The Lagos State Police Command has announced the rescue of a toddler abducted and sold by a house girl employed to take care of her.
The baby, allegedly sold by the maid for N800,000, has however, been found in a market in the Shomolu area of Lagos State and reunited with her distraught parents.
An X user, #Dannysleek, in a now-deleted tweet, had on Saturday raised an alarm that a maid hired through an agency absconded with the baby.
The maid identified as Ruth Okezie from Anambra State, reportedly absconded with the baby from the home in Shomolu around 2 am on Saturday.
After the report went viral on social media, the maid was said to have been found in Ikorodu, without the baby, where she confessed to selling the baby for N800,000.
In a post on his X handle on Monday morning, the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed that the baby was rescued by the police after she was abandoned in Alade Market in the Shomolu area of the state.
He wrote, “Due to intense manhunt and pressure from the police, the buyer in the early hours of today abandoned the baby in Alade Market, Shomolu. The baby was promptly rescued by the police.
I don’t know if you still remember this man. The man who, even though he had occupied a high office in our Country, still, publicly, exhibits his crude character; the man who has just chewed more than he can swallow by completely rubbishing, without any proof of evidence, Nigeria’s Court of Appeal, its Leadership, its Judges, and deliberately painted, especially, the character of one of Nigeria’s most accomplished female Judges with tar.
He goes by the name, Elisha Abbo and, sadly, prefixes that name with “Senator.” Not a few people, since he was removed from office, and remembering a couple of his actions now refer to him as “Extinguished Senator.”
If you don’t remember him, you are not to be blamed. You shouldn’t worry. He does not deserve the honour of being remembered, especially, by those who care about character, depth, self- respect, and self-control. People like Abbo, whose recklessness when they talk stink to high heavens, and who are usually in the news for one embarrassing behavior or the other are, for sanity’s sake, better forgotten than remembered.
However, for the purpose of this write-up, bear with me for a brief re-introduction of the man when he chooses, which has worrisomely become frequent, is a bull in a china shop.
Elisha Abbo was the Senator who represented Adamawa North until he was sacked by the Court of Appeal after he was sworn-in for a second term in office.
Not a few people were shocked that Abbo was allowed to become a Senator in 2019. Sure, he won the election then, but he didn’t deserve to be sworn-in. He stripped himself of that privilege when he fell, with his eyes open, from the olympian height to the gutter. It was when he, as a Senator-elect, did the unbelievable. The unprecedented. And should have quietly stood down as a Senator-elect.
Here’s what he did.
While waiting to be sworn-in, Abbo gave notice of his character. He shamed the hallowed Chambers before he even stepped into it. While his colleagues were preparing for the big day, the day they would be sworn-in as Distinguished Senators, Abbo went to an adult shop in Abuja to buy a s*x toy where he exhibited the trait of a bull in a china shop.
We never really got to know what the problem was. Or what transpired between the then Senator-elect and the sales girl. Perhaps, they were haggling over the price. Or the size. But before one could say jack, Senator-elect Abbo had descended on the poor girl. He went physical. The scandal was too much. Its smell rose to high heavens.
That behavior earned him days at a conventional Court, as well as the public Court. In the public Court, outraged Nigerians trounced and trashed him. But finally to everybody’s dismay, Abbo was sworn-in as a Senator even after some, rightly, scandalized women protested.
Initially, Abbo had no regrets over the incident. When the Senate set up a Panel, headed by Senator Oluremi Tinubu to investigate the adult-shop incident, Abbo insulted and talked down on her. Now, the woman she treated with so much disrespect, then, is today, Nigeria’s First Lady.
Later, Abbo apologized, allegedly, on the insistence of his political mentor, Atiku Abubakar, the man whose party, the PDP, Abbo later ditched for the APC.
I hate to think how decent people in other climes looked at Nigeria after Abbo was sworn-in as a Senator. For, such could have happened only in Nigeria.
In more civilized climes, in climes which care about the character of their leaders, especially, one going to the Senate to make laws, nobody would swear Abbo in as a Senator. He should have stood down on his own, and apologized for his disgraceful behavior.
In the aftermath, a number of people blamed the Courts for sparing Abbo. Many women felt let down.
Many were ashamed on Abbo’s behalf, and on behalf of Nigeria, that a man who went physical with a sales girl in an adult shop was sworn-in as a Senator. They felt it put a tar on the high profile office of a Senator. But as they say, it is what it is.
