Miyetti Allah: Cow may cost ₦2m in Lagos under anti-open grazing law – Newstrends
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Miyetti Allah: Cow may cost ₦2m in Lagos under anti-open grazing law

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The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association says the price of a cow could go up as high as N2m should the Lagos State Government enact an anti-open grazing law, currently before the state house of assembly.

The association’s Zonal Secretary for South-West, Maikudi Usman, said this on Wednesday during a one-day public hearing organised by the Lagos State House of Assembly on the anti-open grazing bill.

Usman said ranching, as being proposed by the government, was capital intensive and his members could not afford it.

“If cattle are bred in one place, the price could go up to about N2m each. We agreed with some local chiefs in other states that anyone who wants to rear cows in a location should register and should indicate when he is leaving,” he said.

The Miyetti Allah leader added that the best way to breed cattle was to move them from one place to another, saying that they were moved to different places during the rainy and dry season.

“Our breeders are not used to breeding cattle in one place. They move from here to another place. When we say we will keep cattle in one place, the owner of the cattle will not have funds to feed the animals in one place.”

Usman pleaded with the stated government for more time to enlighten herdsmen on breeding cattle in one place rather than encroaching on farmlands.

“We are pleading with the Lagos State government to give us more time to go tell our people and train them how they will be breeding cattle in one place and not encroach on farmers’ land,” he said.

Usman further urged the state government to subsidise the cost of raising the animals in one location.

He detached his group from criminal herdsmen that have been destroying people’s farm among other criminal activities such as armed robbery and kidnapping.

“A Fulani man moves from one place to another to ply his trade, but we have some bad eggs that are fomenting trouble. The government should allow us to tell our people that they don’t want our cows to destroy people’s farmlands,” he said.

He added, “We have met with stakeholders in Ekiti, Ondo and even Oyo States and we reached agreements with them.”

President of the Lagos State Sheep Farmers Association, Mustapha Ibrahim, said that the bill was not meant to attack anybody, but that it was all-embracing.

Ibrahim noted that land resources were very important to the state, adding that the relationship between cattle herders and farmers should be symbiotic.

He also called for legislation to promote the creation of farm estates across the state.

Chairman of Lagos State Butchers Association, Alabi Kazeem, urged the assembly to support the cattle breeders as breeding cattle in one location could be expensive.

Earlier, the Lagos Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, in his keynote address, said it was important to address the issue of cattle rearing, which could affect security of lives because it was a pointer to peaceful co-existence and other human desires.

Obasa, represented by the Deputy Speaker, Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, said that the issue of cattle rearing and open grazing called for concerted efforts for stability and economic development.

Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture, Kehinde Joseph, said the proposed law was meant to ensure peace between herders and farmers in the state.

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Woman dies after being set on fire on NYC subway

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Woman dies after being set on fire on NYC subway

A man has been arrested in New York in connection with the death of a woman who was set on fire on a subway train in Brooklyn.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the incident on Sunday as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being”.

She said the woman was on a stationary F train to Brooklyn when she was approached by a man who used a lighter to ignite her clothing.

The victim died at the scene, she said, adding that the suspect had been arrested following a tip-off from a group of high school students as he rode the subway later on Sunday.

Police said the woman, who has not been named, was in a subway carriage at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn at about 07:30 local time (12:30 GMT) when a man approached her.

Officers said she was “motionless” when she was set on fire, but detectives were still establishing whether the victim was asleep.

There was no interaction before the attack, police said, adding that they did not believe the two 1people knew each other.

The man got off the train as police officers on patrol in the station rushed to the fire.

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“Officers were on patrol on an upper level of that station, smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate,” Ms Tisch said.

“What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames.”

Police are still working to identify the victim and the motive for the attack.

“Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car,” Ms Tisch added.

She explained police were then able to get a “very clear, detailed” look at the man from the responding officers’ body worn cameras.

The images were disseminated by the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Later, three high school-aged New Yorkers called 911 to report they recognised the suspect on another train, Ms Tisch told reporters.

The man was then located after officers boarded the train and walked through the subway carriages.

He was arrested at Herald Square station – which is located in near to the Empire State Building in Manhattan.

He was found with a lighter in his pocket, Ms Tisch said.

“I want to thank the young people who called 911 to help,” the police commissioner added.

“They saw something, they said something and they did something.”

 

Woman dies after being set on fire on NYC subway

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FG declares three days as public holidays

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Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo

FG declares three days as public holidays

The Federal Government has declared Wednesday 25th, Thursday 26th December 2024, and Wednesday 1st January, 2025 as Public Holidays to celebrate Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year respectively.

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government.

The Minister in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani extended warm greetings to all Nigerians.

He called on Nigerians to use the festive period to reflect on the values of love, peace, and unity that the season signifies.

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Dr. Tunji-Ojo emphasised the importance of the season as a time to foster harmony and strengthen bonds across families and communities.

The Minister also called on Nigerians to remain committed to the peace, unity and progress of the nation for national development.

“The Christmas season is a good moment for both spiritual reflection and national renewal. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, let us demonstrate kindness and extend goodwill to one another, irrespective of our differences,”  Dr. Tunji-Ojo said.

He assured citizens of the government continued commitment to ensuring peace, security, and prosperity across the nation.

While wishing Nigerians a merry Christmas and a prosperous 2025, the Minister expressed his confidence in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu’s administration ushering in the new year, a better and prosperous economy that will be the envy of the world.

FG declares three days as public holidays

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Obi’s comment on stampede deaths as systemic failures, uncharitable, says Omokri

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Reno Omokri, Peter Obi

Obi’s comment on stampede deaths as systemic failures, uncharitable, says Omokri

A former presidential aide, Mr Reno Omokri, has urged the former Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, not to politicise the recent fatal stampedes in some parts of the country, saying doing so amounted to politicising the people’s tragedy.

About 39 persons were feared dead in Okija, Anambra State and Maitama in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, on Saturday following stampedes at food-sharing events to usher in the Xmas festivities. Both incidents came on the heels of an earlier disaster in Ibadan, during which 35 children died.

Obi, in a tweet on his X handle last week, condemned the scores of children’s deaths in Ibadan during the pre-Xmas fair as a reflection of the nation’s “systemic failure”.

“The devastating news of innocent children reportedly trampled to death during a Christmas celebration in Ibadan is both heart-wrenching and a stark reflection of the systemic failures that plague our nation today,” he said.

He said the tragedy called for deep reflection and decisive actions by leaders to prioritise policies that address poverty, inequality, and equitable resource access while ensuring the highest safety standards for public events, especially those involving children.

However, Omokri reacted on his X handle by accusing Obi of being insensitive to the victims’ plight. He said rather than seeking to reap political benefits from the tragedy, the Labour Party candidate should have empathised with the people who lost their loved ones.

“One would have expected Mr Peter Obi to have condoled with the families and moved on,” he said.

The former presidential aide said the Labour Party’s erstwhile flagbearer’s attempt to blame the federal government for the stampede was hypocritical because the occurrence was a global phenomenon, pointing out that it occurred recently in the US, South Korea, Israel and multiple European countries.

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Besides, he recalled that under Obi’s watch as governor of Anambra State, a similar event happened on November 3, 2013, during which 28 persons died. “Funny enough, Peter Obi himself was at the scene of the incident and was accused by survivors of triggering the stampede,” Omokri stated.

He said, “It is hypocritical for a man under whom these events occurred to now use the Ibadan tragedy to stigmatise the Tinubu administration. Genuine opposition politics involves providing alternative solutions to issues. It is an abuse of the idea of opposition to lazily sit and wait for tragedies to occur and then seek to profit from them. That is wickedness, not politics.”

Omokri queried the moral basis of Obi’s persistent criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, pointing out that the former Labour Party’s presidential candidate underperformed during his time as Anambra State governor.

He said, “This is sad coming from a man under who, as Governor of Anambra State, poverty almost doubled, as revealed by his immediate successor, Mr Willie Obiano, and Governor Chukwuma Soludo.

“Before Peter Obi took over as Governor of Anambra, poverty in that state was 41.4%. However, under Mr. Obi, it grew to 53.7%, partly because Peter Obi refused to use the state’s allocations to build infrastructure.

“In his eight years as Governor, Mr. Obi did not initiate, start, complete, or commission even one nursery, primary, secondary school, or university.”

Shortly after Omokri’s severe criticism, Obi deleted his tweet, and yesterday he made another tweet, adjusting his position on the stampedes.

Incidentally, on Saturday there was stampede in Okija, a prominent town in Obi’s home state, during which some people also died. Another occurred in Maitama, Abuja, the nation’s capital.

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Reacting to these tragedies, the former aide to President Goodluck Jonathan commiserated with the victims. He called on state governments to learn lessons from the frequent events and implement better crowd control mechanisms.

Obi: my position on stampedes

In his new tweet, Obi said: ”I am deeply saddened and distressed by the tragic loss of lives in desperate searches for food. A few days ago, about 35 people, mostly children, lost their lives in a stampede at a Christmas Funfair in Ibadan, Oyo State.

“This morning, reports emerged of at least 10 people losing their lives in Abuja while scrambling for palliatives, with many others injured.

“Now, I just heard that about 19 more lives were lost in another stampede in Okija, Anambra State, as people struggled to receive food items.

“While I will not cast blame, but instead appreciate the organizers of these respective events for their kind gestures in providing palliatives and support to society, especially the poor, these tragedies reflect the systemic failures that plague our society.

“The desperate quest for survival in these harsh economic times has driven our people to extremes in their search for food, often at the cost of their lives.

“How do we explain that in a nation blessed with abundant resources, our people are dying of hunger in such numbers? How is it possible that we cannot feed our citizens despite the vast, fertile lands our nation is endowed with? My heart bleeds.”

“One can only imagine the pain their families are enduring at this moment. My heart goes out to them. I sincerely commiserate with all the affected families and the good people of Oyo, Anambra, and the FCT over these tragic incidents. May God grant them, and all of us, the strength to bear these painful losses.

“May God Almighty grant the departed souls eternal rest, and may the injured recover swiftly.”

 

Obi’s comment on stampede deaths as systemic failures, uncharitable, says Omokri

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