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The Centre for Democracy and Development has said that the high rate of unemployment and increased poverty partly triggered the security challenges in the country.

This was part of the observation made by the group in its report after assessing President Muhammadu Buhari’s five years in office.

CDD also lamented insufficient infrastructure in the country, saying it has hindered economic growth. It added that the closure of the country’s border had created more problems than solutions. 

The group, however, rated the President high in reforms and policies in the business environment that has made Nigeria one of the top-ten economies across the world with the most notable improvements in doing business in both 2019 and 2020.

“The other area of good scoring for the administration on the economy is the Finance Act 2019, which was described glowingly as a policy game-changer implemented by the administration,” the report says.

The report partly reads, “With the programme supporting over 1.5 million farmers in cultivating 16 agricultural commodities in its four-year existence, it has been celebrated as one of the milestones in the much talked about  push for the diversification of the economy.”  

On the less cheery side is the low score the administration got for job losses and the increasing poverty in the land. 

Data referenced in the report shows that about 4.04 million persons lost their jobs in 2015, as unemployment and underemployment rate increased from 6.4 per cent and 17.9 per cent in Q42014 to 10.4 per cent and 18.7 per cent in Q42015. 

The assessment shows that in the period under review, the unemployment rate was high among youths, as about 5.3 million youths within the age bracket of 15-24 could not get a job in 2015. 

The report noted  that, “The high rate of unemployment and increased poverty partly triggered the security challenges in the country, which was a key campaign promise of the President." 

Also, the report notes that despite some reforms introduced by the administration, there remained some key issues in the regulatory environment which served as obstacles to a business-friendly environment. 

According to the assessment, these issues include the limited access to electricity and credit as well as inadequate measures towards resolving insolvency. 

The report called for lasting solutions to the age-long infrastructure challenges that hinder economic growth, particularly, the crisis in the power sector, which exponentially increases the cost of doing business.

“If not within Nigeria, enormous capital exists outside the country which can be deployed to deliver the much-needed infrastructure. However, projects will need to be bankable with clear and agreed-upon means of obtaining the returns on investment,” the report read.

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An official of the World Health Organisation has said that many confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State were refusing isolation and treatment.

Williams Bassi, Coordinator of WHO in the state, who made the revelation on Thursday during a visit to the Gbong Gwom Jos, Jacob Buba, said there was also a case of a male COVID-19 Patient, who absconded from a Plateau isolation centre.

He said efforts were on to trace the fleeing patient and return him to the centre to complete his treatment, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

  WHO GettyImages
 

He said that the challenge being experienced in the state was that people, who tested positive refused to leave their homes to receive treatment at isolation centres.

He said, “We have one COVID-19 patient that has absconded from the centre, but I assure you we are on his trail and we will trace him and bring him back to continue with treatment.

“The major problem we have is that so many people have tested positive but have refused to go to the isolation centre, an example is the Duala Area in Jos North.

“They keep refusing to go to the isolation centres until some demands are met, and this is not good for us all."

Bassi noted that early identification, isolation and treatment were the best way to stop the spread of the disease.

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An official of the World Health Organisation has said that many confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State were refusing isolation and treatment.

Williams Bassi, Coordinator of WHO in the state, who made the revelation on Thursday during a visit to the Gbong Gwom Jos, Jacob Buba, said there was also a case of a male COVID-19 Patient, who absconded from a Plateau isolation centre.

He said efforts were on to trace the fleeing patient and return him to the centre to complete his treatment, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

  WHO GettyImages
 

He said that the challenge being experienced in the state was that people, who tested positive refused to leave their homes to receive treatment at isolation centres.

He said, “We have one COVID-19 patient that has absconded from the centre, but I assure you we are on his trail and we will trace him and bring him back to continue with treatment.

“The major problem we have is that so many people have tested positive but have refused to go to the isolation centre, an example is the Duala Area in Jos North.

“They keep refusing to go to the isolation centres until some demands are met, and this is not good for us all."

Bassi noted that early identification, isolation and treatment were the best way to stop the spread of the disease.

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Residents of Southern Kaduna communities in Kaduna State have cried out for humanitarian assistance following incessant attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen in the area.

Luka Binniyat, Public Relations Officer of the Southern Kaduna People's Union, in a statement, said the fresh attacks on Agwalla Magayaki and Tudun Agwalla in Idon Ward, Kajuru LGA, had displaced more people and leaving many others seeking food and medical aid.

The statement reads, "The villagers told us that some of the attackers were well known Fulani youth raised around their communities and went on to even call their names. 

"This wanton cruelty is coming three days after the Chairman of Kajuru LGA, Cafra Caino, issued a press statement alleging that 11 Fulani rugas or huts were burnt with no human casualty, ostensibly in retaliation of the 27

Adara that were killed in neighbouring villages of Gonan Rogo, Unguwan Rana and Makyali on the 12-14 May, 2020. 

