18042019 - PRESIDENTIAL TUSSLE:I always beat you in every election, Buhari tells Atiku

Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 18 , 2019—35
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Killings: Troops arrest 11 suspects,
recover haul of arms in Nasarawa
•As IGP deploys squad to fish out perpetrators
By Joseph
Erunke & David
Odama
L AFIA—Military
Operation Whirl Strokes
in Nasarawa State has
arrested no fewer than 11
suspected bandits and
recovered 38 assorted
weapons, including an
Israeli army assorted rifle
known as Clariom 5. 56.
This came as Inspector-
General of Police,
Mohammed Adamu,
ordered Nasarawa State
Police Commissioner to
immediately fish out
perpetrators of the killings in
Akwanga Local Government
Area of the state.
The troops of Operation
Whirl Strokes led by Major-
General Adeyemi Yekini, who
disclosed this, yesterday, in
Lafia at a briefing, noted that
the troops carried out nine
operations in the past five
weeks from March 9 to April
17 in the state.
According to him, the
troops apprehended 11
suspected bandits and
recovered 37 assorted
weapons during its recent
operation in four local
government area covering
Toto, Doma where the Isreali
rifle was recovered, Obi and
Awe in Nasarawa State.
According to him, “the
breakdown of the operations
showed that four AK-47 rifles,
two G3 rifles, one Clarion 5.56
Isreali Commando Assort
rifle, one submachine gun,
three pistols and 20 locallymade
pistols were recovered.
“In addition, we recovered
389 rounds of ammunition,
one grenade, while 11
suspects were arrested. A
number of them were
neutralised by our forces
during the operations. I
should also add that some of
them that fled from their
camps and hide out during
the operations, our men are
still on their trail.”
Also speaking, Sector-3
commander of Operation
Whirl Strokes in-charge of
Nasarawa State, Navy Lt.
Emmanuel Igwe, said the first
operation of the troops was
in Tunga area of Awe Local
Government Area of the state
where one AK-47 rifle, one
magazine and 15 rounds of
ammunition were recovered.
According to Igwe, “the
second operation was in Toto
LGA where troops intercepted
a vehicle conveying four
suspected Egbura militias
and recovered three weapons
with 144 rounds of
ammunition, one grenade
and some locally made
charms.
"In Doma LGA, a distress
call was made to the our
troops and we intercepted
three armed militias and
recovered a magazine and 58
rounds of ammunition.
IGP deploys
squads to fish out
perpetrators
In Abuja, the Inspector
General of Police, IGP, also
ordered immediate
deployment of combined
units of intervention squads
to provide additional support
to the existing operatives in
the state.
The immediate deployment
of the combined units of
intervention squads is
intended to provide
additional support to the
existing operatives in the
state.
The Force Public Relations
Officer, DCP Frank Mba, in
a statement, yesterday, said
the IGP’s action was “against
the backdrop of the shootings
on 14th April, 2019 in Numa
Kochu village, Nasarawa
State which resulted in the
injury to and death of
innocent persons.
“The IGP has further
directed the Commissioner of
Police, Nasarawa State, to
identify and fish out all
persons connected to the
dastardly killings.”
“While restating the
commitment of the force to
uncover and bring the
perpetrators of the killing to
justice, the IGP implores any
member of the public with
useful and credible
information that could aid the
ongoing investigation not to
hesitate to avail same to the
police through the following
phone numbers:
08033097663, 08033674246.”
WORKSHOP: From left, Niyi Adebiyi, Director, Corporate Communications,
Visa West Africa; Francis Galadima Wasa, Deputy Director, Payments
Systems Management Department, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN; Bankole
Falade, Director, Government Relations, Visa West Africa, and Aribidesi
Lawal, Risk Manager, Visa West Africa, during the Payments Security
Workshop organised by Visa for CBN, in Abuja.
End insurgency in North-East,
Otuaro tells military
By Etop Ekanem
ACTING Governor of
Delta State, Kingsley
Otuaro, has urged the
military to do everything
possible to free all abducted
girls and end insurgency in
the North-East of Nigeria.
This came as he praised the
army for providing peaceful
oil production environment as
well as exhibiting
professionalism in the recent
polls in Delta State.
Otuaro spoke in his Asaba
official residence when the
Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen
Tukur Buratai, paid a courtesy
call on Government
Government House,which
coincided with Otuaro’s
birthday.
The acting governor said he
was impressed by the show
of love and commitment that
has seen the army follow
details towards giving a
befitting burial to one of its
own, Late Major General
David Ejoor, erstwhile Chief
of Army Staff.
He said: “I want to also
commend the strategic role
your formations have played
to privide maximum security,
especially in oil producing
area in Delta State, which is
one topmost oil producing
state with so much
infrastructure to protect in
Warri South, Warri South-
West, Warri North, Burutu
among others.
“The military has partnered
Delta State government for
the resultant peaceful oil
production environment with
improved economic intake.
