Nelson Ugwuagbo

Women Producers of Local Bread known as Gurasa in their numbers, took to the streets of Kano in protest against the high cost of flour, calling on President Bola Tinubu to come to their aid.

The women carrying placards reading, “Government must do something urgently on the hyper rise of cost of flour’, ”We need government intervention, save our lives,” said they decided to go on the protest to attract the authority’s attention to the cost of flour.

The Chairperson of the Women Gurasa Producers, Fatima Auwal Chediyar Yangurasa, said before now, they buy a 50kg Bag of flour at less than N16,000 but in less than a month the price has skyrocketed to N43,000.

She said, “Life has gradually become difficult for us with many of our members being imprisoned because of debts and their children left to wallow in destitution and abject poverty”.

Fatima added that in Kano, hundreds of children of their members have been sent out of school as their parents can no longer provide for them through the only business they have.

She said, “BUA Floor was the one we largely depend on and it is no longer available in the market because of its high price, most of our members use the BUA products because it yields enough Gurasa for sales”.

The Chairperson also called on the Chairman of BUA, Abdussamad Isiyaku Rabiu to do more by reducing the prices of his flour and consider the difficulties the producers face in their businesses.

She said, “We started the protest against the hike in the price of flour by BUA Flour mills when a bag was sold at N16,000, demanding immediate reversal but today despite our stance the price has reached a whooping N43,000 far bag”.

In a tragic incident, gunmen invaded the palace of Oba Segun Aremu-Cole in Koro Community, Kwara State on Thursday night and fatally shot the monarch and abducted his wife along with two others.

The attack occurred around 7p.m in the community bordering Egbe town in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, confirmed the attack, describing it as shocking and abominable.

A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said: “The monarch was reportedly shot dead in his palace on Thursday night by some unknown gunmen, who also whisked away his wife and two others.

“The governor condemned the development, which he said was reckless, shocking, and abominable.

“He charged the security agencies not to spare any resources to track down the perpetrators, free the spouse and others taken away, and bring them to book.”

He assured that “We will certainly get the perpetrators and ensure that this is their last crime against humanity.

“My profound condolences go to the people of Koro. Our hearts are broken, and we stand by them at this time and always.”

Ned Nwoko, senator representing Delta North senatorial district has said that his proposed bill allowing Nigerians to carry firearms was born out of desperation and the need for the citizens to protect themselves from the rising insecurity in the country.

LeadingReporters learnt that Nwoko stated that the Police force also is ill-funded and does not have enough manpower needed to secure Nigeria.

“My bill is predicated on the lawlessness that is currently pervading the nation. We all have experienced it or we know someone that has experienced it. We have come to a point in this nation where we have to make an honest admission to ourselves which is that the security agents cannot really protect lives and properties as stated in the constitution. The common man is left to his fate. He does not get any kind of support from the police and the police force is unequipped, ill-funded, not capable of discharging those onerous duties and that is the fact.

“I am in the senate committee on police matters and I can tell you that we do not have the number of police men that we need to secure Nigeria as a country. The military on the other hand, have been spending billions of Naira over the years, buying warplanes, different arms and ammunition in the name of fighting terrorism and other crimes. But they are also not able to deal with the issues and a lot of money has been spent and lives lost, and we are nowhere in finding solutions.

“The idea of a bill to enable Nigerians to carry arms to defend themselves is born out of desperation, the fact that people do not have the kind of protection that they need. In Nigeria, what stops us from having an emergency number and this is one of those things that we just need to address. How do you help the ordinary Nigerians to reach out to the security forces or emergency services in the event of trouble?”

The Delta North senator also outlined strategic measures that would ensure the smooth running of the bill, if approved.

  “Its not just about people carrying arms. There are measures that are proposed and they are very strict measures. What i am trying to do is to have a system where people who are willing to carry arms are given the opportunity to so do. The first condition that must be met is that every local government must have a gun shooting school and if you want to have a gun and a license, the first thing is to be trained on the use of arms. These shooting schools will be run by former military officers and owned by them.

“When you have gone through the process and you are able to use the arms, the next step is to go to your king or your Emir or Oba who will give you a letter of certification, to confirm that you are from that particular place. Then the next thing to do is to go to two doctors who will certify that you are mentally fit to bear arms.

“Next is your local government chairman who will also confirm that you are from that place and then you go to the DPO of that locality who will also confirm that you don’t have any criminal record. Majority of Nigerians are responsible. If you own a gun and the would-be attackers know that, the possibility of them coming to attack you or rape in your house is almost Nil. There are many vigilantes and security companies in Nigeria who are not even allowed to carry arms.”

