From schoolchildren to VIPs, no one is safe from the pervasive menace of kidnapping ravaging the entire length and breadth of the country. Despite efforts from security agencies, gunmen still loom large on the horizon, as Nigerians live in constant fear of the unknown.

Kidnapping has become one of the most pressing security concerns in Nigeria. The criminal enterprise touches every corner of the country.

Abduction for ransom was rare until the emergence of Niger Delta militants in the early 2000s. The militants engaged in various forms of criminal activities under the pretence of resisting environmental degradation and absence of basic social amenities in the oil-rich communities.

The militants targeted mostly expatriates and Nigerians in the oil business for abduction. Public analysts believed that activities of the Niger Delta militants were political tactics to compel the government to address issues affecting the region.

According to a report by an academic publisher, Scientific Research, the first major case of kidnapping in the Niger Delta happened in April 2002 when 10 workers of the Shell Petroleum Development Company were abducted by some youths from the Ekeremoh Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. But the criminal act subsided in the region after the amnesty granted to the Niger Delta militants in 2009.

However, the northeastern part of Nigeria took over the kidnapping act, with Boko Haram insurgents using it to execute their victims, demand ransom, extort families of victims, and in some cases, the government. The abduction of the Chibok girls on the night of April 14–15, 2014, remains unforgettable in the minds of many Nigerians.

No place is spared or too sacred, including schools, mosques, churches, highways, and homes. The crime has continued to stretch security agencies, especially the police, while Nigerians believe they have been overwhelmed.

No fewer than 17,469 Nigerians were abducted between 2019 and 2023, according to the Civil Society Joint Action Group in a January 2024 report. Findings by Saturday PUNCH also revealed that between January and July 2024, at least 2,140 people were reportedly kidnapped across 24 states.

Over the seven months, gunmen also kidnapped 193 people in January, 101 in February, 543 in March, 112 in April, 977 in May, 97 in June, and 117 in July, totaling 2,140. The most recent kidnap is the abduction of 20 medical students in Otukpo, Benue State.

They were abducted on August 16, 2024, while going to the annual convention of the Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students in Enugu. The students have yet to be released as of the time of filing this report.

Some Nigerians thought that the arrest and incarceration of the billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans, would reduce kidnapping in the country but that has not been the case. Evans was arrested at his residence at No. 3, Fred Shogboyede Street, Magodo, Lagos, on June 10, 2017.

He and his accomplices were sentenced to life imprisonment on February 25, 2022, by Justice Hakeem Oshodi of a Lagos State High Court. Evans was again, on September 19, 2022, sentenced to 21 years imprisonment by Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Ikeja Special Offences Court for kidnapping one Sylvanus Hafia.

Many Nigerians, according to a report by a research and analytics organisation, NIOPolls, say the government is not doing enough to address kidnapping. In the report published on February 15, 2024, the organisation said six out of 10 Nigerians stated that the “authorities are not doing enough to curb kidnapping”.

The kidnappers have been making and receiving calls and collecting ransoms in cash at designated locations. There were cases where the kidnappers’ demanded foodstuffs, motorcycles, and other tangible materials as ransoms.

Many Nigerians believe that security agents should be able to track the kidnappers through telecommunications networks. Concerned citizens, who frowned on the display of strength by security forces during attacks on #EndBadGovernance protesters, maintained that the kidnappers had always left clues and actionable information for the security agents to act on.

Probing why kidnapping has continued to rise, findings by Saturday PUNCH show that the root causes are multidimensional. Security experts say the two main causes of kidnapping are poverty and unemployment, adding that it is prevalent due to the failed criminal justice system, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, weak security institutions, and a lack of political will.

The Chief Executive Officer of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, Kabir Adamu, said environmental factors such as the presence of ungoverned spaces, the collapse of the value system, and the failure of the criminal justice system to arrest and punish offenders were key contributors. He stated that the government must show political will and address socio-economic issues such as unemployment and poverty to stop kidnapping.

He noted, “The government’s response has been haphazard. The Terrorism Prevention Act says no payment of ransom, but there is enough evidence to show that some top government officials negotiate and pay these criminals. Kidnapping has three elements: the kidnappers’ will, the protection around the victims, and the ransom.

“In all three, the government’s approach does not sufficiently address the core issues. The police and other security ministries, departments, and agencies are not held accountable by the Presidency and the National Assembly. The consequence management by the incumbent and previous administrations is weak.”

Asked why the kidnappers have been making calls and receiving ransom without being caught, Adamu disclosed that the police had not been tactical in their approaches.

In his opinion, a former Director of the Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, believes that increased security patrols by the police will go a long way in reducing the activities of kidnappers, stating that the random nature of their operations made it difficult to crush them.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, Ejiofor said kidnapping had become a business in Nigeria, describing it as the criminals’ quickest way to make money. According to him, the kidnappers have also engaged in diversionary tactics to frustrate the efforts of security operatives.

“A lot of people have resorted to kidnapping to make money. It is now alarming, and you can see that they are not just engaging in random kidnapping as they used to. Some dignitaries are now targeted, and that’s not good for us.

“If the police had enough manpower, they should focus more on patrols, because the criminals already know where the checkpoints are, and they avoid them. So, it becomes very difficult for the security agencies to curtail their activities,” Ejiofor stated.

