Nigerian newspapers headlines Wednesday morning

NCDC Confirms 16 Cases As Lagos, FCT Discharge Eight Patients [THE NATION]

HOPE brightened on Tuesday as eight  were discharged in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos State.

But the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed 16 cases last night.

Of the 16 new cases, 10 were recorded in Lagos, two each in the FCT and Oyo State and one each in Delta and Katsina states. The confirmed cases took the national tally from 238 to 254 as at 9.45pm.

So far, 44 persons have been discharged and six deaths recorded.

Lagos has 130; FCT (50); Osun (20); Oyo (11); Edo (11); Bauchi, (six); Kaduna and Akwa Ibom (five each); Ogun (four); two each in Enugu, Ekiti, Rivers, and Kwara states. Benue, Ondo, Delta and Katsina states have one each.

Seven patients earlier diagnosed with Coronavirus and managed in the COVID-19 Isolation Centre were discharged in Abuja after fully recovering from the dreaded virus. The other patient was released from the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba, Lagos.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who announced the release of the patient on his twitter account, tweeted:  “Dear Lagosians, I announce with immense joy, the discharge of another patient (a female) who has fully recovered from our facility at Yaba.

“This brings to 32, the number of patients we have successfully managed and discharged in Lagos.

“I look forward to sharing more great news in the coming days. This is indicative of the successes we are recording in our offensive against COVID-19. We are resolute in our resolve, we have the upper hand, we are winning and victory is surely ours.”

Lagos had 130 confirmed cases, out of which 32 had now been discharged, two evacuated and two dead and 94 active cases.

Also in a statement, FCT Minister Mallam Muhammad Bello said 39 patients would soon be discharged from the Abuja centre.

Commending health personnel for their dedication to duty despite the pandemic, the minister said: “Let me begin by appreciating the high level of compliance so far exhibited by residents of the FCT with regards to the 14-day restriction of movement as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari, with a view to curbing the Coronavirus pandemic.

“This restriction was necessitated by the need to contain the spread of the virus within our community in order to safeguard lives.

“The level of compliance from residents, is proof that we all understand the magnitude of the challenge before us and we are ready to come together to fight this enemy, so we can return to our normal way of life as quickly as possible.

“Since the outbreak of the first COVID-19 case in the FCT, I have been kept abreast daily on the condition of the patients. I am delighted to announce that the first set of patients, totalling seven, are ready to be discharged after their final tests results returned negative.

“Our dedicated and exceptional medical personnel are doing their best to ensure the recovery and discharge of the remaining 39 patients. We cannot thank them enough for their efforts and we will always continue to encourage and support them.

“Let me also remind our residents that the FCTA is fully committed to fighting this pandemic. We are not sparing any resources at our disposal in ensuring effective containment of the virus, and also in protecting the welfare of our people. And as long as we remain united in this fight, we will surely emerge victoriously.

“ I would like to enjoin every one of us to continue

Extension Of Lockdown Not Ruled Out, Says Fed Govt [THE NATION]

TEN days after the lockdown of Lagos, Abuja and Ogun State, the Federal Government on Tuesday declined to confirm whether the restrictions will end after 14 days.

President Muhammadu Buhari slammed the lockdown as part of the measures to halt the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country. The shutdown commenced on March 30.

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, said in Lagos that his panel would review the situation and give the President the advice that will enable him take the decision on whether to terminate the restriction or extend it.

Many Nigerians are already breaching the sit-at-home order. Many vehicles are now back on the streets of Abuja and Lagos barely one week into the two-week period.

Mustapha said: “In his (Buhari) address to the nation, he did say 14 days in the first instance. So, it is open. It is based on what has happened within these 14 days. Have the objectives been met, have they satisfied the objectives, has it gone in the direction we wanted it to go?

“If that has been achieved, he will look at all the information available to him as the President of Nigeria and i can assure you that he will take a decision that is in the best interest of the people of Nigeria.”

