Nineteen persons were, yesterday, kidnapped in Bwari Area Council of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja. This came as no fewer than 30 people were few days ago killed in a landslide caused by the activities of illegal miners in the Kuje Area Council of the FCT. Meanwhile, there was a maiden meeting between the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the six Area Councils chairmen, yesterday. The minister, who was miffed at the developments said he would summon the FCT Director of Department of State Services as well as the Commissioner of Police to receive adequate briefings on the kidnap and facilitate rescue operations. He asked the council bosses to set up surveillance task force in their areas to monitor mining activities, adding that he would meet with his counterpart in Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, to eliminate illegal mining in the FCT. Speaking on the challenges confronting the councils, Kwali Area Council chairman, Danladi Chiya, appealed to the minister and the Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, to come to their aide. He said: “When we heard about your appointment, we were happy because you have been a council chairman and, therefore, understand our challenges. Our challenges are inadequate funding of the local government system. “We have the major challenge of insecurity across the six Area Councils. Just today (yesterday), about 19 people were kidnapped in Bwari Area Council. I just received about five in my council, who were in captivity for about six days. “The next is the development of satellite towns. The issue of sanitation is one of the major challenges confronting us. There is also no efficient transport facility. The Abuja Urban Mass transit buses are no longer functional. “Then there is the issue of land allocation. You sit in your council and your backyard will be allocated to someone you don’t even know. Your graveyards and worship centres would be allocated and we are saying that we should be carried along in terms of land allocation. “The responsibility of primary school teachers is on the local governments. The UBE’s payment of salaries lies on the council, which by law is supposed to be the 60-40 percent. We are pleading that you help us so that this issue can be looked into.” Kuje Area Council Chairman, Abdullahi Sabo lamented the menace of illegal miners. On his part, Chairman, Bwari Area Council, John Gabaya advocated greater inclusion of council chairmen in land allocations.

  The security of lives and property in the eastern part of Sokoto State appears to have hit an all-time low as undesirable elements now enjoy free reign in killing, kidnapping, and maiming innocent members of the communities. Consequently, fear of the unknown has gripped the affected communities, especially those in Isa, Sabon Birni, Rabah, Goronyo, and Illela local council areas of the state, whose natives have been forced to resign their fate in the hands of God. This is because the people are completely at the mercy of bandits and other criminal elements now roaming the areas freely and daring anyone or group to challenge them. The new wave of uncertainty now pervading Sokoto East has also resulted in many people not visiting or staying in their native communities, especially against the backdrop of the unwarranted arrests of innocent persons by armed men. In the latest round of attack unleashed on the area, a flourishing young businessman was brutally shot and killed at close range for reasons not known. It is a negative development that many of the community members view as premeditated assassination. Perhaps the only known offence that residents can attribute to the deceased is that he funded the election of a top politician from the state who is currently serving in the National Assembly. Beyond the slain businessman, many have been kidnapped, tortured and brutally wounded by the bandits in the course of trying to eke out a living either on their farms or on their business premises. With the escalating level of criminality and violence, all – security agents, farmers, locals, and visitors – have become targets for the terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and armed robbers, who are not even afraid of the security agents. In some instances, many soldiers, policemen, and personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, have also been killed since the deadly gangs took over the five council areas of Sokoto State and have continued to attack anyone in sight. Many communities and hamlets across the eastern part of the state have been set ablaze, forcing residents to flee to urban centres where they feel more secure, thus leading to the emergence of more internally displaced persons centres in Sokoto, the state capital. The residence of the former governor of the state, Attahiru Bafarawa, was once attacked in Bafarawa when bandits forced their way in with the hope of kidnapping the former governor. They killed a policeman in the process. Following these repeated attacks by bandits, the Olusegun Obasanjo College of Science and Technology in Bafarawa, which was inaugurated by the former president in 2006, has remained under lock and key and deserted despite the heavy investment made by the state government. The situation is so bad that in Bafarawa district of Sokoto State, bandits openly wield their weapons without any form of challenge by anyone, either in mufti or in uniform. The upsurge of displaced persons in the capital has also resulted in the conversion of every available uncompleted structure and building into camps, especially for the underaged and children of school age, who have been forced to stop going to school on account of either the death of their parents or kidnapping of the same. As a result of the relentless attacks, Sokoto has emerged as one of the worst-hit states in the Northern part of Nigeria in the last two years. Barely a month ago, armed men invaded the immigration checkpoint at Mamman Suka village along Sokoto/Illela Road, shot and killed two immigration officers, and wounded four others. They went away with the brutal murders without any confrontation by any security agents. A resident of Isa Town, Alhaji Yusuf Sada, told Arewa Voice that the town had become a recruitment base for bandits because of the presence of ‘countless informants’. Sada said: “Isa has become a recruiting centre for bandits with a countless number of informants who give details and movements of people to bandits. I am over 60 years old, but the most unfortunate and annoying thing is that I have to sleep with my mother and her grandchildren in the same room for fear of informers who may likely give information that I am in town. Imagine, I have to pass my own house and sleep in my mother’s room with the children when I have my own private apartment, just for the sake of fear of unforeseen marauders. I have since relocated to Sokoto, the state capital.” Due to the fear of bandits and terrorists, who are constantly on the prowl, the 120-kilometre Marnona/Isa Highway has been deserted for over five years now, with citizens of the area taking the risk of crossing over to Zamfara or passing through Sabon Birni, a neighbouring local government, just to stay alive. Source: Vanguard

  A Pentecostal pastor, Pastor Greg Sagie, has been killed in his home by a suspected church member, who attacked him with a machete in Sapele, Delta State, yesterday. The pastor, who was in his 60s, was resting in his bedroom at the pipeline area of MTN Road, around noon., when the assailant barged into his flat and threatened his two children, ages eight and 11, who were in the sitting room. The terrified children ran out of the house and raised an alarm for help. A source, who claimed to be part of those who took Pastor Sagie remains to the mortuary and his neighbour told Vanguard that the area was isolated and had few houses. He said they heard the children screaming that someone was inside, attacking their father with a machete. “We ran out and saw the attacker. He was a young man in his 20s. He threatened us that if we dared to climb the storey building to meet him, he would kill us. He then jumped from the storey building and fled,” the source who simply called her name as Nneka said. The source added that the children identified the attacker as a member of their church. “The children told us he was a member of their church and that they recognize him. They even described where he lived,” the source said. Pastor Sagie was said to have sustained severe cuts on his head and died on the way to the hospital. “He breathed his last on the way to the hospital where his car broke down,” another neighbour named Isaac said. When Vanguard visited the scene, the police were seen cordoning off the area and conducting investigations. The police spokesperson, Bright Edafe, could not be reached for confirmation of the incident but a source told Vanguard that the police were on the trail of the suspect. “We are yet to know the motive behind the attack, but the police would unravel it soon,” the security source who craved anonymous said. He appealed with anyone with useful information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect to contact the nearest police station. He also urged residents of Sapele to remain calm and law-abiding, assuring them that justice would be done in the case. Pastor Sagie was described by his church members as a humble and dedicated man of God, who preached peace and love.

  PAN Niger Delta Elders Forum, PANDEF, has opined that the legal representatives of the candidates of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, did not do a good job in the presidential election matter they handled. National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Ken Robinson, stated that the lapses in the presentations by the counsel for LP and PDP were regrettable, adding that the lawyers did not do due diligence on the matter. Robinson said: “We followed the extensive judgment that lasted for about 11 hours and it was elaborate. The justices of Court of Appeal made exclusive explanations and detailed ruling on the matter. “For an ordinary man who is not a lawyer, what we saw and witnessed yesterday, seems to be sound and the statements that the judges made were explicit that even the ordinary man will understand that the petitioners did not do a good job. “Of course, there is room for appeal by those who are dissatisfied with the judgement of the tribunal. With what we witnessed yesterday, without being preemptive, it was an exclusive judgment and the facts of the matter were very clear. I think the judges did a good job. “With due respect to the learned lawyers, who handled those petitions, perhaps they need to apologise to their masters and principals who gave them those jobs. From what we witnessed yesterday, they did not do a good job. “People will express emotions, but the court does not look at the emotion, but evidence brought before it. For us, we will appeal to those who are dissatisfied with the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to explore the avenue of appeal. “In the interest Nigeria, National Unity and Peace and overall interest of the development of this country and our democracy, nobody should take laws into their hands. “Nobody should even castigate or go into name calling of the judiciary. They have done their job very transparently as it should be done. For us in PANDEF, we will call all those who are dissatisfied to explore the avenue of appeal and avoid making statements that will heat up the polity.”

