Fully Reported

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has asked the Nigerian public to disregard the story that the federal government is to pay Kebbi State governor, Atiku Bagudu, $100m from the late Sani Abacha loot, describing the report as “unfounded and baseless.” In a statement over the weekend, Special Assistance on Media to the Minister, Umar Gwamdu, said the report is a fiction and figment of the imagination of the writer. According to an online portal, Premium Times, on Friday, Nigerian government is committed to a deal that would help Bagudu keep over $100m from funds stolen by Abacha. The paper said court documents reported by Bloomberg is likely to put cooperation with the United States over Abacha loot recovery at risk. The report titled, ‘Buhari wants to pay $100 million to Kebbi governor who helped Abacha loot Nigeria’, the  paper said:  “The deal was first negotiated in 2003 under the former Presi...

President Muhammadu Buhari says the issue of partial closure of Nigeria’s land border to goods from neighbouring countries will be determined by report of tripartite committee made up of Nigeria, Benin and Niger Republic. Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said the Nigerian leader stated this when he received President Roch Marc Christian Kabore of Burkina Faso at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday. He explained that Nigeria’s decision to partially close the border was purely to safeguard national security. The President of Burkina Faso is the Chairman of the ECOWAS Committee mandated to resolve the issue of border closure.Buhari said: “Our major problem is security; the inflow of weapons, ammunition and drugs. “We have witnessed a decline in banditry using such weapons since the partial closure of the border.“Also, our farmers are now able to sell their rice since we stopped the inflow of foreign rice, usually dumped in...

Governors of the South East Geo-political zone, on Wednesday, endorsed the new community policing model of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), for effective security in the zone. Rising from the South East Geo-political Security Summit, initiated by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, the governors in a communiqué read by the Governor of Ebonyi State and Chairman of the South East Governors’ Forum, Engr. David Umahi, said that contents of the new community policing strategies of the police were not different from their security measures already in place in the zone. Gov. Umahi disclosed that South East Governors, before the summit, had a closed-door meeting with the Inspector General of Police, at the Government House, Enugu, where the police chief explained to them extensively the concept and effectiveness of the community policing in addressing security challenges in the zone. Other governors at the event include the host governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwu...

President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to local leaders in Borno to support the government in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents in the state. He made the appeal during a condolence visit to Maiduguri on Wednesday, three days after the terrorists killed 30 travellers in the Borno State capital. “I want to call on the leadership at various levels to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and let us deny Boko Haram access to our loyal citizens,” the President was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu. He added, “We will do our best and I hope history will be kind to us; to recall what was on the ground when we came and what will be on the ground when we leave.” Received by the state governor, Babagana Monguno, President Buhari revealed that the Federal Government would take more proactive and decisive measures to put an end to the Boko Haram menace in the country. He also called intelligence sharing and synergy between law enforcement agenci...

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has taken out some key Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) leaders at Alafa Yagayaga in the Sambisa Forest in Borno State. Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said the operation was conducted on Saturday. He disclosed that fighter jets dispatched by the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE bombed a location the leaders had assembled. NAF said that the aerial raid was executed following “credible intelligence reports indicating that the BHT leaders had converged at the target compound for a meeting over the weekend”. “Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, which confirmed the meeting venue, also observed several BHTs in and around other buildings in the vicinity of the compound.” The statement added that bombs from the detailed attack aircraft hit the target leading to the obliteration of the compound, surrounding structures and Boko Haram...