Good Morning, Welcome to Daily News24 Roundup of Top Nigerian Newspapers Headlines for Tuesday, Dec. 14th 2021.
- 3,125 killed, 2,703 abducted in 11 months, VIPs knock FG
No fewer than 3,125 innocent persons were killed and 2,703 abducted by bandits in northern Nigeria in the last 11 months, a tally by The PUNCH has shown.
The figures were obtained from the Nigeria Security Tracker, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ an American think tank as well as quarterly reports released by the Kaduna State Government from January to September.
These came to the fore on Monday as prominent Nigerians including the National President of the Middle Belt, Dr Pogu Bitrus and the Vice President of Northern Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Joseph John Hayab, berated the Federal Government over the killings.
2. Student set ablaze by attackers being forced to join cult – UNIOSUN
The management of the Osun State University, Osogbo, has said its security unit is working with the police to ensure that suspected cultists who attacked a student of the school, Victor Oke, at the Akede area of Osogbo, on Saturday, are arrested and prosecuted.
A statement by the varsity Public Relations Officer, Ademola Adesoji, in Osogbo, on Monday, explained that Oke, a part-time final-year Political Science student, was being forced to join a cult, but refused.
Adesoji said the student failed to show up for his final paper on Saturday, and when his parents were contacted, it was discovered that he had been attacked by cultists.
3. Nigerians To Pay More Taxes, Tariffs – FG
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, has said Nigerians will pay more taxes.
She said this has been captured in the medium term as proposed in the Finance Bill 2021. The minister disclosed this Monday during a public hearing on the bill organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance.
She said: “While these issues may require modest increases in taxes and tariffs on certain businesses, sectors, industries and individuals over the medium term, this administration remains committed to continuous dialogue and engagement with all stakeholders and interest groups.”
4. Strike’ll be indefinite, won’t end until all agreements are fulfilled – ASUU
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Owerri Zone, has threatened a total showdown with the Federal Government over the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement.
The union said during a press conference at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, on Monday that it would embark on an indefinite strike as “the magnanimity of ASUU that resulted in various MOUs and MOAs arising from the 2009 agreement has been spurned by the Federal Government.”
Leaders of the union from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State University, Owerri, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, were in attendance.
5. N13m, N8m quarterly allowances inadequate for lawmakers, says Lawan
Senate President Ahmad Lawan yesterday spoke on the controversy over salaries and allowances of members of the National Assembly.
He said contrary to allegations of “jumbo pay,” the National Assembly is grossly underfunded in Nigeria compared to other presidential democracies.
The Senate President, who was guest lecturer at the maiden edition of the “Distinguished Parliamentarians Lecture, 2021,” organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), in Abuja, said the budget of the National Assembly is one of the lowest in the world.
6. Phone, laptop shops razed in Computer Village fire
Fire has razed a shopping complex in the popular Computer Village in Ikeja, Lagos.
The fire, which started in the early hours of yesterday, destroyed many shops where phones, laptops and other electronic gadgets worth millions of naira were sold.
The cause of the fire was not ascertained at press time but the traders said it started about 4am and lasted till 7am when it was put out.
7. Controversy Trails Akande’s Account Of Osinbajo’s Emergence As VP
The account of how Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), was chosen in 2015 contained in the new book by the pioneer Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, appears to have elicited a raft of narratives within the ruling party.
It was gathered that contrary to claims in Akande’s book that Osinbajo emerged based on the unreserved endorsement of APC national leader and former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the choice of the incumbent vice president was initially opposed to by Tinubu.
The new narratives followed the account by Akande who, in his book, My Participations, in which he said that Osinbajo received the full and unreserved support of Tinubu support at the time.
8. Tambuwal Seeks State Of Emergency In Terrorists’ Enclaves
Pursuant to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and to further give effect to the process of proclaiming bandits as terrorists by the President, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a full scale state of emergency in all areas where criminals, so determined, are domiciled.
This, according to Gov. Tambuwal who met with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa yesterday evening for about thirty minutes, would be to enable the Armed Forces to carry out their operations without let or hindrance in all enclaves affected by the declaration.
These operations, once conceived and ready for execution, “should be carried out simultaneously in the states where the terrorists have strongholds, such as, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger and Kebbi; as well as elsewhere, where the criminals have hideouts,” he said.
9. DSS took my blood samples more than 21 times, Kanu cries out
Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, yesterday dragged the Department of State Service, DSS, before the Federal High Court, Abuja, accusing it of grossly violating his fundamental human rights.
Kanu, in the suit he filed through one of his lawyers, Mr. Maxwell Opara, alleged that a doctor engaged by the security agency had extracted his blood over 21 times.
The IPOB leader bemoaned that despite an order of the court, he had neither been allowed to have a change of clothe nor practice his religion in detention.
10. $418m Paris Club Refund: FG asks court to dismiss suit by 36 states
The Federal Government yesterday challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in Abuja to hear a suit the 36 states of the federation filed to stop it from deducting $418million from their bank account to settle debt in relation to the Paris Club Refund.