Analysing the intricacies of kidnapping in the country, the Director General of the International Institute of Professional Security, Tony Ofoyetan, declared that the Nigerian government had not shown the political will to stem the tide of kidnapping in the country.

Ofoyetan said abduction was thriving because it involved the connivance of some security agents, banking officials, and personnel of communications agencies. He described kidnapping as a syndicated business involving different categories of people, noting that the security agencies also lacked the culture of following through in the pursuit of the crime.

“The security agencies have been unable to stem the tide of kidnapping because it is a big, syndicated business that has different categories of people as participating criminals. Telecommunications personnel are involved, and some bankers are also not exonerated. Greedy security officers are not exempted either, and you have the actual perpetrators of all these crimes.

“It has also been easier for kidnappers to get away with their loot and other things in the act of kidnapping because the security agencies do not have the culture of following through in the pursuit of crime,” he stated.

Ofoyetan called on the government to be aggressive and pragmatic in addressing kidnapping by making use of telecommunications and the biodata of citizens to combat the menace. He lamented that the government had been reluctant to act decisively, saying it had the capacity and capability to track any phone, even without the battery in it, to pin down kidnappers.

The security expert explained that the hesitation of security agents in going all out against kidnappers might be due to concerns about collateral damage, which had been to the advantage of abductors.

Providing insight, Ofoyetan said, “Even if our security agents are going to launch operations, the kidnappers would have changed their location because there are moles who would have revealed the strategic approach of security agents to them. But it only takes the government’s strong political will to say enough is enough.

“There could be some level of collateral damage, but I can assure you that nobody wants to die. If the kidnappers realise that the government does not care about who they kidnap and is coming with full force, they will think twice. When the kidnappers know that they will not live to spend that money, kidnapping will reduce by at least 80%. No criminal wants to die.”

Ofoyetan called for a special operation to clear the forests and bushes that serve as hideouts for criminal activities across Nigeria. He also urged the government to identify and expose compromised security agents who collaborate with kidnappers, emphasising the need to make examples of them to deter others.

Meanwhile, attempts to reach the spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, Muyiwa Adejobi, for updates on police efforts to tackle kidnapping were unsuccessful, as calls were unanswered, while text and WhatsApp messages to his mobile phone were not replied.

However, in a previous interview with The PUNCH on June 28, Adejobi revealed that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had acquired new tactical equipment to confront the kidnapping scourge head-on.

On Monday, the IG also inaugurated no fewer than 169 officers of the newly established Special Intervention Squad to tackle banditry, kidnapping, and other crimes in the country. He explained that the SIS signified a significant advancement in police operational strategy, drawing from the best practices of globally successful law enforcement models.

Adejobi also highlighted that ransom payments had turned kidnapping into a lucrative enterprise. He explained that the police had been educating Nigerians on the dangers of making kidnapping profitable, noting that the payment of ransoms had emboldened criminals to continue their abductions.

According to Adejobi, kidnappers often manipulate the emotions of the victims’ families, warning them against contacting the police or other security agencies with threats of killing the captives. He urged Nigerians not to succumb to these tactics, insisting that the primary motive of kidnappers is financial gain.

“A kidnapper wants money. Any incident where the victim is killed is not about ransom or kidnapping,” Adejobi said. He called for broader investigations to understand the psychological aspects of these crimes, explaining, “Every kidnapper demands ransom because it’s a business. We don’t want people to play into the hands of these kidnappers.”

Punch

Thirteen persons have been confirmed killed in the latest deadly attacks by bandits in Niger State.

Habibu Wushishi, the spokesperson for the state’s Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday.

The fresh attack in Bassa and Anguwan Mai-giro in Rafi and Shiroro local government area of the state came on the same day that bandits demanded 130 motorcycles as ransom for the release of dozens of women they had earlier kidnapped in Allawa, a community in the Shiroro Local Government Area of the state, in February.

According to reports on the latest incidents in the state, the bandits laid siege to Bassa and Angwan Mai-giro villages for hours on Wednesday and Thursday.

Wushishi said the bandits looted three shops in the villages and also sacked some neighbouring farming villages.

“Over 12 neighbouring villages are currently in Erena IDPs camp with their number (of displaced persons) yet to be ascertained,” he said.

Visiting the areas on Thursday, the acting governor, Yakubu Garba, condemned the attacks and loss of lives.

According to a statement by his spokesperson, Bologi Ibrahim,

Garba “describes the attack as satanic, insensible, atrocious and callous.” He vowed that the government would restore security in the affected areas.

26 kidnapped women

On Thursday, a video emerged featuring two of the 26 women kidnapped five months earlier in Allawa.

In the video, the two women pleaded with their families to provide 130 motorcycles, which the bandits demanded as ransom for their release.

The 30-second video shows one of the women tied to a tree. Speaking in Hausa, she calls a relative named Abdulrahman to help provide the items.

“Umar, please talk to Abdulrahman. They have brought me to a service area now. They said they could not release me until the demanded items were delivered. They said I should talk so that you will hear my voice. I have injuries to my legs. For the sake of Allah and His Prophet, help bring the items. They said if you bring the items, they will release me along with Hajiya. I am here with Hajiya,” she says in the video.

