The Nation Newspaper

Tag: MAN

  • Man, 66, arrested for alleged murder

    66-year-old man, Lateef Sadiku Olarinde, has been arrested for the alleged murder of a barber in Abule-Ado, a Lagos suburb.

    The late Oluwajuwon Olawepo, was hit by a stray bullet last Tuesday when hoodlums allegedly led by a man who was simply identified as Olarinde invaded the area.

    It was gathered that the hoodlums came to chase away commercial motorcyclists from a land used as park.

    Olarinde, it was gathered, warned the riders to vacate the land, claiming to be its owner, but they refused until the day of the incident.

    A rider, who craved anonymity, said: “Every Friday, they come to the area in large number to extort money from us. Each of us (and stall owners) pay them N200 each; yet, they are never satisfied. When they invaded this area, they unleashed mayhem and beat us up. They were about 30 in number.

    “When we tried to resist them, they brought out guns and started shooting indiscriminately. We all ran away and those who have shops in the area hurriedly shut their shops. It was while Oluwajuwon was trying to lock up his shop that a stray bullet hit him on the chest. The police are aware of his activities in the area and they don’t want to do anything.”

    Oluwajuwon’s family has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar and Commissioner of Police Umar Manko to order “full investigation” into the matter.

    Oluwajuwon’s elder brother, Samson, who said it was his pastor that informed him that some his brother was shot dead during a fight by hoodlums on Fine Niger Road at Abule-Ado, added: ”My pastor and I went to the scene of incident immediately to verify what actually happen; on getting there I met my brother in his pool of his blood on the floor. I was screaming; some policemen from Agboju Police Division were at the scene of the incident.”

    “As I speak to you we don’t know where the Policemen took the corpse of our brother to. While I and my two other brothers were making effort to find out from the policemen about where they took our brother’s corpse to. One of them came and said the Divisional Police Officer of the station had ordered them to detain us.”

    He said he was taken to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) where the Officer in Charge, Abba Kyari ordered him released on bail.

  • No Man City, Liverpool offers for Ahmed Musa

    No Man City, Liverpool offers for Ahmed Musa

    Nigeria’s top scorer at the World Cup, Ahmed Musa, has no concrete offers from clubs interested in his services, the CEO of CSKA Moscow, Roman Babaev, has stated.

    After the World Cup, reports in the English media had linked the pacy striker with a move to Liverpool, but the English Premier League runners-up have not launched an official bid to acquire him outright from the Russian champions.

    ”For Musa, so far no proposals have been received, but the priority is to keep him in the squad.

    ”We do not aim at any cost to sell the player, who had a great World Cup,” Roman Babaev said to sport-express.ru.

    Apart from Liverpool, Manchester City are also said to be interested in the signature of Ahmed Musa, however, the champions of England have not made any official contact with CSKA Moscow.

    The 21-year-old, who only returned for pre-season training on Tuesday, was on parade for 45 minutes as the Army Men thrashed Dynamo Barnaul 7-1 in a test game played last Thursday.

    Ahmed Musa is tied to CSKA Moscow until December  31, 2016.

  • Dangote is Africa’s first $20billion man

    Dangote is Africa’s first $20billion man

    Nigerian billionaire and Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote has become the first African entrepreneur to lay claim to a $20 billion fortune as the stock value of his largest holding,Dangote Cement, leaped just about three-fourths since March when Forbes released its annualranking of the world’s richest people.

    Aliko Dangote’s 93 per cent  stake in the cement company is now worth $19.5 billion. Add this to his controlling stakes in other publicly-listed companies like Dangote Sugar and National Salt Company of Nigeria and his significant shareholdings in other blue-chips like Zenith Bank, UBA Group and Dangote Flour; his extensive real estate portfolio, jets, yachts and current cash position, which includes more than $300 million in recently awarded Dangote Cement dividends, Dangote is now worth more than $20 billion.

    Put into context, the Nigerian billionaire is now among the top 25 richest people in the world, richer than Russia’s richest man, Alisher Usmanov, richer than India’s Lakshmi Mittal and running neck and neck with India’s Mukesh Ambani. He is catching up to such Americans as Google’s billionaire founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

    The unprecedented surge in Dangote Cement’s share price is largely a market response to the company’s impressive 2013 Q1 results.

