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Tag: Ilorin

  • Ahmed, Saraki absent at Ilorin Eid Prayers

    Ahmed, Saraki absent at Ilorin Eid Prayers

    Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara state and Senate president, Dr Bukola Saraki as well as top government functionaries were conspicuously absent at the Eid-el-Fitri prayers on Wednesday in Ilorin.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that both the governor and Saraki were usually present at the Eid praying ground during Salah celebrations.

    No reason was given for their absence although a top Government House source told NAN that the governor prayed at a private mosque in the state capital.

    NAN also reports that the duo usually paid the traditional homage to the Emir, Alhaji Sulu Gambari, immediately after the Eid prayers.

    They were, however, absent for the traditional homage and the accompanying Durbar which often followed the Eid prayers.

    NAN further reports that Ahmed had last year stayed away from the Eid praying ground while those who attended with the senate president were pelted with stones and sachet water by angry workers whose salaries were not paid.

    NAN also reports that there was a fracas at the palace of the emir who was hosting this year’s traditional “ night of prayers’’ on Sunday.

    A palace source confided in NAN that mid-way into the programme, a cleric rose to defend government’s inability to pay workers’ salaries and this drew the anger of the people.

    The source told NAN that the crowd went berserk, disconnecting the electricity supply to the venue and freely throwing chairs at dignitaries at the event.

    The Secretary of Sheikh Alimi Foundation, Abdulazeez Arowona, in a statement confirmed there was fracas at the palace during the programme.

  • Mob lynch suspected female kidnapper in Lagos

    A suspected female kidnapper was on Monday beaten to stupor by an angry mob for allegedly abducting a child.
    The woman who was stripped and almost set ablaze was alleged to have attempted to kidnap a school pupil before she was discovered.

    It was alleged that children have been missing in the neighbourhood for about a month, the last being a pupil of Wisdom School who was kidnapped not far from the school premises.

    The irate crowd which descended on the woman at the market beat her until she was bleeding and confessed that she sold the last child she stole at Ilorin.

    At that point, the crowd, it was gathered assembled fuel and tyres to set the suspect ablaze but policemen from the division intervened.

    The police team was however attacked while trying to rescue the woman, with the patrol van’s windscreen allegedly shattered.

    Angry that the police stopped them from killing the woman, the crowd moved to the police station threatening to set it on fire.

    When The Nation visited the scene, an Armoured Personnel Carrier  (APC) of the Rapid Response Squad  (RRS) and several police vehicles were stationed on the road to disperse the crowd.

    RRS Commander, Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police  (ACP) and the Divisional Police Officer  (DPO) in charge of Owode Oniri, Alao Segun, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) were both on ground to avoid attack on the station.

  • NAFDAC moves to check fake registration codes

    NAFDAC moves to check fake registration codes

    Mrs Roseline Ajayi, the State Coordinator for National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Kwara, said on Monday that the agency would descend on those parading fake NAFDAC codes.

     

    Ajayi stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin.

     

    She said that NAFDAC would carry out periodic checks on imported and locally-manufactured products and urged manufacturers to make their products available for the exercise.

     

    “We know some people are using fake NAFDAC codes but they do not know that we have our codes for different products.

     

    “Through the check, we will be able to fish out those with fake codes.

     

    “We have some imported products around that bear NAFDAC numbers and some local products too which we categorised as sub-standard.

     

    “If the manufacturers know and importers are sure of what they are pushing into the market, they will subject it to NAFDAC scrutiny,’’ she told NAN.

     

    The coordinator, however, said that the problem of sub-standard products was minimal in the state.

     

    “I had the opportunity of interviewing some of our stakeholders and they often times accused us of being too stringent; that our requirements are too many compared to other states.

     

    “What we do is that we take samples of some of their products for test without telling them. So I can boldly say most of these products are measured up to standard.

     

    “To a large extent, Kwara is in good standing when it comes to product standard,’’ the NAFDAC chief said.

     

    Ajayi said that NAFDAC, under her administration, would intensify effort to sensitise the public on the need to patronise only registered products.

     

    She said that NAFDAC was the only agency saddled with the responsibility of assessing external and oral products, while others dealt with utility and household equipment.

     

    “We all work toward one purpose; we have the same aim and goal, there could be areas of overlap but certainly we are all working for the same purpose.

     

    “We scrutinise any product that can have any negative impact on health, whether external or oral,’’ she told NAN.

