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Three suspects have been taken into custody by men from the Edo State Police Command for allegedly stealing two cars during a state church campaign.
The state commissioner of police, Funsho Adeboye, paraded the suspects with other suspected criminals over the weekend. He claimed the suspects were apprehended after tracking down the stolen phone and the cars that one of the suspects had given as a gift to a female acquaintance.
The suspects are Augustine Ikponmwoba (62), Roland Ibizugbe (63), and Blessing Joseph (36).
According to Adeboye, Joy Mordi and Peter Abiwo told the police that they had parked their N3.5 million Toyota Camry cars with the license plates MUS 791GA and USL 93AM at Garrick Memorial Ground in order to attend a crusade. However, when the crusade came to an end, they realized that their cars had been stolen from their parking spot.
Naija News reports that he said that over the course of the inquiry, one of the phones from Mordi’s car was found on a female suspect named Joseph.
During questioning, the suspect admitted to the police that she had received the phone from her male acquaintance Ikponmwoba 62.
“Ikponmwoba’s arrest led the police to Ibizugbe. The suspects have confessed to the crime and will be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded,” he said.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is to supply fuel to about 150,000 retail outlets operated by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria following a meeting between the management of the refinery and executives of IPMAN.
Last week Monday, The PUNCH exclusively reported that IPMAN had scheduled a meeting with the management of Dangote refinery as regards the supply of products to independent marketers.
When contacted on Friday evening to confirm if the meeting was held, the President, IPMAN, Abubakar Maigandi, stated that the association had finally met with the management of the refinery, adding that the latter agreed to supply products to the over 30,000 members of IPMAN.
This came as it was further gathered that the regulator of the downstream oil sector was currently examining the refined products from the refinery before the facility would be given approval to dispense fuel to the market.
Recall that seven major oil marketers in Nigeria had registered with the refinery for the lifting and distribution of refined petroleum products produced by the $20bn plant.
The report stated that dealers under the aegis of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria confirmed on Sunday that with the registration, they would commence the distribution of fuel produced from the facility once the commercial terms were sorted.
The seven major marketers include 11 Plc, Conoil Plc, Ardova Plc, MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, OVH Energy Marketing Limited, Total Nigeria Plc and NNPC Retail.
Similarly, the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria had also stated that PETROAN was engaging the management of the multi-billion dollar refinery for the supply of products from the facility.
On January 12, 2024, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced that it had commenced the production of Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called diesel, and JetA1 also known as aviation fuel.
Commenting on the outcome of the meeting between IPMAN and the Dangote refinery during a conversation with our correspondent on Friday, the association’s president said the management of the plant would be supplying products to the 150,000 stations of IPMAN nationwide.
“The meeting went well, so right now we are just expecting their reply in terms of products that they are going to give us. They have agreed to dispense products to IPMAN members,” Maigandi stated.
Asked to state the number of oil marketers that are members of IPMAN, he replied, “We have 30,000 members as of our last census, which was done two years ago. And they agreed to supply products to us. Also, our retail outlets are 150,000 stations across the country.”
Probed further to tell whether every member and station of IPMAN would be able to get supply from Dangote, Maigandi said, “What he (Dangote) is producing is for Nigeria’s consumption. He can supply Nigeria and can export some of the products.
“It is not a small refinery. It is a very big refinery. I was there to see things for myself and it is a massive refinery.”
When told that Dangote promised to get the products to the market in January, and whether this was realistic based, the IPMAN President stated that there was hope.
“There is hope since they have started production. Immediately when they finish production, the next thing is to sell. I can confirm this because I was there myself. And I know immediately he gets approval to sell, he can start selling at any time.
“So it is not a small project. It is a very good thing for Nigeria. They are to start with aviation fuel and diesel. You know that independent petroleum marketers also buy diesel.
“Therefore by God’s grace, our 30,000 members are ready to buy and distribute across the 150,000 retail outlets nationwide. So anywhere you go you will see fuel. The issue of scarcity of fuel will be no more once he (Dangote) starts,” Maigandi stated.
On whether IPMAN discussed pricing with the management of the refinery, he said, “No we didn’t discuss the price, but all that we know is that the price is going to be a little bit lower than what we have been selling.”
The Dangote refinery, located in Lagos, has so far received six million barrels of crude oil at its two SPMs located 25km from the shore. The first crude delivery was done on December 12, 2023, and the 6th cargo was delivered on January 8, 2024.
The refinery can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries. The products from the refinery will conform to Euro V specifications, according to the firm.
“The refinery design complies with the World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources emission/effluent norms, employing state-of-the-art technology,” the company had stated in a statement.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical Project, a subsidiary of Dangote Industries Limited, is a 650,000 barrels per day crude oil refinery, located in Dangote Industries Free Zone, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery is an industrial plant that transforms crude oil into various usable petroleum products such as diesel, gasoline, jet fuel, and kerosene.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery with a capacity to refine 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day covers an area of approximately 2,635 hectares in the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos.
Regulators examine products
Officials of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources said the regulator of the downstream oil sector had been visiting the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to carry out the processes required to issue regulatory approvals before the release of diesel and aviation fuel into the market.
