Niger: Customs CG puts officers at Benin, Cameroon borders on red alert

The Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi has put officers and men of the service manning the Benin Republic, Cameron and other borders on a red alert following the Nigeria-Niger border closure.

Adeniyi said implementation of the Nigeria-Niger border closure “is 100 percent”.

He said this on Sunday while addressing officers and men of the NCS during his working visit to the headquarters of the Ogun Area 1 Command of the NCS at Idiroko, Ogun State.

The Comptroller General called on customs operatives manning borders to be 100 percent alert and vigilant.

He also urged them to wage war against any attempt to jeopardise national security.

He explained that special attention must be given to any transit goods heading to Niger Republic.

He directed that any transit goods through the Nigeria customs territory should be stopped if they are headed to Niger Republic.

President Bola Tinubu had ordered the shutting of Nigerian land borders with Niger Republic as part of measures against the military junta in the West African country.

According to Adeniyi, criminals in an attempt to break or smuggle arms into Niger Republic may explore other land borders like that of Benin Republic and Cameroon.

Adeniyi said “We are all aware of the situation in our northern neighbour, Republic of Niger.

” In response to the national presidential directive from our President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, President Bola Tinubu, as our president and as the Chairman of the ECOWAS authorities of heads of states, we are monitoring the situation in Niger closely and one of the decisions taken in the wisdom of the heads of state is the closure of our borders with Niger.

“Over the last week, I paid a working visit to some of those borders and I can assure you that the implementation of that measure there is 100%.

“And when that happens, people, who want to smuggle things into that country, may want to explore openings in other borders.

” This is why it is important for you to be very, very vigilant. Anywhere we have borders, there could be compromise and there could be attempts to use routes that are not necessarily normal for them to cross things into Niger.

“All transit goods going into Niger, for now, are to be stopped anywhere you see them.

“Any transit goods through the Nigeria customs territory should be stopped if they are headed to Niger Republic.

“And this is also a time for us to remain very, very vigilant. Because the enemies of the state are still at work. Those who are bent on destabilizing the country, are still at work.

“You recall the incidents of about two weeks ago, when some elements smuggled ammunition across, using some of the plans we have here.

“So this is therefore a reminder that you cannot afford to relax at any point in time. Your level of vigilance and the level of alertness must be 100%.

“You must be ready all the time. You must cultivate very, very credible and useful intelligence from amongst the community that you live.

“And you must learn to synergize and cooperate with other agencies who are working together with you to enhance national security.”

Source: The Punch

Lagos Govt Sacks Facility Managers, Suspends LASIMRA GM Over Elevator Tragedy

In light of an investigation into the tragic death of Dr Diaso Vwaere from an elevator crash at General Hospital Odan, the Lagos State Government says it has sacked and blacklisted the facility managers responsible and suspended the General Manager of the Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency (LASIMRA).

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Olumide Sogunle, in a statement on Sunday, revealed that based on the initial findings of its panel of inquiry, the state government said it had taken several actions.

In addition to the sacking and blacklisting of the facility managers, and the LASIMRA boss’s immediate suspension, Sogunle disclosed that the operations and line of reporting of the facility managers had been restructured to involve the hospital management directly.

“We have handed the installation and maintenance contractors to the police for further investigation and likely prosecution if they are found culpable. The police will also investigate anyone else that might have been found to be negligent,” the statement said.

Part of the press statement by the Lagos state government read:

“Based on our initial findings the Lagos State Government has taken the following actions:

◦ We have sacked and blacklisted the Facility Managers

◦ The GM of Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency is to immediately proceed on suspension.

◦ The operations and line of reporting of the facility managers have been restructured to involve the hospital management directly

◦ We have handed the installation and maintenance contractors to the police for further investigation and likely prosecution if they are found culpable. The police will also investigate anyone else that might have been found to be negligent

◦ Engineers are working to unravel why all the safety devices of the elevator failed at the same time

◦ All our staff are fully insured. We have informed our life insurance providers about this incident.

◦ The Lagos Safety Commission has been directed to immediately carry out an audit of all elevators in public offices. This is besides the usual safety arrangements that have always existed.

Source; Channels TV

Family accuses Ex-APC Chair, Adamu of illegally hijacking property in Nasarawa

The family of a former chairman of the defunct National Party of Nigeria in Plateau State, Alhaji Yahaya Sabo, has accused the immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu of illegally taking charge of their House for over 25 years without making any payment to the family.

The property which is presently being occupied by the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, was said to have been donated to the agency by the Nasarawa State government.

The first son of the family, Mohammed Sabo, made the disclosure while speaking with Journalists in Lafia on Sunday.

He alleged that Abdullahi Adamu, who was the first civilian Governor of the state, illegally took over the property belonging to their late father, which was used as a temporary office for the Peoples Democratic Party before his tenure began in 1999.

He further alleged that Adamu sold the said property to the state government while he was governor of the state, and since then, all efforts made by the family to recover the property proved abortive because their father who knew Adamu closely had died.

He said, “The former governor, Abdullahi Adamu pleaded with our late father to assist the state chapter of the PDP with the property to use as their temporary office, and he gladly obliged because Adamu was very close to him.

“For several years now, since our father died, we have been pleading with Abdullahi Adamu to hand over our father’s property to us but he has not shown any serious commitment to our family.

Source: Punch

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