New number plate, catalyst to combat terrorism – SSS DG

 Director-General of the State Security Services, Mr. Ekpeyong Itah, has described the new number plate project as a catalyst in the collective push to combat terrorism and other national security challenges facing the country.

Speaking during an advocacy visit by Wolrd Bank road safety consultants, Itah expressed his delight with the World Bank initiative of integrating safety components on road rehabilitation and construction in Nigeria as it would add value to traffic enforcement and proper identification of vehicle owners, across the country.

The Director-General said these innovations had made Nigeria an investment destination which would no doubt provide the potentials for socio-economic development.

Earlier in his presentation, the FRSC Corps Marshal and Chief Executive, Osita Chidoka said the World Bank consultants were in Nigeria for a review of the FRSC enforcement capacity, in line with the World Bank Safe corridor project which seeks to infuse road safety components into road construction and rehabilitation in Nigeria.

Also speaking, the World Bank Consultant, Minze Beuving, expressed his delight at the level of data collation and management by the FRSC and road infrastructure in the FCT but urged the Federal Government to  re-double efforts  in the area of traffic enforcement bordering on speed limit and use of safety helmet.

In a related development,  the Minister for Works, Mr. Mike Onolememe has said that Nigeria  enjoyes a rewarding partnership with the World Bank in the area of road development projects which has contributed immensely to the rehabilitation of numerous black spots along various sections of the highways and will serve as an impetus for a 50% reduction of road crashes in Nigeria.

According to the Minister, World Bank is presently funding the construction of 6 pedestrian bridges at strategic locations in the FCT to add value to safer road use in the metropolis and urged the global financial institution to replicate the safe corridor parts project in other of the country.

The World Bank consultants were also at the National Assembly to interface with the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs and House Committee on Road Safety to push for stronger legislative framework to enhance the capacity for the Federal Road Safety Corps to effectively discharge its statutory mandate.

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No Going Back On Removal Of Road Blocks – IGP

The Acting Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, yesterday reiterated that his directive on the removal of road-blocks on the nation's highways remained irrevocable.

The IGP who decorated some recently promoted officers with their new ranks said he would hold State Commissioners of Police, CPs, responsible for any crime committed within their jurisdiction, warning that crimes would not be allowed to take place on the excuse of lack of road-blocks on the highways.

While urging the newly promoted Officers, AIGs Dan'azumi Job Doma, Muktari Ibrahim and DCP Wilson Inelagwu to brace up for the challenges of their new positions, said the new Police leadership had the mandate to restore the lost glory of policing the nation effectively and fighting crimes to a standstill.

Abubakar pledged that his regime would be result oriented and therefore he must work with people who are result conscious.

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‘How to tackle Boko Haram’

The Secretary-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Dr AbdulLateef Adegbite, has said the Federal Government must adopt a carrot-and-stick policy to resolve the Boko Haram challenge.

Adegbite, in a statement, said: "The moderates among them can be accepted as the constitution and the law may permit. Those hard-line Boko Haram elements that are bent on pursuing violent agenda should be sought out and dealt with according to the law.

"The scourge of violence as perpetrated by Boko Haram has become dreadful and frightening and seemingly uncontrollable. The need has obviously arisen to seek divine intervention.

"We call on peace -loving Nigerian Muslims to collaborate with their Christian counterparts in embracing peace and dialogue to enhance national security."

He added: "NSCIA hereby expresses solidarity with President Goodluck Jonathan and his government in their effort to suppress Boko Haram’s violent rebellion."

Adegbite urged agencies in charge of national security to be more alive to their responsibilities.

He said: "Religious leaders should educate their followers against negative preaching, practices and behaviour. Religious education should focus on authentic texts of every faith devoid of exaggeration that feed extremism."

He condoled with Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Emir of Kano and the people over the recent explosions.

Adegbite said: "The incident was on a scale that has not been seen before in this country. When added to the previous occurrences in other parts of the North in recent times, the magnitude of the loss to the nation is worrisome.

