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Outrage over TikTok videos of cash-flaunting bandits

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Outrage over TikTok videos of cash-flaunting bandits

Viral videos on TikTok, showing bandits flaunting cash purportedly collected as ransom for their victims have ignited widespread anger.

A counter-insurgency expert and security analyst, Zagazola Makama, brought attention to these videos through a series of posts on his X on Monday.

Makama said the account responsible for sharing the videos has amassed over 3,000 followers, some of whom are openly identifying as bandits, proudly displaying firearms and donning military or police uniforms.

He wrote, “Audacity: Bandit on Tiktok flaunting and showing off ransom money he collected from his victims.

“The user of the account has 3,000 followers, some of them are bandits who openly show off their riffle and dressed in military or police uniforms.

“TikTok platform has given room for insurgents to promote their campaign of terror without being restricted”

In response to the videos, social media users have condemned the delayed response and apparent inaction by authorities, demanding improved security measures and a reassessment of law enforcement priorities.

An X user, dataoracle_, said, “If our intelligence system is still working, this is more than enough data to identify, track, arrest, and prosecute these criminals. We have DIA, DSS, NIA, all with significant budgets.”

Another user, mobilisingniger wrote, “The annoying thing is that the video was taken three days ago. There is a video were he was showing where he went to collect ransom from his victim.”

manzodd said, “Honestly, there is something someone is not telling us here. How can bandits collect monies from victims of abduction this much, and the monies cannot be traced, haba. Something is not pure here. There is serious lacuna in this insecurity palaver in our country.”

Kings_Things added, “Openly showing off rifles and flexing on the gram, Nigerian security forces refuse to do anything to apprehend them. Every Nigerian deserves the right to legally own a gun to protect themselves because no one will protect you better than yourself.”

“Tiktok is definitely an irresponsible application for allowing users like this person to thrive on their platform. After successfully banning Binance, the FG should now turn attention to Tiktok, ” X user MBlacktrib3 added.

aamowuN wrote, “Nigerian police spokesman brazenly bragged here that he can locate anyone who called out the Nigerian police on social media within minutes but can’t locate bandit who roams freely on social media. Abi the rule of location does not apply to terrorists?”

“Thinking TikTok is the problem here is crazy. This is an evidence of a failed state. A country that massages ego of terrorists, negotiates (funds them), reintegrates the arrested ones into the society and pays them, then set up armoured vehicles to raze down civilian communities,” #AmaraDeborah1 added.”

 

Police rescue 50-year-old kidnap victim in Benue

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Police rescue 50-year-old kidnap victim in Benue

Policemen in Benue State have rescued a 50-year-old kidnap victim at Tine Nine, Zaki Biam, in the Ukum Local Government Area of the state.

The Commander, Operation Zenda, a joint operation in the state, SP Felix Nomiyugh, disclosed this to journalists in Makurdi on Tuesday.

The commander said his men last Saturday discovered the man in a coma after his abductors had abandoned him, adding that the victim was later taken to the General Hospital, Zaki-Biam, where he was relieved.

Nomiyugh also said that since he assumed office on November 1, 2023, he had recorded a lot of achievements, especially in the release of many abducted victims.

He promised to work harder towards a crime-free society, maintaining that he had embarked on a policy of discipline amongst officers in his command.

He said, “Last Saturday, at Tine Nine in Zaki Biam, headquarters of Ukum LGA, our officers recovered a 50-year-old man who happens to be a kidnap victim. He was abandoned by his assailants and was in a coma.

“Luckily, he was taken to the General Hospital in Zaki Biam where he regained consciousness.

“The command is working hard to sensitise and reorient our officers. We want to be polite and neat.:

In November, Benue State Police Command rescued two traders abducted by gunmen.

The two traders were reportedly kidnapped by gunmen who invaded a market at the Mchia community in the Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.

A family member of one of the kidnap traders who did not want to be named said that the abductors demanded N10 million ransom and noted that the incident was immediately reported at a police station in Ugba, headquarters of the LGA.

Nine things to know about ship that collapsed Baltimore bridge

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Nine things to know about ship that collapsed Baltimore bridge

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US city of Baltimore collapsed after a ship collided with it, the Maryland Transportation Authority said early Tuesday.

“I-695 Key Bridge collapse due to ship strike,” the MTA posted on social media platform X, referring to the interstate highway.

It urged drivers to avoid the route over the Patapsco River, which it called an “active scene”.

Earlier, the MTA had said interstate lanes in both directions were closed due to an “incident” on the bridge, and that traffic was being redirected.

A police spokesperson from the Baltimore Police Department told NBC News that people were possibly in the river.

However, in this report, According Online highlights nine key things to know about the ill-fated ship as culled from AFP.

