The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Kwara police rescue three abducted farmers

    Kwara police rescue three abducted farmers

    By Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

    Kwara state police command yesterday said it has rescued three abducted farm manages.

    Six gunmen suspected to be kidnappers had on Wednesday this week abducted three persons at commercial poultry farms in Pampo community, Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State.

    The abductors thereafter allegedly demanded a ransom of a sum of N45million from the families of the abductees.

    The police gave the names of the rescued abductees as Dr. Julius Owoeye; Akeem Ajadi and Bola Adedoye, adding that the persons were all workers of Bafford/Morola’s farms at Elega via Pampo Village Ilorin.

    In a statement, the command spokesperson Ajayi Okasanmi said that the police rescued the abductees on Thursday this week.

    The statement reads: “The command was flabbergasted when the news of the abduction of the victims broke, despite the tight security arrangements emplaced throughout the state.

    “The news of the kidnap prompted the commissioner of police to give a matching order to the command’s anti-kidnapping operatives which he personally supervised that eventually forced the kidnappers to abandon the victims when they could not withstand the intense pressure placed on them, hence they fled for their lives. Effort is still ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspects.

    “The victims are evidently traumatized but are in a stable frame of mind as they have been attended to by the command’s police doctors.”

     

  • ‘Lagos committed to providing quality education’

    ‘Lagos committed to providing quality education’

    By Oyebola Owolabi

    Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has reiterated his administration’s commitment to quality education to improve the learning outcome of pupils in public schools.

    Sanwo-Olu spoke yesterday when he received One-Day Governor Eniola Ajayi, and her executives, at the State House in Ikeja.

    Miss Eniola, a pupil of Lafiaji Senior High School, Lagos Island, was the overall winner of the 2018 edition of the Spelling Bee competition.

    The governor applauded her for demonstrating confidence, knowledge, eloquence, and pride. He also admonished the one-day governor and her executives to be steadfast and not allow the little feats to overwhelm them.

    He urged other pupils not to relent on their oars, but strive to be the best and be committed to reaching their goals.

    The governor congratulated Eniola’s parents and promised that her request would be taken seriously. He also said his government would continue to improve on the ambiance of learning in public schools to bring out the best in pupils.

    Sanwo-Olu thanked Senator Oluremi Tinubu, founder of New Era Foundation which organises the Spelling Bee, and lauded her for sustaining the effort over the years. According to the governor, the competition, which started about 20 years ago, is not about race or tribe, but an excellent platform available to pupils of public schools in Lagos.

    Eniola thanked Sanwo-Olu’s administration for receiving her and lauded the government’s efforts in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. She described herself and members of her executive council as products of quality education and policies in the state.

    The one-day governor also enjoined pupils to be focused, determined, prayerful, and committed to overcoming life’s challenges.

    The event was attended by Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, members of the State Executive Council, Director-General of Education Quality Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, among others.

     

  • Ondo distribute equipment to 1000 farmers

    Ondo distribute equipment to 1000 farmers

    Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Tuesday in Akure distributed Agricultural inputs and machinery to over 1000 beneficiaries across the 18 local government areas of the state.

    Akeredolu, at the presentation of certificates of registration of 142 trained youths into three different cooperative groups, said the distribution was part of the efforts of his government to move towards food sufficiency in the state.

    Also distributed was irrigation equipment to secondary schools

    He noted that anybody could invest in agriculture, saying,” no matter the job you are doing, be you government worker or so, you can farm, the constitution allows it.”

    Akeredolu said the event was an important step towards ensuring food security, particularly at the family level.

    He encouraged the secondary school students to ensure they took agriculture as a vocation when it seems nothing was ‘working’ in the country.

    “It is expedient for secondary schools to go I to Agriculture, we want to encourage you. Agriculture should not be taken as punitive measures in school. You must take joy in doing it. It is also a form of exercise,” he said.

    Earlier, The Senior Special Assistant to Governor on Agric and Agribusiness Pastor Akin Olotu said food security was important and the state government was committed to it.

     

  • Community cries out as police foil robbery attack

    Community cries out as police foil robbery attack

    By Kunle Akinrinade

    Community leaders and residents of Bakare and Ahmed Tijani Streets in Ojokoro axis of Meiran have cried out for adequate protection from hoodlums terrorising the community.

    The distraught residents explained that the daredevil robbers had struck in the community no fewer than three times this year alone.

    According to the chairman of the community development association, Dr. Uche Okereke, the community has been under the siege of robbers in the last few weeks.

    The Nation gathered that a suspected robber was killed in the early hours of penultimate Sunday when hoodlums numbering 30 raided houses on Bakare and Ahmed Tijani Streets in Meiran, a Lagos suburb.

    The suspect was killed when his gang invaded a hotel in the neighbourhood.

    Another member of the gang who sustained gunshot injury later died at the hospital while another wounded member of the gang is currently in a critical condition at the hospital.

    An impeccable police source said that a member of the robbery gang is currently detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, where he is assisting the police in their investigation.

    The robbers were said to have started operating in the area around 12.30 am before their operation was foiled by men of Meiran Police Division led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos Police Command.It was said that the hoodlums robbed residents of valuables including cash, mobile phones, and jewelry.

    Okereke explained that the robbery was the third this year.

    ‘’The hoodlums have been raiding our community since January this year. They came on January 6, March 11, and March 14 at about 12.30 am.

    ‘’In 2019, a letter was written by our joint CDAs to the Meiran Division did not receive any positive attention to date.

    ‘’ We can no longer sleep with our eyes closed hence we are calling on police authorities to increase their presence and patrolling in our neighbourhoods in order to prevent these criminals from turning us into their cash cow.

     

  • Farmers/herders: FUNAAB don advocates livestock census in Nigeria

    Farmers/herders: FUNAAB don advocates livestock census in Nigeria

    A Professor of Animal Genetics at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Professor Christian Obiora Ikeobi, has advocated for an up-to-date livestock census in Nigeria as part of measures aimed at ending incessant clashes between farmers and herders in parts of the country.

    Prof. Ikeobi emphasized the need for government at all levels to immediately find a lasting solution to the clashes that is already threatening the foundation of the Nigerian state.

    While delivering the university’s 62nd Inaugural Lecture titled “Why we look at things not seen: animal genes and their winking eyes” in Abeokuta on Wednesday, Professor Ikeobi stated that outdated data on animal populations in Nigeria can no longer be relied upon.

    According to him, “there is a need for a full, comprehensive and up-to-date livestock census in Nigeria. We cannot continue to rely on outdated data on animal populations in Nigeria.

    “There is also the need for a lasting solution to the incessant cattle herder/crop farmers’ clashes in different parts of the country and an end to the carnage and displacement of persons that have been the results of such clashes. The country cannot afford to leave this matter without lasting solution”.

    Earlier in his opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of FUNAAB, Professor Felix Salako described the Inaugural Lecturer as an erudite scholar and commended him for his contribution to the development of the university and contribution to knowledge.

     

  • FG leveraging fintech innovation to tackle agric, energy challenges – Osinbajo

    FG leveraging fintech innovation to tackle agric, energy challenges – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said the federal government is leveraging the innovative capacity of Fintechs in accelerating interventions, especially those under its Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP), including programmes on renewable energy, agriculture, improving access to credit and direct cash transfers, among others.

    Osinbajo stated this Friday at the official launch of the Nigeria Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Fintech Hackathon organized by Financial Centre for Sustainability Lagos (FC4S Lagos), Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC), Access Bank and AfricaHacks.

    According to the Vice President, “this is incredibly powerful for our efforts at resolving the climate crisis; transitioning to cleaner energy but also it introduces a tremendous opportunity for Fintech companies for payments systems.

    “Being able to manage that whole process, collect monies in some case, and in many cases, payout to owners. I think that there are tremendous opportunities there. This is something we are starting now. Of course, several companies have already shown some interest.

    “So, as we address climate concerns, there are major opportunities for Fintech companies and their creativity is going to be very crucial here.”

    Speaking about leveraging innovations by Fintechs to address challenges in agriculture, the Vice President said “we need to expand the scope of sustainable farming and farming techniques.”

    His words: “this has become crucial because we realise that now with deforestation and all the issues with farmer-herder clashes and all of that, there is a need for us to look more closely at how to be more creative with the farming technique, engage our farmers, educate our farmers, use more extension workers actively. And I found this to be the case especially as we are trying to implement an aspect of our Economic sustainability plan.

    “So, we have to first find out where these new farmers work and we have to geo-tag them to their farms. But more importantly, we had to get credit to them one way or the other because many of them are in far-flung areas of the country.

    “But not just credit, also information that they would need for choosing the right type of fertilizer, and other farm input. There is no question at all that Fin-Tech is crucial and would even be more crucial especially as we pursue goals of financial inclusion and trying to reach hitherto unreachable parts of the country.”

    Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo said, “there is no way of addressing the issues of poverty and all the issues around the SDGs if we are not able to reach those that need to be reached with credit.”

    In ensuring a smooth transition to clean energy, the Vice President said “it requires somebody who is able to facilitate movement of money quickly and this is the sort of thing we hope Fintech companies would do especially as we expand the scope of the transition to clean energy to LPGs all across the country.”

    The Vice President enjoined young Nigerians to aspire to achieve their dreams and take advantage of the exciting opportunities that abound in the tech systems.

    The Naija SDGs Hackathon aims to facilitate the development of Fintech solutions that have a direct impact on the realization of the SDGs. Top teams will be supported by institutions to scale these solutions to become Fintech success stories in Nigeria.

  • Soldiers have right to demand for better weapons-Army

    Soldiers have right to demand for better weapons-Army

    By Okodili Ndidi, Abuja

    The Nigerian Army has risen in defence of soldiers demanding better weapons to fight Boko Haram and other criminal elements.

    It how said the Federal Government was making concerted efforts toward deploying new fighting equipment to augment the existing ones in the Theartre of Operation.

