News
Suspected Fulani herdsman defiles girl, 14, in Abia community


A suspected Fulani herdsman has allegedly defiled a 14-year-old girl, Favour Okugbo, at Umuifi Anioma-Isu in Onicha Local Government Area of Abia State.
The pupil of Union Secondary School at Agueke-Isu had been admitted at an undisclosed medical facility for treatment.
A community leader Festus Nwachukwu said Fulani herdsmen in Umuifi Anioma-Isu threatened the peace and the agricultural revolution of the state government.
He noted that the herdsmen had been destroying farm produce and threatening the peaceful coexistence of the residents.
According to him, even though the suspect has been arrested by the police, his action remains an abomination to the land.
Nwachukwu said: “We are going to carrying out a cleansing ceremony on the land so that it will remain fertile.
“The Fulani herdsmen are destroying our farms. If you want to talk to them, they will threaten you with knives. Our major occupation is farming, but we can no more farm because of this menace. The herdsmen are fond of using their cows to destroy our farmlands and crops.
“The government policies on agriculture are being threatened in Onicha Local Government Area. I came back from church on April 9 and learnt that this girl was raped by a Fulani man when she went to the farm to get vegetables. She was threatened that if she refused, he would kill her. He used the knives to beat her on the back and then raped her.
“What has happened is an abomination on our land. The man has damaged the fertility of the land and we are going to use cows, fowls and many cartons of beer and palm wine to bless the land.”
Favour, who said she had been sad over the incident, urged the government to probe the activities of Fulani herdsmen in the community to protect the girls from sexual assault.
She said: “I went to the farm to fetch vegetables when I was attacked by a Fulani herdsman. He came to our farm with his cows. He asked me if I had some water and food and I said no. He went to get more cows to surround me and told me that if I allowed him to have sex with me, he would give me N700. I refused and started running away. He chased me and hit me with the back of his cutlass. I fell and he raped me.
“I feel sad. I want the government to come to my aid as young girls like me are no longer safe to go to the farm and help our parents. The government should arrest Fulani herdsmen and prosecute them according to the law. Every Fulani herdsman caught doing bad things should be made to leave our land.”
A member of the State Committee on Herdsmen, Mr. Amechi Oken, hailed Governor David Umahi for putting machineries in place to checkmate the excesses of herdsmen.
He said the committee usually visited locations where skirmishes between herdsmen and farmers occurred to resolve any misunderstanding.
Police spokesperson Loveth Oda, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the command had not received any report on the incident.
She promised to investigate the matter and get back to The Nation reporter.
.The Nation
News
70% of Christians killed in 2024 are African – Group
ORJI ISRAEL reports that the group accused ANC of maintaining silence on religious persecution, while deepening ties with ideological extremists in Tehran


