PLATEAU STATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIFIED STAFF GOT TRANSFERRED.

By Walbe Orgak

In order to repositioned the Local Government for improved performance, to boost the morale of staffs and also perform one of the cardinal objectives of creating the Local governments; that is unifying the state through staff transfer. The Permanent Secretary Plateau State Local Government Service Commission, Henry K. Lankwap, has today 27th July, 2020, announced the transfer of 7,551 Local Government unified staff to the various 17 Local Government of the State.

 

Miskoom Henry Lankwap while addressing Local Government Directors of Personal Management and the media revealed that the transfer affects 7,551 out of 10, 378 unified staffs of the Local Governments.

The Permanent Secretary said “I am indeed highly honoured to make this address today on the true position of the speculations, agitation and misleading information on the long awaited transfer of unified staff of the seventeen (17) Local Government Council which took place last in 2005”.

He said, "As you are aware, His Excellency the Governor of Plateau State Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong on assumption of the duty during his first tenure graciously appointed Commission members, made up of the Chairman, two Permanent members and by law, two part time members to run the affairs of the Local Government Service Commission. On assumption, members embarked on a familiarization tour of the 17 Local Government Councils in the State to interact with its staffers where four basic demands were made to include; No work no pay, lack of promotion, lack of conversion and transfer, amongst others".

 

Miskoom Lankwap further said “immediately after the tour, they swung into action by implementing the first three demands except the issue of transfer which was delayed due to the dissolution of the full commission members in June 2019”.

The Permanent Secretary discloses that “based on the foregoing and of course the dire need for continuity. He wrote a memo to His Excellency, to allow the Permanent Secretary and Directors of the Commission carryout the exercise for staffers of the 17 Local Government Councils who have stagnated in the same station for a period of over 15 years and above, a situation which had seriously dampened their moral thereby affecting productivity in the system, His Excellency graciously granted approval to do so”.

He also also revealed that the commission also in conjunction with the following relevant agencies like; Plateau Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (PRUWASSA), Plateau Value Chain Support Project, National Social Investment Programme, State Cash Transfer Unit, Primary Health Care Development Agency and Plateau Football Association all contributed in transferring staff responsible for implementing World Bank Programmes and Projects Supported by UNICEF, EU etc.

He said “special priority was also given to those who submitted medical reports and were considered. Where there are conflicting interests from the aforementioned Agencies, the mother ministry was given priority”.

On the completion of the transfer exercise, another memo was written to the Executive Governor requesting him to kindly consider and approve the release of the transfer of the proposed unified staff of the seventeen (17) Local Government Councils, and those of the Local Government Service Commission which we are about to witness today.

Miskoom Lankwap also appreciate the full support of His Excellency and the contributions of these partners mentioned above as well as the cordial relationship with the 3 Tripartite Union and the media (Press) in the process of bringing back the lost glory of the Local Government Service in Plateau State.

 

The Permanent Secretary said in order to handle the task ahead the Directors of Personal Management are requested to constitute a committee in their individual councils for the proper documentation of all staff involved to give room for a smooth and seem less exercise in the interest of service please.

The Chairman National Union of Local Government Employee, NULGE Comrade Samson Mafuyai said they are fully in support of the initiatives but appeal to the authorities to consider those who will come with genuine appeal and also the issues of disturbances allowances should be considered.

COVID 19: most of those who died go to the hospital too late- Dr. Lar-Ndam

COVID 19: most of those who died go to the hospital too late- Dr. Lar-Ndam

By Orgak Walbe

The Plateau state Commissioner of Health Dr. Lar-Ndam Nimkong has called on the Plateau state citizens to improve their health care seeking behaviour by going to the hospital as early as possible whenever they notice any minor health challenges.

Dr. Lar-Ndam lamented that some people stay at home and resort to self-medication but only run to the hospital when the situation deteriorated.

He said, as is the case with COVID 19 most of those who died, go to the hospital went it is too late; they were taken to the hospital, some died even before their results came out, but all those who went to the hospital with their legs were treated and discharged.

The Commissioner noted that the Plateau State Government is testing over 700 people per day and is making efforts to reach out to many people as much as possible.

On the reopening of schools, Dr Ndam said His Excellency Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong is working towards mass production of face mask, water and other essentials implements like hand washing utensils, soap and sanitizer.

He said, the Plateau state government is working vigorously towards fulfilling all the Federal Government guidelines on COVID 19 before reopening the schools.

The Commissioner called on the people of Plateau people to religiously and consistently obey all the protocol of COVID 19 to stay safe, not only to protect themselves but equally safeguard their friends, family, love ones and the general public.

He said people should not forget that before the outbreak of the COVID 19, Lassa fever was endemic in this part of the world, even though the last one case that was discovered in Plateau state was in June this year. We must not drop our guard because it is still with us, therefore, we must eat well, maintained a good hygiene, clean environment and go to the hospital as early as possible, he added.

COVID-19: Two health workers get infected in Plateau

Plateau government says two of its health workers have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID- 19).

Dr Nimkong Lar, the State’s Commissioner of Health, made the disclosure on Wednesday at Government House, Jos, after an emergency Executive Council meeting.

Lar,  represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Martin Azzuwut, said the health workers were among the 15 new cases confirmed on Tuesday by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

He explained that the new cases had increased the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state to 50.

The commissioner said that four patients were discharged on Tuesday, bringing the total number of patients discharged so far in the state to 15, while 35 were still receiving treatment in isolation centres.

“Of the 15 confirmed cases, 11 are linked to the case of the first COVID-19 dead patient in the state, and two are health workers.

“We currently have 11 patients in Plateau specialist Hospital, nine in Jos University Teaching Hospital, four were discharged yesterday and the 15 confirmed cases of yesterday are being moved to isolation centres for treatment,” he said.

Lar said that Plateau Specialist Hospital, Jos, had declared their capacity to conduct COVID-19 tests but were waiting to be assessed by NCDC before they start.

He explained that the approval would reduce the turnaround time for results from the National Veterinary Research Institute owing to the volume of samples they receive daily for testing.

The commissioner said that the state was currently training two health workers from each from the over 1,000 primary health centres across the state.

He added that volunteers would also be trained to assist in community engagement in order to curtail the spread of the disease in communities.

Also, the Commissioner of Information, Mr Dan Manjang, said that the state executive council gave approval to engage a consultant to boost the Internally Generated Revenue(IGR) in the state from its current N600 million to N3 billion monthly.

He said council also approved the payment of N127 million to a company, for bulk purchase of water purification chemicals contracted since 2016 in the state

Manjang said the state government had constituted a Post COVID-19 economic committee to proffer strategies on economic recovery after the pandemic.

He said that a committee had also been established for the implementation of mobile laboratory to test for COVID -19 in rural areas.

“Human beings are required to live in a harmonious community, respecting the order and dignity of creation as designed by God” Kaigama

HOMILY AT THE OPENING MASS OF THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF NIGERIA IN ABUJA, 1.3.2020, BY ARCHBISHOP IGNATIUS A. KAIGAMA

On behalf of all of us in the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja I have the distinct pleasure and honour to heartily welcome you, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria and all other invited guests, to Abuja and to this Holy Mass marking the beginning of the first plenary of CBCN in 2020,

The people of God in Abuja Archdiocese happily join the Catholic Bishops in thanksgiving to God for the gift of the Church and we are delighted to pray together for more spiritual health, further pastoral growth for the salvation of souls and for the progress of our beloved nation, Nigeria.

The first day of our plenary has coincided, by divine arrangement, with the first Sunday in Len In our first reading, the biblical writer in Genesis chapter two narrates how the heavens and the earth were created and how our first parents, Adam and Eve, were placed by God at the start of human history.

The author of Genesis emphasizes two fundamental facts: 1) all human beings are made in the image and likeness of God and 2) human beings are required to live in a harmonious community, respecting the order and dignity of creation as designed by God.

According to the biblical narrative, God created Adam first and when he saw that Adam needed a companion God made a suitable help mate for him by forming Eve from the ribs of Adam. They were a happy couple until the crafty serpent turned the woman and through her, the man, against God. The devil taught them to say “no” to God, i.e. to disobey God. The devil is an expert in this.

