Abujatalk.Com

President Mohamadu Buhari has on Thursday tasked the new appointed Service Chiefs to synergize with other nation’s security apparatus and hunt down Boko Haram insurgents within the next three months. The president said that that would be the only way the new military helmsmen would justify the confidence resposed in them by his government. In a brief swearing in ceremony of the new service chiefs performed at the Villa, “I want to reiterate that your appointments and subsequent elevation to these ranks are based on your pedigree as first class senior officers who identify sterling leadership qualities. Therefore I have no doubt in my mind that all of you are equal to the task ahead of you. You must acquaint yourselves and justify the honour done to you.

There was an attack on the JTF facility at about 11.30pm    at the Nembe waterway, Bayelsa state. Though the motive for the attack could not be immediately ascertained, a security source told our correspondent that the hoodlums might have embarked on the mission with a view to stealing arms to perpetrate their nefarious activities on the waterways. The incident, the latest in the series of attacks in the state’s troubled creeks, again brought to the fore the dangers faced by travellers plying the waterways. Boat drivers and their passengers plying the waterways have repeatedly come under attacks with some losing their valuables and lives. Sunday Vanguard learnt that the soldiers were taken unawares by the gunmen who stormed the base in four speedboats and opened fire from two flanks (land and water). The (hoodlums) took advantage of the dark night to launch the vicious attack and stole rifles of the slain operatives as well as two HP Guns and other arms from the base b...

12 people including five Malian soldiers -- died as a result of a hostage situation and ensuing battle between the attackers and soldiers at a Mali hotel, Malian state-run broadcaster ORTM reported Saturday. Five foreigners have been evacuated from the hotel in Sevare, in central Mali, the broadcaster said. Earlier, a spokesman for Mali's President told CNN that officials believed the dead included five soldiers, four attackers and three civilians, but that the toll had yet to be confirmed. Army spokesman Col. Souleymane Maiga said at least one foreigner had been killed, among other casualties, but did not specify the foreigner's nationality. The soldiers stormed the hotel to end a daylong siege that started Friday when gunmen raided the hotel after attacking a military site nearby, witnesses said. "The land operation was solely operated by the Malian forces," Radhia Achour, a spokeswoman for MINUSMA, said after the siege ended. The freed hostages, who hid from the...

Dr. Ibe Kachikwu appointed as New NNPC Boss, after a long expectation President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Dr Ibe Kachikwu as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The appointment was made public by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina. The statement noted that Kachikwu, who was the Executive Vice Chairman and General Counsel of Exxon-Mobil (Africa), was to take over from Dr Joseph Dawha. Kachikwu hails from Onicha-Ugbo in Delta State. The statement also quoted the credentials of Kachikwu as being a First Class Graduate of Law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the Nigerian Law School. “The new NNPC Chief Executive also has Masters and Doctorate Degrees in Law from Harvard Law School.’’ It stated that the new NNPC boss started his working career with the Nigerian/American Merchant Bank before moving on to Texaco Nigeria Limited, from where he joined Exxon-Mobil.

 Adesina made further clarification that the same sex marriage issue came up at the joint session of Senate and House Committees on Foreign Affairs, not in direct talks with Obama. He added that talks shifted to another matter as Buhari emphatically stated Nigeria’s stand on same sex marriage.   Recalled that Adesina had earlier posted on his Twitter handle that “the issue of gay marriage came up here yesterday. PMB was point blank. Sodomy is against the law in Nigeria, and abhorrent to our culture”.

The change has started now that the general has moved to his official resident, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the removal of all military check points nationwide and has directed that police should take control of internal security. Will Mararaba Nyanyan residents heave a sigh of relief now? lets hope so! Addressing State House correspondents after‎ a meeting between the president and service chiefs, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of defence, Alhaji Ismail Aliyu said the president directed the security chiefs to liaise with the Police on taking over internal security. According to the Permanent Secretary, the meeting with the security chiefs was to give them the opportunity to brief the president on the implementations of recent decisions reached on the fight against insurgency. He also said that the military high command briefed the president on the relocation of the command centre to ‎Maiduguri as directed by the president on the day of his inauguration.

EFCC VS BANK PHB: A High Court in Lagos on Monday has dismissed the N25.7billion criminal charge against the former Managing Director of Bank PHB, Mr. Francis Atuche, and others. He was set free alongside his wife, Elizabeth and a former Chief Financial Officer of Bank PHB, Mr. Ugo Anyanwu. The three persons were prosecuted by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly stealing N25.7 billion from the bank. In a ruling delivered by the presiding judge, Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo, the court held that it is duty bound to comply with the decisions of Court of Appeal in the appeal of Okey Nwosu and Erastus Akingbola. The judge noted that though the prosecution, in its submission, was right to say that count one to ten of the charge was anchored on stealing which falls within the purview of State High Court. However, the judge maintained that the prosecution did not make any submission to as whether count 11 to 27 have any nexus with shares and stocks. “The case on all, ...