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Boko Haram: Libyan Mercenaries helping ISWAP fighters in attack – Senator Ndume

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Boko Haram: Libyan Mercenaries helping ISWAP fighters in attack - Senator Ndume

Boko Haram: Libyan Mercenaries helping ISWAP fighters in attack – Senator Ndume

By: Our Reporter

The Chairman Senate Committee on Army, Senator Muhammed Ali Ndume on Sunday said facts coming out indicated that Islamic State for West African Province, ISWAP fighters may have joined forces with mercenaries from Libya to carry out the attack on the military on Askira town on Saturday where a Brigadier General was killed.

Askira town in Borno state, northeast Nigeria came under attack by ISWAP fighters in the early hours of Saturday. The fighters displaced Nigerian troops and residents fled to the mountains for safety.

When reinforcement was coming led by the Commander 28 Task Force in Chibok, Brigadier General Dzarma Zirkushu, the ISWAP fighters having got the information laid ambush between Chibok and Askira where they open fire on the convoy killing General Dzarma and three soldiers.

Ndume who spoke on the deadly attack in Abuja, said the incident has caused panic among residents in the area.

Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, in his reaction to the killing of the General, expressed his condolences and described the incident as painful.

He lamented that residents are fleeing Askira as ISWAP terrorists are believed to be regrouping in the Lake Chad region.

The attack came 24 hours after military airstrikes took out several top commanders of ISWAP while they were allegedly holding a strategic meeting with their new leader, Sani Shuwaram, at Sabon Tumbun and Jibularam, in Marte Local Government Area of the State.

Ndume said: “I want to express my condolences to the Nigerian Army over the death of the General who died along Chibok road. ISWAP terrorists attacked a town there.

“They know that the General was the major obstacle to their operation. They laid an ambush and rammed a bomb-ladened car into his vehicle.

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“He was a gallant soldier. He took the fight to the terrorists. His death has sent a panic to people in that area.

“I am aware that some people around that Chibok area have started thinking of relocating.

“Some want to go to Mubi and other places. We are trying to urge them to remain there. The insurgency is coming to an end.”

He was positive that the Nigerian Army has the capability to defeat ISWAP and their Libyan mercenaries.

He urged other security agencies and well-meaning residents in the communities to support the military to gain a decisive victory.

“This is not the end but the beginning of the end of terrorists. I know that the Army has what it takes to take the fight to them.

“There is a need to urge other security agencies to give the Army the needed support. We also need to urge vigilante groups to assist them,” he said.

He described the attack by ISWAP as a revenge mission saying the assailants arrived in the area with 10 gun trucks to carry out the attack.

“For now, we will assume that it was an isolated case. But the intensity with which they came is worrisome.

“They came with more than 10 gun trucks. They are also regrouping around Borno North. That’s the Lake Chad axis. The Military is aware and the Air Force is providing surveillance in the area.

“It was a revenge mission. The Army has been taking out key ISWAP commanders and they have their revenge.

“Last week for instance, they abducted relatives of the Emir of Askira. They also abducted some passengers along that road. If the Army sustains the tempo, we will win this insurgency.

“The equipment is arriving gradually. We are monitoring. As a committee, we will go and see what they have brought into the country. This is an improvement.

“The Army is very rapid in responding. The Army is involved in about 33 States now. They’re under pressure.” Ndume said

Boko Haram: Libyan Mercenaries helping ISWAP fighters in attack – Senator Ndume

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VP Shettima Departs Abuja For Dakar To Represent President Tinubu At Senegal’s 65th Independence Anniversary

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VP Shettima Departs Abuja For Dakar To Represent President Tinubu At Senegal’s 65th Independence Anniversary

By: Our Reporter

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has departed Abuja for Dakar, Senegal, to represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the country’s 65th Independence Day Anniversary celebrations.

Senegal celebrates its Independence Day on April 4 each year, commemorating its freedom from French colonial rule in 1960. The day is marked by national pride, with ceremonies, parades and cultural events.

The Vice President’s attendance at the annual event is in honour of an invitation extended to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, following the strong mutual relationship between Nigeria and Senegal.

The independence Day celebrations will be held at the Place de la Nation in Dakar, with President Faye playing host to Vice President Shettima and other distinguished guests from across Africa and beyond.

The Vice President is expected to return to Nigeria tomorrow after the one-day event.

VP Shettima Departs Abuja For Dakar To Represent President Tinubu At Senegal’s 65th Independence Anniversary

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President Tinubu Laying Foundation For A Better Nigeria, Says Hajiya Nana Shettima

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President Tinubu Laying Foundation For A Better Nigeria, Says Hajiya Nana Shettima

  • Tasks Nigerians on constructive criticism of government actions, policies

By: Our Reporter

Wife of Nigeria’s Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, has scored the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu very high, saying the President is building a better Nigeria for Nigerians through his laudable economic policies, various empowerment initiatives and investments in key sectors of the economy.

And to help the President secure a better future for all Nigerians, the VP’s wife also encouraged the citizens not to relent in giving very useful advice to the government, urging them to be more constructive in their criticism of the administration instead of just attacking for political reasons.

Hajiya Nana Shettima spoke on Wednesday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, during the annual Ramadan feast, which had in attendance women groups and students

Emphasizing the determination of the Tinubu administration to leave a lasting legacy for generations to come, she said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is baking a new cake for us that are alive today, and for the Nigerian children and grandchildren that are coming behind us. It is who he is ably supported by our lovely First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.”

Hajiya Nana Shettima noted that the President means well for the people of Borno State as well as Nigerians in all parts of the country, even as she urged the citizens to always pray for President Tinubu and members of his cabinet.

“I can tell you that he (the President) means well, not only for Borno people but for the entire nation. We should not forget him and his subordinates in our prayers,” she added.

She further commended the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her contributions towards actualizing the agenda of the administration, especially through the Renewed Hope Initiative which she said has impacted many lives, including women, children and people with disabilities.

Also speaking at the event, the Director General of Maryam Babangida Centre for Women Development, Abuja, Dr Asabe Bashir, admonished women and the people of Borno State to imbibe the teachings of the just concluded Ramadan.

She also sought the people’s support and prayers for President Tinubu, thanking the President for picking his deputy from Borno State.

She said, “I always reiterate the importance of prayer because without prayers we can do nothing in life. We have just come out of Ramadan; let us imbibe that culture and lessons we received during the 29-day fast. We need to continue with the spiritual reflection.

“We should thank God and President Bola Tinubu for remembering the people of Borno State again by bringing the seat of the Vice President, not just to the North-East region but to Borno State after Ambassador Babagana Kingibe was elected along with the late Chief MKO Abiola so many years ago.

“We must continue to pray for the administration of President Bola Tinubu because if it succeeds, we succeed,” Dr Bashir added.

On his part, the Speaker, Youth Assembly of Nigeria, Tijjani Abubakar, thanked President Tinubu for his support to Nigerian youths through various youth empowerment initiatives.

Also, Dr Martins Ekunke, who spoke on behalf the South-South, Yoruba and Igbo communities residing in Borno State, commended the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for galvanizing support for people living with HIV/AIDS through her pet project, the Renewed Hope Initiative.

Among those that attended the annual Sallah feast hosted by Hajiya Shettima, were the wife of the Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Hajiya Maryam Lawan; wife of the Deputy Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Hajiya Laure Musa-Askira; female Commissioners and political appointees.

Also in attendance were women groups, members of the Borno State chapter of the Nationals Association of Nigerian Students, as well as the leaders of South-South, Igbo and Yoruba communities residing in Borno State, among others.

President Tinubu Laying Foundation For A Better Nigeria, Says Hajiya Nana Shettima

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UNILORIN Alumni Commences Tinubu on Appointment of Nandap, Omotowa, Aribisala

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UNILORIN Alumni Commences Tinubu on Appointment of Nandap, Omotowa, Aribisala

By: Michael Mike

The National Headquarters of University of Ilorin Alumni Association has lauded President Bola Tinubu for appointing three of its members into various leadership positions in the country.

Those appointed were Comptroller General of Immigration, Mrs Kemi Nandap,, whose tenure was elongated till December 2026, Non Executive Director of NNPC, representing North Central, Mr Babs Omotowa- and the Pioneer Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin-Ekiti, Prof. James A. Aribisala.

In a congratulatory message to the trio, the National President, Prof. AbdulRasaq Kilani, and the National Secretary, Dr Barakat Raji, said the Association received the news of the appointments with excitement.

The Alumni, who commended President Tinubu for selecting the best for their various positions, assured him that the three alumni would not disappoint him in attaining the goals set for them to achieve.

While felicitating with the appointed members on their well-deserved appointment, the Association charged them to always show the excellence in them in surpassing the targets set for them by Mr President.

The Association who extolled the pedigrees of the appointed members in their various fields, implored them to live up to the expectations of the slogan of the institutions “better by far” in all ramifications.

The Alumni then prayed for their successful tenure and tasked them not to hesitate to reach out to them whenever their services are needed in any capacity towards national development.

UNILORIN Alumni Commences Tinubu on Appointment of Nandap, Omotowa, Aribisala

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