News
Bandits slash ransom for 85 Zamfara abductees
The bandits who kidnapped 85 people in Wanzamai village in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State have finally agreed to collect N20,000 ransom on each of the victims.
They also asked the authorities to withdraw soldiers from the village as part of the conditions for the release of the abductees.
They gave 12 midnight of Sunday as the deadline, threatening to kill any victim who failed to pay the money on or before the stipulated time.
They threatened that unless the military personnel deployed in Wanzamai village were withdrawn they would continue to kidnap the villagers.
An indigene of the area, Abubakar Na’Allah told The PUNCH in a telephone conversation that the bandits had sent a message that they would collect only N20,000 from each of the 85 victims as ransom, considering their financial status.
Na,allah said, “The bandits earlier demanded the sum of N50m to release the 85 people they have kidnapped who are mostly women and children who went to the forest to get firewood last Friday.
“But after a series of negotiations, they have agreed to collect N20,000 from each victim as they came to understand that they are all from poor families.
They also asked us to inform the appropriate authorities that they would continue to attack the village if the soldiers continue to remain in the area.”
Na’Allah said the families of the kidnapped victims were trying to pay the money, lamenting that, “Many of them have to sell their belongings in order to raise the amount.”
He said his sister’s daughter was among the abductees, adding that the family had launched an appeal fund in order to raise the amount and save the girl.
According to Na’Allah, the kidnap of the 85 people was a reprisal by the bandits whose people were killed in a raid by the military last Thursday.
“There was an attack on the bandits’ camp by the military last Thursday where some bandits were killed.
The people of the village were told not to go to the forest last Friday because of the fear that the bandits might attack them but unfortunately some women and children did not heed to the warning.
“They went to the forest to get firewood not knowing that the bandits were hiding there and they were all abducted.”
Na’Allah said two of the kidnapped victims were able to escape, while one was killed by the bandits.
The state Commissioner for Security, Mamman Tsafe, who is also an indigene of Tsafe LG where the incident happened, told reporters that the state government would not succumb to the pressure by the bandits to evaluate the military personnel deployed in Wanzamai village.
The commissioner said, “We can’t be intimidated by the bandits to change our security plans.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Resources Authority says it has commenced a clampdown on illegal LPG retail outlets in Akwa Ibom State.
The state Coordinator, Ikechukwu Eseka, disclosed this on Thursday while receiving the state commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Bakshar Hussaini, in his office on a courtesy visit.
He said, “We have started enforcement of LPG retailers embarking on illegal decanting of LPG, filling stations, LPG refilling plants and other illegal downstream operations in the state.
“We are currently working on the illegal proliferation of decanting of LPG in the state, Eseka stated, adding that gas is very volatile, and some of them are using gas that is not meant for the purpose.”
He said he has directed that gas plant owners should not load gas on people who don’t have licenses NMDPRA in the state, warning that “decanting of gas from cylinder to cylinder is an illegal activity which is punishable by law.”
He also called on marketers to register and renew their licenses before operating LPG in the state.
“We used the opportunity to talk on the aspects of the downstream which has to do with our enforcement, sealing of filling stations and those who are using diesel for industrial purposes that are yet to register with NMDPRA.
“We have also commenced engagement with individuals and organisations using storage tanks that are over 500 litres, to come and register with the Authority in the state,” he added.
Eseka thanked the Commandant for coming to re-strategise and collaborate with the Authority in the state.
Earlier, the State Commandant of NSCDC, Hussaini, explained that the purpose of coming was to collaborate with NMDPRA on how to checkmate indiscriminate decanting of LPG in the state.
“I know with the present situation in the country, a lot of them are going to cry and you have to use human face to handle their cases so that we don’t injure the government and the public themselves,” he said.
He lamented that some people used their houses to sell cooking gas which can cause environmental hazards to the public.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced plans to phase out the Permanent Voter Cards, PVC.
INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, made this known at a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners RECs, held at the INEC Conference Room, Abuja on Thursday.
This was part of the identified 142 recommendations released by the Commission which deals with the general state of preparedness, voter management, voter education and public communication, political parties and candidate management.
Other areas of recommendation include electoral operations and logistics management, election officials and personnel, partnership and collaboration, monitoring and supervision, election technology, voting and result management, election security, electoral offences and the electoral legal framework.
The Chairman said there are eight recommendations among the 142 which require legislative action by the National Assembly.
“The Commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVC, as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on Election Day should be reviewed.
He, however, said that those who already have the Permanent Voter Cards can still use them to vote.
He added, “But going forward, computer-generated slips issued to the voter or even downloaded from the Commission’s website will suffice for voter accreditation. ”
Yakubu said this new development will save costs and further eliminate the issues around the collection of Permanent Voter Cards.
He also said the practice of buying up the Permanent Voter Cards from voters to disenfranchise them, would be reduced.
President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to present the 2025 proposed budget to a joint session of the National Assembly on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
The announcement was made by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a plenary session, revealing that the President has sent a communication to that effect.
“The president has made his intention known to the National Assembly to present the 2025m budget to the joint session of the National Assembly on the 17th of December, 2024,” he said.
The proposed budget, totalling N47.9 trillion, was earlier announced by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Atiku Bagudu.
NMDPRA begins clampdown on illegal LPG retail outlets in Akwa Ibom
Elections in Nigeria: There’ll be no more need for voter cards – INEC
BREAKING: Tinubu to present 2025 budget proposal to National Assembly Tuesday
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