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2019 Polls: How We Saved Rivers From Destruction – Army

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NAF launches Operation Rattle Snake, neutralises insurgents in Borno

Brig.-Gen. Felix Omongue, Acting Director of Operations, Nigerian Army, has disclosed that Rivers would have burnt to ashes, if not for the military’s quick intervention during the 2019 General Elections.

Omongue made statement in Port Harcourt on Monday at the House of Representatives public hearing on political violence in Rivers.

The House Committee on Army, Police, Human Rights and Justice was in Rivers to investigate the murder of Dr. Ferry Ogberegbe, a lecturer at Saro Wiwa Polytechnic Boro.

The lecturer was alleged to have been shot by men of Federal Anti-robbery Squad (FSARS) during the elections.

He said the political landscape of Rivers was charged before and during the elections, hence the army played the necessary roles.

According to him, “the Nigerian Army was the sole hero of 2019 elections.

He, however, said the military arrested some criminals for alleged impersonation during the polls.

“The Political environment in Rivers was heated up.”

The General said it was only in Rivers that the public accused the army of killing, intimidation and arrest, while local and international communities commended it for positive role in the exercise.

According to the director of operations, the Odi massacre in Bayelsa, would have been repeated but that the army exercised restraint when its officer was killed.

An army officer was killed in Abonnema, in Asari Toru Local Government Area during the presidential polls.

“Only Rivers in Niger Delta zone is accusing the military of wrong doings.

The military has a rule of engagement (operation), ” he said.

Omogue said three soldiers were killed during the elections in Rivers.

Dr. Gogo Jack, Rivers Commissioner for Education, told the committee that 187 people were arrested by soldiers, including himself and detained in a military facility in Boro camp, Port Harcourt.

The education commissioner said his house was ransacked while N1.5 million he left on a dinner table was stolen.

According to him, his house was surrounded with several trucks and Amoured Personnel Carriers (APC).

Mr Ibim Dokubo, a counsel to Asari Toru Local Government Area, said 43 persons died; 24 “identifiable persons were wounded, while 14 were brutalised and arrested.

Nine persons, including the military personnel testified at the public hearing while the committee adjourned to May 8, for continuation.

NAN

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Third Explosion In A Week Rocks Dansadau-Gusau Road, Claims Lives Of Travellers

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Tragedy struck yet again on the Dansadau-Gusau road as another explosion killed multiple travellers on Friday, marking the third such incident in less than a week.

The explosion occurred between Dansadau to Malele road, causing significant damage.

A resident of the area who pleaded anonymity for security reasons told Channels Television that a truck vehicle conveying about 100 bags of grains and passengers to Dansadau market hit an improvised explosive device (IED) planted along the route, resulting in a devastating explosion.

Authorities and locals have yet to confirm the exact number of casualties, but the resident said several travellers killed during the blast.

“Till now, we are yet to confirm the exact number of people killed, we are waiting for the people from Malele community to give us the actual figures,” the source said.

“The incident happened around 8:30 am, the distance between the scene of the explosion to Dansadau is just few kilometres.”

The source added that the second explosive planted by the terrorists was discovered by the troops who defused it.

“The soldiers who rushed to the scene of the bomb discovered another bomb that was yet to detonate, they used their machine to check and took it inside the bush to defuse it,” he stated.

The recurring blasts have heightened fears among residents and commuters, who now consider the highway a death trap.

Just two days ago, a similar incident claimed the lives of six persons, sparking widespread calls for urgent government intervention.

The police authorities in the state had earlier accused the newly formed terror group Lakurawa as the mastermind of the recent explosions that occurred along the Dansadau-Gusau Road.

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Nigeria’s Economy Still Facing Crisis, CBN Admits

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The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Yemi Cardoso has acknowledged that Nigeria remains in a financial and economic crisis, a situation inherited by the current CBN administration.

Speaking at the 14th Annual Bankers’ Committee Retreat in Abuja, Cardoso explained that the role of the bankers’ committee remains critical towards addressing the challenge as well as reflating the economy.

The CBN boss said that the nation faces challenges in how to address poverty, rising inflation, infrastructure deficits, insecurity, and unemployment, among others.

He called on members of the bankers’ committee to reflect on the past year’s challenges and devise actionable tools to address them effectively.

On his part, the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs Tope Fasua expressed concerns over excess charges by point of sale operators (PoS) while calling on the apex bank as well as deposit money banks to make cash available at all ATM points.

The three-day event brings together key players in the banking sector and has the theme “Contract and Commitment to National Development and Economic Growth”.

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Alleged Mass Killings: NHRC Demands Justice For Victims

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A member of the NHRC Governing Council, Kemi Okonyedo, speaks in Abuja on December 6, 2024 at the presentation of the report from the investigative panel on human rights violations in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East, to the army.


The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has demanded justice and accountability for civilian victims who were allegedly killed by operatives of the Nigerian Army in the Abisari community in Borno state.

A member of the NHRC Governing Council, Kemi Okonyedo, made the demand at the presentation of the report from the investigative panel on human rights violations in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East, to the army.

The report had vindicated the military of forced systemic abortions administered on women but indicted them of intentionally killing civilians in the Abasari community

Okonyedo is demanding that those affected, be compensated.

“The killing of civilians in Abisari remains a grave violation that demands justice, accountability and immediate action,” she said.

“These are not abstract issues, they are real. Lives affected are real, families impacted exist, and communities impacted are still suffering and must be acknowledged and addressed.

“The recommendations of the panel provide a roadmap for addressing these violations, holding perpetrators accountable and ensuring that similar violations do not occur in the future.

“Among the panel’s key recommendations is compensation for the victims of the Abisari killings with the Federal Government ensuring that the families and communities affected are provided adequate reparations.”

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