He broke the communion between our first parents and God by urging them to eat of the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden them to eat. We are not concerned here with opinions expressed by biblical commentators on the historicity or the nature of the forbidden fruit, but about the fact that an otherwise good relationship with God was ruptured or damaged by the sin of disobedience. Man abused the freedom of Paradise, thus initiating a sinful community apart from God.

The disobedience of Adam and Eve not only destroyed their good relationship with God but also wounded their relationship with each other, which explains why there is today in the world so much unbelievable and atrocious demonstration of inhumanity and a terrible deficiency of charity. Even the physical environment sadly has been affected because of man’s disobedience to God. Pope Francis worries in Laudato Si, about the degrading of the environment such as deforestation, use of chemicals harmful to the soil, pollution and ultimately the violation of human life which is sacred.

The disastrous consequences of the sin of our first parents, which has affected all human beings, according to St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, has been remedied by the coming, death and resurrection of Christ whose obedience to the will of God brought us grace, life and righteousness. The good news now is that no matter how great our sin may be, grace can neutralize its effects.

We have the opportunity in this season of Lent to soberly examine our lives and to mend them by saying a categorical “yes” to God. To achieve this we must put on our spiritual armour to battle, like Jesus did in the desert, the evil one who with impunity tempts us to violate God’s orders. He poisons our cordial relationship with God; destabilizes our common humanity by creating tension and conflict and making us less sensitive to the sacredness of life and so, we are prepared to fight, kidnap, kill, and do abominable things to one another.

We must acquire the moral strength and spiritual capacity to repel the forces of the evil one and his agents through the word of God. Happily, the theme of the CBCN conference this year is “The Word of God: A Lamp to my Feet and a Light to my Path”. This is in line with Pope Francis establishing the Sunday of the Word of God, devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the Word of God.

As we embark on this Lenten spiritual journey of forty days, the desired results expected will be a growing in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ; succeeding in what St. John of the Cross refers to as progress from purgation to enlightenment and then to union with God. Another sign of success will be the practise of pure unspoiled religion which in James 1:27 is described as “coming to the help of orphans and widows ... and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.”

Both the first and second readings today speak of temptation. In the Gospel, Satan tempted Jesus to use his spiritual powers to meet his personal needs. In another temptation the Devil wanted Jesus to put on a sensational display of power by working a miracle and also to use political power to achieve his personal ends.

Temptations are still very much with us when preachers constitute themselves into a personality cult or some to political idolatry whereby they worship those in authority.

In contemporary Nigeria perhaps one of our biggest temptations is one of believing in our country against all odds. For quite a while now, it appears that it is our country’s destiny to always dance on the edge of the perilous precipice. Otherwise how does one explain the uninterrupted movement from one crisis to another? If it is not the murderous insurgents ravaging rural communities and lives in the North East, then it is the herdsmen laying waste towns and villages and leaving tales of death and destruction in their trail. Most recently, the wanton kidnapping of citizens for ransom has taken a brutal and deadly turn with very grave and sickening consequences. Although those in authority continue to assure the populace that they are doing everything in their power to arrest the ugly trend, permanent solutions and peace will continue to elude us if we do not repent, change our ways and turn to God for help and for healing.

In moments such as these, our leaders must strive to bring us together and use all the resources we can muster to confront our common challenges. They must avoid any impression that suggests complacency or outright lack of interest in the plight of innocent victims. The trend of resorting to self-help is indicative of the distrust of the government and its security agencies who are seemingly overwhelmed by criminals. All these call for concerted and harmonious efforts from all leaders – political, traditional, religious to work together to pull our people away from the precipice.

This is no time to play politics of division or to exaggerate fault lines of religion, ethnocentrism or region to further set one segment of the country against another. This is not the time to bicker about who could be the best president, the best minister or the best army chief. It is equally shameful to reduce our misfortunes into an argument about what faith has suffered more. Isn’t it shameful and regrettable enough that dozens die every day, regardless of whatever faith they belong to? When we allow such rhetorics of division to dominate the socio-political space in the face of a grave danger, then the terrorists and criminals carry the day. We cannot afford to give people without conscience the honour of dividing us further or determining our daily discourse. In normal climes, terrorism and violent criminality are very hard to rout out. With disunity, distrust, fault-finding and finger-pointing, the hope for solutions is dead on arrival.

