New York apartment fire leaves 19 people, including 9 children, dead

A massive fire that engulfed a residential apartment building in the Bronx in New York City on Sunday, left 19 people, including 9 children, dead, according to the city’s Mayor, Eric Adams.

He described the incident as “one of the worst fires the city had experienced in modern times.

“This is a horrific, horrific, painful moment for the city of New York, and the impact of this fire is going to really bring a level of just pain and despair in our city,” Adams said.

“This is going to be one of the worst fires that we have witnessed during modern times here in the city of New York,” Adams said.

“I am horrified by the devastating fire in the Bronx today,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Twitter. “My heart is with the loved ones of all those we’ve tragically lost, all of those impacted and with our heroic FDNY firefighters. The entire State of New York stands with New York City,” he added.

The blaze also injured 63 people, with 32 hospitalised with life-threatening conditions, according to Daniel Nigro, the New York City Fire Department Commissioner.

In a press conference shortly after the fire, Nigro attributed the inferno to a “malfunctioning electric space heater”.

He said the heater was in the bedroom of an apartment, and the fire consumed the room, before engulfing the entire apartment.

“The apartment door was left open and smoke spread throughout the building when the residents left their unit,” Nigro said.

“Victims were found in stairways on every floor of the building, many in cardiac arrest. This could be an unprecedented loss of life. The injuries were predominantly from smoke inhalation.

“Firefighters kept attempting to save people from the building despite running out of air tank. Some of the residents who were trying to leave the building could not escape because of the volume of smoke.”

The residential apartment where the fire occurred is 50 years old and has 120 units, and housed a largely Muslim population, with many immigrants from West African country, the Gambia.

ECOWAS imposes sanctions on Mali over transition programme delay

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Sunday imposed economic sanctions on Mali over the delay in the country’s transition programme.

The sub-regional body took the decision at its extraordinary summit held in Accra, Ghana.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, ECOWAS described as totally unacceptable the Malian government’s plan to hold elections in 2025.

The member countries insisted that the presidential and parliamentary elections slated for next month must go ahead.

They also agreed to impose sanctions including the closure of land and air borders and suspension of non-essential financial transactions, among others on the landlocked nation with immediate effect.

Mali was thrown into a constitutional crisis in August 2020 following the sack of the country’s President, Ibrahim Keita, in a military coup.

The military junta led by Col. Assimi Goita later detained the President and Prime Minister Boubacar Cisse in a military formation outside the country’s capital, Bamako.

The duo resigned from their positions shortly after their release by the junta.

Backed by ECOWAS, the country put in place an 18-month transition timetable slated to end on September 15 last year.

Long distance couple aged 72 and 69 separated by covid-19, marry after 20 months apart.

A long-distance couple who spent 20 months apart due to Covid-19 travel restrictions recently got married.

Australian man, Chris Quealy, 72, was given dispensation to leave Australia, after he proposed to Penny Steven, 69, from Amersham, England, over Zoom video calling app in 2020.

The couple were reunited at Heathrow Airport, UK in October 2021 and their wedding took place in Buckinghamshire on Saturday, January 8.

Quealy said it was “brilliant” to finally be husband and wife. “We are now man and wife,” Quealy said.

“It’s taken a long time and a lot of challenges but we are here – we did it, we did it, we did it!”
The couple said their wedding day was “beautiful”

The wedding was live-streamed for Chris’s family in Australia who were unable to travel for the occasion die to Covid-19 rules.
“All the family got to see it so that’s the main thing,” Penny said.
Penny, a mum of four, met grandfather Chris, who is from the Gold Coast in Australia, in May 2015, during a solo trip in Spain.

The couple regularly travelled the 10,000 or so miles between their homes, with Penny returning to Amersham England, from her last visit to Australia on 3 February 2020.
Chris was supposed to payback with his own visit to the UK to see her but lockdown hit in March 2020.

Luckily for Chris, in August, the Australian government granted him a travel exemption so the couple could get married in England.
Penny said it had been a “very tough” time for the couple, who had been having twice-daily phone conversations.
“It has made us stronger,” she said.

OUR MCM FOR TODAY IS HAZEL OYEZE ONOU POPULARLY KNOWN AS WHITEMONEY.

