Tag: Nigeria newspaper

  • Police arraign two men over theft of chapman drink

    Police arraign two men over theft of chapman drink

    The police in Lagos on Friday arraigned two men, Eddy Francis and Julius Onipede in an Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court over theft
    of two packs of Smoove chapman drink worth N2,600.

    Francis, 30 and Onipede, 35, are facing two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

    The prosecutor, Sgt. Jimah Iseghede, told the court that the two committed the offences on December 23 at Lacasera Company, Amuwo Odpfin by Apapa Oshodi Expressway in Lagos State.

    Iseghede explained that a CCTV camera in the premises of the company showed the duo stealing two packs of the drink.

    Read also: Police arrest soldier for hijacking fuel-laden truck in Oyo

    He added that the offences contravened sections 287 and 411 of the Criminal law of Lagos State, 2015.

    However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and the Magistrate, Mrs Kofo Ariyo, granted them bail in the sum of N10,000 each with two sureties in like sum.

    She adjourned the matter until January 15, 2018 for mention.

    NAN

  • Guild wants FG to revamp building construction sector

    Guild wants FG to revamp building construction sector

    Mr Kunle Awobodu, the National President of Building Collapse Prevention Guild ( BCPG ), has called on the Federal Government to help revamp the local building construction sector.

    Awobodu said in Lagos on Friday that the sector was yet to get relief from the effects of economic recession recently experienced in the country.

    He said that lack of government’s assistance was a major factor militating against the growth of the building construction industry in Nigeria.

    Awobodu expressed regret that the government gave more support to foreign construction operators than the local ones.

    According to him, foreigners still dominate the sector in Nigeria, while their local counterparts are being neglected.

    “The few construction and capital projects in the country are being executed by foreign contractors and construction operators.

    “Any contract or construction work executed by foreigners will add little or nothing to the country’s GDP and economic growth.

    Read also: Budget 2018: Financiers to execute rail projects

    “Let the government invest in capital projects and engage the services of the local construction operators to help revamp the sector and equally enhance economic growth of the country,” he said.

    According to him, until the citizens and government learnt to value and make use of the local construction professionals and operators, the sector may not record significant growth.

    Awobodu warned that if government policies were not channeled to favour the construction sector, the nation may slip back into recession.

    He blamed the attitude of politicians for the recent economic recession and other challenges facing the country.

    Awobodu described the country’s political system as too expensive.

    NAN

  • Liberia ’s VP concedes defeat to Weah

    Liberia ’s VP concedes defeat to Weah

    Liberia ’s Vice President, Jospeh Boakai, has conceded the Dec. 26 presidential runoff election to former soccer star, George Weah.

    In a nationwide broadcast from his party’s headquarters in Monrovia on Friday, Boakai who was flanked by his supporters and party leaders, said he had already called Weah to congratulate him.

    Read also: Weah set to become Liberia ’s President

    “I, Joseph Boakai, a man of peace, humility and with a deep faith in God hereby accept the results of the elections as announced by the National Elections Commission ( NEC ).

    “I congratulate Ambassador Weah and pray that God will guide and empower him as takes the onerous responsibility of steering the affairs of our nation.

    “Even though I will not be the captain of the ship, it is my fervent desire that the ship of state always sails smoothly.

    “We must work to unite our people because Liberia is bigger than all of us,” he said.

    NAN

  • Kano suspends environmental sanitation exercise

    Kano suspends environmental sanitation exercise

    The Kano State Government has suspended the monthly environmental sanitation exercise, which is expected to hold on Saturday, due to a religious function that will take place on that date.

    This government made this known via a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Environment, Dr Ali Makoda, in Kano on Friday.

    The statement said that the religious function, known as Maukibi, was an annual religious rite of the Kadiriyya sect.

    “The Maukibi usually starts very early in the day and that ought to be considered; thus leading to the suspension of the monthly environmental sanitation, as Maukibi is an annual event,’’ the statement said.

    Kano residents, particularly members of the Kadiriyya movement, commended the state government for postponing the monthly environmental sanitation because of the ceremony.

    NAN

  • Man in court for beating girl who refused to go out with him

    Man in court for beating girl who refused to go out with him

    The Police on Friday arraigned a 25 -year-old motor  man, Isiaka Abiodun, who allegedly beat up a girl to pulp for refusing to go out with him before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

    The accused was arraigned before the Magistrate, Mrs O.I Raji, on a charge of assault.

    Abiodun, who resides at Agbede, Ibadan in Oyo State, pleaded not guilty and was admitted to bail in the sum of  N100,000 with two sureties.

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

    According to the prosecutor, Sgt. Yomi Egunjobi, the accused committed the offence on December 14 at Ikeja, Lagos.

    He said that the accused beat up Miss Success Enebe for refusing his proposal.

    “The accused asked Miss Enebe out but she refused his proposal. Few days later, the accused attacked her  using a plank and injured her on the head.

    “After the attack, the accused ran away, leaving Miss Enebe bleeding from her injuries.” Egunjobi  said.

    He said the offence contravened Section 173 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015(Revised).

    The section stipulates three years imprisonment for assault.

    The case was adjourned until January 9 for mention.

    NAN

  • Australian PM fined $195 for not wearing life jacket on boat

    Australian PM fined $195 for not wearing life jacket on boat

    Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, was fined 250 Australian dollars (195 dollars) for not wearing a life jacket while moving his dinghy on Sydney harbour, a local media reported on Friday.

    Turnbull was moving the small vessel about 20 metres from a jetty to a beach near his harbour-side home when he was photographed by a paparazzo.

    The photo appeared in the Australian newspaper on Thursday and the Maritime Service division Chief, Angus Mitchell, told newsmen safety was paramount on the water.

    Mitchell said the prime minister would be fined the 250 dollar penalty for not wearing a life jacket while alone in a boat.

    Turnbull said on Facebook that he had learned his lesson.

    “I will make sure I always wear a life jacket in my dinghy regardless of how close I am to the shore, just as I always do on my kayak.

    “The rules can often seem very technical, but they are there to keep us safe and we should all comply with them,” Turnbull said.

    The fine came the same day a man drowned in waters off Sydney after his fishing dinghy capsised and two others had to be rescued by helicopter.

    According to news report, none of them was wearing life jackets.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • ‘Be loyal to the country’, IGP tells officers

    ‘Be loyal to the country’, IGP tells officers

    The Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, has enjoined officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force to rededicate themselves to their constitutional duty of protecting lives and property of Nigerians and foreigners resident in the country.

    Idris also called for diligence among the personnel even in the face of “undue hostility and unwarranted criticism of members of the force and its leadership by a spectrum of the Nigerian society in recent times”.

    He made the call at a get-together organised by the family and friends of a Cadet Inspector, Mr Idris Baba-Mohammed, at the Bida campus of the Niger Polytechnic, over his recent successful passing out and Presidential Commissioning from the force.

    Represented at the occasion by the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Dibal Yakadi, the inspector-general described police job as one of the best jobs in the world.

    He, however, said that the job could also be hazardous, sometimes.

    He further said if the officers and men of the force, including the celebrator, were genuinely busy protecting lives and property of other people in the larger society without getting involved in unwholesome practices, God would also bless and protect such members and their families.

    Idris, therefore, advised the celebrator, including officers and men of the force, to further rededicate themselves in the service of their fatherland, exhibit discipline, be upright in their official conduct and obey lawful orders.

    “ You should always be courageous, prayerful, shun unwholesome acts capable of tarnishing your names, families and that of the Nigeria Police.

    “Be loyal to the country and constituted authority and make sure you always obey lawful orders and be prayerful at all times for Allah’s protection and blessings.”

    He stressed that if all the instructions were properly observed, they would get to the peak of their career, just as he warned the commissioned cadet to remain focused and make up his mind not to be influenced negatively by worldly things.

    NAN

     

  • ‘Change is on,’ says George Weah

    ‘Change is on,’ says George Weah

    Former football superstar, George Weah, took to his Facebook page to react to provisional results of Tuesday’s presidential runoff polls in Liberia.