Abba Usman, a resident of Allawa, confirmed that the women featured in the video are among the 26 kidnapped in February.

He said the bandits demanded five motorcycles for each of the 26 women, with each motorcycle valued at N2 million.

Usman said the families of the two women had already provided six motorcycles, but the kidnappers were demanding four more to release them.

He added that the families of the remaining 24 women could not raise money to buy the motorcycles.

“My mother and my sister are among those kidnapped seven months ago on Allawa-Pandogari Road. On that day, eight men were killed before the other women were taken away. The bandits have asked us to provide five motorcycles for each of the 26 women. We couldn’t raise the money, which is why they are still in captivity.

“They sent the video to confirm that the women are still alive and would be released once the additional motorcycles were provided. For now, we don’t even have anything left to sell to raise money for these motorcycles,” Usman explained.

PT

Israeli shelling in Gaza kills 12 Palestinians, Wafa says

At least 12 Palestinians, including two children and a woman, were killed early on Saturday morning by Israeli attacks east of Gaza's Khan Younis and in the Al-Nuseirat camp area, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said.

At least 15 others were injured in the attacks, Wafa added.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

In Kyiv, Indian PM urges Zelenskiy to sit down for talks with Russia

India's Narendra Modi urged President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday to sit down for talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and offered to act as a friend to help bring peace as the two leaders met in wartime Kyiv.

The first visit by an Indian prime minister in modern Ukrainian history came at a volatile juncture in the war launched by Russia in February 2022. Moscow is making slow gains in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv presses a cross-border incursion.

The optics closely resembled the Indian leader's visit to Moscow last month where he called for peace and embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin, angering Ukraine, where a Russian missile strike hit a children's hospital on the same day.

"The road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy. And we should move in that direction without wasting any time. Both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis," Modi said in Kyiv.

"I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in any efforts towards peace. If I can play any role in this personally, I will do that, I want to assure you as a friend," he said.

It was not immediately clear what Kyiv made of his remarks and whether they were part of a diplomatic push taking place behind closed doors with a November presidential election looming in the United States, a close ally of Ukraine.

Speaking later on Friday in his regular address to the nation after the visit had ended, Zelenskiy said it is "important to us that India remains committed to international law and supports our sovereignty and territorial integrity".

He also said he appreciated that Modi had begun the visit by paying tribute to the children killed in the July hospital strike.

India, which traditionally has close economic and defence relations with Moscow, has publicly criticised the deaths of innocent people in the war, but also strengthened its economic ties with Moscow.

Both leaders described Modi's visit as "historic" in their statements during their meeting, in which Modi spoke second and Zelenskiy had no opportunity to respond to the call for dialogue.

Zelenskiy said that "the matter of ending the war and a just peace are the priority for Ukraine".

Ukraine has repeatedly said it wants the war to end but on Kyiv's terms, not Russia's. Ukraine has been pushing to hold a second international summit later this year to advance its vision of peace and involve representatives from Russia.

The first summit, held in Switzerland in June, pointedly excluded Russia, while attracting scores of delegations, including one from India, but not from China, the world's second largest economy. Zelenskiy urged Modi to sign the summit's communique, which India has not done.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that talks were out of the question after Ukraine launched its incursion into Russia's Kursk region on Aug. 6.

Kyiv's top commander has touted the capture of almost 100 settlements in the assault, part of what military analysts see as an attempt to divert Russian troops from eastern Ukraine where Moscow's forces are making gains.

'CERTAIN INFLUENCE'

Modi's visit to Moscow prompted Zelenskiy to criticise the Indian prime minister when the trip coincided with the missile strike that hit a children's hospital in Kyiv.

As he welcomed Modi to the Mariinskyi presidential palace in Kyiv, Zelenskiy embraced him with a frowning expression before they began talks. Modi issued renewed condolences over the missile strike on X in a post written in Ukrainian.

"Conflict is particularly devastating for young children. My heart goes out to the families of children who lost their lives, and I pray that they find the strength to endure their grief," the post said.

In the run-up to the visit, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser in Zelenskiy's office, told Reuters it was significant because New Delhi "really has a certain influence" over Moscow.

"It's extremely important for us to effectively build relations with such countries, to explain to them what the correct end to the war is - and that it is also in their interests," he said.

As Western nations have imposed sanctions on Russia and cut trade relations with it over the invasion, India has developed its economic ties.

Indian refiners that rarely bought Russian oil in the past have emerged as Moscow's top clients for seaborne crude since Russia poured troops into Ukraine two-and-a-half years ago. Russian oil accounts for over two-fifths of India's oil imports.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian forces repel new Ukrainian attack in Kursk – MOD

Russia continues to repel Kiev’s ongoing attacks on settlements in Kursk Region as Ukrainian Armed Forces suffer heavy casualties, the Defense Ministry reported in an update on Friday.

In a message posted on its official Telegram channel, the ministry stated that Russian units of the North group of forces, with the support of aviation and artillery, have successfully repelled attacks by enemy assault groups near the settlements of Borki and Malaya Loknya, and have also thwarted attacks in the directions of Komarovka, Korenevo, Martynovka and Russkaya Konopelka.

Kiev’s forces lost up to 70 servicemen as well as two combat armored vehicles and one car during the operation, Moscow reported.

