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51,828 Boko Haram Fighters Surrender Within One and Half Years – Gen. Irabor

Published

1 year ago

March 25, 2023

Editor

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, has disclosed that no fewer than 51,828 Boko Haram fighters and their family members surrendered to the Federal Government between July 2021 and May 2022.

Gen. Irabor disclosed this while delivering a lecture titled “National Defence Policy and Transitional Justice Approach in the War Against Insurgency in Nigerin”, at the 7th Founders’ Day of the Edo state University, Uzairue.

According to him, “between July 2021 to May 2022 alone, no fewer that 51,828 Boko haram and their family members have surrendered, out of which 13,360 are fighters”.

He further disclosed that 1,543 repentant terrorists so far graduated from Mallam Sidi camp, in Gombe State between 2016 and 2022, while 1,935 have been released from the camp in Bulumkutu, Maiduguri.

He said Operation Safe Corridor as a transitional justice approach was created similar to the Niger Delta Amnesty programme launched by the Federal Government in 2009 which involved the setting up of special facilities where repentant terrorists who surrendered their arms can be rehabilitated.

“The programme offers numerous opportunities and participants are scheduled for vocational training to ease their reintegration into the society”, he emphasized.

Gen. Irabor, however, said despite the modest successes recorded by operation safe corridor in the fight against crime, the programme still faces a lot of challenges.

He listed some of challenges ro include the lack of specialised training experts and inadequate physical structure, inadequate collaboration and coordination, absence of appropriate legislation on reintegration, low agency and international participation as well as ineffective monitoring system.

He, however, identified the way forward to include “train-the-trainers programme and establishment of special fund for Deradicalisation, Reintegration and Reorientation (DRR), establishment of a national commission for DRR, enacting of a DRR Act, building of strategic partnerships and adoption of a whole-of-society approach to monitoring,” he said.

He further said in any counter insurgency, transitional justice plays a key role in healing wounds such as Nigerian Civil War and the Niger Delta crisis, adding that Operation Safe Corridor has achieved some degree of successes which could be built upon.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor, commended the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, RT. Hon. Com. Philip Shaibu for their continuous support for the university and for creating enabling environment for the university to strive.

Prof. Aluyor said that the lectures over the years have gradually shaped the outlook of the founder’s day ceremony where important issues on how Nigeria can be harness into a country of our collective dreams are delivered.

According to him, “Edo State University Uzairue since inception has been committed to pursuit of world class goals in teaching, learning and research which is why we are proud of our products”.

He further stated that some of the lecturers and researchers are listed among the first 500 researchers in Nigeria, while the nursing and medical laboratory students recorded 100% successes in their Council’s exams.

The VC particularly thanked the governor for the upgrade of the general hospital Auch to Edo State University Uzairue teaching hospital which he said contributed to the full acresitation of the MBBS programme of the university by the medical and dental council of Nigeria.

“We are not resting in taking the university to a greater hieght as we planned to open up new programmes such as Pharmacy and post graduate programmes in other areas to compliment what we already have on ground” he concluded.

On his part, Edo State governor and the visitor to the university, Mr Godwin Obaseki represented by Hon. Inusa Imhonopi commended the management of the university for the successful hosting of this year’s founder’s day.

He said that the present administration is consistent in chatting a progressive course for the university as the government is doing its best while the management is also doing its best and urged them to see that the university remain on top.

Related Topics:Chief of Defence Staff Edo varsity General Irabor

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Why I Wrote UTME Again, UNIZIK’s Best-graduating Student Reveals

Published

1 hour ago

May 3, 2024

Editor

A graduate of Chemistry from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Anambra State, Juliet Chidiebube Uka, has scored 324 in the just concluded 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Uka was the best-graduating student in the Department of Chemistry at UNIZIK in 2021, graduating with a first class.

She said she sat for the 2024 UTME to study Medicine as she wants to fulfill her dreams of becoming a medical doctor.

