The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Centre investigates 100 criminal cases, 300 paternity matters

    The Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre (LSD&FC) played an important role in investigating over 100 criminal cases since its establishment two years ago, Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary Mrs. Funlola Odunlami has said.

    She spoke yesterday at the opening of the fourth Lagos Forensic Symposium, held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Odunlami said the investigations covered suspicious deaths, identification of exhumed human remains, disaster victims’ identification, child trafficking, rape, burglary, among others.

    She said the centre was involved in investigating and resolving over 300 paternity issues associated with inheritance.

    Odunlami said forensic science had become an important part of criminal justice system, adding that it not only supported investigation, but also facilitated speedy identification and conviction of perpetrators of crimes and exoneration of the innocent.

    “With the ever changing and evolving crime patterns, the government must constantly innovate, to make the state a safer place to live, work and visit,” she said.

    LSD&FC Director Dr. Richard Somiari said the Forensic Chemistry and Forensic Texicology units of the centre are being developed and will become operational in the fourth quarter of next year.

    Read Also: Who is who in Sanwo-Olu’s cabinet-nominees?

    He said the units would be deployed against the use of narcotics and other illegal substances.

    Somiari said sexual assault was the biggest of the investigations carried out by the DNA centre in the past.

    He described the development as “a big problem.”

    Somiari made a case for a legislation that would enable the centre collate profile of offenders from sources and establish a data base, to enable them determine easily if they were at a crime scene after initial conviction.

    The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), in charge of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Lagos Command, Yetunde

    Longe, said: “A homicide investigator must be thorough, focused, unbiased, experienced and intelligent to achieve a successful crime investigation.”

    She listed some of the cases successfully investigated with the assistance of the LSD&FC to include that of the murder of Chief

    Opeyemi Bademosi by his Togolesse cook, Sunday Aniene, who has been convicted and sentenced to death by the court; a Danish man, Nelson, presently on trial for alleged murder of his wife and daughter, Zainab and Petra; Otike Odibe currently on trial for allegedly killing her husband, Syme Odibe and cutting his manhood, among others.

    A forensic specialist from the International Committee of the Red

    Cross (ICRC), Dr. Elif Eskikoy, urged the Federal Government to develop a mass fertility master plan for Nigeria to care for hundreds and thousands of death in emergency situations.

    “These plans acknowledge that people are going to die in emergency situations, insurgencies and natural disasters and how the bodies of victims are managed to ensure proper identification,” she said.

  • Firm sponsors IIDA winner’s brother to India for surgery

    Dufil Prima Foods Plc, makers of Indomie Noodles, has fulfilled its promise to sponsor the surgery of Master Daniel Pepple in India. Master Daniel is diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

    Daniel’s story got the attention of Dufil in 2018 when his brother – David Nengi Ayomide Pepple – won the Social Bravery category at the 11th edition of the Indomie Independence Day heroes award (IIDA), a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of Dufil Prima Foods. Nine-year-old David from Port Harcourt won the award for using his artistic talent to seek financial assistance for the treatment of his younger brother, Daniel, who needed surgery to able to walk.

    While David went home with a N1 million scholarship money, Dufil Prima promised to fully fund Daniel’s treatment abroad. Today Daniel has travelled to Sir H. N. Reliance Hospital in Mumbai, India, for surgery.

    Chief Operating Officer of Dufil Prima Girish Sharma said the gesture was a promise kept. “Dufil is proud to be a part of the process of restoring the health of young Daniel, and also a way of lending a hand to his family in taking care of him.

    Read Also: Dufil introduces Indomie Relish to corporate world

    “As a brand, we will continue to encourage children, such as David, whose dream is to set up a foundation to cater for those in need of medical assistance, not to relent in their efforts. At Dufil, through our dedication to the growth and development of the Nigerian child, we will continue to cater to their well-being, making them strong and healthy.”