1. The ship that caused the collapse of a key bridge in Baltimore is named Dali container ship and was recently built to sail under Singapore’s flag.

2. It was constructed by the Korean Hyundai shipyard in 2015 and is 300 metres long (985 feet), 48 metres wide and 24.8 metres tall, with gross tonnage of 95,000 tonnes, making it an average-sized container ship.

3. It had left Baltimore port at 1 am local time Tuesday for a roughly month-long voyage to Colombo in Sri Lanka, according to the site Marine Traffic. It hit the bridge at 1:28 am.

4. The ship belongs to Singapore-based Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, which is owned by a Hong Kong group, and was carrying containers on behalf of Danish shipping giant Maersk.

5. Synergy Marine, the Singapore company that operates the Dali, said it was being controlled by two Baltimore port pilots at the time of the collision.

6. There were 22 crew members on board, according to the port of Singapore, and none were injured, according to Synergy, which also says no leaking has been detected.

7. The Dali frequently links Asian ports with the East Coast of the United States and passes through the Panama Canal on March 13 before stopping at New York, Norfolk, and finally, Baltimore.

8. In 2016, soon after commissioning, the Dali accidentally hit a dock in the Belgian port of Antwerp, according to the sites Vessel Finder and Shipwrecklog.

9. It can hold up to 8,344 cubic metres (2.2 million gallons) of fuel, according to Marine Traffic. It is insured by UK-based Britannia.

AFP

Six deadliest bridge collapses of the past 20 years

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Six deadliest bridge collapses of the past 20 years

A major rescue effort is underway in the US city of Baltimore after a container ship struck a key bridge, sending several vehicles plummeting into the Patapsco River.

Here is a recap of some of the worst bridge collapses around the world in the past 20 years.

1. 2022: Nearly 140 dead in India

At least 137 people, including nearly 50 children, were killed after a 150-year-old suspension bridge collapsed in the Indian state of Gujarat days after reopening following renovations.

Hundreds of people had gathered on the bridge in Morbi to celebrate the last day of the holiday of Diwali.

CCTV footage showed the bridge swaying – with a few people apparently deliberately rocking it – before it suddenly gave way, sending people tumbling into a river and leaving others clinging to the wreckage.

2. 2021: 26 dead in Mexico

An elevated section of track on the Mexico City metro system collapsed in May 2021, bringing a passenger train crashing down, killing 26 people, and injuring dozens.

The incident in the megacity shakes public confidence in a transport system used daily by millions.

An investigation concluded that the accident was caused both by structural flaws and a lack of maintenance.

3. 2018: 43 dead in Italy

The collapse of a bridge in the Italian city of Genoa killed 43 people.

The Morandi bridge, part of a key highway connecting France and Italy, gave way in torrential rain in August, sending dozens of vehicles and their passengers tumbling into the abyss.

The tragedy highlighted the poor state of repair of Italy’s roads, bridges, and railways.

An investigation also found a lack of “even minimal maintenance work” to reinforce the bridge over its 51-year history.

4. 2011-2016: A trio of disasters in India

In March 2016, the collapse of a flyover onto a busy street in the Indian city of Kolkata killed at least 26 people.

Investigators said workers who were welding the bridge at the time noticed cracks appearing but that instead of warning people, they tried to weld the cracks together.

In late 2011, two bridges collapsed within a week of each other – one near the hill town of Darjeeling in the northeast, the other over a river in the northeastern state Arunachal Pradesh. Over 60 people were killed in total.

5. 2007: China: 64 dead

At least 64 workers were killed in August when a river bridge in China’s central Hunan province collapsed as they were completing its construction.

6. 2006: Pakistan and India

In August, in Pakistan, at least 40 people died as monsoon rains washed away a bridge in Mardan, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Peshawar in the northwest of the country.

In December, in India, at least 34 people died when a 150-year-old bridge collapsed on a passenger train in the railway station in the eastern state of Bihar.

AFP

JUST IN: CBN increases interest rate to 24.75%

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JUST IN: CBN increases interest rate to 24.75%

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria, on Tuesday, concluded its two-day meeting for March 2024. This meeting marks the second MPC meeting for 2024 and also the 294th meeting of the CBN. The MPC, at the end of today’s meeting, elected to hike the MPR by 300 basis points. The committee

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IPOB, bandits funding terrorism through crowdfunding, betting platforms

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IPOB, bandits funding terrorism through crowdfunding, betting platforms

The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit has exposed the alleged funding of terrorist activities in Nigeria by the Indigenous People of Biafra, bandits, and other terror groups through global crowdfunding and on sports betting platforms.

The financial intelligence unit revealed how IPOB received funds through affiliates in 22 countries that have registered at least 27 entities under the group’s name.

The NFIU noted that seven of the registrations were made in the United States, while six were in the United Kingdom.

It added that over $160,000 raised by IPOB through crowd-funding was funnelled to transmission, media and broadcasting companies in Bulgaria, South Africa, and the UK.

It added that “The analysis further indicates that the group (IPOB) has several bank accounts in different countries where funds are being received from various contributors with the narrations ‘monthly dues, services and for ESN,’ among others, then later disbursed for various operations.”

Details of the development were revealed in a newsletter by the NFIU’s Counter-Financing of Terrorism Department obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday.

It added, “The analysis profiled the leader of the group, his addresses and mobile numbers abroad, with other 53 other individuals associated with the dissident group. The report was forwarded to law enforcement for further investigation.”

The NFIU further revealed that a betting platform simply identified as ‘XC’, filed a suspicious transaction report on a 24-year Nigerian customer from North-Central, Nigeria.

“This 24-year-old from Nigeria’s North-Central region received over N350,000 in his betting wallet, believed to be ransom money from a kidnapping,” the NFIU said.

In another case, the financial intelligence unit exposed a terrorist attempting to evade being detected; it noted that the individual made structured cash withdrawals from different Automated Teller Machines and purchased flight tickets to high-risk areas using credit cards.

The NFIU explained that whenever the individual exceeded his withdrawal limit, he would adopt alternative methods of travel.

“The terrorist then attempted suspicious transfers exceeding €1,000 to a local charity with potential links to terrorism. These transactions, along with others for luxury goods and escort services, raised red flags,” the newsletter stated

The NFIU further urged law enforcement agencies to investigate transactions by individuals linked to known terrorists or financiers; unauthorised tax collection or forced donations in terrorism-prone areas, and Bureau de Change operators facilitating transfers within suspected networks.

Other areas the unit wants security agencies to beam their searchlights are multiple cash deposits in bank accounts; Point of Sale operators receiving large deposits followed by cash withdrawals; money transfers from Nigeria to high-risk countries; recruitment of individuals to open multiple bank accounts; and financial transfers to charities linked to terrorism.

King Charles to attend Easter Sunday service

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King Charles to attend Easter Sunday service

Britain’s head of state, King Charles III, will attend an Easter Sunday church service, Buckingham Palace announced Tuesday, in his most high-profile engagement since revealing a cancer diagnosis.

Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, will attend the Easter Mattins Service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle — a long-standing annual tradition of Britain’s royal family.

The announcement comes after the 75-year-old king’s daughter-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales, last week said that she was also receiving treatment for cancer.

That leaves the monarchy in an unprecedented crisis in modern times, with two of its most senior members simultaneously fighting serious illness.

Catherine, 42, is married to Charles’s eldest son and heir, Prince William, making her a future queen.

Charles was just 17 months into his reign when the palace announced in early February that he had cancer and would be pausing all public-facing engagements as he commenced treatment.

He had been admitted for surgery for a benign prostate condition in January but was subsequently diagnosed with an unrelated cancer.

The type of cancer has not been disclosed.

He has been continuing with behind-the-scenes work and holding some in-person meetings and increasingly attending official events.

On Tuesday, he was photographed receiving community and faith leaders at Buckingham Palace in central London.

Last week, photos showed him meeting diplomats at the palace, as well as veterans of the Korean War, at two separate engagements.

Charles said in a statement earlier this month that he would continue to serve “to the best of my ability”, and he had been “deeply touched” by people’s wishes for his health.

He praised Kate, as she is widely known, for her bravery last week by revealing in a video message that she was undergoing chemotherapy.

She was last seen at a public engagement on December 25, then underwent abdominal surgery in January, after which cancer was found.

Her Kensington Palace office said at the time that she was not expected to be ready to return to public duties until after Easter.

AFP

Slain soldiers for burial Wednesday

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Slain soldiers for burial Wednesday

The Nigerian Army says soldiers killed in the Okuama community in Delta State are to be buried on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at the National Cemetery, Abuja.

This was disclosed in a statement posted on the Nigerian Army’s X handle on Tuesday, adding that the burial will hold by 3pm.

President Bola Tinubu is billed to be the Special Guest of Honour at the event.

Details later…

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Tinubu to unveil Nigeria’s values charter

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Tinubu to unveil Nigeria's values charter

President Bola Tinubu is poised to introduce the Nigeria Values Charter, representing a social contract between the nation and its populace.

“This charter not only signifies a blueprint for a national value system but also lays the groundwork for crucial policies,” the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed this development on Tuesday during the inauguration of the National Spokesperson’s Summit at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Idris stated that the unveiling of the charter would take place later this year during the maiden edition of the spokesperson’s summit.