Yes we cannot pretend that all is well with Nigeria. But neither can we give up hope of overcoming our challenges and of building a united and prosperous nation. We cannot afford to give in to the culture of disillusionment and even despair, of grumbling and perpetual lamentation. By holding firmly to our faith in the Word of God and all the teachings emanating from it and by living them day by day we will not only embrace our true identity as members of Christ’s body, but also be able to evangelize our environment. For evangelization primarily calls us to be, that is, to witness with our lives, and then to speak up, to speak of our faith, of what difference the Gospel and the teachings of the Church have made in our lives, and of what differences these can also bring to the wider society through us.

It will be a pelagian heresy to think that we can achieve this by ourselves unaided by God’s graces, his healing presence and a more sincere relationship with ourselves. Like Barthemaeus, the blind man in Mark 10:46-52, we must cry out to Jesus and ask him to heal us of our spiritual, social and political blindness and to even protect us from coronavirus and inspire our leaders to do something quickly and effectively to control its spread in Nigeria. We must beg our blessed Mother Mary to ask her son as she did during the wedding in Cana, “they have no wine”. In the case of Nigeria, what we need is more peace not wine, because we witness violence on the streets, human beings being dehumanized by the ungodly acts of kidnapping and other forms of criminality. Religion is used as a weapon whether by terrorists or by others subtly to marginalize or disfavour others.

Our country seems to be like that man who fell among armed robbers. We are battling with terrorists, cultists, criminals, kidnappers, economic saboteurs, unscrupulous political leaders, religious bigots and partisan traditional rulers. It seems everyone is just passing by, including those who shape our policies and into whose hands we have entrusted the economy, the security, the unity and stability, the present and the future of our children. We need Good Samaritans (Substitute Samaritans with Nigerians)!

Our primary task as religious leaders is to steer the people to conversion and holiness of life but because of the poverty and hardship suffered by our people, preachers are forced to become miracle workers or political revolutionaries, throwing verbal bombs, missiles, grenades, poisonous gas at political authorities from the pulpit. The question is whether the authorities are listening or merely ignoring what they consider the ranting of preachers!

The Church does not only pontificate on what should be done by political leaders, she continues to do her best by extending help to the poor in towns and villages through our many hospitals, schools and other social services. We absorb many workers in our parishes and institutions but we are limited by means, hence the need for government collaboration with faith-based organizations to reduce hunger, poverty, illiteracy, disease and unnecessary deaths.

The multiplicity of pious religious activities in Nigeria and the ubiquity of religious houses are not enough to make Nigeria a paradise. We must work honestly towards a change of mentality, namely, that everyone should be patriotically concerned about our nation and the common good rather than parochial ethnic, political or religious interests.

Our conviction is that just as Jesus was victorious over the devil, so shall we also be victorious through hard work and God-fearing behaviour. Peace, justice and wealth will flow in Nigeria as a river.

If, as reported by the Oxford English Dictionary, Nigeria has contributed 29 new Nigerian English words and expressions such as “mama put” joining at least 57 other words of Nigerian English origin already in the dictionary, it means that we can do more in a lot of ways. We already have very distinguished Nigerian professionals, creative business men and women making the waves in different parts of the world. Why can’t we do something better at home through well-developed social infrastructure, provision of employment and good pension schemes?

I wish the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria a happy and fruitful deliberation. May the words of our mouth, the thoughts of our hearts, the reflection inspired by the Holy Spirit and the pastoral and social solutions we shall propose for the good of our Church and our beloved nation bear abundant fruits. May our prayers wipe away evil from our land, soaked by the blood of innocent citizens and melt the stony hearts of people who rejoice at the suffering of other brothers and sisters whom they keep in captivity.

May Mary our Queen Mother and Patroness continue to intercede for us and our dear country and all her leaders. Amen. Welcome to Abuja.

PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS THREATENS EAST AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

The worst desert locust infestation in 70 years is ravaging East Africa and the Middle East, potentially endangering economies in a region heavily dependent on agriculture for food security.

A swarm can eat enough food to feed 34 million people in just one day. And within a year, the locusts destroyed over 170,000 acres of land in Somalia and Ethiopia — where people rely on crops for food and income. ... Now, swarms have invaded 15 counties in Kenya and have reached Uganda, Tanzania, and Sudan

In recent days, locust swarms have begun to impact South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania, having already decimated crops throughout Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations earlier this week called the situation "extremely alarming."

The UN warned of an unprecedented threat to food security in a part of the world where millions face hunger, and the FAO estimated that 70,000 hectares of crops in Kenya and around 30,000 hectares in Ethiopia had been infested. It added that locusts had attacked coffee and tea crops that account for approximately 30% of Ethiopia's exports.

The FAO also estimated that around 8.5 million Ethiopians and 3.1 million Kenyans already face food insecurity.

The locusts have now begun breeding along both sides of the Red Sea in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia.

Desert locusts can travel up to 150km (95 miles) a day, and a one-square-kilometer swarm can devour as much food as 35,000 people in a single day, according to the UN.

Locusts are a collection of certain species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they become more abundant and change their behaviour and habits, becoming gregarious. No taxonomic distinction is made between locust and grasshopper species; the basis for the definition is whether a species forms swarms under intermittently suitable conditions. These grasshoppers are innocuous, their numbers are low, and they do not pose a major economic threat to agriculture. However, under suitable conditions of drought followed by rapid vegetation growth, serotonin in their brains triggers a dramatic set of changes: they start to breed abundantly, becoming gregarious and nomadic (loosely described as migratory) when their populations become dense enough. They form bands of wingless nymphs which later become swarms of winged adults. Both the bands and the swarms move around and rapidly strip fields and cause damage to crops. The adults are powerful fliers; they can travel great distances, consuming most of the green vegetation wherever the swarm settles.

Locusts have formed plagues since prehistory. The ancient Egyptians carved them on their tombs and the insects are mentioned in the Iliad, the Bible and the Quran. Swarms have devastated crops and been a contributory cause of famines and human migrations. More recently, changes in agricultural practices and better surveillance of locations where swarms tend to originate have meant that control measures can be used at an early stage. The traditional means of control are based on the use of insecticides from the ground or the air, but other methods using biological control are proving effective.

LOCUST PLAGUE: Day turns to night as 'biblical plague' of prophecy falls on Middle East

A LOCUST plague of "biblical proportions" has descended on Bahrain as a warning sign of the end times, a prominent Christian evangelist has bizarrely claimed.

Terrifying video footage from Bahrain shows swarms of locusts blotting out the skies and the Sun. The devastating swarms have plagued Africa in recent weeks, travelling eastwards towards the Middle East and China.

Locusts, which can devour entire fields of crops, have been dubbed a “looming catastrophe” to local infrastructure by the United Nations.

But Indiana-based preacher and online evangelist Paul Begley believes there is a bigger, prophetic danger associated with locusts.

Pastor Begley, who often preaches online from West Lafayette, said the plagues have been foretold centuries ago by the Bible.

He said: “Apocalyptic locusts. This is a biblical plague, this is a biblical sign of the last days – no question.

 “These are locusts on a biblical scale. It’s catastrophic, it’s cataclysmic, it’s apocalyptic and it’s happening right now.

“We’ve been talking about it for a while but guys, now it has turned the skies black, which takes us to two places in the Bible.

“You’ve got to go to Exodus Chapter 10 and the plagues of Egypt, and you’ve got to go to Revelation 9 and the smoke and the locusts that come out of the bottomless pit.”

In Exodus 10, God sends a devastating plague of insects upon Egypt to punish the Pharaoh for enslaving the Jewish people.

The scripture reads: “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.

“If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow.

“They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields.

“They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians – something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now’.”

Then in Revelation 9, the final book of the Bible, a swarm of locusts that “looked like horses prepared for battle” emerges from the Abyss.

The scripture reads: “The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.

