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Gunmen kidnap man as bank manager escapes abduction in Aba

Posted on Thursday 31 July 2014 No comments

Thursday 31 July 2014








A middle aged businessman, Emmanuel Onu, has been abducted in Aba, Abia State, by gunmen believed to be kidnappers.



This is even as a manager of a new generation commercial bank in the city escaped being kidnapped.

It was gathered that the gunmen had at about 11p.m. on the day of the incident climbed the perimeter fence of No. 123 Port Harcourt Road/Ikoro Street, Aba and broke into the apartment of Emmanuel Onu.

It was further learnt that after firing some shots, perhaps to scare people within the neighbourhood, the hoodlums reportedly abducted the man and took him to their hide-out in his Passat Volkswagen car.

At about the same period last week, the Ariaria branch manager of one of the new generation banks narrowly escaped being kidnapped by gunmen.

There was conflicting information about the incident.

While one account had it that the bank manager, whose name could not be immediately ascertained, was shot and wounded by the armed men, another had it that the banker jumped down from the balcony of a storey building as he tried to escape from the hoodlums and broke his leg in the process.

He was said to have been admitted at a private hospital in the city where he is currently receiving treatment from the injury he sustained.
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Ebola-hit Sierra Leone declares state of emergency

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Sierra Leone leader Ernest Bai Koroma declared a state of emergency on Thursday and as the country struggled to contain the deadly Ebola epidemic.


The impoverished country, along with neighbouring Guinea and Liberia, is struggling to contain an epidemic that has infected 1,200 people and left 672 dead across the region since the start of the year.

“Extraordinary challenges require extraordinary measures. The Ebola virus disease poses an extraordinary challenge to our nation,” Koroma said in a televised address to the nation.

“Consequently… I hereby proclaim a state of public emergency to enable us to take a more robust approach to deal with the Ebola outbreak.”

Koroma said he had cancelled a trip to a summit of around 50 African leaders in Washington DC next week.

He announced however that he would travel to neighbouring Guinea for a regional summit on the crisis gathering the heads of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Ivory Coast.

Koroma announced a raft of measures as part of the state of emergency, including quarantining Ebola-hit areas and deploying security forces to protect medical workers.

He banned all public meetings not related to Ebola and cancelled foreign trips by ministers and other government officials, exempting only “absolutely essential engagements”.

The president said the measures would be in place initially for 60 to 90 days, and then be reassessed.

Sierra Leone, which has seen 224 deaths, was also preparing Thursday to bury Omar Khan, a “national hero” who saved the lives of more than 100 Ebola patients before succumbing to the tropical bug.

- ‘Very serious threat’ -

Fears that the outbreak could spread to other continents have been growing with European and Asian countries on alert.

Leading medical charity Doctors Without Borders warned the crisis would only get worse and said there was no overarching strategy to handle the world’s worst-ever outbreak of the disease.

Sierra Leone’s announcement comes a day after Liberia, which has seen 129 deaths, said it was shutting all schools and placing “non-essential” government workers on 30 days’ leave.

US Christian charity Samaritan’s Purse said it was temporarily withdrawing its non-essential staff from Liberia, citing regional “instability and ongoing security issues”.

Hong Kong announced quarantine measures for suspected cases, although one woman arriving from Africa with possible symptoms tested negative, while the EU said it was ready to deal with the threat.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has held talks with global health officials on potential measures to halt the spread of the disease.

In Britain, where one person has tested negative for the disease, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said it was regarded as “a very serious threat”.

The US Peace Corps announced Wednesday it was pulling hundreds of volunteers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The European Union is equipped and ready to treat victims should the deadly virus be found in its 28 member states, an EU source said in Brussels.

- Medical staff ‘swamped’ -

In Hong Kong, a densely populated city previously scarred by disease outbreaks such as the 2003 SARS epidemic, health officials confirmed they would quarantine as a precautionary measure any visitors from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia who showed fever symptoms.

One woman arriving in the southern Chinese city from Africa, who showed symptoms including fever and vomiting, has tested negative for Ebola.

Australia, which has already warned against travel to west Africa’s Ebola-hit countries, said it was well prepared in the unlikely event that the virus should reach its shores.

Meanwhile, Thai health authorities said they had ordered all hospitals to monitor patients for any symptoms, particularly nationals or foreign tourists who had been in the outbreak area.

A British doctor volunteering in Sierra Leone treating Ebola patients told Metro newspaper that medical staff were swamped.

“The main challenge here, though, is that the health authorities just don’t have the infrastructure to cope. They’re overwhelmed,” Benjamin Black said.

Togo-based pan-African airline ASKY, which serves 20 destinations, has halted all flights to and from Liberia and Sierra Leone following the death of a passenger from the virus.

The 40-year-old man, who travelled from Liberia, died in Lagos on Friday in Nigeria’s first confirmed death from Ebola.

The virus crossing borders for the first time by plane could lead to new flight restrictions aimed at containing outbreaks, the world aviation agency said.

Japan’s health ministry said it has sent out an alert to hospitals and health organisations to be on the lookout for people with signs of the virus.

“In addition to the ordinary measures we already have in place, including thermographies to check on travellers’ body temperatures (at the airport), the government is drawing attention to the concerned authorities,” a ministry spokesman said.

AFP
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REVEALED: Nigerians spend N1.8bn on sports betting daily

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About 60 million Nigerians between 18 and 40 years of age may be spending up to N1.8 billion on sports betting daily, investigation by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reveals.



The investigation showed that they commit on the average N3,000 on sports betting daily.

Dotun Ajekigbe, a sport betting analyst, said that sport betting though risky was also rewarding.

Ajekigbe said that about 60 million Nigerians placed bets on different matches daily across the country.

He said that most unemployed youths have taken to online and other forms of sports betting to make a living.

According to him, from findings this group of people stake an average of N3,000 daily.

“Sport betting is gambling, not investing in bank shares.

“But almost everything in life is a gamble, more so with money matters. With gambling comes risks because it not 100 per cent guaranteed.

“However, you can dramatically reduce your risks by taking calculated risks only.

“When you take calculated risks, you base your decisions on sound research and evidence, not intuition.

“Sport betting is by chance. The better informed the player is, the better the chance he/she has of making money,” he said.

Mr Ambrose Obialor, who runs Yobo Viewing Centre, Lagos, says that some people bet between N2, 000, N10, 000 and above, depending on the individual.

He said that some people denied themselves of food after spending all they had on a bet.

