News In Brief 29/3/16

Good morning! Here are things you need to know this morning:

1. Troops of 155 Task Force Battalion, 21 Brigade have cleared the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists from Dipcheri, Jere and Chogolo towns. The army said no casualty was recorded during the operation. Army spokesman, Sani Usman, said during the operation, the troops came in contact with some of the terrorists members and arrested 2 of them.

2. The All Progressives Congress in Rivers State has raised concern over the release of some aides of Governor Nyesom Wike who were arrested by security operatives during the controversial re-run elections in the state. The state chapter of the party has argued that the release of the men from the custody of security agencies was done hurriedly.
They chided the security agency for releasing the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Emeka Woke who was detained in connection with the alleged assassination attempt on the party’s governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside and other APC chieftains.

3. Report says seven dead bodies have been found inside a pit at Obibi community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State. The yet to be identified bodies, according to the report, were discovered following fresh violence in the area. The killings are linked to cult related-violence believed to have been driven by the bitter political rivalry in Rivers State.

4. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora on Sunday drew the anger of Nigerians on social media.

A Twitter user, Onuoha David, had tweeted at Abike Dabiri and two other handles that, “No stable power, High insecurity, Low wages, poor infrastructures etc what am I coming home for?” Responding, the former member of the House of Representatives, tweeted back “But who is asking you to come?” She has since then been put under fire by social media users and activists.

5. The Federal Government has made available the photographs of the suspected female suicide bomber who was intercepted in northern Cameroon on Friday before she could blow herself. The photograph according to the Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, is to verify the true identity of the girl who is claiming to be one of the abducted Chibok girls.

6. The social media has now gone agog over the ongoing fuel scarcity across the country as major social media activists have taken on the Minister for State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu for saying that he was not trained as a magician to end the ongoing scarcity overnight. Different opinions and comments have taken over the social media.

7. A pro-democracy activist and the founder of the National Advance Party, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite is dead. He died on Monday morning at St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos at the age of 82. His death was confirmed by one of his sons, Olumide.

8. The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of conducting himself in a manner that threatens national security. The party said the governor’s recent utterances and actions suggested acts of sabotage just to render national institutions ineffective in the performance of their statutory roles.

9. Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State on Monday said former President Goodluck Jonathan did not call him until after 19 days of the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from the Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, in 2014. The governor said this while receiving former President, Olusegun Obasanjo at the Government House, Maiduguri.

10. Relatively, former president, Olusegun Obasanjo Monday commended President Muhammadu Buhari on his efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East. Obasanjo praised Buhari’s efforts during a visit to Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State at the Government House, Maiduguri. He said the President has got it right by ensuring that the military were on ground to defeat the insurgents.

Dailypost.