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Tag: not involved

  • Police not involved, says IG

    Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris has said the Police was not involved in the blockade of the National Assembly by security operatives

    Idris spoke with State House correspondents after a meeting with the acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said the blockage of the NASS complex was a surprise to him, saying the police would soon issue a statement on the incident.

    He said “Obviously, like I said, I have not got a detailed brief on that. So, when I get the brief, in fact we are going to issue a (press) release.

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo had on Tuesday sacked the Director General, Department of State Service, Lawal Daura with immediate effect, over the invasion of the premises of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

    Osinbajo condemned the unauthorized takeover of the National Assembly complex, describing it as “a gross violation of constitutional order, rule of law and all acceptable notions of law and order.’’

    He maintained that the “unlawful act which was done without the knowledge of the Presidency is condemnable and completely unacceptable.’’

    Idris returned to the Villa around 6.35p.m for another round f meeting with the acting president.

    A statement by Police spokesman Jimoh Moshood

    Said: “The Nigeria Police Force wishes to categorically state that its personnel was not involved in any way whatsoever in the blockade of the National Assembly in the early hours of today, 7th August, 2018.

    “The Force was not informed and has no pre-knowledge of the blockade.

    “The Nigeria Police Force will continue to ensure that the rule of law prevails, sustain unflinching respect, support and protection of all constituent authorities and democratic institutions in the Country, while maintaining law and order, protection of lives and property nationwide.”

  • FG suspends NIPOST boss, names replacement

    FG suspends NIPOST boss, names replacement

    The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Prof. Isa Ali Pantami has approved the appointment of Barrister Bulus Samuila Yakubu as acting Post Master General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Poster Service (NIPOST).

    The appointment was sequel to the suspension of Dr. Ismail Adebayo Adewusi from office.

    The Nation gathered that the NIPOST boss was under suspension pending the outcome of investigations instituted by the Minister for some alleged infractions.

    A statement from Mr Franklin Alao, Head of Corporate Communications of NIPOST confirmed the suspension of Adewusi.

    Bulus however holds a Bachelor in Law Degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

    He joined the service of the Nigerian Postal Service in 1990. Barrister Bulus hails from Takum Town in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.

    Read Also: NIPOST, NPC sign MoU on roll out of digital postcode

    He was, until now, the Secretary to NIPOST Governing Board, Director (SpecialDuties) and also NIPOST Liason Officer to the National Assembly.

    As an experienced Public Officer, he has also served as the Secretary/Legal Adviser of NIPOST 2007 to 2017 with a proven record of excellent performance.

    He belongs to a number of professional bodies notably, the International Bar Association (IBA), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and was the pioneer Chairman of the Committee of Legal Experts of Pan African Postal Union (PAPU).

    He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria and also a Fellow of the Institute for Fraud Management and Control.

  • Shell: we’re not involved in oil theft

    The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has debunked reports linking oil companies with the theft of crude oil in the Niger Delta.

    Shell’s General Manager, Communication, Mr. Philip Mshelbila, said the allegation stemmed from “complete misunderstanding of what is going on” in the oil industry.

    He was reacting to reports that over 400,000 barrels is lost daily as a result of oil theft in the Delta/Bayelsa states axis.

    Speaking with reporters in Warri, Delta State, at the weekend, the SPDC bigwig said such a figure does not necessarily represent what is stolen by criminals, but the production lost following the shutdown of operation in the affected areas.

    He said besides, the figure given by a top official of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources is lost by all players in the oil and gas industry – including multinationals and local firms.

    Msehilbila said the loss by his company fluctuates daily, adding that it could hit 60,000bpd.

    He said when oil facilities, such as flow stations, are shut down following attacks by criminals, production from the wells serviced by the facility is deferred, giving rise to the figure bandied.

    The SPDC General Manager (Communication) said about 150,000bpd would be deferred if such an attack forced SPDC to shut down its Nembe Creek pipeline, which conveys crude oil to Bonny Terminal.

    Also debunking allegation of under-reporting of exported crude oil, SPDC’s Asset Manager, Swamp West, Mr. Mesch Maichibi, said there are meters for crude inlets and what is loaded from terminals, adding: “The Department of Petroleum Resources has the key and the password.”

    “It is impossible to do anything (allegation) because as you pump, it is recording and there is no way anybody can falsify account. As far as I am concerned, the problem is between the trunk line and the terminal,” he said.

    Mshelbila said crude oil theft has increased in the Western Delta, comprising facilities in Delta and Bayelsa states.

    He urged stakeholders to tackle the scourge, stressing: “If we keep finger-pointing, we will never address the situation. We have a duty to protect our future and pipelines.”

    Canvassing measures to tackle the crime, Mshelbila dissociated the company from calls that bunkering should be punished by death.

    He said: “We are not talking about extreme measures. Some people have talked about death sentence, but we say ‘no’. What we ask for is due process. Appropriate punishment should be given, but we don’t support the extreme measure.”

  • ‘Dankwambo’s convoy not involved in crash’

    The Gombe State Government has denied that the convoy of Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo was involved in a fatal accident on Wednesday.

    A newspaper (not The Nation) reported that the accident happened when the governor’s convoy was returning from a tour of Shongom Local Government Area, leading to the death of an unnamed passenger in a vehicle that was not part of the motorcade.

    But Mallam Mansur Lawal, spokesman of the governor, described that alleged accident as the figment of imagination of the writer.

    He said the convoy was never involved in any accident during the tour.

    Lawal said: “It is sad that a report was published without any attempt to verify the truth. I was on that trip to Shongom Local Government and I can categorically tell you that the convoy was never involved in any accident let alone of a fatal one that would lead to the death of any person. I would have thought that the reporter would have done a thorough job by getting in touch with us instead of writing what I consider to be a false and malicious story.

    “It is a figment of the imagination of the writer and we have lodged complaint at the appropriate quarters.”

  • Defence Headquarters: military not involved

    Defence Headquarters: military not involved

    The Defence Headquarters yesterday attributed the killings to reprisals by some armed robbers.

    It also denied that the military was involved in the killings, contrary to what had been reported by some international media.

    The Defence Headquarters made the clarification in a statement last night by it’s Director of Information, Col. M.M. Yerima.

    The statement said: “The attention of the Defence Headquarters has been drawn to the unsubstantiated claims by CNN and Aljazeera alleging that the Nigerian Military carried out an early morning attack on Muslim worshippers in a mosque at Dogo Dawa, a village near Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, where twenty people were allegedly killed by unknown gunmen.

    “This is contrary to reports by other local and international media organizations, who reported that the attack was carried out by unknown gunmen.

    “Investigation revealed that the killing was a reprisal by a gang of armed robbers who lost some of their members after a recent raid of their hide out through the combined effort of the villagers and the vigilance group in that community.

    “The Defence Headquarters wishes to state categorically in the interest of the larger society that no member of the Nigerian Armed Forces was involved in the said attack which occurred in the early hours of Sunday the 14th October 2012.

    “We wish to reassure the general public of our readiness to offer assistance to the Nigerian Police Force and other Security Agencies whose primary responsibility is the maintenance of law and order in the society.

    “ We are committed to the defence and protection of our country’s hard earned democracy and more importantly, the Nigerian Armed Forces belong to the Nigerian people and cannot be an instrument of lawlessness and destruction of the very people it has sworn to protect, as alleged by the reports.

    “We urge members of the public to go about their legitimate businesses without any fear of molestation from any quarter, and to also report any breach of peace and security in the society to law enforcement agencies.

    “Please disseminate this information for the awareness of the general public.Thank you for your usual cooperation and please accept the warmest regards of the Chief of Defence Staff.”