The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria News

  • DSS arrests human rights activist, Chido Onumah

    The Department of State Security Service (DSS) has arrested a human rights activist, Dr. Chido Onumah.

    According to a statement by The African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), the activist, who authored a nook called, “We are all Biafrans”, was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on his return from a trip abroad.

    Onumah has just completed his PhD course.

    But there were fears that Onumah was picked up by operatives following inscriptions on his T-shirt, suspected to have reflected the title of his book.

    Read Also: Court orders DSS to release Sowore to Falana

    The statement by AFRICIMIL, which was signed by Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, said it was alarmed over the arrest of its Coordinator, Mr Chido Onumah, this evening, by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS).

    The stayement said: “Onumah was picked up at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on his return from a trip abroad.

    “AFRICMIL condemns in strong terms the unjustifiable arrest of Onumah and demands his immediate and unconditional release.

    “Waylaying law-abiding citizens should not be turned into the preoccupation of an entire security outfit.”

  • Benue killings: Mob goes after suspected persons

    Determined to end the spate of crime in Gbatse village in Ushongo local goverment area of Benue state, the youths on Sunday mobilized and went after persons suspected to be involved in the recent killings.

    Gbatse is the village where the police recently uncovered mass graves of decomposed bodies suspected to have been killed and buried secretly by a kidnapped gang operating in the area.

    The operation which started in the morning lasted for several hours as the youths move from one compound to another fishing out suspects.

    READ ALSO: How we killed 16 Okada men, buried them in shallow graves

    They suspected criminal members were handed over to the police by the youths.

  • Mother made children have sex with each other while her boyfriend watched

    A mother has been accused of forcing two toddlers to have sex with each other so her paedophile boyfriend could watch.

    The paedophile, Roberto Oquendo, 38, has been jailed for 50 years earlier.

    His girlfriend, Rose Beth Litzky, forced the young children to have sex while she filmed so her boyfriend could watch them.

    Litzky, a hotel housekeeper from Florida, was arrested after a search of the couple’s home uncovered a large quantity of sex abuse images shared between the two.

    She reportedly took photos and video of the toddlers between October 2014 and September 2016, while she was living in Florida and her boyfriend lived in Virginia.

    Online, during that same period, she used social media to paint the picture of a dotingmother, sharing photos of her taking her children to the zoo and the mall.

    “Oquendo had used a social media application to engage in live chats with a co-conspirator, Rose Beth Litzky, during which Litzky engaged two female children in sexually explicit conduct for Oquendo’s viewing and sexual gratification,” a press release issued by the United States Department of Justice read.

    READ ALSO: ‘Why I killed my girlfriend’s mother’

    “Oquendo created screenshots of the visual depictions involving the two girls.”

    It is not entirely clear whether the two young girls are her daughters, although Litzky has been identified as a mother of two children. Her relationship to the victims has, however, not been clarified.

    During a police interview, she admitted taking hundreds of naked photos and videos of the children that she then sent to Oquendo for his “sexual gratification”.

    Oquendo abused the girls in person after moving to Florida to be with Litzky, and took further images of his young victims, some of them described as “sadistic” in nature.

    Litzky was this month convicted of conspiracy to produce child pornography and production of child pornography.

    She is being held without bond in Seminole County Jail, and will be sentenced on October 15.

    (www.newsnow.co.uk)

  • I don’t know why they keep kidnapping me, Siasia’s mum cries

    With her eyes swollen in tears, Beauty Uguoere Siasia, the mother of a former Super Eagles skipper and coach, Samson Siasia broke down and cried.

    “I dont know why they keep kidnapping me. Only God knows,” the 80-year-old woman sobbed as tears dripped down her wrinkled face.

    Mama, as she is fondly called, lamented that she had been kidnapped twice saying that her abductors on the two occasions told her that her son, Siasia is a millionaire.

    She said after whisking her away to an unknown place, her assailants fed her with garri and bought drugs for her.

    Saying that they took care of her, the traumatised woman said there was no time they beat her, adding that sometimes the abductors prepared soup for everybody in their camp.

    Narrating the latest incident, she said: I was at my house when they came to kidnap me. They took me to the place. They took care of me.

    “I was sick and they bought the drugs. They cooked and gave to me.

    “They didn’t beat me. There were days that there was no food. Those days they drank garri and gave me garri to drink too.

    “Sometimes, they cooked soup, prepare garri and we ate.

    “But on Sunday, they told me we had stayed for too long and they were tired of our problem.

    “They carried us on a flying boat and dropped us in a village. I dont know the name of the village.

    “The carried us to their chairman place. I don’t even know the man. They called Seifa and Seifa came.

    “As I am talking to you, I am not well. Before they took me I was not well. I want to go to the hospital.

    “They built small house and use tarpaulin to cover the top. That was where they kept us”.

    READ ALSO: Kidnappers of Siasia’s mum release victim, hold ransom payer captive

    When she was told that she won’t be kidnapped again, Siasia’s mother quickly said Amen.

    But she added: “They keep worrying me because they said my son, Siasia is rich and a millionaire”.

    Also one of the victims, who was abducted when he took some undisclosed amount of money to the kidnappers, said on getting to where they directed him, the gunmen surrounded his boat, blindfolded him and took him away.

    Relieving his ordeal, he said: “Where they kept us was very bad. I didn’t see anything there and I didn’t recognise anybody because before I got to the place, they blindfolded me.

    “But the place was rough. We slept on benches. There was no foam. At times, they fed us with garri and beans.

    “We used oil to eat garri. Sometimes, they cooked yellow soup and any how they cooked it you will eat because you want to live.

    “I was in a critical condition. They were fond of beating me maybe because I am a man.

    ‘They would beat me morning, afternoon and night. They would tie me before I sleep.

    “Even if mosquitoes were biting me, I couldn’t chase them away. They kept four people to guide me. I suffered a lot”.

  • 11 things you should know about Nigeria

    11 things you should know about Nigeria

    Below are 11 important facts about Nigeria:

    – Nigeria is the 32nd-largest country in world with a landmass of 923,768 km2 (356,669 sq mi).    – The highest point in Nigeria is Chappal Waddi at 2,419 m (7,936 ft) in Taraba state.- Late Benedict Odiase, a retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, composed the music of the national anthem.

    – The words of the national anthem was composed by four Nigerians: Dr. Omoigui, John Ilechukwu, Eme Etim Akpan, B.A Ogunnaike, and P.O Aderibigbe

    – There are  37 federal owned Universities, 37 State-owned and above 50 private owned universities.

    – The 2006 census puts Nigeria’s population at 140,431,790 million – although there is now an estimate of about 170,000,000 Nigerians.

    – The name Nigeria was coined by Flora Shaw, wife of Lord Lugard, a British colonial administrator.

    – Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world

    – On 1 January 1901, Nigeria became a British protectorate, part of the British Empire.

    – On July 6, 1967 a 30- month war begun with a long siege of Biafra and its isolation from trade and supplies. It ended in January 1970

    – Nigerians went through 33 years of military rule (from 1966 until 1999).

    -Ever heard of the Ship House? That is the name of Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters

  • I’m all for peace in Qua Iboe Church-Gov Emmanuel

    Akwa Ibom Governor Udom Emmanuel has restated his commitment to resolving the lingering issue associated with the United Evangelical Church founded as Qua Iboe Church.

    Emmanuel also said he would intervene with a section, which would want the church to maintain its old name, Qua Iboe Church.

    This is coming on the heels of some misunderstanding especially at the 112 Ikot Ekpene Road, Uyo, branch of the church, which is the Local Assembly the Governor regularly worships and is a registered member.

    Reacting over the weekend to insinuations by some elements who think that as a key member of the local assembly, he may have certain interests, Emmanuel dismissed the insinuations as outright lies and evil propaganda.

    The Governor, a Deacon, who has been making progress in bringing peace and harmony between the two contending parties, urged agents of blackmail to direct their miss-applied talents elsewhere.

    READ ALSO: Governor Udom Emmanuel and his 31 stooges

    “It is very wrong for certain elements to make unfounded allegations concerning my role in the local assembly on Ikot Ekpene,” said the Governor who had, last Thursday held a peace meeting with the two parties.

    “At a peace meeting I had with the leadership of the church on Thursday September 26, I had outlined the processes and plans for peace to return to the both the local and the national leadership of the church.

    “The parties were very satisfied with the plans outlined and went back very happy.

    “Very soon, we hope to see the full restoration of peace and understanding between the two groups.

    “I think it is sad and unfortunate for some people to exploit the matter and make unfounded allegations.”

  • Sowore: Public affairs analyst cautions judiciary against trivializing national interest

    Mr Ishmael Rufus, a Public Affairs Analyst has cautioned the judiciary on sacrificing national interest on the altar of freedom of expression.