Hazel Oyeze Onou (born 6 July 1992), popularly known as Whitemoney is a Nigerian singer, song writer and reality TV star. He is the winner of Big Brother Naija season 6.

Whitemoney is an Igbo man from Enugu State, Nigeria, but he grew up in Kaduna State.[5] Growing up, Whitemoney didn’t go further than NECO level in his academic pursit.

Growing up in Kaduna State, Whitemoney left to Lagos in search for occupations. He ventured into different businesses such as commercial photography, barbering, repairing generators, and fixing telecommunication towers among others. He also invested in importing and selling shoes.

Whitemoney has produced a few songs including “Rosemary” (2018), “Your Life” (2018), and “My Heart” (2021). On 3rd of December 2021 he released a single ‘Selense’ which was produced by Masterkraft, the song was released alongside it’s video.

Whitemoney entered the 6th season of Big Brother Naija as the fifth contestant on 24 July 2021.

During the season finale of the show on 3 October 2021, he was declared the winner scoring 47% of the final votes ahead of Liquorose with 22.99% of the total votes cast and was entitled to the ₦90 million grand prize.

UK surpasses 150,000 COVID-19 deaths

More than 150,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom since the pandemic began more than two years ago, the government said on Saturday.

Six other countries – the United States, Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico, and Peru – have exceeded the 150,000 mark on COVID-19 fatalities since the pandemic first hit the world through Wuhan, China, in 2019.

The victims, according to the UK Office of National Statistics, died within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test since the pandemic began.

A further 313 deaths were reported by the government on Saturday, taking the toll to 150,057.

In his address to the journalists, Prime Minister Boris Johnson described every death recorded during the pandemic as a profound loss to friends and affected communities.

He said: “The COVID-19 had taken a terrible toll on our country and our way out of this pandemic is for everyone to get their booster or their first or second dose if they haven’t yet.

The UK has also recorded 146,390 new cases, with the more transmissible variant, Omicron, driving the surge in infections.

Kazakhstan President orders security forces to ‘kill protesters without warning’

Kazakhstan President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has come under fire after he reportedly ordered security forces to “kill without warning” to crush the violent protests that have paralyzed the former Soviet Republic, leaving dozens dead.

In a public address on Friday, Tokayev condemned the unrest that began earlier in the week, as citizens took to the streets to protest against rising fuel prices, stressing that the uprising had been “masterminded by well-trained terrorist bandits from both inside and outside the country.”

Kazakh state media reported that 18 security personnel and 26 “armed criminals had been killed in the violent protests,” with more than 3,000 people arrested and currently in detention.

In the defiant speech, Tokayev said the situation had “stabilized” in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty, and that the “introduction of a state of emergency is yielding results.”

But terrorists continue to damage state and private property and use weapons against citizens.

“I gave the order to law enforcement agencies and the army to open fire to kill without warning,” he said.

Tokayev lamented that the violence was the product of a well-organized enemy, armed with sleeper cells carrying out “terrorist attacks” and “specialists trained in ideological sabotage, skillfully using disinformation or ‘fakes’ and capable of manipulating people’s moods.”

The speech which had drawn wide condemnation from world leaders and human rights groups, is seen as attempts to “undermine the narrative that the demonstrations were a product of popular unrest that turned increasingly destructive and deadly,” one of the leaders of the protests said while speaking with journalists.

Two Haitian journalists burned alive by gang

Two Haitian journalists have been killed by a gang who set them on fire and burned them alive in the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, on Thursday, according to the Haitian Security Forces (HSF), in a statement.

The HSF statement on Friday, stated that the murder of the journalists, who were covering the security situation in the country which saw a recent failed assassination attempt on the President, was carried out by the ‘Ti Makak Gang’ in the Petion-Ville neighborhood of Port-au-Prince.

The statement did not give any motive and details of the attack, but named one of the journalists as John Wesley Amady, a reporter with Haitian media outlet, Radio Écoute FM, while a third journalist managed to escape the attack.

Radio Écoute FM also confirmed that one of its journalists, Amady, was killed in the attack while he was on assignment documenting the lack of security in the area.

“Amady was savagely shot and burned alive by armed bandits.

We condemn with the utmost rigor this criminal and barbaric act,” Radio Écoute FM said in a statement, calling it a “serious attack on the right to life.”