So, how did Abbo perform as a Senator?
I may have missed it, but I didn’t hear much of Abbo’s accomplishments in the Senate. And I didn’t quite hear much of him until he played to the gallery during the 2023 Presidential campaign. He resigned as a member of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign team to which he was appointed because, according to him, as a Christian, he couldn’t quite campaign for a Muslim- Muslim ticket. When he resigned, he enjoyed a few days of fame which quickly fizzled out because the APC Presidential campaign Team pointedly ignored him.
But this man seems to enjoy his minutes of fame before he descends into the abyss. He clings to straws when he is drowning. He picks on innocent people. After the sales girl, after Senator Tinubu, after Tinubu/Shettima, his next target was the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. Sacked by the Appeal Court from the Senate, Abbo addressed a Press Conference and heaped his woes on Akpabio. He said it was Akpabio who engineered his sack from the Senate because he was not in support of Akpabio’s aspiration to lead the Senate. A couple of days later, Abbo apologized to Akpabio, and pleaded that he was a victim of misinformation. He was forgiven.
But Abbo, it seems, suffers from a diarrhea of the mouth. Those who know him allege he talks before he thinks. Perhaps, they are right because, Abbo has spoken again before thinking.
On 1st February, 2024, he went to town with outlandish allegations against Judges of the second highest Court in the land. The attack was unprovoked. And unprecedented.
And why?
A three-man Panel of the Court of Appeal threw him out of the Senate many weeks ago. But on February 1, Abbo suddenly realized he was no longer a Senator, and descended on the Court and its Judges.
At a press conference, he went overboard. He swam in the gutter and picked gutter words. He painted the Court of Appeal in tar. He publicly dismissed all the Judges of the Court as corrupt. He rubbished all the judgments given under the Presidency of Honourable Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem. He called her corrupt. A bribe taker. He alleged that under her, the Appeal Court has become a bazaar of sorts where justice goes to the highest bidder. He said the Justices usually send their children and cronies to those (politicians) who have cases against them for “deals”. He accused them of something comparable to the dirty old saying: “money for hand, back for ground.”
Elisha Abbo
After dragging the Court and its President, he reserved a special treatment for the Honourable Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme.
The Imo State-born Nwosu-Iheme, a no-nonsense Judge, has just been elevated to the Supreme Court. Nominated and confirmed along with 10 others, and waiting to be sworn-in, Abbo appealed to President Bola Tinubu to withdraw her confirmation and elevation to the Supreme Court.
Why?
Nwosu-Iheme was the Chairman of the Appeal Court Panel which sacked Abbo from the Senate.
So, Abbo dragged her, a woman he does not really know, and would never know; a woman whose achievements and accomplishments tower above Abbo; the first, if not the only female Judge in Nigeria to earn a PhD; an absolutely, according to not a few people, fearless and courageous Judge.
It is difficult to know why Abbo, specifically, picked on Justice Iheme-Nwosu. She was not the only Judge on the Panel. There were three of them. She could not have lorded it over the other two. Or forced them to sack Abbo. They were at liberty to disagree with the judgement. Isn’t that why there are minority or dissenting judgements when the Judges don’t agree on a decision? Nwosu-Iheme’s only crime is that she was the one who read the judgment. Isn’t it amazing that Abbo was so ignorant he didn’t know Nwosu-Iheme was in no position to influence the judgement which threw him out of the Senate?; that the judgement was a collective decision, unanimous?
And here is the most ridiculous.
Abbo alleged that the judgement which was read to sack him was not what was originally written; meaning that the original judgement was substituted. He said he has a recorded version of the judgement read in Court, and is in possession of the “correct version”. He said they were different. He did not say how and where. So, will he please avail us with both.
My elementary understanding is that in appeals, not everything written is read out in Court else it would last for hours. Only the introduction and the decision are read. The rest is contained in the Certified True Copy, CTC, for interested parties to pick.
So, why did Abbo descend on Justice Iheme-Nwosu?
The only reason I can adduce is envy. He doesn’t understand Justice Nwosu-Iheme’s rich resumè. He doesn’t understand how she made an all-round success of her life. Perhaps, Abbo abhors successful women. Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Honourable Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem. Honourable Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme. Let’s leave the poor sales girl here. In that order, Abbo has tackled and ran them down.
