My phone detected 277 guns around Senate chamber — Jimoh Ibrahim
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Ondo Senator Jimoh Ibrahim said he detected over 277 guns around the Senate chamber, with the help of some installations on his phone.
Ibrahim disclosed this while speaking on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday
He called on stakeholders to take action, stressing the need for technology in the fight against insecurity.
The senator was contributing to a motion raised by Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South over the recent bombings in the North-East state.
He said, “I don’t want to take much of your time but I will say clearly it costs nothing for the intelligent army to get devices in their phone to know where these notorious criminals live.
“As I am here, I check my phone regularly and I know the number of guns that are very close to me here. This is just less than one thousand installations. Within us now, there are over 277 guns around here just because an armoury is close to this place.”
When Senate President Godswill Akpabio asked him, “Of the 277 guns around you here, do you know how many of them have bullets inside?” Ibrahim said since there is an amoury close to the National Assembly, the senators were safe.
The lawmaker emphasised the need for the military to use technology in the fight against insurgency.
“So, what I am saying? We can use technology, just like distinguished Senator Ndume had said, to deploy technology rather than using soldiers.
“I want to say very clearly that the military should stop using unconventional strategies to fight insurgency in Nigeria. There is a distinction between unconventional and conventional strategy. We need to use conventional strategy to fight unconventional war. Boko Haram is an unconventional war,” he said.
Senator Ibrahim further said, “We are all aware of what happened in Kenya. We cannot close our eyes, we need to wake up. So, I will finally suggest to you, Mr Senate President, and my distinguished colleagues.
NAF kills terrorists in aerial bombardment in Borno
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The Nigerian Air Force said its Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai has eliminated several terrorists in an aerial bombardment in their hideouts in Borno.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, NAF Public Relations and Information, AVM Edward Gabkwet, on Thursday in Abuja.
Gabkwet said that the hideouts located near Degbewa and Chinene in the Mandara mountains in the state were known terrorists’ hideouts.
He said the air strikes became expedient after several days of aerial surveillance which revealed a consistent gathering of a large number of terrorists in the area.
According to him, the location is also suspected to be a site for manufacturing improvised explosive devices and storage areas.
“The terrorists were also observed to be loitering within the vicinity, clearly oblivious of what was to befall them, and probably confident that their location was safe and secured from any form of military bombardments.
“The air strikes were thus authorised with the aircraft bombarding the locations in several passes until the majority of the terrorists were eliminated.
Dangote opposition to 30 per cent interest rate proves me right – Peter Obi
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Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has said that Aliko Dangote’s recent outcry against the current interest rate of 30 per cent underscores his earlier concerns about the negative effects of the monetary policy of the present Federal Government.
Obi had argued against the decision of the Monetary Policy Committee to increase the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) and the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) to 22.5% and 45%, respectively.
He insisted it would further worsen the economic situation, as the increases would push interest rates on loans to above 30%, which, according to him, would make it very difficult for manufacturers and MSMEs to borrow and repay.
In a statement on Thursday via his X handle, Obi said that Africa’s foremost entrepreneur and respected Nigerian businessman, Aliko Dangote, stating that no jobs will be created with such a high interest rate is consistent with his own position over time.
The former Anambra State governor maintained that the country must urgently reverse the ugly trend.
According to him, it is seriously resulting in further job losses, discouraging production in the nation, and has continued to hinder Nigeria’s movement from consumption to production.
Obi’s words: “Africa’s foremost entrepreneur and respected Nigerian businessman, Aliko Dangote’s recent outcry against the current interest rate of 30% underscores my earlier cry in February on the negative effects of the monetary policy of the present Federal Government.
“According to Dangote, no jobs will be created with such a high interest rate because there will be no growth in the economy. This has been my consistent position over time.
“In February this year, I argued against the decision of the Monetary Policy Committee to increase the MPR to 22.5% and the CRR to 45%, which, in my opinion, would further worsen the economic situation, as the increases would push interest rates on loans to above 30%, making it very difficult for manufacturers and MSMEs to borrow and repay.
JUST IN: Appeal court nullifies order removing ex-Rivers speaker, others
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The Court of Appeal, Abuja division, on Thursday, dismissed the exparte order issued May 10, 2024, by the Rivers State High Court, in Port Harcourt, which barred Martin Amaewhule from parading himself as the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The appeal court also dismissed the decision of the state high court which stopped 24 other members of the Assembly from accessing the complex or carrying out any such Legislative assignment in the name of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
A three-man panel led by Justice Jimi Olukayode-Bada while delivering judgment in the suit, upheld the appeal filed by a factional speaker of the River State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 24 others against the Speaker, Victor Oko-Jumbo and two others.
The court in its determination of the issue of jurisdiction of a lower court to hear and also grant and exparte order, held that the Federal High Court is exclusively and Mandatorily the only court that can hear such matters and not a state high court, citing section 273 of the Constitution.
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