  -Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has said the country lost about $46 billion (N16.25 trillion) to crude oil theft between 2009 and 2020. This is even as a committee of the House summoned the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and Ministry of Petroleum Resources, among others, for failing to honour its invitation. The speaker, who spoke yesterday in Abuja while inaugurating the ad hoc committee to investigate crude oil theft and loss of revenue, said the menace of crude oil theft has drastically hampered the growth of the country’s oil production, with Nigeria losing between five and 30 per cent of daily crude oil production. He, however, expressed shock that critical agencies in the oil and gas sector had refused to honour the committees’ invite, adding that the agencies were not doing the nation any good by refusing to appear before the parliament to answer questions on the critical aspect of the economy. Represented by chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Upstream, Al Hassan Ado Doguwa, the speaker said if decisive action was not taken to address the issue, the country might be thrown into a deeper fiscal crisis due to dwindling revenue from the oil and gas sector. Quoting data from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, the speaker said Nigeria’s oil production declined from 2.51 million barrels per day in 2005 to 1.77 million barrels per day in 2020. He said: “NEITI reports also show that 619 million barrels of crude valued at $46 billion were stolen in the period 2009-2020”, adding that “Nigeria has continually failed to meet its daily production quota as set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.” Abbas explained further that “recently, Nigeria’s OPEC quota was reduced from 1.742 million barrels per day to 1.38 million barrels per day. ”Yet, the country is still struggling to meet this quota as daily production output was 1.184 million barrels per day and 1.249 million barrels per day in May and June 2023 respectively. “On average, current daily production output is a far cry from the budget assumption of 1.69 million per day. The implication is clearly manifest in the economic crisis that the country is facing.” While noting that the nation faced a major fiscal crisis, the speaker said global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine had continued to cast a cloud of uncertainty on the oil and gas industry in the country. He said: “While the average international price for Brent crude oil has hovered slightly above the set benchmark price since January, Nigeria’s daily oil production has performed poorly due to a number of reasons. “It is common knowledge that investment in the oil and gas sector has declined in the past few years, owing to global financing constraints and the overall response to energy transition considerations. “However, we must agree that the greatest challenge to optimizing crude oil production in Nigeria is the grand scale oil theft that has plagued the sector for the past 2 decades.” Abbas said the House was aware of several efforts by past administrations to address the menace of crude oil theft with a number of task forces, special committees and investigative panels set up in the past, each with a wide range of findings and recommendations He said: “NEITI provides yearly updates on the amount of crude oil stolen or lost through sabotage. Yet, the menace of oil theft has continued unabated despite the enormous resources already committed to addressing it.” In his remark, chairman of the committee, Alhassa Usman Rumrum, said the volume of losses occasioned by oil theft in the country and its associated impact on the economy were completely unacceptable and could not be tolerated by any government that sincerely loved its citizens. He said: “The manner this act of sabotage and breach on our national security and sovereignty is carried out daily makes a caricature of our pride as a nation and even a mockery of the acclaimed status of our armed forces. “It is an affront to government and its institutions which must be tackled without further delay. It is in the light of these that the House constituted this committee and is determined to bring this ugly trend to an end, otherwise there may be no future for our remaining children who have not yet Japa to other countries in search of survival. “To members of the armed forces/security agencies, all Nigerians in the various states, host communities and even in the diaspora who are involved in this practice, I challenge you all to have a rethink. We have no other country to call our own, let , therefore, not push this madness to a point of no return where we may find nowhere to run to.” While commending the President for the courageous steps so far taken to rebuild the country, Rumrum said: “These efforts will be in vain unless we make a resolute statement and send a powerful message through both words and actions, declaring that oil theft and all form of hydrocarbon unaccountability will not be tolerated under this administration. “Only then can our people confidently and joyfully embrace a renewed sense of hope and purpose.” Also speaking, a representative of the Nigeria Police Force, Mr Alabi Abiodun, said the police had put in place a task force to assist other security agencies in arresting those attacking oil facilities. In addressing the menace, Abiodun said perpetrators of the act should be handed over to the Nigerian police to prosecute them effectively.

  The military, yesterday, disclosed that a total of 814 terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, IPOB/ESN miltants as well as oil theft, were neutralised between the month of June and August 2023 in operations to rid the country of criminal elements and economic sabotage. Also, across the six geopolitical zones, troops arrested 1,326 criminals made up of 42 kidnappers, 231 collaborators, 33 armed robbers, 80 cattle rustlers, 325 militias, 27 rails vandals, 73 gunrunners, 191 suspected oil thieves and rescued 721 kidnapped hostages. Director of Defence Media Operations, Major-General Edward Buba, who briefed newsmen, said 4,560 terrorists and their families surrendered to troops within the period (June to August 2023). According to him, “In Niger Delta, troops denied oil theft perpetrators/thieves the stealing of crude oil and allied products amounting to an estimated sum of N4 billion. “During the operations, troops recovered a total number of 501 weapons, 3,577 livestock, 3,269 assorted ammunition and 674 other equipment, including 117 AK-47 rifles, 28 fabricated rifles, among others.”

