The Christian Association of Nigeria in Niger State has condemned the killing of a Catholic Priest in Paikoro Local Government Area of the state. A statement issued by Daniel Atori, the media aide to CAN Chairman, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna on Sunday in Minna, called for investigations into the attack. In the early hours of Sunday, terrorists burnt a Catholic priest, Isaac Achi, alive at his residence. According to reporting by Premium Times, when the attackers could not gain access to the well-fortified building where the priest was living, they set it ablaze. Until his death, Mr Achi was attached to St. Peters and Paul Catholic Church, Kafin-Koro, Paikoro. Confirming the incident, state police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said another priest was shot during the attack. “One of the primary responsibilities of any government is to protect lives and properties of the people, enough of the attacks and wanton killings of innocent Nigeria citizens,” CAN said. The police said tactical teams attached to Kafin-Koro Div were sent to the scene but the assailants had escaped before their arrival.
Nigeria LNG cancelled several liquefied natural gas shipments after vandalism on pipelines from gas fields disrupted production, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The company scrapped the loading of at least two cargoes scheduled for January delivery from its Bonny Island facility, Bloomberg reported citing two unnamed persons. As many as ten shipments were cancelled, one of the people said. More shipments, for February, could also be scrapped, the people said. In early October 2022, the NLNG declared force majeure on its 22.2 million ton per year Bonny LNG export facility due to widespread flooding that disrupted supply, worsening Nigeria’s gas shortage challenges and revenue crisis. The revenue loss was attributed to the increasing security challenges which have hit the country’s oil and gas companies and negatively impacted NLNG’s production and revenue. The latest problem will further negatively impact the ability of Nigeria to close Europe’s gas supply gap and others, which has been affected by the Russia-Ukraine war. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, gas imports from Nigeria constitute about 7 percent of Europe’s LNG supply in 2022.
MTN, Africa’s largest wireless carrier, said it received a $773 million back-tax bill, including penalties and interest charges, in Ghana that it plans to fight. The bill is for the period between 2014 and 2018 and implies that MTN under-declared its revenue in the country by 30%, the company said in a statement on Friday. “MTN Ghana believes that the taxes due have been paid during the period under assessment and has resolved to vigorously defend MTN Ghana’s position on the assessment,” the company said. The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) used a third-party consultant as well as a new methodology, the company said. “MTN Ghana strongly disputes the accuracy and basis of the assessment, including the methodology used in conducting the audit,” the company said. MTN said in the statement that the GRA had begun an audit of its Ghanaian business in 2019 to look into the “reliability and completeness” of the revenue it declared during the five-year period.
At least 14 Malian soldiers were killed and 11 injured in clashes with jihadists between Mopti and Ségou, according to a report by the army last Thursday. The attack has been claimed by Al-Qaeda with different figures. The jihadists of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM, JNIM in Arabic), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, for their part, claimed responsibility for a “double ambush having targeted Malian soldiers and mercenaries from the Wagner group in the region of Mopti,” in a press release authenticated by the American NGO SITE, specialised in the follow-up of radical groups, consulted Thursday by AFP. The first attack was carried out “with a mine” on the road between Tenenkou and Macina during which “an unknown number of Malian soldiers and Wagner mercenaries were killed and wounded.” It was followed by a second assault “with three explosive devices” between Kumara and Macina in which “five Wagner mercenaries and seven Malian soldiers were killed and dozens of others injured,” according to the JNIM organisation which ” recognizes the death of five martyrs.