The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nation News

  • Fake visa agent faces N900, 000 fraud charge

    A 34 -year-old fashion designer, Gabriel John, charged with defrauding a woman of N900, 000, was on Wednesday in Lagos hauled up before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.

    The defendant, who resides at Gbagada, Lagos, was arraigned before Magistrate M.O Tanimola on a two-count charge of stealing and obtaining money under false pretences.

    John, however, denied committing the offences and was admitted to a bail of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.

    Tanimola said that the sureties should be gainfully employed and show evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

    Police Prosecutor, Insp. Aondohemba Koti, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on Jan. 13, at Mushin, Lagos.

    He said that the defendant presented himself to be an American Embassy agent to defraud Miss Elizabeth Eromosele of her money.

    “The defendant collected the money from the complainant to help her process Canadian visa after claiming he is an agent of American Embassy,”Koti said.

    The prosecutor said that after the money was paid into the defendant’s account, he ran away to unknown location.

    READ ALSO: Ex-bank manager faces N411m fraud charge

    “The defendant disappeared with the complainant’s money and efforts made by her to get her money proved unsuccessful, as the defendant refused to pick up her calls.

    “He was later arrested and handed over to the police,” the prosecutor said.

    The offences violate sections 287 and 314 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 287 stipulates three years imprisonment for stealing while section 314 prescribes 15 years for obtaining money under false pretences.

    The case was adjourned until April 24 for mention.

  • Woman arrested for poisoning husband in Kano

    The Police Command in Kano state has arrested a 15-year-old housewife, Hassana Lawan, of Bechi Village, in Kumbotso Local Government Area (LGA) of the state for allegedly poisoning her 33-year-old husband, Sale Abubakar.

    The Command’s Public Relations’ Officer (PPRO), DSP Abdullahi Haruna, confirmed the arrest in a statement issued to newsmen in Kano on Tuesday.

    READ ALSO: Woman arrested for killing baby in Nasarawa

    Haruna said on April 16, at about 2 p.m., the command received a report that the suspect gave her husband (Abubakar) food with rat poison.

    He said the victim was taken to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital Kano, for treatment.
    The PPRO said the command had commenced investigation into the matter and the suspect would be charged to court as soon as the investigations are completed.

  • Breaking: Barcelona starting XI vs Man Utd

    Barcelona FC have announced the starting line for the crunch quarter-finals match with Manchester Utd in the next one hour.

    These are the 11 players that will fight for the club’s attempt to reach the Semi-Finals for the first time in the last three seasons:

     Ter Stegen, Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Arthur; Messi, Suarez, Coutinho

  • Suspended Majority Leader of Benue Assembly resigns

    The suspended former Majority Leader of Benue House of Assembly, Mr Benjamin Adanyi (Makurdi South-APC) has resigned.

    Adanyi tendered his resignation on Tuesday via a letter dated April 10, and addressed to the clerk of the house.

    In the letter, Adanyi stated that by the provision of Section 108 (2) of the Constitution, he could no longer continue as a member of the house after his confirmation by the Senate as representative of the North-Central in the North-East Development Commission.

    READ ALSO: Police vacate Benue Assembly complex

    Adanyi regretted that he would have been excited to announce his resignation during plenary but the political intrigues had robbed the 8th assembly of that legislative comradeship.

    He, however, appreciated the members for the support given to him while he served as the majority leader.

    Adanyi alongside seven other members of the house including former Speaker, Mr Terkimbi Ikyange, were suspended in 2018 for attempting to impeach Gov. Samuel Ortom.

    Adanyi is the first member of the house to resign since the creation of the Benue state in 1976.

  • Gunmen kill 23-year-old female admission seeker in Aba

    Barely five days after, Mr. Ugochukwu Mbadi who had one month to wed his heartthrob was murdered in the Ogbor Hill axis of Aba, Abia state by some hoodlums, a 23 year old girl, whose name was given as Miss Margret Stanley was at the weekend shot dead by gunmen.

    The incident occurred on Road 8, Federal Housing Estate also in Ogbor Hill.

    Margret was said to have gained admission to study one of the science courses at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, near Umuahia, but had to defer the admission due the parent’s downward financial position.

    She decided to take up appointment as a teacher in one of the privately owned schools in the area.

    It was gathered that on Friday morning, Margret who hailed from Ohafia in Ohafia Local Government of the state, left home for her school to participate in the end of term activities heralding the Easter break.

    After the end of the activities, Margret was said to have left their school around 11.00am and decided to trek down to her parent’s home few metres away from the Federal Housing Estate.

    On getting to Road 8 of the Estate, she was said to have gone to the house of a relation to collect her phone which she kept there to recharge the battery when she was going to school.

    A source disclosed that immediately Margret came out of the building on Road 8, clutching her phone in her hand, two young men who were riding from the Emelogu end towards the Estate, in a tricycle popularly known keke nepep, accosted her.

    The source said initially, people thought the occupants of the tricycle were engaged in fruitful discussion with the deceased until when one of the men pulled his gun and shot the girl on the head.

