Search This Blog

Friday, August 17, 2018

Police Arrest Notorious Gun Manufacturers And Murder Suspects In Kano (Photos)

Police Arrest Notorious Gun Manufacturers And Murder Suspects In Kano (Photos)

The criminals
The Nigeria Police Force, Kano State Command has apprehended Rabiu Suleman and Yahaya Abdulkadir for illegally manufacturing of locally made Pistol, rifle guns and ammunition in Tudun Wada Local Government Area of the state.
According to a statement on Thursday by the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Magaji Majia, 11 Pistols and 53 locally made live ammunition were recovered from the suspects.
“In compliance with the Inspector General of Police directives on the mopping-up of prohibited and illegal firearms and ammunition, it could be recalled that Kano Police Command had on 4th April, 2018 paraded a large cache of arms and ammunition confiscated from the public.
“In our continued effort to rid the State of Armed Robbers and Kidnappers, the exercise is made to be a continues one and on 3/8/2018 a team of Policemen while on surveillance in Tudun Wada LGA arrested Rabiu Suleman of Fadan Gaya Village and Yahaya Abdulkadir of Yalwan Rugu-Rugu Village all in Tudun Wada LGA.
“The duo specializes in the manufacturing of locally made Pistol/rifle guns and ammunition. 11 Pistols and 53 locally made live ammunition were recovered from them,” the statement read in part.
Similarly, Mr Majia disclosed that his command had succeeded in arresting the murder suspects of one Abba Aminu who was discovered killed behind an uncompleted building in Danbare Qtrs in Kano last month.
He said: “Team of investigators has unravelled the mystery behind the murder of the deceased. The duo of Sagiru Lawan and Naziru Lawal both of Goron Dutse Qtrs Kano conspired with one Kabiru Alaramma and 2 others now at large who were paid the sum of N150, 000 to carry out the assassination. The decease’s handset was recovered in possession of the said Kabiru Alaramma.”
Furthermore, the spokesman said the command had also intercepted one Ibrahim Mansur who was in possession of 30 parcels of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp while on Transit to Gashuwa in Yobe State for disposal.
“The parcels are concealed in a load of Onions inside a Golf III Motor Vehicle with registration No. EKT390XA driven by one Salisu Garba of Tokarawa Village, Nassarawa LGA Kano State,” he explained.
Source:

By at No comments:

