Connect with us

COVER

Thugs Burn Kogi PDP Women Leader to Death

Published

on

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu
Share

Despite tears and anguish by sympathisers and family members over the killing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) women leader in Kogi and two policemen, among others in Bayelsa, Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello, has said that reported violence was not enough to discredit the result of the election.

DAILY ASSET gathered that two policemen were shot dead by unknown gunmen yesterday, along Otuogidi community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa state.

While one of the policemen died in the hospital, a staff with the state broadcasting corporation, Simon Onu, was among those ambushed and shot dead by stray bullets of political thugs in the state.

The hoodlums carted away the riffles of their victims creating apprehension in the state few days to the Saturday governorship election.

The attack, according to report, occurred at a checkpoint close to the Bayelsa State College of Health Technology located in Ogbia. 

Earlier, Onu was killed by suspected political thugs at a rally ahead of the state’s governorship election.

Witnesses said scores of people, mostly supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, were injured in the attack. They said the thugs were loyal to the All Progressives Congress.

In Kogi state, before the killing of the PDP Women Leader, Wada/ Aro Campaign Council, Ochadamu Ward, Mrs. Acheju Abuh, no fewer than six persons had been reportedly killed before, during and after the election.

She was reportedly burnt to dead in her home by suspected political thugs, who barricaded the entrance of her residence, poured fuel on the house, locked it up set the compound ablaze. 

According to reports, the thugs, who were shooting sporadically, arrived Hon Mrs. Abuh’s house at about 2pm, “surrounded the house, blocking every exit and escape routes from outside”.

“They then sprayed  the building with petrol and set it ablaze as terrified villagers watched from afar.

Our Correspondent gathered from eyewitnesses that she reportedly attempted to escape through a window, but was prevented by the metal burglary proof and gun shots with bullets raining in her direction.

“The blood thirsty thugs waited, shooting and watching with relish while Mrs. Abuh cried from inside the inferno until her voice died out”, eyewitnesses said.

They reportedly left only when the entire house and Mrs. Abuh had been burnt to ashes.

The Kogi state police command confirmed the incident through its Public Relations Officer, DSP William Aya.

Aya in a statement titled: “Culpable homicide/mischief by fire ” issued later stated: “On 18/11/2019 at about 16.30hrs, one Musa Ety of Ochadamu, Ofu LGA reported at the Station that, at about 1030 of same date, there was a misunderstanding between one Awolu Zekeri, aged 35 and member of APC and one Gowon Simeon, a member of PDP both of Ochadamu.  In the process, Gowon Simeon stabbed Awolu Zekeri with a knife on his lap, he died on his way to the Hospital.

a
” As a result, angry Youths in the area mobilized to the house of one Simeon Abuh of same address who is an uncle to the suspect, set it ablaze, thereby burnt one Salome Abuh, aged 60 years”.
The police confirmed that three other houses were equally burnt in the process.

Aya said that the corpse has been moved to the University Teaching Hospital Mortuary Anyigba for autopsy and disclosed that the Police Mobile Force and Police Special Forces have been drafted to the area to prevent any breakdown of law and order while investigation was ongoing.

Deaths Not Enough to Discredit Election – Bello

Meanwhile, Bello yesterday said the just-concluded governorship election in the state was free and fair despite damning reports to the contrary by election observers.

Bello who spoke during an interview on Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, accepted that there was violence during the election, but said it was not enough to discredit the poll.

 “In every election, there is bound to be one issue or the other and you can’t take a pocket of issues to judge the general conduct of the election.

“Regarding the comments of the civil society organisations, they are entitled to their own opinions but let us know the parameters with which they are judging this election.

“How many polling units did they visit out of 2,548 polling units, 239 wards and 21 local governments across the difficult terrains of this state? How many people have they reached out to?

“Have they interviewed all the electorate? So, what are their yardsticks?” he said.

One of the observers, the Diplomatic Watch, had raised the alarm at the reports of fatalities and missing people during the Kogi election and urged stakeholders to be calmed.

“We express our alarm at reports of widespread incidents of violence and intimidation, some of which were witnessed by our teams in Kogi. There are reports of fatalities and people missing, including INEC staff. Our thoughts are with all victims and their families,” their statement read in part.

Another observer group, the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA Africa), had called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in Kogi state following reported cases of “violence, vote-buying, and manipulation of voters”.

YIAGA said “the elections in the state did not reflect the preferences of voters because they were not given genuine opportunity to exercise their right to vote”.

The Centre for Democracy and Development, (CDD), said 10 deaths and 129 cases of violence and electoral crimes were recorded in the polls in Kogi and Bayelsa states.