    According to a statement by the Director Army Public Relations Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, “on the issue of ‘obsolete weapons’ as reported in some media, the position of Army Headquarters is that soldiers have right to demand for proper weapons to prosecute the operations.

    The Army also denied reports of protest by soldiers over posting to certain locations in the theatre of operation but admitted “mild complaints” by few soldiers.

    It said: “Preliminary investigations by Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, revealed that what some media reports described as protest was a mild complaints by few soldiers of Mobile Strike Team (MST), deployed for Exercise Tura Takaibango in the frontline of Operations.

    “The reports also claimed that the aggrieved soldiers, besieged the headquarters of the Theatre Command in Borno State, shooting sporadically into the air on Thursday to protest over alleged unpaid Operational allowances as well as obsoleted equipment.

    “For the records, The Headquarters Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE wishes to state that the claims were unsubstantiated and did not represent the true situation of the incidents”.

    It added: “At about 3pm on 25 March, 2021, some of the troops of Mobile Strike Team 10 & 11 who were primed to conduct phase 2 of Exercise TURA TAKAIBANGO in Bama after the first phase of the exercise, raised some concerns which was quickly addressed before they were relaunched to the second phase of the Operations.

    “The Army wishes to also deny report that any soldier was owned any operational allowances. No soldier was owned any Allowance in the Theartre.”

  • Court awards N100m to ex-Ondo Deputy Gov over rights violation‎

    Court awards N100m to ex-Ondo Deputy Gov over rights violation‎

    By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

    A Federal High Court has declared unlawful the act by some policemen who prevented the immediate past Ondo Deputy Governor Ajayi Agboola from exiting the Government House between 7pm on June 20 and 9am on June 21, 2020 over suspicion he planned to defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Justice F. A. Olubanjo of the Akure division of the Federal High Court, held in a judgment the action of the security officials amounted to a disregard of rule of law and a violation of the constitutional provisions that guarantee citizens’ rights to movement, dignity, among others.

    Justice Olubanjo, who awarded N100million damages against the police, noted that should such arbitrary conduct on a serving Deputy Governor, clothed with immunity, be allowed to stand, the police could one day abduct a serving President on the excuse of conducting an investigation.

    The judgment was on a fundamental rights enforcement suit, marked: FHC/AK/CS/46/2020 filed and prosecuted for Agboola by his lawyer, Babs Akinwunmi.
    The suit was initially filed in Abuja but was transferred to Akure by Justice Okon Abang on grounds of jurisdiction.

    Respondents in the case are the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Commissioner of Police (Ondo State), the Director General, Department of State Services (DSS), the DSS, Speaker of Ondo Assembly. and Ondo Assembly.

    Justice Olubanjo however said he could not grant the award of N1b damages sought by the applicant.

  • Court fines Ethiopian Airlines N7m for cancelling flights without notice

    Court fines Ethiopian Airlines N7m for cancelling flights without notice

    By Robert Egbe

    A Federal High Court in Lagos has fined Ethiopian Airlines Ltd N6million for cancelling three Nigerians’ flights without due notice.

    Justice A. O Faji awarded the damages in favour of the Madakin Zazzau, Alhaji Munir Jaafaru; his wife Hadizat Jaafaru and their daughter, Hafsat Jaafaru, for the hardships, stress and inconvenience caused them by the airline’s cancellation of their flights without notice.

    The judge delivered judgment in the plaintiffs’ favour in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/657/2018.

    The plaintiffs’ instituted the action via an April 27, 2018 Writ of Summons seeking amongst others a declaration that the airline contravened Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Regulations, 2015 by cancelling the flights without due notice and for the consequent hardships, stress and inconvenience.

    The court in its judgment agreed with Counsel to the plaintiffs, Emeka Opara Esq. of Kenna Partners and held the defendant was bound to give notice of the flight cancellation to the plaintiffs and having not shown proof of such notice, was in breach of the contract of carriage.

    The court also found that the defendant breached the contract of carriage with the plaintiffs by its failure to give notice of its flight cancellation as required by the NCAA Regulations which caused the plaintiffs who were on a family trip in a foreign land hardship, stress and inconvenience in rescheduling their flights.

    Consequently, it awarded N6million as general damages in favour of the plaintiffs and N1million in favour of the plaintiffs as cost of the action.

    This landmark decision establishes the principle that cancellation of flights by airlines without due notice to the passenger may render the airline liable.

  • BREAKING: Father of kidnapped Kaduna College student dies

    BREAKING: Father of kidnapped Kaduna College student dies

    By AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna

    Father of one of the 39 students kidnapped from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in Mando, Kaduna, Ibrahim Shamaki, is dead.

    The Nation gathered Shamaki died on Friday ostensibly from anguish of his missing daughter Fatima.

    Miss Fatima was identified as the girl with hijab in the video released by bandits barely 24 hours after abduction of the 39 students.

    In the video, Fatima spoke in Hausa that the bandits threatened to ensure none of them leaves the forest alive if the government sends troops to rescue them.