Author: The Nation

The Acting Inspector – General of Police, (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, has urged residents of Plateau State to refrain from attaching religious or ethnic colourations to criminals perpetrating heinous killings and crimes.

Such colourations, Egbetokun said, could cause more harm to peaceful coexistence and national unity.

The IGP gave the advice when he embarked on a critical duty tour to assess and address the prevailing security challenges in some parts of Plateau State. 

During the tour, the IGP had a crucial meeting with the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang, at the State House, where they extensively discussed the security situation in the state, analyzing its complexities and exploring strategic solutions. 

According to a statement on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the IGP convened a gathering with the Plateau Stakeholders Forum at the Police Officers Mess in Jos, providing an opportunity for comprehensive deliberations and collaboration among key stakeholders to address the prevailing security challenges and foster sustainable peace and stability in the region.

Adejobi said: “Similarly, the IGP proceeded to Mangu Local Government Area of the state, the epicenter of the immediate security challenge, where he actively engaged with the local community and police operatives on the ground to corroborate intelligence received on the situation. The interaction provided a platform for open dialogue and enabled the IGP to assess the state of affairs, gather valuable insights, and reinforced the commitment of the Police to addressing the security challenges faced by the people of Mangu and restoring peace and order in the area.

Read Also: Reps urge IGP to probe alleged killing of two-year-old by NDLEA officers

“The Inspector-General of Police, therefore, emphasized the need for improved preventive deployments, effective intelligence gathering, and community engagements to proactively address the security concerns in Mangu. The IGP while reaffirming the commitment of the NPF to protect lives and property, and restore peace and harmony in the area, reiterated the NPF’s resoluteness in its determination to deploy necessary resources, strengthen preventive measures, and implement proactive strategies to address the security concerns in Plateau State and other regions across the country.

“Ag. IGP Kayode Egbetokun, however, charged the good people of Plateau state to refrain from attaching religious or ethnic colourations to the criminals perpetrating heinous killings and crimes in the state as a criminal remains one irrespective of his religion or ethnicity, and such colourations could cause more harm to our peaceful coexistence and national unity”.

Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State has donated relief materials to seven families, including 22 children who were rendered homeless when the building they were occupying collapsed on June 19, in Enugu.

Chinasa Mbah, Head Relief Materials in the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said on Wednesday that the incident occurred at Ifoh layout, Abakpa Nike area of Enugu.

The victims lost all their valuables but no life was lost.

The SEMA official said items donated to the victims included bags of rice, corn, beans, garri, and cartons of toilet soap, tomatoes paste and groundnut oil, as well as bags of salt, mosquito nets and mats among others.

One of the victims and a nursing mother, Mrs Juliana Ugwu thanked the governor for the gesture and prayed God to bless him.

Ugwu said that the incident occurred at night, just as she was about to bath her then two-weeks-old baby.

She said: “That night, around 7pm, I was about to bath my two-weeks-old baby. I had brought out the things I was going to use to bath her when I heard a crack outside.

“I told my husband. So, he went outside and saw it was the blocks of the house that cracked, neighbours also heard the noise and came out.

“They raised the alarm that everybody should come outside the building; it was not up to ten minutes we ran outside that the house started sinking and eventually collapsed.’’

Read Also: DSS clears Mbah of NYSC certificate forger

A neighbour, Dr Fred Iloh, who sheltered some of the victims, thanked Gov. Mbah for reaching out to them.

He also thanked all those who supported the victims so far, and urged them to provide accommodation for the victims.

Iloh attributed the cause of the collapse to lack of drainage and poor structure, and advised property owners to always provide good drainage system and avoid building on waterways.

(NAN)

One of Nigeria’s most celebrated authors and writers Prof Kole Omotoso has died at 80 in South Africa, the family has confirmed.