  • UniIlorin to render free education services

    UniIlorin to render free education services

    The Institute of Education, University of Ilorin is to provide free adult education and counselling services to its host community, Prof. Mudashiru Yusuf, the Director of the Institute, has said.

     

    Yusuf told newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara on Monday that the services, which would commence before the end of the year, was part of the university’s corporate social responsibility.

     

    “Efforts are on to bring back the self-sustaining extramural classes for candidates who have been failing in public examinations like the UTME and WAEC.

     

    “ The programme will be carried out as social services, its costs will be within the means of members of the University’s host community, “ he said.

     

    The director said that the institute would introduce diploma programmes in Human Kinetics, Health Education, Instructional Radio and Television, Arts and Craft, and Photography for School Certificate holders, and HND conversion programme.

     

    Yusuf explained that the expansion of the courses was part of the Institute’s mandate to add value to the socio-economic development of its host community.

     

    “We are planning a Community Counselling Centre, which is going to be a free service by the University.

     

    “Experts will be engaged to counsel on marital affairs, academic matters, job issues, mental health issues, and teenage affairs, “he said.

     

    Yusuf said the initiative was a joint effort of the university’s Counselling Unit, Centre for Supportive Services for the Deaf, Department of Health Education and the College of Health Sciences.

     

    “We want to give the community a standard extramural environment where students will be taught and not assisted to cheat like some centres are doing; we want to set the standard.

     

    “We are educators; we know the standard and we will not just be blaming others for doing what is wrong, we will establish the standard and then others will follow the standard,“ he said.

     

    According to him, the infrastructure required for the take-off of the programme “are on ground.”

     

    “We are discussing with the administration and we are calling experts to assess what we have on ground, and efforts are on to ensure that this place is put into very good shape,“ he said.

  • Four dead as suspected cult members clash in Ilorin

    Four persons were killed at the weekend in Ilorin, when a fight broke out between suspected members of two rival cults.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that last Sunday, suspected cult members struck at Ikokoro/Sakamo in Ilorin and allegedly killed a boy.

    The latest cult clash occurred at Babako, Ita-Amodu and Agbo-Oba in the Ilorin metropolis between Saturday night and early Sunday.

    NAN learnt that the clash heightened tension in the areas, while residents scampered for safety.

    Eyewitness told NAN yesterday in Ilorin that four persons, including a 20- year-old man, were allegedly shot.

    The source, who preferred anonymity, told NAN that members of “Aiye” Confraternity first struck at Babako about 9:30 pm on Saturday and allegedly killed two persons.

    He said the suspected cultists later headed for Ita-Amodu and Agbo-oba on a revenge mission.

    Police spokesman Ajayi Okasanmi confirmed the incident.

    He said: “I can confirm to you that one person has been killed by the suspected cultists and this happened at Babako in Ilorin.

    “Men of the police command have taken his body to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.”

    Okasanmi warned cultists to stay away from the state, stressing that anyone caught would be punished.

  • Gunmen shoot motorists on fuel queue in Kwara

    The-yet-to-abate fuel scarcity in the country assumed a dangerous dimension on Saturday in Ilorin, the Kwara state as three gunmen opened fire on motorists queuing for petrol.
    The incident happened at one Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Filling Stations in the metropolis.
    In the ensuing melee, it was gathered that the gunmen left two young men and a lady with serious injuries.
    Some others on the queue and other officials of the station were said to have scampered for safety.
    The incident according to eyewitnesses occurred in the early hours of the day. It was gathered that the three men were part of some youths who had forced themselves on the station, located along Offa Garage Road, to manage the gates to reduce the practice by many motorists to jump the queue in their desperate bid to get fuel.
    An eyewitness said “it was due to an argument among the boys; you know they are thugs and they have been at the gate but we don’t really know what led to the argument but we just suddenly heard the gunshots and it was later discovered that some people were seriously injured.”
    The three victims it was gathered were rushed to a private hospital, Yusjib Industrial Medicare, along the same axis.
    The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the facility, Dr Yusuf Abdulraheem, told newsmen the three victims were in stable conditions. He said one of them had been taken to a laboratory where the bullets in him would be extracted.
    Kwara police command’s spokesperson Ajayi Okasanmi confirmed the development.
    He said that one of the gunmen has been arrested adding that a locally made pistol and some live cartridges were recovered from the suspect.
    Management of the filling station could not be reached, as the Manager only promised to call back after several calls to him. He also did not respond to text messages from reporters.