The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, had stated on Friday that the products would be released to the market after regulatory approvals.
“We have started the production of diesel and aviation fuel, and the products will be in the market within this month once we receive regulatory approvals. This is a big day for Nigeria.
“We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone. This is an important achievement for our country as it demonstrates our ability to develop and deliver large capital projects. This is a game changer for our country, and I am very fulfilled with the actualisation of this project,” Dangote had stated.
When asked whether the regulatory approvals had been issued to the facility to release products into the market, an official of the petroleum ministry replied in the negative.
The official, who pleaded not to be named due to lack of authorisation, was, however, quick to state that the process was ongoing, as officials from the NMDPRA had been visiting the plant.
“There is no licence yet. But it is in the process because the licence is not just issued like that. There are things that should be done and these things must be completed, and they (regulatory officials) are there right now as we speak.
“The issuance of a licence goes through a process. So we have to go through that process. But it is said that the products are to be in the market before the end of this month and so before it comes to market, it is expected that they would have issued it,” the source stated.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated the Dangote refinery in May 2023. The facility missed its crude oil refining target a number of times due to the non-supply of crude to the plant by oil producers.
It, however, started receiving crude oil batches of one million barrels each in December 2023 and got the 6th batch of one million barrels of crude this month. Officials at the plant had explained that the refinery required six million barrels of crude to commence production.
A faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has insisted that the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, remains expelled from the party.
The faction added that Buba Galadima, as well as the entire membership of the old National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by Alhaji Abbah Kawu, has also been expelled.
The position of the faction was contained in a statement on Saturday, by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Dr. Temitope Aluko.
He further called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop dealing with the affected persons, update its records and recognize the expulsion of the affected persons.
“Once again, may we use this public space to remind the INEC, through its chairman, that we have requested the urgent need to update their records of the National Executive Committee of the NNPP.
“It is instructive to indicate herein that the constitution of the NNPP is supreme and binding on all members, without prejudice to the overarching Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act.
“With the nation’s Constitution being the unquestionable ground norm, every other establishment in Nigeria derives its powers of establishment and operations from the said Constitution,” Aluko said.
He added that INEC does not have the power to meddle in the internal affairs of a party as such powers are not constitutionally granted to the electoral body.
“However, INEC does not have powers to meddle in the internal administration and management of political parties.
“Otherwise, it will be equivalent to an avoidable breach of the constitutional rights of Nigerians to associate freely.
“What we try to put across herein is simple and unambiguous.
“The extant powers of the board members of the NNPP about resolution of the party’s internal matters are very clear.
“The board has powers to call to order, any member who acts contrary to its norms,” he said.
The BOT chairman submitted that the unceremonious exit of the NNPP’s former National Chairman, Prof. Rufai Alkali, Prof. Angwe Samuel, and Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, among others, were pointers that all was not well with the internal administration of the party.
He accused the former NNPP NWC members of corruption, high-handedness, lack of transparency, and accountability.
“All these avoidable acts of gross misconduct led to the invitation of the concerned persons by the Board of Trustees for explanation but they refused to provide answers to the queries.
“Indeed, the board had to invoke its inherent powers by calling them all to order and decisively expelling them.
“The action of the board, having subsequently been ratified by the General Assembly of the Party, has been communicated to the Chairman of INEC, and the commission duly acknowledged the same and pledged to update its records.
“The surprising and very embarrassing thing today is that INEC is still dealing with the expelled members of the party.
“This is aside from the fact that this matter is pending before a Federal High Court, with INEC duly served and notified,” Aluko said.
Aspirants hoping to clinch the Labour Party (LP) ticket for the September 21 Edo State governorship polls have rejected the N30 million charged by the party for expression of interest and nomination forms.
This was made known by one of the aspirants, Dr Egbe Omorodion, who told newsmen in Benin on Sunday that all the governorship aspirants want a reduced fee and have scheduled a meeting for Monday, to take a stand on the matter.
According to him, if the Labour Party could reduce the fees for Imo State to N15m, then the same should be done for Edo State.
Naija News recalls the party had announced that interested aspirants in the party’s ticket for Edo State would pay N30 million for nomination and expression of interest forms. The party also fixed February 22 for the conduct of the primary election.
But according to Omorodion, the fee is outrageous and the party leadership should consider a reduction of the amount.
“I, as an aspirant, am saying that this amount is outrageously ridiculous.
“I see the move as a strategy to stifle the voices of those who joined LP with a genuine desire to serve the Edo people.
“If the party’s leadership reduced the fee to N15 million for the Imo election, why can’t it do the same for the Edo election?”
“My appeal is that I don’t think my voice and those of others who believe in my project should be muted by this huge amount.
“A good number of aspirants and supporters may become disgruntled and may just take a walk if the party leadership refuses to budge,” he said.
Omorodion, who is the LP Chairman, UK chapter, said edo State could be robbed of imminently qualified persons if the fee is not reduced.
He added, “Edo people may be denied the opportunity of my dream and desires to take the state to the next level.”
