Sixty-four bloodied bodies have been found along a stretch of road in Papua New Guinea’s remote highlands, police said Monday, a gruesome escalation of long-running violence between local warring tribes. The victims were believed to be tribal fighters who were ambushed by a rival group in the early hours of Sunday. The incident occurred near the town of Wabag, about 600 kilometres (370 miles) northwest of the capital Port Moresby. The rugged and lawless area has for years been the scene of tit-for-tat mass killings between rival Sikin, Ambulin, Kaekin and other tribesmen. Graphic police images from the scene showed stripped and bloodied bodies lying by the side of the road and piled up on the back of a flatbed truck. Some men had limbs hacked and were left naked by the road with beer bottles or cans placed on their chests. Police on Monday said gunfights were ongoing in nearby valleys and bodies were still being recovered from bushland near the road. “We believe there are still some bodies… out there in the bush,” Assistant Commissioner of Police Samson Kua said. Clans have fought each other in Papua New Guinea’s highlands for centuries, but an influx of mercenaries and automatic weapons has made clashes more deadly and escalated the cycle of violence. Kua said the gunmen had used a veritable armoury, including SLR, AK-47, M4, AR15 and M16 rifles, as well as pump-action shotguns and home-made firearms. – Mass killings – The province’s acting police commander Patrick Peka said many of the dead were believed to be mercenaries — men who roam the countryside offering to help tribes settle scores with their rivals. “The police and government cannot do much when leaders and educated elites supply arms, ammunitions and engage the services of gunmen from other parts of the province,” Peka said. Papua New Guinea’s government has tried suppression, mediation, gun amnesties and a range of other strategies to control the violence, with little success. The military had deployed about 100 troops to the area, but their impact has been limited and the security services remain outnumbered and outgunned. The killings often take place in remote communities, with attackers launching raids or ambushes in revenge for previous attacks. – ‘Very disturbing’ – Civilians, including pregnant women and children, have been targeted in the past. The murders are often extremely violent, with victims hacked with machetes, burned, mutilated or tortured. Police privately complain that they do not have the resources to do the job, with officers so badly paid that some of the weapons that end up in the hands of the attackers have come from the police force. Opponents of Prime Minister James Marape’s government on Monday called for more police to be deployed and for the force’s commissioner to resign. Papua New Guinea’s population has more than doubled since 1980, placing increasing strain on land and resources and deepening tribal rivalries. Anthony Albanese, the prime minister of neighbouring Australia, on Monday described the incident as “very disturbing”. “We are providing considerable support, particularly for training police officers and for security in Papua New Guinea,” he told public broadcaster ABC. “We remain available to provide whatever support we can.”

  Residents of Ibadan, Oyo State capital, on Monday hit the street to protest the skyrocketing price of food and the state of the economy. The PUNCH observed that protesters gathered around the Mokola area in the state wielding placards with various inscriptions such as ‘End food hike and inflation,’ ‘The poor are starving,’ and ‘Tinubu, don’t forget your promises,’ among others. They were also chanting songs to show their grievances. Armed policemen were seen at the protest scene.

  Armed bandits have attacked the divisional headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force in Zurmi town, the headquarters of the Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The bandits were said to have invaded the town on Sunday evening, killing seven persons including a police officer. An indigene of the town, Babangida Zurmi, told Channels Television that he was yet to speak with any of his relatives as of 9:45pm because most of their numbers were switched off. “As we speak now, I can’t get in touch with anybody in the town, their numbers are switched off. That means the bandits are still around. We need help from relevant authorities,” he said. Another source who spoke with Channels Television said the bandits attacked the town with a mission to revenge the killing of two persons by local vigilante in the area. He said several shops were burnt and the divisional headquarters of the police in Zurmi was also razed. Another bandit group operating in the Maradun Local Government Area had killed four persons and abducted several others. According to sources, the four persons were killed when bandits opened fire on the people clearing bushes along the road. The spokesperson for the police in Zamfara State, Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the attack to Channels Television via telephone conversation. He said he was still gathering more information on the Zurmi attack on the Divisional headquarters of the police in the town.

