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JUST IN: Punch Newspaper Declares President Tinubu Missing On Transit

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

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Tinubu Goes Missing In Transit Again – Punch Editorial Team

President Bola Tinubu’s overseas travels and exact whereabouts have again become a subject of speculation. On August 29, Tinubu embarked on a trip to China, and Nigerians were told he would make a brief stopover in Dubai. He suddenly reappeared in London on Wednesday.

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He had landed in Beijing in the early hours of September 1. He had a busy week meeting and signing agreements with Chinese political and business leaders on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. The President concluded his official engagements in China by meeting with Nigerians living in the country on September 5. He left China the same day.

Since then, Nigerians have not been told exactly where he was until he visited King Charles III on Wednesday. A State House statement on September 6 said that the President had directed that victims of the Maiduguri flood should be evacuated, and relief provided. The statement neglected to indicate where the President was issuing orders from.

It is disturbing that citizens do not know the whereabouts of their President. The office of the President is a public trust, and citizens have a right to know where the President is. Between his departure from Beijing and appearance in London, no explanations were offered. Such evasiveness is below the Presidency.

This is not the first time that Tinubu has given Nigerians the slip. On April 23, the President travelled to The Netherlands to visit the then Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, before journeying on to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend the Special Meeting of the World Economic Forum held between April 28 and 29.

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Six days after the event, he had not returned, and Nigerians started asking questions which were met with silence by the Presidency until May 8 when it revealed that Tinubu would be returning from Europe the next day.

On January 24, Tinubu left for a “private visit” to France details of which were shrouded in secrecy and set off health rumours until his return after two weeks. On August 19, Tinubu flew for the first time in the new presidential jet to Paris, France, for what the Presidency described as a brief work stay, details of which were not given. He returned after three days.

While the President has been away, the home front has been in disarray with the petrol crisis lingering for over a month and floods overtaking many states including Borno and Bauchi. Terrorists and bandits have been running riot as usual. Such situations require the leader of the country to be on the ground, rallying a response and finding solutions, not taking extended holidays.

The President should appreciate the weight of his responsibilities. Pontificating in China about the necessity of petrol subsidy removal being the magic wand to bridge the country’s massive infrastructure deficit when citizens at home are spending 16 hours in petrol queues is insensitive.

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It is inconceivable that the leaders of France, the United Kingdom and China will not account for their whereabouts to citizens.

Tinubu has continued in the disdainful tradition of his predecessors, taking Nigerians for granted. The late President Umaru Yar’Adua spent months in foreign hospitals in a vegetative state while his aides lied to Nigerians about his ability to function in office until he died in May 2010. Former President Muhammadu Buhari spent 225 days abroad on medical trips without any accounting to the citizens.

In a presidential system, the office of the President is of utmost importance as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The president of the United States travels around with the country’s nuclear codes. Americans know where he is always.

Democracy means accountability and Tinubu should know. A penchant for the President to undertake surreptitious visits to foreign capitals diminishes the office.

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Ondo 2024: Fear as gunsh0ts rock Ondo, Edo border community

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

There was gunshots by some unknown persons at Ofosun Village, an Ondo community at the boundary with Edo State.

The incident, it was learnt, caused panic, forcing people to stay indoors to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

A source in the village, identified simply as Dauda, who spoke to our correspondent on the phone said, “We don’t know who they are but they were firing gunshots into the air in some parts of the village since early morning. Ofosun is an Ondo village close to Benin in Edo State. No casualty, but people in the village are staying indoors.”

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It was not immediately clear what could have led to the incident, but the Deputy Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Festus Akingbaso, while commending voters’ turnout, expressed concerns over the alleged infiltration of some villages under the Idanre Local Government Area by hoodlums.

Akingbaso, who spoke shortly after casting his vote at Imikan Ward 02, Unit 008, Idanre, commended INEC for the timely arrival of voting materials but alleged, “Information reaching me is that majority of the villages are filled with thugs allegedly brought in by the APC. At the moment, all the villages are occupied with thugs. Villages like Ofosun, Omifunfun and Allah are occupied.

“There is a place called Igbepo where suspected thugs are in their numbers in Idanre Local Government Area. An incident happened in Ofosun where suspected thugs broke into the house of a party member to prevent him from voting. We were informed that there are plans not to allow people in the villages to vote.

have reported the matter to the DPO and DSS. To my expectation, the security agencies have not been able to do anything.”

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Reacting to the allegation, the Ondo APC spokesperson, Mr Steve Otaloro, absolved his party of involving in any crime and demanded a thorough investigation into the allegations.

He said, “I am in the situation room of APC right now. Let me say first some foremost, the person you mentioned is the deputy governorship candidate of Agboola Ajayi of the PDP. And if you recall PDP had a press conference two days ago alleging the kind of violence that happened in that place was by APC.

“All the places he mentioned, was he on the ground in all those places? He was supposed to be at his polling unit. Even if he was called, he should have done proper diligence to be on the ground. They told us there was nothing like that. Voting is going on orderly, if they have any issue with that, they just want to create an issue out of nothing.

“As I speak, no member of our political party is going out to vote as a member, everybody has become electorate. Whatever violence that is happening, they should investigate it properly, but I can assure you it is not from our members. How will you infiltrate all those local areas, these are routes and farm settlements? Why will our members infiltrate such places? That is not true.

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“More often than not, maybe their plans were burst, and that was why he is coming up with this allegation. And since morning, this election has started peacefully, they should allow it to end peacefully. We as a political party, are committed to peace, and we have told our people to allow peace to reign in all their activities in the course of this election.”

When contacted, the Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, Funmi Odunlami, said she was in transit.

She also said the incident had not been reported to her.

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Banditry; Popular song write,r Nnam abducted in Anambra

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Jude Nnam, the famous Nigerian Christian music composer, has been kidnapped.

Nnam, also known as ‘Ancestor,’ is the National Music Director for the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and a member of the National Liturgical Commission, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN).

He was allegedly kidnapped on Thursday evening around 6 p.m. in Umunnachi, Anambra State.

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The music icon is said to have traveled to Anambra for a church function.

A Catholic priest, Rev Fr Augustine Mario, shared the sad news of Nnam’s kidnap on his Facebook page on Friday.

“Please kindly keep Sir Dr. Jude Nnam (Ancestor) in your prayers.

He was allegedly kidnapped yesterday evening around 6 p.m. in Umunnachi, Anambra State.

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Sir Jude Nnam is the CAN National Music Director and Member of the National Liturgical Commission, CSN, etc.

“May God grant him safety and quick release from his abductors.

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SAD! Trailer Kills Mother, Two Daughters To Death In Ogbomoso

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A middle-aged woman and two of her daughters have been crushed to death in Ogbomosho, Oyo State.

The incident occurred on Wednesday night at Apake area of Ogbomosho.

It was learned that the mother, identified as Kudirat, and her two daughters, Mariam (13 years) and Azeezat (10 years), were said to be returning from their shop when the incident occurred.

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It was gathered that the deceased left their shop at Takie at about 11 p.m.

They were going back to their residence at Nana River/Atenda area on a commercial motorcycle when the accident occurred.

It was gathered that the bodies of the victims have been deposited at a morgue.

A source within the town explained that the motorcyclist and the driver of the trailer escaped unhurt.

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“The three were crushed brutally. However, the motorcyclist escaped unhurt while the trailer driver also sped off; he was pursued but made his escape.”

All efforts made by Daily Post to get a reaction from the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, Rosemary Alo, proved abortive at the time of filing this report on Friday

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