“Yes, other aspirants are also dissatisfied with the fee. We will be meeting on Monday.
“Hopefully, we will be able to come up with a position on the matter.”
In a bid to achieve year 2024 revenue target and improve its performance, Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OGIRS), has digitalised the minimum tax payment process.
The Chairman of OGIRS, Mr. Olugbenga Olaleye, while charging participants at a training session, organised for Tax Office Managers and Officers in the Minimum Tax Unit in Abeokuta, said digitisation of all tax transactions in the state would assist the agency to capture more taxpayers and appropriately assess them, in order to improve revenue generation.
Mr. Olaleye, according to Mrs. Abolanle Ogunlami, Head Information Unit, OGIRS, noted that minimum tax was one area of taxation with the greatest challenge, in terms of data gathering, saying embracing digitisation would ensure a seamless process.
While appreciating the staff for their performance in the previous year, the Chairman enjoined them to put in more effort, be more focused and ready to work as a team, to achieve and surpass the year 2024 revenue target.
Earlier, the Director of Field Operations, Mr. Hezekiah Sobayo, said the training was organised to put participants through the process of digitally harnessing the potential in minimum tax for improved revenue performance.
One of the participants at the training, Mrs. Sobayo Kotoye, described the initiative as a welcome idea that would not only improve revenue but enhance their performance as Tax Officers.
Also present at the training were Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Information and Technology, Mr. Ayodele Bush, Directors, Tax Office Managers and heads of the informal sector across the state.
Software giant, Microsoft, has reported a breach on its system by Russian government-backed hackers known as Midnight Blizzard, with a warning that all organizations now face risks from well-resourced nation-state threat actors.
The company disclosed this in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday.
Microsoft disclosed that the hackers gained access to some of its corporate email accounts, including members of its senior leadership team and employees in its cybersecurity, legal, and other functions. It said the attackers were able to exfiltrate some emails and attached documents from its system.
According to Microsoft, the hackers who gained access to its system from late November 2023 until they were discovered on January 12, 2024, were targeting information relating to them on Microsoft’s system.
The filling
Providing the details of the attack in the SEC filing, Microsoft said:
- “The Microsoft security team detected a nation-state attack on our corporate systems on January 12, 2024, and immediately activated our response process to investigate, disrupt malicious activity, mitigate the attack, and deny the threat actor further access.
- Microsoft has identified the threat actor as Midnight Blizzard, the Russian state-sponsored actor also known as Nobelium. As part of our ongoing commitment to responsible transparency as recently affirmed in our Secure Future Initiative (SFI), we are sharing this update.
- “Beginning in late November 2023, the threat actor used a password spray attack to compromise a legacy non-production test tenant account and gain a foothold, and then used the account’s permissions to access a very small percentage of Microsoft corporate email accounts, including members of our senior leadership team and employees in our cybersecurity, legal, and other functions, and exfiltrated some emails and attached documents.
Microsoft added that its investigation indicates the attackers were initially targeting email accounts for information related to Midnight Blizzard itself.
The company said it was in the process of notifying employees whose email was accessed.
Customers not affected
The company, however, noted that the attack was not the result of a vulnerability in its products or services as customers were not affected. According to Microsoft, to date, there is no evidence that the threat actor had any access to customer environments, production systems, source code, or AI systems. Microsoft said it would notify its customers if any action is required.
- “This attack does highlight the continued risk posed to all organizations from well-resourced nation-state threat actors like Midnight Blizzard.
- “As we said late last year when we announced Secure Future Initiative (SFI), given the reality of threat actors that are resourced and funded by nation states, we are shifting the balance we need to strike between security and business risk – the traditional sort of calculus is simply no longer sufficient.
- “For Microsoft, this incident has highlighted the urgent need to move even faster. We will act immediately to apply our current security standards to Microsoft-owned legacy systems and internal business processes, even when these changes might disrupt existing business processes,” the company stated.
Microsoft said this would likely cause some level of disruption while it adapts to this new reality, but it is a necessary step, and only the first of several we would be taking to embrace this philosophy.
[Nairametrics]
The Police Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has urged Nigerians to report anyone seen with live ammunition to curb arms proliferation in Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement shared on Sunday on his official X account.
Sharing a picture of live ammunition, Adejobi said, “These are live ammunition, called “èpà” or “groundnuts” in the street.
“They are deadly, not to be seen with anyone except security agents. Statutory security agents, no other ones.
“If you see them with any friend or civilian, please expose him or her. We need to collectively curb the proliferation of arms and ammunition in Nigeria.”
Recall that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Fayoade on Thursday paraded 34 suspects of crimes including armed robbery, stealing, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms one month into office.
In what Fayoade called a mark of his achievements since taking office, the police commissioner listed no fewer than 14 cases cracked and a recovery of a total of 16 firearms including a toy pistol, 72 live cartridges, 75 live ammunition, one expended cartridge and one pistol magazine.
The police also recovered six axes, four daggers, one digger, five cutlasses, two vehicles, one POS Machine, fake registration plates and various charms.
[Punch]
Former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi has urged Nigerian youths seeking relocation from the country to consider opportunities they have in Nigeria and stay back.
