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Tinubu Reads Riot Act to Security Agencies, Declares No More Ransom Payment to Kidnappers
President Bola Tinubu has again, directed that on no condition should ransom be paid by government to kidnappers, bandits or other criminal elements for the release of their victims, as he read the country’s security agencies the riot act following incessant kidnap incidents.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed the directive yesterday in Abuja while briefing newsmen at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, chaired by Tinubu at the State House.
The federal government also said it was still reviewing offers from the United States and other countries to help in rescue missions, saying it would disclose its decision soon.
The comments came as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, assured residents of improved security, including reduction in cases of kidnapping, in the nation’s capital.
At the same time, Commissioner, FCT Police Command, Benedict Igweh, disclosed that the correctional officer, Usman Ishaya Magaji, who shot and killed a convicted offender, Ibrahim Yahaya, at Wuse market on Tuesday, had been arrested for interrogation.
The government’s decision to put a damper on kidnapping for ransom followed recent incidents, particularly in Kaduna State, where some children were kidnapped and held in captivity while their abductors demanded billions of naira for their release.
Idris briefed newsmen on the latest developments at the end of the FEC meeting yesterday.
He stated, “In council today, Mr. President reiterated his directive to the security agencies and the Ministry of Defence to ensure that those our kids that have been abducted by these criminal gangs are brought back to their homes safely.
“Mr President has also reiterated his zero tolerance for payment of ransom. That was also mentioned by Mr. President at the council today. So, the security agencies are working round the clock.
“So, these children and people that have been abducted by criminal elements will be brought back to safety pretty soon. The security agencies are working hard in that direction.
“And Mr. President has also directed that no ransom will be paid by government to any of these criminal elements. It is important that it will be put out there.”
On the rising wave of kidnapping in the country, Idris said, “You’re also asking about the apparent surge in this kidnapping across the country. Now, it is true that some of these are happening, we have seen what has happened in Kaduna, in Borno and then in Sokoto.
“Of course, government is watching that very closely and not just watching, also ensuring that security agencies are taking proactive steps to ensure that this is halted significantly.
“Now, like I said, Mr. President has said it is an unacceptable situation and the government will not condone abductions or kidnappings or any kind of criminality in that direction.
“We’re seeing this happening and government is taking very proactive steps, first, to mitigate that, and also to stop the spread of this apparently.
“We are seeing that the more the security agencies are also hitting these targets or criminals, the more they are pushed to also getting some soft targets. But government is not taking any excuses.
“The president has directed that security agencies must, as a matter of urgency, ensure that these children and all those who have been kidnapped are brought back in safety and also in the process to ensure that not a dime is paid for ransom.
“So, it’s important to underscore that no dime, government is not paying anybody any dime and the government is optimistic that these children and other people that have been abducted will be brought back to their families in safety.”
Asked what specific support the United States was prepared to offer Nigeria in the rescue of the kidnapped children, the minister said other countries had also offered to help.
He stated, “Talking about what support, if any, are we getting from other countries, specifically the US, well, we’re aware that it’s not just the US that has actually offered.
“Other countries have also offered to support Nigeria. But what we can tell you is that government is still reviewing these offers and the position of government will be made known to you.”
Wike Assures of Improved Security in FCT
FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, assured of improved security, including reduction in kidnapping, in the nation’s capital.
Wike gave the assurance yesterday after a closed-door meeting with the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benedict Igweh, and the Senate on the state of security in the territory.
The minister said regarding the meeting, “It’s nothing difficult, just normal interactions, just to brief them on what we have done as regards security in the FCT.
“I am glad they are all happy with what we have done and what we are going to be doing and the suggestion, which they have given to us but which I cannot disclose to the members of public. This is just a very interactive session.
“What is important is what the FCT should expect from now. I will say improved security, more infrastructure. You can see what is going on in the FCT. It has been turned into a construction site and you can also see what has happened in the FCTA.
“Now we have our own Civil Service Commission, now we have our own permanent secretaries, which had never been. There are new things in the FCT and the residents are happy.” Wike added that from the interaction with the senators, it was agreed that security had improved in the FCT.
“Let me also say that there is no part of the world where criminality has been eradicated. We have heard several times in the United States of America, where criminals go to schools and shoot students.
“So, people should not have that impression that you cannot have one crime or the other. What we need is being able to limit or reduce the level of insecurity.
“But if anybody tells you that as societies are concerned, you will not have one crime or the other, that is not correct and we must tell ourselves the simple truth. Also, most of the kidnapping stories you hear, some of them are stage-managed by people.”
Police Nab Killer of Wuse Market Offender
FCT Commissioner of Police, Benedict Igweh, said the correctional officer, Usman Ishaya Magaji, who shot and killed a convicted offender, Ibrahim Yahaya at Wuse market on Tuesday had been arrested for questioning.
Igweh also said sanity had been restored to the market. He assured the people that the FCT Police Command would continue to work for the security of the residents, stating that the force would continue to comb the forests bordering Niger, Kaduna, Nasarawa, and Kogi states.
ThisDay
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declared on Wednesday that President Bola Tinubu’s New Year nationwide broadcast has further frustrated Nigerians’ hope for good governance.