Mr Afeez Adigun, an agent for 1960 Bet Company, Lagos, said that between 200 and 300 people visit his office to place bets on match days during football seasons. while about 150 people bet at off-seasons.

According to him, a betting company can generate up to N20 million monthly and use between N5 million and N7 million to meet winners obligations in terms of payment.

He also described sports’ betting as very risky but highly rewarding business.

A representative of another betting company, Betting World, who did not want his name mentioned, said that sport betting companies have employed about 50 youths in Lagos.

He also said that betting outlets were always filled with countless young people between ages 18 and 40 who come to place their bets.

The representative said that most people borrow as much as 10,000 for their daily stakes, stressing that some of them win, while others lose but returned for the next day’s betting.

He said that most people did not like to place bets on Nigerian matches because they were highly predictable.

Mr Lanre Gbajabiamila, Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State Lottery Board, said the lottery industry was very risky but also lucrative.

Gbajabiamila said that the board generated about N1 million in 2013 from about 11 sport betting companies in the state.

He added that more revenue could be generated with more investment to develop the industry.

“The state government has been making efforts to provide an enabling environment for the lottery industry but only 40 per cent of the industry had been tapped into.

“We urge the Federal Government to create a more enabling environment for operators in the industry to increase revenue and create jobs for youths.

“The major needs of the operators are improved electricity and internet provision to boost the business,” he said.

He restated the commitment of the board to rid the state of illegal lottery operators. (NAN)
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When will Nigerians enjoy stable electricity?

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Unarguably, the provision of stable and uninterrupted power supply is key for accelerated economic and industrial development of any country.



Analysts are quick to point out that Nigeria’s quest to become one of the 20th economies in the world may as well be a mirage without stable electricity supply.

They say that stable electricity supply will reduce the cost of manufacturing and services; boost investment and employment, among others.

However, in spite of its importance, efforts to guarantee sustainable stability in the power supply chain has remained elusive despite huge investments in the sector by successive administrations since independence.

For instance, available records showed that the Obasanjo’s government spent over three billion dollars on its National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) as at 2007.

This, according to Gov. Gabriel Suswam of Benue, the Chairman, Joint Transaction Technical Committee, is out of the over 10 billion dollars earmarked for the NIPP.

He said that the amount was also inclusive of the two billion dollars Federal Government’s counterpart funding for Mambilla Hydro Power project and the 1.4 billion dollars set aside for additional nine turbines plants.

At the moment, four of the projects which on completion would generate 4,774MW, had been completed, while six others are at 80 to 90 per cent completion.

To further boost the initiative, the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration has strengthened the power sector reform by fully privatising the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

The exercise eventually resulted in the unbundling of the PHCN and the establishment of power Distributing Companies (DISCOs) across the country.

Although the reform is yet to significantly improve power stability nationwide, the World Bank, however, applauded the government for the initiative, with a call on other African countries to emulate the policy.

Mr Mukhtar Diop, the bank’s Vice President, Africa, made the commendation while listing some infrastructural achievements in Africa, during the recent African Union Summit on Financing Infrastructure Development, in Dakar, Senegal.

According to him, the power reform is one of the ways of solving Africa’s problems by Africans.

“We must commend the leadership in Nigeria for the successful completion of the privatisation of the country’s power sector.

“The electric reform in that country is one of the ways of solving Africa’s problems by Africans. We commend the country for that.”

It is, perhaps, against this backdrop, that President Goodluck Jonathan promised to restore uninterrupted power supply to Nigerians by the end of 2014.

Jonathan gave the assurance while commissioning the NIPP 500MW Omotosho II Power Station at Omotosho in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.

He said that his optimism was based on the progress in the completion of the ongoing 10 independent power projects spread across the country.

“My administration is committed to boost electricity supply in the country. Today, we are in Ondo State to commission Omotosho Power Plant that will also serve the people of these areas and improve electricity supply in the country.”

But in spite of the government’s assurances, pundits doubt that uninterrupted and stable power supply to Nigerians would be achieved by the end of 2014.

Mr David Ladipo, whose company, Azura, is spending 700 million dollars to build a 450 MW plant in South Africa, insists that with situation on ground, it will still take Nigeria 50 years from now to enjoy stable power supply.

Ladipo told Reuters news agency that Nigeria would need about 140,000MW to guarantee stable power supply.

‘’Nigeria is still scores of years away at this threshold. At present, it generates a meagre 4,000 MW for a population estimated at 170 million.

‘’South Africa, with a population of about 50 million people, produces about 40,000 MW of electricity and has been trying in recent years to increase output.

“It will probably take Nigeria another 50 years before it attains the same level of electricity consumption per capita as South Africa currently enjoys today,” Ladipo said.

However, Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State believes that with patience and commitment, Nigerians will soon enjoy the dividends of the ongoing power sector reforms.

Fashola expressed the optimism in Lagos at the closing ceremony of the 7th Lagos Economic Summit, tagged: Ehingbeti.

According to him, the privatisation of the power sector will not be successful without the cooperation of investors and consumers.

He urged the public to develop energy conservation culture and manage existing power infrastructure adequately.

“We should desist from illegal connections of electricity and ensure that our bills are paid appropriately.

“Electricity poles should not be used as speed breakers by reckless drivers; we should all protect the infrastructure from being damaged,’’ the governor said.

Prof. Chinedo Nebo, the Minister of Power, shares similar sentiments, noting that the Federal Government has concluded plans to explore ways of implementing the Indian power sector model in order to further boost the nation’s capacity to generate more power.

Nebo stated this recently in Abuja when he received a delegation on power from India.

The minister said that the Nigerian power sector which was still in a transitional stage after the privatisation still had a lot to learn from the Indian experience.

According to him, this is because of the peculiarity between both nations’ power sector.

He said the ministry would soon summon a stakeholders’ forum of all Generating Companies (GENCOs), Distribution Companies (DISCOs) and the regulatory bodies to take a closer look on how India transformed its power sector.

Nebo also invited the Indian delegation to the first National Council on Power conference slated for August 2014 in order to have a robust discussion.

The minister assured the delegation that the Federal Government was committed to achieving 10,000 MW by the end of the year despite the challenges.

Speaking on behalf of the DISCOS, the Chief Executive Officer of Eko Disco, Mr Oladele Amoda, said the company had already had a technical arrangement with Tata of India.

He urged the India delegation to take seriously the issue of transfer of technology so as to fast-track the development of the sector.

