Security Watch naija: 2012-09-09

Friday, September 14, 2012

U.S. Embassy Warns of “Threat Situation” In Northern Nigeria Tied To Benghazi Attack (News and comments from Sahara Reporters

Following the outbreak of violent anti-American protests across the Muslim world, sparked by a highly-offensive U.S.-made anti-Muslim film that went viral on the internet, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has issued emergency warnings to U.S. citizens who may be travelling in Northern Nigeria or the Federal Capital City of Abuja.

“The U.S. Mission in Nigeria issues this emergency message to update U.S. citizens on the current threat situation in Nigeria,” the warning read. “The U.S. Mission reminds citizens of the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations, and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests overseas.

“Violent and deadly demonstrations and attacks occurred in Cairo, Egypt, and Benghazi, Libya, during the past 24 hours, including a lethal attack against the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. Extremists may attempt to target U.S citizens and other Westerners in Nigeria. The U.S. Mission in Nigeria strongly urges U.S. citizens in Nigeria to consider their personal security and to keep personal safety in the forefront of their planning.

The film popped up on YouTube dubbed in Arabic, stirring outrage. In response, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo said it deplored "the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims - as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions."

The statement made reference to last week’s attack on cell phone towers allegedly by extremists. Over 30 towers were damaged and cellular phone and internet service was affected. “Additional attacks could further weaken the ability of citizens to communicate through cellular telephones and the internet. Land line telephone communications in Nigeria remain limited. U.S. citizens should attempt to arrange for multiple means of communication during emergencies,” advised the official document.

“This year, extremists have threatened churches, mosques, media houses, police stations, immigration and customs offices, financial institutions, large hotels, shopping malls and markets, state government offices, communications centers, beer gardens, and nightclubs,” the embassy noted.” Attackers have also burned and destroyed several public and private schools in Borno, and targeted several educational institutions in Kano and churches in Plateau, Bauchi, Kaduna, Niger, and Borno states. Additionally, extremists continue to target westerners for abduction. As such, the situation in the country remains fluid and unpredictable.”

“All U.S. citizens should use caution and discretion when deciding to attend large functions or visit establishments identified as potential targets, and respond appropriately if they detect suspicious activities. Because of ongoing security concerns within the Federal Capital Territory, U.S. citizens should continue to expect heavy traffic congestion, road blocks, and significant police/security force deployments. All U.S. citizens should remain vigilant, pay attention to their surroundings, limit exposure to large crowds, and keep their cellular telephones in close proximity for use in cases of emergency.

“U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Nigeria are strongly advised to enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). U.S. citizens without Internet access may enroll directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By enrolling, you make it easier for the U.S. Mission in Nigeria to contact you in case of emergency.”

Source, sahara reporters.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

PHOTO: Nigerian Female Armed Robber gang leader, nabbed and stripped in Abuja.

A female robber who is also the leader of a gang of robbers was nabbed and stripped naked by a mob in Abuja while she and her gang were trying to rob another woman. Luck ran out of her as onlookers swooped down on them and vented jungle justice.

Among the team of five, she was the only one who was captured as the others were able to escape.Inside the ash coloured Nissan Sunny were loads of ATM cards, Passports of various persons, her bag contained “many phone” an eyewitness said.

This incident happened at the AREA 11 TRAFFIC LIGHT where they were held by traffic as they were been chased. It happend today, at about 2:00pm.

Nigeria arrests 11 Boko Haram suspects, seizes guns and bombs

Nigerian authorities arrested 11 suspected members of Islamist militant group Boko Haram overnight and seized automatic weapons, ammunition and several homemade bombs, the military said on Wednesday.

The militants have claimed responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of people since launching an uprising in 2009.

The men were arrested in the Waka-Biu region of Borno state, spokesman for Borno's military and police Joint Task Force (JTF), Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, said.

They recovered a submachinegun, seven AK-47s, 1,568 rounds of ammunition, 12 empty shells and 19 homemade bombs.

Read more...

