Southeast Amalgamated Markets Traders Association has decried what it described as “multiple and indiscriminate charges and deductions on customers” by commercial banks.

The association complained about the bank charges in an open letter to Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, made available to our correspondent in Enugu on Monday. It was signed by its President-General, Gozie Akudolu, and its Secretary-General, Alex Okwudiri.

It said, “Part of the major responsibilities of the commercial banks, we know, is to accept money deposits from customers and keep safe custody of the same, and perform such other transactions for and as directed by the customer through various bank instruments.

“Most of the transactions, we also know, are the social responsibility of the banks. But today, the banks make deductions and charges for virtually every transaction ranging from deposits to even confirmation of signature.”

According to the association, the cashless economy policy of the CBN has been of immense benefits to its members, especially as it curtailed to the barest minimum armed robbery attacks on them.

On what it described as “indiscriminate charges and deductions especially in online transactions, it said, “When a customer makes an online transfer of funds, the transfer is charged a certain amount of money deducted from his/her account and the recipient’s account is also charged and deductions made for receiving the money.

“In addition, charges and deductions are also made for SMS, which most of the time were not received. Finally, at intervals, charges and deductions will be made on the same account as service charge.”

The association said its members had individually approached the banks to complain but without success.

It, therefore, appealed to the CBN governor to prevail on the banks to stop “the indiscriminate charges and deductions and, if possible, refund all the deductions”.

Punch

Despite the surge in profits of cement manufacturers in the country, the end price of the commodity has continued an upward surge in the last 18 months. This is in spite of assurances by the manufactures that they are increasing production. 

Consequently, the rising price of cement is causing a sharp increase in the cost of building development. 

Nigerian cement market is dominated by three players –Dangote Cement, Lafarge Africa Plc and BUA Cement. 

Investigation reveals that the price of a 50kg bag of cement initially rose from N2,500 to N3,600 around November 2020. 

Currently, there is a huge difference in the ex-factory price of cement and the retail market price. 

A wholesale dealer in various kinds of Cements at Okera in Ajah Axis of Lagos state, Adeleke Oluwafemi, said a bag of Dangote Cement was sold for N3,400 from the company while wholesalers sold same for N3,600 within January and April 2021. 

The price however shot up later in the year currently selling at the rate of N4,000 while the retailers sell it between N4,200 and N4,300. 

Oluwafemi said BUA Cement was sold for N3,600 in the early months of the year but is now sold N4,100 per bag. 

He added that Lafarge Cement, which was sold for N3,000 before July is now sold for N4,100. 

Another retailer from Gbara Market in Lekki, Sadik Hassan Olugbade, said a bag of Dangote and Lafarge Cement, which was sold for N3,700 each earlier in the year, is now sold for between N4,100 and N4,300. 

In the Federal Capital Territory, survey by our reporter shows that a bag of Dangote Cement is sold between N3,800 and N3,900, depending on the location. 

Market survey conducted in Bwari, AMAC, Kwali, Kuje and Gwagwalada also shows that BUA Cement is slightly higher as it is sold for between N3,900 and N4,000. 

Larfage is sold between N3800 and N3900 depending on the location. 

One of the cement dealers, who spoke with our correspondent, attributed the high cost of the products to landing costs, adding that there is no guarantee that the price will not go higher any moment from now if urgent action is not taken by the relevant stakeholders

In Kano, Dangote sold for N4,500, BUA N4,700 and Lafarge cost N4,450 for 50kg. 

Some of the retailers who spoke to our correspondent said there has been scarcity of the products in the last few days. 

They said they suspect that there is a plan to further increase the price and as such the major dealers may be hoarding the products. 

In Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, Dangote sold for N4,500 and Lafarge N4,100. BUA, which has not supplied the product in the last two weeks, last sold for N3,500 per bag. 

Senate wants more Cement licences 

Worried about the high price of cement, the Senate had in April called on the federal government to provide more industrial incentives for new entrants into the cement business to break the oligopolistic nature of the industry, boost production of cement and consequently result in lower prices. 

Senate noted that the rising price of cement is impeding the ability of the government to provide the needed infrastructure to promote growth. 

Last month, Katsina billionaire, Dahiru Mangal, inked a $600m agreement with a Chinese firm, Sinoma, to establish a cement factory in Moba, Kogi State.  

Cement coys make huge profit 

The trio of Dangote Cement, BUA Cement and Lafarge Cement reported a combined N469 billion profit-before-tax for the third quarter of 2021. 

Dangote cement topped the gainers with at N331.6 billion, BUA at N74.1 billion and Lafarge at N63.6 billion for the nine months period. 

According to the trio’s nine-month performance, they were able to increase their revenue by 30.10% from N1.1 trillion generated in the nine months of 2020 to currently stand at N1.4 trillion. 

As of 2020, Dangote Cement in its Nigerian operations reported an 18.0% year-on-year increase in revenue driven mainly by volume growth (+12.9% y/y) and minimal price growth (ex-factory price; +4.5% y/y). 

Similarly, in its financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2019, Dangote Cement declared a group profit after tax (PAT) of N200 billion while in 2018, the PAT was N390 billion. 

Similarly, BUA Cement Plc, Nigeria’s second-largest cement company recorded increased Profit After Tax, PAT by 19.4 per cent to N72.3 billion for the financial year ended December 31, 2020 as against N60.6bn in the corresponding period of 2019. 

The company’s profits also recorded N39.17 billion in 2018. 

Within the period under review, Lafarge Africa also declared a 98.8% year-on-year growth in profit to N30.8 billion for the financial year of 2020, when compared to the N15.5 billion reported in 2019. It however made a loss of N1.5bn in 2018. 

Manufacturers blame low production for price surge 

Chairman of the BUA Group, Abdulsamad Rabiu, had, in an interaction with journalists earlier in the year blamed “Simple economics of supply and demand,” for the rising price of cement in the country. 

He said Nigeria was not producing enough cement commensurate with its population and the product’s demand. 

“Look at the numbers: Nigeria is over 200 million people today in terms of population. If you look at the production of cement, last year, we were under 30 million metric tonnes.

“Nigeria’s 200 million people make it about 130 kilograms per head. If you check, you will see that most countries in Africa are doing between 170 kilogrammes to 200 kilogrammes per head. 

“So, Nigeria is actually producing less than other countries in Africa, apart from maybe Niger Republic. So, that means that we do not have enough capacity.” 

On its part, the management of Dangote Cement Plc recently said though the company had direct control over its ex-factory prices, it, however, could not influence the pricing of the product when it gets to the market. 

Dangote’s Group Executive Director, Strategy, Portfolio Development & Capital Projects, Devakumar Edwin said the company had suspended exporting its product to ensure it meet local demand. 

“We also had to reactivate our 4.5 million tonne capacity Gboko Plant, which was shut four years ago, and run it at a higher cost all in a bid to meet demand and keep the price of cement within control in the country.”

Daily Trust

The United Kingdom has released a new update on the processing of visa applications for countries on its red list.

On Sunday, the British High Commission announced that it will “pause making decisions” on visitor visa applications from all red list countries, including Nigeria.

The development came after the UK put Nigeria on its travel red list as a result of Covid Omicron cases linked to Nigeria.

The ban, which took effect on Monday, means only UK residents or citizens can enter the country from Nigeria.

According to the new update released on Monday, the UK said visa applications in other categories such as for persons who wish to study, work or live permanently, will continue to be processed.

“To support the UK Government’s aim to protect public health from Covid-19 and associated variants of concern (VOC), UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) have paused making decisions on visitor visa applications in all red list countries until travel restrictions are lifted,” the statement reads.

“Applications in other categories (student/work/live permanently in the UK) will continue to be processed.

“If you have been in a red list country in the 10 days before you arrive in England, once you arrive you must quarantine for 10 full days in a managed quarantine hotel (the day you arrive in England is day 0).”