  A man identified simply as John has lost his life after his friend, Akinola Adeleye, allegedly stabbed him to death over an argument on who to pay for a plate of food. The incident happened in the Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State. It was gathered that the two men had a misunderstanding over who should pay for the plate of meal Akinola had eaten and in the course of the argument that degenerated into a fight, Akinola stabbed John to death with a knife. PUNCH Metro learnt from some residents in the area that the sad event happened two weeks ago on Idiagbon Street adjacent to the local government headquarters. It was further gathered that the victim had been squatting in the house of the suspect when they had the fallout over who would pay for a plate of food. A resident in the area, Ugochukwu, narrating what happened to our correspondent on Wednesday, said, “It happened that Akinola went and ate a plate of food in their usual buka and after eating instead of paying he asked them to add his bill to the account of his friend who wasn’t there with him at that time. “So, when the victim went to eat at the local restaurant, they informed him that he owed them for the food his friend ate. He was surprised and angry that his friend would ask them to bill him without even telling him about it. “So, he quickly finished his meal and went home to confront his friend about the debt that was passed down to him. That was how they started quarrelling. As they were fighting over the matter, Akinola, out of anger asked John to pack out of his house immediately but John refused and the fight intensified. “Before anyone knew what was happening, Akinola left the scene of the fight, rushed back with a knife and stabbed John. We had assumed the fight was over when Akinola left, only for us to see him rush at John with the knife. “Before we could do anything, John was on the ground and blood was gushing out from his body. Everywhere became scattered in confusion.” The resident also added that John defecated on himself before he died on the spot, a development that threw the whole area into more confusion and mourning. According to Ugochukwu, it was in the midst of the confusion that Akinola wanted to escape the scene but was caught by some young men in the area. Another resident in the area, who identified himself simply as Dada, told PUNCH Metro that he saw the corpse of the dead man being wheeled past his shop to the junction of the street on the day the incident happened. He said according to what he learnt from the neighbours, the body was wheeled out when the policemen who were contacted said they wouldn’t enter the street because of the volatile nature of the area. He said, “They called the police to come to the area but the policemen refused saying that the area was too dangerous and that they should bring the dead man and the suspect to the junction. “They carried the body on a wheelbarrow to the junction. The boys in the area then handed the suspect to the police. Contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect had already been taken to the State Criminal Investigations Department. He also told our correspondent that the case would be charged to court on Friday (today). The Superintendent of Police said, “The case is going to court tomorrow.”

  Friday 08 September 2023 Apologise to your clients, you didn’t do good job, PANDEF tells Obi, Atiku’s lawyers PEPT Judgment: Atiku, Obi head to Supreme Court Church member kills pastor in Sapele 30 killed in Abuja landslide, 19 kidnapped Police arrest 10 suspects over FUOYE student’s death NSCDC arrests 14 vandals, shuts company over adulterated lubricants Troops neutralise 814 terrorists, oil thieves, IPOB/ESN elements in 3 months Oil theft: Nigeria lost N16.25trn in 11 years —Reps Speaker US To Give Ukraine $1bn In Aid As Russian Strike Kills At Least 17 How operational errors, sabotage caused 5,575 cases of oil spills in eight months Minister to immigration: Clear backlog of passport applications in two weeks I was once security guard… good education helped me, Tinubu tells Nigerians in India Akeredolu returns to Nigeria after 3 months medical leave in Germany Tribunal judgment: APC lampoons Atiku, Obi, opposition attacks INEC Customs intercept N692m drugs, others along Ibeju-Lekki waterways Set up customers centres, FG tells Discos Passenger stranded as foreign airlines delay, cancel flights at MMIA Oil theft: Military saved Nigeria from losing N4bn — DHQ Kwara, 21 States Expected To Witness Heavy Rain In Next 24 Hours Endless wait for palliatives in states amid accountability deficits Anambra celebrates hard work, not criminals, says Soludo Customs hands over N699.5m seized hard drugs to NDLEA Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) on Thursday predicted heavy rainfalls in parts of Kwara and Niger on Friday and moderate to heavy rainfalls in 20 states. This was contained in the impact based weather forecast obtained by our correspondent. The report said during the forecast period, 24-hour heavy rainfall is likely with low to moderate rainfall, flash flooding, riverine flooding, soil erosion, strong winds, thunder and lightning. Daily Trust reports that this is expected to increase fears of flooding in many parts of the country as