The Nigerian Senate during plenary on Wednesday considered a Bill, which seeks to prohibit the payment and receipt of ransom for the release of persons kidnapped, imprisoned, or wrongfully confined. Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi sponsored the Terrorism Prevention (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which scaled second reading during plenary. While leading debate on the bill, Onyewuchi said the piece of legislation seeks to amend the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2013 to outlaw the payment of ransom to abductors, kidnappers, and terrorists for the release of any person who has been wrongfully confined, imprisoned and kidnapped. Onyewuchi said, the bill essentially seeks to substitute for section 14 of the Principal Act a new section to read, “Anyone who transfers funds, makes payment or colludes with an abductor, kidnapper or terrorist to receive any ransom for the release of any person who has been wrongfully confined, imprisoned or kidnapped is guilty of a felony and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 years.”

The 36 State governors under the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) are scheduled to hold their 30th teleconference meeting by 2 pm on Wednesday, 19th May 2021. This was disclosed on Monday in a statement signed by the Head, Media, and Public Affairs, Mr. Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo.

Prominent Nigerians including the President Muhammadu Buhari have commiserated with the family of former Chief of Defence Staff, Joshua Dogonyaro, Mr Dogonyaro, a retired Lieutenant General from Plateau State died on Thursday at age 80. According to a family source the former general has been sick for some time until yesterday Thursday he had a stroke and was rushed to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), he, unfortunately, passed on around 3.00 am. The source described his untimely death as a rude shock to the family, who will sorely miss him.

The National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA) has revealed today Thursday that it has kicked off the direct distribution of relief materials to 24, 925 households of displaced persons affected by the banditry in the state.

As bandits and other criminal elements continue to perpetrate senseless attacks on soft attacks in some parts of Nigeria Southern governors, operating under the aegis of Southern Governors Forum, held a closed-door meeting in Asaba, Delta state on Wednesday. Of the 17 southern states, 13 governors were in attendance at the meeting. They are Governor Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Willy Obiano (Anambra), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo). After individual attempts to address the threat of open grazing in Southern states, the Forum of Southern Governors in one voice, yesterday, announced a ban on open grazing in all the 17 Southern states. They recommended that the Federal Government should support willing states to develop alternative and modern livestock management systems.

The Federal Government has approved new security measures to be adopted to tackle insecurity in the South-East and South-South. These measures were approved when President Muhammadu Buhari met with security chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. This was disclosed to State House Correspondents after the meeting by the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba.