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CAN: Fish Out 61 Abducted Baptist Worshippers, Or …

Published

2 years ago

November 28, 2021

Editor

The Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ) has urged government and security agencies to be serious in locating 61 worshippers of Emmanuel Baptist Church who were abducted by bandits in Kaduna State.

The Christian body said failure to free the Baptist worshippers would make CAN think there was connivance in the kidnap incident.

Rev.Joseph John Hayab, Vice President of CAN in the North, and Chairman of the Kaduna chapter, told Vanguard that ” the
worshippers must be released,if truly there is something going on.”

“Or else we would even think they are conniving with the people and making propaganda in the media that they are working. “

“Okay, what’s the result of all these punishment that Kaduna state people are going through?That the network has been shut down and no practical result to show that criminals have been arrested? They showed us some videos sometimes ago, pictures of Fulani settlement ,claiming to be the bandits settlement that has been chased..But our people are still with the bandits, somewhere here,what’s goings-on?.

“How would bandits carry 66 people, now 61 people and they’re moving and nobody seems to know where they are?Nobody is doing anything?So that government or security agencies must go out there and get our 61 worshippers of Emmanuel Baptist Church released,if truly there is something going on..Or else we would even think they are conniving with the people and making propaganda in the media that they are working.

” This is because we cannot understand, 61 people at the time there’s no network, if 300 soldiers are put in a particular place, they would fish out these bandits and bring our people. What is happening, why the silence?Why is everybody keeping quite about our people who are in the hands of the bandits?Why is everybody keeping quite about our children who are suffering?These young children !! How can you expect these children to come tomorrow and want to serve Nigeria haven gone through this?.”

He said Nigerians need to know that their students are still with these bandits.

“The Bethel Baptist High School students have not come back all ,3 are still with them now since they have released the Head boy.They aremanding from us N5 million per Head for the remaining 3.We have paid them huge sum of money but look at how they are treating us.

“This makes us ask questions. All this shutting down of network, what has happened to it?Have we not used it to track criminals?Have we not used it that these bandits could still keep our 4 children to be demanding money from us?Because our understanding is they would’ve been able to track them.”

“So they came up with an unpopular policy that is just punishing citizens and is not bringing any succour to the people. Look at what we are back to, now. So this is the challenge we face.As I speak to you ,the bandits that took away the 66 worshippers at Emmanuel Baptist Church Kakau Daji ,a week after ,they took them on 31st of October ,and you will remember on the 6th, Sunday was 31st October, then on the 6th of November, they now picked 5 young people between the ages of 15 to 24,as if ithey were to release them, not knowing that they had an evil intention. When they came near home.,they opened fire on all of them. Two died ,one later died .So we buried 3,and the other 2 who sustained gun injuries are still been treated. But the 61 are with them in the bush and nothing has happened.

“They asked us to give then food,we did. First they even refused the food,they later accepted it.Then they are demanding for N99 illion from us for those 61 people that are there with them in the bush. So where is the security that is working to fish out these criminals?That is the question we are asking. Where is the security that is working to fish out these criminals?They’ve done videos,the first video they were showing them and put an old man to speak and one other speaker. The second video they showed them,they even sarcastically said in the 2 videos , “let the world see these are Christians, they are Christians. They forced the people to be saying that they are angry with government, “,but we are the ones suffering the brunt. Christians and Southern Kaduna people. If I pass the video to you, you can listen to it very clearly. I am translating what was said in the video.

“So what’s going on? Are security no more? When there was kidnapping on Abuja road few days ago, the police and others quickly went. So where have they been that this thing is happening and nothing is happening? From the 31st of October to today ,these people have spent 26 days in the hands of these bandits and no effort whatsoever. Our children have over 150 days in the hands of the bandits and no effort whatsoever.

“We are paying money and there is nothing. We rejoice that our Head boy is back but we are sad because of the other 3 and we are sad because of the experience that these whole children are going through, through out this period. That’s why I said I needed to share the concern of the church with you people so that Nigerians would know that our children are not yet back. If anybody is thinking that all is well about Bethel Baptist High School children, now we still have 3.We just got…and they are demanding about 5 million again, per head. What we got to give them, which was almost N5 million, they just released one person. They are still insisting for 5 for each person.” he said.

Headline

Kudos As Nigeria Gains Additional Territory ‘Five Times The Size Of Lagos’

Published

22 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has commended the High Powered Presidential Committee, HPPC, on Nigeria’s extended continental shelf project, a team of experts who worked hard over the years to advance the project.

The president gave the commendation when he received the report of the protect yesterday in Abuja.

According to Vanguard, the project aims to extend Nigeria’s maritime boundaries in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982.

The president expressed his appreciation in Abuja after listening to technical presentations by Professor Larry Awosika, a marine scientist and member of the committee, and Surveyor Aliyu Omar, Secretary of HPPC.

The experts have been involved in the project since Nigeria’s initial submission to extend its continental shelf to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in 2009.

They informed the President that the UN has approved Nigeria’s submission, granting sovereignty over additional square kilometres of maritime territory.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, quoted the President as saying: ‘’When the HPPC briefed former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022 on the status of the project, the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, CLCS, was still considering Nigeria’s submission and having technical interactions with the HPPC.

‘’These interactions and consideration have now culminated in the approval for Nigeria to extend its continental shelf beyond 200M (200 nautical miles).