The UK also said anyone who wishes to get their passport back after they had made a visitor visa application before the travel restriction should contact the Visa Application Centre (VAC).

“If you had already made a visit visa application before the travel restrictions in Nigeria started and wish to get your passport back whilst your visit visa application is paused, you can contact the VAC where you submitted your application and request return of your passport,” the statement reads.

“Once you have contacted the VAC to request the return of your passport, you will need to either collect in person for free at the VAC or request a courier service for your passport to be returned to you.

“If you have yet to apply for a visit visa from a red list country and decide to go ahead with your application, when you attend your Visa Application Centre (VAC) appointment you can either: submit your passport with your application or pay the ‘keep my passport’ fee to retain your passport whilst the pause is in place.

“If you decide to submit your passport when making your application and later require it back, you will need to pay the ‘keep my passport’ fee and either collect in person at the VAC or pay for a courier service for your passport to be returned to you.”

The Cable

Lauretta Fagbohun

The 75 victorious Obas popularly known as G75 Obas in Ogun state have lauded Governor Dapo Aboidun of Ogun state for giving the Judiciary the free hands to treat and adjudicate on their  matter based on merit, thereby, overturning their demotion earlier done by the Ogun State Government. 

The 75 Obas, who spoke with Pressmen through its Secretary, Oba Tanimowo Folarin, Olu of Ipebi, Ijebu-Mushin,  pledged their loyalty to Governor Dapo Abiodun-led Administration in the state. 

It will be recalled that the Ogun State High Court last week overturned the State Government's decision to demote the aggrieved 75 Baales that were promoted in 2019 by the immediate Administration of former Governor Ibikunle Amosun to Coronet Obas which promoted the concerned Obas to seek legal redress in Court.

While speaking with journalists in Abeokuta recently, the Secretary of the 75 Coronet Obas, Folarin, Olu of Ipebi, Ijebu-Mushin said, "We want to pledge our loyalty and our support to the administration of  Dapo Abiodun, we want to tell His Excellency to be aware that we are prepared to work with him and his administration".

"We, Traditional Rulers of various domains in Ogun state, we recognize His Excellency as our Number one and no other person. 

"We G75 obas of ogun state has been loyal and also been working with his excellency for a better Ogun state.

"We've been playing a good role in terms of administrating our various domains, pledging loyalty is just to re-assure his Excellency that what we have been doing, we would continue to do more.

"Regarding the judgment,We are not fighting the government, we just feel normal things should be done since the court has pronounced. We are happy and i know our Government too would be happy, his Excellency believes the right thing should be done and that is what we are also doing.

"We have been on this issue for over two years and we have been living our life and we have a government that respects the law.We don't envisage anything negative.

"We are giving the government full assurance that we are here for them and also we would communicate to the government through writing which we have been doing over the years.

The G75 obas also commended the  government of Dapo Abiodun especially on the completion of the projects he met on ground saying "there are many projects that have not been completed and Prince Dapo Abiodun  has completed some and is still working on them"

The secretary of G75 said " I have never meet Ex Governor Ibikunle Amosun, I have no relationship with him but I know he is one of the senators in Ogun State and I have been installed as baale over 10 years.

The British High Commission says it will “pause making decisions” on visitor visa applications from all red list countries, including Nigeria.

The decision was announced in a statement issued on Sunday by the commission.

The development comes hours after the UK added Nigeria to its travel red list as a result of concerns over the Omicron Covid variant.

Speaking in an interview on Saturday, Sajid Javid, the UK health secretary, had announced a temporary ban on foreign travellers from Nigeria, adding that “only UK residents or citizens of the UK can enter the UK from Nigeria from that point onwards, and they would have to quarantine in one of the relevant hotels”.

On the announcement on the suspension of processing visitor visa applications in Nigeria, the UK said the decision will be in effect until the travel ban is lifted.

