By Ezinwanne Onwuka
● Roman Catholic priest kidnapped in Enugu
Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen speaking the Fulani language, late Sunday [Sept. 18], abducted a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, Rev. Fr. Marcellinus Okide, the parish priest at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Amofia-Agu Affa in Udi local government area of Enugu State. Fr. Okide was on his way to the parish when he was ambushed by the armed Fulani bandits.
Increased attacks by kidnappers in Enugu State serve as a stark reminder of the security issues plaguing the country. The Nigerian army has recently pledged a nationwide crackdown on lawlessness, and reported arrest of 43 suspected criminals in the previous week,https://twitter.com/HQNigerianArmy/status/1703831284517077055?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet.
The priest’s abduction came barely 24 hours after a middle-aged man identified as Sunday Nwa Ugwuja was killed and several others kidnapped while en route to Nsukka, a town in Enugu. Earlier this month, a police officer was killed in an attack by bandits who blocked the Ugwogo/Opi/Nsukka Road in an attempt to kidnap travellers.
The spokesperson of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu, Rev. Fr. Anthony Aneke, told PREMIUM TIMES that Fr. Okide’s kidnappers have already contacted the church authorities for ransom, but kept mum on the amount demanded.
● On Eve of Speech in New York, Tinubu assures African Union of Nigeria’s backing for democratic stability
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured the African Union (AU) of Nigeria’s strong backing of democratic stability in the face of four African nations falling to military coups in the last two years. The Central African country of Gabon is the latest domino to fall.
The coup, as well as the preceding military take-over in Niger, threatens the hard-won democratic progress in Africa. The juntas have so far bluntly refused to engage with the AU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional bloc chaired by Nigeria’s president, Tinubu.
“You can call me at any time and we will discuss the peace and stability of AU member states,” Tinubu told the chairperson of the AU, Azali Assoumani in New York, U.S. on Monday. The Nigerian president expressed his eagerness to collaborate with the AU to “move beyond those whose vision of Africa is narrow and evil.” President Tinubu is expected to address the UN General Assembly on the evening of Sept. 20 in New York.
● Sagamu bleeds blood from a cult clash
The failure of authorities to protect citizens from attacks and intimidation by violent gangs is leading to loss of lives and a sense of impunity that is making life precarious in Nigeria. Eight lives were lost over the weekend as rival criminal gangs known as “cult groups” Eiye and Aiye unleashed terror in Sagamu, a cosmopolitan town in southwestern Ogun State.
The unrest began Sept. 13 when members of the two notorious criminal gangs, known in Nigeria as “cult groups” engaged in a supremacy battle, which set the town on fire and caused widespread panic. Police said the bone of contention was proceeds from land-grabbing activities.
Casualties of the heated cult war include a college student who just resumed the new academic session, a 50-year-old gospel musician popularly known as “Sunny Pa” and a popular drummer in the town known as “Elemere.” Police have also confirmed the arrest of nine persons linked to the battle.
● Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo identifies 4 economic reform priorities for Nigeria
U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo has urged the Nigerian government to stabilize its currency, the naira and fight corruption to unlock what he called “the type of growth that creates economic opportunity for the Nigerian people.”
Adeyemo, the highest-ranking member of the African diaspora in President Joe Biden’s administration, on a trip to Nigeria, said this on Monday during his visit to Lagos Business School. He delivered an economic policy speech titled ‘U.S.–Nigeria Economic Relations: People, Entrepreneurship, and Investment.’ The Deputy Secretary is in Nigeria to strengthen economic ties between the U.S. and Africa’s largest economy.
Adeyemo said Nigeria could attract more foreign investments if it invests more in digital infrastructure, education, a strong small business environment and agriculture. He also called for steps to make Nigerian banks more secure to prevent “criminals, terrorists, and others” from laundering money through the financial system. Washington stands ready to help Tinubu’s government build an economy that works for all Nigerians, Adeyemo added.
● Government distributes aid to victims of bandits’ attack
The Nigerian government on Monday [Sept. 18] distributed relief materials to victims of bandits’ attacks from seven villages in Sokoto and Kebbi States. Bandits raided the villages, two in Kebbi and five in Sokoto, and took over the communities. The displaced natives sought refuge in Jarkuka, a community in Arewa local government area of Kebbi State.
Incessant raids and attacks by bandits, threaten lives and livelihood in Nigeria’s North. A report published last year by Daily Trust estimates that at least 700 communities in six northern states have been occupied by bandits who extort weekly payments from residents. Many of the conquered communities transition into operating bases from which they launch daily attacks on other communities.
“The situation is so pathetic. We have quite a number of displaced women and children,” Yakubu Ahmed-BK, the information commissioner in Kebbi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The relief materials include thousands of bags of millet, rice, and beans as well as mats, detergents, and buckets among others.
