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  • One dead, 10 injured in Finland school attack

    A man with a knife-like weapon killed at least one person and wounded nine others at a school in a shopping mall in Finland’s Northern Savonia region.

    The suspect, a native Finnish man, was also carrying a firearm and stabbed several people in an attack at the Savo Vocational College located in the Herman shopping centre in the town of Kuopio, according to police.

    Officers confirmed they had used firearms and had taken the suspect into custody. A statement from the East Finland Police said at least ten people were harmed during the incident, with two suffering serious injuries.

    The apprehended suspect is among those taken to hospital. According to Finnish tabloid Iltalehti, a witness claimed the suspect was a student at the school. He is reported to have pulled a sword from a long bag he carried into class, wielding the weapon against his teacher.

    The witness account, and the suspects relationship with the college, is yet to be confirmed by the authorities. Officers have said there is no ongoing threat to the public in relation to the attack, quashing various unsubstantiated rumours of suspects with guns or knives being at large.

    “The violence at Savo Vocational College in Kuopio is shocking and completely unacceptable”, Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne said in a statement. ”I have spoken with the Director General of Police and the government is monitoring the situation closely”.

    He added: “On behalf of myself and the entire Government, I extend my condolences to all the relatives.”

    The nation’s justice minister Anna-Maja Henriksson added: “I strongly condemn the shocking acts of violence that have taken place in Kuopio.

    Read Also: Police confirm killing of wanted kidnapper, ‘Lucifer’ in Rivers

    “My condolences to relatives. Strength to all wounded, their relatives and students and staff of the Vocational College and all Kuopio residents.”

    The nation has experience two deadly school attacks in the past 12 years. The first, in 2007, saw a student at Jokela High School to the south of the country shoot 8 people dead before killing himself.

    In 2008, a 22-year-old student at a vocational school in Kauhajoki, western Finland, shot 10 dead before turning the gun on himself.

    (www.newsnow.co.uk)

  • PHOTOS: 59th Independence Anniversary in Abuja

    From left: Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai; Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi; Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon; Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; President Muhammadu Buhari; Commander Guards Brigade, Brig,-Gen Mohmmed Usman; Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Gabriel Olonisakin and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar during a Special Change of Guards/ Silent Drill Display in Commemoration of Nigeria’s 59th Independence Anniversary Celebration in Abuja on Tuesday
    President Muhammadu Buhari (M) flanked by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (L) former Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon (2nd L) Senate President Ahmed Lawan () Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Gabriel Olonisakin and others while signing the Independence Anniversary Register during a Special Change of Guards/ Silent Drill Display in Commemoration of Nigeria’s 59th Independence Anniversary Celebration in Abuja on Tuesday (01/10/2019) Left is the former Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon

    President Muhammadu Buhari (M) flanked by VicePresident Yemi Osinbajo () Senate President Ahmed Lawan (2nd R) Speaker,House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila () Chief of Defence Staff, GenGabriel Olonisakin (R) and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahima Tanko while cutting  the 59th IndependenceAnniversary cake during  a Special Change of Guards/ Silent Drill Display in Commemoration of Nigeria’s 59th IndependenceAnniversary Celebration in Abuja on Tuesday (01/10/2019) 0

  • Independence Day: Makinde calls for orientation change

    In the spirit of the celebration of the 59th independence anniversary of the country, Oyo state Governor Seyi Makinde has called for a change of orientation on the part of all Nigerians by ensuring they put national interests first and above all what he described as “egocentric concepts” that negates the progress of the country.

    Noting that the Independence Day celebration used to be marked with funfair, the governor stressed that this year’s edition calls for moments of sober reflections on the state and the nation at large.

    Makinde gave the charge on Tuesday at the main bowl of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan in an address after a commemorative march past led by officers of the Oyo State Command of the Nigerian Police Force.

    The march past which is the peak of weeklong events organised by the State Government to celebrate the nation at 59 was witnessed by members of the State Executive Council, top government functionaries, the speaker of the state house of assembly, Mr Adebo Ogundoyin, who led other lawmakers, the state chief judge, Muntar Abimbola who led other members of the judiciary, commissioners, special advisers, heads of ministerial and extra ministerial boards, agencies and parastatals.

    Others are traditional rulers, security heads, religious leaders, public and private schools, paramilitary organisations, trade groups, artisans among others.

    Makinde who was represented by his deputy, Mr Rauf Olaniyan however assured that notwithstanding the plethora of challenges facing the country, his administration will continue to chart the course that will launch Oyo state into a land of great investments with economic opportunities and agricultural development.