    “Immediately the first shot went out, the girl fell flat on the ground, then the gunmen came down, collected her purse and phone and left unchallenged. The sound of the gun sent fears down the spine of the few people doing business in the area as they scampered for safety”.

    A patent medicine dealer in the area, Emmanuel Nwanma, who said his attention was drawn to the incident by a young boy, said when he went to the scene about 40 minutes the hoodlums had fled, the girl was still breathing.

    READ ALSO: Gunmen kill housewife, 3-yr-old daughter in Kebbi

    Nwanma said he put the girl in his car and hurriedly took her to Azuka police station to register the incident first before she was rushed to a nearby hospital.

    He said it was while doctors were battling to remove the bullet which lodged in her brain, that Margret breathed her last.

    A relation of the deceased, who wouldn’t want his name in print for security reasons, accused the Azuka police of demanding N150, 000 for her autopsy.

    He said if the parents had such money, that the girl would have been at Michael Okpara University, Umuahia where she gained admission and would not have stayed at home to die in the hands of gunmen.

    Efforts to reach PPRO, Geoffrey Ogbonna failed as his phone number is yet to be reached at the time of filing the report.

  • Oyo Assembly charges FRSC on modes of operation

    The Oyo State House of Assembly on Tuesday charged officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to adopt more tactical and civil approaches in enforcing arrest of erring drivers in their operations.

    The charge came following a recent auto crash involving some officials of the Corps and a commercial cab driver which resulted in the death and injury of about five persons in Moniya, Ibadan area of the Oyo state capital city.

    The lawmakers also called on the hierarchy of the Road Safety to investigate the incident and prosecute offenders, including their officials involved in the hot chase.

    The plenary, presided over by Speaker Olagunju Ojo, reminded the officials of the Corps to “strictly abide by its code of operations which abhorred chasing drivers to death, bearing in mind the need to respect human lives.”

    During an ensuring deliberation which followed a motion brought before the House by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Abdulwasi Musah and the Majority Leader, Mr. Kehinde Subair, the lawmakers noted that FRSC rather than chase erring drivers, could simply take note of such number-plates and subsequently arrest drivers of such cars later.

    The motion had described as “unwarranted overzealousness” the hot pursuit of the commercial car that refused to stop at a checkpoint manned by FRSC officials around Ojoo which left at least one person dead and three others injured.

    READ ALSO: Oyo Assembly to councils: maintain constituency projects

    Furthermore, the motion urged the FRSC to be more tactful in its operations of minimizing accidents, ensuring that safety measures are observed by road users, including getting their particulars.

    In their separate contributions, Mr. Fatai Adesina and Mr. Oyaleke Oyatokun bemoaned that FRSC officials rather than stick to their statutory duties were known for undue harassment and extortion of drivers.

    Mr. Gbenga Oyekola said the FRSC officials should be keener on ensuring that drivers have the right vehicle particulars.

    Wrapping up the deliberations, the Speaker urged the FRSC to remain diligent in its duties and not dent their image, while also urging the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and other drivers’ unions to prioritise training of their members on the need for them to be up to date with their vehicle particulars and adhere to rules of road usage and traffic signs.

  • Allow North Central, South East lead House of Reps, Nabena tells APC

    Ahead of the official announcement of the zoning formula for National Assembly leadership, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, has asked the leadership of the party to ensure even spread in all offices in the interest of the nation.

    Nabena advised the party to zone the Speaker of the House of Representatives and deputy Speaker to the North Central and South East respectively while the South South should be allowed to produce the Deputy Senate President.

    In a statement made available to The Nation, Nabena who is also the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, said with the President and Vice President from the North-west and South-west respectively, other parts of the country should be allowed to produce principal officers of the leadership of the National Assembly.

    He said warned that if the party does not get it right now, 2023 elections might turn out to be a free- fall all in the ruling party.

    He said: “The APC has elected National Assembly members from all geopolitical zones of the country.

    “Hence, the party’s leadership and indeed the presidency must take deliberate efforts to provide a fair and justifiable zoning arrangement for the 9th National Assembly leadership.

    “The zoning arrangement must also respect the fact that the North-west and South-west has already produced the President and Vice President respectively.

    “So, for equity and adherence to the principle of federal character which is a constitutional requirement, the positions of Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in the incoming 9th National Assembly must be occupied by APC members from the remaining four geopolitical regions of the country.”

    READ ALSO: Saraki, PDP plotting to hijack 9th NASS leadership, Nabena alleges

    He said that it was evident that the Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) under the leadership of the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has already zoned the Senate Presidency to the North-east.

    Recommending a zoning arrangement for the remaining positions, he said “The Deputy Senate President should be zoned to the South-south while the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives should be zoned to the North-central and South-east in any order agreed by the party’s leadership.”

    While not unawares his recommendation was in conflict with the aspiration of presumably the South-west led by a member/aspirant from Lagos state for the Speaker, House of Representatives, Nabena said: “the South-west already has a slot filled by the Vice President.

