Home Security: Be a Good Neighbor

Good neighbors should look out for each other. Get to know your neighbors on each side of your home and the three directly across the street. Invite them into your home, communicate often, and establish trust. Good neighbors will watch out for your home or apartment when you are away, if you ask them. They can report suspicious activity to the police or to you while you are away. Between them, good neighbors can see to it that normal services continue in your absence by allowing vendors to mow your lawn or remove snow. Good neighbors can pick up your mail, newspapers, handbills, and can inspect the outside or inside of your home periodically to see that all is well. Good neighbors will occasionally park in your driveway to give the appearance of occupancy while you are on vacation.

Allowing a neighbor to have a key solves the problem of hiding a key outside the door. Experienced burglars know to look for hidden keys in planter boxes, under doormats, and above the ledge. Requiring a service vendor to see your neighbor to retrieve and return your house key will send the message that someone is watching. This neighborhood watch technique sets up what is called territoriality which means that your neighbors will take ownership and responsibility for what occurs in your mini-neighborhood. This concept works in both single family homes communities and on apartment properties. This practice helps deter burglaries and other crimes in a big way. Of course for this to work, you must reciprocate and offer the same services.

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Boko Haram ambushes United Nations officials, soldiers in Borno

Officials of the United Nations were among those injured on Thursday in northeast Nigeria as Boko Haram terrorists ambushed their vehicles as they from Bama where they had gone to offer relief services to displaced persons, officials said.

The convoy was attacked despite being escorted by armed soldiers.

The attacks on the UN officials and soldiers came four days after personnels of Medicins Sans Frontier narrowly escaped being killed by landmines some few kilometres from where Thursday’s ambush attack was carried out.

The landmine incident occurred on Sunday but was never reported in the media because neither the military nor the MSF officials talked about it.

The spokesman of the Nigeria Army, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, confirmed Thursday’s incident via a statement emailed to journalists on Thursday......................

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Protesters storm Abuja, accuse Buhari’s govt of nepotism, illegal recruitment

Nigerians drawn from various civil society groups on Wednesday protested alleged illegal recruitment and nepotism in some government agencies, questioning the anti-corruption effort of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The protesters – including popular activists, Aisha Yesufu; author, Chido Onumah; and members of Citizens of Impact, Enough is Enough, Youthup Africa – marched to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, where they submitted their protest letter for onward transfer to Mr. Buhari.

“All Nigerians must be given equal opportunity in employment,” one of their placards read.

In his address, Daniel Olatunde, convener of Citizens of Impact, said the Central Bank of Nigeria, Federal Inland Revenue Service and Nigeria Prisons Service, embarked on illegal recruitment exercises and that some of the recruits paid huge amounts to get the jobs............Complete story here