The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday said there are schemes by some politicians to smear its director-general, Yusuf Bichi, and some of the service’s key officials. In a statement, DSS spokesman, Peter Afunanya, said the politicians, as well as ‘disgruntled elements’ within and outside the government, are waging war against “the service’s uncompromising stance on some critical governance and policy issues”. Specifically, he accused the politicians of using civil society and non-governmental organisations to discredit Bichi. He asked Nigerians to “be wary of these tendencies and ignore the antics of dark forces out to impugn the character of the DG.” “Those behind the plot have engaged Civil Society and Non-Governmental Organisations to not only sustain but stage further rallies, road shows and press conferences and use the occasions to discredit Bichi,” the statement read. “Also, sections of the media have been briefed to implement the strategy through sponsored articles, commentaries and features to malign the DG, his family and select officials of the Service.” “The service is monitoring developments and will allow the plotters to either exhaust themselves or rescind the plan of action. Otherwise, no intimidation, harassment or blackmail will deter it from discharging its duties. “However, it would not idly watch a group of dissatisfied gangs undermine the service and its highly dedicated leadership and management. “The DSS, therefore, wishes to inform the public to be wary of these tendencies and ignore the antics of dark forces out to impugn the character of the DG.” According to Afunanya, the service would continue to confront threats to national security and is working to create a conducive atmosphere for the general election.

  The Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Kalu says he will stand as surety for the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu if granted bail again. “I will stand surety for him (Kanu) if the Federal Government wants to release him to me,” Kalu said on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm programme aired on Tuesday. Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, also believed the Federal Government will respect the next court judgement on the bail of the embattled IPOB leader. The federal lawmaker said he is close to the family of Kanu in the Afaraukwu Ibeku area of Abia but the IPOB leader and his family did not listen to his counsel. He, however, said he won’t abandon the family during their prolonged predicament with the Federal Government. “I made his father the traditional ruler of their place when I was governor. I’m close to them but they didn’t listen to me but that will not make him to abandon them. I will not abandon them,” said the chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC). “I will stand surety for him if the Federal Government wants to release him to me. And I can keep him in my compound here in Abuja or Igbere (in Abia) and counsel him.” Legal Fireworks Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe and two others had stood as sureties for Kanu before he was granted bail by the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 25, 2017. Abaribe, who represents Abia South in the red chamber and who was deputy governor to Kalu between May 1999 and March 2003, ran into trouble when the IPOB leader jumped bail the same 2017 and left Nigeria. However, the embattled IPOB leader was brought back to Nigeria by security forces in June 2021. He has since been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and is facing terrorism-related charges preferred against him by the Federal Government before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja. On October 13, 2022, a Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja acquitted and discharged Kanu from terrorism charges but the Federal Government appealed the decision and the court granted the government’s request to stop the execution of the judgment freeing the IPOB leader. The case is still in court even as political solution mulled by apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has not achieved any result.

  The Nigeria Police Force has said that it will arrest a yet-to-be identified man for sharing a substance, suspected to be marijuana, with an infant in a viral video. In the video posted on Twitter by a user, Ikeokwu Chidozie, the man is seen smoking what looks like a wrap of marijuana and then forcing it into the mouth of the baby girl he’s carrying. Outraged by the video, Nigerians took to Twitter to tag the Nigeria Police Force, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and other security agencies, calling for the arrest of the man in the video. The Twitter user, Chidozie, wrote, “When and how did we get here as a society? Egbon, @Princemoye1 please we need this guy prosecuted and the accomplice too. “Haba! Remember when Iya Kudu (a neighbour) will spank us for misdemeanor as kids but now the society is empty. Cc: @ndlea_nigeria.” Reacting to the development, the Police Force Spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the force would arrest the said man and urged Nigerians with information about him to speak up. Adejobi also lamented the level of social decadence in the country, urging mothers to be vigilant and careful with who they leave their children with. He said, “Now, u will agree with me, to an extent, that our problems in Nigeria are grossly connected to social decadence. Every problem in Nigeria today is tailored to one societal issue or the other. If we address our societal problems, our general problems in Nigeria are 80% solved. “Until we arrest them, we won’t know what actually happened. The mother might not be there. I gave an analogy that it might be the mother’s sister who even took the baby to visit her boyfriend. “He must be caused to face the wrath of the law. This is too bad. But above all, mothers must learn from this. Ire o.”