“To support the UK Government’s aim to protect public health from Covid-19 and associated variants of concern (VOC), UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) will pause making decisions on visitor visa applications in all red list countries, including Nigeria, until travel restrictions are lifted,” the statement reads.

“Visit visas cover travel to the UK for tourism, visiting family and friends, undertaking short-term business activities (for example, attending meetings), undertaking short-term studies (under 6 months), taking part in research or exchange programmes as an academic, medical reasons (for example, receiving private medical treatment).

“If you apply for a visit visa in a red list country and you meet the UK Immigration Rules, your application will be paused. You will not receive a decision on your visit visa application whilst red list travel restrictions remain in place.

“You will not be able to request a refund of your visa fee once you have given your biometrics at a Visa Application Centre (VAC). If you already hold a valid visit visa and are intending to travel to England as a visitor from a red list country, you will not be allowed to enter.

“Separate guidance is available for travellers entering Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Use https://www.gov.uk/uk-border-control and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-list-of-countries-and-territories.”

The commission also said visas or entry permits from red list countries will only be issued where there are compelling and compassionate circumstances.

“There are only very limited exemptions to travel and entry requirements for critical workers and medical and compassionate cases,” the statement reads.

“If you have submitted a visit visa application and you do not wish to withdraw, we will continue to hold your application.

“If you choose to continue with your visa application, you will not receive a decision on your visit visa whilst red list travel restrictions remain in place.”

Persons interested in applying on compassionate grounds can find more information on the process here.

The Cable

Federal Government on Sunday ruled out the possibility of restricting foreign travellers from visiting Nigeria despite travel bans on the country by Canada, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

This is just as the government stated that most of the in-bound passengers that tested positive for Covid-19 were from the UK.

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said this on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme on Sunday.

Ehanire described as unfortunate the knee-jerk reaction of some countries to the Omicron strain. He noted that even the World Health Organisation had said recently that countries should focus more on collaboration rather than shutting borders.

“At the moment we have no plans restricting anybody coming from another country,” he said.

The UK on Saturday night announced that it found 21 cases of the omicron variant which were linked to Nigeria. It announced that it would, from Monday (today), restrict all flights emanating from Nigeria.

It also suspended all pending visa applications in Nigeria due to the ban on flights from Nigeria due to the Omicron variant.

In a statement on Sunday, the commission said, “To support the UK Government’s aim to protect public health from Covid-19 and associated variants of concern, UK Visas and Immigration will pause making decisions on visitor visa applications in all red list countries, including Nigeria, until travel restrictions are lifted.

“If you apply for a visit visa in a red list country and you meet the UK Immigration Rules, your application will be paused. You will not receive a decision on your visit visa application whilst red list travel restrictions remain in place. You will not be able to request a refund of your visa fee once you have given your biometrics at a Visa Application Centre. If you already hold a valid visit visa and are intending to travel to England as a visitor from a red list country, you will not be allowed to enter.”

The UK said there are only very limited exemptions to travel and entry requirements for critical workers and medical and compassionate cases.”

But the minister said the Omicron strain could not yet be declared as a deadly strain because no deaths had so far been recorded across the world.

“We are watching what the science community is saying and of course not rushing to judgment and we are also not applauding any lockdowns or any prohibitions or banning of flights or movement of people until we know more.

“We believe that the harm it will do to livelihoods and economies may be more that the perceived value that will be derived from shutting movement between countries. I believe countries should come together to take a common approach and that includes the UK and other countries contemplating a red list,” Ehanire added.

When asked why there was a large number of outbound Nigerian passengers testing positive abroad despite testing negative in Nigeria, Ehanire admitted that indeed, some fake test results were being presented by passengers.

The minister said the government had tightened its mechanism for spotting fake results and vaccination cards.

He, however, argued that the development was not peculiar to Nigeria, adding that most of the inbound passengers that tested positive in Nigeria were actually from the UK.

“Because of the very large volume of travellers from the UK, we also have the most positive Covid-19 virus coming from the UK too,” the minister said.

