The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lebanese

  • Lebanese community gives Nigerian graduate scholarship

    Lebanese community gives Nigerian graduate scholarship

    Lebanese Nigerian Initiative (LNI), an organisation established by  Lebanese community in Nigeria, has awarded full MBA scholarship at American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanon, to Bosun Adebola, a young IT specialist.

    Adebola becomes the third Nigerian to benefit from the $1.5 million LNI-AUB endowment fund which will ensure a Nigerian is sponsored every year to AUB for the MBA programme. The two previous winners are Ajibola Olubando and Johnson Nwazuruahu.

    Speaking at the scholarship presentation at Lebanese Consulate in Lagos, Mr. Ali Safieddine, vice-chairman of LNI, said the scholarship at AUB is a way of saying ‘thank you” to the Nigerian community for the cordial relationship of over 120 years since the first generation of Lebanese settled in Nigeria.

    “We chose education because that is the core of development. A pool of well-educated people can chart policy directions to impact lives of majority and create a healthy economy”, he said.

    Mr. Elias Nicolas, consul general of Lebanon in Nigeria, said the LNI-AUB scholar will learn from a diversified country as Lebanon, noting it is a country at the crossroads of three continents and many civilisations.

    Adebola said he chose the university because it is a top university with a track record for producing leaders in business and politics.

  • Police rescue three abducted Lebanese in Rivers

    Rivers Police Command said it has rescued three Lebanese who were abducted at a construction site in Andoni Local Government of Rivers on June 8.

    The command Spokesman, Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP) confirmed the rescue in a statement in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

    “The three Lebanese abducted on June 8 about 7.40am at a construction site in Andoni have been rescued unhurt.

    “The victims were rescued as a result of intense pressure mounted on them by the police and strategic role played by Chairman of Andoni Local Government Area (LGA), Lawrence Paul.

    “The victims are Tony Stephan, 63, Chandy Lahoud and Emile Skaff.

    “Meanwhile, efforts have been intensified to arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of the crime,” Omoni said.

    Read Also: Southwest governors plot against kidnappers, robbers

    Omoni added that the rescued workers had been debriefed and were currently receiving medical attention in an undisclosed hospital.

    The spokesman, however, did not provide details of how the workers were rescued or where they were kept before their rescue.

    According to him, the kidnappers are yet to be arrested but assured that efforts have been intensified to ensure that the perpetrators are arrested and brought to justice.

    The trio who are contractors handling the “unity Road” linking the riverine Andoni/ Opobo/ Nkoro local Government areas of the state to another neighbouring Ogoni axis by land were kidnapped at the boundary between Andoni Kuana LGA, early this month.

  • Lebanese flees with Nigerian customers’ $487,700

    The police have launched a manhunt for a Lebanese Bureau De Change (BDC) operator, Aly Sahad, who allegedly absconded with a customer’s $487,700 (about N178million).

    Sahad was said to have fled with the cash after the owners gave it to him in his office, SAMAX Manufacturers and Distributors at 5, Idowu Taylor Street on Victoria Island, last Tuesday.

    It was learnt that three men –Salisu Shuaib, Abdulsalam Isiaka and Mohammed Grima – reported to the police after waiting in vain for the suspect, who told them he was going to the bank to perfect the transaction.

    The complainants were said to have given the cash to the suspect for the naira equivalent to be remitted into their accounts.

    Sahad was said to have dug a hole on the wall through which he threw the cash out without raising suspicions, while the victims waited at the reception.

    The victims became worried when his workers told them at about 6pm that they were closing for the day.

    But they refused to leave without their money or the naira equivalent.

    The workers were said to have forced the door open and found a hole on the wall.

    It dawned on the victims that they had been duped and they went to the police station to report.

    It was learnt that the suspect, who tastefully furnished his office, is yet to pay the interior decorator and furniture company.

    He was said to have promised to pay them today; he also hired two taxi drivers, promising to also pay them today.

    The suspect allegedly slept with two prostitutes on credit, promising to pay them today.

    His 10 workers, who were employed two weeks ago on a monthly salary of N70,000, each, told the police that they were yet to be paid.

    The Nation gathered that the police went to the hotel where the Lebanese lodged and found that he had fled, leaving behind his clothes and other personal effects.

    Footages from the hotel’s Close Circuit Television (CCTV) showed that he might have fled with just a small bag he was holding.

    Police spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP), said the International Police (Interpol) had been contacted, adding that detectives were working on a lead.

    She said efforts were being intensified to track the suspect, adding that the case will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) at Panti, Yaba, Lagos Mainland.

  • Bayelsa police rescue two abducted Lebanese

    Two expatriates and Lebanese nationals abducted in Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, have been rescued by the police.

    The Lebanese identified as Sarki Abi Chmouli and Ibrahim Abi Pherem were kidnapped by eight gunmen on Wednesday at the waterside of Onuegbum.

    The bandits in the process of whisking away their targets, who are employees of a construction company, Pache, killed two policemen.

    The slain policemen were identified by their ranks as sergeant and corporal.

    The gunmen numbering eight invaded the company’s dredging site located close to the community at about 12.20pm on two speedboats.