"We pray that Allah forgives the sins of the victims and admit them in Aljannah. May Allah grant the wounded speedy recovery and console the relations and dependant of the departed.

"We lament the unabated threats to the security of the nation posed by these mindless elements parading themselves as Boko Haram and whose menace continues to instil deep fear in Nigerians. Their destructive activities have also dented the image of Nigeria internationally and adversely affected the inflow of foreign investment into the country.

"It is now crystal clear that these hard–faced rebels have declared war on all Nigerians. This is why it is misguided for some Christian leaders to call for reprisal against Muslims just because Boko Haram targeted a Church near Abuja on Christmas Day last year, irresponsibly killing many worshippers. Is it not now evident that with the sad massacre in Kano, and killings elsewhere in the North, an over whelming number of Muslims have been wasted by Boko Haram?"

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Boko Haram threat: FG to build border plaza

THE Federal Government has concluded plans to build border plaza across the country to check the influx of illegal immigrants especially during this period of security threat by the Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro who disclosed this in Calabar at the weekend while on a working visit to paramilitary formations under his ministry in Cross River State said the federal government considers the security of its citizenry very paramount.

Comrade Moro said the proposed border plaza is a way of beefing up security at the nation’s border areas adding that already about 1475 official and 1975 unofficial borders have been identified.

He said, “If we can effectively man our official borders, then we can very actively turn our attention to the irregular borders and I assure you that by the time we carry out this development, by the end of 2015, Nigeria will be a better place for Nigerians.”

The minister disclosed that with the ongoing reform in the country and particularly in his ministry, there will be a complete overhaul of the structure and functioning of prisons in Nigeria.

According to him, following the bilateral agreement Nigeria and some other countries had entered into, prisoners of Nigeria origin serving jail terms abroad would be transferred back home to complete their jail terms in Nigeria.

On the restructuring of prisons, he said, “The prisons generally are supposed to be correctional and reformatory centers where people come out of prisons and become useful citizens and properly integrated into the society, but today, we cannot talk about that simply because the successive governments have failed to provide the basic aspects of the correctional or vocational skills for prison inmates.

“So, we are taking the battle comprehensively hoping that by the time we carry out the reforms, which we are trying to do now, we will be able to be compare favourably with other prisons in other parts of the world.”

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Attacks at Bars Leave Four Dead in Adamawa, Gombe

A fresh wave of violence has left four persons dead and two others injured after suspected gunmen opened fire on beer parlours in Adamawa and Gombe States.

Agency reports said both attacks which occurred Friday night in Yola and Gombe were similar as armed gunmen pulled up to separate beer parlours and opened fire on patrons.

Adamawa State police commissioner, Ade Shinaba, said Saturday that one attack occurred Friday night at the Wuro-Hausa area of Yola, where two customers of a beer parlour were killed and one police officer injured.

Police Public Relations Officer in the State, ASP Altine Daniel, said a policeman in mufti who was not on duty was also injured in the attack which occurred at about 9.00pm on Friday.

She also confirmed that normalcy had returned to Guyuk, Lamurde, Numan and Girei Local Government Area of the state where there was an outbreak of sectarian crisis, which led to the imposition of a 24-hour curfew, which, she said, has now been relaxed to 12 hours by the State government.

Suspected gunmen have killed more than 20 people in five different attacks in Yola and Mubi alone in the last 10 days, with the State government promising a reward of N25 million to anyone who could provide useful information that could lead to the arrest of the gunmen.

The other shooting in Gombe left two persons dead and one other injured. Gombe State Police Command confirmed the attack on the beer parlour in Gombe metropolis Friday night.

Police public relations Officer in the State, ASP Ahmed Mohammed, said the remains of the victims had been deposited at the State Specialist Hospital, Gombe.

He said the police were already investigating the attack, but no arrest had yet been made.

