Gunmen invade Ogun church, kill pastor, abduct 7 worshippers
Gunmen on Saturday stormed a Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) branch in Ogun State, killed a pastor and abducted seven worshippers in the Abule-Ori area in Obafemi Owode LGA.
The Commander of the So-Safe Corps in the state, Soji Ganzallo, who confirmed the incident on Sunday morning, said his men rescued the seven church members and killed one of the kidnappers during the operation.
In a statement, the So-Safe Corps spokesman, Moruf Yusuf, quoted Ganzallo as saying that the incident occurred at about 12am.
The statement reads in part: “The special operation team of the corps, Owode-Egba Zonal Command, under ACC Jimoh Rasaki Omoniyi, received a distress call that some of the members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Desires of Nations Parish, under Ogun Province 22, Abule-Ori in Obafemi Owode LGA were attacked during a vigil, seven members of the church were kidnapped and the pastor killed.
“The officers swung into action. The seven victims were rescued unhurt while one of the kidnappers was killed and many of the suspects sustained serious injuries during a fire exchange.”
He added that a joint team of the police and the So-Safe Corps had launched a manhunt for the fleeing suspected kidnappers.
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Tinubu returns to Abuja after Lagos Sallah holiday
President Bola Tinubu, on Sunday, returned to Abuja after being away for nearly two weeks.
The President had on June 20 departed Abuja for Paris, France, where he attended the summit for a New Global Financing Pact hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
From Paris, he moved to London for a private visit and returned to Lagos on June 27 ahead of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
During his stay in Lagos, he was hosted by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and also visited two prominent monarchs in Ogun State, the Paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, in Ijebu-Ode and Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, in Abeokuta.
Tinubu also visited the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu.
On Saturday, the President received his Guinea-Bissau counterpart, Umaro Embalo, who paid him a courtesy visit.
FG targets N12bn from new vehicle tax
The Federal Government is set to make about N12bn a year from the N1,000 Proof of Ownership Certificate verification fee motorists are to pay.
Last week, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos Ministry of Transportation, Abdulhafiz Toriola, disclosed this. He stated that this certificate would help vehicle owners and the government assure the integrity of all vehicles registered on the National Vehicle and Identification Scheme database and track car theft and recovery of stolen vehicles.
He said, “To this end, the Federal Government has introduced the issuance of annual Proof of Ownership Certificate for all registered vehicles.”
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, there were 11.76 million vehicles in Nigeria as of Q2 2018, and the vehicle per population ratio was put at 0.06 for the period. Par various reports, Nigeria imports about 400,000 vehicles annually.
A report by The PUNCH recently stated that a total of 192,287 vehicles were imported through the Ports & Terminal Multipurpose Limited into the country in the first 10 months of 2021, while only 114,159 vehicles came through said terminal in the same period of 2022.
Toriola stated that the Proof of Ownership Certificate will serve as official documentation for a vehicle’s legal ownership. He said, “The POC will contain vital information, including the vehicle’s registration details, such as license number plate, model, year of manufacture in addition to the owner’s name and address.
“Having critically reviewed the challenges encountered in ensuring the promotion of Safety and Security of lives and property through the issuance of POC nationally and especially in our dear State, the Joint Tax Board, in its communiqué issued at the end of the emergency meeting held on May 9, 2023, adopted, and made a resolution that proof of ownership be issued to motorists on an annual basis nationwide.”
50 feared killed in Taraba communal clash, gov imposes curfew
Taraba State Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, on Sunday, declared a 24-hour curfew on Karim town and its environs in the Karim Lamido Local Government Area of the state.
The curfew followed renewed communal clashes between the Wurkuns and the Karimjos in the LGA, allegedly resulting in the killing of at least 50 people while many houses were burnt on Saturday.
The spokesman for the Taraba State Police Command, Usman Abdullahi, said the crisis started at about 3am on Saturday, adding that the exact casualty figure had yet to be ascertained.
Abdullahi said, “In the last few days, there have been pockets of guerilla attacks in some communities in the area where the Karimjos attack the Wurkuns, and the Wurkuns also attack in return, or the Wurkuns attack the Karimjos, and they also attack in return.”
Imposing a curfew on the LGA on Sunday, the governor directed security agencies to ensure strict compliance.
A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Yusuf Sanda, also quoted Kefas as directing “all ward heads, village heads, traditional rulers, and stakeholders in Karim Lamido Local Government Area” to take note and ensure compliance.
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