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ECOWAS defence chiefs meet on $2.6b budget for activation of regional standby force
ECOWAS defence chiefs meet on $2.6b budget for activation of regional standby force
By: Michael Mike
The Defence chiefs of countries in Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) on Thursday, converged in Abuja to deliberate on the proposed $2.607 billion budget for the activation of the subregion standby force.
The standby force is meant to contain terrorism and unconstitutional change of government with the region planning to raise a 5,000 standby force.
The region, alternatively proposed a budget of $481,459, 335 for 1,650 standby force, with the meeting organised to decide which plan to be implemented.
Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar disclosed this at the opening of the meeting of the region’s Minister of Defence and Finance on modalities for financing and equipping the deployment of ECOWAS counter-terrorism force.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alliou Touray said the move has become necessary as the region has become the epicentre of terrorism.
Speaking on the meeting, Nigeria’s Defence Minister said the gathering is driven by the urgent need to consider the financing
options in the memorandum to be presented by the ECOWAS Commission for deploying the proposed regional force.
He lamented that the region is threatened by insecurity and grave humanitarian challenges.
The Minister said the standby force arrangement has the backing of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and
Government.
He said: “Our gathering here today is driven by the urgent need to consider the financing
options in the memorandum to be presented by the ECOWAS Commission for deploying the proposed regional force.
“The financial implications of these proposals are significant.
“The overall estimated cost is $2,606,695,640 per year for a brigade of
5,000 men.The alternative proposal is for a brigade of 1,650 men, with an estimated annual cost of $481,459,335.These figures
underscore the gravity of the task before us and the necessity of a robust and sustainable resource mobilization strategy.
“lt is therefore imperative that we critically review the options considering.”
The Minister while explaining the current security situation in the region, said: “As you are all aware, our region is threatened by insecurity and grave humanitarian challenges. Terrorism and violent extremism have continued to threaten our collective existence.The cross-border free movement and activities of terrorist groups in the sub-region is deepening our internal security challenges.
“To address these challenges,the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and
Government at its 62nd Ordinary Session held in Abuja, on 4th December 2022 instructed the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff to urgently study and propose the options, modalities, financial and technical means for the urgent operationalisation of the ECOWAS Standby Force, including a special kinetic operations to combat terrorism.
“As part of the implementation of these decisions,the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff met twice to deliberate and
come up with recommendations,which was subsequently presented to the 50th meeting of the Mediation and Security Council,at the
Ministerial level on 5h July 2023 in Bissau.
“I am delighted to welcome you all to Abuja for this crucial meeting of the Ministers of Finance and Defence, to deliberate on the modalities for financing and equipping the deployment of the ECOWAS counter-terrorism force.
On his part, Touray decried the damages caused to the region by terrorism, which include the large scale of Internally Displaced Persons, loss of territories and others.
He noted that: “A huge humanitarian crisis with millions of internally displaced persons and refugees.
“You will all recall that some member states have lost control of important parts of their territories to terrorist groups.
“According to the 2024 Global Terrorism Index, the epicentre of terrorism has shifted from the Middle East and North Africa into the sub-Saharan African region largely in the Sahel region.
“ The Sahel is the most affected region within the Sahara, accounting for over half of all deaths from terrorism and 26% of attacks in 2023.
“ Some of our member states have become countries with the highest impact from terrorism for the first time, with fatalities increasing by 68%. with fatalities increasing by six.
“ A quarter of all deaths from terrorist attacks occurring globally were in Burkina Faso, while Mali is ranked number three most impacted country.
“Taking due consideration of the transborder nature of the menace and the need to address it collectively and in line with the directive by the Authority on Peace and Security Matters, I would like to inform this August body that the invitation to this meeting was extended to all the 15 ECOWAS member states.
“All 15 ECOWAS member states have been invited to take part in this important meeting. And the reason is certainly the authorization and the approval given to the Commission’s proposal to this effect sometime in the future.
“ In the past, it was believed that we cannot fight terrorism alone or while others are not participating.
“That is why the Commission proposed to the Authority, through of course the Council of Ministers, that although countries might be under suspension, they should be allowed to take part in meetings relating to security as well as in sectoral matters.
“That is why we have invited all 15 member states to attend this important and crucial meeting. Honourable Ministers, we have an urgent task to mobilize the financial resources to fund our Regional Action Plan against terrorism.
“Therefore, in preparing for this very important meeting, The Commission has made available two documents to facilitate your deliberations.
“The first document is the report of the Committee of Chiefs of Defense Staff, containing their proposal towards the mobilization of the kinetic force to fight terrorism, which includes the logistics, personnel, and financial requirements of raising the force.
“ As for the agenda of this meeting, their proposal will be presented to you by the Chair of the Committee of Chiefs of Defense Staff.
“The Commission will present the second document, which is a memorandum proposing modalities for the mobilization of internal, financial, human, and material resources on a mandatory basis to support the deployment, and the development of the regional counterterrorism force as defined by the Committee of Chiefs of Defense Staff.
“Honourable Ministers, more than ever, we are at a pivotal moment in the history of our community to address insecurity and establish a more secure environment for economic growth and development of our community.”
ECOWAS defence chiefs meet on $2.6b budget for activation of regional standby force
DSS-led joint operation crushes ESN strongholds, kills top kingpins in Imo
By: Zagazola Makama
A wave of coordinated security offensives in Imo State has barbecued the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the militant wing of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), with the killing of key kingpins and the dislodgement of notorious terrorist camps in forested parts of Njaba and Isu Local Government Areas.
