Headlines

The chamber of Rivers State House of Assembly has been set ablaze.

The development comes amid rumour of the plan to impeach Governor Similanayi Fubara.

Sources said the arsonist gained entry into the chamber on Sunday night and set it ablaze.

Our reporter further learnt that the quick intervention of the men of fire service stopped the fire from spreading to the entire Assembly complex.

Efforts made to speak with the Rivers State Police Command Public Relation Officer, SP Grace Iringe Koko proved abortive at the time of filing this report.

Security was beefed up at the complex while firefighters battled to contain the inferno.

The House Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Edison Ehie, was removed from his position on Sunday, just hours after rumors of an impending impeachment procedure against the state Governor, Sim Fubara, began to circulate.

The Speaker of the Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, made the announcement of Ehie’s removal.

Recall that on Sunday night, a fire broke out at the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex. The Inferno was quickly extinguished by firefighters, but the cause of the blaze is still not ascertained.

At least 20 people have been killed in a renewed clash between the Yache-Ijiegu community in Yala LGA of Cross River State and Tiv settlers from Benue State.

The clash, which began on Thursday, is the latest in a series of violent disputes between the two communities over land ownership.

Women and children are said to be among the dead, and many more have been injured. Houses on both sides of the border have also been set ablaze.

The conflict began two months ago when the Tiv settlers reportedly refused to continue paying royalties for their stay on Yache land. The Tiv settlers claim they are being extorted and have nowhere else to go, having settled in the area for over 100 years.

A Tiv leader, Mr Jacob Uswa, has blamed the conflict on the Yache people.

He said, “We can’t fold our arms and watch them continue to exterminate our people. We have to defend ourselves. They usually hide in the bushes to launch attacks. This is also our land. We are also from Cross River State,” he claimed

“My father and his own father lived in this community for over 100 years. And I have lived here for over 50 years.

“I am surprised to hear from Yache people that we are not from here.

We are indigenes of Cross River State, not Benue State. Despite this, we had succumbed to obeying their demands to pay royalties on lands and houses.”

Yache youth leader Augustine Odey blamed the governments of both states for failing to address the crisis. He also alleged that the military has been complicit in the violence, claiming that soldiers have been seen accompanying Tiv attackers.

A commander of the security team, who gave his name as Lt. Alex, has denied these allegations, saying that the military has tried to maintain peace in the area. He said that the Yache boys have been the ones to initiate most of the violence.

“The Yache boys would even move to the other side of Benue State, where soldiers are also keeping watch to attack,” he said. “They have made our peace efforts difficult.”

Lt. Alex said a joint peace meeting with all stakeholders has been scheduled for Wednesday to find an amicable solution to the conflict.

The Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) have declared the unalloyed support for the leadership of the minister, Nyesom Wike.

Speaking at the weekend, JUAC president, Matilukuro Oluwakorede, dismissed a social media publication alleging that workers in Nigeria Capital, Abuja, have been groaning following the cut in their allowance by Wike.

“The public should disregard the information in circulation. it is not emanating from us. We have an internal issue; we had a meeting and agreed on the best way to manage the issue.

“We have nothing to do with what is trending online currently. We love our minister. We don’t have any issue against him as at this moment that I am talking to you, and I wish to be quoted anywhere.”

On the issue of the salary, Oluwakorede explained that JUAC had fought for some allowances, adding however, that the money was not budgeted for in the 2023 budget.

He identified the allowances as peculiar allowance, hazard allowance and “one or two other allowances like that.”

He explained that the allowances overshot FCTA and FCDA personnel budget, adding that in view of the development, the FCTA management called the leadership of the committee over the challenge.

He added that they all agreed at the meeting, that the remaining funds in the vault should be used to pay October salary but may affect peculiar allowances.
“We realised that the little fund remaining may affect peculiar allowance, and we say we don’t mind stepping it down by one month, while the FCT Administration does the needful against the remaining months.

“So that by November, we return to normalcy. So, I don’t know why journalists are just cashing out on this.

“But I wish to say unequivocally, that we don’t have any problem with our distinguished honourable minister or the minister of state or even the permanent secretary of FCTA.

“We are in good relationship and this decision that we have taken, is for the best interest of staff generally,” the president said.

JUAC leadership had on Friday issued a circular, signed by its President and General Secretary, Mr Akuh Sunday, intimating their members on salary shortfall for October.

JUAC explained in the circular that FCTA and FCDA that management had asked the committee to sensitise all staff on the inability to pay salary of all staff in the months of October.

A notable politician and business magnate, Andrew Anirejuoritse Aganbi, is dead.

‘’We are all deeply saddened by Andrew Aganbi’s passing, but his life and legacy will live on forever in our lives and in our hearts.’’ A statement from the family of renowned Itsekiri cleric and nonagenarian Bible translator, Deacon Stephen Ejueyitsi Aganbi, said on Saturday.

Special needs 4-yrs-old girl raped, brutalised in Lagos

Popularly known as AK Khashoggi –Cash Man, Andrew Aganbi died on Saturday, September 30, 2023, in London.

The statement described the late politician and showbiz expert as a humble leader, an amazing human being, a source of inspiration and strength to relatives and associates.

‘’Andrew Aganbi’s conduct and character in life have been to the service of humanity’’.

The family said the death of the Delta top politician has created a vacuum difficult to be filled.
”The loss of the outstanding leader in the political and entertainment life of Delta State is devastating”.

