Nigeria: Press spotlights outrage over accidental bombing of 85 persons in Kaduna village by warplane, others

APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The report of widespread outrage on Monday over the accidental bombing of Tudun Biri in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State in northern Nigeria by the Nigerian Army on Sunday, which left no fewer than 85 villagers dead dominates the headlines of Nigerian newspapers on Tuesday.
The Punch reports that there was widespread outrage on Monday over the accidental bombing of Tudun Biri in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State by the Nigerian Army on Sunday, which left no fewer than 85 villagers dead.
Residents of the affected communities said they were celebrating Maulud, an Islamic event when the bombs were dropped by the military, a development that triggered both local and international condemnation.
The Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Hadiza Balarabe, had to visit Islamic clerics in the state to douse tension, as the Governor of the state, Senator Uba Sani, ordered a thorough investigation into the bombing to forestall future occurrences.
As the state government moved to douse tension, the Christian Association of Nigeria, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International, among others, condemned the recurrent erroneous bombings by the military.
This came as findings by The PUNCH showed that no fewer than 425 persons including children and women had been killed by military accidental bombings between September 2017 and 2023.
The state government said the Nigerian Army claimed responsibility for dropping the bomb on Tudun Biri that killed scores of villagers during a Maulud celebration.
The newspaper says that the Federal High Court sitting in Dawaki, Abuja, on Monday, convicted four Boko Haram financiers.
They are Modu Aisami, Zana Zarama, Umar Mohammed, and Bunu Kame.
The office of the Attorney General of the Federation disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
The AGF’s Special Assistant on Communication and Publicity, Kamarudeen Ogundele, said the prosecution team led by the AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), secured the convictions in separate cases before Justice Binta Nyako and Justice Emeka Nwite.
He said the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges and begged the court for leniency.
“The defence counsel was led by the Director, Criminal Justice in Legal Aid Council, F. A. Bakre.
“According to the charge filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, M. B. Abubakar, Aisami provided funds for the terrorist group by buying food products from the group, having reasonable grounds to believe that the proceeds would be used to commit a terrorist act, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 13(1)(a)(ii) of the Terrorism Provision Amendment Act, 2013,” the statement said.
The Punch also reports that Nigeria’s foreign trade in the third quarter of 2023 rose by 53.16 per cent year-on-year to N 18.80tn.
This is as crude oil revenue surged by 83.23 per cent to N8.54tn in the quarter under review. In the third quarter of 2022, total crude oil sales amounted to N4.66tn.
Buoyed by an increase in trade activities in the period, total exports increased by 60.78 per cent to N10.35tn, according to the according to the National Bureau of Statistics ‘Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics (Q3 2023),’ report.
The report, released on Monday, read in part, “Nigeria’s total merchandise trade stood at N18.80tn in Q3, 2023. The value indicates an increase of 54.62 per cent over the amount recorded in Q2, 2023 as well as by 53.16 per cent when compared to the value recorded in Q3 2022.
“Total exports accounted for 55.02 per cent of total trade in the reviewed quarter with a value of N10.35tn, showing an increase of 60.78 per cent and 74.36 per cent over the value recorded in the preceding and corresponding quarters respectively.
“Exports trade in the third quarter of 2023 was dominated by crude oil exports valued at N8,535.61 billion representing 82.50 per cent of total exports while the value of non-crude oil exports stood at N1.81tn accounting for 17.50 per cent of total exports; of which non-oil products contributed N677.57bn or 6.55 per cent of total exports.
“On the other hand, the share of total imports accounted for 44.98 per cent of total trade in the third quarter of 2023 with the value of imports amounting to N8.46tn in Q3, 2023. This value indicates an increase of 47.70 per cent and 33.33 per cent respectively over the value (N5.73tn) and (N6.34tn) recorded in the preceding and the corresponding quarters of 2022.”
The Guardian says that Fox Petroleum Group, yesterday, said $7.5 billion would be injected into the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in the next three years, to enable the state oil firm to overhaul its operations across the upstream, mainstream and downstream petroleum sector.
Making the announcement in a statement signed by Business Representative, Yomi Sola Falana, the company said the move followed “confidence instilled in the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through his demonstrable action to increase Nigeria’s oil and gas production and reserves, boost federation’s revenue, create jobs for teeming millions of the country’s population, and contribute to the development of host communities”.
The company believes that the funds would support NNPCL’s growth strategy under the recently enacted Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Details of the investment will be unveiled after a closed-door meeting with Tinubu, Fox said, adding that the move aligns with the company’s goal to acquire, invest, and operate energy-producing assets in Nigeria.
Falana sees the development as a positive outcome of good governance, making Nigeria an attractive destination for foreign investors.
The company’s global operations, including projects in India and the upcoming Oman-India Pipeline, showcase Fox Petroleum’s expanding role in the energy sector. The focus on LNG projects signals a strategic shift in response to market dynamics.
Chairman of the company, Ajay Kumar, affirmed that details of the funding deal on offer would be revealed to the general public after the meeting with President Tinubu, who doubles as the country’s substantive Minister of Petroleum Resources.
GIK/APA