A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc
Video shows Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu being hailed by thousands in Anambra when he visited the former president general of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Dr. Dozie Ikedife.
The Department of State Services (DSS), on Friday, said it had uncovered a plot by suspected terrorists to infiltrate the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, also known as Shiite and also attack Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto and Maiduguri during the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
Mr. Tony Opuiyo, an operative of the service who made the disclosure in Abuja, said two suspects – Yusuf Adamu and Abdulmuminu Haladu – were arrested in Sokoto in connection with the plot in the early hours of Friday.
Represented by Mr. Nnanna Nnochiri, also an operative with the service, Opuiyo said the service had earlier arrested Bashir Mohammed, the facilitator of the Kano attack on June 20 at Unguwar Barnawa, Kaduna.
DSS foils terrorists’ plot to attack Kano, other states on sallah day
Shekarau Madaki was also arrested at Kumbatso Local Government Area of Kano State.
Opuiyo said that their plan, together with some who are currently at large, was to assemble explosives and use them on selected targets during the sallah celebration.
He added that items recovered from Mohammed 's house were eight AK 47 rifles, 20 Ak 47 loaded magazines, 27 hand grenades and 793 rounds of live ammunition.
Others were one gas cylinder, three laptops, one Lifan motorcycle, one Honda Civic car and one printer.
He said the service had also uncovered plots by terrorists to infiltrate the ranks of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, also known as Shiites.
"This is an attempt to assume formidable cover to unleash violence and evoke a complete state of chaos in Abuja and other northern states.
"Sequel to this, the DSS is warning members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) to desist from staging any form of procession or demonstration as the terrorists will seize the opportunity to unleash mayhem," he said.
He advised the public to disregard the antics of the terrorist extremists to cause breakdown of law and order and instill fear in the populace.
He said "the Service is working in concert with other security agencies to ensure that no section of the country is attacked during and after the sallah celebrations."
He enjoined law abiding citizens and residents to go about their normal businesses without fear.
Adetona Odukomaiya, Technical Director of the Lagos State Scrabble Association, on Friday, said plans were underway to add scrabble to schools' curriculum in the state.
Odukomaiya told newsmen that the association had been working closely with the State Ministry of Education to ensure its implementation.
"We have introduced scrabble as a game in all schools in Lagos state. We are now adding scrabble to the schools' curriculum in the state.
"We have coaches who go into the schools to train the students every day. Scrabble is all about English Language and introducing it will increase the vocabulary of the students.
Scrabble
"It will also make them much more aware of English words and help them in their final result in English language in WAEC examinations and others.
"It is also going to open up the students to the advantage of playing scrabble, such as getting scholarships,'' he said.
Odukomaiya described the state as the hub of scrabble in Nigeria, adding that the state was working hard to produce the next world champion.
He expressed hope that the Lagos Classic would be held later this year or in 2018.
The state won the 2017 Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Championship.
The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo SAN has said that Nigerians can build a new nation; a new nation built on trust, consensus and love for one another and a nation where the rulers do not steal the commonwealth.
Osinbajo speaking as Special Guest of Honour at the graduation of the 2017 class of Senior Course 39 of the Armed Forces Command & Staff College, Jaji said the great challenge and the wonderful opportunity for this generation of the Nigerian elite is to build a new nation out of the rubble of cynicism, division and suspicions.
He said “We can build a new nation; a new nation built on trust, consensus and love for one another and love for our country is possible. A nation where the rulers do not steal the commonwealth, where every Nigerian is safe to live and work, where the State takes responsibility for the security of each and every Nigerian, where the State knows every Nigerian by name and can find and locate each one of us”, Prof. Osinbajo stated.
Te Acting President further said he envisioned “A Nigeria where the Ibo or Ijaw man can live peacefully in Sokoto, and the Fulani man can live peacefully in the Niger Delta.”
Delivering a speech which addressed the hate-filled agitations currently being witnessed in the polity, the Acting President observed that the elite is largely to be blamed for the festering negative narratives, saying “I would like to emphasize the fact that this was essentially an elite phenomenon, unity and disunity are promoted by the elite which the vast majority of the Nigerian people are only later conscripted.”
