The Nation Newspaper

Category: News Update

  • Nigeria’s envoy to DR Congo turns Ekiti regent

    Nigeria’s current Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Princess Jolaade Onipede, has emerged the regent of Ilasa-Ekiti.

    Onipede was on Tuesday installed at a well attended ceremony in the town located in Ekiti- East local government area of the state.

    Eldest daughter of the immediate past Alasa of Ilasa, Oba Abel Ajibola, Onipede appealed to kingmakers in the town to hasten up processes of selecting the next monarch.

    “ I was an adviser on chieftaincy affairs in this state and I know all that is involved in the process of selecting monarchs for our towns and the roles of regents . I promise not to disappoint the people of the town.

    “During the regime of Engineer Olusegun Oni, there was this law that was passed pegging the number of years a regent could stay at two and if the next ruling house is ready today with their nominee for the throne, I will vacate the stool without delay.

    “We don’t expect the process to be delayed, as my late father warned us that we should not meddle in the process of selecting the new Oba. My stay in the palace is to also tidy up the property of my father, who reigned for over 63 years,” she said.

     

  • ‘Prostate cancer kills 14 Nigerian men daily’

    ‘Prostate cancer kills 14 Nigerian men daily’

    Prostate cancer killed 14 men everyday in Nigeria, the Coordinator, National Cancer Prevention Programme (NCPP), Lagos State branch, Dr. Abia Nzelu, has said.

    Nzelu, who said this in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Tuesday, noted that the figure was based on studies.

    She said that most men report their cancer cases late when the symptoms had already manifested and attributed the situation to ignorance.

    According to her, people die unnecessarily, even when they are diagnosed because there are no facilities to treat them.

    “Prostate cancer, the second commonest cancer in men, kills 14 men in Nigeria every day. This is not acceptable because it can be prevented.

    “India has over 120 comprehensive cancer centres and we don’t have even one centre that has everything to take care of any kind of cancer that can carry out world class research.

    “ We need something like this in our own country, because apart from the fact that those that have, can afford it and travel, what of those that cannot?

    “In Nigeria, cancer is like a death sentence that is why most deaths here are unnecessary; they are untimely.

    “When we had the Dana crash, we are all shouting, but each day people are dying of cancer. Because, they are dying silently, we are not doing anything about it,” she said.

    Nzelu said the prevention should be through life style modification, screening and routine checkups, at least once a year for those who are 40 and above.

     

  • Subsidy: EFCC to file amended charge against Ahmadu Ali’s son, others

    Subsidy: EFCC to file amended charge against Ahmadu Ali’s son, others

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday said it intended to amend the theft charge preferred against Mamman Ali, son of former Peoples Democratic Party national chairman, Ahmadu Ali.

    EFCC counsel, Mr. Francis Usani, made this known at the resumed trial of the younger Ali before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo of a Lagos High Court in Ikeja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the accused was charged to court for an alleged N4.4 billion fuel subsidy fraud.

    He was arraigned on July 26 alongside Christian Taylor, a citizen of Sierra Leone, and Nasaman Oil Services on a three-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretences.

    Usani said the amended charge would enable the commission to join another oil marketer, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo, as a co-defendant in the matter.

    He said:”The matter was adjourned till today for commencement of trial but we cannot proceed today because some very important issues have come up.

    “We feel that it will help the court in doing justice to this matter.

    “I want to inform the court that we intend to file an amended charge to enable one Oluwaseun Ogunbambo to be joined as a co-defendant.

    “Some of the transactions the defendants were charged with were actually orchestrated by him, and so we feel it will be in the interest of justice to try him with them.”

    Usani therefore urged the court to adjourn the matter to enable the EFCC file the amended charge.

    Counsel to the defendants, Mr. Toyin Pinheiro (SAN), did not oppose the call for adjournment, but maintained that his clients were innocent of the charge.

    “Since the prosecution’s excuse for an adjournment is for a just cause, we will not be opposing.

    “Their plan to amend the charge shows that the defendants have no case to answer,” Pinheiro said.

    The judge adjourned the matter to November 12 for trial.

     

  • Man arraigned for stealing relief materials in Delta

    The Delta State Customary Court President, M.O.C Obeh has adjourned to November 21, hearing in the alleged case of theft of relief materials for flood victims in Delta State.

    Obeh adjourned the case due to the absence of other parties in court.

    The suspect, Emonena Awheme, 50 years allegedly stole relief materials meant for flood victims at the St Michael College relief Camp, Oleh, Isoko South local government area.

    The suspect was caught attempting to remove relief materials from the camp in an ambulance.

    The items included three half bags of garri,one bag of beans,20 litres of ground nut oil, one bag of Omo detergent, 11 empty jerry cans and 50 litres of palm oil.

    The suspect, who spoke to The Nation, said he was not guilty, stressing that the relief materials he is being accused of stealing were sold to him in the camp because they were perishables.

    He said he was tempted to buy the items because they were cheap.

    There had been incessant case of theft of relief materials with Governor Uduaghan recently calling for the removal of an official of another camp at Illah,Oshimili North LGA.

     

  • Hajj: Nigerian pilgrims’ death toll reaches 21

    Hajj: Nigerian pilgrims’ death toll reaches 21

     

    The death toll of Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia has risen to 21 from 14, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

    NAN quotes the National Hajj Commission’s weekly public health bulletin “No one’’ dated October 29, which showed that the male pilgrims had the highest mortality rate of 13.

    The bulletin shows that Katsina State has the highest figure of four; Sokoto, three, Kano, Lagos, Zamfara and Ogun recorded two deaths each.

    Oyo, Gombe, Yobe and the Nigerian armed forces recorded one death each.

    It also stated that 53 patients had been referred to Saudi hospitals with 39 cases recorded in Medina, four in Jeddah and 10 in Mecca.

    The bulletin states that 90 per cent of the patients had been discharged.

    “So far, no single case of delivery has been reported, however, there are two cases of spontaneous abortion reported from Misfallah Clinic in Mecca by female pilgrims from Sokoto and Adamawa states, all mothers are in satisfactory conditions,’’ it added.

    The bulletin shows that 7,496 Nigerian pilgrims have so far visited the six clinics being operated by the medical mission in Jeddah, Medina and Mecca, with common cold and hypertension topping the list of cases reported at the clinics.

    It also highlighted the problems faced during the Arafat and Muna operations, blaming the Saudi authority’s poor response to distress calls and blocked road networks to evacuate sick pilgrims by security operatives.

     

  • Colombia attack kills six police officers

    Colombia attack kills six police officers

    Six Colombian police officers have been killed while on patrol in the south-west of the country in an ambush blamed on left-wing rebels, officials told the BBC.

    The officers were shot dead in Cauca province by suspected FARC guerrillas, local police said.

    The killings come as the Colombian government and the FARC prepare for the next stage in peace talks, due to get under way next week in Cuba.

    The talks began earlier this month in Norway but there has been no ceasefire.

    President Juan Manuel Santos has said he wants to avoid the mistake of the previous peace talks in the late 1990s, when the rebels were given control of a vast demilitarised zone and used the opportunity to regroup.

    The latest peace attempt, the first direct contact in a decade, was formally launched in Oslo on October 18.

    The two sides are due to hold preparatory meetings in Havana next week, with the negotiations proper beginning on November 15.

    The talks are due to focus on five key areas: the end of armed conflict; land reform; guarantees for the exercise of political opposition and citizen participation; drug trafficking; and the rights of the victims of the conflict.

     

  • Gunmen kill car dealer in Onitsha

    Four armed men on Monday robbed and killed a middle-aged car dealer, Chief Emeka Ekwerendu, at Modebe Avenue Junction in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra.

    The Divisional Police Officer at the Central Police Station, Onitsha, Mr. Tomitope Fahugbe, confirmed the incident to journalists, adding that he had yet to receive its details.

    An eyewitness said the late Ekwerendu was shot by a four-man armed robbery gang at about 8:30 a.m. a few metres away from the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Odoakpu, Onitsha.

    “The gang operating in a light green Toyota Siena without a vehicle number plate trailed their victim from a primary school close to the church, after he had dropped his children at school.

    “As he was driving out in his black Land Cruiser jeep, he was shot dead and an undisclosed amount of money taken from the boot of his vehicle.

    “The gang armed with four Ak-47 riffle shot sporadically into the air to scare the people away as they made their exit,’’ the eyewitness told the News Agency of Nigeria.

     

  • Ibori’s $15m : Court rejects request to summon Clark

    Ibori’s $15m : Court rejects request to summon Clark

    A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, refused oral application to summon the prominent South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, over his comment on the controversial $15 million traced to the convicted former Delta State Governor, James Ibori.