But nobody should blame Abbo. For too long, Nigerians have allowed a number of unscrupulous politicians to destroy everything we hold sacred. Every of our values. They destroyed our polity. They destroyed our youths. They destroyed our culture. They took away our innocence and our self-esteem. They reduced us to a state of helplessness and hopelessness.
They have so defamed and desecrated our Judiciary that our Judges, our Judicial Officers, most of them, decent, brilliant and hard working, have been reduced to nothing. They have degraded our Judiciary and made it a laughing stock within and outside the country.
When politicians win a case, they praise the Judiciary for being the hope of the common man, the pillar of democracy. But when they lose, they descend on it and dismiss it as corrupt.
I have always wondered why Judicial Officers don’t defend themselves; why they don’t sue those who defame and libel them; and why the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, keeps quiet, and does nothing in the face of such brazen and reckless allegation against Judicial Officers like Abbo’s. In one fell swoop, Abbo rubbished the Court of Appeal.
When Olumide Akpata was the NBA President, he tackled the then Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, when he tried to rubbish a Federal Judge. Umahi was forced to apologize.
Question is: Why is everybody letting people like Abbo get away with shaming our Judicial Officers before the world?
Abbo’s allegations are weighty. He should be invited to provide proof. He who alleges must prove. He should provide evidence and make public the names of the Judges who send their children and cronies to collect money for them from politicians. He should provide the names of Judges who had ever asked him for gratification or asked any of his colleagues for same.Otherwise, here are what Abbo owes:
A public apology to the President of the Appeal Court, the Honourable Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem.
A public apology to the Honourable Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Supreme Court Justice-designate.
A public apology to the Judges of the Appeal Court.
If he fails, Senator Abbo should be sued for everything he has got. That could earn him a seat where he should have been sitting on after his scandalous outing and public exhibition at that adult shop in Abuja.
As they say, the ball is in his court. Your proof “Extinguished Senator”, your proof.
Surrender of be killed the Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has warned terrorists and other criminals causing trouble in the country.
The stern warning was issued by Major General Edward Buba, the Director, Defence Media Operations in Abuja on Thursday while briefing journalists on the ongoing war against insurgency and banditry.
According to the military spokesman, a lot has been achieved by troops in the battle to rid the country of Boko Haram terrorists and bandits, operating mostly in the northern parts of the country.
He called on Nigerians to support troops who put their lives on harm’s way daily to defend the country from internal and external aggression.
He said: “I urge all segments of society to take example from our gallant troops in the frontlines fighting to achieve the goal of liquidating terrorists and insurgents across the country in order to restore peace and security.
“These men and women are from all the nooks and cranny of our country and act shoulder to shoulder as a united force to achieve a common cause of destroying camps of violence in the country,’’ he said.
Giving the breakdown of what troops have achieved, Gen. Buba said 266 terrorists have been neutralized, 463 arrested while 116 hostages have been rescued from kidnappers in the last one month.
He added that a total of 447 assorted weapons and 6,697 ammunitions, comprising 237 AK47 rifles, 26 locally fabricated guns, 18 pump action guns, 55 Dane guns, and 6,807 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, were recovered.
Other items recovered, he stated are 421 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 16 rounds of 9mm and 506 live cartridges.
In the South-South, Buba said the troops, recovered 1,832,150 litres of stolen crude oil, 523,799 litres of illegally refined AGO, 16,716 litres of DPK and 5,200 litres of PMS among others.
The World Bank says 600 million Africans are likely not to have electricity by 2030.
The Managing Director of Operations, Anna Bjerde, made this disclosure while addressing West and Central African Ministers of Finance in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The magazine reported that the world bank chief is in Nigeria on a 3-day visit where she has been discussing with the country’s officials on how to implement economic reforms.
The Bretton Wood United States Based financial institution said on Tuesday that it has spent close to $15 billion on 30 development projects, including in the power sector across the country.
Bjerde warning that a larger population of people in the continent could face severe power outages comes amidst the worrying trend of constant power cuts in Nigeria.
The national grid had collapsed last Sunday leaving many households and businesses which depend on electricity frustrated.
The Transition Company of Nigeria, TCN, said it managed to restore power after some hitches, even though a major part of the country are still experiencing electricity rationing due to inadequate generation and distribution infrastructure.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, on Thursday, said the problem of electricity in the country is complicated in his response to the unstable power supply problem plaguing Africa’s economic power house.
The Minister who spoke yesterday at a stakeholders meeting, said: “Though they (electricity issues) are simple issues, they are in multiples, complicated and permeate all the sectors in the value chain.