When asked if anyone had been prosecuted for presenting a fake vaccination certificate or test result, Ehanire explained that the normal procedure was to quarantine such people before handing them over to the police. He admitted that he never followed up to know what happened to such people.

Ehanire said the government was exploring the option of setting up vaccination centres at supermarkets and worship centres.

The minister added that the government was looking at vaccinating at least 70 per cent of the population against coronavirus.

He stated that Nigeria had about 100 million doses which would be delivered to the country in phases.

On the possibility of vaccine production, Ehanire said the Federal Government was seriously looking towards that, adding that it would be a collaborative effort with the private sector.

Regarding the possible spike in Covid-19 infections during the Yuletide, Ehanire said the government would continue to encourage non-pharmaceutical interventions like wearing of masks, social distancing and use of hand sanitisers.

When asked if Nigeria was already facing another wave of Covid-19 infections, he responded in the affirmative, adding that the 4th wave had been predicted long ago and this may just be it.

Ehanire stated, “We had the so-called third wave already with the Delta variant. This is what we are looking at as the 4th wave and it was predicted as far back as a month ago that there might be a 4th wave in Nigeria and perhaps the world and it is already accurately manifesting. We hope it doesn’t get to be that and if it becomes the 4th wave, it will not be deadly to our citizens.”

Between Nov 22 and Nov 28,  67 inbound passengers tested positive – NCDC report

Meanwhile, more  inbound passengers are testing positive to Covid-19, an analysis of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control’s weekly situation report has shown.

The report obtained from the NCDC website on Sunday indicated that positivity rate among inbound travellers had increased by 74.6 per cent.

It was also gathered that 48 out of the 94 test centres for inbound persons of interest had not sent in reports of persons tested for three weeks. According to NCDC, in its latest situation report, a total of 17 inbound passengers tested positive between November 15 and November 21.

It however added that between November 22 and November 28, a total of 67 passengers tested positive signifying a 74.6 per cent increase.

Punch

Having end-to-end encryption may not be enough cover for privacy when using popular encrypted messaging applications, because law enforcement can access your data when they want to.

A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) document prepared on January 7 has provided the kinds of user data various secure messaging apps can share at the request of law enforcement agencies.

Titled “Lawful Access,” the one-page document detailed the “FBl’s ability to legally access secure messaging app content and metadata.”

The “unclassified” document designated as “for official use only” and “law enforcement sensitive” was prepared by the FBI’s science and technology branch and operational technology division.

According to Rolling Stone, which first reported on it, the document was obtained by a group called Property of the People through an FOIA request.

It is an internal guide to how the FBI can snoop on targets using data requested from nine companies and their services: Apple’s iMessage, Line, Signal, Telegram, Threema, Viber, Tencent’s WeChat, Meta’s WhatsApp and Wickr.

Information accessible include subscriber data, messenger sender-receiver data, device backup, IP address, encryption keys, date/time information, registration time information and user contacts. All but one (IP address) of iMessage can be accessed by the FBI.

For WhatsApp, Line and iMessage, the access to message content is limited, while in the remaining, the FBI said it has no access to message content.

Only the information on the last date of a user’s connectivity and the date and time a user registered can be accessed for Signal. Telegram provides only registration time data, but for confirmed terrorist investigation, it “may disclose IO address and phone number to relevant authorities.”

“As of November 2020, the FBI’s ability to legally access secure content on leading messaging applications is depicted below, including details on accessible information based on the applicable legal process,” the document read.

“Return data provided by the companies listed below, with the exception of WhatsApp, are actually logs of latent data that are provided to law enforcement in a non-real-time manner and may impact investigations due to delivery delays.”

Some of the information in the document is not new. For one, Apple could provide full texts sent via iMessage to law enforcement if they are backed up to iCloud.

Likewise, many social networks can collect metadata even if they can not share the contents of a message, according to PC Magazine.

Nonetheless, the document is a watershed on the long debate between privacy and security.

