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[BREAKING] Protests: Military Vows To Deal With Looters

Published

11 months ago

August 2, 2024

The military on Friday warned looters taking advantage of the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests to desist from the destruction of lives and properties.

At a press conference in the nation’s capital Abuja on the second day of the rallies against economic hardship and high cost of living, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, said the extent of destruction experienced on the first day of the demonstrations was “crazy”.

He said the Armed Forces will take action and won’t allow the looting and destruction to fester.

The defence chief said the Bola Tinubu administration has been in power for one year and the government has been doing its best to boost economic activities.

General Musa said the economic crisis and high cost of living in Nigeria is a global phenomenon. He urged Nigerians to give the government time to address the challenges.

He said, “So, we want to call on all Nigerians to understand the government. If you have grievances, which I know people have, a lot of challenges here and there, and it is not only in Nigeria alone; everywhere in the world is facing one economic or security crisis or the other. And so, it is important to understand that we are not alone.

“But what we can do is not allow criminals and individuals that have lost out to take advantage of this to destroy our country. We should realise that these destructions, monies have to be used to replace them so that we can move forward.”

Youths Protest High Living Cost
Tension was palpable in parts of Nigeria on Thursday as the much-touted #EndBadGovernance protests finally kicked off in almost all the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

On the first and second day of the protests, policemen were seen dispersing the demonstrators, mostly youths, using tear gas, even as civil society organisations (CSOs) condemned the action of the police.

The protests turned awry when some hoodlums took advantage of the demonstrations and looted public and private assets.

In a bid to curb the looting, violence and other after-effects of the protests, the Kano, Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Nasarawa, Jigawa and other state governments imposed curfews in volatile local government areas (LGAs) in their states.

Some deaths have also been recorded, as claimed by Amnesty International. The Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun said a policeman was murdered, some cops injured, and police stations burnt.

Propagated on social media, the nationwide protests against economic hardship started on Thursday, August 1, 2024, and have been scheduled to stretch till August 10 across all states of the Federation as well as the nation’s capital Abuja.

Prices of food and basic commodities have gone through the roof in the last months, as Nigerians battle one of the country’s worst inflation rates and economic crises sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.

Some of the demands of the protesters include the restoration of petrol subsidies and the forex regime. They also want the government to address food shortages, unemployment and wasteful spending by those in power. Other demands are immediate reforms of the electoral umpire INEC and anti-graft agency EFCC with renewed vigour in the fight against corrupt politicians.

‘Avoid Mayhem’
The defence chief said the message of peaceful protesters has already been passed to the federal, state and local governments.

He appealed to peaceful protesters not to allow troublemakers and fifth columnists to bring mayhem to the nation.

“We know we are challenged as a nation but we know we will overcome working together as Nigerians… Let us avoid anything that will bring mayhem to our country,” he said.

“We Will Take Action’
General Musa said the level of destruction witnessed in some places on Thursday was unimaginable and the military won’t fold its arms.

“Yesterday (Thursday), we saw the level of destruction that has been carried out. Just yesterday. So you can imagine if this continues for so long.

“Yesterday, we saw some people breaking down houses, stealing windows and doors. It was just crazy yesterday and we don’t want that to happen again.

“The Armed Forces and the entire security agencies will not stand by and see that to continue. We want to warn those that are recalcitrant; those that don’t want to listen that we will not fold our arms and allow this country to be destroyed.

“We will take action and the action we will take, we will take it professionally. Anyone that is caught will be taken to court and will be dealt with,” he said.

“There are a bunch of people who believe that it is only through this medium that they will be able to loot, steal and destroy. And that is what they tried to do yesterday but we have arrested most of them that broke into places to steal and they will be prosecuted accordingly,” he added.

Military May Step In If…
The defence chief said the security forces stood up to their responsibilities on Thursday and the situation has been nipped.

General Musa said the police have been doing a good job managing the situation but the military won’t hesitate to step in if the situation degenerates.

“We are supporting the police all through. We are just on standby. The police is doing a good job; they are handling the situation for now. Unless it breaches beyond what they can handle then the military will step in. The military is on standby and we are watching day and night,” he said.

‘Sponsors Will Be Identified’
He further said some sponsors of the looting will be identified and dealt with.

“We are also going behind to ensure that we also identify those that are involved; there are individuals who are sponsoring them, pushing them to do this, we are going after them,” he said.

He urged the media not to give some people “who want a moment of fame” the opportunity.

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Contempt: Court Orders Substituted Service On INEC Chairman

Published

12 minutes ago

June 17, 2025

Editor

A Federal High Court in Abuja has told the National Rescue Movement it can serve court documents on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, through someone else.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu made the ruling on Tuesday.

