Boko Haram Used Chibok Ransom To Buy Powerful Weapons- Report

The recent ransom paid to Boko Haram in exchange for the release of some Chibok girls have contributed to the recent upsurge in the killings and disappearances of soldiers engaged in the fight against the insurgents, senior military sources have revealed.

The military men said that despite denials by the Federal Government, money was paid to the sect to secure the release of the abducted girls.

   It was learnt that the insurgents demanded for $50m for the release of the girls but about a quarter of the sum was eventually paid.

It was also learnt that the Federal Government paid the cash in two currencies – the naira and the CFA Francs to the leaders of the sect to facilitate the release of the girls.

But, the highly-ranked military men who are engaged in the war, and who craved anonymity because they were not authorised to speak for the military authorities, attributed the recent upsurge in the activities of the insurgents to the huge ransom paid for the release of the girls.

Prior to the current increase in the attacks by the insurgents, it was learnt that the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, deployed in the North-East, had effectively cut off food and logistics supply to the insurgents.

Some of the sources, who are also commanders at the war front, said that the troops had effectively defeated the Boko Haram members, who were on the run while a good number of them had surrendered and taken to a rehabilitation camp established by the Defence Headquarters in Yola.

In October, 83 soldiers were reported missing days after they came under a Boko Haram attack. Though there have been increasing reports of soldiers either missing or killed since the Chibok girls were released, the military initially denied the report, it later said that only 39 soldiers were missing.

Also, on November 4, seven military men, including Lt.-Col. Muhammad Abu-Ali, were killed on their way to reinforce troops at Mallam Fatori during  a Boko Haram attack. Two days later, one soldier was also killed while four others were wounded in the line of duty.

In October, 21 of the over 200 girls abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014 were released by the group.

However, the Federal Government denied exchanging insurgents for the abducted girls and paying a ransom to the sect.

But the military sources insisted that Boko Haram did not release the girls without getting anything in return and that the Federal Government indeed paid a ransom and released some of the group’s strategists that were detainees.

One of the sources said it was sad that the same government that was initially seen as tough enough to end insurgency in the country failed to negotiate with Boko Haram from a position of strength.

“It is unfortunate that in government’s desperation to secure the release of the Chibok girls, it has put our (soldiers’) lives in danger by yielding to the demands of the group to collect a ransom and secure the release of its commanders.

“It is now obvious that the group has reinforced and bought more weapons to fight us.”

According to another source, left to the military, the ransom and the exchange of Boko Haram members for Chibok girls would not have taken place.

 “Funds were given to Boko Haram and now we can all see the result of that action; there have been renewed attacks recently and many of our men have been killed in the process but we will not relent, we will continue to do our best to secure this nation.

“The military had reservations about the arrangement but it was not in our hands; it was a political decision that we had to abide with and it was the DSS that was directly in charge of the operation,” the source added.

Another source, who is also active in the war theatre, said, “They got the Chibok girls and suddenly the Boko Haram that we had beaten and chased out of Sambisa are attacking and killing men of quality.

“It is very obvious that they have used the money they got from the deal to buy equipment and recruit men to carry out their heinous acts.

“The group is still in Mallam Fatori, theyhave infested the entire area and their strongest point into Chad is Abadam. It is from there that they disperse their men to carry out attacks.

“Another thing you must note is that the towns around the borders are occupied by mercenaries from foreign countries. Where did they get the money to fund that?”

Investigation revealed that Boko Haram members,  who were routed out of their dreaded Sambisa enclave by the military, had regrouped at Abadam, and were still holding onto the fringes of Mallam Fatori in the northern part of Borno State.

It was further gathered that the group was engaging the services of mercenaries with their operational base in Abadam in the far north, close to Chad.

The latest incidents contradict President Muhammadu Buhari’s assertion on December 24, 2015 that Nigeria had “technically” won the war against Boko Haram and that the militant group could no longer mount conventional attacks against security forces or population centres.

Read More: punchng

Woman Gets iPhone7 From Each Of Her 20 Boyfriends & Sells Them To Buy A House

Xiaoli, which is the pseudonym for the woman, reportedly doesn’t come from the wealthiest of families. She is the oldest of her siblings and was carrying the weight of them needing a new house.

So what do you do when you need to buy a house? Ask your 20 boyfriends for help, of course.

“20 mobiles for a house” became the viral hashtag following the viral post, initially blogged by one of Xiaoli’s co-workers.

Some people are bashing her claiming that’s she’s shameful but then there are those of us who need her to show us how to live life like her!

