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Bishops Condemn Jihadi Attacks As Death Toll Hits 100

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Bishops Condemn Jihadi Attacks As Death Toll Hits 100

Catholic bishops in Nigeria have renewed their demands for an end to the killing of Christians in the country, saying there is “no justification for the continuous bloodletting”.

The statement comes in the wake of a spate of attacks in Benue State that left at least 100 people dead.

On June 1, armed groups believed to be Jihadist Fulani herdsmen struck communities in Gwer West and Apa counties, killing at least 43 people. Similar attacks had earlier taken place in several villages in Gwer that led to the deaths of 42 people.

In Plateau State, nearly 40 people were killed between June 1 and June 2, and between May 24 and 25,at least 50 civilians – most of them Christians were butchered by Fulani herdsmen in Munga Lelau and Munga Dasso-two farming communities in Karim-Lamido county in Taraba state.

And over 179 Christians were massacred in separate attacks in Nigeria’s Middle Belt during the Easter Triduum, between April 18–20.

According to Genocide Watch, over 45,000 Christians were killed between 2009 and March 2022. Approximately 30,000 moderate Muslims were also killed during the period.

Thousands of people have been forced to flee because of the attacks. According to the Catholic-inspired NGO, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety, Fulani herdsmen have already uprooted some 950 Christian communities in Nigeria’s South East, with the Fulani Jihadists taking over those communities.

Africa’s most populous nation has been the theater of anti-Christian killings since 2009, with Christian non-profit, Open Doors reporting that 3,100 Christians were killed in Nigeria in 2024 alone, and more than 2,000 kidnapped.

Catholic bishops in the country have once more spoken forcefully against the continued massacres.

The bishops said in their statement: “There is no justification whatsoever for the continuous bloodletting that has become the daily reality of many in Benue State and across Nigeria.

“The relentless attacks on innocent and defenseless communities under the watch of civil authorities constitute a grave moral and constitutional failure. Hence, this carnage must end.”

The bishops said they recognised the efforts of the Benue State Government to provide the population with much needed infrastructure and the payment of civil servants ‘salaries, but noted that such achievements ring hollow in the face of failure to protect citizens.

They said: “No matter how well a government pays salaries or builds roads, its failure to protect human lives renders its achievements hollow.

“The sanctity of human life is supreme. It is sacred. It is inviolable. Any government that fails to make the safety and protection of its citizens and their property its foremost priority abdicates its fundamental responsibility and moral legitimacy.”

In comments to Crux, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Abuja (pictured) said Christian communities have continued to grow in spite of the attacks.

“The spate of killings, kidnappings, and destruction of church personnel and facilities in Nigeria is a continuation of a situation Nigerians have had to deal with for many years,” Archbishop Kaigama said.

“The Christian communities in northern Nigeria, especially those in Plateau state, continue to endure violent attacks by armed groups.

“The Middle Belt region remains a hotbed for these brutal assaults, while the Islamic militant group Boko Haram is intensifying its activities against Christians in the Northeast. Boko Haram’s continued targeting of Christians in Northeastern Nigeria compounds the suffering.”

The archbishop blamed poor leadership and the resultant high levels of poverty for some of the killings.

Emeka Umeagbalasi, the director of Intersociety, said Christians are being targeted in a genocidal attempt to replace them with Muslims, an agenda which he believes is being pushed by the government.

In an interview with International Christian Concern, he noted that there has been a large radicalisation of the Nigerian military with “Jihadists conscripted through the backdoor into the country’s security forces”.

He said much of the radicalisation happened under former President, Muhamadu Buhari, who is a Fulani man himself.

The bishops said “every single death in such circumstances is a national tragedy and a scandal against our common humanity.”

They urged the Nigerian government-both at federal and state levels to take “immediate, firm, and sustained action to secure lives and restore hope to our people”.

As if the killings by fellow humans haven’t been enough, Nigeria also suffered its worst floods in 60 years when over 150 people were killed as floodwaters swept through Niger state.

Bishop Martin Igwemezie Uzoukwu of Minna said besides the deaths, the floods wiped out full communities, with the people losing virtually everything.

“Be assured of our prayers and our support as we work together to rebuild the community and restore hope to our people,” he said.

Thecatholicherald.com

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BREAKING: Tinubu Gives Three Fresh Appointments

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Nigeria, Benin Sign Integration Pact

President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of three indigenes of Oyo State to the Surveyors Council of Nigeria.

Naija News learnt that the latest development was confirmed in an appointment letter obtained by Punch, which was signed by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office, Ibrahim Abubakar, on behalf of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

Tinubu appointed Moshood Akinwande as President of the Surveyors Council of Nigeria, alongside Olusoji Adeoye and Olaribigbe Shiyanbola as members of the council representing Oyo State.

According to the letter, the new council members will be inaugurated on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at the SGF’s Hall, Shehu Shagari Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.