He said the documents, including Form 48 (which warns about disobeying a court order), should be given to any INEC staff member at its headquarters in Abuja.

He ordered that the name of whoever receives the documents must be written in an affidavit and filed in court.

This ruling followed a request from NRM’s lawyer, Oladimeji Ekengba, who said INEC and Yakubu ignored a court order from March 5.

That order had directed them to accept the outcome of the party’s emergency convention held on January 17, where Chief Edozie Njoku was elected National Chairman.

Ekengba said it had become almost impossible to serve the INEC chairman directly.

“The judgment debtor/respondent’s chairman has implemented numerous protocols, making it practically impossible for the bailiff to serve him personally,” Ekengba told the court.

He also explained that INEC only accepts legal documents at a designated registry near its Abuja office gates.

Earlier, NRM’s lawyer, Joe Agi, had written to Yakubu, reminding him that the court had already ordered INEC to recognise the new party leadership.

On January 16, Justice Emeka Nwite had ordered INEC to monitor and accept the January 17 convention.

But since INEC had not complied, the party returned to court, which led to the current contempt proceeding.

Justice Egwuatu adjourned the case until July 15.

News

Worshippers Escape Death As Building Collapses On Church In Lagos

Published

25 minutes ago

June 17, 2025

Editor

Some worshippers at a parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God located in the Somolu area of Lagos State escaped death by a whisker on Monday after a two-storey building that was under construction collapsed on the church building.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, in a statement on Monday, disclosed that the building collapsed during the decking process.

He stated that one of the pillars of the collapsed building fell on the church building.

Oke-Osanyintolu stated, “Upon the arrival of the agency’s response team at the scene, it was observed that a two-storey building under construction was found to have collapsed during the decking process.

“Preliminary investigations conducted by the Cobra response team revealed that the collapsed structure was one of two structures being constructed at the site. The cause of the incident has yet to be determined as of the time of report.

“No life was lost and no injuries recorded as the workers reportedly escaped the scene unscathed before the arrival of emergency responders.”

He added that upon arrival at the scene, a search and rescue operation was carried out and it was discovered that nobody was trapped under the debris of the collapsed building.

The Perm Sec also noted that worshippers at the RCCG parish escaped without injuries.

“The pillars of the collapsed building fell on a church (RCCG, Liberty Parish at 5 Craig Street) which was partially affected but no life was lost and no injuries were sustained as worshippers in the church also escaped unscathed.

“The Cobra response team alongside all other responders coordinated a search of the incident scene to ensure no victim was trapped under the collapsed building.

“Public enlightenment and sensitisation were carried out on the need to stay away from the collapsed site,” Oke-Osanyintolu stated.

News

U.S.-based Nigerian, Ogieva, Honoured As Grand Award Judge

Published

3 hours ago

June 17, 2025

Editor

A U.S.-based Nigerian and visionary in geoscience and data innovation, Mathew Ogieva, has continued to leave an indelible mark on global Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics advancement.

Ogieva, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday, said he served as Grand Award Judge at the 75th Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 75th ISEF was held from May 10 to May 17 in Columbus, Ohio, the world’s largest annual STEM competition for pre-college students

It is an annual science fair in the United States, owned and sponsored by the Society for Science, a non-profit organisation based in Washington, DC.

Ogieva, therefore, described the event as “the world’s largest and most prestigious science competition featuring nearly 1,700 participants from over 60 countries.

“In the Earth and Environmental Sciences category, I helped to evaluate over 70 groundbreaking projects, bringing my expertise and passion to the forefront of global youth innovation.

“My influence spans coast to coast and beyond, having judged at California Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF 2025) – California Lutheran University, Earth and Environmental Science category.”

He said that his judging legacy was not just on projects, but in igniting purpose and mentorship across continents.

“I am currently serving on the 2026 CSEF Judging Advisory Committee.

“State Science Day & STEP Fair (Ohio, April 2025) – Under the Ohio Academy of Science, Terra NYC STEM Fair (March 2025) – Held at New York University – Tandon School of Engineering
“Technovation Girls Global Competition (2025) – Evaluating tech solutions by girls in over 60 countries and Virginia Junior Academy of Science (VJAS, May 2025) – Championing science excellence among youth in Virginia,” he said.

NAN reports that Ogieva’s extraordinary ability lies not only in scientific expertise but in uplifting the next generation of global problem-solvers, and he is proud to strengthen ties in Nigeria to advance scientific innovation.

NAN