Month: September 2023

The Police Command in FCT has arrested Bunmi Samuel, mother of two, her boyfriend and 12 others over alleged various crimes including kidnapping, armed robbery and burglary in the territory.

The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Haruna Garba, who paraded the suspects at the command headquarters on Thursday in Abuja, said the suspects were arrested at different locations in the territory.

Garba said that various assorted weapons, vehicles, laptops, phones, musical instruments among others were recovered from the suspects.

According to him, 36 years old Bunmi Samuel was arrested along with his boyfriend who specialised in snatching GSM Phones from innocent commuters.

“After snatching phones, he removes the SIM cards and sells the phone then hands over the SIM cards to his girlfriend one Bunmi Samuel.

“The girlfriend on her part makes withdrawals of all monies from the accounts that are linked to the SIM cards.

“The police operatives have so far recovered 76 SIM cards, two Opay ATM cards and a golden wrist watch from the suspects,” he said.

He said that the police operatives in collaboration with the vigilante also arrested five suspects namely, Bernard Francis, Felix Benjami, Peter Benjamin, Helen Sylvester, and Hamza Haruna over alleged involvement in kidnapping of a minor.

According to him, police also arrested 26 years old Kennedy Esezobor of Tudun Wada village, Lugbe, FCT a notorious criminal and cultist with one fabricated single barrel gun and locally fabricated AK-47 rifle

He said the operatives of the Anti-kidnapping unit of the Command acting on actionable intelligence stormed Kabin Mongoro Forest and arrested one Mohammed Hamza while on his way to bandits camp bordering Nasarawa State.

“The suspect confessed to being an informant, a drug and food supplier to one Dogo,” he said.

According to him, the command in a swift operation has between Aug.30 and Aug. 31, impounded six vehicles bearing both foreign and local plate numbers or with foreign number plates at the back and Nigeria number plate in front of the vehicle.

“The modus operandi of these drivers is that they use the vehicle to convey unsuspecting passengers and midway to their destination, they dispossessed of their handsets and other valuables.

“The moment they carry out this criminal act and to avoid being traced or linked to the crime, they quickly remove the Nigeria Plate number,” he said.

He said that police also arrested 38 years old Mustapha Kyari, who specilaised in vandalising manholes in the city

He was subsequently arrested and three manholes recovered from him. He, however, confessed to the crime and that of his accomplice by name Abba.

“The police operatives while on a routine stop and search duty at Secretariat junction, Gwagwalada, intercepted a motorcycle with a passenger later identified as one Japheth Nuhu ‘m’ of behind Brown Berry estate phase 3 Gwagwalada.

“The said Japheth jumped down and took to his heels on sighting the Police but was given a hot chase.

“He was subsequently arrested and a berretta pistol with four rounds of 9mm live ammunition was recovered from him,” he said.

According to him, it is being suspected that the suspect and his accomplice at large are behind the robbery activities in Gwagwalada and its environs.

The CP said that the operatives of Anti-violence crime section of the SCID also arrested one Musa Matins suspected to be an armed robber at Durumi Area.

“In the course of investigation, the suspect confessed to having been involved in snatching and stealing of cars in and around the FCT.

“So far he has led the Police to the recovery of two Toyota Camry vehicles with registration number MAG-149 AR (Borno) and RBC-445 AS (Abuja).

“Effort is currently ongoing to trace the rightful owners of the recovered vehicles,” he said.

Garba said that a Toyota Camry 2018 model with reg no: KRD411HT (Lagos state) stolen from Port Harcourt on Sept. 3 was also recovered on Wednesday

“In a similar development, the operatives of anti-violence crime, while on patrol, arrested the duo of Gabriel Oliver and Emmanuel Ishaku.

“In the course of investigation, they confessed that they carried out attacks in a Redeemed Christian Church of God Bethel Centre, Galadimawa, Abuja and carted away several high definition electronic gadgets properties of the Church.

“The suspect led the police operatives to Bauchi and Plateau respectively, where the items were recovered. Effort is being made to arrest the co-accomplice who are on the run,” he said.

He said that the suspects would be charged to Court at the conclusion of investigation.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) has expressed readiness to partner with Human Rights Radio towards advancing issues associated with Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in Nigeria.

Mr James Lalu, the Executive Secretary of NCPWD said the move became necessary to assist the commission to enlighten the public on the rights, privileges as well as the need to always support PwDs in the society.

The Executive Secretary disclosed this on Thursday when he paid a courtesy visit to the founder of Human Rights Radio (101.1FM) Mr Ahmed Isa, in Abuja.

While appreciating the efforts of the station in airing programmes on issues of disability, the NCPWD Boss urged them to sustain it.

He informed the gathering of the existence of the Accessibility Standard Law which mandate organisations to make their facilities accessible to PwDs.

According to him, the law will be enforced latest by January 2024 after the expiration of the deadline giving by the commission.

”The law empowers the commission to seal up public facilities that do not conform with the Minimum Accessibility Standards for Persons with Disabilities.

Lalu said, Radio Stations like the human rights Radio will play a key role in assisting the commission to achieve objectives, hence the need to collaborate.

In his response, the founder and President of Human Rights Radio, Ahmed Isa, pledged to offer one year free service to the commission.

Isa said, the station will dedicate free airtime to be aired every Thursday where disability matters will be discussed with the support of Federal Competition and Consumer Protection (FCCP).

He also promised to support the commission to create the necessary awareness to help tackle other critical needs and challenges affecting PwDs.

Lalu therefore, appreciated the courage and passion of the NCPWD Boss for providing the needed support to the disability community in Nigeria.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world in commemorating the 2023 International Literacy Day, the Federal Government has reiterated its commitment

towards addressing the scourge of illiteracy in the country.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, disclosed this during a news conference in Abuja on Friday to mark the day.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme for the 2023 commemoration is tagged: “Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies”.

The minister said it was essential to effectively explore the patterns of transformation and adjustment that had characterised education globally as a result of its ever-increasing scope and paradigm.

“Specifically, it awakens our consciousness to the need to continually make required adjustments in our approach to literacy delivery with a view to meeting the current global trends.

“The ministry would continue to leverage on the existing progress and transformation in the development of literacy while setting the stage for lifelong learning of the Nigerian adults and youths.

“We would continue to rethink the fundamental importance of functional literacy as a necessary panacea that will help build resilience and ensure quality, equitable and inclusive education for all,” he said.

Mamman added that eliminating illiteracy from Nigeria is a top priority of the Tinubu-led administration, adding that the ministry would work hard to achieve this.

“We have a new government in place. This government is determined to do things differently to make Nigeria achieve what it has not achieved since independence.

“The matter of illiteracy is one of the top priority of the president which we put forward at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. The President does not want a single Nigerian to remain illiterate .

“Illiteracy is a scourge, a disease and we are not going to allow it to continue. We have the directives of the president and our own personal resolve.

“In days and weeks ahead, we will be engaging the public, we have policies on ground but what has been tye problem is the delivery of those policies. We will not allow any obstacles in our ways from achieving this goals,” he said.

In the same vein, Dr Stephen Onyekwelu, National Programme Officer and Literacy, UNESCO Regional Office, Abuja, said that UNESCO had supported Nigeria in developing the Ministerial Strategics Plan to address illiteracy.

Onyekwelu said it had also supported the country through the spotlight initiative where over 200,000 women and girls have acquired the basic skills of reading and writing and some mainstreamed back to school, while some were provided with skills acquisition.

He added that UNESCO had supported the ministry in reviewing the HIV policy and currently supporting the mass literacy , adult and non-formal education in reviewing the policy guidelines for non-formal education in the country.

While reading the message of the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, he said the world had achieved significant strides in closing the illiteracy gap, adding that UNESCO would continue to support the literacy efforts in countries all over the world.

“In the space of 40 years, significant progress has been made. 3.6 billion people have learned to read and write, raising the global literacy rate from 68 per cent in 1979 to 86 per cent in 2020.

“However, the current situation is still rife with injustice and inequality. At the halfway point in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 244 million school-age children are still not in school.

“98 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, 773 million adults still cannot read or write-two thirds of them women.

“Over and above illiteracy, learning gaps still too often lead to incomplete literacy: six out of ten children attending school at the age of ten cannot read and understand a simple text,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary, National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education, Prof. Simon Akpama, the Director, Planning Research and Statistics in the Commission, Mariam Khalid, stated that the organisation is liaising with the National Population Commission and other stakeholders to ascertain the data of Nigerians that are not literate.

She added that the commission was also utilising available resources to play its role in reducing illiteracy among youths and adults to the barest minimum.

NAN reports that over 56 million of the country’s population are still unable to read and write, hence the current high statistics of non-literate population alongside the number of out-of-school children calls for concern.

It is however important that in eradicating the scourge of illiteracy, there must be improved funding, adequate resources and better attention to the non-formal education sector.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Ernest Umakhihe, says investment in agribusiness and Agritourism, will strengthen food security in the country.

Umakhihe stated this at the international Agribusiness and Agritourism investment forum on Friday in Abuja.

The permanent secretary was represented by Mr Adebiyi Michael, Director, Agribusiness and Market Development in the ministry.

