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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
The delegation, comprising representatives of NSCS, Ministry of Defence, all three Armed Forces, Ministry of External Affairs and Defence Industry representatives, is the first of its kind to have this unique composition…reports Asian Lite News.
An Indian defence delegation is on a visit to Nigeria to scope and enhance the military cooperation avenues between the two countries.
“A composite delegation headed by the Military Adviser, National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) is currently visiting Nigeria to scope and enhance defence cooperation avenues with the Nigerian Defence establishments,” said a senior government officer.
The delegation, comprising representatives of NSCS, Ministry of Defence, all three Armed Forces, Ministry of External Affairs and Defence Industry representatives, is the first of its kind to have this unique composition.
The delegation has met with important Nigerian Security sector functionaries, including the Defence Minister, NSA, Chief of Army Staff, political entities, defence industry representatives to further cement bilateral relations.
India has been enhancing military cooperation with African nations in the recent past.
The foundation of India-Africa defence relations are based on the two guiding principles namely ‘SAGAR’ — Security and Growth for All in the Region — and ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ — The World is One Family — Indian Defence Ministry said last week
Looking into it, the Ministry had also announced that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will host the Defence Ministers of African Nations in the next India-Africa Defence Dialogue on the sidelines of the DefExpo that is scheduled to be held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat in March 2022.
The broad theme of this India-Africa Defence Dialogue will be ‘India-Africa: Adopting Strategy for Synergizing and Strengthening Defence and Security Cooperation’.
The first-ever India-Africa Defence Ministers Conclave (IADMC) was held in Lucknow in conjunction with DefExpo on February 6, 2020 and was co-organised by the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Affairs.
It was the first in the series of Pan-Africa events at the Ministerial level in the run-up to India-Africa Forum Summit IV. A Joint Declaration, ‘Lucknow Declaration’ was adopted after the conclusion of IADMC 2020 as an outcome document of the conclave.
A man stands by a burnt bicycle in Gwaska village, Nigeria's northwest state of Kaduna, on May 8, 2018. The death toll of an attack on Gwaska village in Kaduna has risen to 73. (Xinhua/Olatunji Saliu/IANS)
The bandits launched attacks on eight different communities in the Danko-Wasagu local government area of the state…reports Asian Lite News
At least 88 people were killed and several others injured following attacks by bandits in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Kebbi, police confirmed.
The bandits launched attacks on eight different communities in the Danko-Wasagu local government area of the state, Nafi’u Abubakar, the state police spokesperson told reporters on Saturday.
“Initially, the bodies recovered were 66 but as I am talking to you now, about 88 bodies have been recovered,” Xinhua news agency quoted Abubakar as saying.
Security operatives were deployed to the communities to forestall further attacks, he said.
In April, nine policemen and two members of a civilian defence group in Kebbi were killed while repelling an attack.
The vaccines donated by India to Nigeria will help boost the number of Nigerians to be vaccinated by about 50,000, Mustafa, who is the Chairman of Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force on Covid-19…reports Asian Lite News.
Demonstrating its role as the pharmacy of the world, India on Tuesday donated 100,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Nigeria.
A consignment of 100,000 doses of ‘Made in India’ Covid-19 vaccines manufactured by Serum Institute of India was formally handed over to Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation by Deputy High Commissioner of India, VSDL Surendra, said a tweet by the High Commission of India, Abuja, Nigeria.
Earlier, a release by the High Commission of India dated April 2 had said that the vaccines arrived at Abuja Airport from Mumbai via Addis Ababa on 26 March at 1200 hrs. The consignment was delivered to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency by the Indian High Commission.
Stating that the Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India was the first Covid-19 vaccine approved by NAFDAC, Nigeria, the High Commission’s release said that its first lot of 3.92 million doses of the vaccines under the World Health Organisation (WHO) backed COVAX facility had reached Nigeria on March 2.
AstraZeneca vaccine
The bilateral donation of 100,000 doses of the ‘Made in India’ vaccine is in fulfillment of the announcement made by the High Commissioner of India Abhay Thakur at that time, the released added.
The vaccines donated by India to Nigeria will help boost the number of Nigerians to be vaccinated by about 50,000, Mustafa, who is the Chairman of Nigeria’s Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, was quoted as saying by a report in the local Channels Television.
Nigeria had launched its Covid-19 vaccination drive after receiving vaccine doses under COVAX.
The Channels Television report said Nigeria had vaccinated 964,387 eligible persons against the Covid-19 virus, according to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has said it is seeking to vaccinate no fewer than 70 percent of its over 200 million-strong population, it said.
More vaccine doses are still expected from COVAX as well as from an African Union scheme financed by the African Export-Import Bank, it noted.