On one hand, there are those who feel content with end-to-end encrypted communications, irrespective of third party backend access. On the other are journalists and whistleblowers who need confidentiality to stay safe.

The FBI’s revelation showed that WhatsApp is the only popular secure messaging app that provides near-real-time data in response to law enforcement requests. WhatsApp confirmed this to Rolling Stone.

“If target is using an iPhone and iCloud backups enabled, iCloud returns may contain WhatsApp data to include message content,” the document’s footnote on the “limited” message content field indicates read.

WhatsApp might have provided a workaround for this, however.

In September, WhatsApp introduced the end-to-end encryption backups which enable users to store their data in a Backup Key Vault built based on a component called a hardware security module (HSM), a specialized, secure hardware, other than “cloud-based services like Google Drive and iCloud” which “WhatsApp does not have access to (as) they are secured by the individual cloud-based storage services.”

“We carefully review, validate, and respond to law-enforcement requests based on applicable law, and are clear about this on our website and in regular transparency reports.” WhatsApp told Rolling Stone.

“[The document] illustrates what we’ve been saying — that law enforcement doesn’t need to break end-to-end encryption to successfully investigate crimes.”

PT

A high-net-worth individual (HNWI) is somebody with around $1 million in liquid financial assets. According to the 2021 World Wealth Report, North America surpassed Asia-Pacific to become the 2020 leader in both HNWI population and wealth. The city with the highest number of millionaires is New York City, with nearly one million millionaires.

I have more than a decade's worth of experience in the luxury design industry, building relationships with affluent clients across North America and in NYC. During this time, I discovered eight traits my clients all have in common. 

1. They spend time with impressive people

I noticed all my clients surround themselves with people who energize and support them. They have a powerful network lifting them higher. They make it a priority to spend more time with people who are driven and like-minded. 

It’s rightly said: Your future depends on whom you spend the most time with. If you spend most of your time with people that have no ambitions, you will also never achieve your goals. If you spend most of your time with those who are goal-oriented and work hard to achieve their goals, you’ll be captivated by their energy and be positively influenced. 

Remind yourself to spend time with the right people.

2. They detach emotion from the business

During business negotiations, my clients are intentionally objective. They are aware of their emotions and how displayed emotion may be perceived. If they don’t feel 100% comfortable in the negotiation, they take their time or ask a third party to negotiate for them. 

Emotions cannot be eliminated from negotiations. However, they can be acknowledged — both in ourselves and in others. One of the best ways to train your mind to detach your emotional self from business is to do it deliberately. Once you've decided this is the path you want to take, try to be as objective as possible.

3. They are efficient with their time

The 1% consider every minute precious, and they don’t waste it doing something that doesn’t add any value to their lives. Time is the ultimate luxury, and high-net-worth individuals are very selective when it comes to deciding where and with whom to spend their time. 

Time management plays an important role in our day-to-day lives, and even educating ourselves with basic time management tips can do wonders.

4. They see fear as an opportunity

One thing that always strikes me is how my clients deal with the uncertainty of their new ventures. They mastered a way to manage stress and unpredictability in their unconventional choices. They achieved such a level of self-confidence by seeing fear as an opportunity for personal growth. Either they win, or they learn. 

Opportunities are everywhere, but you need to grab them without fear. Most people don’t take action because they have fear of losing. Even if you fail, you learn something in the end. Every opportunity comes with an upside and very few downsides.

5. They know how to commit

Individuals belonging to 1% make their reputation a priority. They do what they say, they are consistent, act with integrity, help others achieve their goals and go a step beyond what is expected.  

Committing is easy, but fulfilling commitment is not everybody’s cup of tea. Build trust and preserve your reputation by under-promising and over-delivering. 

6. They worry about themselves

Worrying about yourself is a big job, and the affluent know that no one else can effectively do it for them. They care about others and worry for and with them. But in the end, they are aware that worrying about others can’t solve their problems. 

