The Adamawa State Police Command has arrested a 34-year-old suspect, Tahamado Demian, for the kidnapping of two Catholic priests, Reverend Fathers Abraham Samman of the Jalingo Diocese and Matthew Dusami of the Yola Diocese.

This was disclosed in a statement that the command’s spokesperson, Suleiman Nguroje, shared on X.com on Saturday night.

The statement disclosed that the rescue mission took place at a criminal hideout in Gwaida Malam village, a remote area between Numan and Demsa local government areas. The operation, launched on February 21, 2025, led to Demian’s arrest.

According to the statement, the victims were rescued unharmed without any ransom paid and are currently receiving medical care.

The police also recovered a locally-fabricated assault rifle, a handset, and multiple SIM cards during the operation.

The statement read, “In a bid to ensure protection of lives and property, a safe and secured environment in the state, the command carried out a coordinated rescue operation at a particular criminal hideout situated at a remote side of Gwaida Malam village connecting part of Numan and Demsa LGAs.

“These rescue operations, commenced from 21st February, 2025, in various criminal hideouts within the state and it yielded positive results as one Tahamado Jonathan Demian 34years old a member of the same church, with the victims was arrested for kidnapping of his two Reverend fathers (Abraham Samman and Matthew David Dusami) of Catholic Dioceses of Yola and Jalingo respectively.

“The command’s planned operation had successfully rescued the two Reverend fathers unhurt and no dime is paid as ransom. The victims are now receiving medical attention.

“The suspect was apprehended and now taking into custody for discreet investigation. Investigation so far has led to the recovery of one locally fabricated Assault rifle, two handsets and sim cards.

“The Commissioner of Police, Dankombo Morris, expressed gratitude for the support the command is receiving from the government, sister security agencies and the public.

“He therefore encouraged them to sustain the cooperation and collaboration for timely response to emergency situations. The police boss added that together, we will ensure peace and security across the state and beyond through deligent prosecution of the suspect.”

Former Senator for Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has criticised the National Population Commission (NPC) for requesting nearly a trillion naira to conduct a national census, describing it as “total madness.”

The NPC had proposed a budget of ₦942 billion for this year’s housing and population census.

However, reports indicate that President Bola Tinubu rejected the request, instead considering the deployment of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members for the exercise.

Reacting to the development, Shehu Sani praised Tinubu’s decision, stating on X: “National Population Commission request for almost a trillion naira just to count the number of Nigerians is total madness.

The rejection of their budget is commendable.”

Federal Government ministries, departments, and agencies, along with the Presidency, have collectively spent at least ₦1.99 billion on foreign trips, training, and estacodes in France between May 2023 and September 2024.

The expenditure data, sourced from GovSpend—a transparency platform operated by BudgIT—covered costs such as airfare, accommodation, visa processing, estacodes, training programs, and business meetings.

A significant portion of the funds was allocated to executive training programs, study trips, and international conferences.

According to The PUNCH, one of the largest single disbursements was ₦626.91 million, paid by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta for training and type rating of 35 cadet pilots in South Africa, France, and Nigeria. The funds were transferred via the GIFMIS platform to the PAP Naira Transit Account at the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The State House also incurred substantial expenses on international travel. This included ₦149.79 million spent on foreign exchange purchases for the First Lady’s trip to France on April 1, 2024, and ₦6.29 million allocated in March 2024 for a five-year multiple-entry visa for the Vice President.

Several MDAs also recorded notable spending on overseas trips. The National Merit Award allocated ₦15.5 million as an advance payment for the course fees of eight participants attending a training program in Paris from May 14 to 20, 2023.

The Centre for Management Development disbursed ₦34.3 million for six officials—each receiving ₦5.71 million—to participate in training in France.

Senior officials also benefited from these trips. The Director-General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Adamu Jummai, and former Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment, Nuhu Fikpo, had their executive programs in Paris fully funded.

Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) spent ₦41.09 million on multiple officials, including its Technical Adviser, Temitope Yoosuf, who attended business meetings with Airbus in Toulouse, France.

The company’s CEO, Jane Egerton-Idehen, and its Head of Corporate Affairs, Aisha Bantam, were also funded with ₦11.88 million and ₦5.65 million, respectively, to attend the World Space Business Week in Paris.

The Nigeria Football Federation allocated ₦124.45 million for Super Falcons players’ flight tickets for their Olympic Games qualifier against Ethiopia, with travel routes covering America, France, Spain, and Nigeria.

Additional significant expenditures included ₦10.62 million by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for airfare costs for three officials attending the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group meeting in Paris.

The Fiscal Responsibility Commission disbursed ₦7.90 million for an officer’s participation in the 2023 International Bar Association Conference in France.

The Federal Ministry of Health funded ₦5.30 million each for David Beine Atuwo and Olusola Ayoola to cover airfare and participation in the 11th EDCTP Forum in France.

