₦airaland Forum

Sequel to the recent security breach in Kwahaslalek community and various parts of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Governor Caleb Mutfwang has issued a stern warning that his administration would not tolerate any further breakdown of law and order in any part of the state.

He urged security operatives to intensify their efforts in ensuring absolute peace across the state.

The governor also implored communities involved to refrain from taking the law into their hands.

Mutfwang disclosed this through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere, in Jos, the State Capital.

He said, “Plateau State Governor, Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has strongly denounced the recent security breach that claimed numerous lives in Kwahaslalek community and various parts of Mangu Local Government Area.

“Expressing profound sorrow, the Governor decried the escalating security challenges that resulted in the destruction of homes and livelihoods, by suspected hoodlums.

“The Governor extended heartfelt condolences to the grieving families, the affected communities, and those injured in the unfortunate incidents. Governor Mutfwang further conveyed sympathy to the residents of Mangu Local Government Area and other affected communities, and urged them to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activities for swift intervention.

“However, he implored the communities involved to refrain from taking the law into their own hands, and restated the state government’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the security of all citizens.

“He acknowledged the crucial role played by security agencies in restoring calm and called for continued collaboration between them and the government to provide maximum protection to all citizens.

“In a stern warning, Governor Mutfwang asserted that his administration would not tolerate any further breakdown of law and order in any part of the state.

“He urged security agencies to intensify their efforts to guarantee absolute peace across the state,” he stated.

The Governor assured that the government is taking proactive measures to halt further destruction of lives and property.

Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, on Wednesday, visited the Nabeeha Alkadiriyahs’ family in Abuja whose kidnapped children were released by their abductors after payment of ransom.

During the visit, the governor spent some time and interacted with the girls who recently regained their freedom from the captors.

In a personal statement released, governor Abdulrazaq said, “I am impressed to see them in high spirits and responding well to their therapies, clearly unbowed to whatever that had happened, and very positive about the future which I’m certain will be better and brighter for them.

“To their parents, whom I had earlier met when the girls were in captivity, I doff my hat for your calm and bold efforts to confront the situation with patriotism and hope in the Almighty. That has greatly paid off.”

He expressed his hearty condolences for the sad loss of Nabeeha and her uncle in the unfortunate circumstances.

“God will comfort the family now and always.

“I trust that the security agencies will hunt down whomever was involved in that incident and similar others; they will not go unpunished.

“We are too strong as a people to bow to the few cowards who target innocent citizens in their nefarious activities,” the governor added.

.ng recalls that the children were abducted in Abuja recently and released after a huge ransom was paid, though two persons lost their lives in the process.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang has imposed a 24-hour curfew on the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, North Central Nigeria, following the deteriorating security situation within the area.

The spokesperson for the governor, Gyang Bere, who announced this in a press statement on Tuesday, said the decision was taken after consultations with relevant security agencies.

Bare also said the move is aimed at preventing a breakdown of law and order in the local government area.

The statement directed residents to comply with the sit-at-home order, noting that only persons on essential duties are allowed to move within the local government area until further notice.

The governor lamented that some people are still determined to create an atmosphere of insecurity in the state despite the government’s efforts to end the activities of terrorist elements.

He expressed sympathy to the families of the victims and the injured, assuring them that the government would not relent in ensuring lasting peace in the state.

Mutfwang promised that the curfew would be reviewed as soon as the security situation improves in the locality.

The 2023 Social Democratic Party, SDP, presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has said President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services, DSS, can end the menace of kidnapping in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

He lamented that the federal government has failed in protecting the citizens, which is its primary responsibilities.

Posting on X, the former presidential candidate wondered why Nigerians continue to suffer in the hands of bandits and kidnappers.

Adebayo said: “As we bemoan and dread bandits and kidnappers, we must bemoan and suspect our government more. It is the duty of the government to stop criminality.

“If @officialABAT, @NuhuRibadu, @PoliceNG and @OfficialDSSNG want to end kidnapping today, they have all it takes. Government is in on it.”