“When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.

“And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.”

Pastor Begley believes the situation in Abu Dhabi and other parts of the Middle East and Africa mirror the passages in the Bible.

There is an alarming rise in violence, kidnappings and killings in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria- RECOWA

EXCERPTS FROM THE OPENING ADDRESS AT THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF RECOWA-CERAO 8TH ORDINARY SESSION,

Abidjan, February 12-17, 2020, by Most Rev. Ignatius A. Kaigama, RECOWA President

1. Greetings

Gathered for the 8th Ordinary Session of the Standing Committee of RECOWA-CERAO, we extend our warmest greetings and deep gratitude to our hosts especially, His Eminence, Jean- Pierre Cardinal Kutwã, Most Rev. Ignace Bessi, and Christ’s lay faithful. A special thank you to the Apostolic Nuncio, Paolo Borgia, who is participating for the first time in a meeting of our regional collegial body. Your Excellency, on behalf of the Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops of West Africa, we say “Akwaba” to Abidjan and to West Africa.

We send our warm and respectful greetings to the Ivorian State, government, administrative and police authorities for their usual generous welcome and their collaboration while we are in Cote d’Ivoire.

2. Reflections

At this 8th meeting, we will first reflect on the theme: «Together, let us work for the rights of communities and the environment."

The first decade of the 21st century was marked, among other things, by the increased interest of private investors and some states for land, especially agricultural land in general in the southern hemisphere of the planet, but especially in Africa. Indeed, it is estimated today that more than 60 % of the agricultural land available in the world is in Africa, south of the Sahara. Paradoxically, the massive grabbing of these lands, which results in the expropriation of the poorest populations, is done in the name of economic and social development. Unfortunately, once expropriated from their lands, the populations are deprived of the natural resources essential to their survival. Furthermore, the exploitation made of the immense areas of the grabbed land (often hundreds of thousands of hectares per operation) conforms in no way to the most pressing needs of the populations concerned: living in peace and in a healthy environment, while ensuring the most basic needs of life, including food sovereignty, which depends precisely on the agricultural activity and therefore on access to land, which should be a concern to us as pastors. We must think of all these lands and waters polluted by human activities. What happens to the riverine communities who can no longer cultivate the land, bathe and drink the water from the river? These communities that can no longer feed themselves? We are not against development. We simply hope that development does not come at the expense of the rights of populations and the environment.

To this problem, we must add those equally alarming issues like violence, kidnappings and killings in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, etc. Statistics on the kidnappings, deaths due to terrorist attacks in our West African region as supplied by ECOWARN, indicates that the incidents of kidnappings between January and December, 2019 were 242, armed attacks, 311 and 2,159 deaths. The number of kidnappings in Sahel-Sahara and Lake Chad due to terrorist attacks were 304 in Sahel Sahara with 1,820 deaths and in the Lake Chad 268 kidnappings and 1,637 deaths. These numbers are unfortunately frightening!

We don’t always like to see religious causes at the root of these problems. Underneath, there is the exploitation of religion for political and perhaps economic interests. We thank our governments for what they are already doing, but we are not congratulating them because they have not yet won the battle. The fight is tough and complex. That is why we urge and encourage them to unite to do better and more.

3. SOME AREAS FOR DISCUSSION

In the second part of our meeting we will study the reports of our different structures, the financial statements and the draft budgets. We will also have to decide on the project of a regional youth day for West Africa. The young people from certain national Conferences did an excellent job in presenting us with a proposal for the celebration of the Regional Youth Day.

We will also look into the Manual of financial, accounting and administrative procedures, the Code of conduct, the conditions of service and management principles proposed in February 2016, during the Standing Committee meeting in Abuja.

RECOWA-CERAO, after six years must think of acquiring land in Abuja and then the building of a secretariat worthy of her. We will reflect on the ways and means of achieving this.

At the third Plenary Assembly, the Bishops decided to hold their fourth Plenary Assembly in Nigeria. It will be in 2022. We must already think about the means for its organization. What must each Bishop or national conference do for the successful organization of this assembly?