He cautioned against the misuse of democratic right of freedom of speech saying, “while we must remain irrevocably committed to freedom of expression and the tenets of a free press, we must draw the line between freedom that conduces to healthy democracy and that which threatens and endangers the entire democratic enterprise . It is an important balance, that we must strike. Failure in any way will be tragic.”
He also observed that the problem is exacerbated by the influence of the internet and hate media emphasizing that “today a great deal of the threats facing Nigeria are being nurtured and cultivated in the vast spaces of the Internet. The rumblings of secession, the dangerous quit ultimatums to ethnic groups, the radio stations and blogs that spew divisive speech and exploit our fault lines; all of these are now to be found online.”
The Acting President noted that though the days of military rule are now behind the nation, and charged the military, its officers and men to devote resources and talent to these new battlefields, including the internet, “where mindless verdicts on the continued unity and existence of Nigeria are daily being delivered.”
Continuing, he said “the battle is not just to defeat the terrorists, the greater battle is to defeat the ideology and mindset that feeds the madness and to cut off its oxygen, money and publicity.”
Prof Osinbajo however expressed optimism stating that “the truth is that our nation and national unity is worth preserving and protecting. We are the preeminent power in Africa today in terms of population, size of our markets , natural resources and economy. We are a factor in the geopolitics of the world, no one can ignore a nation state that is home to one in every four black persons. Smaller is weaker not stronger today.”
He charged the nation to rise above unproductive ethnic and religious sentiments and advised that “we must develop the emotional intelligence required to cope and adapt in a swiftly and constantly changing world. We must adopt a global mindset, that seeks to learn from the experiences of other countries, far and near, so that we do not waste valuable time repeating mistakes that we should have learned from and learned to avoid”.
In his welcome address, the Commandant of the College, Air Vice Marshall S. A. Dambo, announced that 187 persons graduated comprising officers from the nation’s Armed Forces, paramilitary and Ministry of Foreign Affairs including 10 international officers from eight countries, namely Liberia, Togo, Ghana, Cameroun, Niger, Mali, Rwanda and Gambia.
Dignitaries who attended the graduation ceremony included representatives of Service Chiefs, very senior military officers, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Ambassador Danjuma Sheni and members of the diplomatic corps.
Laolu Akande Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity Office of the Acting President 23 June, 2017
La Liga giants, FC Barcelona could not hide their emotions when they expressed gratitude to the Qatar Foundation and Qatar Airways for their sustained sponsorship which has lasted for close to a decade.
The period has also seen the club excel, winning almost all trophies on offer, including the UEFA Champions League, the La Liga titles, Copa del Rey, the FIFA Club World Cup and the European Super Cup.
Speaking after their board meeting Monday, Club spokesman Josep Vives, said,”We are grateful to the Qatar Foundation and to Qatar Airways for having been excellent sponsors for many years. They have been sponsors who have acted properly, who have fulfilled their obligations, and who have helped FC Barcelona in a reasonable and significant way,.”
Vives went ahead and gave in detail, the agreements made by the Board of Directors in Monday's meeting in Barcelona.
Following the success of the sponsorship by the Qatar Foundation, the Club spokesman also said negotiations were on to finalize a sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways. Once it sails through, the Qatar Airways would become the official airline of the Club.
“Vice President Manel Arroyo said a few days ago that that was what we were working towards,” Vives said, adding, "we are holding talks with Qatar Airways. The official airline sponsorship is a product that exists, and it is one that the Club is selling.”
Vives concluded by expressing one of FC Barcelona's main desires: “Our hope is for peace and harmony to be restored in that part of the world, in that region. We are speaking from the heart; beyond any other considerations or geopolitical interests."
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo said the government would set up a database of northerners resident in the state in order to tackle the rampant cases of attacks on farmers by herdsmen.
Mr John Mayaki, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, said in a statement on Friday in Benin that the initiative would allow for easy identification of strange characters within their settlements.
According to the statement, Obaseki made his intention known to members of the Arewa Community in the state after hosting them to iftar ( the traditional breaking of Ramadan fast) at Government House, Benin on Thursday night.
The governor admonished members of the Arewa Community in the state to embrace the diversity which exists in Nigeria and forge a united bond.
He asserted that no true Fulani herdsman would abandon his cattle and take to killing of innocent farmers.
The governor said that the recent cases of rape and murder were perpetrated by foreign elements bent on causing conflict.
" To checkmate the ugly trend, a committee will be set up to carry out community by community delineation of northern settlers across the state to help identify new comers and their aim", Obaseki said.
Obaseki said that fenced grazing areas with watering facilities would be clearly defined by government for herdsmen to feed their cattle with payment of economic fees for services rendered.
The governor assured them of fair treatment in spite of religious differences, acknowledging that intermarriage has made them stakeholders in Edo.
Earlier in his remarks, the President of Arewa Community in Edo, Alhaji Umar , commended the governor for breaking fast with them.
He stated that members of the Arewa community were unhappy with the recent attacks as it was giving them a bad name.
Umar said that the community would support the state government in identifying and dealing with bad elements amongst the herdsmen.
It would be recalled that suspected herdsmen had on May 22, killed two women in their farms in Ewu community, in Esan Central Local Government area of the state.
Also earlier in the week, another killing was recoded in Ekpoma , Esan West Local Government Area. .(NAN)
Adetona Odukomaiya, Technical Director of the Lagos State Scrabble Association, on Friday said plans were underway to add scrabble to schools' curriculum in the state.
Odukomaiya stated that the association had been working closely with the State Ministry of Education to ensure its implementation.
"We have introduced scrabble as a game in all schools in Lagos state. We are now adding scrabble to the schools' curriculum in the state.
"We have coaches who go into the schools to train the students every day. Scrabble is all about English Language and introducing it will increase the vocabulary of the students.
"It will also make them much more aware of English words and help them in their final result in English language in WAEC examinations and others.
"It is also going to open up the students to the advantage of playing scrabble, such as getting scholarships,'' he said.
Odukomaiya described the state as the hub of scrabble in Nigeria, adding that the state was working hard to produce the next world champion.
He expressed hope that the Lagos Classic would be held later this year or in 2018.
The state won the 2017 Asaph Zadok National Scrabble Championship.
Ikeja – Grant Samuel, a 52-year-old businessman, who was arraigned by the EFCC on a N6 million fraud, was on Friday discharged and acquitted on the orders of an Ikeja High Court.
Samuel, who lives at No. 21, Sowemimo St., Ikeja, was alleged to have committed the offence sometime in April 2012 in Lagos by converting N6 million belonging to Mr Babatunde Banjo, the complainant, to personal use.
Delivering her judgment, Justice Raliatu Adebiyi, said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission failed to prove the one-count charge of stealing brought against Samuel.
"The defendant's statement at the EFCC is not a confessional statement in law; the prosecution in this case failed to establish the three ingredients of stealing.
"The defendant is found not guilty of the offence as charged and he is hereby discharged and acquitted," she ruled.
In reaction to the judgment, Mr V. Nwana, the counsel to the defendant, exclaimed "Hallelujah!".
`Thank you Your Lordship for this judgment, this has proved that the court indeed is the last hope of the common man.
"God bless you My Lord."
According to Miss O. Oddiri, the prosecuting counsel to the EFCC, Samuel committed the offence sometime in April 2012.
She said he allegedly approached Banjo, a businessman, who sells used cars imported from U.S. that he had some dollars to sell to him and that the the dollars were not from an illegal source.
Banjo allegedly paid N3.5 million to Samuel in exchange for 25,000 dollars which was paid into the account of Kehinde Talabi, Banjo's brother, who resides in the United States.
The dollars were deposited into the account by one Ivy, Samuel's girlfriend, who also lives in the United States.
The anti-graft agency alleged that there was a second transaction in March 2012 in which N6 million was paid into the defendant's UBA account by Banjo in exchange for 47,500 dollars.
"Mr Dennis Bierwith, an investigator from Citibank in the United States, however, contacted Talabi that a portion of the 47,500 dollars paid into his account was fraudulently obtained.
"Bierwith alleged that 8,500 dollars of the 47,500 dollars paid into Talabi's account was from the hacked bank account of an European customer of Citibank.
"Talabi immediately had to refund 8,500 dollars to Citibank to avoid being prosecuted for fraud," Oddiri said.
According to the EFCC, Ivy the alleged girlfriend of Samuel could not been traced and Banjo has not got a refund of the N6 million paid into Samuel's account for the second transaction.