  The President Muhammadu Buhari has said that “God has helped” his regime to “clear Boko Haram” in the North-East. The President noted that the threat of terrorism was the most critical security challenge inherited by his regime but expressed delight that normalcy had returned to affected states in the North-East. Buhari, therefore, declared that he had fulfilled the commitment he made to Nigerians in his May 29, 2015 inaugural address to frontally and courageously tackle Boko Haram terrorists and stabilise the country. This is as he said nobody could blackmail him on inexplicable wealth and illicit enrichment while in office, stating that he did not have “one square-inch outside Nigeria.” These are contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Tuesday. The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari says nobody can blackmail him on inexplicable wealth and illicit enrichment while in office, saying ‘’I do not have one square-inch outside Nigeria.’ “Speaking at a State banquet, Monday night, organised in his honour in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, the President restated his vow to serve God and Nigeria until his last day in office and beyond. “He advised Nigerians to remain patriotic, saying ‘as I said more than 30 years ago, we have no other country than Nigeria, we must all stay here and salvage it together.’ “Noting that the most critical security challenge inherited by the administration nearly eight years ago was the potent and pervasive threat of terrorism, the President expressed delight that normalcy has returned to affected States in North-East Nigeria. “He recounted that the threat was particularly pervasive across the North-East geopolitical zone with Yobe State as one of the most hit by the terrorists. “He, therefore, declared that he has fulfilled the commitment made to Nigerians in his May 29, 2015 inaugural address to frontally and courageously tackle Boko Haram terrorists and stabilize the country. “‘In the North-East, God has helped us to clear Boko Haram, the economy has picked up and some people are asking me about the achievements of my promise to fight corruption. “‘Well, under this system fighting corruption is not easy. When I was in the military, as Head of State, I locked up some people because the Constitution says you must declare your assets and people who couldn’t explain the differences in their assets, I locked them up. “‘In the end, I was also locked up. So, if you want to serve this country you must be prepared for the worst. But one thing that I am grateful to God for is that nobody can blackmail me. I do not have one-square inch outside Nigeria and I intend to stay in Nigeria when I retire from public office.’ “Reflecting on his journey to the presidency and re-election, the President said: “‘Between 2003 and 2019, I visited all the local government areas in this country. In 2019 when I attempted a re-election, I visited every state and the number of people that came out to see who this Buhari is and was is more than what anybody can pay or force. “‘So, I thank God that Nigerians understood me and I made a promise that I will serve God and Nigerians.’ “President Buhari commended Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State for taking advantage of the return of peace and security in the state to execute people-oriented projects. “Describing the governor as very competent and courageous, the President said he was lucky to have him in the saddle as the political leader in the state, supporting the federal efforts to decimate Boko Haram terrorist group. “The President also acknowledged the cooperation of Nigeria’s neighbours in the fight against insurgency, recalling that his first visit outside the country in 2015 was to Niger and Chad, to garner support on tackling the misguided sect. “President Buhari thanked the Governor and people of Yobe State, including Senate President Ahmed Lawan, for their warm reception during the State visit. “In his remarks, Governor Buni expressed delight at the President’s inauguration of landmark projects in the state, including the Yobe International Cargo Airport, Damaturu ultra-modern market, Maternal and Child Health Complex at the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital, the 2,600 Housing Estate in Potiskum and the Damaturu Mega School at new Bra-Bra. “He appealed to the President to approve the takeover of the Yobe State International Cargo airport by the Federal Government and the refund of N38 billion expended by the State government on the project. “Equally, he requested the takeover of the State University Teaching Hospital, including the Maternity and Child Health Complex. “The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba Alkali, thanked the President for inaugurating a purpose-built, ultra-modern, and fully furnished State Command Headquarters; Police Secondary School; and Tertiary Police Hospital during the State Visit. “The IGP assured the President and Nigerians that the Nigeria Police are fully prepared for the upcoming 2023 general election and would remain apolitical in compliance with the presidential directive. “He disclosed that newly passed out Constables are being posted on field operations to their Local Government Areas in line with Mr. President’s directives and ahead of their deployment for the general election. “‘In furtherance to this, we have exposed our personnel to specialized election security management trainings, developed Code of Conduct Handbook to guide the Police and other national security agencies that will be involved in the exercise,’ he said. “He added that the Force has also perfected the logistics and manpower mobilization framework, and fine-tuned the Election Security Operational Action Plan in conjunction with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Military, Intelligence Community, and other Sister Security Agencies. “The IGP thanked the President for the annual recruitment of ten thousand police Constables over a five-year period, adding that the Presidential consideration has significantly bridged the manpower gap in the Force and broadly strengthened their capacity to effectively police the electoral process.”

