President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday said his Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, would be leading senior government officials to various parts of the country for engagements as parts of the efforts to address the concerns raised by #EndSARS protesters.

He also urged traditional rulers across the country to assist his regime in pacifying the protesting youths, saying he had heard their cries and was attending to their concerns.

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving a delegation of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji  Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The statement was titled, “President Buhari calls for support of traditional rulers in addressing demands of Nigerian youths.”

Adesina quoted the President as emphasising the imperative of support of traditional rulers in his regime’s determination to address the demands of the youth.

“We have heard the loud cries of our youths and children, and we are attending to their concerns.

“To succeed in all of this, we would require your support and voice to help amplify the message. Your proximity to the people places you in a unique position to communicate and ensure that our response is targeted and impactful,” the presidential spokesman quoted Buhari as telling the monarchs.

Describing their “role as guardians of our traditional values and culture” as most critical, the President urged them not to compromise their neutrality “because this is what significantly confers on you, your moral authority and legitimacy.”

He said Gambari would lead senior government officials to various parts of the country “and directly engage with you as part of this process. He will be reporting back to me on your various perspectives.

“I want to once again thank you for the role you all have played to calm down our youth with wisdom and authority. By instilling hope and keeping the peace, you have rendered the country great service.”

While receiving the recommendations of the traditional rulers, he promised to study them and take appropriate action.

Adesina said Buhari had earlier drawn the attention of the monarchs to the challenges of COVID-19 pandemic on the world.

Depot And Petroleum Products Marketers Association Of Nigeria (Dappman) Has Urged The Federal Government Of Nigeria To Take A Further Step Towards Full Deregulation Of The Downstream Sector, Saying It Will Enhance National Economic Growth.

Dappman Chairman, Winifred Akpani, Said The Association Remained In Full Support Of The Implementation Of A Fully Deregulated Regime Which Would Make The Downstream Sector’s Operations More Seamless, Enhance Transparency, Competitiveness In The Sector.

Petroleum Products’ Pricing And Regulatory Agency (Pppra) Had Last Week Introduced A New Price Regime, Hiking The Depot’s Pump Price Of Petrol To N151.

Consequently, Independent Marketers Hiked The Pump Price Of Petrol In Downstream Sector From N148 To N162. And Consumers Who Are Nigerians Have Continued To React To This New Development.

Troops of Operation Sahel Sanity have eliminated five bandits who attacked Diskuru village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

During the operation, the operatives rescued three women and their infants abducted by the criminals.

Disclosing this during a briefing in Abuja on Thursday on the military operations across the country, the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, noted that a soldier lost his life while rescuing a nursing mother.

He stated, “The period in focus witnessed a decline in criminal activities in the zone. However, within the period under review, troops of Operation Sahel Sanity reacted swiftly to a distress call about bandits who attacked Diskuru village in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

“The gallant troops engaged the criminals in a fierce firefight forcing them to withdraw in disarray while three bandits were neutralized by the troops as several others escaped with various degrees of gunshot wounds.

“During the exploitation phase, two additional bandits’ bodies were discovered along their withdrawal route. Equally, three women and their infants earlier kidnapped by the bandits were rescued. Regrettably, one brave soldier paid the supreme price in an attempt to save one of the rescued nursing mothers in the heat of the encounter.”

In the same vein, Enenche said the troops deployed at Dan Ali village arrested two suspected bandits’ collaborators, Samaila Usman and Idi Bello.

Similarly, troops of Operation Hadarin Daji equally arrested two suspected bandit collaborators at Yarkirya village and Kankara Market in Kankara LGA.

Enenche also said the Forward Operating Base Kango patrol team on October 31 arrested two suspected bandits at Kango village in Maru LGA of Zamfara State.

The troops of Whirl Punch were also said to have repelled bandits at Bassa village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State during which several criminals were killed.

A Federal High Court, sitting in Kaduna presided over by Justice P. Mallong has sentenced a former Registrar of the court, Mr Joseph Udoh to four years imprisonment for laundering the sum of N80 million.

Udoh and his wife, Grace, were in December 2019 arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on 12-count for alleged misappropriation of N80m deposited in the court by a litigant.

According to a statement on Thursday by the ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, the convict reportedly issued cheques in the name of his wife, also a staff member of the Federal High Court of Justice, Abuja, and used the money to acquire properties in some major cities across the country.

Based on a plea bargain agreement entered with the convict, the charges against him were amended to four counts and those against his wife dropped.

He pleaded guilty to the charges.

The prosecution counsel, Shehu Yahaya, urged the court to convict and sentence the defendant according to the terms of the plea bargain agreement before the court as provided in section 270(10) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.

Counsel to the defendant, Gbenga Ogunniran, concurred with the submission of the prosecutor, stating that “the convict did not only embarrass himself but also embarrassed his family.”

He pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, especially looking at the fact that the convict is a family man with an aged mother.