Meanwhile, reconnaissance and search units continue to identify and destroy Ukrainian sabotage groups hiding in thick forests as they try to penetrate deeper into Russian territory, with one such group being reportedly neutralized near the settlement of Kamyshevka, the ministry said.

The Russian military also continues to pressure enemy forces using airstrikes and artillery, and has targeted several Ukrainian brigades across the region. Over the past 24 hours, Kiev has lost an estimated 400 servicemen, 17 armored vehicles, including one tank, two armored personnel carriers, 14 armored combat vehicles, two pieces of artillery, and MLRS launcher, two mortars and ten vehicles, the ministry claimed.

Overall, since launching its cross-border assault earlier this month, which reportedly involved some of Kiev’s best-equipped and most experienced fighters, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost some 5,137 soldiers, 69 tanks, 27 infantry fighting vehicles, 55 APCs, 350 armored combat vehicles, 34 artillery units, five anti-aircraft missile systems, 11 MLRS launchers, including three US-made HIMARS, among other pieces of heavy equipment, Moscow estimates.

Kiev officials have stated that the purpose of the brazen offensive was to try to seize Russian territory in Kursk Region in order to alleviate the pressure that has been on its forces elsewhere on the front line, and to strengthen Ukraine’s position during eventual peace talks with Moscow.

Moscow had previously offered Kiev a ceasefire in exchange for renouncing its NATO membership bid and withdrawing from Russian territories. The Kremlin has taken this deal off the table following Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk Region and its “indiscriminate” targeting of Russian civilians.

Reuters/RT

As someone in their late 20s, I know firsthand that this decade can be rough , so I'm always looking for those older than me to shed some wisdom. So when redditor u/Gandalfthewhitte asked people over 30 to share the advice they'd give to younger folks, I was all ears. Here are some of the valuable life lessons they mentioned.

1. "Take really good care of your teeth. Floss religiously. In general, don't abuse your health. You are at your strongest now, and things you do to yourself will usually come back later to haunt you."

—u/DefenestrationPraha
2. "Take that trip with friends and close ones."

—u/showrov_tj

"This one hundred percent. I was that kid who was always scrimping and saving (for good reasons) and barely went or did anything. I've had to bury a good number of those friends now, and I'm only in my mid-30s. Imagine how foolish I feel. 'Sorry guys, I can't come with you on this once-in-a-lifetime worldview-changing trip. I've got to deliver pizzas.' No amount of money can buy a second of time.

—u/PunkPizzaVooDoo

3. "Your thirties feel like half as long as your twenties. Start them well."

—u/Some1_nz
4. "Stay fit. Do yoga, go to the gym, walk, run — your health is the most precious thing. And don't hold grudges; life is too short for unnecessary emotions."

—u/just_now_2021
5. "You will fail, and that is okay."

—u/Calm-Internet6926

"Adding to this because, in my 20s, I didn't understand what that meant.

Failing is good specifically because it helps you to teach your limits. If you never fail, you never know what your full potential is. While it can be comfortable never to fail, you typically live better when you are grounded in reality rather than having all the 'what if' fantasies on what you could do only because you don't want to risk proving your fantasies wrong.

Also, learn to differentiate between fantasies and goals. I can't explain this well beyond the fact that the former is passive, and the latter is active."

—u/Internep

6. "Do not fear turning 30 — that's where life begins. Everything before 30 is just your backstory."

—u/5NATCH
7. "Drink more water. At least the first and last drink of the day should be water, and make it a large glass."

—u/TwoBadRobots
8. "Call off work. Have fun. Live life."

—u/keitaro_guy2004

"This one. I'm not saying do it all the time, but if you have an opportunity to do something interesting and fun, and you've got unused sick or PTO days, fucking do it. Go to that air show, concert, or event. Perfect attendance — to school or to work — should be a badge of shame. Nobody ever lay on their deathbed thinking, 'I wish I'd gone to work more often.'"

—u/-RadarRanger-

9. "The age-old story of who you know is more important than what you know. Your education should be done in conjunction with socializing and spending time with other people (networking). So don't live your life behind a screen."

—u/sonicfluff
10. "Live now, but don't forget the future. You can live now with 80% of your income, too."

—u/the-hellrider

11. "No matter how much you love someone or how much you want to help them, if they do not want to change, it's not your fault."

—u/xaitox
12. "Do no harm, but take no shit. Do what needs to be done and have fun in the process."

—u/keshmudzis

"Gonna add a quick quote to this: Life's just a game 'til the game stops being fun. If you're not enjoying life, find a new angle, whether that's looking at it differently or doing something new. We (I'm in the young crowd) are too young to suffer all day. Enjoy what you do."

—u/SureWhyNot5182

13. "Your life isn't 'over' at whatever imagined line in the sand you think it is. You can easily accomplish a lot of things at 30 or even 40 years old in your life. Find the love of your life, change careers, learn new skills, etc."

—u/Jirekianu

14. "Contrary to popular belief, dating in your 30s is way better than in your 20s. There are way fewer games. People know what they want. Partners have done cool shit by this point in life, so just talking about life is more enjoyable. They're comfortable in their own skin, and they'll generally be more forthright about their hangups and insecurities because they know themselves better and communicate better. Red flags present themselves way earlier, so getting out of a bad relationship is easier before you're invested."

