CRIME
Presidency Disagrees With UN Rapporteur’s Report on Violence in Nigeria

By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
Nigerian government Friday expressed total disappointment with the United Nations (UN) rapporteur on violence in Nigeria.
Reacting to the report, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said while the government agreed that the violence in Nigeria or in any country, was a major concern and that there was a rippling effect, ”we are disappointed that the rapporteur was silent on intra-group violence.
”The government explained that in Benue, Taraba, Cross River States and many parts of the country, most of the casualties resulted from intra-group, inter-group and community violence.
Many of the displaced persons across the nation were also victims of these conflicts, the government added.
According to the presidency, there was absolutely no doubt that violence between farmers and herders, which has a long history in our country spiked in recent years but the effectiveness with which the Federal and State authorities responded made a big difference.
”Calm has virtually returned to all parts affected by the peculiar violence. ”Therefore, we are saddened that the rapporteur did not address intra-ethnic conflicts and cattle rustling as key elements in herder/farmer conflicts. In Benue State for instance, the Tiv/Jukun conflict and kidnapping is a major problem. We are glad that local communities have fully realized this, and scholars with a strong motivation for peace and stability in their communities and the nation are trying to address the problem.
”Ignoring the salient issues will not help to solve the problem. If you are going to address violence and the general insecurity in Nigeria, incidents everywhere should be part of the narrative. Not addressing this might make it easier to blame the Federal Government, but national peace and security is community based and a collective responsibility.
”Arrests, prosecution and locking people up are only small parts of National Security and Safety strategy.
”In Benue State as cited earlier, the work of a US scholar of Tiv extraction, Professor Dick Adzenge deserves special mention for attempting to get aspects of violence addressed.
”The expectation that arresting and putting people in prison is the only credible response to violence is a mistake. Professor Adzenge and a few others like him are working with young people, traditional rulers and communities to seek peaceful resolution of conflicts and encourage peaceful co-existence.
”The sort of effort we are talking about here has so far revealed interesting facts about the problem in Benue State that cannot be ignored.
”And it is the sort of support we seek from the UN rapporteur in reporting, not the report that scratches the surface of the subject then ends up blaming the government under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, ” the presidency stated.
The Nigerian government advised that the UN representative needed to be truthful and even-handed in her assignment.
CRIME
Family Laments Murder of Three Year-old Daughter in Taraba

From Christiana Babayo, Jalingo
The family of three year old Hanatu Christopher has lamented the gruesome murder of their daughter, who went missing Thursday in Magami area of Jalingo, Taraba state.
The body was discovered on Tuesday by vigilante and taken to the morgue at Federal Medical Center Jalingo after some boys playing ball behind the house she was dumped perceived a foul smell and reported.
DAILY ASSET gathered that some body parts of the three year old were removed and her head cut off when the body was found in the abandoned building not far from their house.
The father of the deceased Mr Christopher Adamu, who narrated the story, said the incidence came as a shock to him and his family because Hanatu was a peaceful child and he wonders who would want to harm her.
“On Thursday evening after the children closed from school.
The eldest one came to my place of work in Suntai Hotel and asked me to buy detergent for them to wash their uniforms. So I bought it sent them off and later came home myself.“I asked them to call their little sister and they told me she was outside just beside the house. They went there to call her and couldn’t find her. That’s when we began searching the entire area for her all evening and night to no avail. I then reported the case to the vigilante, the Jalingo division, and the ward head and came home” he narrated.
While the family was still searching, a neighbor of theirs identified as Abdulrashid was said to have told the mother of the child that if she gives him some money, he might be able to find the child.
The parents relayed the information to the vigilante and that led to the arrest of the young man after his premises was searched and some suspicious items were discovered.
Rashid who is suspected to have kidnapped and killed the three year old is currently in custody and investigations are still on to ascertain what actually happened as at the time this report was filed.
The Jalingo Commander of Mr Munir Bello, who confirmed the incident, told DAILY ASSET that they have handed over the suspect to the police though he is yet to confess to the crimes.
He advised the general public to be conscious of the people around them and also called on landlords to be mindful of the tenants they accept in order to avoid bringing bad eggs into the society
The Parents who lamented that nothing can ever bring back their child still called to security agencies to take the investigations seriously and make sure the perpetrator of such heinous crime is brought to book.
The ward head Mallam Abdullahi Sabo who expressed dismay over the issue and sympathized with the family of the slain child.
CRIME
Bandits Abduct Traditional Ruler in Plateau

From Jude Dangwam, Jos
Another traditional ruler, Mishkaham Panyam, His Royal Highness, Engr. Aminu Derwan in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State has been kidnapped by gunmen suspected to be bandits.
The abductors are said to have stormed the family house of the District Head at Panyam in the early hour of yesterday and made away with the traditional ruler after operating for an hour.
DAILY ASSET gathered yesterday from one of the brother of the Monarch, Friday Derwam that the attackers were over 20 in number heavily armed that made away with his brother.
“Is my elder brother that was abducted in the early hours of today by bandits. They stomped the family house around 4:30am this morning, they spent one hour operating in the house until they get him before they left.
“They came in their numbers, actually they were many, over 20 well armed, they came on foot and parked their car somewhere and when they took him away they now entered the car and left.
“Nobody was injured or killed by the abductors, we are in talking terms with the abductors at the moment,” he narrated.
A resident of Panyam community, Mr. Pius Garuba equally told Newsmen that members of the community sighted strange presence of people around the resident of the Traditional ruler which is open and later had gun shots as they kidnapped the District Head.
“Because his house was not fenced, some villagers who saw how his house was surrounded by strange people alerted other members of the community through a community bell.
“But immediately the bandits heard the bell, they started firing gunshots and eventually went away with the traditional ruler, leaving the community helpless.”
When contacted, Spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, DSP Alabo Alfred said he was in a meeting as at the time filing this report.
CRIME
Imo Police Arrest Prison Escapee for Killing Pregnant Woman

Police officers from Iheagwa Division, Imo State, have arrested an Imo prison escapee identified as Justice Anokam, for allegedly stabbing a pregnant woman to death with a dagger at Umuejechi Nekede autonomous community in Owerri West Local Government.
It was gathered that the unidentified victim was a tenant in the area but an indigene of Ohaji/Egbema LGA of Imo.
A resident, Iyke Opara, said the pregnant woman came out from the popular Ama-Ato junction before she was accosted by the suspect.
Opara said the suspect has been terrorizing the community since he escaped from the April 2021 prison break in Imo.
The suspect, who claimed he was on drugs when queried in a trending video, was said to have become enraged and descended on the woman with the dagger after he asked her to give him money to eat and she shunned him.
According to the source, she told him to mind his business and that infuriated him.
He removed a dagger he hid in his trousers, and stabbed her in the stomach.The source said the woman lost a lot of blood and was pronounced dead on getting to the hospital.
He further said the suspect fled immediately but youths in the area pursued and apprehended him after several attempts to stab them.
Anokam, said to be in his 30s, was earlier arrested by Nekede vigilantes before being handed over to the detectives from the Ihiagwa Police Division amid heavy protest by the community youths who had concluded plans to lynch him before police intervention.
The police spokesman, Micheal Abattam, when contacted said he’s waiting for the situation report from the division.