Zagazola Makama understand that The offensive, which began on June 29, was spearheaded by the Department of State Services (DSS) in close collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, special forces, and local tactical units.
It was launched after the arrest and detailed confessions of two ESN commanders Uchenna Opara, popularly known as Ntanta Miri, and Ozioma Ihedoro, a.k.a OZ, both natives of Umuaka community in Njaba LGA.
Acting on actionable intelligence, the joint team raided and obliterated several terrorist enclaves, including Umuele Umuaka, Ezioha, and Ugbele Umuaka, known safe havens of the separatist group.
A fierce gun battle ensued as operatives stormed the camps. Three ESN fighters were neutralised during the confrontation, while others reportedly escaped with bullet wounds. Their bodies were later recovered along the Ugbele Umuaka axis.
What followed was a methodical clearance operation targeting the B44 camp cluster, long considered one of ESN’s strategic base networks. The camps, codenamed B44 Tangle 2, 4, 5, 7, and 9, were all successfully dislodged by the joint force.
A caterpillar operator working with the team was tragically killed in the line of duty when the group came under sudden fire while approaching the B44 main camp. He was rushed to the Federal University Teaching Hospital (FUTH), Owerri, but later confirmed dead by a medical officer on duty.
Items recovered from the operation included:
One AK-47 rifle, 15 rounds of live ammunition, pump-action shotgun, two locally made IEDs, one human skull and a Biafran flag
In addition, two suspected ESN members were arrested during the combing of nearby bush paths. The duo Emeka Ogene Sabinus of Ezi Isu in Isu LGA and Nnabuike Emmanuel of Ohofia Oduma in Aninri LGA, Enugu State were said to bear tribal incisions associated with the proscribed militia.
The collapse of the B44 cluster was significant in the counterinsurgency drive in the South-East, where pockets of armed resistance have posed growing threats to residents, security personnel, and national assets.
“The terrain is difficult, but our operatives are relentless,” a senior official close to the operation said. “We are targeting leadership figures, supply chains, and safe havens.”
Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to apprehend fleeing fighters, with mop-up operations continuing in adjoining forest belts across Orlu, Njaba, and Isu corridors.
The Imo offensive adds to a growing list of successes by joint intelligence-led operations aimed at stabilising regions grappling with armed separatist violence, kidnappings, and the weaponisation of local grievances.
DSS-led joint operation crushes ESN strongholds, kills top kingpins in Imo
FCT police arrest three wanted kidnappers linked to killings, mass abductions
By: Zagazola Makama
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested three most-wanted bandits and kidnappers operating across Abuja and neighbouring parts of Kaduna State.
According to a police sources, the arrests were carried out on June 29 between 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., by operatives of the Scorpion Squad led by ACP Victor O. Godfrey, following actionable and digital reconstructive intelligence.
The sources told Zagazola Makama that the suspects were identified as: Abdulkadir Abubakar, a native of Mpape, FCT, Mohammed Tasiu Sani, of Rigina, Kaduna State, Suleiman Jibrin, 27, of Sabon-Gayan, Kaduna State.
The three suspects, all Fulani by tribe, have been on the command’s most-wanted list for
their roles in multiple kidnapping and banditry operations, particularly in Jere, Kajuru, the FCT and its environs.
During interrogation, the suspects confessed to abducting victims and moving them to detention camps in Kachia and Rigina forests in Kaduna State. Some victims, they admitted, were held for months, while others were killed at will.
The sources revealed that one of the suspects, Abdulkadir Abubakar, provided disturbing details of internal executions within the gang, in which some members were killed by their own leaders over mistrust and betrayal.
An operational motorcycle, popularly referred to by locals as the “Boko Haram Motorcycle,” was recovered during the raid. The suspects are currently assisting operatives in ongoing efforts to recover arms and ammunition, and to track down other gang members still at large.
FCT police arrest three wanted kidnappers linked to killings, mass abductions
Young farm labourer shot dead while fleeing Amotekun in Osun
By: Zagazola Makama
A 20-year-old farm labourer identified as Solomon (surname yet unknown) has been found dead with gunshot wounds after he was allegedly shot by a member of the Western Nigeria Security Network, also known as Amotekun, along the Ilesa/Iperindo Road in Osun State.
The incident, which occurred on June 29, followed the reported confrontation between a local security operative and a group of five farm labourers on their way to a farmland.
According to Temidayo Olowookere, the employer of the deceased, the labourers were accosted around 11:00 a.m. by an Amotekun operative, one Ajayi Ibukun, who accused them of extorting money from passersby. Two members of the group were apprehended, while the remaining three fled into the bush.
Olowookere said the detained workers were later released to him in the afternoon. However, later in the evening, when two of the three fleeing labourers returned, Solomon remained missing.
A search party was immediately organised. His body was discovered in the bush with gunshot wounds on his back, raising suspicions that he may have been shot during the initial confrontation.
His remains were evacuated to Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, where he was confirmed dead and deposited at the morgue for autopsy.
Police say efforts are currently underway to trace and apprehend the security operative allegedly involved in the shooting, while the community continues to call for justice.
Young farm labourer shot dead while fleeing Amotekun in Osun
DSS-led joint operation crushes ESN strongholds, kills top kingpins in Imo
FCT police arrest three wanted kidnappers linked to killings, mass abductions
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