It alleged that the speech showed that Tinubu’s administration is grossly disconnected and unconcerned with the hardship Nigerians are going through as a result of ill-implemented policies and gross mismanagement of resources under the President’s watch.
The opposition party, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, noted that Nigerians are appalled that despite the prodding of well-meaning citizens, President Tinubu’s New Year speech did not articulate any specific direction for the nation or proffer solutions to the myriad of problems caused by APC’s misrule.
“President Tinubu’s speech again underlines APC’s insensitivity to the anguish of Nigerians by failing to present any definite policy roadmap towards reducing the price of petroleum products, addressing the widespread hunger in the land, and revamping our ailing productive sector,” the PDP stated.
It further observed that “the speech did not articulate any solution-based direction for the critical sectors of electricity, oil and gas, road infrastructure, food production, among other areas that are fundamental to the wellbeing of citizens.”
The party said: “It was also pathetically devoid of a precise plan to address unemployment through strategic investment to stimulate multi-sectoral Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in the country.”
According to the PDP, the New Year address should have made definite pronouncements on the price of fuel, especially given that with deft, transparent, and innovative management of resources, economic potentials, comparative advantage, national refining capacity, and effective policing of our borders, Nigerians should not pay more than N350 per liter for petrol within the country.
It alleged that the Tinubu-led APC administration lacks the expected patriotic commitment as well as the required capacity, competence, and skills to effectively harness and manage the resources of the nation for the good of the citizens.
“Moreover, President Tinubu’s claim in the speech that Nigerians placed their confidence in him as their President is ludicrous and shows that he is disconnected from the reality of his abysmal perception among Nigerians.
“Mr. President must realize that Nigerians have lost faith in his administration; they have since moved on and are eagerly waiting for the next round of elections that will mark the end of the nightmare which the APC represents to our nation,” the PDP added.
A state funeral for Jimmy Carter, the former US President who died on Sunday at the age of 100, will be held at the Washington National Cathedral on January 9, according to the US Army.
US President, Joe Biden, who last year said that Carter had asked him to deliver the eulogy at his funeral, has directed that January 9 be a national day of mourning for Carter throughout the US
The official six-day state funeral for Carter begins on Saturday as his remains travel by motorcade through his hometown of Plains, Georgia, the Army said in a statement.
The motorcade carrying Carter will stop at the farm where he grew up. There, the National Park Service will ring the historic farm bell 39 times – Carter was the 39th US President.
Carter’s remains will then be carried to Atlanta, where he will lie in repose at the Carter Presidential Center until the morning of Jan. 7. His body will then be flown to Washington, D.C., where he will lie in state in the rotunda of the US Capitol until his national funeral ceremony.
The family will hold a private funeral and interment in Georgia later on Jan. 9, after the ceremony at the Washington National Cathedral.
Carter will be buried in a plot next to his wife, Rosalynn Carter, on the grounds of their longtime home in Plains.
Carter, a Democrat, became President in January 1977 after defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election. His one-term presidency was marked by the 1978 Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, bringing some stability to the Middle East.
Carter spent his long post-Presidential career devoted to humanitarian work, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. World leaders and former US Presidents have paid tribute to a man they praised as compassionate, humble and committed to peace in the Middle East.
– Reuters –
Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Monday, presented a N1.1 trillion 2025 budget proposal to the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led Rivers House of Assembly.
He announced that Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) rose to over ₦250 billion naira, and it’s expected to close at ₦300 billion by the end of the year, marking a record 100% increase over the previous year.
This, alongside ₦300 billion received from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), enabled the state to execute transformative projects across sectors.
Building on this success, the governor unveiled one trillion, one hundred and eighty-eight billion, nine hundred and sixty-two million, seven hundred and thirty-nine thousand, nine hundred and thirty-two, thirty-six Kobo (₦1, 188, 962, 739, 932. 36) for 2025 fiscal year.
The proposed budget comprises Recurrent Expenditure of ₦462 billion and Capital Expenditure ₦678 billion, reflecting a 44% to 56% ratio.
Governor Fubara outlined the expected revenue streams to fund the budget, including ₦264.3 billion from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), ₦18.2 billion from Statutory Allocation, ₦132.1 billion from Mineral Funds, ₦204.2 billion from Value Added Tax (VAT) and ₦32.2 billion from Refunds Escrow, Paris/ECA, ₦27.5 from Refands from Bank Charges and ₦20.6Bn from Excess Crude Account.
The projections are based on economic indicators such as an oil price of $80 per barrel, a production target of 1.8 million barrels per day, an exchange rate of ₦1,500 per dollar, and a 22% inflation rate.
Governor Fubara emphasised that the 2025 budget prioritises key sectors critical to the state’s development, including Agriculture to ensure food security; Education for improved access, infrastructure, and quality of learning; Healthcare; Social Investment to empower vulnerable groups and foster equity and Infrastructure Development to enhance connectivity and economic activities.
In his remarks, Speaker Victor Oko-Jumbo commended the governor for his vision and commitment to the state’s progress.
The 2025 budget presentation marks Governor Fubara’s second since assuming office in May 2023, amidst ongoing legislative challenges.