In an interview with Arise TV, the former Rivers State Governor claimed that there are juicy opportunities back in Nigeria that those seeking greener pastures in other countries may not have.
According to him, there are possibilities of someone to suddenly emerge as a leader in the country.
He said, “I’ve always discouraged the people who want to leave the country. I say, if you want a 9 to 5, yes you can always get that when you leave the country, but you can never get the opportunity we have in Nigeria.
“You can just wake up one day, you become a minister and you can just wake up one day and you become a governor. It just happens. So, if you are looking for opportunities, please stay back in Nigeria but if you are looking for a 9 to 5, then you can go.”
The former presidential aspirant also blamed the country’s economy for the ravaging crimes in Nigeria.
According to him, the Nigerian economy is too small and cannot accommodate everybody, leading to robbery and other crimes.
“If all of us start working in Shell now, there would be no time to go and rob or kill because you leave at 6am and by the time you come back at 6pm, you will be tired, so, my advice to them is to get your degree if you can and if you can’t, well, I am lucky”, he added.
[DailyPost]
One Nnamdi Agu has been arrested for purportedly fabricating his own abduction to deceive his relatives.
In a statement released on Saturday evening, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, refuted claims suggesting the occurrence of a kidnapping incident at the River Park Estate, Lugbe.
According to her, no individual was abducted within the estate, firmly asserting that Nnamdi orchestrated his own kidnapping as a means to defraud his brother, who happens to be a resident of the aforementioned estate.
The statement reads, “The FCT Police Command is aware of the news making rounds about an alleged kidnapping incident at River Park estate on Saturday and wishes to state that contrary to reports, nobody was kidnapped in River Park Estate.
“One Nnamdi Agu ‘m’ of Games Village only faked his own kidnap in an attempt to defraud his brother who lives within the said Estate.
“The suspect is currently in police custody undergoing interrogation.
“While an investigation is still ongoing, further development would be communicated to the public.”
A former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has disclosed that the only financial benefit he receives from the government is N577,000 monthly pension as a former governor of Lagos State.
He also said that he is not receiving billions of naira from the federal government as speculated by some Nigerians, after serving eight years as the minister.
Fashola said this on Saturday while appearing as a guest on Arise TV programme, “Perspectives.”
When asked if there were financial benefits accrued to him as a former public servant, he said, “The benefit I get I think is N577,000 monthly pension from Lagos State. That’s all I get.
“So, in spite of all the stories that we got several billions of money (after leaving office), I’ve come out to deny that repeatedly. Well I don’t know how long it lasts, but all I know is that I get N577,000 per month consistently.”
When asked if there were other benefits from the federal government, he said “no.”
Responding to a question on if he could advise current public office holders, the former Lagos governor said he was not in the position to issue advice but admonished that they “should remain true and authentic” in their duties.
In September 2023, Fashola said he did not need to hold office for serving in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“I do not need a title to serve: the president can only appoint at least one minister, for example, from each state in which he has done that,” Fashola had said.
[DailyPost]
More...
United States Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Molly Phee has given an insight into what Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will discuss with President Bola Tinubu in Nigeria next week.
Phee spoke at a teleconference.
The Secretary is also visiting Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire and Angola.
He said the internal security challenges in Nigeria will be a major talking point between Blinken and Tinubu.
The U.S., he said, has had a longstanding security partnership with Nigeria, which has been battered by ISIS-WA, Boko Haram and bandits.
“We can never get away, though, from peace and security issues. So, when we are in Cote d’Ivoire, we’ll talk about the situation in the Sahel and coastal West Africa.
“As many of you know, Nigeria is dealing with a lot of internal security challenges. And Angola has played a really important role in trying to address and reduce the tensions in the eastern Congo.
“So those will also be topics I expect we’ll discuss,” Phee said.
The talks in Nigeria, he said, will also include artificial intelligence, an African seat on the Security Council, and Security Council reform.
“So, there’s a lot to discuss, a lot of work we do together on the continent and globally, and that’s going to be the focus of the trip,” Phee said.
He added that the visit was a follow-up to last year’s U.S Africa Leaders Summit.
Phee said: “It’s in part a follow-up to the very successful U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit that we held in December 2022.
“The Secretary wants to go to the continent and demonstrate and assess the follow-up that the United States has undertaken to implement the commitments and topics we discussed during the summit.
“So, we’ll be looking at issues like our economic partnership, how are we promoting the development of commercial ties?
“We’ll be looking at our longstanding health partnership. We’re looking at areas that really excite the Secretary, particularly in food security.
“We’ll be, of course, sort of furbishing our diplomatic constant engagement on so many issues, not only on the continent but in the global conversation.
“So, there’s a lot to do to show where we are, what we’ve done, and where we’re going.
“We think this trip will hopefully be very positive. A lot of times, the news out of Africa is negative.
“I think it can highlight the great capacity of the African people, particularly the youth.
“It can show really forward-looking types of engagements – for example, our partnership with Angola in outer space.
“And I think it will demonstrate the advances that Africans have made that will contribute to the continued progress on the continent.”
