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US top diplomat visits Nigeria, discusses areas of interest

US top diplomat visits Nigeria, discusses areas of interest

Visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Abuja and met with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and some officials, discussing the US administration’s interest in the West African country…reports Asian Lite News

A statement issued by the Nigerian presidency said Buhari and Blinken held talks in Abuja over issues including regional security and climate change. It quoted Blinken as saying that the United States and Nigeria have diverse challenges, but a common denominator is security, and hope for better partnerships.

US top diplomat visits Nigeria, discusses areas of interest

The US top diplomat, who had held a virtual meeting with the Nigerian leader earlier in the year, hailed the contributions of Buhari to the protection of the climate, particularly his presence and contributions at the recent COP26 climate conference held in Glasgow, Scotland.

At a joint press conference with Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja on Thursday, Blinken highlighted a number of areas that the US is willing to further cooperate with Nigeria, including security, climate change, education, health, and work with the West African country in important critical infrastructure under the USAID framework, Xinhua news agency reported.

ALSO READ: Nigeria Denies Terror Sponsor Allegations

Nigeria is the second leg of Blinken’s three-country tour in Africa starting in Kenya on Wednesday, which will be rounded off in Senegal later this week.

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African national held with heroin worth Rs 5 crore

African national held with heroin worth Rs 5 crore

An African national was nabbed with 513 grams of heroin worth Rs 5 crore in the international market from the national capital…reports Asian Lite News

According to the official, a tip-off was received at the Anti Narcotics Cell Dwarka that an African national is supplying the contraband in the jurisdiction of Mohan Garden police station in Dwarka district.

After this, senior officials constituted a team of four policemen to nab the accused identified as Namdi Ilias Akabueze, a native of Nigeria.

African national held with heroin worth Rs 5 crore

On Tuesday, as per the information received, at around 1.25 p.m. the police team reached Chhath Puja Park, near Ganda Nala Najafgarh in the city.

“After a few minutes a team of Anti-Narcotics Cell/CAIF Dwarka apprehended that African national,” the official said.

He said that the accused was searched in the presence of ACP, Najafgarh Dwarka and due procedure was followed as described in the NDPS act.

The police arrested the accused under section 21 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

As the accused was residing in Mohan Garden area of Delhi, a case has also been registered against his landlord.

During interrogation, the Nigerian national disclosed that he was an intruder and came to India through Bangladesh in 2019.

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Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka District) Shankar Choudhary said further interrogation is going on to nab the source of the recovered drugs and its buyers and the entire chain of backward and forward links related to the crime.

Choudhary had recently launched ‘Operation Varchasva’ to make Dwarka area crime free.

Since the launch of the operation, several gangsters, snatchers and robbers have been arrested.

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Nigeria Denies Terror Sponsor Allegations

Nigeria Denies Terror Sponsor Allegations

In the fight against terrorism, Nigeria has availed itself creditably by tackling home-grown terrorists with links to global terrorist organisations…reports Asian Lite News

The Nigerian government has slammed a US-based NGO for calling it a sponsor of terrorism, saying that it was a “disgusting distraction” orchestrated by those seeking to weaken the ongoing massive onslaught against militancy in the west African country.

Nigeria Denies Terror Sponsor Allegations

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed said the so-called Global Advocates for Terrorism Eradication (GATE) is a pesky irritant that should be ignored, especially because it is as confusing as it is irresponsible, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to media reports, the GATE petitioned on Friday the office of the US Secretary of State, demanding that the American government should designate some Nigerian government officials as sponsors of terrorism, alleging that “from all available indices, what is happening in Nigeria is state-sponsored terrorism”.

“This organisation called GATE is not even worth the ink with which its name is written. How can a serious organisation accuse a government that is tackling the twin evils of terrorism and banditry with an uncommon determination of sponsoring terrorism,” Mohammed said.

The Minister said this organisation has chosen this time when terrorists are surrendering in droves or running helter-skelter as a result of a renewed offensive against them by the military to “orchestrate a distraction…to weaken the fight against terror and banditry”.

ALSO READ: Over 3,000 inmates yet to be recaptured after Nigeria jailbreaks

Mohammed said the fact that GATE, in making its absurd allegation, relied on the words of a thoroughly discredited, fake-news-peddling former Nigerian navy intelligence officer shows the hollowness of its allegation.

“In the fight against terrorism, Nigeria has availed itself creditably by tackling home-grown terrorists with links to global terrorist organisations,” the Minister added.

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Over 3,000 inmates yet to be recaptured after Nigeria jailbreaks

Nigeria govt: 3,000 inmates yet to be recaptured following recent jailbreaks

The Nigerian government said that over 3,000 inmates are yet to be recaptured following recent jailbreaks in the most populous African country…reports Asian Lite News

A total of 4,860 inmates had escaped during attacks on the country’s custodial centres since last year, and only 984 of them have been rearrested so far, with 3,876 inmates still at large, Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola told reporters here.