There is need for greater
security collaboration as
achievement of our goals is
dependent on security, which
is why we set up several
institutional structures,
including Advocacy
Committee Against
Vandalism of Oil and Gas
Facilities. Our partnership
with Presidential Initiative on
Niger Delta resulted in
increased oil production.
“We are proud of what you
are doing in the North-East
where there is insurgency
going on. You have our
support to bring this
insurgency to an end. We
have no country other than
Nigeria. Let us soon celebrate
the end of this insurgency. I
urge you to work harder to
release our abducted girls still
in custody.”
Responding, Buratai, who
congratulated Otuaro on his
birthday, said he was in the
state to condole with the
family of late Maj Gen David
Ejoor ahead of plans to bury
the former Chief of Army Staff
as well as see the new 63
Brigade in the state.
COAS consoles monarchs,
family over Ejoor's death
By Jimitota
Onoyume
WARRI— CHIEF of
Army Staff ,
Lieutenant-General Tukur
Buratai, has described late
General David Ejoor (retd),
former Military
Administrator of old
Midwestern state, as a
gentle officer who gave his
best to his father land.
Speaking when he paid a
condolence visit to the family
of the late General Ejoor at
his residence in Olomu, the
Olu of Warri, Ogiame
Ikenwoli, and the monarch
of Olomu Kingdom, His
Royal Majesty, Dr Richard
Ogbon-Ogoni Oghoro I,
Buratai said the army was
pained by the demise of Ejoor
who was also at a time a
Chief of Army Staff.
He said the contributions
of General Ejoor to the unity
of the country will remain
evergreen in the memories
of all, adding that Nigerian
army would work with the
family and the state
government to give the late
officer a befitting funeral.
The family of late General
Ejoor thanked the army chief
for the visit. The monarchs
in their separate responses
at their palaces also thanked
the Army chief for the
condolence visit.
They used the occasion of
the visit to appeal for more
army presence in their areas.
The monarch of Olomu
Kingdom paid glowing
tributes to late General Ejoor,
describing him as a worthy
son of the kingdom.
He appealed for more sons
and daughters from the area
to be recruited into the army.
On his part, the Olu of
Warri said Itsekiri were also
proud of the late Ejoor,
recalling that when he was
military administrator, he
redressed an injustice
against the Itsekiri throne.
“Even if he was from the
Urhobo extraction, he was
important to us. He brought
justice to our throne. We
want a military base in the
riverine area. Where your
presence is it calls for
discipline,” he said.
DPR seals fuel stations in Bayelsa over price hike, sharp
practices
to many of the outlets,
By Samuel
Oyadongha
Y ENAGOA—
Department of
Petroleum Resources, DPR,
in Bayelsa State, has
sealed some filling stations
in the state for selling
above the official pump
price of N145 per litre of
petrol and other sharp
practices.
The agency led by its
Head of Operations,
Ibinabo Jack, clamped
down on the stations when
he paid unscheduled visits
Benin River port: Obaseki
awards N6.8bn contract for
dualisation of Ekehuan road
By Gabriel
Enogholase
BENIN —TO provide
needed infrastructure to
fast track the development of
Benin River project and
accelerate sustainable
development in the state,
Governor Godwin Obaseki
of Edo State has awarded a
N6.8 billion contract for the
dualisation of Ekehuan
Road and construction of
underground drainage
system on Uwadiae Street.
The contract was awarded
during a recent executive
council meeting held before
the governor proceeded on
his annual leave.
The project was awarded
at a cost of N6,812955739.70.
On completion, it will
“enhance the state
government’s desire to
transform Benin into a
modern city and serve as a
booster to the development
of the Benin River port,” a
document on the contract
said.
The Benin River port is
one of the big-ticket projects
followng an earlier
warning last week to desist
from selling above the
official price.
The stations affected were
those selling above N145
per litre, hoarding the
product as well as
underdispensing to
of Governor Obaseki-led
administration in the state to
drive industrialisation and
boost exports.
The port project, which is
being developed in
partnership with China
Harbour Engineering
Company Limited, CHEC,
would serve as a conduit for
products to be manufactured
at Benin Industrial and
Enterprise Park, Benin Auto
Park, Benin Production
Centres and other industrial
clusters across the state.
Vanguard gathered that
preliminary work on the
project had been completed
by the Chinese company,
even as the Federal
Government has approved
a Marine Police Post at the
site of the port project.
It will also serve as a sister
port to the Lekki Deep Sea
Port being developed by
CHEC.
Residents in Ekehuan
Road and Uwadiae
commended the governor for
the projects, noting that the
projects would reduce traffic
logjam and curb flooding.
customers having tampered
with their meters.
Jack, who spoke to
newsmen during the
operation in Yenagoa, said
they were out to survey as
part of their duties to make
sure that members of public
were not short-changed by
petroleum retail marketers.