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Again, Bandits Abduct Customs Officer, Son, Eight Others In Kaduna

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Bandits

A customs officer, Muawiyya Gambo Turaki, and nine others have been abducted in Kofar Gayan low-cost, Zaria, Kaduna state.

Bandits were said to have invaded the area around 9.00pm on Wednesday.

This is the second time bandits would invade Kofar Gayan low-cost and abduct people.

Sometime last year, the bandits invaded the neighborhood and abducted the wife of another customs officer and a woman but released them after N15m ransom was paid.

Confirming the incident to Daily Trust, the ward head of the area, Muhammadu Nazifi, said “those kidnapped include his son, Jamalu, Muawiyya Gambo Turaki, a customs officer, who arrived home from his duty post just yesterday and his son Khalifa.”

He added, “They also kidnapped a woman, Jamila Usman and another boy also called Khalifah.

“However, about four of them later escaped and returned back.”

Also speaking one of the escapees, Yushau Isah, said about four of them managed to escaped after trekking with the bandits for about five kilometers into the bush.

He narrated, “The abductors were eight in number and came on foot with sophisticated weapons. They struggled to speak Hausa language to us but their language of communication is Fulani.”

Isah said they managed to escape under the cover of the night.

“We attributed the abduction to the handiwork of informants because it seems their main target was the customs officer who arrived home from his duty post, just a day earlier,” he said.

Daily Trust learnt that security operatives responded to a distress call but were a bit late as the bandits had taken away the victims before they arrived.

Daily Trust

UK Slaps More Sanctions On Russian Individuals And Media

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Britain has issued further sanctions against 12 Russian citizens and two media entities, it was announced on Thursday.

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that it is targeting “Russian propagandists and state media who spread lies and deceit about Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

The latest people sanctioned include famous Russian TV anchor Sergey Brilev and head of Sputnik International Broadcasting, Anton Anisimov.

Brilev, who is also the deputy director of state-owned Rossiya media, is accused by the UK government of actively engaging in “propagating the Kremlin’s disinformation about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” Brilev had previously lived in the UK and will no longer be able to access any of his UK assets or continue business dealings, the government said.

The managing director of the Russian broadcast company RT, Alexey Nikolov, and CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding Aleksandr Zharov were also sanctioned with asset freezes and travel bans.

The sanctions also target the media houses Rossiya Segodnya and RT-owner TV-Novosti.

Putin’s war on Ukraine is based on a torrent of lies. Britain has helped lead the world in exposing Kremlin disinformation, and this latest batch of sanctions hits the shameless propagandists who push out Putin’s fake news and narratives,” Truss said Thursday.

“We will keep on going with more sanctions to ramp up the pressure on Russia and ensure Putin loses in Ukraine. Nothing and no one is off the table,” she added.

Aside from media figures, the UK government also sanctioned Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of Russia’s National Defense Management Center. Referring to Mizintsev as the “butcher of Mariupol,” the UK accuses him of being responsible for planning and executing the siege and bombardment of Mariupol.

Physically Challenged Man Rapes 11-Year-Old Niece To Death In Lagos

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Unknown Gunmen Attack Police Team In Bayelsa, Kill One, Injure Others

An 11-year-old girl has reportedly died of complications sustained at the hands of her deaf and dumb uncle, who subjected her to sexual abuse in the Alimosho area in Lagos.

According to family sources, Peter consistently defiled the little girl and her elder sister, who live with their grandmother in Lagos.

It was learned that the girl became very sickly from the constant sexual abuse her uncle subjected her to.

She, according to her aunt, died on March 22 after she was taken to a hospital.

Before her death, the girl, in a video recording, revealed that her uncle, Peter, was responsible for her plight.

According to her, her ordeal began when she caught her deaf and dumb uncle molesting her elder sister.

Surprisingly, her elder sister told their uncle to do the same to the girl so that she won’t speak out.

Revelation
Her aunt drew the attention of Mr. Ebenezer Omejalille, Coordinator of Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network (ACVPN) to the issue.

He said: “Peace was very sick for some time while she was still with her grandmother.

“When her grandmother realised she could no longer cope with her deteriorating health condition, she reached out to me.

“So I took her in on March 20. While she was with me I discovered she had been severely sexually abused when she excreted on herself.

“I had to pet her for her to open up. Eventually, she opened up to me about how her uncle would always molest her.”

