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Soldier, 24 Others Killed In Taraba Farmers-Herdsmen Clash

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A soldier and 24 other residents of Ussa and Takum local government areas of Taraba States are said to have been killed so far in the unending feud between Kuteb farmers and herders in the state.

This is according to the Police Public Relations Officer in Taraba State, Abdullahi Usman.

He said the military officer was ambushed and killed while the other 24 persons are either Kuteb or Fulani extractions.

“The military officer who was from the checkpoint coming back to 93 Battalion Barrack was ambushed and killed, though nothing was taken from him, his motorcycle and luckily he has no rifle on him,” Usman stated.

“He was killed by unknown persons and an investigation has been launched to unravel those behind the killing. Statistically, 20 Kuteb indigenes were killed while three Fulani herdsmen also paid the supreme price as a result of the crisis.”

He insisted that at the moment, the major problem halting the return of peace is the claim by the Fulani herdsmen that their cattle are held hostage by the Kuteb farmers and the denial from the other end.

The problem we are now facing is that the Fulani are claiming that their cattle are rustled and are held hostage within the Kuteb farmers’ areas while the Kutebs fear going to the farm for fear of attack from the Fulani herdsmen.

“The commissioner of police has called on the leader of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in Ussa and the claimants to discuss, agree and go to where they alleged that their cattle are held hostage for fact-finding as well as the release of same for peace to reign,” the police spokesman added.

All attempts to speak to the state chairman of MACBAN proved abortive.

However, the President of the Kuteb Yatgso Association of Nigeria, Emmanuel Ukwen – an umbrella body of the Kuteb-speaking tribe in the country – revealed that peace was brokered between them late last year in which a 14-point resolution was reached and signed.

Ukwen alleged that the state government failed to provide the needed funds to implement the agreements reached which gave rise to enemies of progress to renew the attacks.

He said, “What baffles us was that peace was brokered with herdsmen, it then became an onslaught by bandits.

“Who invited or hired the bandits? We want the state government to investigate and tell the world. It should be noted that as we speak dozens of innocent citizens have been killed by the bandits in Takum, Ussa, and Yangtu Special Development Area, and equally thousands of people have been displaced from their ancestral homes.”

He said as the leader of his people, he has not seen the state government either visit his people or sympathize with them or provided the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and relief materials, a situation the state government denied saying it provided the shelter they are staying as well as relief materials in quantum.

BIG STORY

JUST IN: 114 Released #EndBadGovernance Protesters Arrive Presidential Villa

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One hundred and fourteen #EndBadGovernance protesters, including minors and adults acquitted by the Federal High Court in Abuja, have arrived at the Presidential Villa.

The protesters, initially arraigned by the Police Force, were released following a court ruling by Justice Obiora Egwatu.

The case was dismissed at the request of the Attorney General of the Federation (“AGF”), Lateef Fagbemi.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is set to officially receive the released protesters.

They will then be handed over to their respective Governors, specifically Uba Sani of Kaduna and Abba Yusuf of Kano.

Ministers present at the State House Auditorium in Abuja for the reception include: Tunji Alausa (“Minister of Education”); Nentawe Yilwatda (“Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction”); Balarabe Lawal (“Minister of Environment”) and Tanko Sununu (“Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction”).

Also, Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement for the Northwest, Abdullahi Yakasai, is in attendance.

Other dignitaries present are Deputy Senate President Jubrin Barau and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abubakar Bichi.

 

More to come…

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BREAKING: Nigeria’s National Grid Collapses Again, 10th Time In 2024

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Nigeria’s national grid has collapsed again for the 10th time in 2024.

This was revealed by the National grid’s X handle.

This revelation was made after several Nigerians complained of a sudden disappearance of power supply in their houses.

 

More to come…

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Oil Marketers Counter Dangote Refinery On Substandard Products Claim, Say “It’s False”

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Oil marketers, under the umbrella of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), have rejected claims by the Dangote refinery suggesting that cheaper petrol sold by other marketers is substandard.

On November 3, the Dangote refinery stated that any oil marketer offering petrol below its price is likely importing inferior products.

The refinery emphasized that its prices are aligned with international benchmarks and the rates at which the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited sells to local marketers after deregulation.

In response, DAPPMAN’s executive secretary, Olufemi Adewole, issued a statement on Tuesday, asserting that none of the association’s members are involved in the importation of low-quality products into Nigeria.

“We have said this for the umpteenth time, and it bears repeating, those in the downstream sector business of petroleum products trade are patriotic Nigerians who will not shortchange Nigerian citizens for filthy lucre,” Adewole said.

“Our members are in this business to add value to the businesses of their fellow Nigerians and not to defraud them.

“Prices of products in the international market are dynamic as they are dictated by prevailing circumstances at every given situation. We calculate our landing costs based on the dynamics of market forces, and the templates are always in the public domain.

“To claim that if the landing cost of imported product happens to be lower than that of the refinery indicates importation of low quality product is not only preposterous, but also fallacious. In any case, the management of the refinery has, until now, kept its cost and prices close to its chest and put it away from public scrutiny.”

Adewole said the refinery’s comment is targeted at projecting DAPPMAN’s members negatively before the public.

He also said such claims cannot help the company’s desire to have oil marketers patronise its products.

“What will ensure such patronage is transparency, fairplay, and readiness to compete with others, including foreign refineries, on an even keel and on a level playing field,” he added.

The DAPPMAN executive secretary said the company’s claim that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) does not have a modern laboratory to test imported fuel is false.

“A regulator must have access to modern, state of the art laboratory at every point in time, whether owned by it or others. Such laboratories must be of world standard,” he said.

“The regulator, and indeed, the marketers, have access to such world-class laboratories, which include: SGS, Inspectorate, and Interterk, among others.

“If fuel marketers were bringing in off-spec fuel, this wouldn’t have been difficult to detect. How many vehicles in the last one year have reported engine problems resulting from bad fuel? Where are the reports about environmental pollution occasioned by the usage of low quality fuel?

“It is a false statement to claim that any product brought in with a landing price lower than the price offered by the Dangote Refinery is a substandard product.

“It is the management of the refinery that will need to tweak its template to reflect the crude for naira sales and other incentives which the federal government has graciously extended to the refinery.”

Adewole also said the members were surprised to know that the refinery has a 500 million litres fuel reserve.

“We were surprised because we believe that if the Refinery has such huge stock, it is the marketers that should be put in the know first,” the executive secretary said.

“Secondly, it was even more surprising given that the news came about the time the refinery was working on rationing what each marketer could pick from the refinery. If they had such huge stock, how is it then that they are rationing what marketers could buy.”

Adewole said the association will continue to play by the rules and will not be tired of advocating for a level playing field, and a competitive and transparent sector.

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