Knowing how to worry about yourself and not others is not about selfishness. It’s about helpfulness. It’s about observing the rules of self-containment, taking responsibility for yourself and working to solve your problems, while knowing how to be happy for others’ successes. 

Growing yourself cultivates strength and resilience, and inspires others to do the same.

7. They embrace failure

The wealthy know how to embrace success as well as failure. They accept the situation and themselves as a part of life. Failure is an opportunity for growth, but it is not a measure of their future or self-worth. If they want to improve their business, then embracing failure is the goal — even if the process is slow. 

Failure generates motivation, creativity and resilience. The more often we navigate failure successfully, the stronger and more resilient we become.

Challenge yourself: Stop avoiding the word “failure.” Embrace the phrase “fail fast,” and be a culture change leader.

8. They value education

The truth is that anyone who is part of the 1% not only values education, but is also a lifelong learner. Being a lifelong learner helps them understand the world they live in, provides them with more and better opportunities, and improves the quality of their life. It is a deliberate and voluntary choice, not a chore. 

Most people are unable to enter the niche because they undervalue the power of self-education. They think that getting some degree will be sufficient to be successful. But it’s not like that. Self-initiated education focuses on personal development and offers many long-term benefits, including improved self-confidence, renewed self-motivation and the building of new skills.

Entrepreneur

Residents of 1000 Housing Estate in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, woke up to an explosion Saturday morning.

The explosion believed to have been triggered by Boko Haram fighters sparked tension in the area.

A rocket also landed at Gomari, a community about four kilometres from the airport located in the state capital.

In a video seen by Daily Trust, residents of the estate were discussing the incidents in groups.

A large crowd was also seen in one of the houses affected by the explosion.

A resident said no life was lost in the incident but Daily Trust could not independently verify this at the time of this report.

A military source said troops of 33 artillery, Njimtelo, opened fire when they sighted insurgents on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

The insurgents were said to have also engaged troops in a gun battle.

The incident happened after at least 20 persons, including two army officers, lost their lives when suspected ISWAP fighters and troops clashed at a military base in Rann, headquarters of Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno.

Security sources said the incident occurred around 1:30am of Friday at Rann, which shares borders with Cameroon.

It was learnt that troops killed more than a dozen of the outlawed group and destroyed their operations vehicles.

There was also an attack at Malam Fatori, headquarters of Abadam Local Government Area of Borno.

The town, which shares a land border with Niger Republic, had been attacked several times by Boko Haram fighters.

Daily Trust

The United Kingdom says Nigeria will be added to the countries on its red list as a result of the discovery of Covid Omicron cases linked to Nigeria.

Sajid Javid, the UK health secretary, disclosed this on Saturday in a television interview.

The South Africa National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) had, on November 25, announced the discovery of 22 positive cases of the new Omicron variant.

Following the discovery, a number of countries banned travel from countries in southern Africa.

The UK had also placed a temporary ban on air travel from six southern African countries — South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe — with immediate effect to prevent importation of the variant into Britain.

According to the new protocol announced on Saturday, non-UK and non-Irish citizens who are travelling in from Nigeria will not be allowed entry into the UK.

“Over the recent days, we have learned of a significant number of growing cases linked to travel with Nigeria. There are 27 cases already in England and that’s growing. Nigeria narrows second only to South Africa in terms of cases linked to Omicron,” he said.

“So today, the government has decided to add Nigeria to the travel red list and that will be effective from 4am on Monday. This will mean that only UK residents or citizens of the UK can enter the UK from Nigeria from that point onwards, and they would have to quarantine in one of the relevant hotels.

“We’ve also decided to require pre-departure tests for all inward travellers that will be effective from 4am on Tuesday, and they’ll be required maximum of 48 hours before the departure time.”

A statement by the British High Commission also noted that the ban is temporary and “follows 21 recent cases of Covid-19 variant B.1.1.529 (Omicron) linked to Nigeria”.

The ban will also not apply to persons “staying airside and only transiting through”.

The Cable