"Cafra blamed users of social media for inciting what he termed as 'renewed violence' in the area. His press statement also went viral in many social media platforms.

"They said that the same Fulani may have sneaked back to burn their empty hurts as an excuse for a planned attack all in a. attempt to force owners of the land out and take control having chased away their neighbours.

"SOKAPU believes that the announcement of the 'violence' against the Fulani empty huts or rugas was the excuse and cue Fulani needed to carry out this wickedness.

"Though Cafra had rushed to issue a press statement announcing the killings that took place, he did not visit the villages to see for himself, but he hurriedly visited the burnt rugas.

"After waiting for hours with no police coming in to see and take reports of the killings, the military patrol that came in three hours after the violence gave the nod for mass burial of the deceased." 

The group called for the urgent intervention of security agencies to restore normalcy to the region. 

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Residents of Southern Kaduna communities in Kaduna State have cried out for humanitarian assistance following incessant attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen in the area.

Luka Binniyat, Public Relations Officer of the Southern Kaduna People's Union, in a statement, said the fresh attacks on Agwalla Magayaki and Tudun Agwalla in Idon Ward, Kajuru LGA, had displaced more people and leaving many others seeking food and medical aid.

The statement reads, "The villagers told us that some of the attackers were well known Fulani youth raised around their communities and went on to even call their names. 

"This wanton cruelty is coming three days after the Chairman of Kajuru LGA, Cafra Caino, issued a press statement alleging that 11 Fulani rugas or huts were burnt with no human casualty, ostensibly in retaliation of the 27

Adara that were killed in neighbouring villages of Gonan Rogo, Unguwan Rana and Makyali on the 12-14 May, 2020. 

"Cafra blamed users of social media for inciting what he termed as 'renewed violence' in the area. His press statement also went viral in many social media platforms.

"They said that the same Fulani may have sneaked back to burn their empty hurts as an excuse for a planned attack all in a. attempt to force owners of the land out and take control having chased away their neighbours.

"SOKAPU believes that the announcement of the 'violence' against the Fulani empty huts or rugas was the excuse and cue Fulani needed to carry out this wickedness.

"Though Cafra had rushed to issue a press statement announcing the killings that took place, he did not visit the villages to see for himself, but he hurriedly visited the burnt rugas.

"After waiting for hours with no police coming in to see and take reports of the killings, the military patrol that came in three hours after the violence gave the nod for mass burial of the deceased." 

The group called for the urgent intervention of security agencies to restore normalcy to the region. 

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An unspecified number of people were said to have been shot dead in a bank robbery attack in Isanlu, Kogi State, on Thursday.

A source, who spoke with SaharaReporters, said that the robbers stormed the bank few minutes after closing hour, shooting sporadically and killing many customers and staff in the process. 

The robbers were said to have succeeded in the operation and carted away a huge amount of money.

Details of the attack is still sketchy as at the time of this report.

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An unspecified number of people were said to have been shot dead in a bank robbery attack in Isanlu, Kogi State, on Thursday.

A source, who spoke with SaharaReporters, said that the robbers stormed the bank few minutes after closing hour, shooting sporadically and killing many customers and staff in the process. 

The robbers were said to have succeeded in the operation and carted away a huge amount of money.

Details of the attack is still sketchy as at the time of this report.

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Members of Nigeria's House of Representatives have voted against castration as a form of punishment for sexual offenders in the country.

This came after a member, James Faleke, recommended that persons found guilty of rape should be castrated in response to rising cases across Nigeria. 

In response, Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, asked what would happen to an older female, who raped a younger male.  House of Representatives

The voice vote conducted thereafter resulted in a unanimous "nay".

Instead of punishment for sex offenders, the House resolved that members should be dressed in black on the next legislative day in honor and solidarity for those, who had been raped.

Recall that an undergraduate of University of Benin, Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, was recently raped and killed inside a church where she went to study.

Similarly, Barakat Bello, a student of Science Laboratory Technology at the Federal College of Animal Health and Production, Ibadan, Oyo State, was attacked, raped, and stabbed to death at Akinyele area of Ibadan by yet to be identified men.

On Wednesday, SaharaReporters detailed how residents in Nguru area of Yobe State expressed anger after the Nigeria Police Force set free a man, who serially raped a seven-year-old refugee girl. 

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Members of Nigeria's House of Representatives have voted against castration as a form of punishment for sexual offenders in the country.

This came after a member, James Faleke, recommended that persons found guilty of rape should be castrated in response to rising cases across Nigeria. 

In response, Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, asked what would happen to an older female, who raped a younger male.  House of Representatives

The voice vote conducted thereafter resulted in a unanimous "nay".

Instead of punishment for sex offenders, the House resolved that members should be dressed in black on the next legislative day in honor and solidarity for those, who had been raped.

Recall that an undergraduate of University of Benin, Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, was recently raped and killed inside a church where she went to study.

Similarly, Barakat Bello, a student of Science Laboratory Technology at the Federal College of Animal Health and Production, Ibadan, Oyo State, was attacked, raped, and stabbed to death at Akinyele area of Ibadan by yet to be identified men.

On Wednesday, SaharaReporters detailed how residents in Nguru area of Yobe State expressed anger after the Nigeria Police Force set free a man, who serially raped a seven-year-old refugee girl. 

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A yet to be identified man has appeared in a viral video on the Internet, bragging about how he raped a 12-year-old girl in his shop.

The man can be seen in the video boasting about his crime to two other men in the background, who recorded the confession.

He said his victim was a 12-year-old girl, who comes to buy items in his shop as well as drop something there on errands. 

He said in Pidgin English, "That particular girl, if she come buy something for my shop, I dey feel am, I dey feel am. Na like 12 years old girl, I just put her there, I choki choki (makes sexually provocative thrusting gesture with hips)...something like that. She dey keep something for my shop.

"Who go arrest me?" 

One of the men in the background queries him, "Na why you rape the girl?"

In response he says, "The time when I dey do that thing to the girl, she no dey take her mouth talk. No be rape, na child abuse."

He also suggested that other men found out about his actions and also set a trap for the girl in his shop. 

The video came to an abrupt end without revealing the man's name or location of the recording. 

Man Brags About Raping 12-year-old Girl Inside His Shop WATCH: Man Brags About Raping 12-year-old Girl Inside His Shop CRIME Sex VIDEO NEWS News AddThis :  Featured Image :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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A yet to be identified man has appeared in a viral video on the Internet, bragging about how he raped a 12-year-old girl in his shop.

The man can be seen in the video boasting about his crime to two other men in the background, who recorded the confession.

He said his victim was a 12-year-old girl, who comes to buy items in his shop as well as drop something there on errands. 

He said in Pidgin English, "That particular girl, if she come buy something for my shop, I dey feel am, I dey feel am. Na like 12 years old girl, I just put her there, I choki choki (makes sexually provocative thrusting gesture with hips)...something like that. She dey keep something for my shop.

"Who go arrest me?" 

One of the men in the background queries him, "Na why you rape the girl?"

In response he says, "The time when I dey do that thing to the girl, she no dey take her mouth talk. No be rape, na child abuse."

He also suggested that other men found out about his actions and also set a trap for the girl in his shop. 

The video came to an abrupt end without revealing the man's name or location of the recording. 

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Busola Dakolo, popular photographer and wife of musician, Timi Dakolo, has accused Nigeria's Ministry of Justice of failing to file charges of rape against Biodun Fatoyinbo, head pastor at the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, despite the conclusion of police investigation.

Dakolo in an interview in May 2019 accused Fatoyinbo of raping her while she was a teenager in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Shortly after her testimony was made public, the police said it was launching an investigation into the matter.

 

The investigation had been concluded and findings handed over to the Ministry of Justice so that charges can be filed.

In a document she shared on Thursday to commemorate one year since she came forward, Dakolo said staff in the Ministry of Justice were conniving with powerful people, who had vested interest in the case to delay charges from being brought against Fatoyinbo.

She added that her lawyers had been privy to information that staff of the Justice Ministry were allegedly attempting to tamper with the police report presented to them upon conclusion of investigation. 

She said, "It is now officially one year after I came out and told the most important story of my life up until this point. That when I was a teenager, Biodun Fatoyinbo violently raped me. It wasn’t just me. In the media, on social platforms and in private, women have been sharing stories of how this man either destroyed their lives or tried to. 

"A lot has happened in that time: and my heart is glad that consciousness continues to be raised about the great evil that sexual abuse is, and how widespread it is, and how much women are at risk, and why we need to ensure justice for those who find the strength to speak out. 

"Awareness is victory. But we are pushing to another even great victory: Justice. When the courts last year decided to rule in favour of the man who assaulted me, people were crestfallen. I understood.

"What they didn’t know however is that before we even began, we had been prepared for a long haul battle that may take years because the Nigerian legal system isn’t wired to help sexual abuse victims get justice.

"Today, I have a major update. The police have concluded its investigation and handed over its report to the Ministry of Justice in Abuja for onward prosecution of Biodun Fatoyinbo. He clearly has a case to answer.

"But there has been silence from the ministry. Silence. A loud silence! We have written a letter but for over a month we have no response. Instead, my lawyers and my family have heard about all manner of manipulation and foul play being attempted to stop the ministry from beginning prosecution immediately. Or even to get the police report manipulated."

Dakolo vowed to get justice so that her voice and the voices of other victims like her was not silenced.

