390 Repentant Boko Haram members graduate from FG de-radicalisation programme
390 Repentant Boko Haram members graduate from FG de-radicalisation programme
No fewer than 390 repentant Boko Haram members graduated from Federal Government’s De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) programme in Gombe State.
Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, said this during the graduation ceremony in Malam Sidi in Kwami Local Government Area of Gombe State on Thursday.
He said that the graduating clients arrived at the camp in July 2024 and
went through various rebuilding activities of the programme, which reshaped them and made them ready for reintegration into the society.
Represented by Maj.-Gen. Sunday Makollo, Musa said that the non-kinetic approach by the Federal Government is impacting positively on military operations in the Northeast.
He restated the army’s commitment toward tackling security challenges in the country and ensuring peace and security.
He urged the clients to be agents of peace in their respective communities, while warning them against violating the oath they took and their allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
On his part, Col. Abiodun Johnson, the Commandant of the DRR Camp, Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC), said that the clients comprised six foreigners and 384 Nigerians who had been rehabilitated and ready for reintegration.
Johnson said “a further breakdown of the 390 clients shows 13 clients hailed from Adamawa, one from Akwa-Ibom, 19 from Bauchi State, 218 from Borno, one from Cross River, one from Edo, five from Gombe, five from Jigawa.
“Others are 15 from Kaduna State, 14 from Kano State, seven from Katsina State, three from Kebbi and five from Kogi, two from Nasarawa, five from Niger, one from Osun, two from Oyo.
“Four from Plateau, five from Sokoto State, three from Taraba, 47 from Yobe and eight from Zamfara.
“The foreign clients include one from Cameroon, one from Chad and four from Niger Republic.
“Similarly, six clients are Christians and 384 are Muslims. This information is essential for management planning and reintegration process,” he said.
He explained that during the DRR programme, the clients were trained in various skills of their choice ranging from welding, tailoring, carpentry, bakery, laundry and electrical repairs, among others.
He said that the training was to quicken their reintegration into the society and discourage them from going back to crimes.
The camp commandant said that the clients had confessed their past, denounced their membership of the insurgent group and swore an oath of allegiance to be loyal, obedient and responsible citizens.
Mrs Zubaida Umar, the Director-General of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said the Federal Government is committed to addressing insecurity in the country.
Umar commended the resilience of the armed forces for using kinetic and non-kinetic approaches in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in the country.
She lauded President Bola Tinubu for the political will and approving the expansion of OPSC to cover the six geo-political zones, especially with the inclusion of the North-West and establishment of DRR camp in Zamfara State.
Umar, represented by NEMA’s Director of Search and Rescue, Air Cdr. Abang Oyong, donated food and non food items to the clients.
According to her, the items will help to stabilise them after the DRR programme and enable their seamless reintegration into the society.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that each of the clients got a starter pack according to area of training and N50,000.
The items donated include 400 bags of rice (25kg), 400 bags of maize (25kg), 400 bottles of vegetable oil, 40 cartons of seasoning, 40 cartons of tomato paste.
Others are 20 bags of iodised salt, 400 pieces of bath towels, 800 pieces of plastic plates, 800 pieces of plastic spoons.(NAN)
News
President Tinubu returns to Nigeria after Abu Dhabi outing
President Tinubu returns to Nigeria after Abu Dhabi outing
President Bola Tinubu has returned to Nigeria after participating in the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW 2026).
Presidential spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja.
The president attended the summit alongside some members of his cabinet.
On the sidelines of the summit, Nigeria signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The agreement is aimed at deepening economic cooperation, boosting bilateral trade and investment, and enhancing technology transfer.
It will also expand collaboration in key sectors, including energy, infrastructure, agriculture, mining and renewable energy.
In his address at the summit, Tinubu announced that Nigeria and the UAE would jointly host INVESTOPIA in Lagos in February.
The initiative is designed to attract global investors and accelerate sustainable investment inflows into Nigeria.
Tinubu also said Nigeria targets mobilising up to $30 billion annually in climate and green industrial finance.
He said the funds would support energy transition reforms and expand nationwide access to electricity. (NAN)
News
APC clears air on receiving letter of defection from another State Governor
APC clears air on receiving letter of defection from another State Governor
The Zamfara chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied receiving a letter from Gov. Dauda Lawal seeking to defect to the party.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there were speculations across the state over Lawal’s move to defect to APC.
A statement issued in Gusau on Saturday by the state APC Publicity Secretary, Malam Yusuf Idris, described the speculations as fabricated.
“The party came across a fabricated report purported to have emanated from one Tambarin Gusau claiming that Go Dauda Lawal has sent a letter to the party wanting to join the APC.
“The report is malicious, unfortunate, unfounded, mischievous and showed the unprofessional manner which some people can go in misleading others and causing chaos in a stable and a peaceful party like the APC.
“The APC has responsible channels where everything is done in a guided manner,” Idris said.
According to him, the party has not received any letter from Lawal as claimed through the imagination of the writer nor was the party aware of any recent moves by the governor to defect from the PDP to the APC.
“All members of the party and indeed the public especially in Zamfara should therefore disregard such report.,” Idris added.(NAN)
News
282 Passengers safe as plane makes emergency landing in Lagos
282 Passengers safe as plane makes emergency landing in Lagos
A Qatar Airways passenger plane on Friday made an emergency landing at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos after developing a technical fault mid-flight.
The aircraft, which had 248 passengers and 12 crew members on board, was forced to land abruptly after the malfunction was detected while it was operating within Nigerian airspace.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed the incident in a statement released by its Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu.
According to him, the agency was alerted to the situation through its 767 and 112 toll-free emergency lines, prompting an immediate response from emergency officials.
He explained that upon receiving the distress call, the LASEMA Response Team (LRT) was swiftly deployed to the airport to assess the situation and provide necessary support.
“Upon arrival at the scene, the LASEMA Response Team confirmed that the aircraft was in distress,” the statement noted.
“The pilot executed a safe landing on the runway at Murtala Mohammed International Airport with LASEMA Response Team and other emergency responders standing by on extreme high alert on the runway.
“Collaborative efforts of the multi-agency responders were coordinated. After proper check by the pilot and the engineering crew, the aircraft was moved to the apron for detailed inspection and prompt repairs.”
“All passengers of the distressed airplane were evacuated safely; no injuries reported, no loss of lives,” the statement said.
Despite the technical issue and the emergency landing, the agency stated that there was the aircraft experienced no major damage.
“The aircraft has been secured on the apron. Recovery activities have been completed,” the statement added.
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