Jalingo – Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba says he is in a state of shock following the death of his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr Sylvanus Giwa.
He, however, extolled Giwa, describing him as a great professional, who would be greatly missed.
"Giwa was a hard working professional, who stood firmly by the good ideas of his career in the interest of the society," said the governor in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Hassan Mijinyawa.
Ishaku, who condoled with the family of the media aide and the people of the state over the loss, prayed to God to grant him eternal rest.
The late Giwa, a former General Manager of Taraba Television, died on Friday at the Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo.
The Supreme Court, Friday, sacked the Federal House Representatives member representing, Vandikwa/ Konshisha constituency, Honourable Herman Hembe and ordered him to return all salaries collected so far before his sacking.
Hembe
The Court sitting in Abuja declared the seat of the lawmaker vacant and ruled that Mrs. Dorathy Mato who won the All Progressive Congress (APC) party ticket for the constituency is the rightful candidate.
The court, in its ruling, ordered Hon. Hembe to return all salaries and benefits collected while in office within 90 days.
Abuja – Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, on Friday said Nigeria needed to recruit 30,000 police personnel annually for five years to meet UN recommendation.
Idris made this known in Abuja while dialoguing with civil society organisations under the umbrella of "Situation Room'' as he turned one year in office.
He said that when compared to other countries with over one million police personnel, Nigeria was under-policed because it had not attained the UN ratio of one-policeman-to-four-citizens ratio.
"One of the challenges facing the police force is that of personnel. We are just about 380,000 personnel. Even though we are the largest in Africa, we are not enough.
"If we are to follow the UN ratio of 1: 4 of police-to-citizens of the country, the Nigeria police force would be put at almost 700, 000; so, we are still operating below the UN ratio.
"Last year, we recruited 10,000 police officers, but it is not enough.
"So, in my own calculations, we are to recruit at least 30, 000 police officers annually in the next five years before we can get close to 700,000.
"These are areas we want addressed by the present government and definitely we will get there so that we can recruit 30,000 Nigerians every year into the police force,'' he said.
Idris explained that the deficit in the number of policemen in the country arose between 2010 and 2016 when there was no recruitment of rank and file officers.
He said that the force was working on addressing the gaps to ensure that it could secure the nation effectively.
The police boss added that a major challenge of the force was funding, saying that the police could do better with proper funding, "not the envelope budget it currently gets''.
He said that the situation informed the desire of the force to seek an Act to establish the Nigeria Police Reform Trust Fund to provide for the training and retraining of personnel.
He said that the fund would also equip the police, improve their welfare, among others, adding that there would be public hearing on the Bill on July 11.
Idris reiterated commitment of the police to curbing crimes, especially during elections.
He said that some police officers and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff had been arrested over allegations of electoral malpractice, adding that some had been taken to court.
He said that the suspects arrested in connection with the death of two policemen in during the repeat elections in Rivers in 2016, were also undergoing prosecution.
Idris pointed out that prosecuting them was to "make a point that things should not be allowed to go as usual and to serve as a deterrent to others that election is not do-or-die affair''.
"Henceforth, every election would be done in accordance with the rules and the force would ensure proper policing of elections, and ensure that all participants obey and operate within the law.''
Mr Clement Nwankwo, Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre and the convener of the Situation Room, said the event was organised to dialogue with the IGP on his one year in office.
Nwankwo said that there was need for collaboration between civil society organisations and the police so that the citizens would understand their activities.
He said that there were many issues that citizens demanded answers to and that dialogues as was held between the CSOs and the police provided platform for responses to the questions.
Nwankwo urged the police to address issues of kidnapping, herdsmen attacks of farming communities and agitations in the country "by dealing with the issues appropriately.
Senator representing Bayelsa East senatorial district, Ben Murray Bruce, has replied twitter users with handles, @gentle_chika and @smith_cornel, who attacked the Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar by asking why the Ex-VP wore "Agbada" to farm.
@gentle_chika had twitted saying "'Real farmers don't have the time to snap pictures. Real farmers are busy in the farm not on Twitter. Real farmers don't dress in agbada." Senator Murray Bruce, while putting the attackers in the right perspectives said, "Both Presidents Nixon and Carter used to farm with suits and accessories on. @atiku ought to be appreciated!"
