NEWS
JDPC Tasks Kogi Assembly on Good Governance, rule of law

The Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) of Lokoja Catholic Diocese has charged members of the Kogi State House of Assembly to promote good governance and the rule of law through effective representation.
The commission also urged the assembly to uphold accountability, transparency and efficiency at all levels through their oversight activities.
These are contained in a communiqué signed by Rev.
Fr Augustine Okafor, the JDPC Lokoja Coordinator, issued on Friday in Lokoja, at the end of a one-day round table dialogue session.The session was organised by the JDPC for elected legislators of the state, committee clerks, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the media
The JDPC described good governance as the bedrock of development,saying legislators were critical to its enthronement.
It , therefore, urged the state legislature to continue to engage the executive arm on enthroning good governance.
The JDPC equally urged that follow-up processes for attainment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) be as inclusive and people-centered as possible, to enhance people’s understanding of the goals, especially the critical importance of “honest and responsive governance”.
It also reiterated the need for bills passed by the assembly to be returned to the House with reasons, if not assented to by the executive within a specified period.
On public hearings, the commission implored the state legislature to always encourage participation of the public on executive bills and all other bills, for effective and people-centred legislation.
It also urged all elected members of the assembly to establish constituency offices, engage their constituents on a regular basis and be awake to their oversight responsibilities.
The JDPC, in the communiqué, described itself as the service and development arm of the Catholic Church, committed to promotion of the well-being of the society through various interventions.
The interventions, according to the communiqué, include humanitarian services, justice, human rights and good governance.
The current project is on promoting the effectiveness of the legislative arm of government, it said.
The workshop also included a paper presentation on, “Legislative accountability: A tool for sustainable development.” (NAN)
NEWS
Taraba Community Seeks Strict Enforcement of Open Grazing Prohibition Law

The Munga Dosso community in Karim- Lamido Local Government area of Taraba has appealed to the state government to ensure strict enforcement of it anti-open grazing law to address herders and farmers conflict in the state.Mr Robert Bukar, Youth Leader of the community made the appeal on Monday, while briefing newsmen in Jalingo.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the Munga Dosso community has came under an attack recently by suspected herders, where scores were killed and property worth millions of naira were destroyed. Bukar noted that the bill was signed into law by the former Gov. Darius Ishaku in 2018.He said that the enforcement of the law would address the lingering farmers/herders conflict.He also decried absence of government’s representatives to the crisis affected community.The youth leader also said that the community was left to it faith at the time its 12 members were killed by suspected herders and were given mass burial.“Notably, no government representatives from federal, state, or local levels visited the community after this incident.“We have a senator, a house of representatives member, a state assembly member, yet non deemed it necessary to visit us and to listen to our lamentations.“As a peace-loving community, we always report all incidents and seek assistance from security agencies.However, we were disappointed by the lack of government representation at the mass burial, where officials failed to commiserate with our people.” It is true that the state government sent relief materials to the victims but relief materials is not our problem. We expected their solidarity at the time.“The aftermath of such violence has tragically resulted in not only fatalities but also a significant number of injuries and displacements.“It has led to a humanitarian crisis that requires urgent attention. Families are left to mourn their loved ones, while survivors grapple with trauma and insecurity.“Access to essential resources has become increasingly challenging, complicating efforts for community stability.“Moreover, in all these, our people are often arrested and from police station to prison but none of the perpetrators are brought to justice.“It is only in the recent crisis that the herders were arrested with asulted rifles by the police in Karim -Lamido but were released the next day,” Bukar said.The youth leader also appealed to government to increase security deployment to allow farmers to safely return to their farms.He also requested Taraba government to ensure that the recently constituted administrative committee of enquiry carry out a thorough investigation to apprehend and punish the perpetrators of the recent attacks. (NAN)NEWS
Police Confirm Alleged killing of Naval Officer by Hoodlum in Kaduna

The Police Command in Kaduna State, on Monday confirmed the alleged killing of a Nigerian Navy Officer, Lt.-Cdr. M. Buba by a hoodlum on Sunday at about 4:50 am .The command’s spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, confirmed the incident to Newsmen in Kaduna.Hassan said Buba was attacked and robbed near Kawo the fly over.
He said the yet-to-be identified individual had attacked the Naval Officer with a knife and robbed him of his mobile phones. According to him, the suspect was attempting to escape when an angry mob overpowered and beat him to death.Hassan said the late Naval officer suffered stab wounds and was rushed to Manaal Hospital where he was declared dead by a Medical Doctor.He also disclosed that Mr Suleiman Dahiru , who attempted to help the late Naval officer was also stabbed in the hand and he was also receiving treatment .Hassan said, “The body of late Buba has been deposited at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital mortuary.“The deceased was in his black Toyota vehicle with registration number APP-745HT, when the incident happened “He said investigation and monitoring were ongoing in the general area to fish out the hoodlum. (NAN)NEWS
Successful Hajj 1446: Saudi Arabia Announces End of Pilgrimage

Prince Saud bin Mishaal, Deputy Emir of the Makkah Region, announced the successful completion of Hajj 1446, declaring it incident-free in terms of security, health, and services.Mishaal said that over 1.6 million pilgrims participated in the holy pilgrimage, with 1,506,576 pilgrims arriving from outside the Kingdom.
He explained that 166,654 domestic pilgrims, comprising Saudi citizens and residents. Mishaal said, “Total pilgrims1,673,230, including 877,841 male pilgrims and 795,389 female pilgrims. ”The prince extended congratulations to the Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their role in ensuring the pilgrims’ safety and peace.He also praised the pilgrims’ cooperation and compliance with regulations, which contributed to the season’s success.Mishaal added, “The pilgrims performed their rites in safety and peace, thanks to the distinguished execution of operational plans by the Kingdom’s leadership.“The Hajj season was free of any major security, health, or service-related incidents.”He said that preparations for the next Hajj season would begin immediately, with the Kingdom’s leadership, government, and people taking pride in serving the holy sites and visitors. Mishaal extended congratulations to King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their role in ensuring the pilgrims’ safety and peace.( NAN)