The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says the Air Components of Operations Whirl Punch and Delta Safe on Saturday, knocked out terrorists’ hideouts in Niger and illegal oil refining sites in the Niger Delta.

The Director Public Relations and Information, NAF, AVM Edward Gabkwet, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

Gabkwet said the air strikes hit the enclaves of notorious terrorist kingpin, Mallam Umar and several other commanders located in Alawa Forest in Shiroro area of the state.

He said that there was extensive intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance in the targeted area, which revealed clusters of huts amidst dense vegetation, with significant presence of armed terrorists.

According to him, the targeted terrorists were responsible for the recent attacks on ground troops at Bassa and detonation of multiple Improvised Explosive Devices along Pandogari-Alawa road in Shiroro.

“Accordingly, the Air component promptly deployed its air assets to decisively eliminate the terrorists, resulting in effective and maximum damage to the targets.

“A post-strike Battle Damage Assessment later confirmed the neutralisation of several of the terrorists and the destruction of their hideouts, with positive consequences on their ability to attack surface forces as well as innocent civilians within the area,” he said.

Gabkwet said that similar air strikes were executed against economic saboteurs siphoning crude oil from mutilated pipelines, thereby destroying the environment and ecosystem.

He said the surveillance over Ke, Egbema, Akaso Krakama, Krikama and Military Council Valley revealed retinue of illegal refining sites which were effectively destroyed.

According to him, a Cotonou boat fully loaded with crude oil was also observed at Akaso Krakama about to depart southwards and was destroyed.

“At Krikama, several cooking sites were observed and destroyed as well.

“In all, 18 illegal refining sites and three cotonou boats were destroyed.”

Gabkwet said the strikes have substantially weakened the potency of terrorist elements in the Northwest and oil thieves in the Niger Delta regions.

He assured that NAF would continue to collaborate with other security agencies through extensive situational awareness patrols and targeted interdiction of criminals’ safe havens. (NAN)

The recent drop in the cost of indomie noodles is due to noticeable improvement in the country’s economy in recent times and not linked to reduced patronage, the producer of Indomie Instant Noodles, Dufil Prima Foods Ltd., has said.

Mr Temitope Ashiwaju, the company’s Group Corporate Communications and Event Manager, made the clarification in an interview with newsmen on Saturday in Lagos.

Ashiwaju said that the clarification became imperative to correct the wrong narrative about the reason for price adjustment for the product recently.

He said that the company was also affected by the economic realities, hence the reason for increase in prices of indomie noodles in the past.

“For a listening company such as ours, we felt at some point in time, against our operational cost to adjust when things started to improve.

“We had a price reduction, which is not one of those characters that is usually found with some other companies.

“Nigerians are quick to adjust prices when it is going up and favour them, but when prices go down, they are slow to do that. This is not our character at Indomie,” he said

According to him, many firms do not have such habits of changing prices in record time when it goes down.

He added: “We are not here to rip people’s out. Of course, if you starve people and make the products out of reach, it will also affect us.

“Our goal is to make the products affordable for Nigerians and at the best quality you can find around. Reduction in prices came when the operational cost started to go down.

“We don’t have a choice than to adjust to realities of times and other indices as they improve because serving people are at the centre of our core value.

“The moment we realised that things started to stabilise, we all hope and pray the economy gets better, as a responsible company, we felt it was time to do a further price reduction.”

According to him, some other companies would rather just either reduce qualities and start cutting corners when operational cost was up.

He said that instead of doing that Indomie opted for price jump to be in tune with what the reality is and that was what necessitated price increment in the first place.

He reiterated: “It was not about patronage at all. People must eat and this is uppermost in our heart as responsible company. It has nothing to do with low patronage at all

“We have been in the country for over two decades and have have factories and installations all scattered around the country.

“Over the years, we are all aware of the exchange rate dollars to the Naira and most of these are components of determining prices. Machines and mechanical operators are things that are not produced locally.

“All businesses are set up to make profits, however, for us, in trying to make best quality products at affordable prices for Nigeria.

“We have kept that perspective in the last 20 years which made us to have a brand that is known to people and competing with almost all food brands to rice.

“Apart from maybe rice, the only thing people talk about is indomie and noodles,” he said.

The price of Indomie noodles skyrocketed within a short period and the demand reportedly reduced following price increase.

In a market survey conducted recently shows that a carton of Indomie standard pack which is the smallest size, was being sold for between N10,500 and N11,500.

However, a carton of that same size is presently sold for between N7,400 and N8,000.

Also, a carton of the Super Pack was sold for between N17,800 and N18,700, and a cartoon of Hungry Man size was sold for between N16,800 and N17,500.

Presently, a carton of the Super Pack is sold for between N12,000 and N13,000, while a carton of the Hungry Man size is sold for between N11,500 and N12,500. (NAN)

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says it will intensify consultations  with the party’s  governors’ forum among other stakeholders to find political solutions to its leadership crisis in Rivers.

The NWC disclosed this in a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Debo Ologunagba in Abuja, after the committee’s meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ologunagba said that the NWC at the meeting, reviewed the issue of the PDP Caretaker Committee of Rivers.

He said that after an extensive deliberation, the NWC noted the existence of an ex-parte order issued by the Federal High Court, Abuja, restraining the NWC from further action with respect to the status of the Rivers State Caretaker Committee List as published.

“However, while the Rivers state caretaker committee list as published stands in compliance with the Order of the Court.

“The NWC notes the concerted intervention and efforts of various organs of the party, particularly the PDP Governors’ Forum to finding a political solution to the issue of the River Caretaker Committee.

“The NWC therefore resolved to, in conjunction with the PDP, intensify action in its continued consultation to resolving the issues of the Rivers State PDP chapter amicably,” he said.(NAN)