Both Presidents Nixon and Carter, used to farm with suits and accessories on. @atiku ought to be appreciated! pic.twitter.com/8SdGhOm6iE
But @smith_cornel had replied Senator Murray Bruce saying, "@benmurraybruce @atiku nobody farms with suits and accessories sir, both men just wanted to pose for photos. Common sense."
However, Senator Bruce, in a series of tweets, answered by tweeting, "Commonsense? Carter was a farmer all his life. Google him and you’ll see him farm in suits. He didn’t do it for you. Nigeria can only become wealthy when we identify the thing we can do better than any other nation and that thing isn’t to drill and sell oil."
Commonsense? Carter was a farmer all his life. Google him and you’ll see him farm in suits. He didn’t do it for you. pic.twitter.com/zKVdsnCHrA
@gentle_chika, had also tweeted the following: " "@werlay7 @atiku I will wake up, sir, when you tell us what “pea sent” means." "@atiku Sir, you have so many attributes, good attributes, I must add, but a real farmer is definitely not one of those attributes. #smiles#" "@johnogarodey @atiku I am neither right or wrong, I just have my own opinion."
Meanwhile, Mr. Atiku had equally replied the twitter user, @gentle_chika, saying, "I have owned this farm since the mid-80s, and it employs a few hundred people. Does that make me an unreal farmer? #smile."
Atiku had also replied another, user @FlawlessMilo who twitted saying, "Daddy those aren’t farm clothes sir," by saying, "They aren’t. I came to the farm to flag off planting. So I did not need to wear farm clothes. #smile"
"@chibdo @atiku You have brain but u chose to use only ur fingers."
I have owned this farm since the mid-80s, and it employs a few hundred people. Does that make me an unreal farmer? #smilehttps://t.co/5ahBFTnMcV
Abuja – The Police on Friday said it would withdraw personnel of its mobile formation attached to important personalities in the country back to the barrack.Police IG Idris happy with the gesture
Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, announced this in an interactive session with a group of civil society organisations under the auspices of "The Situation Room'' in Abuja.
He said that the measure was intended to bring the police closer to Nigerians.
Idris said that the force had created additional mobile police squadron in states to enhance police operations, adding that Nigerians would now have more Special Protection Units (SPUs) in the commands in the zones.
"We will withdraw all mobile police back to barracks to concentrate on dealing with serious law and order situation.
"It means that we are stopping deployment of mobile police from protecting VIPs in the country because that is not where they should serve.
"This is to allow us have enough men on the ground to deal especially with the issues of kidnapping.
"We are creating new SPUs in each command; so, virtually all commands will have them, and with the support of the state governments, most of them would be deployed specially to states.''
Idris said that the decision was basically to stem the cases of incessant kidnapping, adding that it had become a challenge that the force received hundreds of cases daily.
He called for the establishment of special courts to address the cases of kidnapping.
According to him, the public feel that kidnapers are not being prosecuted enough so there is need to seek strict measure to punish them.
The IGP said that with the creation of special task force squadron on terrorism, a lot of kidnappers had been arrested and that the force had 2, 000 suspected kidnappers across the country.
He reiterated the force's commitment to apprehending the notorious and wanted kidnapper from Benue commonly called "Ghana'', saying that his days were numbered.
He thanked Nigerians for their support and called for more collaboration to curb crime "because it will take a collaborative effort to win against crime in the country''.
On his part, Convener of the Situation Room, Mr Clement Nwankwo, called for the prosecution of kidnappers to serve as deterrent to others.
Nwankwo stressed the need for protection of lives and property in the country, adding that 'kidnapping is a serious national issue that needs to be tackled urgently.''
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri ABUJA – The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, dismissed suit that sought to remove Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State from office over allegation that he was wrongfully nominated by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to contest the April 11, 2015, election.
Sokoto state Governor, Tambuwal
Justice Gabriel Kolawole dismissed the suit lodged by two chieftains of the APC in the state, Senator Umaru Dahiru and Mr. Abubakar Sanyinna, on the premise that the plaintiffs failed to prove their allegation.