She should be asking who of those people bashing her has a new house, around the clock men, and had 20 iPhones at any point in life!

Credit:

Honestly And Truly You’re The Real MVP: Woman gets iPhone7 From Each of Her 20 Boyfriends & Sells Them For A House!

NAF To Buy 10 Super Mushshak Aircraft From Pakistan

Pakistan has struck a major deal with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to sell 10 Pakistani-made advanced trainer aircraft.

According to the Indian-based Jindu Times, Air Vice Marshal Iya Ahmed Abdullahi and the Chairman of the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Air Marshal Arshad Malik signed the contract last Friday in Abuja, PAF spokesman, Air Commodore Syed Mohammad Ali said.

The contract includes operational training and technical support and assistance to the NAF.

“This contract would not only open new avenues for export of aviation equipment to foreign countries but also help in generating revenue for the country (Pakistan),” a PAF statement said.

“The deal further strengthens Pakistan Aeronautical Complex’s (PAC) status as a world-class aviation industry producing the supersonic JF-17 Thunder and Super Mushshak trainer aircraft,” it added.

The Super Mushshak, which is based on a Swedish design but built under licence in Pakistan, is already in service in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iran and South Africa.

Talks are also at an advanced stages with Qatar and Turkey for the delivery of Super Mushshak, The Express Tribune quoted a senior PAF official as saying.

Super Mushshak is an advanced variant of the Mushshak basic trainer, which was also produced by PAC.

The PAF put up Super Mushshak for static as well as aerial display in last year’s Dubai Air Show, where some nations expressed interest in the aircraft.

Credit: thisdaylive

Man Stabs Another For Refusing To Buy Him Beer

A Lagos court has slammed a N300, 000 bail on an unemployed man, 32-year-old Debo Adisa, for allegedly stabbing a man with a broken bottle at a hotel for refusing to buy him a beer. Adisa was released on bail on Tuesday by an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court after he pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him.

The Magistrate, Mr A.A. Adesanya, who gave the ruling, said the accused should produce two sureties as part of the bail condition.

Adisa, whose address is unknown, is being tried for breach of the peace and assault. According to the prosecutor, Insp. George Nwosu, the accused committed the offences on Oct. 3 at Donmorgan Hotel, Dopemu, Lagos.

He said the accused assaulted Mr Temitope Segun by stabbing him with a broken bottle for refusing to buy him a beer. “The accused used a broken bottle to stab the complainant repeatedly all over his body.”

Nwosu said the complainant was in the hotel taking a drink when the accused approached him and ordered him to buy him a beer but he declined.

“The accused started hitting him. The complainant hit him back and the accused got angry, broke a bottle and started stabbing him. “Blood was gushing out of the complainant’s body and people in the hotel ran away while the management of the hotel quickly alerted the police to arrest him,” he said.

According to the prosecutor, the complainant is still receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

Read More:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/refusing-buy-beer-man-stabs-another/

Buy From Street Hawkers, Go To Jail– Kaduna Govt

The Kaduna state government has enacted a law that makes it a criminal offence for any person that buys from a street hawker, making both the hawker and buyer liable for prosecution.

The Spokesman of Kaduna State House of Assembly, Nuhu Goro Shadalafiya, who made this known to newsmen in Kaduna yesterday said, Governor Nasir El-Rufai should be credited for new act passed last month.

The member who also spoke against the allegation that the 34-member KDHA have been compromised with new exotic cars, said that the cars were for the official works of the 34 Chairmen of the 34 committees of the House as every member of the House chairs a committee. On the anti-hawking law, he said: “We have also pass a bill into law to checkmate hawkers who deprive people from owning shops.

Credit: Vanguard

Concerns Mount Over Nigeria’s Plan To Buy Warplanes From U.S.

Concerns are growing over the decision of the Nigerian government to purchase 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft from the United States.

David Kuranga, an investment and political risk consultant, described the warplanes as “crop dusters” and advised the government against going ahead with the purchase.

Mr. Kuranga, who is the managing director of Kuranga and Associates, in the statement, said the warplanes fall below the standard of aircraft used by even the military of African countries such as Egypt and South Africa.

“In a conventional match-up or joint-task force, if Nigeria were ever asked to partner in a multi-national coalition with middle-income nations like Egypt, South Africa, Brazil, or Indonesia, the Nigerian “Air Force” equipped with the A-29 light attack fighters would be joke!” he wrote in a statement.