Free Basic Healthcare Service For 20 Million Nigerians [THE NATION]

HEALTH, they say, is wealth. As an important element of national security, public health not only functions to provide adequate and timely medical care but also track monitor and control disease outbreaks.

It is no news that the Nigerian healthcare system had had to contend with outbreaks of several infectious diseases over the years. Tackling the problem headlong has been a major challenge.

Healthcare provision in Nigeria is a concurrent responsibility of the three tiers of government in the country. Private providers of healthcare also have a role to play in health care delivery.

Healthcare delivery in Nigeria has faced major challenges toward achieving universal health coverage. While significant progress was made in the first two decades after the country’s independence in 1960, the economic downturn resulting from plummeting oil prices on which Nigeria was dependent, led to a series of twists and turns in the health sector.

Health policies were subsequently influenced by external forces, and the adoption of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) signaled a shift from a predominantly welfare scheme to the introduction of the user fees and the resultant proliferation of private healthcare provision.

It’s been observed that successive administrations have continued to gloss over some key factors that are critical to the formulation of health policies in the country.

This has necessitated demands by stakeholders for a more inclusive model that will ensure equity and accessibility to healthcare services.

To bridge the gaps, the Federal Government, a few days ago, flagged off the Integrated Medical Outreach Programme (I-MOP). It’s meant to be a nationwide strategic approach to improved immunization and to strengthen primary healthcare across the country.

While launching the programme in Abuja, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo announced that the outreach will capture over 20 million Nigerians in free basic healthcare services.

Ayade Rolls Out 50 Vehicles For COVID-19 Response [PUNCH]

Governor of  Cross River State, Ben Ayade, on  Tuesday rolled out 50 vehicles for the enforcement of preventive measures to keep the state free from coronavirus.

Ayade, who had earlier promised to provide 20 vehicles to the COVID-19 task force, increased the number to 50.

The governor, who went round Calabar, the state capital to monitor enforcement of the no mask, no movement order, said since there would be life after the coronavirus pandemic, it was imperative for government to protect not just lives but also livelihoods.

The governor said since the state was coronavirus free, his government decided to shut its boundaries and border with neighbouring states and Cameroon Republic, while allowing economic activities to go on within the state.

He warned that protecting lives without protecting livelihoods of Nigerians would spell doom for the nation after COVID-19 as hunger would be the next deadly virus.

Ayade said, “All around us are countries and states with already confirmed cases of  COVID-19, Cross River is just at the middle, so we will do all we can to curtail the pandemic from spreading to our state and protect you too but protection of lives without the protection of livelihoods is a complete imbalance.

Panel To Monitor COVID-19 Fund Usage, Says FG [PUNCH]

The Federal Government will soon constitute a special committee to monitor the disbursement of donations made by individuals, corporate organisations and public sector players towards addressing the coronavirus pandemic.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, confirmed the development during an interview with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.

She said members of the committee would be made up of individuals from both the private and public sector.

Ahmed said the need to monitor the usage of the funds had become compelling to ensure transparency and accountability.

She said while the Presidential Task Force and the Accountant-General’s office would be saddled with the responsibility of disbursement, the separate committee would be in charge of ensuring that the fund was effectively used.

The Nigeria Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 had realised N21.58bn towards the fight against COVID-19 as of Monday.

The minister said members of the cabinet had agreed that 50 per cent of their salaries should be donated to the fund, while members of the National Assembly had agreed to donate three months of their salaries to tackle the pandemic.

Ahmed said, “We need to track those funds separate from the spending of the Federal Government.

“We need to be able to clearly define which project is done by this private sector fund so that there would be visibility.

“We have opened account where funding can be donated from both the private sector and individuals. We also have account for public sector donations for ministers.

Atiku Gives Economic Road Map For Nigeria, Others [PUNCH]

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday raised the alarm that Nigeria and other African countries had yet to see the worst of the effects of coronavirus pandemic.

