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Report of troops killing Igbo, dumping bodies in river false, mischievous – Army
Report of troops killing Igbo, dumping bodies in river false, mischievous – Army
The Nigerian Army has denied allegations of mass killing by its troops in South-East of innocent Igbo and dumping their bodies in the river
The claims of mass killing were made by Simon Ekpa, a self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
But the Nigerian Army in a statement on Wednesday by Army’s Director of Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, described the allegations as unfounded, mischievous and despicable.
The statement read in part, “The Nigerian Army (NA) has noted with dismay a mischievous and systematic campaign of calumny by Simon Ekpa, a self acclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafran terrorists. “The self acclaimed leader through spurious and unfounded claims raised alarm on a viral video alleging that troops of NA are carrying out mass killing of innocent Igbo at Oliver and dumping them in the River.
“The report also contained some unimaginable and not well couched falsehood targeted at whipping-up negative sentiments against troops and inciting anarchy in the South East region.
“Contrary to the falsehood being spread from the devious propaganda machinery of the desperate and self-serving terrorists’ leader, the NA wishes to state that it has conducted a comprehensive investigation on the allegations made by the devious infamous leader and his associates.
“Accordingly, we wish to categorically refute these baseless claims by throwing more light on the occurrence.
“In the first instance, the troops in the video footage are not personnel of the Nigerian Army as the insignia visible on their berets clearly identifies them as personnel of the Nigerian Navy, who were engaged in a routine test firing of a weapon system mounted on a vehicle and in order to ensure the safety of other road users and commuters, the troops took precautionary measures by halting vehicular movement along the road, until the test firing was safely concluded. “Observers were also kept at a safe distance, maintaining transparency and prioritizing the safety of all involved.
“Secondly, preliminary findings also indicate that the occurrence took place in the South-West region of the country and not the South-East as advertently portrayed by the alarmist propagandists. “Furthermore, it was observed that there was no evidence to support the assertion that individuals were being shot at in the river, nor has there been any report from local communities regarding the discovery of corpses in the area.
“Consequently, the NA wishes to enjoin the public to disregard the unfounded claims and irredeemable falsehood being propagated by Simon Ekpa and his associates, whose apparent objective is to disseminate misinformation and incite unrest. “
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FRSC threatens to withdraw licences of defiant drivers
FRSC threatens to withdraw licences of defiant drivers
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) will henceforth revoke the driver’s licenses of recalcitrant drivers.
Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Malam Shehu Mohammed, made this known on Friday in Abuja while addressing newsmen on the outcome of the 2024 Eid-el Kabir Special Patrol Operations held between Friday, June 14 and Sunday, June 23.
He said that the Corps had realised more than ever before the increasing need for collective participation and collaboration among all stakeholders.
He also said the Corps leveraged this as a necessary variable tool that would help in achieving the mileage recorded within the periods under consideration.
According to him, prominent amongst these activities are ;strengthened ongoing Inter-agency Joint Task Force (JTF) to mitigate the excesses of trailer drivers.
“Enforcing compliance on indiscriminate use of trailers to convey human beings.
“This also includes aggressive public enlightenment, robust media engagement, and aggressive advocacy campaigns carried out in motor parks across the Federation.
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“Finally, there was also the identification and mapping of strategic routes across the country and effective deployment of appropriate personnel and logistics to cover them, “he said.
The FRSC boss said that the Corps had a robust engagement with the leadership of the various transport unions and security agencies.
This, he said, included state traffic management agencies and the FCT Department of Road Traffic Services.
“All these were done to ensure that every stakeholder, both in public and private sectors, plays cardinal role in entrenching safety on the highways.
“On the strength of the foregoing, may I bring to your notice that we have added to the conventional enforcement of traffic regulations on articulated vehicles.
“We have gone a step further by commencing prosecution of recalcitrant drivers through Mobile Court operations in the 36 States of the Federation and the FCT.
“Subsequently, more drastic measures, including suspension and withdrawal of the national drivers license will be carried out,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that prior to the commencement of the 2024 Sallah special patrol, the FRSC Corps Marshal had spoken on the mileage to achieve in bringing down the curve of road traffic crashes.
These include fatalities, injuries, as well as traffic offenders on the nation’s highways.
FRSC threatens to withdraw licences of defiant drivers
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Nigeria making progress in money laundering, terrorism financing fight – FATF
Nigeria making progress in money laundering, terrorism financing fight – FATF
According to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Nigeria will exit the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list by early 2025.
The FATF acknowledged Nigeria’s progress during its June 2024 Plenary meeting in Singapore. Nigeria’s efforts to address anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing deficiencies have been recognized.
The Nigerian delegation at the Plenary included the EFCC Executive Chairman, the SCUML Director, and the NFIU CEO’s Chief of Staff.
A statement by Sani Tukur, Head of Strategic Communications at NFIU, confirmed Nigeria’s advancement and commitment to the Action Plan.
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It noted, “The Plenary approved two more upgrades. Nigeria has completed 30% of the Action Plan and is on track to exit the grey list by early 2025.”
Hafsat Abubakar Bakari reaffirmed Nigeria’s dedication to fully implementing the Action Plan and updated the Plenary on GIABA’s progress in strengthening its technical capacity.
Nigeria was placed on the grey list in February 2023. Exiting the list is expected to enhance Nigeria’s international reputation and attract foreign investment.
Nigeria making progress in money laundering, terrorism financing fight – FATF
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Scrap LGs if govs won’t allow them to function, Audu Ogbeh tells FG
Scrap LGs if govs won’t allow them to function, Audu Ogbeh tells FG
Former Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has called on the federal government to consider scrapping the local government system if state governors continue to hinder its effective operation.
Ogbeh highlighted concerns over the inefficiency of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, citing issues of governance control and alleged mismanagement of funds by governors. He emphasized that little improvement has been seen despite calls for local government autonomy and recent legal actions against governors for misusing local government funds.
Speaking on the socio-political programme “Inside Sources with Laolu Akande” on Channels Television, Ogbeh, a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed frustration over disappearing funds meant for local government administration. He criticized the lack of visible development projects despite significant federal allocations.
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“If we don’t want the local government system, let’s scrap it. But if allowed to function properly, it could be a fantastic system,” Ogbeh asserted.
He urged the federal government to withhold monthly allocations to states where governors appoint caretaker committees for local government administration, labelling such committees illegal according to Supreme Court rulings.
“Don’t send them cash; deduct their allocations and retain it,” Ogbeh insisted. He argued that governors failing to manage local government affairs adequately undermine national stability and development.
“These failures are creating dangerous problems for the country,” he concluded, emphasizing the urgent need for effective governance at the grassroots level to benefit all Nigerians.
Scrap LGs if govs won’t allow them to function, Audu Ogbeh tells FG
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