A statement by the family said: “Our beloved father and husband moved on from this plane on Wednesday 19th late afternoon. We are sharing this with his close and much loved community and will share more as we gather ourselves. Thank you for your care and love and support”, by Akin, Pelayo, Yewande and Bukky.

Prof. Omotoso who turned 80 last April, was best known for his works of fiction and in South Africa as the “Yebo Gogo man” in adverts for the telecommunications company Vodacom.

His written work was known for its dedication and commitment to fusing a socio-political reappraisal of Africa and respect for human dignity into most of his works.

Also in South. Africa, he was known as the Yebo Gogo (Hello Grandmother) man, and was the face of a long-running marketing campaign for Vodacom’s mobile phone in that country.

Read Also: For Kole Omotoso at 80

The late Omotoso was educated at Kings College, and the University of Ibadan and later undertook a doctor thesis on the modern Arabic writer Ahmad Ba Kathir at the University of Edinburgh.

In 1988, his book Just before dawn became controversial and made him to flee Nigeria.

After visiting professorships in English at the University of Stirling and the National University of Lesotho and a spell at the Talawa Theatre Company, London, he became a professor of English at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa (1991–2000). From 2001 to 2003 he was a professor in the Drama Department at Stellenbosch University.

Among his works are 1971) The Combat (1972; Penguin Classics, 2008, ISBN 978-0143185536) Miracles (short stories) (1973) Fela’s Choice (1974) Sacrifice (1974, 1978) The Scales (1976)
To Borrow a Wandering Leaf (1978)
Memories of Our Recent Boom (1982)
Just Before Dawn (Spectrum Books, 1988,). Others are The Curse (1976)
Shadows in the Horizon (1977)
The Form of the African Novel (1979 etc.)
The Theatrical Into Theatre: a study of the drama and theatre of the English-speaking Caribbean (1982)
Season of Migration to the South: Africa’s crises reconsidered (1994) and
Achebe or Soyinka? A Study in Contrasts (1995).

The Nigerian Army has restated its commitment to ending the rising spate of attacks on some communities in Mangu Local Government Area (LGA), and other parts of Plateau.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that so far, more than 300 lives have been lost in the recent crisis.

Maj. Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 3 Div. Nigerian Army, Rukuba, near Jos, gave the assurance during a courtesy visit on Gov. Caleb Mutfwang, on Wednesday, at the  Government House, Jos.

Abubakar said that necessary measures, including the deployment of more manpower and equipment to the state, had been taken to address the situation.

He said in addition to moving the division’s headquarters to Mangu, he has also held stakeholders meetings with residents and leaders of the affected areas, where he shared his contacts and those of his personnel with them, to facilitate prompt information and rapid response.

“I want to reassure you of the Nigerian Army’s commitment to ensure that normalcy is restored to the region.

“The Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) will be here on Saturday, to assess the situation and the headquarters that we have established in Mangu.

“We intend to continue to conduct operations not only within Mangu, but all the other areas of influence, to include Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Riyom, which will also be touched by our officials to ensure that we sanitise the entire areas,” he said.

Abubakar told the governor that his visit was to meet with the governor formally, and to brief him on his efforts so far, aimed at addressing the attacks.

Responding, Muftwang commended the GOC for his passion and commitment to duty, which he demonstrated with the relocation of the army headquarters in Plateau to Mangu, following the recent attacks on communities.

“We want to thank you that within the short span of your stay, we have seen very positive moves by the military to be able to arrest this situation on the Plateau,” he said.

He said that Abubakar’s deployment to Plateau was an opportunity for the Nigerian Army, and President Bola Tinubu, to have an enduring legacy that they ended the unnecessary crisis in the state.

Mutfwang noted that while non kinetic measures were required to address the situation, kinetic measures were also crucial.

Read Also: Buhari to unveil Nigerian Army’s new regimental colours

“While it is true that we must deploy non kinetic options in dealing with this crisis, the necessity of the coordinated kinetic action, cannot be  over emphasised.

