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Minister hints at gas boilers ban but says market should drive change

Gas boilers could be banned in future but the government believes the market should drive changes to home heating systems, the cabinet minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan has said, amid criticism of the limited grants system for heat pumps.

Ministers had been under pressure to set a date to ban the installation of new gas boilers in existing homes, but on Tuesday announced the installation of low-carbon heat pumps would be encouraged with a grant system of £5,000 for up to 90,000 homes in England and Wales.

The grant would make the installation a similar cost to a new gas boiler, but green campaigners have said the move would expand the greener system to a minuscule proportion of homes and does not set a date for a full ban.

Speaking on Tuesday as the government launched its heat and buildings strategy, one of a number of announcements made ahead of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, Trevelyan hinted the installation of new gas boilers would be banned in the future.

“In the short term, yes, of course this is a voluntary scheme … There will be a point at which that changes but, yes, for now that’s the case,” she told Sky News.

The international trade secretary said she believed the market would eventually change to make the greener switch more affordable. “At the moment we’re encouraging the market to drive those changes,” she told the BBC.

“What we’re seeing already is energy companies already moving into, not only providing us with energy, but encouraging their customers to shift to heat pumps and looking to find ways to help do that – your energy provider will be part of that solution.

“In 10 years’ time, we want to look back and think we’ve actually made a difference as individuals, because that’s as important as the big chunky things like offshore wind turbines and nuclear power stations.”

The full strategy is expected to be published on Tuesday and will include measures totalling £3.9bn to decarbonise buildings and how they are heated, with a confirmed 2035 target for all new heating systems in UK homes to be energy efficient.

Caroline Jones of Greenpeace UK said efforts to decarbonise housing were being hampered by unambitious policies and inadequate funding. She said: “More money must be provided to rapidly increase the number of homeowners switching to heat pumps over the next few years, with full costs covered for families on low incomes.

“A clearer signal would have been a phase-out of new boilers before 2035. And all of this must be delivered with a fully funded, nationwide programme to insulate our homes at a scale and speed that the government hasn’t fully grasped.”

Under the plans, which the minister said would support up to 240,000 jobs by 2035, the £5,000 grants will be available from April next year, and should eliminate any price differential for heat pumps or similar systems. The plan suggests as the market expands, the price for such systems should drop by between a quarter and a half by 2025.

The wider £3.9bn of funding for greening homes will be targeted through a series of existing schemes, with others aimed at public buildings.

Ed Miliband, the shadow business secretary, said it was a “meagre, unambitious and wholly inadequate response”.

He added: “Families up and down the country desperately needed Labour’s 10-year plan investing £6bn a year for home insulation and zero carbon heating to cut bills by £400 per year, improve our energy security, create jobs and reduce carbon emissions.”

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Police arrest 9 suspects over communal crisis in Kogi

The Police Command in Kogi State has arrested nine suspects in connection with a communal crisis in Itamah area of Kogi.

The crisis occurred after the assassination of the community traditional ruler, Onu Itamah Job Shagari.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Bethrand Onuoha, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on Thursday.

The late Chief Job Shagari was on Aug. 12 assassinated by some gunmen who invaded the community.

The traditional ruler’s death had created rift between two families — the Okenyi Abu-Atika and Shagari-Ebijegor, resulting in communal crisis.

But the police said they had arrested nine suspects and they were trailing other suspects.

“What the police are calling for now is for peace to be allowed to reign in Itamah community.

“The destruction done in that community is very unfortunate and uncalled for.

“We want a situation where the aggrieved families should come to round table for dialogue toward finding a lasting solution.

A situation where the community members are involved in an eye for an eye, the whole community will be blind and there won’t be peace there at all,” he said.

Onuoha denied the allegation that the command did not respond to petitions brought before it on arson and hostilities that left some houses and other property razed destroyed.

Mr Akoh Jonah, spokesman of the Okenyi Abu-Atika, claimed that more than 40 houses were burnt during the crisis, alleging that the police arrested 11 members of his family

News

Police arrest two suspects with AK-47 rifle in Bauchi

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested two suspects with a fabricated AK-47 rifle and ammunition in the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state.

Spokesperson of the command, SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, September 12, 2024. He said the suspects were nabbed by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit while trying to sell the rifle for N580,000.

“The Bauchi State Police Command is unwavering in its efforts to combat the proliferation of small and light arms within the state. In furtherance of this commitment, the Taskforce operatives, led by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit attached to the Command, have successfully apprehended two suspects in possession of a fabricated AK47 rifle and ammunition at Boto Market in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi state,” the statement read.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects, who travelled from Plateau State to Boto market, negotiated the sale of the rifle for N580,000.

“The apprehended suspects are: Abdulgafar Mohammed, male, 18 years old, from Barkin Ladi, Plateau State and Yusuf Isa, male, 25 years old, from the same address.

“A discreet investigation is ongoing, after which the suspect will be charged to court upon completion of the investigation.

Under the stewardship of the Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Musa Mohammad, psc, Anipr, the Command has escalated efforts to locate and apprehend the manufacturers of such weapons, irrespective of their location. Ultimately, the Command aims to assure the public of its dedication to eliminating illegal firearms in the state and urges the citizens to understand that.

“Mankind must put an end to organised crime, or organized crime will put an end to mankind”, and on the “ keyboard of life, let us as citizens always keep a finger on the escape key to survive.”

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Police arrest 19 year old undergraduate for kidnapping, killing of a female student in Kogi

The Kogi State Police Command has arrested Paul Jeremiah, 20, for the alleged murder of Damilola, a 19-year-old first-year student at the Federal University, Lafia, Kogi State.

SP William Ovie Aya, the Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed Jeremiah’s arrest on Thursday in Lokoja.

According to him, investigation is underway to determine the details surrounding the incident.

Damilola was reported missing on September 4, 2024.

Reports indicate that Jeremiah and his accomplices initially demanded a ransom of N10 million for her release.

However, after receiving N400,000 from Damilola’s family, Jeremiah, said to be a Kaduna State indigene, was dissatisfied with the amount and subsequently killed Damilola and mutilated her body.

The Police spokesman did not disclose how Jeremiah was apprehended but confirmed that he is currently in custody.