News

South-East Christian Youth Leaders Back Self-defense Call, Decry Ritual, Cult Killings

Published

3 years ago

June 29, 2022

South-East Christian youths have called on Ndigbo and Nigerians in general to devise means of securing themselves against all manners of criminals.

This formed part of the communique issued by the youth wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, YOWICAN, after their meeting in Abia State.

The communique was signed by Revd. Oluchukwu Onuigwe, Chairman YOWICAN South-East.

The group said the meeting was convened “to check the deteriorating security situation in the zone, address mass unemployment which undoubtedly contributes to increase in insecurity, and the need for free, fair, credible and transparent election in 2023.”

They said some of the recent security breaches, including the abduction of the Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Most Reverend Samuel Kanu-Uche, the Owo- Ondo attack, attacks in Churches in Kaduna, Benue and others, were clear indications that the entire nation was no more safe.

“It also points to the fact that the zone has been infiltrated by terrorist elements. Insecurity situation is gradually crippling businesses in the South-East region and if we keep quiet we will be overrun by criminal violence,” YOWICAN said.

The Christian youth leaders, drawn from all Christian denominations in the South-East, called on the five Eastern State Governors “to formulate and restructure a workable security outfit that will be more effective than what we have today. And to immediately mobilize the security operatives to comb all the forest in the zone where these criminal elements are camping to carry out their nefarious activities and fish them out.

“We call on Nigerians and Ndigbo to rise and defend ourselves. Enough is enough. The citizens have endured enough hardship, misrule, poor leadership and bad Governance. The power belongs to us the youths and not to the very few in the corridors of power.

“We condemn the growing trend of ritual and cult killings in the South-East. Things that are alien to our culture and Christian traditions are now the order of the day. Individuals are being kidnapped and beheaded by unidentified elements. We call on security operatives to rise to the occasion and arrest the situation.

“We equally appealed to various town unions, churches in the southeast to revive and equip their vigilante and church security formations like the boys scout, MOD, Boys’ brigade, Royal Rangers, Armies of Salvation etc to defend the citizens.”

While urging eligible Nigerians of voting age to take advantage of the extended Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) to acquire their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC), they equally called on the INEC to deploy more PVC machines to South-East States.

The communique read further: “We urge H.E President Muhammadu Buhari to leave a legacy of free and fair election, while urging the National Orientation Agency (NOA)and other government agencies and parastatals to cooperate with YOWICAN to mobilize the people. It’s time this agency justified the large funds being budgeted to it annually. We also call on the electoral umpire INEC to maintain neutrality in next year’s general election.

“We call on the government to resolve their issues with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other unions in our tertiary institutions so that our brothers and sisters can go back to school. We equally called on the governors of the South-East to improve the welfare of primary school teachers and pay them better salaries.

“We call for a new spirit of leadership. Christian youths will not vote for parties and structures in 2023, they have failed us, we will vote for individuals with a people oriented leadership, equity and justice, who will give us back our Nigeria.

“While we call for sustained prayers to check kidnapping, and attacks on religious places, we want to state that if these calls and pleas fall on deaf ears as usual, all the Christian Youth leaders in the South-East will take any youthful measure that is available to us to press home our demands. Enough is Enough, our gentleness is not Cowardice.”

News

27-year-old Man Dies Inside Deep Well In Ogbomoso

Published

13 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

The corpse of a 27-year-old man identified as Alagbe Gbemisoye has been recovered from a deep well at Ire-Akari, Adeniran area of Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

His body was retrieved by officials of the Oyo State Fire Service after passersby alerted them to the incident.

The circumstances that led to the deceased falling into the well were still unclear as of the time of filing this report.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Fire Reforms and Chairman, Fire Services, Moroof Akinwande, said his men were alerted by a running caller and Mr Ajayi Olayemi.

“Fire personnel led by CFM Oladejo promptly deployed to the scene. On arrival, it was discovered that a man of about 27 years old, named Alagbe Gbemisoye, had fallen into a deep well. His body was recovered and handed over to the DPO, Owode Police Station,” he said.

Akinwande urged the public to always observe safety precautions in their daily activities and emphasised the importance of having fire extinguishers in their homes to prevent fire incidents.

News

Bauchi Records 75 Homicide Cases, 28 Kidnapping Cases, Others – Official

Published

13 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

The Bauchi state Ministry of Justice says it recorded nothing less than 75 homicide cases, 28 kidnapping cases and 86 cases of rape in the 2024-2025 legal year.

Barr. Hassan Usman (SAN), the Bauchi state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, stated this in Bauchi on Tuesday during the commencement of the 2025-2026 legal year ceremony.