Explaining further, the aunt said that the girl died, her father noticed that whenever he visited his children at their grandma’s place, he observed that she was always moody.

He would think she needed money.

Her father complained each time he wanted to take his daughters, his mother is always screaming to the extent neighbours would intervene and appealed to him to leave his daughters.

However, the abuse continued unabated till she developed health complications that eventually led to her death.

Lamenting the rise in domestic violence and sexual abuse of girls despite efforts by government and rights groups to halt the menace, Ebenezer Omejalille, Coordinator of ACVPN, called for the immediate arrest of the perpetrator

Putin Says “Unfriendly” Countries Must Pay In Rubles For Gas Or Contracts Will Be Suspended

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Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that according to a newly signed decree regarding natural gas trading with “unfriendly countries,” companies will need to have accounts in Russian banks and pay for contracts in rubles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on aviation via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia, on March 31.

“Today, I signed a decree which sets the rules for trading in Russian natural gas with the so-called unfriendly states. We suggest that counter-parties in these countries use a very simple and transparent scheme in order to buy Russian gas they need to open ruble accounts in Russian banks, and payments should come from these accounts,” Putin said on Thursday.

The new rules take effect tomorrow, April 1.

“If these payments are not made, we shall deem this as non-performance on the part of the buyers and that will lead to consequences. Nobody gives us anything for free and we’re not about to be charitable,” Putin said, adding that active contracts will be suspended.

FIFA Bans Nigeria Stadium From Hosting International Matches

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FIFA

World football governing body FIFA, has slammed an indefinite ban on MKO Abiola Stadium Abuja from hosting international matches.

FIFA Bans Nigeria Stadium From Hosting International Matches

This is coming after the death of Joseph Kabungo, a medical doctor from Zambia, who died during a stampede after Nigeria fans invaded the Moshood Abiola National Stadium pitch, following a 1-1 draw with the Black Stars on Tuesday, March 29th.

FIFA Bans Nigeria Stadium From Hosting International Matches
Abuja Stadium

Kabungo was the Confederation of African Football (CAF) doping control officer for the Super Eagles and Black Stars game at the MKO Abiola stadium.

He died after violence erupted at the end of the match in Abuja.

The stalemate at the Abuja Stadium meant the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to the away goal rule, despite earning a 1-1 aggregate scoreline in the double-header.

While Ghana fans were celebrating the qualification after the match, thousands of disappointed Nigeria fans started raining plastic bottles on the pitch, not even the Black Stars players were spared.

The angry supporters later invaded the pitch and proceeded to attack Ghanaian players and fans, destroying properties in the Stadium in the process.

The substitute benches were smashed by the fans, who demanded the immediate sack of the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick.

“Pinnick must go! Pinnick must go!!” the mob sang, as others asked for the removal of the Eagles’ gaffer, Augustine Eguavoen too.

Eguavoen has anyways, tendered his resignation as the head coach of the Super Eagles today.

The Police later came in to quash the protest, firing several rounds of tear gas canisters into the air to disperse the angry protesters.

It is not clear what other sanctions FIFA and the regional body CAF could mete out to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, for failing to provide adequate security for the game but the too bodies frown at fans encroachment into the field of play.

It could be recalled that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) disciplinary committee in May 2006 sanctioned Nigeria with a $5,000 for poor crowd control at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna, where the Super Eagles hosted Egypt in a Gabon 2017 African Nations Cup qualifier in March.

The organisers of the match allowed a crowd of over 40,000 inside the stadium designed to hold 25,000 spectators.

The Super Eagles and the Pharaohs drew 1-1 in that encounter, with the Egyptians subsequently defeating Nigeria 1-0 in the return fixture to stop the Eagles from qualifying for the competition.

Gunmen Kill 1, Burn Anambra Council Secretariat

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File Photo

Gunmen have killed one person and burnt the Secretariat of Nnewi South Local Government Area in Ukpor, Anambra State.

Gunmen Kill 1, Burn Anambra Council Secretariat
File Photo

The incident took place on Thursday morning. Eyewitnesses said the deceased was one of the security men in the Council Secretariat.

Tension enveloped the Council with residents fearing for their lives.

Ukpor in Nnewi South is the local government area of some notable politicians, including first Minister of Aviation, Mbazulike Amechi, 92; former House of Representatives member, Hon Cyril Maduabom and former Anambra Speaker Hon Rita Maduagwu among others.