4. Our Good Wishes and Conclusion

May this meeting help us to formulate or design robust and committed action plans in favour of the most vulnerable of our populations. This necessarily involves the assembling and pooling together of our resources and actions.

In this year 2020, six countries in West Africa will organize presidential elections: Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Niger and Togo. We call on the political class, ruling parties, opposition and civil societies, but especially the ruling parties, to work together to develop electoral codes and fair and transparent structures in order to save our region from violence before, during and after elections. People have suffered much from elections won in advance.

May our reflections be enlightened by the Holy Spirit so that our work may breathe new life into our Churches and our Conferences, dispel internal contradictions, and make room for a credible and uncompromising evangelical witness.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Suspected Boko Haram Terrorist, Armed Robbery Kingpins, Cattle Rustlers, Others Paraded by Operation Safe Haven

By Walbe Orgak

Commander of Operation Safe Haven (OSH), Major-General Augustine Agundu, has revealed that a suspected fleeing Boko Haram terrorist, Mr. Umar Musa Tello, who was seen loitering around Zawuran village in Bassa LGA of Plateau State, has been apprehended by troops who were on routine patrol.

He said: “Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect fled from Damagum village in Yobe State due to the ongoing crackdown by troops of Operation Lafiya Dole. The suspect further confessed that he was a fighter with the Boko Haram terrorist group for upwards of three years but decided to abscond from the group due to extreme hardship being experienced.

“He then claimed that his uncle, one Mr. Ibrahim invited him to Abuja to commence menial jobs to make ends meet and has so far denounced the Boko Haram terrorist group.

“Furthermore, he explained that some other fighters have equally absconded and dispersed around FCT Abuja and Plateau State.”

Major-General Agundu made the disclosures on Tuesday, February 11 while parading arrested criminal suspects before newsmen at the headquarters of Operation Safe Haven in Jos.

Agundu regretted that the near-perfect peace that was incrementally being pursued in the state was disrupted in the month of January 2020 following the incidences that occurred in Mangu and Bokkos Local Government Areas of the state which led to the loss of lives and properties.

Agundu attributed both incidences to the activities of a few individuals in the society who indulged in acts of lawlessness as a way of life, unleashing mayhem on innocent law-abiding citizens.

He also insinuated that some leaders of thought “have fallen into the trap laid by these criminals through their unguarded statements that reflect divisive tendencies.” He however assured that OSH remains resolute to the actualization of the Chief of Defence Staff’s operational mandate even in the face of obvious setbacks.

The commander posited: “The immediate concern and impediment to a sustained peace on the Plateau relates to the activities of armed bandits and the menace caused by suspected cultists.”

On the arrested suspects, General Agundu said his surveillance team, acting on a tip-off, apprehended a notorious armed robbery kingpin named Ya’u Mohammed at Toro village in Bauchi State.

He said: “The suspect was a leader of an armed robbery syndicate that attacked troops at Kwanan-Fulani in Riyom LGA of Plateau State which led to the death of one of our personnel on 28 Sep 19.

“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to participating in series of armed robbery and kidnapping activities within Barkin Ladi and Riyom LGAs respectively.”

In the same vein, one Mr. Ishaku Pam, a suspected kingpin that specializes in cattle rustling within Barkin Ladi LGA, was apprehended.

According to Agundu, a search at his residence at Kapwen village in Foron District led to the recovery of an AK-47 rifle, 181 rounds of 7.62mm special, 5 rounds of 7.62mm blank ammunition, two AK-47 rifle magazines, a Nigeria Police Force fragmental jacket, 1 locally fabricated revolver gun and the sum of N5,500 among others.

The suspect confessed to purchasing the AK-47 rifle at the sum of N350,000 and the rounds of ammunition at the sum of N350 from one Mr. Iliya who is currently at large.

The commander further said that in the course of interrogation, the suspect claimed that he was once personnel of the Nigeria Police Force but disengaged from service in 2003 due to the death of his father who was then the Chief of Kapwen village.

Another suspect, Mr. John Ibe (a.k.a. Chemical), said to be a notorious cultist who has been on the OSH watch list, was trailed and intercepted at Makera village in Riyom LGA. The suspect was reportedly transiting from Jos to Onitsha in a “Chi-Boy” vehicle.

