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Bandits, Kidnappers Are Our Children – Bishop Kukah

Published

11 months ago

December 25, 2025

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, has warned against the neglect of children in society, noting that such neglect can have negative effects in the future.

Bishop Kukah, who made the observation in his 2025 Christmas message, said children must be protected as they represent the future of Nigeria.

Naija News reports that in his message entitled “Joy and Hope in a Time of Tribulation,” Bishop Kukah lamented the challenges of insecurity and violence threatening the nation.

However, he reminded Christians that the birth of Christ remains a beacon of hope even in the darkest times.

Speaking against the backdrop of the challenges of the insecurity ravaging some parts of the country, and its impact, Bishop Kukah said the terrorists, bandits and other criminals are children produced by the society.

He described perpetrators of violence as products of failed systems and toxic politics.

“Whether we call them bandits, kidnappers or extremists, they are our children. They came out of our own loins.

“Our children are our future,” Kukah said.

As a remedy, Kukah called for serious investment in education and moral renewal, warning that otherwise, Nigeria risks further descent into chaos.

“We must either renovate, educate or perish,” he declared.

The clergyman also expressed deep concern over the plight of children globally and in Nigeria, saying the innocent children are the ones paying the highest price for the dysfunctional system.

He lamented that innocent children are exposed to societal ills such as kidnapping, abuse, forced labour and early marriage, which are all beyond their control.

He referenced the abduction of schoolchildren in places such as Chibok, Dapchi, Maga and Papiri, noting that nearly 2,000 children have been affected by such crimes in Nigeria. The Bishop also mentioned cases from Gaza to Sudan on the international stage.

The bishop submitted that the violence ravaging Nigeria, particularly in the North, is rooted in years of poverty, illiteracy, miseducation and moral decay.

Emphasising the Christian response to persecution, Kukah rejected retaliation and violence, urging believers to rely on faith, prayer and moral witness rather than weapons.

Referencing the biblical record where Jesus admonished Peter to put away his sword, Kukah said, “Violence cannot defeat violence.”

He added that history shows Christianity has survived persecution and outlived empires through faith and resilience.

The Catholic Bishop in his Christmas message also called on Nigerian leaders to use the country’s resources for the common good by confronting insecurity, poverty and bad governance.

Despite the challenges in the country, Kukah urged the citizens not to lose hope, stressing that Christmas is a story of light’s triumph over darkness.

“By the birth of Christ, Emmanuel—God is with us,” Kukah said, stressing that the light of Christmas “is a light that darkness cannot overcome.”

Kukah urged Nigerians to resist division and hatred, calling for unity in mourning and healing. He said Nigerians must draw strength from shared suffering and collective hope.

“We have buried our dead together. We have mourned together,

“We must hold together in darkness so we can welcome the light together,” he said.

Bishop Kukah, however, commended the government and the security forces for their efforts leading to the safe return of abducted schoolchildren.

He described the incident as “one ordeal too many” and prayed it would mark the end of such tragedies.

He called on Christians to show the light and attributes of Christ as they celebrate this year’s Christmas.

“We do not celebrate Christmas as a feast or a date on our calendar.

“We celebrate it as a vocation — to let the world see and experience the face of Jesus through lives of love, peace and reconciliation,” he said.

He concluded by wishing Nigerians a happy Christmas, urging them not to surrender joy and hope despite the nation’s trials.

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SEE FULL LIST: NJC recommends 28 candidates for judicial appointments

Published

14 hours ago

November 5, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended 28 candidates for appointment as judicial officers across six states, including 24 candidates for various State High Courts.

The recommendations cover the High Courts of Kano, Ebonyi, Edo, Adamawa and Ogun states, the Plateau State Sharia Court of Appeal, Adamawa State Sharia Court of Appeal and Adamawa State Customary Court of Appeal.

The Council announced the recommendations in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe.

It said the decisions were taken at its 112th meeting held on November 3, 2026, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun.

According to the Council, one candidate was recommended as Grand Kadi of the Plateau State Sharia Court of Appeal, while another was recommended as Kadi of the Adamawa State Sharia Court of Appeal.

Two others were recommended as judges of the Adamawa State Customary Court of Appeal.

The appointment includes “24 High Court candidates and four candidates for the Sharia and Customary Courts of Appeal.”

The full list of the 28 recommended candidates is as follows:

PLATEAU STATE SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL (GRAND KADI)

1. Tijjani Jibrin Zololo

KANO STATE HIGH COURT

2. Nafisah Yusuf Hassan
3. Halima Yahuza Ahmad
4. Abdullahi Abdulsalam Bature
5. Musa Ibrahim Umar

EBONYI STATE HIGH COURT

6. Dickson Edmund Amaga

EDO STATE HIGH COURT

7. Benson Osagie Osawaru
8. Taiye Osayanmon Omoruyi
9. Dorothy Ibhade Adamaigbo
10. Festus Osagie Usiobaifo
11. Pius Idemudia Oiwoh
12. Majebi Samuel Amune
13. Emike Jessica Imuekemhe

ADAMAWA STATE HIGH COURT

14. Aminu Sa’ad
15. Ibrahim Ulenda Musa
16. Sadiq Giwa
17. Musa Bala Mijinyawa
18. Japhet Ibrahim
19. Aliyu Bakari
20. Yakubu Ahmadu

OGUN STATE HIGH COURT

21. Olakulehin Luqman Abiola Oke
22. Adebimpe Folusho Obienu
23. Fatimat Adeola Daudu
24. Rafiat Bolanle Kadiri
25. Oludotun Olaniyi Osho

ADAMAWA STATE SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL (KADI)

26. Abubakar Ishaku

ADAMAWA STATE CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL

27. Elshama Gwama Dimas
28. David Benjamin Pembi

The NJC said all the recommended candidates were expected to be sworn in by their respective state governors without delay.