Confirming the incident, Anambra Police spokesman, Ikenga Tochukwu, said he has not ascertained the number of casualties yet.

He said operatives had been deployed to the area while men of the State Fire Service were already on ground to quench the fire.

Tochukwu further said Anambra Commissioner of Police had gone to the scene to assess things for himself.

He said that it was a case of arson.

Gunmen Raid Abuja Palace, Kidnap Popular Monarch

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The traditional ruler of Bukpe community in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Hassan Shamidozhi, has been kidnapped.

Gunmen Raid Abuja Palace, Kidnap Popular Monarch

It was learned that the incident happened on Wednesday night.

The monarch, who was seated in front of his palace taking fresh air, was whisked away at gunpoint. The kidnappers had shot to scare away people.

As of the time of publishing this report, the abductors have not made any contact with the monarch’s family.

It is understood that the attack was the third in the community.

Police have been notified, and some officers visited the community.

Traditional leaders like Shamidozhi, although they have no constitutional role, are typically revered in northern Nigeria as custodians of the tradition. They generally act as a link between civilians and government, as well as peace makers in times of crisis.

The northern region of Nigeria has recently become a target for kidnapping-for-ransom gangs, abduction of students from schools and travelers on highways.

Again, Fire Razes Abuja Popular Market

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Massive Blaze Engulfs Multimillion Naira Shops In Onitsha

An early morning fire has razed a popular market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Karimo.

Again, Fire Razes Abuja Popular Market

Findings revealed that the actual cause of the inferno is yet to be known.

A trader, who preferred to be called Sunday, told our correspondent that the inferno started from a shop before spreading to others.

This is the fourth time Karimo market will be engulfed by fire.

Sunday said: “Traders have started counting their losses and salvaging what was left of their goods”.

Goods worth millions were destroyed in the inferno, according to traders.

Details shortly…..

Austin Eguavoen Resigns As Super Eagles Coach

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Austin Eguavoen

Austin Eguavoen has resigned as Super Eagles Head Coach following the failure of Nigeria to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Austin Eguavoen Resigns As Super Eagles Coach
Austin Eguavoen

Brila FM who broke the news said Eguavoen has sent an official resignation letter to the NFF.

The Sports radio said Eguavoen will now return to his role as Technical Director of all national teams.

However, the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, is yet to release an official statement.

Nigeria played 1-1 draw with Ghana inside Moshood Abiola National stadium Abuja, but could not go through due to away goal deficit.

The NFF had handed a two-year contract to Eguavoen two days before the first leg of the World Cup play-off against Ghana.

It is now clear that the Super Eagles will soon have a new coach.

Meanwhile, Nigerians are calling for a total overhaul of the football federation.

Most specifically, there has been increased call for the President of NFF Amaju Pinnick to resign, but he has remained adamant.

Kaduna Attack: Don’t Deny Knowledge Of Bandits’ Whereabouts, Senator Ndume Attacks President Buhari’s Government

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Senator Ali Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume has lambasted the President Muhammadu Buhari administration over its handling of insecurity in the country, accusing it of complacency.

Senator Ali Ndume

The lawmaker insisted that there is a lot of kleptocracy in the current administration and that except the government did something about it, things will not change.

The Borno South lawmaker made the comment during an interview on Wednesday.

He was speaking in reaction to a remark by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi that the attack on the Kaduna-Abuja rail line could have been avoided if digital security equipment had been procured.

The minister said his colleagues declined approval for the purchase.

Ndume faulted the failure to approve the purchase.

“If you look at it deeply, there is a lot of complacency in it. You have the MTN services. These people are using phones so you can track them. With today’s technology, people are taken away and you say you don’t know where they are. No, I mean let’s be serious,” the lawmaker noted.

“Coming back to what the minister (Amaechi) said, I got angry too. I mean how can you put all these people — every day, an average of 1,000 are moving around — and then the ministry will ask for money to buy gadgets and drones. These are mostly off-the-shelf items.

“You can order them or import them, install them immediately in two to three days. But you know what will happen in Nigeria next? They will go on TV and say we have purchased so and so and the bandits will watch it and they know where it is going to be installed.

“This system is terrible. People will frustrate this kind of process and you can see the minister was angry. That means there was a lot of frustration in the process of procurement.”

Ndume maintained “that there is a bunch and a lot of kleptocracy in this system and the government needs to do something about it”.

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