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Safety Tips To Protect Kids From Predators, Kidnappers

Published

2 years ago

September 24, 2022

Predators are everywhere and are usually people friendly or close to kids. One must ensure to safeguard one’s children from harm especially as a new term has started in earnest.

A professor of sociology and expert in criminology and security issues, John Gyong, stated that parents were expected to be protective of their children as they played a prominent role in the home. He also said that when kids were taken to school, it was the responsibility of the school authority to ensure kids’ safety. He advised parents to be responsible for their kids’ safety at all times or ensure they are in safe hands when they are unavailable.

In his view, the national president, Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria, Dr Wilson Esangbedo, opined that parents/guardians must ensure strict safety of their kids because no one could be trusted with them. He noted that everyone was a potential predator/kidnapper, stating that parents should not be too busy to keep watch over their kids.

Esangbedo, who is also the executive secretary, Nigerian Institute for Industrial Security, highlighted some safety tips to keep kids secure from predators.

Educate them

Educating kids on how to identify predators and kidnappers is important because if they are aware of the danger they will be able to protect themselves by fleeing from such persons or calling for help. Gyong said that children should be educated on how to recognise certain traits of predators and kidnappers, stating that kids should not trust anyone outside the home, especially those who are not members of the family or anyone being unnecessarily friendly, caring, or generous to them.

He added that parents must ensure their children do not eat any food outside the home or take anything from strangers since the predators were known to use drugged food items to get children. The security expert noted that parents must create time to teach their children to trust them and not to respond to strangers.

Give them codes

The sociologist advised parents to give codes to their kids to prevent strangers and predators from gaining access to them anywhere and at any time. Esangbedo added that if parents assigned anyone to pick their kids from school, they should give the kids a code to allow the person to pick them up. He stated that the code could also be used when the kids were left alone at home. He gave an example of a lady who wanted to kidnap her sister’s children but couldn’t succeed because she was unable to provide the code the parents gave to the kids when they demanded it.

Take them to school

“Parents need to ensure they take their kids to school themselves or have a reliable driver to do so while verifying they are handed over directly to the school authorities. Parents must find time to pick their kids up from school because if there is a delay, the kids might be tired and hungry and anyone could deceive them with food or some sort of assistance,” Gyong stated. Furthermore, he said that children should not be allowed to hang around the school premises unguarded, adding that they must be within the confinement of the school until they were picked up by their parents or guardians. This, he said, would prevent them from being prone to kidnappers or predators.

Double-check

Parents must be overly conscious and double-check those assigned to pick their children from school. Besides, the security expert stated that parents or guardians should not rely on the school bus but ensure to confirm the driver or that of the teacher on the bus before handing over their kids/wards to them. “Some parents don’t check, once they see the name of the school bus they tell their kids to enter. They must double-check and verify their identities,” he added.

Teach kids security consciousness

Generally, kids pay more attention to their teachers, therefore apart from the lectures at home, schools must dedicate time to lecture kids on security consciousness and teach them using examples. Esangbedo added that kids should be told the truth about the dangers of security carelessness without mincing words.

Give instructions

The security expert advised parents to give instructions to their kids whenever they left them at home, school, or anywhere else. This, he said, would help the children see anyone who approached them as potential predators or kidnappers notwithstanding whether they were close relatives or friends.

Take responsibility

Kids are vulnerable to predators and should be under watch at all times. Esangbedo advised parents to ensure their kids do not go to and fro school on their own. “I see a lot of kids roaming the streets, crossing the expressway on their own. Some of them get killed by oncoming vehicles or get kidnapped. Parents should take responsibility for the safety of their kids,” he said.

PUNCH

News

How Flight Engineer Saved Us From Disaster — Ex-DG, Bureau of Public Service Reforms

Published

3 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Editor

A former Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dr Joe Abah, has narrated how a ground engineer saved travellers on an Ibom Airlines flight from a “potential disaster”.

Narrating the experience on his X handle on Thursday, Abah said he boarded a 7 am flight from Lagos to Abuja on Thursday morning and the flight was ready to take off when the unusual happened.

The popular public commentator explained that he was on the flight heading to Abuja with the co-founder and Director of BudgIT, Oluseun Onigbinde when they heard a loud knock on the aircraft door.

He wrote, “I boarded a 7 am @ibomairlines flight in Lagos this morning, heading to Abuja. My brother @seunonigbinde was on the same flight and we had chatted briefly about work. The aircraft door was shut, phones switched off, and ready for takeoff.

“As we were about to start taxiing, there was a loud knock on the aircraft door from outside. We all wondered what it could be. The knocking got more persistent. The attendant had to open the door again.

“As she did, a ground engineer came in and those of us in front clearly heard him say “You can’t go. Your landing gear is bad.”

“The pilot made a ‘political’ announcement that they needed to perform some additional checks before take-off and apologised for the delay. He spoke with the engineer and, a few seconds later, announced that we were to disembark.

“I thank God that we have the systems in place to check this and avert potential disaster. And that we have some diligent Nigerians who take their work seriously.

“If you are that young Nigerian engineer, God will bless you abundantly.”

He also urged the Nigeria Civil Aviation Agency to help him identify the engineer for him to personally thank their ‘saviour’.

Speaking with our correspondent on Thursday morning, the Ibom Airlines spokesperson, Annie Essienette, confirmed the development.

She said, “It is a technical thing. We were about to take off and someone called that the gear was faulty. So, the next thing to do was to disembark the passengers.

“We are working on rescheduling the flight to accommodate the passengers so the faulty gear could be repaired accordingly and that is what we are doing.”

