Naval officer stabbed to death at Kawo bus stop in Kaduna

By: Zagazola Makama

A senior officer of the Nigerian Navy, Lt. Cdr. M. Buba, has been stabbed to death by a suspected robber in the Kawo area of Kaduna.

Zagazola Makama was informed by intelligence sources that the incident occurred at about 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, near the Kawo flyover bridge while the officer, a student of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, was attempting to fix a flat tyre on his vehicle.

Eyewitnesses said the assailant emerged from a nearby spot and demanded the officer’s mobile phone. When the officer resisted, the assailant reportedly stabbed him in the chest with a sharp object suspected to be a local knife.

A local vigilante, Suleiman Dahiru, who attempted to assist the officer, was also stabbed in the hand during the altercation.

The attacker was subsequently overpowered and lynched by an angry mob at the scene.

The naval officer was rushed to Manaal Hospital, where he was confirmed dead on arrival. His remains have since been deposited at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna, for further action.

Security sources told Zagazola that covert operations have been launched by troops, police, and other civil security agencies to identify and remove criminal elements loitering around strategic locations, including bus stops and other black spots in Kaduna metropolis.

Further updates on the operation are expected in due course.

Naval officer stabbed to death at Kawo bus stop in Kaduna

NSCDC Orders Mining Marshal to Withdraw Petition Against Police from Senate

By: Michael Mike

The leadership of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has expressed its displeasure at the petition allegedly filed by the Commander of the Mining Marshal, Attah Onoja before the senate committee on ethics, privileges and public petitions, over an alleged attack and shooting of its mining marshals by some Police officers including alleged obstruction of its efforts to prosecute illegal miners arrested in Nasarawa state.

A statement by the spokesman of NSCDC, Afolabi Babawale said the Commandant General (CG), Dr Ahmed Audi, has seen the action of the Commander of the Mining Marshal as outside his purview.

Babawale said the CG has reacted that by filing the petition without the authorisation of the management of the NSCDC, the Corps management therefore dissociates itself from the petition while the officer has been directed to immediately withdraw the said petition to allow for a smooth and amicable resolution of issues raised in the spirit of the robust interagency relationship between the Nigeria Police and the Corps as well as the harmonious working relationship between the IGP and the CG.

Babawale said the CG noted that the office of the IGP has been very supportive of the Corps’ operations by enjoining the Police to work closely with the Corps and other Services to enhance national security and the realisation of Mr Presidents RENEWED Hope Agenda

He disclosed that the management is already working out appropriate measures to take on the officer.

Babawale said the Commandant General has reiterated his determination to continue to effectively collaborate and synergize with the Nigeria Police in an avowed commitment to stamping out crime and criminality to make Nigeria safer and more secure.

He noted that the Corps helmsman has requested for a joint investigation with the police with a view to unravelling what actually transpired as we work towards finding a common ground

He appealed to the IGP for the embarrassment that the said petition may have caused.

The CG was quoted to have said: “I have spoken to the IGP on the matter and sincerely apologise for the embarrassment that the petition might have caused.

“I have also directed that the petition be withdrawn immediately with a view to resolving it administratively without any rancour.”

NSCDC Orders Mining Marshal to Withdraw Petition Against Police from Senate

OP-ED: “A RESCUE PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”

By: Michael Mike

This month, leaders will gather in Sevilla, Spain, on a rescue mission: to help fix how the world invests in sustainable development.

The stakes could not be higher. A decade after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and many global commitments to finance them, two-thirds of the targets are lagging. And the world is falling short by over $4 trillion annually in the resources developing countries need to deliver on these promises by 2030.

Meanwhile, the global economy is slowing, trade tensions are rising, aid budgets are being slashed while military spending soars, and international cooperation is under unprecedented strain.

The global development crisis is not abstract. It is measured in families going to bed hungry, children going unvaccinated, girls being forced to drop out of school and entire communities deprived of basic services.

We must correct course. That begins at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, where an ambitious, globally supported plan to invest in the Sustainable Development Goals must be adopted.

That plan should include three essential elements.

First, Sevilla must help accelerate the flow of resources to the countries who need it most. Fast.

Countries must be in the driver’s seat, mobilizing domestic resources by strengthening revenue collection and addressing tax evasion, money laundering and illicit financial flows through international cooperation. This would provide much-needed resources to prioritize spending on areas with the greatest impact such as education, healthcare, jobs, social protection, food security, and renewable energy.

At the same time, national development banks, regional and Multilateral Development Banks need to come together to finance major investments.

To support this, the lending capacity of these banks needs to triple so developing countries can better access capital on affordable terms with longer timelines.

This increased access should include re-channeling of unconditional reserve assets — or Special Drawing Rights — to developing countries, preferably through Multilateral Development Banks to multiply their impact.

Private investment is also essential. Resources can be unlocked by making it easier for private finance to support bankable development projects and by promoting solutions that mitigate currency risks and combine public and private finance more effectively.

Throughout, donors must keep their development promises.

Second, we must fix the global debt system. It is unfair and broken.

The current borrowing system is unsustainable, and developing countries have little confidence in it. It’s easy to see why. Debt service is a steamroller crushing development gains, to the tune of more than $1.4 trillion a year. Many governments are forced to spend more on debt payments than on essentials like health and education combined.

Sevilla must result in concrete steps to reduce borrowing costs, facilitate timely debt restructuring for countries burdened by unsustainable debt, and prevent debt crises from unfolding in the first place.

In advance of the conference, a number of countries put forward proposals to ease the debt burden on developing countries. This includes making it easier to pause debt service in times of emergency; establishing a single debt registry to strengthen transparency; and improving how the IMF, World Bank and credit-ratings agencies assess risks in developing countries.

Finally, Sevilla must raise the voice and influence of developing countries in the international financial system so it better serves their needs.

International financial institutions must reform their governance structures to enable greater voice and participation of developing countries in the management of the institutions they depend on.

The world also needs a fairer global tax system, one shaped by all governments — not just the wealthiest and most powerful.

The creation of a “borrowers club” for countries to coordinate their approaches and learn from one another is another promising step toward addressing power imbalances.

The meeting in Sevilla is not about charity. It’s about justice, and building a future in which countries can thrive, build, trade, and prosper together. In our increasingly interconnected world, a future of haves and have-nots is a recipe for even greater global insecurity that will keep weighing down progress for all.

With renewed global commitment and action, Sevilla can spark new momentum to restore a measure of faith in international cooperation and deliver on sustainable development for people and planet.

In Sevilla, leaders must act together to make this rescue mission a success.

OP-ED: “A RESCUE PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”