News
CBDA Suspends Controversial Asset Disposal After Gov. Zulum’s Intervention and Scrutiny
CBDA Suspends Controversial Asset Disposal After Gov. Zulum’s Intervention and Scrutiny
By Zagazola Makama
The Chad Basin Development Authority (CBDA) has suspended a controversial asset disposal exercise following sustained opposition from the Borno State Government, by Gov. Babagana Zulum, after allegations by some staff members over the scope and transparency of the process went viral.
The suspension was announced in a statement issued by the Authority’s Public Relations Officer and Head of Information Unit, Mr Muhammed Bukar Alibe, who said the exercise involved only unserviceable and obsolete assets certified beyond economic repair by technical inspectors from the Federal Ministry of Works.
The suspension comes after weeks of mounting concerns over plans to dispose of equipment and machinery belonging to the authority, a move feared by most people could significantly weaken the agency’s capacity to support irrigation farming and agricultural development across the Lake Chad Basin region in the North East.
According to the statement, the Authority halted the disposal process after consultations with stakeholders and in consideration of prevailing security restrictions in Borno State. The statement further maintained that no scrap materials had been authorised or released for disposal and reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the protection of public assets.
In its latest statement, the management of the authority said the exercise involved only obsolete and unserviceable items certified beyond economic repair and that the process had been suspended after consultations with stakeholders and consideration of security restrictions affecting movement of scrap materials in Borno State.
However, sources familiar with developments surrounding the exercise dispute that explanation, insisting that concerns raised by the Borno State Government, the media and other stakeholders in the state played a decisive role in forcing the suspension.
Sources told Zagazola that Gov. Babagana Zulum had expressed strong reservations over reports that operational agricultural and engineering equipment could be removed from CBDA facilities under an asset disposal programme.
According to the sources, the governor warned that any attempt to strip the authority of equipment critical to irrigation, water supply and agricultural production would undermine ongoing efforts to revive farming activities in communities recovering from years of insurgency.
The sources said the governor subsequently engaged senior officials of the authority and conveyed the state’s opposition to any disposal exercise that could affect serviceable assets acquired with public funds.
“He even warned that if they insisted, he will report directly to Mr President,”said the sources.
The controversy first gained national attention after whistleblowers within the authority raised concerns over the scope of the proposed disposal programme, alleging that equipment earmarked for auction went beyond obsolete materials and included assets considered essential to the agency’s operations.
The allegations triggered widespread concern among stakeholders in Borno and other beneficiary states of the Chad Basin Development Authority.
The matter was earlier scrutinized when the Senate Committee on Water Resources and Sanitation summoned the management of the authority and requested detailed records relating to the disposal process, including valuation reports, approval documents and asset registers.
The committee said it was exercising its constitutional oversight responsibilities to determine whether all statutory requirements had been complied with in the proposed disposal exercise.
Gov. Zulum later publicly warned against the removal of heavy-duty agricultural and engineering equipment from facilities belonging to the authority, arguing that such assets remained critical to food production, irrigation development and economic recovery across the North-East.
He stressed that equipment procured with public resources should be preserved and deployed to support agricultural productivity rather than removed in a manner that could undermine the authority’s mandate.
The governor also reminded stakeholders that Borno State maintains restrictions on scrap metal activities because of security concerns and the role such activities have previously played in facilitating criminal networks.
CBDA Suspends Controversial Asset Disposal After Gov. Zulum’s Intervention and Scrutiny
Troops Recover 318 Rustled Livestock During Offensive Against Bandits in Katsina
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of the 17 Brigade have recovered 318 rustled livestock during a major offensive operation targeting suspected bandit enclaves in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Military sources said the operation, conducted on June 17, was launched on two fronts to clear criminal elements operating around Tuga and adjoining communities.
The sources disclosed that Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions were carried out ahead of the ground assault, while air assets conducted precision strikes on three suspected terrorist locations to degrade the criminals’ capabilities before the advance of ground troops.
According to the sources, one column of troops advanced through Karaduwa, Farin Tafki, Saura and Radawa towards Tuga, while a second column moved through Sayaya, Gangule and Radawa to the objective area.
During the operation, troops successfully cleared several communities, including Karaduwa, Farin Tafki, Saura and Radawa, and intercepted 318 rustled livestock believed to have been stolen by bandits.
