The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian news

  • How I received news of my victory at the tribunal – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja said heavy schedule of the inaugural Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday held his attention for many hours, keeping him from following the court ruling that validated his victory at the polls.

    The President, who received All Progressives Congress (APC) party leaders and Progressives Governors’ Forum, at the State House, said he was happy with the outcome of the judgement.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and, Chief Femi Adesina, urged the governors to join hands in strengthening the party for the future.

    “By some coincidence, this judgement came on the same day we had the first meeting of the Federal Executive Council that lasted for seven hours. I was very busy on that day.

    “And our focus was on the budget for 2020. So while you were there at the court for nine hours of judgement, we were here for seven hours,’’ he said.

    President Buhari said the victory at the tribunal was collective as it affects all the party members, governors and Nigerians, pointing out that a contrary judgement would also have affected all members of the party.

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    The President told APC party leaders and governors that there was a need to invest more into positioning the party for the future.

    “We really need to institutionalize the party so that when we leave, the party will continue to lead,’’ he said.

    The President said he joined the military “immediately’’ after secondary school and the reality of discipline carried through his years of serving the country, including fighting in the war front.

    In his remarks, the Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said the judgement was “eloquently and analytically” delivered to clear all doubts on the veracity of the President’s school credentials, assuring him of the party’s loyalty and support.

    “We never had any doubt. We were convinced of our victory,’’ he said. “It is of particular interest that the only asset that the President has invested and continues to invest is his integrity. And we saw some people trying to throw mud at that integrity. On personal integrity, the opposition party does not have in their rank any man or woman who has your integrity.’’

    The Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Governor of Kebbi State, congratulated President Buhari on the victory at the tribunal, noting that his dedication to duty and serving the country kept him at FEC meeting at the crucial moment.

    Describing the judgement as clinical, with surgical precision in dealing with all the issues raised, Governor Bagudu assured the President of the support of all APC governors, and other governors that had benefited from his leadership.

  • Man kills wife for refusing to breastfeed her baby

    A commercial motorcycle rider, Kingsley Madukwe has beaten his wife; Glory Madukwe, to death for refusing to breastfeed her crying one-month-old baby.

    The incident happened on Wednesday night at the Egando, Atan – Ota, area of Ogun State.

    The traditional ruler (Baale) of the area, Chief Rafiu Gbadamosi reported it to the Police and it was learnt that the couple had a minor misunderstanding and in the ensuing disagreement, Ndukwe beat his wife to death at about 11:30 pm.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident and the arrest of the suspect in a release, stated that the Divisional Police Officer, Atan Ota Division, Salau Abiodun led detectives to effect arrest on the suspect.

    Read Also: Police harassing, intimidating Fatoyinbo, says group

    Abimbola; a Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP) added that the Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, has given directive for the transfer of the suspect to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and intelligence Department.

    “On interrogation, the suspect an Okada rider who is an indigene of Ihiala in Anambra State, stated that his late wife and mother of eight, was having a month old baby and that the baby was crying which made him to wake his wife up to breastfeed the baby, but she refused claiming that she was too tired to breastfeed the baby at that time.

    “He stated that the victim got up and was going to the sitting room leaving the baby behind and this got him annoyed, consequent upon which he drew her back and gave her a hot slap. The woman then fell down and gave up the ghost.

    “The corpse of the victim has been deposited at the General Hospital Ota mortuary for post mortem examination.”

  • Osinbajo to represent Nigeria at Mugabe’s state funeral Saturday

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, will be representing President Muhammadu Buhari at the State Funeral for former President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, on Saturday.

    Prof. Osinbajo, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande, would be joining other African leaders and Heads of State expected at the occasion scheduled for the country’s National Stadium in Harare.

    Heads of State expected to attend the funeral include President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya.

    Read Also: Robert Mugabe (1924 – 2019)

    Mugabe, who was Zimbabwean Prime Minister and later President for 37 years altogether, up until 2017, died last week at the age of 95 in a Singaporean Hospital.

    The Vice President, who would be accompanied on the trip by senior government officials, left for Harare Friday afternoon and is expected back in Nigeria later on Saturday.

  • UNILAG VC task students on 250million BOI grant

    The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe has advised students within the institution to take advantage of the 250million grant given to the institution by the Bank of Industry to support creative and entrepreneurship ideas.

    Ogundipe said this at the Accounting and Entrepreneurship Summit for Students 2019 organised by Nigeria University Accounting Students Association held at the Main Auditorium, University of Lagos.