Source: punchng.com

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JD Vance reveals Iran war cost Republicans midterm elections, read details

Published

14 hours ago

November 5, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

United States Vice President JD Vance has blamed the Iran war for the Republican Party’s poor performance in the 2026 midterm elections, saying many supporters of President Donald Trump switched allegiance to Democrats over dissatisfaction with the conflict.

Vance said this in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, arguing that the party’s defeat was not primarily caused by poor voter turnout but by the defection of voters who supported the Trump-Vance ticket in 2024.

He said data analysis conducted by his team before the elections had shown that Republican supporters were turning out in significant numbers, despite opinion polls predicting a major Democratic victory.

“One of the things the data analysts on our side obsessed over was ‘composition’—whether the electorate looked close enough to 2024 for Republicans to win,” he said.

Vance explained that although turnout was encouraging in several states, a member of his data team had warned him that many Republican voters were angry and might not vote for the party.

“Well, that looks prophetic now. Our voters did show up. In Florida, for example, the electorate was nine points more Republican than Democrat, just a couple points worse than 2024,” he said.

“But the main problem is not turnout. The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.”

The Vice President acknowledged that the party might have failed to communicate its economic policies effectively, particularly on the cost of living and inflation.

However, he said the major reasons voters abandoned the Republicans were concerns about the war, economic hardship, America’s foreign policy priorities and its relationship with Israel.

According to Vance, a pollster who accurately predicted the election outcome identified four major demands among former Republican supporters who switched to the Democrats.

The demands were to end the war, prioritise the cost of living and inflation, put America first and change the country’s relationship with Israel.

“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance stated.

He also defended television personality Rachel Campos-Duffy, saying her earlier call for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict had proved politically sound.

Vance warned against attempts by Republican establishment figures to attribute the party’s electoral setback to other issues, particularly immigration policy.

He said he was open to reviewing immigration enforcement strategies, including targeting businesses that employ undocumented workers, but rejected calls for amnesty.

“Anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you,” he said.

The Vice President challenged those who believed the war was worth the political cost to defend that position openly, noting that the defeat could cost Republicans control of the Senate for the next six years.

“If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay,” he said.

“Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest.”

Despite the setback, Vance expressed optimism about the country’s future, urging disappointed Republican supporters to channel their anger into rebuilding the party and electing candidates who share their political views.

“Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country,” he added.

Source: punchng.com

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UK to strengthen immigration enforcement with facial recognition

Published

15 hours ago

November 5, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The United Kingdom government plans to expand live facial recognition technology to strengthen immigration enforcement and identify individuals who have violated immigration rules.

The initiative, being developed by the Home Office, could see facial recognition cameras deployed at transport hubs and public events to help immigration officers identify people who have overstayed their visas, entered the country unlawfully or breached their immigration conditions.

According to policy documents published in October and sighted by PUNCH Online on Thursday, the proposed expansion could extend the technology’s use to general immigration enforcement, including civil immigration violations that do not necessarily involve criminal offences.

The development comes as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood seeks to intensify immigration enforcement through increased funding, additional personnel and expanded deportation operations.

The Home Office said the technology would help officers identify individuals subject to removal proceedings and those attempting to re-enter the UK unlawfully.

The policy documents also suggest that facial recognition could reduce the need for repeated enforcement visits to residential properties and workplaces.

Authorities have already conducted three trials of the technology at Holyhead port in north Wales between November 2025 and February 2026. The trials focused on identifying individuals travelling from Ireland who were subject to deportation orders or wanted over immigration-related criminal offences.

The programme has now entered its formal delivery phase, with officials considering wider deployments at transport hubs and large public gatherings.

A Home Office spokesperson confirmed that further trials were being considered while the government examined the potential benefits and implications of the technology.

U K Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said: “Facial recognition technology has been the biggest breakthrough for catching criminals since DNA matching, already helping police take thousands of dangerous criminals off our streets.

“The benefits are clear, but we must ensure that its use is fair, safe and proportionate.

“It is right we put in place clear laws to ensure that the use of this technology is watertight, so the public can have confidence that these tools, which are vital to our safety, are used responsibly too.”

However, the proposed expansion has raised concerns among civil liberties organisations and migrant rights advocates over privacy, surveillance and the possibility of inaccurate identification.

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants described the development as a significant escalation of immigration enforcement powers, while the Open Rights Group questioned the transparency of the plans, public consent and the absence of comprehensive legislation governing facial recognition.

Critics have also warned that the technology could disproportionately affect people of colour because of concerns about identification accuracy.

Meanwhile, Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner William Webster has questioned whether existing regulatory arrangements are sufficient to oversee the expanding use of facial recognition across government agencies.

Under the proposed policy, individuals under 18 will not be included on facial recognition watchlists.

Source: punchng.com

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