    The cement manufacturer’s unaudited results for the three months ending March 31 showed that the company’s pre-tax profit rose to $339 million, representing an 80.6% increase from last year and a strong indicator of the company’s future earning potential. The results also indicate a 79.5 % rise in its earnings per share over the corresponding period last year.

    Explaining the company’s share price boost in an email to Forbes, Carl Franklin, Dangote Cement’s Head of Investor Relations in the U.K said that in the first quarter of 2013, the company had a huge increase in demand across Nigeria, gas supply improved considerably and the capacity was much more ramped up.

    “So Q1 was the first sign of just how profitable we can be in Nigeria. The amazing thing is that 66% of our gas-fired production in Q1 was done at 84% gas. Imagine what would happen to margins if we did the same amount at 95%. This has given investors a good sense of what we can really do when everything goes in the right direction,” Franklin said.

    With a current market cap of $20.5 billion, Dangote Cement becomes the first Nigerian company to achieve a market capitalization of over $20 billion.

    “It’s certainly a landmark for a Nigerian company and we’re proud to be the first to achieve it. Obviously we are focusing on building long-term and sustainable value for shareholders through our investments in Nigeria and Africa. Nigeria is a very entrepreneurial country and I can assure you that other companies will follow us in achieving this.”

    Other companies might eventually achieve this, but it’s going to take a bit of time. Dangote Cement currently accounts for more than a quarter of the total market capitalization of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. The second largest company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) is currently Nigerian Breweries, West Africa’s largest manufacturer of Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The company has a market cap of $8.5 billion.

    Dangote debuted on the FORBES billionaires list in 2008 with a fortune we pegged at $3.3 billion. His fortune dropped to $2.5 billion in 2009 and plunged further to $2.1 billion in 2010. His fortune surged  557% in 2011 to $13.8 billion after he took Dangote Cement public. He dropped to $11.2 billion in last year’s rankings, but rebounded at $16.1 billion this year. Since March, his fortune has jumped another 30%.

    Dangote was destined to shine in business. At age 8, he apparently gave packets of sweets he had made to the house servants to sell for him. His father Mohammed Dangote was a successful businessman and an associate of his maternal uncle Alhaji Sanusi Dantata. Dantata and his brother controlled the trade in kola nuts and livestock conducted by 200 agents. Dangote started building his fortune over three decades ago after taking a loan from Sanusi Dantata. He started trading in commodities like flour, sugar and cement.

    He became a billionaire by later manufacturing these items. He started making pasta, salt, sugar and flour in 1997. But he found his gold mine in cement, when he was awarded a government’s state owned cement business in 2000 and began building his own plant in 2003. He listed Dangote Cement in 2010.

    Today, it is Africa’s largest cement company providing cement to Nigeria and other African countries that otherwise would likely have to pay to import much of the materials.

    Dangote still likely has bigger ambitions. He told Forbes Wealth Editor Luisa Kroll at Davos in 2011 that he expected his firm to have a market cap of $60 billion within five years. At $20.5 billion, Dangote Cement still has a long way to go to live up to that dream, and while it is quite unlikely that Dangote Cement could hit a $60 billion Market Cap by 2016, don’t write it off as ‘impossible’. With Dangote, you never know.

  • Man arrested for ‘defiling’ minor

    •Police arrest teachers in Ebonyi for abducting pupils in Ijebu-Ode 

    Ebonyi State Police Command said yesterday that it has arrested a 30-year-old man, Mr. Ama Inya Okoro, for allegedly defiling a two-year-old girl at Unwana in Afikpo North Local Government.

    The command spokesman Chris Anyanwu briefed reporters yesterday in Abakaliki.

    He decried increase in rape in the state.

    Anyanwu said the suspect allegedly committed the crime when the victim was asleep, adding that he would be prosecuted.

    He urged parents to monitor their children.

    The police spokesman also said yesterday that a kidnap suspect, 27-year-old Kingsley Sunday, a teacher, who was arrested by the command for allegedly kidnapping two of his pupils, Dolapo Kosoko and the sister, Tolu, has been transferred to the Ogun State Police Command for investigation.

    Anyanwu said the victims have re-united with their family in Ogun State where they live.

    He said: “We have concluded investigation on the alleged kidnap of the children by their teacher and this morning (Thursday), police officers from our command escorted the suspects to Ogun State for the continuation of investigation.

    “The victims have re-united with their parents. They have gone back to Ogun State where they live.

    “With the success recorded by our command and the confessional statement of the suspects, we are optimistic that the Ogun State Police Command will further investigate the matter and prosecute the suspects.”

    Anyanwu said the teacher, who works with Imperial International School, Ijebo-Ode in Ogun State, was arrested in his home town, Obieze, Effuim in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, following a tip-off.

    The suspect, it was learnt, capitalised on his closeness to the family and took the victims to his village, only to demand a ransom from the parents before releasing the children.

    The police spokesman said the suspect demanded N250,000 ransom, out of which the victims’ parents paid N150, 000, begging him to give them time to complete the payment.

    He added: “The teacher, from our investigation, had a relationship with the victims’ parents. He convinced them that they should allow him take their children to his village and they agreed.

    “The teacher later demanded a ransom from them.”

    Anyanwu said another teacher from Ugwulangwu in Ohaozara Local Government, whom the suspect arranged with for the payment of the ransom into his account, has also been arrested.

    The Ogun State Police Command yesterday paraded Sunday and the other teacher, Augustus Johnson, for allegedly kidnapping the pupils.

    Police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who paraded the suspects at Eleweran, Abeokuta, the command’s headquarters, said they would be charged to court upon completion of investigation.

  • Man caught with ‘explosives’ in OAU

    What was the mission of Rasak Adebayo, a stranger caught in Awolowo Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State? Students claimed he wanted to blow up the campus; the management said he is deranged, reports KEMI BUSARI (Political Science).

    His mission to the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, was not clear, but Rasak Adebayo, a non-student, was found with materials students suspected to be explosives. He was caught at noon on Sunday while attempting to open one of the doors to the Awolowo Hall.

    The incident happened barely three days after a fire in the hostel, which students suspected to be an act of sabotage because its source is unknown. Students’ credentials and several other items were burnt in the inferno that razed Room 107 in Block 7 of the hostel.

    Students described the stranger as a bomber. Adebayo was clad in a dirty long cloth and shorts. His hair was unkempt.

    Items found on him included a stove with new wick, a plastic bottle containing suspected mixture of inflammable liquids, some old newspaper pages and used recharge cards of all mobile networks. The stranger, who feigned insanity, was said to have claimed to be a recharge card vendor.

    Eyewitnesses said Adebayo was caught by a student returning from church, who suspected his movement.

    “He stalked him till he stopped at Awolowo Hall annex (Block C), where he attempted to open the door. At that point, the stranger was challenged on his mission in the hostel,” a student who simply identified himself as Felix said.

    When Adebayo could not explain his mission, it was gathered that the student alerted other occupants of the hostel. Students said the items found on the stranger showed “beyond doubt” that he was up to mischief.

    Felix added: “His explanations were incoherent and we could not make out any logical conclusion from his statement because he was feigning insanity, but the items we found on him made us conclude that he was responsible for the fire in the hostel on Tuesday, last week. We concluded that his mission was to do the same when we would have gone out to watch the final match between Germany and Argentina today (Sunday).”

    After minutes of questioning, students released him to security officials, who transferred him to Moore Police Station.

    Mr Olanrewaju Abiodun, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), denied the stranger was a bomber. He, however, confirmed that “a mentally unstable man” was apprehended by the school security personnel with a stove, kerosene and water.

    He said: “Because he could not explain himself properly, the school security operatives believe he is mentally unstable and handed him over to the police. We want people to know that the objects found with the stranger were not explosives.”

     

  • Stakeholders shun congress convened by Maigari’s man

    Stakeholders shun congress convened by Maigari’s man

    Football stakeholders in the North Central yesterday boycotted a congress called in Jos by the former coordinator of the zone, Yusuf Ahmed Fresh, a board member of the ousted Aminu Maigari-led NFF executive committee.

