A passenger driver, simply identified as “Emeka,” was shot dead when suspected kidnappers abducted five passengers traveling from Kebbi State to Asaba in Delta State.

It was gathered that the attack occurred at a point between Kwana-Barau and Kundu village, Niger State, on Sunday, during which five people were abducted. However, one “Emeka,” who was driving the vehicle with Reg. No. “LND 863 YF,” was shot dead.

In a related incident, operatives in Niger State also rescued 19 passengers who were traveling from Sokoto to Bayelsa State before they were attacked by suspected kidnappers and taken into a forest.

The victims, who were attacked by the kidnappers on November 1, 2024, were traveling in a Toyota bus with Reg. No. “LG 08 DGS” from Sokoto State. They were abducted at Gidan-Kwakwa along the Tegina-Zungeru Road in Niger State.

The spokesman for the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, who made this known in a statement on Monday, disclosed that all the victims were rescued unharmed.

“On 03/11/2024 at about 0600hrs, it was reported that on the same date at about 0130hrs, suspected kidnappers attacked a vehicle with Reg. No. “LND 863 YF” from Yawuri Kebbi State heading to Asaba, Delta State.

“The attack occurred at a point between Kwana-Barau and Kundu village, and five people were reportedly abducted. Unfortunately, one “Emeka,” the driver, was shot dead.

“The joint security tactical team responded and combed the forest. In the process, four victims were rescued unharmed within Kattako forest, Rafi LGA. However, efforts are being intensified to rescue the remaining one victim in captivity as the rescue operation continues,” Abiodun stated.

Abiodun also stated that the 19 passengers who were kidnapped on their way from Sokoto to Bayelsa State were rescued unharmed after intense pressure was put on the kidnappers.

“On 01/11/2024 at about 0630hrs, information was received that on the same date at about 0230hrs, some passengers traveling in a Toyota Bus with Reg. No. “LG 08 DGS” from Sokoto State heading to Bayelsa State were attacked by suspected kidnappers at Gidan-Kwakwa along the Tegina-Zungeru Road and abducted 19 people into the forest.

“Immediately the information was received, a joint security tactical team mobilized and trailed the suspected kidnappers. As a result of the sustained pressure, 12 victims were abandoned by the hoodlums and were rescued on 02/11/2024 at about 0642hrs along the Pangugari forest in Rafi LGA.

“As the rescue operation was intensified, at about 2100hrs on the same date, the remaining seven victims were also rescued unharmed within the forest, making a total of 19 victims rescued. The victims were taken to a nearby clinic for medical attention and were released to return to Sokoto State on 03/11/2024,” Abiodun stated.

The Federal Ministry of Works has instructed Julius Berger, the contractor responsible for the rehabilitation of Section One of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway, to vacate the project site.

This follows the issuance of a 14-day final termination notice on Monday, making it clear that no further negotiations would be entertained.

The ministry cited non-compliance with the revised cost, scope, and terms of the project, along with a halt in work and the company’s refusal to remobilise to the site as the reasons for the termination.

It was noted that despite ongoing negotiations over several months, there had been no meaningful progress.

A statement issued by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mohammed Ahmed, on Monday in Abuja, confirmed the decision, which was made during a management meeting at the ministry’s headquarters.

Recall that the works ministry had in the last 13 months been in constant talks with the company, in order to reach an amiable position on the said alignment but to no avail.

The latest development follows an earlier threat by the minister to revoke the contract that was awarded to the company in 2018 when former President Muhammadu Buhari was in power.

While the Kaduna-Zaria section has been completed and the Zaria-Kano section is almost done, the Abuja-Kaduna section has recorded 27 percent progress in six years.

At an event penultimate week, Umahi accused Julius Berger of playing politics with the highway to make the current administration look bad.

Despite these efforts, an agreement was not reached between both parties, with the construction company not attending the scheduled meeting on Monday.

The statement read in part, “Based on non-compliance with the reviewed cost, scope, and terms, stoppage of work and refusal to remobilise to the site, as directed, the Federal Ministry of Works has issued a 14-day Notice of Termination to Messrs Julius Berger Plc for the Rehabilitation of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway in FCT, Kaduna and Kano States, Contract No.6350, Section I (Abuja-Kaduna), today, November 4, 2024.

“Nigerians may wish to know that the Contract for the Rehabilitation of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway, which was divided into three Sections was awarded to the company on December 20, 2017, and flagged off by the former Minister of Power, Works, and Housing, Babatunde Fashola at an initial sum of N155.75bn on June 18, 2018. Sections II (Kaduna – Zaria) and III (Zaria – Kano) were partially completed and handed over during the twilight of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Since then it has been one variation and augmentation or the other and finally, the present Minister of Works directed the redesigning and re-scoping of the Section I of the contract. The alignment was divided into two with one phase redesigned to be on continuously reinforced concrete pavement, while the remaining with asphaltic pavement.

“Approval for Section I, Phase 1 for a length of 38km on the concrete pavement was given to Messrs Dangote Industries (Nig.) Ltd, while the remaining 127km remained with the substantive contractor. Phase 1 was flagged off on October 17, 2024, with a 14-month completion period.”

Mohammed further explained that a request to rescope the project was approved by the Federal Executive Council but the contract’s terms were not agreed upon by the contractor.

He added, “Due to the stalemate of the contract and, most importantly, the desire of President Bola Tinubu, as encapsulated in the Renewed Hope Agenda infrastructure initiative, to see to the completion of this laudable project, also to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians plying the road, the ministry re-scoped it and got the approval of the Federal Executive Council.

“The award for the Re-scoping and Downward Review of Contract for the Rehabilitation of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Dual Carriageway in FCT, Kaduna and Kano States, Contract No.6350, Section I (Abuja-Kaduna) in favour of Messrs Julius Berger Plc from the sum of N797.26bn to N740.79bn was granted by FEC on September 23, 2024, and conveyed to the company on October 3, 2024.”

With the latest development, this means the Works Minister, David Umahi has revoked 11 contracts in 16 months.

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, on Sunday, said his recent suggestion to convert ‘church vigils into night shifts’ has been misrepresented.

The former Anambra State governor, faced intense backlash after his interview on the Honest Bunch podcast aired on Saturday.

He stressed that Nigeria’s poverty and unproductivity stem from two major factors: politics and religion.

Specifically, Obi argued that Nigerians spend too much time attending church services from Monday to Friday, which sparked mixed reactions.

While some saw his statement as an attack on religious practices, others viewed it as a call to balance faith with productivity.

Reacting via a statement issued by his media aide, Ibrahim Umar, in the wake of the outrage, the former governor said his account was twisted and blown out of proportion.

The statement partly read, “Our attention has been drawn to a huge twist in his recent media interview, saying erroneously that he called for the dismantling of churches in Nigeria.

“By the headline given to the interview, the import of Obi’s message has been greatly overturned and grossly distorted to serve a mischievous end.

“The Labour Party leader is well known as a man of strong faith who has enormous respect and love for every religion and tried in the referenced interview to bring to Nigerians how religion can be more effective in their lives.

“Obi, in the interview, was merely underscoring what Apostle James said in ‘Faith without Works is unhelpful.’ When Obi said that he would turn night vigil into production night, he was only stressing the importance of worshipping God through work.

“Even Jesus Christ never picked any of his 12 disciples where they were praying but where they were working as fishermen and tax collectors, among others.

“What we are doing in Nigeria, which Obi’s interview is highlighting as wrong and should be discontinued, is exchanging work for prayer when the two should go together.

“There is no evidence in the scripture that Jesus blessed an idle person. The problem In some of Nigeria’s worship communities is that they are not following St James advisory that we should be doers of the words.”