The letter read, “I write with reference to the above subject to forward herewith a copy of Mr President’s approval for the appointment of the President and members of the Surveyors Council of Nigeria and to convey the Secretary to the Government of the Federation’s approval for the inauguration of the council as follows.

“The new council members will be inaugurated on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at the SGF’s Hall, Shehu Shagari Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja.

“Members cut across various interest groups, including representatives of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors from the states, academic institutions offering surveying courses, the military, among others.”

Akinwande, a retired director in the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, is a native of Oyo town.

Adeoye is the Surveyor-General of Oyo State, while Shiyanbola, who hails from Ipapo in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of the state, is a former Oyo State Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors and former Secretary of the Board of Fellows of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors.

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Wike Gives Condition to Resign From Tinubu’s Cabinet, Video Surfaces 

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Tinubu and wike

Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has publicly dared critics to disprove road construction claims tied to President Bola Tinubu’s administration, staking his resignation on the figures he presented at a commissioning ceremony in Abuja on Friday, July 17, 2026.

Speaking during the inauguration of the reconstructed Arab/Gbazango road in Kubwa, Wike said 221 kilometres of roads have been completed out of 317 kilometres awarded across satellite towns in the FCT since Tinubu assumed office in May 2023

The minister directed his remarks at those he described as detractors of the administration’s urban renewal programme.

Wike said: “The people of the satellite towns have felt the impact of governance. It has never happened in the history of the administration of this country. “If there is anybody who has a contrary view, let him come out and challenge us that all these you are saying is not correct, I will resign as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory.”

The event was tagged “Day 28” of a running series of FCT project commissionings, reflecting what the minister characterised as an accelerated delivery of infrastructure across the capital territory.

Legit reports that the Arab/Gbazango Road in Kubwa was among the projects cited as evidence of Tinubu’s administration’s ‘commitment to completing long-neglected routes in residential communities surrounding Abuja’s city centre’.

Wike’s remarks come amid ongoing debate between government officials and opposition figures over the pace and scale of federal infrastructure delivery.

While the minister presented the kilometre figures as evidence of tangible progress, critics have continued to question the scope and quality of projects executed under the current FCT administration

Watch Wike’s video below:

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6MjoWICVfrgvYOI845/694

 

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BREAKING: Mystery Deepens as Fresh Details Emerge in Mary Habila’s Death at Tinubu Minister’s House

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The Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice has recommended that a post-mortem examination be conducted to determine the cause of death of 26-year-old Mary Habila, who was found dead at the Uburu residence of the Minister of Works, David Umahi.

The recommendation was contained in a legal advice dated July 15, 2026, and addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ebonyi State Police Command.Radio

According to the document, reportedly obtained by SaharaReporters, the advice followed a police investigation into Habila’s death at the minister’s residence on June 27.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) stated that the evidence contained in the police case file was insufficient to establish the cause of her death.

The legal advice noted that Habila was found alone and unresponsive in her apartment, adding that investigators were unable to determine what led to her death based on the available evidence.

According to the DPP, there was nothing in the investigation to suggest that Habila had any known illness or underlying health condition before her sudden death.

“There was no evidence that the deceased was indisposed, sick or unstable health-wise prior to her sudden death, as she was full of life at the time she returned to Uburu in company of her team,” the document stated.

The ministry argued that, in the absence of any known medical condition, a scientific examination was necessary to establish the actual cause of death.

“From the foregoing, therefore, the question that would readily come to mind is what exactly caused the deceased’s sudden death?” the DPP queried.

It maintained that a post-mortem examination remained the most appropriate means of providing investigators with a clear direction.

“This curiosity under the law can only be resolved through a post-mortem examination, so as to provide a clue to the police as to the direction of their investigation,” the legal advice added.

The Ministry of Justice further stated that the police could either honour the family’s reported wish to proceed with burial without an autopsy or exercise their statutory powers to order the examination.

“It is therefore the view of this office that the police invoke their discretionary power to either respect the request of the deceased’s family or proceed with the post-mortem examination,” the DPP stated.

The recommendation comes amid growing public interest and conflicting reports over the release of Habila’s body for burial.

Her father, Baba Habila, reportedly visited a morgue in Ebonyi State to receive her remains ahead of a planned burial in Nok, Kaduna State, but declined to comment to journalists.

The family was also reported to have indicated that it did not intend to request an autopsy.

However, Habila’s body had reportedly not been released as investigators continued to consider the Ministry of Justice’s recommendation.

According to reports, Habila arrived at Umahi’s residence on June 26 alongside another woman identified as Anita Baski and was found unresponsive the following morning.

The case was initially reported at the Ohaozara Divisional Police Headquarters before it was transferred to the Ebonyi State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

Minister of Works David Umahi later confirmed that Habila died at his residence, describing her as a physiotherapist seconded from the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences to the Federal Ministry of Works.

Umahi also disclosed that he had encouraged the family to consent to an autopsy to establish the cause of death.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters, citing unnamed police sources, reported that investigators were examining aspects of Habila’s employment history and her relationship with the university and the Federal Ministry of Works.

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