The plaintiffs who were governorship aspirants in the state, alleged that Tambuwal was illegally nominated by the APC to participate in the 2015 general election in gross violation of section 87 of the Electoral Act.
They told the court that the APC had in its bid to ensure that Tambuwal emerged as its gubernatorial flag-bearer, conducted “a fraudulent” primary election in 2014.
Tambuwal who was initially a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, defected to APC few months before the 2015 election took place.
The gubernatorial ticket was handed to him by the party at the expense of the plaintiffs.
Dissatisfied with the development, Dahiru and Sanyinna took the matter to court, describing the December 4, 2014 APC governorship primary election that produced Tambuwal as “a sham and a hallowed ritual”
The plaintiffs alleged that the list of accredited delegates was swapped at the election venue and that votes were arbitrarily, unlawfully and fraudulently allocated to the aspirants after series of manipulation, intimidation and threat from the then state government.
Before the election was held, they sought for a declaration that the primary poll was unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void and inconsistent with the Electoral Act, 2010 and the APC guidelines.
Aside insisting that he was the authentic governorship candidate of the party, Dahiru, applied for an order restraining INEC from acting, publishing or recognising Tambuwal as APC gubernatorial candidate.
Though the high court, in a judgment by Justice Evoh Chukwu, ruled in favour of the first plaintiff, however, the Court of Appeal in Abuja later nullified the verdict, saying the respondents’ case was academic.
Meanwhile, in a twist of events, the Supreme Court, in a judgment on December 9, 2016, held that Dahiru made out a valid case against Tambuwal.
The apex court directed that the case should be heard afresh on its merit by the high court.
Justice Kolawole initially struck out the matter on the premise that the suit number deferred from the one that was returned for hearing by the apex court.
The case was however brought back to Justice Kolawole by Chief Judge of the high court after it was confirmed that the mix-up in the case number was from the registry.
Arguing the originating summons on behalf of the plaintiffs, Chief Roland Otaru, SAN, urged the court to void and set aside the primary election that produced Tambuwal for the 2015 governorship election.
Otaru prayed the court to take judicial notice of the list containing the names of the delegates who participated at the purported primary and the report of the APC, adding that there was no evidence of verification and accreditation of delegates as required by relevant laws.
Nevertheless, counsel to the APC, Jubrin Okutepa, SAN, asked the court to dismiss the case, maintaining that the plaintiffs were inconsistent in their claims.
He drew attention of the court to the affidavit evidence of the plaintiffs prepared in 2015, where he said they admitted that accreditation of delegates was done.
Okutepa noted that the plaintiffs however made a U-turn in a further affidavit they filed in 2017.
He submitted that a litigant must be consistent in his claim.
Besides, the APC lawyer contended that the plaintiffs failed to call some of the delegates to give evidence that they were not accredited, adding that in the face of their failure to do so, the court should presume that there was proper accreditation.
In his own argument, counsel to Tambuwal, Mr. Sunday Ameh, SAN, aligned himself with submissions of the APC, saying it was too late in the day for the plaintiffs who admitted in January 2015 that accreditation was done, to make a U-turn in 2017 that no accreditation was done.
More so, he argued that the period for primary election had expired in line with 1999 constitution, maintaining that the case of the plaintiffs has become an academic exercise.
In his 42-paged judgment, Justice Kolawole upheld preliminary objections from the defendants, stressing the plaintiffs were unable to substantiate their allegations of irregularities at the primaries.
By Grace Udofia Abuja – For the second time in two days, the prosecution in the trial of former President Goodluck Jonathan's cousin, Azibaola Robert, wife, Stella and company, Oneplus, stalled the cross-examination of its witnesses by seeking abrupt adjournment that infuriated the judge, Nnami Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Robert Azibaola and his wife Although the defendants were ready to take on an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission operative, David Nkpe, who appeared as the tenth prosecution witness on Friday, counsel for the the prosecution Sylvanus Tahir, again pleaded with the judge, just as he did on Wednesday, to grant him permission to 'attend to another matter' in another court.
"My Lord, I am in a difficult situation again just as I was on Wednesday and I need your authorisation to leave this matter and attend to another one in another court," Tahir pleaded with the judge, who was taken aback by the request and wondered why prosecution did not come prepared to go on with the case after two adjournments in a week.