Her result made public, showed that she scored an aggregate of 324 in UTME as she seeks to re-enter the university.

Her elder brother, Obiora Uka, said his sister made up her mind to study medicine and surgery at all costs.

“She has demonstrated resilience through outstanding performance. She has maintained that her ambition is to become a doctor. This led her to write Jamb again this year 2024 and scored an aggregate of 324,” he added.

Obiora said the family hopes she can actualize her lifelong dream of becoming a medical doctor.

Meanwhile, users of the social media app, X, have continued to the inflow of candidates’ results from the concluded 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, in its statement, disclosed that 1,402,490 candidates out of 1,842,464 failed to score 200 out of 400 marks.

Netizens have continued to display the results of some UTME candidates nationwide who had scored 300 and above.

One such is the daughter of a lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Kaduna State; Toro Shehu, who scored 348 out of a total 400.

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Banned: Remove Your Eyelashes, Nigerian Pastor Orders Bride At Wedding

Published

2 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Editor

A Nigerian bride recounted how her pastor told her to remove her lashes during her church wedding.

Jessica Okah, the bride, disclosed this incident on TikTok, mentioning that the pastor had raised the issue of her eyelashes before the wedding day.

However, she said she had completely forgotten about it and thought it would be overlooked during the wedding.

She said, “What would you do if your pastor asked you to remove your lashes in the middle of your wedding ceremony? It was like a movie, but it was happening for real.

“After my husband’s family accepted me, that’s when my pastor realised that he told me the day before that I wasn’t supposed to wear lashes to the wedding ceremony.

“Let me not lie, I didn’t have a problem with it anyway, but truthfully, I forgot.

“He said before the service had to continue, I had to go and remove the lashes.”

She shared a video that captured the moment her pastor stopped the wedding proceedings over her eyelashes and resumed the ceremony after she had taken them off.

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Operation Feed Edo: Obaseki Launches Christians Feeding Programme, Distributes 10kg 60k Bags Of Rice

Published

3 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Editor

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, on Friday, said he has earmarked nothing less than N1bn Naira monthly to feed vulnerable Christians in the state in the next three months.

This is as he said a similar programme has been mapped out for people in the Muslim faith in the state.

Obaseki disclosed this during the official flag-off of phase one of Edo State Food Support Programme also known as Christian Feeding Programme in Benin City.

The Governor, who said he was worried by the rising number of people who cannot afford a square meal in a day in the state, said he had to call Christian leaders in the state on how best to address the alarming situation.

Obaseki said in order not to make it look political, he decided not to involve political office holders, but Christian leaders in reaching out to vulnerable Christians in the state.

The Governor who added that the state government already had data of the vulnerable in the state database, said the means of reaching out to them maximally was the issue, hence using churches to reach out to them.

He said: “I was worried by the rising number of people who cannot afford a square meal in a day. So, I thought to myself how do we solve this problem. This is not politics I told myself.

“I then called the chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and some of the blockheads to a meeting and explained to them what I intended to do. So, that’s how we put our heads together to come up with this programme.”

Obaseki added: “I told them this is the amount of money I will be giving you every month. I’ll give you a billionaire monthly for three months first. At least, Let us try this for the first three months.”

The governor said the programme was not just to feed the vulnerable, but also together more data about people in the state on how the government can create employment for them and how the government can render help where necessary.

Earlier, in his remarks, Chairman of the Organising Committee who also doubles as the Chairman, CAN,
Apostle Irekpono Omoike, while thanking the governor for the initiative, said 10kg of 60,000 bags of rice have been purchased for onward distribution to the three senatorial districts in the state.

According to him, 27,000 bags of the 10kg would be distributed to the seven local government areas in Edo South, 15 bags to Edo Central and 18 bags to Edo North.

Further giving the breakdown, Omoike said 3, 000 bags would be distributed to each local government across the 18 local government areas, summing upto 54,000 bags, while the remaining 6,000 bags would be distributed to churches not captured under CAN.