Photos: Nigeria Puts massive Security around US Embassy in Abuja

Nigerian Police, pays N70 to families of injured and fallen police officers

The Nigeria Police today paid out nearly N70million in insurance benefits and medical expenses to families of officers and men who have died or suffered injuries in the line of duty.
A statement by Deputy Force Public Relations Officer Frank Mba said the presentations were made at Force Headquarters by by DIG Philemon I. Leha, who represented the Inspector-General, Mr. MD Abubakar.
The IGP, who described the occasion as emotional, assured that despite these occupational hazards of being exposed to different types of dangers in the course of their duty, the Police will not be deterred but rather get more committed in performing its constitutional roles to the nation.
A total of N69,777,700.00 was paid out to the families. Mr. Abubakar noted that the money provided may not be sufficient to solve all the problems of the beneficiaries, but urged them to be prudent in its use.
Mr. Horsfall Opiriyabo, a beneficiary of the late Inspector Horsfall Roggers, thanked the Police authorities on behalf of the others and promised that the money will be used judiciously.
He appealed for decentralization in the collection of insurance claims so as to reduce the risk of long-distance travel to Abuja by relatives of the deceased officers.

Source: Sahara Reporters

LASAMBUS bus driver, dies after police brutality.

A driver of the Lagos State Ambulance Service, Jimoh Fasasi, has reportedly died after he was allegedly brutalised by some policemen from the Surulere Police Station at Barracks Bus Stop, Lagos.

It was reported by Punch that Fasasi was on his motorcycle when he was arrested at the bus stop by the policemen around 6pm on Tuesday for plying the bridge.

It was learnt that after a while, an argument ensued between the two parties. One of the eyewitnesses alleged that one of the policemen hit the driver with the butt of his gun.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Fasasi, 56, was heading to his Mushin home when the incident happened.

An eyewitness, who did not give his name because of the sensitivity of the case said, “The man was wearing a LASAMBUS uniform and I think he also showed them his identity card too. They still did not let him go. I did not think the altercation was serious when I heard them arguing.

Source: Punch Newspapers.

Federal Government moves to avert riots in North

The Federal Government on Wednesday took measures to prevent protests against a controversial movie. The development was sequel to the riots that broke out in Egypt and Libya on Tuesday after some Muslims attacked the consulates of the United States in both countries. The US Ambassador to Libya, Chris Steven, and three other Americans were killed in the riots.

Widespread anger against an amateur film said to portray Islam and Prophet Muhammed in bad light sparked off the riots. The trailer of the film was upload to an online video-sharing website.

SECURITY CHALLENGES WILL SOON BE OVER-IG

I.G of Police :Mohammed Abubakar

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, said in Kano on Tuesday that the security challenges in some parts of the country would soon be over. Abubakar made the statement when he paid a courtesy visit to Gov. Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano State.“The issue of security challenges will soon be a forgotten issue as the force will continue to do everything possible to ensure sustainable peace and stability in the country,’’ he said.
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Defence Headquarter acquires 10 patrol boats for JTF operations in Niger Delta

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Friday in Port-Harcourt inaugurated 10 new patrol gunboats to boost the operations of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta.