    The event tagged “Technological Advancement: The Nigerian Economy and the Future of the Accounting Profession” had in attendance students from different schools across the country.

    Ogundipe mentioned that #50million out of the #250m will be for training and renovations, while the #200million is meant to be given as loans to start-ups among the students, depending on their proposal and cost required.

    Read Also: UNILAG business school begins classes Saturday

    “We will be giving out loans between #1million to #2million to students that are able to come up with great innovative business ideas. We are also planning to register a limited liability company for our students while we will recommend experts to mentor them”, he said.

    He posited that the summit was in tandem with his vision as he concludes his maiden Professor Ogundipe Innovative Challenge (POIC) 2019.

    He stressed that the UNILAG is well equipped to mentor and provide all the needed support for students with creative business ideas.

    In his words, Head of Tax and Corporate Advisory Services of PwC Nigeria, Taiwo Oyedele challenged the students to open their minds, network and share opportunities and be ready to diversify.

    Oyedele, who spoke about tax sustainability of our economy, lamented the lopsidedness in the tax regime in Nigeria which he said that the poor pay more tax than the rich.

    Also speaking at the event, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria, Joseph Aborowa challenged the students to develop the art of integrity as they prepare themselves for the marketplace.

    In his words, the President of NUASA, Opeyemi Oderinde said that the programme is aimed at helping accounting students to keep them abreast of the latest trends and issues in the profession.

  • Abuja-Kaduna kingpin: I’ve kidnapped over 50, murdered 10

    An alleged kidnap kingpin, Bello Abdul, 40, alias Yellow, has confessed to murdering over ten persons and abducting more than 50 victims on the notorious Abuja-Kaduna highway.

    He spoke after he was arrested on Tuesday evening by operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

    Yellow was arrested at his hideout in Niger State by detectives, who have been on his trail following allegations of operating an armed robbery, cattle rustling and kidnapping syndicate that spanned across Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

    It was gathered that his gangs, which had mainly young boys were responsible for over 150 kidnappings and several murders along the Abuja-Kaduna highways and Kajuru.

    Read Also: Police nab suspect for alleged armed robbery, kidnapping in Niger

    A source, who hinted on the arrest, told our Correspondent that seven AK47 rifles were recovered from Yellow, adding that the suspect had countless others yet to be retrieved.

    He said: “He confessed that he used to buy the AK47A rifles at N50,000 each and he has so many of them. So far, we have recovered seven from him. He used to buy ammunition in containers.

    “This man is a dangerous suspect. He has been on the wanted list for a long time and we have been trailing him. Each time he was located in an area, he would run to another location. He controls so many gangs and his network goes as far as Zamfara and Katsina. But finally he has been caught.”

    In a video where Yellow was being questioned by IRT operatives, the suspect confessed to have killed over 10 people and kidnapped more than 50.

    The suspect who spoke Hausa said: “Yes I am married with five children. I was in Niger State. I was in Kajuru before but I moved to Niger in Iyamadamakwa. I live in Kara.

    “Since I relocated to the village, I have been calm. I was into armed robbery and kidnapping. I have kidnapped about 50 times. I have collected N3m like six times. I have collected N10m, N17m, and N19m from different places.

    “I operate along Abuja-Kaduna road. I use small boys and those from my village in Maidaro. My boys are in Katsina and Zamfara. They are in nine places.

    “I used AK47 rifles and I bought them N50,000 each from one Yaro Alhaji at Kajori. I buy like a container of ammunition. A single ammunition is N1,000.

    “I have killed like 10 people. I killed one because the family insulted me on phone when I called them. Others were killed because their families did not pay ransom. I have rustled about 200 cows.

    “I did all these things before but I have stopped them now. I have calmed down. If I call my brother Alhaji Abu, he will bring those weapons I used for kidnapping.”

  • Man accidentally beheads himself during Islamic celebration

    A religious celebration was marred by tragedy this week as a man participating in a traditional Islamic mourning ritual accidentally beheaded himself.

    Mohammed Sayum was displaying his prowess at swordsmanship in the Nalanda district of Bihar, in east India, as part of a ritual procession known as the Mourning of Muharram. According to reports, Sayum, 60, accidentally cut his own neck and was rushed to Sadar Hospital, but died from loss of blood before he arrived.

    The accident sparked chaos in the area, according to the news site Swarajya, where hundreds of others were also observing the ritual procession. Sayum’s son, Mohammad Feroz, told police he witnessed the incident.

    Police in Bihar are still investigating and sent Sayum’s body for an autopsy.

    Muharram is considered one of the most sacred months of the Islamic calendar. The Mourning of Muharram, or Muharram Observances, is a commemoration honoring the death of Imam Hussain Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and third Imam of the Shiite community, who was killed by the Caliph Yazid’s army in 680 AD at the battle of Karbala. For Shiite Muslims, Imam Hussain’s death is symbolic of the struggle against tyranny and injustice.

    Observances of the Muharram procession vary, but traditionally involve a march from the Hussainia (congregation hall) into the streets, where participants light bonfires and partake in acts of self-flagellation, cutting, chest-beating and face-slapping. Some devotees visit the shrine to Imam Hussain in Karbala in modern-day Iraq.

    Read Also: Police harassing, intimidating Fatoyinbo, says group

    Fatal accidents and violence have long plagued Muharram commemorations: On Tuesday, at least 31 people were killed in a stampede in Karbala, with 100 more injured. According to the AP, the stampede started when a walkway collapsed.

    The same day, 20 people were injured watching a Muharram procession in Andhra Pradesh, in southeast India, when the roof they were standing on collapsed at about 2 a.m. Police report the victims were viewing the Pedda Saragathi ritual, where devotees walk on a hot bed of coals.

    Also on Tuesday, a man in Uttar Pradesh was electrocuted, and others wounded, when a tazia they were carrying came in contact with a live electrical wire. A tazia is a replica of Imam Hussain’s tomb, carried during Muharram processions.

    Days earlier, at least four people died in Karachi, Pakistan, when a tazia collided with overhead electrical cables. The incident happened on Saturday, in the Bhittaiabad neighbourhood of Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

    In 2004, bombings at shrines in Karbala and Baghdad during the Day of Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram and the focal day for mourning, killed 140 people.

    (www.newnow.co.uk)

  • Prince Jide Fadairo’s last respect for late mother

    If there is one thing still shocking to Prince Jide Fadairo, it was when his mother, Madam Grace Oladunni Otusemowo Fadairo, took her last breath on earth.

    Prince Jide and his siblings are yet to recover from the shocking demise of their beloved mother but they have taken it in good faith.

    The Chief Executive, House of Oduduwa Foundation, is throwing a wondrous befitting burial for his late mum amidst pomp at the ancient Abeokuta town, Ogun State.

    Read Also: Siasia’s mother’s 59 days in captivity

    Mama Grace Fadairo began her final journey with a well-attended Service of Songs on Tuesday 10th of September in Ogba, Lagos.

    Iya Ijebu, as she was fondly called, hailed from the popular Ayorinde family of Onipako compound in Odo Egbon Ijebu Ode.

    She was a devoted Christian and well respected community leader during her lifetime.

    In the obsequies of her burial, Iya Ijebu will be laid to final rest at her husband’s town in Abeokuta, as the Fadairo’s are of the Owu, Abeokuta descant. Mama’s funeral service will hold at Freeman Methodist Cathedral Church, Ogbe Owu, Abeokuta today, Friday 13th September and will be subsequently interred at the church’s cemetery.

    Interesting, Jide Fadairo, is married to Princess Folashade Ogunwusi, the elder sister of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

  • Police recruitment: ‘candidates don’t know names of Nigeria President, CJN’

    Mr Sola Okediji, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), FCT, has said that some constable aspiring to join Nigeria Police could not give the name of Nigeria President and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

    Okediji disclosed this at the investigation and sensitisation on rule of law training for FCT police officers, organised by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC), on Friday in Abuja.

    RoLAC programme is funded by the European Union and managed by the British Council.

    Okediji, who said he was posted to Rivers in Port Harcourt as part of those to interview prospective constables to be enlisted into the Nigeria police, said he was stunned when a constable could not answer the question put to him.

    He said that he had asked the prospective constable “what is the name of the President of Nigeria”, to which he could not proffer an answer.

    Read Also: Kano Police recover 1000 cattle, arrest three notorious rustlers

    Okediji also said that he posed another question to the intending constable as to “who is the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN),” to which he could not also answer the question.

    The DCP said he had no choice than to fire the constable immediately, adding that the Nigeria police would not condole such ignorance, adding that such ignorance was unacceptable to the Nigeria Police.