FG, Governors Ready To Decentralise Police – Osinbajo

Flood: Change The Habits Of Blocking Drainages, FG Tells Nigerians
Osinbajo
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo says the Federal and state governments are committed to the decentralisation of policing in Nigeria.
According to a statement by the Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande, the objective of the decentralisation is to improve the level of policing and security in the country.
The statement was released on Thursday night, hours after the National Economic Council (NEC) backed the Federal Government’s plan to decentralise the police.
Apart from backing the plan, the NEC set up a committee comprising state governors and the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to ensure its actualisation.
Other issues discussed at the meeting include the remittance of tax by state governments, the development of Micro, Small, and Medium Enerprises (MSMEs) and an update on the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee.
Read the full statement from the office of the Acting President about the NEC meeting below:
STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE
SECURITY: FG, GOVERNORS READY TO DECENTRALISE POLICING IN NIGERIA
*There is relative calm in Benue, says Deputy Governor
Short of constitutional amendment, the Federal Government and State Governors have resolved to explore how the operations of the Nigeria Police can be decentralised in order to improve the level of policing and security in the country.
This is one of the highlights of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting today where a Committee of state governors and the Inspector-General of Police has been set up to ensure the decentralisation.
Members of the Committee include the Governors of Zamfara, Ondo, Plateau, Ebonyi, Katsina, Edo and Borno states, who will work with the IGP, Ibrahim Idris.
At the NEC meeting, the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), assured that the Intelligence Community and Security Agencies will continue to sustain current efforts to mitigate the security challenges across the country.
Monguno had earlier briefed the Council on security matters.
Briefing State House correspondents, the Deputy Governor of Benue state, Mr. Benson Abounu, commended the efforts of the security agencies at mitigating the spate of insecurity in the state.
He especially thanked the security agencies for the thoroughness of Operation Whirl-Stroke, mounted by the Nigerian Army, in Benue State for their decisive operation which, according to him, has brought relative peace to the state.
Abounu, who spoke to reporters, said, “The security situation in Benue State has improved significantly. Now many Internally Displaced Persons have returned home, the State is relatively calm”.
At the NEC meeting also, presentations were made on Value Added Tax (VAT) and Withholding Tax by States and MDAs by the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Babatunde Fowler.
Dr. Fowler informed Council that the audit of the States MDAs has commenced with respective Governors and Finance Commissioners duly notified, adding that the total outstanding VAT and Withholding debt of States’ MDAs stand at N41,047,661,213.66 for the period 2008 to 2016.
Below are highlights of NEC deliberations:
NEC (8TH IN 2018) 91ST NEC MEETING – THURSDAY, 16TH AUGUST, 2018
A.
SECURITY BRIEFING BY THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER (NSA)
· The National Security Adviser (NSA), on behalf of the Security Chiefs in the country, briefed Council on the current security challenges across the country, particularly in the North West, North East, Middle Belt, South East and South-South.
· He informed Council on efforts being made by the Federal Government and urged the State Governments to support Federal Government’s efforts in dealing with the challenges in their respective States, particularly those with local perspectives.
· The NSA assured that the Intelligence Community and Security Agencies will continue to sustain current efforts to mitigate the security challenges across the country.
Council Decision
Cases of bandits should be prosecuted and adequately publicised by the States and Attorney-General encouraged to personally lead the prosecution.
Council recommended that a Committee of NEC with representatives from the geopolitical zones, including Zamfara, Ondo, Plateau, Ebonyi, Katsina, Edo and Borno States be set up to meet with the IG of Police, to determined how to ensure the decentralisation of the police operations as quickly as possible.
Council also thanked the NSA and the Service Chiefs for their efforts
B.
PRESENTATION ON STRATEGIES FOR OPTIMISING THE CONTRIBUTION OF MSMES TO THE COUNTRY’S TAX REVENUE PROFILE BY THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF THE FEDERAL INLAND REVENUE SERVICE (FIRS)
Highlights of the presentation, among others, are:
· The presentation centred on the contribution of MSMEs to GDP, National Export and to Tax collection for 2015 – 2018.
· It also highlighted the challenges impeding the optimization of MSMEs contribution to Tax Revenue.
· MSMEs are classified into: Micro Enterprises, Small Enterprises and Medium Enterprises.
· National Bureau of Statistics, in partnership with the MSMEs, gave the number of MSMEs in Nigeria as 37,067,419.
· When adequately harnessed, MSMEs can have much impact on the profile tax revenue for the country – especially considering their direct correlation with personal Income Tax, VAT and Withholding Taxes.
Challenges Impeding Optimization of MSMEs Contribution to Tax Revenue: among others
· Poor record-keeping and information management.
· Inability to distinguish personal capital from business money.
· Low awareness of Nigerian Tax Laws.
· Little or no business research leading to close of business.
FIRS Strategies and Rates – among others
Actions
Adequate man-power has been deployed to promptly attend to all tax related challenges by MSMEs.
Respective organs of Government saddled with disbursement and utilization of tax revenue should endeavour to be transparent and accountability in order to motivate Voluntary Tax Compliance by the MSMEs.
Government at all levels should endeavour to provide infrastructural facilities and enabling business environment to allow MSMEs Business to thrive.
C.
REPORT ON VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT) AND WITHHOLDING TAX (WHT) BY STATES OF THE FEDERATION, MDAS OF GOVERNMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN, FIRS
Highlights of the report among others are;
It is a report to Council on critical issues on the Value Added Tax (VAT) and Withholding Tax (WHT), status report on States Tax Audit exercise, total remittances by the States’ MDAs and contribution to non-import VAT.
Council is informed that the total outstanding debt of States’ MDAs stands at N41,047,661,213.66 for the period 2008 to 2016.
Process of bringing up-to-date status of VAT and WHT remittances by all States and MDAs by the FIRS is on.
For ease of VAT/WHT collection and automatic remittances of deductions to TSA, FIRS has deployed a Software Payment Platform (SPP) to facilitate States, MDAs computerisation and remittances.
The report informed Council that remittances from States (January to July 2018) stands at N40,299,839,092.79.
FIRS has duly notified the Governors and Finance Commissioners of the ongoing audit exercise and requests the cooperation and collaboration of the States for the success and timely conduct and completion of the exercise.
The report noted that the Honourable Minister of Finance has directed the Federal MDAs and States to verify the authenticity of Tax Clearance Certificates (TCC) online as presented by contractors before awarding contracts.
Federal and States MDAs are enjoined to send copies of Manual TCCs issues before August 22, 207 to FIRS for verification before awarding and making payments.
Action Points
All States MDAs are encouraged to adopt the use of the Payment platform or a comparative alternative – Governors to ensure compliance.
Action Points
· All States MDAs are encouraged to adopt the use of the Payment platform or a comparative alternative – Governors to ensure compliance.
· States Governors should direct their MDAs to cooperate with FIRS Auditors for timely completion of the States Audit exercise.
D.
FAAC UPDATE:
REPORT ON EXCESS CRUDE ACCOUNT (ECA)
Honourable Minister of Finance also reported to the Council that the balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) as at August 14, 2018 stands at $2,250,434,918.00.
UPDATE ON STABILIZATION FUND ACCOUNT:
Honourable Minister of Finance reported to the Council that the current balance in the Stabilization Account as at August 14, 2018 stands at N21,591,091,564.37.
UPDATE ON NATURAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT FUND
Honourable Minister of Finance equally reported to the Council that the current balance in the Natural Resources Development Fund as at August 14, 2018 stands at N143,479,688,711.25.

