Boko Haram kills three in Maiduguri

By The Nation Reporter (Joseph Abiodun)

 

Boko Haram

A Police Inspector and two of his friends yesterday became the latest casualties of the fundamentalist Boko Haram onslaught in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The sect had on Saturday opened fire on a Joint Task Force (JTF) team along the Abagannaram/Railway Quarters in Maiduguri, leaving no fewer than 10 people dead.
After a gunfight between the sect and the military between 5:30pm and 7:15pm, the JTF claimed three members of the sect were killed.
Also during the Saturday siege, the sect members were said to have brought a rocket launcher which they used in attacking Lamisula Police Station. 
Many residents, who were caught up by the curfew, passed the night on the road. 
About 10 explosions were heard across the metropolis. Some policemen were reported killed and injured in the gun duel between the JTF and the fundamentalists. 
On yesterday’s attack, JTF spokesman Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa, said three persons, including a retired police inspector and two of his friends, were shot dead by the militants.
Lt.-Col. Musa said: “Some suspected members of Boko Haram on a Keke NAPEP (tricycle) attacked one of the JTF, Operation Restore Order 1, location at Dala Kafanti in Maiduguri city. The attack was repelled, with the sect members retreated through narrow paths to different locations.
“They later reorganised and shot at a retired police inspector and two of his friends, right in front of his house.”
Lt.-Col. Musa said after the incident, which occurred at about 1:45pm, the area was cordoned off and searched, but no culprit was arrested and no weapon was recovered.
Normalcy has since been restored to the area.

SSS steps up search for abducted German

By The Nation Reporter (Yusuf Alli)

 

Edgar Fritz Raupach

•Boko Haram demands release of detained woman •How sect’s faction betrayed Abu Mohammed group

SECURITY agents are battling to locate the whereabouts of a German, Edgar Fritz Raupach, who is believed to have been taken hostage by Boko Haram, the dreaded Islamic sect in whose custody two foreigners died three weeks ago.
Briton Christopher McManus and Italian Franco Lamolinara were killed by the Abu Mohammed faction of Boko Haram, which is believed to have links with al-Qaeda, the international terrorist group.
Raupach has been held hostage since January by the Abu Mohammed faction of Boko Haram, The Nation learnt.
The hostage takers appear to have the backing of Al-Qaeda, following the alleged arrest and detention of a Muslim woman, Oum Seif Allah Al Ansari, in Germany.
It was learnt that the al-Qaeda – backed Boko Haram faction is demanding immediate release of Oum Seif Allah Al Ansarim, who is being held in a prison, as a precondition for freeing the German hostage.
A source, who pleaded not to be named because of the “sensitivity” of the matter, said: “The agencies are investigating the claim of al-Qaeda links with the kidnapped German in Kano and the swap demand for a detained woman, who is a Muslim, in Germany.
“Security agencies are working round the clock to free this German who was kidnapped in Kano.
“This is another challenge but with effective collaboration, we should be able to locate the whereabouts of the hostage.”
Another source said: “We are working on a tip-off that al-Qaeda had worked in collaboration with Abu Mohammed faction of Boko Haram to kidnap the German in Kano. Some clues are suggesting that the German might either be in Kano or somewhere in North Africa.
“But security agencies are not relenting in locating the German hostage either in Kano or elsewhere.”
It was also gathered at the weekend that a faction of Boko Haram provided intelligence for the arrest of the late Mohammed and others on March 7 in Zaria. The arrest provoked the killing of the two hostages in Mabera Estate, Sokoto.
According to sources, security agencies have established that Boko Haram was able to hold on to the murdered hostages for 10 months because of alleged sophisticated equipment and external backing from al-Qaeda and others.
A security source said: “The Abu Mohammed men appear well-trained, organised, with weapons and armoury that security agents are still unravelling their linkages.
“This sophistication of the faction, apparently aided externally, readily showed in their ability to keep the two hostages away from the extensive security hunt for 10 months. This gives a lie to the belief that the security agencies have acquired equipment that could track terrorists anywhere in Nigeria.
“Security experts say no Third World country, considering their lean income, can afford such equipment.”
Another source said: “A faction of the Boko Haram might have directly or indirectly given the intelligence that led to the arrests of the late Abu Mohammed and his men in Adamawa, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto Kebbi and their routing during a Shura Council (highest decision making body) meeting in Layin Hanwa in Zaria and the subsequent rescue mission in Mabera Estate in Sokoto.
“Do not forget that Abu Mohammed broke away and ran a faction of the Boko Haram, until he was arrested March 7, after a gun battle with security agents. He died March 9 from gunshot wounds.
“This is to show you that there is deep division within Boko Haram. As a matter of fact, the death of Mohammed and the arrest of some of his men is said to have elicited jubilation in the camp the other faction that variously described the Mohammed faction and men as traitors and betrayers.”
The State Security Service (SSS) paraded eight sect members arrested in connection with the kidnapping and killing of the Briton and the Italian.
Three of those arrested -Bashir Ibrahim (aka Adda’u); Ibrahim A. Habibu; and Gambo Maiborodi – allegedly carried out surveillance on the hostages in Kebbi State before they were abducted on May 12, last year.
Others paraded are: Mohammed Rabiu Adam (aka Dan Hajiya); Abubakar Abdulrahman Habibu; Shittu Salihu; Abubakar Umar and Ahmed Samaila.
The suspects are yet to be charged to court. The search for the German may have delayed the arraignment of the suspects in court.