"My name is Busola Dakolo, a survivor of one of the most horrific acts -- rape. My voice will not be shut down. My case will not be silenced. I am thankful to those in and out of the police, the ministry and corridors of power who have called in solidarity and to reassure me that they are monitoring the ministry of justice and that this pressure to bury the case will not succeed.

"I am updating the Nigerian public because you all made my story matter. You joined me to say enough is enough. With you, this has been an easier process." CRIME Scandal Sex News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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Busola Dakolo, popular photographer and wife of musician, Timi Dakolo, has accused Nigeria's Ministry of Justice of failing to file charges of rape against Biodun Fatoyinbo, head pastor at the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, despite the conclusion of police investigation.

Dakolo in an interview in May 2019 accused Fatoyinbo of raping her while she was a teenager in Ilorin, Kwara State.

Shortly after her testimony was made public, the police said it was launching an investigation into the matter.

 

The investigation had been concluded and findings handed over to the Ministry of Justice so that charges can be filed.

In a document she shared on Thursday to commemorate one year since she came forward, Dakolo said staff in the Ministry of Justice were conniving with powerful people, who had vested interest in the case to delay charges from being brought against Fatoyinbo.

She added that her lawyers had been privy to information that staff of the Justice Ministry were allegedly attempting to tamper with the police report presented to them upon conclusion of investigation. 

She said, "It is now officially one year after I came out and told the most important story of my life up until this point. That when I was a teenager, Biodun Fatoyinbo violently raped me. It wasn’t just me. In the media, on social platforms and in private, women have been sharing stories of how this man either destroyed their lives or tried to. 

"A lot has happened in that time: and my heart is glad that consciousness continues to be raised about the great evil that sexual abuse is, and how widespread it is, and how much women are at risk, and why we need to ensure justice for those who find the strength to speak out. 

"Awareness is victory. But we are pushing to another even great victory: Justice. When the courts last year decided to rule in favour of the man who assaulted me, people were crestfallen. I understood.

"What they didn’t know however is that before we even began, we had been prepared for a long haul battle that may take years because the Nigerian legal system isn’t wired to help sexual abuse victims get justice.

"Today, I have a major update. The police have concluded its investigation and handed over its report to the Ministry of Justice in Abuja for onward prosecution of Biodun Fatoyinbo. He clearly has a case to answer.

"But there has been silence from the ministry. Silence. A loud silence! We have written a letter but for over a month we have no response. Instead, my lawyers and my family have heard about all manner of manipulation and foul play being attempted to stop the ministry from beginning prosecution immediately. Or even to get the police report manipulated."

Dakolo vowed to get justice so that her voice and the voices of other victims like her was not silenced.

"My name is Busola Dakolo, a survivor of one of the most horrific acts -- rape. My voice will not be shut down. My case will not be silenced. I am thankful to those in and out of the police, the ministry and corridors of power who have called in solidarity and to reassure me that they are monitoring the ministry of justice and that this pressure to bury the case will not succeed.

"I am updating the Nigerian public because you all made my story matter. You joined me to say enough is enough. With you, this has been an easier process." CRIME Scandal Sex News AddThis :  Original Author :  Saharareporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
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Parents and concerned residents in Yobe State are calling for justice after they found out that a man in their community had been defiling little children by luring them with chocolate and candy.

Baba Sahabi, 66, a resident of Daban Kare area of Sabon Gari in Yobe State, allegedly lures the children into his compound before raping them.

Sahabi was arrested after parents noticed the girls expressing pain in their private areas, which had been damaged due to repeated defilement. 

A resident of the area said, "He is always buying chocolates daily to use to lure the girls into his compound. 

"The victims who live around his area were sexually abused several times by the randy man. He was said to have been very friendly with children and often offer them sweets. 

"Parents of the victims said that they only discovered about the incident after the girls were showing signs of being in pain. A check on their bodies showed that the victims' private parts were severely damaged as a result of repeated assault."

Sahabi is currently in police custody at the Gashua Area Command. 

The arrest comes as cases of sexual violence against women and children is increasingly recorded across the country.

On Wednesday, SaharaReporters detailed how residents in Nguru area of Yobe State expressed anger after the Nigeria Police Force set free a man, who serially raped a seven-year old refugee girl.

The resident, who spoke with SaharaReporters, said this was not the first time in Yobe that alleged rapists will be escaping justice.

"Last year a traditional ruler in Gashua was suspended for repeatedly sodomising a six-year-old boy. The traditional ruler was said to have been hijacking the boy every morning while riding on his bicycle to school, luring him to a room and raped him.

"Prominent politicians said to be connected to the traditional ruler were said to have been influencing the case and so far family of the victim's hope of getting justice has been dashed," he said.  See Also CRIME Anger In Yobe Community After Police Set Free 42-year-old Man Who Raped Seven-year-old Displaced Girl 0 Comments 1 Day Ago

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