Newspaper review: It’s unjust to say I’m silent on killings by herdsmen - Buhari

macfranc007 June 27, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Naija news 24/7 Aanu Adegun

The newspaper review for Wednesday June 27, leads with President Buhari's statement in Plateau state where he said it was unjust to say he was silent over deaths reportedly caused by herdsmen among other stories.

Vanguard reports that the death toll in last weekend’s attacks on some villages in three local government areas of Plateau state by herdsmen has hit 135, as President Muhammadu Buhari visited the troubled state yesterday.

The attacks which continued on Monday, despite the dawn-to-dusk curfew imposed on the three local government areas by the Plateau state government, claimed 15 persons more as at yesterday in Dorowa Babuje village in Barkin Ladi local government area.

The new toll came as the vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who was on an on-the-spot visit to Plateau state on Monday, warned against religious war in the country, even as the the inspector-general of police, Ibrahim Idris, yesterday removed the state police commissioner, Undie Adie, who was redeployed to force headquarters in Abuja.

On the fresh attacks on Dorowa Babuje village in Bakin Ladi local government area, Monday, residents said the 15 victims were killed as their houses were also razed by the attackers.

Vanguard newspaper for Wednesday, June 27. Photo credit: snapshot from NAIJ.com.

The Guardian reports that the Lagos state commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, has ordered the destruction of a shrine located under the Opebi link bridge allegedly belonging to members of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC).

Edgal, who led detectives to the shrine yesterday said the operators carry out trial on their victims and declare judgment against them. According to him, going by the items found in the shrine, some of the victims were tortured to force them to own up to a particular crime they are being tried for.

He said three persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in activities around the shrine, while three POS machines allegedly being used to extort money from victims were recovered. Aside the three POS machines, other items found at the shrine included mobile telephones and ATM cards belonging to some victims.

The Guardian newspaper for Wednesday, June 27. Photo credit: snapshot from NAIJ.com.

The Punch reports that President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday faulted those who accused him of being silent on killings being carried out by suspected herdsmen in parts of the country.

He said there was injustice in such aspersions.

According to a statement by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, the President spoke during an interactive session with stakeholders in Jos, Plateau State, over the recent attacks that left scores of people dead.

Buhari said people were blaming him for not talking to the herdsmen probably because he looked like them.

He appealed to Nigerians to avoid inflammatory utterances that could endanger peace or promote conflicts.

The president said: “Whatever is being given to the media, we have to be very responsible about it.

‘‘Take for instance the situation in Benue. The Benue subsistence farmer knows that the Nigerian cattle herder that he knows doesn’t carry nothing more than a stick, occasionally sometimes something to cut grass to feed his cattle.

‘‘But the present herder, I am told, carries AK47 and people are even blaming me for not talking to them because maybe (they say) I look like one of them.

The Punch newspaper for Wednesday, June 27. Photo credit: snapshot from NAIJ.com.

The Nation reports that power generation and distribution have been decentralised to guarantee uninterrupted supply, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said.

He said availability of power supply will attract more foreign investment.

The vice president spoke at a town hall meeting with youths at the Theophilus Ogunlesi University Teaching Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

He said he was in Ibadan for the provision of solar power in Gbagi Market as he had done in other parts of the country.

He said: ”One of the reasons I am here in Ibadan is to have off-grid power generation and distribution in Gbagi market. We want to embark on solar power generation in the entire Gbagi market and we are going to have that in all the markets across Nigeria.

“For those of you who are following our activities, you will know that we have done it in Sabon Gari in Kano state and in some markets in the east and in Ondo state too. We are doing this not to rely on the traditional sources of power generation again.

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“We also have something we called Illegible Customer Declaration (ICD) which means that industrial areas and big estates can have their own power without relying on the traditional grid.

“So there are companies that we are licensing to buy power and sell to their customers. This country is too big to have same power source for the whole country and that is why we are trying to decentralise the sources of power generation.

“Then, we will be able to supply what is left for residential areas that require power in the country. We have a systematic approach to solving power generation in the country. We are having the power problems because the privatisation was done badly.”