Inaugurating the gunboats, Gov Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers said they would relieve the operational problems faced by JTF.

```As you are aware, our beloved country is facing multiple security challenges, particularly in the maritime environment.

`` These internal security problems include piracy, smuggling of small arms and light weapons, kidnapping and illegal oil bunkering.

``These have been a source of great concern to the Federal Government, especially the members of the armed forces, who have invested a lot of efforts in curbing this undesirable trend,’’ he said.

Amaechi explained that it was the desire of the government to bring the deplorable situation to an end as quickly as possible that had necessitated the ceremony.

He said the uniqueness and significance of the ceremony were tied to the fact that the occasion marked a milestone in enhancing internal security.

``It is also the first time the DHQ had collaborated with an indigenous company to construct maritime vessels.

``I congratulate the chief of defence staff for having the courage to extend the frontiers of Nigeria’s military technology by taking this long awaited first step.

He expressed optimism that Nigeria could build its industries with local technology and create employment opportunities for the citizens.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, said security challenges facing the nation necessitated the acquisition of the best available equipment for the armed forces.

Petinrin said the funds used for the purchase of the boats were initially meant for repairs of unserviceable, imported patrol craft in the JTF holding.

``During negotiations for the repairs, it was noted that the cost of repairing a patrol boat could be routed to acquiring locally built ones whose operational reliability would not be in doubt.

``Based on the foregoing and the express permission of the Commander in Chief, the DHQ decided that new boats were to be built.

``Today, we are commissioning these new boats for enhancing the security of our maritime environment.

``I urge Nigerians to be patriotic and desist from such acts that will be detrimental to the wellbeing of the nation’’, he said.

Petinrin enjoined the JTF Commander to use the boats effectively by ensuring that they were manned by capable hands.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the boats were made by Modant Marine Limited.

Its Chairman, Mr Moses Taiga, said they were modelled to serve the oil and gas industry, the armed forces, the police, Customs and Immigration Services, Nigerian Ports Authority and others.

Taiga said the boats were fully re-configured for military patrol or search and rescue.

Meanwhile, the Commander of JTF in Rivers and Bayelsa, Brig.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, expressed gratitude to DHQ for the donation.

Buratai said the gunboats would boost the operations of JTF and marine security in the Niger Delta region.

``This is a great boost to the JTF’s duty to fight oil theft in the Niger Delta, the oil thieves will certainly face rough times with this.

``I sincerely thank the Federal Government for this gesture. With the gunboats, the end of oil theft in the Niger Delta is in sight,’’ he said.

Source: NAN
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JTF kills 7 suspected terrorists, arrests 13 in maiduguri.

The Joint Task Force (JTF) on Operation Restore Order (ORO) said on Friday that it had killed seven suspected terrorists in Maiduguri.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Spokesman of the JTF, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa in Maiduguri.

Musa explained that the JTF encountered the hoodlums during a search at a suspected hideout of the terrorists in Gwange, Maiduguri.

``The JTF conducted a cordon and search operation in Gwange Junction.

``But as the search went on some suspected terrorists opened fire on the troops, leading to exchange of fire that killed seven of them,'' he said.

Musa added that 13 other suspects were arrested after the incident.

``No casualty was recorded on the part of the JTF,'' Musa said. (NAN)

Sources: NAN
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U.S. offers help to Nigeria to fight terror group

ABUJA, Nigeria — The Obama administration is renewing an offer to help Nigeria marshal military and intelligence resources against a growing extremist threat that U.S. officials fear could spread to neighboring nations, a U.S. official said Thursday.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s brief visit to Nigeria was focused largely on security concerns. U.S. officials have been frustrated by what many see as a slow and parochial response to the spread of a violent Islamist movement in the country’s north.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com
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Shell spending millions of dollars on security in Nigeria, leaked data shows

Shell is paying Nigerian security forces tens of millions of dollars a year to guard their installations and staff in the Niger delta, according to leaked internal financial data seen by the Guardian. The oil giant also maintains a 1,200-strong internal police force in Nigeria, plus a network of plainclothes informants.

According to the data, the world's largest company by revenue spent nearly $1bn on worldwide security between 2007-09: if it were a country Shell would have the third highest security budget in Africa, after South Africa and Nigeria itself.

