Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today Sunday, 14th March 2021.
1. Kaduna: President Buhari Issues Fresh Warning To Terrorists, Bandits, Others
President Muhamadu Buhari has warned terrorists, bandits, and other criminals targeting schools in the country that he won’t allow them to destroy the educational system in the country.
The President issued the stern warning in a statement on Saturday through his spokesperson, Garba Shehu where he reacted to the recent abduction of students from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna State who were abducted on Thursday night from their school premises.
It will be recalled that gunmen suspected to be bandits stormed the school, broke through the perimeter fence, and abducted some students.
2. Kidnappers Of Kaduna Students Release Video, Demand N500m
Bandits who kidnapped students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Igabi local government area of Kaduna State, have requested for a ransom of N500 million to release the students.
According to DailyTrust, three parents of the victims have confirmed that the bandits have requested for the sum of N500 million.
The kidnappers have also released videos showing the abductees in the forest.
They used the Facebook account of the abducted students, while they were seen flogging them.
In the first video released on Friday at 1:07pm through the Facebook account of Kelvita K. Dan, the 30 seconds video showed the abducted students in what appeared to be a forest area following which the gunmen pointed at a man in a red shirt and asked him to speak. “My name is Abubakar Yakubu,” he said.
3. We Have Problem Buying Arms From UAE – Presidency
The Presidency has said that the Nigerian Army has been having problems with the procurement of arms from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this while speaking on Channels TV on Friday.
He, however, noted that the equipment have been coming in bits and in pieces due to a misunderstanding between Nigeria and the UAE.
4. Ex-CoAS Buratai Breaks Silence On Missing Billions
Former Chief of Army Staff, Gen Tukur Buratai (retd), has denied reports that billions of naira approved for arms purchase under the ex-service chiefs are missing.
BBC Hausa Service had earlier disclosed that the NSA, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno, during an interview hinted that the funds have gone missing.
He said, “No one knows what happened to the money, but by God’s grace, the president will investigate to find out where it went or where the goods went.”
5. Nigerian Navy Redeploys Senior Officers In Major Shakeup (Full List)
The Nigerian Navy has effected a major shakeup following the redeployment and posting of 257 senior officers, including 60 Rear Admirals, 123 Commodores and 74 Captains.
The redeployments, approved by the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo were contained in a statement signed by the Navy Director of Information, Commodore Suleiman Dahun.
Dahun noted that the shakeup was a sequel to the appointment of new Service Chiefs.
6. 15 Soldiers Killed In Boko Haram Ambush In Borno
Boko Haram insurgents on Thursday ambushed a military convoy, and killed 15 soldier and four militia fighters in Borno, security sources disclosed on Saturday.
It was gathered that the military convoy was attacked by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters near Gudumbali in the Lake Chad region.
The terrorist group have killed over 36,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in northeast Nigeria since it began more than a decade ago.
A military officer who spoke with AFP on the condition of anonymity said, “We lost 15 soldiers and four civilian JTF (militia) in the terrorists’ ambush in the forest near Gudumbali.”
7. Herdsmen/Farmers Clash: Tinubu Issues Warning To Miyetti Allah
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has warned herdsmen that careless words would not shield them from what he termed “relentless reality.”
In a statement he signed personally, the former Lagos State governor stated that herdsmen are fighting a losing battle against modernity and climate change.
Senator Tinubu warned that careless talk would do both herders and farmers grave injustice.
“The herder-farmer dispute has taken on acute and violent dimensions. It has cost too many innocent lives while destroying the property and livelihoods of many others. It has also aggravated ethnic sentiment and political tension,” Tinubu said.
8. EFCC Speaks On Investigating Former Service Chiefs Over Missing Billions
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reacted to allegations by the NSA, Maj Gen Babagana Monguno (retd), that a huge amount of money approved for arms purchase has gone missing.
Monguno made the revelation in an interview with BBC Hausa on Friday.
On whether investigation has commenced on the issue, the NSA said, “I am sure the president will investigate this. As I am talking to you now, even the Nigerian Governors Forum has started questioning where the money is. So I assure you that the president is not playing with anything that has to do with the people.”
When Daily Trust contacted the spokesman of EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said he could not say whether the commission would investigate the immediate past service chiefs.
9. Bandits killed 937, Abducted 1,972 Persons In Kaduna State In 2020
Authorities in Kaduna State have released the results of an annual security survey showing that at least 937 people were killed in bandit attacks and kidnappings in the state by 2020.
Authorities said that of the 937 people killed by the bandits, 468 were from Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Chikun and Giwa Local Government Areas.
The state commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, revealed that the total number of casualties was 617 from Kaduna Central constituency.
He said the bandits had abducted and kidnapped about 1,972 people in the past year across Kaduna State.
10. Names Of Abducted Students In Kaduna Disclosed
Some students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Kaduna State, have identified their mates in a video that was released by the abductors of the 39 students on Thursday night.
Naija News had earlier reported that the bandits who kidnapped the students have requested for a ransom of N500 million to release the students.
Following the release of a video on the Facebook account of Tasha Sandra, some of the students rescued by the military burst into tears as they pointed out their friends and schoolmates.