The latest attack, however, is suspected to be the handiwork of the Boko Haram sect.

The suspicions follow the group’s earlier promise of more attacks. Already, the group has claimed responsibility for several attacks that have left scores of Nigerians dead. The most recent one was a Christmas Day bombing of a church in Madalla near Abuja that killed more than 30 persons. It was followed by a warning that Christians should leave the north due to the group’s desire for wider implementation of Sharia law across the country.

U.N. Human Rights chief, Navi Pillay, on Thursday called on Nigerian political and religious leaders to conduct joint efforts to halt sectarian violence in the country. Pillay said it was especially important for Muslim and Christian leaders to "condemn all violence," including retaliatory attacks, stressing that those efforts could help stop a dangerous situation from "spiraling out of control.

President Goodluck Jonathan had declared a state of emergency in some North-eastern states and followed this up with the deployment of extra troops in the north, but the attacks have continued unabated.

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Immigration close Borno,Yobe borders

The Nigeria Immigration Service, has embarked on total closure of the nation’s borders in Borno and Yobe States with the support of other Security Agencies.

Considering the security imperatives of the announcement by President Goodluck Jonathan declaring state of emergency in some Local Government Areas in Borno and Yobe States , the Nigeria Immigration Service was mandated to ensure the closure of the borders of the affected States.

A statement from the NIS signed by the (Assistant Comptroller of Immigration Service) Public Relation Officer JoachimOlumba said it has “the Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Mrs. Rose Chinyere Uzoma, mobilized officers and men of affected State Commands to intensify surveillance, monitoring and patrol of the borders in those States.

She also deployed her deputies to the affected States to supervise the implementation of the border closure order, so as to ensure the exercise attains maximum level of compliance.

Furthermore, at the instance of the Comptroller General of Immigration, authorities of the Army, Police, Customs and Civil Defence deployed their operatives with the necessary logistics to assist Nigeria Immigration Service in patrolling and monitoring the extensive borders of Borno and Yobe States .

All these were in addition to the massive deployment of officers and men of Immigration Zone ‘C’ by the Zonal Coordinator, Mr. Bakari Betso, an Assistant Comptroller General of Immigration.

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The world's 10 most dangerous countries Nigeria rated 7th

To begin with, let's consider criteria and that means we need to ask "dangerous to whom?" There are plenty of local actors who are the nearest, greatest threats to the neighbors. 

So, let's limit ourselves to actors who can cause the greatest disruption through their actions to the most people over the next decade or so.

Here are my top 10:

10. Venezuela

Ok, Chávez won't start any world wars. But think of his disruptive reach around the hemisphere, his support for the FARC, and his cultivation of ties to Russia, China and the Middle East and its clear this is the one guy who is most likely to disrupt lives in Latin America for the foreseeable future.

9. Iraq and Saudi Arabia (Tie)

The final chapter has not been written in Iraq. Saddam may not have posed the threat Bush ascribed to him, but the fragmentation of this country (particularly in Kurdistan) could be massively destabilizing in the region and create real problems with Turkey, Iran, and Russia.

The Saudis support terror, their succession picture is murky, they are likely to be one of the first to respond to Iranian nukes with a program of their own, and they pull key levers in OPEC. Hard not to include them, too.

8. The European Union

Europe should be a force for stability in the world. But an EU without an effective foreign policy mechanism, without the ability to shoulder its share of the military burden associated with keeping the world safe, with a faltering Euro and with too many new members is a big void where the world needs strength. Sometimes the greatest threat comes from those who could take action to preserve stability but who do not.

7. Nigeria and Congo (Tie)

Nigeria is the biggest country on a continent that is increasingly important to the world for oil and other resources. It is a major player in the global energy scene. And it faces multiple threats both internally and from a truly scary neighborhood.

Congo is the site of the world's most deadly conflict of the past decade and both a metaphor and hub for the kind of regional fracturing that make instability in Africa one of the things most worrying to U.S. and European military commanders.