Nigeria govt: 3,000 inmates yet to be recaptured following recent jailbreaks

To aid the active tracking of the fleeing inmates, the Minister said the government had taken the biometrics of all inmates in the country, hoping this will be useful for their recapture, reports Xinhua news agency.

In recent months, there have been a series of gunmen attacks across Nigeria, including attacks on security facilities like police stations and custodial centres.

ALSO READ: 163 illegal migrants deported to Nigeria from Libya

On October 22, 837 inmates awaiting trial escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Center in the Abolongo area of the southwestern state of Oyo following an attack on the centre, according to a statement by the Nigerian Correctional Service.

Aregbesola said that Nigeria currently has a total of 69,680 inmates, with 50,223 still awaiting trials.

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Gates Foundation announces $7mn for Covid genome research

Gates Foundation announces $7mn for Covid genome research

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced to provide $7 million to conduct genomic research in eight low and middle income countries, including India…reports Asian Lite News

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced to provide $7 million to conduct genomic research in eight low and middle income countries, including India. Other countries are South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and Brazil.

Gates Foundation announces $7mn for Covid genome research

The commitment, made at the 17th Grand Challenges Annual Meeting held between November 8 and 11, is part of the foundation’s newly launched Global Immunology and Immune Sequencing for Epidemic Response (GIISER) programme. GIISER works to ensure scientists have the capacity to rapidly detect if new SARS-CoV-2 variants in their communities show signs of evading immune response.

GIISER will operate as a decentralised network of autonomous and geographically distinct hubs that are able to connect local pathogen sequencing data and clinical epidemiology with local immunological understanding and tools.

Initial focus areas will include data science, such as mathematical modeling to inform national malaria control programmes, digital health services for pregnant women, and innovations to close gaps identified by current programmes for eliminating neglected tropical diseases.

The Foundation also committed an initial $50 million towards a new 10-year programme to support science and innovation in low- and middle-income countries. It is also awarded to science leadership fellowships to 14 African scientists.

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“We need the ideas and leadership of the people who are closest to the global health challenges we’re working to address,” said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The programme “represents our commitment to advance innovation and equity while strengthening local partners in a sustainable way”, she added.

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Death toll rises to 20 from 21-story building collapse in Nigeria

Death toll rises to 20 from 21-story building collapse in Nigeria

The death toll from the collapse of a 21-storey building in the city of Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, rose to 20, as more dead bodies have been recovered, with scores of people remaining unaccounted for…reports Asian Lite News

Ibrahim Farinloye, the Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the Lagos state, said in an update statement on Tuesday evening that 20 dead bodies had been recovered and nine people had been rescued alive following the collapse of the 21-story building under construction in the Ikoyi area of Lagos city on Monday afternoon.

Rescue operations were still underway and an investigation into the cause of the collapse is ongoing, Farinloye added.

Death toll rises to 20 from 21-story building collapse in Nigeria

Residents living in the area told Xinhua earlier Tuesday that the building had been under construction for more than one year and over 50 people, mostly construction workers, were trapped under the rubble.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Governor of the Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, vowed in a statement a thorough investigation into the deadly building collapse, adding the state government is setting up an independent panel to probe the cause of the collapse.

Sanwo-Olu said members of the panel will be drawn from professional bodies in the field of construction such as the Nigeria Institute of Architects, the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, and the Nigeria Society of Engineers.

“It will independently investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incident and make recommendations on how to prevent future occurrences. The investigation is not part of the internal probe already being conducted by the government,” he added.

The Governor said the government will find out what went wrong and punish those indicted, adding that as a first step, he has directed that the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency be suspended from work immediately.

Meanwhile, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari directed authorities in the Lagos state to step up rescue efforts in a statement issued on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

ALSO READ: 163 illegal migrants deported to Nigeria from Libya

“I commiserate with all families who have lost loved ones in the collapsed building in Lagos. This is a sad period for the people and government of Lagos state, and we share in thesadness,” Buhari said.

The Nigerian leader also called on emergency institutions, including hospitals, to provide all the support to safeguard the lives of the rescued.

Building collapses often occur in Nigeria, as some property owners and developers do not adhere strictly to planning and building laws and regulations. In most cases, heavy loads are placed on the building and substandard materials are used in construction.

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Mobilize $2 billion for land restoration African nations

Mobilize $2 billion for land restoration African nations

By COP27, which will be held on African soil, funders must invest $2 billion in ‘AFR100’, the continent’s locally led campaign to restore vitality to 100 million hectares of degraded and deforested land…reports Asian Lite News

Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, Rwanda Environment Minister; Nancy Tembo, Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources of Malawi; and Mohammad Abubakar, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nigeria, issued that challenge on Tuesday at the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-26) here.