    “My fellow Liberians, I deeply feel the emotion of all the nation. I measure the importance and the responsibility of the immense task which I embrace today.

    “Change is on’’, Weah wrote shortly after the results were released by the National Elections Commission (NEC), putting him in a comfortable lead to be the next president of Africa’s oldest republic.

    The former World Footballer of the Year who ran on the platform of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) is way ahead with 720,023 votes or 61.5 per cent.

    His rival and incumbent Vice President, Joseph Boakai, of the ruling Unity Party ( UP ) is far behind with 451,088 votes representing 38.5 per cent.

    Read also: George Weah set to become Liberia’s President

    The Chairman of NEC, Mr Jerome Korkoya, who released the results at a news conference in Monrovia on Thursday, said 98.1 per cent of the total votes cast in the polls had been counted.

    With pending results from just 104 or 1.9 per cent of polling places, Weah has sealed a massive victory as the successor to outgoing President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

    The announcement was greeted with massive celebrations by Weah’s supporters in the capital, Monrovia, and across the country.

    NAN

  • Turkey detains 201 IS members planning New Year attacks

    Turkey detains 201 IS members planning New Year attacks

    Turkish authorities have detained 201 suspected members of the Islamic State extremist group over the past 48 hours accused of planning attacks on New Year’s Eve celebrations.

    State-run Anadolu news agency reported that the police carried simultaneous raids in 14 separate provinces, netting 124 suspects with alleged ties to the Sunni extremist group on Thursday and another 77 on Friday.

    According to the news agency, the suspects included foreign nationals.

    Police seized documents and digital material that revealed plans for separate attacks on New Year’s Eve.

    The raids came nearly a year after an Islamic State gunman attacked the Reina nightclub in Istanbul as revellers were celebrating New Year’s Eve, killing 39 people.

    Read also: How Buhari doused tension between Nigeria, Turkey

    The Reina shooting preceded a wave of smaller attacks by Islamic State and hardliner Kurdish nationalists in Turkey in 2015 and 2016.

    The news agency reported on Wednesday, security forces in Istanbul cited security concerns in issuing a ban on New Year’s Eve celebrations in three central districts, including the iconic Taksim Square.

    Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country, set aside January 1 as a public holiday.

    Trees and ornaments appear in public displays to mark the occasion, but Islamists have pushed back against them as symbols of Christmas.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • Italy to deploy 470 troops to tackle traffickers in Niger

    Italy to deploy 470 troops to tackle traffickers in Niger

    Italy aims to deploy up to 470 troops to Niger to help tackle traffickers, the military General Staff said.

    Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on December 24 that some of the 1,400 Italian troops now stationed in Iraq could be transferred to the Sahel region in West Africa, which includes Niger, after victories against Islamist militants in Iraq.

    Gentiloni said the redeployed troops could also help to combat terrorism in the Sahel.

    The military said in a statement that a reconnaissance mission was underway in Niger to help decide the scale of the assistance, which the African country’s government has requested but which still needs to be approved by Italy’s parliament.

    The general staff said if the necessary approval is given, Italy would aim to gradually send up to 470 troops, probably posting an average of 250 over the course of a year.

    Read also: Dogara leads Nigerian delegation  to Italy over Human Trafficking

    “The aim of the mission is to increase the operational capacity of the Niger forces and put them in a position to guarantee stability in the area and fight illegal trafficking of migrants,” the military added.

    Italy’s president dissolved parliament on Thursday ahead of an election due in March, but lawmakers will continue to meet, and could approve Gentiloni’s request to transfer the personnel.

    Italy is especially keen to help tackle the people-smuggling gangs because it has borne the brunt of seaborne illegal migration to Europe from Africa.

    No fewer than 600,000 people have made the perilous journey across the central Mediterranean from Libya in the past four years.

    Arrivals have fallen sharply since officials working for the UN-backed government in Tripoli persuaded smugglers to stop boats leaving and the Libyan coastguard stepped up interceptions at sea.

    (Reuters/NAN)