Lately, bandits had attacked and abducted some residents in Bwari Area Council of the FCT.

Similarly, gunmen on Thursday night invaded Hilltop Phase 2 Extension of the Nigerian Army Post-Housing Estate and abducted the wife of a popular lawyer, Barrister Cyril Adikwu and two others.

.ng gathered that the heavily armed men invaded the area around 9 pm, shooting sporadically to scare residents.

Despite military presence in the estate, the kidnappers whisked the victims away.

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has vowed not to take it lightly with politicians obstructing ongoing government projects.

Wike said his mission is to protect the public interest and not massage the selfish egos of politicians.

He spoke while lamenting the decision of a House of Representatives member to obstruct an ongoing project in the Guzape District of FCT over personal gains.

While inspecting some ongoing road projects at Guzape Lot 2, being handled by Gilmour Construction, and Roads B6 and D12 along Constitution Avenue, handled by Julius Berger Construction, Wike said the lawmaker ordered a stop to the project without due process.

“We are not going to take it lightly. This is not a private project; it is a public project, handled by the Federal Capital Territory Administration.

“If there is any complaint, we think that whoever is responsible should complain to us and not go and use the police to stop a legitimate company from constructing work for the use of the public, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council.

“We have directed the contractor to go back and make sure they don’t heed that so-called stoppage. They must go back and complete the work, which we are expecting that Mr President will commission in May,” Wike said.

The Western Nigeria Security Network, also known as Amotekun, on Tuesday arrested two persons in connection with digging of a grave and removal of a fresh human head from a graveyard in Saki, Oyo State.

Saki is a town in Oke Ogun geo-political zone in the State.

.ng gathered that one of the suspects went to the graveyard on Monday evening to dig the grave and remove the head of the deceased buried on the same day.

His accomplice, who sent him on the mission, has also been arrested.

A source in the town who spoke with .ng on Wednesday said that the perpetrators live in Oba Abimbola layout in Saki.

“The perpetrators live at Oba Abimbola layout, off Ogboro Road, Saki

“The middle-aged man was apprehended by Amotekun with the possession of two human heads

“It happened yesterday afternoon. Watch the video for further information on the accomplices,” he said.

State Commandant of Amotekun, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (rtd) confirmed the arrest of the suspects to .ng on Wednesday.

“It is true. Yes it is true,” he said in a telephone chat.

Former lawmaker and social critic Senator Shehu Sani has expressed displeasure with the manner in which political leaders loot the national treasury.

Sani said few individuals in government positions were daily stealing billions of naira while the education sector suffers.

The statement followed allegations of financial misappropriation in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

.ng reported that the duo of ex-minister Sadiya Umar-Farouq and now suspended Minister, Betta Edu, have been interrogated by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, concerning the matter.

Sani decried the fact that tuition fees were “callously” increased in the public universities and polytechnics because “there is no money to fund public tertiary education,” when billions of Naira were being stolen by a few individuals.

He wrote: “Every day new revelations of billions stolen by few individuals; and Tuition fees are callously increased in our public universities and polytechnics because “there is no money to fund public tertiary education”.

Amid the lingering political crisis in Rivers State, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has said he had no regrets about making Siminalayi Fubara governor.

Wike said the decision to make Fubara governor was made to ensure unity in the state.

Speaking at a New Year luncheon he organised in his country home, Rumueprikom, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the Rivers State on Sunday, the minister said he and some leaders of the state picked and worked for Fubara’s emergence.

The immediate past governor also recounted buying nomination forms for Fubara and others who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state.

According to Wike: “Those who open their mouths to talk don’t know anything. I was the one who paid for the forms for anybody who wanted to run for elections as governor, House of Assembly and National Assembly. Let one person raise his hand and say he bought forms.

“We say we are all family members with no need for acrimony. Don’t spend your money, we will agree on who will run. The day we made the final decision, the Chairman of the elders’ council nearly collapsed.

“He is here. OCJ Okocha was there, Awuse was there. Omehia was there. He nearly collapsed. Why? He wanted a governor from the riverine area.

“When I looked at him, I said, ‘Why will I allow this old man to just die.’ I say let’s not create the impression that there are people who want to monopolise power.

“Let’s allow everybody to be part of it because we belong to one Rivers State. If I had wanted, nobody would have stopped me. Nobody had what it takes to even be near me.

“And to God be the glory, I don’t regret what I did and I will never regret what I did because I want the unity of this state for us to forge ahead. If I wanted an Ikwerre man, nobody would have stopped me”.

President Bola Tinubu has said that his administration would not stop working tirelessly to overhaul the nation’s economy and create viable opportunities for the youths to meaningfully participate in an inclusive, labour-intensive economy where businesses can thrive.

Tinubu made this statement at the State House in Marina, Lagos State, on Wednesday, during a town hall meeting with traditional rulers, chairpersons of Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and other political office holders in the state.

He said Nigeria under his Renewed Hope Administration was undergoing a process of financial re-engineering.

He urged citizens to be patient and supportive of the ongoing reforms which were bound to transform the economy for the better.

“The financial re-engineering of our country is ongoing. We are determined to deliver Nigeria safely through the tunnel of hope, stability, and economic prosperity.

“Nigeria is in good hands. The team is working, and we will work hard to give you the best economy and opportunities you can imagine,” the President said.

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested at least four of its operatives for allegedly kidnapping a hotel staff in Port-Harcourt, the state capital.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Olatunji Disu, who confirmed the development during a press briefing, said the four officers involved in the heinous crime have been arrested.

The Commissioner said that he read about the incident on social media and swung into action to ensure that the victim was released and the culprits were arrested.

“They have been arrested. I am waiting for a complaint from the victim, so that I will know what and what to look out for. The officers are in custody.

“We are not hiding anything. When the complaint comes, we will give you details of what we have done. If I don’t get complaints from members of the public on this, I will believe everything is okay. All of us are in this together,” Disu said.

.ng gathered on Tuesday that some policemen on patrol at the weekend, intercepted one Darlington Bieh around Choba in the Obio/Akpor part of the state and whisked him to an unknown destination.

It was learnt that the policemen had after intercepting the victim, searched his bags, pockets, and phone, but found nothing incriminating.

They thereafter saw some photos indicating that Darlington Bieh works in a big hotel.

According to reports, the officers asked the victim to call his family members to send money in millions, threatening that they would kill him and throw his corpse into the Choba River if the family failed to comply.

Bieh, however, called his boss, the owner of the hotel, who quickly alerted a Divisional Police Officer (DPO).

The DPO pretended to be the victim’s father, leading to the arrest of the suspects.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has knocked President Bola Tinubu over what it termed “over-bloated delegation of about 1,411 individuals to the Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates”.

Reports earlier emerged that the President was accompanied by 1,411 Nigerians to the UAE event.

The report had triggered anger across the country as Nigerians accused the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government of being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians.

Reacting, PDP in a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba held that the development further validated insinuation that “the Tinubu-led APC administration is wasteful, frivolous and reckless in the application of the scarce resources of the nation, especially at a time Nigerians are yearning for prudent management of resources to achieve the desired infrastructural regeneration, job creation and revamping of the economy”.

The main opposition party questioned why a country “whose citizens are dying daily from inability to purchase necessities would be willing to fritter its resources and scarce foreign exchange in such a manner.”

According to the PDP, Tinubu’s action of conveying number of individuals to the event, only “points to the fact that this administration is not interested in the good of the generality of our citizens but for a select few positioned to fleece the nation’s resources”.

The party challenged the Presidency to “come clean by making public the names of the official delegation sponsored by the Federal Government to the conference”, stressing that the relevance of such individuals to the conference and the total cost of such sponsorship on the nation should be revealed.