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The elder brother, who was caught by neighbours, said he buried the boy alive after their mother directed him to punish the boy for stealing N1000.

Ayoung boy has been rescued by some concerned citizens in Apamisede area of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

In a video obtained by Leading Reporters, the young boy was seen being tortured and buried alive by his elder brother who claimed he was instructed by the boy’s mother to punish the erring boy.

The elder brother, who was caught by neighbours, said he buried the boy alive after their mother directed him to punish the boy for stealing N1000.

The elder brother was heard in the video speaking pidgin said, “He thief money. The last time he went to thief money, We dey ask am where he put the money, and I no know how much he thief oo but he said nah N1000. The last time he stole, nobody beat ham, and nobody touched Ham.

“Nobody send, nah my mother talk say make I punish am,” the elder boy added.

A source privy to the incident added that the matter had been reported to the Police Force, D Division, Lokoja

An 18-year-old pregnant housewife, Khadija Adamu, whom the police arrested in Bauchi State for allegedly beating her five-year-old step-daughter to death for defecating on her body, has said she regrets her action.

She said it was not an intentional act but one aimed at correcting the child for wrongdoing.

“How can I kill a child who was like my child? Even though she was my co-wife’s baby, she was also my daughter because she was my husband’s child. What happened was just a mistake and not a deliberate intention to kill,” she said.

“I am also a mother, and I am currently four months pregnant with my second child. How can I possibly kill another child? What happened was that this girl defecated on her body, and I felt that at her age, she shouldn’t have done that, so I used a USB cord to beat her with it. It was not as if I had any intention of killing her.

“I didn’t know she would die. I only wanted to correct her. She didn’t die that day I beat her, it was the next day that she died, and I felt very sad and unhappy that she had died.

“I asked for leniency because everyone has forgiven me. I asked the Police to pardon me if not for anything but for the baby I am carrying in my womb since what I did was not deliberate,” she added.

Leading Reporters gathered that the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Auwal Muhammad while parading the suspect before journalists at the Command’s Headquarters on Tuesday, said that the suspect, a resident of the Kandahar area, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis in the State, was arrested following serious injuries she inflicted on the minor.

He said that the incident happened on September 28, 2023, at about 9.25 pm, one Abdulaziz Adamu, male (38), of Kandahar area Bauchi, reported at A’ Divisional Police Headquarters that on the same date at about 4.00 pm, Khadija Adamu, female (18) of the same address beat up her stepdaughter named “Hafsat Garba” female (5). As a result, she sustained serious injuries to her body.

“Upon receipt of the report, a team of detectives led by DPO swung into action, rushed to the scene and moved the victim to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, for medical attention, where she was certified dead by the medical doctor.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect beat up the victim as a result of alleged pass-stool that spoiled her clothes, and she sustained various degrees of injuries on her body,” he said.

Speaking on the incident, the Commissioner of Police described the incident as a case of wickedness, calling on women to be careful how they discipline children when they err.

Muhammad said: “The case of envy and rivalry among wives is bad. We should try as much as possible to reduce it. This is an act of wickedness because you are not the biological mother of the five-year-old child; she stooled in her trousers, and then you beat her, and it caused her death.

“This is really, very sad. This is really very disturbing, causing the life of a five-year-old girl to be lost. A child that doesn’t know her left from her right. Just to correct her, you beat her to a stupor, and she died. It is really very sad. This should serve as a lesson to other women of like minds.”

The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdulahhi Sule has recalled how he was advised to shut down Goshen Camp of the Living Faith in Masaka, Nasarawa State for asking Chrisitians to vote Christian candidates in the last general elections in the state.

The governor made this assertion while delivering a speech at the just concluded 2023 Peace And Development Submit for Young University Students in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Prior to the 2023 general elections, Leading Reporters recalled that Bishop Abioye, who is the Vice President of Living Faith Church Worldwide, had called on Christians to vote for candidates of their faith.

“If anybody tells you now that there is no religion in politics, they are deceiving you. Don’t hide it, vote for your faith. Till tomorrow, I will vote for my faith. I won’t vote for someone who will slaughter me.” Abioye said.

Speaking during the summit, Gov Sule maintained that contrary to people’s advice, he refused to order the arrest of the Bishop.

He said, “Indeed, for those of you who remember, we have most of the major religious organizations in Nasarawa State, like the Goshen City at Kilometer 36, which is presided by the respected Bishop David Abioye, who once released a video just before the elections asking: why can’t a Christian be a governor in Nasarawa State.

“He then urged Christians to vote only for Christian candidates.

“Some people came and advised me, let us check whether that church has paid their taxes, otherwise close the church.

“They said let us send security to arrest him (Bishop Abioye) for making those kinds of statements, but I said no.

On Monday, 2nd October 2023, the Governorship Election Tribunal Petition, (OEPT) chaired by Justice Ezekiel Ajayi delivered in judgement, declaring David Ombugadu of the PDP the rightful winner of the March 18 elections, nullifying Sule’s victory at the polls.

Kidnappers responsible for abducting four students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK) have demanded the sum of 20 million naira for their release.

Leading Reporters gathered that the kidnappers made contact with the school authorities on Tuesday and demanded the said amount for the release of the abducted students.

Recall that the students were abducted on Monday night when gunmen attacked the Angwan Kare area near BCG.

Leading reporters earlier reported the identities of the abducted students as Rahila Hanya (SLT 100 Level), Josephine Gershon (Computer Science 100 Level), Rosemary Samuel (Business Administration 100 Level), and Goodness Samuel (Geography 100 Level).

A student union leader in the school confirmed that the kidnappers had reached out to the school authorities and demanded the sum of 20 million Naira.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, has charged hospitals in the country to prioritise saving lives above any other thing.