  The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has said that the current administration’s reform agenda has increased the hardship being faced by citizens. The President of the CBCN, Lucius Ugorji, made this declaration during his welcome speech on Sunday at the commencement of the 2024 First Plenary Assembly of the CBCN, held at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria Resource Centre in Durumi, Abuja. The bishop noted that inflation had rendered it challenging for the typical Nigerian to afford essential commodities, such as food items and medication. “The reform agenda of the present government has added to the plight of Nigerians. With the withdrawal of fuel subsidies and the unification of the foreign exchange market, there has been a sharp increase in the pump price of petroleum products and a steep decline in the value of the naira. Indeed, there is a free fall of the national currency. THE LOUNGE: Man Asks For Divorce To Marry Office – Lover After Getting Educated By Wife0.00 / 0.00 “As a result of the government’s reform agenda, millions of Nigerians have been reduced to a life of grinding poverty, wanton suffering, and untold hardship as never before in our national history. “In a bid to survive, an increasing number of the poor have resorted to begging. With more than 80 million Nigerians living under the poverty line of less than two dollars a day, our country, according to the recent disclosure of the World Bank, is the world’s second-largest poor population after India. “While many impoverished Nigerians continue to suffer and die as a result of the hardship caused by the government’s economic reforms, the president has continued to urge the populace to make even more and more sacrifices with the assurance that brighter days lay ahead,” he said. He said that as the government demanded additional sacrifice from the struggling masses, Nigerians were expecting to see a drastic cut in the cost of running the government at all levels. On insecurity, the bishop said despite the money appropriated monthly as security votes, communities continued to experience persistent insecurity. He said, recently, there has been an upsurge in kidnapping for ransom and increasing cases of bloodshed across the country. Similarly, the president, Christian Association Nigeria, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, said “the high level of insecurity, runaway inflation and hunger are areas of serious concern as well. I am confident that the state of our nation shall be exhaustively discussed with sincerity and humility at the plenary as usual.” The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume in his remarks, told the Bishops that the country is relying on them for encouragement to the Nigerian populace. “Through strategic policies, well thought out initiatives and investments, the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration aims to drive economic transformation, ensure security, enhance food production, harness natural resources, develop critical infrastructure, improve social services, foster economic diversification, and enhance governance efficiency. “These efforts are geared towards building a prosperous, secure and inclusive Nigeria for all”, Senator Akume added. Also speaking, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Olayemi Cardoso blamed the high inflation rate in the country on so much liquidity in the market. He argued that in spite of all the difficulties, there is light at the end of the tunnel and effort by the federal government to remove the subsidy on fuel will contribute to a more positive outcome. Cardoso noted that as a result of some of the recent reforms of the CBN, over the course of the last week, about $1.8 billion dollars came into the markets adding that as long as the country can sustain a positive trajectory, Nigeria will get out of its economic woes and the foreign exchange market will begin to moderate itself. The CBN governor observed that in another week, the CBN will have the Monetary Policy Committee meeting where very critical decisions will be made to continue making economy more investor-friendly.

  Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, has assured Nigerians of the country’s imminent economic recovery despite challenges. Speaking at the 2024 First Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria in Abuja, on Sunday, Cardoso described his job as the second most difficult globally. “I will continue to remember that in spite of (my job) the second most difficult job on the face of the planet, this is really something that remains very memorable,” he said. He expressed confidence in Nigeria’s ability to overcome economic woes, stating, “As a result of some of the recent reports from the CBN, over the course of the last week, about $1.8bn came into the markets.   How My Chinese Boyfriend Abandoned Me With His… “As long as the country can sustain a positive trajectory, Nigeria will get out of its economic woes and the foreign exchange market will begin to moderate itself.” Addressing the need for economic diversification, Cardoso emphasised the importance of transitioning from a consumer to a producer nation. The CBN governor added that an attempt to merge the official rate with the black market rate had been made. He stated that the difference between the two is now significantly lower. He further said one of the problems of economic advancement in Nigeria is finding ways to move as a country beyond being a consumer nation and shelf appetite for foreign goods. “There is a positive outlook on that. The positive outlook comes from the fact that a series of reforms have been made by the Federal Government and the Central Bank, which are now paying off in such a way that international investors are coming back in again. “You have got to move as a country beyond being a consumer nation. And it is something that we as Nigerians have been talking about for so long, but really, we’ve not been able to actualize it. “The other thing, of course, is to moderate appetite for foreign goods. And that’s closely related to what I had said earlier with respect to becoming a producer nation because, at the end of the day, many of the things you see and many of the things that bother a lot of people with respect to foreign exchange are all essentially down to demand and supply,” Cardoso said. He disclosed that the CBN will soon hold the Monetary Policy Committee meeting, noting that very critical decisions will be made to continue making the economy more investor-friendly. However, Nigeria continues to grapple with economic hardships, prompting calls for action. Stakeholders and citizens lament the daily struggle for survival, with protests erupting across the country. The opposition party has also demanded President Bola Tinubu’s resignation amid escalating economic challenges.

  The Presidency says a controlled floatation of the naira to prevent further devaluation would only return Nigeria to the economic regime of the embattled former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele. It said the policy, which saw about $1.5bn spent monthly to shore up the naira, fuelled financial malpractices, such as arbitrage which hurt the economy. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, made this assertion in a statement he signed Sunday titled, ‘Once again, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar got it wrong.’ Onanuga was responding to a former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party at the 2023 polls, Atiku Abubakar, who argued that Tinubu’s economic policies, especially the unification of the exchange rate, were implemented hastily without adequate planning and proper consultations with stakeholders. THE LOUNGE: Man Asks For Divorce To Marry Office – Lover After Getting Educated By Wife0.00 / 0.00 President Tinubu’s economic reforms of the past nine months have sparked collateral instability in the value of the naira, heaping hardship on Nigerians as food prices continue to soar. Atiku criticised the government, saying, “The wrong policies of the Tinubu administration continue to cause untold pain and distress on the economy and the rest of us cannot keep quiet when the government has demonstrated sufficient poverty of ideas to redeem the situation.” He argued that “Given Nigeria’s underlying economic conditions, adopting a floating exchange rate system would be an overkill. We would have encouraged the Central Bank of Nigeria to adopt a gradualist approach to FX management. A managed-floating system would have been a preferred option.” Atiku observed that the naira might fluctuate daily in such a system, but the CBN would step in to control and stabilise its value. “Such control will be exercised judiciously and responsibly, especially to curb speculative activities,” he noted. But the Presidency disagreed, saying, “Atiku’s alternative of a controlled floatation of the naira is similar to the policy of Godwin Emefiele when an estimated $1.5bn was spent monthly to shore up the naira, while arbitrage or round-tripping went on unhindered. Sadly, it was perpetrated by people close to the corridors of power.” Onanuga noted that last Thursday’s meeting between the President, his vice, and state governors was not to discuss currency fluctuation as Atiku claimed but food supply and how to drastically reduce the fluctuation in food prices. Citing Tinubu’s plea to governors to allow the CBN to work and his stance not to establish a commodity board, he said, “We expected Alhaji Atiku to praise President Tinubu for maintaining this stance and for not interfering with the business of Central Bank. “It is false and preposterous for Atiku to claim that CBN’s FX management policy was hurriedly put together without proper plans and consultations with stakeholders and that the apex bank is hamstrung by Tinubu’s government in implementing a sound FX Management Policy’ that would have dealt with such issues as increasing liquidity, curtailing/regulating demand, dealing with FX backlogs and rate convergence.’ “Contrary to former VP Atiku’s claim, Cardoso’s CBN is implementing a raft of policies to stabilise the naira and end volatility in the market and this is already yielding some positive results,” he added. The Presidency also cited figures from the National Bureau Statistics for Q4 2023, which stated that Nigeria recorded a 66.27 per cent increase in capital inflow, compared with Q3, before Cardoso arrived at CBN—in Q3, the capital inflow was $654.65m and rose to $1.09bn in Q4. “Atiku will agree that the rise in capital inflow suggests massive investors’ confidence in Nigeria and the policy direction of the Tinubu administration,” it argued. Therefore, it said when juxtaposed with the policy options being implemented by the CBN, Atiku’s alternative of a controlled floatation of the Naira is similar to the policy of Godwin Emefiele. Also reacting to Atiku, the National Publicity Director of the APC, Ibrahim, said Emefiele was a product of the PDP government. He said, “Whatever crisis the financial institutions in Nigeria are facing or whatever the country is facing with regards to forex, it is the offshoot of the PDP policy that is manifesting in Nigeria today. Whatever blame apportioned for the forex challenges we are having, the larger part of it should go to the PDP for producing Godwin Emefiele as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

  The suspended National Treasurer of the Labour Party, Ms Oluchi Oparah, has challenged the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure, to give an account of the donations received from Nigerians in the Diaspora during the campaign tour of LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the United States. Recall that the national leadership of the Labour Party sent Opara on a six-month suspension last week, following her claim that Abure diverted N3.5bn allegedly raised from the sale of nomination forms and fundraising activities in the build-up to the 2023 general election. But Abure maintained that there was no N3.5bn raised, saying: “Total summary of the money that entered into the party was N1.3bn. We also got N800m for the campaign. I want to challenge her to make the records available where she got the sum of N3.5bn.” But not backing down on her allegations, Opara, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, asked Abure to give an account of the funds raised during the LP presidential campaign tour in the US. Opara said, “Abure used the name of the party to raise funds during the United States campaign tour. They reflected in all the documents and tickets I printed out. We have the tickets for $500 and $100 in the name of the party. But Abure returned and didn’t drop a dime. We are talking about a man who uses proxy accounts to withdraw money from the party. “Again, for 10 to 11 months, Abure has been the only one withdrawing the money. I don’t know how he does it, whether by forgery or other means. We are three signatories to the accounts but the third person, a former chairman, is dead now.” When contacted, Abure denied any wrongdoing, saying Opara was merely out to tarnish his image. He said, “We made changes to the account. That was how we were able to run the party from January 2021 to March 2021 when we had the NEC meeting in Benin, where I emerged as the national chairman of the party. All the money withdrawn between January and March 2021 was co-signed with the acting national chairman, Maria Lebeke. “I was the national secretary at the time and there was no way I could have withdrawn from the account or any person could have withdrawn money without the co-signatory. We brought in the new acting chairman who co-signed all the cheques, Opara equally co-signed the cheques. So, changes of signatories were made and we needed to run the party, and a lot of activities of the party at that time were co-signed by Maria Lebeke, and it is obvious.”

  The Nigeria Customs Service, on Sunday, declared that it had intercepted 15 trailers that were fully loaded with food items and were heading out of the country through the Sokoto State border. It said the trailers were stopped and the food items were returned to Nigeria, adding that this was part of measures to stabilise the prices of food items across the country in line with the mandate of the Federal Government. On Friday, The PUNCH reported that the Federal Government had set up a committee comprising the National Security Adviser, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, and the Inspector-General of Police to clamp down on traders hoarding grains. The report also stated that the government had ruled out the importation of food as part of strategies to address the high costs of foodstuffs and the economic hardship troubling the country. Meet Ondo Regent Whose Father Reigned For Three Days | Punch It stated that this formed part of the resolutions reached at Thursday’s emergency meeting between President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and state governors at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. When contacted by our correspondent on Sunday to confirm whether the service had clamped down on food hoarders or those trying to move food out of Nigeria, the National Public Relations Officer, who is a Chief Superintendent of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, stated that interceptions had been made. He said, “Some items were brought back at Sokoto, but I don’t have the details of the grains or the food items in question. These are some of the areas being worked on to avert such movement of food items out of the country. “So there are interceptions, but I don’t have the actual record of that. However, this time around, our interceptions are not aimed at seizing the food items, rather to send them back and to be consumed locally so that the prices of food items will stabilise. “I think we are going to issue a more detailed statement about this tomorrow (Monday) on what we are doing based on our own core mandate and how we can also contribute to the stability of food prices, among other things.” When probed further to speak on the quantity of items intercepted, Maiwada replied, “There were in very large quantities, I think about five trailers or so. I don’t have the exact records, but I’m sure there were interceptions.” Recall that while assessing the government’s action to tackle the hardship in the country, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria and the organised private had supported the decision of the President and the governors not to adopt importation as a solution to the biting food crisis facing the nation. They also backed the planned action against hoarders as the Nigeria Customs Service vowed to stop smuggling of food out of the country. The prices of staples have gone up in recent times with the National Bureau of Statistics listing the 2023 December food inflation at 33.93 percent, up from 23.75 percent in December 2022. Reports say the prices of staples like rice, beans, oils, plantain, grains, fish, poultry, and meat have surged by 50 per cent and this has triggered protests against the harsh development across the country. Data obtained from the consumer price index reports by the NBS indicated Nigeria spent N1.47tn on importing food and beverages in the first six months of 2023. AFAN President, Kabir Ibrahim, had told our correspondent that the decision of the government to order food producers to release their products to the market would help check the continued rise in the prices of food items. “I encourage the security agencies to move in with some other government officials and ask people to open their stores to sell what they have at the prevailing prices. The commodities should be sold at the prevailing prices. “Nobody is asking them to bring down their prices, for once they sell at the prevailing prices they will not lose anything. But hoarding is not allowed anywhere in the world. You cannot keep what is needed and make them scarce. Continued on www.punchng.com “So the government should move in and do all it could to address this situation in Nigeria now. The prices of commodities are rising and the government has to wade in to tackle this issue, and it has our support on this,” he stated. N5tn revenue target The NCS also announced on Sunday that the Senate had approved the sum of N5.079tn as a revenue target and N706.4bn as budget for the service in the 2024 fiscal year. It said the approval followed consideration of a report presentation by the Committee Chairman on Customs, Excise, and Tariff, Jibrin Isah, at the recent plenary with the lawmakers, according to a statement issued by the NCS in Abuja. Addressing the plenary, Isah highlighted personnel costs at N225.99bn and overhead costs at N111.76bn, representing 31.99 and 15.82 percent of the budget. It quoted Isah as saying, “Also, ongoing capital projects stood at N148.42bn while new projects, which represented 52.19 percent, were earmarked for N220.26bn.” Providing a breakdown of the budget, he added that the timely rollout of the 2024 fiscal policy would enable the service to commence implementation promptly. He said, “As part of Customs strategy, the provision of the flexible window will help curb illegally imported vehicles and ensure the proper collection of expected import duties and 25 percent penalty charge from such categories of transactions. “Mechanisms such as systems audit, real-time auditing, post clearance auditing, institution of revenue recovery committee and other intelligence gathering tools will ensure an intensive revenue recovery drive.” The revised penalties and charges in the new Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, he noted, would improve the service’s revenue generation. In the aspect of anti-smuggling and cargo tracking, the committee chairman stated that the service was looking forward to collaboration with the Shippers Council and other relevant government agencies to decongest and achieve efficient, effective port operations, which would yield more