Ned Nwoko had earlier in January, proposed a bill for Nigerians to carry firearms in order to check the threat of violence and insecurity in the country.

A former Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Dr Olaide Adelami, has been sworn in as the Ondo State Deputy Governor.

Last Tuesday, Adelami was picked by the state governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa as the deputy governor after which his name was sent to the state House of Assembly for screening and ratification.
At a ceremony held at the International Culture and Event Centre, Akure on Thursday, the new deputy governor was sworn in by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Olusegun Odusola.

Details later………

Bandits who abducted seven residents of Kuduru, a neighbouring community of Bwari Area Council in Abuja, have demanded N290 million ransom to release the hostages.

The residents, including a pregnant woman, three children and four adults, who have spent one month and four days in captivity were abducted on January 28 at the Kuduru extension by the bandits.

According to a leader of the community who did not want to be named, the bandits have threatened to kill two out of the victims if the N290 million is not paid on time.

He said the abductors also demanded food items, drugs, bedsheets and cardigans.

“They have reached out to us to bring N290 million to secure their release or that they will kill two of them. We have a pregnant woman and three children among them,” he said.

“They asked us to bring bags of rice, packs of Indomie, cough syrups, antibiotics, bedsheets and cardigans for the bandits’ use.

“They insist that the N290 million ransom must be complete for them to let our people go.”

He pleaded with Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police and Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, to come to the rescue of the hostages.

“We know that they are trying their best but we plead with them to rescue our families like they did to the six sisters and the Ariyos,” he said.

“We understand that these people are already falling sick in captivity because of the harsh weather and the treatment there.”

The Imo police command says no fewer than five persons have been killed in an explosion that rocked the Obiti community in Ohaji/Egbema LGA of the state.

Henry Okoye, spokesperson of the Imo police command, said the incident occurred on Tuesday, and blamed vandals for the explosion.

Okoye said Aboki Danjuma, the Imo commissioner of police, has set up a team to unravel the immediate cause of the incident and arrest fleeing culprits.

“It happened on Tuesday and about five persons lost their lives during the explosion. They were burnt beyond recognition and we are currently investigating it in collaboration with other sister security agencies to unravel the identities of those behind the economic sabotage,” Okoye said.

“They went for their normal pipeline vandalism when the incident occurred.

“Our goal is to make sure similar incidents do not occur in future.”

An eyewitness who is a resident of the community, said the vandals stormed the Obitti rubber estate in the area with an articulated vehicle, and dug through to an oil pipeline traversing the area.

“They dug a hole on the pipeline and connected their long pipe to their tanker to steal oil,” the source told TheCable.

“I cannot say exactly what caused the explosion, but I know and from what I saw, many people died, and many others, who narrowly escaped the inferno, sustained various degrees of injuries.

“The fire that raged for hours burnt the tanker and also affected our farmlands, destroying our produce worth millions of naira.”

A public affairs commentator, Mohammed Sanusi has appealed to President Bola Tinubu not to pander to “heavily sponsored blackmail and media trial” against the suspended minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation, Dr Betta Edu and sack her from his cabinet.
Sanusi said no strategic leader would lose a selfless and zealous cabinet member like Betta Edu in response to sponsored blackmail and campaign of calumny.

He described Edu as one of the most active, innovative, responsive, and result-oriented ministers in President Tinubu’s administration.
The commentator said: “Many Nigerians have watched from the sidelines as she deployed her selfless zeal in bringing succor to those in need.
“In under 140 days, she had visited and successfully initiated various grassroots interventions that had significantly touched the lives of the poor and vulnerable in over 15 Northern states, and some in the southern part of Nigeria as well.

“She has brilliantly represented Nigeria in many national and international fora, successfully attracting donor support to the humanitarian and poverty alleviation ministry.
“For once, the poor and vulnerable across the country can testify to the fact that they are actually benefiting from the federal government’s various programmes.
In the context of the above, why would any strategic leader lose a Betta Edu over paid blackmail?”
Sanusi further claimed that Edu had responded swiftly on behalf of the federal government to humanitarian crises in all parts of the country.

“Little wonder that due to her absence from office when the Ibadan explosion occurred, the federal governments’ humanitarian assistance had scarcely been felt by the victims till date. The same goes for the victims of the renewed Plateau crises. God forbid another crisis should occur, without her at her post,” he said.

Sanusi alleged that the suspension of the minister followed a well-coordinated week-long negative media campaign, coordinated by several known influencers, and heavily sponsored to the tune of over a million dollars from within and outside government circles.