The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Ajjampur Ghenashyam, who also spoke, advised Nigeria, as the hub of economic activities in the West African sub-region, to take the lead in the development of regional power market.

He said that India had achieved over 400 per cent leap in generation capacity in the last 10 years due to the competitiveness of the market.

Ghenashyam said countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Pakistan had already been enjoying from seamless cross-border market and this had further boosted confidence for investment flow into the sector.

The envoy said that India was ready to partner with Nigeria in the development of the nation’s power sector.

Nonetheless, analysts have advised the government to also invest in the development of alternative sources of energy, such as wind and solar in order to boost the capacity of the country to meet its energy requirement.

They also advise the government to fast-track the completion of the NIPP projects in order to realise the objective of providing uninterrupted power supply to Nigerians by the end of 2014.

By Sani Adamu, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
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Nasarawa: Impeachment panel sits behind closed doors

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The seven-man panel set up by the Nasarawa State Chief Judge, Justice Suleiman Umaru Dikko, to investigate allegations of gross misconduct against the Governor Tanko Al-Makura, began sitting behind closed doors in Lafia on Thursday.



The panel began sitting as it became obvious that the state Chief Judge had shunned a directive of the state House of Assembly that the panel should be dissolved because its members were members of the All Progressives Congress.

Journalists were barred by armed security agents, including the police and soldiers, from entering the conference hall of the state’s Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, venue of the panel sitting.

Heavily armed security agents were also at the Government House, UAC Junction and Makurdi Road, to avoid break down of law and order.

The House had, at its sitting on Wednesday asked the Chief Judge to dissolve the panel.

But the governor on Thursday said the sitting of the lawmakers on Wednesday was illegal as it was held outside the Assembly complex.

Al-Makura, therefore, said the resolution of the lawmakers should be disregarded by all and sundry because it was unconstitutional.

The governor spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Abdulhammid Kwarra, at a press conference in Lafia.

He argued that instead of directing the state Chief Judge to re-constitute the seven-man panel, the House should have gone to court to seek a legal means of dissolving the panel.

Kwarra said, ”If the lawmakers are aggrieved with the compliance of the state Chief Judge with the provision of Section 188, Sub-Section 5, the right thing to do is for the House to go to the court of law to challenge the composition of the seven- man panel.”

He condemned the lawmakers for alleging that the government sponsored thugs to prevent them from sitting in Lafia, the state capital and cited that as a reason for their choice of Karu for the purpose.

Kwarra said that as far as the government was concerned, the sitting of members at Karu was a “mere congregation of the concerned members of the House because it falls short of democratic requirement.”

But the Chairman of the House Committee on Information and Security, Baba Ibaku, faulted the state government’s criticism of its directive to the Chief Judge on the investigative panel.

He said the House acted in line with constitutional provisions.

While citing Section 188, Sub-Section 7, Ibaku said members of the panel should not belong to any political party or the civil service.

Ibaku alleged that two members of the panel are in the state Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, adding that two were in the Congress for Progressive Change, which merged with two other parties to form the APC.

When asked whether he was aware that the panel had begun sitting, he said, “As we (House) are concerned, there is no panel and they are wasting their time, who are they submitting their report to?

“We have directed the state chief judge to constitute another panel of investigation and if he fails to do so, he is on his own. We will not accept the outcome.”

Also reacting to Wednesday’s sitting, member of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly representing Keffi East, Mr. Othman Bala Adam, said the four APC lawmakers would seek every legal means to ensure that their fundamental rights would not be compromised.

Adam, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said it was not the responsibility of the lawmakers to direct the state Chief Judge to dissolve the panel.

Adam, who spoke in an interview with some journalists in Lafia, said the attitude of the 19 PDP lawmakers was unconstitutional.

According to him, there is a law that guides the state Chief Judge on the composition of the seven-man panel to investigate the governor.

He said the PDP lawmakers should wait until the governor was found guilty, adding that if they had a contrary view, they could go to court.

Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Nuhuman Umaru, said nobody had been arrested for the burning of a car belonging to a lawmaker, Muhammed Muluku, on Wednesday in the Akuraba area of the state.

He said an investigation into the matter was in still in progress.

“As I am talking to you now, security has been beefed up in flash areas across the state to avoid any break down of law and order,” the PPRO stated.

Umaru said he was not aware of any threat by some youths to disrupt the sitting of the seven-man panel set up by the state Chief Judge.
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Kano suicide blast claims another victim

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One of the victims of Wednesday suicide attack at Kano Polytechnic, Muhammad Nura Daneji died Thursday morning at Murtala Muhammad Hospital, Kano.



In a statement, veteran journalist , Ahmad Sabon, on behalf of the deceased family said the HND graduate died of fatal injury he sustained from the blast.

“Our son Nura Deneji died this morning due to excessive loss of blood arising from a lost of one of his arms to the blast; join us in prayers for the repose of his soul.”

The death of Nura Deneji brought to four the number of deaths, including the female bomber in yesterday’s terror attack in Kano.

Nura Deneji would be buried according to Islamic rites today.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer Kano command, ASP Magaji Musa Majia said, “the late Deneji was my neighbour and he was a simple, easy going lad.”
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Gaza conflict: Israeli air strike kills 15 in market

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At least 15 people have been killed and 160 wounded in an Israeli air strike that hit a market near Gaza City, Palestinian officials say.



The explosion hit a busy fruit and vegetable market in Shejaiya, east of Gaza City, where hundreds of Palestinians were shopping, a spokesman for the Gaza health ministry said.

The attack came during a four-hour truce called by the Israeli military.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, had rejected the truce as meaningless.

Correspondents say it was unclear whether anyone in Gaza was aware that the partial ceasefire had been called.

The Israeli military said it would last between 15:00 (12:00 GMT) and 19:00.

However it had warned that the truce would only apply to areas where Israeli soldiers were not currently operating, and it told residents not to return to areas they had previously been asked to evacuate.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri had rejected the truce as meaningless.

“The lull which Israel announced is media exploitation and has no value because it excludes the volatile areas along the border, and we won’t be able to get the wounded out from those areas,” he said in a statement.

Sirens continued to sound in southern Israel after the ceasefire, to warn of militant rocket attacks, and Palestinian doctors said another Israeli air strike after the truce was announced had killed seven people in Khan Younis.
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Gunmen abduct Senator’s 90-year-old mother

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Yet-to-be-identified gunmen have abducted Florentina, the monther of Senator Emmanuel Paulker, in Bayelsa State.


