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Reps Direct Security Agencies To Investigate Gruesome Killing Of Soldiers In Abia

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By Gloria Ikibah 
 
 
 
The House of Representatives has directed security agencies to conduct a thorough and wholesome investigation into the circumstances that led to the heartless, gruesome and despicable murder while exercising restraint in the application of military force on civilians.
 
 
 
This was sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Rep. Abubakar Makki Yalleman on the need to stop the incessant and gruesome killing of military personnel on peace mission across the country on Wednesday at plenary.
 
 
 
In his lead debate, Rep. Makki expressed deep sadness over what he described as the needles and gruesome mulder of military personnel who are often on peace missions across the country.
 
 
 
According to the lawmaker, the act of attacking and killing military personnel is often carried out through surprise attacks on military formations including check points and even those on routine patrols.
 
 
 
Makki who is the Chairman House Committee on Police  Affairs bemoaned the recent brutal attack on military personnel at a checkpoint at Obikabia Junction in Aba, Abia state where five soldiers were horrendously murdered by suspected gunmen.
 
 
 
He expressed sadness that the perpetrators of the act destroyed and burnt down the military vehicles at the checkpoint while some soldiers narrowly escaped with gunshot injuries.
 
 
 
He said: “Aware that these military personnel were on a peace mission in their service to their fatherland and ensuring the security of lives and property in that area.
 
 
 
“Distressed that this form of attack and killing of military personnel by gunmen in the South East and other parts of Nigeria has a potential of dampening the morale of our armed forces, endangering the lives and property of Nigerians and affecting the war on insecurity which has so far recorded some successes.
 
 
 
“Worried that it could also lead to retaliatory attack by the military and cause huge collateral damage on the people,” he added.
 
 
 
Contribution to the debate, the chairman, House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, expressed sadness as he sad that security personnel are being killed by non-state actors. 
 
 
 
Also, Chairman, House Committee on Navy, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, said it is regrettable that while lawmakers are speaking against insecurity, security personnel are being killed by non- state actors across the country. 
 
 
 
Gagdi said : “we are here speaking against insecurity and institution responsible for protection of lives and property of the citizens are being killed on daily basis. On daily basis, they must kill a police officer in the course of his duty to protect the lives and property of the citizens of this country. They kill civil defense ( personnel) on daily basis. They army  (personnel) on daily basis. They kill air force (personnel) They kill Navy(personnel).This is not acceptable, Mr Speaker. “
 
 
 
The House adopted the motion, observed a minute silence for the souls of the five military personnel killed in that horrendous incident and mandated the Committees on Defence to interface with the Armed Forces to ensure compliance and report back within four weeks for further legislative actions. 
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Just in: 24 people feared dead, others injured as bomb explodes in train station

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No fewer than 24 people were killed and more than 40 injured in a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, police and other officials told Reuters.

Pakistan is grappling with a surge in strikes by separatist ethnic militants in the south and Islamist militants in its northwest.

Inspector general of police for Balochistan, Mouzzam Jah Ansari, said 24 people have died from the blast so far.

The target was army personnel from the Infantry School,” he said, with many of the injured in critical condition.

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“So far 44 injured people have been brought to civil hospital,” Dr. Wasim Baig, a hospital spokesman, told Reuters.

Senior superintendent of police operations, Muhammad Baloch, said the blast seemed to be a suicide bomb and that investigations were underway for more information.

“The blast took place inside the railway station when the Peshawar-bound express was about to leave for its destination,” Baloch said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast at Quetta’s main railway station, which is usually busy early in the day.

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In August, at least 73 people were killed in Balochistan province after separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines and highways.

The assaults in August were the most widespread in years by militants fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession of the resource-rich southwestern province, home to major China-led projects such as a port and a gold and copper mine.

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EFCC Nabs Chinese Brothers, 2 Others for Alleged Illegal Dealing in Solid Minerals

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Operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested two Chinese siblings: Wang Jiang and Wang Richard for allegedly making efforts to export some solid minerals without requisite permit.

While Jiang was arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport ,Enugu, the rest, including two Nigerians, Donatus Agupusi and Michael Benneth Agu, were arrested at the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the EFCC.

Their arrest followed an intelligence received by the Commission through the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN on November 3, 2024 involving Jiang who was intercepted at the hold baggage screening point, where unidentified suspicious stones believed to be solid minerals wrapped in three different pieces were discovered in his luggage.

Preliminary investigations into the matter revealed that Agupusi, owner of Great Wall Construction Limited, is the employer of the remaining suspects. Investigation also revealed that Jiang was attempting to travel out of the country with the solid minerals in order to carry out some tests on them in China.

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Investigations further revealed that none of the four suspects had a permit to export the solid minerals to China.

The suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

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Amid economic frustrations FG burns N5bn on Lagos VP’s residence

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Despite ravaging hunger and ongoing economic challenges and escalating inflation affecting millions of Nigerians, the Federal Government has come under scrutiny for allocating a significant N5 billion towards the renovation of the Vice President’s official residence in Lagos.

In November 2023, the Federal Government outlined a supplementary budget of N2.17 trillion, which included N3 billion specifically allocated for refurbishing the Vice President’s Lagos residence and an additional N2.5 billion for his official quarters at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja. These expenditures were part of an effort to upgrade government infrastructure, yet they have sparked widespread concern among citizens facing economic hardships.

According to findings from GovSpend, a civic technology platform that monitors federal expenditures, the actual amount spent on the Vice President’s Lagos residence renovations in 2024 totaled N5,034,077,063.

This sum, spent between May and September, exceeded the initial budgetary estimates, raising questions about the use of public funds amid broader financial constraints.

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A closer look at the spending details shows that on May 31, 2024, the State House disbursed N2,827,119,051 to Denderi Investment Limited, an engineering firm, to undertake renovations on the Vice President’s Lagos residence.

Later, on September 5, 2024, additional payments were made for further work on the property, including N726,748,686 from the Office of the Chief of Staff for additional renovations, and N1,480,209,326 for a second phase of the project.

The substantial scale of these allocations has drawn attention from both the public and civil society organizations advocating for fiscal responsibility.

In addition to the Lagos renovation costs, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) announced in November 2023 a plan to construct a new residence for the Vice President in Abuja, at an estimated cost of N15 billion. FCT Minister Nyesom Wike presented this plan during a House of Representatives committee session to justify the FCTA’s supplementary budget of N61.5 billion.

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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), a prominent civil rights organization, criticized these expenditures, labeling them as misaligned with the nation’s current financial challenges and a violation of constitutional principles. SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, highlighted the strain that debt servicing places on the country’s budget, with an estimated 30 percent (N8.25 trillion) of the 2024 budget of N27.5 trillion earmarked for debt payments. Oluwadare argued that allocating billions for a new vice-presidential residence in such times represents a breach of public trust.

Other advocates have voiced similar concerns. Auwal Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, questioned the sincerity of the government’s commitment to reducing governance costs, pointing out that budget allocations for executive expenses have seen minimal cuts in the past 16 months. Likewise, Debo Adeniran, Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, emphasized the need for a constitutional framework to control government spending, suggesting that a new, more restrictive constitution could help curb excessive financial allocations in the future.

These calls for restraint underscore the pressing need for policy decisions that prioritize public welfare, particularly as citizens face economic pressures on a daily basis.

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