The pastor of Household of David, Sola Osunmakinde, has revealed how the fire incident that gutted the church started, saying he watched with agony as everything was burnt before his eyes.

The Nation reported that a fire broke out at the church located in the Ikeja local government area of Lagos state earlier on Wednesday, January 31.

The incident was confirmed by the spokesperson for the Lagos State Fire Service, Amodu Shakiri, attributing it to the overheating of the church’s auditorium roof.

Osunmakinde said the fire service was put off but “painfully, we watched till everything got burnt completely. Everything.”

He said: “I came here this (Wednesday) morning and everything was going on well, we were setting up,” he narrated. “All of a sudden, we started hearing something up there and there was fire.”

“Nobody anticipated this. The most important thing is that no life was lost,” he said in a video with a background of burnt carcasses of what is now left of the fancy auditorium with colourful lighting and thousands of steel chairs.

“It’s a painful experience, no doubt but all things work together for good.”

The Mercy Conference was scheduled to take place on January 31, 2024, and numerous Pentecostal preachers, including Yemi Davids, Godman Akinlabi, Pastor Isaac Oyedepo, and Apostle Joshua Selman, were scheduled to minister during the gathering. Notable minstrels including Moses Bliss, Victoria Orenze, Dunsin Oyekan, and Nathaniel Bassey are also scheduled to minister throughout the convention.

Osunmakinde added: “We believe God and we are still going to go ahead with the conference.”

Ekiti State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of five suspected kidnappers, 24 hours after the killing of two traditional rulers in the state.

However, the police public relations office stated that it could not confirm whether the kidnappers were connected to the killing of the traditional rulers until investigations were concluded.

The police spokesman, DSP Sunday Abutu, said the suspects were arrested in a forest.

“In a bid to flush out criminal elements, especially kidnappers out of the state, a combined team of the Police, NSCDC, Amotekun, OPC and local hunters embarked on a bush combing operation through Oke-Osun, Ikere/Igbo-Okah, to the thick forest around Iju/Ikere boundary.

“During the Operation, five suspected kidnappers – Usman Jelili, Mohammed Bande, Abubakar Aliu, Isah Abdulahi and Suleiman Abdulahi, were arrested.

“During interrogation, the suspects claimed to be herdsmen but it was later discovered that none of them had cattle and no cattle was found with them in the forest where they were arrested.

“The following items were found with them in the forest – two motorcycles, one cutlass, one jack knife/ dagger and four mobile phones

Kidnappers of five pupils of Apostolic Faith Group of Schools, Emure Ekiti, and four staff members have demanded N100m ransom for the release of the nine victims who were taken away on Monday.

The principal of the secondary section of the Ekiti school, Boje Olanireti, confirmed the ransom demand in an interview on Tuesday.

The abduction epidemic has continued to defy the efforts of the security agencies as cases of kidnappings were being recorded in various parts of the country daily.

On Monday, gunmen killed two Ekiti monarchs-the Onimojo of Imojo, Oba Olatunde Olusola, and the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba Babatunde Ogunsakin, while the Alara of Ara Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Fatoba, narrowly escaped.

The traditional rulers were returning from a function in Kogi State when their vehicles ran into the suspected kidnappers who were operating on the highway between Ipao and Oke Ako in the Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

The abduction of the schoolchildren and four staff members occurred when the school bus conveying 25 pupils home after school hours was waylaid by the gunmen in the Emure community in Ekiti State.

Shedding light on how the incident occurred, Olanireti explained that the abduction occurred about a five-minute drive from the school.

She said, “Immediately the school closed at 3pm, and by the time we gathered all the children, it was already 3:30pm. It was that time that they moved. So, the incident happened between 3:30pm and 4pm. The school is in a suburb of Emure village, so they were going back home in Eporo. The incident occurred just about a five-minute drive from the school to Eporo.

“When the gunmen attacked, the people around heard the gunshots and they came to Emure with motorcycles to inform the people in the school about what happened. We immediately reported to the police station at Emure.

“The students were over 25 on the bus when the incident happened. When the gunmen attacked them, they shot the tyre of the vehicle and asked the children to come out of the bus. They asked all of them to lie down. They picked five students and four staff members. They, after that, asked others to go.”

Olanireti added, “The five students comprise two from the secondary (school) and three from primary school while the four staff comprise two teachers, one driver and one bus assistant.

“When the parents heard about the incident, they came from Eporo and they have been making frantic efforts by reaching out to some security outfits, including the police and Amotekun.’’

“The security operatives have also been talking to the proprietor of the primary school and he has been giving them information. By the time they opened communication, they first called the husband of one of the teachers and demanded N10m for each kidnapped victim. But when they later called the headmaster, they demanded N100m for all of them.” the principal said.

