Buhari appoints new service chiefs

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the following appointments:
1. Major-General Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin – Chief of Defence Staff;
2. Major-General T.Y. Buratai – Chief of Army Staff
3. Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas – Chief of Naval Staff
4. Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar – Chief of Air Staff
5. Air Vice Marshal Monday Riku  Morgan – Chief of Defence Intelligence
6. Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd.) – National Security Adviser

The new Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Olonishakin (N/6901) hails from Ekiti State. Until his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff today, he was the Head of the Nigerian Army Training and Doctrine Command in Minna, Niger State.

The new Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Buratai hails from Borno State. Until his new appointment today, he was the Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force which has its headquarters in Ndjamena. Maj-Gen. Buratai has previously served as Commander of the Nigerian Army’s 2nd Brigade in Port Harcourt and Commander of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry in Jaji, Kaduna State.

The new Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral  Ibas (NN/0746) hails from Cross River State. He enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy as  a member of the 26th Regular Course in 1979 and was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant in 1983.  His previous appointments include: Naval Provost Marshal, Chief Staff Officer, Naval Training Command, Chief of Administration, Naval Headquarters, Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command and Chief of Logistics, Naval Headquarters. Until his appointment as Chief of Naval Staff, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Navy Holdings Limited.
The new Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar (NAF/1433) hails from Bauchi State.  His previous appointments include: Chief of Standards and Evaluation, NAF Headquarters; Chief of Defence Communications and Air Officer Commanding, NAF Training Command. Until his new appointment today as Chief of Air Staff, he was the Chief of Administration, NAF Headquarters.
The new Service Chiefs will hold their appointments in an acting capacity until confirmed by the Senate.

President Buhari thanks the outgoing Service Chiefs and National Security Adviser for their services to the nation and wishes them well in their future endeavours.
 
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
 
July 13, 2015

Buhari Fires Chief Of Defence Staff, Others

President Muhammadu Buhari this afternoon has sacked the Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, the Chief of Army staff, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff.

Their sack is with immediate effect.

Though the affected service chiefs have been replaced, government officials said their identities would be made known later in the day.

Asked about the sack of the top military personnel, spokesman of President Buhari, Femi Adesina, promised that his office would release a comprehensive update on the development.

Man beheads elderly man at his farm in Benue (VIEWERS' DISCRETION ADVISED)

This happened this morning at Itakpa -Ito village beside Otukpo town, Benue State. A man was found with the head of an elderly man he'd killed at his farm... he was apprehend by youths in the village who took him to the station. The picture was taken inside the police station. Why he beheaded the man has not been confirmed. See the graphic pic after the cut...

ISIS releases video of their biggest massacre - prisoners made to lay in mass graves before being shot dead

This has to be their one of their sickest videos yet. ISIS over the weekend released a video showing the mass executions of prisoners. The men -  in their hundreds - were made to lay in shallow graves and were then sprayed with bullets. The men are believed to be military cadets captured during their battle with the terrorists.

Happy 81st birthday to Professor Wole Soyinka

Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka is 81 years old today July 13th. Happy Birthday to him.

Truck crushes couple, son in Anambra

A man, wife and their eldest son were, yesterday, crushed to death in an accident involving their ash-coloured Toyota Camry and a container-bearing truck at Agu Awka end of Enugu-Onitsha expressway.

The family’s six-month-old baby boy, his four-year-old brother and seven-year-old sister, who survived, were in very critical condition and are receiving treatment at the Regina Caeli Hospital, Awka.

'How my father beat me with barbed wire because of mum’

Operatives of Vigilante Group of Nigeria, VGN, Ebutte Metta chapter, have rescued a 12-year-old girl, who was battered by her father in Lagos.

It was gathered that the victim was found in critical condition at Oyingbo market, Ebute- Metta, following beatings she allegedly received from her father.

A close family source said: “The victim, a Junior Secondary School, JSS, 1 student with the Canal Secondary School, Orile, Lagos State, would have died from the wound she sustained after her father flogged her with barbed wire, but for the intervention of vigilante members, who found her writhing in pains in the dead of the night.”

Prophet allegedly swindles member of N5m

A man of God (names withheld) has allegedly defrauded a former church member, Ms. Rita Okoro, of N5,000,000, being part of the total sum he had obtained from her and her family members, while pretending to assist in securing the release of her brother, who had been detained by police in Lagos since January 17.

It was learned that Ms. Okoro, and her sister, Ngozi, were members of the said prophet’s church, until they discovered that he had been taking advantage of their predicament, like many other members of his church, to exploit and defraud them.

Pilgrims bitten by snakes at Paraguay papal Mass

At least 14 people have been bitten by snakes and had to be attended by medics during a Mass conducted by Pope Francis in the Paraguayan city of Asuncion, Al Jazeera has learnt.

The snakebites occurred despite authorities fumigating the muddy grounds of an air force base to protect more than one million pilgrims who attended Sunday’s Mass.

Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman, reporting from the venue, said while no one died, the incidents highlighted the difficulties many of the pilgrims had to go through to attend the service.

RITA DOMINIC CELEBRATES 40TH BIRTHDAY, DAZZLES IN NEW PHOTOS

One of Nollywood's super icon,Rita Dominic (full name Rita Uchenna Nkem Dominic Waturuocha) has reached a milestone.

The multiple award wining actress, clocked 40 years yesterday, July 12, 2015.

Miss Dominic who is still single and enjoying every bit of her spinster-hood belongs to the Royal Waturuocha family of Aboh Mbaise region.

OAU shut over workers protest

The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife has asked students to vacate the university after its emergency senate meeting held on Sunday.

It was gathered that the closure, which was tagged as ‘mid-semester break’ was connected to the continuous protest by workers under the aegis of Non Academic Staff Union, OAU chapter.

It will be recalled that the workers, who started with a warning strike on July 1, alleged that they have not been paid their hazard allowances for about 64 months.

LASTMA official, who slumped on traffic duty, dies

An official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, who slumped while controlling traffic on Ishaga Road in the Idi-Araba, Mushin area on Saturday, has died.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the official, Kazeem Lawal, was brought in dead to the Randle Hospital, Surulere, where his colleagues had rushed him.

Sunday PUNCH had reported that the official, who was among LASTMA officials on duty for an event at the Chapel of the Healing Cross, collapsed at about 1.30pm.

It was also reported that Lawal, who was gasping for breath, was rushed to a hospital after he did not respond to preliminary treatment.

Nigerians will be fed up with APC in 1 year — Ojougboh

Dr. Cairo Ojougboh was member, House of Representatives, Senate Liaison Officer to late President Umaru Yar’ Adua and currently National Vice Chairman, South -South of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

In this interview, he said for the PDP to get it right after its loss in the last elections the truth must be told. He attributed the loss to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s refusal to adhere to an existing agreement. He also, among others, spoke on Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s election as deputy Senate President and the illegality of President Muhammadu Buhari’s bail out to states. Excerpts: