The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Kidnap kingpin Kelvin, two others arraigned

    Kidnap kingpin Kelvin, two others arraigned

    Three men, believed to be involved in the kidnap of Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Hope Eghagha, rights activist, Mike Ozekhome (SAN), former Anambra State Deputy Governor, Dr. Chudi Nwike and many others, were arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone Two, Abuja, on Tuesday.

    The trio- Kelvin Ibruvwe (a suspected lead-kidnapper), Frank Azuekoh and Haruna Momoh – were accused of being behind some highly coordinated kidnapping activities in the South-south region of the country and Abuja.

    Nwike, who was reportedly kidnapped in early March this year, was recovered dead few days later in a community close to Agbor, Delta State, by security agents.

    The suspects were brought to court by stern-looking and heavily armed security personnel.

    Prior to their arrival, major entrances to the court premises, located within a residential estate, were secured by armed security personnel.

    The suspects, who looked blank, were promptly taken before Magistrate Usman Ahmed Shuaibu, where a First Information Report (FIR), prepared by the Department of State Services (DSS), dated October 28 but filed October 29 was read to them.

    They were also accused, in the FIR, of ambushing and attacking a prison vehicle conveying some arrested members of the group.

     

  • Three arraigned over N135m theft

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday arraigned two women and a male accomplice before a Lagos High Court, Ikeja, for stealing N135 million.

    The women are- Tejumola Okemakinde and Ige Egbeyemi while their male accomplice is Olukayode Adeoye.

    They were arraigned before the court presided by Justice Atinuke Ipaye.

    The EFCC had arraigned the defendants and their companies, Povyte Ventures Limited, Whales and Chase Limited and Tenumola Onike Enterprise Limited on a 34-count charge of conspiracy, stealing, forgery, uttering and use of false documents.

    Counsel to the EFCC, Mrs. Fadeke Giwa, alleged that the defendants conspired with one Irene Egbeyemi (now at large) to steal the sum of N135million, property of Lily Pond Container Limited.

    The offence was reportedly committed between May and September 2011 at Apapa, Lagos.

    According to the prosecution, the defendants forged documents and bank cheques to facilitate the theft.

    She alleged that the funds, broken into various sums, were deposited in the defendants’ respective accounts domiciled with Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank of Nigeria Plc and Stanbic IBTC.

    According to her, their alleged offences contravened Sections 275, 285, 363, 364 and 401 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

    All the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and appealed for bail.

    Justice Ipaye ordered that the defendants be remanded in prison custody.

    She thereafter adjourned the matter till November 11 for hearing of their bail applications.

     

     

  • Jonathan presents 2014 budget November 12

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday wrote the Senate seeking for approval to present the 2014 Appropriation Bill to the joint session of the National Assembly on November 12.

    The President presented the 2013 budget of N4.9 trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly on October 10, 2012.

    Jonathan in a letter titled: “2014 budget” dated October 23, 2013 requested the lawmakers to grant him Tuesday, November 12 to enable him formally present the 2014 budget.

    The letter reads in part, “I write to crave your indulgence to grant me the slot of 12 noon on Tuesday, 12th November 2013 to enable me formally address a joint session of the National Assembly on the 2014 budget.”

    Senate President, David Mark, read the Presidential letter on the floor of the upper chamber on Tuesday.

    Some Senators noted however that the Senate could only grant the November 12 date for the presentation of the budget if the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) was adopted and passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly.

    The Senate joint Committee on Finance and Appropriation was still battling with the MTEF on Tuesday.

    The fiscal document states the basis for some projections in the budget.

     

     

  • ‘Kelvin Ibruvwe has over 300 boys across Niger Delta’

    One of the suspected kidnappers that abducted wife of Dr. Ona Ekhomu, Victoria, has said that notorious kidnap kingpin, Kelvin, recruited and trained over 300 kidnappers scattered across the Niger Delta region.

    The kidnap suspect, who gave his name as Akpevwe Richard said he met Kelvin only once when the latter was distributing money to people in Kokori, Delta State.

    He was paraded at the headquarters of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army.

    Richard, whose nickname is 2-Mark, said the kidnap syndicate used nicknames during operations to avoid mistaken identity and conceal means of tracking them easily by security operatives.

    He, however, said his job was to drive his colleagues and dropped them at different locations after every operation.

    Richard said Kelvin who is currently in detention was called “General” because of the money he distributed and he operated with boys picked from Edo, Bayelsa, Delta and River States.

    “I am 22 years. I know Kelvin when I came from Bayelsa. I only meet him once when he was sharing money. In the first kidnapping, I was given N90, 000 and the next one I got N60, 000. I was recruited by Rufus for Kelvin. The charm was given to me by Rufus but I was surprised that the bullet entered me when vigilante shot me. I have not followed them to operation before.”

    “I was their driver. I didn’t know when they kidnapped the Judge. I was doing menial job before I joined the kidnapping group. They used to keep victim at Kokori sometimes in the bush and sometimes at home. The villagers don’t know we are kidnappers. I was arrested at Overi-Okpe. Onus called me to come and carry them. They entered the car and dropped the ammunition and guns in the car. We were stopped by security agents and when they asked us, Onus said he was going to see somebody. But when they searched the car, they found the bullets and shoot Onus. Other gang retaliated and all of us ran into the bush. I was hearing gunshot inside the bush until vigilante saw me and shot me. I want them to forgive me.”

    ‘Kelvin has many boys inside Kokori. I have not been to Edo State before. Some people in Kokori know that we are kidnappers.”

    The Public Relation Officer of the 4 Brigade, Nigeria Army, Capt. Roselyn Managbe, listed items recovered from Richard to include one AK47 rifle, 266 rounds of 5.65 ammunition, 9fn magazines, one police fragmented jacket, 16 GSM phones, charms, a Prado jeep belonging to Justice Daniel Okungbowa, and one BMW car marked Lagos GC 484 EKY, amongst others.

     

     

  • Expect partial eclipse on Sunday – Agency

    Expect partial eclipse on Sunday – Agency

    The Director General, National Space Research and Development Agency, Dr. Seidu Mohammed, has said that Nigerian will witness a partial or total solar eclipse on Sunday.

    Mohammed, at a press briefing in Abuja, urged Nigerians not to panic over the course of the eclipse.

    He said the eclipse will be seen across the country and in the West African sub-region.

    Mohammed said, “Different cultures have different reactions to them. There is no course for alarm. There is no need to panic. It will not affect signal from the stationary satellites which means that GSM will continue to work and other things will be normal.

    “Cities by cities will be reported in Nigeria, where the eclipse will be; partial eclipse or total eclipse. People should continue with their normal business. Because of partial rays, people should use their sun glasses.”

     

     

  • Islam abhors killing of innocent persons – Sultan

    Islam abhors killing of innocent persons – Sultan

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, on Tuesday declared that Islam abhors the killing of any innocent souls.

    “The Sokoto Sultanate Council, all traditional rulers and the generality of the Muslims, have dissociated themselves from such dastardly acts.

    “Islam abhors the killing of any innocent souls without following the due legal processes,’’ Abubakar said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abubakar spoke when the former head of state, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar (rtd), paid him a courtesy call.

    “We are always committed to the growth and development of Islamic religion, but in line with its teachings and law.

    “Muslims should even persuade non-Muslims to join the religion by their good conduct and strict adherence to the Islamic law.

    “We should, therefore, live peacefully with our Christian brothers and not attempt to kill them,’’ the Sultan said.

    The Sultan commended Abubakar for his dexterity and commitment to peace and unity in Nigeria, and globally.

    Earlier, Abubakar extolled the sterling virtues of the Sultan, describing him as a pillar of peace, unity and peaceful coexistence.

    “The Sultan has been facilitating peace, unity and understanding between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria and beyond,’’ the former head of state said.

    He stressed the need for the use of dialogue to resolve all the problems of Nigeria, adding that this could be done in spite of the diverse religious, cultural and ethnic differences.

    Abubakar, who told the Sultan that he was in Sokoto to inaugurate the state university, commended Governor Aliyu Wamakko for transforming the state.

     

  • Army denies arrest of retired officer ‘during Yobe raid’

    The Nigerian Army has denied a newspaper report that one of its former officers, a retired Lieutenant Colonel was arrested in Yobe during an encounter with members of the Boko Haram sect in the state.

    The denial is contained in a statement issued by the spokesman of the army, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, on Monday in Abuja.

    “Contrary to the newspaper report, no retired Lieutenant Colonel was ever arrested in any encounter with the Boko Haram insurgents anywhere.

    “The Nigerian Army wishes to state categorically that the report was a figment of imagination concocted by some fifth columnists within the media that are desperate to malign the army,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the army spokesman as saying in the statement.

    The statement said the denial was borne out of the fact that the report had the tendency to mislead members of the public.

     

  • Cholera: Experts seek return of sanitary inspectors

    Some medical experts have urged governments at all levels to reintroduce sanitary inspection to control further outbreak of cholera and other communicable diseases.

    They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in interviews in Lagos that the fight against cholera required concerted efforts by all tiers of government and Nigerians in general.

    Dr. Adewunmi Alayaki, a general physician at Isolo General Hospital, Lagos, emphasised the need to strengthen the sanitary inspectors for proper monitoring of the environment, to prevent cholera.

    “We know there are people saddled with the responsibility of sanitary inspection, not only in the north, but also in other parts of the country.

    “This has to be revived. There is the need for border surveillance, monitoring and inspection of our environments for early detection of diseases’ outbreak, “ he said.

    Also, Dr.Femi Afolabi, a dietician at the Federal Medical Centre, Ido-Ekiti, said that more efforts should be made to educate food vendors on appropriate and hygienic ways of food preparation.

    Afolabi advised the public to boil their drinking water and also wash their vegetables before consumption, to avoid contacting the disease.

    The dietician also urged people to maintain clean and healthy environment to prevent cholera epidemic and outbreak of other communicable diseases.

    In his comment, Dr. Femi Balogun, the Medical Director, Sheffi Private Hospital, Egbeda, Lagos, urged Lagos residents to provide standard toilet facilities in their respective homes for healthy living.

    He said that regular sensitisation and awareness campaigns to educate residents on good hygienic practices were being carried out by health personnel.

     

  • Messi, Ronaldo, Bale on Ballon d’Or shortlist

    Messi, Ronaldo, Bale on Ballon d’Or shortlist

    …Ferguson, Scolari, Mourinho for coach award

    FIFA and France Football on Tuesday revealed the names for the men’s Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.

    The final decisions, according to fifa.com will be made by the captains and head coaches of the men’s national teams as well as by international media representatives selected by France Football.

    The winners of all of the awards will be revealed at the FIFA Ballon d’Or as part of a televised show at the Zurich Kongresshaus on January 13 2014, during which the FIFA FIFPro World XI, the FIFA Puskás Award – for the most beautiful goal of the year – the FIFA Presidential Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award will also be presented.

    The list of 23 male candidates has been drawn up by football experts from the FIFA Football Committee and by a group of experts from France Football. The list of ten coaches has been drawn up by the Committee for Women’s Football and FIFA Women’s World Cup and by the FIFA Football Committee, as well as by a group of experts from France Football.

    In early December , FIFA and France Football will announce the names of the three men and three women, as well as the three coaches for women’s football and three coaches for men’s football, who have received the most votes (without unveiling the winners).

    The three nominees for the FIFA Puskás Award and the FIFA FIFPro World XI shortlist for the best forwards, goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders will also be unveiled in early December.

     

    Men’s shortlists:

     

    Gareth Bale (Wales), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Eden Hazard (Belgium), Zlatan Ibrahimović (Sweden), Andrés Iniesta (Spain), Philipp Lahm (Germany), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Thomas Müller (Germany), Manuel Neuer (Germany), Neymar (Brazil), Mesut Özil (Germany), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Franck Ribéry (France), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Luis Suárez (Uruguay), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Yaya Touré (Côte d’Ivoire), Robin Van Persie (Netherlands) and Xavi (Spain).

     

    Coaches’ shortlists:

    Carlo Ancelotti (Italy/Paris Saint-Germain FC/Real Madrid CF), Rafael Benítez (Spain/Chelsea FC/SSC Napoli), Antonio Conte (Italy/Juventus), Vicente Del Bosque (Spain/Spain national team), Sir Alex Ferguson (Scotland/Manchester United FC former coach), Jupp Heynckes (Germany/FC Bayern München former coach), Jürgen Klopp (Germany/Borussia Dortmund), José Mourinho (Portugal/Real Madrid CF/Chelsea FC), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil/Brazil national team) and Arsène Wenger (France/Arsenal FC).

     

  • U.S marks Storm Sandy anniversary

    The United States is marking one year since Superstorm Sandy hit the country’s east coast, killing at least 117 people, BBC reports.

    Sandy was the most destructive storm in the U.S since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

    On Monday, historical immigration landmark Ellis Island reopened for the first time since the storm flooded low-lying areas in New York City.

    But many communities are still struggling to rebuild amid complaints emergency funds have failed to reach the hardest-hit.

    As of August, just under a quarter of the $48bn (£30bn) earmarked for rebuilding had been committed to local governments, according to Reuters news agency.

    Federal officials have unveiled plans for a second round of disaster relief amounting to $5bn for five states and New York City, and they pledged that the pace of spending would pick up after a slow start.

    “In year one, we all agreed the aid flowed too slowly,” Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, told reporters.