—u/PsychonautAlpha
15. "Invest your money, and save at least 15% of every dollar you earn."

—u/fff84ddd
16. "Learn how to cook decently. Buy a French knife, know how to cut a few basic ways, and know where your fingers should be. Get a few decent recipes locked in, and you can experiment later. It'll save you a lot of money not ordering delivery all the time."

—u/clem9796
17. "Don't get married until you're over 30. The amount of divorced friends with/without kids is wild. Maybe one in five are still together."

—u/poops314

"Good answer. We all change so much over our 20s. The rate of change diminishes as we get older and our views and values settle down."

—u/Sys32768

18. "Do not take out a loan or go into debt to fuel your need to buy things or spend on shit you don't need. It is a vicious cycle that takes years or decades to end. It also comes with a shit credit score and the unneeded stress of living paycheck to paycheck."

—u/3tu_KEK
19. "See a psychologist for the anxiety."

—u/asif00013

"Flat out, see a psychologist. I wasn't depressed, doing OK, felt mentally very healthy, and saw no need. I recently got diagnosed with mild ADHD in my 40s, and my god, it explains so much unnecessary stress and missed opportunities in my life. I wasn't aware since this is how my life's always been; I thought I was just impatient, spoiled, and bad at finishing things. The pills help a lot."

—u/Ninja_Thomek

20. "If you injure yourself, get it looked at straight away. Get physio as soon as possible and follow what they want you to do. You want to recover as quickly as possible, and these injuries will affect you far worse in the future if you don't get them sorted straight away."

—u/Seaworthiness_Jolly

21. "If the relationship didn't work out, it's not meant to be. Don't spend months/years stuck on it. I wasted many years pining for girls I loved, but in hindsight, none of them would be the perfect wife I have now."

—u/SleepyCorgiPuppy

22. "Stop caring about other people's opinions. You do you."

—u/razmuff
23. "Do the impromptu stuff. Once everyone in your friend group starts having kids, it's over. We had poker nights, console games, golf, etc. I have to reach out five months in advance to schedule anything anymore, and it still ends up being canceled."

—u/Leg0pc
24. "Don't worry if you have chosen the wrong profession. I'm 35 and made a career change at 33. It was the best thing I did. There is enough time and opportunities to do something different later in life."

—u/demmie0

Buzzfeed

A New Zealand woman was sentenced to two months behind bars for overfeeding her pet dog Nuggi to the point where he could hardly walk 10 meters without needing a break.

When Nuggi was rescued from his Auckland owner in October of 2021, he weighed a whopping 53.7kg and his small legs struggled to support his enormous body. SPCA officers said that he needed to pause three times to catch his breath walking just 10m from where he was kept to the rescue car. He had so much fat under his skin that doctors could barely detect a heartbeat when they performed a checkup. Nuggi also suffered from conjunctivitis and had wounds on his elbows and belly, most likely due to the time he spent lying on his stomach because he couldn’t move. His owner fed him eight to ten pieces of chicken a day, plus plenty of doggy biscuits, seemingly ignorant to the fact that he was killing the poor animal.

“Nuggi was being drastically overfed and, instead of seeking help or amending the behavior, his owner continued to overfeed him until he could barely walk. This is unacceptable,” Todd Westwood, chief executive of the SPCA, told NZ Herald. “He was so enormous that he could hardly walk and he was clearly suffering as a result of the significant amount of weight he was carrying.”

The overfed dog spent two months in the care of the SPCA, during which time he lost 8.9 kilograms, but then died suddenly due to a hemorrhage from a mass on his liver. A necropsy revealed that he suffered from other health complications, including liver disease and Cushing’s disease.

Nuggi’s owner was sued for overfeeding the poor canine and ultimately causing his demise, and last week the Manukau District Court ordered her to pay reparations of $NZ 1222.15 ($720), disqualified her from owning dogs for a year, and sentenced her to two months in prison.

Although the SPCA most often deals with cases of severely malnourished animals, the organization pointed out that overfeeding pets can be just as detrimental, if not more so, than underfeeding them. The organization’s officers said that Nuggis was one of the fattest dogs they had ever encountered.

Oddity Central

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has expressed concern over the increasing trend of bulk electricity consumers abandoning the national grid in favour of generating their own electricity. This comes in the wake of a controversial electricity tariff hike implemented last April, which saw rates increase by more than 200 percent for Band A consumers - those with 20 hours or more of daily power supply.

Adelabu emphasized that grid connection remains a more reliable power source than the captive power plants currently favored by many bulk electricity consumers. He expressed frustration that despite achieving a record generation of 5,155MW, much of this capacity is not being utilized.

Speaking at the Board retreat of the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company in Lagos on Thursday, the minister said, "The majority of bulk electricity users, such as industries, are off the grid due to lack of trust and confidence in the past. They now have their own captive power plants in their industries which is more expensive."

The minister's comments come against the backdrop of widespread criticism and protests following the substantial tariff increase. Many consumers and businesses have cited the higher costs as a factor in their decision to seek alternative power sources.

Adelabu argued that despite the recent price hikes, grid electricity remains more economical than private generation. "The average cost of producing captive power is about N350 to N400 per kilowatt-hour for those connected to gas lines. For diesel, it's about N950 while petrol is about N550," he explained.