The recovered animals were subsequently moved to a military base for documentation and further action.
The troops also responded to attacks launched by suspected bandits on Tuga and Kuka Maidamisa villages. The attacks were reportedly carried out in retaliation against residents accused by the criminals of providing information that led to the rescue of kidnapped victims, including one Mrs Amina Abubakar.
Military sources said troops conducted further exploitation of the surrounding areas after securing the affected communities but did not encounter any additional significant threats.
The operation is expected to continue as security forces sustain pressure on criminal elements operating within the area.
Troops Recover 318 Rustled Livestock During Offensive Against Bandits in Katsina
FG deploys 1000 forest guards to strengthen counter terrorism operations in Sokoto
By: Zagazola Makama
No fewer than 50 Forest Guards have been deployed to the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Gatawa, Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance security operations in the area.
Military sources disclosed that the personnel reported to the FOB on June 17 and were formally documented before being integrated into ongoing security activities within the area of responsibility.
The Forest Guards arrived with 25 AK-56 rifles, 50 magazines, 4,500 rounds of 7.62 x 35mm special ammunition, 25 face masks, 10 whistles, one Global Positioning System (GPS) device and a first-aid kit.
According to the sources, the newly deployed personnel were subsequently taken through orientation, familiarisation and cadre activities designed to acquaint them with the operational environment and security procedures in the area.
The deployment is expected to bolster ongoing efforts by security agencies to enhance surveillance, intelligence gathering and response capabilities in communities affected by security challenges within the Sabon Birni axis.
Security authorities expressed optimism that the integration of the Forest Guards would further strengthen collaboration among security stakeholders and contribute to sustaining peace and stability in the area.
FG deploys 1000 forest guards to strengthen counter terrorism operations in Sokoto
Nigeria Explains Ethiopia Prisoner Transfer Deal, Denies Viral Inmate List
By: Michael Mike
The Federal Government has defended its recent agreement with Ethiopia on the transfer of sentenced persons, saying the deal is aimed at allowing Nigerian inmates serving jail terms in the East African country to complete their sentences at home under more humane conditions.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said the agreement aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s citizen diplomacy policy, which places the welfare of Nigerians abroad at the centre of the administration’s foreign policy.
The minister also dismissed as false a list circulating on social media claiming that 136 Nigerians were imprisoned in Ethiopia, describing both the figures and the crimes attributed to the inmates as fabricated.
According to her, only 98 Nigerian prisoners in Ethiopia’s maximum-security prisons are covered by the transfer arrangement.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu explained that negotiations for the agreement had spanned several years due to difficulties in establishing the actual number of Nigerian inmates held in Ethiopia’s prison facilities, particularly the maximum-security prisons at Kaliti and Aba Samuel.
She said many of the prisoners had repeatedly appealed to the Nigerian government to facilitate their return home because of harsh living conditions, inadequate healthcare, poor feeding, limited access to legal services, language barriers and the absence of family visitation rights.
The minister disclosed that four Nigerian inmates died while the two countries were finalising the agreement, underscoring the urgency of the intervention.
She described many of the prisoners as young and vulnerable Nigerians who had fallen victim to criminal syndicates and made regrettable choices, insisting that they still deserved humane treatment despite their offences.
Addressing concerns that the transferred inmates could be released upon their return to Nigeria, the minister clarified that the memorandum of understanding expressly prohibits the granting of pardon or amnesty without the consent of Ethiopia, the sentencing state.
She also rejected attempts to portray the inmates as belonging predominantly to one ethnic group, stressing that criminality should not be ethnicised.
“A lot of them are from the South-East. There are also those from the South-West and South-South. At the end of the day, crime has no ethnicity. All these people are Nigerian citizens in a foreign jail,” she said.
The minister added that the government remains committed to pursuing similar interventions for Nigerians facing legal and humanitarian challenges in other parts of the world, reaffirming that the protection of citizens abroad remains a major pillar of Nigeria’s foreign policy under the Renewed Hope administration.
Nigeria Explains Ethiopia Prisoner Transfer Deal, Denies Viral Inmate List
Troops Recover 318 Rustled Livestock During Offensive Against Bandits in Katsina
Joint Security Forces Arrests 10 Suspects in Anambra Raid
Troops Engage Suspected Pipeline Vandals in Rivers, Launch Manhunt
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