The recently reported abduction of more than 400 pupils of Government Science Secondary School in Kankara District, Katsina State, North West, Nigeria is distressful and of great concern for the welfare and wellbeing of the kidnapped children. Our thoughts and prayers are with the children, their families and friends, at this most difficult time.
Corruption is often the difference between the flourishing wealth with stability of nations and the crippling poverty with prevalent entropy in others. It has a major impact on the effectiveness or otherwise of institutional frameworks and a sine qua non of the moral and ethical direction of society. Corruption is a major threat to building a better world; one which thrives on meritocracy and guarantees equal access to resources and opportunities, significantly instilling public trust in public institutions and officials.
Creating and empowering equality and inclusivity ensures that we play our part to guarantee the rights of all humans to pursue happiness and have a sense of belonging. An all-inclusive society is one built around fairness driven by empathy and innovation - one that leaves no one behind.
The news of the gruesome murder, by terrorists, of 43 farmers on rice fields at Zabarmari, Jere Local Government Area of Borno State in North Eastern Nigeria, is shocking and saddening.
Saturday's attack, the latest in a seemingly endless cycle of murders in the north east especially, and in other parts of Nigeria, represents one of the most barbaric mass executions since the beginning of the insurgency. This unchecked rampage of terrorists poses a continuing challenge to the Nigerian State and its security organs in combating the menace. The situation is increasingly becoming one of despair, with no solution in sight as swathes of territory are daily coming under the control of marauding Boko Haram terrorists and other sundry armed bandits.
Today, the world observes the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls. On the 20th of December 1993, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and, on 7th November 2000, officially designated 25th November of every year as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Nigerians have been jolted by the news that the bank accounts of 20 alleged supporters of the #EndSARS protests have been frozen by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The apex bank had obtained a court order to freeze the accounts claiming it was conducting an investigation into the accounts. In one instance, one of the supporters was prevented from travelling by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) while others were being targeted for arrest.
We condemn without equivocation the attack on unarmed and peaceful protesters in Lekki as well as the looting, destruction of government and private properties, assaults on police stations and policemen, prison-breaks and attacks on innocent Nigerians by thugs. The wanton violence unleashed across Nigeria in the past few hours following the shooting of unarmed protesters at Lekki by people in military uniform, is harrowing and disheartening.
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