Today’s Headlines: Umrah Won’t Secure Tinubu’s Re-election — Shaibu; Why Bandits Keep Killing — Gumi

The Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, has said President Bola Tinubu’s trip to Saudi Arabia for Umrah will not guarantee his re-election in 2027.

Shaibu criticised the President’s religious pilgrimage, saying a second term in office could not be secured through spiritual claims.

The spokesperson for ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

Shaibu said visiting the holy land should be a personal affair rather than a national event, accusing Tinubu’s supporters of politicising the pilgrimage.

He also questioned the President’s sincerity of faith, arguing that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, would not remain in custody if Tinubu genuinely practised what he professed.

Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has said some bandits he interacted with expressed dissatisfaction with the continued bloodshed in the country, claiming they felt compelled to sustain attacks because of killings in their communities.

Gumi said the armed men viewed the violence as a cycle of revenge and retaliation.

He added that some believed they could be killed if they abandoned their activities.

The cleric disclosed this during an interview on PAPShow, published on October 29, with clips of the interview going viral on social media on Tuesday.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has kicked against a directive by the Central Bank of The Gambia ordering banks to sack non-Gambian employees.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NIDCOM, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, described the September 16 directive as deeply worrisome, saying it threatens the jobs of 57 Nigerian professionals.

Dabiri-Erewa, in a statement by NIDCOM spokesman Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG) had given banks till December 31, 2026, to replace all non-Gambian staff with Gambians.

NIDCOM said the affected Nigerians work with four Nigerian-owned banks and hold valid residency and work permits.

𝗞𝗶𝗱𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗮𝘂

Two visually impaired persons have been abducted by suspected kidnappers along the Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State while returning to Jos from Benue State.

The Chairman of the Plateau State chapter of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities, Shindol Aaron, confirmed the abduction in a telephone interview with PUNCH Online in Jos on Tuesday.

Aaron said the victims were among nine persons selected to attend a training programme in Benue State.

He said, “They were selected to attend a training in Benue State and from what I gathered, they took off from Jos, and along the way, they got information that the event had been postponed to another day and they were asked to return to their station.

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