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US, Nigerian security forces reportedly raid Abuja Estate

Published

2 years ago

October 27, 2022

Few hours after the United States Department of State, granted authorised departure status to the Embassy of the United States, Abuja, residents of the Trademore Estate in Abuja, were on Tuesday night thrown into confusion as security forces reportedly raided the premises following a tip off on the presence of a terrorist.

The sting operation in the Phase 4 section of the estate had led to a complete shutdown of the area, as armed intelligence personnel and others suspected to be American special forces, swooped on a building where a middle aged man was picked up.

A resident confirmed the raid to Daily Sun. He said a message was dispatched to residents by the leadership of the estate to keep them abreast on the latest development.

He told Daily Sun that residents have been warned by security agents not to divulge further information to the media, warning that there would be repercussions and possible arrest.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, has, however, dismissed the rumoured sting operation as fake.

Its spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, spoke on the command’s WhatsApp platform while reacting to questions from journalists.

However, the message to residents read: “It’s no longer news that there was a High Powered Sting Operation in Phase 3 this afternoon, culminating in a complete shutdown of our estate. A combination of American Army and our DSS team were responsible.

“We are unable to give full details of the reason(s) behind the operation, however, we can confirm that there was an allegation of terrorist activities.

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“It is therefore desperately incumbent on every resident to remain vigilant, KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOURS and report any suspicious movement, person or activities to the Exco, Street Reps and/the Police.

“We will continue to do our utmost best to keep the estate safe for all of us. Everyone is responsible for security and there should no iota of abdication of this responsibility.

“Finally, let’s remain calm and continue to carry out our daily activities within the parameters of the Law. God bless and protect us all.”

According to a resident, the suspect who was picked up, has claimed innocence, alleging that he was set up by a governor in the North Central zone based on political differences.

“Yes, there was a raid. Boxes of grenades and other explosives were recovered. Two pistols were also allegedly recovered, from what we heard.

“Although, it was learnt that the suspect had plans to attack three churches in the area, I cannot immediately confirm that,” he stated.

The development at Trademore came a day after men dressed in Nigerian Navy woodland camouflage trousers and “Special Forces” shirt picked up one Shafiu, a native of Kogi State in the Lugbe area of Abuja.

Shafiu, a death row inmate at the Suleja Custodial Centre was, however, released in controversial circumstances just weeks to the 2019 general election.

He was picked up by a squad led by a certain Lt. Charles, just few days after declaring support for one of the opposition parties.

Meanwhile, he US authorisation which was granted on October 25, according to the Embassy of the United States, Abuja, permits the voluntary departure of family members and certain employees due to the heightened risk of terrorist attacks.

“The U.S. Embassy in Abuja continues to have limited ability to provide emergency assistance to U.S. citizens in Nigeria.

“The U.S. Consulate in Lagos continues to provide routine and emergency services to U.S. citizens in Nigeria,” the emergency information for American citizens read.

The United States Government further directed its nationals to have a personal emergency action plan that does not rely on government assistance, and to take advantage of commercial transportation options, if they wish to depart Nigeria.

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“Monitor local media for breaking news on the security situation. Be aware of your surroundings.

“Keep a low profile,” the United States instructed its citizens.

•Nigeria safe

The Federal Government has stated that it cannot be stampeded by what any government instructs its citizens to do in response to the most recent travel advisory from the United State Department urging their citizens to reconsider traveling to Nigeria due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and maritime crime.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said despite the attempts by terrorists to embarrass government, security agencies have in the last few months taken firm control of the situation.

Asked if he was still standing by his previous assurances that citizens and non-citizens alike are safe in Nigeria, he replied: “Now, of course, this so-called travel advisory as far as we’re concerned, as a government we have in the last few months, taken a firm handle of security.

“What I said is that click baiting, which is, you find a story which is not verified and you immediately share it, always causes panic.

“But I want to reassure both citizens, non-Nigerians, Nigerians living in this country, that security agencies are on top of this matter.

“Of course, the terrorists would not stop to try to embarrass or intimidate government but what I’m saying is that this country is safe. And there’s no cause for alarm. No cause to panic. Unfortunately, because of that travel advisory on Sunday many schools were closed, shops were closed, travel plans were disrupted, we don’t need it. The security – our soldiers, our police are working round the clock to contain any terrorist attack. This is where we stand.”

Reminded that the travel advisory specifically mentioned vulnerable states that Americans must not travel to, Mohammed affirmed that it was not strange as even Nigeria Mission in the US can advise Nigerians on their movement in the country.

On whether government is worried by the perception the advisory can create with investors and steps that might be taken to prevent it, the minister advised citizens to desist from spreading unverified news.

He added: “The concrete step is that people should stop spreading unverified news that is what saying. You see, look how many school shootings happen in the US? how many senseless killings happened in the US?

“So have they been able to predict what’s going to happen next which school is going to be a victim next? Do Nigerians in the US also feel safe?

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FG secures release of 6 women arrested for human trafficking in Cape Verde

Published

6 hours ago

April 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar

FG secures release of 6 women arrested for human trafficking in Cape Verde

The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has successfully secured the release of six Nigerian women who were wrongfully detained in Cape Verde over baseless trafficking accusations.

Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the spokesperson of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, revealed via a statement on Wednesday, April 16 that the Nigerian Mission in Guinea Bissau worked closely with the Cape Verdean authorities to ensure the women’s release.

She noted that the women had travelled to Cape Verde for vacation but were unfortunately arrested on unfounded human trafficking charges, which were eventually proven to be false.

Ebienfa mentioned that the minister expressed his satisfaction with the successful resolution of the matter and reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the rights and well-being of Nigerians abroad.

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The statement read, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to happily inform you that the Nigerian ladies who were detained in Cape Verde have all been released and have left the country, too.

“The Ministry engaged Cape Verde authorities via our Mission in Guinea Bissau to secure their release.

“The six ladies travelled to Cape Verde for a holiday and were unfortunately detained on allegations of trafficking, which turned out to be false.”

FG secures release of 6 women arrested for human trafficking in Cape Verde

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Bayelsa lawmaker, Wike’s ally exchange blows amid tension over scheduled event [VIDEO]

Published

7 hours ago

April 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Bayelsa lawmaker, Wike’s ally exchange blows amid tension over scheduled event [VIDEO]

A lawmaker in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike were captured engaging in a fight.

In a video circulating on social media, the Chief Whip of the Assembly, Hon. Gabriel Ogbara, was seen engaging in a heated struggle with the Ogbia Ward 8 Coordinator of the pro-Wike political group, the NEW Associates.

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The footage was posted by George Turnah, a known supporter of Wike and a former legal adviser to the PDP in the South-South zone.

Turnah, who was recently suspended by the Bayelsa PDP, has been at loggerheads with Governor Douye Diri over plans to organize a rally in Yenagoa in support of Wike. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025.

Despite both Diri and Wike belonging to the PDP, the two powerbrokers have been locked in a quiet political rivalry, particularly over control of the party’s structure in the South-South. Governor Diri currently chairs the South-South Governors’ Forum.

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Bayelsa lawmaker, Wike’s ally exchange blows amid tension over scheduled event [VIDEO]

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How Obasanjo, Jonathan, Buhari paid lip service to power sector – Minister

Published

7 hours ago

April 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu

How Obasanjo, Jonathan, Buhari paid lip service to power sector – Minister

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has blamed previous Nigerian presidents and leaders for the lingering crisis in the country’s power sector.

Speaking while receiving a World Bank delegation in his Abuja office, Adelabu said successive administrations failed to take decisive action, leading to the degeneration currently plaguing power generation, transmission, and distribution.

He, however, expressed optimism under the current administration, noting that President Bola Tinubu has shown genuine concern and given total support toward reforms aimed at revamping the power sector.

“We actually have a past that we are not proud of. Over the years, we have only been paying lip service to transforming the power sector but have not worked the talk.

“Previous administrations have kept on doing the same thing all the time and you cannot get different results for that, which is why we have decided to do things differently this time. In all the segments across the sector, we must run away from the past,” Adelabu said in the statement by Bolaji Tunji, his special adviser on strategic communications and media relations.

He said the neglect of critical power infrastructure over the years, “including thousands of kilometres of transmission lines and hundreds of thousands of transformers”, has deepened the challenges in the sector.

“How will you explain the kind of infrastructure that we put together for our transmission network across the country? Thousands of kilometers of power line, thousands of power transformers, hundreds of thousands of distribution transformers that we have not maintained over time and expect them to keep sustaining our energy supply. It is not possible,” Adelabu said.

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“How do we allow our people to be vandalising infrastructure and expect stable electricity? So how do you have a sector with over 12 million customers and our meter is not more than six million and we expect to have a stable industry? No, it’s not possible. So what has happened with past governments?

“In 1984, when the military was in power here, we achieved a 2000 megawatts. Between 1984 and 2023, it took us 40 years to add additional 2000 megawatts. Now we have an average of 5,800 megawatts generation within one and a half years that we came to the office.

“What I’m saying is that, if the past administrations have been adding things like this, we will not be where we are today. And that is why I said that President Tinubu is actually laying the kind of foundation that we need for our country to grow”, he added.

He blamed the Muhammadu Buhari administration for stalling on the Siemens power deal signed in 2019.

“We entered into the Siemens contract in 2019. We never lifted a finger until 2023, when this government came on board. So you can now imagine since this President came in and now look at the mileage we have achieved,” he said.

The minister, however, noted that the pilot phase of the Siemens power project is nearly complete in under two years, expressing confidence in a brighter future for the power sector.

The minister implored the World Bank team to continue to support the Tinubu’s administration to ensure that the investment of the current administration succeeds.

“One thing that this administration has brought to the table is the seriousness, the determination, the commitment to make sure that the power sector is transformed.

“There is very little you can achieve in your agriculture sector, in your transportation sector, in your defense, education, or health; without stable and efficient electricity supply.

“That is why the President is really focusing on this, and he is supporting whatever we need to do to make sure that we transform this sector. He is ready to give us that support”, he noted.