Author: The Nation

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, has constituted seven special committees for the coordination of legislative activities.

The speaker announced the constitution of the special committees on Thursday in Abuja.

They are Internal Security Committee, led by Rep. Mohammed Danjuma; Selection Committee, chaired by the speaker himself, and Media committee to be headed by Rep. Buka Ibrahim (APC-Yobe).

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Others are Legislative Agenda Committee, which would be chaired by Prof Julius Ihonbvare (APC-Edo) and Rules and Business Committee, to be led by Rep. Igariwey Iduma (PDP-Ebonyi)

Others still are Welfare Committee, headed by Rep. Wale Raji (APC-Lagos) and Ethics and Privileges Committee which would be led by Rep. Tunji Olawuyi (APC-Kwara).

(NAN)

Following directives from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has commenced an investigation into the boat mishap at Kpada community in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The boat mishap, which occurred on Monday night, was said to have conveyed not less than 250 passengers from a village called Egboti in Niger State.

The Bureau said  106 fatalities have been recorded while 144 passengers were rescued.

To ensure diligent investigation, the Bureau said it would be carrying out a lot of fact findings through crew and passenger interviews, working with relevant authorities to be able to determine the probable cause(s) of this accident.

These were disclosed at a briefing in Abuja on Thursday by the Director General of NSIB, Akin Olateru.

He also said due to the difficulty in accessing the scene of the accident, the Inspector General of Police approved the use of a Police helicopter to access the location.

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Olateru said: “The access point is a challenge to us and accessing the scene by road would take not less than 12 hours. We approached the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to get helicopter which would aid our investigators to access the location easily and the IG approved the use of the helicopter.

“Currently, our investigators are on their way to the location but from the information we gathered, not less than 250 passengers were conveyed on a local boat and 106 fatalities were recorded while 144 passengers have rescued.

“Our investigation is not aimed at apportioning blame but we will work with relevant agencies including National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to know the cause of the accident.”

Olateru urged local, state, federal agencies and other relevant stakeholders to maintain effective cooperation and collaboration so as to ensure transportation safety.

The NSIB also said it is soliciting information from the public in the form of pictures, videos or recording evidence to help assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation.

A 53-year-old farmer, Mr. Ohiremen Isaac Odeh, has been killed by herdsmen suspected to be kidnappers after he refused to trek into the forest.

Odeh was abducted with his son, Isaac, while they were going to their farm at Ijagba community, Ose Local Government Area.

His health could not make him trek the long distance to the kidnappers’ den in the forest and he was strangled to death.

The kidnappers freed his son after they collected N400,000 ransom.

Narrating how they were abducted, Isaac said they were on their way to the farm when the kidnappers waylaid them and took them into the forest.

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“My father could not run. They took us across a river but my father could not pass through. They tied our hands but they told me along. It was when I was released after we paid N400,000 ransom that I knew my father was killed. The kidnappers were Fulani but one spoke Yoruba.”

Prime Minister of Ijagba community, Mr. Sunday Ogoh, who led elders of the community on a protest march to Akure, said over 20 persons have been killed by the kidnappers in the last years.

Ogoh said the herdsmen have resorted to killing victims that could not pay ransom.

He said security has broken down in Ose Local Government adding that herdsmen have set many farms ablaze.

According to him: “This problem is not limited to Ijagba. There is general insecurity in that area. We are appealing that we need strong military base so that it will reduce incessant kidnapping and killing. 

”Many people cannot go to the farms. The area has become a den of terrorists. They use the forest reserve as their base. They always kill those who could not pay ransom. Over 20 persons have been killed in the past two years.

“We have reported severally. Whenever there is an incident, we will report to the relevant agencies. Amotekun is there but their firearm cannot equate to the superior weapon of the herdsmen.

“We have vigilantes and they are trying. But we don’t have guns or bullets for vigilance. It was the vigilance group that discovered the corpse of Odeh.”