    Ibori allegedly offered the money as bribe to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Clark had called for the sack of the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, over the needless controversy generated by the money.

    At the resumed hearing of the suit by the commission, seeking forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government, the EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) criticized the elder statesman for commenting on the issue already before the court for adjudication.

    Ruling on the request to invite Clark, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, who said the application was diversionary, pointed out that Clark is neither a party nor counsel in the matter before him.

    He, however, said the commission is at the liberty to file a formal application to summon Clark before him.

    Meanwhile, a London- based lawyer, John Olufemi Aina has filed an application on behalf of an individual, Olalekan Kayode asking the court to remit the $15 million bribe money to him on trust for the public.

    Aina asked the court not to forfeit the money to the federal government on the grounds that all the looted funds recovered by the federal government from the family of the late General Sani Abacha, Cecilia Ibru, ex-Governor Joshua Dariye up to Halliburton were re-looted by government officials.

    He said he will constitute a trust committee on behalf of Nigerians who shall determine what project to execute with it for the benefit of the general public.

    Before adjourning hearing till November 11, Justice Kolawole asked parties to serve all pending applications.

    Clark had accused Lamorde of displaying gross incompetence in the manner he was handling the case, adding that “Nigeria desires a more serious body to fight corruption not the EFCC, the one being led by Lamorde.”

    The elder statesman said there was no controversy over the ownership of the money as being insinuated by the anti graft agency in the suit before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Clark said the EFCC, Achibogu and all involved in the forfeiture suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, should be probed to put the battle against corruption on the front burner of our “body polity.”

    “As at today, the EFCC as presently constituted cannot fight corruption because it lacks the will, courage and determination, as the James Ibori $15 million bribe had revealed. The EFCC should be made of men of honour and probity.

    “Despite the opinion some may hold on Ibrahim Lamorde the present Executive Chairman of the EFCC, he should be investigated for the unholy roles he had played in the James Ibori saga”, Clark added.

    He was of the opinion that the money might have been offered as bribe to Ribadu to compromise him on the allegations of N120 billion supplementary budget fraud levelled against the former governor.

     

     

  • Falcons defeat Cameroon in AWC clash

    Falcons defeat Cameroon in AWC clash

    A late Perpetua Nwkocha goal on Monday ensured Nigeria’s Super Falcons avenged the 2012 Olympics qualifiers defeat to Cameroon.

    The Nigerian girls defeated their Cameroonian counterparts 2-1 in one of the matches of this year’s African Women Championship in Equatorial Guinea.

    MTNFootball.com reports that the water-logged pitch adversely affected the standard of play and denied both sides a chance to play a free-flowing game and express themselves.

    The Nigerians started the game on an impressive note as they dominated the first stanza and deservely took the lead at the tail end of the first half when Onyinyechi Ohagugha fired a canon from 20 yards.

    The Indomitable Lioness of Cameroon fought back on resumption, but it was the Nigerians who would have doubled the lead in 49th minute when Stella Mbachu’s 19-yard shot hit the crossbar.

    Cameroon then drew level via a 53rd minute penalty converted by skipper Patience Mani after a Nigerian defender committed an infringement inside the box.

    They then dominated the better part of second half and would have taken the lead when Louni fired wide in front of an open net after Precious Dede in goal for Nigeria spilled the ball.

    Substitute Ngozi Okobi brought life to Nigeria attack and her pullout found the durable Perpetua Nkwocha at far post to connect home with a diving header in the 90th minute to seal a hard-earned victory for the African champions.

    In Sunday’s opening game, hosts Equatorial Guinea pipped South Africa 1-0.

     

  • Gunmen kill four in Jos

    Gunmen kill four in Jos

    Unknown gunmen stormed a local beer joint at Gindin Akwanti in Gashish district of Barkin Ladi local government of Plateau State and opened fire on the people who gathered at a local drinking joint.

    The Nation gathered that the attack took place at about 8pm on Sunday night while the victims were relaxing  at the joint.

    The assailants reportedly escaped after the attack.

    Eight people were affected in the attack, one of them identified as Bitrus Chuwang died instantly while the remaining seven, who sustained various degree of injuries, were rushed to the Plateau State specialists hospital in Jos.

    Three other victims – Joel Dadu, Joshua Jang and a lady, Ladi Mathew died shortly at the hospital.

    The victims, according to eyewitnesses, lost so much blood before getting to the hospital.