Some gunmen in the early hours of Wednesday kidnapped the Chairman of Kanke Local Government Council of Plateau State, Henry Gotip.

Gotip was said to have been kidnapped at his residence at Kwang in Jos North Local Government Area of the state after a sporadic shooting by the gunmen to scare away the residents.

It was gathered that gunmen stormed the residence of the chairman and whisked him away. The family is yet to be contacted by the abductors.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Plateau State Police Command, Alfred Alabo, confirmed the incident to newsmen, saying the Command had dispatched a tactical team to search for him and ensure he is safe return.

He said, “The Police Commissioner is on top of the situation as he has sent a team of police officers to the area who are working in collaboration with the vigilante to rescue the Council Chairman.”

Gotip is also the state’s Secretary of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria

The presidency has clarified the rejection of President Muhammadu Buhari’s proposed visit to Qatar.

According to the presidency, the Qatari government raised concerns that Mr Buhari’s proposed visit dates were “too close” to the upcoming World Cup.

Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup from November 20 to December 18.

“The visit to Qatar was not at the instance of Nigeria but on the invitation of His Majesty, the Emir who is the monarch,” Mr Buhari’s media aide Shehu Garba told Peoples Gazette Monday evening.

“The Embassy of the State of Qatar on August 19th, 2022 wrote to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying, ‘We have the honour to communicate that the proposed dates for the visit are not suitable and kindly request the Nigerian side to propose other dates for the visit during the first quarter of the year 2023’,” Mr Shehu explained to The Gazette. “The Qataris explained that the dates chosen by Nigeria were too close to the World Cup tournament which is being hosted by them.”

On Monday, Sahara Reporters reported that it had obtained a document showing that Mr Buhari’s proposed visit dates were rejected by the Qatari government last month. Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, rejected a proposed visit to the country by Mr Buhari, asking the Nigerian leader to request another date in 2023.

“Has the honour to communicate that the proposed dates for the visit are not suitable and kindly request the Nigerian side to propose other dates for the visit during the first quarter of the year 2023,” the document was quoted as saying.

The report cited an unnamed presidential source who alleged that the State Chief of Protocol (SCOP), Ambassador Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure and his team “didn’t follow the usual diplomatic channel to accept and propose alternative dates.”

“After over 3 months without a word, the State House wrote directly to the Qatar Embassy in Abuja to inform them that President Buhari wants to visit from 11-12 September 2022. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not involved. Our Embassy in Doha, capital of Qatar was not also consulted,” the report said

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has bemoaned what he described as irresponsible leadership from among the political and religious ranks, saying religion is only being used as a tool of oppression in the country.

The Bishop noted that there is really no problem between the two major religious groups in the country; Christians and Muslims.

He attributed the main problem of Nigeria to ‘irresponsible leaders,’ who, according to him, use religion as a tool of oppression, rather than for liberation.

He said, “There is no problem between Christians and Muslims.

“There is a problem with irresponsible leaders who don’t want to govern properly; irresponsible religious leaders who have now seen religion as a tool of oppression, instead of a tool for liberation.

“This has been the thrust of my argument because these are two areas of study.

“With all sense of modesty, I have spent a good part of my life studying theology and studying religion and society,” he noted.

On the roles of religion and ethnicity in the politics of Nigeria, Kukah explained that Nigeria had failed at building governance that prioritises the welfare of citizens above any other thing.

He said, “If you are watching a football match or any game at all, that’s why there are referees.

“If the referee does not do what needs to be done and allows supporters to jump onto the field; you can see for yourself that referees are punishing coaches who overreach themselves by stepping even if it is just one inch, into the field.

“They are punished; sometimes they are taken off the pitch.

“Now, this is really what a state is supposed to be, because without the state, it will be all of us against each other.

“And that is why the state is called a leviathan. You put so much power so that the state can protect us.

“The Nigerian state has proved itself to be incompetent, grossly malfunctioning, unwilling to commit to the welfare of citizens as the principal basis of governance,” he said.

Kukah appealed to Nigerians to carry a ‘Nigeria land’ mentality, which presupposes the knowledge of shared interests, saying that the Nigerian system is only wired around politics, and not science.

Noting that Nigeria operates a democracy and not a theocratic government, the clergyman emphasised the need to have a country where the rule of law is placed over religious or ethnic sentiments.

An impostor, one Obiako Chukwuemeka pretending to be a medical doctor working with the United Nations as a humanitarian aid at the National Hospital, Abuja has been uncovered and handed over to the police.

An impeccable source within the Federal Capital Territory Police Command confirmed to our correspondent that Chukwuemeka whose origin and age are yet unknown, has since been detained pending his arraignment.

The source said, “The National Hospital Abuja, handed over a fake doctor, one Obiako Chukwuemeka who disguised as a UN doctor on humanitarian aid, to the police at Central Police Station on Thursday.

“He is currently in our custody, and will soon be charged to court.”

This comes about a week after the FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello, accused visitors from neighbouring states, traders, and beggars of being behind the security breaches witnessed in Abuja, adding that his administration would send them packing.

“The Security agencies in the FCT have up their game. People who have no business being here, are being sent away. Some of them come under different guises such as begging, street trading, among others. They usually come from neighbouring states and are causing security breaches here. That is why we have decided to send them out.” Bello said in a statement on Friday, August 26, 2022.

The FCT Police Commissioner, Sunday Babaji, has also said the G-7 Joint Security Operation that was being revived had received the support of sister security agencies as well as the Commissioners of Police in the member-states, who had all agreed on the need to collectively flush-out these criminals.

He revealed that the security agencies have gathered useful and actionable intelligence and would soon go after all criminals within its jurisdiction.