  Monday 19 February 2024 Cost of living protest: Police warn against violence as Labour gives fresh conditions Naira weakens as banks’ dollar sales plunge by $252m 15 trucks of smuggled foods intercepted in Sokoto – Customs Atiku’s solution will return Nigeria to Emefiele era – Presidency PDP lacks right to demand Tinubu’s resignation – FG Insecurity Can Only Be Addressed By State Policing, Says Gov Sani Bandits Kill 12, Raze 17 Houses In Kaduna Supporters Demand Release Of Jailed Senegal Presidential Candidate Assailants Kill Plateau APC Spokesman, One Other Tinubu, Brazil’s Lula da Silva Seek Stronger Ties, Direct Flights Emefiele Left Economy In Mess, We Don’t Know What To Charge Him With – Akpabio Tinubu, Brazil’s Lula da Silva Seek Stronger Ties, Direct Flights Tinubu’s Forex Policy Was Hurriedly Put Together – Atiku I Don’t Know Who Can Challenge Us In 2027 – Wike Rising Cost Of Living May Lead To Social Unrest In Nigeria, Others – AfDB Police Vow To Frustrate Illegal Sales, Thefts At Ports Edo 2024: APC gets three candidates, Agba threatens legal action Why we opted for e-verification of ex-servicemen — Military pensions board Rising Cooking Gas Price: Nigerians Resort To Charcoal, Firewood We’re Not Opposed To 65-Yr Retirement Age Bill – National Assembly Workers Ondo Tertiary Institutions’ Workers Begin Indefinite Strike Osun LG election timetable for release today Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  Amid gas supply challenges and financial outlook, power supply across the country remained stranded over the weekend as measures by the Federal Government to improve national grid supply failed to have any impact.   Checks on national grid data posted by the Independent System Operator showed that as at 3pm yesterday only 16 of the nation’s power plants were generating to the grid at 3,530.33 Mega Watts with Nigeria’s largest power plant, Egbin Power completely off the grid. The biggest generators were Azura-Edo IPP (420MW), Kainji Hydro (415MW) and Shiroro Hydro (275.73MW). Gas suppliers have so far refused government entreaties to increase supply to power plants citing a debt of over $1.3 billion for past supplies. The government had at the beginning of the year agreed to pay electricity subsidies of N1.6 trillion in 2024 to the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, NESI, but a budget provision of just N450 billion. The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu last week confirmed that no payment has been made for the month of January, compounding the liquidity challenge facing the industry. The Minister noted “The persistent liquidity issues coming from inappropriate tariff regime, poor collections and inadequate funding of government subsidies leading to huge debts owed to the transmission, generation and gas supply companies. “This has restricted investments required for sustaining supply flow, capacity expansion and infrastructural improvements. It has also not only discouraged lending to the sector by financial institutions as the sectoral activities are not bankable, but has also made the sector unattractive to new investors”. He added that some of the solutions being considered by the government include “settlement of existing sectoral outstanding debt obligations to the gas supply and power generation companies using partly cash payment and guaranteed debt instruments. N1.3 trillion is current debts to the GenCos and $1.3 billion legacy debts to the GenCos. Following the drop in supply, electricity distribution companies, DisCos moved to pacify consumers, assuring them of improved services soon. Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, in a statement said: “We would like to inform you that we are aware of the unstable power supply experienced in recent times essentially caused by insufficient power allocation to us. “This has constrained us to implement load curtailment directives across our franchise to manage the situation for grid stability. This will involve occasional temporary interruption of power supply to certain areas for a limited period. We understand the inconvenience this may cause and sincerely apologize for this disruption. We are working diligently to minimize the impact of these outages”. Also, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC, informed its customers that “the drop in electricity supply currently being experienced is due to generation shortfall as a result of gas shortage to the generating companies. “We are working with stakeholders in the electricity value chain on a sustainable resolution. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appeal for your understanding”, it added. Meanwhile, the European Union has said that it will invest 37 million Euros into the power sector. It said the amount is beside 200 million grants invested in the sector since 2008. The EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Samuela Isopi who disclosed this when he visited the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, said the amount would fund small hydro power, solar for health care facilities, rural electrification with isolated and interconnected mini-grids project, and circular economy in power sector project. In his response, Chief Adelabu identified the liquidity issue as the main problem in the sector that the government is trying its best to resolve, adding that the market will only be sustainable and run efficiently when there is a cost reflective tariff in place. While thanking the EU for its support for the sector, he noted that the EU projects align with the Ministry’s strategy for the sector. He promised to work with the EU on their programmes especially on Small hydro and state electrification within the new act.