  Unidentified security agents Monday night, opened fire on a team of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA on Awolowo road, Lagos, in the former’s bid to forcefully release the driver of a truck loaded with hard drugs. The armed operatives also shattered the windscreen of one of the operational vehicles of the anti-narcotic agency used to barricade the truck. But the timely intervention of Military men averted what would have resulted in a blood bath, as the armed operatives escaped with the driver, abandoning the truck. In his maiden briefing at the NDLEA’s Lagos office in Gbagada, the new Lagos State Commander, Mr Umar Adoro, explained that acting on intelligence, “ We ambushed the truck. We knew when they finished loading and when they started their movement and we chose to accost the truck on Awolowo road, as that would determine whether the drugs were being conveyed to the mainland or offshore. ‘ We waited until midnight before the truck was sighted and we intercepted it. Unfortunately, we were distracted because when the truck driver and the vehicle were intercepted, unidentified security agents appeared and insisted that the truck must be allowed to continue its movement, we said where and they could not tell us. “There was pandemonium as the security agents started shooting in the air which attracted the Army from the Medical corp. They reinforced our officers before reinforcement came from my office. “But the unidentified security agency took the driver and escaped with him. But we successfully got the truck. Our officers’ vehicle that was used to barricade the truck was damaged by the truck driver and unidentified security agents” 51 suspects arrested While commending other security agents for their support to the anti-narcotic agency in the war against drugs, Adoro, who assumed command in December 2022, disclosed that in the month of December 2022 alone, 51 suspects were arrested with the recovery of 7,295.103 Kilograms of various drugs. Out of the 51 suspects arrested in 10 raids, he said 41 were males while 10 were females. He added that the agency secured 122 convictions, with 117 cases still pending before the Federal High court, last year. Areas with the highest arrests He highlighted Akala in Mushin, Agege, Lagos Island, Ikorodu, Epe, Ajah and Festac Town as areas in Lagos with the highest arrest, adding that a suspected drug baron was arrested yesterday morning in the Festac area of Lagos. The Commander also disclosed that owing to the heat on drug peddlers, dealers had resorted to using dispatch riders to convey drugs to ready buyers across the state. He threatened that the agency would not spare any pharmacist who dispensed controlled drugs to Nigerians without a prescription or sold to unauthorized persons who have no authority to dispense. “ When we make such an arrest, we will close the pharmacy, place it under investigation and take the pharmacist to court for a final decision”., he said. The war against drugs, according to him, was not the exclusive reserve for the NDLEA alone but a responsibility of every Nigerian, he lauded the efforts of the media for their support in the fight.

  Presidential Candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has met with governors of the party as well as some members of its Presidential Campaign Council PCC. Equally at the meeting which was held late Monday and ended in the early hours of Tuesday was his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima. Although details of the meeting were not made available, Vanguard gathered that it was part of the campaign’s strategy review engagements. Vanguard gathered that apart from the issue of crisis in some state chapters of the party, the non-participation of some party bigwigs in its presidential campaigns were some of the issues raised at the meeting. “The meeting was essentially a review of what we have been doing and of course, the way forward. “We discussed the remaining activities in the campaign timetable, state of he states and the absence of some party bigwigs from the campaign train. “It was resolved that we should all join hands together and work towards delivering Asiwaju as Nigeria’s next president”, said a source privy to the meeting. Another source at the meeting said; “Our Presidential candidate used the meeting to appreciate all the governors, especially in states where the campaign had already taken place and pleaded for their continued support as the electioneering hots up ahead of the general election. “The meeting also discussed the next phase of the campaign activities, bearing in mind that February 25 presidential election date is some weeks ahead. “Areas and activities the campaign council will have to re-jig were also identified and concluded upon.” Some of those in attendance were the presidential candidate, his running mate, the Chairman of PGF and Governors of Kebbi State, Abubakar Bagudu, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar(Jigawa), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Bello Mohammed Matawalle (Zamfara), David Umahi (Ebonyi) and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara). The Presidential Campaign Council also had its Deputy Director-General (Operations), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Deputy Director-General (Admin) Hadiza Bala Usman and the Secretary, James Abiodun Faleke in attendance.

  President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday in Damaturu, Yobe State, said he is an orphan and does not know his father, but was enlisted in the Nigerian Army because he went to school. President Buhari also urged eligible voters in the state and the northeastern part of the country to ensure that his party’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is elected in the forthcoming general elections. He said this at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally at August 27 Stadium in Damaturu. Read Also: Court sacks Elisha Abbo from contesting APC’s senatorial election The President said a vote for Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, would guarantee the sustenance of progress made in the security, economy and education sectors of the country. He vowed that following the victory against terrorists in the region, the APC-led government is more than ever before energised to defeat whoever threatens the unity of Nigeria. The President, who addressed the mammoth crowd in Hausa language, recounted how Boko Haram inflicted damage on the people, their property and the economy, before their decimation by Nigeria Armed Forces and security agencies. Emphasising the need for education in countering the despicable ideology of Boko Haram, the President told parents and guardians in Yobe: ‘‘Make sure you send your children to school and make them understand that whatever you have in this world can be taken away from you except the knowledge you have in your head. ‘‘I was an orphan; I did not know my father. I spent nine years in a boarding school and because of education I was enlisted into the Nigerian Army. ‘‘I want you to strengthen your faith, try your best to uphold the children and family God has entrusted to you. Do not betray that trust.” To the APC flagbearers in the forthcoming general elections, President Buhari challenged them to ensure good governance when elected and not to disappoint the electorate. He declared that the governing party has done its utmost in the last eight years at the Federal level and would continue to ensure the progress, prosperity and stability of Nigeria.