The minister outlined plans to encourage bulk users to return to the grid, stating, "Once consumers and industries see the trust, the confidence and the stability we are giving, they would be encouraged and reconnect to the grid for a cheaper source of power."

Adelabu reiterated the government's ambitious power targets, including reaching 6 gigawatts by the end of December 2024 and adhering to the Vision 30-30-30 plan, which aims to achieve 30GW by 2030, with 30 percent from renewable sources.

To address demand fluctuations, the minister proposed introducing differential tariffs for off-peak periods, leveraging smart meter technology. This approach aims to stimulate demand during low-usage hours, potentially offering some relief to consumers still grappling with the effects of the recent tariff increase.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says President Bola Tinubu and Wale Tinubu, chief executive officer (CEO) of Oando, do not have any interest in the OVH Energy acquisition.

The NNPC was, however, silent on the allegation by Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, that OVH Energy — previously owned by the national oil firm — has now acquired NNPC Retail.

“This absurd situation means that Wale Tinubu’s Oando now owns 49% of NNPC retail,” Atiku had said.

Stressing the growing lack of transparency in the state-owned oil company, the former vice-president also said the NNPC has been hijacked by “corporate cabals” around Tinubu.

Addressing some of the claims in a statement on Thursday, the NNPC said investment decisions by its management are based on national interest.

“Contrary to the false alarm raised, neither Wale Tinubu nor the President has any interest in the OVH acquisition,” the statement reads.

“We are a commercially-focused and profit-driven company managed by professionals who are committed to adding value to the nation.

“Investment decisions by NNPC Ltd Management are strictly determined on the basis of commercial viability and national interest.

“At the time NNPC Ltd acquired OVH in 2022, Oando (in which Mr. Wale Tinubu has equity interest), had fully divested its equity in OVH to the two other partners – Vitol and Helios.”

The NNPC said Oando started its divestment in 2016, with Vitol and Helios coming in as equity partners — leading to the change of name from Oando to OVH.

In 2019, according to the company, Oando fully divested its equity interest in OVH resulting in Vitol and Helios “holding 50% equity interests respectively”.

“Upon acquisition of OVH by NNPC Ltd, both NNPC Retail Ltd and OVH effectively became subsidiaries of NNPC Ltd,” the statement further reads.

“However, based on professional advice and sound commercial considerations, NNPC Ltd opted to merge NNPC Retail Limited into OVH, and thereafter retain NNPC Retail Limited as the company post-merger.”

The statement said the initial step of merging NNPC Retail into OVH has been completed and the “post-merger renaming as NNPC Retail Ltd” is ongoing.

“As a businessman, he said the former vice-president should know that effectiveness in business leadership is best measured by balance sheets and bottom lines rather than pedestrian considerations,” the national oil firm said.

“The management of NNPC Ltd, under the leadership of Mr. Mele Kyari, has done very well in growing the company’s fortunes as shown in the 2023 Audited Financial Statement (AFS), where it reported N3.3 trillion as profit after tax.

“NNPC as a commercial entity is devoid of political interest and shall continue to conduct its business full of commitment to national interest and value creation for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

The company also said it would resist any attempt to “draw its board and management into partisan politics”. 

The Cable

Israeli demands for troops in Gaza blocking truce deal, sources say

Disagreements over Israel's future military presence in Gaza and over Palestinian prisoner releases are obstructing a ceasefire and hostage deal, according to ten sources familiar with the round of U.S.-mediated talks that concluded last week.

The sources, who include two Hamas officials and three Western diplomats, told Reuters the disagreements stemmed from demands Israel has introduced since Hamas accepted a version of a ceasefire proposalunveiled by U.S. President Joe Biden in May.

All the sources said Hamas was especially concerned about the latest demand to keep troops deployed along the Netzarim Corridor, an east-west strip Israel cleared during the current war that prevents Palestinians' free movement between north and south Gaza, as well as in a narrow border strip between Gaza and Egypt known as the Philadelphi Corridor.

The sources asked not to be named to speak freely about sensitive matters.

Israel's current grip on the Philadelphi Corridor gives it control of Gaza's frontier with Egypt, the enclave's only crossing that does not border Israel.

Hamas sees Israel as having changed its conditions and parameters "last-minute," and worries any concessions it makes would be met by more demands, one of the sources, who is close to the talks, told Reuters.

The media office for the Palestinian militant group did not respond to requests for comment for this story. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's office did not respond to questions about the talks.

In a press statement on Sunday, Hamas said the proposal arising from last week's talks was too close to Netanyahu's recent positions setting new conditions. It urged the mediators to stick to the implementation of a July versionof the framework agreement, rather than starting new negotiations.

In a statement prior to the talks last week, Netanyahu's office denied making new demands, saying its position built on the previous proposal.

In the statement, the office said Israel's May proposal stated that only unarmed civilians would be allowed to return to the northern part of Gaza, crossing the Netzarim Corridor.

The office said Israel's new proposal, first presented at a meeting of mediators in Rome on July 27, was that an agreed-upon mechanism should be established to assure this, implying but not specifically mentioning an Israeli military presence at Netzarim to prevent the movement of Hamas fighters.

According to a second source close to the talks, Israel proposed that an agreement for the return of non-combatants to the north half of Gaza would be agreed upon "at a later date".

