The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Five

  • Five feared dead in Bauchi rainstorm

    •’Govt will assist victims’
    •Dogara condoles with victims

    Five persons are feared dead after a rainstorm hit some communities in Bauchi State on Saturday.

    The rain, which started about 4.49pm and lasted almost 90 minutes, left families in tears as the storm blew off the roof of their houses. While some houses were completely levelled to foundation level, some were left without fences and some were partially destroyed.

    Some of the worst hit areas are Wuntin-Dada, Tsohon Kanfani, Lafiyari, Yelwa, Rafin Zurfi, Inkil, Guru, Yelwa-Makaranta, Bakaro, Miri, Tiwum, Railway road and Government Reservation Area.

    Though no death has been reported officially, a source with the Bauchi State Emergency Management Agency said “We understand that two children died at Zango and three people died at Tirwum and several others were injured.”

    Governor Mohammed Abubakar has sympathised with the victims.

    Abubakar, who spoke when he visited some of the affected areas, urged them to consider their misfortune as an act of God. He said the visit was to ascertain the level of damage.

    The governor promised that the government will do its best to assist the victims.

    Areas visited by the governor included Miri, BATV, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic on Jos road, Kobi Street, Railway road, Tirwun and Bakin Kura.

    He was accompanied by the Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, commissioners and other top government officials.

    Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara has commiserated with victims of Saturday’s windstorm in Bauchi. He called for government’s intervention.

    A statement yesterday by his media aide, Turaki Hassan, urged the Federal and state agencies to provide relief materials to the victims to alleviate their sufferings.

    The statement reads: “I am saddened by the news of yet another natural disaster in Bauchi, which caused injuries and destroyed property in the affected areas.

    “I urge relevant government agencies to move in and provide immediate assistance to the victims. On our part, we shall do our best to provide succour to the victims within the shortest time possible.”

    The Speaker, however, called for necessary emergency preparedness and early warning mechanisms to mitigate the effects of such natural disasters.

    He prayed God to prevent a recurrence.

     

  • Family of five, friend die mysteriously in Ogun

    A family of five died in mysterious circumstances on Wednesday night at Old Aiyepe road in Sagamu area of Ogun State.

    The family included father, mother, three children and a family friend.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the family newly moved from their rented apartment into their own property but died the first night in the house.

    The house was suspected to have been fumigated with “killer chemical”.

    One of the sympathisers, who accompanied the bodies to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) in Sagamu, said the owner of the house, a borehole driller, just spent a night in the new house.

    The sympathiser, who identified himself simply as Tony, said the neighbours perceived a foul odour yesterday, which attracted them to the house.

    According to him, neighbours raised the alarm, which attracted the attention of the police.

    The remains of the deceased have been taken to the mortuary at OOUTH.

    Hundreds of sympathisers besieged the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital, wailing uncontrollably over the incident.

    Police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the command would get to the root of the matter.

    Oyeyemi said investigation into the matter had begun to unravel the mystery behind the deaths.

  • Five arrested for diverting 40ft generator container worth N10m

    Five arrested for diverting 40ft generator container worth N10m

    Operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have intercepted a syndicate that allegedly diverted a truck carrying a 40ft container loaded with 608 pieces of Elimax generators and 2,900grinding engines worth N9.7million.

    Five members of the gang arrested are: Onyebuchi Okeke, 30, Sunday Chukwuwike 28, Onyebuchi Ede 30, Sopuluchukwu Eze, 30, Sunday Nwachukwu, 35, while one Ozor is still at large.

    The goods according to sources belonged to Sylveohemma Petroleum Limited, Apapa, Lagos, and was diverted by the gang on December 22, 2017.

    Following a petition submitted to the office of Inspector General of Police on December 23, 2017 by the company’s clearing agent, Nickson Budu , the IRT’s Commander, Abba Kyari, an Assistant Commissioner of Police was asked to fish out the culprits.

    The special squad subsequently arrested the driver and the truck conductor at Nkwere, Anambra State while they were negotiating with the receiver.

    The buyers were also apprehended and all the suspects have since confessed to the crime.

    Confessing, the truck’s conductor, Chukwuwike said: ”l am the motor boy. I am from Ihiala, Anambra State. It was the driver that brought the idea to divert the container and make fast money on the 23rd December 2017 at Tin Can Island at about 8.00pm when we were to take the container to Abuluchu in Festac area of Lagos but on the way we diverted the truck to Ikorodu.

