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Ondo Attack: Amotekun Storms Southwest Forests in Search of Fleeing Northwest Terrorists

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The states in the Southwest on Thursday said they have alerted the regional security outfit, Amotekun, about the renewed attacks by some suspected killer herdsmen and terrorists in Ondo State.

This was gathered from the officials of the security outfit in Osun, Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti state. Speaking separately to journalists, they said they had gotten credible intelligence that terrorists fleeing military operations in the Northwest would seek refuge in the forests of the Southern part of the country.

The personnel then maintained that they have embarked on combing the forests in the region for the fleeing terrorists from the Northwest.

The commandant of Amotekun in  Osun State, Brig. Gen. Bashir Adewinbi, (retd.), said the state before now had intelligence that fleeing bandits might attempt to occupy forests in the South-West.

Adewinbi however said Amotekun in the state would not allow criminals to occupy its territory.

Although the Amotekun boss refrained from mentioning in details the strategies, he said steps being taken to prevent invasion by criminals involved collaboration with security agents in neighbouring states, especially Kogi and Kwara states.

He said, “We have received credible intelligence about that before. We have met and we are still meeting to effectively forestall this.

“We won’t allow criminals to use our forest as an alternative. If you can recall, recently, there was an attack on a village in Ondo State. The whole village was burnt down.

“We have always had those feelings that they may likely want to use South-West forest, but we will not allow that. Before now, we have always been working to prevent that.”

In Ekiti State, the Corps Commander of Amotekun Corps, Brig. Gen. Joe Komolafe (retd.), said that the security outfit was maintaining surveillance to prevent bandits from accessing or occupying the forests in Ekiti.

Komolafe said that Ekiti Amotekun was also in collaboration with Amotekun in neighbouring states for border patrol to keep the areas safe.

He said, “We maintain surveillance. Then we collaborate with local hunters, farmers and forestry guards so that they intimate us when they see strange faces or movements in the bush.

“Again, we have informants who volunteer information and we speak to traditional rulers fo alert us whenever they see suspicious faces or individuals. We do not wait until bandits or criminals come in or strike”.

Amotekun in Oyo State said it had intensified its intelligence gathering and patrol in some border communities as bandits and other criminals started fleeing from the North due to military onslaught.

The Commandant of Amotekun in the state, Col. Olayinka Olayanju ( retd.), said  his men had been on the lookout for strange faces who might want to occupy forests in the state to start to cause havoc.

Olayanju said, “We are aware that some of the bandits who escaped the military onslaught may want to migrate down South to start causing problem and we have started patrolling to prevent them from coming here.

“The patrol was intensified since about six months ago and it is still on till now. We are on the lookout for strange faces because of our proximity to Niger State which is another theatre of bandit operations.

“We started patrolling from Kishi to Igboho and the constant patrol is still ongoing. Also, our men patrol from Iwajowa Local Government Area of the state to the four local government areas in Ibarapa axis and Oyo State boarder with Benin Republic as well as Oyo State border with Ogun State at Olomo Meji Isale and Oyan River.”

The Ondo State Amotekun declared that the state would not tolerate acts of banditry in any part of the state.

The state Commander of the corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye who spoke to one of our correspondents, said the corps would not give room for the influx of terrorists from any part of the country.

Concerning the recent attack in the Molege and Arimogija communities in Ose Local Government Area of the state, the commander, who did not state the cause of the attacks, said the men of the command were still on the trail of the attackers, adding that the terrorists would be prevented from entering into the state.

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NLC protests: Why Nigeria’s economy is in such a mess

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Nigeria is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation, leading to widespread hardship and anger.

The trade union umbrella group, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), held protests in the main cities on Tuesday, calling for more action from the government.

A litre of petrol costs more than three times what it did nine months ago, while the price of the staple food, rice, has more than doubled in the past year.

These two figures highlight the difficulties that many Nigerians are facing as wages have not kept up with the rising cost of living.

Like many nations, Nigeria has experienced economic shocks from beyond its shores in recent years, but there are also issues specific to the country, partly driven by the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu when he took office last May.

How bad is the economy?

Overall, annual inflation, which is the average rate at which prices go up, is now close to 30% – the highest figure in nearly three decades. The cost of food has risen even more – by 35%.

However, the monthly minimum wage, set by the government and which all employers are supposed to observe, has not changed since 2019, when it was put at 30,000 naira – this is worth just $19 (£15) at current exchange rates.

Many are going hungry, rationing what food they have or looking for cheaper alternatives.

In the north, some people are now eating the rice that is normally discarded as part of the milling process. The waste product usually goes into fish food.

Widely shared social media videos indicate how some are reducing portion sizes.

