Headline

Only White Paper Can Confirm Alleged Killings – Chief Of Defence Staff

Published

4 years ago

November 16, 2021

Editor

Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor

…Cautions Against Inciting Comments

… Obaseki Solicits Armed Forces Support

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor on Tuesday evening in Benin City the Edo State Capital has said that only a white paper form the report of the Lagos State #ENDSARS Judicial panel which indicates that there were killings during the protest in Lekki, would confirm the alleged incidents.

He assured that the Nigerian Armed Forces remain committed to their professional calling of protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

He cautioned Nigerians against making inciting comments on what is happening across the country.

Speaking to journalists shortly after a courtesy visit on Governor Godwin Obaseki in government house, Irabor said the operations of the armed forces should not be compared to that of the police.

He added that his men and women remain professionals.

Irabor, who was on a farmiliarisation visit to military formations in the state said, “I am sure those of you in the media must have seen that there is a report that was released though in my view a wrong channel that is making the rounds in the social media.

“Whether it is a true report, I can’t tell but I would like to indicate that the normal procedure is to have such a report submitted to the convening authority and then there will be a white paper based on which one can make informed comments.

“But whatever you see currently, I will like to indicate that the armed forces of Nigeria is a professional armed forces. We are peopled by Nigerians and we remain committed to constitutional mandate, so we do not at this point think that Nigerians should make disparaging remarks regarding the armed forces of Nigeria in the sense that we are professional armed forces, and if there are issues, of course we address them within the ambits of the provision.

“It will not be right to disparage men and women who have worked so hard to ensure that the territorial integrity of this nation is kept intact; so, in the meantime, until I see the full report, I may not be able to… but I can assure you that the armed forces of Nigeria are well disciplined and we do not engage in any ignoble acts.

“If Nigerians don’t trust us then we wouldn’t have been doing what we are doing and in any case, it is the armed forces of Nigeria and remember, we are not talking about the police, we are talking about the armed forces with emphasis armed forces, so, when the armed forces are called out, it is because there is a need for the armed forces; there is no one who do not require and desire to live in peace, and so we need to understand that the armed forces is there to keep the peace to provide the ambience that will enable each and every Nigerian to live up his desires in peace and harmony, so let us not make inciting comments that will put the entire space on fire, that is not right.”

Earlier, Obaseki who lauded the CDS where the governor called for supported from the armed forces to check banditry and criminality in Edo forests and waterways.

According to him, “You are one person that we are very proud of; apart from being a well-decorated officer, in a short while, you have taken charge of the defense functions through your network. We have been watching with admiration the way you are coping and thriving with the very difficult challenge of stabilizing the security of this country.”

Obaseki, while calling for more collaboration with the military to improve security in Edo, said, “We have been able to record quite a lot of success in relation to what is going on in the rest of the country. We have some challenges and we would like you to support us. We are currently experiencing problems in some of our forests particularly the Okomu axis, which borders the Ose River.

“We find bandits and criminals coming there to undertake massive logging of woods and transport them; they now buy arms to reinforce their activities there. I am glad you came with all the men in the navy to see how you can give us additional support to patrol the waterways to checkmate the activities of these criminals.”

He further noted, “In the last couple of weeks, we have found lifeless bodies in the forest, which is now a den for cultivation of cannabis. We would like to work with the military to rout out these criminals.

“We want to assure you that you can always count on us in Edo to help in working with you to stabilize the security situation in this country.”

Related Topics:Chief of Defence Staff Irabor

Up Next

UNFPA Trains 68 Women On Production Of Reusable Sanitary Pads

Don't Miss

Buhari Praises Jonathan For Placing Public Interest Above Personal Gains

Comments

Headline

42 Killed In Israeli Attacks, Says Gaza’s Civil Defense

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 42 people killed in Israeli attacks on Sunday, as the Israeli army prepared for a new assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest city.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said there had been several air strikes around Gaza City — which the military is gearing up to capture — including one in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood that killed eight people.

Attacks were also reported elsewhere across the territory, he said, with the “total tally currently rising to 42 dead”.

The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the figure.

“The situation is extremely dangerous… Each day, each minute, there are bombings, martyrs, death and blood — we can’t take it anymore,” Al-Sabra resident Ibrahim Al-Shurafa told AFP, explaining strikes and shelling were ongoing.

“We don’t know where to go. Death follows us everywhere,” he added.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

The October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,686 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

AFP

Headline

Venezuela Frees Eight Opposition Leaders

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Venezuelan authorities released eight opposition leaders from jail early Sunday, including a former congressman and two Italian citizens, and granted house arrest to five others, an opposition politician said.

Most of those released had been charged with corruption in opposition-run mayoral offices.

Also set free was Congressman, Amirico de Grazia, detained amid protests that erupted during President Nicolas Maduro’s reelection in 2024.

“Today, several families are once again embracing their loved ones. We know there are many left, and we have not forgotten them; we continue to fight for everyone,” two-time former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said on X.

Opposition leaders Victor Jurado, Simon Vargas, Arelis Ojeda Escalante, Mayra Castro, Diana Berrio, Gorka Carnevalli, as well as Italian nationals Margarita Assenzo and de Grazia were released, Capriles said.

Nabil Maalouf, Valentin Gutierrez Pineda, Rafael Ramirez, Pedro Guanipa, and David Barroso were placed under house arrest.

The Italian government confirmed the release of de Grazia and Assenzo, who must appear in court to clarify the conditions of their release. It also vowed to continue working on securing the release of other detained Italians.

“We have always said, and we maintain it: we will talk to whomever we need to talk to so that there is not a single political prisoner in our Venezuela!” Capriles added.

AFP

Headline

Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Russia and Ukraine each sent back more prisoners of war on Sunday in the latest in a series of exchanges that have seen hundreds of POWs released this year, the two sides said.

Large-scale prisoner exchanges were the only tangible result of three rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul between May and July.

They remain one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries since Russia’s offensive began in 2022.

“On August 24, 146 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled” by Kyiv, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.

“In exchange, 146 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred” to Ukraine, it added. Ukraine did not confirm any figures for the release.

Russia also said that “eight citizens of the Russian Federation—residents of the Kursk region, illegally detained” by Kyiv were also returned.

Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August last year, seizing hundreds of square kilometres (miles) of territory in a major setback for the Kremlin.

Russia deployed thousands of troops from its ally North Korea as part of a counterattack but did not fully reclaim the region until April.

Among the Ukrainians released on Sunday was journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Khyliuk was kidnapped in the Kyiv region in March 2022. He is finally home in Ukraine,” Zelensky said on social media.

Also freed was former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko, “who spent more than three years in captivity,” Zelensky’s aide Andriy Yermak wrote on X.

“In 2022, he was on the list for return, but Volodymyr voluntarily refused to be exchanged in favour of a seriously ill prisoner with whom he was sharing a cell in a Russian prison,” Yermak said.

AFP