    Okediji said that some of the constables were parading five credits in their Senior Secondary School (SSCE) certificate without being able to defend it.

    He said that those who were not fast in current affairs and do not know issues happening in the country would not be allowed into the police force.

    He called on the police investigators and detective on RoLAC training to apply wisdom in the course of their job, adding that they should always duplicate their case files to forestall trouble.

    He, however, charged investigation officers and detective on training to have confidence in themselves while carrying out their duties, adding that when they were sound and loaded no one would push them aside.

    According to him, during cross examination, let them know you are there and rooted in the case, that is what excellent on the job means, do not collect bribe and do not encourage it.

    He called on the officers not to be a part in the rot in the police but endeavour to be a solution, adding that only God could reward those who worked with the fear of God.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that when approached to comment further on the constable who failed to give the name of Nigeria President and the CJN, he said that DSP Frank Mba, the Force Public Relations Officer would speak further.

    NAN also reports that RoLAC training was aimed at acquainting officers with modern practice of investigation and prosecution of suspects.

  • Hoodlums slaughter woman, two daughters in Edo

    Hoodlums have killed three persons at Iguadolor community in Ovia South-West local government area of Edo state.

    The three victims are a mother and two daughters including a six months old baby.

    It was gathered that the victims were children and grandchildren of the Odionwere (head) of the village, Pa. Omorogbe Avanrenren.

    Some of the community members who spoke said the killings could be related to lingering crisis between the community elders and Okaighele (Youth head) of the community, Perrick Egbon.

    Pa Avanreren said he was shocked that his children were killed.

    Chairman of Ovia South-West local government, Scot Ogbemudia, who visited the community appealed for calm and promised to unravel the killers.

    Read Also: Nigerian dies in UK’s detention centre

    According to him, “We will make sure we investigate this incident. We will work with security agencies and ensure the law takes its course.”

    Perrick Egbon in a phone chat denied being involved in the killings.

    He described it as unsubstantiated allegations.

    Spokesman for the Edo Police Command, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the killings but said no arrest has been made.

    He said, “It actually happened. Three persons were killed. Two female adults and a baby. The police is currently investigating the incident.”

     

  • Dino Melaye declines to lead Kogi PDP guber campaign

    The senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, Dino Melaye has declined to lead the Kogi State governorship campaign for the November 16 poll.

    Stakeholders in the state’s chapter had, during a visit to the Abuja secretariat on Friday, touted Melaye as the Director General of the party’s campaign council.

    But in a swift reaction, the senator, who did not accompany the stakeholders on the visit, said in a tweet and on his Facebook page, “Let me state categorically that I have turned down the position of Director General of the PDP Kogi State governorship campaign council. I wish PDP all the best. When truth is a casualty, there is chaos”.

    Melaye had contested and lost the party’s September 3 primary election and had subsequently filed an appeal to the leadership of the party complaining that most of the ballot boxes containing his delegates’ vote were snatched when armed thugs invaded the venue of the exercise.

    But the leadership of the party had insisted that the number of votes in the said missing ballot boxes was not enough to invalidate the victory of the winner of the primaries, Mr Musa Wada who scored over 700 votes against Melaye’s 70 votes.

    Majority of the 12 aspirants that contested the primaries with Wada however pledged to work for the unity and success of the PDP in the election.

    Speaking on behalf of other aspirants, Muhammed Shuaibu Tettes, said the aspirants accepted the outcome of the primary election in good faith.

    Tettes said, “As members of the Kogi PDP 2019 G- 12, the urgent need for intra- party cohesion and unity of purpose at this moment is recognised. It is for this reason that the candidacy of Engr. Musa Wada in considered worthy of undivided support as the task to rebuild Kogi starts in earnest.

    Read Also: Tribunal sacks Dino Melaye as senator

    “Considering the reconciliation efforts of Engr. Musa Wada and his preparedness to actively partner with other aspirants that lost the ticket, we have accepted him as a partner in progress in the liberation struggle and also accept to work with him in the overall interest of the PDP and Kogi state”

    Some of the party chieftains that were at the secretariat in solidarity with the candidate were a former governor of the state, Capt. Idris Wada who lost the ticket to his younger brother.

    Also at the party secretariat were Emmanuel Omebije, Princess Grace Iyeh Adejoh, Dr. Joseph Ameh Erico, Alhaji Kabiru Haruna, Adebayo Averehi and Aminu Abubakar Sulaiman.