Today's Headlines: Gabon Coup: Fear Grips African Leaders As Continent Descends Into Dictatorship, Flood destroys 700 houses in Bauchi

Gabon Coup: Fear Grips African Leaders As Continent Descends Into Dictatorship

The military coup in Gabon has heightened concerns among African leaders over the rising wave of seemingly popular but unconstitutionally takeover of power.

Source: Leadership

Although the military takeovers have been in Francophone countries so far, experts who spoke with LEADERSHIP expressed worry that the Gabon incident happened despite interventions by African leaders to arrest the emerging trend. While some fear that the recent wave of coups could be likened to the Arab Spring, others insist that African leaders must begin to pay attention to providing governance.

The military has seized power in Niger, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Guinea, and Mail in the last three years in Africa. Tension over military takeovers heightened in the continent yesterday as mutinous soldiers in Gabon proclaimed their republican guard chief as the country’s leader, after placing the just-reelected President Ali Bongo Ondimba under house arrest, alleging betrayal and massive embezzlement during his long-time rule over the oil-rich Central African nation.

Flood destroys 700 houses in Bauchi

A flood in Bauchi State has destroyed at least 700 houses and farmlands in Cheledi Community, Kirfi Local Government Area of Bauchi State. According to the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in Bauchi.

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Director of planning, Research, and Statistics of the agency, Mr.Adamu Nayola, who announced the incident, said: “More than 700 houses and farmlands were destroyed in Cheledi Community with rice, maize, sorghum, millet, sesame seeds and cowpea destroyed.

He added that the affected houses and farmlands were destroyed when the rivers in the area overflowed their banks after a downpour. He described the incident as the worst flooding incident to happen in the state this year so far. He said the Commissioners for Humanitarian Affairs, Housing, and Environment had visited the area to assess the degree of damage.

Tinubu has ordered recapture of fleeing inmates- Interior minister

The Minister of Interior, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo has said the president, Bola Tinubu, has issued a marching order that all fleeing inmates across the country should be recaptured.

Source: Punch papers

Between 2021 and 2022, there were at least seven attacks on custodial centers across the country where a large number of inmates escaped from the centers. The seven attacked custodial centres are; Kuje, Kogi, Jos, Abologo, Owerri, Okitipupa, and Oko prisons. To date, about 4000 inmates are still at large.

Addressing journalists after the inspection of the facilities at the Nigerian Immigration Service and Nigerian Correctional Service on Wednesday, Tunji-Ojo said the service would work hard to ensure the order given by the president on fleeing inmates is followed to the letter.

Flood: Delta orders residents in lowland areas to relocate

The Delta State Government, on Wednesday, issued a fresh warning to residents in low-land and flood-prone areas to relocate to higher planes given the impending flood, on the heels of the release of water from Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam into the Rivers Niger and Benue.

Source: Punch papers

This was contained in a statement signed by Festus Ahon, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and made available to journalists in Warri. According to the statement, the state government was concerned about the lives and property of citizens living in flood-prone areas in the face of earlier warnings from the Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency.

It noted that the governor has approved the setting up of a 14-man Flood Disaster Management Committee headed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Kingsley Emu, to mitigate the challenges expected by the impending flood. The committee, the statement explained, is saddled with the responsibility of carrying out aggressive sensitization of citizens on the impending flood and proposing appropriate measures for the prevention and management of flooding, addressing the displacement of people, and suggesting ways for the provision of relief materials to victims.

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