Newspaper review: Amnesty International blows hot over Plateau killings, holds FG solely responsible

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The major headlines from mainstream newspapers today, Friday, June 29, are focused on Amnesty International’s response to the Plateau killings, the tanker explosion in Lagos and the National Economic Council’s rejection of NNPC remittances to the Federation Account.

Kicking things off, Vanguard is focused on the response of Amnesty International to the recent killings in Plateau state.

According to the publication, the human rights organisation on Thursday, June 28, alleged that the federal government’s failure to call perpetrators to account is what has fueled the persistent herdsmen killings in the country.

The group claims that government’s failure to deal with the herdsmen has served as a source of encouragement to them.

Amnesty’s statement drew immediate reactions from Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere; its counterpart in the southeast, Ohanaeze Ndigbo; and elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, who all agreed that the group’s observation was spot on.

The presidency, however, did not react to the allegation; but referred it to the minister of information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who reportedly promised to react after studying the report and consulting with relevant government agencies.

Amnesty International holds FG responsible for Plateau killings

Front page of Vanguard, Friday, June 29 (Photo credit: NAIJ.com)

Towing the path of the previous publication, The Guardian also reports that Amnesty International blamed the federal government for the wanton killings across the country.

The group stated that the government had to “hold murderers to account;” and by so doing, was “encouraging impunity that is fuelling rising insecurity across the country.”

The human rights watchdog also said it independently verified estimated figures showing that since January 2018, at least 1813 people have been murdered in 17 states. It said this doubles the 894 people killed in 2017 and that the death tolls reflect killings as a result of farmers-herders conflict, communal clashes, Boko Haram attacks and banditry.

Front page of The Guardian, Friday, June 29 (Photo credit: NAIJ.com)

To a different - and also serious – issue, Punch reports that a petrol-laden tanker crashed and exploded at the Otedola Bridge, Lagos end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, on Thursday, June 28.

Nine people were killed during the accident and no fewer than 54 cars and commercial vehicles driving behind the tanker on the road were said to have been gutted by fire.

The publication reports that emergency management workers were mobilised to the scene to rescue commuters trapped in the accident.

The situation was further aggravated as some motorists, who made a U-turn and attempted to flee the scene of the incident, crashed into other vehicles.

Front page of Punch, Friday, June 29 (Photo credit: NAIJ.com)

The Nation is also focused on the fire incident at Otedola Bridge, Lagos. The publication adds that four people were injured – two of them critically – as they tried to escape the inferno.

The accident reportedly occurred around 5pm, peak period, as workers were returning home from work; and led to a serious traffic jam in the state.

A petrol-laden tanker had fallen while descending the bridge, spilling its contents which then caused a fire; and emergency workers had a tough time accessing the scene as a result of the traffic and the crowd that gathered nearby.

Front page of The Nation, Friday, June 29 (Photo credit: NAIJ.com)

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On its part however, This Day is focused on the current situation with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the National Economic Council (NEC).

According to the publication, NEC, on Thursday, June 28, threw its weight behind the Federation Account Allocation Committee’s (FAAC) decision to reject the remittance by the national oil corporation into the Federation Account in May.

On Wednesday, June 27, the meeting of the committee had ended in a stalemate as the NNPC failed to show up after failing to respond to the request of the committee to be more forthcoming with its operational accounts and remittances.

In a statement released on Thursday, the publication also defended itself over alleged shadowy accounting; contending that the prevailing stalemate was caused by the obstinacy of the nation’s 36 state governors.

Minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, in a chat with newsman however, said NNPC’s remittance had been rejected by FAAC, as it fell below expectation.