Daily Watch – Terrorists attack checkpoint in Abuja, Former PMAN boss attacks Tinubu

An unknown number of soldiers were reportedly killed Thursday night when terrorists stormed an Army checkpoint around Zuma Rock, the border between the FCT and Niger State. The terrorists opened fire around 2030 hours in the area between Madalla and Suleija. They later abandoned their attack and retreated towards Kaduna. While retreating, they attacked some villages and shops in Madalla and carried foodstuff on their motorbikes. Following the retreat of the terrorists, more troops and equipment from the Army base in Zuma Barracks were deployed for reinforcement to the scene. The fighting caused a severe traffic jam, as motorists remained trapped on the Abuja-Kaduna Highway. The attack comes six days after terrorists ambushed a patrol team of presidential guards team along the Bwari-Kubwa Road resulting in the death of six soldiers and officers on the way to the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, which was their suspected target. That attack and other kidnapping incidents have resulted in heightened tension in the FCT, with schools closed.

The federal government says it will sanction the BBC and Trust TV for airing respective documentaries glorifying and fuelling terrorism and banditry in Nigeria. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said this in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja. Mohammed said the federal government is aware of the unprofessional documentary by the BBC, Africa Eye, where interviews were granted to bandit warlords and terror gangs, thereby promoting terror in the country. He condemned the BBC for not upholding the same standards and tenets as they would have done in the UK. The minister also condemned Trust TV, owned by Media Trust Ltd. for using its platform to grant interviews to a bandit kingpin, Shehu Rekeb, thereby promoting the activities of terrorists. According to him, both platforms by their actions have become accomplices to terrorists and bandits in the name of reporting. The minister said the appropriate regulatory body was already looking at the infractions and appropriate sanctions would be meted to both platforms.

Flutist and ex-President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Omatshola Iseli (Tee Mac), has said that the All Progressives Congress’ presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu is not physically fit to be the next president of Nigeria in 2023. The renowned musician also claimed that Tinubu, his brother-in-law, is 86 years old contrary to the 70 years he has been displaying in the public. Tee Mac said this on Thursday while reacting to a conversation by a journalist and writer, Yemi Olakitan, on a Facebook page. He advised Nigerians to reflect and consider the choice of the next president, adding that Tinubu’s life is veiled in secrecy.

Kenya worries about youth turnout at elections. Many youths have no interest in participating in an electoral process they widely dismiss as corrupt and pointless. The East African economic powerhouse ranks among the world’s youngest countries — three-quarters of Kenyans are aged under 34, according to government figures. The number of registered young voters has dropped by five percent since the 2017 poll, in contrast to over-35s, whose tally has increased, Kenya’s election commission announced last month. Over 22 million Kenyans are eligible to take part in this year’s polls, with young people accounting for less than 40 percent of that number, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said.