    The bandits created panic in the area by firing repeated gunshots into the air apparently to counter possible resistance.

    But the Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Butswat Asinim, said the police pursued the fleeing gunmen and forced them to abandon their victims on Thursday.

    He said the Lebanese were abandoned at Okodi, a riverine community in Ogbia local government because of the manhunt.

    He said: “On the 25 June, 2015, at about 1500hrs, the two labanese expatriates; Ibrahim Abi Phrem and Sarkis Abi Chmooni, were abducted on the 24 June, 2015 at Ogbia LGA of Bayelsa State.

    “They were abandoned by their abductors at Okodi riverine community in Ogbia LGA, due to the massive manhunt by the Police. They are hale and hearty and they have been reunited with their families.”

    Reacting to the development, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Ogbia clan, commended the police for quickly intervening to rescue the abducted expatriates.

    The Chairman of the clan, Mr. Osanya Osanya, however, mourned the death of the two policemen and commiserated with their families.

    Osanya warned youths who engage in kidnapping and other criminality to desist from them and seek legitimate means of livelihood.

    “We are warning youths in our area to be of good conduct and sustain the peace in the Niger Delta region. We won’t hesitate to assist the police to fish out whoever engages in criminality because we can’t fold our hands and watch a few people damage our name,” he said.

  • Panic over fate of abducted Lebanese, Syrian nationals

    The management of OKMAS Nigeria Limited has raised the alarm over the fate of two expatriates and a Nigerian staff abducted by gunmen last Wednesday from the company’s site in Patani Local Government Area of Delta State.

    Sari Naser Karin and Tarek Maroun Syrian and Lebanese respectively along with their Nigerian counterpart, simply identified as Sahara, were working on the Patani-Oduophori road project awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) when they were abducted by a seven-man gang.

    Confirming the report, the Public Relations Manager of OKMAS Nigeria Limited, Mr Owhondah Ebere, told The Nation: “The whereabouts of two expatriates and a Nigerian who were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on Wednesday 20/5/15 at 10.30am, in Patani area, Delta state, is still unknown”.
    Police Public Relations Officer in Delta Command, DSP Celestina Kalu, confirmed the report in a telephone interview with our reporter. She said efforts were being made to rescue the construction workers.

    Meanwhile, work at the project site was grounded on Monday following a protest by aggrieved co-workers of the embattled construction workers.

    The workers are demanding increased security presence before returning to work following the Wednesday’s incident.

     

  • Lebanon: ‘Suicide bomber’ strikes Beirut

    A suicide bomber has blown himself up in a southern district of the Lebanese capital Beirut wounding several people, officials say.

    The interior minister said the bomber detonated explosives in a minibus during rush hour in Choueifat district.

    The area is home to a largely Christian and Druze population.

    There has been a spate of bomb attacks in Beirut in recent weeks largely blamed on the rise of sectarian tension over the conflict in Syria.

    “A man wearing an explosive belt boarded a public minibus in Choueifat and blew himself up,” Interior Minister Marwan Charbel told Lebanon’s Mayadeen television channel.

    He said at least one person had been killed in the blast, but it was unclear if that was in addition to the suicide bomber.

    Early reports say at least three people were also wounded in the blast.

    The target of the attack was not immediately clear.

  • Hezbollah: Fed Govt opens trial in case against three Lebanese

    Hezbollah: Fed Govt opens trial in case against three Lebanese

    •Calls three witnesses

    The Federal Government yesterday began the trial in the case against three Lebanese being held over their alleged involvement in terrorism.

    The government called three witnesses, who were officials of the Department of State Security Service (DSS).

    The Lebanese – Mustapha Fawaz (49), Abdallah Thahini (48) and Talal Ahmad Roda (51) – are charged with their companies – Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park Resort.

    Before the trial began yesterday, the accused were rearraigned on a 16-count amended charge, to which they pleaded not guilty.

    Among the charges against them were that they conspired and engaged in unlawful importation of prohibited firearms between 1988 and 2008 in Kano.

    The prosecution witnesses, who were hooded for security reasons, told the court how they investigated the case and recovered arms and ammunition in the premises of the accused.

    The first witness identified as DSS1 told the court that he coordinated the investigation and that the accused made voluntary statements where they admitted being members of the international terrorist group, Hezbollah.

    The second witness identified as DSS2 said he led the team that conducted searches at the Wonderland Park and Amigo Supermarket, where they recovered arms and ammunitions.

    He, however, stunned the court when, on being asked to read the inventory of the about 45 items recovered in the two premises, most of the items, except three, were not related to arms and ammunitions.

    They were common items like computer accessories, sim cards, travelling documents, camera, Identity Card, among others.

    The third witness identified as DSS3 told the court how one of the accused, Thahini was arrested at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano with $61,170 while allegedly trying to escape from the country.

    The trial resumes at 12noon today. The court chose the time to enable the prosecution file and serve the defence, copies of written statements of its remaining five witnesses.

