Headline

Chief Of Air Staff Hints On When Insurgency, Banditry Would End

Published

4 years ago

November 16, 2021

The Chief of Air Staff, Isiaka Oladayo Amao, has assured Nigerians that the end of the savagery of insurgents and bandits was in sight.

This is coming few days after Brig. Gen. Dzarma Nkusu was killed in a reported ambush alongside other troops by the fighters of Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) in Askira Uba Local Government Council of Borno State.

The Air Chief appeared before the Senate Committee on Air force on Tuesday to defend its 2022 budget alongside other senior air force officers.

He told the Senate Committee that the insurgents of whatever faction, Boko Haram or ISWAP, have been devastatingly decimated and degraded with attendant loss of fighters and weapons on weekly basis, making many of them surrender voluntarily.

“Required onslaughts tactically and strategically are already mapped out to rout out the remnants of the insurgents attacking villages and military outposts in a pretence of still being potent.

“In line with the core mandate of the Air force and military generals, the territorial integrity of Nigeria is being protected against the insurgents and bandits who in no distant time, will be completely wiped out “, he said.

He added that as the 2021 budgetary allocations given the Air Force was judiciously used in prosecuting the war against the insurgents and bandits as well as improving the welfare of officers and men, the 2022 allocations, will also be expended judiciously for similar purposes.

“In the face of challenges at hand, prudence and accountability have been the guiding principle of implementation of budgetary allocations by the Nigeria Air Force.

In his remarks before the session went into a closed-door, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ibn Bala Na’ tasked the military outfit to use all the resources within its disposal in routing out the remnants of the insurgents in particular and make the forests inhabitable for bandits, Kidnappers and all forms of criminals.

“The Air Force and by extension, the military generally, deserved commendation from Nigerians as far as the war against insurgency and banditry are concerned but Nigerians want these enemies of the Nation to be completely defeated as soon as possible.

“For us on this Committee and in the National Assembly, required Appropriations in terms of procurement of weapons, armaments and enhancement of the welfare of officers and men in the military, shall be made since the essence of governance itself is security and welfare of the citizenry.”

Headline

US Threatens Visa Overstayers With Lifetime Ban

Published

7 hours ago

July 14, 2025

Editor

The United States government has issued a severe warning to foreign nationals who overstay their visa validity.

The embassy also cautioned that such action could lead to deportation and a permanent ban from re-entering the country.

In a statement made available to the press on Monday, US immigration authorities reiterated their longstanding policy on visa compliance, saying, “If you remain in the United States beyond your authorised period of stay, you could be deported, and could face a permanent ban on traveling to the United States.”

This warning comes amid rising migration figures, especially among young Africans, many of whom travel to the United States in pursuit of better education and economic opportunity.

According to recent data from the US Department of Homeland Security, visa overstays represent a significant portion of immigration violations annually, prompting tighter enforcement measures and renewed public awareness campaigns by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

However, under US immigration law, individuals who remain in the country unlawfully for more than 180 days can face a three- or ten-year ban and, in some cases, a lifetime bar from returning.

For Nigerians seeking to relocate or study in the US, the warning serves as a reminder to comply strictly with immigration terms, especially as global scrutiny on migration grows fiercer.

Headline

US Will Send Ukraine Patriot Air Defense Systems

Published

14 hours ago

July 14, 2025

Editor

President Donald Trump on Sunday said the United States would send Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine to help it fight off a Russian invasion, as his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin soured.

“We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,” Trump said, without specifying how many, just two weeks after Washington said it would pause some arms deliveries to Kyiv.

“I haven’t agreed on the number yet, but they’re going to have some because they do need protection,” he told reporters.

The weapons delivery will be part of a new deal which Trump says will involve NATO paying the United States for some of the weapons it sends to Ukraine.

“We basically are going to send them various pieces of very sophisticated military and they’re going to pay us 100 percent for them,” Trump told reporters.

The US president repeated that he was “disappointed” in Putin.

When he first returned to the White House in January Trump insisted he could work with the Russian leader to end the war, but grew increasingly frustrated as Russian missiles continued with no ceasefire in sight.

“Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening,” said the disgruntled Trump.

US special envoy Keith Kellogg is due to begin his latest visit to Ukraine on Monday.

Trump also said he would meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday, when he previously said he would make a “major statement… on Russia.”

Headline

Canadian Province Quebec Stops New Sponsorships For Partners, Dependents Until 2026

Published

15 hours ago

July 14, 2025

Editor

The Quebec government, one of the 10 provinces in Canada, has suspended new applications under its family reunification program for spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners, and dependent children aged 18 or over until June 25, 2026.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) on July 10, the province has reached its annual cap of 13,000 family sponsorship applications. Of these, 10,400 were allocated for immediate family members, while 2,600 slots were for parents, grandparents, and other eligible relatives.

The halt, effective from July 9, is aimed at aligning immigration levels with the province’s capacity to provide housing and public services. Quebec is currently grappling with a housing crunch, particularly in urban areas like Montreal.

Applications submitted after the cut-off will be returned unprocessed. However, exemptions apply for unmarried dependent children under 18, adopted children, orphaned minors, dependents with disabilities, and additions to ongoing applications.

MIFI advised potential sponsors to prepare in advance for the next intake and monitor updates ahead of the 2026 window.