The 90-year-old Florentina was abducted on Wednesday morning at her residence in Opolo-Epie, Yenagoa area of the state.

Neighbours of the nonagenarian were angry that the kidnappers forcibly took the woman away despite her age.

Their anger also came against the backdrop that Florentina was being kidnapped for the second time in four years.

It was learnt that the abductors called about 3am on Wednesday when the victim and other residents were sleeping to execute their sinister plot.

A security source said the kidnappers were five in number and were fully armed with AK47 and other rifles.

The source, who did not want his name mentioned, said, “They came through the main road. They drove a vehicle into the community and immediately started shooting sporadically into the air to create apprehension among neighbours who were already asleep.

“They forced the door open, seized the old woman and whisked her away to an unknown place. Some residents thought the kidnappers were armed robbers.

“Some of the residents later came out and started shouting ‘thieves, thieves’ only to discover later that the woman had been abducted.”

When contacted the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hilary Opara, confirmed the development and said one of the suspected kidnappers had been arrested.

He said the suspect was helping the police in their investigations.

The commissioner said, “Although the report got to the police after the kidnappers had gone, we immediately swung into action and arrested one suspect who is already assisting the police in investigation and we beleive that in no distant time, the victim would be recued.”

He urged members of the public to go about their normal businesses, vowing that the police would continue to protect their lives and property.

Opara said the state special security outfit, Operation Doo Akpo, and other anti-crime outfits were on top of the situation.

He also lauded the state government for providing logistics to the command and commended members of the public for their cooperation.”
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Jonathan condemns Kano suicide bombing

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President Goodluck Jonathan has directed the Armed Forces, Police and other national security agencies to strengthen security around educational facilities in states prone to terrorist attacks.



The President also condemned the attacks on two mosques in Potiskum, Yobe State Tuesday.

Reacting to the suicide bombing of the Aminu Kano College of Islamic and Legal Studies today, President Jonathan said “no amount of intimidation and violence would stampede the government into abandoning its goal of giving education a new lease of life and opening up access to all young Nigerians who wish to improve themselves”.

According to the president, “the callous attacks on soft targets fully affirm that the terrorists are nothing but bloodthirsty adherents of a warped and retrogressive ideology.

“President Jonathan condemns the repeated targeting of worshippers, and innocent students who are the nation’s future by depraved terrorists.

“No amount of intimidation and violence would stampede the government into abandoning its goal of giving education a new lease of life and opening up access to all young Nigerians who wish to improve themselves.

“President Jonathan has therefore directed the Armed Forces, Police and other national security agencies to further enhance security around educational facilities in states prone to terrorist attacks”.
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Young female suicide bomber strikes Kano polytechnic

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The new strategy of violent Islamic sect continued on Wednesday, as yet another female suicide bomber attacked students of Kano Polytechnic.


The spokesperson of the Police in the state, Magaji Majiya, has told newsmen that,
Two persons were confirmed dead in the incident and at least seven others were injured, the police said.


"A female tenager blew herself up at about 2:30 p.m. and she was targeting the students of Kano State Polytechnic," he said.


Mr. Majiya said the students targeted were prospective Corps members who had earlier received text messages from the polytechnic's administration department informing them that their postings to various states for the National Youth Service Corps [NYSC] was out.


The Police spokesperson also said apart from the suicide bomber, two other students  died in the blast while seven others were injured and evacuated to a hospital.


"The area has been cordoned off and investigation has already commenced," he said.


Wednesday's attack brings to four the number of suicide bomb attacks in the city involving young female bombers.


Three attempts were earlier made on an NNPC filling station, the North West University, and the Trade Fair Complex in the city on Tuesday.
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Rice, kerosene distribution not for election - PDP

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The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has said it has been distributing food items and kerosene to residents of the state for years, especially during festive periods, before it began its campaign for the forthcoming governorship election.


The Publicity Secretary of Osun PDP, Mr. Bola Ajao, told our correspondent that the party has been distributing several tonnes of rice, litres of kerosene, to show that it cares for the people, and denied insinuations that the party was using such items to induce voters.

He said, “This is Africa, in Africa we are known for being our brother’s keepers. So, what we are doing, distributing rice and kerosene, is to show that we care for the people of Osun State.

“We didn’t start doing it because of election, we have been giving rice to people especially during festivities because we know that we have in our society people who might not be able to easily afford these things. This is also not the first time we are distributing kerosene.”

Ajao said in spite of the criticisms of the practice, which has been termed ‘stomach infrastructure,’ they would continue to distribute such items to those in need.

“We will continue giving out things even after the election, and this is to show you that it is not about the election. We are only doing this to show the kind of party we are; a party that cares for the masses. As a matter of fact more batches of rice and kerosene will come before the election,” he said.

Our correspondent observed that hundreds of 50kg bags of rice, thousands of about five kilograms packs of rice as well as several cartoons of vegetable oil all branded were stock piled at the PDP secretariat in Osogbo awaiting distribution.

The party has also engaged in distributing other branded gifts such as shirts, face caps, hats, umbrellas, hand fans during its campaign rallies.
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Landlady’s children cut tenant’s private parts

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A 35-year-old man, Yinka Offehin, is battling for his life at a private hospital in Lagos State after his scrotum was cut by the children of his landlady.


The Edo State indigene, who resides on Popoola Street, off Abaranje Road in the Ikotun area of Lagos, was said to have been attacked while sleeping in his room with his family members.

His wife, Bisi, who was with him when the incident happened, identified the assailants as Solomon and Damilola, the children of the landlady.

She said, “On Thursday morning, around 3am, while we were sleeping, we heard loud bangs on our door. We initially thought they were armed robbers because the house beside ours had recently been robbed.

“When they entered, we saw they were children of our landlady. They began destroying our electronics and other property.

“There were two of them. One held a knife in his hand. They took N800, 000. They descended on my husband and he also fought back. In that confusion, my husband shouted and we saw that one of the attackers had cut Yinka’s scrotum. I can’t say what they used to cut off my husband’s scrotum.”

She added that her husband, though in pain, was able to hold on to one of his attackers till dawn, while the other fled the scene.

Bisi said her husband could not be admitted at a general hospital because of the ongoing doctors’ strike, but was eventually taken to a private hospital in the area.

When our correspondent visited the victim at the hospital, he told newsmen the genesis of his problem was when he had a misunderstanding with his landlady and was asked to vacate his apartment.

“I was asked to leave the house immediately, but after the intervention of the traditional ruler of the community, I was asked to leave by the end of August.

