Task Force arrests suspects over oil pipe blasts, Niger Delta

The Joint Military Task Force a.k.a. Operation Pulo Shield, protecting oil facilities in Niger Delta, says it has arrested suspected vandals behind recent bombing of line pipes in the region.

Spokesman for Operation Pulo Shield, Col. Isa Ado, said in a statement that the arrest followed a charge by the Commander of the Joint Force, Maj.-Gen. Alani Okunlola to apprehend those behind the acts.

Ado said in the statement that the suspects, who are in custody, were being interrogated to ascertain their degree of involvement and to help in arresting others.

The statement said patrols in the region had been intensified to ensure that all the suspected militants behind the line pipes sabotage were brought to book.

“Operation Pulo Shield remains determined to track and arrest perpetrators of the recent multiple attacks and bombing of some oil pipes and installations across Niger Delta Region.

“Some suspects were arrested and currently undergoing thorough preliminary investigation to ascertain their degree of involvement before handing them over to prosecuting agencies, while effort is on to track and arrest fleeing vandals.

“The arrest was due to highly intensified Patrols and Cordon and Search of the waterways, creeks and communities by the Joint Force.

“It is in line with the directives of the Commander, Operation Pulo Shield, Major General Alani Gafar Okunlola to apprehend those behind the criminal act”, said the statement.

The statement quoted the commander of the Joint force as assuring the people of Niger Delta of Operation Pulo Shield’s determination to wipe out all acts of illegalities in the region.

It called on the people to give useful information that will aid the joint force in its operations in line with its mandate in the Niger Delta.

It warned the perpetrators of the crime to desist from further destruction of oil facilities or be ready to face the wrath of the law.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), recalls that a blast on a crude and gas line pipes at Escravos, Delta, resulted in the shut down of Warri and Port Harcourt refineries and cut in gas supply to some power plants.

Another blast on Agip’s facility on Jan. 28 resulted in a drop by 16,000 barrels out of Agip’s 40,000 barrels daily export from Brass Oil Export Terminal of Bayelsa coastline.

Air Force bombs Boko Haram base

The military averted another suicide attack on Maiduguri when troops intercepted two bombers who attempted to enter the city.

Residents said two suicide bombers made desperate efforts to enter the city through the outskirts but were gunned down in the process.

Regardless, Media Coordinator of Operation Lafiya Dole, Col. Mustapha Ankas confirmed that the bombers were intercepted by military troops at Muna Dalti after fruitless attempts to infiltrate the city. “The suicide bombers were halted but refused to stop. In the process, they blew themselves up,” Ankas explained at a media briefing yesterday.

He, however, said there was no casualty other than the two bombers.

Elsewhere, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), said its Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UAV), destroyed a logistics base used by Boko Haram.

The base, NAF said, is located at Garin Moloma, about one kilometre north of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State.  This is just as the military and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources will collaborate in the war against crude oil theft.

A statement by the Director, Information and Public Relations, Group Captain Ayodele Famuyiwa, said the UAV was on an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) mission in the area when it detected the gathering of the terrorists.

He said Garin Moloma that had been under surveillance, houses terrorists’ operational vehicles which were destroyed.

The military officer also said the multiple explosions and huge fireball from the location, as recorded from the enclosed video of the UAV strike, “strongly suggests that it may be either an ammunition/fuel storage or weapons/technical workshop.”

According to him, the operation was a major setback for Boko Haram, and a big gain for the military in its fight against insurgency.

Meanwhile, the ministry and the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) are perfecting the synergy between the two organisations towards curbing crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu was at the DHQ where he was briefed by the committee set up to evolve the modality for protection of oil and gas pipelines across the country.

The issue of oil theft and pipeline vandalism was extensively discussed few months ago when Dr Kachikwu, then the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPC, visited the DHQ. 

The aftermath of that visit was the setting up of the committee to provide guidelines for the protection of oil and gas pipelines by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Gabriel Olonisakin.

With AIT

Buhari assures EU of commitment to human rights protection

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the European union that his administration is doing its utmost to protect the fundamental human rights of persons in the theatre of operations against boko haram.

Addressing a special session of the parliament on in Strasbourg,France, president buhari said that his government shared the European union's commitment to peace and security, respect for Human rights, democracy and good governance, equality and tolerance, as ways of developing prosperous and strong Societies.  

The president also spoke of Nigeria's concerns about the Economic partnership agreement between the European union,

African, Caribbean and pacific group have states (acp), collectively Endorsed by the economic community of west African states.

He said that Nigeria was yet to sign the agreement because pertinent technical issues raised by the federal government have not been satisfactorily addressed.

The president also sought greater support from eu curb the theft of Nigeria crude oil as well as corruption in its oil and gas sector.