Poor Conduct Abates Violence – Observer Group

 

A non-governmental organisation, CLEEN Foundation, also gave reasons security personnel could not stop violence in the two states, where elections were held.

The Executive Director of the foundation, Benson Olugbuo, stated this in a report on the conduct of security personnel deployed for election duty in the states.

The group, which deployed 61 observers to both states for the elections, in its report said the poor conduct of security personnel explained why there was no resistance to political thugs who were shooting and snatching ballot boxes in both states.

“CLEEN Foundation, an accredited observer, noted that most of the security personnel did not use force at anyone in the polling units observed. This explains the situation of no resistance by political thugs in shooting and snatching ballot boxes in Bayelsa and Kogi states respectively.

“The security personnel were unable to manage or prevent thugs and men in security uniforms in Kogi state especially from disrupting elections and carting away voting materials.”

COVER

Federation Account Garners N7trn Revenue in Six Months – RMAFC

Published

on

RMFARC
Share

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) yesterday disclosed that a total sum of N7.31 trillion accrued to the Federation Account between July and Dec. 2023.This was captured in the monthly report to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under the caption “CBN Federation Account Component Statement”.

This amount is higher than the sum of N5.
244 trillion realised in the first half of year 2023, according to a statement signed by the RMAFC Chairman, Mr. Mohammed Bello Shehu and made available to the media in Abuja.The chairman disclosed that out of the total gross revenue inflows into the Federation Account, the sum of N1,692 trillion was transferred to the Exchange Gain Differential Account, thus leaving a balance of N5.
475 billion for distribution.He added that from the amount stated above, the sum of N3.26 trillion was deducted as approved statutory deductions by the OAGF, leaving a net balance of N2.2 trillion for distribution to the three tiers of government within the period under review.The chairman explained that out of the N3.267 trillion statutory deduction indicated above, N2.251 trillion was transferred to the Non-Oil Excess Account as savings, thus leaving a net statutory deduction of N1.016 trillion with further augmentations for sharing among the three tiers of government received from some “reserve accounts.”The statement added that within the period under review, the net sum of N4 trillion was shared with the three tiers of government, an amount higher than the total sum of N3.06 trillion.In terms of percentages, the chairman stressed that “the statutory deduction in the second half of the year constituted 44.12 percent of the total gross inflow into the Federation Account in the six-month period, which was higher than the first half deductions of 42.31 percent (inclusive of transfer to the Non-Oil Excess Account).”On remittances by Revenue Generating Agencies (RGAs), the RMAFC chairman disclosed that out of the total gross revenue inflows into the Federation Account, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) remitted N874 64 billion in the second half of the year as against the zero-remittance made in the first half of the year.Similarly, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) remitted the sum of N1.56 trillion while the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) remitted N3.65 trillion

Continue Reading

COVER

PDP NEC Meeting Ends with Damagum as Acting Chairman

Published

on

Share

By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 98th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting yesterday ended without a word on the much talked-about replacement of the party’s Acting National Chairman, Amb. Iliya Damagum, an indication that he will continue to function in that position.

In an interview with newsmen after the meeting, the PDP spokesman, Hon.
Debo Ologunagba said for now, the party is focusing on issues of reconciliation and its stability, adding that the issue of the Acting National Chairmanship had been “deferred to the next NEC meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for August 15, 2024″.
Also speaking, the Governor of Bauchi State and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed said the party is united as there was no dissension and rancour.
In his words, “It was planned that the party would have an implosion. PDP is more than that. We have gone beyond all that. This party is united, guided by experience and constitutionality.”There were a lot of permutations and mischievous thinking outside there. But we looked at all the issues and we worked along our guidelines and constitution.“There is no problem or dissension and problem among members,” Mohammed said.The well attended NEC meeting was held amid tight security as police and personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) condoned off roads leading to the PDP Secretariat, Abuja and diverted vehicular traffic.It will be recalled that the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) had passed a vote of confidence on Damagum during its meeting on Tuesday.A communique issued at the end of the three hours meeting commended all the organs of the party for their collective resilience, steadfastness and commitment towards the unity, stability and sustenance the party despite daunting challenges.The communique commended the efforts of the NWC in its effort towards rebranding the party and urged all party members to continue to work together for the success of the PDP for the benefit of Nigerians and sustenance of democracy in our country.

The document which was read by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ologunagba, however, expressed concern over what it described as the ill-implemented policies of the APC administration, leading to worsening insecurity, harrowing economic hardship, soaring unemployment rate, high cost of food and other necessities of life with pervading misery and despondency across the country.”NEC expresses serious apprehension over the spate of acts of terrorism and violence including the escalated cases of mindless killings, mass abduction of innocent Nigerians and marauding of communities in various parts of the country.”NEC condemns the insensitivity, nonchalance, incompetence and arrogance in failure of the APC administration which continues to conduct itself in a manner that shows that it has no iota of interest or commitment towards the wellbeing of Nigerians.”NEC also condemns the creeping totalitarianism and tendencies towards a One-Party State which is inimical to the peace, stability and corporate existence of our nation as well as the development of Democracy and good governance in the country,” it said.The communique demanded that President Bola Tinubu should urgently convene a special National Security Council meeting to proffer a holistic solution and measures to curb the disturbing insecurity with its attendant negative consequences on the nation.It also called on the president to “immediately rejig his Economic Team to bring in persons of proven integrity and competence without bias and vested interest to assist in repositioning the economy.”NEC further demands that the Federal Government should review all policies and programmes which are stifling the economy with suffocating effect on the lives of citizens; including the increase in price of fuel without cushioning measures, hike in electricity tariff, increased taxation and implementation of adverse fiscal policies,” the communique added.Present at the meeting were FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and many other past and presently elected members of the PDP.

Continue Reading

COVER

CBN Reduces Banks’ Lending Rate to 50 Percent

Published

on

dailyasset-greetings
Share

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday announced a review of the loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) for banks from 65 percent to 50 percent to align with the current monetary tightening.

LDR is used to assess a bank’s liquidity by comparing its total loans to its total deposits.

An increase in the loan-to-deposit ratio allows banks to expand their credits to businesses and individuals, however, a decline in LDR reduces their ability to loan customers from depositors’ funds.

CBN disclosed the increase in a circular titled “Re: Regulatory Measures to Improve Lending to the Sector of the Nigerian Economy”, signed by Adetona Adedeji, CBN Acting Director, Banking Supervision Department.

“Following a shift in the b  ank’s policy stance towards a more contractionary approach, it is imperative to review the loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) policy to align with the current monetary tightening by the CBN,” the apex bank said.

“Accordingly, the CBN has decided to reduce the LDR by 15 percentage points to 50%, in a similar proportion to the increase in the CRR rate for banks.

“All DMBs are required to maintain this level and are further advised that average daily figures shall continue to be applied to assess compliance.”At the last monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting on March 26, the CBN retained the CRR at 45 percent and the liquidity rate at 30 percent.

Continue Reading

Read Our ePaper

Top Stories

NEWS1 day ago

Disability Act: Stakeholders Worry Over Delayed Domestication in Benue

ShareBy David Torough, Abuja Stakeholders have expressed concern over delay in the domestication of Disability Act in Benue state and...

NEWS1 day ago

Enugu Embarks on Inspection of Smart Schools, Healthcare Projects Across State

ShareFrom Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah has charged contractors and the site engineers handling construction of...

NEWS1 day ago

Benue Govt Abandoned Foreign Exchange Programme Due to N3mn Bursary – DG BEQA

ShareFrom Attah Ede, Makurdi The Director-General, Benue State Education Quality Assurance Agency, BEQA, Dr. Terna Francis, on Thursday, said the...

NEWS1 day ago

Tinubu Establishes National Education Data System

SharePresident Bola Tinubu has approved system-wide policies to comprehensively overhaul the education sector to improve learning and skill development, increase...

NEWS1 day ago

ADAS Programmes Set to Establish Digital Structure, Database for Farmers, Farmlands

ShareFrom Yagana Ali, Yola The Adamawa State Agribusiness Support Programme ADAS-P has concluded arrangements to establish standard & digital structure/database...

NEWS1 day ago

Absence of Diplomacy Responsible for Secessionist Agitations in Nigeria – INM

ShareFrom Marcel Duru, Owerri Igbo National Movement, a sociopolitical pressure group, has said that absence of diplomacy is responsible for...

NEWS1 day ago

N20m Bounty on Kidnappers: Wike Fulfills Promise to FCT Police Command

ShareBy Laide Akinboade, Abuja The Commissioner of Police, FCT, CP Benneth C. Igweh, expresses heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the...

NEWS1 day ago

Presidential Amnesty: Bank Accepts Responsibility for Stipends Delay

ShareFrom Mike Tayese, Yenagoa One of the Bank offering services to the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has explained the reason...

NEWS1 day ago

Enugu State Justice Reform Team Commends Mbah, Calls for Enhance Justice System

ShareFrom Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu The Enugu State Justice Reform Team (ESJRT) has commended the administration of Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah...

POLITICS1 day ago

I Didn’t Abandon Mandate – LP Candidate

ShareFrom Marcel Duru, Owerri The Labour Party Candidate in the 2023 general elections for Mbaitoli-Ikeduru Federal Constituency, Rt Hon Uche...

Copyright © 2021 Daily Asset Limited | Powered by ObajeSoft Inc