The radio station has also suspended operations until further notice “as a sign of solidarity with the family of the victim,” the statement said.

The attacks came against the backdrop of extreme violence and deteriorating security conditions in Port-au-Prince, with rival gang groups battling one another or the police for control of the streets, displacing tens of thousands of people in one of the poorest nations in the Americas.

Colombian arraigned in US for alleged involvement in Haitian President’s murder

A Colombian has been arraigned in a court in the United States for alleged involvement in the assassination of Haitian President, Jovenel Moise, last year.

Moise was killed in his bedroom in July 2021.

The suspect, Mario Palacios, was extradited to the US from Panama on Tuesday, was arraigned in a court at Southern District of Florida on Wednesday.

Palacios was one of the few suspects that managed to escape from the country after Moise’s assassination, eventually ending up in Jamaica, where he was captured by authorities for entering the country illegally.

The US Department of Justice confirmed the development in a statement.

“The three countries (Panama, Colombia, and United States) were in constant contact coordinating this deportation and the last extradition to the United States yesterday,” said the director general of the National Police of Colombia, Gen. Jorge Luis Vargas Valencia.”

France discovers new covid variant with 46 mutations

French scientists have discovered a new Covid-19 variant named B.1.640.2, believed to contain 46 mutations of the original strain of the virus.

The new variant was reportedly discovered by experts in the south of France, with scientists expressing concerns over another global Coronavirus pandemic.

“It is believed that the first case originated from travel into the country from Cameroon,” a report on Wednesday said.

A pre-print paper on the new variant said 12 people have tested positive for the strain in the same region of France, the report added.

“The B.1.640 variant has already been defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a variant under monitoring.

This strain of the virus was first discovered by scientists in the Republic of Congo in September 2021, before the Omicron variant.

Virologist Tom Peacock, of Imperial College London, tweeted:

“There haven’t been any new variant sequences uploaded since before Christmas.

“This virus has had a decent chance to cause trouble but never really materialised as far as we can tell at least.

“Not one worth worrying about too much at the moment.”

Suspect in South Africa’s Parliament fire appears in court

South African police on Tuesday arraigned a man arrested in connection with the fire incident at the country’s parliament building, Zandile Christmas Mafe.

He was arraigned on a four- count charge of arson, theft, house breaking and contravention of the National Key Points Acts at a Magistrates Court in Cape Town.

The suspect was arrested on the premises of the Parliament complex by police after they noticed the fire on Sunday.

The fire destroyed South Africa’s main Parliament chamber, offices and other buildings nearby from Sunday morning and flared up again on Monday when winds picked up and burnt through other offices before firefighters managed to put it out by midnight.

The South African National Prosecuting Authority spokesman, Eric Ntabazalila, told journalists outside the court that Mafe was also found with an explosive device but didn’t give further details.

The Spokesman for the police Hawks Special Investigative Unit, Nomthandazo Mbambo, said the force would not rule out more arrests on the incident.

He said: “We are going to be conducting a full investigation and we think there may be other people involved but at this stage, the focus is on this one until the investigation can dictate otherwise.”

Police arrests three teenagers for alleged attempted ritual killing in Bayelsa

Police operatives in Bayelsa have arrested three teenage boys for alleged attempted ritual killing in the state.

The spokesman for the state police command, Asinim Butswat, who confirmed the development to journalists on Tuesday listed the suspects as Emomotimi Magbisa, (16), Perebi Aweke (15), and Eke Prince (15).

He said the three boys were arrested on Monday after they allegedly lured one Endeley Comfort to Emomotimi’s apartment at Sagbama community in the state.

He added that the suspects cut the victim’s finger and sprinkled the blood on a mirror for heinous purposes.

Butswat said: “The vigilant girl noticed the suspects’ suspicious movements and raised an alarm.

“The suspects were subsequently arrested and some substances suspected to be charms were recovered from them. The suspects have confessed to the crime while the victim was rushed to the hospital for treatment.”

Following the passing on of former Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji Ajeoguguniso 1, crisis looms.

Following the passing on of the 41st Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji Ajeoguguniso 1, crisis is about to be unravelled concerning who will become the next king.

Recall that during the previous administration in Oyo state , the former governor, Late Senator Ajimobi crowned 20 kings excluding Senator Rashidi Ladoja.
In accordance to the customary law of any Yoruba town, an oba (King) cannot be crowned twice.
This puzzle is yet to be unravelled, as legal practitioners advice the current governor of Oyo state , Governor Seyi Makinde, about the way out , as there is need to crown another king.

Below is the letter addressed to the recent governor of Oyo state, Governor Seyi Makinde.

‘Why former lawmaker, Lekan Balogun can’t become next Olubadan,’ Oyo ex-commissioner tells Makinde

A former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Oyo State, Michael Lana, has explained why a former federal lawmaker, Chief Lekan Balogun, should not succeed the late Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji.

Oba Adetunji died at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, in the early hours of Sunday.

Balogun, who is the Otun Olubadan, is the most senior chief in the ancient city and next in line to the throne.

In a letter titled: “INSTALLATION OF A NEW OLUBADAN OF IBADANLAND,” dated January 3, 2020, and addressed to Governor Seyi Makinde, the ex-commissioner stressed that Balogun was unfit to be crowned as the next head of the ancient city.

He reminded the governor that his predecessor the late Abiola Ajimobi, had in 2017 conferred on the ex-lawmaker and some high chiefs and Baales the title of Obaship and gave them the right to wear beaded crowns and coronets.

Lana urged Governor Makinde to tread softly on the matter, saying the installation of Balogun as Olubadan of Ibadan would amount to an illegality.

The development is expected to trigger a prolonged legal tussle in the efforts to appoint a successor for the departed monarch.

The letter read: “May I humbly draw your attention to a traditional aberration and illegality that may occur in an attempt to install another Olubadan of Ibadanland, in view of the existence of Suit No.!/22/2020-HRM OBA (SENATOR) LEKAN BALOGUN & ORS V GOVERNOR OF OYO STATE & ORS.

“Kindly note, Your Excellency, that your predecessor in office, without thinking of the legal effects of his actions on the future of Ibadan traditional institution, conferred the title of Obaship on some High Chiefs and Baales and gave them the right to wear beaded Crowns and coronets, in 2017.”

“This action was challenged in Suit No. M317/2017-HIGH CHIEF RASHIDI LADOJA V THE GOVERNOR OF OYO STATE. The High Court per Aiki 1, nullified the said conferment, which was actually a total contravention of both the Chiefs Law and the Ibadan chieftaincy customary law.

“However, the Court of Appeal, in Appeal No.CA/IB/99/2018 set aside the said judgment of Aiki J on technical grounds without touching on the merit of the case and sent the case back for retrial.

“Upon your Excellency’s assumption of office, it was resolved that the matter be settled amicably and same was settled through the instrumentality of a Terms of Settlement which became the judgment of the Court. The said Terms of Settlement recognised the illegality of the said actions and therefore set aside the Gazettes by which the said Chiefs became Obas with a right to wear beaded Crowns and coronets.

“These High Chiefs and Baales, were dissatisfied with this Consent Judgment and therefore instituted two separate suits to set aside the Consent Judgment while at the same time clinging to the title of Obas(which actually is in contempt of court). On of these cases is Suit No: Suit No.1/22/2020-HRM OBA (SENATOR) LEKAN BALOGUN & ORS V GOVERNOR OF OYO STATE & ORS.

“Now, may I draw your Excellency’s attention to the fact that in committing this aberration which changed the Ibadan Chieftaincy customary law, the Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration of 1957 was not amended and therefore remains extant. Under that Declaration and all relevant laws, no Oba can ascend to the throne of Olubadan. In other words, as long as the High Chiefs still cling to the title of Oba, they cannot ascend to that throne and any installation of any of them during the pendency of that suit, is illegal, null, and void.

“In the entire history of Ibadanland, we have never had such a situation where the legality or otherwise of the installation of the Olubadan would be an issue and this was what your predecessor did not take into consideration before venturing into an illegal journey. Ibadan Chieftaincy elevation had always been smooth and without any rancour to the envy of all other towns.

“It is in line with this legal situation that I advice, most humbly, that you should withhold any approval of any High Chief to become the Olubadan so that you will not also join in the desecration of Ibadan Chieftaincy Customary law.

“There are only two ways to deal with this situation: one is for the High Chiefs to withdraw the aforementioned cases and the other is to wait for the Court to pronounce on it before any step is taken to install an Olubadan. If the court holds that they have the right to be Obas and entitled to wear beaded crowns, then they are perpetually barred from becoming another Oba. Nowhere in the customary law of any Yoruba town is an Oba elevated to become another Oba.

“If, on the other hand, the Court holds that the Terms of Settlement stands, and their obaship title is illegal, then they are free to be elevated to the post of Olubadan. The ball, your Excellency, is in their court.

“I wish you well as you consider, as an Ibadan man and as Governor, your place in history.”

OUR MCM FOR TODAY IS TOBI BAKRE.

Tobi Bakre (born 1 June 1994) is a Nigerian actor, model, host, compere, and photographer. Tobi rose to fame after finishing up as a finalist in the Big Brother Naija (season 3) reality TV show in 2018.

Tobi was born into the family of four children, among which include his older brother, Femi Bakre, CEO of Kraks TV and two sisters. He earned his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Lagos where he graduated with a Second Class Honours Upper Division in Banking and Finance.

Tobi used to be an investment banker having worked in the office of the Accountant General of the Federation and in the banking industry for four years. He participated in the Big Brother Naija (season 3) reality TV show. He’s brand ambassador to Unilever, Amstel Malta, and Jumia in and out of Nigeria.

The Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji, has passed away.

The Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji, has passed away. He was 93 years old.
The PUNCH gathered that the monarch died at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Oyo State.
His death was confirmed by palace sources who pleaded anonymity.

However, when contacted, the monarch’s aides neither confirmed his death nor denied it.
“Even if he is dead, it is the governor that will announce it,” one of his media aides said when contacted on the telephone.
Another aide said in Yoruba, “You don’t hear bad news from a priest,” and cut the phone.

Efforts to reach Taiwo Adisa, media aide to the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, proved abortive as of the time of filing this report.
Adetunji, who was crowned the 41st Olubadan on March 4, 2017, was born on August 26, 1928.
He was the first of 17 children of his parents.

Sunday Igboho’s New Year message for 2022

Let it be abundantly clear that I am not at war with President Buhari, State Governors or anybody in government. What I want the government to do is address the genesis of my agitation for a Yoruba Nation. The genesis is the insecurity in Ibarapaland and other places in the entire Yorubaland where farmers are habitually maimed, hacked to death, kidnapped and raped as if there are no security agents in the country. Everybody deserves to be protected and ought to feel safe in their country regardless of their tribe, religion or political leaning.

At some point, our people became helpless and could no longer go to their farmlands again. Scores of farmers were butchered to death in 2021 and the government pretended that all was okay. No, this must not continue and this was why I rose to stop the menace. I did not speak up to fight government, I spoke up to ensure the protection of my people and land.

In 2022, the government must rise up and put an end to the havoc caused by herdsmen that are criminals and give everyone a sense of belonging – whether foreigners or locals — and stop the attack on my people in Yorubaland.

I am not selfish and this has never been about me. I am more concerned about the helpless citizens who buried their loved ones to aimless killings in 2021 and I pray that the Almighty God through divine intervention stops the killings of innocent people in Nigeria in 2022 and beyond.

In 2022, it would indeed be to my greatest satisfaction to see my people live without fear and with the confidence that their lives matter if no place else then in their own homes, lands and farms. This is my abiding hope for my people, so help me God.

Pelumi Olajengbesi Esq.,
For: Chief Sunday Adeyemo aka Igboho OSA!

Ooni of Ife and Olori Naomi reportedly reconciled by elders, former Ondo governorship aspirant Prince Eniola Ojajuni claims.

The Ooni of Ife and Olori Silekunola Moronke Naomi have reportedly reconciled after a meeting between some elders and Naomi’s family.

This claim was made by Prince Eniola Ojajuni, a former Ondo State governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

As an indigene of Ondo state, where Olori Naomi is from, Prince took to Facebook to give updates on the Yoruba royal couple’s relationship.

He claimed that elders from the Ooni’ side (Ile Ife) and elders from Akure, where Olori Naomi is from, met on the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 29, to help reconcile the couple.

He alleged that the meeting held in Akure and that the Olori’s mother “asked for forgiveness” on her daughter’s behalf.

“Battle is over!” He wrote alongside a photo of the Olori being led to a waiting car by Palace aides and uniformed officials.

He shared another post, welcoming the Olori back to the source (palace).

Despite Prince Eniola Ojajuni’s claim that the couple has reconciled, Olori Naomi’s post announcing the end of her marriage to the Ooni remains on her Instagram account.

Toke Makinwa receives five Botox injections, reveals it’s the secret to her ‘eternal glow’

Media personality and TV host, Toke Makinwa, has shared the secret to her youthful and flawless skin tone.

Taking to her Instagram story, the OAP posted videos of her receiving five injections believed to be Botox on her face.

Botox helps to temporarily soften wrinkles on the face and treat some skin conditions.

Toke Makinwa captioned; “5 point injections for my eternal glow this season.”

Falana berates Buhari for opposing direct primaries despite ‘being a beneficiary’

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana has criticised the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the amendment in the Electoral Bill while noting that he was a beneficiary of direct primary.

Falana made this assertion on Tuesday in the aftermath of diverging opinions on the President’s decision to rule out direct primaries in the electoral process.

Ripples Nigeria had reported that the President asked the National Assembly to remove the controversial clause on direct primaries from the bill and return the proposed law to him for assent.

Nonetheless, Falana frowned on the decision explaining how misleading it was and its ramifications for the polity.

The reason adduced for the rejection of the Electoral Amendment Bill is grossly misleading. Section 87 of the current Electoral Act provides for either direct or indirect primaries. In fact, the APC used direct primary for the emergence of its presidential candidate in 2019. In other words, President Buhari is a beneficiary of direct primary.

“By rejecting the Bill on the ground that it provided for direct primary the President decided to throw away the baby and the bathwater. Thus, the President rejected electronic voting which he had endorsed when he admitted that he is a beneficiary of electronic accreditation of voters by the use of card readers.

“With respect, direct primary is in consonance with section 223 of the Constitution which has imposed a duty on political parties to elect their officers through democratic elections. There is no provision in the Constitution for the imposition of candidates by money bags through indirect primaries.

The INEC has submitted a bill of N305 billion for the entire 2023 general elections. So who conjured the figure of N500 billion for the primaries to give the impression that it is an expensive venture?

“In any case, since electronic voting had been adopted by the National Assembly it was going to be used for both primary and general elections.

So the cost would have been significantly reduced. The fear of insecurity is a red herring in that political parties have continued to hold huge rallies even in defiance of Covid 19 restrictions imposed by the Federal Government.

“Having rejected to assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill in 2018 and 2021, President Buhari has confirmed beyond any shadow of a doubt that his administration will not allow the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct credible elections in 2023 and thereafter.
‘”That is going to be the tragic legacy of the President and the ruling party that was campaigning for electoral reforms before the 2015 general elections.

“The challenge before the National Assembly is to invoke the provision of section 58 (5) of the Constitution to pass the Bill into law by the resolution of a two-thirds majority of the members.

However, if the national assembly cannot muster the required two-thirds majority, section 87 of the Act which allows direct or indirect primaries should be left intact so that the other provisions of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2021 can be passed again by the legislators and assented to by the President,” Falana explained.

Buhari vows to bring perpetrators of Nasarawa killings to justice

The Presidency says President Muhammadu Buhari is deeply saddened over the murder of 45 farmers in reprisal attacks in Lafia, Obi and Awe Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State.

Ripples Nigeria had reported how 45 people were killed in renewed hostility between farmers and herders in the affected local government areas of the state.

Over 20 people were also injured while around 5,000 people were also reported to have been displaced in the crisis which was confirmed by the police in a statement on Monday.

According to a statement on Wednesday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, titled ‘Nasarawa killings heart wrenching, says President Buhari,’ the President expressed his condolence to the people and government of the state and vowed that those involved will be brought to book.

In the condolence message, Shehu quoted the President as saying:

“I assure the people with all seriousness and sensitivity that this administration is doing its best to safeguard the security of people and will leave no stone unturned in fishing out the perpetrators of this senseless and barbaric incident, and bring them to justice.”

“The President also expressed condolences to the government and people of the State and expressed satisfaction with the immediate response of the State government to the incident,” Garba said.

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