    Daniel’s father Mr. Hamilton Tamuno Pepple thanked Dufil for fulfilling her promise to sponsor his son’s treatment. “Full sponsorship of such an expensive surgical procedure by Dufil within the current economic climate is an indication that the company is indeed out to make life better for everyone. You are our angel of help. God bless you,” he said.

    The surgery and treatment is expected to last for about two months. With the assurance from the team of surgeons, the brand and the Pepples are trusting for a positive response from the treatment.

  • GOtv boxing NextGen5 forms on sale

    Registration forms for GOtv Boxing NextGen 5, a talent hunt programme scheduled to hold between August 29 and 30 in Ilorin, Kwara State, are now available at designated centres.

    A statement by Flykite Promotions, organisers of the event, said the forms are available to boxers aged between 18 and 25 at seven centres. The centres are Kwara State Boxing Association Office and Referees and Judges Association Office, both at the Kwara State Stadium Complex, Ilorin; Akure Stadium Complex, Akure; Alake Sports Centre, Abeokuta; Oyo State Boxing Association Office at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan; Lagos Boxing Hall of Fame Gym, Surulere, Lagos; and Nigerian Boxing Board of Control (NBB of C) Secretariat, National Stadium, Lagos.

    GOtv Boxing NextGen debuted in 2015 to discover and develop young Nigerian boxers. The boxers will engage in sparring sessions conducted by renowned boxing coaches at the Kwara Stadium Complex in Ilorin.

    Boxers selected as the best among the lot will have their professional licences and pre-licensing medical examinations paid for pay television service provider, GOtv, sponsor of the programme, in addition to being in line to fight at coming editions of GOtv Boxing Night.

    GOtv Boxing NextGen Search has propelled several boxers into the limelight, including reigning West African Boxing Union (WABU) welterweight champion, Rilwan “Baby Face” Babatunde; Ridwan “Scorpion” Oyekola; Prince “Lion” Nwoye, Chukwuebuka “Wize King” Ezewudo, Osamudiamen “Chiso” Goodluck and current national super featherweight champion; Opeyemi “Sense” Adeyemi.

  • Fed Govt moves to harmonise marriage certificates

    The Federal Government has said marriage certificates not issued in accordance with statutory marriage guidelines are invalid and holds no legal value in case of any problem in the relationship.

    Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior Mrs. Georgina Ehuriah spoke  at a one-day stakeholders’ workshop on “the conduct of statutory marriage in Nigeria.”

    The workshop held in Port Harcourt for the Southsouth and Southeast zones yesterday.

    Mrs. Ehuriah noted that most marriage certificates issued in the country were mere paper with no legal importance in divorce cases.

    She said: “…the workshop has become important to sensitise and educate the public on the need to insist on the conduct of marriages according to the stipulated statutory marriage guideline of the country. The truth is that most of the things couples are holding as marriage certificates as issued by churches, and some other marriage centres are not valid and hold no legal value in courts in case of divorce; and it is the women who suffer it because they will lose everything.”

    Read Also: UPU flays Federal Government over insecurity across the country

    Mrs. Ehuriah explained that marriage and worship centres, which conduct marriages without due licence by the Ministry of Interior were issuing illegal certificates that were worth nothing.

    The permanent secretary noted that of 4,725 marriage and worship centres that had updated their records with the ministry, only 314 renewed their licenses to conduct statutory marriages and issue legally-valid certificates.

    “Presently, only about 4,725 licensed places of worship in Nigeria have updated their records with the Ministry of Interior, of which only 314 have renewed their licences to conduct statutory marriages. The implication is that any certificate not printed and delivered by the Principal Registrar of Marriages is illegal and cannot serve the desired purposes,” she added.

    Mrs. Ehuriah, however, urged churches to meet requirements set by the ministry to serve their members better.

    “Accordingly, administrators of places of worship are urged to meet these requirements in order to better serve their members. The ministry is presently building a database of all statutory marriages conducted in Nigeria. It has also developed a database of all places of worship licensed for celebration of marriages.”

  • Foundation donates to orphanage

    The Diran and Amina Foundation has donated food, beverages and gift items to Darlez Care Orphanage in Abuja.

