Day: April 18, 2023

The Jasikan Circuit Court in the Oti Region has jailed three Nkwanta cell escapees to two years imprisonment each in hard labour.

The convicts are Mohammed Kadir, Stephen Asamoah and Danjumah Afum.

The trio, who were recaptured out of nine, who over-powered a police officer on duty and fled the Nkwanta South Divisional Police cell on April 4, pleaded guilty for unlawful escape.

The court, presided over by Mr Alfred Kwabena Asiedu, jailed the three based on their plea to serve as deterrent to others.

Kadir has had a case of robbery dropped against him for lack of evidence while Asamoah, who was arrested for defilement, was handed an additional 12-year sentence.

Police Inspector Bright Nkansah, prosecuting, told the Court that the trio were re-arrested from their hideout at Keri, a farming community in the municipality on April 6, and remanded into police custody.

Meanwhile, the Nkwanta South Police are still pursuing the remaining six, who escaped from lawful custody.

They have appealed to the public to assist with information that would lead to the arrest of those on the run.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for strong consensus among elites and policy framework that would promote social cohesion and unity in Nigeria.

Osinbajo made the call on Monday at the maiden Policy Making and Good Governance Lecture Series organised by the National Institute for Policy Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Kuru, near Jos.

The vice president, in his lecture tagged: ”Creating a Homeland for All: A Nation Building in a Diverse Democracy”, decried the rising spate of frightening divisive tendencies, which according to him was responsible for the backwardness in the nation.

He maintained that our diversity ought to be a ”blessing and not a curse”, adding that Nigeria has the potentials to be a great nation but only when the cankerworm of division is collectively fought.

Osinbajo, who cited examples of Singapore, Tanzania and Rwanda, as nation that effectively managed their diversities, said that Nigeria could take a cue.

”Most heterogeneous nations have been able to manage and harness their diversities for the good of all and we can also do same in Nigeria.

”Our diversity in Nigeria should not be a burden; infact it is a blessing and so we must develop the capacity to manage this diversity for the growth of our nation.

”So, elites must come together and agree to end the ethnic and religious profilling that we are currently facing in our dear nation; we must prioritise things that bind us together and deprioritise ones that set us apart.

”I also believe that the political class and the nation’s leadership can do more in developing policies, laws and the enforcing them toward addressing the weaponisation of ethnicity and religion in our dear nation,”he said.

On the setllers-indigenes dichotomy, the vice president called for the replacement of certificate of indigenes with certificate of residence or birth, insisting that such move would promote cohesion.

He also called for stronger and equitable justice system that would treat all Nigerians equally, irrespective of tribal, religious or ethnic affiliations.

The vice president also called on the media to de-emphasised issues that promote ethnic and religious profilling, and urged them to report things that would unite Nigerians

Earlier, the Director General of NIPPS, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, thanked the vice president for honouring the institute’s invitation to deliver the lecture.

Omotayo explained that the idea for the lecture series was conceived in order to create an avenue for the members of Senior Executive Course (SEC) 45 to interact notable Nigerians on policy issues.

”This idea is to enable the institute set the pace so others will follow and we tank the vice president for coming to interact with us to enable participants to tap from his avalanche of knowledge ”,he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event featured an interactive session between the vice president and the participants.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Commandant, National Defence College (NDC), Rear Adm. Murtala Bashir, has called for concerted effort towards dislodging violent non-state actors and addressing the security challenges in the country.

Bashir said this at the opening of the 12th National Security Seminar of the Alumni Association of the National Defence College, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The theme of the seminar is “Application of Technology as Force Multiplier in Enhancing Peace and Security in Nigeria’’.

He said the emergence of violent non-state actors such as dissidents, terrorists and bandits who use technology to undermine peace and security of the country, underscored the need to explore opportunities presented by emerging technologies.

Bashir added that proper deployment of emerging technologies would greatly help to decimate the violent non-state actors.

“We need to be ahead of the violent non-state actors.

“No doubt, the magic technologies like artificial intelligence and others are the much needed game changers that will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of our responses to the challenges facing us as a country.

“If we are to also avoid the experiences of the past, where Nigeria has to beg foreigners to prosecute legitimate internal security challenges against militancy, terrorism and insurgency.

“Then we need to reappraise our research and development efforts in technology acquisition and innovation.

“We need to also revamp our military industrial complex, and these efforts must be of national outlook and driven by research and development,” he said.

The commandant said the college was already involved in research to articulate strategic options for government to address national security concerns.

He said that the way to go was to embrace emerging technologies for enhanced national security and development.

Bashir assured that the college would work with the alumni association to proffer solutions to current and emerging national security and development challenges.

He, therefore, urged them to continue to provide the platform for intellectual discourse and sharing of thoughts on contemporary strategic defense, security, and development issues.

The President of the association, retired Air Commodore Darlington Abdullahi, said the seminar was organised bearing in mind the mounting security challenges globally and infiltration of Nigeria by criminal elements.

Abdullahi said the association felt the need to consolidate on the great successes achieved so far by applying some force multipliers, considering the spread of criminal activities across the nation.

He said that Nigeria should leverage technology to adequately enhance security operations.

“To checkmate use of its forest reserves and the fact that there is a limit to which it can continue to increase the physical strength of the security services.

“Thus, putting behind such terminologies as ungoverned spaces, unknown gunmen and of course, on all of such in our national life.

“We are very much aware of the research and development efforts of the armed forces and other security agencies as well as the institutions already put in place.’’

He said the pace of development as reflected by the Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria and others should be increased. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng

Source: News Agency of Nigeria