“But that decision did not go down well with the children of my landlady and they continued to make trouble with me.

“I was already planning to leave their house and had even contacted an agent when they attacked me without any provocation. I want the government to fight for me,” he said.

A doctor in the hospital, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that his patient would need up to three months to recover.

He said, “We have stitched the area where the scrotum was torn. It may take up to three months before it will heal. He needs time to fully recover from the injury.”

A relative said the doctor told the family if the condition did not improve, a surgery may not be ruled out.

It was learnt that about N60, 000 had already been spent by the family.

The father of the suspects, a pastor, when contacted, declined comment.

He said, “I am sorry; I can’t speak with you on this matter. You know the matter is already with the police and those they accused of committing the offence are in the police cell. So, what do you want me to say? I was told they are taking the matter to court. Let’s leave everything to God.”

Our correspondent learnt that the case was reported at the Ikotun Police Division.

A source told our correspondent that a member of the suspects’ family had on the morning of the incident reported a case of armed attack on them by a tenant.

The wife of the victim, who met the relative at the station, reportedly expressed surprise, telling the officers the reverse was the case.

It was learnt that the relative was put behind the counter after the police saw the victim’s injuries.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident.

She said, “It was around 3am, while the victim was sleeping in his room, that one Solomon Olowogbemi and Damilola Olayeye, the children of his landlady, came in and started fighting with him.

“In the process, they inflicted injury on him with an unknown object. The skin of his scrotum was partly cut off, thereby exposing one of his testicles. The two suspects have been arrested and detained and the victim taken to a hospital.”

Culled from Punch
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Ohanaeze youths demand protection of Igbos in North

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The Ohanaeze Youth Wing has asked the Northern Governors Forum to reassure Igbos living in the North of their safety within 21 days.


The Ohanaeze Youth Wing, which issued the ultimatum in a statement by its President, Chief Okechukwu Isiguzoro, which was made available to our correspondent on Wednesday, warned that it would take “necessary action” if the northern governors failed to give the required assurance.

Isiguzoro explained that the ultimatum was in response to a statement attributed to the Arewa Consultative Forum, in which Igbo investments in the North were listed as targets of retaliatory attacks following alleged victimisation of Northern Muslims in Imo State.

Denying the alleged victimisation of Northern Muslims in the South East, Ohanaeze Youth Wing said Igbos in the North were worried over the statement made by the ACF.

The group said, “We ask the Northern Governors Forum, under the leadership of Dr. Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, to reassure Ndi-Igbo domiciled in the North of their safety and their continued preparedness to ensure the safety of lives and property of all Nigerians in their respective states.
“This has become necessary owing to recent statements emanating from the Arewa Consultative Forum listing Igbo investments in the North as targets of possible attacks based on unfounded claims of victimisation of Hausa/Fulani Muslims in Imo State.

“We challenge such Hausa/Fulani Muslims, who were allegedly victimised by Governor Rochas Okorocha’s government, to make their identities known.
“In the spirit of oneness, the Ohanaeze Youth Wing shall use all legal means to champion their cause.

“From our intelligence reports, Ndi-Igbo in the North are apprehensive since no Northern leader, especially the governors, has come out to condemn the anti-Igbo statement by the ACF.”

Ohanaeze Youth Wing linked the threat of retaliatory attacks on Igbos in the North to what it described as Ndigbo’s support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential ambition in 2015, warning that it would take necessary action if the Northern Governors Forum did not reassure Igbos in the North of their security within 21 days.
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Fourth female suicide attack in Kano kills 6

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A female suicide bomber killed six people at a college campus in Kano city today, the fourth time Boko Haram Islamists were suspected of using a female attacker in as many days.

The latest violence came as the government announced the arrest of a 10-year-old girl with explosives strapped to her chest in a neighbouring area.


Boko Haram is blamed for killing more than 10,000 people since 2009 and their extreme tactics have been denounced worldwide, including on some jihadi websites.

But what appears to be a new tactic of deploying young women and girls as bombers will spur further outrage, as Nigeria seems unable to contain the violence.

At about 2:30 pm (1330 GMT) on Wednesday, an assailant blew herself up at a noticeboard on the campus of the Kano Polytechnic College, where students had crammed to check their assignments for a mandatory youth civil service programme.

Witness Isyaku Adamu said the explosion came from within the crush of students and left blood splattered on the ground, as soldiers and police scrambled to secure the area.

Government spokesman Mike Omeri put the casualties at six dead and six wounded and confirmed that a female, whose age was not immediately known, was responsible for the bloodshed.

It was the fourth attack by a female bomber in Nigeria’s second city since the weekend.

On Sunday, a young woman injured five police officers as she blew herself up at a another campus in the city.

The next day, two young women believed to be in their late teens or early 20s separately attacked a petrol station and a shopping centre, suicide blasts that killed at least three people and injured 13 others.
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Presidency replies Ezekwesili, others - Chibok parents need comfort, not sorrow

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Presidency tells EzekwesiliThe presidency has urged Nigerians to desist from spreading false stories capable of compounding the woes of the parents of the abducted Chibok girls.


The presidency made this statement following accusations by leaders of the BringBackOurGirls campaign that the parents of the abducted girls were given N100m during their visit to the Aso Villa.

The Special Assistant to President Jonathan on New Media, Reno Omokri via his twitter handle @renoomokri, noted that, “Chibok parents are hurting. We must all comfort them as we await rescue of our daughters. Let’s not compound their sorrow with false stories”.
RenoChibok
It will be recalled that former Minister of Education and a leader of the BringBackOurGirls campaign, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili condemned the presidency for allegedly doling out money to the parents of the abducted Chibok girls during a visit to the Aso Villa.
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Commonwealth Games: Maryam Usman Wins Weightlifting gold as more medals roll in

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20th Commonwealth Games - Day 7: Weightlifting


Maryam Usman on Wednesday won the women’s +75 kg gold to take Team Nigeria to the top of the weightlifting medals table at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Usman scored 125 in snatch and155 in clean and jerk for a total of 280 at the Clyde Auditorium, leaving Samoa’s Ele Opeloge to the silver after a total of 271.


Opeloge who was the defending champion made a last-ditch effort to win the gold by attempting to lift 161.

But she failed and ended up with 120 snatch and 151 clean and jerk.

Tracy Lambrechs of New Zealand won the bronze medal after a total of 237, from 101 snatch and 136 clean and jerk.