Recent reports indicate that over 4,400 Christians were murdered for their faith last year, while over the past decade, jihadist violence has driven 16 million Christians from their homes, millions of which are African citizens.
This is according to global Christian charity, Open Doors, which also confirms that for every five Christians, one will face persecution in Africa specifically.
Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List reveals the top 10 most dangerous countries for Christians are dominated by Islamic states in the Middle East and Africa, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, and Nigeria. A more detailed UK Parliament briefing recently noted that 70% of Christians killed in 2024 were indeed in Africa.
Over the last six months, the brutality against Christians in Africa has escalated to alarming levels, with a series of devastating attacks across the continent. Just last month, ISIL-affiliated rebels stormed a Catholic church in Komanda, DRC, murdering close to 50 worshippers, including women and children. That same month in Mozambique, Islamic State fighters captured and beheaded six Christians from Natocua village, just across South Africa’s border. A month earlier, in June 2025, armed militants in Nigeria massacred nearly 200 Christian civilians in Yelwata village.
“What we are witnessing is not random violence or isolated attacks. It is a deliberate, coordinated campaign by jihadist networks to wipe Christianity from vast regions of Africa and the Middle East,” says SAFI spokesperson, Bafana Modise. “These acts of terror are the early stages of a genocide against Christians, and history will record who spoke out and who shamefully looked away. Tragically, the ANC has chosen the latter.”
This silence is even more damning in light of last week’s news that South Africa’s military chief, Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya, met with Iranian Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami in Tehran to discuss deepening military and strategic ties, when Iran remains one of the world’s most notorious persecutors of Christians.
A recent report by the Middle East Africa Research Institute (MEARI) warned that Pretoria’s deepening ties with Tehran has compromised South Africa’s democratic foundations by defending Iran at the UN and IAEA, downplaying its human rights abuses, and potentially benefitting from covert support, including speculation around the ANC’s repayment of a multi-million-rand debt shortly after filing the ICJ case against Israel.
“These atrocities are not just crimes against individuals; they are part of a war against the freedom of religion itself,” Modise warns. “This is religious genocide, and it is gaining momentum as it edges closer to South Africa’s borders.”
Instead of defending religious freedom, the ANC government has remained silent. It has issued no meaningful condemnation or rallying call to protect persecuted Christians: “The ANC has done nothing to defend the rights of Christians,” says Modise. “Instead, it has squandered South Africa’s moral standing on discredited genocide charges against Israel – the one country in the Middle East where Christians live in safety and equality.”
This betrayal is even more unforgivable in a nation where 80% of South Africans identify as Christian. Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right, but the ANC, once the global champion of human rights, has made its bed with regimes and groups that have used Islamic law to suppress and destroy those freedoms.
“The ANC’s alliances make it clear: they have abandoned South Africa’s Christians, choosing friendship with the very forces driving this campaign of genocide,” Modise concludes. “Silence in the face of such evil is complicity, and the ANC is guilty of both. They have aligned themselves with Jihadist Islamic ideology, without further thought.”
We call on every pastor, every congregation, and every believer to demand that the ANC account for its indifference and betrayal. The blood of persecuted Christians cries out from across the African continent. If South Africa will not stand with them now, the day may come when their fate becomes our own.
News
Government Should Support Media with Tax Incentives, Relief on Import Duties – Soneye
….Media Sustainability: Soneye Advocates Tax Reliefs, Independent Fund for Journalism


Former Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Mr. Femi Soneye, has called on the Federal Government to support the Nigerian media with targeted incentives, including tax reliefs and import duty waivers on essential media tools.
Soneye made the appeal in Abuja on Tuesday after receiving the NUJ FCT Excellence in Corporate Communications Award, conferred on him by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council.
The NUJ leadership, led by Chairperson Grace Ike, alongside the Deputy Chair, Secretary-General, and other executives, described Soneye as a consummate professional who has distinguished himself with tact and excellence in the communications field.
In his remarks, Soneye noted that while the Nigerian media remains one of the most vibrant in Africa, it continues to grapple with systemic challenges that weaken its effectiveness.
“The Nigerian media remains one of the most vibrant in Africa, but it also faces systemic challenges, financial, political, legal, and technological that weaken its effectiveness. The government can play a supportive role by granting tax incentives or relief on import duties for newsprint, broadcast equipment, and digital infrastructure,” he said.
He also urged the Federal Government to establish an independent media development fund to support investigative journalism, community radio, and newsroom innovation, drawing parallels with models in South Africa, the United States, and Canada.
The award underscores Soneye’s long-standing contributions to journalism and corporate communications, as well as his advocacy for a stronger, independent, and sustainable Nigerian media.


… GFD Executive Director emerges chapter Vice Chairperson*
The Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has elected a new executive council at the close of its flagship Lagos PR Fest 2025, reinforcing its commitment to professionalism, innovation, and societal impact.
In elections supervised by NIPR Registrar, Chief Uzoma Onyegbadue, Samuel Ayetutu emerged as Chairman, while Eniola Mayowa was elected Vice Chairman in a closely contested race.
Other members of the executive include Secretary Samuel Adeyemi, Assistant Secretary Rita Ali-Nock, Public Relations Officer Ogochukwu Okeke, Financial Secretary Bassey Nta, Treasurer Olabamiji Adeleye, Welfare Officer Funmilola Akintola, and Ex-Officio Provost Marshal Quadri Adeleke.
In his acceptance remarks, Ayetutu pledged to drive professional standards, promote inclusiveness, and foster collaboration among members to enhance the chapter’s influence locally and nationally.
This year’s PR Fest, themed “Urban Farming for Food Security: The Role of Communication”, convened communication professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders to explore innovative strategies for tackling food security through effective public engagement.
Over the years, the Lagos PR Fest has evolved into a leading platform for advancing the role of public relations in societal development, with the 2025 edition underscoring the Institute’s mission to position communication as a driver of sustainable development in Nigeria.
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