“We therefore, will want to plead with you to rally your troops and mobilise them to do the needful in the defence of our fatherland against the criminal elements that have infiltrated our our state to destabilise it,” he said.

According to him, in the last ten years, nobody has been arrested or prosecuted for troubling Plateau, and expressed the hope that things will change.

Mutfwang however, assured the GOC of his administration’s support to provide a conducive environment for the army to discharge its duties.

(NAN)

The group of human rights lawyers who approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, to commence committal proceedings against the Director- General of the Department of State Services (DSS) have berated the agency for referring to them as “charge and bail” lawyers.

The lawyers, in the suit filed by Mr Tijani Ahmed and Maxwell Okpara were asking the court to commit Mr Yusuf Bichi to prison for disobeying a court order on the continued detention of former CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele.

Briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, Ahmed and Okpara maintained that they were solicitors of the Supreme Court and that categorising them as “charge and bail” lawyers was an attempt to disparage the legal profession.

The counsel further said that the recent development was that the DSS was  planning to frame them up for terrorism by referring to them as Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN) lawyers since IPOB had been proscribed by the Federal Government for being a terrorist group.

In the tweet, the DSS was quoted as having written the following, “Charge and bail, overzealous uninformed IPOB/ESN lawyer Maxwell Okpara mobilises other like minded lawyers against DGSS.

“Futile Efforts. Well, Nigerians, beware! This is in bad faith. Transferred aggression.

“A Biafran republic agitator and outlawed IPOB counsel defending the suspended CBN governor.

“Is IPOB defending one of theirs? What a contradiction, what’s the connection, may Maxwell be properly educated on points of law, please.”

The lawyers claimed that the tweet had now gone viral as it had not been pulled down from the official Twitter  handle of the DSS as at the time of briefing news men.

“As at the last time, I viewed it, it had been seen by about 2 million people globally, generated over 3600 comments, retweeted almost 5000 times and liked more than 2500 times.

Read Also: Mbah didn’t forge NYSC certificate, says DSS witness

“The tweet, which has been greeted by national outrage and condemnation is still on the handle of the security agency.”

The lawyers said they were surprised at the agency’s reaction towards them adding that as human rights lawyers, they were only championing the cause people that had been affected by the agency’s disobedience to court orders.

The lawyers thereafter called for the sack of Bichi from office on the grounds that the attitude of the DG would tarnish the image of President Bola Tinubu.

They also thanked the public for the overwhelming public condemnation that trailed the tweet.

They  said they would write to the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United State governments and would  also approach the court for the enforcement of their rights.

(NAN)

The Niger State House of Assembly has urged the State government to reduce the number of working days for civil servants to cushion the effect of petrol subsidy removal.

The Assembly made the call in a resolution following a matter of urgent public importance raised by Mr Nasir Umar, member representing Paiko Constituency during plenary on Wednesday in Minna.

Speaker of the House, Mr Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, while reading the resolution, called on government to as a matter of urgency, reduce numbers of working days for civil servants.

He also urged the executive arm to put in place necessary measures that would cushion the hardship experienced by residents of the state as result of removal of fuel subsidy.

Earlier, Umar explained that the removal of fuel subsidy had brought untold hardship on residents especially civil servants.

The lawmaker urged the state government to emulate some states that had come up with measures to alleviate the sufferings of people.

Umar also moved a motion calling on the house to direct the state Ministry for Education and the state Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB) take measures to avert the collapse of UK Bello Memorial Primary School in Paiko.

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He said that the one storey building primary school, which comprised of eight classrooms was poorly constructed and was at a verge of collapse.

Umar noted that if nothing was done to avert the impending disaster, the lives of about 2, 300 pupils and 84 teachers were at stake.

He stated that the head teacher of the school had raised  several compliant to NSUBEB through the education secretary over the deplorable condition of the building to no avail.

He, however, urged the house to direct the concerned authorities to act with immediate effect in order to avert collapse of the building.

(NAN)