6. Israel and Palestine (Tie)

This is a dangerous place, for sure. Hostile or ill-considered moves by either party can trigger regional instability that would impact global energy markets and draw the attention of every major world power. 

The only reason this festering wound is ranked so low: everyone is so accustomed to it that it is more likely than not to have very narrow consequences even if it heats to a boil for extended periods.

5. Iran

Iran could be an important regional force for stability. But for the near term that looks pretty unlikely. Meanwhile, if the Iranian nuclear program triggers a regional arms race that may not mean state-on-state thermonuclear disaster (deterrence probably still works for most states) but it vastly increases the likelihood that some nuke ends up in the hands of some non-state (or allegedly non-state) actor.

4. Russia

See the preceding article. I rank them behind Pakistan because the odds are better that their desire to be part of the world system ultimately suppresses the country's more dangerous impulses. And because they are likely for the near term to be more dangerous as a diplomatic and political disruptor and as a regional mischief maker than as a direct military threat to anyone outside their immediate neighborhood. If I'm in that neighborhood though, I'm uncomfortable. And on top of all that, the most recent picture of a bare-chested Putin on horseback has me worried.

3. Pakistan

Pakistan is just barely a functioning state in the pieces of the country where the government has some control. As for the rest of the place? There are pieces that never bought into the idea of the Pakistani nation. So take that, add nukes, add the impact on India and Afghanistan, add al Qaeda and the Taliban, add the country as a petri dish and a symbol for radical Islam and it's still the place with the biggest potential to blow up into something very messy for the world in the next several years.

2. China

I do not believe China is a military threat to the U.S. or to anyone now or at any time in the near future. Rather they are on top of this list for the same reason that the number one country is: the most dangerous countries are the ones with the most power.

They flex their muscle ... economic, political, or military... and they have the biggest impact. Or, as in the case of China, if they don't ... if they remain the reluctant great power ... and don't assume a role in the international system proportionate to their power, it will throw the system out of balance. (For example: if Iran's nuclear program is a threat and China could make a difference in containing it but doesn't ... they become a contributor to the threat.)

 Further, they've got internal struggles that could have them focused inward for a long time ... some, with the Uighurs say, that could have them caught up in a struggle with the Islamic world that could next spread into Central Asia (a development that worries me a great deal.)

1. The United States

I generally believe the U.S. is a force for good in the world and I am inclined to believe that is the objective of the current administration. But there is no denying that the one country who has most aggressively reached out to touch the world militarily in the past decade is the Untied States. Further, and more importantly, following the logic in the EU and China mentions above...no one has more power than the United States. 

That means no one can do more damage with a mistake or even with inaction. Also: as in the case of China and the EU, our economic missteps punish the planet and there is very little evidence to suggest we've taken the steps we need to avoid another meltdown of the 2008-2009 variety. Ask yourself: What has harmed more people on the planet, terrorist brutality or Wall Street venality?

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124 policemen in Lagos killed by bandits in 9 months

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has disclosed that 124 policemen died in encounters with armed robbers between January 2007 and September 2011.

Fashola made the disclosure last Tuesday, at the 5th Town Hall meeting on security with the theme; ‘Rising the current challenges’, organized by the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF, in Victoria Island.

He said the Town Hall meeting challenges the resolve made by the state Government in 2007 about securing the State and called upon everyone to acknowledge that crime is a threat to their businesses and their lives.

Apart from enumerating the state’s unceasing investment to sustain security since 2007, Fashola stated that in 2011 alone, the state has provided 10 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC), 60 high power motor bikes, 50 patrol vehicles and six boats as well as securing approval for five new Area Commands which it intends to build in 2012.

“We hope that from this meeting, we will raise enough money to provide five hundred more vehicles, 200 more patrol bikes and at least, 20 more Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC)” he said.

