The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria newspaper

  • Buhari presides over FEC

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday presided over the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

    The meeting, which started around 11.09am, was the first after the Presidential and National Assembly elections on the 23rd of February and the Governorship and state houses of Assembly elections of 9th of March, 2019.

    Members of the cabinet had paid a courtesy visit to the President on the 1st of March after he was declared winner of the presidential election.

    After rendition of the National anthem on Wednesday, the Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, said the opening Muslim prayer, while the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, offered the opening Christian prayer.

    Read Also: ‘Buhari must have a workable policy’

    There were 28 ministers in the hall during the rendition of the National anthem.

    Also in the Council chamber were the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, Head of Service, Winifred Oyo-Ita and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno.

    The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

  • EFCC arrests 24 for internet fraud, one for vote buying

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) in Ilorin has arrested 24 suspects for internet fraud and one other for vote buying in Kwara.

    Mr Isyaku Sharu, Zonal head of EFCC, Ilorin, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in his office, said that most of those arrested ”were vibrant, young and energetic youths, aged between 18 and 25.

    “Among those arrested are two corps members, some students of University of Ilorin and others from the Kwara Polytechnic, including their girlfriends

    “15 of them have been taken to court, while the remaining 10 girls are still under investigation, until we find something against them,” he said.

    Sharu said that before the Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State Assembles Elections, the commission embarked on an enlightenment programme on both the local media, English and Yoruba media warning citizens against vote buying

    ” We informed them that vote buying was a criminal offence as structured in the Electoral procedure act

    “We published our numbers for people to call, and during the last Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections, we got calls and we were able to arrest one person for vote buying and we will soon charge him to court,” he said.

    Sharu said that the commission, in collaboration with the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), also arrested a fake Customs controller, who swindled members of the public, issuing them forms for employment and collecting huge sums of money.

    “Unsuspected citizens were given forms for employment into the NCS by the suspect, who collected up to N500,000.

    “He has since been charged to court,” he said.

    He said the EFCC will collaborate with stakeholders in the state, like the security agents, law enforcement, traditional institution, Corps members and students against economic and financial crimes in the state.

  • Ethiopian airline: bodies of victims will take days to release

    Families of those killed aboard Ethiopia Airlines flight 302 must wait at least five days to begin receiving some victims’ remains, the company said on Tuesday, though the identification of others is expected to take much longer.

    The Boeing 737 MAX 8 plunged into a field minutes after take-off on Sunday from the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people aboard.

    “The process of identifying the victims will take at least five days,” Ethiopian Airlines spokesman Asrat Begashaw told reporters in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.

    “Families will be notified.”

    Due to the impact and ensuing fire, the identification of some remains could take weeks or months and may need to be done via dental records or DNA, an industry expert told Reuters.

    The process will be complicated because the passengers came from over 30 countries and Ethiopia has limited forensic capabilities, the expert added, asking not to be named.

    Noordin Mohamed, a 27-year-old Kenyan businessman, said his family had no information about when they might be able to bury his brother and mother, who is a dual British-Kenyan citizen.

    “We are Muslim and have to bury our deceased immediately. Now we cannot even recover any bodies.

    “Losing a brother and mother in the same day and not having their bodies to bury is very painful,’’ he told Reuters in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

    Kebebew Legesse, the mother of Ethiopian Airlines cabin crew Ayantu Girmay mourns at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town Bishoftu, near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Black box recorders recovered on Monday should help piece together the plane’s last moments.

    Ethiopian Airlines’ Begashaw did not comment on where they would be investigated.

    The plane had roared low over the field, spewing white smoke and debris, before swerving sharply and crashing, witnesses at the scene told Reuters.

    A team from the Israeli volunteer rescue service ZAKA was expressing optimism to join the crash site on Tuesday and help identify bodies, said Opher Dach, consul of Israel’s embassy in Ethiopia.

    China grounds Boeing 737 MAX jets after crash

    The 737 line, which has flown for over 50 years, is the world’s best selling modern passenger aircraft.

    The new MAX 8 variant, with bigger engines designed to use less fuel, entered service in 2017 and were intended to become the workhorses for airlines around the globe for decades.

    But the Ethiopia disaster followed another crash involving the same model in Indonesia six months ago.

    The Lion Air plane crashed into the sea shortly after take-off, killing 189 people.

    By Tuesday, civil aviation authorities or airlines had grounded about 40 per cent of the world’s fleet of 737 MAX 8s.

  • Surrender with honour, Dogara tells Bauchi gov, Abubakar

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara has expressed dissatisfaction over the Bauchi gubernatorial election, which was declared inconclusive on Sunday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Sen. Bala Mohammed was leading his closest rival, Governor Mohammed Abubakar of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    Dogara stated INEC chairman Prof. Mahood Yakubu, an indigene of Bauchi, has a question to answer from the people who he claimed had been deprived of their mandate.

    “I want to say that the Chairman of INEC, who is from Bauchi State, just like all of us has a question to answer.

    ‘’ They say charity begins at home. Will he sit down in Abuja and watch a presiding REC deprive PDP of their mandate.

    ‘’Will he sit down and sleep in peace when he sees that that the position of his own people has been held by agent of the commission over which he superintends?

    “That is the question that Prof.Mahmud Yakubu my name sake will have to answer and the people of Bauchi are watching.

    ‘’We want to see whether he will cast his vote with the people of Bauchi State or those who are seeking to oppress the people of Bauchi State.”

    It would be recalled the collation officer of Tafawa Balewa local government area, Mrs. Dominic Anosike, had earlier said she was forced under duress to announce the result at the collation centre by some political thugs, who she alleged unleashed violence at the centre in Tafawa Balewa.

    The Speaker, while addressing a press conference in Bauchi on Monday together with his PDP counterpart, Sen. Mohammad Bala and other PDP chieftains over the cancelled result of Tafawa Balewa, argued it was thugs belonging to the APC that invaded the collation centre.

    He also urged Gov Abubukar to surrender with honour, saying it will be an unprecedented shame for him who had twice called him a light weight politician to now seek for votes in his constituency in a supplementary election.

    “You have heard him say about twice that I as a speaker, I am a lightweight politician because I represent an area that is my constituency, that the highest votes that come from that area is 70000 and in the last 2015 election.

    ‘’He (Gov Abubukar) won his election with over 300, 000 votes that he doesn’t require a vote from my constituency to be governor.

    “Now I want the media to ask him, will it not amount to any act of unprecedented shamelessness for him to now go to Tafawa Balewa, my constituency, with only 70,000 votes that he doesn’t require to go and campaign for their votes or illegally source for votes from them to make up and be the governor.

    “If there is any honour on his part, having declared he doesn’t need one single vote from there, I think honour demands that he should surrender at this point that he’s lost the election.”

    Mohammed boasted that his party had already won “it is left for the governor to start preparing his handover notes.

    “Even the Presidency has interfered into our election, am not afraid to say it because reliable sources told us the INEC Chairman was called not to act on the election.”

    Meanwhile, the APC while reacting to the allegations during a separate press conference, hailed INEC for declaring the result inconclusive saying that the decision of the commission was legal.

    Chairman of the party Ahmed Uba Nana said: “It is what is supposed to be. If you look at it, a whole local government election cancelled.

    “The margin was nothing to write home about if you compare it with the registered voters, it is clear.”

    The APC chairman accused the PDP of crying foul unnecessarily saying, “If you have somebody who is used to committing an offence, he will run to the police station first to absolve himself.

    “The collaboration officer had Tafawa Balewa alleged that she was put under security threat and that she wrote the result under duress.

    “I want to call on the security agencies to probe it and whosoever is found guilty should face the wrath of the law.”

  • Air Force strikes Boko Haram in Lake Chad

    The Nigerian Air Force said on Monday that it has launched successful air strikes on Boko Haram terrorists at the fringes of Lake Chad, destroying their structures in the process.

    Its spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said in a statement that the attacks were carried out after intelligence reports indicated their presence in the area.

    Air Commodore Daramola said :”The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has destroyed Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists’ vehicle and some logistics infrastructure at Tumbun Sale and Tumbun Allura on the fringes of Lake Chad in Borno State.

    “The operation was conducted on 8 March 2019 on the heels of intelligence reports indicating the presence of ISWAP fighters along with some vehicles and logistics support items well camouflaged under the dense vegetation within the settlements.

    “Accordingly, a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet, supported by an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform, was dispatched to attack the terrorists’ hideouts in successive strikes resulting in damage to several structures as well as the destruction of one of the terrorists’ vehicles, which was seen engulfed in flames.

    “The NAF, operating in concert with surface forces, will sustain its efforts to completely destroy all remnants of the terrorists in the Northeast. “

  • EFCC arraigns man for stealing

    The Ibadan Zonal office, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday arraigned one Ibraheem Adesina Adeyemi on a one-count charge of stealing.

    The accused was brought before Hon. Justice Ladiran Akintola of the Oyo State High Court, Ring Road area of the Oyo State capital city.

    The charge preferred against the accused reads: “That you Ibraheem Adesina Adeyemi ‘m’ sometimes in the month of April, 2016 or thereabout, in Ibadan, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable court, with intent to defraud, did convert to your personal use the sum of N3,000,000.00 (Three Million Naira) only, property of Alhaji Kamoru Atilola, which he gave to you on trust for keep and thereby committed an offence.”

    The offence, according to the charge, is contrary to section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Cap. 38, Vol.2, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

    Adeyemi, however, pleaded not guilty to the offence when it was read to him.

    Having pleaded not guilty, the EFCC’s counsel, Sanusi Galadanchi, prayed the court to fix a date to commence the trial of the accused.

    But the defense counsel, Bolarinwa Lawal, moved a bail application he had earlier filed on behalf of his client, asking that he be admitted to bail.

    Justice Akintola granted the defendant bail in the sum of two million naira and two sureties in like sum.

    The sureties, he added, shall be resident within the jurisdiction of the court, and shall present their Tax Clearance Certificates for three years which will be verified by the court.

    The case was subsequently adjourned to April 15, 2019 for trial.

  • We cut off victims’ fingers, wrists during operation, says suspect

    An alleged notorious armed robber Kunle Akerele alias Poly has said his gang usually cut off victims’ fingers and wrists to force them into submitting their valuables.

    Akerele and other members of his syndicate- Toyin Adewale, Nurudeen Akorede (Sypon), Oluwaseyu Makinde, Tunde Yusuf (To Door) and Bankole Mohammed alias Hunter were arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police (IG) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) at Ikotun.

    The suspects who were paraded on Wednesday by Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu told reporters they cut the fingers and wrists of over 20 victims in one operation for lying to them.

    Admitting he was leader of the syndicate, Akerele said they adopted the strategy after they discovered that most of their victims usually gave them inferior phones each time they went on house raids.

    He said: “We operated at Agege, Aburo and Iyana Ipaja areas of the state. We used to raid people’s homes and when we started, we were not cutting off their fingers or wrists. The people made us become wicked because each time they knew we were coming, they will keep small phones ready for us to collect. They will also tell us they don’t have money at home.

    “One day, one of my boys suggested we get cutlass and teach the people lessons. We tried it and it worked. Our first victim was a rich man who had many expensive cars in his home.

    “When we got in, we asked for his phone and he gave us small Nokia. We saw his gold wedding ring and told him to bring it out but he was acting as though it was hard to bring out. So, we cut off his three fingers and the moment his wife saw what happened, she did not waste time in bringing out hers.

    “It happened on January 13 at Aboru Community. We needed money when we carried out the raid. All the people were busy giving us small phones. After we left the man’s house, we went back and dealt with all those who lied to us by giving us small phones. Over 20 people’s wrists, fingers were cut that day.

    “We did it for future purposes so that the news would spread and the people will be forced to bring out money when next we struck.”

    Asked how the gang got firearm, Akerele said they collected weapons from Tunde (Yusuf) who got them from a local vigilante member.

    Read Also: Police detain SARS operatives over ‘extortion’

    “We settled Tunde after each operation. We do not know his arrangement with the vigilante guy. Initially, we thought the guns were expensive but later we heard he bought them at N20,000 each.”

    According to the police, over 85 phones and 33 laptops were recovered from the buyer of items the gang stole, adding that it was the receiver who led police where the suspects were hiding.

    “Over 85 phones and 33 laptops were recovered from the buyer of the stolen items. My men are after two members of the gang who are now on the run. The case will be charged to court at the end of investigation,” said Muazu.

  • We’re eager to meet Atiku in Court, says Keyamo

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) was prepared and eager to meet the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar in court to prove the 2019 election was devoid of rigging, its Director Strategic Communication of the APC Presidential Campaign Council Festus Keyamo (SAN) has said.

    Keyamo, in a statement in Abuja, explained that resorting to court was the only democratic way of ventilating his perceived grievances about the election.

    He stressed the council was not in any way prevailing on the former Vice President not to challenge the outcome of the exercise in court.

    Keyamo denied reports the council has written to some international organisations and development partners to prevail on Atiku not to challenge the outcome in Court.

    He said the body that wrote the letter was not known to the council and does not speak for it and the President.

    According to him: “Our attention has been drawn to some news item and posts on social media reporting that we wrote a letter to some international bodies to prevail on Alhaji Atiku Abubakar not to proceed to court to challenge the result of the 2019 Presidential Election.

    “Our investigation reveals that a letter to that effect was purportedly written by a certain ‘Buhari Campaign Organisation’.

    “This is the second time we will be informing the public that the said ‘Buhari Campaign Organisation’ does not act at the behest of the APC Presidential Campaign Council nor does it represent the Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation in any way.

    “As a result, whatever it has released does not represent the position of the APC Presidential Campaign Council or President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “Our official position is that we believe that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has a constitutional right to seek redress in court and we do not seek in any way to curtail that right.

    “In fact, it is the resort to court that is the only democratic way to ventilate his perceived grievance and any attempt to restrict or discourage the exercise of such right would be an invitation to anarchy.

    Read Also: Atiku, PDP seek tribunal’s nod to inspect election materials

    “In addition, we are very anxious to meet Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in court in order to show the world in a conclusive manner the free and fair nature of the comprehensive defeat of Atiku at the polls. An election is not termed ‘rigged’ only by the mere claim of it by the loser.

    “That is what Atiku and the PDP want to ram down our throats. Unfortunately for them, international, continental and sub-regional observers (who can be seen as neutral by all standards) ALL declared the election to be free, fair and credible. No ego-massaging narrative can change that.

    “We therefore totally disassociate ourselves from the letter purportedly written by one of, perhaps, many support groups of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “They may have a right to their opinion, but it does not represent our official position.“

  • Alleged N25m fraud: EFCC arrests former NBA, Ikeja chairman

    Former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Yinka Farounbi, was on Monday arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged N25 million fraud in the association.

    Farounbi’s arrest during the general monthly meeting of the NBA, Ikeja Branch held at the Bar Centre, old Secretariat, Ikeja GRA, was sequel to his refusal to honour an invitation sent to him by the commission.

    Three members of the NBA, Ikeja including Gabriel Opayinka, were alleged to have petitioned the EFCC alleging N25 million fraud during the last administration led by Adesina Ogunlana.

    It was gathered that Ogunlana was recently released after spending three nights in EFCC custody over same issue.

    Ogunlana was said to have been arrested at his Ikorodu Road, Onipanu law firm after his initial refusal to honour the anti-graft agency’s invitation.

    It was gathered that Farounbi was invited for interrogation by the EFCC when investigation revealed that he was still signing bank cheques despite that his tenure had lapsed.

    It was gathered that Farounbi and another signatory were prevailed upon to sign some cheques to execute some urgent programmes of the NBA Ikeja branch as the Ogunlana led executive were yet to effect change of bank signatories as a result of the crisis that engulfed the bar after their election.

    A source within the bar said the meeting of the lawyers was in progress when it was suddenly interrupted by the arrival of the EFCC.