According to Agundu, the said Ibe attacked operatives in an attempt to escape from arrest, but was overpowered. A search conducted on him revealed a locally fabricated pistol loaded with a cartridge which was recovered from his possession.

In another development, troops apprehended three suspected cattle thieves namely Isah Abdullahi, Usman Abdulkareem and Hassan Shuaibu at Nkon village, Kerang District in Mangu LGA.

The commander said in an attempt to rustle cows from Nkon village, the suspects were overpowered by the locals who immediately alerted troops of Operation Safe Haven.

During interrogation, the suspects claimed to have taken their cows for grazing from Bokkos to Pankshin and had no prior knowledge of the attack at Nkon village, but they are substantially suspected to have participated in the attack of January 8, 2020.

According to Agundu, three suspected cattle thieves namely Musa Adamu, Ibrahim Musa and Al-Hassan Ahmed were arrested at Kombul District in Mangu LGA. The suspects were alleged to have been involved in the attack at Kulben village, Kombul District of Mangu LGA which led to the death of 12 persons on January 8, 2020.

During interrogation, the suspects claimed that they arrived from Toro LGA in Bauchi State to search for their missing cows which were stolen by unknown persons on January 3.

Items recovered from their possession were three cutlasses and a knife. The suspects are equally substantially suspected to have taken part in the attack at Kulben village.

In Apata area of Jos North LGA, a suspected armed robber and cultist, Mr. Daniel Aku, was arrested. The suspect and his accomplices were said to have stormed the shop of one Miss Loveth Anieke at Apata and carted away valuables on January 16, 2020.

Aku’s confession during interrogation led to the arrest of his accomplices, Mr. Emmanuel Ebube, Timchong Kummep and Solomon Dandong, a suspected gunrunner who fabricates firearms for criminals and unscrupulous elements, at Abattoir and Apata in Jos South and North respectively.

It was revealed that Mr. Solomon Dandong is the father of Amalan Dandong, an accomplice to Daniel Aku, who is currently at large.

In the course of investigation, the suspect revealed that he was once arrested by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for his involvement in gunrunning activities on February 1, 2018. Thereafter, he was convicted in court on October 22, 2018 and subsequently released after serving his jail term on April 4, 2019

Agundu added: “Similarly, troops deployed at a snap checkpoint at Ankwa village in Sanga LGA of Kaduna State arrested some groups of suspected kidnappers on a motorbike who terrorize innocent citizens along Jagindi-Bade highway. The suspects attempted to offer gratification to the troops who insisted on conducting thorough search on the three suspects.

“Two of the suspects alighted from the motorbike and fled in disarray. However, one of the suspects, Mr. Jafar Shuaibu was apprehended. The search conducted on him revealed a bag containing a total sum of One Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty-Nine Thousand Naira (N1,789,000.00) only in N500 and N1,000 denominations, two mobile phones and six bathing soaps.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect and his accomplices have been involved in series of kidnapping and other related crimes between Kaduna and Nasarawa States.

“The suspect confessed that he belongs to a criminal syndicate comprising of 8 members and a large sum of money found in his possession was his share from the proceeds of ransom. It could be deducted that the 6 bathing soap in their possession could be meant for their victims.”

Continuing, the Operation Safe Haven commander said: “In a related development, own surveillance team arrested one Mr. Sunday Landong of Sabon Layi in Langtang North LGA of Plateau State. The suspect is an accomplice to Mr. Bali Nanpon who was earlier arrested by troops while negotiating for the sale of an AK-47 rifle at Dankan village in Kanke LGA of Plateau State on 18 October 2019.”

Major-General Agundu seized the opportunity offered by the press briefing to reassure the general public of the total commitment of men and officers of Operation Safe Haven to protect lives and property.

He said: “We will continue to remain resolute on our mandate which is geared towards the restoration of permanent peace across the entire Joint Operation Area.”

He commended the media for its unflinching cooperation and support towards the fight against criminality, adding that the criminals being paraded would be handed over to the appropriate prosecuting agencies for necessary action.