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The Director of Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Auchi in Edo State, Fr. Peter Egielewa, has said that the abduction of two seminarians of the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary in Ivhianokpodi-Agenebode has left the parents frustrated.

He said that due to the number of attacks and attempted kidnappings that had happened in the state, parents were worried and felt unprotected, especially given the consistency of the attacks.

“So right now, parents are feeling frustrated, they are angry, feeling unprotected about why these attacks still exist, and yet, it seems like nothing is happening,” he said on the breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, on Channels Television on Thursday.

READ ALSO: ‘Rescue Kidnapped Seminarians’, Edo Bishop Tells Tinubu, Security Agencies

The Catholic priest stated that no ransom had been paid to the kidnappers during the three previous attempts, adding that prayers and negotiation had been relied on.

“The diocese does not have a policy of ransom paying. We have continued to appeal, we negotiate, we pray, and that’s what we’ve always done. In many cases, God has done miracles.

“The police have also played a part; our vigilantes have played a part, too. So, as a policy, we have used other means outside of paying a ransom.

“The church has no money to give. And in many cases, they have listened to us. In some cases, the persons have escaped through divine intervention.” He said.

Egielewa, however, mentioned that the Bishop of the Diocese of Aochi, Most Rev. Gabriel Dunia, had consistently partnered with the police in those states, particularly the new police commissioner.

He added, “The commissioner has deployed men into this area to, first of all, secure the area and protect our people. And they have continued to work through their strategic teams to release the seminarians.

“So, and I think apart from the police, the bishop is also engaging the local vigilante men and hunters to see how they can try to locate where the seminarians are and to get them released back to the seminary and to their parents.”

Three seminarians were kidnapped on July 10, 2025, when gunmen stormed the seminary in the Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, killing an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the process.

The Edo State Government has intensified its sweeping campaign against cultism, criminal gangs, and ritual practices. It has sealed multiple properties linked to suspected cult leaders following the discovery of a shrine in Egbaen community and a violent confrontation in Evboyare that claimed a life.

The coordinated operation, codenamed “Operation Flush Out Cultists and Kidnappers”, was led by the Squad’s coordinator, Idemudia Noah, in collaboration with allied security agencies.

Acting on intelligence reports, operatives stormed a residence in Egbaen, Egor Local Government Area, in the early hours of Wednesday, August 20, 2025. Though the building was unoccupied, a search uncovered a secluded shrine at the rear of the premises.

Inside, officers found a white casket and fetish items believed to have been used for initiation rituals and other clandestine activities.

In swift response, the Edo State Government ordered the immediate sealing of the property, an emphatic signal of its resolve to dismantle the physical and spiritual infrastructure sustaining cultism across the State.

Simultaneously, security forces moved to Evboyare community in Uhunmwode Local Government Area, which had been the scene of a bloody clash between rival confraternities, the Eiye and Maphite, leaving one person, identified as Festus, dead.

READ ALSO:  Police Arrest Officer, Civilians For Extortion And Armed Robbery In Edo

The residence of the alleged Maphite leader, Felix Aigbedion, was sealed after intelligence linked him to the crisis.

Aigbedion, now declared wanted, is believed to have masterminded the assault during a community dispute that spiraled into cult violence.

By the time operatives arrived, Evboyare lay in desolation. Homes, vehicles, and personal property bore the marks of destruction, while spent cartridges littered the ground; grim evidence of the crossfire that terrorized residents and forced families to flee.

Two locally made firearms were recovered from a poultry house, which investigators identified as a makeshift armory for cultists.

Speaking after the operation, Idemudia Noah reaffirmed the Edo State Government’s uncompromising posture.

“The administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo is unwavering in its determination to purge Edo State of cult-related violence and criminal syndicates. We have sealed the property of Mr. Felix Aigbedion, who has been implicated in the fatal clash at Evboyare, as well as the Egbaen residence of Mr. Marvellous Adetarami, where a shrine was uncovered. These measures are not symbolic. They are a clear statement that clandestine activities will no longer find sanctuary in Edo State,” he noted.

Investigations, Noah disclosed, also unearthed disturbing evidence of extortion during initiation processes, including the forced transfer of money from victims to cultists. He stressed that the Police had been fully briefed and are pursuing prosecutions.

In his warning to criminal elements, Noah declared, “Cultists have only two options: renounce or leave Edo State. The full weight of the law will descend on anyone who persists.

Hamzat Lawal, the founder and CEO of Follow The Money, has urged politicians in public office to resign and leave the private sector in exchange for raises in pay.

Lawal made this statement as a response to the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission’s (RMAFC)’s plan to review the salaries of Nigerian political officeholders, including President Bola Tinubu, in response.

“I am aware that over the past 33 years, we have not really examined some of these allocations and the President’s salary, but that is not the time to do so; that nation cannot afford it.”

“If our politicians and political officeholders believe they are not being compensated what they are due, they should resign and seek employment where they can be paid, or they can set up their own businesses and set aside their own salaries. He said on Thursday’s episode of Channels Television‘s The Morning Brief that they should not burden Nigerians more.

Read more about Senators’ Monthly Salary of $500,000, and Policemen’s Salary of $30,000 as well.