Trouble had started for the prosecution when it tried to introduce some extraneous documents which were not listed in the proof of evidence and served on the defendants as required by the court, the defendants vehemently objected to the move and a heated argument between the two parties.
The development forced the judge to stand down the matter for one hour to enable the prosecution to furnish the defendants with the 'fresh evidence'.
But upon resumption, the EFCC counsel suddenly rose up and asked the judge for permission to attend to another matter in a different court, a development that took the judge aback.
The EFCC operative, who was the tenth witness called by the prosecution, is the only one who claimed to have investigated Robert and his company, Oneplus and discovered that the $40 million paid to them by the ONSA was for a 'Safe House' but could not explain to the judge what a safe house is.
Based on the inability of the witness to explain what a safe house is, the defendants objected to the attempt to shop for an explanation and the judge upheld the objection.
“The mandate instruction shows that the payment was for a Safe House Project. But I did not confirm the property to be Safe House," Nkpe said.”
He went on: "We investigated the utilisation of the funds and discovered that the funds were transferred to other companies including Bureau de Change and some of the funds transferred offshore to countries like London and United Arab Emirates".
He added that, "Another sum of $1.493million was transferred to 'Kakatar El Ltd' which is also a company under One Plus Holdings; a sum of $2million was transferred to 'Capitafield Investment Ltd' and another $330,000 transferred to a company called 'Teledom'."
But on Wednesday, when he appeared as a witness to EFCC, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, who runs Teledom International Limited, denied transacting any business with or knowing Robert, his wife or his company.
Southampton Football club have named Mauricio Pellegrino as their new manager.
Pellegrino
The 45-year-old has signed a three-year deal at St Mary’s Stadium to succeed Claude Puel, who departed the club last week after one season in charge.
“I am really happy to become the new coach of Southampton Football Club,” Pellegrino told southamptonfc.com.
“The club has a great reputation for having a strong and stable structure, competing in the Premier League and playing attractive football. I think my philosophy and the culture of the club will work well together.”
Pellegrino joins after guiding previous club Alaves to a ninth-place finish in LaLiga and the final of the Copa del Rey.
The Saints sacked Claude Puel this month after just one season at the helm, despite having reached the EFL Cup final and secured a top-eight finish.
Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday explained the rationale behind the decision of his administration to host Muslims in twenty centres across the State for the Eid-el-fitri celebration, saying that it was part of the strategy to bring about bonding among the people and enhance community participation in governance. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (right); Chairman, Council of Obas & the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I (middle); a White Cap Chief (left); other Obas and Chiefs during the courtesy visit to the Governor at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Friday, June 23, 2017. Speaking at Lagos House when he received members of the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs on a courtesy visit, Governor Ambode said it had been observed overtime that people travel from far and near to celebrate with the first family in the State during festivities, and that the decision to host Muslims in various centres across the State was basically to address such trend on one hand, and also to give greater number of people the sense of participation in governance on the other hand.
He said: "Like you are aware, we intend to celebrate the Ramadan in the various communities and I need to make some explanation here. Before now, anytime we are having festivities maybe Ramadan, Christmas, New Year and so on, people normally converge at the State House to come and greet the first family and so you see people coming all the way from Badagry or coming all the way from Igbogbo or Epe and then they come to celebrate with us.
"I find out that sometimes, they might even spend N3,000 to get here and go home with maybe N500 and so in my own little wisdom, I think if I make them remain in their communities and they celebrate there, there is likely a position for us to start to practice government of inclusion so that everybody feels government everywhere.
"Instead of somebody coming from Badagry, the Local Government, the Community Development Associations (CDAs), the traditional rulers, the Chief Imams and every other person will celebrate the Ramadan and recital of Quran in their communities and so there is a sense of belonging and so instead of 2,000 people coming to Ikeja, I am likely to have one million people across the State doing the same thing at the same time and in doing that, they will get the sense of involvement. So, we must practice community governance using our different platforms to celebrate ourselves," Governor Ambode explained.
He said the same strategy was adopted during the Community Day Celebration and it worked perfectly well, adding that with the initiative, government would evolve community participation in governance and enhance the bonding among the people.
The Governor said on his part, he would also make appearance in some of the centres to celebrate with the people, and urged the traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders among others to also join in the celebration.