He said that agritourism enhances the tourism industry by increasing the number of visitors to the area.

“Agritourism also provides communities with the potential to increase their local tax bases and new employment opportunities.

“Additionally, agritourism provides educational opportunities to the public, helps to preserve agricultural lands, and allows states to develop business enterprises,” he said.

He said that the Federal Government had designed agricultural investment incentives to support high level private sector participation.

“While some of these incentives are in form of tax holiday, exemptions and reliefs, there are some that leverage on specific policies,” he said.

Umakhihe restated the ministry`s commitment in working with relevant stakeholders to build agricultural and agribusiness economy capable of sustaining the country`s economy.

“I have no doubt that this forum will spur agricultural production which will ultimately contribute to growth and transformation in the nation`s economy,“ he said.

In a remark, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, urged security agencies to come up with strategies to make the initiative a success.

He was represented by Mr Okokon Etoabasi, a deputy director in his office.

Also speaking, Mr Masudur Rahman, Bangldesh High Commissioner to Nigeria described the initiative by the government of Nigeria as noble.

“This synergy will help if Nigeria and Bangladesh collaborate and both countries will benefit immensely,“ he said.

On the 50 hectares of land given to Bangladesh, he said that his country will ensure that both countries benefits in terms of job creation, rural development and human resource development.

Mr Guy Adoua, Deputy Country Director, World Food Programme, Nigeria (WFP), said that other countries should learn from the Nigeria experience.

“I work for WFP and I think we have something to learn and to share from this experience, `he said.

Adoua said that the programme`s work is to provide food assistance to people in need, adding that most of the items are procured locally in Nigeria.

In a remark, Mr Henry Ogboi, the President World Agritourism Organisation (WAO), said that the organisation had allocated some hectares to government agencies and the government of Bangladesh.

He said that this is to hasten the development of the 200 hectares of Nigerian Agritourism village project situated in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Ogboi said that the project would be centred on farm estate, improved machinery, mechanised farming, industrial hubs among others.

He said that the organisation is partnering with relevant security agencies to ensure that farming activities are carried out without fear of attack.

“The organisation has opened a dual carriage to the entrance site to facilitate development of host communities,“ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the high point of the occasion was the declaration of the Agritourism Village Project in Ibadan, Oyo State for investment opportunities by Umakhihe.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Mr Majid Kamrani, Cultural Consular, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Nigeria on Friday offered to train interested Nigerians on the production of materials for home decoration.

Kamrani disclosed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the 16th International Arts and Crafts Expo in Abuja.

He said this was a way for Iranians to extend hands of cultural diplomacy to Nigerians.

According to him, this will go a long way in strengthening the cultural ties between Nigerians and Iranians as well as promoting mutual understanding between the two countries.

The cultural consular said that interested Nigerians would be trained on the process of production of iran products like persian rugs, calligraphy, flower vases and other materials used for home decoration.

“We are happy to be here again for the 16th INAC. We are here to showcase our arts and crafts that date back to centuries ago.

“INAC is a beautiful platform to exhibit this and we are ready to train Nigerians on the production of these materials for home decoration we have displayed here.

“Many people know the persian rugs, the value of the rug appreciates the more it is used, it is like gold. We are ready to train Nigerians on how to produce it.

“We know this will positively engage the unemployed Nigerians, we will be glad to do this, the training will be outrightly free, no financial commitment.

“Most of the home decorative materials we have showcased are made of wood, ceramics, iron, animal bones and more.

Kamrani reiterated that arts and crafts production could be the basis for economic growth, urging nations to engage other nations on empowering individuals with skills.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

An unidentified man was electrocuted while trying to steal transformer cables in the early hours of Friday inside the premises of Niger State Printing Press in Minna.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the corpse of the man was found by some staff of the printing press hanging on the transformer on Friday morning.

Head of Legal Unit of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Aminu Ubandoma, confirmed the incident to newsmen.

He said the company had been receiving several reports of transformers vandalism.

He disclosed that the company was working with security agencies, especially with the police, to ensure the rate of transformer vandalism was reduced to the barest minimum.

Also confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Niger Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, said at about 11:00 a.m. on Friday, an incident of suspected electrocution/vandalism was reported.

He said the incident occurred around old secretariat area at the printing press premises where a body of a male adult, yet to be identified, was found at a transformer with cable cutter and some vandalised cables.

He was suspected to have been electrocuted.

Abiodun said the body was taken to General Hospital Minna by Morris patrol team and was confirmed dead in the hospital.

He noted that effort was ongoing to locate the relative of the deceased as the incident was under investigation in collaboration with AEDC.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria