Month: July 2024

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari has given explanation why the Ministry of Livestock Development has not taken off yet.

According to him, the reason is because the president is waiting for the report from the committee he setup to be submitted.

Kyari said this on Wednesday while speaking with State House Correspondents after a meeting between the Livestock Committee co-chairman, Attahiru Jega and President Tinubu.

The Minister of Agriculture said the Ministry of Livestock Development would take off as soon as the President receives report from the Jega-led committee.

“Mr. President has expressed his excitement, has expressed his anxiety and he is very anxious for this thing to take off. You are all aware that a new ministry has been created by Mr president and he is waiting for the report so that the Ministry of Livestock can take off immediately after the report has been submitted by the committee,” Kyari said.

He added that he was confident that the Livestock Committee would submit report that would provide results and solutions in the livestock industry.

“I’m sure and I’m happy with full confidence that the report will be something that we would see results and solutions, even in the mid-term and long term to what we see in the livestock industry now,” he added.

On his part, Attahiru Jega said the job of the committee is difficult. He assured that if the committee’s report is successfully implemented, it would improve the tremendous opportunities in the livestock sector.

Attahiru Jega said, “We have received great encouragement from Mr. President given his recognition that if we get this thing right, we will add tremendous value to so many things in our country.

“The challenges are many. I will not say it is not going to be difficult, it will be difficult but it is not impossible to actually get it right and I know that all the members of the committee are focused to ensure that we get this thing right.

“So Nigerians should expect from our committee recommendations that if successfully implemented could add tremendous value in terms of achieving those defined motives of opening up opportunities in the livestock sector and help to mitigate crises which are associated with this sector.”

Veteran Nigerian scriptwriter, Charles Owoyemi, has passed on.

Top filmmakers, Tunji Bamishigbin Esq and Ralph Nwadike announced that Owoyemi died on July 19 after a brief illness.

They said: “Charles, wrote over 50 episodes scripts for the New Village Headmaster between 1984 and 1990 when the programme was rested by NTA.

A video of female students of an institution weeping profusely after their favourite teacher informed them about the completion of his NYSC and departure from their school, has stirred reactions online.

See Video Below;

On Wednesday, July 24, the Delta State Police Command, paraded four suspects arrested for working with kidnappers to collect ransom from kidnap victims.

Parading the suspects at the state police command in Asaba, the state capital, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said the arrested suspects sent their account details to kidnappers and after the victims paid the ransom, the suspects deducted between 15% and 40% as their share and then sent the balance to the kidnappers.

The police spokesperson said, “They work in conspiracy with kidnappers. They are always in touch with kidnappers. Once they kidnap their victims and they are looking for where to send the ransom money to, they will contact this force man (pointing at one of the suspects) who contracts his friends to provide an account number where the ransom money will be sent to.

The suspects are Chimerije Joshua Nwakpa, from Ebonyi State; Eze Levy Onyekachi, from Enugu State; Ezemma Maxwell Nnadozie, from Enugu State and Emmanuel Otubo, from Ebonyi State.

Interrogated by Edafe, Nwakpa said he was contacted by Nnadozie who communicated with the kidnappers to provide his account details and that ransoms were paid for three kidnap victims.

According to Nwakpa, the first ransom paid to his account was N3.6 million; second ransom was N4.3 million while the third ransom was N200,000.

He said that his share from the N3.6 million ransom was N530,000 which is 15% of the total amount.

He said after deducting his percentage, “I sent the balance to Maxwell who then sent it to them,” adding that he had known Nnadozie for about two years.

Asked if Maxwell told him that the money being sent to his account were ransoms from kidnap victims, Nwakpa said yes.

He said they used their shares of the ransoms to build a cryptocurrency website that they wished to use for internet fraud.

Asked how he got to know the kidnappers he worked with, Nnadozie said, “Ifesi (one of the kidnappers) and I were living in the same street at Oduke in Onitsha (Anambra State) when we’re small.

He said that after deducting their own share, he would withdraw cash through POS and give it to the kidnappers.

The police spokesperson called on residents of Delta State to be bold to report any crime or suspicious activities in their areas to the police, whether before, during or after it has happened.

Kenya’s president William Ruto has appointed the opposition in his new Cabinet.

He recently named four ministers from the largest opposition party in an attempt to establish a broad-based cabinet that will solve governance challenges expressed in deadly protests.

President William Ruto appointed the minority leader in parliament and chairman of opposition leader Raila Odinga’s party to his new Cabinet on Wednesday, despite a split in the opposition alliance that saw other parties withdraw from government discussions.

