News
Banditry: Kogi Tells Churches To Relocate, Rules Out Ransom Payment
The Kogi State government has advised worship centers in attack-prone areas to consider relocating because of insecurity.
This followed the attack on a Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Government Area of the state, on Sunday.
Gunmen had broken into the church during early morning service, abducting the pastor, his wife, and other worshipers.
This is the first major attack on a church after the abduction at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku in Kwara State.
Reacting to the abduction, Kingsley Fanwo, Commissioner for Information, said, “Worship Centres in the outskirts should also reconsider worshipping in crime-prone areas for now until the situation gets better.
“Worshipping in the bush without security in this era, just a few weeks after worshippers were abducted from a church in Kwara State, to me is not ideal.
“We all need to be security conscious at this time. We also need to volunteer intelligence.”
He added that security operatives were working to ensure a successful rescue of those abducted.
“I am also aware that the security network, comprising the conventional security agencies and the local security architecture are currently doing what they should do. We have no figures yet as we await security agencies to carry out their findings and report back to the public.
“We urge the citizens to be security-conscious and also report suspicious movements and faces to security agencies. When you see something, say something.”
The attack happened three days after Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo said bandits’ commanders had relocated to Kogi in an attempt to intensify attacks.
The governor had said the government and security agencies would take the fight to their hideouts.
He noted that certain measures had been taken in the interest of residents, regardless of religious or political affiliation.
“Before now , you will hear of shooting in schools and residents across the world… we have to put heads together to save our people. We have come to brainstorm and see a way out and provide our people with the needed security.
“The major commanders of the bandits have relocated to Kogi state in the last three days but we will not wait for them to fight us; we will take the fight to them.
“We are not going to bow to the criminals, we are not going to negotiate with them ; we are not going to pay ransom, we are going to sensitise our people to be security conscious of their activities,”
The governor added that the State Security Council had resolved that all public activities, be it religious or social, should end by 4pm until further notice.
Health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions and the Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations are protesting at the Unity Fountain in Abuja.
The protest is against the proposed health sector regulatory bill, which is before the National Assembly.
The protesting health workers are against the bill, claiming that if allowed to pass, it would subject every medical profession to the regulation of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
They maintain that all health professions have their regulatory bodies, and that the new bill was seeking to make other health professionals second-class to medical doctors.
The protesters plan to also go to the National Assembly, where they hope to present their case to lawmakers.
Hundreds of British teenagers will trial social media bans and time limits on apps as part of consultations over new measures to keep children safe online, the government announced Wednesday.
The pilot comes as the government seeks views from parents on whether to follow Australia and issue a blanket ban on social media for children under 16.
Three hundred youngsters aged 13 to 17 will try out different restrictions on social media use over six weeks to gauge the impact on their schoolwork, sleep and family life.
Some will have their social media apps disabled entirely, while others will have no access to them overnight, said the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
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A young student uses her mobile phone at a public school in Planaltina
A third group will have a one-hour-per-day cap on the most popular apps for teenagers, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.
The results will be compared to a fourth set of children who will continue to receive unlimited access.
“We are determined to give young people the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future,” said technology minister Liz Kendall.
“These pilots will give us the evidence we need to take the next steps, informed by the experiences of families themselves.”
Australia in December became the first nation to prohibit people under the age of 16 from using immensely popular and profitable social media platforms.
Several other countries are considering similar bans, including France where lawmakers in January passed a bill that would prohibit use by under-15s, which still needs final approval.
The British government has launched a consultation on a potential Australia-style ban, which will also look at measures including age restrictions and banning addictive features like scrolling.
Earlier this month, British MPs struck down proposals by the upper House of Lords chamber to ban social media for under-16s while it awaits the outcome of the consultation, due to close on May 26.
British public figures including actor Hugh Grant have urged the government to back a prohibition, saying parents alone cannot counter social media harms.
But some experts warn restrictions could be easily circumvented and would rather that tech platforms focus on making their sites safer.
Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not ruled out a ban.
Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday that an Israeli airstrike had killed Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ navy.
“Last night, in a precise and lethal operation, the IDF eliminated the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ navy, Tangsiri, along with senior officers of the naval command,” Katz said in a video statement.
“The man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to shipping was blown up and eliminated.”
Since the start of the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, Israel has announced the killing of several top Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic republic’s powerful security chief, Ali Larijani.
In recent days, Israeli forces have carried out several strikes targeting the naval assets of Iran.
Last week, Israeli airstrikes hit several Iranian naval ships in the Caspian Sea, including ones equipped with missile systems, support vessels and patrol craft.
AFP
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