The Defence Intelligence Agency recorded two major payments, totaling ₦574.52 million, covering salaries of two seconded staff of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit at Interpol in Lyon, France, and the Egmont Group in Ottawa, Canada.

These expenditures have drawn scrutiny amid concerns about rising government spending and the increasing cost of governance.

With the economy facing challenges such as high inflation, fiscal deficits, and a depreciating naira, calls for greater accountability and transparency in public spending have intensified.

Earlier, PUNCH reported that in the first six months of President Bola Tinubu’s administration—June to December 2023—the State House spent at least ₦3.4 billion on both local and foreign trips.

Similarly, in the first quarter of 2024, ₦5.24 billion was expended on travel expenses for President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, and First Lady Remi Tinubu.

Between January and March 2024, ₦1.35 billion was allocated for presidential trips and related expenses, ₦3.53 billion was used for foreign currency purchases covering 10 international trips, and ₦637.85 million was paid to two travel agencies for presidential flight bookings.

Opposition parties have criticized President Tinubu’s frequent international travel, arguing that he prioritizes trips abroad over addressing domestic challenges.

However, the Presidency has defended his travel engagements, asserting that a leader focused on attracting foreign investments must be proactive in seeking opportunities.

A few months ago, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, also defended Tinubu’s frequent trips, emphasizing their benefits.

“Nigeria has the money. How much does travelling cost compared to the benefits? Again, how much does it cost really when you compare it to some of the things that the President has already addressed?

“How much have we wasted on fuel, electricity, and other subsidies? He was subsidising consumption instead of production and subsidising the real sector of the economy,” he said.

Since taking office, Tinubu has embarked on 32 foreign trips, visiting 19 countries, including France, the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Saudi Arabia, India, and South Africa, among others.

Experts have predicted that the ongoing trade war will significantly impact the economies of Nigeria and other emerging markets.

Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as 20% tariffs on imports from China.

This fresh round of duties on Chinese goods doubled an initial set of tariffs placed on China last month. In response, China imposed additional 15% duties on U.S. imports, including chicken, pork, soy, and beef, and expanded controls on doing business with key U.S. companies. Canada has also responded with its own measures.

Possible slowdown in U.S. growth 

Speaking on the Drinks and Mics podcast, Samson Esemuede, MD/CIO of Zrosk, forecasted a slowdown in U.S. growth relative to the rest of the world, regardless of whether the tariffs continue or are lifted.

He expressed skepticism about the uncertainty created by Trump’s policy actions, noting that markets thrive on certainty.

According to Esemuede, there will be a relative deceleration in U.S. growth, while markets like China and Europe, which have underperformed post-COVID, may surprise on the upside.

“So, within that context, I felt like relative growth rates for the rest of the world in favor of the rest of the world, we pull capital out of the US, which is why when we did our buy-hold sell, I had a sell on the US, and then that leads to a weakening dollar, and the weakening dollar should basically benefit emerging markets and frontier markets, and by extension, Nigeria should benefit from that.

He added, “If that continues, that would be the case. However, there is a risk that is now evolving. My assessment of the US recession for 2025 was probably a 5% to 10% probability that the US would go into recession because the economy was so strong and consumer spending was very healthy. And now, I think with what is happening with Trump, the uncertainty, the impact on inflation, the probability of a recession is probably around 30% to 35% probability. If that stays and we don’t go into a recession, but we see a material slowdown in US growth, I think that’s positive for Africa and that will be positive for Nigeria.” 

However, Esemuede warned that if the U.S. goes into a recession, it will negatively affect everyone because the dollar will strengthen as there will be a flight to safety.

Weak dollar beneficial for emerging markets 

Chief Investment Officer at Cordros Capital LTD, Arnold Dublin-Green, shared a similar view. According to him, a weak dollar is beneficial for emerging markets.

“A weak dollar also means our commodity prices are good. Commodity exports in countries like us, like Ghana (gold), South Africa, Kenya exports flowers. It’s good for Africa. It’s good for EM. So we all have the same view.” 

He added, “And that’s the crowded trade that you’re seeing right now. Everyone’s saying, ‘Okay, hold on a minute. It’s a weak dollar we’re going into. Let me look for cheaper assets in countries that export commodities. Our external debts also get serviced, so it’s better for us. So weak dollar, where it’s going right now, looks positive for us.”  

What you should know 

• On Wednesday, China’s Premier Li Qiang announced that China would again boost its defence spending by 7.2% this year and warned that “changes unseen in a century were unfolding across the world at a faster pace.” This increase was expected and matches the figure announced last year.
• Leaders in Beijing are trying to send a message to people in China that they are confident the country’s economy can grow, even with the threat of a trade war.
• China has been keen to portray an image of being a stable, peaceful country in contrast to the US, which Beijing accuses of being embroiled in wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

China may also hope to capitalise on Trump’s actions relating to US allies such as Canada and Mexico, which have also been hit by tariffs, and will not want to ramp up the rhetoric too far to scare off potential new global partners.

[NaijaNews]