ISIS Is Recruiting Nigerians Through Social Media – Omeri Warns Parents

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28/02/2015

The Coordinator of the National Information Centre on the War Against Terrorism and Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri has revealed that the dreaded Islamic sect, ISIS has been recruiting mostly young Nigerians schooling outside the shores of the country via social media.

He stated this in a press briefing on Thursday at the National Briefing Centre Abuja, said that intelligence reports indicated that young Nigerians are being radicalise by the Islamic terrorist group through the social media and a variety of other sources.

According to him, those youths who are mostly children of the rich and affluent were being recruited into ISIS advising that “parents and guardians, especially those whose wards are schooling abroad, should closely monitor the activities of these students who may be susceptible to the antics of the promoters of the ISIS ideology”.

On the fight against terrorism in the north east, he noted that since February 18, 2015 some remarkable success has been recorded by the Nigerian military forces in the on-going war.

Omeri called on Nigerians to be patriotic and appreciate the effort and sacrifice of the military and security personnel for the selfless manner in which they are prosecuting the anti-terror war.

“We also call on our citizens to shun the trend of cynicism among some unpatriotic Nigerians who have chosen to ascribe the recent success in the anti-terror war to external efforts, instead of the untiring efforts of Nigerian troops, he added.

This success the Coordinator stated, includes the stiff resistance against insurgent incursion into the country at several locations and the recapture of several towns and settlements which had Boko Haram presence earlier.

Curled from The Herald.

Nigeria: Victims of Post 2011 Election Violence Want Compensation

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Africaprimenews

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26/02/2015

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By Mohammed Ibrahim

KADUNA (Nigeria) – Some victims of Nigeria’s post 2011 election violence – who are tenants – have frowned at the government’s compensation process, faulting the decision to exempt them from payments made to victims of the crisis in Kaduna state, northwest Nigeria.

According to them, the decision to compensate only house owners and landlords whose houses were burnt during the election without extending same to the tenants was unfair and unjust.

In a statement, spokesperson of the victims, Mallam Shehu Hassan said it was wrong and inhuman for government to single out landlords and house owners for compensation leaving tenants to their fate.

According to them, apart from losing their property, some of them escaped death by the whiskers.

” After the crisis Kaduna state government set up a commission of Inquiry which received victims complaints and I submitted my complain to the commission for possible assistance.

” The commission on submitting its report to the government recommended that I should be assisted. Even the white paper committee also recommended me for assistance but the committee in charge with the disbursement of funds refused to assist me on the ground that I’m not a landlord nor a house owner,” he said.

A victim of the crisis, who is also a Widow, Mrs Asabe Daniel said she and her children lost everything as the house where they lived was burnt to ashes.

She blamed the politicians for her predicament, lamenting that it is the same politicians that caused the misery.

” They are discriminating against tenants or is it a crime that we voted them into office, is this the dividend of democracy they have for us,” she asked.

Another victim, Mr Charlie Madu expressed shock when government decided to pay only landlord and house owners.

” Does this implies that we tenants are not Nigerians or are regarded second class citizens that government does not care to assist us,” he queried.

He stressed that the physiological trauma all victims went through during the violence and the property lost is enough for government to consider them for compensation.

The victims therefore, appealed to both state and federal government to assist them so as to reduce their sufferings.

They added that failure to assist them will discourage them from participating in future elections.

Child Spacing: Shared Experiences and Way Forward For Nigeria

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Africaprimenews

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26/02/2015

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By Sekyen Dadik

KADUNA (Nigeria) – The importance of effective family planning in any nation’s development cannot be over stressed, as it plays a significant role in reducing poverty and maternal mortality.

Family planning gives couples the opportunity to achieve a desired number of children with adequate spacing thereby promoting a healthy life for the mother and children.

According to the Project Director, Nigeria Urban Health Reproductive Initiative (NUHRI), Mojisola Adeku, for Nigeria to accelerate the attainment of MDGs 4, 5 and 6 that pertained to survival of the child, survival of the women and survival of the family, family planning must be embraced – it contributes to 30 per cent reduction in maternal mortality. It also contributes to 25 per cent of reduction in child deaths.

In one of her visits to Kaduna Moji said “ur objective is to meet the unmet needs of the urban poor. It is sad to note that in Nigeria, one in every 13 women is likely to as a result of childbirth complications.

“Nigeria is second to India in terms of these preventable deaths. What do we do to make pregnancy safe in Nigeria?

“It is not enough to know the number of people dying but to understand the causes with a view to providing solution,” she said.

But in spite of effort by government and development partners to ensure adequate Family planning programmes, certain factors have continue to militate against the success of these programmes in Nigeria.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in the “2012 Millennium Development Goals Performance Tracking Survey Report,” revealed that family planning has remained low due to lack of contraception commodities and effective campaigns for child-spacing in urban and rural areas.

“Only about 17.3 per cent of women between 15 years and 49 years used any method of child-spacing in 2012.

The report showed that, there is a high knowledge of contraception in Nigeria as 85 per cent of women and 97 of men have knowledge about a contraceptive method.Yet a wide gap exists between knowledge and use of these contraceptives. Hence only 15 per cent of married women use a contraceptive method.

So many factors account for these gap between the knowledge and usage of contraceptives.

According to the Nigeria Family Planning Blueprint (Scale-Up plan) 2014, “Poor demand is a significant barrier to Family Planning access caused by low knowledge, especially of Long Acting Reversible Contraceptive methods (LARC)”.

The draft also noted that misconception and opposition contribute to the low usage of contraceptives, adding that intention to use is low, as 63% of women have no intention to use any of the available methods.

Other factors include cultural beliefs which have also contributed to poor response of women to family planning services. In many cultures women have no right to take decisions; hence, they depend on their husbands for every decision even as it pertains to their health and that of the family at large.

Also religious beliefs especially among certain sects militate against the success of Family Planning as use of contraceptives is perceived to be a sin against God.

One other salient reason is the misconception women hold towards family planning which primarily stems from shared experiences.

Educated women and even professionals in the medical field deliberately decide to shun family planning services, simply because of another person’s experience. On several occasions, women make excuses like “Mrs. A used a method and could not conceive till after 7 years, hence I rather not use a contraceptive and suffer same fate”.
Many women also believe use of contraceptives lead to uncontrollable weight gain, so they would not use any for fear of adding weight.

To checkmate these beliefs and misconceptions, there is the need for continuous sensitization to encourage women to seek medical attention to ascertain which method fits them and not rely on anyone’s experience.

Also sensitization through traditional and religious leaders will go a long way in encouraging couples especially those in the rural areas enjoy the different family planning services provided for them.

Nigerian Group Calls for a Stop to Electoral Violence

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Africaprimenews

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25/02/2015

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By Longtong Ibrahim

Nigerian Government has been tasked to address its high employment burden through provision of functional vocational skills to address incessant youth restiveness in the country.

This is in addition to ensuring safety of lives and property of its citizens in the forthcoming general election.

The call was made at the end of a dialogue in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria by four civil society organizations that analyzed potential threats to 2015 election.

The dialogue has its theme as ‘securing our Democracy: stop the Violence.’

Spokesperson of the Group, Comfort Fearon identified bad governance and human insecurity as key factors to most violence in the country, pointing out unstable and unpredictable social economic environment as a factor which leads to youth restiveness.

She said violence destroys the social fabric that holds communities and its aftermath results in fear, mistrust and hostility.

The Group believes that underfunding of the security and law enforcement agencies has limited the capacity of Nigerian agencies to deliver on their mandate of public security.

Fearon further said irregularities in the distribution of Permanent Voters card (PVC) to registered voters; sales and theft of PVCs; hate speeches of political and religious leaders; attacks on candidates and supporters during political campaigns and adverts; voters’ intimidation, are risk factors to a peaceful election.

“The ineffectiveness of the judicial system resulted in delayed and protracted prosecution, thereby giving little or no punishment to those convicted of electoral offences.”

“There is lack of understanding at the community level on the new electoral processes especially the card reader.”

The group called on Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to sensitize communities on negative impact of violence and ensure the effective implementation of Electoral Offences Act, and on how the card reader works.

They also urge religious leaders and security agencies to be non-partisan while other stakeholders should monitor and document compliance of INEC to electoral Act and provide information to security agencies that would aid in intelligence gathering.

In its recommendations, the group called on politicians and other stakeholders not to embark on aggressive campaigns but peaceful rallies that would improve community cohesion.

The Group, under the aegis of ‘Women Preventing Violence Network in Kaduna’, drew its membership from Abantu for Development; Women Interfaith Council; Interfaith Mediation Center; and Gender Awareness Trust.

US Court Fines Palestine Authority, PLO $218m Over Terrorism

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Africaprimenews

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24/02/2015

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A US Jury on Monday asked the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestine

Authority to pay over $218 million fine for providing support material to terrorists.

The Jurors came in favour of 10 American families who suing over the shootings and bombings attributed to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Hamas from 2002 to 2004 that killed 33 people and injured over 450 in the Jerusalem area.