Usman’s win was heralded by Aminat Adeniyi and Odunayo Adekuroye in women’s freestyle wrestling, with Adeniyi winning in the 58kg and Adekuroye in the 53kg.

The women’s success helped Nigeria to move up on the overall medals table to eighth at the end of seven days of competition, with six gold, five silver and eight bronze.
20th Commonwealth Games - Day 7: Weightlifting
Maryam Usman in action

But Nigeria’s total haul was made up largely of three gold four silver and one bronze which placed Team Nigeria top of the weightlifting medals table.

Success for Adeniyi and Adekuroye also moved Nigeria into third place on the wrestling medals table, after two gold, one silver and five bronze medals.

Athletics has also given Team Nigeria one gold and one bronze, while table tennis has brought in one bronze.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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Ebola dives globally as sick passengers are tested for the deadly virus in Hong Kong and the UK

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Fears over West Africa’s Ebola outbreak have gone global following the death of a man in Lagos last week, as health authorities in Hong Kong and Birmingham, England, have quarantined passengers showing possible symptoms of the disease.


In Hong Kong, the state-run China Daily reported that a woman who recently returned from Africa with “symptoms similar to the Ebola virus”—which at the early stages include headache, fever, and stomach pain—is in a hospital isolation ward while she undergoes testing. Symptoms can take up to three weeks to materialize; the virus has a mortality rate of up to 90%.


In Birmingham, a man who arrived on a flight from Nigeria has also been taken to a hospital isolation unit after complaining of “feeling feverish.” The UK government is holding an emergency meeting on how to address the “new and emerging threat” of Ebola later today.


The heightened global alert comes after a man working for the Liberian government died of Ebola last week in Lagos, a megacity that is also an international air travel hub. The presence of Ebola-exposed patients in Nigeria is especially worrying because of the city’s density and poor health care infrastructure. The country’s doctors are currently on strike over work conditions and pay.


The hospital where Patrick Sawyer—the lone confirmed Ebola victim in Lagos so far—died has been evacuated and is being decontaminated. Authorities have identified 59 people who had contact with Sawyer, but that does not include the passengers who shared two airplane flights with him (from Liberia to Ghana, then from Togo to Lagos); health workers are still trying to identify them. According to Canada’s CBC, witnesses said Sawyer “was vomiting and had diarrhea aboard at least one of his flights.”


Sawyer was an American citizen with a wife and three children living in the US. Decontee Sawyer told the Associated Press that her husband had been scheduled to fly to Minnesota in August.
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Boko Haram turning Nigeria to a war zone - Tukur

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Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, on Wednesday raised the alarm that the increasing wave of bomb blasts and acts of terrorism especially in the North East “may turn the country into a war zone,” unless the trend was contained on time.


While predicting doom for the masterminds of the plot to destabilise Nigeria, he warned sponsors of terrorism in the country to “begin to retrace their steps with immediate effect.”

Tukur, who just returned to Nigeria from Saudi Arabia on Umra, urged the government of President Goodluck Jonathan not to give up on the fight against insurgents.

The ex-PDP chairman in an interview with journalists in Abuja condemned the use of teenage girls by terrorists with a view to imposing a regime of terror in Nigeria.

He said, “I am deeply troubled that the bomb explosions reported in Kano on Monday were caused by teenage girls, who were brainwashed into joining the evil plot of killing innocent people in the most barbaric manner never witnessed in any clime.

“No nation wins a war when its citizens are divided. I am calling for a general building of consensus among the Nigerian leaders irrespective of political party affiliations in the battle to contain terrorism in the country.”

He equally condemned the killing of innocent citizens in Borno and Adamawa states by insurgents, who, according to him, had failed to lay bare the principles behind their actions in the past five years.

Tukur also expressed dismay at the blame game by stakeholders on the activities of insurgents in the country.
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Fear of Ebola: Nollywood star, Jim Iyke flees Liberia

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Nollywood Actor, Jim Iyke has fled Liberia’s capital city, Monrovia over Ebola outbreak.




Iyke who was in Monrovia, Liberia for business, left a few hours ago, following reports of the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the country.

Jim Iyke, via Instagram, revealed that he is scared of the deadly virus and that although his business plans were not concluded, he had to leave.

“Monrovia, unfinished biz (business); Leavin(g) tonite(tonight). Nt (Not) ashamed to admit. Tis ish(issue) scares the Jesus outta me. #Ebola!!!!” he said.


The contrast between Iyke's image of first class luxury is in stark contrast to the thousands of terrified Liberians who are living in fear of contracting the deadly disease.

However, much of the anger about his image stemmed from fear among Nigerian citizens that Iyke appeared to be travelling back to the country without having been tested to see if he was infected.


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Potiskum bombs exploded in two mosques, many feared dead - Police

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The Yobe State Police Command on Wednesday in Damaturu confirmed Tuesday’s bomb attacks in Potiskum.


News Agency of Nigeria reports that bombs planted in two mosques had exploded at about 7.30 pm on Tuesday when Muslims in the area were preparing for the evening prayers.

The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Nansak Chewang, told the News Agency of Nigeria the police were however working on the details to know exactly those involved.

“We are still working on the details to get the authentic figures of casualties in the bomb attacks in Potiskum,’’ he said.

The police did not give if there were casualties in the blasts.


A yet-to-be-identified number of residents might have died in the explosions, which were said to have gone off in a “busy area” of Potiskum on Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday, suspected Boko Haram members had sacked a military base in the Birni Yadi area before killing no fewer than eight people.

The terrorists reportedly blew off a bridge linking Damaturu, the state capital, through Birni Yadi with Borno and Adamawa states.
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FG signs agreement with EU on N100bn loan

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The Federal Government on Wednesday said it had secured a fresh funding of about N100bn for developmental projects for the next five years under the European Development Fund.


The immediate past Supervising Minister for National Planning but now Minister of State, Finance, Amb Bashir Yuguda, disclosed this in Abuja during his handing over to the newly appointed Minister for National Planning, Dr Abubakar Sulaiman.

Yuguda said the deal was one of the achievements he recorded while at the ministry, adding that he was also able to launch a study for the informal sector of the economy which would enable that sector to be fully integrated into the economy.

He said the agreement, which was sealed in Kenya, would help address some of the challenges that Nigeria was facing in its quest towards achieving its developmental goals.

Yuguda expressed optimism that the incoming minister would be able to leverage on some of the work that he had begun, to contribute significantly to the transformation of the economy.

He said, “We’ve been able to build more relationship with the state governments especially in the joint planning boards on areas of strengthening the planning process of the country.