Obama vows to pursue nuclear cuts with Russia

By The Nation an (Agency Reporter)

 

South Korea's President Lee Myung-Bak (L) greets Georgia's President Mikheil Saakashvili as he arrives for the welcoming ceremony for the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security Summit on Monday. Photo: Getty Images

United States President, Barack Obama vowed on Monday to pursue further nuclear arms cuts with Russia, saying America has more warheads than necessary, and issued stern warnings to North Korea and Iran in their nuclear standoffs with the West.

Speaking ahead of a global nuclear security summit in Seoul, Obama held out the prospect of new reductions in the U.S. arsenal as he sought to rally world leaders for additional concrete steps against the threat of nuclear terrorism.

"We can already say with confidence that we have more nuclear weapons than we need," Reuters quoted Obama as telling students at South Korea's Hankuk University.

He pledged a new arms-control push with incoming Russian president Vladimir Putin when they meet in May. But any further reductions would face stiff election-year opposition from Republicans in Congress who already accuse him of weakening America's nuclear deterrent.

Obama laid out his latest strategy against the backdrop of continued nuclear defiance from North Korea and Iran, twin challenges that have clouded his overall nuclear agenda and the summit in Seoul.

He set expectations high in a 2009 speech in Prague when he declared it was time to seek "a world without nuclear weapons". He acknowledged at the time it was a long-term goal, but his high-flown oratory helped him win the Nobel Peace Prize.

HUMAN RESOURCE ADMINISTRATION OFFICER WITH BREWERY

We are Benue Brewery Limited, a subsidiary of Consolidated Breweries Plc, with More Lager Beer, Williams Dark Ale and Maltex brands in our portfolio. We are situated 5 kilometers away from Makurdi, along Gboko Road. We are looking for a focused and determined individual who meets the requirements for the position of Human Resource Administration Officer.

JOB TITLE: HUMAN RESOURCE ADMINISTRATION OFFICER
THE ROLE
The successful candidate will report to the Human Resource Manager and will be responsible for the following
• Deals with Government bodies like National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Consumer Protection Council (CPC) etc; oversees their inspection activities and ensures company compliance
• Assists in the maintenance of Company’s properties and ensures that factory / camp premises are clean at all times
• Liaises with our Health Maintenance Organization on Health Insurance.
• Ensures maintenance of Guest House (House- keeping) and canteen services
• Provides support to the Human Resource Manager on Junior Staff Administration
• Provides training logistics and up-keep of training records
• Handles transport and other logistics during conferences and end-of-year events
• Manages the Staff buses and pool cars
• Prepares and processes public relations and staff samplings
• Manages pool drivers and prepares monthly duty roaster
• Assists in the management of Community Relation matters
• Any other duty assigned Requirements The ideal candidate should meet the following
REQUIREMENTS:
• Minimum of B.Sc degree, second class honours (lower division) in Industrial/ Labour Relations, Business Management, Human Resource or any other related field
• Minimum of 2-3 years relevant experience in Human Resource and office administration • Indigene of Benue State preferred
• Ability to handle stress and work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Good written and spoken English.
• Ability to use Excel Package, MS Word and PowerPoint
• Evidence of having participated in the NYSC Scheme or Exemption
• Not more than 30 years as at 1st January, 2012
• Willingness to work in any part of Nigeria if necessary.
TO APPLY
The Human Resource Manager Benue Brewery Limited
P.M.B. 102339, Makurdi, Benue State
or send copies of your Curriculum Vitae in MS Word or PDF Format and scanned copies of your relevant credentials to: recruitment@bblnig.com
DEADLINE: 6th April, 2012.