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Again, gunmen abduct Catholic priest along Enugu road

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Gunmen have kidnapped a Catholic priest in Enugu State, Nigeria’s south-east.

The victim, Gerald Ohaeri, was kidnapped on Saturday evening along Ugwogo Nike-Opi Express Road in Nsukka Local Government Area of the state.

The Secretary, Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Province of Nigeria in the South-east, Vitalis Anusionwu, announced this in a statement on Sunday.

Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a religious body of male clerics in the Catholic Church.

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Members of the body are often referred to as Holy Ghost fathers.

The kidnap

Mr Anusionwu, also a Catholic priest, said the cleric was kidnapped on his way back from Isienu after a function held in Enugu metropolis.

“We solicit your fervent prayers and supplications to God that he may be released as soon as possible and come back to us safe and sound,” he said.

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The police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, did not respond to calls seeking his comment.

Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, was yet to respond to a WhatsApp message as of the time of this report.

Increased kidnap attacks

Like other parts of Enugu, cases of kidnap-for-ransom along the Opi-Nsukka- Ugwogo-Nike Road have increased in recent times.

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Civil servants, business owners, politicians and even students have become targets of such attacks in the area.

The latest incident occurred two months after gunmen kidnapped a Nigerian professor, Oguejiofor Ujam along the Opi-Nsukka- Ugwogo-Nike Road.

Mr Ujam later escaped from captivity after security operatives engaged his abductors in a shootout in late October.

The kidnap of the professor occurred hours after gunmen kidnapped an official of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Emeason Chima, along the same road.

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He was yet to be freed as of the time of this report.

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnap of the Catholic priest although a separatist group IPOB has been blamed for the frequent attacks in the region.

IPOB is seeking the secession of the south-east and some parts of south-south from Nigeria

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Just in: Tinubu exposes those behind deadly stampedes

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President Bola Tinubu has accused organisers for the deadly stampedes that occurred during the distribution of relief materials in three states.

Recall in the past week, chaotic scenes in Ibadan, Anambra and Abuja led to the deaths of over 60 people, including children, as crowds scrambled for food items.

During a Presidential Media Chat on Monday, Tinubu described the events as a critical failure in planning and execution.

Condolences to those who lost a family member, but it is good to give. I have been giving out food stuff, commodities, etc. in Bourdillon.

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“I am an organized person and that’s why I have been giving people food for the past 25 years and no incident has happened.

“Let this tragedy not affect us”, the Nigerian leader said.

The president also said he has no plans to reduce his cabinet or sack more ministers.

For the controversial tax reform bills, he said it has come to stay.

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He also revealed he has no regrets removing fuel subsidy.

He declared utmost confidence in his security chiefs saying over the past decades, wanton killings has reduced drastically.

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Tinubu To Hold Maiden Presidential Media Chat Tonight

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President Bola Tinubu will hold first presidential chat since assuming office on Monday night.

Accoding to a statement released by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the chat will be broadcast at 9 p.m. on the stations of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).

All television and radio stations are requested to hook up to the broadcast.

“The first Presidential Media Chat with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be broadcast at 9 p.m. on Monday, December 23, on the Nigerian Television Authority and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.

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“All television and radio stations are requested to hook up to the broadcast,” the statement.

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‘Putin waiting to meet me as soon as possible’ to end Ukraine war – Trump

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The US President-elect took to the stage AmFest in Phoenix to talk about his contact with the Russian leader.

He told the crowd: “President Putin has said he want to meet with me as soon as possible.”

Trump went on to brand the war “horrible” and stated it needed to end. It is not known whether or not this meeting will take place in person. His comments at the event in the US come as Putin met with another world leader.

Putin held talks in the Kremlin today (December 22) with Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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Fico arrived in Russia on a “working visit” and met with Putin one-on-one. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s RIA agency that the talks would focus on “the international situation” and Russian natural gas deliveries.

Visits and phone calls from European leaders to Putin have been rare since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, although Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban visited Russia in July. Orban’s visit drew condemnation from Kyiv and European leaders.Fico’s views on Russia’s war on Ukraine differ sharply from most other European leaders. The Slovakian PM returned to power last year after his leftist party Smer (Direction) won parliamentary elections on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform. Since then, he has ended his country’s military aid for Ukraine, hit out at EU sanctions on Russia, and vowed to block Ukraine from joining NATO.

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