“We also launched the SEEFOR project with developmental partners to build capacity and also, we have launched the informal sector study of the economy and how they can be integrated in the economy.

“We have also signed the agreement for the 11th European Development Fund which is a little bit over N100bn for the next five years.”

Responding, Sulaiman promised to work with members of staff of the ministry to consolidate on the successes so far recorded by his predecessor.

In doing this, the new minister promised to bring in his experience as an academic towards addressing the challenges facing the country.

He said, “I will work with you to ensure the success of this commission because we have a lot of problems and challenges facing this county and we need to bring out our best to consolidate on the gains left behind by my predecessors and I will need your support to achieve this.”
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Woman killed in Somalia for not wearing her Hijab

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Militant Islamists in Somalia have shot dead a Muslim woman for refusing to wear a veil (Hijab), her relatives say.



The nomadic woman was killed outside her hut near the southern Somali town of Hosingow by gunmen belonging to the al-Shabab group, they added.

The militants had ordered her to put on a veil, and then killed her after returning and finding she was still not wearing one, the relatives said.

An al-Shabab spokesman denied the group had killed the woman.

Al-Shabab does not fully control the area where she was living, he added.

The woman’s relatives, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals, told the BBC she was killed at about 07:30 (04:30 GMT).

Al-Shabab, which controls much of southern and central Somalia, imposes strict rules of behaviour, including dress codes for men and women.
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Presidency shared N22.4m to Chibok parents, escaped girls - Community

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The Kibaku Area Development Association (Chibok community), has explained that the Presidency shared N22.4m to the Chibok parents and the escaped girls that held a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan on July 22,2014, contrary to reports that N100m was doled out to the recipients.


The Chibok community leadership refuted allegations that it was given N100m to share to the parents and women, adding that it did not handle or receive any money from the Presidency.

The association in a press statement signed by its Spokesman, Dauda Ilya, in Abuja on Wednesday, said that 63 individuals comprising 51 escaped girls were given N100,000 each, 51 parents equally received N100,000 each and another 61 parents got N200,000 each.

The community stated that 10 parents out of the 122 that took part in the meeting with Jonathan did not receive any money.

It said, “On the night of July 22, 2014 at about midnight, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Duties who had been co-ordinating the visit on the side of the Presidency, visited the hotel and told the 51 escaped girls who came that the Presidency sent them a token of N100,000 each and accordingly gave them the said sum without prior discussion with any KADA official or any other person in the community.

“He equally gave the sum of N200,000 each to 61 parents out of the 122 parents that came on the visit. Fifty one parents were given N100,000 each on the basis that the money given to him was not enough to go round at N200,000. The remaining 10 parents were not given any amount of money.

“As for the money given to some parents back home in Chibok, it was the sum of N1m given to them by the member of the House of Reps representing Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency which is the source of the alleged N7,000.00 given to parents in Chibok that were not part of the visit.”

The association said it was disturbed and disgusted by media reports that its leadership received money from the Presidency, describing the claim as “false, malicious and unfounded.”

The KADA stated that it had spelt out to the Presidency through the office of the Chief of Staff that it would not be involved with any financial transaction whatsoever, including payment of transportation from Chibok to Yola, flight by air from Yola to Abuja, hotel accommodation and feeding in Abuja, as well as the intra-city transportation of the parents and girls while in Abuja.

It said, ” Our primary priority has and remains the rescue of our abducted 219 daughters. Our Association has been at the forefront of calling for decisive measures to secure their release.

“We took the moral high ground as a Community Association that represents the Chibok people in Abuja to facilitate the recent visit of parents of our abducted daughters and 51 of the 57 that escaped.

“We helped make that visit possible despite our misgivings that it was a poor substitute to our expectation that Mr. President should have visited Chibok even before the visit of our people for a tragedy that is now 107 days old.”

The Chibok community said while it welcomed any well intended support for the suffering population of Chibok town who had lost their means of livelihood since the April 14 abduction of over 200 schoolgirls, “the approach the Presidency has adopted has brought reproach and dishonor to our community in the eyes of the public that has supported us since the abduction of our daughters.”
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17 killed, 35 injured in Yobe mosques attacks

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Some parts of Potiskum town of Yobe State in North East Nigeria boiled on Tuesday night as no fewer than 17 worshippers were killed by suspected insurgents, who launched attacks on two separate mosques in the town.


The mosques were located at the Kalli Alkali area, around the Emir of Fika’s Palace, and the Sakafa Mosque close to the Potiskum central market.

Our correspondent gathered that the worshippers were targeted in the two separate attacks during the evening prayer at about 7:30pm.

Sympathisers, who besieged the two mosques immediately after the attacks, were said to be horrified by the mutilated bodies of some of the victims as they littered the mosque premises.

Residents also besieged the Potiskum General Hospital to identify those affected as well as commiserate with them.

Although hospital authority declined comments, our correspondent learnt that 17 bodies were brought from the scenes of the two attacks while 35 others, affected by the blasts, were currently receiving treatment at the Potiskum hospital.

Some of the victims, were as of press time, being referred to other hospitals.

One of those involved in the rescue operations, Bala Afuwa of Isma Medical Initiatives, confirmed that 17 people died in the attack while 35 were currently on admission.

“We were involved in the rescue operation from the beginning up to this time and I can confirm to you that 17 people were killed in the separate blasts while 35 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Many of those on admission will be referred to either Nguru or neighbouring Azare for treatment,” he said in Hausa.

The Emir of Fika and chairman Yobe State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Mohammadu Idris, who also visited the scene of the two blasts, condemned the attacks, describing it as callous and inhuman.

He called on the people to be vigilant at all times in the fight against terrorism.

Earlier on Monday, suspected Boko Haram members had sacked a military base in the Birni Yadi area of the state before killing no fewer than eight people.

The terrorists reportedly blew off a bridge linking Damaturu, the state capital, through Birni Yadi with Borno and Adamawa states.
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Plan to probe me ridiculous - Nyako

Posted on Wednesday 30 July 2014 No comments

Wednesday 30 July 2014








Former Gov. Murtala Nyako of Adamawa has described the plan by the Acting Governor of the State to probe his administration as “ridiculous.’’



The acting governor, Alhaji Ahmadu Fintiri, in a state-wide broadcast on Tuesday, announced that Nyako’s administration which he accused of leaving N82 billion liability, would be probed.