Again, this is about renting, and it’s more about bringing the President happiness than focusing on their constitutional duties. I’m not even aware of why they haven’t said or responded to the fact that there hasn’t been any budgetary performance or expenditure.

One of the responsibilities of [RMAFC] is to ensure that we use money wisely and give government advice on how to ensure that we receive the best value for money from investments in infrastructure, both from the federal government and the state government.

So, he continued, “I believe they simply have misplaced priorities, and maybe they should just concentrate on some of their constitutional responsibilities.”

Lawal added that the proposed salary review is inappropriate and serves as a plot to establish Tinubu and deceive him.

He continued, “I believe this is even a setup for Mr. President because you would want to make a choice that would turn the nation’s leadership into a polarizing force.”

I want to quote “Mr. President.” He said that this is the time to give thanks and that we must buckle down. Why do political office holders not want to make sacrifices as well? Why should citizens bear this load, exactly?

“The commission simply concentrated on their salaries,” the commissioner said. Let’s talk about their travel expenses and their estacode when they travel abroad. Some even drive armored vehicles.

If, for any reason, Mr. President passes this bill after this commission compiles their report and all the consultation they hope to do, I believe that is a political suicide.

He suggested that more money should be focused on establishing autonomy for the third tier of government and putting more money into the local government.

He also suggested that low-earners in public office’s pay could be raised to match those of high-payers.

The commission’s chairman, Mohammed Shehu, disclosed that ministers have received less than $1 million per month while President Tinubu currently earns a whopping $1 million, which he claimed has not changed since 2008.

Frank Caprio, a US judge who gained notoriety for his courtroom compassion and demeanor, passed away at age 88, his family announced on social media.

Before retiring in 2023, the retired Rhode Island judge gained notoriety for his indulgence with minor offenses. He had been a bench member for nearly four decades.

Judge Frank Caprio, who had battled pancreatic cancer for a long time, passed away today [Wednesday] with “deep sadness,” his son David Caprio said in a video that was posted on the judge’s Instagram account on Wednesday.

Read more about how Google, TikTok, and Microsoft deactivated 13.5 million Nigerian accounts and removed 58.9 million content.

His family described him as an “example of humanity” and “beloved around the world for his deep compassion, humility, and unwavering faith in the goodness of people.”

After suffering a “setback,” Caprio requested prayer on Tuesday in a video that he had posted from his hospital bed.

His sympathetic treatment of defendants who were facing traffic violations and parking tickets was featured on his courtroom reality TV program, Caught in Providence, which premiered in 2000.

YouTube clips from the show, which featured him dismissing fines for struggling families or asking kids to decide their parents’ punishments, received tens of millions of views on social media.

Millions of people praised him on social media, calling him “the nicest judge in the world.”

Caprio also co-authored the autobiography “Life-Changing Stories from America’s Nicest Judge.”

Caprio, who was born in 1936 and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, had previously worked in various capacities, including delivering newspapers and cleaning shoes.

He worked as a teacher at Suffolk University School of Law in Boston at night before becoming the chief judge of Providence’s municipal court in 1985 until 2023.

Caprio was praised by Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee as “more than just a jurist” but also as a “sympathetic on the bench, demonstrating what is possible when justice and humanity are at the same level.”

In honor of the judge, the governor also mandated that state flags fly at half-staff.

A former Special Adviser to a former Bello Masari on Security Matters, Ibrahim Ahmad, has said that the bandits launching attacks in Katsina State may be taking advantage of the mindset of the residents.

He stated this on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he also said that the bandits were interfering with the peaceful co-existence in the state.

“What we are facing in Katsina is actually community banditry that needs a whole society approach to understand the dynamics of the problem, because the way things are going now, it appears as if these bandits have understood the psychology of the people and are cashing in on that and have now crossed all the boundaries of our peaceful co-existence.

” These bandits are from the affected communities. That’s one thing we should understand. They are known by members of the communities, and from the information we are getting, it appears it was a reprisal, “said Ahmad.

READ ALSO: &nbsp, UPDATED: Katsina Mosque Attack Death Toll Rises To 32

The former aide, who noted that the security agents were overwhelmed, said the situation required a roundtable discussion to get to the root of the problem and tackle it squarely.

Ahmad said”, So I think what we need to do is to understand the dynamic of the threat, involve the communities who are concerned in addressing this problem because one, the security forces, as I understood, are overwhelmed.

“They’re trying their best to see that they overcome this situation, but unfortunately, you know, the number of security forces is not enough. And you know, the dynamics of the crime are widening by the day.

” So we need a whole society approach. Let members of the communities be involved, especially in what the state government is doing now by enhancing community policing, involving community watch, and using members of the communities to assist in fighting this crime and criminality.

“And above all, I think some of the local governments have started reaching out to the bandits, dialoguing with them to understand what the actual factors responsible for this are, because I think if we continue to fight this problem without understanding the factors responsible, we’ll be moving in reverse gear”.

Gunmen had reportedly stormed a mosque in the Malumfashi Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday during the early morning (Fajr) prayers and opened fire on the worshippers.

On Wednesday, the state government said that the&nbsp, death toll&nbsp, from the attack had risen to 32.