A family source at Eporo Ekiti, who preferred anonymity, confirmed on Tuesday that the kidnappers had contacted the family of one of the children demanding  N100m on the victims.
LeadingReporters gathered, that “They called the family of one of the school children and they are requesting N10m per victim. What we gathered is that there are nine persons kidnapped – five schoolchildren, two teachers, one bus assistant, and a driver.

“The parents are at Eporo. The bus was taking them home after closing. It was in the process that the kidnappers struck. None of the families of the abductees can afford the ransom.’’

Meanwhile, the Aremo of Emure Kingdom, Chief Clement Akinola, has appealed to the state government to assist in the release of their children.

 Akinola, who in the company of the Emure Local Government Chairman and state government officials visited the families of the kidnapped persons at Eporo Ekiti, said, “One can imagine the condition the children will be in, one can imagine the state of mind of the parents, the entire Emure community and the Eporo people. There is tension, very high tension.’’

The chief called for the establishment of military posts on the many borders between the Emure community and Ondo State to tame kidnappings and the activities of gunmen in the area.

He said, “Emure is a border town, we have a boundary with Ondo State at Owo through Eporo, we have a boundary with Ondo State through Supare Akoko, and we have some farm roads pliable by motorbikes to Ondo State at Uso.

“My appeal is that there should be military checkpoints between Emure and Owo and Eporo and as well around Supare. These will reduce the violent crimes in the areas.

The Chairman of the Joint Security Committee of Ise, Emure and Ikere, Tunji Falana, who corroborated Akinola, said, “The boundaries are too porous. We have been appealing to the government to establish police posts and army checkpoints at the borders.

“This is not the first time kidnappers would kidnap there. The place is porous. But in this kidnap case, the Kabiyesi, the Elemure of Emure Ekiti, Oba Emmanuel Adebayo, a former commissioner of police, is working round the clock to ensure the release of the abductees.

Falana advised that in the meantime, “Bush combing should be at regular intervals, not more than two weeks interval. When the kidnappers realize the forests are free, they return especially during dry seasons like this when there is North-South migration.

“They destroy our farms at Ise Ekiti and Emure Ekiti here and nobody can control them. We commend the police because they are making arrests and taking them for prosecution.”

Meanwhile, the police in Ekiti State said on Tuesday that they had arrested five suspected kidnappers just as the command launched a manhunt for the kidnappers in collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun, Odua Peoples Congress, and hunters.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, disclosed in a statement that the suspects were arrested during a joint operation with other security agencies.

He said, “The suspects were arrested by a combined team of policemen, civil defence corps, Amotekun Corps Odua Peoples Congress, and local hunters on Tuesday during a bush combing operation through Oke-Osun, Ikere/Igbo-Okah to the thick forest around Iju/Ikere boundary.

“During the operation, five suspected kidnappers namely- Usman Jelili, Mohammed Bande, Abubakar Aliu, Isah Abdulahi, and Suleman Abdulahi were arrested.’’

“During interrogation, the suspects claimed to be herdsmen, but it was later discovered that none of them had cattle and no cattle was found with them in the forest where they were arrested.

“The following items were found with them in the forest – two motorcycles, one cutlass, one jack knife/dagger, and four phones,” the PPRO stated.

In response to the killing of two monarchs by suspected kidnappers on Monday, Ekiti State communities wore sober looks on Tuesday when the Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, paid condolence visits to the palaces of the two communities and the people of the two towns.

The indigenes of the two communities, who spoke on the deaths of their monarchs, described the incident as a great loss to the two communities.

At the palace of Elesun, they cut the trees to signify the passage of the monarch while red flags were flown on masts as people sat in groups singing dirges over the Elesun’s transition.

Oyebanji, who said Ekiti State had been very peaceful, lamented the attack and unexpected killings, which he described as “unfortunate and an affront to the peaceful nature of the state”.

The governor, who spoke at the Palace of the Elesun and a small hall at Imojo where the building of the palace was ongoing, said that the incident was a sacrilege to the traditional institution in the state.

He said it was a good development that President Bola Tinubu, who was on the phone with him for about an hour on Monday to commiserate with the Ekiti people had given directives to security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them to book.

Oyebanji said, “I have absolute confidence in the security agencies to fish out the people involved in this crime against the traditional institution in Ekiti. The government will continue to step up efforts at the security of the people because that is why we are here in government.

 “My message to all the criminals is that Ekiti State is going to be too hot for them, we are going to get hot at them, and for those that are involved in this act, this sacrilege, they will be fished out.”