    In his confession, Okeke said: ” Yes, I brought the idea to divert the container. We later took  the container to Nkwere in Anambra State, where the receiver collected part payment from buyers which is N430,000 and gave us(the money). Four of us namely Onyebuchi, Sunday, the other Sunday and Ozor who is still at large shared the money. We and the buyers negotiated N25,000, N14,000, N17,500 for some of the stolen goods which are giveaway prices.”

    Ede said: ” the only role I played was to provide my house as the warehouse where the goods were off- loaded. I am from Nkanu, Enugu State. I am a primary six certificate holder. They promised to pay me N200,000. When I saw that there were enough goods in the container that would fetch me more money I decided to join the gang.”

    Sopuluchukwu said: ”I am from Nkanu East, Enugu state. I used to do well in my business. I used to deal on men wears and I used to make #80,000 monthly but recession came and it affected my business. When my friend Nwachukwu called me and told me about the deal I jumpED for it. I will blame the devil also.”

    Eze recalled his role in the crime saying: ” They asked me to look for a safe place to off- load the stolen goods. I called my brother Ede and he helped to provide his house because he has enough space in his house. I was also interested in buying the goods.

    ”We contributed money for advance payment. I gave them #210, 000, Sopuluchukwu brought N250,000 plus the initial N100,000 I gave them. The total money collected for part payment was N510,000.”

    Police sources said about 120,000 pieces of the stolen goods have been recovered while the remaining are still to be recovered from the gang members house in Nkwere which was used as warehouse.

    The sources further revealed that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded and that the gang member Ozor who is still at

  • Five die in Lagos-Ibadan road crash

    Five die in Lagos-Ibadan road crash

    • 13 others injured

    Five persons, including a baby, have died in a road crash at the Ogere (Ogun State) stretch of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    Thirteen others were injured.

    The accident, which occurred early yesterday, involved a Mazda bus, registered as DDA 121 XA and a truck, marked: MGD 129 ZF.

    It was learnt that the driver of the bus lost control, veered off his lane and crashed into a packed trailer by the roadside.

    Five of the passengers were said to have died on the scene.

    The Sector Commander of Ogun State Command of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Clement Oladele said the bus carried 18 passengers and was travelling from Ibadan to Lagos.

    Oladele said three men, one woman and a male child died in the accident while six men , two women and five male children were injured.

    The FRSC chief blamed the accident on dangerous driving and failure to follow road safety rules by the bus driver.

    He said: “Failure to follow road safety rules caused the accident. Immediately the incident happened, the driver of the commercial bus ran away.

    “A man-hunt has been launched to arrest the driver and charge him for dangerous driving leading to the death of some of his passengers.

    “The injured have been taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) at Sagamu and Vitory Hospital at Ogere for treatment. The remains of the dead passengers have been deposited at a morgue at Ipara in Ogun State.”

  • Five governors endorse plan for zero hunger by 2025

    Five governors have endorsed a peer advisory mechanism to enable them to monitor the implementation of their state-grown agricultural plans with a view to ending hunger by 2030.

    The peer advisory mechanism is a brainchild of the Nigeria Zero Hunger Forum (NZHF) is aimed at reviewing, monitoring, and advising states on the ways by which the states themselves, using available resources, can achieve zero hunger by 2030.

    The five pilot states, which have given their nod include Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Ogun and Sokoto state.

    “More states will be involved as we make progress,” according to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Goodwill Ambassador, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is chairing the NZHF.

    According to a communique issued at the end of the maiden edition of the NZHF in Makurdi, members of the NZHF, which cut across the private sector, government and development partners agreed to hold its advisory meeting on quarterly across the states.

    The Forum also adopted a template for its future advisory meetings: The first day should be dedicated to a welcome address by the state followed by presentations of what is going on in the host state related to achieving zero hunger (challenges, successes, and lessons learnt). The next day, should be dedicated to field visits to engage with large, medium, and small scale farmer groups; medium and large scale agriculture related industries such as food and feed processors, and fertiliser blending factories, and programs to improve the health and nutrition of infants and children. The day should end with reflections of the day and a communique.

    IITA Deputy Director-General for Partnerships for Delivery, Dr Kenton Dashiell, who also manages the secretariat of the NZHF at IITA, explained that the peer advisory mechanism of the NZHF would encourage states to focus on the commitments they made towards agriculture so they could by themselves achieve their set targets.

    He commended the maiden meeting in Benue state, noting that the state has the capacity to feed the country if its agricultural potential was fully tapped.

