CLC 104: Introduction to Roman History, Society and Institutions
Group 5
Explain the social, political and economic environment of the early Republic.
Thursday, 28 December 2017
Tuesday, 19 December 2017
Thursday, 14 December 2017
Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Thursday, 20 October 2016
EXCLUSIVE: How several Nigerian soldiers drowned in River Yobe after Boko Haram attack
A yet unknown number of Nigerian soldiers drowned in the Yobe River
in North-East Nigeria as they tried to escape intense fire from Boko
Haram fighters on Monday, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report.
Also, no fewer than 22 soldiers are currently recuperating in a hospital in neighbouring Niger Republic following the attack.
The troops were manning an outpost in Gashigar, Borno State, near the
border with Niger, when hundreds of terrorists advanced rapidly towards
them, forcing the troops to abandon their position with some diving
into the nearby river, top military sources familiar with the
development told PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday.
The Nigerian Army had on Tuesday distributed a statement announcing the assault on Nigerian troops, but blamed it on “escaping Boko Haram remnants.”
But a day after the statement, which was signed by Sani Usman, a
colonel, details of what actually transpired on the battlefield that day
and the reaction of commanders on the ground have been exclusively
obtained by PREMIUM TIMES.
According to the security sources, the soldiers, attached to 145 Task
Force Battalion, came under attack around 5:00 p.m. on Monday, but
rescue operation did not yield result until the next day.
On that Tuesday, three rescue operations were carried out by soldiers
from the neighbouring Republic of Niger operating in Ngarwa.
Around 7:00 a.m., they rescued the first set of nine Nigerian
soldiers. At about 2:00 p.m., seven more were rescued. The last set of
six troops was rescued around 5:30 p.m. in the River Komadougou Yobe,
which empties into Lake Chad through Niger.
The troops, numbering 22, were dispatched to Diffa General Hospital
in Niger. Two of them sustained gunshot wounds while the rest were said
to have been rescued unscathed.
The casualty figure, including those who drowned, was yet to be determined as at the time of filing this report.
The sources said the troops have started recounting the incident to their superiors.
The soldiers said they were manning their post in Gashigar when they
learnt that suspected terrorists, dressed in black and multi-coloured
camouflage, were approaching in several utility trucks while chanting
‘Allah Akbar!’ (Allah is great).
“Troops then had to flee from their position because of their their
inability to take on the terrorists in such a large number and
firepower,” one of our sources said.
“The terrorists then began chasing them, and we learnt that many
jumped into the Yobe River where some of them drown or get fatally shot
by the attackers.”
The soldiers also said Boko Haram seized their armoured vehicle and set it alight.
But the sources said the military leadership might open an
investigation into the attacks to establish the claims of the soldiers.
One source said some of the claims made by the troops were doubtful.
For instance, the commanders said it is difficult to explain how
utility trucks were used to dispossess soldiers of their armoured
vehicles especially when the soldiers said they were standing alert in
their position.
The leadership also found it curious that the soldiers were rescued with their bullets still largely unspent.
“If they actually came under attack while they were fully at alert,
then they should have exhausted their ammunition before taking to their
heels,” the source said. “At least that much should be clear.”
Mr. Usman did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES’ requests for comments.
Nigerian troops are fighting alongside their counterparts from Cameroon and the Republic of Niger.
Monday’s development marked the first time in more than two years
that Nigerian troops would come under superior firepower that required
foreign military personnel to come to counter.
A similar incident last occurred in August 2014 when about 480 troops crossed the border into Cameroon while fleeing Boko Haram.
It also underscored the renewed vigour of the sect to launch major
attacks on not just civilians but uniformed men after losing the huge
swathes of land it once controlled.
Besides losing territory, the insurgents had also been largely
decimated by the troops which experts said is responsible for their
activities being whittled down across their stronghold in the northeast.
The insurgency, which began in 2009, has left approximately 20,000 people dead and displacement of millions.
Boko Haram leaders recently engaged in negotiation with the Nigerian government which led to last week’s release of 21 of the over 200 girls kidnapped from Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014.
Friday, 24 June 2016
Special Courts coming for corruption, kidnapping, others — Sagay
Itse Sagay, the chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption, on Thursday said the number of corruption cases unearthed within the last nine months by anti-graft agencies was mind-boggling and unprecedented in the nation’s history.
Mr. Sagay spoke in Lagos at the 2016 Lecture and Award Ceremony of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents (NAJUC), Lagos State Chapter.
The theme of the lecture was “The Judiciary, Media, Anti-graft Agencies and the Fight Against Corruption.”
“The amount of corruption cases unearthed in this country in the last nine months has been unprecedented and mind-boggling.
“How is it possible for the welfare of Nigerians to be improved when we are digging ourselves out of a hole created by the past administration.
“If this government had not taken over when it did, we would have been treading the path of Zimbabwe in terms of inflation,” Mr. Sagay said.
He disclosed that special courts would soon be established for the prosecution of financial crimes, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
“My committee has concluded the drawing up of the Special Crimes Act for judges who will be specifically selected to adjudicate special crimes such as financial crimes, kidnapping, cyber crimes and drugs.”
He said the committee had made various reforms that would tremendously aid the speedy dispensation of justice of high profile corruption cases in the country.
Mr. Sagay said: “We have created a new manual for prosecution of financial cases which will give prosecutors a step by step process for prosecution.
“We have recommended that for effective prosecution, the prosecution should be made up of a team comprising an investigator, prosecutor and other lawyers.
“A series of workshops have been organised by the committee for 180 prosecutors across the country in which we brought in a number of experts to teach them how to draft charges to prevent the charges being faulted in court.”
Mr. Sagay also debunked the notion that President Muhammadu Buhari was personally involved in the fight against corruption, stressing that the ongoing anti-corruption campaign was not a witch-hunt.
“I am involved in the anti-corruption struggle, I have never received a call from the President giving me instructions on anything, he has assigned responsibilities and he is facing the governance of the country which is what he was elected for.
“We regard corruption cases from the last administration as low hanging fruits because they are the most obvious and have the most impact in terms of resolution,” he stresed.
Also speaking, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Godwin Obla, said the judiciary was pivotal in the fight against corruption.
“The institutional role of the judiciary puts the it on a pedestal as a tool for social engineering which is done through the instrumentality of the court system.
“The judiciary cannot remain soulless, it must connect with the values of the people in justice delivery
“The adjudicatory system in Nigeria supports case law, the interpretation of statutes by judges have a role in effective justice delivery,” he said. (NAN)
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