Source:

By at No comments:

Nollywood Big Girl, Destiny Etiko Pictured Roasting Plantain On The Street (Photos)

Nollywood Big Girl, Destiny Etiko Pictured Roasting Plantain On The Street (Photos)

 
Destiny Etiko on set
Destiny Etiko was pictured roasting plantain and fish on the street as she played the role of Amara on the set of a movie.
According to the curvy actress, it's the first day of production. Destiny Etiko who is fond of flaunting her hot hips online has enjoyed a successful year in the film industry as her popularity has grown exponentially.
Her Instagram page has interesting photos which usually spark conversations on her page.
See more photos:
Source:

By at No comments:

Transfer: Arsenal goalkeeper arrives in Italy to seal Napoli move

Arsenal goalkeeper, Daniel Ospina, has arrived in Naples to seal a loan move to Serie A side, Napoli.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Colombia international is expected to undergo routine medicals on Thursday, before putting pen to paper.
Ospina had made only 11 appearances for the Emirates club in the last three seasons.
The shot-stopper was left out of Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.
Petr Cech started in goal, while summer arrival Bernd Leno was on the bench.
Goals from Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva, ensured that City defeated Unai Emery’s men at the Emirates Stadium.
Source:

By at No comments:

PDP National Chairman, Secondus visits IBB again

Minna- Just within two months, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, ( PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has paid another private visit to former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in Minna, Niger state.

The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP lead by the Party Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, Saturday paid a courtesy visit to former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, in Minna, Niger State
Prince Secondus who arrived Minna International Airport in a chattered aircraft at about 3.00pm was met by General Babangida’s aides who were already waiting fir him.
He was driven straight to the uphill residence of the former President with only two vehicles in the convoy which included a black Prado jeep and a Toyota Camry saloon.
The black Prado was fully tinted thereby making it impossible to know how many people were in it but the Toyota Camry Saloon which led the convoy had four occupants believed to be security personnel.
He arrived at the IBB residence at about 3.34 pm and was immediately ushered into the sitting room where General Babangida was already waiting.
Nobody was allowed into the sitting room for what was described to be a “private” meeting.
As at the time of going to Press at about 6.30 pm, the meeting was still said to be on.
Curious Journalists who were kept at bay left the arena as there was no information in regards to the visit.
However it was gathered that the vupisit may not be unconnected to the Political hsppenings in the country especially on the Party’s Convention coming up soon.
Source:

By at No comments:

Nigeria Retirement May Affect Moses' Chelsea Career


 
Victor Moses
Former Nigeria captain and coach Henry Nwosu calls Victor Moses' retirement from international football as an unwise decision that could come back to haunt him at club level.
On Wednesday, the Chelsea player called time on his career with the Super Eagles in order to shift his focus to club and family commitments .
The 27-year-old has been reduced to a squad player since the arrival of new coach Maurizio Sarri.
The Italian has switched from Antonio Conte's 3-5-2 formation to his trusted 4-3-3, thus, rendering Moses' wing-back role irrelevant.
According to Nwosu, the winger's decision might further have a negative impact on his standing at the London outfit.
"I don't think it's a wise decision because he is still very young. He needs to play for Nigeria to be more recognised at his club because Nigeria is a big name in football,” Nwosu told Goal .
"It might make him lose his place in his club, they may look at him as a player who is not playing in the national team so he doesn't deserve regular playing time.
"For your club, that's the most important thing because the more you are playing for your club, the better for the national team.
“Club competitions are different from national competitions but you need both to compete at top level. I'm surprised that he has retired now.”
On whether the former Wigan winger’s decision will leave a gap in Gernot Rohr’s team, the 55-year-old says: "We have so many players playing in the midfield that are as good as Moses.
“I don't think we have that gap in the team but being the person he is and the way he plays, I think he is very important in that team and we should try to persuade to have a rethink.
"I hope he has a rethink and change that idea because it's not wise.”
Moses featured for Nigeria in two World Cup tournaments [Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018] and was part of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winning squad.
Source:

By at No comments:

Police statement on Premium Times journalist misleading, prejudicial- Lawyer

Premium Times Services Ltd , owners and publishers of Premium Times online publication, said that statements by the Nigeria Police on the arrest of Mr Samuel Ogundipe were misleading and prejudicial.


