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ECOWAS Speaker Decries Rising Terrorism Violent Extremism , Organised Crime in West Africa
ECOWAS Speaker Decries Rising Terrorism Violent Extremism , Organised Crime in West Africa
By: Michael Mike
Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, has decried the increasing surge in the threat of terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime in West African sub-region.
Speaking during the 2024 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja, Ibrahima expressed gratitude to Almighty God, Creator and Originator of all things, saying that out of His unending kindness, he has enabled the parliament to meet at the National Assembly, which is highly symbolic of the Parliament’s commitment to viable and sincere sub-regional integration.
Ibrahima who said that the session is taking place in a difficult international context for the entire planet earth, insisted that as the world had barely emerged from pandemics and epidemics, although not fully, but still grappling with a number of scourges and challenges, such as poverty, climate change, the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and the conflict in the Middle East, to name but a few.
She said: “Unfortunately, the problems are compounded by another phenomenon of staggering proportions in the region, namely the upsurge in the threat of terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime, which is costing the lives of our valiant defence and security forces, as well as thousands of innocent people.”
Ibrahim’s said there are various political, economic and security crises in several member states which the 6th Legislature must urgently help to address, adding that:
“These include the desire expressed by three of our member states to withdraw from the Community, as well as the growing tensions between the Republics of Benin and Niger, not to mention other constant concerns in the region such as terrorism, food insecurity, irregular migration and the adverse effects of climate change.”
She noted that discussions on the various issues led to the adoption by Parliament of what is known as the “Kano Declaration,”
stressing that by means of the declaration, the ECOWAS Parliament resolved, among other things, to set up an ad hoc mediation committee to initiate and maintain not only dialogue with the authorities of the different countries, but also communication among the various populations.
She noted that the Parliament also resolved to conduct field visits to understand and help settle disagreements between the two friendly and sister nations, Benin and Niger and to encourage the ECOWAS Commission to expedite the implementation of the joint defence strategy to fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
“I want to assure you that, during its last two meetings, the Bureau of Parliament discussed these recommendations at length, and urgent actions are being taken in collaboration with other ECOWAS institutions to implement them,” Ibrahima disclosed.
In his remarks, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, said besides the many threats related to peace and security, as well as challenges related to poverty, the West African region is also facing the risks of disintegration.
He said: “As you all know, on January 29th, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger notified the Commission of their intention to leave ECOWAS with immediate effect.
“Our people – the people of West Africa – have lived within an integrated ECOWAS community for several decades. Populations have benefited from freedom of movement within our ECOWAS space and have begun to perceive the advantages of our common market where local products are traded freely in a market of over 400 million inhabitants. In addition, the use of a common passport and a common biometric identity card for travel within our community space has been introduced.
“Given these advantages, it is clear that disintegration will not only disrupt the freedom of movement and establishment of people, but it will also aggravate insecurity in the region. More specifically, the withdrawal of the three aforementioned countries will deal a severe blow to security cooperation, particularly in terms of intelligence sharing and participation in the fight against regional terrorism and other joint security initiatives, such as the operationalization of the ECOWAS standby force that our member states’ defense ministers have just agreed to activate, as well as the Accra Initiative and the Multinational Joint Taskforce,” Touray said.
Touray also said the withdrawal of the three countries could also lead to diplomatic and political isolation on the international stage, as the countries will no longer be able to benefit from bloc support when their citizens or candidates seek international positions within the African Union, the United Nations, and similar bodies.
“This withdrawal will also affect travel and immigration conditions for citizens of these three countries, as they will now have to apply for visas before traveling within the sub-region. Citizens of these countries may no longer be able to reside or freely create businesses within the facilities established by ECOWAS and may be subject to various national laws. Additionally, these three countries will have to cease using ECOWAS passports, the ECOWAS biometric national identity card, and the ECOWAS “Brown Card” automobile insurance on a regional scale.
“Economically and financially, the withdrawal of the three member states could lead to the cessation or suspension of all projects and programs implemented by ECOWAS in these countries, valued at over 500 million US dollars.
“It is also worth noting that the two regional financial institutions, namely the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), have significant investments in these three countries. EBID has 27 projects currently in these three countries, with a total value estimated at around 321.634 million US dollars, of which 38.1 percent are public sector projects and 61.9 percent are private sector projects. The banking portfolio in these three countries represents approximately 22.5 percent of the total bank portfolio in the 15 member states. The three countries have contributed a total of 33.135 million US dollars to the bank’s capital.
“Institutionally, it is worth noting that the withdrawal of the three countries will result in the closure of four ECOWAS regional entities in Burkina Faso, two ECOWAS regional bodies in Mali, and one ECOWAS regional office in Niger. This will also affect the job security of approximately 130 ECOWAS staff citizens of the three countries, distributed as follows: 77 from Burkina Faso; 23 from Mali; and 32 from Niger,” Touray also said.
ECOWAS Speaker Decries Rising Terrorism Violent Extremism , Organised Crime in West Africa
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Primaries: Aspirants protest imposition of Reps candidates in Adamawa
Primaries: Aspirants protest imposition of Reps candidates in Adamawa
The Forum of House of Representatives Aspirants of Numan /Demsa/Lamurde Federal Constituency under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa has protested what it described as imposition of candidates in the just concluded primary elections in the state.
Speaking during the peaceful protest in Numan Local Government Area, Adamawa, Vrati Nzonzo, the spokesperson of the Forum said, the committee responsible for the conduct of the exercise and the party officials failed to abide by the rules of the game.
Nzonzo said the rules for electing candidates were through consensus or direct primaries but stressed that none of the rules were observed.
According to him, with what happened, their mandate was stolen and given to someone who did not deserve the candidacy.
“The election was supposed to be Consensus or Direct primaries but we opposed the consensus and there were no direct primaries across the Constituency”, he said.
PNzonzo called on the National Chairman APC and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri to ensure justice and fairness for the victory of the party else they threatened that they won’t vote for the party at the general elections.
Justina Nkon another aspirant also condemned the conduct of the primary election across the constituency.
According to her, the electorate were at the venue of the primaries from 8:00a.m and no officials showed up until 2:00 p.m and later on they said they had conducted the election without seeing any election materials.
She urged Fintiri to live up to the promise he made at the time of his campaign that he would not betray the people in the state.
“It’s now under your watch as the leader of the party we are witnessing the undemocratic process of primary elections by enforcing candidates who have not been elected by the people in the Constituency”, she said.
According to her, the so-called primary elections are unconstitutional, hence the need to conduct a free, fair and credible primary elections.
Usoko ken-Supule, another aspirant, demanded justice and fairness for every aspirant and for the progress of the party in the constituency, state and the country at large.
“We want justice for the progress of the party and without fairness there is no progress, therefore we are respectful party loyalists.
“We are not happy in view of what happened and we are disappointed; we are calling on the party leadership and the state governor to consider the plight of the masses”, he said.
Primaries: Aspirants protest imposition of Reps candidates in Adamawa
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Zulum Assures Immediate Relief Items, Dignified Resettlement of Displaced Persons in Monguno
Zulum Assures Immediate Relief Items, Dignified Resettlement of Displaced Persons in Monguno
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has assured displaced communities affected by insecurity that the government is working closely with the Nigerian military hierarchy to provide immediate humanitarian and long-term support.
Governor Zulum gave the assurance when he visited displaced persons in Monguno town on Sunday, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to ensuring dignified resettlement back to their ancestral communities.

