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  • Police arrest suspected killers of herdsman in Ebonyi

    Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 6 Calabar, Musa Kimo on Tuesday said some persons have been arrested for allegedly beheading a herdsman in Onunwakpu, Izzi local government area of Ebonyi state.

    He stated this in Abakaliki in an interview with newsmen after he paid a courtesy call on the Governor of the state, David Umahi.

    Last year, four residents of the area were killed by herdsmen who attacked the community and destroyed houses, economic trees, and other valuable properties.

    At the weekend, a herdsman was allegedly beheaded in the community.

    AIG Musa Kimo said some persons have been arrested in connection to the gruesome murder of the herdsman.

    The AIG said he visited the Governor to inform him that operation PUFF ADDER have been launched in the state as directed by the Inspector-General of Police(IGP), Adamu Mohammed.

    Kimo also disclosed that about five war mercenaries have been arrested over the Enyibichiri/Enyigba protracted crisis in Ikwo and Abakaliki local government area of the state.

    The intractable crisis re-ignited again last two weeks with a family of six including an infant burnt to ashes while three others shot dead by the warlords.

    Read also: Woman arrested for poisoning husband in Kano

    “Some people have been arrested especially in respect of the gruesome murder of the Fulani man in Izzi. Equally some people were arrested; four or five who are mercenaries. They are with us, they
    are at the state CID and they are connected with the general crime that has to do with the conflict.

    “I want to believe that investigation is pointing that they are directly or indirectly involved with those killings.

    “We will continue to do our best in our professional manner. Our intention is to try as much possible to declare criminals persona non-grata”.

    Meanwhile, the AIG during the official launch of operation PUFF ADDER said the aim is to help curb inter and intra communal crisis in Ebonyi state.

    Inaugurating the operation at the police headquarters Abakaliki on Tuesday, Mr Kimo called on Ebonyi stakeholders to join hands with the Police to ensure the success of the operation.

    He said stakeholders’ support became necessary because the operation, by the way it’s design, depends on the people in various communities to achieve its objective as their corporation would including giving police adequate information that would lead to tracking and prosecuting perpetrators of evil acts in the state.

    AIG Kimo decried the recent killings in the state warned the warring communities of Alike-Ikwo, Ikwo local government and Enyigba Izzi in Abakaliki local government areas to sheat their sword or face the wrath of the tactical team.

    He said the operation was a resonance of intelligence-driven policy and community intelligence strategy for the purpose of crime control adding that the operation will help police to identify and arrest criminals in Ebonyi state.

    The command CP, Awoshola Awotunde, urged Ebonyi communities to stop pilling arms and learn how to dialogue when issues arise and not to kill each other.

    A Stakeholder, Apostle Emma Mbam from Alike-Ikwo, one of the warring communities, said the problem with control of the crisis was the nonchalant attitude of stakeholders from the area.

    He said that stakeholders should seat up because it is not the miscreants that buy gun rather it is the stakeholders that buy the gun for them to go and kill.

    He said the police and government are being deceived but call for a private meeting where the secrets behind the killings will be revealed.

    He called on Ezza nation who is the eldest in Abakaliki to call Ikwo and Izzi clans to order by placing a course on those instigating the crisis stressing that Ebonyi state is known for culture and as such cultural believe should be used to end the crisis.

    Meanwhile, the police public relations officer DSP Odah Loveth, used the event to parade suspected kidnappers and arms recovered from hoodlums and gun manufacturers in the state.

  • Court orders DSS to produce Dasuki

    A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama has ordered the issuance of a production warrant on the Department of State Services (DSS) to compel it to produce detained former National Security Adviser (NSA), Mohammed Dasuki on the next date.

    Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf gave the order in a ruling on Tuesday at the resumed hearing in the trial of Dasuki and some others.

    Justice Baba-Yusuf said: “The information before the court is that the 1st defendant is in the custody of the DSS and the prosecution is to liaise with the DSS to produce the 1st defendant in court and in any day the cases comes up.

    “But it appears that the prosecution has failed to do and did not provide any explanation for failing to do so.

    “Hence, I will issue a production warrant and adjourn the case till a further date to ensure the presence of the first defendant in court,” the judge said and scheduled May 24 as the next hearing date.

    Dasuki is being tried with Aminu Baba-Kusa and his (Baba-Kusa’s) two firms – Acacia Holdings Ltd and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited – on a 32-count charge, in which they are accused of diverting N32bn meant for procurement of firearms and ammunition to combat insurgents.

    Read Also: Dasuki stalls trial in absentia

    At the commencement of proceedings on Tuesday,the judge observed that Dasuki, listed as the first defendant, was absent.

    Lawyers to the defendants  – Victor Okwudiri (for Dasuki), Solomon Umoh (SAN), R.A Rilwan and A.O Ayodele – blamed Dasuki’s absence on the prosecution.

    They expressed surprise that the prosecution lawyer, representing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Oluwaleke Atolagbe could not explain the absence of the first defendant, who they noted, was in the custody of the state.

    In his response, Atolagbe, a private lawyer, engaged by the EFCC, argued that his client was without for Dasuki’s absence.

    He said, “All the defendants are saying that the 1st defendant (Dasuki) is in the custody of the state, but this honourable court has held that he is in the custody of the DSS and not the EFCC that is prosecuting this case, a position both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court have upheld.

    “The EFCC cannot produce the 1st defendant because he is not in their custody.

    “I would urge my lord to issue a production warrant for the the production of the 1st defendant as issued in the sister case,” Atolagbe said.

    He urged the court to hold that, should the DSS be unable to produce Dasuki on the next date, the court should  invoke the provisions of Section 352(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) to proceed with the trial in the first defendant’s absence.

    Atolagbe told court that another court has taken such step in another case in which the DSS was already prosecuting Dasuki.

    In that case, the DSS, through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, is prosecuting Dasuki on money laundering and illegal possession of firearms charges before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

  • Kebbi govt. gives farmers with fertilisers at subsidised rates

    Kebbi State government has confirmed the availability of 886,000 tonnes of fertiliser at subsidised rate of N5,500 a bag to farmers across the state to ensure a hitch free farming.

    Alhaji Sani Dododo, the state government’s Spokesperson said this on Tuesday while briefing newsmen in Birnin Kebbi, shortly after stakeholders meeting on agriculture.

    He said that the fertiliser would be sold to the farmers in the 225 wards across the 21 local government areas of the state at subsidised rate of N5, 500 per bag, instead of on N8, 000 being sold at the open market.

    Dododo said that the agreement on the sale of the fertiliser was reached after an extensive deliberation with the traditional rulers, All Progressives Congress (APC), LGA chairmen and members of farmers associations in the state.

    ‘‘The aim is to make the commodity accessible and available to farmers anytime they so desire and to have it at a more affordable price.

    ‘‘We have depots for the sale of the fertiliser to farmers in all the 21 local government areas,” he said.

    The spokesperson reiterated the government’s commitment to continue its assistance to farmers through various interventions to boost agricultural production in the state.

  • Lawan: I won’t preside over a rubber-stamp Senate

    Senate Majority Leader, Ahmed Lawan, has dismissed insinuations in some quarters the Senate will become a rubber-stamp body to President Muhammadu Buhari if he emerges the President of the Ninth National Assembly.

    Lawan, who spoke on Tuesday in Abuja while playing host to the leadership of the All Progressives Youth Forum, said the principle of separation of powers does not necessarily entail adversarial relationship among the three arms of government.

    Rather, he said the principle demands healthy working relationship between the legislature and other arms, particularly the executive arm, which is headed by the President.

    Lawan, who is a front runner in the race for the presidency of the Ninth Senate, observed the adversarial relationship between the Eighth Senate and the executive arm denied Nigerians of the needed development and progress.

    According to him, the schism between the leadership of the two arms did not allow Nigerians to get the best from President Buhari and the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) in terms of delivery on the APC manifesto.

    Lawan however pledged to mobilise his colleagues to ensure the success of the APC manifesto and the actualisation of President Buhari’s good intention for the country.

    The senator representing Yobe North promised that if elected, the Senate under him, will support Buhari by preventing the distractions that characterised the relationship between the legislature and the executive in the Eight Senate.

    Read Also: ‘APC governors, others endorse Lawan, Gbajabiamila’

    Lawan said: “My campaign is based on a slogan of leading a Senate and National Assembly that will work for Nigeria.

    “We are not going for the Senate presidency because of name but to make serious and positive difference in the governance of the country.

    “We will work with Mr. President and his administration to fulfill all his campaign promises that he promised Nigerians in 2015 and 2019, which are the same.

    “2023 will be a testy period for the APC. That is when the party will know whether it is solid enough or not. Today, APC is largely revolving around President Buhari. Take away the President and the present APC will be in trouble”.

    Promising to lead an all- inclusive Senate will carry every senator along, regardless of party affiliation, the Senate Leader said he will extend a hand of fellowship to every senator across party lines, both returning and new ones.

    Senator-elect, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, appealed to both returning and newly elected senators to give Lawan the needed support, assuring that the three senators elected to represent Ekiti State have aligned with Lawan’s aspiration.

    Adeyeye, who has been elected to represent Ekiti South senatorial district, urged senators in the incoming dispensation to put the collective interest of the Senate above personal ambitions, stressing that in doing so, the overall interest of the nation will be served.

    Some of the new and returning senators on hand to give Lawan their support included Opeyemi Bamidele, Ajibola Bashiru, Sabi Abdullahi, Jibrin Barau among others.

  • Ibadan lawyer, Adetunmbi kidnapped

    An Ibadan based legal practitioner Mr. Musibau Adetunmbi has been whisked away in Iwaraja, Osun state by kidnappers.

    Dr. Oluwole Akintayo, chairman of Ibadan branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) confirmed this to newsmen in Ibadan, Oyo state capital on Tuesday.

    Until the time of filing this report, there has been no contact from his abductors.

    According to the NBA chairman: “Mr. Musibau Adetunmbi was travelling on Monday to Ondo state to appear in a matter he had in Akure Ondo state for Tuesday morning when the incident happened.

    ‘”He was in the car with his driver and other team members when his vehicle was ambushed by suspected kidnappers.

    Read Also: Accident claims two lives on Lagos/Ibadan Expressway

    “Other team members were asked to alight while they ferried him and his driver to an unknown destination.

    “We went to the spot where the incident happened today (Tuesday) and there was no trace yet of his whereabouts. We reported the matter to the Osun state police command.

    “Unfortunately, no contact has been established with us or his family by his kidnappers.”

  • Breaking: Man Utd starting XI vs Barcelona

    Manchester United have announced the starting line-up for the crunch quarter-finals match with Barcelona in the next one hour.

    This is the line-up: De Gea, Jones, Lindelof, Smalling, Young, Fred, Mc Tominay, Pogba, Lingard, Martial, Rashford.

     

  • Reps to investigate fish importation licences

    The House of Representatives is to investigate all licenses granted for fish importation within the last one year, it emerged on Tuesday.

    The lawmakers expressed concern over incessant issuance of fish importation licence by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, regretting that the situation is turning Nigeria into a dumping ground for fish products to the detriment of local fish farmers and economy.

    This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance by Jonathan Gaza (PDP, Nasarawa), who noted that there have been calls by various sections, including the National Assembly, to ban the importation of fish into the country as it has a negative effect on the economy.

    The ban becomes imperative because the effect of the imported fish on the  health of the Nigerian consumers cannot ascertained, since the total health status of all the fish imported into the country all the time could also not be determined, he noted.

    Read Also: Gbajabiamila empowers fish, vegetable farmers

    He said  the Minister of State for Agriculture during a meeting with the Ijebu Initiative on Poverty Reduction (IDIPR) in Abuja sometime in August 2017, stated the Federal Government will stop issuing fish importation quota to importers  because the venture was no longer sustainable.

    Deputy Speaker Lasun Yusuf (APC, Osun), who noted the importation is meant to fill the gap as a result of inability of local farmers to meet the demand of consumers, said: “We have production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes, but our need is about 4million tonnes.

    “That is the gap those given licences are supposed to fill.

    “As legislatives, all we can do is to talk, in the area where bills are being returned with speed of light. The executive must show the commitment”.

    He called on the Federal government to subsidize the agricultural sector by a minimum of 50 percent.

    On his part, Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) said: “Is there a shortage of fish in this country? Do we have a national plan to fill this gap? This is an investigative matter.

    “If demand is greater than supply, there is a shortfall and we need to investigate. When you suggest ban, it’s for local industry to thrive. This motion will unravel a lot. Policy formulation should start from the House.”

    Muhammed Monguno (APC, Borno), the Chairman Committee on Agriculture, recalled that there was plan by Federal government to end importation of fish.

    He said: “It is true that there is deficit in our production, hence importation. Over the years the fishery sector has been neglected by successive governments.

    “It is true that licences have been given by Ministry of Agriculture, steps are being taken, as steps are taken to fill in the gap and stop importation in the next few years”.

    In its resolution, the House also requested the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the Bank of Agriculture to provide incentives to local fish farmers that would boost up production.

    The ad hoc Committee was given two weeks to carry out the assignment and report back for further legislative action.

  • UCL: Five reasons why FC Barcelona should beat Manchester United tonight

    FC Barcelona host Manchester United in the second leg of the quarter-finals match of the UEFA Champions League in less than two hours.

    The Catalans go into the fixtures with a 1-0 aggregate lead knowing that a draw at the Camp Nou is enough to secure them a semi-final place for the first time since 2015.

    Barcelona on paper is widely adjudged to win on paper, as they are favourites to win virtually every game and also among the favourites to win every title. Five reasons listed below show clearly why the Spanish side should emerge winners over the Red Devils.

    1. Messi factor

    Lionel Messi alone gives any team an upper hand and he will be very essential in Barcelona’s goal to win not just this game but also the UEFA Champions League this season.

    The 31-year old already has 43 goals this season whilst providing 18 assists, more than any other player by far.

    Messi will be a menace for the Manchester United defence.  He is very dangerous, can score, dribble and create from basically all angles.

    1. Home advantage

    The great battle between both sides will take place in Camp Nou in few hours. Records have it that the Spanish sides progress in knockout games when they play the second leg at home. In their last eight quarterfinal ties, they’ve played away first they progressed in six and so expected to be a torrid time for Man. United in the Nou Camp.

    Read Also: Messi succeeds Iniesta, named new FC Barcelona captain

    1. Technical superiority

    Although it is not exactly a golden ticket for the better team to progress but in this case it is very glaring that Barcelona possess a lot more quality in their squad compared to the Reds.

    They are better than Man United in almost all positions and also looking from the team-play perspective. Barcelona are more tactically sound and balanced in both defense and attack with their transition fast and smooth enough to break any team down.

    1. Hunger for UCL trophy

    Barcelona have been champions of La Liga in seven of the last ten seasons and are on course to  winning this year’s edition as they top the table leading second place Atletico Madrid with 8 points. They’re also on course to win their fifth consecutive Copa Del Rey title but have failed to win the UEFA Champions League, a trophy they last handled in 2015.

    Watching Real Madrid win three editions in a row after 2015, they are desperate to clinch the title, now that their rivals are out of the competition. Messi already promised fans at the beginning they will try to bring the UCL home.

    5. Midfield duel

    FC Barcelona will definitely win the midfield war against Manchester United. They have a balanced midfield with Sergio Busquet in defensive midfield role and controller Arthur holding onto possession and resisting press.  Arturo Vidal could also feature, doing the tackling and making life difficult for the Red Devils.

  • Edo pays workers April salary ahead of Easter celebration

    The Edo State Government on Tuesday paid workers salary for the month of April, ahead of the Easter celebration, which commences on Friday.

    In a statement, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, said the state government’s decision to pay workers mid-way into the month well ahead of the usual 26th day of the month payday, was informed by the need to make funds available for workers to celebrate the Easter festivities with their family and friends.

    Checks showed that government workers received salary alerts for April before the close of business on Tuesday.

    The governor’s aide said: “Edo State Government wants workers to have money at their disposal for the celebration. This buttresses the government’s commitment to the welfare of workers in the state through timely payment of salary and other entitlements.”

    Read Also: Appeal court sacks Edo APC Rep candidate

    “Workers with the Edo State Government can begin their shopping for Easter well ahead of time. The Easter celebration commences on Good Friday till Easter Monday,” he added.

    Osagie said the state government will not relent in implementing worker-friendly reforms to reinvigorate the state civil service. “Some of the novel initiatives include world-class training for workers, revamp of their work environment, timely payment of salary and the migration of operations from analogue to digital platforms for efficiency,” he added.

  • Dickson lifts embargo on promotion of civil servants

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson has given civil servants in the state a special gift ahead of workers’ day celebration following his decision to lift embargo on implementation of promotions in the service.

    Dickson directed immediate implementation and payment of pending promotion benefits and accumulated arrears to all workers.

    Speaking at a meeting with labour leaders in the state, Dickson also approved the spread of the payment to the end of the tenure of his administration.

    The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson who disclosed this said the governor further informed the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) of the decision of his government to conduct a special interview for the employment of teachers in the state.

    Read Also: Bayelsa 2019: Who will succeed Dickson?

    Iworiso-Markson explained that as a laudable initiative, local government councils would be encouraged to implement the decisions as regards their workers.

    Confirming the development to journalists after the meeting, the labour leaders thanked the governor for lifting the embargo and directing the implementation and payment of promotion arrears before the end of his tenure.

    They thanked the governor for the ongoing Labour House project and commended him for always consulting and engaging them before taking any decision affecting them in the state.

    The labour leaders described Dickson as the most labour-friendly governor who had engaged labour more than any other leader and always placed the welfare and wellbeing of workers as a top priority.