    On arrival, the EFCC operatives were said to have enquired for Farounbi, that they wanted to arrest him.

    The chairman of the branch, Dele Oloke was alleged to have identified Farounbi to the EFCC operatives for arrest, a development infuriated the lawyers.

    It was said that Gabriel Opayinka and two others owned up to the petition submitted to the EFCC alleging N25million fraud in the bar.

    The source said the situation turned into chaos as lawyers, who were not happy about the invasion of their meeting by the EFCC operatives, resisted the arrest of Farounbi and chastised the branch chairman, Oloke for not protecting the former chairman of the branch.

    In crisis that ensued, a female operative of the EFCC was allegedly assaulted.

    The development made the EFCC operatives to call for reinforcement from their office following their initial failed attempt to arrest Farounbi.

    However, before their arrival, Farounbi gave himself up and was driven away in a Toyota Hiace bus marked BWR 643 GA at about 15.35 p.m.

    With the arrival of the reinforcement, the female EFCC operative, whose jacket was torn and had an injury on her neck as a result of the assault, and her colleagues said they would not leave the NBA, Ikeja Bar Centre until those who assaulted her were arrested.

  • Why Nigerians re-elected Buhari, by Ojo

    Former governorship aspirant in Ekiti state, Mr. Kayode Ojo, has said the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari in the just- concluded presidential election reflected the Nigerians’ will.

    Kayode described the re-election as well- deserved victory for the President, saying the clear cut difference in governance gave him the resounding victory.

    He disclosed another four years of Buhari’s leadership will provide the much-desired impetus for good governance, the ongoing war on corruption, completion of ongoing infrastructural projects and boost our new image in the comity of nations.

    In a statement he personally signed in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, Ojo said Buhari’s victory was a demonstration of the confidence Nigerians have in his leadership.

    “The reelection of President Buhari and his vice, Prof., Osinbajo is well deserved victory and confirmed the trust Nigerians have in the President in particular and APC in general.

    “The results of the elections showed that Nigerians recognized the contributions of the APC controlled government to the development of the country within the past four years,” Ojo said.

    The APC chieftain saluted the relentless doggedness and tenacious gestures demonstrated by the APC National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for standing against all forces in ensuring the electoral victory of President Buhari.

    He also hailed Governor Kayode Fayemi for successfully delivering the three Senatorial Districts and the six seats of the House of Representatives for the APC.

    Ojo urged Ekiti people to maintain the tempo in the forthcoming State Assembly election in the State schedule to hold on March 9.

    Similarly, a House of Representatives member-elect in Ekiti South Federal Constituency II, Hon. Femi Bamisile, also said the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari is as a result of the love and trust of Nigerian masses for the President.

    Bamisile, who also congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said: “The victory of President Buhari at the just concluded presidential election was a true reflection of the masses love for him against the notion of few elites.

    “Therefore, Nigerian democracy has grown beyond what it used to be, especially in the areas of transparency, fairness and credibility of the electoral process.

    “Many big names couldn’t make it during the poll whereas unknown names won.

    “The latest development has proved pessimists wrong on the Nigerian electoral process. Nigerians are now having more confidence in the Independent National Electoral Commision INEC ability to deliver acceptable polls”.

    The former Ekiti State House of Assembly Speaker noted that his experience during the on-going general elections had further broadened his knowledge on the value and importance of the electorate as the major players in democracy.

    He said: “Politicians can now look down on voters at their own peril, but accord them the desired values and recognition through performance will surely guarantee you their votes to serve them.

    “The beauty of the just concluded elections is that it will afford both politicians and electorate the opportunity to be more cordial and sincere in relationship in the game of politics,” he said.

    According to him, his major priority at the lower chamber of the National Assembly will be, to contribute on bills and motions that will develop the country especially his constituency and Ekiti State in general.

    “Many Nigerian laws are long over- due for a revisit inorder for them to have meaningful impacts on the lives of all Citizenry, hence all hands will be on deck to do the needful in this regard,” Bamisile said.