He, therefore, urged Nigeria and other African countries to unite and seek debt forgiveness.

Atiku, in a statement, titled, ‘What Africa must do to mitigate the damaging effects of coronavirus,’ also called on Nigerian leaders to take sound economic decisions to stave the country from economic strangulation.

He said, “Nigeria and other African nations are yet to see the worst of the effects of this scourge. That is why we should unite and seek debt forgiveness, as a direct consequence of the impact of this pandemic on our economies.”

He noted that before the novel coronavirus pandemic hit the globe, Nigeria spent 42 per cent of its earnings on debt servicing.  Atiku cautioned that even if Nigeria devoted 100 per cent of its income to rebuilding the economy, it still would not be enough.

The ex-VP said, “Had we closed our ports of entry early, we would probably have had better reasons to be hopeful.

“Even when we are able to avoid a high human toll from this virus, we would not be able to escape a much higher economic toll. We may have a recession. The challenge right now must be to mitigate it since we cannot avoid it. Already, we see forced currency devaluations from the Cape to Cairo. These will no doubt lead to internal inflation, which will spell trouble for nations like Nigeria that have a high external dollar debt burden.”

According to him, the government of the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) lacks competent hands. He added that budgets for some agencies and institutions did not show sound economic decisions.

Atiku said, “Today’s Nigerian government is severely lacking qualified hands. And nothing proves this than the state of the Presidency itself. After devoting N13bn to the State House Clinic in the last five years, it is virtually useless as we face the most significant public health challenge of our national life.

“The issue of Nigeria wanting to borrow $6.9bn at this time shows the almost delusory state of our government. No one has that type of money to throw about.”

He stated that to save the economy, Nigeria must engage in immediate shuttle diplomacy to get Saudi Arabia and Russia to settle their differences.

Atiku also said Nigeria must insist that the Abacha loot held by Western governments must be immediately and unconditionally returned.

He advised that the Federal Government’s 2020 budget should be abandoned and replaced with a realistic one.

IMF Begins Processing Of Nigeria’s Request For $3.4bn Savings [LEADERSHIP]

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has commenced consideration of Nigeria’s request for the release of its contribution with the Fund to enable the country confront the fiscal risks facing arising from outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

IMF managing director, Ms Kristalina Georgieva, hinted in a statement yesterday that the Fund was working relentlessly to attend to Nigeria’s request so that a proposal can be considered by the IMF’s executive board as soon as possible.

The IMF Boss however did not reveal whether the Fund would release the total amount to Nigeria when the request is eventually considered for approval.

Nigeria has a contribution of $3.4bn with the IMF and it is entitled to draw up to the whole of the said amount.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, had disclosed on Monday that the federal government has applied for full withdrawal of its $3.4 billion contribution with the IMF to help fight the spread of the pandemic and provide palliatives to the affected households and institutions.

“We have in the first instance applied for that maximum amount, then in the process when we negotiate we might get the maximum amount or less but that is the amount of our contribution with the IMF. This will not be tied to any conditionality. However, it is important to clarify that Nigeria does not intend to negotiate or enter into a formal programme with the International Monetary Fund at this time, or in the foreseeable future,“ Ahmed noted.

Acknowledging receipt of the request and confirming that the Fund was processing it, the IMF MD yesterday noted that Nigeria’s economy was endangered by the Coronavirus scourge and the drop in global crude prices.

She said, “Nigeria’s economy is being threatened by the twin shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated sharp fall in international oil prices.  President Buhari’s administration is taking a number of measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus and its impact, including by swiftly releasing contingency funds to Nigeria’s Center for Disease Control and working on an economic stimulus package that will help provide relief for households and businesses impacted by the downturn.