He told the gathering that the state government “lost a total number of 124 policemen in encounters with armed robbers between January 2007 and September 2011. We should honor their memory by pledging more support for their comrades in arms for, in spite of the dangers, the security personnel have continued to respond to distress calls once they were alerted”.

He also commended the team of 21 police officers that “investigated and stormed the hideout of heavily armed robbers and kidnappers resulting in the arrest of three members of the gang, the rescue of three kidnapped victims and the recovery of a haul of dangerous weapons including rocket launchers”.

He noted that the challenges of security and law are a growing threat all across the world. “The world is increasingly plagued by ideological, religious and economic challenges, and the countries like the United States, Britain, Greece and Italy, which used to act as shock absorbers receiving millions of immigrants are facing grave social and economic problems”.

The governor recalled that when he assumed duties in 2007, the biggest single challenge to the realization of the dreams of the administration was posed by insecurity, saying that not only were lives being lost to crime on an almost daily basis in traffic, bank robberies and home invasions, the law enforcement personnel were neither equipped to fight crime nor were they motivated to do so.

“The capacity we installed in 2007 has therefore become stretched. The vehicles have aged and need to be replaced. The demands are new, the methods of the criminals are changing and they are investing in their businesses in order to put our own lives and businesses at risk”.

“I stand before you very proudly to assert that we have overcome many of these challenges. The road to progress has not been easy. It has demanded thousands of hours of hard work which we have gladly given. We have been greatly inspired by your support and sense of community in joining us to fight crime and preserve law and order.

“The evidence of such support could be seen in the fact that our night life and economy is getting robust by the day and providing jobs for young people and investors in entertainment and hospitality. Many more businesses are opening and new hotels, restaurants, night clubs and cafes are springing up with the promise of more to come”, Governor Fashola said.

He said government has complemented this by lighting up many streets of Lagos with power provided by diesel fired generators and the policemen are now better equipped to respond because they now have patrol vehicles and Armoured Personnel Carriers to fight crime.

“Keeping them on the road to protect all of us requires hundreds of thousands of liters of petrol, diesel and other logistics. We are paying them an improved monthly allowance and those at the vanguard of responding to violent crimes now have a group life and accident insurance coverage”, the Governor stated.

He warned all property owners who harbor criminals that if apprehended, the Certificate of Occupancy of such properties would be revoked while the property will be acquired for public use.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of the Security Trust Fund, Chief Remi Makanjuola who was represented by his Vice, Mr Olusegun Kazeem, (DIG) RTD, said the greatest challenge facing the trust fund is about sustaining what it has built over the years.

In a report of the Board of Trustees, the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Mr Fola Arthur –Worrey said the most pressing challenge of the Fund is sustainability and growth over the long term.

Giving an update on the security situation in the State as well as current challenges, the State Police Commissioner, Mr Yakubu Alkali said from available records, the State Police Command could hardly boast of ten serviceable vehicles prior to the advent of the security trust fund.

Mr Alkali stated that the story is however different today as the command is now the proud recipient of sundry logistics and financial assistance which has immensely boosted the capacity of the men to perform their duties.

The Police Commissioner listed items which the command has so far received to include two helicopters, 30 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC), 300 patrol vehicles including mobile workshop vehicles, five W-19 Fibre Boats fitted with double 75HP Outboard Engines, 100 Ballistic Helmets, 1000 AK-47 rifles, two million 7.62MM Caliber ammunition, 60 patrol motorcycles and 300 Walkie-Talkies.

“Within the last few months, crime have not only been prevented, but have been cracked or nipped in the bud when committed. This is due to the quick response to distress calls and the scrupulous and diligent use of information volunteered by members of the public and tools at the disposal of the Police to do the job”.

The Police Commissioner who buttressed his presentation with several reported cases of armed robbery and kidnap cases which the command foiled especially the one involving the recovery of a cache of arms and ammunition from some criminals and release of four kidnap victims in Igando, an outskirt of Lagos.