    Benue State Governor, Dr Samuel Ortom, described the Nigeria Zero Hunger initiative as a tool that would accelerate the agricultural development of states through peer learning.  He noted that through the instrumentality of the Forum the state was able to purchase fertilisers in good time for distribution to farmers.

    “Again from the NZHF meeting, we have been given advice on how to handle certain areas and in some cases the former president personally made contacts through the phone on our behalf to persons who have the answers,” Ortom explained.

    The meeting in Benue, had in attendance Ortom, Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi; Deputy Governor of Borno State, and representatives of the Governors of Ogun and Sokoto states, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), African Development Bank (AfDB), World Food Program (WFP), the private sector, farmer groups, members of Benue State Executive Council, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), the Nigeria Army School of Military Engineering (NASME), and members of the press.

    The NZHF is supported by IITA, African Development Bank (AfDB), WFP and the OlusegunObasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL).

  • Five honoured for philanthropy

    As Lagos celebrates 50 years of its existence, the Yoruba Tennis Club has rewarded outstanding members with awards which were presented by the Commissioner for Tourism, Home and Affairs, Mrs Adebimpe Olusola.

    In her speech, Olusola, who represented Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said: “Lagos has made the dream of founding fathers a reality. Though small is size, Lagos has remained the most prosperous in the federation and currently ranked the fifth largest economy in Africa.

    “Those who are Indigenous to Lagos State have every reason to celebrate the achievements, which would not have been possible without the sacrifice and commitment of individuals and organisations.

    “Philanthropic gestures, networking and socialising, social clubs are veritable channels for protecting, promoting and popularising government’s policies, projects and programmes for smooth growth and development of the state’s economy”.

    Great men and women who also rendered selfless service to the state in both public and private capacities were remembered.

    She admonished Lagosians to come up with lofty ideas to assist in proffering solutions to challenges in different sectors.

    She said: “We must not lose focus on the future by reflecting on the level of development we want our state to attain in the next 50 years.

    “Individually, we must continue to accord pride of place to social clubs and forge strategic partnership with them in our collective efforts to build a small city of our dream.”

    The members who received awards are Bro. Folarin Coker, Bro. Ernest Balogun, Bro. Iyiola Omisore, Bro. Agboola Joseph and Bro. Adeoye Thomas.

  • Plateau Utd extend lead to five points

    Plateau Utd extend lead to five points

    • Katsina United, Gombe United,  two others held at home

    Plateau United opened up a five points lead at the top of the NPFL after they defeated Niger Tornadoes 2-0 in a Match Day 9 tie played at the Rwang Pam Stadium, Jos yesterday.

    The Jos side broke the resistance of the Ikoh Allah Boys in added time of the first half when Kabiru Umar struck before the second goal in the second half made the day safe for the Jos side.

    In Katsina, Katsina United could not hold on to their first half lead after they allowed Shooting Stars to equalise in the second half to have a share of the spoils at the Mohammed Dikko Stadium yesterday.

    Sani Nasiru put Katsina United ahead in the 27th minute from the penalty spot but the Oluyole Warriors found the leveller in the 82nd minute through Olaniran Kayode.

    Nasarawa United were also held at home by the visitors, Sunshine Stars at the Lafia Stadium.

    The Solid Miners shot ahead in the 53rd minute from the spot kick through Suraj Ayeleso but the same goalkeeper was culpable for the Owena Whales’ equaliser scored by Sunday Oluwadare in the 61st minute.

    The woes of the Remo Stars continued before their fans after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home at the Gateway International Stadium, Shagamu yesterday.

    Victor Mbaoma netted his fourth goal of the season and the Sky Blue Stars’ opener in the 14th minute but Tony Okpotu scored his first goal of the season and Lobi Stars’ leveller oin the 49th minute.

    Gombe United and Akwa United fired blanks at the Pantami Stadium in another Match Day 9 tie yesterday.

  • Kwarapoly expels five students

    The Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, has expelled five students.

    A statement by the Assistant Registrar (Academic Affairs), Mr. AbdulRahman Ola Muhammad, said their expulsion followed the approval of the report of the Students’ Disciplinary Committee in accordance with Section 14.2 of the Students’ Regulations.