On the military bombing in Kaduna, Phee said: “I wouldn’t call it an attack. The Nigerians have admitted it was an operational error that tragically killed people in Kaduna State.
“I think the Secretary will definitely talk about that with the president.
“The president and the leadership of Nigeria went to Kaduna State. They acted with transparency, immediately acknowledged the horrific accident.
“They set up a reparation process and a transparent investigation. So, they have, I think, responded to that tragedy in a constructive way that will contribute to rebuilding confidence of the Nigerian people and the security services.
“And these issues of how to protect civilians when doing complex operations in a fraught security environment, which Nigeria is dealing with, the importance of promoting and protecting human rights, including religious freedom, and, again, sort of the best practices of accountability and transparency, are part of our ongoing dialogue with the government and with the security services.
“We host – we are hosting this week a Nigerian delegation led by the national security adviser, and we hosted about four hours of discussions here at the State Department yesterday, and that was a running theme throughout the day.
“So, I’m certain the Secretary will talk about it when he sees the president and the foreign minister.”
[TheNation]
A survivor of the explosion which occurred in Ibadan, on Tuesday, Mr Abiola AbduIsalam, said he jumped from a storey building on Dejo Oyelese Street, Adeyi Avenue, Ibadan, where the explosion happened, to save his life.
AbduIsalam spoke with Sunday PUNCH at one of the wards of the University College Hospital where he was receiving treatment.
Recounting his experience, he said, “If I can recollect, I was inside Harrington Hotel around the area where the explosion occurred. So, immediately I heard the bang, I had to jump from the first floor of the building where I was with my friends.
“After I had landed the on the ground while still conscious, I tried to stand up and walk but I couldn’t, and it was then I noticed I had a fracture on one of my legs.
“While alone in that state for about three minutes, my friends who had escaped through the staircase, which I couldn’t easily locate because of panic caused by the explosion, searched around and found me still conscious, and swiftly brought me to this ward.”
In another development, Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, on Saturday, condemned the Tuesday explosion in Ibadan.
Adams urged Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, to bring the culprits responsible for the explosion to book.
Adams, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, described the incident as very unfortunate, and advised the government to unravel the perpetrators and bring them to book.
In another development, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, visited the University College Hospital, Ibadan, on Saturday to empathise with victims of Tuesday’s massive explosion in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the minister and members of UCH management, led by the Chief Medical Director, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo toured the hospital to assess the impact of the explosion.
[Punch]
•96 hours of horror, 85 seized
•How security was breached at Army Estate, lawyer’s wife, in-law abducted …captors demand N30m ransom
Beneath the veneer of development and progress, modern infrastructure, serene environment and bustling streets, which also, ultimately, stand as a symbol of national pride, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, is experiencing a new wave of terror that is shaking the city to its foundation.
Sunday Vanguard reports that, in recent months, Abuja has been plagued by a series of abductions.
The kidnappers target children, youths and families, causing panic and pain among residents.
They appear well-coordinated, operating in broad daylight, often at busy intersections or near public places such as markets and schools.
They also carry out their operations at night.
The breakdown of those abducted by the bloodthirsty terrorists indicates that between Thursday, January 4 and Sunday, January 7 (96 hours), a total of 85 persons were allegedly abducted.
And penultimate Thursday alone, 22 people were said to have been kidnapped in Kawu village, Bwari Area Council.
Recall also that on January 7, daredevil gunmen invaded Sagwari Layout Estate, Dutse, Abuja with sophisticated weapons and abducted at least ten persons.
Days later, reports said the terrorists may have killed three of the victims in their custody to send a strong warning to their relatives negotiating ransom.
Reports also said the assailants had increased the N60 million per person ransom they were demanding to N100 million.
One of the recent incidents is the abduction of six sisters and their father in the Bwari Area Council of the FCT by bandits on January 13, 2024.
The killing of Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, one of the girls, has generated anger among Nigerians.
The sisters were among the 23 others abducted by the bandits who reportedly also killed a policeman and injured another one during the attack.
One Folorunsho Ariyo was killed alongside Nabeeha by the hoodlums and their corpses and two other unidentified bodies were reportedly dumped around a former military checkpoint behind Idah Junction along the Bwari-Jere SCC Road in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Latest attack
Barely a week after, Sunday Vanguard reports that, on Thursday morning, two persons were, again, abducted after kidnappers invaded the Nigeria Post Army Estate, Kurudu, Abuja, taking away a woman, her driver and house help, after shooting her husband.
According to the wife of a retired general who preferred anonymity and lives in the estate, the incident occurred at the Phase II area of the estate occupied mainly by retired and serving military personnel.
She explained that the kidnappers sneaked into the estate, took away the woman identified as the wife of a lawyer, Mr Cyril Adikwu, her driver and house girl.
Narrating the incident, a neighbor of the victims, name withheld, said that when she heard gun shots at about 9.38pm she knew something was wrong.
“When I heard gunshots, I knew something was wrong. So, I went to my gate and ensured it was properly locked”, the eye witness said.
“Hardly had I done that when I heard other gun shots, this time in the house of my neighbor, lawyer Adikwu.