    According to a source who was invited for the meeting, the invitees, mostly the States FA Chairmen and Secretaries, called the bluff of the former board member because of what they called the ‘legal implications’ of attending such a congress.

    “On what ground is he calling us? Why is he calling us for a meeting now, when he was behaving like a lord all through their reign? They are now looking for solidarity. Besides most of us are civil servants, we cannot go contrary to the feelings of the government,” the source said.

    “Why are you asking me if I will attend the meeting, when the board has been sacked by the congress? Whatever meeting they are calling now is illegal, because they are no longer in office. Again, what is the security implication of attending such a gathering?.

    “It may be translated to mean a security risk because of  the security situation in the country now. I think that is the major reason why nobody is attending the congress.”

    When reminded that they had earlier passed a vote-of-confidence on the members of the ousted board, the source, who is an FA Scribe, said: “Actually when we were in Brazil, the members came to us and pleaded that they wanted to return to the board again. We agreed to return them, as they promised to do more for the development of the game at the grassroots.

    “This many of us agreed in principle, but some were of the opinion that we should try other persons, since our interests were not catered for by the Maigari board. But now, the trend has changed, and we have to move on,” he concluded.

    Meanwhile, feelers from government circles indicate that the searchlight may be beamed on Ahmed Yusuf Fresh, since convening of a congress maybe interpreted as declaring war on the government.

  • Eagles get $130,000-a-man

    Eagles get $130,000-a-man

    • Officials receive at least $25,000 each
    • Players argue over John Utaka, Raheem Lawal’s share

    AfricanFootball.com can exclusively reveal that some of the Super Eagles stars like goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama received $130,000 (about N21m) each as appearance fee for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

    “It was not a flat rate, but some of the players like Enyeama, who were involved in both the qualifiers as well as the World Cup in Brazil, got as much as $130,000,” said one official.

    This is outside the match bonus and daily allowances they were paid.

    AfricanFootball.com also specially gathered that players who qualified Nigeria to a fifth World Cup also got a share of the FIFA largesse, several top team officials disclosed.

    Team officials were also not left out of the largesse with the least getting about $25,000 (about N4.6m).

    But it was further learnt that it was not all plain sailing as there were disagreements particularly as regards whether those who qualified the team for Brazil 2014 should also be part of the appearance fee.

    “There was a big issue among the senior players whether those who were part of the qualifiers should also get something. At the end of the day, skipper Joseph Yobo prevailed that they also have to be included,” a team official informed AfricanFootball.com

    “So, even some players like John Utaka and Raheem Lawal, who played just a couple of qualifiers, will also get something.”

  • Man killed during charm test

    A 25-year-old man, identified as Osamame Isekhuere, popularly known as Black Arrow, has been shot dead in Benin City while testing charms, popularly known as “Africa Insurance”.

    The shooting, which occurred at the Oba Market, made many traders lock their stores, following riots occasioned by the killing.

    A source said Isekhuere asked one of his friends to shoot him to test a new charm he just acquired.

    The source said the friend incised the charms on their bodies and they decided to test it with live bullets.

    It was gathered that Isekhuere first shot at his friend but the bullet did not penetrate but when the friend shot him in the chest, the charm failed. The deceased was said to have died instantly.

    His friends burnt down a building where the said friend  rented an apartment.

    Police spokesman Uwoh Noble said he was yet to be briefed on the matter.

  • Man, 36, freed of murder

    An Ikeja High Court has freed a 36-year-old motorcycle repairer, Saliu Abara, of the murder of Abdul Salami.

    Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo  freed him listening to the submissions of the prosecution led by Mr. O. Oke and his defence counterpart led by Mr. Ahmed Adetola-Kazeem.

    The Prisoners’ Rights Advocacy Initiative (PRAI), through its counsel, Adetola-Kazeem, filed a fundamental human rights suit, claiming N50million on behalf of the defendant after five years in prison without trial.

    Consequent upon the suit, the Lagos State government proceeded to charge the defendant to court for the alleged murder of Salami.