  • Immigration repatriates 47 illegal Nigeriens from Nigeria

    Immigration repatriates 47 illegal Nigeriens from Nigeria

    The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) said it has repatriated no fewer than 47 illegal Nigeriens in Kwara state back to their country.

    Briefing reporters Friday in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, the state Comptroller, Mrs. Abimbola Abiodun-Ojo said that the illegal immigrants were arrested from their base in Budo-Sunday-Kinikini, Kaiama local government area of the state.

    The comptroller, represented by NIS spokesperson in the state, Adeyemi Adeshola said: “Following a tip off that was made available to us, we sent our men on intelligence gathering. We were able to find out that there are some non-Nigerian residing in Kaiama LG, specifically at Budo-Sunde-Kinikini. We went for a raid and were able to arrest about 47 Nigeriens, nine males, 11 females and 27 minors. They have been repatriated to Niger.

    “We went there for the raid and after the raid, we had to do profiling and screening. We actually invited the Department of State Services to join us in the screening. We discovered that they did not have proper documents to reside in the country. They came in through illegal means. That was why we eased them out of the country.

    “Their stay in the country was already a threat because it is a threat to the social life in that environment, to our economy and the infrastructure. It is a threat because they did not come in through the appropriate channel or route. With time, if they were allowed to stay there jobless, they can take to crime.

    “I thank the people that made information available to us and I also want them to continue to make available necessary information especially when they see influx of new faces in their environment. They should contact the necessary security agencies so that we can do our jobs and make sure that everything is okay.”

  • Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia ‘transferred’ to Illorin 

    Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia ‘transferred’ to Illorin 

    A week after the National Judicial Council (NJC) barred her from elevation to the Court of Appeal, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has been transferred to Illorin Division in Kwara State.

    It was learnt that the Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Auta, approved her transfer.

    It could not be confirmed when she will resume in her new division.

    Sources said Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia may return to deliver judgment in cases she has concluded, such as the one involving a former Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety (NIMASA) Director-General Temisan Omatseye who was charged with contracts splitting.

    Other cases before her, such as trial of a former Union Bank Managing Director ‎Bartholomew Ebong, may begin afresh.

    Deputy Chief Registrar, Lagos Division, Mr Bello Okandeji, said he was not aware that Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia has been transferred.

    “I’m hearing about it for the first time from you,” he said when our correspondent sought confirmation from him.

    A week ago, the NJC, in a statement by its Acting Director, Information, Soji Oye, placed Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia on its “watch list” for four years over misconduct.

    She is also not to be considered for any elevation to the Court of Appeal or included in any ad hoc judicial appointment till her retirement from the Bench.

    The penalties took immediate effect.

    The NJC’s decision, taken at its meeting on February 24 and 25, was based on its findings that the judge failed to deliver judgement in a pre-election case.

    It was alleged she delayed her verdict until the expiration of the tenure of the person whose qualification for election was being challenged.

    NJC statement reads: “The NJC, under the Chairmanship of Justice Mahmud Mohammed, at its meeting on February 24 and 25, 2016 decided to warn Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia and put her on the ‘watch-list’ of the council for the next four years.

    “The judge will also not be considered for any elevation to the Court of Appeal or any ad hoc judicial appointment till her retirement from the Bench.

    “The decision was sequel to the petition written against her by Victoria Ayeni, alleging misconduct and injustice on the part of Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia for failing to deliver judgment in Suit No FHC/AB/CS/31/2011, a pre-election matter between Victoria A. A. Ayeni and Olusola Sonuga and two Ors.

    “She was also alleged to have adjourned the pre-election matter severally until the termination of the life span of the Ogun State House of Assembly.

    The decision of the Council on Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia is with immediate effect.”

  • 200 get Saraki’s aides’ job tools in Ilorin

    200 get Saraki’s aides’ job tools in Ilorin

    Aides of Senate President Bukola Saraki in Kwara State have provided materials and cash for 200 people in Ilorin East Local Government Area of the state.

    The gesture, said to have cost about N3.6 million, was to help the beneficiaries start up their businesses in the council.

    The event which took place at the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Isale-Koko, was attended by the council chair, Abdullateef Okandeji and Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President, Alhaji Saka Onimago.