“We alerted the estate’s management and immediately, soldiers emerged, shooting and advancing towards Adikwu’s house, but before they could arrive, the kidnappers had vamoosed with their captives”.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that the kidnappers entered Adikwu’s home when their driver was returning from an errand.
According to the source, as the house girl opened the gate for the driver, about six heavily armed men walked in and surrounded them.
They went into the living room, shot at Mr Adiukwu, before taking away his driver, house girl and wife, who was watching television with her husband in the living room.
Sympathizers who gathered after the incident thought Adiukwu was dead but he explained that the bullet fired at him miraculously hit the pillar, thereby saving him and that his attackers must have thought they killed him.
It was further gathered that the kidnappers have contacted the family, demanding N30m ransom while security agencies have swung into action aimed at rescuing the abductees, unhurt.
The source attributed the kidnappers’ successful entry into the estate to the activities of people she described as illegal land sellers in the area, who she alleged sold other pieces of land adjacent, thereby making fencing impossible at one end.
She said part of the estate was not fenced, contrary to the original plan and that the kidnappers disappeared through that unfenced part.
Other residents, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said they were traumatized by the incident because, according to them, they could not sleep for the rest of the night, for fear that the kidnappers may return to abduct more people.
They called on the FCT Development Authority, FCTDA, to re-visit the Abuja Master Plan and cut off any illegal extension preventing the fencing of the property.
Efforts to speak to the FCT Police Command proved abortive at press time.
Uniform
This was also the case when residents of Dei-Dei town located off Kubwa-Zuba Road, under Bwari area council in Abuja, were thrown into shock recently following the abduction of over 23 residents of the community, mostly taken from three housing estates in the area.
Sunday Vanguard gathered that the kidnappers, said to be mostly in military uniform, arrived at the livestock layout area located on the edge of the popular Abuja livestock market, Dei-Dei, around 8 pm and carried out their operation quietly.
Barely 48 hours after, two children and nine adults were taken away by kidnappers at Gbaupe village, behind Aco Estate along Airport Road in Abuja.
The spate of kidnappings led members of the Middle-Belt Youth Forum in Abuja to protest.
On their part, some residents, who spoke to our correspondent, voiced their growing concerns over the alarming rise of kidnappings in Abuja.
Lamentations
A tech expert, Smith Ujah, while blaming government for the unsavory situation, said: “This government can’t even secure the life of its citizens. Take a brief moment and look at the hardship and killing of innocent people that is going on.”
A human right activist, Somto Okonkwo, on his part, said: “Abuja is not safe. Kidnappers, armed bandits and terrorists are on the rampage. Seven members of a family, including six girls, were said to have been kidnapped in their Bwari residence on January 13. The father was later released to go and get 60 million to secure the release of his children.
“He failed to do so, and the kidnappers killed one of his daughters named Nabeeha. But, his other daughters are still alive. The kidnappers have now increased the ransom money to N65 million and gave a three-day deadline. Failure to raise the money and another person will be killed.”
Another resident, Chris Ani, said: “This kidnapping news is paining me to my bones
What level of irresponsible government do we have in this country? Abuja ought to be the safest city in this country especially for housing the federal capital. God have mercy on Nigeria.”
Expressing frustration over the security situation in Abuja, a Zuba based trader, Mr. Ahmed Usman, said: “It’s terrifying to think that you or your loved ones could be snatched away at any moment. Abuja used to be a safe place, but now it feels like we’re walking a tightrope.
“I can’t even let my children play outside anymore. It’s heartbreaking to witness this decline in safety and security in our once peaceful city.”
A teacher, Mrs. Rebecca Akintola, also speaking, said: “The increasing cases of kidnappings are truly horrifying and deeply concerning. It’s heart-wrenching to hear about innocent individuals, especially children, being taken away from their families and subjected to such unimaginable trauma.
“As these incidents continue to rise, it becomes paramount for our society to prioritize safety measures and put forth collective efforts to combat this heinous crime.”
Mr Joel Adewale, a civil servant, said his daughter was attacked recently on her way from Wuse to Gwagwalada.
According to him, the daughter was taken to a lonely road off Airport Road before being dispossessed of her belongings.
Adewale added that the girl was forced to put a call across to him to transfer money to her account, which was removed using a PoS machine by the criminals.
“It was more like a case of kidnap for ransom, but I was lucky to have my daughter back after parting with N150, 000,” he added.
Another school teacher, Beatrice Odeh, said: “This horrible, ugly and terrifying word, kidnapping, has become a common word in almost every household in many communities in Nigeria and FCT is not an exemption.
“This ugly incident happens on a daily basis and it’s so worrisome that things continue as if nothing is happening; only affected families bear the ordeal helplessly.
“Unfortunately, the Federal Government that claims to have the citizens’ interests (security of lives and property) seems not to be aware of anything happening around them at all”.
Also speaking, the Gbaupe village head, Chief Danjuma Gejere, said the insecurity situation in the area was getting worse, adding that the community had seen little or no intervention from government.
“I am very worried because as a leader I am answerable to my people and what has just happened is not good”, he said.