“In criminal cases from January to date, we received a total of 91 robbery cases, as against last year which was 83 and we received 75 homicide cases.

“We were served with motions for bails and other motions totalling about 256 and we received about 86 rape cases and 28 kidnapping cases.

“In total, we received a total number of 592 criminal cases and out of this number, 97 have been disposed of, 15 were discharged through legal advice, 454 are pending,” said the Commissioner.

According to him, given the high volume of cases recorded, the Ministry developed strategies to fast-track prosecutions in line with the administration of criminal justice law that emphasised speedy trials by setting timelines of filing charges in court and proceeding.

While explaining that Gov. Bala Mohammed approved the release of N7.8 million for the purchase of law and other practice books for their library, Usman added that Mohammed also approved the release of monthly funds to settle all outstanding judgement debts owed by the state government.

He appreciated the governor for his benevolence, unwavering commitment and exceptional support for the Ministry of Justice in the state.

Earlier speaking, Justice Rabi Umar, the State’s Chief Judge, lamented the recurrent practice of arraigning suspects in court without proper preliminary investigations.

She added that in many cases, efforts to gather evidence were only initiated after the trial had begun.

“This backward approach to criminal prosecution significantly delays the process and undermines the delivery of justice.

“It is unacceptable that in 2025, we continue to see such practices, which contributed to the overwhelming backlog of cases in our courts and ultimately eroded public confidence in the Justice System.

“To resolve this and other identified lapses, a Committee was set up to review the Bauchi state Administration of Criminal Justice Law and come up with a Draft Law that will stand the test of time,” she said.

She however, affirmed that any lawyer that didn’t adhere to the prescribed dress code for legal practitioners in the state would not be permitted to appear in court, adding that such a disregard for professional decorum undermined the prestige and global respect that the legal profession commands.

In his speech, governor Mohammed said that the three arms of government in the state had been working harmoniously and in synergy without compromising their constitutional autonomy.

Represented by his deputy, Alh. Auwal Jatau, Mohammed said that he has been giving the two other arms of government the necessary support and cooperation to ensure that they all operated optimally without any hindrance.

News

HIV: 29,874 Bauchi Residents Under Treatment, 650 Infants Recover From Infection – Commissioner

Published

13 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

The Bauchi State Government has said that it is currently treating a total of 29,874 people living with HIV with Antiretroviral treatment across the state.

Dr. Sani Mohammed Danbam, the Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this while speaking at a press conference jointly held with partners to commemorate the 2025 World Aids Day.

According to him, HIV affects the most vulnerable in society: the poor, the uneducated, the marginalized, women, and children.

He said AIDS remains incurable, but no longer has to be a death sentence.

Speaking on the HIV situation in the State, Danbam said, “as of today, a total of 29,874 people living with HIV are receiving (Antiretroviral Therapy) ART and the State has scaled up to 863 HTS/PMTCT facilities, where the general population and pregnant women receive free HIV services.

“This year, we have successfully placed 2,246 newly diagnosed HIV-positive individuals on antiretroviral treatment, and over 650 HIV-exposed infants have achieved 100% early infant diagnosis and remain free from HIV infection.”

This year’s theme for World Aids Day: ‘Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response’, Danbam said is to reflect the challenges caused by recent funding cuts and other setbacks, and “it reminds us of the need to build a stronger, more resilient and rights-focused approach as we work toward ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.”

Also, the Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Diene Keita, noted that in spite of advancements in medical technologies and public policies, progress made over decades was increasingly jeopardised, with prevention gains eroding as essential services struggled to reach people at elevated risk.

Represented by Deborah Tabara, Gender/Reproductive Health Analyst & State Programme Officer, UNFPA Bauchi, stressed that severe cuts in international aid were destabilising HIV prevention efforts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where millions relied on donor-supported programmes to access accurate information, prevention tools and essential community-based support.

According to Keita, almost 2.5 million people have lost access to lifesaving Pre-exposure Prophylaxis due to shrinking resources, with countries recording half of last year’s new HIV infections experiencing the harshest consequences from dwindling funding.

Tackling gender inequality, violence and stigma in healthcare systems and societies more broadly will be instrumental in reducing factors that put people at risk of HIV. Integrating HIV services into routine sexual and reproductive healthcare, including family planning and maternal health, would make them more readily available to many women and girls.

“At this crossroads in the AIDS response, UNFPA continues to support countries in sustaining and improving HIV prevention, particularly for adolescent girls, young women and key populations, along with providing treatment and related services.

“The combined efforts of governments, international organisations, activists and communities have led to remarkable progress on HIV, saving nearly 27 million lives to date. Now, we need to come together and finish what we know works and what we know is possible – an AIDS-free future for all.”