrupted terrorist activities.

In one of the operations, soldiers reportedly intercepted insurgents attempting to ambush motorists and abduct travellers along major transportation routes in the state.

The intervention prevented the planned abductions and further demonstrated the military’s efforts to secure vulnerable highways and protect commuters.

The DHQ disclosed that 119 kidnapped civilians, including women and children, were rescued during the period under review.

The military also reported the elimination of several terrorists during offensive engagements targeting criminal hideouts, operational bases and suspected supply networks.

Beyond the rescue operations and neutralisation of insurgents, troops recovered eight operational vehicles allegedly seized by terrorists, alongside assorted weapons, ammunition and other logistical equipment.

Security operations were also intensified outside the North-East, with troops and other security agencies carrying out intelligence-led raids, disrupting kidnapping attempts and confronting criminal elements in the Federal Capital Territory, Plateau and Kwara states.

Watch: Nigerian Military Operations Against Terrorists and Rescue of Kidnap Victims

For additional context on the military’s ongoing anti-terrorism campaign and rescue operations, watch the video below:

The military’s nationwide operations were aimed at dismantling criminal networks, preventing further attacks and restoring confidence among residents and travellers using vulnerable routes.

The Defence Headquarters reaffirmed its determination to sustain pressure on terrorist groups and other criminal elements until lasting peace and security are restored across the country.

The latest operational figures represent another major effort by the Nigerian military in its ongoing campaign against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.

 

Troops Rescue 119 Kidnap Victims, Eliminate Terrorists in Nationwide Crackdown – DHQ

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‎Photo News: Kwara Security Strategy Committee Submits Report to Gov AbdulRazaq

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‎Photo News: Kwara Security Strategy Committee Submits Report to Gov AbdulRazaq

 

L-R: AIG Aderemi Opadokun (Rtd); Air Commodore Asa Buhari (Rtd); Major General Abidoye Olayemi (rtd); Team Lead Kwara State Security Strategy Committee, Major General Garba Abdulwahab (rtd); Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (CON); Rear Admiral A.B Lawal (rtd); Col. A.A Lawal (rtd); Alhaji M.A Jimba; Director of Special Services Governor’s Office, Mrs. Folorunsho Idayat Adeola; and Permanent Secretary General Service, Alhaji Shuaib Yitta, during a visit by members of the committee to the state governor (to submit their report)  at the Ahmadu Bello House, Ilorin, on Wednesday.

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Rivers Police Parade Two Suspects Over Murder of Okada Rider, Theft of Motorcycle

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Rivers Police Parade Two Suspects Over Murder of Okada Rider, Theft of Motorcycle
Rivers Police Parade Two Suspects Over Murder of Okada Rider, Theft of Motorcycle

PORT HARCOURT – The Rivers State Police Command has paraded two young men arrested over the alleged murder of a commercial motorcycle operator, whose motorcycle they reportedly stole after luring him into a remote forest in the state.

The suspects, identified as 24-year-old Abubakar Sani and 20-year-old Yusuf Magaji, were arrested following an intelligence-led operation by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), Emohua.

The police said Sani allegedly confessed to participating in the killing of the victim, identified as Sani Musa, before the suspects escaped with his motorcycle.

Musa, a native of Zago Town in Kafin Hausa Local Government Area of Jigawa State, was reportedly operating as a commercial motorcycle rider in Rivers State before his death.

According to the police, preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly lured the rider to a remote forest in Mbiama, Ahoada West Local Government Area, where they attacked and stabbed him to death.

His body was subsequently dumped in thick bushes, while the suspects allegedly fled with his motorcycle.

The police further disclosed that the suspects planned to transport the stolen motorcycle to Kano State through a waybill arrangement, allegedly hoping to evade security checks and conceal the motorcycle’s origin.

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The alleged criminal operation was uncovered at about 1pm on October 22, when police operatives received intelligence that some individuals were dismantling a suspected stolen motorcycle at Choba Motor Park.

Acting on the information, operatives of the VCRU moved to the location and arrested Sani and Magaji, who were both said to be from Kano State.

During interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to their involvement in the murder and subsequently led investigators to the Mbiama forest, where the decomposing remains of the deceased were recovered.

The recovery of the body provided investigators with further evidence in the ongoing investigation into the killing.

The command said arrangements were being made to release the deceased’s remains to his family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites, following a request by his relatives.

The Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Olugbenga Adepoju, has ordered a comprehensive investigation to establish the full circumstances surrounding the murder, identify possible accomplices and ensure that everyone connected to the crime is brought to justice.

The police command reiterated its commitment to combating murder, armed robbery, cultism and other violent crimes across Rivers State.

It also urged residents to provide credible and timely information to security agencies to help prevent criminal activities and improve public safety.

The two suspects are expected to face prosecution upon the conclusion of investigations.

 

Rivers Police Parade Two Suspects Over Murder of Okada Rider, Theft of Motorcycle

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