That was seen by some of the mediators and Hamas as Israel backtracking on a previous commitment to withdraw from the Netzarim corridor and allow free movement inside Gaza, the source said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a whirlwind trip to the region on Tuesday, seeking a breakthrough. After meeting Netanyahu, Blinken said Israel had accepted a new U.S. proposal aimed at narrowing differences between Israel and Hamas' latest positions. He urged Hamas to do the same.

"Once that happens we also have to complete the detailed implementation agreements that go along with putting the ceasefire into effect," he said at a news conference on Tuesday.

The sides have not released what Blinken called a bridging proposal, and Reuters has not seen a copy.

One Western diplomat, describing Israel's latest demands in the U.S.-led talks, said it appeared the United States had accepted changes proposed by Netanyahu, including on a continued Israeli military deployment in the two corridors.

One U.S. official disputed that suggestion, saying the negotiations on the "implementation" would aim to hash out disagreements over the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors, the number of Palestinian prisoners and who to release among other topics.

Blinken also pushed back on any suggestion of Israeli troops occupying Gaza on a long term basis, saying at the press conference that the schedule and location of Israeli military withdrawals were very clear in the agreement.

FRESH TALKS

The next round of talks is expected in Cairo in the coming days, based around the U.S. bridging proposal.

The lead U.S. negotiator, CIA director Bill Burns, his Israeli counterpart, Mossad chief David Barnea, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt's lead negotiator are expected to attend, the source close to the talks said. Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed is expected to visit Tehran before heading to Cairo, the source said. An Iranian source said Sheikh Mohammed was due to visit on Monday.

Iran's foreign ministry did not respond to questions. The CIA declined to comment in line with its policy of not disclosing Burns' travel.

Two of the Hamas officials said the U.S. proposal contained some of the Israeli changes they reject, including allowing "Israel's continued military presence" along the crossings and releasing some Palestinian prisoners into exile, rather than to Gaza or the West Bank, in any swap for hostages.

However, a senior U.S. administration official said there was nothing in the bridging proposal that changed previously agreed commitments on the Netzarim Corridor. The official said any temporary arrangements on the Philadelphi Corridor must be consistent with Israel’s May 27 text and the outline put forth by Biden, as endorsed by the U.N. Security Council.

The proposal includes "massive and immediate benefits" for the people of Gaza and incorporates a number of Hamas' earlier demands, the official said.

Two of the sources, security officials in Egypt, said Israel and Hamas appeared willing to resolve differences in all areas other than that of the Israeli withdrawal.

Israel's war objectives include "securing the southern border," Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Thursday, referring to the Philadelphi Corridor.

In response to Reuters questions on differences over the latest ceasefire proposal, Egypt's state information service pointed to recent official statements emphasising a continuing push to reach a deal at talks in Cairo and Doha.

Qatar's international media office did not comment, but pointed to a statement issued late Tuesday after the Qatari prime minister spoke to Blinken, which urged efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. In response to questions from Reuters the U.S. State Department referred to Blinken's public statements.

PHILADELPHI CORRIDOR

Control over the Philadelphi Corridor frontier area between Gaza and Egypt, along with the Rafah border crossing, is particularly sensitive for Cairo.

Egypt is prepared to take more security measures in the Philadelphi corridor but rejects the presence of Israeli troops there, the Egyptian security sources said.

Israel seized control of the strategic corridor in May, saying it was used by Hamas to smuggle weapons and banned material into its tunnels to Gaza.

The Israeli advance resulted in the closure of the Rafah crossing, sharply reducing the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, halting most medical evacuations, and potentially depriving Egypt of its role brokering access at the only border crossing into Gaza that had not been directly controlled by Israel.

Egypt says that tunnels used for smuggling into Gaza have been closed or destroyed, that a Palestinian presence at Rafah should be restored, and that the Philadelphi corridor buffer zone is guaranteed by the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty.

An Israeli troop presence along the corridors, the Hamas sources said, would amount to a continued Israeli occupation that would stop the free movement of civilians.

PRISONERS AND PEACE

The two Hamas officials told Reuters the U.S. bridging plan "does not include a permanent ceasefire".

In the May proposal, Biden said a temporary ceasefire would become a permanent cessation of hostilities, "as long as Hamas lives up to its commitments."

The Hamas officials said Israel had also imposed a veto on the release of around 100 Palestinian prisoners whose names Hamas proposed, some elderly and with more than 20 years remaining on their sentences.

The issue of Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of a swap deal for hostages Hamas has held in Gaza since Oct. 7 had previously been seen as less difficult.

A main sticking point at present is an Israeli position that many of the prisoners it releases should be immediately deported and go into exile outside Israel, the West Bank or Gaza, the Western diplomat and the two Hamas officials said.

"In light of this, Hamas refused to accept the American-Israeli paper," one of the officials said.

A three-phase framework for a ceasefire deal has been on the table since late December, but the multiple disputes between Israel and Hamas over key details have made an agreement impossible.

The United States, along with mediators Qatar and Egypt, is trying to keep negotiations alive to end Israel's 10-month-campaign in Gaza and return remaining hostages seized by Hamas and its allies on Oct. 7.