“To support these efforts, Nigeria’s government has requested financial assistance under the Fund’s Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI). This emergency financing would allow the government to address additional and urgent balance of payments needs and support policies that would make it possible to direct funds for priority health expenditures and protect the most vulnerable people and firms. We are working hard to respond to this request so that a proposal can be considered by the IMF’s Executive Board as soon as possible.”

NASS Alleges Exclusion Of Vulnerable Nigerians From Cash Transfer

Meanwhile, the leadership of the National Assembly yesterday faulted the manner in which federal government’s ongoing intervention initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the most vulnerable Nigerians was being implemented.

Senate president, Ahmad Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila expressed their reservations about the social investment programme at a meeting with the minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq and some top officials of the ministry.

Accordingly, they called for an enabling legislation to back the programme in line with global best practices.

The meeting was attended by the deputy Senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy Speaker, Idris Wase and some other principal officers and members from both Chambers.

Lawan and Gbajabiamila made insisted that the Social Investment Programme which was established in 2016 under the presidency but which is now under the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs needed a reform to make it more efficient and effective.

In his opening remarks, Lawan said the National Assembly was very much interested in the current intervention initiatives of the ministry, particularly with respect to the disbursement aimed at assuaging the plight of the poorest of the poor Nigerians against COVID-19.

“We feel that we need to work together with you to ensure that there is effectiveness, there is efficiency, that those who are supposed to benefit, benefit directly,” Lawan said.

Coronavirus: Edo Govt Reiterate Stay-at-home Directive As Oredo, Egor, Others Lead Cases’ List [LEADERSHIP]

The Edo State Government has appealed to residents to support the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s efforts at curtailing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) by complying with all guidelines of the government including the stay-at-home and social distancing directives.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Patrick Okundia, who made the plea while speaking to journalists in Benin City, decried the level of compliance among residents, noting that the neglect was responsible for the new cases recorded in the state.

According to him, as the state government steps up efforts to curtail the spread of the virus, residents must complement the efforts of the government by complying with the guidelines and other basic precautionary measures to stop further spread of the infectious disease.

The commissioner disclosed that while there are 63 suspected cases, 97 persons of interest (POIs) and over 250 contacts, the state has recorded 11 confirmed cases spread across four Local Government Areas of Edo, including Oredo, Esan West, Egor and Ovia North East.

He explained that Oredo LGA has four cases, Esan West with two, while Egor and Ovia North East LGAs have two and one respectively.

Okundia said the suspected cases are spread across Oredo (28), Esan West (11), Egor (5), Esan Central (6), Ikpoba-Okha (5), Esan North East (3), Etsako West (2), Ovia North East (2), Owan West (1).

According to him, “On behalf of the Edo State Government, I am once again appealing to you all my fellow citizens to support this administration as we combat this common enemy. As a government we are fully ready to handle confirmed cases recorded in our state but we know that the best way to fight this is prevention.

“To achieve this, we have set out guidelines to ensure that the people are safe and healthy, including the closure of schools and markets except those trading on food and pharmaceuticals, stay-at-home order for civil servants below grade level 12, strict guidelines to transporters and hoteliers, among others. This is because we know that this virus doesn’t move by itself but is moved by people. We urge you dear good people of Edo State to help us to keep you safe by staying at home.”

He added, “If it becomes necessary that you must go out, ensure to observe social distancing guidelines. Wash your hands regularly with soap under running water and use alcohol-based hand sanitisers, cover the mouth and nose properly with a handkerchief or tissue paper when sneezing and/or coughing. Also do well to report anyone with oversea travel history. This has become imperative as we have witnessed recent increase of confirmed cases in quite a short while, which is attributable to the negligence of these orders, especially the stay-at home order.”

Patience Jonathan Visits Aisha Buhari [LEADERSHIP]

Former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan yesterday visited the First Lady, Aisha Buhari at the presidential Villa.

On her Twitter handle , Aisha Buhari said they discussed her efforts in involving women in politics and governance.

She also disclosed that they discussed the girl child education and her pet project “ women for change“.