The Americans Victims and their families tripled under the US Anti-Terrorism Act had earlier requested for more than $350m as damages.

The verdict in a Manhattan federal court has added a new dimension to the Middle East decade conflict, and a plus to a long vow by the American victims of the over 10 years of Israeli-Palestinian conflict to use US courts to seek damages.

Meanwhile the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority vow to appeal, which made it unclear whether victims would be able to collect if the award were upheld.

In a joint statement by the PLO and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) said they were disappointed by the ruling describing the charges as “baseless”.

Also the defence lawyer Mark Rochon told jurors that the PA and PLO did not have knowledge of the attacks before they took place.

He added that the organisations could not be held liable for the actions of suicide bombers and gunmen, whom he argued acted alone.

EBOLA: North Korea Bars Foreigners from Marathon

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Africaprimenews

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23/02/2015

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by Longtong Ibrahim

North Korean has banned foreigners from taking part in its international marathon which holds every year April in the country’s capital, Pyongyang

A Beijing based Travel Agency, Koryo Tour said the act is related to fear of Ebola Viral Disease.

North Korea had since October shut out foreign tourists in fear of Ebola and imposes strict 21-day quarantine for foreign aid workers and diplomats, who are been told to stay in embassy compounds.

Director, Koryo Tours, Nick Bonner in a statement said the his partners in Pyongyang had informed his agency that the 2015 Pyongyang Marathon has – as of today been closed to foreign runners.

He added that, more than 400 foreign runners had signed up through agency for the event, which is to be held on April 12.

Another agency specializing in North Korea travel, Young Pioneer Tours also confirmed on its website that it was cancelling its tours for the event.

Bonner pointed out that, “We were told that this is due to the ongoing precautions that the country has put in place in relation to fears over the Ebola virus.”

“It is still unclear when the borders will be reopened, but we were also advised not to cancel our March tours, and to expect an update on the border situation at the end of February,” said Bonner.

North Korea is thousands of miles from countries affected by the Ebola outbreak.

Known officially as the Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon, the race is sanctioned as a bronze-label event by the International Association of Athletics Federations and has been held annually for 27 years.

It is held in conjunction with a series of sporting competitions, arts festivals and cultural events marking the birthday of North Korea’s founder, Kim II Sung, on April 15

Nigerian Police Recovers Over 7000 Stolen Voter Cards

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Africaprimenews

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20/02/2015

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By Longtong Ibrahim

Nigerian Police in Delta State, South-South of the country says it has recovered more than 7,365 stolen Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the state.

Police spokesman in the State, Celestina Kalu said the PVCs were stolen from the office of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state.

The spokesman said an INEC official, Shakira Adewale, had on the 10 of February 2015 reported a case of stolen PVCs at the Oghara Police Station – that unknown gunmen invaded the office on Feb. 9 at about 10:38p.m. and went away with 6,000 PVC’s and registers.

INEC, while reporting the theft had suspected their night watchmen who were on duty of complicity in the act.

Police spokesman said based on the report, the “detectives swung into action and apprehended the security guards, Aherebe Godday, Omajemite Justice, and Oyubu Ejiro for interrogation.

”Similarly, detectives in a follow-up investigation apprehended one Lucky Aputu, 46, in Onyobulu inland market road, Oghara and recovered one of the allegedly stolen INEC registers from him.

“The PVCs had since been handed over to INEC.” she said.

Kalu, however, said that investigation was still in progress to fish out the perpetrators of the crime.

Nigerian Drug Agency Seizes 8 Tonnes Indian Hemp from Trafficker

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Africaprimenews

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19/02/2015

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KADUNA (Nigeria) – In one of its biggest arrests in northern part of the country, Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 8 tonnes of indian hemp from a trafficker along Kaduna – Abuja road in North Central Nigeria.

The Agency has also seized three vehicles belonging to the suspect.

A Commander of the Agency in Northwest city of Kaduna, Mr Samuel Azige told journalists that the Agency seized 780 sacks containing the substance worth over $100,000 US.

He said “The arrest was made around 5am with the help of our intellegence officers after having vivid information about the suspect. After arressting him, he took us to his ware house where we found the hemp stashed in rooms and soak away.”

Azige said the suspect would be charged to court immediately.

The suspect, Ejiro Kehinde, told journalists that he joined the indian hemp business in 2011.

” I am doing this job because of poverty. I finished secondary school and could not further my education due to financial challenges.”

Kehinde said he purhased the Indian hemp in Edo State, South-South Nigeria and distributed it to dealers in Kaduna.

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