    One of the legislative aides for Magaji Are 1, Basambo Abubakar, who spoke with The Nation said: “We are here today to give empowerment to our people. As legislative aides to the senate president we have some responsibilities; one of such is to ensure that our people have a sense of belonging and feel the impact of the Senator Bukola Saraki. Today some people will be empowered with some amount of money to start their own businesses; others will be given educational materials.

    “No fewer than 200 people will be proud beneficiaries of the empowerment scheme today. I want us to know that the empowerment is the collective efforts of all the legislative aides to Senator Bukola Saraki from Ilorin East local government area of the state. We have expended about N3.6 million on the project. Hitherto, we had splashed over a million naira on the APC ward and local government exco members.

    Also, a group known as Egbe Omo Ibile Igbomina in the state has given bursary awards to 25 indigent students of Igbomina extraction in eight tertiary institutions in the state.

    The group also said it has floated a-N2 million Education Endowment Fund, immediate past President, Egbe Omo Ibile Igbomina, Chief Samuel Atolagbe told The Nation shortly after handing over the cash totaling N500,000 the beneficiaries.

    The group’s membership is drawn from three local government areas in Kwara state and two from Osun state.

    Said Atolagbe: “We are particular about the development of our youths because they are the elders of tomorrow; and from the look of things now many of them are becoming frustrated. Frustrated in acquiring education; frustrated in seeking for employment, frustrated in realizing their ambition and we feel we should come in.

    “For somebody to be admitted into the university, polytechnic and college of education and he or she is disadvantaged is not acceptable and some of these chaps are very brilliant. I happen to know much about scholarship and bursary because I was the secretary of the Kwara state scholarship board between 1977 and 1982.

    “I felt you could do something for the indigent students; so I approached the youth assembly to help me find out those that are already admitted into higher institutions but are financially disadvantaged.

    “For a start, we began with 25 students for the bursary award which cost us N500,000. That is what we have just celebrated today. Apart from that my executive has floated N2 million Education Endowment Fund, that means it is even more than bursary, when we have more the award can transform into full scholarship. In fullness of time we will call on people from time to time to donate to us.

    “For instance, during Igbomina Day celebration last year, one of our invited guests donated about N3 million for the group; that is where we extracted the N2 million for the endowment fund.

    “I therefore appeal to philanthropic-minded people to donate towards the endowment fund so that we can extend the award to our kiths and kin that occupy two local government areas in Osun state. We have covered all the three Igbomina local government areas in Kwara state, but we still have Ila-Orangun and one other local government area in Osun.”

    Also speaking, President of Igbomina Youth Assembly, Shuaib Oyewole added that the students cutting across eight tertiary institutions in the state are the beneficiaries of the bursary awards.

    “This is the first of the its kind organized by the assembly. The subsequent one would be enlarged to accommodate more schools and beneficiaries. All the beneficiaries are from public owned schools.”

     

     

  • Ilorin: Suspected cultists kill car wash operator

    Ilorin: Suspected cultists kill car wash operator

    Suspected cultists Monday shot dead a car wash operator in Ilorin, Kwara state.

    The incident led to confusion in Ilorin especially among residents of Ibrahim Taiwo road in Ilorin.

    The late Ajia was in 2004 sentenced to death by an Ilorin High court over a murder case involving him and one other which he appealed at the Court of Appeal and was subsequently affirmed by the Supreme Court.

    He was, however, granted state pardon by the immediate past administration in the state.

    The gruesome murder of Ajia reportedly took place along Ibrahim Taiwo road, Ilorin where his car wash business was located.

    The assailants said to be four in number reportedly went to under the bridge close to the State Stadium complex, where the deceased was operating a car wash and shot him on his forehead.

    An eye witness said that the suspected cultists believed to have come from one of the states in the south-west, also inflicted matchet cuts on the deceased after shooting him.

    The cultists were said to have arrived the deceased’s workshop in a taxi cab around 4:15 pm and went immediately to meet Ajia who was said to be alone in his shop.

    The incident led to traffic gridlock as the ever busy Taiwo road was closed to traffic.

    The deceased who was survived by four wives and many children, was buried Monday amidst wailings by his associates and sympathizers at the Muslim cemetery, Irewolede in the metropolis.

    The state police command spokesman Ajayi Okansanmi did not confirm the incident.

    He said he had not received full details of the circumstances leading to the killing of the deceased.