    Rufus, while briefing newsmen on Sunday in Abuja, insisted that the judiciary must give priority to national security interest in considering bail for capital offence suspects.

    He said he was speaking against the background of the recent bail granted to the Sahara Reporters Publisher, Omoyele Sowore.

    “The judiciary should not play to the gallery of media hype and other populist posturing in considering cases involving national security issues, national interest should not be trivialized,” he said.

    He posited that the issue of Sowore should raise genuine concerns whether the gravity of the offences for which he had been charged justified his release on bail.

    “Unfettered expression of ideas may cause serious harm, hatred or contempt or excite public disaffection or incite or instigate violence or threats within or against the state.

    “Any government that delays action against the mismanagement of public space in an attempt to allow freedom of expression does so at its own peril.

    “That is why it is provided in Sections 39(3) and 45(1) of the Constitution that the provisions of Section 39 will not invalidate any law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.

    “Nothing in Sections 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 of the Constitution shall invalidate any law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health.

    “It is instructive that the Abuja court held that since the charges of terrorism had already been filed against Sowore, he must deposit his international passport and other travel documents with the court to guarantee his availability for trial.”
    The public affairs analyst said that alone was an indication of the risks to national security and evasion of justice.

    READ ALSO: Sowore, Malami and the DSS/NJC angle

    Rufus recalled what happened in the cases of leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, and the leader of Shiites, Ibrahim El Zakzaky, when they where granted bail and leave.

    “This recalls the Kanu bail episode and the granting of medical leave to El Zakzaky when the courts caved in to undue pressure to grant supposedly justified bail only to end up in fiascos.

    “Although the Constitution in Section 39 provides for the freedom of expression, such freedom is not absolute and it comes with its own limitations.”

    He maintained that whether the actions of Sowore fell within such limitations would be decided by the court in due course.

    Sowore, who was the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 election is being charged by the Federal Government with capital offence and conspiracy to commit treason.

    It will be recalled that he had spent 45 days in Department of State Services (DSS) custody following his arrest on Aug. 3 for planning a nationwide protest tagged “RevolutionNow”.

    He was subsequently charged with offences of treasonable felony, money laundering, terrorism and plots to overthrow the president.

    (NAN)

  • NAF bags international PR award for crisis management

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has won the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Award for Excellence (GWA) in the Crisis Communication Management category.

    NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

    He said the award was presented at the 2019 IPRA GWA Awards Night held in Yerevan, the ancient capital city of Armenia on Friday.

    “The award was given in recognition of the NAF’s management of communication in the aftermath of the attack on Metele in the North East of Nigeria, in partnership with Image Merchants Promotions (IMP) Limited.

    “This added another feather to its cap in the area of Public Relations (PR) and Information Management,” he said.

    Speaking after receiving the award on behalf of the NAF, AVM Kingsley Lar, the Chief of Administration (COA) Headquarters NAF, said the award was a testament to the hard work and dedication of personnel of the NAF Directorate of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI).

    He said the hard work of the personnel was backed by the unwavering support and guidance of the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

    Lar noted that this was yet another laudable achievement facilitated by the CAS’ visionary leadership which over the past 4 years has repositioned the NAF into a highly professional and disciplined force that is well respected both at home and abroad.

    He reiterated that the NAF, in collaboration with other security agencies, would sustain the onslaught against terrorists and other criminal elements in the country to ensure that law abiding citizens were able to pursue their legitimate aspirations without fear.

    READ ALSO: Court denies ex-Nigerian Air Force officer post-conviction bail

    Speaking after the event, Daramola, appreciated the organisers of the Annual GWA Ceremony for recognising the NAF’s contribution to PR practice.

    ” We commend IPRA for finding the NAF worthy of this honour. We also acknowledge IMP Limited, publishers of PRNigeria, for its support and nomination of our modest contribution for the award”, he said.

    Earlier, the IPRA President, Svetlana Stavreva, who was also the Chairperson of the Panel of Judges, said that the GWA celebrates the demonstration of excellence in PR practice across the globe.

    She noted that the 2019 GWA witnessed a record highest number of entries, which were subjected to 2 rounds of assessment.

    She said the last of which was conducted by a Jury of 25 judges from 23 different Countries; out of which 89 winners were selected in 37 different categories.

    Stavreva said two of these were from Nigeria; the NAF and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    Established in 1955, IPRA is the leading global network for PR professionals.

    The Association aims to advance trusted communication and the ethical practice of PR through networking, code of conduct and intellectual leadership of the profession.

    (NAN)

  • 2019 UTME: Over 100,000 candidates now in universities, says JAMB

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says over 100,000 candidates who met admission requirements have so far been offered placements into Nigerian universities for the 2019/2020 academic session.

    Dr Fabian Benjamin, Spokesman for JAMB, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos that the board hoped to utilise 80 to 90 per cent of the available spaces for this year’s admission.

    Benjamin stated that the board’s projection for this year’s admission was to ensure that candidates utilised more available spaces unlike in 2018 where about 40 per cent of spaces were not utilised.

    “We will continue to adhere to our admission deadline.

    “The first choice admission for public universities commenced from Aug. 21 and would last till Nov. 16 and for private universities, it will be from Aug. 21 to Feb. 15, 2020.

    “The second choice admissions for public universities will be from Nov. 17 to Dec.17,’’ he said.

    READ ALSO: Lagos College celebrates outstanding success in 2019 UTME

    Meanwhile the board had distanced itself from a recent advertisement placed on what it described as ‘roque website’, urging unsuspecting candidates and other concerned stakeholders to subscribe to, ahead of the 2020 UTME.

    According to Benjamin, the board knows nothing about such advertisement.

    “It has come to our notice that some mischievous persons are trying hard to use the name of the board to defraud innocent candidates and the general public ahead of the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Board (UTME).

    “These fraudsters are urging interested candidates or persons to forward their names and telephone numbers to the rogue website, as well as pay subscription fees to acquire past questions and answers and a copy of the literature novel ahead of the board’s 2020 UTME.

    “We want to state that these are mischievous persons who are out to cause pains to the public and therefore urge candidates to disregard the information and the perpetrators of this evil in their own interest.

    “JAMB operates with set standards and it is not ready to compromise such standards. We have an authentic website for all official information. Do not be deceived,’’ Benjamin warned.

    (NAN)

  • LAUTECH: ASUU warns Oyetola, Makinde to stop playing deceptive politics

    Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Ladoke Akintola University Ogbomoso Chapter on Sunday warned both Oyo and Osun State Governments not to play politics with the lives of staff and students of the University.

    The union maintained that the welfare of her members remain paramount in her demands and would do everything at her disposal not to expose her members to economic hardship.

    ASUU Chairman, LAUTECH , Dr Biodun Olaniran in a release jointly signed by its Secretary , Dr Toyin Abegunrin stated that the payment of salaries and owed arrears of allowances to her members remain paramount and would not be traded for politics between the owner states.

    ASUU had last week threatened to disrupt academic activities if Osun state government which it said was scheduled to pay salaries between July and December fails to pay the outstanding August and September salaries.

    But Osun state Government through its Secretary to the State Government , ( SSG) Wole Oyebamiji had said ASUU was misguided by the accusation against the state.

    The statement maintained that Oyo reneged on the agreement of paying salaries, adding that it had kept faith with paying salaries of LAUTECH teaching hospital workers in Osogbo.

    READ ALSO: LAUTECH ASUU threatens to disrupt lectures over unpaid salaries

    It described the press release of the Osun state government as “outright lies, deceptive assemblage of figures with a propagandist mindset”

    “Now to the facts of the matter, Osun state should be ready to explain to the public, if there was an arrangement between the two states (Oyo and Osun) to pay LAUTECH salaries on six monthly basis? How faithfully has Osun been discharging its own share of this responsibility since 2013? Osun state should also toe the path of honour by telling the public, how many teaching hospitals service LAUTECH’s medical programme? If Osun state has been funding the LAUTECH Teaching hospital in Osogbo, Osun State, who has been funding the LAUTECH Teaching hospital in Ogbomoso, Oyo state? If Oyo state has not neglected the release of salary subvention to LAUTECH workers, just because the state funds the teaching hospital on Ogbomoso, Oyo state, why is Osun state hiding under the excuse that it has been paying salaries in the teaching hospital in Osogbo alone? The two teaching hospitals have their separate governing boards, their memberships are separately drawn from individuals within their states, and the financial obligations are borne separately by individual states. For Osun to insinuate that Oyo has been cheating it because of this arrangement is factually incorrect and realistically deceptive. To this, we ask Osun to stop hiding behind one finger. May we also ask why is it that it is only when it comes to Osun’s turn to pay salaries in LAUTECH that they start looking for issues to complain about?.”