Special commendation Bravery Awards were presented to 21 police officers who have been very exemplary in confronting criminals.

They include; the Commander of Police Mobile Force 2, Keffi, Superintendent Patrick Ejedawe, which led the team that secured the release of four kidnapped men, Superintendent Aba Kyari, Deputy Superintendent Ugar Udoh, Assistant Superintendent of Police ASP, Apochi Joseph, ASP Charles Onwuka, Inspector Bernard Benimare, Inspector Edward Iguma among others.

They proudly received the awards and handshakes from the Governor and members of the Board of the LSSTF.

Source:Vanguardngr

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Following President Goodluck Jonathan’s directive to the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petirin to take over the security of Jos and stop the sectarian killings, Vanguard gathered yesterday that the Nigerian Airforce has already put on standby, a C-130 aircraft for the airlifting of troops from two Army Brigades, one from the South West and another from the North Central to complement soldiers on ground for the operation. 

The General Officer Commanding ‘3’ Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Adamu Marwa, who only resumed duty last week has been summoned to Abuja for briefings concerning strategies to be employed towards implementing the presidential directive. Also, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Onyeabor Azubuike Ihejirika as well as the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar whose personnel and equipment would form the bulk of the deployments were said to be in marathon meetings for the better part of yesterday with their Principal Staff Officers, discussing operational implications of the President’s order. Vanguard gathered that following the meetings, the Army High Command has directed the deployment of some armoured vehicles used for reconnaissance activities, advanced communications and night vision equipment as well as light combat attack vehicles to Jos for the operation. 

Already, the Air Officer Commanding Tactical Command of the Nigerian Air Force, Markudi, Air Vice Marshal Odesola was said to have deployed some of the air surveillance aircraft in the command for surveillance activities to cover the long expanse of land and valleys where most of the attackers on both sides of the divide pass through to perpetrate havoc. Meanwhile, indications have emerged that following investigations by bomb experts in the armed forces, most of the bombs used by the Boko Haram group and others for their attacks including that of Jos, are being manufactured or assembled locally. This development came just as it was gathered that following this discovery, security agents are now combing parts of the country for those persons either trained by the military or the police but who would have retired from service, with the capability of assembling or building explosives. 

While not ruling out that foreign technical assistance may have been obtained in the assemblage of some of the explosives used in some of the Boko Haram attacks like that of Force headquarters, a source told Vanguard that evidence collated on the UN house bombing, so far point to the fact that some locally made devices were put together to manufacture the explosives. The source noted however that, “we are closing up on them as we have been able to unmask their modus operandi and their bases, and very soon Nigerians will hear the details of what has been happening”. While refusing to give names of those suspected to be behind this group of people, the source said that “the planners of the attacks are very wealthy as the suicide attacks are capital intensive. Those who plan it buy brand new cars and settle the family of those to go on the suicide mission financially. 

So it is not something anybody can just dabble into without substantial reward”. Giving an insight to the modus operandi of the group, the source said, “after any successful attack, they will study the security situation put in place and re-strategize. When they observe that tension is dying down and security arrangements have relaxed, they strike again. This intelligence is now available to the security agencies. Residents hail Jonathan’s directive Residents of Plateau State yesterday welcomed the directive by President Goodluck Jonathan that the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Oluseyi Petirin should take over the security of the state expressing hope that he would make a difference. A cross section of residents who spoke yesterday said since previous measures such as the setting up of the Special Task Force (STF) have not solved the problem, they hoped he would come up with new strategies to solve the recurring crisis in the state. 

 A civil servant, Maiyaki Ishaku said the deployment of the CDS was an indication that the Federal Government was now taking the problem of Jos seriously. “We do not know what the CDS will do to make a difference, but for the president to ask such a high-ranking officer to oversee the security of the state is an indication that the problem, for once, is being accorded serious attention. We can only hope and pray that his coming will bring the desired peace”, he said. Acting President of Civil Society Coalition in the state, Dr. Tor Iorapuu also supported a change of strategy in tackling the security challenges as well as a review of the security arrangement. Speaking on behalf of the coalition at a press briefing yesterday he said “the security saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property should be overhauled so as to weed out bad eggs that have brought disrepute to the task force.

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ORITSEJAFOR - Allow Every Nigerian To Carry A Gun.

following the recent attacks on some villagers by a sect in Jos Plateau State, in which several people died, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on President Jonathan to allow every Nigerian to carry arms for self-protection. The national president of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, made the call through a statement, a copy of which was made available to the Nigerian Tribune on Monday.

He said “we urge the president, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to stop the orgy of ethnic cleansing or accede to recent calls for all Nigerians to carry arms.” Stating that the killing of innocent villagers could not assuage electoral disadvantages, Oritsejafor added that if the president could no longer guarantee the safety of life and property of Nigerians, in accordance with the oath he took, then the National Assembly should immediately enact a law that would make every Nigerian to carry arms for their own protection. 

As a nation, we cannot continue like this. There has to be a genuine demonstration of commitment to the collective development of the country, through honesty of purpose. The current orgy of violent ethnic crises has continued unabated for several days, just a few days after the president had identified the people behind the growing spate of terrorism in the country,” the statement said. Worried by the new dimension the crises had assumed in recent times, which had led to the killing of over 52 persons, including pregnant women and children within 10 days, the CAN president called on President Jonathan to reassure Nigerians that he had the capacity to guarantee their safety in any part of the nation, by urgently halting what he called the madness taking place in parts of Plateau State.

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National Security Issues:FG has deported 3,185 foreigners.

In the wake of concerns over collaboration between the Boko Haram sect and foreign Islamic insurgents, the Federal Government has deported 3,185 foreigners.

Public Relations Officer of Nigerian Immigration Service, Mr Joachim Olumba, who disclosed this to Vanguard, weekend, said the foreign nationals were deported after rigorous and enhanced screening at the nation’s legal entry points, noting that the deportees included those whose presence in Nigeria was found to be inimical to national security.

He said 31 Somalis and 382 Sudanese had been screened and had been established to be legal residents in Nigeria and legally engaged in the country as well.

Meanwhile, the eight ex-militants who were ordered repatriated from Sri Lanka by the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chief Executive of the Amnesty Pogramme, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, for indiscipline would be handed over to the State Security Service when they returned home this week.

The Amnesty Office said in a statement by the Head of Media and Communications, Mr. Henry Ugbolue, that Kuku had to take a firm action against indiscipline among the ex-militants to ensure objectives of the amnesty programmes were achieved.

The ex-militants were expelled from a vocational training centre in Sri Lanka for offences ranging from fighting to wilful destruction of training equipment.

The statement read in part:

“The six trainees were expelled from a vocational training centre in Sri Lanka for offences ranging from fighting to wilful destruction of training equipment.

“The Six trainees who travelled out to Topher Zhang Maritime Vocational Centre Sri Lanka just a month ago to commence vocational training in either undersea welding or boat building are due back in the country this week and shall be immediately handed over to the Department of State Services (SSS) for proper profiling and possible prosecution.

“Further, Hon. Kuku has instructed the Accounts Department of the Amnesty Office to stop forthwith the remittances of monthly stipends to the accounts of the affected trainees. The Federal Government will no longer condone serial cases of indiscipline among Amnesty Programme’s trainees posted to vocational or skills acquisition centres both within the country and abroad. Indeed Hon. Kuku says the Amnesty Office is considering outright expulsion of unruly trainees from the Programme”.

The list of the indicted trainees were: Chinese Igoli, Weri Kingdom, Ekankumor Ogosi, Prince Jonathan Omie, Brinimugha Orunisiede, Elvis Oto, Agbabo Suama, Sinclear Thursday.

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