National News
Boko Haram: ISWAP abducts travelers along Maiduguri, Damaturu Highway Less than 24 hours After DSS Issues Warning

Boko Haram: ISWAP abducts travelers along Maiduguri, Damaturu Highway Less than 24 hours After DSS Issues Warning
By: James Bwala, Maiduguri
Fighters of the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) have abducted an unspecified number of passengers along Damaturu / Maiduguri highway on Saturday.
This is coming less than 24 hours after the Department of State Security Services, DSS was said to have brought a sitrep to the Headquarters Theatre Command that ISWAP elements were gathering around Minok village along Damaturu, Maiduguri the highway.
According to a security source, the commuters were heading to Maiduguri in Borno State from Damaturu in Yobe state, when they were intercepted a few kilometers after Benishiek town.
Benishiek is the headquarters of Kaga Local Government Area of Borno and is about 75 km to Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
Also Read: Nigeria: Between The Media and The DSS
“Yes, there was an attack on motorists this morning along Damaturu/Maiduguri highway; these senseless people abducted an unspecified number of passages around Benishiek and Mainok axis. We don’t have more details than this.” the source said.
The Chairman Northeast Network of Civil Organization, Amb Ahmed Shehu, told newsmen that he also received reports of the abduction.
“There is still an abduction on the Damaturu -Maiduguri route this morning. Why can’t we have a sustainable solution to this reoccurring misfortune?” Amb Shehu queried.
NEWSng learnt that the incident happened around 8:30am on Saturday.
Residents of Maiduguri whose relatives had traveled were thrown into confusion as many who could not get their relations on phone have called for prayers.
This is also coming on the heels of reports filtering within the city that some many of the surrendered Boko Haram elements have escaped from camps where they are kept and awaiting rehabilitation and transformation before they are integrated back into the society.
Residents said this has further confirmed the fears of residents as well as confirmed the position of the Theater Commander Operation Hadin Kai that some of the surrendered Boko Haram fighters may not be sincere in their approach to government as they are suspected to have ulterior motives.
But in a reaction to the incident, the Nigeria Army, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) described the reports as unsubstantiated.
According the a statement from Col Ado Isa, Deputy Director Public Relations 7 Division Nigerian Army/Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI the reports making rounds today, 11 December 2021 on social media and some pages of newspapers on the purported abduction of Maiduguri bound commuters by members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) along Mainok and Borgozo in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State is not true.
The Army said the alleged incident is false, misleading and with the sole intention to smear the glaring good efforts and achievements of OPHK.
“The fact is that members of the terrorists group emerged through the Dole/Bari villages on some vehicles with the intent to mount snap road blocks in order to cause havoc and apprehension in the hearts of villagers and commuters. Troops on mobile patrol within the general area foiled the attempt without any delay. There was no abduction of any commuter today. It was just the imagination of mischief makers who are not happy that peace is gradually returning to the North East.
“Joint Task Force North East Operation HADIN KAI will continue to sustain the peace efforts by ensuring the Maiduguri – Damaturu Main Supply Route (MSR) is not only fortified to frustrate the evil intentions of the terrorists but the Theatre will continue to ensure all locations are adequately manned by highly trained troops ready to defeat any criminal act against the peace loving citizens.
“Members of the general public are requested to disregard all forms of reports in the media regarding the recent abduction of commuters alleged to have occurred along the MSR today.
“We crave for understanding and cooperation from every well-meaning member of the public. We should all remain calm and verify issues with the military authority as an unsuspected group of persons are planning to cause apprehension and anxiety especially as the yuletide season is already here.” The statement added
Boko Haram: ISWAP abducts travelers along Maiduguri, Damaturu Highway Less than 24 hours After DSS Issues Warning
National News
Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony
By: Michael Mike
Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.
The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.
The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.
The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.
The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.
According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.
The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.
It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
End
National News
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
By: Michael Mike
A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.
Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.
Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.
He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.
“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.
“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.
According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.
Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.
He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.
He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.
“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.
“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.
In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.
Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.
He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.
“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
National News
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
** Says Nigeria has lost an intellectual giant
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima today led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman, renowned medical scholar and former Minister of Education and Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Prof. Aminu, a one-time President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.
The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Prof Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.
“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.
“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.
“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large,” the Vice President prayed.

Born in Song, Adamawa in 1939, Prof. Aminu was a towering figure in Nigerian public life.
The late Consultant Cardiologist served the nation in different capacities, including as Federal Minister of Education and later Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992), Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States (1999–2003), and Senator representing Adamawa Central (2003–2011).
He was also President of OPEC in 1991 and President of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was Petroleum Minister.
Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the Jana’iza included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
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