A statement issued in Yola on Wednesday by Malam Ahmad Sajoh, Nyako’s Director Press and Publicity, said the planned probe was an attempt to discredit the former governor and pitch him against the people of Adamawa.

“To say Nyako left a liability of N82 billion is to say the least, ridiculous.

“How much did the state get as income over the period? It is not even half of the amount quoted’’, the statement said.

It stressed that the probe would not be fair, adding that Nyako was already in court challenging his impeachment and was full of hope that the judiciary would vindicate him. (NAN)
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SUICIDE ATTACK: 10-year-old, 2 teenagers arrested with explosives in Kano

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Coordinator of National Information Centre, Mr Mike says security forces stopped a car in Kano’s neighbouring state of Katsina today and arrested three suspected Boko Haram members.

The group included one male and two girls, aged 18 and 10.


The older two tried to flee, according to Omeri’s statement.

The “10-year-old … was discovered to have been strapped with an explosive belt,” he said.

The chilling trend of deploying young women and girls as bombers comes three-and-half months after Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls from the remote town of Chibok in the northeast.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau boasted about the mass abductions in a video during which he threatened to sell the girls as slaves.

The Chibok abductions prompted a social media campaign that went viral and drew unprecedented global attention to Boko Haram’s extremist uprising, which the group says is aimed at creating a strict Islamic state in the mainly Muslim north.

In the weeks following the kidnappings, some prominent jihadi websites had posts condemning the Nigerian group’s extreme tactics.

- Government pledges -

Nigeria has repeatedly insisted that it knows where the girls are, while President Goodluck Jonathan and top military officials have suggested they will be brought home safely soon.

But little progress has been made in securing their release while the violence appears to be escalating across the north and centre of the country.

More than 2,000 civilians have been killed this year, making the first half of 2014 one of the deadliest stretches of the insurgency.

Attacks had been concentrated in the remote northeast, Boko Haram’s stronghold, but waves of strikes since April in major cities including the capital Abuja have underscored the grave threat the Islamists pose to Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and top oil producer.
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Nigerians plead for foreign help as Ebola fears spread

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Standing just a few hundred metres from the Lagos hospital where a Liberian man died of Ebola, John Ejiofor pleaded for the world to help contain a spread of the virus raging across west Africa.

“Nigeria is in a serious mess,” the 40-year-old electrical engineer said. “We lack the capacity to deal with the situation.”

Residents of Lagos, sub-Saharan Africa’s largest city with more than 20 million people, returned to work Wednesday after a four-day break to mark the end of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, a public holiday across the country, even in the majority Christian south.

It was the first workday morning in the bustling mega-city since authorities confirmed that the worst-ever Ebola epidemic — which has killed more than 670 people since March in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — had reached Nigerian soil.


Patrick Sawyer, an employee of the Liberian finance ministry, is thought to have contracted the virus from his sister before travelling to Nigeria for a regional conference.

The 40-year-old died in quarantine Friday at a hospital next to the Obalende market, where Ejiofor sat in his car on Wednesday, voicing concern over Nigeria’s response to the outbreak.

“If there is an Ebola epidemic in Nigeria today, our health authorities will be too overwhelmed… The government has to work with the World Health Organization (WHO),” to stop the virus from spreading, he said.

Elizabeth Akinlabi, a 30-year-old schoolteacher milling around Obalende, agreed, saying that days after the Ebola death was confirmed, the government’s response remained lacklustre.

“A lot of people still do not know about the existence of the disease, not to talk of taking measures to prevent it,” she told AFP, urging the WHO “to come to the aid of Nigeria”.

- Hospitals ‘not prepared’ -

Calls for outside help are not common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, which has a very low foreign aid reliance thanks to massive earnings from its oil industry, which produces roughly two million barrels of crude per day.

But in the economic capital Lagos and other cities, people have little reason to trust the public healthcare system, especially in the face of a potential crisis.

Many public hospitals are acutely understaffed and ill-equiped. Some do not have generators, a must in a country with multiple power cuts each day.

Compounding the current problem is a strike over pay launched on July 1 by all doctors employed at public hospitals.

A crisis meeting by the striking Nigerian Medical Association held at the weekend in light of the Ebola outbreak failed to end the work stoppage.

Most Lagosians pay out of pocket for private healthcare at clinics ranging from the enormously expensive — staffed by doctors with degrees from prestigious Western medical schools — to cheap, ramshackle clinics run by nurses with questionable credentials.

The special advisor on health for the Lagos State government, Yewande Adeshina, acknowledged how lucky it was that Sawyer was taken to First Consultants, a professionally-run private clinic in the upmarket Ikoyi neighbourhood.

“I’m grateful to God that was the hospital he went to,” she told the private Channels television station. “Because I’m not sure that a lot of our hospitals were truly prepared.”

- ‘Worrisome response’ -

Nigerian officials have sought to limit panic since announcing Sawyer’s death, but mixed messages from the federal health ministry and Lagos state officials have caused confusion among the media and public.

Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu had to retract a statement claiming the Liberian arrived on July 22, after Lagos authorities said he landed on July 20.

Chukwu had insisted that Sawyer was brought directly from the airport to a hospital, leaving him “no time to mingle in Lagos” and infect others, but the accuracy of that statement has been questioned amid the dispute over timelines.

The minister further claimed that Nigeria had contacted and was monitoring all passengers on the ASKY airlines flight that originated in Togo’s capital Lome and brought Sawyer to Lagos.

Abdullahi Nasidi of Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control later indicated that only a handful of the passengers had been found so far.

For Francis Atufe, a 36-year-old banker and father of two, the government’s apparent struggle to manage the situation was “worrisome,” and, like others in the Obalende market, he voiced hope that foreign experts would deploy across Lagos in numbers.

“I appeal to the WHO to come,” he said.

Vanguard
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Jonathan inaugurates new e-passport

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President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday inaugurated Nigeria’s new 64-page e-passport with a call on Nigerians to protect the image of the country by shunning uncomplimentary statements and actions.


Jonathan launched the traveling document shortly before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He and Vice President Namadi Sambo later took turns to be captured in order to be issued with the new traveling document.

The President said the pages of the traveling document had to be increased from 32 to 64 to cater for frequent travelers who change their passport almost every other month because of limited pages for visa.

He tasked officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service to protect the integrity of the passport by ensuring that it cannot be easily faked.

He also asked officials who man the nation’s airports to ensure that they conduct themselves in a manner that will portray the country well before visitors.

The new passport which takes effect from August 1 attracts a fee of N20,000.
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