The documents show that nearly 40% of Shell's total security expenditure over the three year period – $383m (£244m) – was spent on protecting its staff and installations in Nigeria's volatile Niger delta region. In 2009, $65m was spent on Nigerian government forces and $75m on "other" security costs – believed to be a mixture of private security firms and payments to individuals.

Activists expressed concern that the escalating cost of Shell's security operation in the delta was further destabilising the oil rich region and helping to fuel rampant corruption and criminality. "The scale of Shell's global security expenditure is colossal," said Ben Amunwa of London-based oil watchdog Platform. "It is staggering that Shell transferred $65m of company funds and resources into the hands of soldiers and police known for routine human rights abuses."

The financial documents, passed to Platform, suggest Shell's worldwide security costs almost doubled between 2007-2009, coinciding with the rise of armed insurgency in the Niger delta.

In 2008, 62 Shell employees or contractors were kidnapped and three killed, many Shell-operated pipelines, well heads and offshore oil platforms were attacked and the company was forced to halt oil exports for several weeks after attacks by groups including the Movement for the emancipation of the Niger delta.

Nearly a third of Shell's global security budget in 2008, or $99m, was spent on "third parties". This was double what the company spent on its own security staff and is believed to include the services of 600 Nigerian government police and 700 members of the controversial state "joint task force" (JTF) comprised of army, navy and police.

Shell denies having any direct control over JTF forces, amid numerous accusations of human rights abuses, including a large-scale military attack in 2009 which the US state department said led to the displacement and loss of livelihood of tens of thousands of residents.

But in the past Shell has supplied government forces with gunboats, helicopters, vehicles and satellite phones to better patrol the myriad creeks and waterways of the delta.

"This proves what we in the Niger delta have known for years – that the air force, the army, the police, they are paid for with Shell money and they are all at the disposal of the company for it to use it any how it likes," said Celestine Nkabari at the Niger delta campaign group Social Action.

According to Platform, a significant amount of Shell funding is channelled via senior military officials which provides "ample opportunities for corruption". US cables, released by WikiLeaks in 2010, alleged that the company paid hundreds of thousands of pounds towards the deployment of 350 soldiers in the delta in 2003.

But Shell International said that any allegations of corruption should be addressed to the Nigerian authorities, and that its spending is necessary to protect its staff and operations.

Although armed insurgency in the oil producing regions of the delta has declined since a 2009 amnesty, the company says it faces widespread criminality, organised crime and massive oil theft. It has stated that 15-20% of its output is stolen by international gangs.

"Protecting our people and our assets is Shell's highest priority," it said. "Our spending on security is carefully judged to meet this objective, wherever we operate in the world. We have always acknowledged the difficulties of working in countries like Nigeria. In the period that this report refers to, the armed militancy in the Niger delta was at its height, requiring a relatively high level of security spending there.

"All our staff and contractors are expected to adhere to the highest levels of personal and corporate ethics, as set out in our code of conduct. We support the Voluntary principles on security and human rights (VPSHR), and we recognise that these principles help maintain the safety and security of our operations in a manner consistent with upholding human rights. We also investigate grievances under the VPSHR."

The company declined to comment on whether worldwide costs for security were increasing because of the Arab spring. The company has recently left Syria and has interests throughout the Middle East.

But the scale of Shell's spending, revealed by the data for the first time, raises questions about the effectiveness of its security policies. "What is striking about the amount being spent in Nigeria is its ineffectiveness," said Amunwa. "Shell spent many millions of dollars each year on government forces who failed to provide the company with adequate security."

Nkabari said: "Shell cannot call this spending 'security'. If it was really providing security, then why do we continue to have vandalisation, why do we have bunkering [theft of oil], why do we have the security mess that we have in the Niger delta? They give protection to the oil workers but they are not providing the region with 'security'."

"These figures are alarming – it is a scandal that so much money is spent on security instead of on the local communities whose livelihoods are destroyed as a result of the oil exploitation," said Jaff Napoleon Bamenjo of Relufa, which campaigns for environmental justice in west Africa.

"Across Africa oil, mining and agro-industry companies regularly pay for the services of local security forces that have deplorable human rights records; sometimes as a contractual obligation," said Bamenjo. "This is an extremely unethical practice held over from the colonial era which must end immediately. Not only is it bad for local communities who are the primary victims of police and military predation, but as Shell well knows, it exposes foreign companies to lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions."

Source: http://world.einnews.com

Mali force only option if talks fail, says Nigeria

Military intervention in northern Mali is inevitable if talks with militant Islamists controlling the area fail, Nigeria's leader has warned.

President Goodluck Jonathan said a West African force would be deployed, but only with UN approval.

It has so far refused to endorse military intervention, saying it needed more details about the plan.

Alleged atrocities committed in the rebel-held north are being investigated by international prosecutors.

Battalions

Mr Jonathan said the regional body, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), would "definitely" send a force to the area if a peace deal is not reached with the Islamist fighters.

"Diplomacy and negotiation is first. Military intervention is extreme," he said, during a visit to Senegal.

"When negotiations fail, at that time you can talk about military intervention."

Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Djibrille Bas held talks with the militants last month as part of Ecowas's diplomatic effort to end the conflict.

Ecowas, at the same time, asked the UN Security Council to endorse its plan to send 3,000 troops to Mali.

However, it refused, saying it needed more clarity on the West African body's military objectives and how it intended to achieve them.

Islamist groups and Tuareg rebels took control of large swathes of northern Mali after President Amadou Toumani Toure was overthrown in a coup in March.

But the rebel alliance has since ruptured, with Islamist fighters chasing Tuareg rebels out of several northern towns and imposing Sharia law.

The Islamists have destroyed ancient shrines in the historical city of Timbuktu, claiming they violated Sharia law and promoted idolatry among Muslims.

The UN warned that the destruction of the shrines could amount to war crimes and the International Criminal Court has launched a preliminary inquiry into alleged atrocities.

The Islamists have also stoned to death an unwed couple and amputated the hand of an alleged thief.

A new unity government was formed in Mali's capital, Bamako, at the weekend, promising to spearhead initiatives to end the instability in the north.

The BBC's West Africa correspondent Thomas Fessy says Mali has so far rejected a full-scale foreign intervention but said its army, once re-equipped, would need the support of two or three battalions.

Nigerian church bans towering headwraps

It's an indispensable fashion accessory, worn by every Nigerian woman at some point. Some are never seen without it, including Nigeria's finance minister who calls her modest headwrap her trademark. Others, such as Nollywood actor Abiola Atanda, are known for their foot-high towers at red carpet events.

But a Nigerian church has now banned its congregation from wearing large headwraps, called geles, saying they form a "barricade" when women sit side-by-side and are a potential security risk amid attacks from militant Islamist groups.

Churchgoers who wear geles that seek to reach for the heavens will have their "big headgears" confiscated from next month, the congregation at St Theresa's Cathedral Church in the south-eastern Nigerian state of Enugu have been warned. Other churches are debating whether to follow St Theresa's head start.

"In view of the present security challenges the church has urged women to stop coming to Sunday service with big headgears and bags to enable security men to know when a bomb will be smuggled into the church," Reverend Father Uche Obodoechina said, adding that the headwraps made it difficult to identify people. Catholic churches in Nigeria usually maintain that women must cover their hair during services, which are attended by Nigerians of all ages.

Capable of towering two feet in gravity-defying folds and arcs of lace or stiff jacquard, geles are the crowning glory of traditional outfits typically worn to church and sometimes seen as status symbols based on size alone. Important occasions – of which weddings and churchgoing remain firm favourites – can prompt intricate geles, usually finished off with stone-encrusted sunglasses and flashy handbags. "Women feel naked without their geles on special occasions," said Lagos-based makeup artist Kadiatou Sangare, who often helps women tie elaborate creations.

The crackdown on geles is one of a series of increasing security measures after Nigeria endured a spate of bomb attacks on churches and mosques from militant Islamist group Boko Haram. This year it has targeted at least six churches in northern and central Nigeria, prompting fears it is trying to ignite a sectarian war among Nigeria's evenly split Muslims and Christians. It has never struck a southern Nigerian state.

A military clampdown in recent months has curbed attacks, but church authorities said they were taking no chances.

"It is an unusual move but they must have their own information for doing so," said Monsignor Gabriel Osu of the Catholic archdiocese of Lagos. "Nigerians now are very security conscious and churches especially are very vulnerable. So rather than take chances, they will do anything to minimise the risks to their congregations; they're going that extra mile."