“We discovered that most of the problems in the sector are not all technical or engineering-related, it actually has to do with liquidity, funding, structural or operational issues which anybody, that has the commitment, could resolve. Though they are simple issues, they are in multiples, complicated and permeates all the sectors in the value chain.”
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has disclosed that the federal government would have no option to import food items into the country if the current situation of the rising cost of commodities persists.
Already, the administration has ordered the immediate release of 102,000 metric tonnes of grains — 42,000 metric tonnes of maize and 60,000 metric tonnes of rice, according to the Minister of Information and National Orientation. Mohammed Idris.
The government made the decision following complaints by not a few Nigerians that they could no longer afford the high cost of basic food items in the market.
The current development has triggered protests in some parts of the country, including Niger, Kano and Kaduna, with the possibility of spreading across the country, if there is no immediate intervention by the government to arrest the problem, according to experts who said Nigerians are very angry over the prevailing situations.
Idris spoke in Abuja, the nation’s capital after the end of the three days meeting of the Presidential Food Initiative at the Presidential Villa.
Those that attended the meeting include, Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, NSA; Yemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN; Tahir Mamman, Minister of education; Wale Edun; Minister of Finance and Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture, as well as Mustapha Shehuri, Minister of State for Agriculture.
According to Idris, the government is mulling to embark on importation of basic food items to augment the shortfall in possible
He stated that President Tinubu has directed the release of 42,000 metric tonnes of maize and 60,000 metric tonnes of rice.
Meanwhile, experts insist that the effects of the release of food from the nation’s strategic reserve will be hard to see because what the government has just released is a drop in the ocean of what Nigerians need at the moment.
Last August the president gave a similar order for the release of 200,000 Metric Tonnes of grains from strategic reserves to households across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to moderate the higher food prices in the country.
The action has not pushed down the prices of food which have since hit the roof, according to market analysts.
With the annual fasting period for Muslim Ummah fast approaching, the Kano State anti graft body, Kano Anti- Corruption Commission, has warned that it will not tolerate any attempts from individuals, and or group of individuals, to create unnecessary hardship for the populace before, during and after the Holy month of Ramadan.
Consequently, it has issued a stern warning to business operators and other players in the distribution and sales of essential commodities in the to put an end to hoarding and other under hand dealings, and noted that such unethical and exploitative practices have escalated the pains of the masses, in recent times .
The anti graft agency’s warning is coming on the heels of Governor Abba Yusuf’s appeal to the State business community late last week on the need to halt all speculative and exploitative practices in the face of the excruciating economic hardship being suffered by the masses of the state .
Bar Muhyi Magaji, Head of the Agency, who issued the warning on Thursday February 8 2024 in kano vowed that the commission will take decisive actions on all business operators found to be engaged in the hoarding of essential commodities, adding such unethical practices are in clear violation of the law.
Bar Magaji lamented that even though the removal of petroleum subsidies , floating of the naira and other economic policies may have brought about some economic difficulties, he however noted that hoarding of commodities by unscrupulous business operators for purposes of maximizing profit has worsened the plights of the populace.
The Kano State Anti- Commission boss said the widespread escalation of prices of essential commodities in the state can no longer be tolerated ,by the kano state government going by the level of hardship being suffered by the populace.
He revealed that a surveillance team ,with adequate intelligence network has been set up to monitor, and identify all those engaged in hoarding of essential commodities, .
Accordingly, all business operators found to be deliberately hoarding and inflating costs of essential commodity commodities will be arrested and prosecuted in line with the extant laws.
In a bid to improve the dilapidated State and deplorable teaching and learning conditions in most public educational institutions in Katsina State, Governor Dikko Radda on Thursday, February 8, commenced the distributions of five billion Naira for the rehabilitation of 150 public primary schools.
The funds, according to Governor Radda, are being disbursed under a programme tagged “Transforming Education System At State Level, TESS”
The benefitting schools, he said, were selected based on certain identified criteria, which ranges from level of dilapidation, number of pupils in catchment communities, and dearth of water as well as state of sanitation and hygiene facilities.
The funds, he noted, will be managed by the various School Based Management Committees SBMC’s ,while also calling for a judicious utilization of the funds .
To further ensure an improvement in the standards of teaching and learning particularly in rural areas, Governor Radda directed that any recently recuited teachers who decline posting to rural schools, should be forced to resign, to make way for those willing to key in to the State Government vision of lifting the state of public schools.
In the same vein, the Governor charged all relevant supervising bodies to close monitor the. activities of teachers ,so as to ensure that they commit themselves to their jobs,warning that any acts of insubordination and or sabotage among teachers and other staff will not be tolerated.
“The State Government will not take it lightly with any teacher that absconds from duty post . We are, also, calling on education stakeholders especially,community leaders to regularly visit schools in their catchment areas to monitor the quality of lessons being delivered and teachers attendance.
The Coordinator of TESS, Binta Abdulmumini, said the programme is basically aimed at returning out-of – school children back to school in the state
The Source reports that for a few years now, there has been an astronomical rise in the number of out – of – school children in Katsina due to the upsurge in banditry and other security challenges.
An estimated 20% of public schools in Katsina are believed to have either been forced to close down and/or completely taken over by bandits and other criminal elements
Katsina remains one of the epicenters of banditry in the Northern Region of Nigeria.
In keeping with promise to extend government benefits to primary school teachers, Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has approved the release of the sum N200 million for car and housing loan to them.
This is in fulfilment of the Governor’s pledge to ensure that teachers in public primary schools in the state are giving some assistance already being enjoyed by their counterparts in secondary schools.
The first tranche of N50 million has been remitted into the pool for the month of January, in line with the Governor’s directive.
Special Adviser to the governor on media, Olayinka Oyebode explained in a statement that the car and housing loans are revolving in nature.
According to him, the pool of fund is usually replenished as beneficiaries fulfil their monthly repayment obligations.
Governor Oyebanji had, in a meeting with Education Secretaries last month, promised to review the policy that had hitherto discriminated against primary school teachers in the disbursement of car and housing loans.
This is with a view to making available funds to take care of car and housing loans to primary school teachers in the state as part of his administration’s plan to motivate them for excellent service delivery.
The new loan regime for primary school teachers is in line with human capital development policy of the administration.
It also speaks to the Governor’s avowed commitment to the welfare and wellbeing of workers in the state, as well as ensuring that workers get all that they are entitled to in line with the shared prosperity agenda.
Nigeria soccer fans are still basking in the euphoria of the Super Eagles of Nigeria victory over the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the semi final of the ongoing African Cup of Nations championship in Côte d’Ivoire, but for the families of Cairo Ojougboh, Ayuba Abdullahi, Osondu Nwoye and a National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, member in Adamawa State it is time to mourn the death of their loved ones.
The quartet of these patriotic Nigerians were cheering their darling Super Eagles to victory on Wednesday, not knowing that death was locking around in the corner.
There are no medical reports yet on the actual cause of their death, it was however reported that their sudden demise may not be unconnected with the shock they received from the tension-soaked match.
For instance, some of the deceased were said to have developed heart attacks as a result of the Video Assistant Referee, VAR, upturning Victor Osimhen’s goal, and the award of a penalty against Nigeria after Yusuf Alhassan fouled a South African player in Nigeria’s 18-Yard Box, which was duly converted by Teboho Mokoena for the much needed eqauliser for the Bafana Bafana.
For Cairo Ojougboh, a former House of Representatives Member representing Ika Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber and also a former Director of Projects in the Interim Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, he was said to have slumped immediately the goal was overturned with the South Africans been awarded a Penalty Kick.
He was said to have been certified dead before getting to the hospital.
It was gathered that Alhaji Ayuba Abdullahi, the Deputy Bursar of Kwara State University Malete, already had an underlying health issues and also suffers from hypertension.
According to eyewitnesses account, the tensed match between Nigeria and South Africa had made his blood pressure to rise, the deceased was said to have complained of feeling uneasy at the Sango Area where had gone to watch the match.
One of the sources said, “The Deputy Bursar watched the Nigeria/South Africa match from the beginning till the end of the extra time, till it was time for a penalty kick.
“He complained that he was feeling dizzy, so he said he needed to go back home and rest not knowing that his BP had gone up.
“On getting home, he collapsed and was rushed to a private hospital in Sango and he was referred to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital and before he could be attended to, he died.
“He was buried on Thursday morning according to Islamic rites.”
The university’s Director of Information, Dr Saedat Aliyu, confirmed Abdullahi’s death.
Aliyu, however, stated that the cause of death was yet to be ascertained by the management of the university.