“Kidnapping in the FCT? It is troubling. The sad thing is that we have seen little government effort in this area of Gbaupe and I am calling on the Minister of Abuja who I know is a good man to step into this situation and bring security to our people.”
CSOs, stakeholders react
Former spokesman for the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, Mr Daniel Bwala, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to constitute a Security Advisory Council to curb the growing insecurity in the FCT and Nigeria as a whole.
His words: “It’s about time in my view that Mr. President should look at how to establish what I call the National Security Advisory Council, which will consist of retired or serving heads of the security and intelligence platforms, that is, the police, DSS, NIA, Defence and the rest, who will do out-of-the-box thinking because doing one thing over and over and expecting a different result is madness.”
A former senator from Kaduna, Shehu Sani, also said the deterioration of security in parts of Abuja is a direct result of the security situation in the states around the FCT.
He said: “The deterioration of security in parts of Abuja is a direct result of the paralysis of the security situation in the states around Abuja. Abuja cannot be immune as long as its neighbours are infected.”
On his part, the founder, Connected Development, CODE, Hamzat Lawal, alleged that part of the reason for increased kidnapping incidents in Abuja was because the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has a divided attention between being the Minister of FCT and partisan politics in Rivers State.
Lawal, therefore, urged the Minister to call on all security heads to chart a way towards ensuring sustainable security of lives and property in the nation’s capital.
He said: “I think that we have an FCT Minister that is heavily distracted by the politics of Rivers State.
“Abuja is a city and, as a Minister, he is the mayor and the chief executive of Abuja, and, I think, this calls for immediate action and attention where the Minister should call all the security heads from NSCDC to the police and other arms of the security community and also traditional and religious leaders within the metropolis and I also think that this is a high security alert and a call to the police.
“We’ve not had this bad in the FCT. You know this used to be a safe haven. They need to take us back to that and do even much better.”
Porous borders
Speaking about the depth of insecurity in the nation’s capital, the Director General, Coalition of Nigeria Youth on Security and Safety Affairs, CONYSSA, Ambassador Ade Mario Emmanuel, said part of the reasons insecurity thrives in the nation’s capital is because of her porous borders.
Emmanuel tasked the Federal Government to increase the number of security personnel in the FCT and tighten the security at the borders.
He said: “Insecurity in FCT is under reported and why it is under reported is because of the need not to put residents in fear.
“From that end, it was advisable that some of the security challenges and security happenings within FCT should be underreported.
“But, be it as it may, the security agencies in FCT must understand that if there is no proper security in the local communities and local borders that surround the FCT, automatically FCT is very porous.
“If Gwagwalada is not well secured, bandits, kidnappers will keep coming into the FCT and kidnap and go successfully free.
“If the security of Kuje is not properly checked, it automatically means that criminals will enter the FCT and go successfully.
“So, all these local communities should now be a serious focus because these are the hideouts of these criminal elements.
“We are calling on the Nigerian government that it is high time for the Bill on Peace Corps should be taken with seriousness because there is shortage of manpower within the security architecture of the country.
“So, we are saying that security agencies are doing their best but they don’t have that strong manpower to curtail what is happening.
“Also, let a body be constituted to bring all heads of youth organizations together to bring a kind of holistic approach to the fight against crime.”
Poverty
Speaking on why kidnapping has remained a moving business in Nigeria, particularly in Abuja, the Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED), Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, said: “We are living in the era of insecurity in Nigeria and there’s no sign that it will abate soon because what really drives people into crime is poverty, unemployment and lack of good governance and all these are all in place and, therefore, you have the mass population of people that are unemployed.
“Able-bodied men and women all over the country are not productively engaged; then even the little means of survival that the people live on has been completely taken away from them by the so-called removal of fuel subsidy and lack of basic facilities for the people.
“So, Abuja’s case became very pronounced because it is the capital of Nigeria and then it is also believed that most of the richest men and women in Nigeria reside in Abuja and, therefore, it is easy for whoever that is kidnapped must more or less be someone of affluence that could easily pay ransom. That is why Abuja case became worrisome.”
On the way forward, he said: “I think the only way we can overcome these challenges is when governance is situated in such a way that the people that are meant to benefit from the governance system benefit and that is by providing employment, ensuring that both the young and the elderly are taken care of and then having the right policies in place that really shake corruption, not what we have today.”
Shedding light on the development, the Managing Director, Beacon Security, Dr Kabir Adamu, noted that the FCT security department had failed to put in place efficient and effective security management systems.
“In simple terms, the FCTA, especially its security department and the FCT security committee, has not put in place an effective and efficient security management system that is a combination of people, technology, and systems with the ability for proactive and reactive security including the elements to deter, detect and to delay threat actors”, Adamu said.
“The other elements are the ability to respond, review and recover. These six elements have several components that failed when my consultancy did a desktop audit to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the security management system in place in the FCT at the moment.
“To properly understand the context of my statement, it is important to situate the FCT, Abuja. It shares boundaries with four states that are all security-challenged. These are Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States.
“All have threat elements including varied forms of non-state armed groups that have the capacity to use the forested and mountainous paths in the border communities of the FCT to these states to come in and attack innocent residents and escape back through the same routes,” he added.
