₦airaland Forum

Days after the gory terrorist attack on a Kaduna-bound train on Monday night, the Peoples Democratic Party, Thursday in Abuja, said that a “public confession” by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, authenticated its position that the All Progressives Congress-led government knows the whereabouts and plans of the terrorists but failed to act.

The main opposition also alleged that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said his request to install security surveillance equipment to avert terrorist attacks on the Kaduna-Abuja rail was not honoured by the Federal Government.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the main opposition quoted the Kaduna State Governor as saying “we know where their camps are, we know where they are, the SSS has their phone numbers, they listen to them and they give me report…”

However, in an earlier report, The PUNCH highlighted that the governor, referring to the terrorists said, “We know what they are planning. We shouldn’t be waiting for them to attack; why can’t we go after them? We are in a state of war; this place should be declared a warzone. The Army, Air Force, and the police should go in there and kill them.”

In the statement titled, ‘Terrorism: El-Rufai, Amaechi’s confessions confirm complicity by APC govt,’ the PDP quoted the transport minister as saying “We knew what the problem would be. We knew we needed to have digital security equipment. We applied for it. Because if we had those equipment, you would see nobody on that track. And I warned that lives will be lost. Now, lives are lost. Eight persons dead, 25 persons in the hospital.”

It also accused the Buhari-led government of “refusing to act despite having full intelligence on the whereabouts, as well as the plans of the terrorists, confirms grave complicity and conspiracy.”

“It is clear that the APC is complicit in the many acts of terrorism in our country. Nigerians should therefore be united in ensuring that the APC is voted out of power in 2023 so that our nation can breathe a new lease of life,” it added.

Efforts to reach the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka, proved abortive as calls made to his mobile number were not answered.

BBC TV programming has been taken off air in Afghanistan, after the Taliban ordered local channels not to broadcast content from international partners.

Calling it a "worrying development", the BBC said it would affect more than six million viewers of Persian, Pashto and Uzbek language service programmes.

The BBC Persian TV channel can still be accessed - but only by the 20% of Afghans who have satellite TV.

Radio and online services are unaffected.

Other international broadcasters whose programming was taken off air by the ruling include Voice of America, German company Deutsche Welle and China Global Television Network.

BBC World Service head of languages Tarik Kafala said it was crucial Afghans were not denied access to impartial journalism at a time of "uncertainty and turbulence".

"We call on the Taliban to reverse their decision and allow our TV partners to return the BBC's news programmes to their airwaves immediately," he added.

Taliban backtrack on reopening schools for girls
The tragedy of Afghanistan's malnourished children
Before the ruling, the BBC had broadcast every day for half an hour in Pashto, via Afghan partner stations.

Similar arrangements allowed for 15 minutes of programming in Uzbek, five days a week, and for 60 minutes a day in Persian, also five days a week, backed by two weekly current affairs programmes.

Journalists beaten

Reporting from the Afghan capital, Kabul, BBC correspondent Secunder Kermani said the Taliban had insisted the media could report critically, "as long as they bear 'Islamic values' and 'national unity' in mind".

However, reporters have at times been detained or beaten as a result of their coverage and many Afghan journalists fled the country after the group took power last year.

Our correspondent said the latest move appeared to be part of an intensifying authoritarian trend. It came days after the Taliban reversed a decision to allow girls' secondary schools to re-open.

On Sunday, the group decreed that men and women would be allocated separate days of the week to visit parks around Kabul.

The Taliban regained control of the country last August, 20 years after being ousted, as the remaining Western troops and diplomats left.