    “In any case, the South-west does not necessarily translate to Lagos or Ogun state. This is a sentiment widely shared by our members from the zone.

    “As I earlier stated, the party’s leadership must take deliberate steps to provide a fair and justifiable zoning arrangement for the incoming 9th National Assembly leadership.

    “Our actions and inactions will have serious implications on party unity and positively or negatively affect our standing ahead of 2023.”

  • Killings: Hunger, insecurity loom in North/West – HRC

    Human Right Commission (HRC) on Tuesday raised alarm that, hunger and further security threats loom in North Western states of Nigeria.

    The commission said these would be caused by the inability of those displaced by killings and other unrest in the states to return to their ancestral homes and farms.

    Coordinator of the commission in Kaduna, Gwar E. Terngu, stated this when he visited one of the IDP camps, in Kaduna where people displaced by the recent Kajuru killings were taking refuge, for on-the-spot assessment.

    Terngu said, the country especially, North-West states may suffer food insecurity and hunger if government fails to relocate the IDPs back home in good time.

    According to him, “All the efforts so far provided are from individuals’. There has not been serious intervention from the government according to them. The place is overcrowded for 2,511 people. What they actually need is rebuilding of their ruins.

    “They are willing to go back to their homes. We may have issues around food security. More people will become poorer. More people may end up adding to security challenge in the country. The earlier they go back to their place the better for them.

    “Raining season is here and these people are agrarians who survive in farming activities. Apart from their own economy setback, this is hunger looking at us in the face. The government should help them to go back to their homes.

    “We don’t just want to act based on what we see in the newspapers. We want to be here to see things for ourselves. We will put our report together and send to the headquarters for possible intervention,” he said.

    READ ALSO: Police record decline on Human Right abuses- Commission

    Chairman, Committee on Adara Town Hall Camp, Musa Magaji, said, the displaced persons were willing to go back to their homes if their houses are rebuilt and security of their lives and properties guaranteed by the state and federal governments.

    According to him, “initially, we have 2,511 displaced persons here. But after the latest attack, that number has increased. We have 1,000 children and over 1,000 about 500 men.

    “The challenge here is water and toilet and that was why we don’t even allow them to sleep here because of these things. We also need food and security.

    “We have different statistics on IDP camps. Sabon Tasha, Kasuwan Magani, Mararaban Kajuru, Kufana, Iburu, Idon,Crossing and Kachia. In all, we have about 11,000 people there and all of them are willing to go back home.”

  • Edo records 20,000 increase in public school enrolment

    Edo State Government said it has recorded 20,000 increment in the enrolment of pupils into public primary schools since it introduced the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation known as Edo BEST in April last year.

    It said the increment showed parents were withdrawing their pupils from private schools to public schools.

    Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Joan Oviawe, who spoke to newsmen in Bénin City, said the state government has built electronic database of all pupils in its school.

    Dr. Oviawe said the database including academic records now helped the state government track pupils and their movement from school to school.

    Oviawe states that additional 4600 would soon be trained as the state government expanded that the Edo BEST programme to 345 schools across the state.

    She noted that the tablets distributed to teachers under the Edo BEST have helped to exposed some teachers attitude to work and how long they stay in school.

    The SUBEB chairman said the Edo BEST attracted the attention of Facebook who has offered to build internet in some selected schools.

    According to her, “Under the Edo BEST, we have achieved a lot. We have trained 7000 teachers and distributed over 800,000 textbooks.

     “We have trained 11688 persons from communities where our schools are located to help manage the schools in terms of protection from theft and vandalism.

    “Edo has access about N9bn from UBEC and we are currently working on 232 schools. 56 of the schools are new while 2000 classrooms are being renovated.  We are in the process of procuring furniture.”

  • Seven dead, scores injured in Kwara auto crash

    An auto crash on Tuesday claimed seven persons in Oke-Oyi, Ilorin East local government area of Kwara state.

    It was gathered the deceased include three men and four women, while the injured were 34 women and 24 men.

    Also injured are 12 children comprising six boys and six girls.

    The ghastly motor accident was said to have occured at about 9:40 am at Osi bridge Apado area along old Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa.

    Kwara state Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Uchechukwu Wihioka confirmed the incident.

    He said that the auto crash involved a Toyota Dyna with plate number FA 655 NAS and Toyota Hiace with plate number LSD 919 SR.

    Wihioka attributed the cause of the crash to dangerous driving and wrong overtaking.

    The FRSC boss said that the driver of the Dyna truck could no longer control the vehicle after finding himself in the dangerous condition, adding “he flung his passengers in different directions on the road.”

    He said that a combined team of FRSC officials and men of the police arrived the scene on time to render necessary assistance and cautioned commercial drivers and other road users to always drive with caution.

    The sector commander also charged passengers to drive along with commercial drivers so that they could caution them when driving recklessly.

    He said that they have the right to do that, adding that lives would be saved when everyone was involved in road safety.

    He also cautioned road users to be careful on the road, especially during the festive period of Easter.