The National Spokespersons Summit and Awards, is organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

The minister said: “In the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, we are on the verge of unveiling the Nigeria Values Charter, which embodies a social contract between the country and its citizens and will serve as a blueprint and policy for a national value system, defining us as Nigerians and reinforcing our personality as citizens.

“The new policy, which will be launched this year by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, consists of the Nigerian Promise and the Citizen Codes, which have seven pillars each.

“The government intends to incorporate these values into formal, informal, and vocational educational policies to ensure that they are not only imbibed but engrained in the minds of our citizens.

“The unique thing about this Values Charter is that it is a social contract between the government and the citizens and it contains seven core pbligations of the Nigerian state to its citizens as well as seven commitments of the citizens towards their country.

“The premise of the Values Charter is that the government as represented by elected and appointed representatives must fulfill some basic non-negotiable promises, in return for fundamental commitments from the citizens. This will ensure the fulfillment of the Social contract between the government and the citizens.

“It is equally heartwarming to note that the bold economic reforms being implemented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is recording incremental successes across various facets of our economy, reflecting our commitment to addressing critical issues such as inflation, foreign exchange stability, attracting Foreign Direct Investment, growth in our foreign reserves, post fuel
subsidy interventions among other indices of economic development.”

Idris described the summit as a pivotal event aimed at transforming the landscape of
communication in Nigeria.

“The theme of the summit, “Change Narrative, Change Society,” resonates deeply with the challenges facing us as a people. Nigeria, a diversely blessed and vibrant country, grapples with the
need to create a cohesive national identity; one that transcends ethnicity, religion, and political affiliations. Crafting a compelling national narrative becomes paramount as we strive to live up to our vast potential.

“I am glad to note that this summit brings together spokespersons from both the public and private sectors, spanning national and sub-national levels.

“As communication professionals, you must be aware that you play a crucial role in shaping perceptions, disseminating accurate information, and fostering trust. Indeed, the nation’s peace, stability, growth, and development can only be attained by how we communicate,” Idris noted.

CSO asks A’Ibom to approve water, sanitation policies

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CSO asks A'Ibom to approve water, sanitation policies

United States Agency for International Development sponsored Civil Society Organisation under the aegis of the African Human Development Centre has appealed to the Akwa Ibom State Government to approve Water and Sanitation Hygiene Policies framework, Implement Water Laws, and Open defecation Roadmap.

A press statement by the CEO, African Human Development Centre,  Prof. Gabriel Umoh, on  Tuesday, and made available to journalists in Uyo, said the implementation of the Water Law, approval of a Policy framework, and achieving an Open Defecation Free Roadmap would be highly significant for the sustainable development of Akwa Ibom State.

Umoh said the approval of the WASH Framework can lead to sustainable development, improved quality of life, and a healthier environment for the residents of Akwa Ibom State.

The CSO urged all the state government executives and the state governor, Pastor Umo Eno, to take action on their advocacy by domesticating Executive Order 009 of the Federal Government which mandated all sectors in the country to be open defecation-free by 2025.

“We are here to support the Akwa Ibom state government to reform the WASH sector. Water and Sanitation Hygiene have numerous impacts on all facets of life, including health, education, agriculture, etc. The United States Agency for International Development has provided the content for us to work to reform the WASH sector in the state.

“So we started the practical implementation of the project in February 2002, our objective is to create awareness about the Water and sanitation hygiene situation of Akwa Ibom state,  push for development and approval of WASH policy M&E framework by state executive council, and also get the council to approve the ODF Roadmap because we can’t continue to work without accessing our selves to know if we are doing well on the nature of our intervention.

“Recall that the former President of Nigeria His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari had in 2019 signed into law Executive Order 009, mandating all sectors in Nigeria to be open defecation free by 2025, so one of our objectives is to ensure that Akwa Ibom is open defecation free Roadmap by 2025 which is a nine months timeline from now.

“We urge the Ministry of Water Resources and other ministries related to the WASH activities and MDAs like Akwa Ibom Water Company Ltd, AKRUWATSAN, Ministry of Land, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Education etc to join hands to ensure we achieve this goal.

“Recall that the immediate past state governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, had passed the water bill into Law on 30th December 2022, so all we are seeking is implementation of the law to be approved by the state council.

“Akwa Ibom State WASH Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, the State ODF Roadmap are necessary supporting documents to give effect to the Implementation of the Water Law.

“And the approval of these important documents is crucial and we want to use this opportunity to call on the Akwa Ibom State Executive Council to give approval to these documents without further delay.

“We hope that the state Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation will give sufficient push to get the State Executive to approve the documents.”

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