There have been outcries over the years for hospitals demanding police reports from gunshot and accident victims before the commencement of treatment, which has led to many of the victims losing their lives on many occasions.

But speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, Pate lamented this situation and said that the Federal Government has issued a directive to hospitals to always save lives first before making any other demands.

“Recently there have been concerns about patients who show up at the emergency facilities and police reports being asked about gunshots or accidents. That’s really unfortunate, but in all federal teaching hospitals, for instance, I was in Maiduguri at the weekend, life has to be saved first.

“Life first and we have reemphasised that. All our hospitals I believe are doing that. No person should come with an emergency, or life-threatening challenge and be made to lose their life while awaiting police report.

“Saving lives comes first and that is the direction we have given; that is what we would pursue and we hope that all hospitals including private hospitals will have this mindset that in health, it’s save lives first,” Pate said.

The Health Minister said that it is expected that states across the nation will also follow up with the Federal Government’s directive in their various hospitals. He also reiterated that private hospitals also have the obligation to follow the same directive, reminding them that as health practitioners, saving lives comes first everywhere.

The President Bola Tinubu-led federal government is proposing new social media regulations in a fresh bill sent to the National Assembly.

According to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the bill is seeking to repeal and reenact the NBC act, CAP L11 laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004.

Speaking when he hosted Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, at the commission’s headquarters on Tuesday, Balarabe Ilelah, NBC director-general, described the ills of social media as a “monster”.

Ilelah said the current law does not give the NBC the right to regulate social media.

He said: “We want to tell you that a bill for an act to repeal and amend the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) act, CAP L11 laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004, to accommodate the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting service, also to promote quality audio and video, efficient management of the spectrum, Nigeria Broadcast Institute, social media regulation and related matters has been read for the first time on the floor of the national assembly,” the DG said.

“All these that are mentioned are not captured in the present act of the commission. We have already submitted a bill to amend the act.

“One of our major problems now is social media. Unless there is a law that allows NBC to act on social media issues, the issue will continue to be a monster in our daily lives in this country.”

Ilelah said the commission has the right to punish any broadcaster in line with the act establishing NBC.

“We have powers, we derive our powers from the act, and we have the powers to sanction stations. We don’t want to sanction, we prefer to bring them together for negotiation, for understanding,” he said.

“We only apply sanctions when there is no way out of it. We don’t want the stations or the stakeholders to see NBC as an enemy. If you mention NBC anywhere, the first impression is sanctions.

“In 2023, a total of 1,238 warnings were given, while during the same year, six different stations were penalised.”

On his part, the information minister said the NBC should work with the media so they do not see the commission as “punitive”.

Thereafter, the minister took a tour of the facilities of the commission.

Nigeria’s currency, the Naira, slumped to N1,025 per dollar at Tuesday’s parallel foreign exchange market as forex scarcity worsened.

Ahmed Gazali, a Bureau De Change operator in Wuse Zone 4, confirmed this on Wednesday.

According to him, the situation in the forex market may worsen if the Federal Government does nothing to halt the crisis.

The scarcity is hard to explain at the moment. The situation is not decreasing. It may worsen if nothing is done. The foreign currency is not available”, he said.

Meanwhile, at the official window, the figures from the FMDQ showed that the Naira fell slightly and closed at N765.83/$ on Tuesday from N765.02/$ on Monday.

LEADING REPORTERS reports that on June 14, 2023, the Central Bank of Nigeria directed commercial banks to trade Naira at the forex market freely. Consequently, the country’s currency had been in a freefall.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives ordered CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso to devise a monetary policy to nip the forex crisis.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi has demanded that President Bola Tinubu comes clean on his true identity.

Obi made the demand on Wednesday during a press conference in Abuja.

The former Anambra State governor urged Tinubu to reintroduce himself to the nation he governs, and to the world for avoidance of further doubt

According to Obi, it’s only Tinubu himself through a direct personal statement that could clear every speculations about his true identity.

Obi said, “He should introduce himself to the nation he governs, and to the world for avoidance of further doubt.

“He should let the world know his name, his nationality, his place of birth, his current age, the primary and secondary schools he attended with dates, as well as the actual universities he attended and certificates he obtained.

He should indicate clearly when and where he did his national youth service. In addition, if he had a change of name, he should state so clearly the time and circumstances.

“This is a simple task that will only take a few minutes. It requires no affidavit, prolonged talk process, spokespersons, agents or surrogates.

“The task is only Chief Bola Tinubu himself through a direct personal statement can perform. He must perform this task urgently. He has to lay to rest many lingering doubts and speculations about his true identity.”

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has advised Nigerians to pay more attention to their mental well-being amid the harsh economic conditions in the country.

Tinubu disclosed this in a statement posted on the official X handle of the President of Nigeria on Tuesday.

The statement read, “As we commemorate the 2023 World Mental Health Day with the theme ‘Mental health is a universal human right’, I wish to urge each and every one of us to pay more attention to our mental wellbeing as well as others.

“The challenges of our times have tested our resilience especially social media and societal pressure which has left many faced with emotional and psychological burdens that have taken its toll on their mental wellbeing.

“It is crucial that we recognise the significance of mental health and take collective action to support those who are affected in one way or the other.”

She added, “As we strive for a more promising nation, let us prioritise engaging our youth in candid conversations that will enhance their mental health, help them manage their emotions and expectations better while promoting healthy relationships and ultimately improve their productivity

“At this juncture, I call on our traditional rulers, religious leaders, NGO and all well-meaning Nigerians to join the Government in showing concern and support for those seeking help. Together, we can build a healthier, more compassionate nation for all.”