The war began on Oct. 7 when Hamas gunmen stormed into Israeli communities and military bases, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. More than 40,000 people have since been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine tried to attack Russian nuclear plant – Putin

Ukrainian forces have attempted to strike Russia’s Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), President Vladimir Putin has said during a cabinet meeting.

Kiev sent thousands of troops into Russia’s Kursk Region earlier this month, attempting to reach the town of Kurchatov, where the nuclear facility is located. Moscow has declared the incursion an act of terrorism and has deployed additional troops to repel the invaders.

“Last night, the enemy attempted to strike the atomic power plant,” Putin said at a cabinet meeting on Thursday afternoon. “The International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] has been informed. They promised to come themselves and send specialists to assess the situation. I hope they actually do so.”

The IAEA already has observers working at the Zaporozhye NPP, Europe’s largest such facility. The mission was deployed in the summer of 2023, as Ukrainian troops attempted to seize the plant. Earlier this month, a Ukrainian drone attack set one of the cooling towers at the plant on fire.

Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev has discussed the situation at both power plants with IAEA director Rafael Grossi, and invited him to visit Kursk to personally assess the situation, according to the Russian media.

Grossi has accepted the invitation and is planning to visit Kursk next week, an IAEA spokesman told AFP. Afterwards, he will visit Kiev and speak with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.

According to Grossi, the IAEA is very concerned about any combat operations near the Kursk NPP, since it operates the same kind of reactors as the infamous Chernobyl NPP.

“They don’t have a protective dome around them, just the normal roof, which means that the reactor’s core is pretty exposed,” Grossi said. The presence of troops within artillery range “is a source of enormous concern to me and the agency,” he added, without specifying which forces he meant.

Moscow has repeatedly criticized the international agency for never identifying the perpetrator of the attacks on nuclear facilities, even though the IAEA staff has known perfectly well that Kiev is to blame.

Last week, Russian military journalist Marat Khairullin reported that Ukraine was preparing a “dirty bomb” for a false flag attack on either the Kursk or Zaporozhye NPP. Moscow said it was taking the report seriously and warned that any such attack would be met immediately with “tough military and military-technical countermeasures.”

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia and Ukraine report gains as some Ukrainians flee strategic city

Russia and Ukraine both reported new battlefield gains on Thursday, with Kyiv hailing the capture of another village on Russian soil but hundreds of Ukrainians fleeing the eastern city of Pokrovsk as Russian forces advance on it.

Visiting the border area from where his troops entered the Kursk region in western Russia on Aug. 6, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced the seizure of a new village that he did not name, and said the incursion had helped reduce Russian shelling of the northeastern Sumy region.

Russian authorities said a Russian ferry sank after a Ukrainian attack that struck southern Russia's Port Kavkaz, which supplies fuel to the occupied peninsula of Crimea. Kyiv said it had mounted a drone strike on an air base in southern Russia and carried out a raid about 240 km (150 miles) from the site of its push into Kursk region.

After returning to Kyiv, Zelenskiy said the latest Ukrainian military action was part of an effort to put an end to the war on Ukraine's terms instead of Russia's.

"This is all our systematic defence path, the path to end this war on the terms of an independent Ukraine," he said in an address to veterans.

He said that to force Russian troops out of Ukrainian territory, the Ukrainian military should "create as many problems as possible" on Russian territory.

But although the incursion is an embarrassment for Russia, Moscow's forces have continued their gradual advances of the past few months against tired Ukrainian troops in eastern Ukraine worn down by 2-1/2 years of heavy fighting.

Moscow said its troops had taken control of the village of Mezhove in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, and that they had beaten back an attempt by a Ukrainian force to infiltrate its border in a different region to Kyiv's Aug. 6 incursion.

Ukrainian authorities say Russian troops are now just 10 km (six miles) outside Pokrovsk, an important transport hub in eastern Ukraine, and this week started evacuating elderly residents and children.

"Everyone is in panic, people are running away," Liudmyla Sydorenko told Reuters on Thursday as she packed a 94-year-old relative's belongings into plastic bags at their apartment so that she could be evacuated.

"I went outside and was shocked: people with paper boxes there, mass evacuation. We don't want to leave, but we have to. We thought we could stay here. It's very difficult."

Moscow's capture of Pokrovsk, which lies at an intersection of roads and a railway line, would give Russia options to advance in new directions and also cut supply routes used by the Ukrainian military in the Donetsk region.

WARNING BY U.S. EMBASSY

Authorities in Kursk said they had begun installing concrete shelters to help protect civilians during the Ukrainian incursion.

President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of trying to strike Russia's Kursk nuclear power plant in an overnight attack and said Moscow had informed the U.N. nuclear safety watchdog about the situation.

But he provided no documentary evidence to back up his assertion and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the attack or reports from the battlefield.

Ukraine has closely guarded its main aims in the Kursk region but said it has carved out a buffer zone from an area that Russia has used to pound targets in Ukraine with cross-border strikes.

Military analysts say the incursion probably aims in part to divert Russian forces to ease pressure in the east, although there is no indication Russia has pulled troops from there.

The incursion has boosted morale among Ukrainians as they prepare to mark 33 years since independence from the Soviet Union on Saturday.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, however, said there was a heightened risk of Russian missile and drone attacks throughout Ukraine in the coming days connected to Independence Day.

RT/Reuters