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Insecurity: After Danjuma, Northern Group, Catholic Bishop Back Self-defence

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By Joel Oladele, Abuja and Nicholas Dekera, Kaduna

The Arewa Grassroot Leaders Assembly (AGLA) and Catholic Bishop of Kaduna Archdiocese, Archbishop Mathew Manoso-Ndagoso have added their voice to growing calls for citizens in Northern Nigeria to be legally empowered to defend themselves against rising insecurity, particularly in rural communities ravaged by banditry and violence.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the AGLA President, Collins Onogu called on the government to legalise the possession of AK-47s for self-defence in rural communities.
He also urged the Federal Government to deploy more security personnel to the affected areas and establish a task force to investigate and apprehend perpetrators.
“This is a grim reminder of the security challenges facing our nation.“We demand that the government legalise the possession of AK-47s for self-defence in rural communities, with proper monitoring and regulation.“We propose that the government support community-led security initiatives, including community vigilante groups and neighbourhood watches.“AGLA will continue to monitor the situation and hold the government accountable for the safety and security of our people. We demand action, not rhetoric. The government must act now,” he said.Onogu’s remarks echo recent comments by retired General T.Y. Danjuma, who last week in Taraba State reiterated his long-standing call for communities to defend themselves against armed attackers, noting that the killings which prompted his warning years ago have only worsened.While some Nigerians, including former Youth and Sports Minister Solomon Dalung, have backed such calls, others have warned of the dangers.Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi described the idea of widespread self-defence as a potential trigger for anarchy, cautioning that it could worsen inter-communal tensions, especially between farmers and herders.Nevertheless, AGLA insists that decisive and immediate action is needed to prevent further bloodshed.“We demand action, not rhetoric. The government must act now,” Onogu said, adding that empowering local communities through regulated self-defence and vigilante groups could be key in reclaiming security and restoring hope in the region.Catholic Bishop backs Plateau Governor, T.Y Danjuma, others over self defenseCatholic Bishop of Kaduna Archdiocese Archbishop Mathew Manoso-Ndagoso yesterday, also threw his weight behind Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, General T.Y Danjuma and so many others who have been calling for self-defense as banditry invasion of communities persist.Speaking at the opening of the 2025 Pastoral Council/General Assembly of the Kaduna Catholic Archdiocese, Archbishop Mathew Manoso-Ndagoso said “there are a lot of communities under siege and the killing seems to have continued unabated, what will the communities do, should they sit back and watch while the bandits kill, no, they need to help themselves by organizing themselves in terms of useful information sharing, consistent patrol in their localities.Mutfwang of Plateau has called for this, General T.Y Danjuma has also reiterated this several times and I think this is the time for villagers to mobilize and help them themselves.”Ndagoso maintained that “nothing has significantly changed because banditry, insurgency, kidnappings for ransom, very high cost of living, hunger, multi-dimensional poverty are all on the increase. We are still high up on the poverty index. The renewed hope agenda of the government at the centre is yet to produce the desired result. More and more of our compatriots seem to be joining the league of those living below the poverty line.”Our country is still among countries leading the world with the largest concentration of the poorest of the poor, namely, people living below the poverty line. In point of fact recent International Monetary Fund IMF) and World reports suggest that many more Nigerians will join the ranks of those living below the poverty line by 2027. We are a people of hope. We will continue to give the government the benefit of the doubt since they repeatedly tell us that there is light at the end of the tunnel.” Ndagoso stressed.He stated that “though the situation of insecurity persisted, we took the bold decision to restart the minor seminary at the beginning of the 2023/24 academic year using the convent in Katari town near the parish house. I am happy to inform you that significant progress has been made. As I speak, we have a total number of 106 students in GSS 1, 2 and 3 and SS1. They live in the convent in Katari and attend classes in the seminary.Using the proceeds of 2024 cathedraticum we were able renovate and reconstruct all the classrooms and the admin block and put together other essential amenities. The students and staff commute each working day to the seminary for classes. We hope to admit more students to various classes at the beginning of next academic year. Our hope is that if the security situation improves, we shall use the proceeds of this year’s cathedraticum to build a hostel block and renovate other essential structures. I am grateful to the priests and faithful of Dogon Kurmi and Gujeni Deaneries for their continued support without which we could not have started in the first place.”He commended the creative and proactive leadership of the outgoing leaders of the Laity Council in the Archdiocese saying through their visionary leadership much has happened in the Council. Good legacies have been passed on. He said the report of the Council shows a sure and healthy growth with normal activities of the council carried out.”In spite of the challenges during the year under review, we had a total of 10,343 baptisms, 7,149 first Holy Communions, 2,550 Confirmations and 941 marriages out of which 756 were between Catholics and 185 between Catholics and non-Catholics,” Archbishop Ndagoso stressed.

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UBA Raises N157bn Via Rights Issue to Boost Capital Base

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United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) has announced plans to raise N157 billion through a rights issue.The disclosure was made via a notice to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd (NGX).It said in a statement on Thursday that its stock brokers, United Capital Securities Ltd., had submitted an application to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.

to that effect.
It added its stock brokers had requested for approval and listing of a Rights Issue of 3,156,869,665 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N50.
00 per share“Trading License Holders are hereby notified that United Bank for Africa Plc, through its Stockbrokers, United Capital Securities Ltd., has submitted an application to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd.” in that regard.
“The rights issue will be on the basis of one new ordinary share for every 13 ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.“The qualification date for the Rights Issue is July 16, 2025,” the bank noted.The move is part of UBA’s strategy to strengthen its capital base and support its expansion and growth objectives across Africa.(NAN)

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Benue Uncovers Over 4000 Substandard Schools

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From Attah Ede, Makurdi

Over 4000 substandard and illegal schools have been uncovered and ready to be shut down across the state.The chief press secretary to the Benue State Governor, Tersoo Kula disclosed this at a press conference in Makurdi.Kula was reacting to a statement credited to former commissioner for education and knowledge management, Prof.

Dennis Ityavyar, said that Governor Alia has stabilised the educational sector since coming on board two years ago.
”No more strikes. Schools are moving on smoothly and in a bid to bring teaching and learning closer to the people and address the problem of younger school leavers in securing admission into tertiary institutions, the governor has established a new university.
”The establishment of University of Agriculture Science and Technology Ihugh, Vandeikyaa LGA is real..The governor has secured the licence, acquired land and made appointments of principal officers.”This is to address the issue of providing admission for the teeming Benue indigenes seeking admission into Nigerian universities.”The Governor has employed over 9700 teachers to energize public primary schools in the state. Apart from the fact that our primary schools would be energized, 9700 youths have been taken off the streets.”The government of governor Alia has also paid the 38 months earned allowance owed to lecturers at the Moses Adasu University, formerly Benue State University Makurdi”, he said.He maintained that renovation of government secondary schools and colleges across the state are ongoing where ongoing construction of new structures is in some public primary and secondary schools to ensure conducive learning environment.”Public primary schools teachers are trained on ITCs to enhance the teaching and learning of information and technology innovations at elementary level.”This government has been able to identify over 4000 substandard schools in the state and have secured insurance cover for Benue State students and paid bursary allowances in law school students in the state”, Kula stated.Benue Moves to Domesticate National Policy on IDPsThe Benue State Government has commenced a validation process to domesticate the newly federal government policy on Internally Displaced Persons (PDP) in the State.Commissioner for Humanitarian and Disaster Management in the State, Aondowase Kunde, stated that upon stakeholders’ inputs into the Internally Displaced Persons policy document, it would be fully launched.He added that the aim is to improve the welfare of the displaced population in the state.Kunde stated this during a two policy validation meeting held at Benue Hotels Makurdi yesterday.He maintained that the document which was passed into law by the national assembly needed to be domesticated in the state in line with the peculiarities of the state.In his remarks, the chairman, House Committee on Humanitarian and Disaster Management, Benue State House of assembly, James Abu Umoro, noted that the state has suffered so many natural and man-made disasters that it requires the policy to be domesticated in the state.Umoru insisted that the house will not hesitate to pass the document into law when presented by the executive arm of government.He said the issue of IDP in the state is a concern for everyone and must be given accelerated consideration at any point in time.On his part, House committee chairman on SDG and Donor Agencies, Peter Uche, noted that in most cases, communities have suffered attacks for more than ten years.”Let me therefore, call on all to support the implementation of the policy document for the displaced to return to their ancestral homes to start their normal farming and business activities”, he stated.The Director General, Sustainable Development Goals, John Akuse, who spoke at the occasion, said the validation of the IDP policy document is vital in paving the way for the displaced population to be adequately taken care of regarding their peculiar needs.

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Tinubu Honours Buhari, Renames University of Maiduguri after Late President

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By David Torough, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has approved the renaming of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State as Muhammadu Buhari University.

“May we now adopt the University of Maduguri as the Muhammadu Buhari University,” Tinubu said at the close of a special session of the Federal Executive Council held to honour Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Thursday.

The President paid a glowing tribute to Buhari, describing him as “a good man, a decent man, an honourable man” whose legacy of discipline, patriotism and moral uprightness would endure for generations.

Tinubu said although the late president was not without flaws, his unwavering commitment to national service set him apart.

“President Buhari was not a perfect man, no leader is, but he was, in every sense of the word, a good man, a decent man, an honourable man.

“His record will be debated, as all legacies are, but the character he brought to public life, the moral force he carried, the incorruptible standard he represented, will not be forgotten.

“His was a life lived in full service to Nigeria, and in fidelity to God,” he said.

Reflecting on Buhari’s time in office and his long military and civil service, Tinubu praised the late leader’s simplicity, humility, and stoic resistance to the trappings of power.

He said, “He stood, always, ramrod straight; unmoved by the temptation of power, unseduced by applause and unafraid of the loneliness that often visits those who do what is right, rather than what is popular.

“His was a quiet courage, a righteousness that never announced itself. His patriotism lived more in action than in words.”

Tinubu also recounted their political alliance, which culminated in the historic 2015 elections that marked Nigeria’s first democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.

“We stood together, he and I. Alongside others drawn from across the political spectrum, regions and tongues, we formed an alliance that enabled Nigeria to experience its first true democratic transfer of power from one ruling party to another.

“When he was sworn in as our party’s first elected President, he led with restraint, governed with dignity, and bore the burdens of leadership without complaint,” he said.

The President expressed admiration for Buhari’s post-office modesty, noting that he returned to his hometown, Daura, without seeking to wield influence behind the scenes.

“When his tenure ended, he returned to Daura; not to command from the shadows or to hold court, but to live as he always had, never seeking to impose his will but content to let others carry the nation forward.

“Even in death, he maintained the serenity that defined him in life: not a sigh, not a groan, just a quiet submission to the will of God. Such was the man Nigeria has lost. Such was the man for whom our nation now mourns,” he added.

Tinubu thanked the Inter-Ministerial Committee and Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, for organising a befitting state funeral within 48 hours, describing it as a “profound honour” to lead the burial procession in Daura.

He concluded his tribute with a prayer: “Mai Gaskiya, the People’s General, the Farmer President, your duty is done. May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljannah Firdaus. May his life continue to inspire generations of Nigerians to serve with courage, conviction, and selflessness. President Buhari, thank you. Nigeria will remember you.”

Buhari died on Sunday, July 13, at the age of 82.

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