[Vanguard]
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has issued a stern warning about potential industrial action due to delays in establishing a committee to discuss the new minimum wage for public sector workers.
The Federal Government’s inertia in naming its representatives to the committee has been a primary cause for concern, particularly as labour unions have declared their readiness to commence negotiations.
This development comes amidst growing frustrations among workers grappling with the surging cost of living.
Since the removal of the fuel subsidy by the Federal Government, there has been a significant increase in the prices of goods and services, leading to rampant inflation.
The impact has been profound, with workers finding their current wages insufficient to cover basic needs.
In June 2023, a group of workers and labour leaders called for a substantial increase in the minimum wage, from N30,000 to N250,000, citing the dire economic situation.
This figure was later adjusted to N200,000.
The Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Chris Onyeka, highlighted the plight of many workers who are struggling to pay rent and school fees for their children.
He also noted the dramatic 300% increase in transportation costs, forcing many civil servants to walk to work.
President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had earlier pledged to prioritize the improvement of living conditions for Nigerians, with a focus on people-centric economic policies.
He assured that the national minimum wage would be reviewed to reflect the current economic realities.
Despite these promises, the hardship for Nigerian workers continues, exacerbated by soaring inflation.
The last minimum wage revision was on April 18, 2019, from N18,000 to N30,000. However, implementation has been uneven across the 36 states, with several yet to comply with the new minimum wage.
The then-Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, emphasized the necessity for all employers in the country to adhere to this national law.
He mentioned that a committee was being formed to propose new wage adjustments for those earning above N30,000.
The TUC expressing its impatience with the government’s slow response, has threatened to launch a strike if the issue is not addressed with urgency.
The Deputy President of the TUC, Tommy Etuk, expressed dissatisfaction in an interview with Punch, stressing the overdue need for a new minimum wage, which was expected by April 2024.
The TUC and other labour organizations have already appointed representatives for the National Minimum Wage Review Committee, which is legally tasked with overseeing negotiations and advising the government on suitable wage rates in line with economic changes.
He said, “If there is no agreement on the minimum wage review, there’s nothing anyone can do. I assure you that it is a recipe for industrial disharmony. The government should inaugurate the committee and let it start work on time to see some grey areas where we can agree or disagree, and work in tandem with the principle of collective bargaining so that we can arrive at a collective agreement.
“We believe it’s the best option rather than waiting for the 11th hour to decide what to give to the organised labour. It will not work that way.”
Etuk added that the right thing for the Federal Government to do was to set up the National Minimum Wage Committee to oversee the modalities across the board.
He said, “The National Minimum Wage Committee should have been inaugurated because the task ahead is a difficult one. It’s not about getting the committee in place and there is a lot to be done. It is about the government to inaugurate the committee and appoint a chairman so that they can start work in earnest.
“April is around the corner, and if things are not done this January, things might get out of hand. This isn’t going to be a fire brigade matter like they always do.
“But I can assure you that the organised labour will not leave any stone unturned to ensure that the needful is done. Whether it is a delay strategy on the part of the government, or not, we have got to follow due process, because it is a matter of law.
“This is because it will go to the National Assembly and the President before it becomes a law.
“The government is conscious of this, and on our part, we’ve done what we should’ve done. It’s just for them to inaugurate the committee and the committee will start working.”
Etuk added that Tinubu seemed like a man who would not play with the welfare of workers since he had been talking about living wage before he became President.
Speaking on the living wage, Etuk said a lot of things must be considered such as transportation, housing, health and education.
He said, “These are critical components that will form the negotiation for minimum wage. With what’s going on now, it’s not even enough. In a month, a worker will spend not less than N70,000 on transportation. We’ve not even spoken of rent where a one-bedroom apartment goes for about N400,000.
“When you consider all these and look at the negotiation of the N200,000 minimum wage that was then. It’s no longer realistic to look at the inflation rate, which is 28.9 per cent as of today.
“Whatever is being given as minimum wage is to be consumed by inflation. Even the N200,000 being clamoured by organised labour, I don’t think that is the right thing to do. This wage doesn’t cover the National Health Scheme and you don’t expect a worker to die because of cancer or another life-threatening disease.
“These are the components that will form the discussion and engagement with the government on a minimum wage that will be measured.”
Etuk added that negotiations had successfully started across the 36 states for a living wage as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy.
He stated, “When it comes to the issue of palliative, it is to ensure that there is industrial peace and harmony, and also to stop the socio-economic challenges facing the workers. We believe that it is incumbent on the NLC and the TUC in the states to develop a strategy to engage the government to do the needful.
“Most of the state governors have been saying they’ve given palliatives in terms of an additional N10,000 every month, some said they’ve paid 13th month salary and also distributed grains.
“It is incumbent on every organised labour in the states to develop a strategy to engage the government to do the necessary things. We are also begging the Federal Government to live up to the memorandum of understanding they consciously signed on the payment of the N35,000 wage award. I can also assure you that the Minister of Labour recently acclaimed that they’re working on it and they know the implications.”