    He used the opportunity of the occasion to solicit for the cooperation of the people of the state with his government, promising that he would ensure that all parts of the state is given a sense of belonging in the scheme of things, across religious or political divides.

    Read Also: Makinde’ll surpass Ajimobi, others in achievements

    Makinde said, “The Independence Day Celebration used to be marked with funfair, but this edition calls for moments sober reflections on the state and the nation at large.

    “There is a need to change our orientation to put national interest first above all egocentric concepts that negate the progress of the nation

    “The present administration in Oyo state will continue to chart a course that will launch Oyo state into a land of great investments with economic opportunities and agricultural development, so that the state in the not too distant future will be a state of pride to us as before.

    “Welfare programmes will be our focus in order to create a good life for all the citizens of Oyo state as we pursue our four policy thrust of agricultural development and its value chain, health, education and security.

    “We have a genuine desire to embark on aggressive strategy on mechanized agriculture and agricultural value chain that would not only provide employment for our people but one that would make Oyo State the Food Basket of the Nation.

    “In order to achieve a greater level of educational development, we must invest in all-round development of our opportunity for self-development self- reliance and self-actualization by exposing them to trainings that will assist them to become patriotic and responsible citizens in the society.

    “Hence the intervention programme flagged-off with the distribution of textbooks and exercise books to all the schools in Oyo state.

    “I use the occasion of this year’s celebration to seek the cooperation of all progressive minded people, civil servants, artisans, stakeholders, political leaders and followers. We shall accommodate all interest to ensure that every part of the state have a sense of belonging indifference to political or religious inclination

    “As Nigeria celebrates her 59th Independence Anniversary today, I congratulate us and pray that at our time, the dream of Eldorado is achieved. I wish you all a happy low key independence celebration.”

    Highpoint of the event includes cultural performance, distribution of prizes for winners at the march past, as well as for essay writing competitions and debate which held earlier.

    The event which was witnessed by a large turnout of the members of the public despite the early morning shower also saw heavy presence of security operatives.

  • Fed Govt marks 59th Independence Anniversary in Aso Rock

    The Federal Government on Tuesday celebrated the nation’s 59th independence anniversary at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    There was also Presidential change of guard from 177 guard battalion to 7th battalion of the guards brigade, marking the occasion at the forecourt of the State House.

    It was the highpoint of the week-long activities marking the anniversary.

    The celebration was the first under the second term tenure of the administration of President Buhari.

    The ceremony, which lasted for about one hour forty-five minutes, started around 10 a.m.

    President Buhari was ushered to the venue by 9.59am by first inspecting the quarter guards, and then walked to the Villa forecourt to receive national salute which was followed by rendition of the National Anthem

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was earlier ushered to the venue around 9.50am.

    Read Also: Buhari: Nigeria will be stronger than ever before

    While the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, was ushered to the venue by 9.46am, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, got to the forecourt of the Presidential Villa by 9.44am.

    At the ceremony were the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammad, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu, and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammed Bello.

    Service chiefs and other top government functionaries and members of the diplomatic corps also attended the ceremony.

    There was also 21 gun salute in the honour of President Buhari.

    The event witnessed the inspection of new Guard/Quarter guard, silent drills, colour party, posting of sentries and weapons and uniforms inspections to ensure conformity with military standards.

    Shortly after the no-speech making ceremony, President Buhari signed the anniversary register, released pigeons from cage and was assisted by some top dignitaries to cut the anniversary cake.

    The celebration on Tuesday replaced the full military parade, drills and entertainments which used to hold at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

    Since 1st of October, 2010 when the anniversary celebration witnessed bomb blasts at the Eagle Square, Abuja, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan had marked all subsequent anniversaries under his administration in Aso Rock.

    But the Buhari’s administration broke the jinx by marking the 58th Independence Anniversary last year at the Eagles Square, Abuja.

  • Mount Zion Pastor dies while officiating member’s funeral service

    A Pastor of Mount Zion Church in Oke-Aro area of Ondo state,Femi Olorunsoromidayo, has reportedly died while conducting a funeral service for one of his members.

    It was learnt that the deceased, 42, was the founder of Divine Mount Zion Gospel Ministry.

    He was said to have died during the burial service of a 78-year-old church member, Mr Samuel Rotimi, at Erusu in Akoko North West Local Government after receiving his corpse for funeral service in Akure.

    A source said late Rotimi had before his death instructed the cleric that he should be buried at his residence in Akure as against his home town,Erusu-Akoko.

    But after his death, the pastor reportedly acted against the wish of the deceased with the support of the member’s immediate family members.

    Also, the head of the deceased family at Erusu-Akoko was said to have instructed the cleric to move the burial plans to Erusu against the earlier instructions of the deceased.

    A source said:” Since the late pastor including his immediate family had limited authority over the burial plan, he arranged for an ambulance, which took the corpse to Erusu Akoko, alongside his family members and some church members.

    Read Also; Police confirm killing of wanted kidnapper, ‘Lucifer’ in Rivers

    “While the pastor was conducting the burial service at the cemetery, he started feeling uncomfortable after which he became unconscious before he was rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Akoko area,where he was confirmed dead.”

    It was learnt that the ambulance, which conveyed the remains of the late church member to his home town in Erusu for burial, was also used to convey the corpse of the Pastor back to Akure.

    The development was said to have created confusion within the church congregation and family members of the late cleric.

  • Police confirm killing of wanted kidnapper, ‘Lucifer’ in Rivers

    A notorious kidnapper, Ekweme Brown, popularly known as Lucifer has been shot dead by policemen in Rivers, an official said.

    Rivers Police Command Spokesman, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the killing in a statement in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

    Omoni said that Brown was killed during a sting operation launched by the police to apprehend the deceased.

    “Ekweme Brown, a.k.a Lucifer, was killed by men of Operation Sting, in a sting operation led by ACP Shem Evans.

    “Brown is responsible for all the kidnappings and hijack of commercial buses on the Ndele axis of the East West Road in the state.

    Omoni said the police command had declared the deceased wanted following intelligence that fingered him as mastermind of several abductions on the road.

    Read Also: Why we sealed Emmanuel’s Church, by Police

    “The most wanted notorious kidnapper is an indigene of Egamini Rundele in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers.

    “The entire Rundele community has been thrown into wild jubilation following announcement of his death,” he said.

    The police spokesman said the command was currently on the trail of gang members of the deceased suspect.

  • 31 victims of human trafficking return to Katsina

    31 victims of human trafficking, who were tricked and sold into slavery in Benin Republic to a Beninoise lady by one Alhaji Usman from Kankara town in Katsina state, now at large, have returned to Katsina.

    A Press Release from Abdul Labaran Malumfashi, DG Media, and made available to newsmen in Katsina on Tuesday, said seven of the victims who were initially sold in Benin Republic and later taken to Burkina Faso, had earlier been assisted to return to Nigeria by the Nigerian Embassy in Burkina Faso

    He said ‘’Contrary to the news making the rounds in the social and new media, the 31 Katsina State citizens were not kidnapped but tricked and sold into slavery in Benin Republic to a Beninoise lady by one Alhaji Usman from Kankara town, whose mobile phone numbers are in the possession of security and other government officials’’.

    ‘’The Benin lady thereafter took her ‘slaves’ to Gaoua, a town 150 kilometers from Ouagadougou, the Burkina Faso capital, where she kept them in servitude without food or money. The lady was later apprehended by the local authorities in Gaoua.”

    Read Also: Buhari pledges more funding for judiciary

    The release further added that the remaining 24 victims were due to arrive in Katsina on Tuesday to be received by Governor Aminu Bello Masari at the Government House in Katsina

    Mr. Labaran further added that the release of the victims was also facilitated by the Nigerian Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Hajiya Rahmatu Ahmed who contacted and informed the Katsina State Government about the plight of the trafficked victims, currently under the care of the Chief of the Hausa community in Ouagadougou.

    He said on receiving the information, Governor Masari dispatched the Special Adviser on Drugs, Narcotics and Trafficking, Alhaji Hamza Brodo with a 30-seater luxury bus to go Ouagadougou and bring back the remaining 24 victims.

  • BBNaija: Mixed reactions trail Diane’s eviction

    Nigerians have continued to express mixed reactions over the surprise eviction of housemate, Diane Russet, from BBNaija Season Four show.

    Diane was evicted on Monday night in a funny game of chance.

    Frodd, as the ultimate veto holder, had previously nominated five housemates for eviction and as a result, Elozonam, Cindy and Ike were evicted from the pool.

    On Monday night, he was asked to perform the final eviction as veto holder in a game of chance between Omashola and Diane.

    Diane and Omashola wrote their names on their gold Bet9ja coins and dropped it in a magic hat with the rest of the Coins.

    This left Frodd with the final Ultimate Veto job of picking who among the housemate would go home through an unlucky draw.

    It was a tense moment in the House as Frodd reached into the sac picking again and again till he eventually picked Diane.

    The eviction sparked a lot of emotions as Frodd and Mercy could not hold back their tears. Mike, Omashola and Seyi tried to maintain their composure.

    Read Also: #BBNaija: Eight things to know about Diane

    On social media, fans expressed mixed feelings about the method of eviction. While some felt it was cruel to put housemates on the spot, others supported the twist.

    @Razzi said, “Biggie is the main pepper in this game of BBNAIJA. See how he is peppering the Viewers.#BBNaija”

    @Joneslotty tweeted, “For how much I wanted Diane to Leave. I cried watching her leaving this evening; I really felt for Mercy. Let the housemate with the highest vote win come Sunday.”

    @Miss_Shazzy said, “This show is emotionally exhausting!!! All the best baby Diane can’t wait to see you in the movies.”

    @Jones said, “This made me shed a tear….. Biggy this was so unfair and the most painful way of evicting someone.”

    @Sampee tweeted, “I think Diane left at the right time, they saved her the stress of staying an extra boring week among strong competitors.”

    Mercy, Mike, Seyi, Ike and Omashola are the top five housemates left to contend for the Grand Prize worth N60 million.

  • ‘Bus driver defiled my two-year-old’

    A MOTHER (name withheld) on Monday told an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court that her two-year-old daughter was defiled by Afeez Balogun, the 27-year-old bus driver of her school in Lagos.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the woman  made the revelation while testifying as the first witness for the prosecution during Balogun’s trial for allegedly defiling the child on the premises of the school.

    While being led in evidence by Mrs Fehinti Ogbemudia, the prosecution counsel, the woman said that the defendant was a school bus driver for Holbrook School, Gbagada Lagos, her daughter’s former school.

    She noted that the alleged defilement occurred in 2018 when the complainant was two years old.

    “He (Balogun) was the bus driver for my daughter’s former school called Holbrook Schools located at Gbagada. My daughter is currently three years and 11-months old and she is currently in Nursery One.

    “On July 5, 2018, my daughter woke up to ease herself at around 12.30am and while she was easing herself, she was crying and her terminology then was that ‘my bum-bum is paining me’.

    “I tried to find out what the problem was and I took her to the bedroom and my husband and I asked her some questions and I asked her if anyone had hurt her bum-bum and she said yes,” the mother said.

    She told the court that she went to the school with her daughter that morning and informed the school’s administrators about the development.

    Read Also: Uber driver charged with theft

    “At the school, they brought all the male staff and she (the complainant) was asked to identify who had hurt her and she identified Mr Afeez Balogun by running straight to him.

    “That was the first time she identified him,” she said.

    The witness told the court that that morning after leaving the school, she went to the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) with her daughter where an officer was assigned to their case.

    She said her daughter was asked for the second time at the OPD who had defiled her and she again identified the defendant.

    The mother said that they were referred further from OPD to the Mirabel Centre, a sexual assault referral facility located at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

    “At Mirabel Centre, some doctors examined her and they identified bruises and they said there were signs of forced entry in her private part,” he said.

    The mother also told the court that at the Gender Unit of the Ikeja Command of the Nigeria Police Force, her daughter for the third time positively identified Balogun in a police lineup.

    She said that the defendant was also taken to Pedro Police Station where another police lineup was conducted.

    “At Pedro Police Station, she again pointed at Mr Afeez Balogun making it four times that she identified him as the person who hurt her. That was when he was arrested,” the mother said.

    While being cross-examined by Mr Quddus Mumuni, the defence counsel, the mother informed the court that the medical tests conducted on her daughter had revealed that there were fresh and old bruises in her daughter’s private part.

    She also said when she was questioning her daughter about who allegedly defiled her, her daughter due to her young age, had referred to the defendant as Mr Wale, another teacher at the school.

  • How to tackle graduate unemployment, by Dare, Wigwe

    THE Minister of Sports, Mr Sunday Dare, on Monday said the unemployment menace currently ravaging the country could be blamed on the lack of digital skills.

    Speaking at the Creative Nigeria Summit organised by Think Tank Media Advertising at Radisson Blu, Ikeja, Lagos, he said the digital skills common among the youth of today is to Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platfoms.

    According to the minister, it is only digital skills that hold the future for jobs, adding that soft skills such as software and innovative products have made young millionaires out of India youths.

    He said a-month digital skills training will be done in about 45 centres across the country, adding that the training will avail them the opportunity to acquire the skills.

    Read Also: SWAN congratulates Sunday Dare

    “By giving our youths the digital skills, we can give them jobs and make them young millionaires,” he said.

    Also speaking on the occasion, the Group Chief Executive, Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe said the banks also need the economy to grow the business, adding that lenders must support the creative industry because of its potential to create direct jobs.

    He said the foreign exchange (forex) could also be raised from the sector. “We must come together to resolve the unemployment problem; create an industry that is derisked,” he said.