One clip shows a woman cutting a fish into nine pieces rather than the average four to five. She is heard saying her goal is to ensure her family can at least eat some fish twice a week.

What is causing Nigeria’s economic crisis?

Inflation has soared in many countries, as fuel and other costs spiked as a result of the war in Ukraine.

But President Tinubu’s efforts to remodel the economy have also added to the burden.

On the day he was sworn in nine months ago, the new president announced that the long-standing fuel subsidy would be ending.

This had kept petrol prices low for citizens of this oil-producing nation, but it was also a huge drain on public finances. In the first half of 2023, it accounted for 15% of the budget – more than the government spent on health or education. Mr Tinubu argued that this could be better used elsewhere.

However, the subsequent huge jump in the price of petrol has caused other prices to rise as companies pass on transportation and energy costs to the consumer.

One other factor that is pushing up inflation is an issue that Mr Tinubu inherited from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, according to financial analyst Tilewa Adebajo.

He told the BBC’s Newsday programme that the previous government had asked the country’s central bank for short-term loans to cover spending amounting to $19bn.

The bank printed the money, which helped fuel inflation, Mr Adebajo said.

Chart showing the changing food prices

What has happened to the naira?

Mr Tinubu also ended the policy of pegging the price of the currency, the naira, to the US dollar rather than leaving it up to the market to determine on the basis of supply and demand. The central bank was spending a lot of money maintaining the level.

But scrapping the peg has led the naira’s value to plunge by more than two-thirds, briefly hitting an all-time low last week.

Last May, 10,000 naira would buy $22, now it will only fetch around $6.40.

As the naira is worth less, the price of all imported products has gone up.

When will things get better?

While the president is unlikely to reverse his decisions on the fuel subsidy and the naira, which he argues will pay off in the long run by making Nigeria’s economy stronger, the government has introduced some measures to ease the suffering.

Nigeria’s Vice-President Kashim Shettima announced the establishment of a board charged with controlling and regulating food prices. The government also ordered the national grain reserve to distribute 42,000 tonnes of grains, including maize and millet.

This is not the first time the government has said it is distributing aid to poor and vulnerable Nigerians, but labour unions have often criticised the government’s method of food distribution, saying much of it does not reach poor families.

The government has also said it is working with rice producers to get more of it into markets and customs officials have been instructed to cheaply sell off bags of the grain that they have seized. In a sign of how bad things are, on Friday this led to a crush in the biggest city, Lagos, which killed seven people, local media report. These hand-outs have now been halted.

The rice was seized under the previous government, which banned imports of rice to encourage local farmers to grow more. That ban was lifted last year in at attempt to bring down the cost but because of the fall in the value of the naira, that has not worked.

Around 15 million poorer households are also receiving a cash transfer of 25,000 naira ($16; £13) a month, but these days that doesn’t go very far.

Culled from the BBC

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Africa

Nangolo Mbumba Sworn In as Namibia’s Interim President

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Nangolo Mbumba has been sworn in as the interim president of the southern African country of Namibia.

He was installed Sunday, following the death of President Hage Geingob earlier in the day at a hospital in Windhoek.

Geingob announced in January that he had cancer.

Mbumba said Sunday that he does not plan to run for president in elections later this year.

That means newly-installed Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah could seek the presidential office. If she won, she would be first female president in southern Africa.

However, she may face some challengers from within SWAPO, her political party.

The South West Africa People’s Organization or SWAPO has been in power in Namibia since it gained independence in 1990.

President Geingob recently upbraided Germany for supporting Israel against genocide charges at the International Court of Justice.

Geingob said Germany committed genocide in Namibia in the 1800s, killing tens of thousands of Africans.

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Horrible images of massive blast in Nigeria caused by explosives

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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Three people died and 77 others were injured overnight when an explosives rocked more than 20 buildings in one of Nigeria’s largest cities, authorities said Wednesday, as rescue workers dug through the rubble in search of those feared trapped.

Residents in the southwestern state of Oyo’s densely populated Ibadan city heard a loud blast at about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, causing panic as many fled their homes. By Wednesday morning, security forces cordoned off the area while medical personnel and ambulances were on standby as rescue efforts intensified.

Preliminary investigations showed the blast was caused by explosives stored for use in illegal mining operations, Oyo Gov. Seyi Makinde told reporters after visiting the site in the Bodija area of Ibadan.

3 killed and 77 injured in massive blast caused by explosives in southern  Nigerian city - Bharat Express

 

Nigeria explosion leaves 3 dead, 77 injured as rescue workers frantically  dig through rubble to search for survivors

 

3 killed, 77 injured in massive blast caused by explosives in southern  Nigerian city - ABC News

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