“They are comparatively slow, fly at lower altitudes, and are much more susceptible to anti-aircraft artillery that even rebel fighters in Mali were in possession of,” he wrote.

Mr. Kuranga also said that the warplanes are too expensive even as they are inadequate for serious military operations. He said they would constitute waste of taxpayers’ money.

“The fact that the Nigerian government is considering putting in over a 100 million dollars of state money to purchase these inadequate aircraft, as a means of upgrading Nigeria’s air defenses is a laughable! Further it is a poor investment and a waste of state resources.”

He said he found it baffling that the US authorities were seeking to block the sale of the obsolete warplanes to Nigeria when they should be thankful that the Nigerian government is relieving them of such antiquated aircraft.

He said Nigeria should aim to buy more advance warplanes that will put it at par with other militaries in the continent.

Credit: PremiumTimes

Ololade Ajekigbe: I’ll Buy Nigeria, But…

In the past couple of weeks, there has been some clamour for Nigerians to patronise made-in-Nigeria products. The hashtag “Buy Naija To Grow The Naira” was even created to drive its awareness on Twitter. The aim is simple – Buy locally made goods to save the naira from its current alarming slope downhill. For all intents and purposes this campaign has become imperative especially in the light of the dwindling fortune of the naira against the dollar. Since the price of crude oil has been on a steady decline for a while now, oil producing countries have had to turn their attention to other sectors of their economy to ensure that their gross domestic product does not plummet. In a mono-economy like Nigeria there were no such options.

After jettisoning her first love agriculture for the more attractive oil in the last couple of decades. Nigeria has suddenly found herself in a quagmire occasioned by the consistent fall in the price of crude oil.  This has had a multiplier effect on all other areas of the economy as we never really gave a long term thought to the consequences of our over-dependence on one area of the economy. Now, the prices of goods and services have skyrocketed, organizations are laying off staff every day, the naira now exchanges for N400 to a dollar in the parallel market, while one would have to cough over N500 in exchange for one pound an all time low since its steady decline at the beginning of this year following the stopping of weekly dollar sale to Bureaux de Change’s by the Central Bank.

Bottom line – the prognosis doesn’t look good , and there remains a pervading sense of uncertainty in the air. Hence, the call for Nigerians to strengthen their currency by reducing their long time penchant for buying foreign products as opposed to the made-in-Nigeria ones. One man who has been at the forefront of this crusade is the CEO of Silverd bird and Senator representing Bayelsa East constituency, Mr Ben Murray Bruce. The “commonsense” crusader has taken it upon himself to champion the cause of Obinna who makes shoes in Aba, Iya Kudi who deals in Adire textile in Ibadan and Hassan who manufactures leather wallets in Kano. Mr Bruce put his money where his mouth is by not only sharing photos of himself patronizing Aba made clothes and shoes, but also going further to purchase made-in-Nigeria cars by Innoson Motors.

The Senate President has also added his voice to the “Buy Naija To Grow The Naira” campaign. Promising to re-examine to the laws to seek ways to improve support for domestic manufacturers and producers following his meeting with the CEO of the Nnewi based vehicle manufacturing company, Mr Innocent Chukwuma. These are steps in the right direction. However, the fact remains that the average Nigerian has developed an apathy for made-in-Nigeria goods over the years, and for good reason too. Locally made products are often seen as counterfeit and sub standard. Only very few Nigerian manufacturers put utmost care and attention into their creation. The Anything-goes mentality of the typical Nigerian has eaten deep into the fabric of our manufacturing industry.

Clothes whose colours run as soon as you dip them into water, heels that come off just as you step into the interview room of a potential employer, the locally made soap that makes the hands appear shrivelled after washing, pot handles that come off only a few weeks into using them, diapers that induce rashes in babies and cornflakes that turn soggy just as soon as you introduce a bit of water into them. That has been the narrative associated with made-in-Nigeria products for a while now, yet there are many fantastic Nigerian-made products which have stood the test of time. The truth is as plain as a pikestaff – Nigerians don’t trust their own products. Hence, the “long throat” for foreign goods, even though there are no guarantees that they are any better.

The reality is; if the government of the day is serious about growing the naira, then it must invest heavily in small and medium scale businesses so as to encourage manufacturers to produce their best. The first thing anyone who’s parting with their hard earned cash wants to be sure of is getting value for their money, especially in these austere times. Nigerians are not going to be cajoled or guilt-tripped into buying Nigeria except they are certain of the quality of what they are getting. As a matter of fact, this rule doesn’t apply to Nigerians only. There’s no one in their right frame of mind, in any part of the world who would choose to buy a fake product when they can get the authentic one at about the same price or for a slightly higher amount. It only makes sense.