She tweeted “Yesterday, I received my predecessor, Her Excellency Dame Patience Jonathan at the State House.

“We discussed my efforts with regards to greater involvement of women in politics & participation of women at lower level of governance.

“We also discussed girl child education and her pet project “women for change.

“I got to hear her experience during her tenure and listened to her perspectives on issues affecting women and children in the society.

“It was really nice having her around and I look forward to having more of such moments,” she said.

Only Buhari can relax lockdown in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun –SGF [LEADERSHIP]

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has said only President Muhammadu Buhari can decide if the lockdown imposed to flatten the curve of the pandemic in the country will be the extended or not.

The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 254 cases with six deaths and 44 discharged in the country.

NCDC statistics indicated 120 cases in Lagos; Abuja – 48, Oyo- Nine; Osun- 20; Ogun – Four; Kaduna-Five; Enugu -Two, Akwa Ibom -Five, Edo- 11 and Bauchi- Six, two each in Ekiti, Rivers and Kwara  while Benue and Ondo has one case each.

Responding to a question in Lagos, yesterday, he said the extension or otherwise will come after the president had reviewed the recommendations of the team set up to monitor the various measures to curtail the spread and cushion its effects on the people.

“He (Buhari) and he alone will make the decision as to when the lockdown would either be extended or it will stop at the expiration of 14 days.”

President Buhari had declarea a lockdown in Abuja, Lagos, Ogun and the FCT on the advice of the Minister of Health and the health experts which eventually led to the signing of the Quarantine Declaration 2020.

The SGF, who explained that members of the taskforce were in Lagos to inspect the isolation centres in the state, as part of the responsibilities of the team said: “We’re looking at the objectives that were set when the lockdown or the quarantine declaration was signed by the president and subsequently by several other states.

“Before the end of the week, we will do an evaluation and part of the trip here was to do an evaluation to see how the objectives that were set were being met and at the end of that exercise, we would have the responsibility of reporting to Mr President.”

He reiterated that the restrictions in Lagos and Abuja was because of their high burden status in Nigeria and drastic measures were required as part of the containment strategy to prevent community transmission.

COVID19: 1,739 Foreigners Repatriated From Nigeria –FAAN [SUN]

A Delta Air repatriation flight carrying 208 U.S. citizens  departed Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos for Washington Dulles International Airport on Tuesday, April 7, bringing to 1,739 the number of foreigners that have left the country over the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Boeing 777-232 flight 8956, took off at exactly 13.54 hours with a total of 208 people on board including 17 crew members.

The flight is the second in a series of repatriation flights for American citizens out of Lagos. The US Mission in Nigeria said it hopes to get about 1, 000 Americans out of Lagos this week alone as additional flights are expected over the next few days.

The US Consul in Nigeria said priority is given to the elderly, individuals with serious health issues, unaccompanied minors, pregnant women, and physically challenged citizens.  Before boarding, local health authorities conducted temperature checks on all the passengers.

So far, 1,739 foreigners have been evacuated from Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos since the exercise began about 10 days ago according to the South West regional manager of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Victoria Shin-Aba.

She said: “Since the closure of the airport, we have had about 10 evacuations with different nationals. We have had from Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Middle East Airline (MEA) with the Lebanese, Ethiopian Airlines has been on with Americans and Canadians. Then, we have domestic charter too. Also, Jed Air did Liberia, Air Peace airlifted Israelis. Today, we have Delta Airlines on ground that will take about 208 Americans.

“The conditions for evacuation are that you have to get an approval from the Federal Ministry of Aviation, when the ministry gets the approval, it is sent to FAAN, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Then, we send the approval to all the security agencies, too. Most importantly, there is a procedure in place for the Covid-19 virus pandemic, which has to be followed.

COVID-19: Kwara Begins Contact Tracing Of 75 Persons [SUN]

Kwara  State Government, yesterday said at least 75 persons who had contact with the two COVID-19 patients in the state were under contact-tracing in order to curb the spread in the state.

Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who  stated this during a press briefing held at the Government House, Illorin, urged Kwarans to remain calm and vigilant.

“Yesterday evening, we got  the result of two persons who tested positive for COVID-19 in Kwara State. One is the wife of the late patient who died at the University of Ilorin Teaching (UITH) and the second person is a diabetic patient who also had travel history and he has since gone to self-isolation with his wife.

“Our job is cut out for us and we are definitely not dropping the ball. Contact tracing by the Rapid Response Team of the medical advisory committee has so far netted 75 persons who have had contacts with the cases  and the suspected case at UITH.”

He said the state is not helpless or without reasonable preparation about the outbreak of the pandemic.

“We  urge Kwarans to avoid crowded space, isolate themselves and call our helplines if they have just returned from places of interest in the last three weeks.

‘‘The government is extending the ongoing fumigation exercise to all the places of interest, including the relevant locations in Offa and Ilorin, where contamination may have occurred as a result of how infectious the disease is.”he said.

Covid-19 Tragedy: Policeman To Be Arraigned For Killing Petrol Attendant In Aba [SUN]

A trigger-happy Inspector of police, who shot a petrol attendant to death in Aba, Abia State on Monday afternoon would be arraigned for murder so says the state Commissioner of Police, Ene Okon. The officer, identified as Inspector ASU Stanley, was on the fateful day deployed along New Umuahia Road, Aba for the enforcement of the lockdown directive by the state government.

Stanley was reported to have attempted to stop a motorcycle rider, who violated the lockdown order.

The disobedient bike rider attempted to escape and the police officer went for his gun and shot in the direction of the fleeing okada man and the bullet hit the petrol attendant, injuring him fatally in the process. The victim was rushed to the hospital where he died later.

Okon, in confirming the incident, informed of the arrest of the officer whom he said had been handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for investigation and prosecution.

Okon said police do not take such careless behaviour lightly. “That police inspector was arrested immediately and detained. As I’m talking to you, SCID has taken over the matter and are investigating the police inspector for murder.

“We have our rules of engagement, we have our standard of operation and procedure and we have our own Force Order 237 as reviewed. That order has to do with when a police officer has to use his firearm and it’ll be justified,” Okon said.

Okon said he was not taking the officer’s alibi of accidental discharge as an excuse, stressing that a trained officer on such assignment should put his rifle on safety.

“The rifle has safety and once you put it there, it’ll not just release. So, it’s not an excuse that he mistakenly touched the trigger. That’s why we detained him and are seriously investigating the whole matter,” Okon said.

COVID-19: Court Remands 2 Pilots For Contravening Executive Order [SUN]

A Port Harcourt chief magistrates’ court yesterday remanded two pilots of Carveton Helicopters, Samuel Ugorji and Samuel Buhari, in prison custody for allegedly intentionally disobeying the Executive Order issued by the Rivers State Governor aimed at checking the spread of coronavirus in the state.

The court presided over by Chief Magistrate D. D. Ihua-Maduenyi remanded the two pilots at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre till May 19, when their trial would commence.

Ihua-Maduenyi ruled that COVID-19 tests be carried out on the two pilots to ascertain their status.

The pilots, who were arrested by the Rivers State Police Command, were arraigned by the State Police Command via charge number: PMC/532C/2020.

Prosecution counsel and officer-in-charge, Legal, of the Rivers State Police Command, Gladys Amadi, told the court that the acts of the two pilots were capable of putting the entire state in danger of contracting coronavirus.

She urged the court to remand them in prison to enable the police conclude its investigation.  She noted that allowing the accused persons roam the streets would endanger others in the state.

According to her, remanding the pilots will also stop them from further violating the Executive Order. The state Attorney General, Zacheus Adango, was also in court.