    The state alleged that the defendant, on February 18, 2007 murdered Salami at 69, Boyle Street, Ajangbadi, Lagos.

    The offence was said to be contrary to Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Law, Cap C. 17 Volume 2, Laws of Lagos State 2003.

    After two years of trial, the court discharged and acquited Salami on the ground that he killed his victim in self defence.

    Justice Onigbanjo held that whatever he did that caused the death of Salami was in self dfefence.

    “In this case, I am prepared, in view of the foregoing and circumstances of this case, to give the defendant benefit of the doubt and hold that whatever he did against the deceased leading to the deceased’s death on the day in question was done in self defence”.

    To reinforce his judgement on the matter, Justice Onigbanjo cited a case, Henry Nwokearu versus the State 2013 LPELR Supreme Court 227/2011, decided by the Supreme Court of Nigeria that was predicated on self defence.

    He said the apex court explained the defence of self defence as follows: “It is quite clear that self defence is a special plea where a man admits that he did delivered the blows; he says they were delivered because the other man attacked him first and if there is no cruel excess, or anything of that type, then it becomes exculpation”.

    “In that wise and bearing in mind the established fact of the fracas between the defendant and the deceased over money owed to the defendant by the deceased, which unfortunately led to the deceased’s death on the day in question, I think the  defendant is entitled to the defence of self defence, pursuant to the provisions of Sections  285, 286, 287 of the Criminal Code and thus to an acquital of the offence of murder as charged.

    “From the foregoing facts and observations, I think that the court has a duty in the circumstances to avail the defendant the benefit of any defence  available to him under the law even such is not urged on the court by the defence,” the trial judge held.

    Referring to the account of event that led to the death of the deceased as related by the defence and not disputed by the prosecution, Justice Onigbanjo held that his observation of the matter showed that the defendant’s resultant attitude “are not consistent with the mindset of a person setting out with the intention of killing or causing grievous bodily harm to someone else, but rather more consistent with the defendant’s narration of events leading to a scuffle over money …which unfortunately led to the death of the deceased”.

    Justice Onigbanjo also held that the position of the prosecution in the matter became weaker because there was no forensic or medical evidence of the cause of death of the deceased thereby leaving the court with no option than to give the defendant the benefit of doubt as to what actually happened inside the room of the deceased that eventually led to his death.

    Although he held that the deceased died as a result of direct or indirect consequence of the defendant’s act, he said the defendant has not been proved to have intended the death of the deceased.

  • Muslim group seeks girls’ release

    A group, the Muslim Association of Nigeria (MAN), has urged Boko Haram leaders to release the over 200 pupils of the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State in its custody.

    MAN’s President Sulaimon Alabi Yusuf addressed reporters in Lagos on the need for the sect leaders to let the innocent girls return to their families.

    The spokesman urged Boko Haram “to free these innocent children unconditionally to avoid the wrath of the Almighty Allah”.

    He also urged the Federal Government “to devise strategies for the immediate freedom of these children, whose fundamental human rights have been seriously infringed upon by the monstrous insurgents”.

    According to him, the government needs to tighten security across the country to ensure that Boko Haram does not kill or abduct anyone again.

    Yusuf said Muslims do not support the activities of the sect.

    He added: “We do not support their dastardly acts, which have caused various harm and irreparable damage to millions of Nigerians of different religions, tribes and ethnic groups. These acts range from maiming, bombing, extra-judicial killings and abduction, with the claim that these evil acts are carried out within the confines of acceptable Islamic norms.

    “We confirm, without contradiction, that Islam is a religion of peace and the Holy Qur’an (chapter 2, verse 256) says: ‘Let there be no compulsion in religion; truth stands out clearly from falsehood…’ “Therefore, bombing, killings and abduction of innocent citizens are unequivocally un-Islamic and should be stopped without further delay.”

    The group condemned the sect’s bombing of the popular Nyanya Park on the outskirts of Abuja.

    MAN, at the weekend, held a Jumat service for the release of the pupils.

    “We believe in the efficacy of prayer. Prayer is the sword of the Muslims,” Yusuf added.