    Mrs. Amina Adetunje, who made the donation for the foundation, said the move was part of its social responsibility drive towards the society. She said: “We are driven by a desire to support the society by providing for the needy. These underprivileged children are humans like us; they should be shown love, care, compassion and sense of belonging. That is what we have come to do.

    “We are extremely happy today to put smiles on the faces of these children”.

    Mrs. Adetunji was accompanied by her husband Adediran Adetunji, a Fellow of the Institution of Estate Surveyor and Valuers; Aisha Adetunji, Hussein Adetunji, Halima Adetunji.

    Also in attendance with gift items was the corrigendum class of 2019 girls of the Nigerian Tulip International School, in solidarity with Aisha, their classmate.

    The children thanked the foundation for the gesture, and appealed that they reach out to them from time to time.

  • Ex-Cross River REC: INEC has no power to sack me

    Former Cross River State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Frankland Briyia has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lack powers to sack him.

    Briyia said reports that he was sacked by the commission were fake, as he only resigned his appointment to join politics and participate in the Bayelsa State governorship election.

    At the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yenagoa, Briyia said he was at the party office to inform the officials that he was a registered party member and would contest the November poll.

    He said: “… I officially and legally resigned my appointment and INEC will attest to that. Let me state this – the REC is nominated by the President and the President sends the nominees to the Senate. The Senate screens them and if they’re found worthy, confirms them and sends them to the President who eventually gives them appointments.

    “The moment the appointment is given to the REC and the REC does anything wrong, INEC will investigate, send its reports and makes its recommendation …to the President.

    Read Also: Buhari changes Prisons Service to Correctional Service

    “If the President and his team investigate and see that what the REC did contravenes the code of conduct, he will send the report to the Senate. The Senate will debate it, if the two-third majority of the Senate finds the REC guilty, it will rectify it and send it back to the President.

    “It, therefore, means that only the President can sanction the REC. I have contacted INEC headquarters and the news about my sack is fake. INEC said it didn’t say a thing like that. I’m sure you have watched or maybe read INEC’s publication; you won’t find anything like sack because I resigned officially.

    “My departure created a vacuum and in INEC tradition, the moment there’s no REC, the administrative secretary takes over, that was what INEC meant. INEC doesn’t mean that I was sacked. So, don’t misquote INEC.”

    Briyia added that he had mapped out robust programmes for Bayelsa, and if he became governor, he would focus on human capacity and infrastructural development.

    According to him, the people were unemployed, lamenting that most of them could no longer go to school. The aspirant noted that civil servants were not getting their full salary, while most pensioners were languishing without pensions.

    He said: “I came because the people of Bayelsa State called me to contest for governor. We have insecurity in this state, which is caused by so many factors. When we identify those factors, we intend to turn this state around for the betterment of everybody, God helping us.”

  • Ekiti SUBEB job forms out

    THE Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has announced that application forms for the recruitment of teachers into public primary are now available online beginning from yesterday.

    A statement made available to reporters in Ado-Ekiti by the Executive

    Chairman of the Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB),

    Prof Francisca Aladejana stressed that only holders of National

    Certificate of Education (NCE) and University Degrees in Education are qualified to apply.

    Read Also: Ekiti begins recruitment of teachers

    It advised prospective applicants possessing the NCE or university degrees in education in subjects taught in or related to primary schools to visit the website: http://www.ekitistate.gov.ng/jobs to access the forms and other relevant information about the recruitment exercise.

    According to the statement, the applicants are to fill and submit the forms online between yesterday and Friday, August 23.

    The statement added that applicants are to print the acknowledgment slips on the last page of their forms, stressing that these slips will serve as their entry passes during the qualifying examination which will hold at a date to be announced later.

  • Makinde to swear in 14 commissioners-designate

    OYO State governor Seyi Makinde will today swear in 14 commissioners to serve in his administration.