There are people who have sworn off made-in-Nigeria goods because of the not-too-pleasant and sometimes embarrassing experiences they have had because they dared to put their trust in a home-made good. Essentially, this means that our manufacturers and local industry need to up their game in order to make sure they put out good quality products which speak for themselves. The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) appears to be doing a good job in creating awareness on how to identify original products but things are far from uhuru yet. SON needs to do more to ensure that substandard goods do not define the Nigerian made goods market. The National Agency For Food And Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC) which has been under the radar since the glory days of its late former Director General, Dora Akunyili must be alive to its responsibilities and ensure that chalk isn’t sold as paracetamol in our Pharmacies and Supermarkets. The right structure must be put in place to boost the local market.

In all, while it is shameful that a country with vast human and material resources like Nigeria still imports toothpicks and tomato paste, it is not enough to “shout it from the rooftops” and create a hashtag to encourage locally made goods patronage. If our leaders who are usually the first ones to ship in foreign made goods to satisfy their most basic needs can control their appetite for “oyinbo things” and patronize our own brands here, then the general populace will be more wont to follow suit, and not see this campaign as mere lip service.

Dangote Explains Why He Wants To Buy Arsenal

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, has disclosed his reason for seeking to acquire a stake in English Premier League team, Arsenal.

Few weeks ago, Dangote, 58, attracted widespread criticism from various quarters in Nigeria when he re-iterated his interest in acquiring the Premier League team. Many Nigerians called him out, insisting that his money would be better spent by acquiring a local Nigerian football team and promoting the Nigerian Premier League rather than spending on a foreign club.

But speaking to senior Nigerian journalists in Lagos on Saturday, the Nigerian billionaire explained that he is interested in buying the Premier League team to promote Nigeria internationally.

“The issue is that if I buy all the Nigerian clubs, the Nigerian flags will continue to remain here. But buying Arsenal will take the Nigerian flag worldwide. Just like whenever Abramovich is mentioned, the name of his country, Russia comes up. Everyone knows he’s Russian,” Dangote said.

Read More: forbes

Why I Want To Buy Arsenal- Aliko Dangote

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has said he still wants to buy Arsenal despite failing in a 2010 bid to acquire a stake in the club.

The Nigerian billionaire is now worth nearly eight times as much as when he tried to buy into the Gunners, and the passionate Gooners has not given up on his dream of getting involved with the north London club.

“I still hope, one day at the right price, that I’ll buy the team,” Dangote, 58, told Bloomberg.
“I might buy it, not at a ridiculous price but a price that the owners won’t want to resist,” he continued, before ominously adding, “I know my strategy.

Interestingly, Dangote has publically stated that Arsene Wenger “needs to change his style a bit,” claiming the team “need new direction.”

Dangote – valued at over US$15billion – is worth more than both Arsenal majority shareholder Stan Kroenke and Uzbek Billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who have been fighting for control at the Emirates in recent years.

But his bid to take over the club won’t be coming immediately, with the cement and commodities tycoon wanting to get his portfolio of businesses in order first.

“We have $16 billion-worth of investments in the next few years,” he said. “Right now I want to take my own business to a certain level. Once I finish on that trajectory, then maybe”

Majority owner Kroenke recently bought more shares in Arsenal, and is not believed to have any interest in selling the club.

Creditvanguardngr

Dangote Reveals Plans To Buy Arsenal Football Club

Respected businessman, Aliko Dangote, has admitted that he is still interested in buying English Premier League team, Arsenal.

Dangote, who is Africa’s richest man, is worth $15.7billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and was rebuffed in his attempts to buy a stake in the club in 2010. “I still hope, one day at the right price, that I’ll buy the team,” Dangote said in an interview on a flight between Addis Ababa and Lagos.

“I might buy it, not at a ridiculous price but a price that the owners won’t want to resist. I know my strategy.”

 If the 58-year-old is successful with a future bid, it would make him the first African owner of a club in England. Billionaires like Roman Abramovich (Russia) and Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan have purchased Chelsea and Manchester City respectively.

Arsenal is currently valued at £988m ($1.49bn) and Stan Kroenke, owner of the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams holds 67% shares in the club. Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov and Farhad Moshiri, own 30%. Dangote, who has interests in sugar, flour, cement, oil etc, however, says he is not planning to make a bid soon.

Read Moredailypost