NEWS
No Rest Until Justice Is Served, Shettima Assures Plateau Communities
Vice President Kashim Shettima declared on Wednesday that the administration of President Bola Tinubu will not stop working until the victims and survivors of the attacks on the villages in the Plateau State local government areas of Barkin Ladi and Bokkos receive justice.
Shettima also urged Plateau residents to eschew the allure of sectional divides or the divisive rhetoric used against their fellow countrymen, given the current high level of tensions.
He claimed that citizens only continue violence and bloodshed when they enact laws.
“We won’t rest until you access justice and until you are safe, resist the temptation to succumb to sectional divisions or the poisonous rhetoric of hatred,” Shettima said when he visited and commiserated with the affected Plateau communities over the recent killings in Barkin Ladi and Bokkos LGAs.
It could be recall that Biztellers reports that over 150 persons were killed as armed men attacked 12 communities in Bokkos, while at least 17 others died in coordinated attacks on three communities in Barkin Ladi on Christmas Day.
According to survivors’ accounts, the attacks were executed by persons believed to be herders who displaced thousands of settlers and destroyed property worth millions of naira.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed on Wednesday titled, ‘We won’t rest until you get justice, VP Shettima assures Plateau communities.’
While urging the people to resist the temptation to succumb to sectional divisions, he said, “This violence persists due to this dangerous practice of treating criminals as ambassadors of their group, where the law is taken into our hands, and where protection fails. But this is not the case now. This is a promise.”
Shettima vowed that the killings on the Plateau and other parts of the country must stop, saying, “Now, please accept our heartfelt condolences. Please accept our deepest apologies. Because we won’t rest until you access justice and until you are safe.”
He informed the people about how heartbroken Tinubu had been since receiving news of the incident, saying the President “is deeply shaken by this tragedy and shares in this unspeakable sorrow that has shattered the joy of Christmas across the country.
“When one community bleeds, the entire nation feels the pain. The pain we feel now transcends ethnicity or religion, geography or politics.
“The grief that binds us is a testament to our shared humanity, not differences.”
The VP identified with the grieving families who lost loved ones in the attack and now have to bury whole families.
He described it as a rare experience that is much more unbearable than the pain of losing one or two loved ones.
“We cannot fathom the depth of this grief beyond the experience of the bereaved. We can only offer to assuage your pain.
“What has happened to you is a funeral for the entire nation. Our hearts bleed alongside yours, our dear brothers and sisters in Bokkos, Barkin-Ladi, and all over Plateau State,” he stated.
VP Shettima assured the people that the Tinubu administration is out to protect them and ensure justice, even though it may appear that the government has failed them in their time of need.
Describing justice as the path to collective safety, unity and healing of the nation, he said, “We came to power promising to uphold the sanctity of every citizen’s life, and now is the time to reassure you that this inter-community violence, which has hijacked the humanity and serenity of this beautiful State over the past decades, will never persist under our watch.
“We will harness all our resources to bring those responsible to justice; we will not rest until we are able to prevent the recurrence of these heinous acts. Your blood, your tears, and your cries stain our collective conscience.
“We are here for you; we are here, resolute in our commitment to ensuring that the perpetrators of these mindless killings face the full force of the law.”
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has criticized the federal government’s plan to secure an additional N1.7 trillion loan through Eurobonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, describing the borrowing as unsustainable and harmful to Nigeria’s economy.
In a statement shared on Thursday via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Atiku accused the Bola Tinubu-led administration of burdening Nigerians with debt while failing to provide clear answers about the country’s fiscal challenges.
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He also faulted the National Assembly for enabling what he called a “voracious appetite” for loans.
The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed alarm over a recent World Bank report ranking Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), calling the development troubling.
“The recent report released by the World Bank, showing Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA), is very concerning,” Atiku stated.
He raised further concerns about the government’s decision to benchmark the proposed loan at an exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official rate being over N1,600.
“What makes this particular loan proposal even more concerning is that it is benchmarked at the exchange rate of 1 USD to N800, whereas the current exchange rate from the Central Bank of Nigeria stands at over N1,600 to 1 USD,” he said.
Atiku questioned the need for additional borrowing, given the government’s earlier claims of record-high revenue collection.
“In July this year, Tinubu boasted that the FIRS and Customs under his watch had collected all-time high revenues to finance the budget. Why are they still borrowing?” he said
He accused the government of a lack of transparency, describing the borrowing spree as detrimental to Nigerians already struggling under economic hardship.
“There is something that they are not telling Nigerians, even as they are being crushed by a combination of their failed trial-and-error policies and loan rackets.”
Atiku also referenced a report by BudgIT, a budget monitoring group, which criticized the 2024 budget for its inefficiencies.
He alleged that corruption, rather than infrastructure or development needs, was driving the government’s borrowing decisions.
“These loans are powered by corruption and not for infrastructure and development needs. This voracious appetite for humongous loans is deeply concerning,” he said.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s financial history, Atiku lamented the return to significant foreign indebtedness just years after former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration cleared the country’s debt.
“It is agonizing to see that just a few years after the Obasanjo administration took us out of foreign indebtedness, we are today back at the top spot in the same conundrum,” he stated.
He called for a more cautious approach to borrowing, urging the government to prioritize fiscal responsibility and transparency to avoid worsening Nigeria’s economic challenges.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has taken a historic step, issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The charges include crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed during Israel’s recent assault on Gaza.
In a detailed statement, the ICC accused the Israeli leaders of “intentionally and knowingly depriving the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity.”
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The ICC’s move marks a significant escalation in international scrutiny of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Netanyahu and Gallant are alleged to have orchestrated policies that caused severe harm to the civilian population in Gaza, leading to widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.
Alongside the charges against Israeli officials, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. Deif has long been a central figure in Hamas’s military operations. Israel’s military claims to have killed him in a July airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The warrants highlight growing calls for accountability amid the ongoing conflict in the region. The ICC’s actions are likely to provoke heated debate and may complicate diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.
With the warrants issued, global attention now turns to how the international community will respond and whether any practical steps will be taken to enforce them.
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has inaugurated a 12-member committee tasked with recovering government vehicles reportedly in private hands.
The committee, led by Kelly Okungbowa, has been given a two-week mandate to retrieve the vehicles and ensure their return to the state government.
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Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Benin City, Governor Okpebholo emphasized the importance of accountability in the management of public resources.
He urged the committee to carry out its assignment thoroughly and within the bounds of the law.
In his response, Okungbowa expressed gratitude to the governor for entrusting the team with the assignment, vowing to deliver results within the stipulated timeframe.
“A lot of vehicles used by the past administration are missing, as those in custody of the vehicles have refused to return them,” Okungbowa said.
“The governor deemed it fit to inaugurate us today with a mandate to recover all government vehicles in private hands.”
The committee, which includes representatives from Edo’s three senatorial districts, is set to investigate and recover the vehicles based on credible intelligence already at their disposal.
“We already have vital information regarding some persons still holding government vehicles,” Okungbowa stated. “We will do the job according to the law, and both the government and the people will be satisfied with the outcome.”
He also called on members of the public to assist the committee by providing information about any government vehicles that may still be in private possession.
“We want to appeal to members of the public who might be aware of anyone still keeping government vehicles in their houses to please inform us to enable the committee to recover such for the Edo State Government,” Okungbowa said.
The committee’s vice chairman, Rt. Hon. Victor Edoror, a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, will work alongside other members to ensure the success of the initiative. The public can reach the committee at 08110165121.
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