Governor Ambode also thanked the monarchs for pledging to support the moves by government to maintain peace, law and order, especially the pledge to do so during the forthcoming Local Government election in the State.
Responding to a request to intervene in the crisis rocking the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Governor Ambode said it was gratifying to announce that academic activities would resume in the institution immediately after the Eid-el-fitri holiday.
…Court Declares Sureties Unverifiable As Suspect Remains In Badagry Prison
The Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Oshodi has declared the sureties presented by a suspected land grabbing kingpin, Chief Kamorudeen Lamina, alias Sir K Oluwo as unverifiable and thus unable to stand for his bail.Suspected Land Grabbing Kingpin, Chief Kamorudeen Lamina (3rd left) along with other defendants arraigned at the Lagos State Special Offences Court on Friday, June 16, 2017.
The State Government, through the Special Task Force on Land Grabbers set up by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode's administration, had on June 16, 2017 arraigned Lamina and others before the court over alleged forceful dispossession of residents from their legitimate rights to land ownership.
In his ruling after their arraignment, Magistrate Lateef Owolabi had granted bail to the defendants in the sum of N1 million and two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must be a land owner in Lagos, while the other must be a civil servant not below grade level 15. The sureties must have three years tax clearance and registration with Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA).
The Magistrate had also ordered the defendants to deposit N150,000 each with the court, while they are to be remanded in Badagry Prison pending when they were able to meet their bail conditions.
But Lamina and other defendants have failed in their many attempts to meet the stringent conditions of his bail, by presenting persons that the Court has found to be unverifiable to stand as surety.
According to the matter, Lamina and his gang were said to have been terrorising the people of Ikorodu area of the State for some time before he was arrested on June 15, 2017.
Others arraigned alongside him included Mr Omotola Ogunsanmi, Mr Samson Shobule (A.K.A Samson Salau), Biliaminu Orega (A.K.A Biliaminu Salau), Alhaji Jimoh Aromasodu, Alhaji Wasiu Orenuga and Alhaji Nurudeen Kasali.
In counts one and two, Lamina, sometime in February 2017 in Mowo Kekere area of Ikorodu Local Government, allegedly took over one plot of land forcefully which was sold to one Mrs Ebere Okafor by Ifegbuwa family contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law 2016.
The action was allegedly carried out by Lamina despite the fact that the sale of the land had been ratified with proof of payment.
In count three, Lamina was accused of forcefully taking over and remaining in possession of 200 plots of land in Mowo Kekere belonging to Planet Properties Ltd contrary to Section 2 (2) of the same law, while in count five, the defendants were said to have fraudulently sold 60 hectares of land which had been previously sold by the rightful owner contrary to Section 8 (1) (b) of the law.
The fraudulent sale, which was allegedly carried out in January 2017, was perfected by the defendants fraudulently claiming to be the descendants of Ifegbuwa family.
In count six, the defendants were accused of fraudulent selling 25 hectares of land to third parties without any lawful right to do so, an offence punishable under the law.
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Joseph Jericho, a 25-year-old cobbler, was on Friday sentenced to 25 years imprisonment by an Ikeja High Court for stealing two laptops and three mobile phones from a student.
Jericho of No. 14, Church St., Ilaje, Ebute Meta, Lagos, was charged for conspiracy and armed robbery.
He, however, denied the charges.
Handing down her verdict, Justice Raliatu Adebiyi, said the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubts.
She said:"The defendant is hereby sentenced to 25 years in prison each for the offences of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and armed robbery.
"The sentence shall run concurrently and shall begin from the period of his remand."
During the trial, Mr S.A. Aigoro, the counsel to the defendant in his allocutus, had appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy.
"The defendant has been in prison custody since 2011, I pray that this court has mercy on him."
According to the prosecuting counsel, Mrs O. Ahmed-Muili, Jericho committed the offences alongside others who are now at large on June 26, 2011 at No. 4, Baale St., Ilaje, Ebute Meta, Lagos.
Jericho and his accomplices while allegedly armed with guns and cutlasses, robbed Mr Ifesinachi Ogodo, a student, of his two laptops, three mobile phones and N5,000.
The offences contravened Sections 402 (2), (a) and 403 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State 2003.