    Makinde stated this while receiving stakeholders of the Ibadan based state-owned football club, Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), in his Agodi, Secretariat Office, Ibadan.

    The commissioner-designate, who had earlier been screened and confirmed by the members of the state House of Assembly during a session that lasted about eight hours last week, will take their oath of office and allegiance at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s office, Agodi, Ibadan by 10a.m.

    Read Also: APC chieftain to Ekiti Commissioners-designate: Shun corruption, disloyalty

    After the screening of the nominees by the House of Assembly, the Speaker, Mr. Adebo Ogundoyin, had expressed satisfaction about the calibre, intelligence and educational pedigree of the commissioners-designate.

    He expressed optimism that the new team would give fresh impetus into the Makinde-led administration.

    But, a source close to the government confirmed that the names of three additional commissioner-nominees have been sent to the House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.

  • Lagos, U.S. Consulate to strengthen ties

    THE Lagos State Government and United States (U.S.) Consulate, Lagos have pledged to collaborate on areas of mutual interest.

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the new U.S. Consul-General in Lagos Ms. Claire Pierangelo made the pledge yesterday when the latter visited the governor at Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja.

    The U.S. diplomat said the visit was to strengthen the consulate’s working relationship with the state government, noting that the U.S. Consulate had been a “great partner” of the government.

    The visit was Ms. Pierangelo’s first official call on any Nigerian public officer since she arrived in Nigeria.

    The new envoy succeeded Mr. John F. Bray and assumed duty on May 29 – the day Sanwo-Olu was sworn in.

    She said: “I am here today on a visit to a friend of the U.S. government and our strategic development partner in Africa. We have had good working relationship and we believe this could be further strengthened for greater impacts on areas of collaborations.

    Read Also: Who is who in Sanwo-Olu’s cabinet-nominees?

    “I am delighted to meet the Lagos State Governor with whom I started work on the same day. Maintaining a cordial relationship with Lagos government is critical to the success of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria. In the coming days, we will be sharing our plans on how to strengthen our shared partnership for the future.”

    She said avenue for cooperation with Lagos government include the areas of education, health and security, reiterating American government’s commitment to deepen bilateral relationship with Nigeria through “active collaborations”.

    Sanwo-Olu said Lagos and the U.S. Consulate shared a long history of collaboration that were beneficial to both parties.

    He said his administration would not hesitate to welcome any plan that would further improve the partnership the state has had with the American government.

    Ms Pierangelo was accompanied on the visit by the consulate’s Political Chief, Mr. Osman Tat, and Protocol Aide, Mary-Anne Onwuchekwa.

  • Oyo warns firms over evasion of payment for road setbacks

    Oyo State has warned business organisations that built on the mandatory setbacks on major roads to pay for the spaces or have them taken over.

    Its Internal Revenue Service (OYSIRS) Executive Chairman, Aremo John Adeleke, gave the warning yesterday.

    He said the state government was not happy with the attitude of most organisations using these spaces for failing to meet their financial obligations despite being served many demand notices by the Board of Internal Revenue (BIR).

    Adeleke spoke with reporters in his office after an enforcement exercise by the OYSIRS and the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.

    He stated that for government to be able to provide amenities, organisations and other business owners needed to remit taxes, levies and dues to the rightful place as part of their civic duties.

    He said: “Setbacks in public places are government properties and to use them, there should be payment for temporary use of such places. Most organisations have taken this for granted for so long and that is what necessitated our action at this point.

    “The focus of the first phase of the enforcement exercise is on the banking industry. After that, we will move to other sub-sectors. The government will recover the setbacks unless those affected do what is required.

    “In the past, series of correspondence, plea and stakeholders meeting with those concerned yielded no response. Also, the second phase will come soonest and will reach others that refused to comply with the payment option.”

    Appreciating those that complied, the executive chairman implored other business owners and individuals with outstanding taxes, levies, charges and fees to pay up so as to forestall drastic step against them.

    Among areas covered during the exercise are Total Garden, Agodi and Bodija – all within Ibadan metropolis.