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Slain Abducted Teenager’s Father Calls For NBA’s Intervention

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Mr Oladosu Ariyo, the lawyer-father of slain 13-year-old teenager, Folashade, who was killed by kidnappers on Monday, has confirmed the death of his daughter, calling on the Nigeria Bar Association, under the leadership of President Maikyau, to intervene in the rescue of the rest of his family.

Earlier report had it that, Folasade, her mother, and three of her siblings were abducted by kidnappers from the Sagwari Estate Layout in the Dutsen-Alhaji district of the Federal Capital Territory. Three of the eleven occupants of the area were killed.

On Sunday, January 7, about 7:30 p.m., the abductors—disguised as military men—invaded the Sagwari neighbourhood and abducted 11 locals, among them a mother and her four children, as well as a barman and receptionist from a neighbouring hotel.

It was gathered that the corpse of the late Folashade was dumped alongside three others, including that of Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, around a former military checkpoint behind Idah junction along the Bwari-Jere SCC Road in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was identified as the daughter of Ekiti State-born Chief Legal Officer of the National Universities Commission.

Meanwhile, the kidnappers, who cited delays in paying the demanded N60m ransom for each of the victims, have now reportedly increased their demand for the families of the remaining seven victims to pay N100m ransom, for each one of the victims.

Ariyo’s appeal was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by a user known as @kcuzoka, who tweeted that the message was copied from a lawyers’ WhatsApp group. In the shared post, on Monday night, Ariyo was said to have stated that he was a lawyer, and narrated that the kidnappers killed his 13-year-old daughter, despite having raised N7m of the earlier demanded N60m through the donation of friends and family, which the kidnappers had refused to collect.

He added that the kidnappers were threatening to kill his wife and his three remaining children, who were minors and were still in captivity, and lamented the failure of the government to end the insecurity in the country.

“Dear seniors & colleagues, most respectfully, I’m Oladosu Folorunso Ariyo, a lawyer working in Abuja. On Sunday evening, the 7th of January 2024, around 7:30 pm, a band of kidnappers dressed in full military camon invaded my home located at Sagwari Layout Estate in Dutse, Abuja. They kidnapped my wife (who is also a lawyer) & our four children. The kidnappers called and demanded 60-million-naira ransom, out of which through generous donations of friends and family, I’ve been able to raise the sum of several millions naira which they have vehemently refused to collect.

As of today, they’ve killed my first born Michelle Ariyo (age 13) and dumped her corpse on Kaduna Road while threatening to kill my three remaining children (who are all minors) and wife, who are still in captivity. Please and please sir, I urgently need the intervention of NBA. When will these kidnappings end, when will the government pretend to be serious about this insecurity in our country? God help us all”, he wrote.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of the FCT Public Complaints Commission, Ezekiel Dalhatu, while addressing a press conference on Monday, called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the FCT, due to the rising insecurity, kidnappings, and incessant attacks on the residents.

He also called on the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to suspend ongoing projects, to address the issue, as it involves the lives of residents, while also calling for the set-up of a civilian joint task force as an alternative means to combat insecurity in the rural areas.

Dalhatu described the state of insecurity in the FCT as a threat to the peace, and business, adding that the perpetrators were aware of the strategies used by the country’s armed forces, and suggested a change in strategy, to tackle kidnapping and banditry.

“Though we recognise the efforts of our security agencies cut across all levels for the commitment and show of force, we also admit the operational inadequacies these agencies are faced with, ranging from manpower, equipment and irregular payments of operational allowances”, he said.

When our correspondent visited the compound of the Ariyos on Monday afternoon, the security man said the father was not around, while barring the gate and preventing entry into the compound to speak to neighbours. Our correspondent however noted that the community had begun the construction of a fence at the base of the mountain.

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, when contacted, declined to speak on the issue, quoting security reasons. Similarly, efforts to reach the Director of Security in the FCT Administration, Adamu Gwary, proved abortive, as he did not respond to phone calls.

BIG STORY

We’ll Reintroduce Bill Seeking 6-Year Single Term For President, Governors Despite Rejection — Rep

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Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, a member of the House of Representatives, says the push for a six-year single term for president and governors will continue despite the bill’s rejection.

The bill, which was slated for a second reading during Thursday’s plenary session, was rejected by lawmakers in the Green Chamber.

Sponsored by Ikeagwuonu from Imo State and 33 other lawmakers, the bill also sought to amend Section 3 of the Constitution to recognize the division of Nigeria into six geopolitical zones.

Briefing journalists on Thursday evening, the lawmaker described the rejection of the bill as a “temporary setback.”

“The struggle to reform our constitutional democracy to be all-inclusive and provide an avenue for justice, equity, and fairness has not been lost,” he said.

The lawmaker added that voting against the bill by the parliament “does not put an end to agitation and hope that we will realise this objective.”

“This is a temporary setback which does not affect the campaign for an inclusive democratic process,” he said.

The Imo lawmaker stated that the sponsors of the bill will review the decision of the House and “find possible ways of reintroducing it after following due legislative procedures.”

“All I can tell Nigerians is that we will continue the advocacy and convince our colleagues to see reason with us. If elections are held in one day, it will reduce cost and rigging,” he said.

“If power rotates, it will help deescalate political tensions, and a six-year single term will go a long way in helping elective leaders focus on delivering their democratic mandate.”

“All hope is not lost, we will continue the advocacy, and we hope that when reintroduced, our colleagues will support it.”

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BIG STORY

65% Of Nigerian Households Can’t Afford Healthy Meals — NBS

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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that food scarcity, insecurity, and high prices have led Nigerian households to reduce consumption, with 65 percent unable to afford healthy meals due to financial constraints.

These findings were released in the NBS’s latest General Household Survey Panel (Wave 5) report, conducted in partnership with the World Bank.

The report reveals that 71 percent of households were affected by rising prices of major food items, while food shortages impacted more than a third of households over the past year. These shortages were particularly severe in June, July, and August, worsening the food insecurity crisis.

As a result, 48.8 percent of households reported cutting back on food consumption, according to the NBS data.

“In the past 12 months, more than one-third of households faced food shortages, which occurred more frequently in the months of June, July, and August,” the report states.

“Price increases on major food items were the most prevalent shock reported by households, affecting 71.0 percent of surveyed households.”

“Households’ main reported mechanism for coping with shocks was reducing food consumption (48.8 percent).”

  • ‘62.4% Nigerian Households Secured Less Food’

The report also notes a significant increase in the number of households concerned about not having enough food to eat, with the figure rising from 36.9 percent in Wave 4 (conducted in 2019) to 62.4 percent in Wave 5.

According to the NBS, this surge reflects a rise in food insecurity, with more than half of Nigerian families struggling to meet their dietary needs.

“Approximately two out of three households (65.8 percent) reported being unable to eat healthy, nutritious, or preferred foods because of lack of money in the last 30 days. 63.8 percent of households ate only a few kinds of food due to lack of money, 62.4 percent were worried about not having enough food to eat, and 60.5 percent ate less than they thought they should,” the report adds.

“Furthermore, 12.3 percent reported that at least one person in the household went without eating for a whole day, and 20.8 percent of households had to borrow food or rely on help from friends or relatives.”

“In general, households in the southern zones report more incidents related to food security than those in northern zones.”

“For example, in the southern zones, the proportion of households reporting that they had to skip a meal ranged from 50.1 percent in South West to 62.4 percent in South East, while in the northern zones this share varied from 34.0 percent in North Central to 48.3 percent in North East.”

The report further highlights that residents in the south-south zone experienced the highest rates of food insecurity across five out of eight indicators. In contrast, the north-central zone had the lowest rates in six of the eight indicators.

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BIG STORY

POLITICS: Rest 31-Year Presidential Ambition — Bode George Tells Atiku Abubakar

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A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has advised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to end his 31-year-long bid to be President.

Noting that Atiku’s bid to be President dated back to 1993, George said it was high time the former Vice President retired from such a contest, especially in the 2027 election.

Addressing a press conference at his Ikoyi, Lagos office, on Thursday, George urged Atiku to assume the position of an elder in the nation and leave his bid to posterity.

“To Atiku, my advice is this, you will be 81 years old in 2027, and you have been contesting for the presidency since 1993. This is the time for you to calm down and act like an elder. I appeal to you in the name of the Almighty Allah, that you serve, to take it easy and leave everything for posterity,” George said.

George decried that the PDP was on the verge of crumbling because people uplifted their personal interests and individual ambitions above national interest.

He criticised the “divisive, arrogant, haughty” members of the party romancing the ruling All Progressives Congress yet failing to defect from the PDP, describing them as cowards.

“We are where we are today because of a self-inflicted crisis; we should bury our individual ambitions now and not allow the PDP to crumble, please. Elders of the party should tell some of these funny characters to cool off and think of our national interest instead of their personal interest.

“Nigerians are angry and hungry. Instead of telling the APC the truth, some divisive, arrogant and haughty members are busy romancing the ruling party and they are quick to refer to themselves as elder statesmen. Instead of instigating a crisis in our party, why are they not bold enough to defect to the APC? Do they really fear God at all? No member is big enough to hold the party to ransom,” George added.

Particularly pointing to the crisis between Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and his predecessor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, George urged Wike to immediately “cool off” from wanting to “bring down” Fubara.

George said it was worrisome that some party members, rather than bringing the two parties to mediation, further fuelled the Fubara/Wike crisis for their selfish interests.

“My advice to Wike is very simple. You are my political son. I am therefore appealing to him to cool off immediately. I know he was injured by friends during the last PDP presidential contest, but I am advising him as a father to please take it easy. Nobody is bigger than any party. Forget what happened in the past and let us work together in the interest of this party.

“I want to ask the elders at the helm of affairs of our party today, ‘What exactly is the offence of Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State?’ What exactly is the offence of this gentleman that some elders of our party are trying to throw him under the bus because of political expediency? What exactly is going on that some party members don’t feel bothered about the happenings in Rivers State? Governor Fubara was helped by Governor Wike to become the number one citizen of the oil-bearing state. The governor himself acknowledged this on several occasions.

“Must the governor now behave like a slave to his predecessor and other characters because of this concept of godfatherism which is a misnomer in our politics? Why are some party members encouraging his predecessor to bring him down? He is in Abuja; he wants to control what goes on in Rivers State.

“Did the governors before him behave this way? Why are the party leaders not eager to mediate and bring both groups to normalcy? The PDP cannot continue like this. Why can’t we learn from our past mistakes? Is our party jinxed? Why can’t we tell all these troublemakers to go and sit down if they don’t want this party to move forward?”

The National Assembly has amended the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, prescribing life imprisonment for drug offenders and traffickers.

This decision followed the adoption of the harmonised report by the Senate and House of Representatives on the NDLEA Act amendment.

Presenting the report, the Chairman of the Senate Conference Committee, Senator Tahir Monguno, explained that the amendment sought to impose stricter penalties to deter illegal drug activities.

The amendment specifically stated: “Any person who unlawfully engages in the storage, custody, movement, carriage, or concealment of dangerous drugs or controlled substances and, while doing so, is armed with an offensive weapon or disguised in any manner, commits an offence under this Act and is liable, upon conviction, to life imprisonment.”

The Senate approved the recommendation through a voice vote during Thursday’s plenary, presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin.

In addition to the NDLEA amendment, the Senate also passed a bill to empower the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission.

The proposed legislation, known as the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission Bill of 2024, sought to replace the existing RMAFC Act of 2004.

The updated law revises the commission’s composition and operational framework to ensure federal, state, and local governments receive constitutionally mandated resources to address governance and developmental challenges.

Presenting the bill, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs, Yahaya Abdullahi, highlighted the urgency of reforming the commission in light of Nigeria’s dwindling revenues and growing population.

Abdullahi explained that the bill aims to strengthen RMAFC’s mandate as the constitutionally recognised body responsible for monitoring revenue generation and ensuring its equitable distribution among the three tiers of government.

“The Act, last revised over 20 years ago, no longer reflects Nigeria’s evolving economic realities. This bill proposes additional funding and a restructured operational framework for the commission to improve its efficiency,” he said.

He further emphasised that adequate funding from the Federation Account was critical for RMAFC to perform its constitutional responsibilities effectively, noting that funding challenges had previously hindered its performance.

The Senate endorsed the bill following deliberations and a majority vote.

It now awaits President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to become law.

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