The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Breaking news today

  • Court jails two restaurant bosses over girl’s allergy death

    A British court on Wednesday sentenced two restaurant bosses to prison after they were convicted of causing the death of a 15-year-old girl who suffered an extreme allergic reaction to traces of nuts in a takeaway meal.

    Manchester Crown Court convicted restaurant owner Mohammed Kuddus, 40, and takeaway manager Harun Rashid, 38, of “gross negligence manslaughter’’ in the death of Megan Lee.

    The court acknowledged that Megan suffered a fatal asthma attack caused by the allergic reaction in December 2016.

    It, therefore, sentenced Kuddus to two years and Rashid to three years in prison.

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    Karen Tonge of the Crown Prosecution Service said ahead of the sentencing that Lee died because the men had “failed to protect her as their customer.’’

    “Their manifest failures and complete disregard for the safety of customers was astonishing.

    “No appropriate systems or conditions were in place to protect Megan or any customer with a known allergy,’’ Tonge said.

    Another restaurant owner was sentenced to six years in prison in 2016 after the death of a 38-year-old man in a similar case in North-Eastern England.

  • Why I killed, slept with my mother’s corpse

    An-18 year old boy, Samuel Akpobome Emobor, has confessed that he killed his mother and slept with her corpse for the purpose of money ritual.

    Samuel who hails from Oghara in Delta State committed the act at their rented apartment in Ologbo community in Ikpoba-Okha local government area.

    Speaking to newsmen when he was paraded at the Edo State Police Command, Samuel said he was pushed to commit the act by a ritualist who sells drugs in the community.

    According to him, “I wanted to use my mother for ritual. I am 18 years old. My father is dead. It was one man called One Love that told me to use my mother for money ritual. He promised to give me N50,000 if I killed my mother and sleep with her. He said I should cut my mother’s ear and fingers and bring them to him.

    “I wanted to cut the ears and fingers before the people came in. I slept with my mother only once. I pressed my mother’s neck to kill her while she was sleeping. The One Love sells drugs. He put something inside the drink he gave and he told me to go and kill my mother.

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    “The day I went to his house with policemen, the man has ran away. I hail from Oghara. I work in a pure water factory.

    “I now feel very bad because I was beaten badly by people. I did what the ritualist told me.”

    Police Commissioner, Babatunde Kokumo, said the suspect would soon be charged to court.

  • Minimum Wage: Nigerian workers deserve a better deal—Victor Oye

    Dr Victor Oye, National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on Wednesday in Awka said Nigerian Workers deserve all that they could get due to their contributions to development of the country.

    Oye, made the assertion in an interview with our reporter, said the economic reality of the country had made workers the “weeping boys” of the system.

    He urged the Federal Government to not only enhance their pay but improve on their working conditions.

    The APGA chairman commended the quality of negotiations between government, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Organised Private Sector that led to aversion of the threatened industrial action.

    Oye commended the Anambra Government for paying salaries on the 25th every month and for being among the first states to offer to pay N30, 000 minimum wage

    “Nigerian workers deserve a better deal considering the harsh economic atmosphere in the country; they have always been at the receiving end.

    “That the Federal Government is able to avert the strike brought a huge relief to Nigerians and averted what would have come with consequences of embarrassing proportion.

    “APGA urges the federal and state governments to take the welfare of workers seriously.

    “They must come up with a programme on how to develop the cognitive and latent talents of workers to make them more productive,” he said.

    Read Also:I’m committed to new minimum wage – Buhari

    On his part, Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central at the National Assembly, said he considered the N30,000 a meager amount that could not lift any home out if poverty.

    Umeh argued that governors could pay the amount the NLC was asking for if they could appropriate the state resources efficiently and be more innovative.

    “Nigerian workers do not have a living wage; we cannot continue to pretend and say there is no money when a lot of people are living in affluence.

    “They deserve living wage, even the N30, 000 they are demanding is not a living wage, government should know how to manage its resources to enable it pay workers,” he said.

    Umeh thanked workers for suspending the strike that was to begin on Nov. 6 and expressed the hope that all parties would respect the terms reached during the negotiations.

  • Presidential election kicks off in Madagascar

    Madagascar kicked off its first round of the presidential election on Wednesday to select their future leader for the next five years.

    According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Madagascar, over 9.9 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots at 24,582 polling stations across the country from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time.

    A total of 36 candidates will participate in the election, including two former presidents Marc Ravalomanana and Hery Rajaonarimampianina, as well as the former transitional president Andry Rajoelina.

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    They are also considered to be the top three candidates in the election.

    The diplomatic missions and international organisations such as EU have been accredited to observe the presidential poll in the country.

    According to the INEC, the counting of the votes will begin after the close of voting, and the result of the first round will be proclaimed before Nov. 19.

    If no candidate wins more than 50 per cent of the votes, the second round of voting will be held on December 19.

  • Community threatens to withdraw support for PDP

    Residents of ‘Aba Ngwa’ community in Aba North/ South Federal Constituency of Abia have threatened to withdraw their support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if their grievances emanating from the just- concluded party primaries were not addressed.

    In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday, the President of Aba Ngwa Youth Congress, Mr Greg Obi, said that the community was ready to forfeit rents for tenants to ensure total withdrawal of support for the party.

    Obi alleged that there was a case of over-voting at the primaries conducted for the House of Representatives seat in the constituency as the number of votes counted exceeded the number of accredited voters.

    According to him, the election was rigged in favour of Mr Uzo Azubuike as against the interest of the people and preferred candidate, Dr Blessing Nwagba.

    He said that they had been dominated by non-indigenes over the years as only people from neighboring Local Government Areas occupied the seat.

    The president said the community supported two of its indigenes to contest in the just-concluded PDP primary election but one died mysteriously after purchasing the form.

    According to him, the community then threw its weight behind Nwagba, a serving member of the Abia State House of Assembly to clinch the ticket but that the primaries were rigged.

    “Since 2009, no member of Aba-Ngwa community had been given the opportunity to represent the constituency either at the House of Reps or at the Senate.

    “It is not that we have not been contesting but the results do not always favour us,” he said.

    In a separate interview , Nwagba alleged that she was being marginalised by the party because she is a woman.

    Nwagba said that she had reported the irregularities at the primaries to the appeal panel and to the party’s leadership.

    She said that she had not been invited neither by the members of the appeal panel or party leadership and that the report of the panel had not been made public.

    The aspirant said neither her grievances nor those of Aba-Ngwa community had been addressed by the party and that no explanation whatsoever had been given for the silence.

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    The aspirant said women were not meant for the kitchen alone as they were equally endowed to add value to society through good governance.

    Nwagba said if due process was followed, she would have won the election because she worked hard and did all that was required to emerge victorious.

    Responding, the PDP Chairman in Abia, Chief Johnson Onuigbo, told reporter that he was aware of Nwagba’s complaint.

    He said Nwagba submitted her complaint and had met with the appeal panel which was saddled with the responsibility to listen to aggrieved aspirants and resolve issues.

    According to him, Nwagba was interviewed by the panel in the state office of the Deputy Chairman of the party.

    He said that the report submitted by those who conducted the primary showed that the election “was free, fair, credible and verifiable.”

    Onuigbo said unlike in other climes, “people in this part of the world” hardly accept defeat in any competition.

    According to him, if Nwagba has won the election, she would not be protesting and challenging the process.

    The chairman said that it would be very unfair for the residents of Aba-Ngwa community to withdraw their support for the party.

    According to him, the PDP made Nwagba, and that she cannot win everyday.

    He said that Nwagba losing this time did not mean she should turn against the party, “that is not the spirit of sportsmanship”.

    Onuigbo described the plan by the community to forfeit rents for tenants to ensure maximum withdrawal of support for the party as a “strategy to sabotage PDP.”

    Reacting to the issue of Aba-Ngwa indigenous representation at the National Assembly, the chairman said that power was not given based on asking but contested, struggled for and taken.

    He said the PDP preaches free, fair, credible and verifiable primary elections and that the party does not allocate power to anybody or community.

    According to him, while we agree on morals grounds that every community gets an indigenous rep, this is a struggle for power in line with the Constitution.

    He said no law stops anybody from contesting for a seat at the National Assembly as many times as the people allowed him or her to do so.

    “We cannot as a party say it is your turn since no law bars a lawmaker from seeking re-election just because we want power to go round.

    “We have to look at the law, legally speaking, it is unfair to do so, we do not dash it, we cannot say it is your turn, take it.

    “If they do not get it now, next time they may; there is always another chance,” the chairman added.

  • Woman docked for biting man’s ear

    A 25-year-old woman, Edet Gift, was on Wednesday brought before an Ota Magistrates ‘ Court in Ogun for allegedly biting a man’s ear.

    Gift, who lives at No. 4, Ojubanire St., Off Joju, Ota, is facing a charge of assault.

    The Prosecutor, Insp. Rosemary Samson, told the court that the accused committed the offence on Oct. 30, at about 9.30am at his residence.

    Samson said that the accused assaulted the complainant, Mr Oily Mayowa, by biting his left ear when a fight broke out between them.

    She said the incident caused the complainant bodily harm.

    Read Also: 2019: ‘Resist violence for Nigeria’s sake’

    The offence contravened Section 338 of Criminal Code, Vol. 1, Law of Ogun, 2006.

    The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    The Magistrate, Mrs B. S. Abdulsalam, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

    She said that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction and be gainfully employed with evidence of tax payment to Ogun Government.

    Abdulsalam adjourned the case until Nov. 12, for further hearing.

  • Civilians killed, injured during Afghanistan election – UN

    Taliban attacks on the Afghanistan parliamentary elections left no fewer than 56 civilians dead and 379 wounded, the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report on Tuesday.

    The majority of the casualties, 52 dead and 339 injured were attacked on Election Day, October 20.

    According to the report, those figures are higher than those recorded in four previous elections held in Afghanistan.

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    “Taliban militants fired rockets and mortars, dropped grenades and used improvised explosive devices on polling stations throughout the country,’’ the UN said.

    Taliban militants, before elections, issued no less than three statements calling participation in the election a sin and a crime.

    They vowed to do anything in their power to dismantle the election and asked tribal leaders, teachers and mullahs, or Islamic leaders, to hinder the electoral process.

    Preliminary election results are set to be announced at the end of the month.

  • Dino: Prosecution’s inability to provide witness statement stalls trial

    Failure of the prosecution to provide witness statement on Tuesday in Abuja in an FCT High Court stalled the trial of trial of Dino Melaye, who is charged with alleged false information.

    Maleye, representing Kogi West in the Senate, is being tried on two counts of alleged false information, an offence he has denied.

    At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, Melaye’s counsel, Mr Olusegun Jolaawo, objected to a prosecution’s witness, Mr Edward Onoja, taking the stand to testify in the case.

    He accused the prosecutor, Ms Chika Nnanna, of refusing to serve him with the witness statement as required by law.

    Jolaawo told the court that the prosecution did not serve him with the witness statement and argued that the prosecution did not comply with the provisions of Section 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

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    Jolaawo also argued that the section provides that the defence counsel should be provided with all necessary materials related to case on trial by the prosecuting counsel to enable him adequately prepare his defence.

    He said the court was not a court of record and that the proper procedure was for the prosecuting counsel to have filed an additional proof of evidence with proof of service on all parties, the court and the defendant.

    Nnanna however, regretted the omission and apologised to court..

    “It was not intentional to keep away relevant document from the defence” she apologised.

    She requested an adjournment to enable her properly file the necessary document.

    The Judge, Justice Olasumbo Goodluck, who ordered the prosecution to do the needful, adjourned the case until Dec. 5 and Dec. 13 for definite hearing.

    “In the interim, the prosecution is expected to do the needful;

    “The matter is adjourned until December 5 and December 13 for definite hearing in the expectation that the prosecution files their additional witness statement before the next adjourned date” he ruled.

  • Four APC lawmakers defect to opposition parties

    Four members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday defected from the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) to four other opposition parties.

    The lawmakers made their defections known in separate letters read by Speaker Yakubu Dogara on the floor of the house.

    In the letters, the lawmakers commended the APC for providing the platform for them to serve and stated that it was time for them to move on to further their political careers somewhere else.

    Rep. Dada Awoleye, representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency, defected to Accord Party while Rep. Segun William representing Abeokuta South Federal Constituency, defected to Labour Party.

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    Also, Rep. Hassan Lawali representing Anka/Mafara Federal Constituency, Zamfara, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while Rep Adesina Adedapo, representing Ibadan North-East/South- East Federal Constituency defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that there was light celebration among lawmakers as the speaker announced the defections.

  • Deputy Senate President escapes assassination

    The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu in the early hours of Tuesday escaped assassination attempt alongside his wife and one of his sons.

    But one of the assassins was overpowered and arrested.

    The suspect has been handed over to Apo Police Station for investigation.

    The incident was confirmed in a statement by Uche Anichukwu, who is the Special Adviser on Media to Ekweremadu.

    The statement said: “The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, and son escaped an assassination attempt at about 4am on Tuesday.

    “The armed men discreetly evaded the security at Ekweremadu’s Apo Quarters residence, to gain entry into his house.

    ” The attackers, who could not immediately shoot in order not to attract the attention of the security personnel on duty, took hold of his son, and commanded him to lead them to the Senator’s bedroom.

    ” It was in the ensuing struggle in the Senator’s bedroom that security was alerted, leading to the arrest of one of the assailants with dangerous weapons and housebreaking devices, while the rest managed to escape.

    “The arrested member of the gang has, however, refused to divulge any information on the operation and has been handed over to the police.

    “Ekweremadu, his wife, and one of his sons were in the house at the time of the attack.

    “It could be recalled that the lawmaker narrowly escaped an attempt on his life in Abuja on November 17, 2015.

    “Although the 2015 incident was reported to the security agencies, nothing has been heard about the matter till date.”