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ECOWAS force to battle terrorism in Nigeria, others
Nigeria and other West African countries battling terrorism will receive support from a standby force to be formed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The regional economic block expressed worries about the deepening terrorism in the Sahel region.
It unveiled plans yesterday to raise $2.4 billion for the establishment of the standby force.
ECOWAS Commissioner in charge of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, broke the news in Abuja yesterday.
He said: “If you look at our region, it is being ravaged by terrorists. Today, Burkina Faso has overtaken Afghanistan as the most-terrorised state on earth and Africa has become home to terrorist organisations.
“Elsewhere in the world, there are opportunistic terrorists attacks like we saw in some countries not too long ago.
“We are faced with the nightmare of having one of our member states being completely occupied by terrorist groups.
“If they set up a front base in one country then no country is safe, and we have already seen the impact of that on some of the coastal countries – Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote d’voire– over the past few years.”
The ECOWAS commissioner, however, said Nigeria has been able to degrade the Boko Haram terrorists.
“In Nigeria, thanks to the efforts of the Nigerian Government, Boko Haram has been degraded to the extent that they do not post a sustainable threat to the peace and security of Nigeria,” he said.
Musah spoke at the opening of a three-day consultative meeting of Commandants of the three designated ECOWAS Training Centres of Excellence.
The three centres of excellence are the National Defence College (Nigeria); Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (Ghana) and Ecole de Maintien de la Paix Alioune Blondin Beye (Mali).
The consultative engagement is a bi-annual event coordinated by the Directorate of Peacekeeping and Regional Security of ECOWAS.
It is to support training, capacity building, research and development of the ECOWAS Standby Force and the general peace and security within the sub-region.
But Mali, which is housing one of the training centres of excellence, was not at the meeting yesterday.
Mali’s absence may not be unconnected with its recent decision alongside Niger and Burkina Faso to pull out of the ECOWAS community.
Musah said that terrorism was cascading across the region and there was need to have counter-terrorism forces to contain its spread.
Musah added: “This is the decision, and in the coming weeks, ECOWAS has already, with the Chiefs of Defence Staff, developed operational modalities, the concept of operations and everything for us to aggregate.
“It will be something like an advance and rapid reaction force of a battalion that will be able to confront terrorists’ bases.”
He explained that as part of the resolution of the authority of Heads of States, 2.4 billion dollars would be raised to fund the ECOWAS standby force to tackle the security challenges headlong.
“The Heads of States have decided that on the first year, we must raise about $2.4 billion to support the operation of this force in order to face the terrorist.”
Musah said that out of the amount, the Heads of States had directed member-states to contribute $1 billion to begin the operation of the standby force.
He also explained that Ministers of Defence and Finance from the sub-region would be meeting to fashion out funding modalities for the force.
The Commandant, National Defence College, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Olotu, said West Africa remained the only region that assigned training centres with special mandate.
He urged participants to take advantage of the opportunity to exchange useful ideas to step up the counter-terrorist campaign.
House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the alleged contract racketeering in the Nigerian Police amounting to billions of naira.
The decision was taken after a motion of urgent national importance moved by the member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituency, Abia, Rep. Ibe Osonwa during the plenary on Thursday in Abuja.
Mr Osonwa had raised concerns over the alleged award of N6 billion contact by the Nigerian Police Procurement department without due process which according to him was erosion of public trust.
“The Nigeria Police Force Procurement department allegedly awarded N 6 billion contract to Crown Natures Ltd.
By splitting it into 66 separate contracts in a deliberate attempt to circumvent the public procurement Act of 2007 particularly in procurement of uniforms,” he said.
The lawmaker who expressed concern over the violation of section 214 of the 1999 Constitution as amended by the Police, called for urgent action to address the allegation.
Mr Osonwa, further called the attention of his colleagues to undermining of the country’s internal security architecture by the Nigeria Police with its award of contract for procurement of arms to private companies in violation to procurement rules.
The Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas referred the motion to the committee on public accounts and public procurement for further legislative actions.
News
Peter Obi’s brother Lagos Property: We didn’t carry out the demolition – Omotosho
Omotoso said Obi’s allegations on the demolition are “disturbing and without facts
• Peter Obi at the scene of the demolished property
The Lagos State Government has commenced an investigation into the demolition of a property belonging to the brother of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.
Obi had alleged that a property belonging to his younger brother was demolished in the Ikeja area of Lagos State without a court order.
Reacting to the demolition via a statement on Thursday, June 26, the Lagos State Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said no agency was involved in the demolition.
Omotoso added that the investigation will help clarify the circumstances surrounding the demolition and ensure that any necessary actions are taken.
The former governor of Anambra State, in a post on his X account on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, disclosed that the property owned by his brother’s company had stood for over 15 years before it was demolished.
Omotoso said Obi’s allegations on the demolition are “disturbing and without facts”.
The commissioner stated: “We wish to categorically state that the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) or any other arm of the Lagos State Government did not carry out the said demolition.
“Dr. Olajide Abiodun Babatunde, Special Adviser, eGIS & Urban Development, who supervises LASBCA, has confirmed that the agency was not involved in the demolition.
“The Lagos State Government is committed to upholding the rule of law and ensuring the safety and security of all residents.
“We will not tolerate any acts of lawlessness or violations of extant laws. Any individual or group found involved in such acts will be brought to justice,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu has declined to sign the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Bill, 2025 into law.
The President’s decision not to sign the bill passed by both chambers of the National Assembly was contained in a letter read in the Green Chamber on Thursday during plenary.
The President, citing Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), explained that the proposed law seeks to empower the NDLEA to retain a portion of the proceeds from drug-related crimes, a move he said contradicts existing financial regulations.
He noted that under the current system, “All proceeds of crime are paid into the government’s Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account.
Disbursements to any recovery agency, including the NDLEA, can only be made by presidential approval, subject to the consent of the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly.”
The President maintained there was no compelling reason to alter a process designed to uphold accountability through executive and legislative oversight.
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