Mobilize $2 billion for land restoration African nations

The African Development Bank, the government of Germany, Global Environment Facility, Bezos Earth Fund, the Global EverGreening Alliance, and Green Climate Fund responded, announcing their plan to significantly invest in land restoration by 2026 and have called on their peers to join them in mobilizing that $2 billion in investable capital by COP27 in November 2022.

“Africa is home to the world’s greatest restoration opportunity, with 700 million hectares of degraded land that can be restored. Africa is the continent most dependent on the land for livelihoods and most vulnerable to climate change. Africa must therefore lead the way. We warmly welcome partnership with ambitious funders like the Bezos Earth Fund,” said Ibrahim Mayaki, CEO of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD).

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which could push an estimated 30 million Africans into extreme poverty, land restoration — with a return of $7-30 for every $1 spent — has become a critical tool to improve food security and create sustainable jobs.

The impacts of climate change make these types of solutions all the more urgent: The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report shows that several African regions like Sahel will experience rising temperatures, exacerbating the vulnerabilities of people and nature.

If desertification continues to advance unchecked, the decline in revenue from cereal crops alone could cost people in Africa $4.6 trillion through 2030.

It’s clear that Africa needs to massively and quickly restore nature and farmland to reduce poverty, reverse biodiversity loss and store planet-warming greenhouse gases — and local action is the only path toward success.

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An initial $2 billion investment in the work of NGOs, entrepreneurs and government-led projects could catalyze $15 billion of funding. That larger amount could begin the restoration of a potential 20 million hectares by 2026 and bring an estimated $135 billion in benefits to 40 million people.

“Africa is where the opportunity is the greatest, where the need is greatest, and where vulnerability to climate change is greatest. It is also where political commitment is increasingly the greatest, as Heads of state and governments more and more recognize that investing their natural capital has one of the highest returns,” said Andrew Steer, President and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund.

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163 illegal migrants deported to Nigeria from Libya

Libya

Libya’s anti-illegal migration department said that 163 illegal migrants have been deported to their native country of Nigeria…reports Asian Lite News

“Based on instructions from the Interior Ministry and the Attorney General’s office, 163 illegal Nigerian migrants, including women and children, managed to return to their country voluntarily in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM),” the department added in a statement.

163 illegal migrants deported to Nigeria from Libya

All the migrants have been tested for Covid-19 before departure, it said.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores, Xinhua news agency reported.

ALSO READ: IOM deported 140 illegal Bangladeshi migrants from Libya

The Voluntary Humanitarian Return program, run by the IOM, arranges the return of illegal immigrants stranded in Libya to their homelands.

Since 2015, more than 53,000 illegal migrants have returned from Libya through the program, with support from the European Union and the Italian Migration Fund, according to the IOM.

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Africa News

30 Nigerian school children released after 4 months

A group of unknown gunmen attacked the secondary school on June 17, killing one policeman and abducting an unspecified number of students and five teachers….reports Asian Lite News

Thirty school children, who were kidnapped from a secondary school in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Kebbi more than four months ago, were released by their captors, the government said.

In a statement, the Kebbi state government confirmed the release, saying that the students have arrived at the state capital Birnin Kebbi and will undergo medical screening and support before being reunited with their families, reports Xinhua news agency.

“Efforts are still continuing to secure the release of the remaining,” said the statement, without revealing the number of students that were still held by the kidnappers.

“We thank all those who have helped in securing the release,” it added.

A group of unknown gunmen attacked the secondary school on June 17, killing one policeman and abducting an unspecified number of students and five teachers.

ALSO READ: Africa’s Covid cases reach 8.4 million

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Nigerian security forces rescues 187 abducted victims

Nigerian security forces rescues 187 abducted victims

Nigerian security forces have rescued 187 abducted victims held by armed bandits in an operation in the country’s northwest, police confirmed…reprots Asian Lite News

On Friday, Muhammad Shehu, police spokesperson in northwest Nigeria’s Zamfara state, told Xinhua news agency the 187 victims were kidnapped from different parts of the state and neighbouring Sokoto state, and were rescued on Thursday in the Tsibiri Forest in Zamfara’s Maradun local government area.

Nigerian security forces rescues 187 abducted victims

“The abducted victims were unconditionally rescued following an extensive search and rescue operation that lasted for hours,” Shehu said.

Nigerian security agencies have been carrying out assaults on identified bandits’ locations in Zamfara following the implementation of new security measures, with a view to ridding the state of all bandits and other criminal gangs.

ALSO READ: S. Sudan approves $10 million to the victims of flood

Several bandits and their collaborators were arrested during the operation, Shehu added.

The northern part of Africa’s most populous country has witnessed a series of attacks by armed groups in recent months, leading to numerous deaths and kidnappings.