Groups Urge Government to Operationalise Contingency Plan

Cross-Section of Participants at the Workshop

Representatives of Government Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Security and Civil Society groups have called on the Oyo state government to operationalise and periodically simulate the state’s contingency plan in order to ensure effective coordination of humanitarian intervention in the state.

The call was made recently at the end of a three-day workshop on “strengthening humanitarian coordination through a community-based contingency plan” which held at Petonrise Centre, Ibadan. While urging government to make budgetary provision for the operationalisation of the state’s contingency plan, participants enjoined all critical stakeholders like the development partners and private sector to adequately fund emergency planning and response activities in the state as Oyo is prone to several hazards ranging from Wind/rain storm to flooding, civil strife to fire outbreak amongst others.

Video of Boko Haram Leader, Abubakar Shekau promising to sell abducted girls and carry out more attacks

In a 57-minutes-long video obtained by Agence France-Presse, the leader of the group Abubakar Shekau appears dressed in a military uniform and speaks while standing in front of an armoured personnel carrier and two pickup lorries mounted with submachine guns. Six armed men stand beside him with their faces covered.

Shekau addresses the viewers in the Hausa, Arabic and English languages.For the first 14 minutes, he criticizes democracy, Western education, efforts for Muslims and Christians to live in peace and condemns Islam non-believers. Further, he says he could marry a 9 or a 12-year-old girl."I abducted a girl at a Western education school, and you are disturbed," he says. "I said, Western education should end. Girls, you should go and get married."He says, "I abducted your girls" and vows to "sell them in the market, by Allah".Shekau promised more similar episodes in the nearest future. He also claimed they are holding the girls "as slaves".Watch video below....