Regional News
Troops destroy N277.3 million illegal refining facility, kill 42 terrorists, recover weapons. Source: Guardian
The military high command, yesterday, confirmed intensifying the war against oil theft and other criminal activities in the Niger Delta region, as troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation DELTA SAFE and other operations in the region have denied oil thieves the total sum of N277,357,800.
Military Troops Kill 14, Arrest 40 Terrorists in IPOB Enclaves. Source: PRNigeria
The troops activities and operational successes being recorded in the various operational theaters within the 6 geo-political zones of the Country. In the past 2 weeks, both kinetic and non-kinetic operations were conducted in the various theatres of operations, with significant results recorded. The brief will therefore cover operational activities of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies conducted in addressing the various security challenges across the Country between the period of 9 – 23 March 2023.
How troops neutralised 45 terrorists, rescued 119 kidnap victims in 2 weeks – Official. Source: Blue Print
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) Thursday said troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation HADIN KAI in the North-east and HADARIN DAJI in the North-west neutralised 45 Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists. The military high command also said troops rescued 119 kidnapped victims in different locations in the theatre of operation.
Chad jails 400 rebels for life after ruler’s death. Source: news24
More than 400 rebels in Chad were handed life sentences on Tuesday, mainly in connection with the death of former ruler Idriss Deby Itno, who was killed in 2021, the prosecutor told AFP. After a mass trial, they were sentenced for “acts of terrorism, mercenarism, recruitment of child soldiers and assaulting the head of state,” said Mahamat El-Hadj Abba Nana, public prosecutor for the capital N’Djamena.
GOC Hails Military Troops for Foiling ISWAP Midnight Attack on Mafa. Source: Premium Times
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division and Commander Sector 1 Operation HADIN KAI, Major General Waidi Shaibu made an operational visit to 112 Task Force Battalion, MAFA to commend and appreciate the efforts of the troops in thwarting a midnight attack by the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on the town in the early hours of Sunday 19th March 2023.
Mamu arraigned on 10-count terrorism charge, remanded in DSS custody. Source: The Guardian
The Federal Government, yesterday, at the Federal High Court in Abuja, arraigned Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Tukur Mohammed Mamu, on a 10-count charge bordering on terrorism. Mamu, who has been in the custody of Department of State Services (DSS) since last year, was docked before Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo for offences relating to violent attack on Abuja-Kaduna train, in which several persons were abducted.
Over A Million Children Are Not In School In Burkina Faso Due To An ‘Educational Haemorrhage’. Source: Humangle
Over a million children are out of school in Burkina Faso following the closure of thousands of schools and learning facilities across the country in February. This has led to a 40 percent increase in the number of children out of school, since the end of the last year in Dec. 2022, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
Dozens Of Terrorists Killed During Attack On Election Collation Centre In Northeast Nigeria. Source: Humangle
Armed terrorists of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) stormed Mafa town in northeast Nigeria in the early morning hours of March 19 as election officials and party agents were collating the results from Saturday’s polls. The rest of the populace, deep asleep in their respective homes and camps, were jolted awake by the sounds of gunfire from the attackers. At least 40 of the terrorists were killed, many weapons were seized, including two trucks with heavy calibre guns attached, police and local militia sources told HumAngle. Mafa town is about 40km away from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. It is the hometown of the state governor, Babagana Zulum, who is seeking reelection for a second term.
EU observers say 21 killed in Nigeria election violence. Source: news24
On Monday, European Union election observers said that at least 21 people were killed during Nigeria’s regional elections, marked by intimidation, violence and a low turnout. Nigerians voted for state governors in 28 of 36 states on Saturday. Results were still expected from several states on Monday, including northeastern Adamawa, a conservative and Muslim state, which could elect its first female governor.
2023: Zulum wins re-election in Borno governorship poll. Source: Blue Print
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno state has secured a second term with a landslide victory at the March 18 governorship elections. Professor Zulum, who contested on the platform of APC, scored 545,543 of the 649,855 votes cast, defeating his distant trailer, Mohammed Ali Jajari of the PDP, who polled 82,147 votes.Declaring the result, the state’s Governorship and State Assembly Election Returning Officer, Prof Jude Tsammani Rabo, said Prof Zulum scored the highest number of votes and secured a quarter of the votes cast in each of the 27 local government areas of the state.
The Factors That Will Shape Gubernatorial Polls According To Civil Society. Source: Humangle
As Nigerians get ready to vote for governors of 28 states of the country and 36 house of assemblies, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has said that the upcoming poll is “challenged by the threat of violence, logistical obstacles linked to insecurity and cash and fuel scarcity, and decreased trust in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following the delays and technical issues that undermined the polls on 25 February.” The think-tank, in a statement titled ‘Previewing Postponed Polls: Nigeria’s State Elections’ listed and x-rayed the issues that may shape the outcome and credibility of the gubernatorial polls, which it listed under six themes.
Thuggery, Voter Apathy Taint Nigeria’s Election For New Governors. Source: Humangle
Thuggery and low voter turnout trailed the delayed elections conducted on March 18 by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for 993 state house assembly and 28 governorship seats. During the elections, there were reports of thugs carrying out attacks to intimidate voters and suppress the voting process in some locations, particularly in the SouthWestern state of Lagos, the country’s economic nerve and home base of the President-elect.