The move has divided opinion among churchgoers.

"It's a good thing," said taxi driver Idowu James. "There is no doubt some people carry big handbags to intimidate people lower down the ladder. Frankly, I don't think church is the right place for exercises in fashion parade."

Others see wearing geles to be as inalienable a right as going to church. "I've never heard such a thing and I don't think women in my own church will abide by that. Most of the week we women are working, so Sunday is the only chance to wear geles and dress up," said Lagos resident Grace George. "We want to look our best when we go to church, and you cannot do that if you expose your head."

Other churches have ramped up security as attacks have led to drops in attendance. Many restrict cars from parking in their vicinity during services. In at least two states – Plateau and Kogi – round-the-clock armed guards have been posted outside some churches.

Source : http://world.einnews.com

Nigeria: Payment to Tompolo, Others Threat to National Security - ANPP

The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) yesterday said the controversial N5.6 billion payment to some ex-Niger Delta militants to guard oil pipelines in the region is a threat to national security.

National publicity secretary of ANPP, Emma Eneukwu said yesterday in a statement that for the Wall Street Journal to break the news last week is a national disgrace. "The fact that this disclosure was first publicized by a foreign news medium is a patent ridicule to the image of our great nation in the comity of nations.

For some time now, Nigeria has been engaged in various vigorous strategies in international public relations and marketing in a bid to gain the world's confidence in our fight against corruption so as to lure them in to invest in the country. But this damning admission of an award of a shady and illegitimate contract without the knowledge of the relevant National Assembly committees overseeing the activities of the NNPC by the Federal Government, has blatantly shown the hypocrisy and ineptitude of this present government to the whole world.

"Furthermore, we believe that this is a threat to our national security because the truth of the matter is that the apparatus of national security has been put into the hands of ex-militants with no proven background in oil-facility security.

The Nigerian Navy, the Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, are the legitimate government security bodies to whom such monies should be apportioned to; rather, the government has especially left the police in a less than desirable state of welfare and turned to former militants, who already have almost half a billion dollars budgeted to be spent on them in 2012 alone," he said.

Source: allafrica.com

Nigeria to host international confab on threat of cyber crimes to national security

World Cyber Conference Nigeria - Nigeria is to host a three-day World Cyber Conference aimed at developing strategies against the latest developments in cyber crimes and its threats to national security. Chief of Defence Communications, Air Vice Marshal Ndubuisi Amu, told journalists on Tuesday in Abuja that the conference, scheduled for 17-19 Sept., is part of the arrangements being made by the organizers, Nigeria's Defence Headquarters (DHQ), towards eliminating cyber crime in Nigeria.

With the theme 'Exploiting the Cyber and Space Resources to Meet Contemporary Security Challenges', Amu stated that the objective of the conference was to identify challenges associated with cyberspace, cashless economy and space resource and thereafter proffer solutions.

About 300 participants drawn from the military, international consulting firms and federal government agencies are expected to attend.

The federal government agencies attending include the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), National Communications Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Identity Card Management Commission, Office of the National Security Adviser, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Directorate of State Security and the Nigeria Police.

The participants are expected to be trained in the area of cyber security up to International Certificate level while some selected participants will be equipped with skills in Certified Ethical Hacking (CEH) and Certified Hacking Forensic Investigation.

Amu noted that the impact of the globe-spanning range of cyberspace and its disregard for national borders on a nation’s ability to deter threats and respond to contingencies makes the conference the more imperative.

According to him, “the conference is aimed at building on the knowledge and the awareness on the latest development in cyber crime and its threat to national security with the view to developing strategies for curtail them. This more so as cyber crimes undermine the competence of our national security agencies and expose our information management system to grave danger.”

Topics to be discussed at the conference include: Protection of National Infrastructure and integrated Network Security; Cashless Society and the Implication for National Security; Military Communications Imperatives to meet contemporary Security Challenges; Space Application and National Security, NIGCOMSAT Perspectives; Cyber Warfare: Building Offensive Capabilities to meet Contemporary Challenges.

