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Bagos Demands Justice for Binda Attack Victims, Donates Relief Materials
Former House of Representatives member, Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos, has urged the government and security agencies to bring to justice those responsible for the July 15, 2025, attack on Binda in Tahos Village, Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Bagos made the call during a sympathy visit to the community on Saturday, where he commiserated with victims, inspected the level of destruction, and provided relief items through his foundation. He donated bundles of roofing sheets and wood to assist in rebuilding houses burnt during the attack, which claimed several lives, injured many, and destroyed homes, including a church.
“We are here to commiserate with the community and conduct a needs assessment for possible interventions. Today we brought bundles of zinc and wood to help in roofing some of the burnt houses. But beyond this, we must continue to demand justice,” Bagos said.
He expressed concern that two months after the incident, no suspects had been arrested or prosecuted, warning that impunity could fuel further violence.
“Lives were lost and blood was shed. Who has been arrested, who is in court, and who has been convicted? Until justice is served, these attacks will continue. Enough is enough; our leaders must act,” he stressed.
Reiterating his long-standing position, Bagos called for a nationwide ban on open grazing, which he described as a major driver of insecurity. According to him, outlawing the practice would help curb recurring farmer-herder clashes.
“It is simple: ban open grazing. Today people have been killed, farmlands destroyed, and yet we allow this system to persist. In the 21st century, we should not be trivializing insecurity with ethnicity or religion. This affects everyone,” he noted.
The former lawmaker also urged the Plateau State Government to implement recommendations from the recently submitted fact-finding committee on insecurity, describing such action as a potential lasting legacy for Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s administration.
During the visit, His Royal Highness Pastor Kim Nani Manja, the traditional ruler of Tahos, commended recent changes in Sector 6 security leadership, noting that it had already led to the arrest of hundreds of cattle involved in farm destruction. He called for sustained government commitment and accountability.
Also speaking, Rev. Davou Dabo of COCIN LCC Binda, whose home and car were burnt, recounted the trauma faced by survivors. He disclosed that seven members of his church were killed alongside nine relatives in the incident, which claimed a total of 27 lives within the area.
“I have not received any direct intervention apart from roofing materials provided through the state and local government. Our people are still displaced, children are out of school, and farms destroyed. We are pleading for more support,” he said.
The July 15 attack on Binda remains one of the deadliest in Riyom in recent months, leaving the community devastated and intensifying calls for stronger security measures, justice for victims, and sustainable peace efforts.
Universal Insurance Plc, Nigeria’s top underwriter, said it has paid a total of ₦1.35billion in claims during the second quarter of 2026.
This milestone according to the company highlights its ongoing commitment to customer satisfaction and the prompt settlement of genuine claims across its diverse business lines.
Tge company noted that theu claims were paid across key portfolios, including Agriculture, Aviation, Bond, Engineering, Fire, General Accident, Marine, Motor, Oil & Gas, and Special Risk insurance, demonstrating the company’s capacity to support its policyholders when they need it most.
Speaking on the performance, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Insurance Plc, Dr. Jeff Duru, noted that the impressive claims payout reflects the company’s financial strength, operational efficiency, and customer-centric philosophy.
“At Universal Insurance Plc, our customers remain at the heart of everything we do. Insurance is built on trust, and nothing demonstrates that trust more than our ability to honour genuine claims promptly. The payment of over ₦1.35 billion in claims within the second quarter of year 2026 is a clear testament to our unwavering commitment to standing by our policyholders in their moments of need.”
He emphasized that prompt claims settlement remains a core strategic priority for the company as it seeks to strengthen trust in the insurance industry and deliver exceptional service to individuals, businesses, and corporate organizations.
The insurer added that every genuine claim is processed with professionalism, transparency, and urgency to ensure minimal disruption to the businesses and daily lives of its clients.
As it deepens its market presence, Universal Insurance Plc plans to continue developing innovative products, leveraging technology for faster service delivery, and maintaining high standards of corporate governance to protect the lives, businesses, and investments of its clients.
The post Universal Insurance Reaffirms Reliability with ₦1.35bn Q2 Claims Payout appeared first on Business Today NG.
Apple is opening up its biggest-ever Siri overhaul to a broader audience with the release of the iOS 27 public beta, giving everyday users the chance to try out the new AI assistant ahead of its broader launch later this fall.
The public beta marks the first time Apple has made its AI-powered Siri widely available beyond developers. With some 2.5 billion active devices worldwide, even if only a fraction of users install the public beta, it will still represent the largest test of Apple’s redesigned AI assistant and its answer to ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and others.
The Siri AI update, which was officially announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, turns Apple’s aging voice assistant into a more capable, AI-powered tool that can access information on a user’s device, including emails, photos, and messages, as well as respond to what’s on the screen and ground its answers in world knowledge, similar to any modern-day AI chatbot.
It’s also more deeply integrated across the operating system. It can be accessed by saying “Hey Siri” or by pressing the side button, as before, as well as by swiping down from the Dynamic Island (the black bar at the top of the screen). Plus, it’s integrated into the iPhone’s built-in search engine tool, Spotlight, making it more powerful than before because it can search for answers to almost any question.
For the first time, Siri has also been given its own standalone app, a user experience that people already comfortable with chatbots like ChatGPT or Gemini may prefer. However, because Siri is so deeply integrated throughout the iPhone, accessing it via an app seems somewhat unnecessary.
In addition to iOS 27 on iPhone, the upgraded Siri is available across all other Apple products, including iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, CarPlay, AirPods, Apple TV, and Vision Pro.
Under the hood, Siri AI leverages Apple Intelligence, including Apple’s new Foundation Models that run on the device and use its Private Cloud Compute. Apple built its Foundation Models in collaboration with Google and its Gemini model, but these models are not just some rebranded version of Gemini. Instead, Apple’s models were built specifically for its Apple Silicon using proprietary data, and distilled Google’s Gemini — a process that uses Gemini to create smaller, highly efficient models built into iOS and other Apple software. Meanwhile, Private Cloud Compute ensures that users’ personal data isn’t stored or accessible to Apple.
In early tests of the developer version of Siri AI, the assistant was able to better handle basic tasks on the phone, like finding certain photos in your Photo Library, summarizing group texts, adding an appointment sent via text to your calendar, looking up nutritional information about what’s in your camera view. It was also better at responding to questions you would normally have to search the web to answer, such as when an upcoming local event is happening, or what’s happening in the news.
In the developer beta, Siri sometimes threw error messages or got confused. (For instance, I once asked Siri for the latest news about Iran, and it searched my contacts for someone with that name.)
However, it’s easy to see Siri becoming a bigger part of your everyday digital life, especially because it doesn’t require you to open an app to use it.
Overall, the developer betas this year have been fairly stable, which makes the public beta much easier to recommend this time around. Of course, installing a beta should always be approached with caution; if your device must run perfectly smoothly and never experience errors, then you may want to hold off until the public launch of iOS 27, which is expected in September.
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