Are Anti-Violence Laws Helping Survivors In Nigeria’s Kaduna State? Source: Humangle
When a law aimed at making it easier for victims of violence to charge their assailants was put on the statute books in the northwestern state, it brought about a significant change in the number of reported cases of rape. But there is still so much to be done to help survivors get justice.
Government Blames Population For Deadly Cameroon Flood. Source: Humangle
A terrifying mudslide that slipped off the side of Mount Cameroon and flowed into the town of Buea, killing two children, might not have been so damaging if the local population did not defy rules laid down about where they build their houses, and how they exploit natural resources, the local government say. Residents of Buea, led by the Bakweri youth, are cleaning roads and digging-out blocked gutters as council officials collect data on victims affected by the flood on March 18th.
US dubs Niger a beacon of democracy in fight against Sahel terrorism. Source: rfi
Visiting Niger this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed the Western military partner as a model of democracy in a region battling jihadist insurgencies. He also announced a $150 million humanitarian aid package for the wider Sahel region.
Peace and Security
ONSA, National Counterterrorism Centre Complex Commissioned. Source: PRNigeria
The National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno has said the changing nature of the security landscape over the last three decades in the country and across the world has necessitated the broadening of ONSA’s mandate to accommodate the needs of emerging security threats.
Small Arms Becoming Weapons Of Mass Destruction, FG Warns. Source: Daily Trust
The Federal Government says small arms are slowly becoming weapons of mass destruction as their proliferation has caused tremendous harm to communities and individuals, especially women and children. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said this in Abuja yesterday at a two-day multilateral meeting with stakeholders of the Lake Chad Basin region. The meeting, with the theme ‘Cubing Proliferation of SALW in the Lake Chad Basin Region’, was organised by National Centre for the Control of SALW, Office of the National Security Adviser. Representatives of the three other countries of Lake Chad Basin Region including Cameroon, Niger and Chad attended the meeting.
Humanitarian
Prioritizing Children In Nigeria’s Water Crisis. Source: Daily Trust
Access to clean water is a basic human right, yet millions of children in Nigeria are suffering the consequences of water scarcity. On this World Water Day, we must take a hard look at the water situation in Nigeria and renew our commitment to ensuring that every child has access to clean water. According to UNICEF, over 60 million people in Nigeria still lack access to clean water, more than 110 million lack basic sanitation facilities and 48 million are still practicing open defecation. The situation is particularly dire in rural areas where access to water is limited and often requires walking long distances to fetch water from contaminated sources. This leaves children vulnerable to waterborne diseases, which are among the leading causes of child mortality in Nigeria.
Nigerians in UK raise funds to tackle out-of- school crisis. Source: The Guardian
Nigerians in the United Kingdom (UK) have raised about N23 million in their bid to tackle the out-of-school problem in Nigeria, which has forced 20.2 million kids out of school. The amount was raised at the fourth annual Black-Tie Charity Ball, organized by the international charity, IA-Foundation in London late on Tuesday.
What Is Nigeria’s Flood Risk For 2023. Source : Humangle
Nigerians expect the rainy season to commence fully in a few weeks and pave the way for cooler temperatures, particularly in the country’s north. We spoke to an environmental educationist on the possibilities of flood and how it can be mitigated.
Zulum rewards firemen with N14.9m for swift response to fire outbreak. Source: The Guardian
Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno has rewarded 149 fire fighters with N14.9 million for their swift response to Saturday’s fire outbreak at Gamboru Market in Maiduguri. Zulum made the donation during a thank you visit to the headquarters of the fire service in Maiduguri on Sunday.
Fire Guts Another Market In Maiduguri. Source: Humangle
Another incident of fire disaster occurred at a significant market in Maiduguri, Borno state. The fire, at about 3 p.m. local time, erupted at the Gamboru market, located around the Customs area of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital in Northeast Nigeria. It has continued to rage on at the time of filing this report. Still voting, locals had to abandon their polling units as they flocked toward the burning market. No one can say precisely what caused the fire, but its occurrence about three weeks after the city’s main market was completely gutted had left many confused.
Stabilization and economic development
Nigeria relies on generators for 75% electricity – Report Source: Punch
ABOUT 75 per cent of electricity consumed in Nigeria comes from diesel and petrol-powered generators, the latest reports released on Monday by the Society for Planet and Prosperity, GCA Capital Partners and Climate Advisers Network, showed. Findings by the coalition indicated that about 25,000 megawatts of power utilised in Nigeria was from diesel and petrol-powered generators, while the national electricity grid only supplied less than 5,000 megawatts. The groups made this public at a press briefing in Abuja, where they also unveiled 11 key measures required to galvanise actions for quick decision-making and smart solutions to achieving Nigeria’s net-zero target.
Nigeria is 95th happiest nation worldwide, sixth in Africa. Source:The Guardian
Nigeria is now 95th happiest nation in the world and sixth in Africa, with 4.981 points, according to the latest edition of the World Happiness Report, released yesterday. Mauritius tops African countries in the yearly United Nations-sponsored index of 137 nations, with 5.902 points, Algeria (5.329), South Africa (5.275), Congo Brazzaville (5.267), Guinea (5.072), Cote d’Ivoire (5.053) and Gabon (5.035).
