The Federal Government yesterday debunked insinuations that government had been overwhelmed by persisting insecurity.
Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed, who said this while addressing State House correspondents, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, explained that terrorists who attacked a military base at Birnin-Gwari in Kaduna State on Sunday were successfully repelled and that many of them were neutralised.
There were reports on Tuesday about the attack, which was said to have claimed between 11 and 17 soldiers as well as three vigilantes.
Some military equipment, including two armoured personnel carriers (APCs), were also said to have been destroyed by the invading terrorists.
Mohammed said the details of the casualties suffered by the terrorists on Sunday were unavailable in the public space because the military have not been displaying details of their successes in the war against terrorism in the media.
He blamed the media for providing oxygen for terrorists by publishing their activities.
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“But clearly the last three, four, five days, the military recorded massive victories against terrorists and bandits, either in the Northeast or in the Kaduna, Niger axis.
“I know that on Monday, there was a very successful aerial interjection where scores, if not hundreds, of bandits/terrorists were eliminated. Even when we’re able to identify where the bandits are, sometimes, out of fear of collateral damage to the innocent civilians, you choose the time you want to strike.
“But I just want to assure you that the administration is not unmindful of your anxieties and your concerns. But probably because we are in charge, we can assure you that there’s really, really no cause to feel that the government is overwhelmed, not at all. We are not overwhelmed. The last few days, I think, have confirmed that.
“Unfortunately, when we inflict these victories on the bandits for many reasons, we do not come out and say we have killed so many because it’s continuous. But very soon, Nigerians will feel the impact of these victories,” he said.
The minister blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for laying the foundation for the currently hunger in the land.
Also, the FEC approved N36.1 billion for Keffi-Nasarawa-Toto Road in Nasarawa State.
Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola told State House correspondents that the council approved the contract for the rehabilitation of 118.9 Keffi-Nasarawa-Toto Road in Nasarawa State for N36.130 billion”.
Other memos were presented to council during the meeting for road rehabilitation projects and maintenance of airports across the country.
Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said council approved N5.65 billion for the maintenance of air terminals in Abuja and Port Harcourt for three years.
FEC also approved N469.6 million for parts of L3 x-ray machine for clinics in Abuja, Kano and Lagos airports.
Sirika said the approvals centred on the maintenance of infrastructure and improved service delivery
“In this case, it’s for two terminal buildings and for the total sum of N5,653,341,739.07. This will include, of course, the VAT, which is 7.5 per cent. It’s for a period of three years.
“The maintenance will run at the two airports and it’s awarded to Messrs. CCECC, who were the company that, in the first place, built those facilities,” he said.
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Five children trapped inside abandoned car in Minna die
Five children have reportedly died of suffocation in an abandoned vehicle in the Albishiri area of Minna, Niger State.
The children were said to have gone missing on Sunday morning before they were found dead at 6pm on the same day.
One of the children was said to be a child of the owner of the car while another one was the child of a neighbour.
The remaining three were siblings, belonging to one Abdullahi Etsu of Etsu-tasha, from the Albishiri area.
Spokesman for the police command in Niger, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday.
He said the children were between the ages of five and 13.
Abiodun said the children were found trapped in a Honda Civic vehicle in the area.
He stated, “On 21/4/2024 at about 6.30pm, based on information received at Kpakungu Div, five children of about 5-13 years of age were found trapped in a Honda Civic vehicle with Reg No. GO 778 ABC at Albishiri area of Minna,” the statement reads.
“They were found to have suffocated in the vehicle, while their bodies were later removed by the various Parents, as Police visited the scene.
“However, the owner of the vehicle was invited for questioning, as the unfortunate incident is under investigation.”
FG summons Abuja Chinese supermarket owner to tribunal over discrimination
Director of Surveillance and Investigation at the FCCPC, Boladale Adeyinka, disclosed this on Monday after sealing off the outlet.
She affirmed that the owner of the supermarket, Cindy Liu Bei, had fled before the arrival of the agency’s officials.
The FCCPC officials stormed the supermarket on Monday, April 22, 2024, barely 24 hours after the discriminatory practices of the outlet were reported on social media by Nigerians.
Four vandalised towers disrupt power supply to Gombe, Yola, Jalingo
The TCN General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed this on Monday in a statement shared on the company’s official X handle, along with pictures of the vandalised towers.
According to the statement, the TCN noted that when the 330kV transmission line tripped, its operators attempted to restore it to service but it tripped again, prompting the dispatch of TCN lines men to trace the line to detect and rectify the fault.
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It said, “While fault tracing, TCN’s engineering crew discovered that towers 288, 289, 290, and 291 were vandalised and that some tower members were carted away. Also, the towers had equally collapsed as a result of the incident. Presently, bulk power supply to Gombe, Yola, and Jalingo substations have been disrupted, affecting bulk power supply to parts of Yola and Jos Electricity Distribution Companies’ franchise areas.’’
The TCN however stated that it was trying to first backfeed Gombe through its 132kV transmission line from Bauchi and subsequently Ashaka, Potiskum, Damaturu, and Billiri/Savannah, to mitigate the effect of the incident on electricity consumers affected by the incident.
The company assured that it would do everything to ensure restoration of electricity to the affected areas, while efforts were made to reconstruct the four vandalised towers.
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