“Yes, he died last night. He was hale and hearty and was full of life on Wednesday at his office. May Almighty Allah grant him Aljanah Firdaus” she said
A statement by the university said, “This is to announce the death of Mr. Ayuba Olaitan Abdullahi of the Bursary Department.
“Janazah will be held this morning, and his remains will be interred at the Hausa Muslim cemetery, Apata Yakuba, Oyun area, Ilorin, at 9 am.”
Similarly, a member of the National Youth Service Corps serving in Adamawa State also reportedly died during the match.
The corps member identified only as Samuel from Kaduna State, allegedly passed away just before the final kick which secured Nigeria’s win in the match, The Nation reports.
Nigerians is diaspora are not left out of the ‘Harvest of Death’, as the pulsating football came with mixed feelings of joy and sadness as Ivory Coast Based Nigerian Business Tycoon, High Chief Osondu Nwoye, was also said to have died dies while Watching the match.
It was gathered that Nwoye a rich businessman of Igbo extraction based in Ivory Coast had traveled to Bouake to watch the match, and was rejoicing that Osimhen had doubled the Super Eagles lead until VAR cancelled the goal.
The Anambra born businessman was said to had a cardiac arrest and collapsed in the Stadium.
All efforts to revive him proved abortive, as he was rushed to where he was pronounced Dead On Arrival.
Following the sad stories resulting from the victory of the Super Eagles against the former Apartheid nation, experts have advised Nigerians with serious health issues to take care of themselves.
In a chat with a Medical Practitioner, Dr. Francis Ibitokun on what could have led to the demise of the four football fans, he said, “Their death is as a result of shock and High Blood Pressure, which was triggered by the unexpected decision of the VAR, leading to Cardiac Arrest, which made them to slump.
“The shock may prevent Blood flowing through the arteries and veins leading to the collapse.
“It is necessary to check our health status and Blood Pressure from time to time. Anything that may trigger our Blood Pressure must be abstained from,” the expert said.
He advised Nigerians and Soccer fan who have underlying health issues to cease from putting themselves under unnecessary pressure such as watching football matches capable of triggering negative health consequences.
“We all know that we are all patriotic and football is a unifying factor in the country irrespective of religion, language and tribe, but we should put out health first. It is only the living that can tell the story”, Ibitokun said.
As part of efforts to strengthen security across the nooks and crannies of Ekiti State, the first deployment of military personnel, by the Nigerian Army headquarters, arrived Ado- Ekiti, the state capital on Thursday.
The military personnel arrived Ado- Ekiti in the morning and converged on Fajuyi Pavillion, where they had a parade before departing to different locations for the commencement of operations.
The troop was received by Brig General Ebenezer Ogundana (rtd), Special Adviser on security matters to Governor Biodun Oyebanji.
He said the deployment of military personnel followed series of deliberations between the Governor and Service Chiefs in Abuja, prompted by recent violent incidents in the state, including the gruesome killing of two monarchs and the abduction of some school children and their teachers.
Ogundana, emphasized the state’s firm stance against criminal tendencies and the determination of the state government to ensure that the forests being used as hideout for criminal activities were combed and free the state of all criminal infiltrators.
He added that the state would leave no stone unturned in the bid to preserve lives and properties of citizens.
While urging residents to maintain calm and carry on with their daily activities without fear, he urged them to promptly report any suspicious activities to law enforcement agencies.
Justifying Governor Oyebanji’s multifaceted approach to combating criminality, Ogundana assured that government would continue to safeguard the lives and properties of Ekiti State citizens, even while working hard to bring all perpetrators of the heinous crimes to book.
Welcoming the soldiers to the State, the governor’s aide assured them of the state government’s readiness to support their mission and make their stay in the state worthwhile.
Briefing Journalists shortly after their parade, the Commander of the troop, Brig. Gen, John Lar, said the men and officers were on special mission to comb the various hideouts of criminals and bandits in their various hiding places in the forests.
Brig. Gen. Lar affirmed that the activities of the military in the state would commence immediately as he sought cooperation of residents during the military exercise in the state to enable them achieve the desired success.
He commended the Chief of Army staff, Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, for deploying additional troops to support and strengthen military activities in the state, adding that they were set to expose hideouts of bandits and criminals.
While stressing that the military would work round the clock to clear the forests of infiltrators, Brig. Gen. Lar, disclosed that the military personnel would be swiftly deployed to designated positions, emphasizing on heightened border surveillance to dismantle criminal networks operating within the forests.