While at the IDP camp, the governor interacted directly with displaced families as women, children and elderly residents gathered around him while he listened to their concerns.
“We have examined the situation critically alongside the hierarchy of the Nigerian military, and it has been concluded that we shall provide immediate humanitarian support to these displaced communities, especially in the areas of water, shelter, and sanitation,” Zulum stated.

“Apart from this, we shall also ensure that medium and longer-term sustainable solutions are being adopted, which is acceptable to this community and their ancestral home,” he said.
“We will improve the living conditions of the displaced persons; we will not allow our citizens to endure such hardship without urgent government intervention.”
He also urged residents to cooperate with security agencies by reporting suspicious movements and activities within their communities, noting that sustaining peace and security requires collective responsibility.
“Security is everybody’s business. Communities must continue to support security agencies with timely and useful information,” the governor stated.

Governor Zulum disclosed that there are over 50,000 returnees in Marte, stressing that plans were underway to facilitate the return of more displaced persons to the town as part of the medium and longer-term solution.
He immediately directed the Secretary to the State Government, the Commissioner for Local Government, the Commissioner for Internal Security, and the Chairman of Marte Local Government Area to work out the modalities for implementing the recommendations adopted.
The governor sympathized with the people affected by the recent insecurity and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting them.
As part of the visit, Governor Zulum also met with health workers at the Monguno Eye Hospital, commending them for continuing to provide medical services despite difficult working conditions and limited resources. He announced financial support to improve their welfare and encourage greater commitment to healthcare delivery in the area.
The governor also visited the Commanding Officer of Forward Operation Base (FOB) Mairari for a security brief.
Governor Zulum was accompanied by the Senator representing Borno North, Senator Mohanmed Tahir Monguno; Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulkarim Lawan, Member Representing Marte, Monguno, Nganzai, Hon. Bukar Talba, Secretary to the state government, Bukar Tijani, Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar, Commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Hon. Sugun Mai Mele, alongside other government officials.
Zulum Assures Immediate Relief Items, Dignified Resettlement of Displaced Persons in Monguno
News
Troops Discover Illegal Refinery Site in Rivers Forest
Troops Discover Illegal Refinery Site in Rivers Forest
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of 103 Battalion operating under the Joint Task Force South-South Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) have discovered an illegal refining site in the Orashi National Forest in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Military sources said the operation was conducted between 10:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. on May 15, 2026, as part of ongoing anti-illegal bunkering operations in the Niger Delta region.
According to the sources, troops uncovered an illegal refining site containing one large drum oven, one reservoir, one large coolant, two receivers, two waste pits, and two galvanised pipes measuring about 50 metres each.
The site was suspected to have been used for the illegal processing of stolen crude oil and petroleum products.
The sources said the discovered items were handled in accordance with operational directives of Operation Delta Safe.
Security authorities reiterated their commitment to sustaining operations against crude oil theft, illegal refining activities and economic sabotage across the Niger Delta region.
Troops Discover Illegal Refinery Site in Rivers Forest
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