The weeks of unrest in East Africa’s economic heartland have resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, the dismissal of the majority of Cabinet members, and calls for Ruto’s resignation.

Protests began with Kenyans opposing a proposed measure to increase taxes, as millions of them struggle to make ends meet amid rising prices.

The president praised political parties on Wednesday for “their willingness to set aside partisan positions and interests in order to join a visionary partnership for Kenya’s radical transformation is a historic gesture of patriotism.”

Odinga, who has previously urged for discussions to defuse the turmoil, denied on Tuesday that he had been bribed to join Ruto in building a broad coalition government. He expressed his support for the protesters, saying that conversation would only begin once the president complied with the demonstrators’ requests.

His party’s secretary general said in a statement on Tuesday that there were no continuing talks to join the Ruto administration and that any member seeking a minister position should be aware that they were going against the party’s stand.

The opposition coalition does not lead the protests, which are led by young people who use social media to mobilise.

However, it has supported demonstrators, claiming that the terrible governance issues stated are consistent with the opposition’s offers to the government during prior opposition-led protests.

Ruto has promised to make reforms in his government, such as cracking down on corrupt officials and flaunting grandeur despite the cost-of-living issue.

According to the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights, at least 50 people have died and 413 have been injured in the protests that began on June 18.

Ten persons have been arrested after troops of Headquarters 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/ Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) in conjunction with other security agencies busted a criminal syndicate, in Taraba State.

Acting Assistant Director, 6 Brigade Army Public Relations, Captain Oni Olubodunde, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
 
“The operations which were conducted with precision and professionalism, took place in the early hours of 22 July 2024 at Galeri and Kwondo Villages of Ardo-Kola and Bali Local Government Areas after a tip-off from a credible source,” the statement read.
 
The swift and coordinated response of the 6 Brigade troops led to the successful arrest of 2 suspects, named Ali Ibrahim aka Yellow and Wetti Alhaji Ibrahim. Items recovered from the suspects include an AK 47 rifle and 3 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.
 
 The suspects confessed to have worked with a known terrorist leader named Kadogo Fun who operates around Bangalala and Kampani Zurak in Plateau State. Additionally, it was gathered that the kidnappers also act as mercenaries to other terrorist groups operating in Plateau, Adamawa and Taraba States.
 
In another operation, following incessant attacks and kidnapping activities within Southern Taraba State by terrorist groups dressed in military camouflage the Brigade conducted weeks of covert intelligence led operation to track down the gang, leading to the apprehension of 8 suspects named, Emmanuel Michael aka Assay, Gabriel Samuel aka Badoo, Fidelis Lumu Utuna, Edward Ochan, John Orhenbaga, Desmond Agbo, Thomas Ikyar, and Shafiu Shaibu aka Odogwu.
 
During preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the gang leader was part of Terwase Akwaza aka Gana’s Gang. Items recovered include 10 Military Camouflage uniforms, the sum of Sixty Thousand Naira 60,000 and 30 rounds of 7.62MM Special ammunition after a search was conducted at one of the arrested suspects’ house.
 
The suspects are currently in custody and will be handed over to relevant authorities for further investigations and possible prosecution.
 
“The successful apprehension of these suspects and the recovery of the firearms are a testament to the effectiveness and mutual relationship between the Brigade and the general populace,”  he said.
 
“The Brigade therefore, appeals to the good people of Taraba State to continue to support the security agencies in ensuring lasting peace and security in the state as well as ridding the entire state of criminal elements.
 
“Citizens are enjoined to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities. Together, we can build a safer and more secure Taraba State.”

A chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, Joe Igbokwe,  has slammed journalist, Dele Momodu, for criticizing President Tinubu.

Momodu released an open letter addressed to President Tinubu in which he decried the state of the nation. He also said the that the Tinubu administration is ‘failing’ because ‘someone transferred the Lagos template to Abuja’. 

Igbokwe who appears to be displeased with Momodu’s letter, took to his Facebook page to take a dig at him.

Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Communications and Strategy, has reacted after the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi threatened to file a lawsuit against him for defamation.

Onauga had in a post shared on X over the weekend, claimed that Obi and his supporters were responsible for the planned nationwide protests against the Tinubu-led government over the hardship in the country and that Obi should be arrested for anarchy.

Obi, in a letter signed by his lawyer, Alex Ejesieme, to Onanuga, urged the presidential spokesman to retract the statement and tender an unreserved apology to him within 72 hours. Obi also demanded N5 billion in damages from Onanuga over the said allegation.