‘’As it stands now, the area approved for Nigeria is about 16,300 square kilometres, which is about five times the size of Lagos State,” Surveyor Omar told the president.’’

He added that the official notification of the decision was conveyed to Nigeria by the UN Nations Commission on the limits of the Continental Shelf, CLCS, in August 2023, shortly after President Tinubu assumed office.

Omar outlined the available options for Nigeria following the approval: “The first option is to take the area gained and finalize the registration with the UN Secretary-General and close everything, meaning that we are satisfied with what we got. This will take at least one year.

“The second option is to take what we have right now, acquire more data, do a support write-up, and make a revised submission as recommended by CLCS for further consideration. This will take another four years. Either way (options), Nigeria will keep what has been approved.”

In his presentation, Professor Awosika explained that the approval came after years of meticulous scientific research on geophysics, geology, geography, and diplomatic efforts, which solidified Nigeria’s legal rights over a vast expanse of seabed and subsoil beyond its traditional territorial waters.

Awosika highlighted the economic potential of the newly acquired territory, which includes hydrocarbons, gas, solid minerals, and a wide variety of sedentary species.

He, however, cautioned against total disclosure of sensitive data acquired during surveys, noting that this will jeopardize confidentiality as Nigeria is expected to monetize the information to recover project expenses.

Responding, the president thanked the experts for their diligence, emphasizing the significance of the achievement for Nigeria’s economic and strategic interests.
VANGUARD

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Police Give Tips On How To Report Erring Officers

Published

23 hours ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

The Police have urged Nigerians to take the advantage of its Complaint Response Unit, at the Force Headquarters, to report misconduct of its officers and men.

The Head of the unit, CSP El-Musta Sani, made the appeal at a Summit organised in Abuja by the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) in collaboration with the Foundation for Youth Empowerment and Social Justice.

Sanni said that the unit was created in 2015 to handle complaints against police officers from members of the public.

He said, so far, from the first quarter of 2024, the unit had received 459 complaints from members of the public against officers and men, through its social media platforms.

He further explained that 265 of the cases had been resolved while 195 were still being handled by the police.

According to him, “It takes the Unit 21 days to receive and conclude investigations on all complaints”.

He said it was worrisome that members of the public did not know about the platforms to channel their complaints.

“The major problem is that the institutions are there, but Nigerians do not know their functions.

“We receive complaints through WhatsApp, Twitter handles, phone calls, and walk-in petitions.

“And the Unit is directly responsible to the Office of the Inspector General of Police through the Public Relation Officer,” he said.

Sanni assured more sensitisation to enlighten the public to take advantage of the opportunity to lodge their complaint for proper handling.

In his remarks, the Chief Commissioner of PCC, Mr Abimbola Ayo-Yusuf emphasised the need to strengthen institutions to combat administrative injustice and corruption.

He noted that, properly developed institution is key to good governance, adding that the summit aimed to improve service delivery and ensure that the right to complain and raise issues was available to everyone.

“The purpose of this Summit, which is to foster collaboration between the Public Complaints Commission and other organisations, is quite timely and key to the understanding of the mandate of the Commission.

“The PCC, known as the Nigerian version of the Ombudsman, was established to investigate complaints regarding administrative actions,” he said.

Ms. Sandra Benson, the Director Administration, Foundation for Youth Empowerment and Social Justice, said that the Foundation and PCC were working hard to ensure justice for those who had faced injustices over the years.

Banson emphasised the need for collective action to address the issues, stating that now was the time to match voices with action for good governance.

She highlighted the importance of addressing citizens’ complaints about administrative actions and called for immediate responses, sensitisation of workers on grievance channels, and cooperation for swift justice.

“The Summit marks the beginning of important engagements with stakeholders and the PCC, aiming to restore trust in the system and liberate workers from bad leadership.”

Also speaking, Maurice Okoye, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jewel Social Empowerment Initiative, said that the critical need for consequence management in addressing issues in Nigeria was necessary.

Okoye cited the absence of consequence management as a major challenge, leading to lack of accountability among government agency heads.

He also mentioned the reluctance of many to seek justice due to a lack of confidence in the system.

He cited an example where one of his friends chose not to pursue justice after a robbery due to high costs and skepticism about the outcome.

Okoye called for a restoration of public confidence in the justice system and emphasised the need for accountability and responsibility among leaders.

NAN

Headline

Google To Offer AI-generated Answers In Search Results

Published

1 day ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

Google has announced it would introduce AI-generated answers to online queries made by users in the United States, in one of the biggest updates to its search engine in 25 years.

“I’m excited to announce that we will begin launching this fully revamped experience, ‘AI overviews,’ to everyone in the US this week,” Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said at an event in California on Tuesday, May 14.

Google’s search results will feature an AI summary at the top of the page before the more typical unfurling of links.

The AI answers generated by Google’s Gemini technology will offer succinct summaries of what it found on the internet with links to the online sources that supplied the information.

“You can ask whatever’s on your mind or whatever you need to get done – from researching to planning to brainstorming – and Google will take care of the legwork,” said Google Search team boss Liz Reid.

The change comes as Google feels growing pressure from AI-powered search engines like Perplexity, and from the rumors that OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is building its own AI search tool.

Searches through AI chats have also appeared on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, with users able to get information from the web without Google.

The change will soon spread to other countries, Pichai added, making it accessible to more than a billion people.