    Imam Murthado Olanrewaju (HND/14/AE/FT/019) was expelled for allegedly assaulting a member of staff and disruption of official activities; Elebiju Rotimi (HND/14/SLT/FT/095), for stealing clothes and attacking the owner; while Adam AbdulAzeez T(ND/14/QTS/FT/022), Muhammed Habeeb (ND/14/COM/FT/461) and Khalid Olamilekan (ND/14/PA/FT/56) were expelled for alleged destruction of polytechnic property.

    Also, Olutayo Oluwatobi Elizabeth (HND/15/BF/FT/233) has been rusticated for one semester (second semester, 2015/2016 session) for allegedly behaving rudely to a member of Dress Code Committee; and the result of Toluwaleke Gbenga Adeniyi (ND/14/PA/FT/532) has been withheld pending his appearance before the Students’ Disciplinary Committee for alleged destruction of school property.

    The statement directed the  students to vacate the polytechnic campuses and hand over all property in their custody to their Heads of Department.

  • Five feared dead as NPA warehouse collapses

    Five persons were feared dead in a building collapse at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at Area 1, Sea port in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, on Saturday evening.

    A source said the building was within an old warehouse where items were stored.

    It was not clear last night what led to the sudden collapse of the building, though another source linked it with corrosion.

    The five casualties were reportedly working at the warehouse when the building suddenly caved in.

    Ports Police Unit could not be reached to confirm the incident and police spokesman Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the area is outside his jurisdiction.

     

  • Five in court for Abuja bombings

    Five in court for Abuja bombings

    Five men were yesterday arraigned before an Abuja Federal High Court for the October 2 bomb explosions in Nyanya and Kuje. One of them, Abdulwaheed Nasir (23) pleaded guilty to being in possession of 12 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and other materials used for making the bomb.

    Nasiru  was arraigned with Abdulazeez Muhazab (26), Ishiaka Salihu (25), Mohammed Jimoh (33) and Abdullahi Nasiru (34). The others pleaded not guilty to the five-counts charge against them.

    Nasiru, who spoke in pidgin English when the charge was read to him, pleaded guilty to the fourth count, which relates to being in possession of 12 IEDs and materials used for manufacturing them.

    The charge was interpreted, many times to Nasiru and the fifth accused person, ‎Abdullahi, in pidgin English.

    Nasiru pleaded not guilty to the first three counts of conspiracy and the carrying out of the bombings, but when the fourth count was interpreted to him, he pleaded guilty but said the items found on him belonged to his friend.

    “I’m guilty, but no be me get am, na my friend get am,” Nasiru said in pidgin English.

    Following his guilty plea, his lawyer, Nurein Sulyman, rose and sought the court’s permission to speak with his client. He approached the dock (where Nasiru stood with others) and asked him if he truly understood what he said.

    Nasiru maintained that he was guilty of the charge of the possession of the IEDs and the other materials.

    The five men were accused of conspiring to bomb Kuje town and Jikoyi park in Nyanya on October 2. Their action, it was alleged, resulted in “the death of scores of innocent citizens; the injury of many others and the destruction of  properties, “ contrary to Sections 17 and 2(a) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2013”.

    It was alleged, in the fifth count, that between August and October, Jimoh and Salihu aided Muhazab (first respondent) “to store and conceal” the items suspected to be used for manufacturing of IEDs, an act punishable under Section 2(g) of the law.

    All the accused persons are said to hail from Kogi State. They were said to have been arrested with already-made 12 IEDs and other materials used for manufacturing the explosives in Unguwar Ebira, Karamajiji area, behind the Military Cemetery on Airport Road in Abuja on October 6.

    The materials they were allegedly arrested with included 27 pieces of detonators, aluminium powder, hexomine, hydrogen peroxide, sulphur powder, sodium azide plus nitrate, iron II oxide, soldiering wire, sugar, pH litmus paper, sodium carbonate and thermometer.

    Others are chlorate, filter paper, strings, potassium chlorate, 12 ready-made IEDs and a full bag of fertiliser.

    Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation Mohammed Diri said he would be leading evidence to prove the guilt of all the accused persons, including Nasiru with regard to the charge he confessed to.

    The defence counsel, Sulyman, said after the proceedings that he was yet to have access to his cleints.

    He said by the nature of the charges against his clients, Nasiru was still at liberty to change his plea to not guilty if he wished to do so before judgment.

    “Pleading guilty is actually not a big deal. This is a capital offence, he is at liberty to change his plea to not guilty if he wishes,” Sulyman said.

    Justice Abdulkadir Abdul Kafarati ordered that the accused persons be moved from police custody to Kuje prison. He adjourned to November 17.