On Wednesday, the Federal Government suspended Dana Airline operations due to concerns surrounding safety.

This is coming after an aircraft belonging to the airline, with registration number 5N BKI, skidded off the runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Tuesday morning.

The aircraft, which flew from Abuja to Lagos, skidded off the runway in an attempt to land.

However, no casualty was recorded.

However, the Ministry of Aviation, through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, suspended the airline’s operations in the country until a comprehensive audit is conducted.

News

EFCC Withdraws Appeal Against Former Kogi Gov, Bello

Published

6 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Editor

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has filed a notice of withdrawal to discontinue an appeal against an order of a Kogi high court…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has filed a notice of withdrawal to discontinue an appeal against an order of a Kogi high court restraining the agency from arresting Yahaya Bello, former governor of the state.

In the notice filed on April 22, and signed by its counsel, J.S Okutepa, SAN, the EFCC said the withdrawal is predicated on the fact that events have overtaken the appeal.

The commission also admitted that the appeal was filed out of the time allowed by law.

“The appellant herein intends to and do hereby wholly withdraw her appeal against the respondent in the above mentioned appeal.

“This notice of withdrawal is predicated on the fact that; on the April 17, 2024, the application filed by the appellant herein was overtaken by the decision of the same high court of Kogi state,”

“The orders made ex parte by Jamil on the Feb 9, 2024 in the said suit which is the subject of this appeal, was made to last pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion on notice which was finally determined by Jamil J. on the April 17, 2024.

“Furthermore, the notice of appeal was filed out of time and we, therefore, pray that the appeal be struck out for being filed out of time and incompetent,” he stated.

On Feb 8, Bello instituted a fundamental rights enforcement suit, asking the court to declare that “the incessant harassment, threats of arrest and detention, negative press releases, malicious prosecution” of the EFCC — “without any formal invitation — is politically motivated and interference with his right to liberty, freedom of movement, and fair hearing”.

The former governor also sought an order “restraining the respondent by themselves, their agents, servants or privies from continuing to harass, threaten to arrest or detain him”.

On Feb 9, the Kogi high court granted an interim injunction restraining the EFCC from “continuing to harass, threaten to arrest, detain, prosecute Bello, his former appointees, and his staff or family members, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive originating motion for the enforcement of his fundamental rights”.

On March 12, the EFCC filed an appeal against the interim injunction because the court could not stop the commission from carrying out its statutory responsibility.

The Kogi high court delivered judgment on the substantive motion on notice on April 17 wherein Isa Jamil Abdullahi, presiding judge, granted an order restraining the EFCC “from continuing to harass, threaten to arrest or detain Bello”.

However, Abdullahi directed the commission to file a charge against Bello before an appropriate court if it had reasons to do so.

The judgment coincided with the recent “siege” laid to the Abuja residence of Bello by EFCC operatives seeking to arrest him.

The commission had also obtained a warrant of arrest against the former governor from the Abuja federal high court.

The EFCC is seeking to arraign Bello on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.

At the scheduled arraignment on April 18, Bello was absent.

At the court session, Abdulwahab Mohammed, counsel to Bello, told Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, that the court lacked jurisdiction to grant the warrant of arrest in the first instance.

He referenced the February 9 interim injunction issued by the Kogi high court, adding that the appeal filed by the EFCC was still pending. (NAN)

News

Kanye West To Launch Yeezy P0rn Studio With Stormy Daniels

Published

15 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Editor

Ye, the musical artist formerly known as Kanye West, 46, is considering the idea of launching a pornography studio as his latest non-musical project.

According to a new report by TMZ, Ye and his associates are reportedly now in advanced talks with Stormy Daniels’ ex-husband Mike Moz start building a supposed “Yeezy Porn” division, which would fall under the Yeezy parent company.

Moz is a veteran in the adult entertainment industry with over a decade’s worth of experience as a producer. He would reportedly be brought in to lead the new effort, which could launch as early as this summer.

Ye seems to have a complicated relationship with pornography. He wasn’t shy when it came to rapping about his fantasies with women at the start of his career but something shifted about five years ago when he confirmed he converted to Christianity.

During a 2019 interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, West—who served as creative director for the Pornhub Awards in 2018, complete with merchandize, said Playboy magazine was his gateway to a “full-on pornography addiction.”

“My dad had a full-on magazine laid out when I was five,” he told Lowe. “Playboy was a gateway to a full-on pornography addiction. … It has impacted every choice I have made in my life from age five to now.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, which was recorded ahead of the release of his Jesus Is King album featuring the Sunday Service Choir, Ye opened up about how his Christianity changed him.

“Now that I’m in service to Christ, my job is to spread the gospel, to let people know what Jesus has done for me,” said Ye, who was still with Kim Kardashian. “I’ve spread a lot of things. There was a time I was letting you know what high fashion had done for me, I was letting you know what the Hennessey had done for me, but now I’m letting you know what Jesus has done for me, and in that I’m no longer a slave, I’m a son now, a son of God. I’m free.”

In 2022, West wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post that pornography “destroyed” his family.

“Hollywood is a giant brothel Pornography destroyed my family I deal with the addiction instagram promotes it Not gonna let it happen to Northy and Chicago,” he wrote at the time, per Page Six.

A lot has changed between then and now, including Ye’s marriage to Bianca Censori, 29, which happened secretly in December 2022. She’s been photographed a number of times—by Ye and paparazzi alike—in clothing that tests the boundaries of the word “revealing.”.

On his latest album, Vultures, Ye sampled an infamous line from the 1999 film Dogma for his song “Back to Me” where he raps, “Beautiful, big titty, butt-naked women just don’t fall out the sky, you know?”