the rainy season peaks. NiMet further stated that moderate to heavy rainfall is expected on Saturday over parts of Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Yobe, Benue, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto State. Furthermore, it said there are prospects of “Low to Moderate Rainfall” over Borno, Bauchi, Kaduna, Niger on Saturday. “Elsewhere there is little or no risk of hydrometeorological hazard,” the report added. For Sunday, the report stated that “there are slim prospects of Moderate to Heavy Rainfall over parts of Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Delta, Bayelsa and River State. “Meanwhile Low to Moderate Rainfall is expected over parts of Borno, Gombe, Yobe, Bauchi, Plateau, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Oyo, Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi, Cross River, Edo, Rivers and Imo State,” it added but with “little or no risk of hydrometeorological hazard.” For three days, NiMet observed that there are good chances of very strong winds to affect parts of Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, jigawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Plateau and Kaduna State while strong winds are anticipated over the rest of the country. During the forecast period starting from Friday, the agency in the forecast warned of isolated cases of displacements of people due to flash floods, outbreak of water-borne diseases, isolated cases of damage to weak structures. In addition, with the 24-hour accumulated rainfall, there could be loss of lives, injuries, reduction in visibility, and interruption of vehicular traffic. The report advised the disaster response management authorities to raise awareness among the people and update flood contingency plans. Below are the states listed for heavy rainfall: Oyo Kogi Nasarawa Benue Adamawa Taraba Cross River Imo Ondo Edo Delta Bayelsa Rivers

  President Bola Tinubu says he stood out academically when he was a student. The president, who is currently in India for the G-20 Summit, said this during an interaction with Nigerians on Thursday evening. According to a statement by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, the meeting was attended by several Nigerian students studying in India. Tinubu told the students that with dedication, honesty, determination, and a change of mindset, they can reach for the top in their respective careers. He said: “Good education brought me here and I am happy to stand before you here as the President of Nigeria. I started small. I was a security guard. I was a tutor in school. I was a brilliant student. I joined Deloitte and was trained by one of the biggest accounting firms in the world, because of my education. “When I joined them, I asked them, do you have branches in Nigeria and they said, ‘we have a lot of clients that will take you, if you want to go home.’ That’s how I got to Exxon Mobil and was a very successful accountant, auditor-general, and treasurer, until I joined politics with a can-do attitude. “You can also do it; do not be despondent in any way. Nigeria is ready to accommodate all. It does not matter which part of Nigeria you are from.” The President called on Nigerians to harness the country’s rich diversity as a uniquely powerful tool for advancing prosperity and national development for the benefit of all citizens. “We are here to present a new future to you. A future of a country that is so rich, endowed, and highly populated. Very dynamic, unique in its culture, tradition, and ethnicity. That is what will make our prosperity possible, if only we can make use of our diversity for prosperity,” he said President Tinubu also told the meeting that he ran for the highest office in the country because of the fact that, despite the great human and natural resource wealth of the nation, the leadership and public sector management deficit in the country held Nigeria back from manifest destiny. “We are not poor in knowledge. We are not poor in human resources. We are only poor in management and leadership, and that is why I ran for president, to help all of us mould the soul of our country in the right direction,” the President said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, explained that President Tinubu’s foreign policy thrust included four Ds, with one of them being Diaspora, which focuses on improving the quality of services that Nigerians in the Diaspora receive at Nigerian Missions abroad. “The issue of passport delays will be a thing of the past. You won’t have to wait indefinitely for your passports to be ready. Secondly, you are the first point of contact between Nigerians and other countries. We can’t grow beyond what our people project. That is why it is very important for you to project a consistently positive image of Nigeria online and off-line,” Tuggar said. Earlier, Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, told pressmen that Nigeria was the best place to invest and that a bet on Nigerians is one of the best bets anyone can ever make, citing Nigerian success in all countries of the world. “We believe in Africa, but especially in Nigeria. An investment in Nigeria promises a return that is scarcely found anywhere in the world and I do business across several continents,” Elumelu said.