Newsmen report that the the spokesman of police, DCP Jimoh Moshood, said in a statement that Ogundipe was being investigated and prosecuted for theft and unlawful possession of restricted and classified document.
Newsmen also report that Ogundipe was arrested on Aug.14 for alleged publication of the Inspector-General of police interim report on the blockade of  the National Assembly  gates by operatives of the DSS.
A statement by Legal Adviser and Counsel to the company, Jiti Ogunye on Thursday in Abuja, said that Ogundipe did not commit any offence under the Nigerian law.
“May we state that contrary to the misleading and prejudicial statements and assertions of ACP Jimoh, Mr. Samuel Ogundipe has not committed any offence known to law,”he said.
Ogunye said that there was no law in the country that compelled a journalist to disclose the source of information for a published story like the police were insisting.
He said that Moshood deliberately misstated the position of the law which is the Nigerian law and not that of the Nigerian police.
The counsel added that because the police could not compel Ogundipe to disclose his source, it has resorted to blackmail.
“Our client sure has a solid defence to this charge , and need not , at this stage, engage in  needless argument with the Police .
“However it suffices to categorically state that the burden of proof in a criminal action lies on the prosecution,”he said.
He called on the the Federal Government, in particular the acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, to intervene and save Ogundipe.
“The Presidency cannot look on while the police is operating like a colonial power without any regard to the due process of law, the rule of law and respects for the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights of journalists,”he said.
NAN
Source:

By at No comments:

Dapchi abduction: Prove your claim, FG challenges UN

 insists it didn’t pay a dime for release of school girls

By Emmanuel Elebeke
Ilorin– The Federal Government has maintained that it did not pay any ransom to secure the release of the Dapchi girls early this year.
In a statement issued in Ilorin, Kwara State capital on Thursday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed challenged anyone who has any evidence of payment to publish such.
He said: “It is not enough to say that Nigeria paid a ransom, little or huge. There must be a conclusive evidence to support such claim. Without that, the claim remains what it is: a mere conjecture.”
A United Nation’s report published by an online media on Thursday had accused the Federal government of lying to the world that it did not pay a dime to secure the release of the abducted Dapchi Girls.
But the report insisted that Nigerian government paid large ransome to free the girls in February.
The report reads: “Contrary to the claim by the Nigerian government through the Information Minister Lai Mohammed, the government paid a “large ransom” to free scores of female students kidnapped by the Boko Haram from their school in Dapchi, Yobe State, earlier this year.
Over 100 girls were kidnapped from the Dapchi school by a Boko Haram faction in February this year with about 105 of them later released by the terrorists. One of them, Leah Sharibu, who reportedly refused to denounce her Christian faith, is still with the abductors.
“The report quoted the minister to have told journalists in Maiduguri that, “It is not true that we paid ransom for the release of the Dapchi girls, neither was there a prisoner swap to secure their release
“What happened was that the abduction itself was a breach of the ceasefire talks between the insurgents and the government; hence it became a moral burden on the abductors. Any report that we paid ransom or engaged in prisoner swap is false.
‘’It is not true that we paid ransom for the release of the Dapchi girls, neither was there a prisoner swap to secure their release.”
The report recently submitted to the UN Security Council on Boko Haram and related terrorist organisations, said such ransom and the predominance of cash economy was providing oxygen for the insurgency around the Lake Chad region.
The UN report is titled “22nd Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team”, related to Resolution 2368 (2017) regarding “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – ISIL – (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities.”
Recall that 111 schoolgirls from the town of Dapchi, in Yobe state, Nigeria were kidnapped on 18 February 2018 and released on 21 March 2018.
Source:

By at No comments:

U.S. Moves To Avert Electoral Hacking

A majority of U.S. states has adopted technology that allows the federal government to see inside state computer systems managing voter data or voting devices in order to root out hackers.
Two years after Russian hackers breached voter registration databases in Illinois and Arizona, most states have begun using the government-approved equipment, according to three sources with knowledge of the deployment. Voter registration databases are used to verify the identity of voters when they visit polling stations.
The rapid adoption of the so-called Albert sensors, a $5,000 piece of hardware developed by the Center for Internet Security www.cisecurity.org, illustrates the broad concern shared by state government officials ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, government cybersecurity experts told Reuters.
CIS is a nonprofit organization based in East Greenbush, N.Y., that helps governments, businesses and organization fight computer intrusions.
“We’ve recently added Albert sensors to our system because I believe voting systems have tremendous vulnerabilities that we need to plug; but also the voter registration systems are a concern,” said Neal Kelley, chief of elections for Orange County, California.
“That’s one of the things I lose sleep about: It’s what can we do to protect voter registration systems?”
As of August 7, 36 of 50 states had installed Albert at the “elections infrastructure level,” according to a Department of Homeland Security official. The official said that 74 individual sensors across 38 counties and other local government offices have been installed. Only 14 such sensors were installed before the U.S. presidential election in 2016.
“We have more than quadrupled the number of sensors on state and county networks since 2016, giving the election community as a whole far greater visibility into potential threats than we’ve ever had in the past,” said Matthew Masterson, a senior adviser on election security for DHS.
The 14 states that do not have a sensor installed ahead of the 2018 midterm elections have either opted for another solution, are planning to do so shortly or have refused the offer because of concerns about federal government overreach. Those 14 states were not identified by officials.
But enough have installed them that cybersecurity experts can begin to track intrusions and share that information with all states. The technology directly feeds data about cyber incidents through a non-profit cyber intelligence data exchange and then to DHS.
“When you start to get dozens, hundreds of sensors, like we have now, you get real value,” said John Gilligan, the chief executive of CIS.
“As we move forward, there are new sensors that are being installed literally almost every day. Our collective objective is that all voter infrastructure in states has a sensor.”
Top U.S. intelligence officials have predicted that hackers working for foreign governments will target the 2018 and 2020 elections.
Maria Benson, a spokesperson for the National Association of Secretaries of States, said that in some cases installations have been delayed because of the time spent working out “technical and contractual arrangements.”
South Dakota and Wyoming are among the states without Albert fully deployed to protect election systems, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The South Dakota Secretary of State’s office did not respond to a request for comment. The Wyoming Secretary of State’s office said it is currently considering expanding that of the sensors.

Source:

By at No comments:

Nigeria disputes UN's claim of ransom payment to terrorists

Pope says on side of victims of US 'predator' priests
3 hours ago  World
2019 Election Budget: Senate invites INEC Chairman again for clarifications
4 hours ago  Nigeria
Italian bridge company under fire as rescuers toil for third day
5 hours ago  World
[FILE] Some of the released Dapchi schoolgirls gather during their meeting with Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, Nigeria March 23, 2018. Nigeria Presidency/Handout via Reuters
The Nigerian government Thursday denied that it paid ransom to a Boko Haram splinter group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to secure the release of the Dapchi schoolgirls.
The girls were kidnapped from their school on February 18. One of the girls, Leah Sharibu, is yet to be released for refusing to convert to Islam, other freed girls said.
The Nigerian government said on March 21 that negotiations through a back-channel led to the release of the girls and a boy. But a recent report published by the United Nations said the government lied.
“The girls were released around 3:00 am through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country,” said Nigeria’s Information minister Lai Mohammed in March.
To free the girls, Mohammed said the only demand made by the insurgents was a temporary ceasefire.
The United Nations, however, said in a recent report submitted to the Security Council Committee that the Nigerian government paid “large ransom” to ISWAP.
“In Nigeria, 111 schoolgirls from the town of Dapchi were kidnapped on 18 February 2018 and released by ISWAP on 21 March 2018 in exchange for a large ransom payment,” the UN said in the report.
But the Nigerian government said there was no basis for the world body to make such a conclusion. Mohammed doubled down on his earlier position, saying the UN’s claim was a “mere conjecture”.
“It is not enough to say that Nigeria paid a ransom, little or huge,” Mohammed said in a statement on Thursday.
There must be a conclusive evidence to support such claim. Without that, the claim remains what it is: a mere conjecture,” he added.

Source:
By at No comments:

Henry Nwosu Reacts To Victor Moses' Retirement From International Football

Henry Nwosu, a former Super Eagles’ player, has reacted to the retirement of Nigerian-born Chelsea player, Victor Moses, from international football.
Nwosu believes that the 27-year-old will hurt his chances at Chelsea after quitting the Super Eagles, adding that he needs to play for Nigeria to be more recognized at his club.
“I don’t think it’s a wise decision because he is still very young. He needs to play for Nigeria to be more recognised at his club because Nigeria is a big name in football,” Nwosu told Goal.
“It might make him lose his place in his club, they may look at him as a player who is not playing in the national team so he doesn’t deserve regular playing time.
“For your club, that’s the most important thing because the more you are playing for your club, the better for the national team.
“Club competitions are different from national competitions but you need both to compete at top level. I’m surprised that he has retired now.”
Moses, a former Stoke City, Westham and Liverpool player, thanked Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, the coaching staff, Nigerians and indeed the NFF for their support and opportunity given him while playing for the national team.
He scored 12 goals in 37 appearances for the Super Eagles.
Moses was instrumental to Super Eagles’ conquering of Africa in 2013, and represented the country in two World Cups – 2014 and 2018.
Source:
By at No comments:

Detained Journalist, Jones Abiri Freed After Two Years In Detention

 

Jones Abiri
Jones Abiri, the Nigerian journalist detained for over two years has been released.
The journalist was released on Wednesday evening after he met his bail conditions, his lawyer told PREMIUM TIMES.
Mr Abiri was detained by the State Security Service for two years without trial over allegations he was linked to armed militancy in the Niger Delta.
Despite local and international pressure, Nigerian officials including the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, claimed Mr Abiri is not a journalist and tried to justify his illegal detention.
Mr Abiri, publisher and editor-in-chief of Weekly Source Newspaper was eventually granted bail by an Abuja court after he was charged to court following public outcry.
The court last week reviewed his bail conditions which were eventually met on Wednesday evening.
Mr Abiri’s lawyer, Samuel Ogala, also told a reporter his client’s trial continues at the Abuja magistrate court in Zone 2, Wuse on Thursday.
Source:

By at No comments:

Ex-Super Eagles Coach Reacts To Victor Moses’ Surprise Retirement.

Ex-Super Eagles Coach Reacts To Victor Moses’ Surprise Retirement.

M1 PIX
Christian Chukwu, former Super Eagles coach and captain, on Thursday said that the retirement of Nigerian born Chelsea player, Victor Moses, from international football was a matter of decision and not age.
Christian Chukwu
Chukwu said that Moses knew about his body faculty more than any person. He said that the decision should be read from the player’s personal opinion and not from the age.
“Victor Moses is a very vibrant and young player, so he has the right to take decisions for himself. “He knows his body more than any person, therefore, it is best known for him why he retired and we wish him well,’’ Chukwu said.
The Chelsea player announced a surprise international retirement. He did this in a series of twitter posts and pictures citing his club career development and family as part of his reasons for the decision.
The former Stoke City, Westham and Liverpool player, thanked Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, the coaching staff, Nigerians and indeed the NFF for their support and opportunity given him while playing for the national team. Moses, 27, scored 12 goals in 37 appearances for the Super Eagles.
Moses was instrumental in Super Eagles conquering of Africa in 2013, and represented the country in two World Cups – 2014 and 2018. No reactions have come out from NFF over this development.
However, his Chelsea teammate, Eden Hazard, has wished him well in his future endeavours.
Hazard twitted “Congratulations! You made your country proud’’.
Source:

By at No comments:

Lukaku quits Belgium team in 2020


Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has revealed that he is planning to retire from international duty with Belgium in 2020.
Despite being just 25 years of age, the Red Devils star is already preparing to call time on a career with his country.
As things stands, he intends to grace Euro 2020 and then walk away.
That means he will play no part for the Belgium in their 2022 World Cup campaign, when football’s showpiece event heads to Qatar.
Lukaku told Business Insider: “After the Euros, I think I’ll stop.”
A man who currently has 75 caps and 40 international goals to his name has already graced two World Cup finals.
He has helped Belgium to become serious challengers for the grandest of prizes, with Roberto Martinez’s side reaching the last four and finishing third at Russia 2018.
“Every big tournament for us as a country has to be getting into the semi-finals, and then you go from there,” Lukaku added.
“You will go to win the whole thing, but you don’t go for less than the semi-finals.”
While Lukaku has helped to push a golden generation of talent into contention for top awards, he feels that the time is approaching to let the next batch of potential come through.
He said: “I’m 25, I’m like, I’m not even in my prime yet.
Source:

By at No comments:

Vote Buying Is Cancer To Our Elections – INEC Chairman

Vote Buying Is Cancer To Our Elections – INEC Chairman

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu (File)
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu,  has described votes buying as “cancer” to Nigeria’s electoral process.
Yakubu stated this on Thursday at the presentation of certificates to 21 out of the 23 newly registered political parties in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
“Votes buying is cancer to our elections that we must work together collectively to stamp out,” he said.
According to the INEC boss, the commission is deeply worried about a situation whereby political agents woo voters with cash during elections; a development local observers said characterised the Ekiti Governorship polls on July 14.
In view of its negative effect of vote buying on the electoral process, Professor Yakubu said he was committed to curbing it.
He vowed that INEC would not tolerate vote buying in the forthcoming Osun State governorship exercise slated for September 22, 2018.
In doing this, the electoral umpire will collaborate with security agencies in identifying, arresting and prosecuting both givers and receivers of cash inducement in the election.
He said, “On the part of the commission, starting with the Osun State governorship election coming up on September 22. We will change the way our polling units are administered such that there will be no room for voters to expose their marked ballot papers between the voting cubicles and the ballot boxes.
“We shall further strategise with the security agencies for a more robust response to the arrest and prosecution of vote buyers. We will also engage with all well-meaning groups for more effective voter education and voter sensitisation.”

Source:

By at No comments:

We Didn’t Pay A Dime To Free Dapchi Girls, FG Reacts To UN Report

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government has rejected a report by the United Nations, which claimed it paid a “large ransom” to secure the release of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, denied the claim in a statement on Thursday night.
He challenged anyone with evidence of such payment to publish it.
”It is not enough to say that Nigeria paid a ransom, little or huge. There must be a conclusive evidence to support such claim. Without that, the claim remains what it is: a mere conjecture,” the Minister was quoted as saying in a statement by his Special Adviser, Segun Adeyemi.
A United Nations report submitted to the Security Council had detailed how Boko Haram was funded and indicated that the payment of ransom and the predominance of cash economy aided the terrorists.
The report, dated July 27, 2018, was called ’22nd Report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team’ and it contained information about the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – ISIL – (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities.
Concerning the insurgency in the country, it said, “In Nigeria, 111 schoolgirls from the town of Dapchi were kidnapped on 18 February 2018 and released by ISWAP on 21 March 2018 in exchange for a large ransom payment.”
The Nigerian Government has, however, rejected it.
On March 21, when the girls were released, the minister had issued a statement explaining that their release was unconditional.

Source:

By at No comments:

Why I dumped APC for PDP – Gombe Minority Leader

The Gombe State Minority Leader, Alhaji Ahmed Usman, on Thursday said that he dumped the All Progressives Congress, APC for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over several attempts to blackmail him.
He said the attempted blackmail and suspension issued to him by the state chapter of APC, and the failure of the national leadership to respond constitutionally to his complaints were responsible for his defection to the PDP.
“The attempt by the Gombe chapter of the APC on May 30, to blackmail me, despite being a faithful member of the party, is obvious they are not following the party’s constitution.
“Also, the letter of suspension issued to me by the party without following the constitution, shows that the party has no regard for the provisions of the Nigerian and APC constitutions.
“I wrote to the national office seeking for justice over the undemocratic suspension, but nothing was done. With all sense of respect, APC has no regards for the provision of the party.
“As a loyalist, I realised that the APC manifesto was there for campaign purposes and not for implementations; I will not allow myself to be ridiculed and rubbished, so today, I formally announce my defection from the APC to the PDP.
“Having defected to PDP, the action has changed my status from minority leader to majority member and since it’s obvious that a majority member cannot be minority leader, that position is gone,’’ he said.
Source:

By at No comments:

Popular Singer, Franklin is dead

Popular American soul singer, Aretha Franklin has been reported dead.
The 76-year-old legendary singer was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 and announced last year she was retiring from music.
She was admitted into the hospital on Monday after being in a critical state after which she died on Thursday at her home in Detroit.CNN reports.
Franklin held the record for the most-charted female artist in Billboard history for nearly 40 years, with 73 titles in the Hot 100.
She also racked up 18 Grammy Awards over the course of her career, and in 1987, she was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Source:
By at No comments:

Thursday, August 16, 2018

What Senators are doing to stop Saraki’s impeachment – Sen. Gyunka


A Federal lawmaker, Sen. Philip Gyunka, on Wednesday in Lafia, said that any plot to illegally impeach the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, will be strongly resisted.
Gyunka, representing Nasarawa North, said this at a rally on Wednesday to mark his official declaration to run for Nasarawa State governorship election.
Gyunka, countering the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomhole on the matter, said PDP Senators were already keeping vigil to stop any of such moves.
“We are keeping watch on their plans.
“If they want the Senate President removed, which is impossible, they must have two third majorities.
“They have been attempting and failing. I know they will still make attempts but they will not succeed because I know Nigerians will not allow them to make mockery of the nation’s democracy.
“If you hear a lawmaker speaking, he is speaking the minds of thousands of people.
“How then should someone, who was appointed and has neither gone to the rural areas to feel the pulse of the people, nor held town hall meeting be insisting that a man that was duly chosen by his colleagues be removed at all course.
“Oshiomhole should be educated that this is not unionism. This is an issue that has to do with the Constitution and we will not allow him to violate it,” he said.
According to him, unlike majority and minority leadership, which are from majority and minority parties, a lawmaker can be president of the senate irrespective of party affiliation.
“Besides that, there are conditions for impeachment should lawmakers be dissatisfied with whoever they chose to lead them.
“The law is clear on this. If two third majorities say they do not want him, he will be removed.
“But for Oshiomhole to keep threatening that Saraki must be impeached when he is not a lawmaker, beats my imagination.
“It is obvious from all his threats that there might be plans to do something unlawful, which we will resist vehemently.
“It beats my imagination that Nigeria, a country that should play the big brother when it comes to respect for the rule of law would be disgracing itself before the international community with this kind of development,” he added.
Source:
By at No comments:

Liga moves into post-Ronaldo era as Atletico threaten Real, Barcelona



Real Madrid’s Spanish defender Sergio Ramos (3rdL) celebrates with teammates after scoring a penalty during the UEFA Super Cup football match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid at the Lillekula Stadium in the Estonian capital Tallinn on August 15, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / JAVIER SORIANO
The Spanish season kicks off this weekend with La Liga entering a new era following the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta, and with Atletico Madrid posing a huge threat to the big two.
Spain’s preeminence on the European stage was cemented by Real Madrid winning the Champions League in May while Atletico won the Europa League, just as Barcelona won another domestic double.
But much has changed since, and Ronaldo’s move to Juventus after 450 goals in nine years leaves a gaping chasm at Real, who also saw Zinedine Zidane quit as coach.
After 15 brilliant years at the Camp Nou, Iniesta has gone to Japan, although at least Barcelona still have Lionel Messi.
Nevertheless, while Real and Barcelona have won the last five Champions Leagues between them, neither looks quite as strong as they have been in the recent past.
Pressure on Lopetegui
Julen Lopetegui is the new coach at the Bernabeu, the announcement of his appointment leading to his messy sacking from the Spain job before the World Cup.
Lopetegui will need to quickly show he can live up to the standards set by Zidane in the Champions League while also making Real contenders in La Liga — they have won the title just twice in the last decade.
His new charges lost 4-2 after extra time to Atletico in the UEFA Super Cup in midweek, but skipper Sergio Ramos insists Real will cope without Ronaldo.
“Throughout history, stars have come and gone and Real have kept winning. The decision has been made to move on to a new phase and I hope all goes well for him and for us,” he said.
President Florentino Perez is hoping Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema will now stand up and be counted, while Luka Modric remains and is a contender for the Ballon d’Or after his brilliant World Cup with Croatia.
Captain Messi
Messi is now the captain of a Barcelona side who have won seven titles in the last 10 seasons and began this campaign by beating Sevilla 2-1 to lift the Spanish Super Cup.
The Catalans have added depth to their squad with the signings of Brazilian duo Arthur and Malcom, French defender Clement Lenglet and Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal.
They will also hope for big impacts from Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho, two big-money buys last season, as they look to retain the domestic crown and end Real’s European hegemony.
“Last year we won the league and the cup, but the Champions League stuck in our throats, especially with how we were knocked out,” said Messi this week.
The Champions League final will be played at Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano stadium, giving Diego Simeone’s side huge incentive to go all the way in that competition.
However, after finishing 14 points adrift of Barca in second place last season, they also look well equipped to seriously challenge for the league, which they last won in 2014.
Antoine Griezmann, the French World Cup winner and another Ballon d’Or contender, rejected Barcelona’s overtures to stay put on improved terms.
Atletico also made the biggest signing of the Spanish summer by spending 72 million euros ($84m) on Monaco’s France winger Thomas Lemar. The narrative that Atleti are the impoverished underdogs against the big two no longer holds true.
“We need to improve on what we did last season. Obviously expectations are high and we need to incorporate and work with the new players who have arrived,” said Simeone.
While they aim big, the biggest fixture remains the Clasico, and Barca and Real’s first meeting will come at the Camp Nou in late October.
Nevertheless, La Liga, which will use Video Assistant Referees this season, offers plenty of interest below the leading trio.
Valencia have strengthened for their return to the Champions League with strikers Kevin Gameiro and Michy Batshuayi both enrolled.
Villarreal, Betis and Sevilla will all hope to be stronger too, with the latter under a new coach in Pablo Machin, while Huesca, the small side from Aragon, are preparing for their first ever top-flight campaign.
Source:
By at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

breaking news

Ambode: Lagos Assembly speaks on fighting governor over election money

The Lagos State House of Assembly has reacted to allegation that the move to impeach Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was for selfish reasons....