Source :http://world.einnews.com
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Bakassi - Obong of Calabar to Send Delegation to UN Security Council

The Obong of Calabar, Edidem Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu V, and the entire Efik Kingdom in Cross River State have concluded arrangements to send a delegation to the United Nations Security Council to press for a review of the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which on October 10, 2002 ceded Bakassi Peninsula to the Republic of Cameroun.

This last ditch effort by the distraught kingdom which owns Bakassi Peninsula is sequel to the Federal Government's foreclosure of any appeal against the judgment ahead of its deadline on October 10, 2012, and its lack of plan to either develop the Dayspring Resettlement Camp or pay compensation for the loss of the peninsula.

At a meeting convened at the Obong's palace and attended by the Etuboms, traditional rulers, professionals, religious leaders, women leaders and youth groups and critical stakeholders of Efik kingdom to examine the unfolding events in Bakassi, it was agreed that since individuals and groups cannot appeal the ICJ judgment, they should exploit the option of the Security Council in view of the fresh facts on the ownership of Bakassi at their disposal.

The proposed visit to the Security Council is to prod the powerful UN organ into action in view of the unpleasant developments at the Gulf of Guinea evident in growing insecurity, mistreatment of Nigerians left in Abana and other coastal communities of Bakassi by Cameroonian gendarmes, declaration of the sovereign state of Bakassi, all which if unchecked could lead to war of attrition.

The meeting noted that the peninsula was the bona fide property of and ancestral land of the various houses under the Obong of Calabar and that there were documents to back this fact as exemplified in the 1884 Treaty entered between the kings and chiefs of old Calabar and Britain.

"In recent times the kingdom and its peace loving people have watched with consternation as their property has been partitioned, fought over, its boundaries adjusted and subjected to a court of judgment without consultation let alone consent," a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting said.

The communiqué appreciated the good efforts of those concerned with the Bakassi issue and called on all sons and daughters at home and the diaspora "to come together with one voice to restore the rights and dignity of their brothers and sisters in Bakassi".

It advised the Federal Government "to without further delay vigorously explore every legal avenue and opportunity to seek a review of the ICJ judgment before October 10, 2012 deadline.

"The attention of all Nigerians and the international community be drawn to the sad plight of traumatised Efik people as well as other Nigerians who have been impacted and continue to suffer as a result of the ICJ decision.

"All concerned authorities should as a matter of urgency provide aid succour to the hapless, brutalised and disenfranchised Nigerians who are facing a terrible time in Bakassi.

"We call on all Efik youths to remain clam and law abiding as we believe that the Federal Government of Nigeria and well meaning Nigerians will hearken to the desperate crisis of their fellow citizens and right the wrongs which have been committed against the Efik kingdom and the Bakassi people in particular," the communiqué stated.

Source: allafrica.com

Police Nab 8 suspected kidnappers of ESUT Vice Chancellor

Enugu, Sept. 12, 2012 (NAN) The anti-kidnap squad of the police in Enugu State has arrested eight persons suspected to have kidnapped the Vice Chancellor of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Prof. Cyprian Onyeji.

A statement in Enugu on Wednesday from the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Ebere Amarizu, said the suspects were arrested after a gun battle with the police at Safety Hotel, Uwani, at about 1.30 a.m.

According to the statement, the suspects are connected with some kidnap activities in the South East and its environs.

The statement said the suspects had given convincing insights about their role in the recent kidnap of Onyeji, as well as other incidents in the state.

It disclosed that a Volkswagen Vento car with registration number AQ 780 BRS, two riffles and five loaded magazines with 52 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the suspects.

``Following their arrest, they confessed that their gang leader and other members arrived from Port Harcourt.

``Then at about 1:30 a.m., security operatives were led to Safety Hotels at Uwani in Enugu where severe gun duel ensued between the suspected kidnappers and the security operatives.''

The command appealed to the members of the public, particularly hospitals, to watch out for anybody with bullet injuries and to promptly report such for appropriate actions.

The statement commended the cooperation of other security agencies, the media and the public for providing useful information and assistance leading to the achievement.

It said the command would continue to partner with the citizens to eradicate crime from the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Onyeji was abducted in August and rescued after eight days at Igbariam in Anambra. (NAN)

Source: NANS

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