President buhari assured the parliament that Nigeria would collaborate with the European union to address illegal migration to Europe.

With AIT

Senate begins investigation into fresh allegation to extradite senator Buruji Kashamu

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition has begun investigation into fresh allegations of moves by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to extradite Sen. Buruji Kashamu to the U.S.

The Chairman of the committee, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu while meeting with the senator and his solicitor on the allegation in Abuja, said the committee would carry out its mandate.

He directed that all parties involved in the allegation, including former Chairman of (NDLEA), Ahmed Giade and the Director-General of NDLEA, should maintain status quo pending the committee’s investigation.

`` Having heard from you the Solicitor to Senator Kashamu, you may now leave and be rest assured that we will hear from the other correspondents and we will come up with a position on this issue.

``Meanwhile I think it is obvious that when we make our investigation we will put down our report to the entire Senate.

``We have to invite the parties involved and not in representative capacity to answer to the allegations.

``This matter is before the senate and we think status quo should remain until we look at the issues in the petition and come up with a position,’’ he said.

Anyanwu said that the committee would investigate to know if the case was before any court before proceeding, given that it received varying correspondents from the parties involved.

He added that while Mr Giade and the Attorney General had agreed to appear before the committee on the matter, the NDLEA boss wrote to be excused because the case was before the Court of Appeal.

`NDLEA DG wrote that the matter is in the Appeal Court and she should be excused from the matter.

``Meanwhile the Attorney General asked to be given between 9th and 12th of February to appear before the committee and Alhaji Ahmed Giade asked for more time to prepare and submit 12 copies of the written presentation before the committee,’’ he said.

The Solicitor to Sen. Kashamu, Mr Ajibola Oluyede, alleged that there were plans to extradite the lawmaker to the United States to be tried afresh.

``Recently it came to our attention that there was a move again, not to extradite him.

``This is what is being planned currently against Sen. Kashamu and we have it on very good authority and you will see we have quoted from an agent of the NDLEA, a sympathetic agent.

``The reason we are here is that you should be able to look into this matter. Yes, there are certain aspects of this matter pending in court but there are aspects of it that the court can never look at.

``The court is not going to look into the internal workings of a government institution and find out whether those who have been appointed to hold office in that institution have carried out their duties in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

`` It is only this chamber that has the supervisory power to look into what the executive is doing and find out whether the executive is actually complying with the statutes that emanate from this chamber.

He appealed to the Senate to use its powers to ensure that appropriate action was taken on the matter to protect the life of his client.

With NAN

Reps uncover 169 ghost companies on N1trn rail contracts

The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Failed Rail Contracts, yesterday, unearthed 169 ghost companies that registered as contractors with the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, for projects valued at N1 trillion.

The ad hoc committee raised the alarm during the investigative hearing at the National Assembly, that none of the 169 companies invited by the committee had shown up.

Chairman of the committee, Johnson Agbonnayinman, (Ikpoba/Okha federal constituency), said the need to invite the contractors was important, but lamented that efforts to reach them had so far proven fruitless.

He added that so far, only the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC, responded to the committee’s letter.

He said: “You are duty bound to produce the contractors. They are nowhere to be found; they are not faceless but yet they cannot be reached.

“You gave them the job, so you should produce them; we are holding you responsible.”

The committee also asked the corporation’s MD, Mr. Adeseyi Sijuwade, to make available the agency’s record of Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, between 2010 and 2014, and was also asked to tell the committee what the IGR was used for.

In response, the MD said the IGR was used to augment the agency’s overhead budget.

Drama, however, started when the committee, acting on documents before it, asked the MD to explain all he knew and reason behind his request to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation for a return of N2 billion or 20 percent of the corporation’s pension fund to the corporation in December 2014.

Responding, Sijuwade, who was reminded of being on oath, denied making such request to either the Accountant-General or Minister of Finance.

“I never at any time made any request to the AGF to return N2 billion pension fund to the corporation,” he said.

Insistent on getting to the root of the matter, the committee asked the Director of Finance, Felix Njoku, to take an oath in order to take questions regarding the issue.

Njoku did and insisted that there was never any correspondence from his office to the Accountant-General’s on return of the said money.

Not satisfied, the committee veered into what the organisation did with N2 billion that was in the corporation’s coffers around the period under review.

The Finance Director explained that the money was not related to pension and was used to fund ongoing contracts at the time.

He was asked to list the contracts. He promised to make available the records.

The committee also faulted the award of rail contract to Costain Construction Company, claiming that it had no competence in railway projects.

Sijuwade replied that Costain went through due process and was found competent by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, adding that it successfully completed its project.

Chairman of the committee adjourned the hearing and stressed justice and fairness, stating that the probe was not a witch-hunt.

With Vanguard