  • Three Lebanese in court for alleged terrorism

    Three Lebanese in court for alleged terrorism

    The three Lebanese being held for alleged terrorism were arraigned yesterday on a six-count charge before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Mustapha Fawaz (49), Abdullahi Thahini (48) and Tahal Roda (51) were arraigned with two of their companies – Amigo Supermarket Limited and Wonderland Amusement Park Resort – before Justice Adeniyi Ademola.

    The three men were in counts one and two charged with belonging to Hezbollah military wing and knowingly agreed to receive training in preparation to engage in the commission of a terrorist act.

    In count three, Fawaz and Fuazi Fawaz (now at large), owners of Amigo Supermarket, Abuja, were alleged to have “knowingly permitted a meeting connected with an act of terrorism” to be held on the premises of the supermarket.

    In count four, Thahini, accused of “being the coordinator of Hezbollah in Nigeria”, was charged with involving himself “in an arrangement to facilitate the acquisition of terrorist funds by removal out of jurisdiction, the sum of $61,000”.

    Fawaz, Thahini, Roda and Fauzi (now at large) were, in count five, accused of withholding from law enforcement agents information that would have assisted in the arrest of another suspect.

    The three, their two companies and the fleeing Fawaz were, in count six, accused of “directly rendering support to a terrorist group” by allegedly providing their premises in Abuja and Kano for terrorist activities.

    Their alleged offences are said to be punishable under Sections 5(1), 7(c), 8(1), 12(a), 13(2) and 16(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Act 2013.

    The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    Their lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN), told the court that he had filed two applications for his clients. They include a motion for bail, pending trial and another challenging the competence of the charge.

    The lead prosecution lawyer, Simon Egede (the Acting Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation) prayed the court for time to enable the state respond to the applications served on him yesterday.

    Upon the request by both parties, particularly Raji, who urged the court not to remand his clients in prison but to return them to the custody of the State Security Service (SSS), Justice Ademola ordered the accused remanded in SSS custody.

    The judge also directed parties to file and serve all processes before the next date. He adjourned the matter till July 8.

    The Federal Government has freed the fourth of the Lebanese held over the Kano arms discovery.

  • Three Lebanese charged for terrorism, arms importation

    Three Lebanese charged for terrorism, arms importation

    The Federal Government on Wednesday formally charged the three Lebanese men arrested for allegedly belonging to an international terrorist group and importation of arms.

    Those arraigned are owners of Amigo Supermarket and Wonderland Amusement Park, Mustapha Fawaz, Abdalah Tahini and Talal Rouda.

    The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) filed a six-count charge bordering on terrorism and importation of arms to render support for terrorism acts.

    In count one, Fawaz, Tahini, Rouda were charged with belonging to an international terrorism group, in contravention of Section 16 (1) of the Terrorism Act 2013 (as amended).

    In count two, the AGF, among others, accused the trio of receiving training as members of a terrorist group, contrary to Section 7(c) of the same Act.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that it is a criminal offence under the Act to belong to and fund terrorism.

    The penalty on conviction is a maximum of 10 years imprisonment on each count.

    The three men pleaded not guilty to the charges.

    After the arraignment, the Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Simon Egede, told the court that he was served with copies of an application to quash the charges filed against the three men.

    “It is normal that after arraignment, we will get a date for the commencement of trial.

    “But just this morning, I was served with a motion by the accused counsel, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.

    “We were also served with a motion filed by the accused, praying the court for an order to re-open the business premises of the first accused,” he said.

    In view of this, he urged the court to give the prosecution time within which to study the court processes and reply to the motion.

     

  • Kano Hezbollah Armoury: Tahir Slams N10 Billion Suit Against Leadership Newspaper

    Kano Hezbollah Armoury: Tahir Slams N10 Billion Suit Against Leadership Newspaper

    The chairman of the Lebanese community in Kano and owner of 5-star Tahir Guest Palace Limited, Tahir Fadillala has sued the Leadership Group, publishers of Leadership newspaper for libelous publication against him.

    Tahir is demanding N10 billion from the leadership Newspapers management over alleged libelous publication contained in its May 31, 2013 edition, in which the Kano businessman was named as one of the suspects being interrogated by security agents in connection with the Hezbollah weapons uncovered in a bunker in Kano recently.

    In a writ of summons and statement of claim filed by, Barrister Ahmed Raji [SAN], Counsel to plaintiff, Tahir and his company, Tahir Guest Palace are asking for N5 billion each from the Newspaper Company and one Bala El- Nafaty mentioned in the suit as co-defendant.

    According to the plaintiff, the said publication titled, “Owners of Amingo Stores and Tahir Hotels arrested” was designed to defame his character and tarnish the reputation of his businesses, “it was a malicious publication,” he insisted.

    The plaintiffs also sought an injunction from the court to restrain the defendants, their agents from further publishing defamatory materials against them; they prayed the court to award N100million as cost of litigation.

    It would be recalled that security in agents in Kano on may 30, this year, intercepted a bunker with assorted weapons of mass destruction in a house belonging to a prominent Kano based Lebanese businessman in the Kano high-brow Bompai estate. The shock discovery led to the arrest of three other member of the Lebanese community.