The pilots faced a four-count charge. Count one stated: “That you Samuel Ugorji (m), Samuel Buhari (m) and others now at large as pilot and co-pilot of Twin-Otter,  Carveton Helicopters on the 7th day of April, 2020, at the Air Force Base , Port Harcourt, in the Port Harcourt Magisterial District,  did conspire amongst yourselves to commit misdemeanour to wit: disobedience to lawful order and thereby committed an offence under section 517A of the criminal code CAP 37, Vol 11 Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria,  1999.

Military Kills 19 Boko Haram Terrorists In Lake Chad [THE GUARDIAN]

The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) yesterday said it had killed 19 Boko Haram terrorists while conducting Operation Yanchin Tapki at Tumbums in Lake Chad region.

The raids, which were supported by Air Task Force (ATF), resulted in the bombardment of the insurgents’ hideouts on April 6, 2020.

MNJTF spokesman, Colonel Timothy Antigha, in a statement in Maiduguri disclosed: “The combined forces from Sector 3 (Nigeria) and Sector 4 (Niger Republic), supported by Air Task Force (Nigeria) and Niger Republic Air Force conducted extensive bombardment of insurgents’ enclaves on Monday in Tumbums community.

“Today’s (Monday) engagement was a coordinated air and ground operation. After an intensive firefight, 19 Boko Haram terrorists were neutralised, while others fled towards the Lake Chad.”

He added that the troops destroyed two gun trucks and captured two more suspects during the duel.

“Four motorcycles as well as arms and ammunition were also recovered,” Antigha further said, noting that the task force did not record any causality.

However, the sect on Monday evening attacked Kirchinga village in Madagali Local Council of Adamawa State.

The terrorists stormed the community at about 4:00pm, burning homes and looting shops.

Though later repelled by the Nigerian Army, the Boko Haram fighters also shot an octogenarian in the leg.

A local source told The Guardian that the attackers, on arrival, shot sporadically into the air, apparently to scare residents away for their seamless expedition until the intervention of the military.

A villager said: “The devastation would have been worse but for the timely response of the soldiers stationed in Kirchinga.”

Commander of the troops in Madagali, Colonel Abdulsalam, confirmed the attack and its foiling.

Ebonyi, Kaduna Governments Arrest Nine Pastors For Holding Church Services [THE GUARDIAN]

The Ebonyi State government yesterday disclosed that it arrested no fewer than seven pastors for disobeying its restriction on ban on religious gatherings and other forms of assembly in the state.

Confirming the arrests, Commissioner for Border Peace and Internal Security, Stanley Okoro Emegha said the arrest would serve as deterrent to other pastors who may decide to violate government’s directive.

To curtail the spread of coronavirus, the state government had banned wedding ceremonies, burial ceremonies, night clubs, sporting activities, religious activities, bars and gathering of over 50 persons other than essential service centres such as markets, rice mills and banks.

Emegha said the pastors were arrested and handed over to the police for violating the ban on religious gathering noting that the arrest was not to witch hurt them but to save lives.

He noted the pastors themselves know the situation at ground and how coronavirus is ravaging the whole world stressing that they should take the lead in protecting lives rather than flouting government’s order.

Also in Kaduna, security agents arrested two pastors for holding church services last Sunday in violation of the lockdown order.

In a statement issued by Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, the state government gave the names of the clerics as Ifeanyi Ojonu and Giniki Okafor who held church services at Sabon Tasha area of Chikun Council Area of the state.

He said the suspects were arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court on Monday, April 6, 2020, adding that the suspects were charged with criminal conspiracy and disobedience to an order duly promulgated under sections 59 and 115 of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has arrested 321 offenders for violating the social distancing order by overloading their vehicles.

A statement by the Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, revealed that the arrests were made with from Sunday, 30 March to April 6, 2020 owing to the presidential directive on social distancing.

Giving details of the arrests, he said, “Within the first week of the enforcement, the FRSC has recorded 321 arrests for overloading and violation of the social distance directive.”