The statement signed by Mr. Felix Aganbi, a business mogul, underscored the late politician’s extraordinary life and diverse contributions to the development of Delta State.,

‘’Andrew Aganbi’s funeral will begin on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, in London. Service of song will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 15 at Gateway Chapel, Camp David, 10 Kennel Road, Dartford DAI 4QN. Funeral mass will be held on Friday, November 17 at Church of the Good Shepherd, 79 Moorside Road, Downham, Bromley, BRI 5EP. Burial will be in Grove Park Cemetery, Marvel Lane, Grove Park, London, SE12 9PU while reception will take place at Asian Community, Hall Centre, White Hart Road, Thamesmead, SE18 1DG’’ the family said in the statement.

The late politician left behind his brothers, sisters, wife, children and other relatives.

The statement also announced a celebration of Andrew Aganbi’s extraordinary life in Nigeria.

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‘’A memorial golf tournament will take place on Friday, December 1, 2023, in Sapele. The traditional ceremony for the hospitality management expert will be held in Canaan Land, Koko on Saturday, December 2, thanksgiving and reception will be held on Sunday, December 3 in Koko, headquarters of Warri North Local Government’’.

‘’ Born on January 30, 1964, Andrew Aganbi will be remembered for his energy, enthusiasm, generosity and great sense of humour’’ the statement said.

‘’ Andrew Aganbi was a warm, generous and kind-hearted man’’ the statement added.

Kidnappers have again invaded Grow Homes Estate along Kuchibiyi in the Kubwa area of the Federal Capital Territory and abducted nine persons.

This comes barely eight months after gunmen attacked the estate and abducted nine persons.

The recent incident, which took place around 9pm on Thursday night, had a couple and another man taken from separate apartments in the estate.

It was gathered that the gunmen escaped through the bush track which links the community to another village.

A security source at the estate, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said after storming the area around 9pm, the gunmen shot sporadically into the air to scare people away.

Narrating how the incident happened, the source said: “On Thursday around 9pm, we (vigilante) heard a gunshot. After hearing the sound, we and some Nigeria Mobile Police (MOPOL) officers searched around to locate it.

“On our way, we saw one of us. He told us they were kidnappers, numbering over 20. He was shot in his hand. At that point, we heard another gunshot. They were shooting at us, while the officers were shooting too.

“We had to stop the counter attack because of their number. They took away three persons; a couple and a man. The kidnappers haven’t contacted anyone yet.”

A resident of the area, Bello Mohammed, said the kidnappers disconnected the alert systems of the houses attacked before whisking their victims away.

When contacted, Josephine Adeh, Police Public Relations Officer of the FCT, said she would get back to our reporter, but had yet to do so as at the time of filing this report.

Over 200,000 minors are estimated to have been sexually abused in Spain by the Roman Catholic clergy since 1940, according to an independent commission published Friday.

The report did not give a specific figure but said a poll of over 8,000 people found that 0.6 percent of Spain’s adult population of around 39 million people said they had suffered sexual abuse by members of the clergy when they were still children.

The percentage rises to 1.13 percent — or over 400,000 people — when including abuse by lay members, Spain’s national ombudsman Angel Gabilondo told a news conference called to present the findings of the report.

The revelations in Spain are the latest to rock the Roman Catholic Church after a series of sexual abuse scandals around the world, often involving children, over the past 20 years.

But unlike in other nations, in Spain — a traditionally Catholic country that has become highly secular — clerical abuse allegations are only now gaining traction, leading to accusations by survivors of stonewalling.

“Unfortunately, for many years there has been a certain desire to deny abuses or a desire to conceal or protect the abusers,” said Gabilondo, a former education minister.

The report is critical of the attitude of the Catholic Church, calling its response to cases of child abuse involving the clergy “insufficient”. It recommended the creation of a state fund to pay reparations to victims.

Child protection offices 

Just before the report was presented in parliament, the Spanish bishops conference said it would hold an extraordinary meeting on Monday to discuss its findings.

Spain’s parliament in March 2022 overwhelmingly approved the creation of an independent commission led by the country’s ombudsman to “shed light” on allegations of sexual abuse of “defenceless boys and girls” within the Catholic Church.

Spain’s Catholic Church, which for years flatly refused to carry out its own probe, declined to take part in the independent investigation, although it did cooperate by providing documents on cases of sexual abuse that had been collected by dioceses.

But as political pressure mounted, it tasked a private law firm in February 2022 with an “audit” into past and present sexual abuse by clergy, teachers and others associated with the Church, which should be completed by the end of the year.

The Spanish Church said in June it had discovered 927 cases of child abuse through a complaints procedure launched in 2020.

It argues it has set up protocols for dealing with sexual abuse and has set up “child protection” offices withing dioceses.

‘Tip of iceberg’ 

But a probe by top-selling daily newspaper El Pais which began in 2018 has since uncovered 2,206 victims and 1,036 alleged abusers dating back to 1927.

“According to experts, this is just the tip of the iceberg,” the newspaper wrote on Friday before the report was published.

The Church’s abuse crisis exploded onto the international stage in 2002 when the Boston Globe newspaper revealed priests had sexually abused children for decades and church leaders had covered it up.

Patterns of widespread abuse of children were later reported across the United States and Europe, in Chile and Australia, undercutting the moral authority of the 1.3 billion-member Church and taking a toll on its membership.

An independent commission in neighbouring France concluded in 2021 that some 216,000 children — mostly boys — had been sexually abused by clergy since 1950.

In Germany a study found 3,677 cases of abuse between 1946 and 2014 while in Ireland more than 14,500 people received compensation though a government scheme for those abused at juvenile facilities run by the Catholic Church.